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

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Bible Quotations For today
Jesus said to them, ‘The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going
John 12/31-36: “Now is the judgement of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. The crowd answered him, ‘We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains for ever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?’ Jesus said to them, ‘The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.’ After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 16-17/2025
Doha Summit: Islamizing the Palestinian Cause While Arab Leaders Ignore the Fact that Iran and Turkey—Patrons of Political Islam—Are the Real Enemies, Not Israel/Elias Bejjani/September 16/2025
The plight of Boutros Khawand will never be forgotten/Elias Bejjani/September 15/2024
The day the treacherous and hateful hand reached out to assassinate Bachir the man, yet it failed to kill the dream and the cause he embodied/Elias Bejjani/September 14/2025
Netanyahu Says Nasrallah’s Death Brought Down the Pro-Iranian Axis
Lebanese Cabinet announces approved measures following session
Cabinet Tasks Interior Minister to Relay Electoral Law Flaws
Aoun Welcomes Convening of Arab Media Forum in Beirut
Legal action: Lebanon moves toward criminalizing bullying with new draft law
Rumors of delay: Will Lebanon's 2026 parliamentary elections be held on time?
Bills and illnesses: The high cost of Lebanon's power shortage
Ministry of Finance Announces Fiscal Stamps Available at Accredited Centers
Pope Eyes Trip to Lebanon, Türkiye in Late November
UNIFIL Donates Vehicles to LAF to Bolster Southern Stability
ISF Dismantles Syrian Counterfeiting Network in Beirut Suburbs
LF Rejects Claims of Election Delay
Lebanon's Foreign Ministry appoints media adviser for expat voting preparations
Gemayel Voices Support for Aoun’s Leadership and Policies
Beirut Blast Suspect Detained in Bulgaria on Interpol Notice
Progressive Socialist Party Hails Damascus Agreement on Sweida Crisis
The Surge of Pages and Rumors/Johnny Kortbawi/Shutterstock/September 16/2025
Al-Sharaa’s High-Stakes Test in New York: Iran Wagers on His Downfall/Philippe Abi-Akl/This is Beirut/September 16/2025
Hawk III: A Ship, Fuel, and the Enduring Shadows of Lebanon’s Power Crisis/Christiane Tager/This is Beirut/September 16/2025
Disarming Hezbollah: The Easy Way vs. The Hard Way/Hussain Abdul-Hussain/This is Beiru/September 16/2025
Aoun urges Iran to 'be friends with all Lebanese' not just Hezbollah
Salam: Lebanese state has regained war and peace decision
Lebanon has 40 days to seek Grechushkin's extradition from Bulgaria
Report: Local-foreign efforts seek release of 16 Israel-held captives
Khalil says Shiites 'united' in face of 'external dictates' to disarm Hezbollah
The Secretary-General of the Organization, MP Osama Saad, Issues Statements on Resistance and the Use of Arms... and Hezbollah Withdraws/Mohammad Dahsha/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 17, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
"The Shiites Duo" Proposes "Election Law in Exchange for Weapons": A Minefield to Sabotage the Elections/Lara Yazbek/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 17, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
Land encroachment resurfaces: Selling and building on public land/Rimal Jouni/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 17, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 16-17/2025
Israel Says ‘Gaza Is Burning’ as It Launches Ground Assault
Trump Says Hamas Will Be ‘In Big Trouble’ If Hostages Are Used as Human Shields
UN Rights Chief Tells Israel to ‘Stop the Carnage’ as Gaza City Ground Assault Begins
UN Chief Calls Israel's Actions in Gaza Horrendous, Cites Systematic Destruction
EU's Kallas Says Israel’s Gaza Offensive Will Make Desperate Situation Worse
Germany Slams Israeli Ground Assault on Gaza City
Luxembourg Says Will Recognize Palestinian State
Human Rights Experts Join Rising Chorus That Accuses Israel of Genocide in Gaza
Israeli Military Strikes Yemen’s Red Sea Port of Hodeidah
US Sanctions Target Financing of Iran’s Military, Treasury Says
Syria, Jordan, US Agree on Plan to Restore Stability in Sweida After Deadly Clashes

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on September 16-17/2025
Qatar Was Seriously Weakened And Humiliated By The Bombing In Doha And Now It Is Spreading Threats Of Economic Pressure On The West/Yigal Carmon/MEMRI/September 16/ 2025
The Repercussions of the Israeli Assault on Qatar/Mamoun Fandy/Asharq Al-Awsat/September 16/2025
Will the Doha Attack End the Gulf’s Ties with Washington?/Mamdouh al-Muhainy/Asharq Al-Awsat/September 16/2025
England’s St. George Flag: Forged in Centuries of Warfare against Islam/Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream/September 16/ 2025
How Israel Helped the Gaza Strip Before October 7, 2023/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute./September 16, 2025
Slected X tweets For September 16/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 16-17/2025
Doha Summit: Islamizing the Palestinian Cause While Arab Leaders Ignore the Fact that Iran and Turkey—Patrons of Political Islam—Are the Real Enemies, Not Israel
Elias Bejjani/September 16/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147332/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfY7_9m0kuo&t=704s
The so-called “Arab-Islamic Emergency Summit” held in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on September 15, 2025, gathered leaders from 60 Arab and Islamic states under the pretext of showing solidarity with Qatar after the precise Israeli airstrike that targeted Hamas leaders in Doha—a strike for which Israel’s Prime Minister openly claimed full responsibility.
Yet this summit was not about supporting Qatar. It was a theatrical propaganda show aimed at reviving the delusion of “Islamizing” the Palestinian cause—turning it from a national struggle for rights into a religious jihadist crusade. This represents a dangerous ideological regression and an undeserved gift to Israel.
Islamizing the Palestinian Cause:
Arabizing the Palestinian cause was the fatal mistake to which Said Akl pointed out.
Decades ago, the great Lebanese poet and philosopher Said Akl warned against the sin of "Arabizing" the Palestinian cause, saying, "They made the Palestinian cause an Arab cause, opening the door for Israel to turn its cause into a Jewish cause. Thus, they transformed the conflict from a political dispute into an endless war of religions." This is precisely what the Doha Summit did: It removed Palestine from its national, human rights, and humanitarian dimensions, placing it in the category of Arab fanaticism, religious extremism, and isolationism, just as the extremists on both sides, Turkey and Iran—the sponsors of terrorist and jihadist political Islam, in keeping with the entire culture of the Muslim Brotherhood—wanted. This is also the case, as the majority of the countries that participated in the farcical summit.
Erdogan and the “Liberation of Palestine”… A Renewed Ottoman Jihadism
One of the clearest moments exposing the summit’s true nature was Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement declaring that “the Islamic Ummah is responsible for liberating Palestine.”
This was not support for Palestine but an open declaration of a “new Ottoman” project—draping Turkish expansionism in the cloak of religion. Erdogan, who occupies northern Syria, blackmails Arab states politically and economically, and shelters Hamas’s Muslim Brotherhood leaders, came to Doha to sell the illusion of “liberation” in exchange for influence and control.
Iran and Turkey’s Presence: Sheer Folly and Sectarian Blindness
The most surreal sight at the summit was seeing the Iranian and Turkish presidents sitting in the front rows, leading large delegations—even though they are, in reality, the Arab world’s fiercest enemies:
Iran represents the Shiite wing of political Islam, invading the Arab world through its militias: Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq.
Turkey represents the Sunni wing of political Islam, embracing the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas and financing transnational jihadist movements.
Allowing these two regimes to sit at the head of an Arab summit was the peak of strategic blindness—granting legitimacy to the very enemies who destroyed Arab capitals and wrecked regional stability.
A Sarcastic Question: Where Were Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis at This “Jihad Summit”?
If this summit was truly “Islamic” and “jihadist” as its organizers wanted, why weren’t the groups that embody this jihadism on the ground invited?
Where was Hamas, the group supposedly being supported?
Where were Hezbollah and the Houthis, whose “cause” the Iranian axis falsely claims is Palestine?
The answer is clear and ironic: their visible presence would have exposed the summit as neither Arab, nor peaceful, nor humanitarian—just a stage to whitewash jihadist terrorism with diplomatic neckties.
The Real Enemies of the Arabs: Iran and Turkey, Not Israel
What Arabs must understand—and what the Doha Summit completely ignored—is that their real enemies are Iran and Turkey, not Israel. Iran seeks to swallow the Arab East and turn it into a patchwork of sectarian Persian-controlled zones. Turkey dreams of resurrecting the Ottoman Empire on the ruins of Arab sovereignty. Both exploit the Palestinian cause as blackmail to dominate Arabs, while Israel at least does not claim to represent or lead the Arab world.
From the Arab League’s Failure to the Doha Summit’s Collapse
Since the Arab League was founded in the mid-20th century, all its summits have been nothing but empty slogans and meaningless final statements. It has neither liberated a single inch of occupied land, nor stopped a war, nor protected one Arab state from collapse or occupation. The Doha Summit did not break this miserable tradition—it was an even more pitiful and shallow version, laced with a high dose of jihadism, Islamization, and deception.
An Iranian-Turkish Summit with an Arab Façade… and Arab Witnesses of Falsehood
Despite its “Arab-Islamic” label, the Doha Summit was in reality an Iranian-Turkish summit with an Arab façade. The Arab leaders present were mere witnesses of falsehood—blind to their real enemies, applauding jihadist speeches, and granting Arab cover to Persian and Ottoman expansionist projects that have nothing to do with Palestine or peace.They have willingly reduced themselves to tools of their own destruction.
Qatar… Sponsor of Jihadist Terrorism and Muslim Brotherhood Propaganda
Any discussion of the Doha Summit must also recall Qatar’s long-standing destructive role:
Financing political Islam movements and jihadist groups from Afghanistan to Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza.
Sheltering the leaders of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood and offering them media platforms.
Sponsoring and funding Hamas politically, militarily, and through propaganda.
Running Al Jazeera TV, which has turned into a global platform to market jihadist and incitement rhetoric, whitewash terrorists, and amplify their narratives under the guise of “journalism.”

The plight of Boutros Khawand will never be forgotten.
Elias Bejjani/September 15/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/134486/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhJj88KC4u8&t=2s
Use your bodies for the glory of God
The First Epistle of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians /06/18-19): ” Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin that a man does is outside the body,” but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
On September 15, 1992, Boutros Khawand, a senior official in the Lebanese Kataeb Party, bid farewell to his wife, Janet, and left his home in Hourj Thabet. It was an ordinary morning, but little did he know it would be the last time his family saw him. At 8:30 AM, as Khawand approached his car, a group of eight armed, unmasked men ambushed him. Despite his attempts to resist, they forcibly abducted him and drove off in a van. Since that fateful moment, Khawand’s fate has remained a mystery.
Boutros Khawand’s abduction is not an isolated incident; it is emblematic of a broader human tragedy that has haunted Lebanon for decades because of the Syrian, Palestinian and Iranian evil occupations. Thousands of Lebanese citizens were kidnapped by the Syrian occupation during its presence in Lebanon and imprisoned in Syria’s notorious jails. These individuals were forcibly disappeared, with no official acknowledgment from the Syrian regime regarding their whereabouts. Furthermore, the regime has consistently denied human rights organizations access to investigate their fates. Under both Hafez al-Assad and his son Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian regime has maintained this cruel policy of denial, deepening the wounds inflicted on Lebanon.
Thousands of Lebanese—clergymen, soldiers, political activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens—were abducted by Syrian forces without trial or charges. These victims remain at the mercy of a regime that targeted anyone suspected of opposition or disloyalty. Numerous local, regional, and international human rights organizations have tried to gain access to Syria’s prisons to uncover the truth about these detainees. Yet, the criminal Assad regime has consistently blocked all efforts to shine a light on this dark chapter.
The Assad regime, in the eras of both father and son, late Hafez and the current Bashar, has shown itself to be devoid of humanity. For decades, it has perpetrated acts of repression, terror, torture, and disappearance against thousands of innocent people—both Lebanese and Syrians. What makes this tragedy even more heartbreaking is the regime’s ongoing refusal to acknowledge the existence and fate of these prisoners, as though attempting to erase their memory and silence the calls for justice.
The fate of Boutros Khawand, along with many other Lebanese held in Assad’s prisons, remains unknown. Are they alive? Have they perished under torture? No one knows—except their captors. The Syrian regime, which has ruled with an iron fist for decades, refuses to provide any information about these disappeared individuals, ignoring the desperate pleas of families who have spent years searching for their loved ones.
While the Syrian regime bears much of the blame, the responsibility for the kidnapping and disappearance of Lebanese citizens does not rest solely with them. Many Lebanese political forces, especially those in power during the Syrian occupation, were complicit in these crimes. Numerous parties and figures collaborated with the Syrian regime, handing over Lebanese citizens to Syrian intelligence, betraying Lebanon’s sovereignty and its people’s rights. Some of these collaborators remain in positions of power today, having not only shielded the truth but also exploited the suffering of the families of the disappeared for personal or political gain.
It is tragic that the issue of Lebanon’s disappeared risks fading into obscurity, especially with the lack of political will to pursue justice. However, there is no doubt that this wound will remain etched in the collective memory of the Lebanese people. They will continue to seek the truth and hold those responsible accountable—chief among them the Assad regime’s symbols and every Lebanese figure who played a role in this crime.
Boutros Khawand is one of the most poignant examples of this humanitarian tragedy. More than three decades have passed since his disappearance, yet the question remains: Where is Boutros Khawand? Will he ever return to his family? One undeniable truth is that the Assad regime knows the fate of Boutros Khawand, just as it knows the fates of the thousands of Lebanese who vanished in its prisons.
In conclusion, the Lebanese people will not stop demanding the truth, nor will they forgive those Lebanese Trojans who participated in the abduction of their citizens or in covering up the Assad regime’s crimes. The Assad regime and its local Trojan allies will forever be remembered by the free people of Lebanon as symbols of betrayal and injustice. Meanwhile, the plight of Boutros Khawand and Lebanon’s missing will never be forgotten.

