English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For September 11/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2025/english.September11.25.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful
also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in
much
Saint Luke 16/01-12/:” And another time he said to the disciples,
There was a certain man of great wealth who had a servant; and it was said to
him that this servant was wasting his goods. And he sent for him and said, What
is this which is said about you? give me an account of all you have done, for
you will no longer be the manager of my property. And the servant said to
himself, What am I to do now that my lord takes away my position? I have not
enough strength for working in the fields, and I would be shamed if I made
requests for money from people in the streets. I have come to a decision what to
do, so that when I am put out of my position they will take me into their
houses. And sending for every one who was in debt to his lord he said to the
first, What is the amount of your debt to my lord? And he said, A hundred
measures of oil. And he said, Take your account straight away and put down
fifty. Then he said to another, What is the amount of your debt? And he said, A
hundred measures of grain. And he said to him, Take your account and put down
eighty. And his lord was pleased with the false servant, because he had been
wise; for the sons of this world are wiser in relation to their generation than
the sons of light. And I say to you, Make friends for yourselves through the
wealth of this life, so that when it comes to an end, you may be taken into the
eternal resting-places. He who is true in a little, is true in much; he who is
false in small things, is false in great. If, then, you have not been true in
your use of the wealth of this life, who will give into your care the true
wealth? And if you have not been true in your care of the property of other
people, who will give you that which is yours?
Titles For The
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on September 10-11/2025
Text & Video: The Fawning Over Qatar’s Ambassador in Lebanon and the
Hollow Arab Leaders’ Statements Condemning Israel’s Strike in Doha Against Hamas
Terror Chiefs/Elias Bejjani/September 10/2025
Get it through your heads: Hezbollah is an Iranian, jihadi, terrorist
organization/Elias Bejjani/September 08/2025
Lokman Slim Foundation/On this day Sheikh Saleh Aridi was assassinated
What Took Place in Doha Confirms That Greater Israel Has Become a Tangible and
Living Reality/Former Minister Youssef Salameh/September 10/2025
Lebanon PM Mends Ties with Berri: ‘Decisions Will Be Implemented, No Turning
Back’
Lebanon, Syria Begin Talks to Resolve Long-Standing Disputes
Qassem urges end to Israeli occupation and attacks before discussing 'national
security strategy'
Report: Aoun convinced US of September 5 decisions
PM Salam discusses political developments with UN envoy, meets Islamic Group
delegation on Lebanon’s challenges and opportunities
Salam: Arab and int'l reactions to Sep. 5 session totally positive
Iranian official says 'political wisdom' has triumphed in Lebanon
A sea of opportunities': Jounieh's touristic port reopens
Lebanese government talks to Hamas over disarmament plan
Aoun says Israeli attack in Doha shows insistence on destroying all stability
efforts
Lebanon’s FM condemns Israeli attack on Qatar in call with Qatari counterpart
Environment Minister discusses Norway’s support and waste management plan for
Akkar with UNOPS and World Bank
MPs warn of ‘ticking time bomb’ as 150,000 tons of asbestos waste sit in Beirut
Minister Fadi Makki/Marwan Al-Amin/Nidaa
Al-Watan/September 11, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
George Kallas: My beloved Najib/Imad Moussa/Nidaa Al Watan/September 11, 2025
(Translated from Arabic)
Derian at Karami House: The Kingdom Unites Lebanon's Sunnis on the State's
Choice/Mayez Obeid/Nidaa Al Watan/September 11, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
September 10-11/2025
Israeli airstrikes on Yemen kill at least
35 people, Houthi officials say
Kidnapped Academic Elizabeth Tsurkov Released in Iraq
Qatar says Netanyahu must be ‘brought to justice’ over strikes
Qatar rejects Netanyahu’s ‘shameful’ attempt to justify Israel’s ‘cowardly
attack’
Israel: If We Didn’t Get Them This Time, We’ll Get Them the Next Time
Israeli Strikes Kill 41 in Gaza as It Continues to Hit High-Rises
WHO says to remain in Gaza City despite Israel’s call to leave
Activist Flotilla on Mission to Gaza Says it Was Attacked Again in Tunisia
UK PM Starmer Hosts Israeli President for Tense Talks over Gaza and Qatar Attack
Saudi Crown Prince: We Are Deploying All of Our Capabilities to Stand by Qatar
Saudi Arabia Welcomes Agreement to Resume Cooperation between Iran, IAEA
NATO Scrambles Jets to Shoot Down Russian Drones in Poland, Raising Fears of War
Spillover
Damascus: Russian Support for Syria ‘a Step in Favor of Entire Region’
Egypt Complains to UN After Ethiopia Inaugurates Nile Dam
UN nuclear watchdog says new deal with Iran covers ‘all facilities’
Trump says 'we must all pray' for shot activist Kirk
Zelensky calls out West's 'lack of action' over Poland airspace violation
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources
on September 10-11/2025
Sudan's Hidden War: Muslim
Brotherhood's Grip on Army Threatens Regional Stability, Global Trade/Anna
Mahjar-Barducci/Gatestone Institute./September 10, 2025
China's Threat - Wainright's Important Warning/Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone
Institute./September 10, 2025
Washington: Adding Enemies Is a Costly and Dangerous Policy/Eyad Abu
Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/September 10/2025
What the attack on Qatar means for America’s regional standing/Dr. Abdel Aziz
Aluwaisheg/Arab News/September 10, 2025
Time for the UN to rediscover its purpose and power/Ray Hanania/Arab
News/September 10, 2025
Far-right Reform UK becoming a serious contender for power/Mohamed Chebaro/Arab
News/September 10, 2025
Return to Damascus/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al Awsat/September 10/2025
Slected X tweets For September 10/2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on
September 10-11/2025
Text & Video: The Fawning Over
Qatar’s Ambassador in Lebanon and the Hollow Arab Leaders’ Statements Condemning
Israel’s Strike in Doha Against Hamas Terror Chiefs
Elias Bejjani/September 10/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147141/
The gravest danger facing the Middle East today—its Arab states in general and
Lebanon in particular—is the deliberate, hypocritical blindness to the true
existential threat: the expansionist project of Iran’s clerical regime. Iran
spreads its influence directly through the Revolutionary Guard and Quds Force,
and indirectly through its sectarian proxy militias, in full coordination with
the Muslim Brotherhood network financed and run by Qatar and Erdoğan’s Turkey.
At the forefront of this deadly alliance stands Hamas, which turned Gaza into a
bloody prison and a jihadist base that threatens Palestinians and the entire
region.
The Stark Reality
*In Lebanon, Hezbollah hijacked the state and turned it into an Iranian colony.
*In Iraq, the Popular Mobilization Forces erased sovereignty and placed
strategic decisions in Tehran’s hands.
*In Syria, the Assad regime—long an enemy of Arabs and a loyal Iranian
tool—collapsed. Israel played a major role in striking and dismantling it both
militarily and politically.
*In Yemen, the Houthis blackmail the Gulf with missiles and drones, all in
service of Iran.
*In Gaza, Hamas surrendered the strip to Iran, turning it into a doomed
battlefield against Israel.
Yet despite this catastrophic landscape, some Arabs persist in portraying Israel
as their existential enemy. But Israel has not occupied their capitals nor
dismantled their institutions—while Iran has destroyed Lebanon and four Arab
republics and stripped them of sovereignty. The undeniable truth is this: the
existential threat comes from Iran and its proxies, alongside the Muslim
Brotherhood and Hamas—not from Israel.
Hamas: The Brotherhood’s Terror Arm
Hamas is nothing more than a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, designated as a
terrorist organization in most Arab countries. Nevertheless, yesterday we
witnessed a hysterical wave of Arab statements condemning Israel’s strike on
Hamas leaders in Doha. These populist outbursts are hollow and meaningless,
nothing but a cheap show that recalls the empty propaganda of Egypt’s Ahmed
Said, Hamas’s Abu Ubaida, and Iraq’s “Comical Ali” Muhammad al-Sahhaf. Empty
words, devoid of substance, exposing the impotence of regimes that prefer
slogans to action.
Israel Is Not the Enemy—Iran Is
The Arab states issuing condemnations know very well that Israel is not their
existential threat. Their true enemy is Iran’s expansionist regime, which has
already swallowed five states: Lebanon, Syria (before Assad’s fall), Iraq,
Yemen, and Gaza through Hamas. Those who pretend otherwise are willfully blind
to the reality of Wilayat al-Faqih and its mercenaries tearing apart their
nations—with political Islam, funded and orchestrated by Qatar and Turkey, as
well political Sunni and Shiite extremism.
The Direct Consequence of Hamas’s Crimes
What the region suffers today is a direct result of Hamas’s terrorist assaults
on Israel. Whoever plants terror will reap only fire and destruction. Hamas
brought calamity upon Gaza, dragged the region into endless wars, and put the
entire Middle East on the global frontline.
Israel Lifted the Iranian Threat from You Arab countries
Those who issue shrill, emotional condemnations of Israel should remember: it
was Israel that dismantled Assad’s regime, their long-time enemy and Iran’s
Syrian proxy. It was Israel that struck Hezbollah in Lebanon, weakened Hamas in
Gaza, and contained the Iranian threat that terrifies their capitals night and
day. Instead of lamentations and hollow denunciations, they should admit Israel
is doing what they themselves were too weak—or too cowardly—to do.
Qatar and Turkey: Sponsors of Terror
The Doha operation once again exposed Qatar as the banker and sponsor of
Islamist terrorism, in league with Erdoğan’s Turkey, which deploys the Muslim
Brotherhood across dozens of Arab, European, and Latin American states. Those
who cheer Qatar and Erdoğan today are either blind, ignorant, or complicit in
the terror project.
Greater Israel: A Reality, Not a Scarecrow
As former minister Yusuf Salameh wrote today in a statement published on my web
site, “Greater Israel” is not the mythical land “from the Nile to the
Euphrates.” It is a sphere of influence extending from Lebanon through Syria,
Doha, and Yemen, all the way to Iran—made real by Israel’s unmatched military
and intelligence reach, freely crossing Arab skies without deterrence. The wise
see “Greater Israel” as an undeniable reality; the foolish repeat it as an empty
scarecrow.
The Right to Pursue Terrorists Anywhere
The pursuit of Hamas leaders, Boko Haram, al-Qaeda, Jabhat al-Nusra, Hezbollah,
the Iraqi PMF, all Jihadist organizations and Iran’s many terrorist armed
proxies is a legitimate right everywhere in the world. Terrorism knows no
borders, and every state has the right to uproot it wherever it exists.
Empty Statements and Hollow Heroics
Those who flattered Qatar’s ambassador in Lebanon, or who issued hollow
statements of “condemnation,” are nothing but hypocrites. Their words are
shallow and meaningless, ignoring the Iranian monster and political Islam that
threaten their very survival.
In the end, only by reining in the Iranian beast can Arab states understand
their inevitable enemy. If Arab rulers and peoples fought wars with the same
passion they write empty statements and poetic slogans, they would dominate the
world today. Instead, they remain blind, submissive, and trapped in cardboard
heroics and parroting rhetoric.
Elias Bejjani – Lebanese Diaspora Activist
Phoenicia@hotmail.com
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.
Lokman Slim Foundation/On
this day Sheikh Saleh Aridi was assassinated
Face Book/September 10/2025
On September 10, 2008, Sheikh Saleh Aridi was assassinated by a car bomb in
Baysour, killing him and four others.
Aridi was a prominent Druze figure and a close ally of Talal Arslan, with whom
he co-founded the Lebanese Democratic Party. During the 1980s. He maintained
close ties with the Syrian regime and the Lebanese resistance, and later served
as a political advisor to Walid Jumblatt, helping coordinate relations between
Arslan and Jumblatt after the May 7, 2008 events. The assassination occurred
weeks after the Doha Agreement and was the first political killing recorded
after it, making its timing politically sensitive. The attack was seen as a
message against the reconciliation between Walid Jumblatt and Talal Arslan,
following the May 7 clashes. Despite the brutality of
the act, no group claimed responsibility, and official investigations failed to
identify the perpetrators, leaving the case unresolved. In 2018, Aridi’s son
called for reopening the investigation, citing undisclosed information about the
background of the crime.
What Took Place in Doha Confirms That Greater Israel Has
Become a Tangible and Living Reality
Former Minister Youssef Salameh/September 10/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147134/
(Free Translation from Arabic by: Elias Bejjani)
“What took place in Doha confirms two assumptions:
First: Greater Israel has become a tangible and living reality. It is the only
state in the Middle East that violates the airspace of most countries in the
region— from Lebanon through Syria, Doha, and Yemen, all the way to Iran.
Whoever said that Greater Israel stretches from the Nile to the Euphrates is
mistaken. In reality, it is a sphere of influence. The unchecked domination of
regional airspace is itself proof that Israel has become great— indeed, even
greater.
Second: Israel, backed by the United States, intended through the Doha operation
to send a message to Qatar— and behind it, Erdogan’s Turkey— that the mission of
the Muslim Brotherhood is nearing its end, and that the region can no longer
accommodate either Shiites or Sunnis extremism.
