Bible Quotations For today When

English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For September 19/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jew
John 18/33-38: “Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’Jesus answered, ‘Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?’Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?’Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’Pilate asked him, ‘What is truth?’ After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, ‘I find no case against him.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 18-19/2025
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
Salam urges 'maximum pressure' to stop Israel's attacks
Israel orders evacuation of areas in 3 southern towns ahead of strikes
Israel strikes five towns in south Lebanon
Raad meets Aoun's adviser amid tensions over disarmament
Damoush warns against dragging army into confrontation with Hezbollah
Report: Hezbollah still cooperating in South Litani disarmament
Nassar follows up on Grechushkin's extradition with Bulgarian ambassador
US official reportedly says Lebanon's future promising
Mitri: Army doesn't want to use force against any group
Geagea: Statements of Hezbollah officials put govt. decisions in trash bin
Between Memory and Sovereignty: Revisiting the legacy of Bachir Gemayel/Makram Rabah/Now Lebanon/September 18/2025
Link to an interview with Tarek Metri
Saleh Al-Machnouk/Raouche Rock and all our national symbols are not billboards for Hezbollah’s militia propaganda.
Former Minister and Head of the Identity and Sovereignty Gathering, Youssef Salameh, in response to Speaker Nabih Berri’s call for Lebanese unity in facing the airstrikes on the South
Lebanon health ministry says two killed in Israeli strike in Baalbek
Israel resumes attacks on Hezbollah’s strongholds south, north of Litani River
Beirut officials block Hezbollah plan to illuminate iconic Raouche Rock with Nasrallah image
Hezbollah and the Revival of Resistance/Asaad Bishara/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 19, 2025 (Translated from Arabic by LCCC)
Jamil al-Sayyed and the Black Box/Jean al-Faghali/Nidaa al-Watan/September 19, 2025 (Translated from Arabic by LCCC)
"Military" Envoy Ortagus Enters the Lebanese Arena/Alan Sarkis/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 19, 2025 (Translated from Arabic by LCCC)
Israeli operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah: September 8–14, 2025

on September 18-19/2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on September 18-19/2025
Saudi-Pakistan defense pact: A historic strategic alliance/Dr. Ali Awadh Asseri/Arab News/September 18, 2025
From the KGB to Gaza: How Soviet 'Active Measures' Still Manipulate the West/Pierre Rehov/Gatestone Institute/September 18, 2025
All wars must end....But 24 years after 9/11, the War on the West is still going strong/Clifford D. May/The Washington Times/September 18/2025
America’s enemies want us at each other’s throats over Charlie Kirk — don’t take the bait/Peter Doran & Ivana Stradner/New York Post/September 18/2025
U.S. and Europe Must Prevent Iran’s Acquisition of New Enrichment Equipment/Andrea Stricker/FDD/September 18/2025
Five years later, President Trump’s Abraham Accords show that peace really does lead to prosperity/Bonnie Glick/Washington Reporter/September 18/2025
Slected X tweets For September 18/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 18-19/2025
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.”

Salam urges 'maximum pressure' to stop Israel's attacks
Agence France Presse/September 18/2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Thursday called for "maximum" pressure on Israel to stop its attacks on Lebanon after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for several buildings in the country's south. "Lebanon calls on the international community, and particularly the countries that sponsored the ceasefire agreement, to exert maximum pressure on Israel to immediately halt its attacks," Salam said amidst a cabinet meeting. France and the United States are the main guarantors behind a November ceasefire that sought to end over a year of hostilities between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Israel orders evacuation of areas in 3 southern towns ahead of strikes
Naharnet/September 18/2025
The Israeli army on Thursday issued an “urgent warning” to the residents of the southern towns of Mays al-Jabal, Kfar Tebnit and Dibbin, asking them to stay away from four buildings ahead of imminent airstrikes. “In the near future, the IDF (Israeli army) will attack military infrastructure belonging to the terrorist Hezbollah throughout southern Lebanon in response to its prohibited attempts to rebuild its activities in the area,” Israeli army Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on the X platform. “We issue an urgent warning to the residents of the buildings marked in red on the attached maps and the buildings adjacent to them in the following villages: Mays al-Jabal, Kfar Tebnit and Dibbin,” he said. “You are located in buildings used by the terrorist Hezbollah. For your own safety, you are obliged to evacuate these buildings and the buildings adjacent to them immediately and move away from them for a distance of no less than 500 meters. Remaining in the buildings exposes you to danger,” Adraee added. Al-Jadeed television meanwhile reported that residents were heavily fleeing some southern regions after the Israeli threat. Such warnings were common during the 2024 war between Israel and Hezbollah but became very rare after the November ceasefire.Israel has continued to strike Hezbollah members and alleged weapons sites despite the truce and its troops are still positioned on five strategic hills in south Lebanon.

Israel strikes five towns in south Lebanon
AFP/18 September/2025
Israel carried out airstrikes on five towns in southern Lebanon on Thursday shortly after telling people to flee, Lebanese state media and the Israeli military said. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported a strike on Mais al-Jabal, a border town ravaged by the war last year between Israel and Hezbollah, where the health ministry said one person was injured. Strikes also hit the towns of Debbin, Burj Qalawiya, al-Shahabiya and Kfar Tibnit, the roads out of which were full of people fleeing ahead of the attacks, NNA said. An AFP journalist near Debbin saw clouds of dark smoke rising from the town after the strikes. Israel has kept up its strikes on southern Lebanon despite a truce signed in November that ended more than a year of hostilities and two months of open war with Hezbollah. It has also maintained troops in five locations in the south of Lebanon it deems strategic.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the attacks and “the silence of the countries who had sponsored” the ceasefire, which he said “encourages further aggression.” “The time has come to put an immediate end to these blatant violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty,” he said.
The Israeli military said it struck several weapons storage facilities belonging to Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force in southern Lebanon. It said it would “continue to operate to eliminate any threat” to Israel. The Israeli military had issued calls telling residents of the five southern towns to evacuate “immediately,” saying it would strike Hezbollah targets.Ahead of Thursday’s strikes, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam had called for “maximum pressure” on Israel to stop its attacks on his country. Hindering Hezbollah disarmament. The latest Israeli strikes came a day after Hezbollah commemorated a year since Israel blew up hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies used by its members, killing dozens and wounding thousands. Israel and Hezbollah had already been engaged in cross-border fighting for nearly a year before the pager attack, which was one of a series of blows that drastically weakened the Iran-backed group, formerly Lebanon’s most powerful political force. Under US pressure, Beirut has ordered the Lebanese army to draw up a plan to disarm Hezbollah in areas near the Israeli border by the end of the year. Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said last week that Lebanon’s army would fully disarm the Iran-backed group near the border within three months. But the army, which said Thursday’s strikes brought Israel’s ceasefire “violations” to 4,500, said the attacks risk slowing down Hezbollah’s disarmament. “These assaults and violations obstruct the army’s deployment in the south, and their continuation will hinder the implementation of its plan starting from the area south of the Litani River,” the army said in a statement. Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said “the renewed Israeli aggression on southern villages will not push our people to surrender or abandon their land.” Hezbollah, which has rejected Beirut’s plan, is currently preparing to commemorate the death of its leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs in late September 2024.

Raad meets Aoun's adviser amid tensions over disarmament
Naharnet/September 18/2025
President Joseph Aoun's adviser Andre Rahal has met with Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad, Hezbollah said in a statement. The meeting on Wednesday evening discussed "a number of issues concerning the country's interests in a spirit of mutual understanding," the statement said.
It comes amid tensions in the crisis and war-hit country over Hezbollah's disarmament following a war with Israel that partially ended after a ceasefire reached in late November. Israel kept striking Lebanon, especially its south, saying it would only stop when Hezbollah disarms. Under strong American pressure, the government took a decision to disarm the group and tasked the army to implement that decision. Hezbollah says it will not disarm as long as Israel is striking Lebanon and occupying five hills in the south.

Damoush warns against dragging army into confrontation with Hezbollah
Naharnet/September 18/2025
Head of Hezbollah's Executive Council Sheikh Ali Damoush warned Thursday against dragging the Lebanese army into a confrontation with Hezbollah. "Do not push the army into a confrontation with its people. The army's role is to face (foreign) aggressions, maintain civil peace, and ensure stability, not to confront the Lebanese people," he said, adding that Hezbollah's weakness is just "an illusion". "Those who bet that the resistance will surrender to pressure and threats are delusional."Damoush called for a national dialogue on a defense strategy. "We are open to discussion and dialogue. Any other proposal that would strip Lebanon of its strength will not be accepted.""We will not accept turning Lebanon into a weak and fragile entity that can be easily exploited," he said.

Report: Hezbollah still cooperating in South Litani disarmament
Naharnet/September 18/2025
Conflicting reports have emerged on whether Hezbollah is still cooperating with Lebanese authorities over the handover of its weapons in the area south of the Litani River near Israel’s border. Political sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that “this cooperation has declined, which could lead to delaying the army’s mission in this region.”But security sources told the same daily that “Hezbollah is still cooperating, at least until the moment.”“Work is ongoing to dismantle the 10-15% that remain of Hezbollah’s military structure south of the Litani,” the sources said, adding that “the army coordinates with the five-party supervision committee (Mehcanism) and the UNIFIL forces, and sometimes with Hezbollah, to determine the locations it is supposed to enter and dismantle,” the sources added. The head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc MP Mohammad Raad had hinted in a TV interview that Hezbollah could suspend cooperation with the army south of the Litani in protest at the government’s decisions on arms monopolization. But Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji told AFP on September 9 that the army is set to fully disarm Hezbollah in the South Litani area within three months.
In August, the Lebanese government ordered the military to draw up plans to disarm the once-dominant militant group by the end of the year, having come under pressure from the United States and Israeli strikes. Rajji said Army chief General Rodolphe Haykal presented the government with a five-stage plan to ensure all weapons are held by the Lebanese state. "There will be no warehouses, no weapons, no weapons transfers, no fighters, and no display of arms" in the area, Rajji said, describing the army's plan. In parallel with the first phase, the army's plan stipulates that "security measures" will be implemented across the country. The army will "tighten and increase the number of checkpoints, prevent the movement and carrying of weapons... but without conducting raids, arresting individuals, or confiscating weapons from warehouses," Rajji added. "At the very least, the movement of weapons from one area to another will be prohibited."Rajji said the next four phases of the plan will see disarmament in other regions, including Beirut and the eastern Bekaa, "but without timelines."Hezbollah has been severely weakened by a year-long conflict with Israel, including two months of open war, that destroyed part of its arsenal and decimated its leadership.Lebanon has characterized the disarmament push, which Hezbollah opposes, as part of the implementation of the ceasefire deal that ended the war in November last year. The agreement also called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon and an end to strikes on the country, but Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon since then and kept soldiers deployed in five border points it deemed strategic.

Nassar follows up on Grechushkin's extradition with Bulgarian ambassador
Naharnet/September 18/2025
Justice Minister Adel Nassar on Thursday met with Bulgarian Ambassador to Lebanon Iassen Tomov and discussed with him the judicial and diplomatic measures related to the extradition of the owner of the Rhosus ship from Bulgaria to Lebanon. Nassar lauded Bulgaria’s “cooperation and coordination in this regard” and agreed with Tomov on continued communication to hand over the detainee as soon as possible, knowing that there is an extradition treaty between Bulgaria and Lebanon.” The shipowner, Igor Grechushkin, is wanted over the 2020 blast at Beirut port that killed more than 220 people and wounded more than 6,500 others. The August 4, 2020 disaster was one of the world's largest non-nuclear explosions, ravaging swathes of the Lebanese capital. 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 Grechushkin’s ship, despite repeated warnings to senior officials. Lebanese authorities identified Grechushkin, a 48-year-old Russian-Cypriot citizen, as the owner of the Rhosus. 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 were 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. 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. He informed the officers that he came to Bulgaria "for tourism."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.

US official reportedly says Lebanon's future promising
Naharnet/September 18/2025
Hezbollah’s disarmament is still topping the U.S. agenda for Lebanon, a Western diplomatic source said. Quoting a U.S. official, the source told al-Joumhouria newspaper that “the situation in Lebanon will not remain as it is” and that Washington believes that “it will certainly witness a drastic transformation and a promising future.”“The Lebanese government has committee to a course for disarming Hezbollah and we believe that it must continue it with urgent executive measures and to end this matter that threatens the peace and security of Lebanon and its neighbors,” the U.S. official added. “Washington is in permanent contact with the Lebanese authorities and stresses its full support for this measure that spares Lebanon the major harm caused by Hezbollah’s arms,” the U.S. official reportedly said.

Mitri: Army doesn't want to use force against any group
Naharnet/September 18/2025
Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri has said that “contrary to expectations, Cabinet’s decisions did not lead to a rift in the country” regarding the arms monopolization plan. “The army does not want to use force against any group to carry out the mission it has been tasked with,” Mitri added, in an interview with Russia’s Sputnik radio network. Under pressure from the United States and fearing an escalation of Israeli strikes, the Lebanese government has approved a plan devised by the Lebanese Army to disarm Hezbollah. The group, which previously dominated Lebanese politics and was thought to be better armed than the military, was severely weakened by the 2024 war with Israel. According to the Lebanese government, the Lebanese Army must complete its disarmament of Hezbollah in areas near the Israeli border within three months.