The day the treacherous and hateful hand reached out to assassinate Bachir the man, yet it failed to kill the dream and the cause he embodied
Elias Bejjani/September 14/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147262/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTL_sVeE4kE&t=260s
On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in 1982, Lebanon witnessed a tragic day that will never fade from its memory nor from the conscience of the Lebanese who believe in their unique identity. That day became a defining milestone in the history of the Lebanese Resistance — a torch still held high with unwavering faith and the steadfast determination of saints by Bashir’s faithful followers.
On that day, the treacherous hand of hatred struck and killed Bashir’s body, yet it utterly failed to kill Bashir’s cause, his ambition, his thought, his patriotism, and his spirit of resistance. On that day, the Cross of Lebanon was lifted to heaven bearing upon it the Martyr of Lebanon, President Sheikh Bashir Gemayel, surrounded by his twenty-three righteous companions who had walked with him on his earthly journey — a journey he dedicated wholly to Lebanon and its sacred cause — and who were granted to accompany him as well on his return to the Paradise of the righteous and the saints.
Bashir was raised upon the Cross of Lebanon after he and his companions had watered the blessed soil of the Land of the Cedars with their pure and sacred blood. He was lifted up surrounded by his martyred comrades to stand with them before his Lord, with a clear conscience, abundant faith, and sacred purity. He rose to heaven after fulfilling his earthly mission, after having drawn the clear contours of the Lebanese Cause, planted within the hearts of the Lebanese the spirit of resistance and sacrifice, and instilled in their souls the unshakable belief in the inevitable victory of the Land of the Message — the land where the Lord Jesus performed His first miracle and which the Virgin Mary blessed, making it a sanctuary for the faithful.
God Almighty willed to distinguish Bashir in his death just as He had distinguished him in his life, lifting him up to His Paradise on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross — the same Cross on which the Only Begotten Son was nailed for the salvation of all humanity. And as the Apostle Paul said:
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”(1 Corinthians 1:18)
Bashir embraced the Cross and made it a beacon, a path, and a way of life in spreading his Lebanese message — a message of coexistence, love, brotherhood, loyalty, civilization, culture, dignity, and honor. He ascended to heaven leaving behind his values, his teachings, his spirit, and his love for the homeland in the hearts and consciences of his people whom he loved, having offered himself as a sacrifice for their salvation and freedom. And as Jesus Christ said:
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”(John 15:13)
Whoever is protected by the Cross cannot be overcome by demons, nor can the holiness of his cause be defiled by the heresies of the Pharisees, the scribes, and their ilk. And just as Jesus Christ conquered death, shattered its sting, and rose from the tomb on the third day, Bashir’s national and spiritual message shall remain alive until the Day of Judgment. It is this very message that will one day raise Lebanon from the grave of subjugation, dependency, servitude, selfishness, and occupation.
Bashir’s Lebanon will never die, for it lives on in the struggle, resistance, and pride of every Lebanese who truly believes in Bashir’s dream — the dream of the Cause — and who wishes to live with head held high, in dignity and pride, in a free, sovereign, independent, and democratic homeland. A homeland overshadowed by justice, equality, and decent living; a homeland liberated from foreign armies, mercenaries, Trojan traitors, and subversive agents; a homeland governed by its own people, where human rights are respected and human dignity is preserved.
Bashir struggled to restore unity to the Lebanese land, sovereignty to the Land of the Cedars, freedom and dignity to the Lebanese person, authority to the state, and effectiveness to its institutions. He was the one who declared loudly: “We want to live with our heads held high, and what must be changed is the mentality — to renew the person in order to renew Lebanon.”And as the prophet Malachi said in the Holy Bible: “The law of truth was in his mouth.”(Malachi 2:6)
Bashir, as he offered himself as a living sacrifice upon the altar of the homeland, was following in the footsteps of Christ, who offered Himself out of love for the world. He freely chose the path of Golgotha, believing that there can be no resurrection without the Cross, and no freedom without laying down one’s life. His blood and the blood of his companions were not shed in vain, for they mingled with the soil of Lebanon to sanctify it and give it life — just as the blood of Christ mingled with the wood of the Cross to grant the world salvation and eternal life.
Thus, Bashir’s martyrdom remains a sign of hope and faith: hope in Lebanon’s resurrection from the death of bondage, and faith that whoever lays down his life for his beloved will surely rise with Christ in glory — and with him, Lebanon shall also rise.

Netanyahu Says Nasrallah’s Death Brought Down the Pro-Iranian Axis
This is Beirut/September 16/2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the death of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on September 27, 2024, in a violent Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, triggered the collapse of the pro-Iranian axis. “On October 7, we were attacked by the monsters of Hamas. The next day, Hezbollah joined the fight and began launching rockets at our cities. That day, I said we would change the face of the Middle East,” he said during a ceremony at Israel’s Foreign Ministry. Netanyahu explained that he made this pledge because, it was “clear from day one that the battle was against the entire Iranian axis: Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, the three H’s.” He recalled that once “the main forces of Hamas were eliminated,” Israel turned its attention to the northern front with Lebanon. “I hope none of you has a pager on you,” he added, referring to the September 17, 2024, pager attack, in which booby-trapped devices exploded in the faces of more than 4,000 Hezbollah fighters and commanders. According to Netanyahu, Nasrallah was killed because “he was, in fact, the linchpin of this axis. He was the one holding it together. Once he was gone, Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria collapsed, because during the civil war it wasn’t the Syrian army fighting Assad’s enemies, it was Nasrallah, who, whenever a battle turned against Assad, sent thousands of Hezbollah fighters to save the regime. After Nasrallah’s death, Hezbollah became powerless, and Assad fell. From that point on, the land corridor linking Tehran to the sea through Lebanon ceased to exist,” the prime minister said.

Lebanese Cabinet announces approved measures following session
LBCI/September 16/2025
Lebanon's Cabinet on Tuesday approved measures to address shortcomings in the country’s electoral law and endorsed the recruitment of 500 men and women into the State Security Directorate, Information Minister Paul Morcos announced following the session.
Morcos said the Cabinet tasked Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar with correcting flaws in the current electoral law or addressing gaps in any new legislation that will govern the upcoming elections. He added that Prime Minister Nawaf Salam emphasized the need to review the state budget with a focus on boosting revenues and curbing unnecessary spending. Salam also underscored the importance of facilitating the participation of non-resident Lebanese in elections “through the easiest mechanisms possible, ensuring fair representation across all segments of society.” According to Morcos, Salam expressed regret that Justice Minister Adel Nassar left the Cabinet meeting to voice his position publicly rather than continuing discussions with fellow ministers.

Cabinet Tasks Interior Minister to Relay Electoral Law Flaws
This is Beirut/September 16/2025
The Cabinet agreed to task Minister of Interior Ahmad al-Hajjar with relaying to Parliament the government’s concerns over ambiguities in the electoral law to allow next year’s parliamentary elections to proceed without legal challenges. The decision was taken during a Cabinet session convened on Tuesday at the Grand Serail under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. Ministers said the law in its current form contained contradictory and unclear provisions, particularly regarding expatriate voting and the creation of “mega-centers.”“We are an executive authority,” Minister of Information Paul Morcos explained after the meeting. “We found the current law unclear, inconsistent and impractical in several respects. Parliament must address these gaps.”The government said the elections would be held on schedule, stressing that only Parliament has the authority to amend the law. The Cabinet aims to safeguard the process and avoid disputes that could undermine electoral credibility by formally notifying lawmakers of its concerns, The session also approved the recruitment of 500 men and women into the General Directorate of State Security during 2025–2026. On fiscal matters, the Cabinet continued discussions on the draft 2025 budget. While many articles were reviewed, others were suspended pending further scrutiny. Talks are scheduled to resume on Wednesday at 3:00 PM. Prime Minister Salam emphasized the need to combine fiscal responsibility with social protection, stating, “The challenge is to raise revenues responsibly and ease the burden on citizens with limited means.”

Aoun Welcomes Convening of Arab Media Forum in Beirut
This is Beirut/September 16/2025
President Joseph Aoun on Tuesday welcomed the decision to hold the Arab Media Forum in Beirut, during a meeting with the forum’s Secretary-General Madi al-Khamis, in the presence of Information Minister Paul Morcos. Aoun affirmed that “Lebanon has been, and will remain, a leading Arab and international media hub, a platform that upholds responsible freedom, safeguarding both the dignity of peoples and the stability of states.” Morcos, for his part, announced that the Arab Media Forum will convene in Beirut in October under the patronage of the president, extending thanks to the Kuwaiti delegation for its “valuable initiative.”Furthermore, al-Khamis said, “we were honored to meet the president, who confirmed his generous patronage of the Arab Media Forum in Lebanon, a country that radiates culture and shines with hope.”“We invite everyone to participate in strengthening its pioneering role in culture and media,” al-Khamis concluded.

Legal action: Lebanon moves toward criminalizing bullying with new draft law
LBCI/September 16/2025
Bullying in Lebanon may soon carry legal consequences as lawmakers work on a draft law to classify it as a crime under the country's penal code. The proposed legislation builds on existing provisions that already criminalize slander, defamation, and insults, adding bullying to the list of punishable offenses.
The draft outlines four key elements that define bullying: repetition of the behavior, the exploitation of an unequal relationship, psychological or social harm to the victim, and the spread of bullying into the digital sphere amid the growth of social media. Under the proposal, offenders would face prison sentences ranging from six months to two years, in addition to fines between three and 10 times the minimum wage. Penalties would be doubled in cases involving minors, people with disabilities, or when the perpetrator holds material, moral, professional, or educational authority over the victim. Judges would also be given explicit legal grounds to assess and rule on bullying cases, marking the first time such conduct could be directly prosecuted in Lebanon. Bullying is widespread across the country. According to a joint study by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Lebanon's Education Ministry, 33% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 reported experiencing bullying outside school, while 28% said it occurred inside schools. The current draft does not cover schools, but LBCI has learned that officials are working on a separate legal framework to address bullying in educational institutions and regulate how such cases are handled.

Rumors of delay: Will Lebanon's 2026 parliamentary elections be held on time?
LBCI/September 16/2025
Speculation has grown in recent days that Lebanon's 2026 parliamentary elections may not take place on schedule. However, Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar dismissed the rumors, affirming that the vote will be held as planned in May. The issue dominated discussions during the latest Cabinet session. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam insisted that the government submit a draft law to Parliament introducing voting through QR codes instead of magnetic cards. On the issue of expatriate voting, Salam requested that Interior Minister Hajjar separately discuss with the relevant parliamentary committee whether Lebanese abroad will be able to vote for all 128 members of Parliament. Justice Minister Adel Nassar pushed back, urging that both reforms, the adoption of QR codes and granting expatriates full voting rights, be included in a single draft law. President Joseph Aoun also reiterated his firm support for holding the elections on time, a stance echoed by MP Samy Gemayel. Meanwhile, the Lebanese Forces party issued a statement rejecting accusations that it is seeking to delay the elections. The party stressed it would not accept any postponement, instead accusing what it described as "the resistance forces," the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), and some independents of maneuvering to delay the polls after their electoral prospects dwindled.

Bills and illnesses: The high cost of Lebanon's power shortage
LBCI/September 16/2025
In most countries, electricity is a basic right, but in Lebanon, it has long been a luxury. Despite decades of promises to provide round-the-clock power, Lebanese citizens remain dependent on costly private generators to avoid blackouts. Between January 2024 and February 2025, under then-Energy Minister Walid Fayad, state power supply averaged just four to six hours a day. His successor, Minister Joe Saddi, has yet to bring noticeable improvement. That shortfall has forced households and businesses to rely heavily on neighborhood generators, driving up financial and health costs. State electricity costs roughly 21 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared with an average of 30 cents for generator power. Yet operators often impose arbitrary rates that soar to as high as 70 cents per kilowatt-hour. The result is a double burden on citizens, who pay two bills, one to the state utility and another to generator owners, while also facing rising pollution and health risks from generator emissions, which contribute to Lebanon's high cancer rates. While Electricité du Liban (EDL) reports an 85% collection rate and monthly revenues of $50 million, output remains far below demand. Therefore, the government must move beyond patchwork solutions and take concrete steps: launching a nationwide campaign to dismantle illegal connections, reaching political agreements on bill collection in Palestinian and Syrian refugee camps, and investing in both repairing old power plants and building new ones capable of producing clean energy rather than burning heavy fuel oil.

Ministry of Finance Announces Fiscal Stamps Available at Accredited Centers
This is Beirut/September 16/2025
After months of chronic shortage that fueled frustration and a black market, the Ministry of Finance announced on Tuesday that fiscal stamps of all categories are now available, but only at accredited centers. In a statement, the Ministry of Finance specified that their distribution will be expanded to a larger number of accredited centers as well as to authorized resellers, in order to curb the proliferation of the black market. The ministry also revealed that it is finalizing a new strategy aimed at sustainably meeting market demand: according to the statement, this will include both traditional adhesive stamps and marking machines and “S14” payment receipts.

Pope Eyes Trip to Lebanon, Türkiye in Late November
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 16/2025
Preparations are underway for Pope Leo XIV to travel to Lebanon and Türkiye at the end of November in what would be his first trip abroad, Vatican sources told AFP.
The two-stage trip would likely last just under a week, AFP understands. The Vatican does not normally confirm official visits until closer to the time. It would mark the first foreign trip for the US-born pontiff since he became head of the world's Catholics in May. Leo said in July that he hoped to visit the Turkish city Iznik for the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea this year, a milestone in Church history. A spokesman for the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, confirmed to AFP he has invited the pontiff to Istanbul for an event on November 29. They would then travel to Iznik together for the anniversary of the first Nicaea council on November 30 -- Saint Andrew's Day. Vatican sources said preparations were also underway for a visit to Lebanon during the same trip. Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, head of Lebanon's Maronite church, said in a television interview in August that the pontiff would visit the country "by December". Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who is a Maronite Christian, extended the invitation while visiting the Vatican in June. The last pope to visit multi-faith Lebanon was Benedict XVI in September 2012. Pope Francis visited Türkiye in 2014 and had hoped to return for this year's Nicaea commemorations, but cancelled the trip due to ill-health. The Argentine died on April 21 aged 88.