“The peace President Donald Trump is working toward requires the establishment
of civil states that separate religion from political life.”
In this context, Lebanon stands as the only truly pluralistic civil state in the
region, pioneering the culture of shared life. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia under
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, along with the United Arab Emirates, today
represent a significant driving force for civil culture within the Islamic
world.”
Lebanon PM Mends Ties with Berri: ‘Decisions Will Be
Implemented, No Turning Back’
Beirut: Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al Awsat/September 10/2025
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has set out a new mechanism for developing a
“national security strategy” to be decided solely through constitutional
institutions rather than political dialogues. Reaffirming his government’s
resolve, Salam declared: “There’s no turning back from decisions. We will move
ahead with their implementation.” His statement came
after meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, in a visit seen as closing a
chapter of political strain triggered by the government’s August 5 decision to
enforce the state’s exclusive authority over weapons. That policy had sparked
friction with Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement led by Berri. The
encounter followed Berri’s earlier meeting with President Joseph Aoun at Baabda
Palace. According to government sources, the meetings that came after the last
cabinet session helped ease political tensions between the two sides. Speaking
after Tuesday’s talks, Salam denied any tension with the speaker: Our
relationship is permanent.” The premier said he hoped to see progress on US
envoy Tom Barrack’s proposal on the implementation of the terms of a November
2024 ceasefire deal, which calls for withdrawals, prisoner releases, and broader
security measures. He underscored that the government’s foundation remains the
Taif Accord, which mandates state sovereignty across Lebanese territory. “The
ministerial statement clearly affirms the exclusivity of arms under the state
and the state’s control over decisions of war and peace,” he said. On
Hezbollah’s weapons, Salam noted that the government is bound by its policy
statement, which was twice endorsed by parliament, including by Hezbollah
lawmakers. He added that the army’s plan to address the issue will be reviewed
monthly: “There will be no backtracking on the decisions. Implementation will
continue.”
The Army Plan
On August 5, the cabinet instructed the army to draw up a disarmament plan for
Hezbollah by year’s end. Army commander Rodolphe Haykal presented it on
September 5, prompting Hezbollah and Amal ministers to walk out. While the plan
does not adhere to the strict timetable originally set, Hezbollah insists on
negotiating a comprehensive defense strategy through national dialogue. Salam
countered that the government has committed not to a defense strategy but a
broader national security strategy that spans multiple sectors. “Decisions are
taken exclusively in constitutional institutions, not inside talks,” he
emphasized. He also called for greater international support for the armed
forces, citing their huge responsibilities. The government, he said, hopes for a
donor conference similar to the Rome meeting previously backed by French
President Emmanuel Macron.
Disarmament in Phases
Foreign Minister Youssef Raji disclosed that the army’s plan foresees removing
weapons from the southern border area within three months. By the end of
November, he said, all armed presence south of the Litani River - some 30
kilometers from the Israeli border - should be eliminated. The plan’s subsequent
phases will extend to other regions, including Beirut and the Bekaa Valley,
though without set deadlines. 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," Raji added. Raji insisted, in remarks to AFP, that Lebanon’s
commitment to exclusive state control over arms is rooted in its constitution,
the Taif Accord, and the government’s own program - not in US mediation. He
accused Israel of failing to show reciprocal commitment, saying Lebanon
continues to exert diplomatic pressure for Israeli withdrawal from southern
territory.
Lebanon, Syria Begin Talks to Resolve Long-Standing Disputes
Asharq Al Awsat/September 10/2025
Lebanon’s justice ministry said on Tuesday that Lebanese and Syrian committees
met for the first time in Damascus to discuss sensitive issues, including the
fate of Lebanese missing in Syrian prisons and Syrians held in Lebanon, with a
second round of talks planned in Beirut in three weeks. The meeting marked the
start of formal direct channels between Beirut and Damascus to address
long-standing disputes such as border demarcation, smuggling, and detainees. The
process began earlier this month when Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri
hosted a Syrian delegation in Beirut that included former ministers and the head
of Syria’s national body for missing and forcibly disappeared persons. The talks
focused on detainees, missing persons, and measures to curb cross-border
smuggling. Following that meeting, the two sides
agreed to form committees, which convened their first session in Damascus on
Monday, the Lebanese justice minister announced. Mitri
said his meeting with the Syrian delegation was “flexible and open,” adding it
was not about building trust but “strengthening it,” especially after recent
remarks by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa signaling readiness to turn the page
and reset relations with Lebanon.
He said discussions covered four main issues: detainees and missing persons, the
return of Syrian refugees, border control and demarcation, and a review of
bilateral agreements. Priority, he added, was given to securing the frontier and
curbing the smuggling of captagon, followed by resolving the cases of Syrian
prisoners in Lebanon through a possible judicial treaty. A week after the Beirut
talks, the Lebanese judicial-security committee met its Syrian counterpart in
Damascus. Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar said Lebanon requested
information about its citizens missing in Syria for decades, while Syria pressed
for clarity on the status of Syrian inmates in Lebanon. Beirut proposed a legal
framework that could enable prisoner transfers under a bilateral accord. A
Lebanese source involved in the Damascus meeting said the delegation handed
Syrian officials a list citing the names of Lebanese who vanished in Syria years
ago, while the Syrians shared names of their nationals with pending cases in
Lebanon. The source added that the Syrian side showed readiness to discuss
border demarcation, a key demand in Lebanon, and said the first encounter was
“an introductory meeting” that paved the way for further sessions.
Qassem urges end to Israeli occupation and
attacks before discussing 'national security strategy'
Naharnet/September 10, 2025
Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem stressed Wednesday that “the continuation of
the resistance is a necessity for everyone” and that “it is Lebanon’s strength,”
days after the Lebanese government approved a Lebanese Army plan for disarming
Hezbollah and all armed groups in the country. “We call for a return to
priorities, which are ending the aggression, Israel’s withdrawal from the South,
the release of the Lebanese captives, and the start of the reconstruction
process,” Qassem said in a televised speech marking Prophet Mohammed’s Birthday.
“There can be no discussion outside the national security strategy, which is the
only way to reach a solution, and let's solve the external problem before
discussing it,” Qassem added, in reference to Israel’s occupation of Lebanese
territory and continued airstrikes in Lebanon. “The government's responsibility
at the moment is sovereignty and this means expelling Israel from Lebanon,” he
said. Warning that “the West does not care about Lebanon but rather about
Israel,” Qassem stressed that to his party “Lebanon is our land, future and our
generations' future.”“We won't bow to pressures and we will never surrender,” he
added. As for Cabinet’s September 5 session and its
approval of the army plan, Qassem, said “there are factors that impeded the
government's step toward blowing up the country,” giving credit to the behavior
of Hezbollah and it’s ally the Amal Movement. “America
is trying to give Israel entire Lebanon and it's seeking to disarm Hezbollah
either through the state or through aggression,” Qassem pointed out.
“Why does the government want to give up Lebanon's strength while it does
not possess an alternative for defense?” he lamented. He added: “How can this
government claim to be preserving sovereignty while stabbing the resistance in
the back?”
Qassem also wondered if the U.S.-led ceasefire monitoring committee, known as
the Mechanism, exists “only to tell about the whereabouts of Hezbollah’s
weapons?”“Why doesn’t it mention the Israeli attacks?” he asked. Citing Israel’s
attack on Hamas in Qatar and addressing Arab countries, Qassem said: “Enough
with talking about arms monopolization and those who think that they would be
withdrawing alibis from the enemy are delusional, because the enemy is pressing
on with its project.”“Do not stab the resistance in the back,” he urged Arabs.
He also described Israel's attack on Qatar as a "major and extraordinary
aggression" and part of the so-called "Greater Israel" scheme.
Report: Aoun convinced US of September 5 decisions
Naharnet/September 10, 2025
President Joseph Aoun’s contacts and the army’s weapons monopolization plan
“necessitated Arab and international positivity toward the proposed settlement,
which reached the extent of lauding President Aoun’s wisdom in managing the
current period and preserving Lebanese domestic stability,” a media report said.
“Washington in specific has shown keenness on preventing chaos in Lebanon and
saw in Aoun’s proposal an excellent way to resolve the conflict between the
Israeli enemy and Lebanon, as long as the objective is monopolizing arms and
ending wars,” ad-Diyar newspaper reported on Wednesday.
“That’s why the Americans moved toward Lebanon to assess how the military plan
will be implemented and they heard from President Aoun and the Army Command that
what’s important now is Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied southern border
areas so that the Lebanese Army continues its deployment south of the Litani,”
the daily said. “President Aoun’s contacts convinced
the Americans of the September 5 decisions, while Saudi Arabia agreed and did
not object, seeing as it will judge the results and not the intentions,”
ad-Diyar added.
PM Salam discusses political developments with UN envoy,
meets Islamic Group delegation on Lebanon’s challenges and opportunities
LBCI/September 10, 2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine
Hennis-Plasschaert at the Grand Serail for talks on the political situation and
the latest developments in the south. Salam also met with a delegation from the
Islamic Group that included MP Imad Al-Hout, the party’s political bureau chief
Ali Abu Yassin, and Wael Najm. Following the meeting, Abu Yassin said the
delegation discussed with Salam the pressing national issues facing Lebanon in
the current sensitive and exceptional period. He stressed that the country has a
genuine strategic opportunity to break its isolation, attract investment, and
launch reconstruction, pointing to several positive signs in this regard.
At the same time, he warned that Lebanon faces a grave strategic
challenge in the form of what he described as the crimes of the Israeli enemy
and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who, he said, has disregarded all
boundaries and international norms by targeting both Lebanon and Syria.
Referring to a recent incident in Doha, Abu Yassin called it a criminal act that
violated every treaty and international law. He added that Netanyahu appears to
be pursuing what he calls a “historic mission” to establish a Greater Israel,
placing Lebanon directly in the middle of this storm. For this reason, Abu
Yassin said, the delegation urged Salam to balance between seizing opportunities
and confronting challenges in a way that protects Lebanon’s interests while
minimizing the costs of confrontation. He added: “We presented to the prime
minister the Islamic Group’s vision and political project, which was completed
last April. It covers the political, economic, social, judicial, and
administrative tracks, as well as a national security strategy, and we discussed
some of its points and directions.”
Salam: Arab and int'l reactions to Sep. 5 session totally positive
Naharnet/September 10, 2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam revealed in an interview with An-Nahar newspaper that
the Arab and international reactions to the September 5 cabinet session that
endorsed the army’s weapons monopoly plan were “totally positive, the same as
the domestic reactions to the session’s decisions.”Asked whether that will
kickstart the anticipated support for Lebanon, Salam said: “We first ask the
U.S. side to further press Israel to abide by the cessation of hostilities
agreement and implement what it had committed to on November 27, 2024.”“It
should continue its withdrawal from Lebanon, halt hostilities and return the
captives,” Salam added.“We are not asking the U.S. side, the Arab brothers and
the European countries for anything more than pressuring Israel to implement
that,” the premier said. He also called on the brotherly and friendly countries
to “take tangible steps to support the army.”
Iranian official says 'political wisdom' has triumphed in
Lebanon
Naharnet/September 10, 2025
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met Wednesday in Ain el-Tineh with the deputy
speaker of Iran’s parliament, Hamid Reza Haji Babaei, who was accompanied by a
delegation.
“It was an opportunity for us to affirm, through our visit to His Excellency
Speaker Nabih Berri, our support and endorsement of Lebanese national unity,
solidarity and unity among all segments of the dear Lebanese people,” Babaei
said. “We emphasized the necessity of non-interference by foreign powers in the
internal affairs of this brotherly country. There is no doubt that the Islamic
Republic of Iran supports any matter or decision taken by our Lebanese
brothers,” he added, noting that the government’s latest decisions indicate that
“political wisdom” has triumphed.
A sea of opportunities': Jounieh's touristic port reopens
Naharnet/September 10, 2025
The Jounieh Touristic Port was reopened Tuesday evening under the slogan
"Jounieh Touristic Port... A Sea of Opportunities," under the patronage of
President Joseph Aoun, who was represented by Public Works and Transport
Minister Fayez Rasamny, and at the invitation of MP Neemat Frem, as part of a
joint initiative between the public and private sectors. “Three generations are
looking forward to this port. The sixties generation remembers the most
beautiful times when Lebanon was the Switzerland of the East. There is the
eighties generation, who see a different time when we could breathe towards the
world only through it. Today's generation will see this port as the new,
beautiful time, the new, and joyful Lebanon, a time that will attract tourists
instead of ensuring the flight of citizens," Frem said in a speech. He stressed
the need to activate the port of Jounieh because it “represents Lebanese
capabilities.”“Before we ask the world for money to establish large projects, we
must activate existing projects,” Frem added. He pointed out that this port is a
gateway to Europe through Cyprus, which is only 200 kilometers away. “Through it
we can attract tourists from there by contacting Cypriot travel companies,” he
added.
Lebanese government talks to Hamas over disarmament plan
Naharnet/September 10, 2025
Hamas’ representative in Lebanon Ahmed Abdel Hadi has met at the Grand Serail
with the head of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, Ramez Dimashqiyeh,
to discuss the Palestinian situation in Lebanon, particularly the disarmament
plan that has started to be implemented in the Beirut and Sour refugee camps.