Geagea: Statements of Hezbollah officials put govt. decisions in trash bin
Naharnet/September 18/2025
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Thursday lamented the “new attacks” on UNIFIL forces in south Lebanon, after reports said UNIFIL patrols were intercepted by residents in the towns of Jibsheet and al-Zrariyeh. “The repeated attacks on U.N. forces show that security forces are not dealing with the facts on the ground with the necessary seriousness,” Geagea decried. Geagea also complained that authorities in Lebanon “are still hesitant and indecisive” nine months after the election of a new president and eight months after the formation of a government. “What happened over the past two months raises major question marks over the course of the new state: from the clear and frank statements of the various Hezbollah officials, which very insolently put the Lebanese government’s decisions in the trash bin, to Hezbollah’s open declaration that it is rebuilding its military force despite the government’s decisions, to the attacks on public property and UNIFIL forces,” the LF leader added. He accordingly called on Lebanese authorities to “shoulder their responsibilities toward the vast majority of the Lebanese, who have become eager to live under a real state that imposes its presence on the ground like any normal state would do.”

Between Memory and Sovereignty: Revisiting the legacy of Bachir Gemayel
Makram Rabah/Now Lebanon/September 18/2025
The 43rd anniversary of President-elect Bachir Gemayel’s assassination did not pass like the many before it. What had long been reduced to folkloric ritual became, this year, a moment of reckoning. Bachir was never just a passing Maronite figure; he symbolized an unfinished republican project—an attempt to remake Lebanon amid the ruins of sectarian fragmentation, foreign domination, and chronic betrayal.
What distinguished this commemoration was the voice of the Lebanese state itself. For the first time in over four decades, officialdom broke its silence. President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam spoke in unambiguous sovereign terms, reminding citizens that Bachir—elected legitimately by parliament—was murdered by Hafez al-Assad’s regime. His killing was not an isolated tragedy but part of a calculated campaign of assassinations that continues to haunt Lebanon: Kamal Jumblatt, René Moawad, Grand Mufti Hassan Khaled, Gebran Tueni, Rafik Hariri, Lokman Slim. The message was clear: the destruction of leaders was inseparable from the dismantling of the Lebanese state.
This acknowledgment signals a subtle but profound shift. Lebanon is beginning to confront its own political memory. The old binaries—“pro-Syria” versus “pro-Israel”—no longer suffice. The sharper question now is: who assassinated the project of statehood, and who profited from its absence? Over time, Lebanese society has acquired an immunity to the moral blackmail that long stigmatized those who challenged the region’s ideological orthodoxies.
The irony is striking. Those who once branded Bachir a traitor for his wartime dealings with Israel later bound themselves, willingly or not, to the designs of Syria and Iran. Both projects yielded displacement, impoverishment, and the collapse of institutions. The self-proclaimed custodians of patriotism ended up disarmed, dispossessed, and dependent on foreign patrons indifferent to Lebanon’s survival.
At Sassine Square where thousands gathered this year, MP Nadim Gemayel reframed the legacy with precision: Bachir was not a sectarian saint but a man with a project. He envisioned a strong, just, and sovereign state, willing to confront both warlords and regional overlords. A musical performance weaving Bachir’s archival speeches into its score reminded the audience of a political language that was once bold, disruptive, and transformative—not nostalgia, but possibility.
Bachir was among the first to reject the 1943 National Pact in its ossified form. He understood that what was once a pragmatic compromise had become a fragile sectarian bargain, incapable of adapting to demographic realities and regional upheavals. Thrust into the Arab-Israeli conflict, Lebanon bore disproportionate costs. For him, a new compact was overdue—sturdier, more realistic, more sovereign.
At the heart of his project was the state as an institution. He imagined a republic with independent decision-making, a unified army, and a strong judiciary. Unlike many who came after him, Bachir was not accused of personal enrichment. His choices were divisive, but they were not corrupt. In Lebanon’s long parade of rulers, that distinction matters. Lebanon today cannot recover without confronting the root of its collapse: the absence of sovereign decision-making under the shadow of illegitimate arms. Any credible national project must begin with disarmament. Only then can dialogue chart a vision beyond the Taif Accord—one that responds to the seismic shifts reshaping the Middle East.
The current republic is out of time and out of place. Shackled by sectarian paralysis, a hollowed-out constitution, and externally imposed balances of power, it cannot meet the demands of the present. Lebanon needs not another symbolic gathering of elites, but a foundational process: to redefine the national compact around citizenship, productivity, and full sovereignty. The baseline must be uncompromising—no weapons outside the state, no conditional sovereignty, no armed veto over politics. To honor Bachir Gemayel is not to sanctify him, nor to confine his memory to one sect or one neighborhood. It is to revisit his project rationally and adapt it to the present. Lebanon needs a new national awakening—one that reclaims sovereignty, restores institutions, and shields the constitution from distortion. Bachir’s message was deceptively simple: one state, one army, one judiciary, one nation that bows to no outside power. He knew such a project would not please all, and he paid for it with his life. Forty-three years later, his vision remains unfinished. The responsibility now lies with those who invoke his name: will remembrance become action? Will Lebanon continue to canonize its martyrs—or will it finally achieve what they died for?
**This article originally appeared in Nidaa al-Watan
**Makram Rabah is the managing editor at Now Lebanon and an Assistant Professor at the American University of Beirut, Department of History. His book Conflict on Mount Lebanon: The Druze, the Maronites and Collective Memory (Edinburgh University Press) covers collective identities and the Lebanese Civil War. He tweets at @makramrabah

Link to an interview with Tarek Metri/
Lebanon’s Disarmament Pathway: Deputy PM Tarek Mitri on Hezbollah, the Army & State Authority
Daizy Gedeon youtube platform/September 18/2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jG9pmdSKCE
Lebanon stands at a crossroads. In this Reel Talk exclusive, host Daizy Gedeon sits down with Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri to unpack the government’s decision to adopt the Lebanese Army plan to monopolize all non-state weapons including Hezbollah’s and to place the use of force and national defense under the state’s sole authority.
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Timestamps
• 00:00:00 Intro Gaza, Syria, Iran, Lebanon: the regional frame; mission of Reel Talk
• 00:01:06 Hezbollah background & role since 1982; political participation since 1992
•00:02:09 National division over the war; massive human/physical costs; assassinations & displacement
• 00:03:22 Nov 2024 ceasefire: terms (Hezbollah north of Litani; LAF deploy; Israel to withdraw)
• 00:04:15 U.S./France shuttle diplomacy; pressure for full disarmament; cabinet votes Aug 5 & 7
• 00:05:19 Sept 5: Army Commander Rodolph Haykal presents plan to President Joseph Aoun & cabinet
•00:08:29 Cabinet dynamics: five ministers withdrew (Hezbollah & Amal) before Army briefing; tone remained non-hostile
• 00:09:59 “Welcomed vs. approved”: what “welcoming the report” means in government practice
•00:12:39 Monthly progress reports to ensure compliance & follow-through
• 00:13:36 Timeline: first three months defined; five stages overall; dates depend on realities & capacity
• 00:18:00 Defining non-state actors: Palestinian groups & armed Lebanese factions; no active Da’esh organization
• 00:22:20 Government manifesto: state monopoly of arms & restoring war/peace decisions to the state
• 00:25:07 National security plan vs defense strategy: broader remit than kinetic defense
• 00:26:17 Lebanese-led process; condemn Israeli strikes while pushing reciprocity
• 00:27:58 Israeli non-compliance (air/drone strikes; occupation of hills; prisoners) vs Lebanon’s compliance
• 00:30:01 Addressing claims of Western pressure; government’s stated commitments
• 00:31:00 Why the state proceeds despite pressure: doing it for the Lebanese, not for outside actors
•00:39:56 Has confrontation with Hezbollah been averted? Signals & tone from the cabinet session
•00:41:10 Civil peace as a priority; avoiding relapse into civil war
•00:46:10 On Israeli aims & regional fragmentation; air supremacy and low-cost coercion
• 00:53:44 Could Hezbollah’s capabilities be integrated into the LAF?
•01:00:33 Domestic delivery: health, salaries, jobs; rebuilding state capacity post-2019 crash
• 01:02:44 Growth hopes, IMF, donor conferences; limits & honesty with the public
• 01:04:07 “This government isn’t like the old ones” vs public skepticism
• 01:05:22 Elections 2026: need for a less divided, reform-minded parliament

Saleh Al-Machnouk/Raouche Rock and all our national symbols are not billboards for Hezbollah’s militia propaganda.
September 18, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147384/
In a sharply worded comment, Dr. Saleh Al-Machnouk strongly condemned the decision of the Iranian terrorist party in Lebanon—blasphemously and heretically named “Hezbollah”—to place photos of its two secretary-generals on Raouche Rock. He directed bold and straightforward words at them, exposing their heresy, blasphemy, and terrorism. He stated that the deadly inferiority complex deeply rooted in the minds of Hezbollah’s leaders—who are shameless and have no respect for the sanctity of death—drives them to such disgraceful acts. He added that Hezbollah assassinated Rafik Hariri, shut down Beirut’s markets, invaded the city, and killed its people in the disgrace that Hassan Nasrallah falsely called a “glorious day.”

Former Minister and Head of the Identity and Sovereignty Gathering, Youssef Salameh, in response to Speaker Nabih Berri’s call for Lebanese unity in facing the airstrikes on the South
National News Agency/September 18/2025
(Free Translation from Arabic by: Elias Bejjani)
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147388/
Former Minister and Head of the Identity and Sovereignty Gathering, Youssef Salameh, issued the following appeal to Speaker Nabih Berri:
Mr. Speaker,
National unity is indeed one of the essential pillars for safeguarding the Lebanese state. But allow me to ask you: where was this unity when Hezbollah launched its wars of intervention beyond Lebanon’s borders? Why did we not hear you, at that time, insisting on the need for a unified national stance?
Regarding the full implementation of Resolution 1701 in all its provisions, the overwhelming majority of the Lebanese people—comprising the unanimous Christian, Sunni, and Druze communities, along with a significant portion of the Shiite community—demand that all weapons be placed exclusively in the hands of the Lebanese Army and that Hezbollah’s arsenal be handed over to the state.
So why, Mr. Speaker, do you not uphold this Lebanese consensus and spare the South, the Beqaa, the southern suburbs, and all of Lebanon the torment of this ongoing crucifixion? Do not your people—and ours—who are paying the price of this suffering deserve that you illuminate their difficult path and rescue them from this pathological state that controls both them and the homeland?
Mr. Speaker, In the past, you grew accustomed to double standards and managed to get away with them. But such duplicity no longer works in this era. Guardianship today is direct, not by proxy as it once was. This is a time for addressing great national responsibilities, not for filling wasted time.
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I sincerely urge you to quickly join this new course and contribute to saving Lebanon the Message, lest Lebanon’s resurrection come at your expense—and at the expense of those you represent.
With all sincerity and goodwill.
Youssef Salameh

Lebanon health ministry says two killed in Israeli strike in Baalbek
AFP/September 18, 2025
BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on the eastern city of Baalbek killed at least two people late on Wednesday night, Lebanon’s health ministry said. Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported that the strike was carried out by “an Israeli drone.” Israel frequently launches strikes in Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah, despite a ceasefire that brought its most recent war with the group to a halt in November. Baalbek, a millennia-old city and home to a set of UNESCO World Heritage-listed Roman temples, sits in the Bekaa Valley, which is close to the Syrian border and has been a stronghold for Hezbollah. Under pressure from the United States and fearing an escalation of Israeli strikes, the Lebanese government is now moving to disarm Hezbollah. The group, which previously dominated Lebanese politics and was thought to be better armed than the military, was severely weakened by the war with Israel.
According to Beirut, the Lebanese army must complete its disarmament of Hezbollah in areas near the Israeli border within three months.

Israel resumes attacks on Hezbollah’s strongholds south, north of Litani River
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/September 18, 2025
BEIRUT: The Israeli military launched a series of airstrikes on Thursday evening targeting areas south and north of the Litani River, after issuing urgent warnings for residents to stay away from six designated locations. This tactic mirrors the approach followed during the Israeli war on Hezbollah that began in October 2023 and which ended with a ceasefire agreement that took effect on Nov. 27, 2024. The airstrikes hit sites around the town of Dibbin and three locations in Mays Al-Jabal, with initial reports indicating that a Syrian national was injured in the raids. A house in Kfar Tibnit was also targeted. A second wave of raids struck areas in the Tyre district, specifically Burj Qalaya and Al-Shahabiya. “The timing of the attacks is striking, as it coincides with Hezbollah’s preparations to commemorate the first anniversary of the assassinations of its two Secretary-Generals Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine,” a Lebanese security source told Arab News. “This is an attempt to remind the party that Israel continues to pursue it.” The source expected Israeli attacks to escalate until the first anniversary of Nasrallah’s death on Sept. 27.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam was informed of the Israeli threats and subsequently of the attacks during a Cabinet session, and said: “The Lebanese government’s position is commitment to the cessation of hostilities and the government’s engagement in the mechanism’s meetings.”Salam said during the session: “The legitimate question today is: Where is Israel’s commitment to these mechanisms? “How can it be possible to continue to practice intimidation and attacks while these meetings are supposed to ensure the full implementation of Resolution 1701 and the cessation of hostilities?”
The Cabinet called on the international community — especially the signatories of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement — to apply maximum pressure on Israel to immediately halt its attacks and return to diplomatic negotiations. Under the terms of the mechanism and the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, Israel committed to several obligations, including withdrawing from the Lebanese territories it still occupies, ceasing all attacks, and releasing prisoners. The Israeli military confirmed the attacks on Lebanon in a statement, claiming that it struck “military targets belonging to Hezbollah.”
Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee claimed in a video posted on social media that the attacks were “in response to Hezbollah’s prohibited attempts to rebuild its activities in the area.”Adraee addressed the residents of the targeted areas before the strikes, saying: “You are located in buildings used by the terrorist Hezbollah. For your own safety, you are obliged to evacuate these buildings and adjacent buildings immediately and move at least 500 meters away from them. Remaining in these buildings exposes you to danger.”
The Kfar Tibnit-Nabatieh Al-Fawqa road experienced heavy traffic toward the city of Nabatieh and neighboring towns due to the displacement of threatened residents. The road leading to Kfar Tibnit was closed for public safety. The Israeli military also targeted the Baalbek area on Wednesday night with airstrikes that killed Hussein Saifo Sharif and wounded several other people. The Israeli army claimed that Sharif was “a major arms dealer and supplier operating from Lebanon to direct cells inside Syria planning to carry out plots against Israel.” It added: “His activities constitute a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”The Lebanese Army Command said it had recorded “more than 4,500 violations of Lebanese sovereignty by land, air, and sea since the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement came into effect … including the launching of Molotov cocktails and the bombing of homes.”It explained that Thursday’s attacks “on southern villages and civilians in populated areas resulted in deaths and injuries,” and warned that “these attacks and violations hinder the army’s deployment in the south, and their continuation will hinder the implementation of its plan, starting from the area south of the Litani River.”It added: “The Army Command is monitoring these violations in coordination with the Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring Committee and UNIFIL forces.” The body revealed that, as part of “monitoring engineering survey operations in the southern regions, a specialized military unit found and dismantled a camouflaged spy device that the Israeli enemy had placed in the Labbouneh-Tyre area.”