UNIFIL Donates Vehicles to LAF to Bolster Southern Stability
This is Beirut/September 16/2025
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) donated on Tuesday more than 100 vehicles and pieces of equipment to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), aimed at reinforcing state authority and enhancing stability in southern Lebanon. At a ceremony held in Naqoura, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara and Brigadier General Walid Abou Shaer, representing the LAF Commander, signed the handover documents formalizing the donation. The package included 101 items such as SUVs, cargo trucks, ambulances, water tankers and baggage dollies. Major General Abagnara described the transfer as evidence of UNIFIL’s “steadfast support” for its strategic partner, underlining that cooperation between the two forces is a cornerstone of security in the south. “The collaboration between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces is one of the pillars of stability in southern Lebanon, and today’s event further strengthens our long-standing mutual commitment,” he said. He added that the new resources would “significantly enhance LAF mobility, security and operational response.”Brigadier General Abou Shaer welcomed the contribution, saying it would boost the army’s capabilities in line with its national security role. “Continuous cooperation with UNIFIL has enabled the LAF to make significant strides in developing logistical support systems for its units – a critical component closely linked to operational readiness,” he noted. The donation is part of the Strategic Dialogue process launched in 2010, which aligns with UN Security Council Resolution 1701. Through this mechanism, UNIFIL mobilizes donor support to strengthen the LAF’s operational capacity in the mission’s area of operations. Since 2013, UNIFIL has provided Lebanon’s security institutions with vehicles, generators, prefabricated buildings, sea containers and IT equipment, alongside bilateral aid from troop-contributing countries. The mission is also planning a similar donation to the General Directorate of General Security in the upcoming week.

ISF Dismantles Syrian Counterfeiting Network in Beirut Suburbs
This is Beirut/September 16/2025
The General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) announced on Tuesday that it had dismantled, last August, a network of Syrian counterfeiters specializing in forging official Lebanese and Syrian stamps. According to the statement, the ISF’s intelligence bureau had received information that members of the network were obtaining official documents from intermediaries or translation offices to stamp them with forged seals. The investigation found that the counterfeiting operation was being run out of an auto repair garage in Ouzai, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, managed by a Syrian national. The forged documents were later returned to their owners to be submitted to embassies, the statement added. On August 7, ISF intelligence officers raided the garage, arresting two Syrians, including the garage owner. Their identities were not disclosed. “Six forged seals were seized, along with a sum of money and numerous official documents, including powers of attorney, notarized certificates, university transcripts, civil registry extracts, criminal records, and other administrative papers in the names of several individuals,” the statement said. During questioning, the first suspect admitted to owning the garage and said he had rented it out to a Syrian national identified as K.D., who works as a facilitator for consular services for Syrian citizens. He also claimed that all the seized seals and documents belonged to K.D. The suspect further named two other Syrian accomplices and acknowledged receiving payments in exchange for carrying out certain procedures. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities seek to arrest the other individuals involved.

LF Rejects Claims of Election Delay
This is Beirut/September 16/2025
The Lebanese Forces (LF) party reiterated on Tuesday that it will not accept any delay in parliamentary elections and pledged to “actively push to bring all matters related to the parliamentary elections before the Parliament’s General Assembly for resolution.”In a press release issued on Tuesday, the LF emphasized that “in any case, whether Speaker Nabih Berri approves or rejects the referral of proposals and draft laws related to amendments to the electoral law, we support holding elections under the current law.”The statement criticized recent media reports that circulated “unverified claims” suggesting the LF is seeking to postpone the elections. “This is despite the party’s firm stance against delaying any electoral process, whether presidential, parliamentary or municipal, and despite numerous clear statements affirming the necessity of holding parliamentary elections on schedule,” it said.
The LF pointed fingers at the so-called “resistance axis,” the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and some independent candidates with slim chances of winning, claiming these groups have been spreading false reports attributed to the party.The statement also addressed a claim by MP Sagih Atieh, who alleged that the LF had an interest in postponing elections to resolve the issue of expatriate voting. “We are unaware of the basis for this claim, as the Lebanese Forces are making every effort to ensure that parliamentary elections proceed on schedule,” it concluded.

Lebanon's Foreign Ministry appoints media adviser for expat voting preparations
LBCI/September 16/2025
Lebanon's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it is pressing ahead with logistical preparations for overseas voting in the upcoming elections, pending parliamentary approval of necessary legal amendments. As part of those preparations, Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji appointed journalist Richard Harfouche as media adviser for expatriate voting. Harfouche will also serve as a member of the committee tasked with following up on the organization of Lebanese voting abroad. The ministry called on media outlets interested in covering the expatriate voting file to coordinate directly with Harfouche at the provided contact number: 70-314435

Gemayel Voices Support for Aoun’s Leadership and Policies
This is Beirut/September 16/2025
Kataeb party chief and MP Samy Gemayel expressed his support for President Joseph Aoun’s policies and public statements following a meeting with the president on Tuesday.
Gemayel thanked Aoun for his speech marking the anniversary of former President Bashir Gemayel’s assassination, saying it “confirms that all Lebanese leaders are now sovereign.” He praised the president for his “wisdom” in managing recent crises and for the clarity and firmness of his positions. According to Gemayel, President Aoun “ensures that the decisions of the Council of Ministers are implemented,” exercising patience and avoiding provocation toward other political actors. He also highlighted the importance of Aoun’s speech at the Doha conference, noting that the president’s foremost priority is the protection of the Lebanese people. Gemayel concluded by calling for Lebanon to be safeguarded through diplomatic means and for political actors to cooperate with, rather than attack, the presidency, stressing that unity around the office is essential for the country’s security and stability.

Beirut Blast Suspect Detained in Bulgaria on Interpol Notice
This is Beirut/September 16/2025
Igor Grechushkin was arrested on September 5 at Sofia Airport in Bulgaria, after arriving from Paphos, Cyprus, on the basis of an Interpol red notice. The news was reported by AFP, citing a Bulgarian judicial source on condition of anonymity. A 48-year-old Russian-Cypriot national, Grechushkin had been identified by the ship’s former captain, Boris Prokoshev, and designated by Lebanese authorities as the owner of the vessel that carried the ammonium nitrate behind the devastating double explosion at Beirut port on August 4, 2020. Following his arrest, Grechushkin appeared before the Sofia court on September 7 and was “placed in detention for a maximum period of 40 days,” according to the court’s spokesperson. Under Bulgarian law, the requesting authorities, in this case, Lebanon, have 40 days to submit the necessary documents justifying the extradition. According to local media, the Lebanese prosecutor’s office is preparing an official extradition file. Transmitted via the Ministry of Justice, the dossier must provide Bulgarian authorities with the legal grounds for handing over the suspect, in order to advance the investigation led by judge Tarek Bitar.Experts say several scenarios are possible: extradition to Lebanon, continued detention in Bulgaria, or transfer to Russia, Grechushkin’s country of origin. Investigators hope his interrogation will shed light on the origin and final destination of the ammonium nitrate shipment, as well as the identity of its true owner.
From Igor Grechushkin to Charalambos Manoli
Though holding Russian and Cypriot citizenship, Grechushkin is said to have merely chartered the vessel on an occasional basis. Contrary to some media reports, he may have been the ship’s operator but not its actual owner. According to a 2020 investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), the real owner of the Rhosus was Cypriot businessman Charalambos Manoli, who allegedly set up a complex network of shell companies to conceal his role. This opaque structure also saw him named in the Panama Papers alongside prominent figures of offshore finance and money laundering.
A former maritime inspector, Manoli reportedly built a fleet of shipping companies with controversial practices. Some of these firms are said to have helped secure seaworthiness certificates for the Rhosus, allowing it to operate despite technical deficiencies.
The OCCRP also reported that in 2011, Manoli benefited from a loan issued by FBME Bank, the Cypriot branch of the Federal Bank of Lebanon, headed by Ayoub-Farid Saab and Fadi Saab. Three years later, the bank came under US Treasury scrutiny, accused of money laundering, financing terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah, and facilitating the purchase of chemical weapons for the Syrian regime.

Progressive Socialist Party Hails Damascus Agreement on Sweida Crisis
This is Beirut/September 16/2025
The Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) welcomed on Tuesday the agreement signed in Damascus on the situation in Sweida, describing it as a step that echoes the party’s long-standing proposals and regional outreach. In a statement, the PSP said the deal reflected ideas it had previously advanced in meetings with US envoy Tom Perriello, during former leader Walid Joumblatt’s visit to Turkey, and through sustained coordination with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan. The party noted that Jordanian officials played a “significant and appreciated” role in bringing the accord to fruition. The PSP expressed gratitude for “all Arab, regional and international efforts” behind the agreement and endorsed its main provisions, including the prosecution of those responsible for recent violence in Sweida through an international investigation, the release of abductees, particularly women, and clarification of the fate of the missing. The party also highlighted commitments to ensure continued humanitarian aid, compensation for affected families and the safeguarding of essential services. Equally important, the statement emphasized the need for dialogue and reconciliation within the governorate and between its residents and the Syrian government, framing such steps as essential to preserving Syria’s unity and stability. The PSP reiterated that it would sustain its regional and international contacts to advance what it described as a “roadmap,” identifying the release of abductees as the most urgent priority. This measure, the party argued, would positively influence the entire process and facilitate the work of the international investigative committee that has arrived in Syria to probe crimes and violations in Sweida.

The Surge of Pages and Rumors
Johnny Kortbawi/Shutterstock/September 16/2025
In recent months, pages linked to the Axis of Resistance have grown on social media like fungi. There is no longer any way to keep track of them: every day or two, a new page appears under a different name but with the same content promoting the axis’s narrative in all its domestic and regional dimensions. These are not mere social media accounts in the narrow sense of the word. They express the axis’s need to disseminate its storyline across multiple issues and market it widely. The phenomenon is therefore highly significant, not a mere formality. In the past, the Axis avoided responding. It left room for speculation, opinions, and ideas, steering clear of all kinds of polemics, and relied instead on a few activists to deliver the necessary rhetoric without much pushback. But today, it seems the axis feels the need for more direct communication and for adopting a more aggressive language as a way to compensate for the confusion among its supporters, who struggle either to justify what is happening or to engage with it meaningfully. This dynamic began in earnest with the signing of the ceasefire agreement that effectively allowed Israeli use of Lebanese airspace. Resistance supporters were left bewildered, unsure how to respond. The confusion deepened with the second issue: repeated Israeli violations, to which Hezbollah did not respond, not even with a token rocket fired at empty farmland. Supporters could not understand why the militia restrained itself, nor could it tell them openly that any retaliation risked triggering a new war under the terms of that very agreement. The same pattern continued with the election of the president and the appointment of the Prime Minister. In both cases, Hezbollah was dissatisfied yet refrained from naming candidates. In the past, even symbolic decisions required the group’s blessing. How could it now explain to its base that what happened was a democratic process it once suppressed? The issue resurfaced with the appointment of a Shia minister from outside the Hezbollah-Amal duo and with government decisions on restricting weapons despite Shia ministers’ opposition and withdrawal. In the past, a boycott by Shia ministers had paralyzed the country for two years, sparking economic decline and culminating in the events of May 7. All of this has left resistance supporters unconvinced by current developments. They either behave as though the movement were still at the height of its power or remain silent out of sheer uncertainty about what to say. This is the rationale behind the proliferation of these pages. For the resistance’s base, the battle today is an information war. In order to unify their message, every word is scrutinized, and the multiplication of these accounts is meant to ensure that the narrative is spread everywhere.

Al-Sharaa’s High-Stakes Test in New York: Iran Wagers on His Downfall
Philippe Abi-Akl/This is Beirut/September 16/2025
Even as Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government implements the army’s plan to enforce the decision that all weapons be held exclusively by the state—monitoring progress monthly—and follows up on Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons as well as displaced Syrians in preparation for their return, concern over border demarcation remains strong due to its potential repercussions if the process continues to be obstructed. Ministerial circles are concerned about Syria’s hesitation in demarcating the border, and Lebanon’s internal situation remains tense despite Saudi, American, and French pressure to control the border, maintain stability, and prevent smuggling. The Lebanese side sees the interests of both countries in expediting demarcation, particularly after Syria — at the Riyadh meeting between the Lebanese and Syrian defense ministers — announced its readiness to move forward. The announcement was welcomed by Saudi Arabia and commended by Washington, both eager to see progress on demarcation in the South. However, Syria later backtracked, scaling down follow-up to security officials from both countries.
Western Concerns
On the other hand, Western diplomatic circles have expressed concern over developments in Syria, viewing them within the context of the regional and international conflict, especially following Turkey’s expanding influence toward Damascus. A Russian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak visited Damascus, followed by the arrival of Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, who met with President Ahmad al-Sharaa and senior officials in the presence of US envoy Tom Barrack. The talks focused on political and military cooperation to strengthen regional security, consolidate the strategic partnership, and broaden channels of communication.Attacks on minorities in Syria prompted American and Russian officials to urge al-Sharaa to protect these communities and preserve the country’s unity. The developments have heightened Israel’s concern, already wary of the president’s rise as an Islamist hardliner and the potential emergence of a radical Islamist state on its borders—despite his outreach to the West, particularly the United States through Saudi Arabia, and his meeting with President Donald Trump in Riyadh. A Western diplomat warned the Syrian president against the establishment of a radical Islamist state in Syria and urged him to remove the Islamists who joined him in the effort to overthrow the Assad regime — otherwise, he himself would be expelled from Syria. Israel’s apprehension led it to protect minority communities to safeguard its influence, as Syrian unity faces the risk of a potential partition.
Iran’s Strategy
As for Iran, it is betting on al-Sharaa’s failure to eradicate extremism and his inability to unify Syria under his rule. Developments in the south, along the coast, and in Kurdish areas are cause for concern. Accordingly, Iran anticipates the collapse of al-Sharaa’s regime, a shift in the regional balance, and Syria’s return to its sphere of influence, with Hezbollah resuming its role in Syria as a key force against extremist groups, particularly ISIS. Given that its strategy hinges on change in Syria, ministerial sources say Hezbollah will not hand over its weapons, as they will be urgently needed in preparation for that moment of transition.The information released by the Syrian Ministry of Interior about the dismantling of a network linked to Hezbollah sends a message to Lebanon, as the network’s members were trained there. It underscores that Hezbollah remains a cross-border organization threatening Syria’s security, even though the Syrian president has refrained from responding to the party’s actions and has declared his intention to open a new chapter in relations with the group. He also affirmed that relations with Iran will not remain severed. On the other hand, Hezbollah denied any presence in Syria following the fall of the Assad regime and the rise of al-Sharaa as interim president. Iran holds Israel responsible for seeking to partition Syria as part of a broader plan to divide the region into ethnic and sectarian mini-states, keeping it in a state of perpetual conflict to realize Benjamin Netanyahu’s vision of a “Greater Israel.”
Difficult Test
Despite these circumstances, al-Sharaa will attend the UN General Assembly meetings in New York and face a difficult test. He has failed to protect minority communities, in part because of religious extremism within his forces and his refusal to reinstate former officers or purge the military of jihadist elements. As a result, the armed forces remain fragmented, far from the unified, state-level institution needed to provide security and protect minorities. Ahead of the visit, al-Sharaa convinced Washington, Paris, and Riyadh that his top priority is security arrangements with Israel, which they have required as a condition for the successful outcome of his trip.Ministerial sources confirm that the Lebanese-Syrian file will remain unresolved until the summit between Presidents Joseph Aoun and Ahmad al-Sharaa, scheduled for next October in Baabda. The summit’s objective is to launch a process of cordial relations between the two countries, end the “Cooperation and Coordination Agreement,” begin border demarcation, resolve the issue of Syrian Islamists in Lebanese prisons and Lebanese detainees in Syrian prisons, address the situation of Syrian refugees, and tackle other outstanding matters.
Furthermore, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will meet with al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly ahead of the upcoming summit. Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shibani indicated as much when he told his Lebanese counterpart, Youssef Raggi, during a conference in Brussels that “he will be in Lebanon soon.”The key question remains whether Hezbollah will continue relying on external issues to justify holding onto its weapons or finally begin implementing the government’s decision.