Al-Akhbar newspaper reported Wednesday that Prime Minister Nawaf Salam had
instructed Dimashqiyeh to open channels of communication with Hamas and other
factions, with the aim of involving them in the disarmament process, which has
so far been limited to the Fatah Movement. Dimashqiyeh is expected to hold a
broader meeting with various Palestinian factions to coordinate with them on the
issue. Hamas sources told the newspaper that during the meeting, the delegation
presented its vision for addressing the disarmament issue, along with broader
issues concerning Palestinian refugees. “It conveyed Hamas' demand for a
comprehensive meeting involving all relevant factions and forces, to reach a
unified position, given that weapons symbolize the right of return and are
linked to the continuation of armed struggle against the enemy until a just and
comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue is reached," the sources added,
noting that “both sides agreed to continue the meetings in the coming
period.”Sources following up on the Palestinian disarmament plan meanwhile said
that "the focus of pressure in the coming phase will be on persuading the
various factions to participate in disarming, after Fatah took the initiative,
in an attempt to corner Hamas, paving the way for dealing with it unilaterally
and by force if it refuses to cooperate, both inside and outside the camps."The
sources added that Yasser Abbas, the son of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas,
conveyed a clear message from his father to Lebanese leaders during his recent
visit to Beirut, stating that "the Palestinian Authority agrees to the Lebanese
government using force against any side that refuses to comply with the decision
to disarm Palestinian factions, including an army military intervention inside
the camps if necessary."
Aoun says Israeli attack in Doha shows insistence on
destroying all stability efforts
Naharnet/September 10, 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.”
Lebanon’s FM condemns Israeli attack on Qatar in call with
Qatari counterpart
LBCI/September 10, 2025
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji held a phone call with Qatar’s Foreign
Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, during which he condemned the
“Israeli attack” on the State of Qatar. Rajji affirmed to his counterpart that
“Lebanon will always stand by Qatar and its people, just as Qatar has always
stood by Lebanon and its people in the most difficult circumstances.”
Environment Minister discusses Norway’s support and waste
management plan for Akkar with UNOPS and World Bank
LBCI/September 10, 2025
Environment Minister Tamara El Zein received Norway’s Ambassador to Lebanon
Hilde Haraldstad to discuss possible areas of support that Norway could provide
to the ministry, in line with the priorities it has set regarding reforms and
sectoral interventions. As part of efforts to improve
waste management in Akkar, Minister El Zein also met at her office with a
delegation from the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), a
representative of the World Bank, and representatives of the company contracted
by UNOPS, SES–EPEM. The meeting was held within the framework of joint work to
develop a comprehensive plan for solid waste management in Akkar Governorate.
During the meeting, the proposed plan was presented and discussed with Minister
EL Zein, who offered comments and suggestions, stressing the importance of
consulting with the concerned municipalities. She noted that the plan will be
presented to Akkar municipalities at the earliest suitable opportunity. The
advisory body also presented three different scenarios for waste treatment,
starting with sorting at source, followed by recycling stages, and ultimately
landfilling, with the goal of selecting the most environmentally and
health-appropriate method for proper waste treatment and disposal.
MPs warn of ‘ticking time bomb’ as 150,000 tons of asbestos waste sit in Beirut
LBCI/September 10, 2025
MPs Melhem Khalaf and Najat Saliba submitted a written question to the
government through the speaker of parliament over the continued storage of
150,000 tons of asbestos-contaminated waste in a building in Beirut’s Karantina
area. The lawmakers said the hazardous and carcinogenic materials remain piled
up at the site, posing a direct threat to residents of Karantina and surrounding
neighborhoods. They warned that airborne asbestos particles can enter the human
body and cause fatal cancers, making the issue an urgent public health and
environmental crisis. They called on the government to clarify what measures
have been taken to address the waste, identify which official body is
responsible for implementation, and specify a timeline for action. They also
requested details on whether funding has been allocated from the state budget or
international aid to tackle the problem. In addition, they urged a comprehensive
scientific and medical study and the launch of a free health screening program
for residents at risk. Khalaf and Saliba stressed that storing such massive
quantities of hazardous material in the heart of the capital amounts to a
ticking environmental and health time bomb. They demanded a written government
response within 15 days and for the file to be referred to parliament’s
Environment Committee for action.
Minister Fadi Makki
Marwan Al-Amin/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 11, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
All eyes were on the cabinet session on September 5th, which bore a key theme
long awaited by the Lebanese: the army's plan to restrict the possession of
weapons to the legitimate government throughout Lebanon, in implementation of
the August 5th resolution. Expectations were clear from the outset: the Shiite
"duo" would not engage positively with this session. Nevertheless, Presidents
Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam attempted to find a way out that would save the
Shiite "duo's" face and diffuse tensions. They included four additional items on
the agenda, adopted flexible language such as "welcome," and other formal
formulas, upon which the "duo" built a media campaign to boost the morale of
their supporters. However, these formal maneuvers did not change the substance
of the plan. The plan was approved, and the army was now required to submit a
monthly report to the government detailing the progress of implementation on the
ground. What stole the spotlight during the September 5 session was not the
withdrawal of the Shiite "duo" ministers, nor the continuation of the session
without them, reflecting the decline of Hezbollah's influence within the cabinet
and political life. Rather, it was the erratic stance of Minister Fadi Makki.
The man who left the August 7 session under the pretext of waiting for the
army's plan, and who presented himself at the time as a guardian of seriousness,
quickly let down the Lebanese by breaking his public promise not to walk out of
any government session again. Even more shocking, Makki left the September 7
session before even listening to the presentation prepared by the army
commander—the very presentation he claimed to be waiting for. Another scandalous
irony is that he not only broke his promises, but also tried to outsmart the
Lebanese: he placed his resignation "at the disposal of the President of the
Republic" before leaving, as if he wanted to get ahead of the Shiite "duo"
ministers, whose possible resignations were rumored, and to appear as the
"decision maker," not the subordinate. Minister Fadi Makki, who preferred to
please the Shiite "duo" at the expense of his credibility and respect for his
pledges to the Lebanese, has lost what little trust the people have left in him.
The man who once presented himself as an "independent" figure who placed the
state's interests above all other considerations, ended up defending arms, above
the interests of the state and the Lebanese. Ironically, the arms that Makki
chose to cover have become a burden that threatens the Shiites themselves before
anyone else: they prevent reconstruction, delay their return to their villages
and towns, and turn them into hostages to calculations in which they have no
stake.
Perhaps what deepened Minister Fadi Makki's political fragility was his public
admission that he "cannot carry such decisions on his shoulders." If he was
incapable of shouldering the responsibility, why did he accept this position in
the first place? Didn't he know in advance that the arms issue was the first and
most sensitive challenge facing the government? A ministry is not a title, but
rather a responsibility to the Lebanese. It requires commitment to promises, not
denial, firmness, not weakness, and courage to confront, not submission. Those
who remain powerless when it comes to the substance of the issues lose the
people's trust. If Minister Fadi Makki has any desire to regain even a small
portion of his moral standing in the eyes of the Lebanese, he has no choice but
to insist on his resignation. Recent events have proven beyond a doubt that he
is not up to the responsibility, by his own frank admission, and have also
proven that he is incapable of fulfilling his public promises to the Lebanese.
Remaining in such a position only further erodes his image, while leaving it may
be the easiest way to save whatever remains of his face.
George Kallas: My beloved Najib
Imad Moussa/Nidaa Al Watan/September 11, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
Yesterday was World Suicide Prevention Day. One study indicates that every 40
seconds, someone on the planet commits suicide. Other causes include gender
identity disorders, social problems, domestic violence, isolation, and
loneliness, as well as sudden emotional separations, impossible love, and toxic
relationships that cause severe psychological deterioration. For example, a
one-sided infatuation with Monica Bellucci can lead a man to commit suicide,
while a first or last love can one day lead a lover to hang himself at dawn. On
September 10, 2019, a member of the German Bundestag lost his seat for cursing a
cat on air. In Lebanon, a vile politician with a vicious tongue was awarded the
Order of Merit, rank of Greatest Curser. April 10 marked the third anniversary
of the coronation of Charles, Camilla's husband and lover, as King of Great
Britain. This section does not have enough space to dwell on the major
historical events of September 10, perhaps the most notable of which was the
formation of Prime Minister Mohammad Najib Mikati's third government. One might
ask: How did you remember, O son of Adam? For the questioner, I refer him to the
tweet of former Minister of Youth and Sports, George Kallas, who commemorated
the anniversary with a literary piece stripped from the "bones" of his
conscience: Inside or outside the government, we will continue to celebrate a
memory of loyalty dear to our hearts, we, the family of the "Together for
Rescue" government, on the day the decrees for its formation were issued on
September 10, 2021. We were proud, we were honored, we put our trust in God, and
we were in awe of the task of being ministers in a delicate phase, its legacy is
heavy, its challenges are many, and its knots are intertwined, in a country
whose wealth is plundered and trust in it is nonexistent, and whose citizens pin
their hopes on threads of the wind and cling to ropes of illusion, hoping to
remain alive on the books. God bless you, George. You touched the heart of a
haunted person. All that was missing was to address His Excellency with "My
beloved Najib," without whom and without your government, our names would have
been written on obituaries. You, as ministers, were our air and water. A healing
balm and a broad title for loyalty. Gergi goes on to revive nostalgia for the
dear old days, days when he was closer to the mute: “On the fourth anniversary
of the formation of the Together for Salvation government, we stand in loyalty
and salute the president who appointed, the president who formed, and the
president who blessed. We hold our heads high in pride with the confidence of
Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who gave us his trust and led the adventure of
steadfastness (...) It is enough for us that we entered the government as
appointed ministers and left it as loving family, pure of heart and pure of
conscience, distinguished by the good management of political differences and
the art of transforming them into a national quality, even if it is marred by
shortcomings. It is like a mole on the cheek of a beautiful woman, which
increased her splendor and anointed her with captivating aesthetic charm.” The
“visible” mole reminded me of Nadine Njeim and Samira Tawfik, and what is hidden
of moles here and there and there is greater. It is good for the Lebanese that
there is no one in Nawaf Salam’s government who steals hearts with magic
Construction, while Mikati's government provided literature with three
stallions: Muhammad Wissam Al-Murtada, Mustafa Hussein Bayram, and George
Mikhael Kallas.
Derian at Karami House: The Kingdom Unites Lebanon's Sunnis
on the State's Choice
Mayez Obeid/Nidaa Al Watan/September 11, 2025 (Translated from
Arabic)
The visit of the Grand Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, to the
Karami family residence in Bqaasafrin was not merely a protocol meeting or a
passing visit. Rather, it was a remarkable political event that reshuffled the
cards on the Sunni scene and opened the door to a new reading of the balance of
power in the North and Lebanon as a whole. The move, with its symbolism and
timing, provided rich material for discussion in the political arenas, which
began to boil over with the early start of the electoral battle in the North,
where names were being proposed, lists were drawn up, one list was being woven,
and another was being blown out of proportion, while the specter of postponing
the elections remained looming due to existing complications. This event was not
only significant in its form, but also in its content. MP Faisal Karami's speech
during the meeting carried unusual messages, clearly embracing adherence to the
Taif Agreement and the exclusivity of arms in the hands of the state, a
significant departure from his previous rhetoric, which was close to Hezbollah.
This shift prompted observers to consider what happened a political
repositioning for Karami, and perhaps a "remarketing" of him by Saudi Arabia,
given the apparent growing rapprochement between him and Riyadh in recent
months. While some linked the visit to a Saudi green light, others went further,
arguing that most of the figures who attended the "Bqaasafrin" meeting may be
the kingdom's upcoming candidates in the upcoming parliamentary elections. This
approach, observers deemed exaggerated, given that Saudi Arabia has not
nominated or supported any candidates or lists in 2022 and will adopt the same
approach in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Some observers point out that
the kingdom's interest in Karami in particular stems from his previous attempts
to forge a relationship with Turkey, which makes Riyadh see an opportunity to
lure him away from previous alliances with Assad's Syria and Hezbollah,
transforming him into a Saudi axis of moderation in the north. The Kingdom also
aims, through this move, to create multiple Sunni balances in the regions, away
from the exclusivity of Sunni authority as was the case previously, and to
launch a new dynamic in the Sunni arena that reflects the diversity and free
choices within the Sunni community. Sunni political sources point out that the
Kingdom is currently adopting a policy of openness to all figures and movements
without exception, especially those that do not openly oppose it. It treats
everyone equally, far from the "single leader" model that characterized the era
of Prime Ministers Rafik and Saad Hariri. According to these sources, all rumors
about Saudi endorsements or the adoption of certain names remain speculative or
wishful thinking, not based on actual facts.