Beirut officials block Hezbollah plan to illuminate iconic Raouche Rock with Nasrallah image
Najia Houssari/Arab News/September 18, 2025
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Interior Ministry contacted Hezbollah officials on Thursday to intervene after plans to project an image of former party chief Hassan Nasrallah onto a prominent Beirut landmark sparked outrage among lawmakers, a senior political source told Arab News.
The initiative was part of events planned to mark the first anniversary of the deaths of Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, both former secretaries-general of the group, who were killed during the war with Israel. Ali Daher, head of Hezbollah’s media activities unit, announced that the commemorations would include illuminating Raouche Rock, a landmark off the coast of Beirut, on Sept. 25 with the images of Nasrallah and Safieddine.However, the announcement sparked a wave of discontent and protests among a group of Beirut MPs, who recalled a history of political and security disputes between Beirut and Hezbollah, and unanimously agreed that the Raouche Rock “must not be used in partisan contexts.”The controversy was further fueled by the fact that Hezbollah had not obtained approval from the Beirut Governorate, the municipality, or any relevant official authority before proceeding with plans involving one of the capital’s key landmarks. “Communications intensified on Thursday to pre-empt any escalation of Hezbollah’s move, with the interior minister directly engaging the group’s leadership to resolve the issue,” an official political source told Arab News. Hezbollah MP Amin Sherri, who is also an MP for Beirut, confirmed that this communication had taken place. He told Arab News: “It was just an idea that was floated, and I do not think that such an activity requires the approval of the capital’s governor or its municipality. Perhaps it just needs prior notice.”Sherri questioned whether the commemoration of former president Bachir Gemayel’s assassination in Ashrafieh Square last week, or recent religious ceremonies held along the Ain El Mraiseh corniche, had obtained prior approval from authorities.
Beirut MP Waddah Sadek described plans to project images of the former Hezbollah leaders as “unacceptable from every perspective.”
“They are not official figures, and their pictures are being displayed in a city where most residents reject their policies,” Sadek said, noting that some Lebanese accuse them of involvement in the killing of their leader, Rafic Hariri. “What is worse is that Hezbollah, which warns in its speeches against sliding into civil war, never misses an occasion to provoke the residents of the capital,” Sadek added. He told Arab News that his opposing stance reflects that of Beirut’s residents, who saw this activity as “a provocation, which could have been avoided by proposing another location to hold the event.”Beirut MP Nadim Gemayel said the Raouche Rock “is not an advertising billboard for any political party,” nor “a canvas” for symbolic displays that undermine Beirut’s identity. Rather, he said, it is public property and belongs to all the Lebanese people. “Imposing Hezbollah’s symbols on the seafront is an exclusion of the Lebanese voice, especially the people of Beirut who reject the idea of weapons and domination.
“Beirut refuses to be reduced to one sect or political project.”
Tripoli MP Ashraf Rifi, who previously served as minister of justice from 2014 to 2016 and as director general of the Internal Security Forces from 2005 to 2013, voiced his “categorical rejection of any attempt to use the Raouche Rock to promote slogans or positions rejected by the capital’s residents and unrepresentative of its identity.”He said that Raouche Rock “is not only a natural landmark, but also the face of Beirut and Lebanon and a unifying national symbol in which all Lebanese take pride.”“It is not a platform for unacceptable sectarianism,” he said.
Beirut MP and Lebanese Forces member Ghassan Hasbini said that the Raouche Rock should be draped “only in the nation’s colors and not in any other slogan.”Beirut MP Nabil Badr said the landmark is a reflection of Beirut and Lebanon, and should not turn into a platform for hanging political pictures.
Beirut MP and Islamic Group member Imad Al-Hout said Beirut needs steps that unify the Lebanese instead of initiatives that deepen the division.Meanwhile, Beirut MP Fouad Makhzoumi described the move as “provocative and unauthorized.”However, Qassem Qassir, political writer with expertise in Islamic movements and close ties to Hezbollah, described the state of provocation that accompanied Hezbollah’s proposal as “a case of politicians exploiting a non-existent issue.”Qassir told Arab News: “people in Beirut welcomed their brothers fleeing from the southern suburb and the south into their homes during the last Israeli war, and I don’t think they will object to the hanging of pictures, for just a few minutes, of two leaders who are no longer with us.”Hezbollah is facing mounting pressure to hand over its weapons to the Lebanese army amid broad Lebanese support for the government’s decision to restrict weapons to the state’s authority. The group said it was reorganizing its internal structure and working to restore its partisan capacity following the significant blow it sustained during last year’s war with Israel. Recent reports in Lebanese media indicated that the privileges previously granted to Hezbollah officials and Palestinian factions have been suspended after a decision by Lebanon’s security and military authorities. They reported that the use of facilitation cards issued by Hezbollah’s Security Committee — which previously granted holders freedom of movement and priority access — has been permanently suspended, in line with the cabinet’s decision to restrict weapons exclusively to state institutions.

Hezbollah and the Revival of Resistance
Asaad Bishara/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 19, 2025 (Translated from Arabic by LCCC)
Inside Hezbollah, an internal debate is underway regarding the possibility of responding to the series of assassinations targeting its members, as well as a parallel discussion about the appropriate timing for any such response. However, the party is well aware that the means for retaliation are not available, as any military operation would mean a return to all-out war and its accompanying displacement of civilians and collapse of infrastructure.
The option of responding through its allies is also no longer viable. Hamas, one of its most prominent allies, now faces a crucial decision: to hand over its weapons to the Lebanese state sooner or later, a move that would render it incapable of engaging in new conflicts on Hezbollah's behalf. The Islamic Jihad movement, for its part, is experiencing deep internal crises that make it incapable of any meaningful escalation. In this context, the Israeli warnings and intense airstrikes in southern Lebanon confirm that Israel is now exploiting the power imbalance resulting from the disruption of the deterrence equilibrium. It views the ceasefire agreement as an opportunity to establish a new status quo on the ground, by enforcing its own interpretation of the agreement's terms, while maintaining its occupation of the five disputed areas. Hezbollah is facing a historic test. If any other party were in its position, it would have immediately transferred the responsibility for defense to the state and sought protection under its legitimate institutions. But Hezbollah, organically linked to Iran, is incapable of making this structural shift because it is bound to continue implementing Tehran's agenda, even at the expense of the Lebanese people and their security and stability. The events that unfolded in the south yesterday were not merely a passing episode of escalation, but rather a rehearsal for an impending war. This war may be delayed due to regional and international factors, but it remains inevitable as long as the current power dynamics persist, and as long as Hezbollah refuses to reintegrate into the state and commit to a comprehensive national project that prioritizes the interests of Lebanon above all else.

Jamil al-Sayyed and the Black Box
Jean al-Faghali/Nidaa al-Watan/September 19, 2025 (Translated from Arabic by LCCC)
Has Brigadier General and MP Jamil al-Sayyed found the "black box" after the "resistance plane" crash? And has he decided to open it to reveal the secrets and names concerning Hezbollah's relationship with those whom al-Sayyed mentioned in his most controversial tweets? In his tweet, al-Sayyed says: "How do you respond to these scoundrels and bring comfort to the hearts of believers? Hezbollah must immediately publish a list of the names of politicians, journalists, judges, officers, and others who have received funding, financial benefits, professional and other services, and have profited from deals and protection from them over many years. This publication is not an act of revenge against those who turned against them, but rather advice to those who use them today: those who grew rich and betrayed here will betray you there." (End of tweet). Is this tweet more important for being considered a "tip-off" to the judiciary? This type of "tip-off" became common in the early days of President Emile Lahoud's term, and was published under the title "Information from a Good Citizen." In practical terms, anyone who knows General Sayyed, and knows that he "knows everything," would conclude that his tweet contains more "answers" than questions. In a "fill-in-the-blank" style, it is closer to the "questions of an expert" than those of an ignorant person. This officer, who has only ever worked in "intelligence" – first in the Bekaa region, then as an assistant to the director of intelligence, and effectively the actual director – was often described as "the real director of intelligence" even when Major General Michel Rihbani officially held the position. Even when the late President Rafik Hariri insisted on appointing a second assistant director of intelligence, a Sunni, to balance the Shia assistant, Brigadier General Mohammed Farshouk was appointed. He was a highly competent officer, and an anecdote circulated among the staff at the time: Brigadier General Farshouk's office was supposedly "clean" of any paperwork except for newspapers, often open to the crossword puzzle page. It was said that he was deliberately kept out of the loop so that no reports would reach him, and thus indirectly reach Hariri. Thus, General Sayyed wielded the power of both "those above him, like Rihbani, and those below him, like Farshouk." This reputation followed General Sayyed even when General Lahoud became President and General Sayyed became Director General of Public Security; people would say: "General Lahoud is the President during the era of General Sayyed." Thus, Brigadier Sayyed has been the "black box" for thirty years, most notably from 1990 to 2005, during the period when Hezbollah controlled its "clean money fund" and distributed funds to those whom Sayyed designated. He seems to know "every penny Hezbollah spent and to whom." Sayyed's statement cannot be left unanswered; who are these individuals? Nearly five days have passed since that tweet, and those asked to reveal the names have given no response! Is Hezbollah embarrassed? If Hezbollah doesn't respond, Brigadier Sayyed is obligated to reveal the names; if he doesn't, he will be held accountable, while simultaneously putting Hezbollah in a difficult position. Most importantly, Brigadier Sayyed must explain why Hezbollah was paying these individuals, especially judges, officers, and media figures.

"Military" Envoy Ortagus Enters the Lebanese Arena
Alan Sarkis/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 19, 2025 (Translated from Arabic by LCCC)
US envoy Morgan Ortagus arrives in Beirut on Sunday. The visit is considered important as she closely monitors the Lebanese situation, demonstrating US interest in this file. Since Ortagus took charge of the Lebanese file, and despite rumors of her being replaced (which turned out to be false), her visits to Beirut have been infrequent and sporadic, focusing more on political matters than military ones. After the arrival of envoy Tom Barrack to assist her, the focus shifted to technical and military aspects. Barrack was decisive in outlining what the US administration wanted. The document he presented and which the government approved in its sessions on August 5 and 7 contributed to strengthening Lebanese hopes for restoring their state. This is Ortagus' second visit to Beirut, following her previous trip with Barrack and several US Congress members. No meetings with political leaders are scheduled for Ortagus. President Michel Aoun will leave for New York with Foreign Minister Youssef Rajeh to participate in the UN General Assembly, and no meetings have been announced with Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri or Prime Minister Tammam Salam. Sources close to the matter confirm to Nidaa Al-Watan that Ortagus is now solely responsible for following up on the military and technical aspects of the US proposal, and this is Lebanon's last chance. The Trump administration does not want what happened in Gaza to happen in Lebanon, as the situation in Beirut is completely different. The sources indicate that the government session on September 5 was important and that it reviewed the Lebanese army's plan to restrict weapons to legitimate security forces. Importantly, according to the United States, this plan must be implemented in full, and Hezbollah and its allies must not be allowed to obstruct it, as they have done in the past.
Based on all this, sources believe that the situation in Lebanon is not easy, and the Lebanese government must continue what it has started. They point out that France, in cooperation with Saudi Arabia, is organizing a conference to support the army under US pressure and with US backing. Washington considers itself one of the main supporters of the Lebanese army and believes in its future role; it does not want the legitimate authorities to collapse or for Hezbollah to regain power and become stronger than the army and the legitimate forces. Washington is working to prevent chaos in Lebanon because it believes that chaos, lawlessness, and instability help Hezbollah rebuild its strength. Hezbollah exploits chaos and state weakness to act as if there is no deterrent force, portraying itself as the sole power controlling the ground and having influence within state institutions. Therefore, Ortega's visit to Beirut reflects the continuation of the approach launched by the Salam government. The Lebanese state emphasizes its commitment to the disarmament plan and will not abandon it. However, it prefers a step-by-step approach: Israel must respond and begin withdrawing from the occupied hills and release the prisoners, thus facilitating the work of the army and security forces and depriving Hezbollah of its justification for keeping its weapons, even though the decision to disarm lies in Tehran, not in Beirut or with the Hezbollah leadership. Ortega's frequent visits to Beirut highlight the importance of the Lebanese file and refute the claims of the "resistance axis" that the Trump administration has other priorities, and that relying on the passage of time will ease US pressure and distract the Americans, allowing the post-2006 scenario to repeat itself, enabling Hezbollah to rebuild its military, organizational, and financial capabilities. Ortogos's visit is primarily focused on military matters. He will meet with the truce monitoring and implementation committee, as well as the Lebanese army command, and the discussions will be of a military and technical nature, delving into the minutest details. Ortogos's visit is significant not only because of its emphasis on implementing the American plan, but also because it lays the groundwork for a long-term US-Lebanese security partnership. This explains the congressional discussion about a mutual defense treaty, which US Senator Lindsey Graham mentioned during his visit to Beirut and subsequently raised in Congress. Lebanon has thus entered a new phase of increased US security engagement, and it remains to be seen how this will translate into concrete actions.