Hawk III: A Ship, Fuel, and the Enduring Shadows of Lebanon’s Power Crisis
Christiane Tager/This is Beirut/September 16/2025
Hawk III, a fuel-laden vessel, was intercepted in the dead of night as it tried to slip illegally out of Lebanese waters. This has once again thrown light on the murky depths of an energy sector riddled with scandal. Between suspicions of tainted fuel, questions about Russian origins, and political power plays, the case exposes yet again the gaping flaws of a system on the brink of collapse. In Lebanon, even a single fuel ship can spiral into a political-judicial drama. Between Friday night and Saturday morning, the Lebanese navy intercepted Hawk III, carrying fuel destined for Électricité du Liban (EDL), as it attempted to evade territorial waters. Behind this incident lies a story of contradictions, suspicion, and opacity, underscoring how the power sector remains one of the starkest symbols of Lebanon’s crisis. Alerted by the joint operations room, the navy launched a nighttime chase. When the crew refused to comply with orders, the military fired warning shots before naval commandos, supported by the air force, stormed the ship. The operation ended with 22 arrests and three injured soldiers. The vessel was then escorted under guard to Dbayeh port.
Fuel Cleared, But Still Contested
Since late August, Hawk III’s cargo has been at the center of debate. Suspected of being adulterated or of dubious origin, the fuel ultimately passed three independent tests in Dubai, Greece, and Italy. Energy Minister Joe Saddi cited these results to authorize unloading, crucial to avert yet another nationwide blackout scheduled for September 8. Still, doubts linger: several sources claim the shipment originated in Russia, currently under international sanctions. The ministry denies any illegality, insisting that Russian imports remain permissible if they comply with the global price cap mechanism. The case is just the latest in a long string of controversies surrounding Lebanon’s energy sector: Turkish power ships (2013–2020), leased at exorbitant rates under opaque terms; the 2020 Algerian “bad fuel” scandal, which uncovered document forgery and corruption; and billions of dollars funneled into the sector over decades, without ever securing more than a few hours of electricity a day. Hawk III is now another chapter in this saga of shady contracts, political battles, and corruption suspicions, while citizens remain trapped in crippling power rationing.

Disarming Hezbollah: The Easy Way vs. The Hard Way
Hussain Abdul-Hussain/This is Beiru/September 16/2025
The Lebanese government has yet to fully grasp the seismic shift in Israel’s defense doctrine from containment to preemption. Hezbollah, even if armed with rudimentary weapons like slingshots, will not be tolerated. Beirut must disarm and disband the Iran-backed militia immediately and will be given one final chance to do so. This is the Easy Way. If Hezbollah remains operational by next year, Israel will take decisive action to eliminate it. This is the Hard Way. President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam seem to believe it’s business as usual in Lebanon. When pressed to restore Lebanese sovereignty, they argue that sovereignty requires not only disarming Hezbollah but also Israel’s withdrawal from five disputed hilltops and an end to airstrikes targeting Hezbollah. This argument will not persuade Washington or Jerusalem, both of which see Hezbollah’s disarmament as non-negotiable. Lebanon’s aspirations—reconstruction investments in the war-torn south, meaningful political and economic reforms, and even the scheduled May 2026 election—are on hold until Hezbollah is disarmed and disbanded. Failure to act risks a major Israeli operation to uproot Hezbollah, which could delay these plans indefinitely.Lebanese leaders appear oblivious to the profound impact of October 7, 2023, and Israel’s resolute commitment to ending Hezbollah’s military existence. The attack reshaped Israel’s security calculus, making any tolerance for Hezbollah’s military capabilities unthinkable. Israel’s resolve extends beyond Lebanon. Iran’s nuclear ambitions are effectively dead, and its ballistic missile program, severely damaged during the 12-day June War with Israel, faces further destruction if Tehran attempts to revive it. Qatar, too, risks repeated strikes until every Hamas leader complicit in the October 7 massacre is eliminated. Israel’s elimination of the Black September Palestinian Organization in the 1970s serves as a historical precedent for its relentless pursuit of defusing threats. Turkey also faces consequences if it harbors individuals plotting against Israelis, regardless of its NATO membership. NATO’s muted response to Russian projectiles striking Poland in 2022 illustrates the alliance’s limitations in such scenarios.Turkey’s claim to having NATO’s “largest army” does not necessarily make it a military power. Corrupt nations rarely produce competent militaries. Turkey’s political establishment, among the most corrupt globally, boasts 35 billionaires in an economy comparable to Saudi Arabia’s ($1.3 trillion), which has only 15.Israel, fighting for its survival, will not hesitate to act preemptively in self-defense. Lebanon must recognize the gravity of this reality and disarm Hezbollah immediately. Failure to do so risks another devastating military confrontation, the kind Hezbollah might perversely claim, again, as a “victory.”Lebanon has so far danced around the Hezbollah problem, aware of the militia’s strategy to retain its arms.Hezbollah will avoid direct confrontation with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). Instead, when the LAF approaches Hezbollah’s arms depots, “residents” will be mobilized to burn tires and throw stones, aiming to provoke a clash where the army fires on civilians. If a number of Shia men are killed, Hezbollah will exploit the incident as “Osman’s shirt”—an Arab saying invoking revenge, referencing the 656 CE murder of Caliph Osman Ibn Affan. Such an event would render disarmament politically untenable. The Lebanese government likely recognizes this trap and is attempting to avoid it. The LAF’s current strategy appears to be “freezing” Hezbollah by controlling public spaces, particularly licit and illicit roadways, to severely restrict the militia’s movements. This approach aims to constrain Hezbollah. If the militia initiates violence, the LAF could then claim self-defense, preserving the political viability of disarmament. For example, by dominating key routes, the LAF limits Hezbollah’s ability to maneuver without confronting the army, shifting the burden of escalation onto the militia. However, this “freeze” strategy is unlikely to satisfy Israel, which demands Hezbollah’s complete dissolution. Over the next six months, as Washington rushes at least $200 million in aid to the LAF, Jerusalem will closely monitor Lebanon’s actions, expecting tangible progress on disarming and disbanding Hezbollah. If Lebanon cites the risk of civil strife and hesitates, Israel will likely escalate operations, targeting Hezbollah’s remaining leadership with precision and force.Lebanon’s biggest problem is its inability to understand what sovereignty means. When Beirut is asked to rein in its terrorists, citing civil war as an excuse for inaction implies that the country is unworthy of sovereignty, that other nations must police Lebanon’s thugs, and that the Lebanese state is irrelevant, deserving neither attention nor assistance from any world capital.

Aoun urges Iran to 'be friends with all Lebanese' not just Hezbollah
Naharnet/September 16/2025
President Joseph Aoun has met, on the sidelines of an Arab summit in Doha, with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the presidency said in a statement. Aoun and al-Sharaa discussed bilateral relations, security along the Syrian-Lebanese border, the maritime border demarcation and the repatriation of Syrian refugees. With the Iranian president, Aoun urged Iran "to be a friend to all Lebanese, not just to one group," and called for relations based on respect and common interests, without interference in domestic affairs. With Abbas, Aoun discussed the implementation of a plan they both agreed on four months ago for removing arms from Palestinian camps in Lebanon. The disarmament began last month and weapons were handed over to Lebanese troops in camps in Beirut, south Lebanon, and Tripoli.

Salam: Lebanese state has regained war and peace decision
Naharnet/September 16/2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stressed Tuesday that his government did not create from scratch “the decision to extend the state’s authority across its territory, seeing as this decision had been in place since 1989, or since the Taif Agreement.”“Today we are working on implementing it and it was underscored in President Joseph Aoun’s inaugural speech and in the Ministerial Statement,” Salam added, in a meeting with a delegation from the Press Syndicate. “Today what’s clear and tangible is that the Lebanese state has regained the war and peace decision,” Salam went on to say. “The text of the cessation of hostilities agreement, which was approved by the previous government and to which we have confirmed our commitment, clearly identifies the sides that can bear arms, which are exclusively the Lebanese Army, the Internal Security Forces, General Security, State Security, the Customs administration, and municipal police,” the premier noted. As for the government’s latest decisions on arms monopolization, Salam said: “We worked on approving a swift mechanism for many reasons and on August 5 we decided to task the Lebanese Army with implementing the plan away from any interferences or pressures as some are claiming.”He added: “We welcomed the army’s plan and this welcoming was a positive approval. Some of the plan’s details were leaked, including deadlines, for example the three months for completing arms monopolization south of the Litani, in addition to containing weapons during the same period through prohibiting their use or transfer from one place to another.”“The Army Command will submit monthly reports to the Council of Ministers regarding implementation,” Salam reminded. As for U.S. envoy Tom Barrack’s paper, the prime minister said the government approved the paper’s objectives and “not the paper itself as being rumored.”“Anything being said about extra conditions is a misconception, because the paper’s objectives are clear and were recited by the information minister clause by clause after the meeting. I challenge any Lebanese to oppose any of these objectives, whether in terms the halt of hostilities, full Israeli withdrawal, reconstruction or the return of the captives,” Salam added. “In my latest meeting with Ambassador Barrack, I emphasized the need for pressing for Israel’s withdrawal from the five occupied points, the release of the captives and the cessation of attacks, and this is what we have been stressing daily,” the premier said. As for the Shiite ministers’ walkout from the Aug. 5, Aug. 7 and Sep. 5 sessions, Salam stressed that “the National Pact is between Muslims and Christians and not between sects.”

Lebanon has 40 days to seek Grechushkin's extradition from Bulgaria
Agence France Presse/Associated Press
A shipowner wanted over the 2020 blast at Beirut port that killed more than 220 people has been arrested in Bulgaria, officials said Tuesday. The August 4, 2020 disaster was one of the world's largest non-nuclear explosions, ravaging swathes of the Lebanese capital and injuring more than 6,500 people.Authorities have said the blast was triggered by a fire in a warehouse where tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer had been stored haphazardly for years after arriving by ship, despite repeated warnings to senior officials. Lebanese authorities identified Igor Grechushkin, a 48-year-old Russian-Cypriot citizen, as the owner of the Rhosus, the ship that transported the ammonium nitrate. Interpol issued red notices for him and two others in 2021. Grechushkin "has been placed in detention for a maximum duration of 40 days by a court decision on September 7, confirmed on appeal," a Sofia city court spokeswoman told AFP.Lebanese judicial officials meanwhile told The Associated Press that papers are being prepared requesting the transfer of Grechushkin to Lebanon for questioning. They said that if Grechushkin is not handed over, Lebanese investigators could travel to Bulgaria to question him there. The authorities requesting extradition have 40 days to send the necessary documents to effect such a move, according to Bulgarian law.
Held at airport -
Grechushkin was held on an Interpol red notice at Sofia airport on September 5 upon his arrival from Paphos in Cyprus, a Bulgarian judicial source confirmed to AFP. Wanted by the Lebanese judicial authorities, he is being sought for allegedly "introducing explosives into Lebanon, a terrorist act that resulted in the death of a large number of people, disabling machinery with the intent of sinking a ship," the Bulgarian prosecutor's office said in a statement. Grechushkin was arrested during a routine check of passengers arriving from Paphos, according to border police. "He offered no resistance. He repeatedly insisted on speaking to a lawyer and, after consulting one, he fully cooperated," Zdravko Samuilov, head of the border police at Sofia Airport, told reporters Tuesday.He informed the officers that he came to Bulgaria "for tourism," Samuilov added.
Long-stalled investigation -
The Rhosus, a Moldovan-flagged cargo ship sailing from Georgia and bound for Mozambique, is widely understood to have brought the fertilizer to Beirut in 2013. After it arrived in Lebanon, the Rhosus faced "technical problems," and security officials said it was impounded after a Lebanese company filed a lawsuit against its owner. Port authorities unloaded the ammonium nitrate and stored it in a run-down port warehouse with cracks in its walls, according to officials. The ship later sank in Beirut port in 2018. The Lebanese investigation into the blast has been mired in legal and political wrangling. Judge Tarek Bitar resumed his investigation into the blast this year as Lebanon's balance of power shifted. This followed a war between Israel and Hezbollah that weakened the Iran-backed group, which had spearheaded a campaign for Bitar's resignation. Those questioned in the investigation include former Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab, as well as military and security officials.