Nevertheless, the dynamics in the north appear to be at their peak, with
parliamentary hopefuls moving toward clerics close to the Kingdom, while others
are monitoring Karami's new positioning, a scene that reflects the rapidly
changing Sunni landscape. What happened in Bqaasafrin is not a detail, but
rather the beginning of a new political phase in which alliances are drawn on
different foundations, where actual positions will be the decisive criterion for
any future support or influence.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous
Reports And News published
on September 10-11/2025
Israeli airstrikes on Yemen
kill at least 35 people, Houthi officials say
Arab News/September 10, 2025
SANAA: Israel carried out another round of heavy airstrikes in Yemen on
Wednesday, days after Houthi militants launched a drone attack that struck an
Israeli airport. At least 35 were killed people and
more than 130 were wounded, the Houthi-run health ministry said.Most of those
killed were in Sanaa, the capital, where a military headquarters and a fuel
station were among the sites hit, the health ministry said. Search crews were
continuing to dig through the rubble. European Commission President Ursula von
der Leyen, meanwhile, said she would seek sanctions and a partial trade
suspension against Israel over the war in the Gaza Strip. The move adds to
Israel’s already unprecedented global isolation as it grapples with the fallout
from its strike targeting Hamas leaders in US-allied Qatar on Tuesday.
Al-Masirah, a Houthi-controlled satellite news channel, said one of the strikes
on Yemen hit a military headquarters building in central Sanaa. Neighboring
houses were also damaged, it reported. Israel has previously launched waves of
airstrikes in response to the Houthis’ firing missiles and drones at Israel. The
Iran-backed Houthis say they are supporting Hamas and the Palestinians in the
Gaza Strip, and on Sunday, sent a drone that breached Israel’s multilayered air
defenses and slammed into the country’s southern airport.
Israel’s strikes in Yemen followed earlier attacks that killed the Houthi
prime minister and other top officials in a major escalation of the nearly
2-year-old conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group. The
strikes on Wednesday hit a station that provides fuel to hospitals in the
capital, Essam Al-Mutawakel, spokesman for militant-run Yemen Petroleum Company,
told the Al-Masirah news channel. Residents said they heard violent explosions
in multiple areas of the city, with fire and smoke in the skies. The Houthi
media office said Israel also hit a government facility in the strategic city of
Hazm, the capital of northern Jawf province. Houthi military spokesman Brig.
Gen. Yahya Saree said militants fired surface-to-air missiles at the Israeli
fighter jets. Houthi-backed President Mahdi Al-Mashat vowed on Wednesday to
continue the attacks, warning Israelis to “stay alarmed since the response is
coming without fail.”
Kidnapped Academic Elizabeth Tsurkov Released in Iraq
Asharq Al Awsat/September 10/2025
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and US President Donald Trump
announced Tuesday the release of Israeli-Russian academic Elizabeth Tsurkov who
was kidnapped in Baghdad in March 2023. While Iraq said a "group of outlaws"
kidnapped Tsurkov, Trump announced she was released by the powerful pro-Iran
Kataeb Hezbollah group. "As a culmination of extensive efforts exerted by our
security services over the course of many months, we announce the release of the
Russian citizen, Elizabeth Tsurkov," Sudani said on X. Trump posted on his Truth
Social platform that Tsurkov "was just released" by Kataeb Hezbollah "after
being tortured for many months" and was now at the US embassy in Baghdad. Sabah
al-Numan, the military spokesman for the Iraqi prime minister, said later in a
statement that "following extensive and high-level security and intelligence
efforts... authorities succeeded, on September 9, in locating and reaching the
site of her detention."Tsurkov was delivered to the US embassy to "facilitate
her reunion with her sister, a US citizen," he added. The former captive's
sister, Emma Tsurkov, thanked Trump, his special envoy Adam Boehler, the US
embassy in Baghdad and the non-profit group Global Reach for their roles in
securing the release. "My entire family is incredibly happy. We cannot wait to
see Elizabeth and give her all the love we have been waiting to share for 903
days," she posted on social media. Numan said Tsurkov was kidnapped by a "group
of outlaws" without naming any party, and added that Iraq's security forces
"will continue to pursue all those involved in this crime and ensure they are
held accountable."
Phd candidate
Tsurkov, a doctoral student at Princeton University and fellow at the New Lines
Institute for Strategy and Policy, went missing in Iraq in March 2023. She had
likely entered Iraq on her Russian passport and had travelled to the country as
part of her doctoral studies. She was active on Twitter, where she has tens of
thousands of followers and describes herself as "passionate about human
rights".In Baghdad, she had focused on pro-Iran factions and the movement of
Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr as part of her research on the region. She was
abducted as she was leaving a cafe in the Iraqi capital's Karrada neighborhood,
an Iraqi intelligence source told AFP in 2023. Israeli authorities blamed Kataeb
Hezbollah for her disappearance, but the group implied that it was not involved.
Kataeb Hezbollah?
Kataeb Hezbollah did not claim in 2023 the abduction, but a source in the
group told AFP Tuesday Tsurkov was released to spare Iraq any "conflicts". She
"was released according to conditions, the most important of which was to
facilitate the withdrawal of US forces without a fight and to spare Iraq any
conflicts or fighting," the source said. "She was released and not liberated. No
military operation was carried out to free her," the source added. Like other
armed groups trained by Iran during the war against the ISIS group, Kataeb
Hezbollah were integrated into the regular security forces as part of the Hashed
al-Shaabi or the Popular Mobilization force (PMF). However, the faction has
developed a reputation for sometimes acting on its own. The group and other
Iran-backed Iraqi factions have been calling for the withdrawal of US troops
deployed in Iraq at Baghdad's invitation as part of the anti-ISIS coalition. US
forces in Iraq and neighboring Syria were repeatedly targeted by Kataeb
Hezbollah and other pro-Iran groups following the outbreak of the Gaza war in
October 2023. They have responded with heavy strikes on Tehran-linked targets,
and the attacks have halted. The US and Iraq have announced that the anti-IS
coalition would end its decade-long military mission in federal Iraq in 2025,
and by September 2026 in the autonomous Kurdistan region in the country's north.
Qatar says Netanyahu must be ‘brought to justice’ over
strikes
AFP/September 10, 2025
DOHA: Qatar’s prime minister warned Wednesday that an unprecedented Israeli
strike in Doha targeting Hamas killed hope for Gaza hostages, calling for
Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu to be “brought to justice.”His comments came a
day after deadly strikes targeted Hamas leaders in Qatar — a US ally — a first
in the oil-rich Gulf that rattled a region long shielded from conflict.
“I think that what Netanyahu has done yesterday, he just killed any hope
for those hostages,” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al
Thani told CNN. Doha is “reassessing everything”
around their involvement in future ceasefire talks and discussing next steps
with Washington, he added in comments cited in CNN’s live blog after an
interview with the broadcaster.The attack, just three months after Iran launched
a retaliatory strike on a US air base in Qatar, also cast serious doubt on
Qatar-mediated Gaza ceasefire talks and undermined security reassurances to the
Gulf from key ally Washington. Earlier Wednesday,
Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed that Israel would “act against its enemies
anywhere” while Netanyahu urged Qatar to expel Hamas officials or hold them to
account, “because if you don’t, we will.”Qatar has hosted Hamas’s political
bureau since 2012 with Washington’s blessing, and has been a key mediator in
Gaza talks alongside Egypt and the United States. Israel’s military said it
struck Houthi targets in Yemen on Wednesday, including in the capital Sanaa,
killing 35 people according to the militants.
Palestinian militant group Hamas said six people were killed in Tuesday’s
strikes in Qatar, but its senior leaders had survived, affirming “the enemy’s
failure to assassinate our brothers in the negotiating delegation.”The White
House said Trump did not agree with Israel’s decision to take military action.
Trump said he was not notified in advance and when he heard, asked his envoy
Steve Witkoff to warn Qatar immediately — but the attack had already started.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, sought to justify
the decision, telling an Israeli radio station: “It was not an attack on Qatar;
it was an attack on Hamas.”
‘Shaken conscience of world’
Hamas political bureau member Hossam Badran said Israel “represents a real
danger to the security and stability of the region.”“It is in an open war with
everyone, not just with the Palestinian people,” he said. In Gaza City on
Wednesday, the Israeli military destroyed another high-rise building as it
intensified its assault on the territory’s largest urban center, despite
mounting calls to end its campaign. The military
issued an evacuation warning to those living in and around the Tiba 2 tower,
before later saying it had “struck a high-rise building that was used by the
Hamas terrorist organization.”AFP images showed huge plumes of smoke billowing
into the sky as the residential tower in western Gaza City crashed to the
ground. In the aftermath, young girls rushed to pick dust-covered dough out of
the rubble. Siham Abu Al-Foul told AFP she couldn’t take anything with her when
the army issued the evacuation orders. “They brought down the tower and we came
running and there was nothing left... Everything we fixed in two years was gone
in a minute.”The Israeli military said it had struck 360 targets since Friday
and vowed that it would “increase the pace of targeted strikes” in the Gaza City
area in the coming days. The Gaza war has created catastrophic humanitarian
conditions for the population of more than two million, with the United Nations
last month declaring a famine in Gaza City and its surroundings. EU chief Ursula
von der Leyen said she would push to sanction “extremist” Israeli ministers and
curb trade ties over the dire situation.
“What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world,” she said.
‘Not thrilled’
Israel’s targeting of Hamas leaders in Qatar sparked international condemnation.
Trump said he was not notified in advance of the Israeli strikes and was
“not thrilled about the whole situation.”“I view Qatar as a strong Ally and
friend of the US, and feel very badly about the location of the attack,” he said
in a social media post, adding Hamas’s elimination was still a “worthy
goal.”Canada said it was reassessing its relationship with Israel following the
Doha strikes.Hamas’s October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people,
mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.Of the 251
hostages seized during the assault, 47 remain in Gaza, including 25 the Israeli
military says are dead. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least
64,656 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the
health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the UN considers reliable.
Qatar rejects Netanyahu’s ‘shameful’ attempt to justify Israel’s ‘cowardly
attack’
Arab News/September 11, 2025
RIYADH: Qatar denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks
about Doha’s hosting of a Hamas office as “reckless” and a “shameful attempt” to
justify Israel’s “cowardly attack” on Qatari territory. “Netanyahu is fully
aware that the hosting of the Hamas office took place within the framework of
Qatar’s mediation efforts requested by the United States and Israel,” Qatar said
in a strongly worded statement issued by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He
made the remark as Israel came under international condemnation after launching
an air strike Tuesday on a building in Qatar in a bid to assassinate Hamas
political leaders. The airstrike took place shortly after Hamas claimed
responsibility for a shooting on Monday that killed six people at a bus stop on
the outskirts of Jerusalem. On Wednesday, Netanyahu urged Qatar to expel Hamas
officials or hold them to account, “because if you don’t, we will”. His comments
came a day after deadly strikes targeted Hamas leaders in Qatar — a US ally — a
first in the oil-rich Gulf that rattled a region long shielded from conflict.
Qatar, which said one of its security forces was killed in the attack, said
Israel was treacherous and engaged in “state terrorism.”Also on Wednesday,
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the attack
killed hope for Gaza hostages, calling for Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu to
be “brought to justice.”
World must act
The Qatari statement called on the international community to “shoulder its
responsibility by rejecting Netanyahu’s Islamophobic and inciteful rhetoric” and
to put “an end to political distortions that undermine mediation efforts and
obstruct the pursuit of peace.”
In rejecting Netanyahu’s rhetoric, Qatar pointed out that the Israeli leader was
fully aware of the Gulf nation’s role in facilitating numerous exchanges and
ceasefires, which have “brought relief to Palestinian civilians and Israeli
hostages in desperate need of basic humanitarian relief from the ruthlessness
that has ensued since October 7th.”It said the negotiations were always held in
an official and transparent manner, with international support and in the
presence of US and Israeli delegations. “Netanyahu’s insinuation that Qatar
secretly harbored the Hamas delegation is a desperate attempt to justify a crime
condemned by the entire world,” the statement said. “The false comparison to the
pursuit of al-Qaeda after the terrorist attacks is a new, miserable
justification for its treacherous practices. There was no international
mediation involving an al-Qaeda negotiating delegation, with which the United
States could engage with international support, to bring peace to the region at
the time,” it added.
Israel: If We Didn’t Get Them This Time, We’ll Get Them the Next Time
Asharq Al Awsat/September 10/2025
Israeli Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, said in an interview on Fox News
that if Israel could not kill the Hamas leaders in its strike on Qatar's Doha
“we’ll get them the next time.”“If we didn’t get them this time, we’ll get them
the next time,” said Leiter when asked by Fox News’ “Special Report” whether
Israel successfully targeted the Hamas chiefs. He also
said that he hopes the strike on Hamas leaders “will actually advance the
efforts for a ceasefire and peace.”Israel struck the headquarters of Hamas'
political leadership in Qatar on Tuesday as the group's top figures gathered to
consider a US proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Qatar has served as a
key mediator between Israel and Hamas throughout the 23-month-old war and even
before. It condemned what it referred to as a “flagrant violation of all
international laws and norms" as smoke rose over its capital.
Hamas said in a statement Tuesday that its top leaders survived the strike but
that five lower-level members were killed, including the son of Khalil al-Hayya
— Hamas’ leader for Gaza and its top negotiator — as well as three bodyguards
and the head of al-Hayya’s office.