Israeli operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah: September 8–14, 2025
https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/09/17/israeli-operations-in-lebanon-against-hezbollah-september-8-14-2025/
David Daoud/FDD's Long War Journal/September 18/2025
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted numerous operations throughout Lebanon against Hezbollah between September 8 and September 14, 2025. The number of activities this week remained relatively low, in line with a pattern over recent weeks. Operations were concentrated south of the Litani River but also occurred north of the waterway, reaching as far as Hermel in northeast Lebanon. Israeli military efforts included targeted assassinations against Hezbollah personnel and strikes on the group’s assets and infrastructure.
The IDF conducted operations in 17 Lebanese locales, some of them more than once. The Israeli military carried out 18 airstrikes or other aerial activities, conducted three detonations, executed two ground activities, and dropped leaflets over one area.
Map instructions: Click the top-left icon or an icon on the map to open the Map Key and adjust the map’s zoom as desired. Click the top-right icon to open a larger version of the map.
Baalbek-Hermel Governorate
Baalbek District: Al Shaara and Janta-Qousaya
Hermel District: Hermel and Labweh
Nabatieh Governorate
Bint Jbeil District: Aitaroun, Ayta al Jabal, Ayta Ash Shaab, and Burj Qalawiyeh-Touline
Marjayoun District: Adaisseh, Kfar Kela, Meiss al Jabal, and Wazzani
Nabatieh District: Meiss Castle
South Lebanon Governorate
Tyre District: Ain Baal-Bazouriyeh, Dhayra, Naqoura, and Yarine
Casualties
Between September 8 and September 14, 2025, Israeli operations in Lebanon killed seven individuals, all Hezbollah operatives, and wounded over 12 people.
September 8, 2025: Five people were killed, and five were wounded.
September 9, 2025: No casualties were reported.
September 10, 2025: No casualties were reported.
September 11, 2025: Five people were wounded.
September 12, 2025: One Hezbollah operative was killed, and two unidentified people were wounded.
September 13, 2025: No casualties were reported.
September 14, 2025: One Hezbollah operative was killed, and an unspecified number of children were wounded.
Chronology of Israeli operations against Hezbollah, September 8–14, 2025
September 8
At 1:17 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that seven Israeli airstrikes targeted the barrens of Hermel in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate’s Hermel District. At 1:22 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli airstrike targeted the barrens of Labweh in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate’s Hermel District. The strikes killed five people and wounded five others. The IDF released a statement saying that it had hit “several targets belonging to […] Hezbollah near the Beqaa,” including camps for the Radwan Force commando unit, in which terrorists were identified operating and using for weapons storage. The IDF also noted that Hezbollah was using the camps to conduct training exercises and hone their skills “to carry out terror activities against IDF troops and the State of Israel,” in “violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.” Pro-Hezbollah social media accounts and Lebanese outlets soon announced the deaths of several Hezbollah operatives: Hassan Abdelkarim Al Sablani, whose nom de guerre was Hadi, from Falawa; Ayham Tareq Zuaiter, whose nom de guerre was Ayham Abu Qassem, from Sahlat Al Maa; Ali Khodr Hmadeh, whose nom de guerre was Abul Fadl, from Sahlat Al Maa; Haidar Mustafa Assaf, whose nom de guerre was Abu Ali, from Hermel; and Samir Ahmad Medlej, whose nom de guerre was Abu Hassan, from Al Qasr. All five received Hezbollah military funerals.
Death announcements for Hassan Abdelkarim Al Sablani (Left) and Ayham Tareq Zuaiter.
Death announcements for Ali Khodr Hmadeh (Left) and Haidar Mustafa Assaf.
Death announcement for Samir Ahmad Medlej.
At 4:20 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter targeted and wounded an alleged shepherd on the western outskirts of Meiss Al Jabal in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
At 4:36 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun explosive near Ayta Ash Shaab in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
September 9
At 9:45 am, NNA Lebanon reported that, overnight, Israeli forces detonated the remains of a house on the outskirts of Aitaroun in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District and left “inciteful leaflets”—the outlet’s standard description of anti-Hezbollah material—at the location.
September 10
No operations were reported.
September 11
At 7:48 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle on the Ain Baal–Bazouriyeh road in the South Lebanon Governorate’s Tyre District. Hezbollah-affiliated social media accounts announced the death of Hezbollah operative Wassim Said Jibaai, whose nom de guerre was Al Hajj Mahdi, from Aitit. At 7:47 pm, the IDF released a statement claiming responsibility for assassinating Jibaai, describing him as a dual operative in Hezbollah and the 14th Imam Hussain Division of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IDF noted that Jibaai “was a central figure in the force-buildup efforts and strengthening of the division, advanced weapons procurement deals, assisted in launching missile and rocket attacks against the State of Israel during operation ‘Northern Arrows,’” and that his activities “constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
Death announcement for Wassim Said Jibaai.
At 12:39 pm, NNA Lebanon reported a series of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the barrens between Janta and Qousaya in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate’s Baalbek District. At 2:12 pm, the IDF released a statement saying it had targeted a building used to store strategic weapons belonging to Hezbollah near the Beqaa Valley.
At 2:04 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli airstrikes targeted Qalaat Meiss, between Zrariyeh and Ansar, in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Nabatieh District. At 2:12 pm, the IDF claimed that it had targeted “terror infrastructure” belonging to Hezbollah near Zrariyeh.
At 4:08 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli airstrike targeted Al Shaara in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate’s Baalbek District.
At 4:54 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped an explosive near a bulldozer in Aitaroun in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 8:34 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted a motorbike in Kfar Dounin in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District. The strike wounded five people.
September 12
At 8:51 am, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli forces detonated a home in Meiss Al Jabal in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
At 9:13 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle in Ayta al Jabal in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District. The strike wounded two people.
At 10:16 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun explosive in Yarine in the South Lebanon Governorate’s Tyre District.
At 11:08 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun explosive in Wazzani in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District, followed by Israeli troops directing gunfire towards the area.
At 1:04 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli quadcopters dropped a stun explosive in Dhayra and targeted a structure in Naqoura in the South Lebanon Governorate’s Tyre District.
At 7:15 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted the area of Dhour in Aitaroun in the Nabatieh Government’s Bint Jbeil District. The strike killed one person. The next day, the IDF released a statement saying it had targeted and killed “a Hezbollah terrorist near Aitaroun […] who was involved in restoring Hezbollah’s military capabilities in south Lebanon.” Hezbollah-affiliated social media later announced the death of Hezbollah operative Hussain Khalil Mansour, whose nom de guerre was Gharib, from Aitaroun.
Death announcement for Hussain Khalil Mansour.
September 13
At 9:59 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli ground force entered the outskirts of Adaisseh in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District and conducted unspecified detonations.
At 2:17 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped an explosive near the old central square of Kfar Kela in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
At 8:15 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun grenade in Ayta Ash Shaab in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
September 14
At 8:11 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter targeted a home in the Kharzeh neighborhood of Ayta Ash Shaab in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 12:11 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun explosive in Dhayra in the South Lebanon Governorate’s Tyre District, while Israeli ground forces directed gunfire towards the town’s outskirts.
At 6:57 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter targeted a bulldozer in Bir Nasser in Aitaroun in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 8:03 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle with two missiles between Touline in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Nabatieh District and Burj Qalawiyeh in the Bint Jbeil District. The strike killed one person—identified by NNA Lebanon as “the martyr Mohammad S. from Majdal Selm”—and reportedly wounded several children who were occupants of another vehicle. Hezbollah-affiliated social media later announced the death of Hezbollah operative Mohammad Ali Yassine, whose nom de guerre was Hisham, from Majdal Selm.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 18-19/2025
Recognizing “Palestine”: Rationale, Expectations, Implications/Link to a Panel Discussion from Washington Institute ..participants Tal Becker, Shalom Hartman, Samer Sinijlawi & Isabelle Lasserre
WashingtonInstitute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahzH-xjH_Fw
Under French and Saudi chairmanship, an international conference on the sidelines of this month’s UN General Assembly meetings will rally numerous countries to join the long list of those that have already recognized the state of Palestine, a position opposed by the United States and Israel. Precisely how such decisions will address the most urgent item on the Arab-Israel agenda—finding a solution that ends the war in Gaza, returns Israel’s hostages, and alleviates the humanitarian suffering of civilians there—is unclear.
To discuss the reasons for the current statehood push and its implications for regional diplomacy, the Hamas-Israel war, and the practical situation of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, The Washington Institute is pleased to announce a virtual Policy Forum with Tal Becker, Samer Sinijlawi, and Isabelle Lasserre.
Tal Becker served for many years as the legal advisor to Israel’s Foreign Ministry. He is currently a vice president at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.
Samer Sinijlawi is president of the Jerusalem Development Fund and a longtime activist in the Fatah movement.
Isabelle Lasserre is the diplomatic correspondent of the French daily newspaper Le Figaro.

U.S. Designates 4 ‘Iran-Aligned’ Militias in Iraq as Foreign Terrorist Organizations
FDD/September 18/2025
New Terrorist Designations: The State Department designated four Iraq-based, “Iran-aligned” armed militias as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) on September 17. The groups are Harakat al-Nujaba (HAN), Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS), Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya (HAAA), and Kata’ib al-Imam Ali (KIA), all of which were previously assigned the status of Specially Designated Global Terrorists.“ As the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, Iran continues to provide support that enables these militias to plan, facilitate, or directly carry out attacks across Iraq,” the announcement stated, adding that the “groups have conducted attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and bases hosting U.S. and Coalition forces, typically using front names or proxy groups to obfuscate their involvement.”
Attacks on Coalition, U.S. Forces: All four designated groups are part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), a coalition of Iran-aligned Shia Islamist armed militias that have launched attacks against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, atrocities in Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. According to the State Department, “HAAA was involved in the IRI’s January 2024 drone attack on Tower 22 in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members.” Separately, KIA Secretary General Shibl al-Zaydi previously served as a financial coordinator between armed groups in Iraq and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, while KIA’s members have trained with the Lebanon-based Iranian proxy Hezbollah and in Iran itself.
Iraq Crucial for Iranian Security: In August, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, signed a security agreement with Iraqi National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji. Larijani’s visit also sought to bolster the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) — an official Iraqi security organization comprised of militias mostly backed by Iran. Elements within the PMF act at Tehran’s behest and have been crucial in advancing the Islamic Republic’s agenda in Iraq, including engaging in money laundering and illegal oil smuggling for Iran.
FDD Expert Response
“Iran-backed Shia militias in Iraq serve as the vanguard of the regime’s efforts to subvert Iraq’s sovereignty, acting as the security forces of a foreign actor and as a state within the Iraqi state. Designating these groups as terrorist organizations can help lay the groundwork for a better counterterrorism policy against what is left of the Axis of Resistance.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow
“Washington’s decision to designate leading groups in the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) as foreign terrorist organizations is both justified and long overdue. Yet the move risks straining U.S.-Iraqi relations. At the heart of the tension lies Baghdad’s controversial PMF law, amended to fold the militias into the state’s security apparatus. This is a step Washington views as a dangerous legitimization of Tehran’s influence. By issuing FTO designations, the United States appears intent on drawing a line, signaling that Baghdad’s embrace of Iranian-aligned forces is incompatible with a stable partnership with Washington.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal.
“To achieve a successful maximum pressure campaign against Iran, the administration must continue to target Tehran’s partners in Iraq. Designating these militias as FTOs is an important step and a sign that the administration is paying attention to Iran’s malign influence in the country. The administration should build upon these designations and recent sanctions to comprehensively target individuals and networks in Iraq that support Iran-backed militias and the regime in Tehran itself.” — Bridget Toomey, Research Analyst.

Israel army says intercepted missile launched from Yemen
AFP/18 September/2025
The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israeli territory on Thursday, after air raid sirens sounded in several areas, including Jerusalem. “Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF (air force),” the military said in a statement. Since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have launched repeated drone and missile attacks against Israel claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.In response, Israel has carried out rounds of retaliatory strikes in Yemen, mainly targeting infrastructure such as ports, power stations and the international airport in Sanaa. It also assassinated the head of the Houthi government together with 11 other senior officials in airstrikes last month.

Israel army says four soldiers killed in south Gaza
Agencies/September 18, 2025
JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said that four soldiers were killed and one was severely wounded in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, without providing further details. Israeli media reported that the four were killed in the early hours of the morning in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. It is the first such deaths to be reported since Israel launched a major offensive in Gaza City in the north in August. The offensive has sparked international outrage and mass protests inside Israel. The deaths of soldiers announced Thursday could further erode support for the war among Israelis who fear that the fighting puts soldiers and hostages at risk.