Report: Local-foreign efforts seek release of 16 Israel-held captives
Naharnet/September 16/2025
Lebanese and foreign efforts are underway to address the file of the Lebanese captives who are being held by Israel, prominent parliamentary sources told Kuwait’s al-Anbaa newspaper. The file had made progress in early 2025 with the release of some captives before the talks ground to a halt.The sources said Israel is holding 16 Lebanese fighters while there are “dozens” of fighters who are still missing and whose fate is still unknown. The Lebanese detainees were captured during and after the 2024 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Khalil says Shiites 'united' in face of 'external dictates' to disarm Hezbollah
Naharnet/September 16/2025
The Political Advisor to Hezbollah's Secretary General, Hussein Khalil, has accused the government of succumbing to "external dictates" when it took a decision to disarm Hezbollah, which he dubbed, in a radio interview, "a major sin". Khalil said that the decision was faced with the strength and unity of the Shiite community. "The government and Lebanon's leaders must remember that we have priorities, most notably to halt the Israeli aggression, end the Israeli occupation, reconstruct (war-hit regions), and return (the Lebanese) prisoners (detained in Israel)," he said, as he praised the army's wisdom. "No one wants to clash (with Hezbollah)," he said. "I hope the army command will remain wise and keen on maintaining the country's stability."

The Secretary-General of the Organization, MP Osama Saad, Issues Statements on Resistance and the Use of Arms... and Hezbollah Withdraws
Mohammad Dahsha/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 17, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
Tensions have arisen between the "Popular Nasserist Organization" and "Hezbollah" in Sidon, following the political stances expressed by the organization's Secretary-General, MP Osama Saad, during a rally held in Martyrs' Square in Sidon to commemorate the founding of the National Resistance Front. These stances addressed the nature of resistance, its identity, and the principle that the use of arms should be the exclusive prerogative of the state.
These political statements did not sit well with the Hezbollah delegation, led by the Sidon district representative, Sheikh Zaid Daher, who, as usual, had attended the rally. They withdrew in protest against the criticism directed at Hezbollah, without explicitly naming it. Hezbollah argued that resistance was originally a national endeavor before it became sectarian and partisan, and asserted its support for the principle that the use of arms should be the exclusive prerogative of the state.
The relationship between Saad and Hezbollah had previously been strained, even reaching a point of rupture during the last parliamentary elections in 2022. Saad broke his electoral alliance with the Shiite bloc (the Amal Movement and Hezbollah) and decided to run as an independent candidate, allied with MP Dr. Abdel Rahman Al-Bazzari in Sidon and MP Dr. Charbel Massaad in Jbeil.
Saad stated: "From a comprehensive national resistance to a sectarian resistance... this was a grave mistake that led to the politicization and sectarianization of the resistance and undermined the Lebanese people's collective understanding of their national responsibilities... as if liberating the land is the responsibility of a specific group, rather than the responsibility of the state and all its components and popular forces." Saad declared his support for the state's monopoly on weapons, stating: "The state has decided to maintain the exclusive control of weapons. This entails its responsibility to counter aggression and liberate the land... If it fails to do so, the monopoly on weapons will slip from its grasp and fall into the hands of the enemy... We accept the state's exclusive control of weapons based on the need to confront aggression... It is said that weapons outside state control have usurped its role and marginalized it, and this is true... But what is certain is that the state's failure to counter aggression undermines its legitimacy and jeopardizes the very integrity of the national entity."
He added: "Neither the October 27 agreement, nor the resolution on the state's monopoly on weapons, nor the acceptance of the American proposal, nor the endorsement of the army's plan stopped the aggression... The occupation and aggression persist, and the killing, destruction, and displacement continue. Political concessions are demanded... You lost the war, so you must pay the price of your defeat... That is the enemy's logic: we impose our peace on you by force and on our terms."
Saad then asked: "Are the Lebanese people ready for an Israeli peace imposed by force? Certainly not... We must firmly believe that neither America, which supports the aggression, nor the Arab states, nor the Israeli enemy, who bomb their own capitals, can guarantee Lebanon's security, stability, the recovery of its territory, or an end to the aggression against it... We must also firmly believe that the only and certain guarantee for Lebanon, without any price, is the unity of its people and their collective will, free from any subservience."
Saad concluded: "Lebanon, facing imminent and existential dangers, has no other option than to fortify itself through national consensus on its strategic issues, formulated by free and sincere national wills... All officials and all political and popular forces are being tested by the need for national consensus, and you bear full responsibility if you fail to achieve it."

"The Shiites Duo" Proposes "Election Law in Exchange for Weapons": A Minefield to Sabotage the Elections
Lara Yazbek/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 17, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
Since the meeting of the subcommittee, formed by the joint parliamentary committees and tasked with reviewing the proposed parliamentary and senate election laws, last week, the political maneuvering surrounding the elections has become "transparent."
The "Amal Movement-Hezbollah" alliance, through the political advisor to the Speaker of Parliament, MP Ali Hassan Khalil, and during his remarks at the meeting, revealed their political agenda for the upcoming parliamentary elections, according to key parliamentary sources present at the meeting who spoke to "Nidaa Al-Watan." Their goal is to postpone the elections and trade the demand for the surrender of weapons to the Lebanese state for the implementation of certain provisions of the Taif Agreement that suit their interests, namely an election law based on a single nationwide electoral district and outside the sectarian quota system, along with the establishment of a Senate. After securing these gains, which would guarantee the "Duo" comfortable representation and allow them to regain control of the political scene in the country, they "might" then surrender their weapons.
The dangerous aspect of this proposal, the sources continued, is that it could be appealing to "gray" parliamentary figures and parties that are not confident they can return to parliament if the elections are held next May. Some of these are Sunni, while others are Christians who recently broke away from old alliances and have not yet formed new ones to guarantee their re-election. This also includes parties that are well aware that their popularity has declined dramatically in recent months. The deal being proposed by the "duo," with Ain al-Tineh as its sponsor, may also be appealing to external powers that are following the Lebanese file, especially if the process of disarming armed groups remains stagnant, while these capitals are urging its completion. The logic being that granting the "duo" its political and electoral demands would facilitate the disarmament process. A "sovereign" coordination effort In light of this worrying situation, sources say that behind the scenes, a broad coordination effort has been initiated among the sovereign political forces to launch a campaign under the slogans "No to postponing the parliamentary elections" and "No to trading weapons for political concessions." The decision to disarm armed groups is final and beyond discussion; it is not negotiable, nor is it subject to bargaining. Holding elections is both a duty of the state and a right of the Lebanese people. According to the sources, respecting constitutional deadlines is not an option or a luxury, and the new administration and its government know this very well, just as they know that implementing the disarmament decision is no longer optional. Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar confirmed this yesterday, before the Cabinet meeting that discussed the electoral law and returned it to Parliament, stating that "the parliamentary elections will take place on schedule in May 2026." A New Battle. Based on this, sources confirm that the ruling political forces will place as their top priority, in the coming period and before the end of the year, ensuring that the elections are held on schedule. This will be achieved through their representatives in the executive and legislative branches, by halting any manipulation of the electoral law and abandoning attempts to waste time by proposing other, extraneous legislation. Instead, they will move immediately to ratify the current law and enhance it with some reforms, if time and logistics permit, such as implementing mega-voting centers and QR code verification, and, of course, guaranteeing the right of expatriates to vote for all 128 parliamentary seats, not just 6. "This is our new battle, and we will fight it to the end. We will not succumb to blackmail from those who only remember the constitution and the 'Taif Agreement' when it suits their purposes," the sources concluded.

Land encroachment resurfaces: Selling and building on public land
Rimal Jouni/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 17, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
Encroachment on public lands, whether municipal or state-owned, flourished during the period of "mandatory land surveying" launched by the government in several southern villages and towns. During this period, many of these public lands were illegally occupied, through collusion between surveyors, village officials, and land speculators.
Judge Ahmed Mazhar arrested one of the surveyors a year ago for his involvement in seizing public lands and appropriating property belonging to a citizen in the town of Touleen. However, political interference led to his release.
Today, the issue of land encroachment has resurfaced. In the town of Tyre-Falsieh, construction is ongoing on public land; buildings and farms are being erected under the watchful eyes of security forces, who have taken no action.
Sources indicate that a member of the "Intelligence Branch" illegally occupied a plot of land. The source stated that he was a victim of "M.A.," who sold him the property as privately owned, whereas it later turned out to be public land, as happened with "H.A." in the Jarrane area of ​​Tyre-Falsieh. Specifically, on property number 19, which is public land, more than 200 houses have been built, most of them more than ten years ago, while others are being built haphazardly today.
"The security forces didn't notice these houses," says "H.A.," adding, "They only noticed my balcony, whose windows were damaged during the war. After I repaired it, the security forces are trying to demolish it, claiming it was built on public land." H.A. wonders: "Is it reasonable that the law is enforced against one citizen while others are ignored? If there is a campaign to remove encroachments on public land, why doesn't it apply to everyone? Why are the security forces personally targeting me for arrest, with the aim of demolishing a balcony that was built three years ago?" According to the former mayor of Tayr Filssiye, Hussein Anis, "Most of the houses on plot number 19 (which is public land) were built more than 15 years ago, and no building permits were issued for construction on public land, under the pretext of rebuilding houses destroyed during the war." He emphasized that "the only documented encroachment is H.A.'s balcony." The current mayor, Sulaiman Mazaj, asserts that "the current municipality has not issued any permits or authorizations, and has not received any complaints regarding encroachments on public land. If there are any violations, they occurred during the previous council's term, and they are responsible." A real estate expert told "Nida Al-Watan": "Encroachments on public land are usually carried out in collusion with security forces or with politically influential figures in the town, and the pretext of reconstruction is often used." According to the expert, "Many buildings that were destroyed during the war, and which were built on public land, have been rebuilt, but this time as larger buildings or residential complexes." He adds: "In surveyed areas, land appropriation is considered a documented act of occupation. In areas that haven't been surveyed, encroachment occurs through forceful takeover. Some real estate speculators or influential individuals buy a small plot of land near common land, and then, in collusion with the surveyor and village elder, they expand their control by taking over adjacent common lands." He pointed out that "many village elders, especially in un-surveyed villages, have come to own vast tracts of land and have become major landowners as a result of this exploitation, and this practice has been ongoing since before the war."

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 16-17/2025
Israel Says ‘Gaza Is Burning’ as It Launches Ground Assault
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 16/2025
Israel unleashed a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City on Tuesday, declaring "Gaza is burning" as Palestinians there described the most intense bombardment they had faced in two years of war. An Israel military official said ground troops were moving deeper into the enclave's main city, and that the number of soldiers would rise in coming days to confront up to 3,000 Hamas combatants the army believes are still in the city. "Gaza is burning," Defense Minister Israel Katz posted on X. "The army strikes with an iron fist at the terrorist infrastructure and soldiers are fighting bravely to create the conditions for the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas."
BODIES TRAPPED UNDER RUBBLE, THOUSANDS FLEE
In launching the assault, Israel's government defied European leaders threatening sanctions and warnings from even some of Israel's own military commanders that it could be a costly mistake. US President Donald Trump sided with Israel, telling reporters at the White House that Hamas would have "hell to pay" if it used hostages as human shields during the assault. In the latest expression of international alarm, a United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. Israel called the assessment "scandalous" and "fake". Gaza health officials reported at least 50 people killed on Tuesday, most in Gaza City, as airstrikes swept across the city and tanks advanced. Where a missile had destroyed two multi-storey residential buildings in the middle of the night, people clambered over an immense mound of dislocated concrete to pry out victims, footage obtained by Reuters showed. A woman cried as a small child's body was pulled from the wreckage, hastily wrapped in a green blanket and carried away. Abu Mohammed Hamed said several of his relatives had been wounded or killed, including a cousin whose body was trapped by a concrete block: "We don't know how to take her out. We have been working on it since 3 a.m." Israel renewed its calls on civilians to leave, and long columns of Palestinians streamed towards the south and west in donkey carts, rickshaws, heavily laden vehicles or on foot. "They are destroying residential towers, the pillars of the city, mosques, schools and roads," Abu Tamer, a 70-year-old man making the grueling journey south with his family, told Reuters in a text message. "They are wiping out our memories."
RUBIO OFFERS US SUPPORT, EU PLANS NEW SANCTIONS
Hours before the escalation, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Jerusalem that, while the United States wished for a diplomatic end to the war, "we have to be prepared for the possibility that's not going to happen". But in Brussels, a spokesperson for the EU executive said it would agree on Wednesday to impose new sanctions on Israel, including suspending certain trade provisions. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called the assault "reckless and appalling" and called for an immediate ceasefire.
SOME WON'T FLEE: 'IT'S LIKE ESCAPING TOWARDS DEATH'
Some residents were staying put, too poor to secure a tent and transport or because there was nowhere safe to go. "It is like escaping from death towards death, so we are not leaving," said Um Mohammad, a woman living in the suburb of Sabra, under aerial and ground fire for days. The army said it estimated 40% of people in Gaza City had left. Hamas said 350,000 had left their homes in the eastern parts of the city, heading to displacement shelters in its central or western areas, while another 175,000 people had fled the city altogether, heading south. Much of Gaza City was laid to waste in the early weeks of the war in 2023, but around 1 million Palestinians had returned there to homes among the ruins. Forcing them out means confining most of Gaza's population to overcrowded encampments along the coast further south lacking food, medical supplies and space. Three more Palestinians died of malnutrition and starvation in the past 24 hours, Gaza's health ministry said on Tuesday, raising total hunger deaths to at least 428, most in the last two months, in what a global monitor calls a man-made famine. Israel says the extent of hunger has been exaggerated.
ISRAELI ARMY CHIEF PUSHED FOR CEASEFIRE DEAL, SOURCES SAY
Some Israeli military commanders have expressed concern that the Gaza City assault could endanger remaining hostages held by Hamas or be a "death trap" for troops.
Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, at a meeting Netanyahu convened late on Sunday with security chiefs, urged the prime minister to pursue a ceasefire deal, according to three Israeli officials, two of whom were in the meeting and one of whom was briefed on its details.
Families of hostages, who have led calls for a ceasefire, gathered outside Netanyahu's home in Jerusalem late on Monday as news of the offensive streamed in. "Our loved ones in Gaza are being bombarded by the army under the orders of the prime minister," said Anat Angrest, whose son Matan is among the 20 hostages believed to still be alive. Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, Israeli tallies show. Israel's military assault against Hamas has killed over 64,000 Palestinians, Gaza's health ministry says.