Israeli Strikes Kill 41 in Gaza as It Continues to Hit
High-Rises
Asharq Al Awsat/September 10/2025
The Gaza health ministry said Wednesday hospitals received 41 bodies of people
killed by Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours. Hospitals also received 184
wounded. An additional 12 people were killed in that
time period while seeking humanitarian aid, the ministry said in its daily
report. Israelis strikes also targeted another Gaza City high-rise. The military
claimed Hamas was using the building to surveil Israeli troops. The Associated
Press was unable to independently verify the claim. The strike came hours after
the military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, told Palestinians
in certain areas of western Gaza City to evacuate. Israel ordered Tuesday all
Palestinians in the city to leave as the military was about to attack forcefully
and staying there would be dangerous. But hundreds of
thousands of Palestinians remain there, many exhausted after multiple
displacements and unsure if anywhere else in the strip will be safe for them.
WHO says to remain in Gaza City despite Israel’s call to leave
AFP/September 11, 2025
GENEVA: The UN’s health agency said Wednesday its workers will remain in Gaza
City despite calls from Israel’s military for people to flee an assault it is
mounting there. “To civilians in Gaza: WHO and
partners remain in Gaza City,” the World Health Organization said on its X
account. Israel’s army is intensifying its attacks on Gaza City — the main urban
center in the besieged Gaza Strip — with the goal of seizing the city. This
week, it warned civilians there to leave. The UN estimates that around one
million Palestinians live in and around Gaza City. “WHO is appalled by the
latest evacuation order,” the head of the UN agency, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,
said on X. He said the Israeli demand that the city’s
one million people go to what Israel was calling a “humanitarian zone” in the
south of the Gaza Strip was unfeasible. “The zone has neither the size nor scale
of services to support those already there, let alone new arrivals,” he said.
Tedros pointed out that half of the functioning hospitals left in the
Gaza Strip were in Gaza City, and the territory’s “crippled health system cannot
afford to lose any of these remaining facilities.”He urged the international
community to “act,” saying that, in Gaza, “this catastrophe is human-made, and
the responsibility rests with us all.”Israel has been waging offensive
operations in Gaza since October 2023, following a deadly attack launched from
there by Hamas that resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians,
according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Israel’s retaliatory
offensive has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians,
according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United
Nations considers reliable.The UN has declared famine in parts of Gaza, which
Israel contests.
Activist Flotilla on Mission to Gaza Says it Was Attacked Again in Tunisia
Asharq Al Awsat/September 10/2025
An international activist flotilla seeking to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza
said Wednesday it was attacked for the second night in a row.
The Global Sumud Flotilla said that one of its boats, the British-flagged
“Alma,” was attacked by a drone as it was docked in Tunisian waters. No one was
harmed. The group shared security camera footage showing people on board
shouting “fire” and pointing to the sky. Projectiles on fire fell on the deck,
exploding and setting off a blaze, The Associated Press reported. The attack
appeared similar to the one the night before on the Portuguese-flagged “Family”
vessel. Tunisian authorities denied on Tuesday claims that the first attack had
been caused by drones, adding they were investigating. There was no immediate
reaction to the second attack. The flotilla, consisting of around 20 boats,
departed from the port city of Barcelona in Spain with a symbolic amount of
humanitarian aid on Sept. 1. It had planned a stop in Tunisia before sailing on
to Gaza. “These repeat attacks come during intensified Israeli aggression on
Palestinians in Gaza, and are an orchestrated attempt to distract and derail our
mission," the activists said. “The Global Sumud Flotilla continues undeterred.”
There was no immediate reaction from the Israeli authorities.
UK PM Starmer Hosts Israeli President for Tense Talks over Gaza and Qatar Attack
Asharq Al Awsat/September 10/2025
Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived for talks with British Prime Minister
Keir Starmer in Downing Street on Wednesday in what is likely to be a tense
meeting, with both leaders planning to criticize each other country's recent
behavior. The meeting comes a day after Israel
expanded its attacks on Hamas by launching an airstrike aimed at killing the
group's political leaders in Qatar, a British ally in the Middle East, which
Starmer condemned. Starmer plans to raise with Herzog the Israeli airstrike on
Qatar as well as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, his spokesperson said.
The two men briefly shook hands without smiling on the steps of Downing
Street before they entered the building. The Gaza war has strained Israel's
relations with Britain and other European countries. The Israeli government has
been angered by Britain's plan - along with several other Western countries
including France and Canada - to recognize a Palestinian state and to block
Israeli officials from attending its biggest defense trade show, which is taking
place this week. Starmer is under pressure from politicians in his own party to
take a tougher approach to Israel, but he told parliament on Wednesday that
diplomacy was needed to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and to get the Israeli
hostages released by Hamas. Herzog's role as Israel's
president is mainly ceremonial but he caused anger when he said all residents of
Gaza were responsible for the Hamas-led attack on Israel after the October 7
attacks in 2023. Asked on Wednesday why he was meeting Herzog, Starmer said: "I
will not give up on diplomacy, that is the politics of students."Wes Streeting,
who is health minister in Starmer's government, said this week that Israel's
handling of the war in Gaza was leading it to "pariah status".
PALESTINIAN STATE
In the meeting, Herzog plans to "reject outright the positions presented by the
UK recently", including Britain's intention to recognize a Palestinian state,
saying it would reward Hamas, according to a statement from his office. Herzog
would also "express protest" over Britain's decision in June to sanction
far-right Israeli cabinet ministers, calling this decision
"unacceptable".Starmer also hosted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
on Monday, where they agreed there would be "absolutely no role" for Hamas in
the future governance of a Palestinian state. Britain has promised to recognize
a Palestinian state ahead of the UN General Assembly later this month unless
Israel meets four conditions, including ending the war in Gaza and allowing more
aid into the Palestinian enclave.
Saudi Crown Prince: We Are Deploying All of Our
Capabilities to Stand by Qatar
Asharq Al Awsat/September 10/2025
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime
Minister, reiterated on Wednesday the Kingdom’s categorical rejection and
condemnation of the Israeli attacks on the region, the latest of which was the
“heinous” assault on Qatar. Riyadh is deploying all of
its capabilities as it stands by Qatar and the measures its takes to protect its
security and stability, Crown Prince Mohammed said during the annual royal
speech, marking the opening of the second year of the Shura Council’s ninth
session. He highlighted the Arab Peace initiative that
was launched by the Kingdom in 2002. It was activated on an unprecedented
international scale by advocating for the implementation of the two-state
solution, which remains the sole means to establish an independent Palestinian
state. Saudi Arabia’s efforts have led more countries to recognize the State of
Palestine, he declared. Its co-chairing of the Conference on the Peaceful
Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State
Solution in New York in July has garnered unprecedented international support
for the initiative. He expressed his gratitude to
regional and international partners for their valuable humanitarian
contributions. Moreover, Crown Prince Mohammed declared that for three
centuries, the Saudi state has been built on firm principles based on Islamic
Sharia, justice and shura. “We are proud of this blessed approach and God
Almighty has blessed us in serving the Two Holy Mosques. This is a
responsibility we handle with utmost attention and care and we are dedicating
all of our capabilities towards it,” he added. He said
the Saudi economy was forging ahead in its diversification and is weaning itself
off its reliance on oil. For the first time in its history, non-oil activities
made up 56 percent of its GDP. “This and other achievements have made Saudi
Arabia a global hub that attracts different activities. Six hundred global
companies choosing the Kingdom as their regional headquarters is a testament to
its position,” he stressed, saying that the figure went above the Vision 2030
target. He noted the strength of Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure and technical
services, which underscore the strength of its economy and the broad horizons
ahead of it.
Saudi Arabia Welcomes Agreement to Resume Cooperation between Iran, IAEA
Asharq Al Awsat/September 10/2025
Saudi Arabia welcomed on Wednesday the signing of an agreement to resume
cooperation between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),
facilitated by Egypt.
The Kingdom underscored the importance of building trust, adopting diplomatic
solutions, and cooperating with the IAEA, said a Foreign Ministry statement.
NATO Scrambles Jets to Shoot Down Russian Drones in Poland, Raising Fears of War
Spillover
Asharq Al Awsat/September 10/2025
Multiple Russian drones crossed into Poland in what European officials described
Wednesday as a deliberate provocation, causing NATO to send fighter jets to
shoot them down. A NATO spokesman said it was the first time the alliance
confronted a potential threat in its airspace. The incursion, which occurred
during a wave of strikes by the Kremlin on Ukraine, and the NATO response
swiftly raised fears that the war could spill over — a fear that has been
growing in Europe as Russia steps up its attacks and peace efforts go nowhere.
Russia's Defense Ministry said it did not target Poland, while Belarus, a close
ally of Moscow, said it tracked some drones that “lost their course” because
they were jammed. However, several European leaders said they believed the
incursion amounted to an intentional expansion of Russia's assault against
Ukraine. “Russia’s war is escalating, not ending,” European Union foreign policy
chief Kaja Kallas told reporters in Brussels. “What (Russian President Vladimir)
Putin wants to do is to test us. What happened in Poland is a game changer,” and
it should result in stronger sanctions. Polish airspace has been violated many
times since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but never on this
scale in Poland or anywhere else in NATO territory. Poland said some of the
drones came from Belarus, where Russian and Belarusian troops have begun
gathering for war games scheduled to start Friday. It was not immediately clear
how many drones were involved. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament
19 violations were recorded over seven hours, but he said information was still
being gathered. Polish authorities said nine crash sites were found, with some
of them hundreds of kilometers from the border. “There are definitely no grounds
to suspect that this was a course correction mistake or the like,” German
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told parliament. “These drones were very
clearly put on this course deliberately.” Dutch fighter jets came to Poland’s
aid and intercepted some drones. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski later
thanked the Dutch government “for the magnificent performance of Dutch pilots in
neutralizing" the drones. NATO met to discuss the incident, which came three
days after Russia’s largest aerial attack on Ukraine since the war began.
Poland says some drones came from Belarus
Tusk told parliament that the first violation came at approximately 11:30 p.m.
Tuesday and the last around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. Earlier, Defense Minister
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on X that more than 10 objects crossed into
Polish airspace. “What is new, in the worst sense of the word, is the direction
from which the drones came. This is the first time in this war that they did not
come from Ukraine as a result of errors or minor Russian provocations. For the
first time, a significant portion of the drones came directly from Belarus,”
Tusk said in parliament. The Russian Defense
Ministry said its overnight strikes targeted Ukraine’s military-industrial
complex in the western regions of the country, which border Poland, with no
planned targets on Polish territory. In an unusual message of outreach, the
ministry said it was ready to hold consultations with Poland's Defense Ministry.
Belarusian Maj. Gen. Pavel Muraveiko, the chief of the country's general staff
and first deputy defense minister, appeared to try to put some distance between
his country and the incursion. In an online statement, he said that as Russia
and Ukraine traded drone strikes overnight, Belarusian air defense forces
tracked “drones that lost their course” after they were jammed, adding that
Belarusian forces warned their Polish and Lithuanian counterparts about
“unidentified aircraft” approaching their territory. Drones or parts of drones
were found in eight locations in Poland, according to Polish officials. At a
ninth site, objects of unknown origin were found. A house was hit in the village
of Wyryki in the Lublin region near the Ukrainian border, Mayor Bernard
Blaszczuk told the TVP Info television news channel. The roof was severely
damaged, but no one was hurt.
Rattled NATO members vow support
NATO air defenses supported Poland in what spokesman Col. Martin O’Donnell
called “the first time NATO planes have engaged potential threats in Allied
airspace.” That included the Dutch F-35 fighter jets that intercepted drones,
according to Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans. The alliance “is committed to
defending every kilometer of NATO territory, including our airspace,” O’Donnell
said. Tusk told parliament consultations took place under Article 4 of the NATO
treaty — a clause that allows countries to call for urgent discussions with
their allies. The consultations happened Wednesday at a previously planned
meeting. They do not automatically lead to any action under Article 5, which is
NATO’s collective security guarantee. Mark Lyall Grant, UK national security
adviser from 2015 to 2017, said the incursion was obviously an escalation of
Russia’s war in Ukraine, but there was not yet enough evidence to say it was an
attack on a NATO member. But many European leaders expressed deep concern,
including those in the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia that are
the NATO members most nervous about Russian aggression. Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it an “extremely dangerous precedent for Europe” and
called for Russia to “feel the consequences.” “Moscow always tests the limits of
what is possible and, if it does not encounter a strong response, remains at a
new level of escalation," he said. “Not just one Shahed (drone), which could be
dismissed as an accident, but at least eight attack drones that were aimed in
the direction of Poland.” By midday in Washington, US President Donald Trump's
only public comments about the incursion was a short post on social media:
“What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!”