Following Israel’s Strike in Qatar, Trump Should Reset the US-Qatar Relationship
Natalie Ecanow/The National Interest/September 18/2025
The US-Qatar relationship is in dire need of a reset, and Israel’s recent actions provide a great opportunity to do just that.
Excerpt
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/following-israels-strike-in-qatar-trump-should-reset-the-us-qatar-relationship
Washington can’t seem to quit Qatar. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made that much clear when he departed Israel for Doha on September 15. Speaking to members of the press, Rubio doubled down on the administration’s view that “Qatar can play a very key role” in negotiating an end to the war in Gaza.
Nearly two years have passed since the White House tapped Doha to mediate between Hamas and Israel. Despite repeated failures at the negotiating table, successive US administrations have refused to sideline Qatar, a longtime sponsor of Hamas that has repeatedly blamed Israel for the war the terrorist group started.Israel issued a stark reminder of the patronage Qatar has offered Hamas when it targeted the terror group’s leadership in Doha on September 9. Qatar’s relationship with Hamas goes back to the 1990s, when Doha offered the group sanctuary following its expulsion from Jordan. Hamas chose Syria but, in 2012, established a home away from home in Doha. Qatar continues to shelter Hamas’s politburo and, at least until the outbreak of the current war, shoveled millions of dollars into the terrorist group’s coffers.
Qatari officials maintain that Hamas opened an office in Doha following “a request from Washington to establish indirect lines of communication with Hamas,” and that Doha has “no reason to close” the office if it can facilitate diplomacy. A former Obama administration official said in 2023 that there had been no such request.
**Natalie Ecanow is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Natalie and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Natalie on X @NatalieEcanow. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on foreign policy and national security.

Shooting at Israeli-run border crossing with Jordan kills 2, medics say
AP/September 18, 2025
Two men, around 60 and 20 years old, were killed and that the attacker had been neutralized. Jordanian state media said authorities were aware of a “security incident”.The Israeli military has received a report of a shooting at the Allenby Crossing between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jordan, and details of the incident were under investigation, the military said on Thursday. Israeli ambulance service said two people were seriously wounded, while Israeli media reported that two alleged assailants were killed. The Allenby Bridge is a crucial crossing for trade between Jordan and Israel. In September 2024, a gunman from Jordan killed three Israeli civilians at the Allenby Crossing before being shot dead by security forces, an attack that shut the crossing for two days.

US again vetoes UN Security Council resolution demanding permanent Gaza ceasefire
Arab News/September 18, 2025
NEW YORK: The US on Thursday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the lifting of all restrictions on humanitarian aid deliveries to the enclave. The draft resolution, tabled by the 10 elected members of the 15-member council, received 14 votes in favor. It was the sixth time since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas nearly two years ago that the US has used the power of veto it holds as one of the five permanent members of the council. The veto was delivered by US representative Morgan Ortagus and the resolution therefore failed despite the near-unanimous support. Washington has consistently argued that UN ceasefire resolutions risk undermining peace negotiations on the ground, as well as Israel’s ability to take action against Hamas and its “right to self-defense.” Critics accuse US authorities of shielding Israel from international accountability. “Colleagues, US opposition to this resolution will come as no surprise,” Ortagus, a senior US policy adviser, said before the vote. “It fails to condemn Hamas or recognize Israel’s right to defend itself, and it wrongly legitimizes the false narratives benefiting Hamas, which have sadly found currency in this council.”Other council members “ignored” US warnings about the “unacceptable” language and instead adopted “performative action designed to draw a veto,” she added. The text of the resolution expressed alarm at reports of a growing famine and worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, condemned the use of starvation as a weapon of war, and voiced concern over the expansion of Israeli military operations. It also reaffirmed obligations on states under the principles of international law, including the protection of civilians and the rejection of forced displacements. It demanded three key measures: an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire agreement respected by all parties; the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups; and the lifting of all Israeli restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid, alongside the restoration of essential services in Gaza. It asked the UN secretary-general to report back to the council within 30 days on implementation of the resolution. Algeria, one of the leading proponents of the resolution, expressed dismay at another failure by the Security Council to act on the situation in Gaza, and apologized to Palestinians for not doing enough to save the lives of civilians. The country’s ambassador to the UN, Amar Bendjama, said that despite the failure to pass the resolution, “14 courageous members of this Security Council raised their voice. They have acted with conscience and in the cause of the international public opinion.”

WHO chief says Gaza hospitals on ‘brink of collapse’
Agencies/September 18, 2025
GENEVA: The World Health Organization chief warned on Thursday that Israel’s ground offensive in northern Gaza had left already overwhelmed hospitals on the “brink of collapse” and demanded an “end to these inhumane conditions.”“The military incursion and evacuation orders in northern Gaza are driving new waves of displacement, forcing traumatized families into an ever-shrinking area unfit for human dignity,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X, warning that “hospitals, already overwhelmed, are on the brink of collapse as escalating violence blocks access and prevents WHO from delivering lifesaving supplies.”Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital said it had received the bodies of 20 people killed in Israeli strikes since midnight.More than 60 people had been killed by Israeli fire on Wednesday, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency. Also on Thursday, Spain said it will probe “human rights violations in Gaza” to assist the International Criminal Court, which has sought arrest warrants for top Israeli officials over alleged war crimes. The announcement marks another step by Spain, a virulent critic of the devastating Israeli offensive in the Palestinian territory, to lead international action over the conflict.
Spain’s top prosecutor, Alvaro Garcia Ortiz, has “issued a decree to create a working team tasked with investigating violations of international human rights law in Gaza,” his office said in a statement. The investigative team’s mission will be to “gather evidence and make it available to the competent body, thereby fulfilling Spain’s obligations regarding international cooperation and human rights,” it said. “Faced with the current situation in the Palestinian territories, all evidence, direct or indirect, that can be gathered in our country” on “crimes committed” in Gaza “must be included” for potential use in the ICC case, it added in the decree. The statement mentioned a Spanish police report which reřcorded “acts that could constitute crimes against the international community” perpetrated by the Israeli army in Gaza. The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel’s campaign in Gaza. Spain has also joined a case before another world court, 4the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

Palestinian foreign ministry: Israel treating Gaza as ‘real estate’ reflects plans of genocide
Arab News/September 18, 2025
DUBAI: The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Thursday accused Israel of pursuing policies aimed at genocide and displacement in Gaza, and condemned as inflammatory the comments of an Israeli minister who said the devastation in Gaza could be turned into a lucrative real estate project. Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich described the Gaza Strip as “a real estate bonanza” and said a plan outlining its division had been shared with the United States, Israeli media reported on Wednesday. US President Donald Trump once floated the idea of turning Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East.”
The ministry, in a statement, said that such rhetoric amounted to “official admissions” of Israeli intentions to destroy Gaza and displace its population, warning that the situation represented a deliberate escalation of crimes against Palestinians. It reaffirmed that Gaza is “an inseparable part of the land of the State of Palestine under international law,” and urged swift international intervention to stop Israeli actions and protect civilians. The ministry also criticized Fiji’s decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem, calling it “an aggression against the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights.” It said the move violated international law and undermined prospects for peace. Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a similar condemnation, describing Fiji’s decision as “a blatant violation of international law and UN resolutions” and “a direct threat” to a two-state solution. Ministry spokesperson Sufian Qudah stressed that any attempts to alter Jerusalem’s legal or political status are “null and void.”Jordan reaffirmed its position that the only path to lasting peace and stability in the region lies in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967, borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Israeli forces destroy two Palestinian homes near Hebron
Arab News/September 18, 2025
LONDON: Israeli forces demolished two homes belonging to Palestinians in a town in Hebron, in the southern occupied West Bank, as part of an ongoing policy of settlement expansion in the area. The two homes of 100 sq. meters each and belonging to the Abu Sharkh family, housed 12 people and were in the town of Al-Dhahiriya, south of Hebron. Israeli forces stormed Al-Tayaran neighborhood in the town before proceeding with the demolition. Akram Abu Sharkh, a resident, said that Al-Dhahiriya has been targeted by Israeli settlers, who have destroyed water and electricity networks and prevented pupils from getting to their schools. He said that settlers conduct nightly “provocative patrols” near the town, use drones that emit loud noises and blare Jewish horns to instill fear among the residents, according to the Wafa news agency. Israeli forces have installed a metal gate at the town’s northern entrance, one of four that separate the villages from Hebron, restricting Palestinians’ movement and their ability to tend crops and graze sheep, the Wafa added. On the eastern side of Route 60, which divides the West Bank, Israeli settlers have continued the expansion of an illegal outpost. Activist Osama Makhamreh told Wafa that settlers established the outpost in mid-August, and that it consists of three tents pitched on Palestinian private land plots in the Huwara area, east of Yatta.

Gaza hit by telecoms blackout as Israeli tanks advance
Reuters/September 18, 2025
CAIRO: Israeli tanks were seen in two Gaza City areas that are gateways to the city center, residents said on Thursday, while Internet and phone lines were cut off across the Gaza Strip, a sign that ground operations were likely to escalate imminently. Israeli forces control Gaza City’s eastern suburbs and in recent days have been pounding the Sheikh Radwan and Tel Al-Hawa areas, from where they would be positioned to advance on central and western areas where most of the population is sheltering. “The disconnection of Internet and phone services is a bad omen. It has always been a bad signal something very brutal is going to happen,” said Ismail, who only gave one name. He was using an e-SIM to connect his phone, a dangerous method as it requires seeking higher ground to receive a signal. “The situation around me is very desperate. People in tents and in houses are very worried for their lives. Many can’t afford to leave, but many do not want to,” he said, speaking from a coastal area in the west of the city.
MAIN NETWORK ROUTES TARGETED, TELECOMS COMPANY SAYS
At least 14 Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes or gunfire across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including nine in Gaza City, local health authorities said. The Palestinian Telecommunications Company said in a statement that its services had been cut off “due to the ongoing aggression and the targeting of the main network routes.”In its latest statement to media, the Israeli military said troops were expanding their operations in Gaza City, dismantling what it called “terror infrastructure” and “eliminating terrorists.” The statement did not mention the telecoms blackout or give any details of tank movements.
It also said the military was continuing to operate in Khan Younis and Rafah in the south. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled Gaza City since Israel announced on August 10 it intended to take control, but a greater number are staying put, either in battered homes among the ruins or in makeshift tent encampments. The military has been dropping leaflets urging residents to flee toward a designated “humanitarian zone” in the south of the territory, but conditions there are dire, with insufficient food, medicine and space and inadequate shelter. Israel says it wants to smash the Palestinian militant group Hamas in its strongholds and free the last hostages still being held in Gaza, but its latest major offensive after two years of devastating war has drawn international condemnation. TANKS SEEN IN TWO STRATEGICALLY LOCATED NEIGHBOURHOODS In Sheikh Radwan, which is north of the city center and has come under heavy bombardment in recent days, residents said they had seen tanks in the heart of their neighborhood. They also said Israeli forces had detonated four driverless vehicles full of explosives and the blasts had destroyed many houses. Similar explosions had rocked Tel Al-Hawa, which is located southeast of the city center, and residents there also reported seeing tanks in the streets. Israel announced on Tuesday it was launching the main phase of its ground assault, but the bombardment of several Gaza City areas had begun in previous days.Israel said on Wednesday it was opening an additional route out of the city for 48 hours, urging civilians to move south. Data from international aid agencies indicates that over 55,000 people fled northern Gaza between Sunday and Wednesday, but over half a million have not left, according to both Israeli and Hamas estimates.
PALESTINIAN DEATH TOLL PASSES 65,000, HEALTH AUTHORITY SAYS
The total Palestinian death toll from the two-year war between Israel and Hamas surpassed 65,000 on Wednesday, according to the Gaza health authorities. Palestinian officials and rescue workers say the true figure is likely higher as many remains are trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings. The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Much of Gaza City was laid waste early in the war, but around 1 million Palestinians had returned there to homes among the ruins due to the awful conditions in displacement areas.

Turkish and Palestinian presidents discuss international recognition of Palestinian statehood at UN
Arab News/September 18, 2025
LONDON: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday discussed with his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, preparations for the UN General Assembly in New York next week, during which several countries have pledged to officially recognize the State of Palestine.Their meeting, at the presidential palace in Ankara, focused on efforts to end Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza that began almost two years ago, the latest developments in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the pursuit of a two-state solution to resolve the wider conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Under the joint sponsorship of Saudi Arabia and France, several major countries and international powers have stated their intention to officially recognize Palestinian statehood during the UN General Assembly, including France, the UK, Canada, Australia and Belgium. Abbas said that regional security and stability depend on ending the war in Gaza, halting the forced displacement of Palestinians and land grabs by Israel, and ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories through the establishment of a Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported. Abbas and Erdogan also discussed Palestine’s strong historical ties with Turkiye, which ruled the Mediterranean region for nearly four centuries through its Ottoman Empire until the British and French mandates for the region during the First World War. Abbas arrived in Turkiye on Wednesday for a three-day official visit.