Trump Says Hamas Will Be ‘In Big Trouble’ If Hostages Are Used as Human Shields
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 16/2025
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Hamas will be in "big trouble" if they use Gaza hostages as human shields. “We’re going to see what happens, because I hear Hamas is trying to use the old human shield deal. And if they do that, they’re going to be in big trouble,” Trump said. He spoke to reporters as he left the White House for a state visit to Britain. The Israeli military began a ground offensive targeting Gaza City on Tuesday, slowly squeezing in on the Palestinian territory’s largest city that has seen block after block already destroyed in the Israel-Hamas war. Residents still in the city were warned they must leave and head south. The push marks yet another escalation in a conflict that has roiled the Middle East as any potential ceasefire feels even further out of reach despite months of diplomacy. Trump in a Monday post on Truth Social said that he had read a news report indicating that Hamas would use the captives as “human shields.”

UN Rights Chief Tells Israel to ‘Stop the Carnage’ as Gaza City Ground Assault Begins
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 16/2025
The UN Human Rights Chief called on Israel to immediately stop its ground assault on Gaza City that got underway on Tuesday, saying that evidence was mounting of war crimes, crimes against humanity and possibly more. "I can only think of what it means for women, for malnourished children, for people with disabilities, if they are again attacked in this way. And I have to say the only response to this is: stop the carnage," High Commissioner Volker Turk told reporters in Geneva. "Palestinians, Israelis scream for peace. Everyone wants an end to this, and what we see is a further escalation which is totally and utterly unacceptable," he added."I call on Israel to stop its wanton destruction of Gaza."A United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded on Tuesday that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, incited these acts - accusations that Israel called scandalous. Turk has not used the term but is under pressure to do so. Asked if he would consider using the word genocide to describe Israel's actions in Gaza, Turk said: "We see the piling up of war crime after war crime or crime against humanity, and potentially even more. I mean, it's for the court to decide whether it's genocide or not and we see the evidence mounting."

UN Chief Calls Israel's Actions in Gaza Horrendous, Cites Systematic Destruction
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 16/2025
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said what is happening in Gaza is horrendous and that the war in the Palestinian territory is morally, politically and legally intolerable. Guterres also said he would be willing to meet with Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump at the UN next week. Israel unleashed a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City on Tuesday, declaring "Gaza is burning" as Palestinians there described the most intense bombardment they had faced in two years of war. An Israel military official said ground troops were moving deeper into the enclave's main city, and that the number of soldiers would rise in coming days to confront up to 3,000 Hamas combatants the army believes are still in the city.

EU's Kallas Says Israel’s Gaza Offensive Will Make Desperate Situation Worse
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 16/2025
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday that Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza will worsen the situation in the enclave. "Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza will make an already desperate situation even worse," Kallas wrote on social media platform X. "It will mean more death, more destruction & more displacement," she said, noting that the European Commission will present measures on Wednesday to pressure the Israeli government to change course. Israel unleashed a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City on Tuesday, declaring "Gaza is burning" as Palestinians there described the most intense bombardment they had faced in two years of war. An Israel military official said ground troops were moving deeper into the enclave's main city, and that the number of soldiers would rise in coming days to confront up to 3,000 Hamas combatants the army believes are still in the city.

Germany Slams Israeli Ground Assault on Gaza City
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 16/2025
Germany on Tuesday slammed Israel's ground assault on Gaza City as "completely wrong", urging instead talks towards a ceasefire and hostage release deal. "The renewed offensive towards Gaza City is... the completely wrong path," said Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. "We reject this and have made this clear to the Israeli government."Israel announced on Tuesday the start of its long-awaited ground operation into Gaza City, the main urban center in the enclave where Israel has ordered residents to flee. So far, more than 140,000 have already fled south from Gaza City since August 14, UN data shows, of a population of around 1 million people. "Gaza is burning," Defense Minister Israel Katz posted on X. "The army strikes with an iron fist at the terrorist infrastructure and soldiers are fighting bravely to create the conditions for the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas."Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking about 251 hostages, Israeli tallies show. Israeli authorities say 20 of the remaining 48 hostages in Gaza are alive.Israel's subsequent military assault against Hamas has killed over 64,000 Palestinians, Gaza's health ministry said, while a global hunger monitor said part of the enclave is suffering from famine. Israel already controls about 75% of Gaza.

Luxembourg Says Will Recognize Palestinian State
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 16/2025
Luxembourg has said it will join a raft of countries recognizing the State of Palestine at a United Nations summit in New York next week. French President Emmanuel Macron is spearheading the drive on recognizing a Palestinian state as international condemnation grows of Israel over its nearly two-year offensive in Gaza. Speaking to journalists late Monday, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Luc Frieden said that "the situation on the ground has deteriorated considerably in recent months". "A movement is now emerging in Europe and around the world to demonstrate that the two-state solution is still relevant," Frieden said. "That is why the Luxembourg government intends to join those who recognize the State of Palestine at next week's conference on the two-state solution."Countries including Britain, Australia, Canada and Belgium have said they plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the meeting at the UN General Assembly. Israel and its ally the United States have blasted the push, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Monday the move "emboldened" Hamas. The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed at least 64,905 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the territory's health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable. UN investigators on Tuesday accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza in a bid to "destroy the Palestinians", blaming Israel's prime minister and other top officials for incitement.

Human Rights Experts Join Rising Chorus That Accuses Israel of Genocide in Gaza
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 16/2025
A team of independent experts commissioned by the United Nations' Human Rights Council has concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, issuing a report Tuesday that calls on the international community to end the genocide and take steps to punish those responsible for it. The deeply-documented findings by the three-member team are the latest accusations of genocide against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government by rights advocates as Israeli carries on with its war against Hamas in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of people. Israel rejected what it called a “distorted and false” report. The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, which was created four years ago, has repeatedly documented alleged human rights abuses and violations both in Gaza since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel led by Hamas, and other Palestinian areas.
While neither the commission nor the 47-member-country council that it works for within the UN system can take action against a country, the findings could be used by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court or the UN's International Court of Justice. The report also amounts to a final message from the team headed by former UN rights chief Navi Pillay. All three of its members announced in July that they would resign, citing personal reasons and a need for change. The team was commissioned by the Human Rights Council, the UN’s top human rights body, but it does not speak for the United Nations.
Israel has refused to cooperate with the commission and has accused it and the HRC of anti-Israel bias. Earlier this year, the Trump administration, a key Israeli ally, pulled the United States out of the council. After a painstaking legal analysis, the commission said Israel had committed four of the five “genocidal acts” defined under an international convention adopted in 1948 known colloquially as the “Genocide Convention,” three years after the end of World War II and the Holocaust. “The Commission finds that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza,” said Pillay, the commission chair. “It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.” Pillay, a former UN human rights chief, said “responsibility for the atrocity crimes lies with Israeli authorities at the highest echelons” over the nearly two-year war. Her commission concluded that Netanyahu, as well as Israeli President Isaac Herzog and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, had incited the commission of genocide. It hasn't assessed whether other Israeli leaders had done so too. Israel, which was founded in the aftermath of the Holocaust, has adamantly rejected genocide allegations against it as an antisemitic “blood libel.”Israel's Foreign Ministry issued an angry response Tuesday, saying it “categorically rejects this distorted and false report.”“Three individuals serving as Hamas proxies, notorious for their openly antisemitic positions — and whose horrific statements about Jews have been condemned worldwide — released today another fake ‘report’ about Gaza,” it said. Genocide accusations are especially sensitive in Israel, which was founded as a haven for Jews in the wake of the Holocaust and where memories of the Holocaust still play an important role in the country’s national identity. In coming to its conclusion of genocide, the commission said it pored over the conduct of Israeli security forces and “explicit statements” by Israeli civilian and military authorities, among other criteria. In particular, the experts cited as factors the death toll, Israel's “total siege” of Gaza and blockade of humanitarian aid that has led to starvation, a policy of “systematically destroying” the health care system, and direct targeting of children.
The commission urged other countries to halt weapons transfers to Israel and block individuals or companies from actions that could contribute to genocide in Gaza.
“The international community cannot stay silent on the genocidal campaign launched by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza,” said Pillay, who is a South African jurist. “When clear signs and evidence of genocide emerge, the absence of action to stop it amounts to complicity.”The current UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, has decried Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza and spoken out forcefully against alleged crimes, but has not accused Israel of carrying out genocide. His office, alluding to international law, has argued that only an international court can make a final, formal determination of genocide. Critics counter that could take years and insist that thousands of people, many of them civilians, are being systematically killed in Gaza in the meantime. The International Court of Justice is hearing a genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel.

Israeli Military Strikes Yemen’s Red Sea Port of Hodeidah
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 16/2025
Israel said it struck a military infrastructure site in its latest attack on Yemen's Houthi militias at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah on Tuesday. The Iran-backed Houthis have attacked vessels in the Red Sea in what they describe as solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Tuesday's attack came hours after the Israeli military issued an evacuation order for the port and a few weeks after a major Israeli attack that killed Houthi officials in August. Al Masirah TV, a station affiliated with the Houthis, said that 12 Israeli strikes targeted the port's docks. Two sources at the port told Reuters the strikes targeted three docks restored after previous Israeli hits. Residents in the area told Reuters the attack lasted about 10 minutes. "The Houthi terrorist organization will continue to suffer blows and will pay painful prices for any attempt to attack the State of Israel," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a post on X following the attack. The Houthis have also in the past fired missiles towards Israel, most of which have been intercepted. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Telegram that the group's air defenses had been able to force Israeli warplanes away, but provided no proof. The Israeli military's statement gave no details of the strike beyond saying they hit infrastructure. "The Hodeidah Port is used by the Houthi terrorist regime for the transfer of weapons supplied by the Iranian regime, in order to execute attacks against the State of Israel," it said.

US Sanctions Target Financing of Iran’s Military, Treasury Says
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 16/2025
The US has issued a fresh round Iran-related sanctions targeting individuals and entities that Washington says finance Tehran's military, including some in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, the US Treasury Department said on Tuesday. Those targeted have helped coordinate funds transfers, including from the sale of Iranian oil, that benefit Iran's military force, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC)- Quds Force and its Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), Treasury said. "Iranian 'shadow banking' networks like these - run by trusted illicit financial facilitators - abuse the international financial system and evade sanctions by laundering money through overseas front companies and cryptocurrency," it said in a statement. US sanctions generally prohibit American individuals and companies from engaging in any business transactions with those targeted.

Syria, Jordan, US Agree on Plan to Restore Stability in Sweida After Deadly Clashes
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 16/2025
Syria, Jordan and the United States agreed Tuesday on a roadmap to restore security in a southern Syrian region that saw deadly sectarian clashes in July, including plans to guard main roads and prosecute those who incited violence. The days of fighting between members of the country's Druze minority sect and members of local Bedouin tribes in the Sweida region left hundreds of people dead. Mistrust remains, and some Druze have been demanding self-determination. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told reporters at a news conference in Damascus that the agreement among the three countries includes moves to prosecute those who were involved in inciting the deadly clashes. It also includes allowing aid to flow into Sweida, restoring services, deploying security forces on main roads in the tense region and working to reveal the fate of missing people and begin a process of internal reconciliation, he said. He also said the government was working on a plan for the return of those displaced by the violence, who number more than 160,000, according to UN figures. They include Druze internally displaced within Sweida and Bedouins who fled or were evacuated from the province and now see little prospect of going back. He did not give details on how these steps would be achieved. Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told reporters at the news conference with al-Sahibani and US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack that the security of southern Syria is linked to the security of Jordan. Jordan borders Sweida province and has spent years fighting drug and weapons smuggling from its northern neighbor. The clashes erupted on July 13 between Druze militias and local Bedouin tribes in Sweida. Government forces then intervened, nominally to restore order, but ended up essentially siding with the Bedouins against the Druze. Atrocities were committed during the days of clashes. Israel intervened in defense of the Druze, launching dozens of airstrikes on convoys of government fighters and even striking the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters in central Damascus.Over half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981.
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The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on September 16-17/2025
Qatar Was Seriously Weakened And Humiliated By The Bombing In Doha And Now It Is Spreading Threats Of Economic Pressure On The West –
Warning: Qatar Is Not Only An Economic World Power, It Is Also A Jihadi Entity; Remember 9/11
Yigal Carmon/MEMRI/September 16/ 2025
In 2017, at the peak of its influence in Washington, Qatar dared to hire a former CIA official to spy on Republican legislators who planned to sanction the Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar's precious tool of spreading global Islamism (and against Hamas). The spying operation, a typical Qatari anti-American double game, was called "Project Endgame."[1]
Slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Aal Thani.
For over two decades, Qatar positioned itself above the Arab countries in two major ways: with its huge economic power to buy politicians all over the West; and its ability to play a double game with America.
It kept inciting against America and supporting anti-American Islamist terrorist organizations and movements. Pumping billions of dollars into American universities to radicalize them against America and President Trump, using Al-Jazeera, its owned and operated global media giant, for that purpose. At the same time, it played America's second-in-command over the Arab world.
All Arab states hate Qatar, but they had to acquiesce to President Trump's and Israel's collaboration with it. Israel, after signing the Abraham Accords with the UAE, stabbed the UAE in the back by allowing Qatar to position itself above it. This tragic situation reached a point where most Arab countries – both those who needed Qatari support and those who did not need it, like the UAE and KSA, but were afraid of its dangerous relations with Iran – bowed down to Qatar.
The bombing in Doha changed everything. Qatar was revealed at its weakest. America sold it out and allowed, if not more than that, the Israeli bombing, exposing Qatar as the biggest liar and pretender. It does not have America's backing and Israel can do to it whatever it finds necessary.
The meeting between the prime minister of Qatar and President Trump ended with nothing. All that President Trump said was that he was not happy about Israel's bombing because, he said, Qatar is a "great ally" (namely, it serves us well) and that Israel should be "very careful." But White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said after Israel bombed Hamas' villa in Doha: "However, eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal." How humiliating.
It also revealed that Qatar's claim that the United States had asked it to host the terrorists' headquarters was never more than a blatant lie. America considered it a worthy goal to bomb them. America only asked Qatar to "maintain lines of communication," but Qatar in its typical treacherous way allowed headquarters for terrorists – Hamas, the Taliban, and the Muslim Brotherhood – and thought America would swallow it, which it did but not for long. The bombing proved that it was a Qatari lie.
Qatar called upon Arab countries for help. They all came and with different levels of representation. Not to support Qatar but to laugh at its demise and exposure. The ending statement was no more than the regular platitudes.
So was the visit of Secretary Rubio to Doha. After visiting the Western Wall with Netanyahu and backing Israel's war in Gaza and the demand to release the hostages, there was no joint statement in Doha. The bombing was not condemned – there was only talk about a future defense agreement, which the State Department does not even mention in a later statement.[2]
And Qatar said the negotiations are irrelevant now, parroting Hamas' position as they have done all along. President Trump went further to say "all bets are off" if Hamas uses hostages as "human shields."[3]
Qatari stooges in the West are beginning to spread threats about Qatar's ability to pressure Western economies, but this will only put Qatar in a clash with European countries that are in its pockets. The West should beware the misconception that all Qatar can do is apply economic pressure, which anyway is a lot. No – this is a dangerous misconception. Qatar is a jihadi emirate. It has supported jihadi organizations for years. It is responsible for a serious number of major terrorist attacks in the world perpetrated by Khaled Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) while he was a Qatari government employee. The attempt on the life of the John Paul II, the plan to down 11 American planes over the Pacific, the Bojinka operation, and others.[4]
When the FBI came to arrest KSM in 1996, and told only the emir, he was smuggled out in hours.[5]
From Pakistan, KSM masterminded the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, the failed attempt to attack the Capitol, and a lot more, all of which was documented in the 9/11 Commission Report. The West should expect from Qatar not only economic pressure but also jihadist pressure through the terrorist organizations it has funded for years.
Qatar is a Wahhabi jihadi Emirate committed to Islamist world power. It is aligned with Iran and, if America stands by its allies against its enemies, the West will have almost the entire Arab world on its side against Qatar and Iran.
*Yigal Carmon is founder and president of MEMRI.
[1] See MEMRI Daily Brief No. 565, Qatari Ambassador To U.S. Was Allegedly Involved In Bribing A French Minister, Spying On U.S. Lawmakers, January 22, 2024; https://www.foxnews.com/world/exclusive-alleged-qatar-spy-operation-said-to-have-targeted-gop-lawmakers-opposed-to-muslim-brotherhood, January 20, 2024; Apnews.com/article/world-cup-technology-sports-soccer-religion-5af544d34cded38ff4093587d2efa0de, October 27, 2022.
[2] State.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/09/secretary-rubios-meeting-with-qatari-amir-sheikh-tamim-bin-hamad-al-thani
-and-prime-minister-and-foreign-minister-mohammed-bin-abdulrahman-al-thani, September 16, 2025.
[3] Timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/trump-if-hamas-is-using-hostages-as-human-shields-all-bets-are-off, September 15, 2025.
[4] See MEMRI Daily Brief No. 651, Qatar Is Responsible For Khalid Sheikh Mohammad's 2,977 Murders On 9/11 – At The World Trade Center And The Pentagon, And On Two Other Hijacked Flights – That Are Only Some Of 31 Attacks And Plots That He Outlined In His Own Confession – UPDATED, September 11, 2025.
[5] See MEMRI Daily Brief No. 651, Qatar Is Responsible For Khalid Sheikh Mohammad's 2,977 Murders On 9/11 – At The World Trade Center And The Pentagon, And On Two Other Hijacked Flights – That Are Only Some Of 31 Attacks And Plots That He Outlined In His Own Confession – UPDATED, September 11, 2025.