Trump was set to speak later Wednesday to Polish President Karol Nawrocki,
according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly and
spoke on condition of anonymity. Phillips O’Brien, professor of strategic
studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, said the incident
underscored the failure of NATO member states to accurately assess the threat
posed by Russia and properly prepare for war. “NATO states, even front line
ones, have clearly not prepared for war of the type that is happening now,” he
said in his Substack newsletter. Poland has
complained about Russian objects entering its airspace during attacks on Ukraine
before. In August, Poland’s defense minister said that a flying object that
crashed and exploded in a cornfield in eastern Poland was identified as a
Russian drone, and called it a provocation. In March, Poland scrambled jets
after a Russian missile briefly passed through Polish airspace on its way to a
target in western Ukraine. And in 2022, a missile that was likely fired by
Ukraine to intercept a Russian attack landed in Poland, killing two people.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian air force said Russia fired 415 strike and decoy
drones, as well as 42 cruise missiles and one ballistic missile overnight.
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted or jammed 386 drones and 27 cruise missiles,
according to the report. One person was killed and at least five wounded, while
several homes and businesses were damaged, according to local officials. The
Russian Defense Ministry said in its morning report Wednesday that it had
destroyed 122 Ukrainian drones over various Russian regions overnight, including
over the illegally annexed Crimea and areas of the Black Sea.
Damascus: Russian Support for Syria ‘a Step in
Favor of Entire Region’
Asharq Al Awsat/September 10/2025
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said Tuesday that Damascus and Moscow
are capable of forging ties “based on sovereignty, justice, and shared
interests,” adding that Russia’s explicit endorsement of Syria’s new political
path would be “a step in favor of Syria and the entire region.”Shibani spoke at
a joint press conference in Damascus with Russian Deputy Prime Minister
Alexander Novak, who underlined Moscow’s “special interest” in the attendance of
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the first Arab–Russian summit, scheduled to
take place in Moscow on October 15. The remarks followed high-level talks at
Tishreen Palace between a Russian delegation and senior Syrian officials. The
visit, according to sources in Damascus, built on discussions held in Moscow in
July. The delegation was led by Novak, Russia’s former energy minister and
current supervisor of energy policy, and included Deputy Defense Minister
Yunus-bek Yevkurov, responsible for Moscow’s foreign defense portfolios. At the
press conference, Novak reaffirmed support for Syria’s sovereignty and
territorial integrity, describing the talks as focused on “important directions
for bilateral cooperation.” He said Moscow hoped the relationship would enter a
new phase “built on mutual respect and for the benefit of both peoples.”Russian
President Vladimir Putin has invited Arab leaders and the Arab League
secretary-general to the October summit, with Russian officials saying most
states have expressed willingness to participate. Al-Shibani, for his part,
described relations with Moscow as “deep and longstanding,” and welcomed
cooperation in reconstruction, energy, agriculture, and health on what he called
a fair and transparent basis. He emphasized that any foreign presence in Syria
“must aim to help the Syrian people build their future.”
He added: “The more Syria stabilizes, the greater the opportunities for
cooperation. When Syria weakens, the risks of chaos and terrorism increase.” He
also warned that Israeli strikes represented “a direct threat to regional
stability.”Russian outlets have reported that Damascus is weighing the
resumption of Russian military police patrols in southern Syria to deter Israeli
incursions. Moscow, meanwhile, is seeking to secure the legal standing of its
bases at Hmeimim and Tartus as both sides review existing agreements, some of
which Syrian officials consider unfair. On chemical
weapons, Al-Shibani said the “new Syria has closed the chapter of denial” and is
cooperating with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
The Russian delegation’s unannounced arrival Tuesday was met by
presidential secretary-general Maher al-Sharaa. The visit came weeks after
Al-Shibani’s July trip to Moscow, where he met Putin - the first by a senior
Syrian official since Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024.
Egypt Complains to UN After Ethiopia Inaugurates Nile Dam
Cairo: Rehab Eliawa/Asharq Al Awsat/September 10/2025
Egypt told the UN Security Council on Tuesday it would not compromise on its
“existential interests” in the River Nile, escalating a long-running dispute
after Ethiopia formally inaugurated its massive Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
(GERD). Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed presided over the opening ceremony,
hailing the multi-billion-dollar project as a “source of inspiration” and
declaring that Addis Ababa had “prevailed against those who threatened it in
disregard of international law.”The government said Ethiopians “do not use the
river to harm others,” rejecting accusations from Cairo and Khartoum that the
dam could endanger their historic shares of Nile waters.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the inauguration as an attempt to give
the project “a false cover of legitimacy,” calling it a unilateral move that
violates international law and a 2021 Security Council statement urging the
three countries to reach a binding deal on filling and operating the dam. “Egypt
will not allow Ethiopian attempts to dominate management of the river
unilaterally,” the ministry said, adding it reserved the right to take “all
measures guaranteed under international law and the UN Charter to defend the
existential interests of its people.”Ethiopia began building GERD in 2011 on the
Blue Nile, the main tributary of the Nile, despite objections from downstream
Egypt and Sudan. Cairo, which relies on the river for almost all its fresh
water, says the dam threatens its vital share, while Addis Ababa argues it is
essential for development and power generation. Talks sponsored by the African
Union collapsed in 2021 without agreement, prompting Egypt to appeal to the
Security Council. Egypt told the Council it had exercised “maximum restraint”
for years by choosing diplomacy over confrontation. But it accused Ethiopia of
obstruction and of using the project as a political tool “to rally its domestic
audience against a fictitious enemy.” Former Egyptian
assistant foreign minister Mohamed Hegazy said the inauguration amounted to “an
unprecedented hostile unilateral act,” warning that Cairo could again seek UN
intervention or pressure Ethiopia through international partners. Water expert
Diaa El-Din El-Qousi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the inauguration was “a political
ploy” since construction was not fully complete, but cautioned that Egypt’s
water security could be at risk if future floods are low. “Egypt will not allow
the dam to operate at its expense,” he said. Ethiopia last March invited Egypt
and Sudan to resume negotiations, but the offer was ignored after years of
failed talks. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has repeatedly said that
“Nile waters are a red line.”
UN nuclear watchdog says new deal with Iran covers ‘all
facilities’
AFP/September 10, 2025
VIENNA: Iran’s new cooperation framework with the UN nuclear watchdog includes
“all facilities and installations in Iran,” agency head Rafael Grossi said
Wednesday. Iran agreed a deal with the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday, after it suspended cooperation following
the war with Israel in June. The 12-day war saw Israeli and US strikes on
Iranian nuclear facilities, which the IAEA has not been able to access since.
Grossi said the agreed document “provides for a clear understanding of the
procedures for inspections.”It “includes all facilities and installations in
Iran, and it also contemplates the required reporting on all the attacked
facilities, including the nuclear material present at those,” Grossi told the
Vienna-based agency’s Board of Governors meeting. Tehran’s suspension of
cooperation 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. 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 Fordo and Natanz, which were hit in the June
strikes. “Iran and the agency will now resume
cooperation in a respectful and comprehensive way,” Grossi said, adding the
“practical steps... need to be implemented now.”“There may be difficulties and
issues to be resolved for sure, but we now know what we have to do,” he added.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that Iran would end
cooperation with the agency “in the event of any hostile action against Iran.”“I
emphasize that in the event of any hostile action against Iran, including the
reinstatement of lifted UN Security Council resolutions, Iran will consider
these practical steps ended,” he said.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.
While Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, Western
countries accuse the government of seeking an atomic weapon — a claim Tehran has
systematically denied.
Trump says 'we must all pray' for shot
activist Kirk
AFP/September 10, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump urged people Wednesday to pray for right-wing
activist and close ally Charlie Kirk after he was shot at a university in Utah.
"We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to
bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social social media platform.
Zelensky calls out West's 'lack of action'
over Poland airspace violation
AFP/September 10, 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday slammed Western and global
leaders for "lack of action" over Russia's intrusion of Polish airspace with
drones, some of which Warsaw shot down."There have been more than enough
statements, but so far there has been a lack of action. The Russians are testing
the limits of what is possible. They are testing the reaction. They are
recording how the armed forces of NATO countries act," Zelensky said in his
daily address.
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources
on September 10-11/2025
Sudan's Hidden War: Muslim Brotherhood's Grip on Army Threatens Regional
Stability, Global Trade
Anna Mahjar-Barducci/Gatestone
Institute./September 10, 2025
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21897/sudan-war-muslim-brotherhood
Sudan's brutal civil war... is not just a clash between the Sudanese Armed
Forces (SAF) and their former military allies turned rivals, the Rapid Support
Forces (RSF). It is a calculated power grab by the Muslim Brotherhood, which
appears to be using the SAF as a Trojan horse to dominate northeast Africa and
the Red Sea, a critical artery for global commerce.
The Muslim Brotherhood, sponsored by Qatar, appears to be hijacking the SAF to
stage a takeover, recycling old alliances under new guises. Despite recent
concessions to the United States and Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood's grip in
Sudan -- backed by Qatar and Iran -- threatens regional and global stability,
potentially including freedom of passage in the Red Sea.
[T]he Muslim Brotherhood — known in Sudan as the Islamic Movement — has
entrenched itself in the SAF, and turned it into a tool for their regional
ambitions to take control of northeast Africa and the Red Sea.
The Muslim Brotherhood is not just allied with the SAF; individuals in it seem
to be steering the SAF to take total control of Sudan in order to make it the
Muslim Brotherhood's stronghold in Africa and the Middle East.
The SAF is infiltrated by jihadist factions such as the Al-Bara Bin Malik
Brigade (the Muslim Brotherhood's local military arm), the Bunyan Al-Marsous
Brigade, and Justice and Equality Movement rebels led by Finance Minister Jibril
Ibrahim. These groups, tied to Bashir's ruthless National Intelligence and
Security Service, frame their fight as a "jihad" against the RSF, which is
backed by the United Arab Emirates and Sudan's secular civil society.
Ali Ahmed Karti, the U.S.-sanctioned Islamic Movement leader, is, as reported by
Arab media outlets, a key orchestrator of the SAF-Muslim Brotherhood alliance.
Since his student days, Karti has organized Brotherhood loyalists in the army,
and later packed the SAF with jihadists.
One analyst suggested that the five generals were dismissed after Burhan met
with U.S. Special Envoy Mossad Boulos in Switzerland, on August 11, 2025.
Researcher Mujahid Ahmed, however, warns that the Muslim Brotherhood's influence
persists, extending into civilian institutions, especially the foreign affairs
and justice ministries. According to the Ayin Network, Al-Burhan apparently
still relies on Karti and Bashir's loyalist, Ahmed Haroun, for battlefield
support, indicating a tactical, not total, break.
Iran has been supplying the Muslim Brotherhood-SAF axis with arms, including
Ababil-3 and Mohajer-6 drones, which were delivered to Port Sudan in March and
June 2024. Satellite imagery viewed by the BBC confirms their presence at a
military site near Khartoum. Iran's support of this Muslim Brotherhood-SAF axis,
tied to its ambitions to have a presence in the Red Sea, coincides with the
Brotherhood's goals: namely, threatening U.S. allies such as Israel, Saudi
Arabia and Egypt.
Burhan's "cosmetic" purge of Islamist generals shows that indeed he can be
influenced by Egypt and by the United States, but his reliance on the Muslim
Brotherhood's financial and military support limits his ability to implement any
real reforms.
Sudan is evidently very much a part of the Muslim Brotherhood's global agenda.
Ignoring events there will only allow a hostile stronghold to emerge in a region
strategically vital for the interests of the West.
Sudan's brutal civil war is not just a clash between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)
and their former military allies turned rivals, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
It is a calculated power grab by the Muslim Brotherhood. Sudanese Armed Forces
leader General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan's "cosmetic" purge of Islamist generals
shows that indeed he can be influenced by Egypt and by the U.S. but his reliance
on the Muslim Brotherhood's financial and military support limits his ability to
implement any real reforms. Pictured: Burhan in Gedaref State, Sudan, on April
10, 2024. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
Sudan's brutal civil war, often overshadowed by global headlines, is not just a
clash between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and their former military allies
turned rivals, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). It is a calculated power grab by
the Muslim Brotherhood, which appears to be using the SAF as a Trojan horse to
dominate northeast Africa and the Red Sea, a critical artery for global
commerce.
Despite recent moves by SAF leader General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan to curb
Islamist influence, presumably at the request of the United States or Egypt, the
efforts of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has deep roots in his army, to achieve
control of Sudan, northeast Africa and the Red Sea, signal a dangerous threat
that could disrupt oil supplies, inflate global prices, and revive Sudan as a
terrorist hub, imperiling Western interests.
The Muslim Brotherhood, sponsored by Qatar, appears to be hijacking the SAF to
stage a takeover, recycling old alliances under new guises. Despite recent
concessions to the United States and Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood's grip in
Sudan -- backed by Qatar and Iran -- threatens regional and global stability,
potentially including freedom of passage in the Red Sea. The U.S. would do well
to intensify sanctions, diplomatic pressure, and support regional actors in
efforts to dismantle these networks.
The Muslim Brotherhood's influence is increasingly recognized as a global threat
by governments in countries such as the United States and France. A May 21, 2025
report requested by the French government on the Muslim Brotherhood's role in
France and Europe, detailed the threats posed by the Islamist movement shaping
"parallel Islamic ecosystems," challenging Western secular values.