Turkiye warns Cyprus’ Israeli air defense system could destabilize island
AP/September 18, 2025
ANKARA: Turkiye is closely monitoring Cyprus’ reported procurement of an Israeli air defense system, Turkish officials said Thursday, warning that the move could destabilize a “fragile balance” on the divided island. Turkish defense ministry officials expressed concerns over reports suggesting that an Israeli-made Barak MX integrated air defense system had been delivered to Cyprus. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations, said Cyprus’ ongoing armament efforts would threaten peace and stability on the island and may lead to “dangerous consequences.”
The Mediterranean Island has been split along ethnic lines since 1974 when Turkiye invaded in the wake of a coup that aimed to unify the island with Greece. Only Turkiye recognizes a 1983 Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in the island’s northern third where Turkiye continues to maintain more than 35,000 troops. The Israeli ground-based system is capable of simultaneously intercepting missiles, drones and aircraft from as far as 93 miles (150 kilometers) away. Its deployment would mark a significant upgrade to Cyprus’ defense shield, which had until recently only consisted of Soviet-era weapons, such as the BUK M1-2 missile system. Cyprus’ defense minister, Vasilis Palmas, said in an interview with The Associated Press last year that bolstering the country’s defense capacity is critical for the island nation, which is located close to the war-torn Middle East. Turkiye regards the deployment of the Israeli system as a security threat. In 1997, Cyprus’ plans to deploy Russian-made S-300 air defense missiles triggered a standoff with Turkiye, which threatened military action. The tensions de-escalated after Cyprus agreed to transfer the missiles to Greece. The defense officials said that Turkiye remains committed to safeguarding the security of the Turkish Cypriots, adding, without elaborating, that all kinds of measures were being taken to ensure their safety.

Egypt and Turkiye hold ‘Friendship Sea’ navy drills as tensions rise in Middle East
Arab News/September 18, 2025
LONDON: Egypt and Turkiye will conduct joint naval drills in the eastern Mediterranean next week. This is the first time in 13 years the Friendship Sea exercises have been staged. The Turkish Defense Ministry announced that joint maritime exercises with Egypt will be held from Sept. 22 to 26, to develop ties and collaboration between the two regional powers. Turkiye is participating with frigates, fast attack boats, a submarine and two F-16 fighter jets, alongside Egyptian naval units. The top commanders of the Egyptian and Turkish navies are expected to attend a high-level observer day on Sept. 25. Egypt’s Tahya Misr and Fouad Zekry frigates will visit the Turkish Aksaz Naval Base on the south-east coast of the Aegean Sea as part of the maritime maneuvers. Friendship Sea began in 2009 and continued annually until 2013, when diplomatic relations strained over policies concerning Libya and the ousting of Mohammed Morsi as president, the Muslim Brotherhood affiliate supported by Turkiye. In 2023, the two countries began repairing links and reappointed ambassadors. This was followed by state visits in 2024 by the two countries’ presidents.The navy drills are taking place during heightened military tensions in the Middle East. Both countries have condemned the Israeli airstrikes on the Qatari capital this month and are firm in their support for Palestinian statehood, opposing Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

Qatar meets ICC head as it mulls legal action against Israel
AFP/September 18, 2025
DOHA: Qatar has met with the president of the International Criminal Court as it seeks legal action against Israel over its unprecedented strike on its territory last week, an official said on Thursday. The emirate’s chief negotiator, Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, met in The Hague on Wednesday with the president of the ICC, Judge Tomoko Akane, as it pursues “every available legal and diplomatic avenue to ensure accountability for those responsible for Israel’s attack on Qatar,” the Qatari official told AFP. Last week’s deadly Israeli strike targeted Qatar-based leaders of Palestinian militant group Hamas and sent shock waves through the Gulf states that have long depended on the United States for their security. Hamas has said top officials of its political bureau, hosted in Qatar with US blessing since 2012, survived the strike but it said five members were killed, along with an officer of Qatar’s internal security force. Speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions, the official called Israel’s attack “unlawful,” adding it “constitutes grave violations of international humanitarian law.” Qatar, as an observer state at the ICC, cannot itself refer cases to the court. But after emergency talks in Doha, the Arab and Islamic blocs called on their members Monday to take “all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions.”In a post on X after his meeting with the ICC chief, Khulaifi said his visit had been “part of the work of the team tasked with exploring legal avenues to respond to the illegal Israeli armed attack against the State of Qatar.”Last year, the ICC launched a prosecution of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity during Israel’s war in Gaza, including by intentionally targeting civilians and using starvation as a method of war. The ICC also sought the arrest of Israel’s former defense minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, who has since been confirmed killed by Israel. The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 65,141 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.

Gulf Joint Defense Council unveils key security initiatives following urgent Doha meeting
Arab News/September 18, 2025
DUBAI: The Gulf Joint Defense Council outlined several key initiatives on Thursday in an urgent meeting in Doha to address regional security concerns, including the recent Israeli attack on the city.
These initiatives include:
Enhancing intelligence sharing through the Unified Command.
Transferring the air situation picture to all GCC operations centers.
Accelerating the development of an early warning system against ballistic missiles.
Updating joint defense plans in coordination with the Unified Military Command.
Conducting joint exercises between air operations centers over the next three months, to be followed by a full joint air exercise.
Council members also pledged to continue work and coordination across all levels to address emerging threats and strengthen Gulf defense integration.
In the session, chaired by Qatar’s Minister of State for Defense Affairs, Sheikh Saud Al-Thani, GCC ministers and senior defense officials said the Israeli attack on Qatar is a threat to all member states. The council condemned the attack as a grave violation of international law, emphasized the indivisibility of GCC security, and underscored the threat posed to regional stability and Qatar’s diplomatic efforts in Gaza. The session built on Wednesday’s meeting of the Supreme Military Committee of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which focused on strengthening joint defenses and boosting the Gulf’s deterrence capabilities.That meeting was attended by Major General Issa bin Rashid Al Mohannadi, Assistant Secretary-General for Military Affairs, and Major General Abdulaziz bin Ahmed Al Balawi, Commander of the Unified Military Command.

Syria to strike security deals with Israel by end of 2025
Agence France Presse/September 18/2025
Syria will strike several security and military agreements with Israel by the end of the year, a foreign ministry official told AFP on Thursday. "There is progress in the talks with Israel," said the official who requested anonymity because they were not allowed to brief the media, adding that several agreements are expected to be signed "by the end of the year"."Primarily, these would be security and military agreements," they said.

Syria’s new UN envoy vows to turn ‘Hope into Action’ in first address to Security Council
Ephrem Kossaify/Arab News/September 19, 2025
NEW YORK: Syria’s new Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Olabi, pledged to “turn hope into action” in a landmark address to the Security Council on Thursday, signaling what he described as a historic shift in the country’s approach to diplomacy, accountability, and national reconciliation following the collapse of the previous regime. Delivering his first remarks since assuming the post on September 11, the 34-year-old British-German lawyer and human rights advocate acknowledged international calls for justice and reform, vowing that Syria would “add to hope, action,” and work to restore unity and stability in a country ravaged by over a decade of war. “Less than a year ago, a young Syrian woman sat at this very table speaking out against tyranny. Today, I stand before you as a representative of a new Syria — a Syria committed to freedom, dignity, and justice,” Olabi said. Much of Olabi’s statement focused on recent unrest in Suwayda, a southern governorate that has seen mass protests and violent crackdowns in recent months. He told council members that the Syrian government had adopted a comprehensive roadmap for resolving the crisis, developed during a tripartite meeting in Damascus with the United States and Jordan. The plan includes an official request for an investigation by the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria and a commitment to hold accountable all perpetrators of violence, regardless of affiliation. Olabi noted that suspects from the Ministry of Defense and Interior had already been arrested and that the government had taken “unprecedented steps” to cooperate with international investigators. “The families of the victims should feel that justice was truly served,” he said, promising that the process would be inclusive and transparent.
The roadmap, according to Olabi, also envisions the creation of a local police force representative of Suwayda’s diverse population, reconstruction of destroyed areas, delivery of humanitarian assistance, and a campaign to promote national unity and counter extremism.Olabi outlined what he called a “new political reality” in Syria, following the “liberation of the country from oppression” and the preservation of state institutions. He announced that Syria would soon hold the first elections “in decades” based on a genuine separation of powers. “These elections will be a genuine opportunity for all Syrian men and women to participate in drafting the future of the country,” he said, promising a minimum 20% representation for women on candidate lists and allowing international observers to monitor the vote.
Olabi said the electoral process would be carried out under judicial and media supervision, with oversight agreements already signed between the High Electoral Commission and civil society organizations. In addition to political reforms, Olabi emphasized Syria’s efforts to revive its economy through agreements with foreign governments and international companies. He pointed to global partnerships and community-led initiatives from the Syrian diaspora aimed at supporting the country’s recovery. However, he lamented what he called the international community’s “insufficient” support at both the humanitarian and developmental levels. He urged member states to fulfill their pledges to the UN’s humanitarian response plan and warned that Syria is facing its worst drought in three decades, threatening food and water security. “We need a quantum leap in international engagement to meet the scale of our challenges,” he said. Olabi also condemned recent Israeli airstrikes in Syria and called on the Security Council to take urgent action. He accused Israel of expanding its operations in Syrian territory, particularly in the occupied Golan Heights, and cited relevant UN resolutions demanding Israeli withdrawal. Olabi concluded his remarks with a sweeping vision for Syria’s future, one centered on inclusivity, sovereignty, and civil peace. “Damascus, the heart of Syria, will continue to bring together all Syrian men and women,” he said. “They stand today united, looking towards the future, rejecting terrorism, hate speech, and extremism — turning the page on suffering and pain.”

Syrian authorities capture 2020 car bomber near Aleppo
Arab News/September 18, 2025
LONDON: Syrian authorities have arrested a suspect linked to a 2020 car bomb attack in the town of Saajo, near Azaz in northern Syria, which killed five and injured dozens of people. The Internal Security Command in Aleppo announced the capture of Hussein Hajj Mowas, from the village of Marran in Aleppo countryside. Officials said he was disguised in female attire in an attempt to escape when he was detained on Thursday. According to the Ministry of Interior, Mowas carried out the bombing in exchange for money and used his job as a delivery truck driver to smuggle weapons and banned materials. The July 2020 explosion in Saajo killed at least five people and wounded 85 others. Since the fall of the Bashar Assad regime last December, the new government in Damascus has arrested several suspects and criminals, including army officers, over crimes committed during the country’s civil conflict.

UN envoy for Syria to step down after six years in role
Reuters/September 18, 2025
NEW YORK: The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen announced on Thursday that he would step down “in the near future” after more than six years in the role and as Syria undergoes a historic transition following the ouster of former leader Bashar Assad last year. He told the UN Security Council that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had accepted his resignation. “It has been my intention for quite some time to move on for personal reasons after a long period of service,” Pedersen told the 15-member council. “My experience in Syria has affirmed an enduring truth — that sometimes it’s darkest before the dawn. For so long, progress seemed absolutely impossible, until suddenly it came.”Assad was ousted by a rebel offensive in December that ended 14 years of civil war that erupted with protests against him, and 50 years of family rule by him and his father Hafez before him. “Few have endured suffering as profound as the Syrians, and few have demonstrated such resilience and determination,” Pedersen said. “Today, Syria and the Syrian people have a new dawn, and we must ensure that this becomes a bright day. They deserve this so much.”During the war, Pedersen was one of several UN envoys that led political missions aimed at negotiating a peaceful solution between the Assad regime and its opponents. But the Islamist-led government that replaced Assad has kept the UN mission at an arm’s length, with officials insisting that there was little need for an internationally negotiated political transition now that Assad had been toppled.“Being a special envoy for any conflict, let alone one that we Syrians know, is no easy job,” Syria’s UN Ambassador Ibrahim Olabi told the Security Council, adding that Pedersen “departs on a note of hope, on a success story.”He said Syria looks forward to “engaging with the Secretary-General and all of you in working with his successor in a way that preserves Syrian sovereignty and fulfills the aspiration of the Syrian people.”