The Repercussions of the Israeli Assault on Qatar
Mamoun Fandy/Asharq Al-Awsat/September 16/2025
On September 11, 2025, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting in New York to discuss Israel’s strike on the Qatari capital, Doha, issuing a statement that condemned the assault on Qatar’s sovereignty without naming the perpetrator.
The attack raises grave questions around international relations. Is a statement issued in New York enough to deter future attacks by Tel Aviv? This question is at the crux of the diplomatic crisis precipitated by the Israeli assault on Qatar, which has been a crucial back channel for many parties, including Washington and Tel Aviv, and has been playing a vital role in the effort to resolve sensitive crises such as a Gaza ceasefire, ending famine, and the exchange of prisoners.
It was a grave moment because not only were people or buildings targeted, the infrastructure of mediation - the framework of resolving international conflicts through dialogue - was the ultimate target. In its statement on September 12, the Security Council condemned the attack, affirmed support for Qatar’s sovereignty, and raised the alarm against escalation.
That statement reflects international recognition that a member state’s sovereignty had been violated. While it does apply some political pressure, it also highlights the limits of conventional statements’ capacity to deter a powerful state that enjoys full US support. Real deterrence requires tools: economic sanctions, direct political intervention, and international monitoring arrangements. Statements are not enough.
Today, the Arab-Islamic Doha Summit will begin. This summit is a practical step that will support Qatar and reinforce the ability of mediating states to safeguard back channels of diplomacy, raising the response from the Security Council to the level required.
Synergizing the Security Council’s stance with the steps of the regional summit creates a dual deterrent, as it combines international legitimacy and material regional support, which would make future attacks extremely politically and diplomatically risky, forcing Israel to think twice before undertaking a similar rogue act. History offers important lessons for those of us developing frameworks to reinforce deterrence and safeguard mediation. During the 1990s, multinational monitoring arrangements were made to safeguard talks between the armed forces and local militias in Colombia. This effort helped protect peace negotiations between the government and FARC, as any attempt to target negotiators would lead to immediate financial and political sanctions, forcing both parties to think twice before perpetrating such a crime.
In Europe, during the negotiations of the late 1990s in Bosnia, the deployment of multinational monitoring forces and the proactive role played by the UN contributed to securing secret meetings, allowing dialogue to resume despite the ongoing threats.
In the Middle East, the Oslo process between Israel and the Palestinians showed that underpinning back channels with swift sanctions or the threat of diplomatic repercussions reinforced compliance and made the resumption of armed conflict less likely.
Applying these lessons to Qatar entails the development of multipronged mechanisms. First, international and regional monitoring arrangements must be reached to ensure that any attempt to target mediating offices is detected immediately. Second, security guarantees must be made to personnel and infrastructure; this would entail, among other steps, ensuring the presence of international monitors or neutral forces during sensitive meetings. Third, a rapid and effective sanctions multilateral program must be developed, so that financial and diplomatic measures are swiftly applied against any party that violates this norm, rendering such attacks extremely costly at both international and regional levels. With these frameworks, Qatari mediation can be protected, and any future attack on Doha would entail consequences. Balancing international legitimacy with practical regional support, this approach shows that deterrence cannot come from statements alone. Allowing mediators to keep diplomatic channels open also requires concrete tools, swift sanctions, and effective monitoring mechanisms. We are confronting a rogue regional state; without serious deterrence, the genocide will continue and Israel will remain immune to consequences.

Will the Doha Attack End the Gulf’s Ties with Washington?
Mamdouh al-Muhainy/Asharq Al-Awsat/September 16/2025
When Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq oil facilities came under attack, calls quickly emerged urging Riyadh to end its alliance with the United States. A similar chorus was heard after the Israeli strike on Doha, with voices demanding that Qatar reconsider its relationship with Washington. Yet in both cases, the response was the same: instead of pulling away, Riyadh and Doha chose the opposite path, deepening and reinforcing their ties with America.
So why do Gulf states consistently opt for this course? And why do some insist they should cut ties with Washington?
From the Gulf perspective, the reasoning is straightforward. A partnership with the United States - the world’s foremost military and economic power - is strategic and non-negotiable, even if differences or missteps arise along the way. This is exactly how America’s other allies behave, from Europe to South Korea and Japan.
Take Europe: despite bitter disagreements with President Donald Trump over Ukraine and his overtures to Vladimir Putin, European governments never walked away from Washington. Instead, they doubled down, recognizing that their prosperity and security remain tied to the US. Even with Europe’s strength, NATO without US leadership would be a hollow shell, an alliance without teeth. South Korea offers a second example. Trump’s public gestures toward Kim Jong Un infuriated Seoul, whose territory is the first target for Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal. And yet, even when Trump threatened to withdraw US forces, South Korea resisted populist slogans like “relying on America leaves you exposed.” Instead, it chose to strengthen its alliance, just as Riyadh and Doha did. Japan provides a third case. Despite serious disputes with Washington over trade and US military bases, Tokyo never wavered on the fundamentals of its strategic partnership. Japan knows its national security depends on the US alliance, especially in the face of Chinese and North Korean threats. The same logic applies to India today: relations may be strained, but the partnership remains deep and strategic. Even the tensions between Gulf states and Barack Obama’s administration - particularly over his Iran policy - did not shatter ties. Relations improved before he left office. Earlier still, Saudi Arabia had opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq, but the partnership endured. Under President Joe Biden, ties were strained at first, but later stabilized and even strengthened. The Gulf’s political mindset is defined by strategic realism, not emotional or populist impulses. The US alliance saved Kuwait from Saddam Hussein’s invasion, helped in the defeat of al-Qaeda and other extremist groups, and continues to provide a deterrent against regional threats, in a region where economic growth ranks as the top priority.
So why the persistent calls for the Gulf to abandon its strategic ally?
First, because some regional powers seek to dominate. They view a reduced US presence as a chance to expand their influence. We saw this dynamic unfold when militias flourished as Obama scaled back America’s security role and shifted focus toward Asia. nSecond, because of inflated rhetoric around the idea of an “Arab army.” While proposals for a unified Arab military surface occasionally, they remain theoretical and detached from reality. Civil wars ravage multiple Arab states, others struggle with fragility, and deep divisions persist over the very definition of “Arab security.” Even Europe - with its superior military power and integrated economies - has failed to build a unified army. Yet Europeans have never abandoned their alliance with the US. That relationship may falter at times, but it never collapses.
Ultimately, the Gulf-US alliance is not a matter of sentiment; it is a strategic necessity. It safeguards security, underpins stability, and protects vital economic interests. Whatever crises or disagreements may arise, national interest dictates only one course: to strengthen the alliance, not to abandon it.
**Mamdouh al-Muhainy is the General Manager of Al Arabiya and Al Hadath.

England’s St. George Flag: Forged in Centuries of Warfare against Islam
Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream/September 16/ 2025
England’s oldest national flag, the red cross of St. George on a white banner, is currently embroiled in controversy — particularly amid the nation’s ongoing migrant crisis. The more some Britons raise it aloft, the more others complain about it.
For those flying it, the flag represents pride in being English — reclaiming a symbol of national unity, heritage, and patriotism, no different from when other peoples display their own flags. Detractors, however — most of whom are reflexively anti-English, even if they share English DNA — insist it is a symbol of “far-right” extremism, racism, and xenophobia. To them, it represents exclusion and hostility toward migrants, the overwhelming majority of whom are Muslim.
The truth, however, appears to lie in the middle. English patriots are indeed rallying to their nation’s oldest flag as a collective act of defiance against what they see as an Islamic migrant takeover — one in which Muslims are being used to erode the nation, “groom” its women, and suppress English (particularly Christian) culture and heritage.
Meanwhile, both sides seem to be oblivious to the flag’s actual (and rather ironic) origins: the St. George banner was forged in the crucible of Christian warfare against Islam.
The Forgotten History of the Cross
The St. George flag originated in the Middle Ages as both a military and religious emblem inseparable from the Crusades. The Knights Templar, founded in the early twelfth century, were the first to adopt it. As monks, their white mantles symbolized purity; as warriors sworn to fight Muslims to the death in defense of Christendom, the blood-red cross symbolized their readiness for martyrdom (which many experienced).
In the years after the Templars’ adoption, the symbol spread to other crusaders. It soon became linked to St. George, a third-/fourth-century Christian soldier martyred by the pagan Roman Empire for refusing to renounce Christ. In medieval imagination, George became the very embodiment of militant Christianity, a celestial knight who exemplified the willingness to die for Christ in battle against Islam.
Indeed, crusader chronicles repeatedly describe St. George appearing in visions or even in battle. During the storming of Muslim-held Jerusalem in 1099, Raymond of Aguilers, an eyewitness of the First Crusade, recorded: “The blessed George was seen in the army of Christ, fighting against the Saracens and giving victory to the faithful.”
Nearly a century later, during the Third Crusade (c. 1190), King Richard I — the Lionheart — regularly invoked George as his patron saint. His men likewise believed the warrior saint fought beside them. As one contemporary chronicler put it: “Saint George, the standard-bearer of the heavenly army, came to the aid of the Christians and overthrew the enemies of the Cross.”
Another century on, during the Ninth Crusade (c. 1270), Edward I — then a prince, later king — was no less devoted. He “commended himself and his men to the most blessed martyr George, whom he had ever taken as his special patron in war,” in the words of the chronicler, Walter of Guisborough.
Returning home, Edward I continued to elevate St. George as a symbol of chivalry, courage, and holy war. His grandson, Edward III, expanded this association further. By the mid-1300s, St. George and his banner — red cross on white — had become inseparable from English identity itself: a symbol of Christian England’s militant defense against external threats, above all the Muslim enemy. For centuries, the warrior saint’s flag inspired courage, chivalry, and an explicitly English sense of martial faith.
Even the Enemy Feared Him
Because the flag originated with the Templars — who are the subject of my latest book, The Two Swords of Christ — let us close with a telling episode that shows how even Muslims feared St. George.
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In 1187, near Nazareth, some 500 crusaders led by Templars were ambushed by 7,000 Muslims. Though heavily outnumbered, they fought valiantly until all were slain — except for one Templar knight. Offered the chance to surrender, he refused, fighting on alone until he had made a ring of Muslim corpses around him. The awed enemy, struck by his supernatural courage, became convinced that he was none other than St. George.
The contemporary Itinerarium Peregrinorum records the scene in full:
While the rest of his fellow knights (estimated to number 500) had either been captured or killed, he bore all the force of the battle alone and shone out as a glorious champion for the law of his God. He was surrounded by enemy troops and almost abandoned by human aid, but when he saw so many thousands running towards him from all directions he strengthened his resolve and courageously undertook the battle, one man against all. His commendable courage won him his enemies’ approval. Many were sorry for him and affectionately urged him to surrender, but he ignored their urgings, for he was not afraid to die for Christ. At long last, crushed rather than conquered by spears, stones and lances, he sank to the ground and joyfully passed to heaven with the martyr’s crown, triumphant. It was indeed a gentle death with no place for sorrow, when one man’s sword had constructed such a great crown for himself from the [enemy] crowd laid all around him. Death is sweet when the victor lies encircled by the impious people he has slain with his victorious right hand. And because it so happened that the warrior had been riding a white horse and had white armor and weapons, the Gentiles [Muslims], who knew that St. George had this appearance in battle, boasted that they had killed the Knight of Shining Armor, the protector of the Christians.
The Deeper Meaning Today
Such is the true origin of England’s St. George flag: forged in centuries of warfare with, and martyrdom at the hands of, Muslims.
Incidentally, that a Christian warrior saint is tied to a European nation’s long war against Islam — in this case, England — should be unsurprising; the need for such saints was ubiquitous across Christendom. One need only look to Spain’s patron saint, St. James Matamoros; that is, St. James the Moor — meaning, Muslim — Slayer.
The point is this: the St. George flag speaks far more directly to England’s present Muslim migrant crisis than most Englishmen who wave it — or denounce it — can begin to comprehend.
Put differently, the St. George flag is not a symbol of xenophobic paranoia, nor is it a mere relic of medieval piety: It is a stark reminder that those who forget history are destined to relive it.
**Raymond Ibrahim, author of Defenders of the West and Sword and Scimitar, is the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