A Legacy of Islamist Control
Sudan's descent into chaos began in 1989, when General Omar Al-Bashir, backed by
the Muslim Brotherhood's National Islamic Front, seized power. For three
decades, his regime orchestrated genocides in South Sudan and Darfur, sheltered
Osama bin Laden from 1992 to 1997, and enabled Al-Qaeda's attacks, including the
1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. Bashir's regime also funneled
Iranian missiles to Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and supported Lord's Resistance
Army in Uganda, making Sudan a global extremist stronghold.
The 2019 ouster of Al-Bashir had sparked hopes for democracy, but Burhan's 2021
coup against the transitional government and the 2023 war with the RSF, which
wanted to defeat Burhan and his Muslim Brotherhood allies and take over the
country, crushed those dreams. Beneath the surface, the Muslim Brotherhood —
known in Sudan as the Islamic Movement — has entrenched itself in the SAF, and
turned it into a tool for their regional ambitions to take control of northeast
Africa and the Red Sea.
The Muslim Brotherhood is not just allied with the SAF; individuals in it seem
to be steering the SAF to take total control of Sudan in order to make it the
Muslim Brotherhood's stronghold in Africa and the Middle East.
Sudan, at the crossroads of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, happens to
be in an extremely critical strategic position. It has access to the Red Sea and
vital trade routes such as the Suez Canal, and is also a crucial transit point
for migrants traveling from the Horn of Africa and the Sahel to North Africa,
then on to Europe.
The SAF is infiltrated by jihadist factions such as the Al-Bara Bin Malik
Brigade (the Muslim Brotherhood's local military arm), the Bunyan Al-Marsous
Brigade, and Justice and Equality Movement rebels led by Finance Minister Jibril
Ibrahim. These groups, tied to Bashir's ruthless National Intelligence and
Security Service, frame their fight as a "jihad" against the RSF, which is
backed by the United Arab Emirates and Sudan's secular civil society.
Social media videos show the Al-Bara Bin Malik Brigade, in Omdurman, halting RSF
advances and bolstering SAF operations in Khartoum. A retired officer told the
media that Islamic extremists have filled critical infantry gaps. Ali Ahmed
Karti, the U.S.-sanctioned Islamic Movement leader, is, as reported by Arab
media outlets, a key orchestrator of the SAF-Muslim Brotherhood alliance. Since
his student days, Karti has organized Brotherhood loyalists in the army, and
later packed the SAF with jihadists.
Reports in the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reveal that after 1989, the
leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan, which was aligned with the Bashir
government, purged thousands of non-fundamentalist officers, assassinating some,
and took control of admissions to the Military Colleges. By 2019, the SAF was
ideologically aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood.
It was Karti's ideological influence that apparently derailed the possibility of
a civilian-led transitional government in Sudan after the October 2021 military
coup. Karti also unleashed jihadist battalions, which were rebranded as Burhan's
"Popular Resistance."
This summer, there seemed to be cracks in the alliance between the SAF and the
Muslim Brotherhood. In August, Burhan fired five senior generals who are Islamic
extremists, including General Nasreddin, head of the SAF Armored Corps, whom the
Muslim Brotherhood had reportedly been grooming as a potential successor to
Burhan. One analyst suggested that the five generals were dismissed after Burhan
met with U.S. Special Envoy Mossad Boulos in Switzerland, on August 11, 2025.
Researcher Mujahid Ahmed, however, warns that the Muslim Brotherhood's influence
persists, extending into civilian institutions, especially the foreign affairs
and justice ministries. According to the Ayin Network, Al-Burhan apparently
still relies on Karti and Bashir's loyalist, Ahmed Haroun, for battlefield
support, indicating a tactical, not total, break.
Iran's Arms and Qatar's Role
Iran has been supplying the Muslim Brotherhood-SAF axis with arms, including
Ababil-3 and Mohajer-6 drones, which were delivered to Port Sudan in March and
June 2024. Satellite imagery viewed by the BBC confirms their presence at a
military site near Khartoum. Iran's support of this Muslim Brotherhood-SAF axis,
tied to its ambitions to have a presence in the Red Sea, coincides with the
Brotherhood's goals: namely, threatening U.S. allies such as Israel, Saudi
Arabia and Egypt.
Why It Matters to the West
The Red Sea handles 10-15% of the world's maritime commerce, including vital oil
and gas shipments. In a conflict, the Muslim Brotherhood-controlled Sudan, using
the SAF as a proxy, could choke this route as the Houthis have been doing,
thereby spiking prices and impairing American and other economies. The Muslim
Brotherhood's ties to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State risk turning Sudan into a
terrorist base targeting Western and allied Middle Eastern interests.
Trump's Sudan Gamble
The Trump administration is navigating a tightrope, trying, it seems, to balance
Egypt's pro-SAF stance and UAE's RSF support. Egypt is actively supporting the
SAF to bolster its stability as a national institution, while simultaneously
trying to curb the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood and its sponsor, Qatar.
Ayin Network noted that Egypt insists "the SAF must remain central to any
post-war political order," while the UAE requests the opposite. Burhan's
"cosmetic" purge of Islamist generals shows that indeed he can be influenced by
Egypt and by the United States, but his reliance on the Muslim Brotherhood's
financial and military support limits his ability to implement any real reforms.
A Global Wake-Up Call
Sudan is evidently very much a part of the Muslim Brotherhood's global agenda.
Ignoring events there will only allow a hostile stronghold to emerge in a region
strategically vital for the interests of the West.
© 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.
China's Threat - Wainright's Important Warning
Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone
Institute./September 10, 2025
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21901/china-threat-wainright-important-warning
It is important to hear and heed the warning provided by US Army General
Jonathan Wainwright, who endured four brutal years as a Japanese prisoner-of-war
eight decades ago.
After watching the carefully stage-managed parade of Communist Chinese military
power observing the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, it is important
to hear and heed the warning provided by an American general who endured four
brutal years as a Japanese prisoner-of-war eight decades ago.
General Jonathan Wainwright fought a brave but futile defense of the Philippines
in the days after Pearl Harbor. Having been overwhelmed by far superior forces,
his men faced the Bataan Death March and barbaric treatment from their Japanese
captors.
Four years later, he joined General Douglas MacArthur for the surrender of
Imperial Japan to the Allies. Wainwright would go home to become an articulate
and forceful voice for an America capable of defending freedom. He knew from
bitter personal experience the cost of military complacency during peacetime.
Having witnessed firsthand the catastrophic consequences of America's pre-war
military weakness in the Philippines, he repeatedly emphasized that preparation
for war must occur during peace, not after a conflict begins.
As if Wainwright had a crystal ball into 21st-century China, he argued that
America's enemies would inevitably test our perceived weaknesses and that our
military strength must serve as the primary deterrent to aggression. His
experience suggested that half-measures and symbolic military gestures were
worse than no presence at all, as they invited attack while providing
insufficient means for an effective defense.
He also warned that American military strength required more than technological
superiority; it demanded a professional officer corps, well-trained enlisted
personnel, and a national commitment to maintaining military readiness even
during periods of apparent peace.
This month, China put their most potent military technology on display, along
with thousands of strutting troops, to send a message to Washington and our
allies. Joined by Russia and North Korea, the communist giant would be
recognized by Wainwright as Imperial Japan reinvented, but with far stronger
resources and with the intent of true global dominance.
We need to appreciate Wainwright's perspective, as both a defeated commander and
a Medal of Honor recipient, that military weakness invites aggression and that
the price of unpreparedness is humiliation and possibly defeat. His warnings,
grounded in his personal sacrifice and unflinching military experience, carry
enormous moral weight and should be part of every meeting convened by today's
new and impressive U.S. Department of War.
*Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Washington: Adding Enemies Is a Costly and Dangerous Policy
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/September 10/2025
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.
What the attack on Qatar means for America’s regional standing
Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/September 10, 2025
On Tuesday afternoon, Israel launched airstrikes on a residential area of Doha,
Qatar’s capital, apparently targeting the Hamas team that has been negotiating
the terms of a ceasefire and prisoner/hostage exchange. The attack is seen as an
attempt by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to wreck the negotiations,
which were nearing the final stage. Qatari and US mediators, with support from
Egypt, have been working out the final details of the deal. What this attack has
made clear is that it is way past time for a fundamental reassessment of
America’s blind support for Israel, which is affecting its standing in the
region and beyond. Israel is the largest recipient of US aid, to the tune of
about $4 billion a year, and enjoys unparalleled access to US leaders and
policymakers and free access to the American market. Tel Aviv receives the most
sophisticated weapons systems and Washington steadfastly shields it from
international scrutiny by wielding its veto power at the UN Security Council and
sanctioning international bodies that dare to criticize Israeli actions.
The only thing the US has got from its relationship with Israel is a constant
headache and serious reputational damage
But the US gets very little in return. With the way Israel has conducted itself
over the past two years, one could say that the only thing the US has got from
this relationship is a constant headache and serious reputational damage.
Israel’s prime minister has embarrassed the US with his lawless behavior —
committing genocide and inducing starvation in Gaza, inciting pogroms against
Palestinians in the West Bank and relentlessly bombing Syria without
provocation. By providing material aid to Israel, the US is seen as complicit,
and possibly legally liable, in the genocide of Gaza and the apartheid system in
the West Bank. Netanyahu’s latest antic threatens to erode what little is left
of the US’ standing. The brazen attack has elicited condemnation from nearly
every country, but the US reaction has been confused and contradictory.
Initially, Washington said it had prior knowledge and had informed Qatar of the
attack before it happened. When Qatari officials denied receiving the
forewarning, the US changed its story and said it did not know about the attack
beforehand or it knew about it “too late” to prevent it.
It strains credulity to claim that the US did not know about the airstrikes
against targets located just a short distance away from one of the most
important American military bases in the world. It would be an embarrassment if
that were the case. Al-Udeid base houses thousands of troops from the US Air
Force, UK Royal Air Force and other foreign forces. It also hosts a forward
headquarters of US Central Command, the headquarters of the USAF Central Command
and air expeditionary forces, among others.
Some Trump advisers are reportedly angry about Israel’s decision to strike Hamas
leaders inside Doha, with many frustrated that they could not weigh in or warn
the Qataris. According to one version of events, Trump was informed of the
strike only shortly before it began — and not by Israel itself but by US Joint
Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, according to US media reports. However,
by the time US officials reached out to Qatar, it was too late. US officials
also claim that Israeli military officials did not mention the attack, which had
apparently been in the works for months, when they were in Washington earlier
this week. Israel’s attack is likely to mortally wound, or at least temporarily
halt, Trump’s push for a deal in Gaza.President Donald Trump told reporters
Tuesday evening: “I’m not thrilled about the whole situation. It’s not a good
situation. But I will say this, we want the hostages back, but we are not
thrilled about the way that went down.” He refrained from criticizing Israel’s
action. Trump later posted an updated statement saying that the decision to
launch the strike was made by Netanyahu and was “not a decision made by me.” The
statement betrayed some frustration that Israel was acting against Trump’s own
goals for the region, but he again avoided direct criticism of Israel.
This is not the first time Trump has been miffed by Israel’s actions. He was
also reportedly upset when Tel Aviv launched intensive strikes on Damascus in
July and when it struck a Catholic church inside Gaza.
The fact the strikes occurred in Qatar may have contributed to the sense of
betrayal inside the White House. Trump became the first sitting US president to
visit the country earlier this year and has been cultivating a special
relationship with its leaders.
The sense of betrayal is far greater in Qatar and in other Gulf Cooperation
Council countries, which think of the US as a strategic partner and Trump in
particular as a reliable friend. Qatar has worked closely with the US to end the
war in Gaza, as well as in other crises, such as the evacuation of Americans
from Afghanistan. Israel’s attack is likely to mortally wound, or at least
temporarily halt, Trump’s push for a deal in Gaza. Perhaps it was Netanyahu’s
intention to stop the negotiations as they neared a conclusion, so that he could
finish off Gaza and achieve his dream of banishing its population. The onslaught
against the Strip may now continue unabated, unless the US uses its enormous
influence to stop it. The attack certainly undermines US credibility in the
region and makes it difficult for Washington to pursue its other goals. Many are
asking until when will the US allow Israel to break every rule in international
law and violate the universal rules of human decency and proper state conduct?
Outside Washington, world leaders have reacted strongly to Israel’s attack on
Qatar, because they see it as an attack on a neutral country and an attack on
peace in Gaza, likely scuttling the ongoing negotiations.
Israel has been widely cast as a rogue state, engaging in genocide and
apartheid. The attack on Doha only solidifies its rogue status. Qatari Prime
Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani accurately said
following the attack that Israel was engaging in “state terrorism.”Unless the US
distances itself, not in just words but in action, it risks having its
reputation similarly tarnished. While American media outlets have described
comments from the White House as a “rare censure of Israel,” those comments do
not go far enough to distance Washington from Israel’s latest outrage. What is
needed is action, such as leaning on Israel to accept a ceasefire deal and allow
humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza without hindrance. Israel should be
disabused of the perception that it faces no sanction from the US for its
actions, even when they run contrary to US interests and break international
norms.
***Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the GCC assistant secretary-general for
political affairs and negotiation. The views expressed here are personal and do
not necessarily represent those of the GCC. X: @abuhamad1
Time for the UN to rediscover its purpose and power
Ray Hanania/Arab News/September 10, 2025
The original purpose of the UN when it was founded in 1945 was to maintain
international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations,
achieve international cooperation in solving global problems, and promote and
encourage respect for human rights. These lofty goals were embraced as the most
important move toward world peace and security following the end of the Second
World War, which took the lives of nearly 80 million people and devastated
Europe and Asia. The UN was to serve as a focal point for all the world’s
nations to come together and harmonize for peace, preventing future conflicts
through collaboration and unified action. Today, 80 years later, it is clear
that, despite some regional industrial achievements, the UN is a failure that
can be easily manipulated not by worldwide nation state consensus, but by the
impunity of a handful of superpowers.
One of the biggest obstacles to the UN achieving its goals of worldwide peace
and collaboration is the US, which — like the four other key founders, China,
France, Russia and the UK — uses the international organization to manage its
own selfish political agendas.
But the original and pure mission of the UN can be salvaged by moving the $68
billion organization from its New York location to somewhere more neutral, like
Norway, Sweden or even the Gulf, which in recent years has become a focal point
of shifting world power.
Last week, in another display of disdain and impunity for the UN’s lofty goals,
the US secretary of state declared that Palestinian leaders and officials would
not be permitted to attend the General Assembly’s 80th session, a violation of
the UN Headquarters Agreement it signed in 1947. Today, the UN can be easily
manipulated not by worldwide consensus, but by the impunity of a handful of
superpowers.
The US is politically supporting, defending and funding Israel’s genocidal
carnage in the Gaza Strip, where about 65,000 people, including tens of
thousands of women and children, have been murdered. Using weaponry provided by
America, Israel has intentionally destroyed nearly 90 percent of the civilian
infrastructure — homes, businesses, schools, mosques, churches and hospitals.
The devastation caused by the Israeli government in Gaza, with the complicity of
US politicians — Republicans and Democrats alike — is precisely why the UN was
founded in San Francisco 80 years ago. Fifty nation states signed up at the
time, but the organization’s membership has now grown to 193. Instead of
bringing the human carnage in Gaza to an end, the US finds itself helpless to do
anything except provide a platform in a side auditorium at the UNGA as the five
founders define policy in the Security Council. Some might say that the system
was intentionally designed so that the five founding world powers could control
the rest of the world, because that is exactly what they are doing. Many times,
the US has declared its intent to leave various organs of the UN or to suspend
its funding. As one of the richest countries in the world, it can certainly
afford to be the UN’s largest funder. But money does not buy morality — or the
peace that the UN originally set out to achieve.
If the UN had powerful moral leadership, it would begin the process of
abandoning its towering building in New York. In 1988, the US, under Republican
President Ronald Reagan, prevented Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman
Yasser Arafat from entering the country to address the UN in New York. At the
time of Arafat’s ban, Israel’s government was engaged in widespread land theft,
the destruction of Palestinian homes, the killing of Palestinians and the
relocation and expulsion of non-Jews, applying a dual system of civil rules for
Jews and non-Jews. However, rather than kowtow to the heavy-handed dictates of
the US, the UN found its chutzpah and moved the UNGA session to Geneva. If the
UN had powerful moral leadership today, it would not only convene the UNGA’s
80th session in Geneva but also begin the process of abandoning the towering
building in New York and relocating to a country that respects the agreements it
signs.A coalition of American activists called Lifeline for Palestine this week
reminded the world that, while the permanent members of the UNSC can prevent
peace by using a veto, the UNGA’s 193 members have the power, under a Cold
War-era provision called “Uniting for Peace,” to circumvent the council’s
stagnation and protect Gaza’s beleaguered and famine-stricken civilian
population. But that requires strength, determination to abide by the
international rule of law and dedication to the principles that serve as the
UN’s moral foundation. Does all this even exist at the UN today? Or has the
organization founded to fight for peace and global security merely become a
bureaucratic functionary of the powerful?
**Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall political reporter
and columnist. He can be reached on his personal website at www.Hanania.com. X:
@RayHanania
Far-right Reform UK becoming a serious contender for power
Mohamed Chebaro/Arab News/September 10, 2025
I believe that alarm bells ought to be ringing in various quarters of Britain,
as last week’s Reform UK conference in Birmingham attracted so much attention
and in excess of 10,000 attendees — deserved in the minds of some and undeserved
in the minds of others — in a divided and polarized not-so-United Kingdom. In
the season of party political conferences, the spotlight is rightly focused on
the vocal new kid on the block, Reform UK, led by the colorful friend of Donald
Trump, broadcaster-politician Nigel Farage. He has flooded the country with
simple anti-immigration policies, stories of the failure of diversity, and the
supposedly endless failings of the country’s two main political parties. All
that while using the mantra of patriotism as well-rehearsed cover for prejudice
and racism. The questions on everybody’s minds are whether it is an electable
party and whether its meteoric rise in the polls is stoppable.
I am not one for scaremongering but the Labour government of Prime Minister Keir
Starmer, after just over a year in power, ought to watch out, as the rightward
shift of UK politics has been relentless since 2010. And it is not likely to
subside any time soon.
The questions on everybody’s minds are whether it is an electable party and
whether its meteoric rise in the polls is stoppable
As if that were not enough, the pull from the US — in the sense of empty
patriotic slogans dressed up as taking back control against an “invasion” of
foreigners — is also significant. Meanwhile, the media, which in the name of
being balanced and impartial, has been acting as a megaphone for bigotry. Add
that to the unpoliced digital realm and the scene appears set for the kind of
seismic shift that, until recently, many believed the UK parliamentary system
was unlikely to allow. In my opinion, the gates that have long shielded the UK
have been destroyed and the guardrails, whether institutional or those of civil
society, have weakened, if not fizzled out entirely. Trumpism had been taking
root in the UK well before the Reform party was founded in 2018. Its version of
patriotic nationalism mixed with populism, with a bit of the far right on the
margins, was among the forces that orchestrated the UK’s exit from the EU. The
Brexit campaign’s slogans of taking back control and securing the borders
preceded those of “Make America Great Again” — or maybe they were even a test
run for the use of extreme narratives and the mobilization of dormant
grievances, channeling them with the help of biased algorithms and data to
manufacture dissent, amplify it and then mobilize the people to vote for
marginal figures.
What is not certain is whether the resilience of the UK’s political system will
survive. The same figures that made up the far right of the Conservative Party
are marching again, this time under the banner of Reform. One would hope that
the UK’s political system will be able to avert a total shift to the right, but
it could be possible if the Labour government continues its slow grind toward
the right, as it adopts Reform’s narratives on policing, law and order, and
immigration. The level of attendance at the Reform party conference by business
and industry leaders was alarming, as many of them hope to capitalize on its
popularity and avoid being left out. The ultra-right is toxic, but it seems
popular and maybe even electable in Britain. One would hope that the UK’s
political system will be able to avert a total shift to the right, but it could
be possible
It is clear that Reform is a small party with a tiny number of elected
representatives in Parliament. It lacks a meaningful policy platform and a
worldview that is not based on conspiracy theory, but it also increasingly seems
on course to lead the next British government. Reform’s appeal is no different
to the advances made by far-right parties across Europe and the US. The baffling
speed of its rise is no doubt due to the Brexit era, which divided society and
eroded belief in the system. So, the voters have ripened and picking them is now
easier. Reform won 14 percent of the vote in the 2024 general election but
gained only five MPs due to the British electoral system favoring the larger
parties. Since then, its membership has tripled to more than 240,000 and it
seized control of 12 local authorities across England in May. It has been
leading in all national polls over recent months. Until recently, I believed the
Starmer government ought to be given the chance to govern before being judged,
but — 14 months after it came to power — it is looking increasingly wishy-washy,
treading ever more carefully and sometimes even enabling the rise of the
ultra-right. Britain is at a crossroads, maybe facing the gravest moment in its
peacetime history. The question is whether Starmer’s presence at the top is
aiding or hindering the march of the ultra-right populists toward taking control
in the UK. Starmer’s statesmanship is clearly old-school and at odds with the
performative leadership style that many UK voters seem to find appealing in
Farage. Starmer and his government ought to work hard to show that true
patriotism and leadership require grinding everyday work and are more complex
than simply demonizing refugees or wearing Union Jack socks.
**Mohamed Chebaro is a British-Lebanese journalist with more than 25 years’
experience covering war, terrorism, defense, current affairs and diplomacy.
Return to Damascus
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al Awsat/September 10/2025
The other members of Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah’s (General Supervisor of the King
Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center) delegation and I arrived in Damascus
at eight o’clock in the morning last Sunday. We were there for the inauguration
of several ambitious humanitarian, medical, educational, and development
projects in Syria. I had never dreamed that there
would come a day when I would see Damascus again; I had lost hope that the Syria
we love would return. However, it has returned, despite all the conspiracies of
local and foreign forces, and it will keep returning.
Upon leaving the VIP lounge, the media team accompanying the delegation was
given a tour of some of the areas in the Damascus countryside that had been
turned into scorched earth. Without thinking, I said to my colleagues in the
car: “A foreign occupation force would not have done to Syria what Bashar
al-Assad has done.”Destroyed buildings and places of worship were everywhere, as
were the shadows of the dead and echoes of the cries of the oppressed. Today, my
advice to the Syrian state is to avoid rushing the reconstruction of these
areas. This work should not begin for at least another five years or more, as
they should continue to attest to the crimes of the regime and the hardship
endured by the Syrian people.
Visitors must see what happened to Syria, what the former regime and its
criminal partners did to it. Syrians returning from abroad and foreigners must
be reminded that Syria’s present is born of real suffering.
We then headed to the Four Seasons Hotel for the inauguration ceremony of the
Saudi projects. We could see what had befallen Damascus on the way, since the
revolution and perhaps even before. I say this having visited Syria back in 2009
and 2010 as part of the media delegation accompanying the late King Abdullah bin
Abdulaziz, may God have mercy on his soul.
From the airport to the hotel, you see circles of violence, crime, and
impoverishment. I call them circles because the closer you get to Umayyad Square
and Mount Qasioun, the narrower these circles of poverty and destruction become,
a tangible reflection of Assad’s notion of “useful Syria.”
The closer you get to Assad’s strongholds, the starker the contrast between the
regions of Syria that he had ravaged and those that he shielded with Iranian,
Hezbollah, and others’ support. Normal Damascus lies in ruins, while Assad’s
enclave amounts to a stark embodiment of the devastation wrought by Baathist
corruption and ideology, of the legacy of both father and son.
The warmth with which Syrians received our visiting
delegation, as our cars drove through their neighborhoods, was moving. As soon
as we stepped into the hotel lobby, it felt as though we had been facing Arab
and international television broadcasts of the revolution years. The same voices
and faces that had been seen on television in capitals across the globe were now
gathered in a single hall. I saw people filled with hope and others seizing the
moment. Figures from across the Arab region and the world filled the lobby, and
it literally felt like we had been watching multiple television screens at once,
all of them with familiar faces. The question everyone kept asking me was the
same: “Is Saudi Arabia with us? Is this a strategic position?”My answer was
simple: What I have seen and learned, merely through the projects of the King
Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center in Syria, is enough to say that this
relationship is being founded on partnership and investment. Our strategic
relationship is founded not on words but deeds.
At the end of this brief visit, my dear colleague Ms. Alia Mansour asked me:
“What will you write now?” I told her: “I saw destruction in the buildings of
Damascus and construction in the faces of its people.” She replied, “This is a
tweet you should expand into an article.” Here, I have done just that, and I
have more to say.
Slected X
tweets
For September 10/2025
The White House
https://x.com/i/status/1965479210832826841
White House Releases Statement on the Israeli Strike in Doha:
"Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally... does
not advance Israel or America's goals. However, eliminating Hamas, who have
profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal." President
Trump wants this war to end now.
Eyal Yakoby
https://x.com/i/status/1965438044439543949
The Saudi foreign minister calls out Qatar's direct involvement in terrorism.
"The Qataris harbor and shelter terrorists, that is unacceptable. There is a
list of terror financiers living in Qatar."
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Killing militiamen who’ve been waging war to annihilate Israel is legal by any
standard. If Qatar doesn’t want to be part of this war, don’t let Hamas plan its
attacks in Doha.
Druze Free Spirits
A delegation from the Golan Heights visited Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif in Julis to
discuss recent developments in Sweida. Sheikh Tarif emphasized that the Druze
community fully supports their fellow Druze in Sweida and stands wholeheartedly
behind the decision-makers there. #Sweida #Israel
Zéna Mansour
At the same time Christians face threats& Kurds are provoked, which is clear
proof that Syria’s centralized system fails to protect itsdiverse populations. A
confederal system ensuring each groupcan safeguard its rights& governance is the
only viable path for Syria’s future.
@WSJ
Secretary Marco Rubio
Jeanette and I are devastated. Charlie Kirk's commitment to America's future
generations and sense of patriotism will resonate for decades to come. May the
Lord bless Charlie and his family.