Egypt says stolen pharaoh’s bracelet melted down, sold for $4,000
AFP/September 18, 2025
CAIRO: Egyptian police said on Thursday they arrested a museum employee and three alleged accomplices after a priceless ancient gold bracelet was stolen from Cairo’s Egyptian Museum, sold for about $4,000 and then melted down. The 3,000-year-old bracelet, a gold band adorned with lapis lazuli beads, dated back to the reign of Amenemope, a pharaoh of Egypt’s 21st Dynasty (1070-945 BC). The priceless artefact had been kept under lock and key when it disappeared, a few weeks before it was meant to be exhibited in Italy. Museum staff reported it missing from a metal safe in the museum’s conservation lab on Saturday, a statement from Egypt’s interior ministry said.Investigations showed a restoration specialist working at the museum stole the bracelet on September 9 while on duty. A silver trader in central Cairo helped her facilitate the sale, the police said, first to a gold dealer for 180,000 Egyptian pounds ($3,735), who then sold it to a worker at a gold foundry for 194,000 pounds ($4,025). The bracelet was then melted down along with other scrap gold, the ministry said. The suspects were taken into custody and confessed to the crime, according to authorities.
Security camera footage released by Egyptian authorities shows a bracelet being exchanged for a wad of cash in a shop, before the buyer cuts it in two. However, the blurry images suggest the bracelet lacks the distinctive lapis lazuli bead seen in official photos shared a day earlier.
Treasures of the Pharaohs
Egyptian media outlets had earlier reported the loss was discovered during an inventory check ahead of the “Treasures of the Pharaohs” exhibition scheduled in Rome next month. Under Egyptian law, stealing an antiquity with the intent to smuggle it is punishable by life imprisonment and a fine of 1 to 5 million Egyptian pounds (around $20,000-$100,000), while damaging or defacing antiquities carries up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to 1 million pounds. Jean Guillaume Olette-Pelletier, an Egyptologist, told AFP the bracelet was discovered in Tanis, in the eastern Nile delta, during archaeological excavations in the tomb of King Psusennes I, where Amenemope had been reburied after the plundering of his original tomb. “It’s not the most beautiful, but scientifically it’s one of the most interesting” objects, said the expert, who has worked in Tanis. The bracelet had a fairly simple design, he said, but was made of a gold alloy designed to resist deformation.To the Ancient Egyptians, the precious metal represented the “flesh of the gods,” while lapus lazuli — imported from what is now Afghanistan — evoked their hair.Egypt’s cultural institutions have been hit by similar high-profile thefts in the past.
Vincent van Gogh’s “Poppy Flowers,” worth $55 million, was stolen from a Cairo museum in 1977, recovered a decade later, and stolen again in 2010. It remains missing. Last month, an Egyptian man was sentenced to six months in jail in the United States for smuggling nearly 600 looted artefacts onto the international market.After Egypt’s 2011 revolution, looters took advantage of the chaos to raid museums and archaeological sites, with thousands of stolen objects later surfacing in private collections worldwide. The theft from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, one of the oldest in the country, comes just weeks before the anticipated November 1 opening of Egypt’s new Grand Egyptian Museum, a major cultural project near the Giza Pyramids that has been years in the making.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on September 18-19/2025
Saudi-Pakistan defense pact: A historic strategic alliance
Dr. Ali Awadh Asseri/Arab News/September 18, 2025
More than half a century of defense partnership between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan reached a new peak when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement in Riyadh on Wednesday. The agreement declares that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.”The defense pact mirrors collective security arrangements traditionally associated with regional alliances such as NATO and the Gulf Cooperation Council, designed to deter potential aggressors. According to the joint statement, it “reflects the shared commitment of both nations to enhance their security and to achieving security and peace in the region and the world, aims to develop aspects of defense cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression.”
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan share a distinctive and enduring relationship, often demonstrated through exceptional solidarity in critical moments. For Saudi Arabia, security and stability in the Arab Gulf are of paramount significance. Pakistan also cannot overlook this crucial factor, given its unique relations with the Kingdom.Though concluded soon after the Arab-Islamic emergency summit in Doha, the agreement marks the outcome of years of sustained dialogue between the two allied states. It is not a reaction to any particular country or event, but the institutionalization of a deep and resilient partnership between Riyadh and Islamabad. The joint statement also refers to this partnership, highlighting “shared strategic interests and close defense cooperation” as the foundation of the agreement, whose real value, in my opinion, lies in the historic bond that exists between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. It takes their time-tested military-to-military ties to a whole new level.The agreement represents the logical conclusion of decades of steadfast and sincere efforts by successive leaders and governments, with unwavering support from both the Saudi and Pakistani people. It should therefore be understood not merely in the context of current regional tensions but through the broader lens of shared history.
This extraordinary camaraderie was visibly symbolized on Wednesday, when Sharif’s aircraft entered Saudi airspace escorted by Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s — a gesture of honor previously accorded only to leaders such as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. The grandeur of the moment was further underscored by Pakistani flags adorning the streets of Riyadh and Saudi flags flying across Islamabad. As the news spread, social media in both countries lit up with pride and celebration, reflecting the shared sentiment of witnessing a landmark in bilateral ties.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan share an enduring relationship, often demonstrated through exceptional solidarity in critical moments.
Having served in Pakistan as the Kingdom’s envoy for nearly a decade, I can readily imagine the depth of public feeling, even as the country continues to suffer from devastating monsoon floods. For Pakistanis, Saudi Arabia holds a special place: millions travel there annually for Hajj and Umrah, while millions more have contributed to the Kingdom’s prosperity through their labor and dedication. Within the framework of Vision 2030, the crown prince has prioritized deepening Saudi Arabia’s political, economic, defense and cultural engagement with Pakistan. This priority has found an equal response in Islamabad. Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief, has, like Sharif, maintained regular engagement with Saudi leaders and developed close ties with Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, who was awarded the Nishan-e-Pakistan last year. This rare compact between leadership and people is deeply rooted in history, predating both the establishment of the Kingdom and the creation of Pakistan, and flourishes with each passing decade. While I examine this unique relationship and its underlying rationale in detail in my forthcoming book, “Saudi Arabia and Pakistan: An Enduring Relationship in a Changing World,” a brief outline of key milestones in the defense sphere is useful here to explain the historical significance of the agreement.
Saudi-Pakistani defense cooperation began to take shape in the 1960s, during the leadership of King Faisal and President Ayub Khan. At that stage, Pakistan provided training and advisory support to the Royal Saudi Air Force, laying the first formal foundations of a relationship that would steadily expand. In 1967, the first formal defense cooperation agreement, signed in Islamabad by Defense Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, marked the beginning of Pakistan’s sustained role in Saudi Arabia’s defense.
During the late 1960s and 1970s, this agreement was translated into large-scale exchanges of military personnel and expertise. Hundreds of Pakistani officers served in Saudi Arabia as trainers, advisers and engineers, while thousands of Saudi soldiers and aviators were trained in Pakistan under structured contracts. By the early 1970s, Pakistan had extended technical cooperation to civil aviation and airlines, while simultaneously building Saudi defensive fortifications along the Yemeni border. The cooperation was not limited to training alone: it created the nucleus of a Saudi military establishment that drew heavily on Pakistani experience and professionalism.
The 1980s brought a major expansion in the scale and scope of bilateral defense ties. Regional turbulence, including the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Iran-Iraq War, prompted Riyadh and Islamabad to institutionalize their military collaboration through a 1982 protocol agreement.
This protocol established the Saudi-Pakistan Armed Forces Organization and authorized the large-scale deployment of Pakistani forces in Saudi Arabia. At its peak, more than 20,000 Pakistani troops, including divisions and brigades, were stationed in sensitive regions such as Tabuk and the Eastern Province, performing both training and operational roles, while also reassuring Saudi Arabia against any threats. Cooperation remained steady through the Gulf War of 1990-91, when Pakistan dispatched more than 11,000 troops to Saudi Arabia at Riyadh’s request. These forces were deployed primarily in defensive positions to protect borders and holy sites, in line with the 1982 protocol. This is not an abrupt development but the culmination of decades of steady, evolving cooperation built on mutual trust.
In the 1990s and 2000s, the focus of collaboration shifted to counterterrorism and intelligence sharing, particularly in the fight against Al-Qaeda and in managing instability in Afghanistan. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, highlighted the shared security concerns of both states and reinforced the need for continued military and intelligence cooperation, even as both countries worked alongside the US during the War on Terror.
The past decade and a half have seen a further diversification of defense relations, adapting to new regional and global realities. Pakistan’s former army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif assumed command of the Saudi-led Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition in 2017, reflecting Riyadh’s trust in Pakistan’s leadership of collective security. Since then, joint army, naval and air force exercises have become a regular feature, complemented by growing cooperation in defense production and technology. The deployment of Pakistani troops and military advisers in Saudi Arabia has also continued under the framework of the 1982 agreement, primarily in training and advisory roles, while new avenues of collaboration in defense industries have emerged. This historical trajectory shows how the new agreement is not an abrupt development but the culmination of decades of steady, evolving cooperation built on mutual trust and shared security needs. It will play a critical role in ensuring credible defense, as well as in charting a sustainable security framework for the future. The evolving regional security environment and global geopolitical challenges require Riyadh and Islamabad to strengthen their defense coordination. Joint exercises, advanced training and co-production in defense industries can form the backbone of this next phase, aligning with Vision 2030’s goal of building Saudi Arabia’s self-reliance, while drawing on Pakistan’s battle-hardened military expertise. Equally important is the political significance of the pact. It reflects recognition of Pakistan’s rising diplomatic profile in recent months. After the US’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, Pakistan’s strategic utility declined in Washington under President Joe Biden. However, Islamabad has since reopened channels of engagement with the US under the Trump administration, signaling a cautious revival of strategic ties, while maintaining its enduring partnership with China, particularly through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. At the same time, Pakistan has strengthened political, security and economic relations with Turkiye and Azerbaijan, while also gaining visibility in multilateral diplomacy. As president of the UN Security Council in July 2025, Islamabad successfully mobilized support for a resolution on the peaceful settlement of disputes and played an active role in the UN High-Level Conference on the Two-State Solution in New York, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. Collectively, these developments have enhanced Pakistan’s standing in the eyes of the Kingdom and underscored the logic of a binding defense pact.
Finally, the defense pact also reflects Pakistan’s appreciation of Saudi Arabia’s steadfast support in difficult times — whether through soft loans, deferred oil payments or sustained humanitarian and political assistance. Against this backdrop, the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement represents both continuity and renewal: continuity of a defense relationship forged over decades and renewal in adapting that partnership to the demands of an uncertain future.
**Dr. Ali Awadh Asseri served as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan (2001–2009) and to Lebanon (2009–2017). He is currently Deputy Chair of the Board of Trustees at Rasanah, the International Institute for Iranian Studies in Riyadh. In recognition of his distinguished diplomatic service, he received several state honors, including the Hilal-e-Pakistan. He is the author of “Combating Terrorism: Saudi Arabia’s Role in the War on Terror” (Oxford University Press, 2009). His forthcoming book, “Saudi Arabia and Pakistan: An Enduring Relationship in a Changing World” (Rasanah, with an Arabic edition), will be released next month.