How Israel Helped the Gaza Strip Before October 7, 2023
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute./September 16, 2025
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21910/israel-helped-gaza-strip
Which European country would tolerate 50,000 rockets, mortars and missiles fired at it -- or even one rocket or missile?
Before the October 7, 2023 attack.... Egypt, Qatar, the United Nations and other international parties kept assuring Israel that the best way to achieve calm and stability in the Gaza Strip was by improving its economy and issuing more permits for Palestinian laborers to enter Israel.
When Israel imposed restrictions on the Gaza Strip to protect its own citizens and prevent terrorism, it was condemned for imposing suffering and pain on the Palestinians living there. When Israel started easing restrictions and handing out thousands of permits to Gazan workers to enter Israel (while Egypt and other Arab countries refused to accept Palestinians), it faced criticism for allegedly strengthening Hamas.
When Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, there was a lot of talk in Israel about turning the enclave into the "Singapore of the Middle East." Israel's goal, or dream, was to transform the Gaza Strip into a prosperous, thriving area, similar to how Singapore developed from a small, poor country into a wealthy, technologically advanced hub. Israel clearly wanted to open a new chapter in its relations with the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip and work together on economic and technology projects for the benefit of both people.
Israel had been led to believe that jobs, money and humanitarian aid would bring stability and calm, and had hoped that the humanitarian and economic aid would prevent, or at least reduce, terror attacks from the Gaza Strip. However, Hamas and many Palestinians viewed these conciliatory measures as signs of weakness on the part of Israel.
What the international community fails to understand is that since the establishment of Hamas more than 35 years ago, its stated goal has been the elimination of Israel. For Hamas, the conflict with Israel has never been about the economy or settlements or improving the living conditions of the Palestinians. Hamas regards Israel as one big illegitimate "settlement" that needs to be uprooted and replaced with an Islamist state.
Israel is damned both for helping the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and damned for not helping them enough. When Israel allows funding and economic aid sent into Gaza, as it did, Israel is blamed for helping fund Hamas's war against Israel. If Israel had refused to allow funding and economic aid to be sent into Gaza, Israel would be accused of starving and brutalizing the Palestinians. Everyone, it seems, wants to have it both ways so that whatever Israel does is "wrong."
Israel had been led to believe that jobs, money and humanitarian aid would bring stability and calm, and had hoped that the humanitarian and economic aid would prevent, or at least reduce, terror attacks from the Gaza Strip. However, Hamas and many Palestinians viewed these conciliatory measures as signs of weakness on the part of Israel. Pictured: Palestinian men in the northern Gaza Strip gather to apply for permits to work in Israel, on October 6, 2021. (Photo by Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images)
Several years ago, Israel came under pressure from many in the international community to ease restrictions on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, in order to alleviate the suffering of the two million Palestinians living there. The pressure came despite Hamas's repeated terror attacks against Israel, including more than 31,000 rockets and mortars fired from Gaza at the civilian communities of Israel, a country the size of New Jersey, before 2023, accompanied by violent riots by the terror group at Israel's border.
In the nearly two years since 2023, an additional 19,000 rockets and missiles have been fired at Israel from Gaza.
Which European country would tolerate 50,000 rockets, mortars and missiles fired at it -- or even one rocket or missile?
Since 2023, Israel nevertheless expressed its readiness to help the residents of the Gaza Strip despite the continued attacks and threats by Hamas to pursue its Jihad (holy war) against Israel.
As part of this assistance, Israel went as far as allowing Qatar to send billions of dollars to the Gaza Strip primarily for humanitarian aid, civil servant salaries and infrastructure, often channeled through international organizations, including the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
Qatar funded fuel for Gaza's electric power plant, construction materials for infrastructure projects, and food rations for impoverished families.
Israel approved much of this funding, delivered in cash, as part of a policy to maintain calm and stability in the Gaza Strip. Israel's goal was not to "prop up" Hamas. Rather, it was a humanitarian gesture of goodwill to alleviate the impoverished condition of many Gazans in the hope that aid might avoid another round of fighting with Hamas. Previous rounds of fighting had seen many Palestinians killed, as well as the destruction of hundreds of homes throughout the Gaza Strip. The fighting was always triggered by Hamas's terror attacks.
In addition to allowing funding from Qatar and many international aid organizations, Israel gradually increased the number of Palestinian workers allowed to cross into Israel from the Gaza Strip.
After Hamas's brutal and violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, Israel was forced to ban many Palestinians workers from Gaza from entering Israel for security reasons. Needless to say, Israel's security concerns were not unjustified. The October 7 attack resulted in the murder of more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals and the wounding of thousands. Out of 251 Israelis and foreign nationals kidnapped to the Gaza Strip on that day, 48 remain in captivity. Only 20 are believed to be alive.
Beginning in late 2014, Israel resumed authorizing some workers from Gaza to enter Israel through a limited quota of "merchant permits." The main purpose of these permits was to provide economic incentives to maintain calm in the Gaza Strip. The number of permits steadily increased in 2022 and 2023, reaching between 18,000 and 18,500 by October 7, 2023, with plans to increase the number to 20,000.
On September 28, 2023, two weeks before the October 7 massacre, Reuters reported:
"Israel reopened crossing points with Gaza on Thursday, allowing thousands of Palestinian workers to get to their jobs in Israel and the West Bank, after nearly two weeks of closure prompted by violent protests [organized by Hamas] along the border. Around 18,000 Gaza's have permits from Israeli authorities to work outside the blockaded enclave, proving an injection of cash amounting to some $2 million a day to the impoverished territory's economy."
Reuters quoted an unnamed Palestinian official as saying that the Israeli gesture came "upon the request of [Egyptian and United Nations] mediators to de-escalate tensions."
Before the October 7 attack, the worst assault against Jews since the Holocaust, Israel went to unprecedented lengths to help the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and avoid another war with Hamas. Egypt, Qatar, the United Nations and other international parties kept assuring Israel that the best way to achieve calm and stability in the Gaza Strip was by improving its economy and issuing more permits for Palestinian laborers to enter Israel.
When Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, there was a lot of talk in Israel about turning the enclave into the "Singapore of the Middle East." Israel's goal, or dream, was to transform the Gaza Strip into a prosperous, thriving area, similar to how Singapore developed from a small, poor country into a wealthy, technologically advanced hub. Israel clearly wanted to open a new chapter in its relations with the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip and work together on economic and technology projects for the benefit of both people.
None of this took place. Shortly after Israel's withdrawal, Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip and transformed it into a large base for Jihad against Israel.
Hamas's leaders did not care about Gaza's young people. Hamas's leaders did not care about their medical treatment or schools. Rather, they had only one thing in mind: the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews.
Hamas's leaders also never cared about the unemployed laborers in the Gaza Strip. In the eyes of the terror group, these laborers were the responsibility of Israel, not of Hamas, which was functioning as the de facto government in the Gaza Strip. In their eyes, Israel -- which had completely pulled out of the Gaza Strip in 2005 -- was solely responsible for providing humanitarian and economic aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip -- not the terror group.
When Israel imposed restrictions on the Gaza Strip to protect its own citizens and prevent terrorism, it was condemned for imposing suffering and pain on the Palestinians living there. When Israel started easing restrictions and handing out thousands of permits to Gazan workers to enter Israel (while Egypt and other Arab countries refused to accept Palestinians), it faced criticism for allegedly strengthening Hamas.
In the end, Israel paid a heavy and painful price. Israel had been led to believe that jobs, money and humanitarian aid would bring stability and calm, and had hoped that the humanitarian and economic aid would prevent, or at least reduce, terror attacks from the Gaza Strip.
However, Hamas and many Palestinians viewed these conciliatory measures as signs of weakness on the part of Israel. With or without the funding and humanitarian aid, Hamas anyway would have carried out its October 7 attack on Israel.
What the international community fails to understand is that since the establishment of Hamas more than 35 years ago, its stated goal has been the elimination of Israel. For Hamas, the conflict with Israel has never been about the economy or settlements or improving the living conditions of the Palestinians. Hamas regards Israel as one big illegitimate "settlement" that needs to be uprooted and replaced with an Islamist state.
Israel is damned both for helping the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and damned for not helping them enough. When Israel allows funding and economic aid sent into Gaza, as it did, Israel is blamed for helping fund Hamas's war against Israel. If Israel had refused to allow funding and economic aid to be sent into Gaza, Israel would be accused of starving and brutalizing the Palestinians. Everyone, it seems, wants to have it both ways so that whatever Israel does is "wrong."
*Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
*Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)
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Slected X tweets For September 16/2025
Rania Hamzeh
Congratulations to General Ayoub Kayouf, a distinguished Druze from Usfiya, on his historic appointment as commander of the elite Golani Brigade! As the second Druze leader after General Ghassan Alian, his remarkable achievements in leading ‘Shaldag’ and ‘Menasha’ Brigade mark a proud moment for Israel’s military. Exciting news for the future!

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
I understand that Arab and Muslim leaders waste time with meaningless speeches at the #Doha_Summit.
What I don't get is the silence of Arab intellectuals, who should challenge collective delusion and herd behavior, is puzzling. Their absence or reticence significantly contributes to widespread Arab and Muslim failure.
Only a handful of 56 Arab and Muslim countries have shown success and good governance.

Youssef Raggi
I received the US Ambassador to Lebanon, Lisa Johnson, on a farewell visit marking the conclusion of her mission in Lebanon. Our meeting provided an opportunity to exchange views on the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, and to reaffirm the importance of Lebanon’s continued commitment to the sovereign and reformist path it has undertaken.
I expressed my gratitude to Ambassador Johnson for her efforts during her tenure in Beirut to help promote security and political stability in Lebanon, particularly through her role in the Quintet Group and the ceasefire mechanism. I also conveyed my best wishes for success in her future assignments.

Secretary Marco Rubio
https://x.com/i/status/1967653767912079515
Hamas are not agents of peace, but agents of terror and barbarism. They are still holding 48 hostages and using civilians as human shields. Let me be clear: as long as Hamas exists, there will never be peace in this region.

John Bolton
Russia saw an opportunity after the Alaska Summit with Trump, and took it. Putin also felt emboldened by a strengthened Moscow-Beijing axis and his drone incursion into Poland was the result. The US and its allies have still not developed a coherent strategy in response.

Zéna Mansour
Despite Lebanon's association with the Arab-Islamic conflict against Jews, this identity does not truly reflect the diversity of theLebanese people & their rich history. This situation makes LEB a party to conflicts that do not reflect its true interests or its original identity.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
As an Iraqi, I survived Saddam Hussain’s brutality. As a Lebanese, I survived Lebanon’s bloody civil war, Assad’s tyranny, and Hezbollah’s iron fist. In all my life, not a single European stood with Iraqis or Lebanese against their killers. Now, all those who remained silent then are donning a Kufiyyah, pretending that it was Israel that started a war on Palestinians on Oct 7, 2023. It’s the frustration resulting from this global unfairness that made Jews revive their state. It’s this unfairness that keeps Jews seeing how valuable their state is.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Let’s talk about Apartheid: Jewish Israelis are not allowed access to Gaza and parts of the West Bank. Palestinian law prohibits land sales to Jews. Meanwhile, Arab Israelis live in Israel, go around freely, and own land. Which of the two is Apartheid and which is not?

Ted Cruz
https://x.com/i/status/1967769773636497760
They don’t kill you because you’re a Nazi, they call you a Nazi so they can kill you.
Political violence is a left-wing phenomenon. Enough is enough — we need to shut it down.

Vice President JD Vance
https://x.com/i/status/1967628767024783489
Vice President Vance pays tribute to Charlie Kirk on The Charlie Kirk Show:
“Every single person in this building, we owe something to Charlie. He was a joyful warrior for our country. He loved America. He devoted himself tirelessly to making our country a better place.”

Mira
@MiraMedusa
https://x.com/i/status/1967860198497800611
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing the largest-ever U.S. Congressional delegation in Jerusalem: The horrors we encountered on October 7, and the atrocities the Druze endured in Sweida, which in some cases exceeded those of October 7, are what you saw on September 11. #Israel

Blitz
https://x.com/i/status/1967895916507193822
Kamal Jumblatt on 16 September 1976 says that fanatic Maronites are launching crusades against Arabs, Islamic people and even patriotic christians

Secretary Marco Rubio
Met with Qatari Amir Sheikh @TamimbinHamad and Prime Minister and Foreign Minister
@MBA_AlThani_ in Doha today. We reaffirmed the enduring U.S.-Qatar security partnership and our shared commitment to a safer, more stable region. I thanked him for Qatar’s ongoing mediation efforts to broker a peace deal between Israel and Hamas and to bring the hostages home.