From the KGB to Gaza: How Soviet 'Active Measures' Still Manipulate the West
Pierre Rehov/Gatestone Institute/September 18, 2025
What some now call the "pro-Palestine movement" in the West is, in many respects, the residue of decades of KGB-backed manipulation. The cultural self-hatred, moral relativism, and selective outrage that dominate today's progressive circles were seeded by Soviet strategists who understood that eroding Western confidence from within could be more decisive than any tank battalion.
Between June 2015 and May 2017, Facebook identified roughly $100,000 in advertising spending tied to Russian operators — around 3,000 ads and 470 fake accounts. These "false amplifiers" were not fringe experiments; they were coordinated tools to manipulate American discourse around the most sensitive of issues: race, violence and justice.
Algorithms that reward outrage over truth became Moscow's best allies. Viral posts spread disinformation with an efficiency no Cold War-era propaganda organ could ever have matched. Silicon Valley unwittingly handed Russia the perfect conduit for digital warfare.
What began with the KGB's creation and sponsorship of radical Palestinian organizations has evolved into a kaleidoscope of identity-based movements that serve the same destabilizing purpose.
The Muslim Brotherhood, Iran's revolutionary regime, and the emirate of Qatar eagerly seized onto the momentum of Soviet-inspired subversion.
By turning every regional or global grievance into an indictment of the Jewish state, they perpetuated the Soviet narrative while adding their own religious zealotry.
The moral relativism of progressive elites, the selective outrage of campus radicals, and the obsessive fixation on "Palestine" are not organic: they are the downstream effects of decades of collaboration between Moscow's active measures and Islamist subversion, turbocharged by Qatari money and Iranian militancy.
What some now call the "pro-Palestine movement" in the West is, in many respects, the residue of decades of KGB-backed manipulation. The cultural self-hatred, moral relativism, and selective outrage that dominate today's progressive circles were seeded by Soviet strategists who understood that eroding Western confidence from within could be more decisive than any tank battalion.
In 1984, Yuri Bezmenov, a former Soviet KGB officer turned defector, issued a chilling warning to the West. As a specialist in the USSR's propaganda and subversion, he revealed how Moscow's "active measures" were designed not only to mislead but to fundamentally destabilize societies from within. The West, convinced that victory in the Cold War would be purely military or economic, ignored his words. Yet Bezmenov understood what few in Washington or Brussels could grasp: the battlefield was psychological, cultural and moral.
Only a little more than decade later, Russian strategist Alexander Dugin gave these methods a new intellectual scaffolding. In his 1997 book The Foundations of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia, Dugin argued that the path to weakening the United States and NATO lay in fomenting chaos inside America's borders — igniting racial and social conflict, seeding distrust of institutions, and nurturing separatist or extremist movements. His program was nothing less than a blueprint for dismantling the West by exploiting its own fractures.
The Soviet–Palestinian Nexus
These ideas did not emerge in a vacuum. Already during the Cold War, the KGB had cultivated deep ties with Palestinian terrorist factions, trained operatives who were providing disinformation, and weaponizing the Arab-Israeli conflict for Soviet purposes. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), along with splinter groups, were not merely perpetrating anti-Israel terrorism: the PLO was a Soviet proxy, deployed both to weaken the Jewish state and inject anti-Israel and anti-Western ideology into Europe and America.
The propaganda of that era — casting Israel as a colonial aggressor, Palestinians as eternal victims, and the U.S. as the imperial puppet-master — was carefully crafted in Moscow and echoed through Arab capitals, European universities, and eventually American campuses. What some now call the "pro-Palestine movement" in the West is, in many respects, the residue of decades of KGB-backed manipulation. The cultural self-hatred, moral relativism, and selective outrage that dominate today's progressive circles were seeded by Soviet strategists who understood that eroding Western confidence from within could be more decisive than any tank battalion.
Ferguson, Baltimore and Beyond
The Kremlin's methods have been adapted to new technologies. In 2015, amid racial tensions in Ferguson and Baltimore, Russian operators unleashed waves of propaganda on American society. Social media became a weapon. Bots and troll farms targeted both sides of the divide, while inflaming white resentment, stoking black anger and encouraging confrontation -- even violence.
Moscow's tactics, steeped in "whataboutism," were based on highlighting America's imperfections while masking Russia's repression. Georgetown University Professor Dr. Mark Jacobson summarized it:
"Russia will overtly and covertly support organizations seeking secession or seeking to politically divide the United States, and they will covertly press protest movements to move towards the extreme and ultimately violence."
Playing Both Sides of the Street
Evidence of this "structured duality" can be found on the Russian-based Facebook page "Being Patriotic," which, before its closure, received 6.3 million "likes." The page also pushed pro-Trump rhetoric and hostility toward Black Lives Matter (BLM). Meanwhile, another Kremlin-controlled account, "Blacktivist," spread anti-police messaging and calls for retaliation, such as "Black people have to do something. An eye for an eye." That page, before it was shut down, generated 6.18 million "shares."
Between June 2015 and May 2017, Facebook identified roughly $100,000 in advertising spending tied to Russian operators — around 3,000 ads and 470 fake accounts. These "false amplifiers" were not fringe experiments; they were coordinated tools to manipulate American discourse around the most sensitive of issues: race, violence and justice.
The Blueprint for Civil Unrest
In 2018, the Dossier Center — an investigative group funded by exiled Russian dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky — uncovered documents outlining even more ambitious schemes. One plan, titled "Development Strategy of a Pan-African State on U.S. Territory," proposed recruiting African-Americans, particularly those with criminal backgrounds or ties to radical groups, to foment large-scale unrest. "The infrastructure for this project already exists," Khodorkovsky later warned, stressing that American society remained dangerously susceptible.
The Troll Factories
At the operational level, the infamous Internet Research Agency (IRA) — Russia's troll factory — became the spearhead of these campaigns. Between just 2015 and 2017, its politicized posts reached more than 30 million users on Facebook and Instagram. Millions of Americans unwittingly shared, "liked," and commented on Kremlin-forged content, often amplifying falsehoods more widely than the mainstream reporting did.
Algorithms that reward outrage over truth became Moscow's best allies. Viral posts spread disinformation with an efficiency no Cold War-era propaganda organ could ever have matched. Silicon Valley unwittingly handed Russia the perfect conduit for digital warfare.
The Mutation: Wokism and Cultural Subversion
Russia's subversion did not stop at racial politics. The cultural issues that dominate the modern West — militant "Wokism," the supremacist drift of certain Black Lives Matter factions, the radicalization of LGBT activism into a vehicle for political extremism, the violent anarchism of Antifa, and the ideological intoxication of extreme left-wing groups — all fit the same Soviet blueprint.
Each is presented as a struggle for justice, but all converge on one common outcome: the erosion of Western cohesion, the delegitimization of traditional values, and the paralysis of democratic institutions. From gender ideology pushed in schools to mobs tearing down historical monuments, the fingerprints of a decades-long psychological war are evident. What began with the KGB's creation and sponsorship of radical Palestinian organizations has evolved into a kaleidoscope of identity-based movements that serve the same destabilizing purpose.
The Islamist Ride: Muslim Brotherhood, Iran, and Qatar
This ideological offensive was not left to Russia alone. The Muslim Brotherhood, Iran's revolutionary regime, and the emirate of Qatar eagerly seized onto the momentum of Soviet-inspired subversion. For the Brotherhood, the Soviet playbook of infiltrating institutions, exploiting grievances, and recruiting the young provided a ready-made method to expand its Islamist agenda inside Western societies. Iran, emboldened after 1979, injected the same anti-American, anti-Israel poison into both Middle Eastern conflicts and Western discourse, while Qatar weaponized its vast petrodollars to fund propaganda networks such as Al-Jazeera and to bankroll extremist movements. All three actors found common ground in using Israel as a permanent foil— a convenient lightning rod for outrage, hatred, and mobilization. By turning every regional or global grievance into an indictment of the Jewish state, they perpetuated the Soviet narrative while adding their own religious zealotry. In practice, this unholy alliance of Soviet legacy and Islamist opportunism amplified the West's inner divisions, nurtured identity politics, and corroded democratic confidence. The moral relativism of progressive elites, the selective outrage of campus radicals, and the obsessive fixation on "Palestine" are not organic: they are the downstream effects of decades of collaboration between Moscow's active measures and Islamist subversion, turbocharged by Qatari money and Iranian militancy.
The Obama–Biden Factor
Against this backdrop, the political rise of Barack Obama and the murky legitimacy of Joe Biden's presidency must also be examined. Obama's years in power coincided with the institutionalization of identity politics, the normalization of radical cultural agendas, and the tacit encouragement of movements such as BLM and Antifa. Biden's contested victory — perceived by millions as tainted by irregularities and corruption — as well as catastrophic governance, including surrender to the Taliban in Afghanistan, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, open unvetted migration, galloping inflation, China's spy balloon, fentanyl murders, farm purchases near military sites, discarding the China initiative that enabled prosecuting Chinese espionage and other crimes committed on American soil -- further undermined faith in America's democratic process.
Whether by design or incompetence, both leaders accelerated trends of division, victimhood culture, and the weakening of U.S. authority abroad. To America's adversaries, this looked like confirmation that the Soviet strategy had borne fruit: the West, hollowed out from within, was destroying itself without the need for a single foreign bullet.
The Present Danger
In recent months, senior Russian officials have doubled down on the theme, issuing scathing indictments of America's supposed systemic failures: "race, ethnic and religious discrimination, police brutality, bias of justice, crowded prisons, and uncontrolled use of firearms," according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The irony is that Russia, one of the world's most authoritarian regimes, is lecturing America on human rights, but the propaganda works on people who do not know they are being manipulated, both at home and abroad.
The same ideological seed planted by the KGB through Palestinian proxies decades ago has matured into today's toxic blend of anti-Israel activism, anti-American resentment, and Western cultural self-loathing. The chant "From the river to the sea" on American campuses is not merely a student slogan; it is the echo of Soviet agitprop pouring across generations.
Charlie Kirk's Assassination: The Evil Illustration
The assassination of Charlie Kirk may be the darkest, most vivid illustration yet of the process described above. Kirk, a young conservative leader, vocal in the culture wars, was speaking publicly, inviting challenge and debate, yet was shot dead in front of thousands.
Kirk's assassination signifies more than just a tragic act of violence. It suggests that the ideological and political divisions, once artificially stoked by foreign adversaries such as the Soviet Union, the promotion of Palestinian proxies, the radical left's identity movements, the Islamist opportunism of the Muslim Brotherhood, Iran and Qatar, and the decay of Western norms, have lately reached the point where any dissent is now life-threatening.
Charlie Kirk's death can be seen not merely as an isolated incident, but as the malignant fruit of decades of strategy — a strategy which cultivated communal fear, hatred, institutional weakness, and cultural decay as tools of geopolitical warfare. If the West does not address this threat now — not only to the forces outside but to the rot from within — free speech and democracy may be the next to fall.
*Pierre Rehov, who holds a law degree from Paris-Assas, is a French reporter, novelist and documentary filmmaker. He is the author of six novels, including "Beyond Red Lines", " The Third Testament" and "Red Eden", translated from French. His latest essay on the aftermath of the October 7 massacre " 7 octobre - La riposte " became a bestseller in France.As a filmmaker, he has produced and directed 17 documentaries, many photographed at high risk in Middle Eastern war zones, and focusing on terrorism, media bias, and the persecution of Christians. His latest documentary, "Pogrom(s)" highlights the context of ancient Jew hatred within Muslim civilization as the main force behind the October 7 massacre.
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

All wars must end....But 24 years after 9/11, the War on the West is still going strong
Clifford D. May/The Washington Times/September 18/2025
Last week, we remembered the almost 3,000 victims of the al Qaeda terrorists who, on Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked passenger aircraft and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A fourth jet crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania after a revolt by courageous passengers.
This week let’s consider what came after. On Sept. 20, in an address to a joint session of Congress, President George W. Bush declared what became known as the Global War on Terror or GWOT. Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda’s founder and first general emir, must have found that curious. Was Mr. Bush objecting only to terrorism – the targeting of non-combatants for political purposes?
Did he have nothing to say about the Grand Jihad, the religious War on the West, that was now well underway? Mr. Bush had to be aware that Mr. bin Laden, in 1996, issued a formal “Declaration of Jihad Against Americans.”
Two years later, he announced the formation of a “World Islamic Front for Jihad against Jews and Crusaders” (the latter term indicating Christians). He instructed Muslims that it was their duty to kill Americans – military and civilian – “in any country in which it is possible.”
The first battle in the GWOT was with the Taliban, the Islamist movement that had ruled Afghanistan since 1996 and given sanctuary to al Qaeda. Though removed from power by December 2001, the Taliban fought on from both Afghanistan’s hinterlands and sanctuaries inside Pakistan. In 2003, the U.S. toppled Saddam Hussein in Iraq. He was a target of the GWOT because he, like Mr. bin Laden, was a terrorist and an enemy of America. But he was pan-Arabist and socialist rather than pan-Islamist and theocratic. I won’t relitigate that war here except to say that while it was clearly justifiable, it was not clearly strategic. President Obama didn’t care for the GWOT. Starting in 2009, his administration preferred to talk of “Overseas Contingency Operations” (OCO) which included using drones to eliminate terrorists. In 2011, he withdrew all U.S. military forces from Iraq leading to the rise of the Islamic State, aka ISIS, and gave free rein to Shia militias affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran, a nation-state founded in 1979 and, like al Qaeda, committed to jihad against the West.Also in 2011, American intelligence assessed with “high probability” that bin Laden was living in Pakistan – a country which, in 2004, the U.S. had officially designated a major non-NATO ally.
Despite that designation, Mr. Obama did not notify Pakistani leaders before ordering Navy SEALs to helicopter into the garrison city of Abbottabad to capture or kill Mr. bin Laden, with the latter outcome recognized as more likely. In a speech to the National Defense University in 2013, Mr. Obama said such operations “cannot be the norm” and that “we must define our effort not as a boundless ‘global war on terror’.” He added: “This war, like all wars, must end. That’s what history advises. That’s what our democracy demands.”
Four years ago, perhaps attempting to take his predecessor’s guidance to its logical conclusion, President Biden allowed the Taliban to regain power in Afghanistan.
Today, Jihadi and Islamist forces have more geographical reach and greater numbers than they did 24 years ago. In 2002, the State Department had designated 28 Foreign Terrorist Organizations. As of the middle of this year, the U.S. has designated 77 FTOs.
Both al Qaeda – whose current leader, Saif al-Adel, is believed to be living in Iran – and the Islamic State maintain affiliates in the Middle East, Africa, and parts of Asia.
The Muslim Brotherhood has expanded its influence, not least in Western Europe and the U.S. Among the supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood are Turkey, a NATO member, and Qatar, a major non-NATO Ally.
Does that not strike you as problematic?
One positive development: The Tehran regime was badly battered in the war it fought this year against Israel, a war that culminated when President Trump deployed B-2 bombers to strike the theocrats’ nuclear weapons facilities. However, if you think Iran’s rulers are now willing to put aside their nuclear and jihadi ambitions, you should think again. One negative development: Islamic revolutionaries of all stripes have been making common cause with a cohort on the left that find the idea of a “global intifada” appealing. Though this alliance appears to be broadening and metastasizing, it’s hardly new. On the first anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I was a guest on a BBC radio program along with “activist” Bianca Jagger who accused President George W. Bush of killing “thousands” of innocent Afghans and failing to pay “reparations.”In 2005, at the venerable University Philosophical Society of Trinity College, Dublin, I participated in a debate over the resolution: “This house believes that George W. Bush is a danger to world stability.”
Patrick Cockburn, then a well-known British journalist, accused the U.S. of embarking on an “old-fashioned imperial war” and dismissed terrorism as “something people believe in like they believe in witchcraft. What does it mean?”
I did my best to rebut such arguments, but I can’t claim to have persuaded much of the audience.And one week later, the University Philosophical Society debated “whether Militant Islamism is a legitimate form of resistance to American hegemony.”Fast forward to 2020, when the International Criminal Court (ICC) – primarily funded by Britain, France, Germany, Japan, and Italy – officially accused the U.S. of war crimes in Afghanistan.
It’s reassuring to believe that “all wars must end.” However, 24 years after the deadliest and most destructive attacks ever on American soil, the War on the West is not close to a conclusion. And steadfast defenders of the West are too few and far between.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/sep/16/twenty-four-years-911-war-west-expands-contracts/
Clifford D. May is founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a columnist for the Washington Times, and host of the “Foreign Podicy” podcast.

America’s enemies want us at each other’s throats over Charlie Kirk — don’t take the bait
Peter Doran & Ivana Stradner/New York Post/September 18/2025
As Americans grappled with grief over the assassination of Charlie Kirk, malign foreign governments maneuvered to exploit the shock. They fanned the flames of national division and polarization, weaponizing the pain of the free-speech champion’s killing for their own ends.
A public murder seen around the world is not a crime the Kremlin would overlook out of respect for Kirk, his family or the country that mourned him. Leading Russian officials and the Kremlin’s state news outlet pounced on the opportunity to manipulate Americans’ heightened emotions. Former Russian president and current Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev worked to link the assassination to the war in Ukraine.
Before the identity of the alleged assassin was known, he wrote: “Maybe it’s time for the MAGA team to realize that by supporting Ukraine, they’re supporting murderers.”
That was rich talk from Medvedev, who recently threatened all-out war against the United States and who frequently rattles Russia’s nuclear saber to intimidate Americans.
Mobilizing in lockstep, the Russian news agency TASS amplified Medvedev’s claims, suggesting without evidence that Kirk’s skeptical stance on US support for Kyiv may have contributed to his murder. Aleksey Pushkov, a top Russian lawmaker, went further, suggesting that Kirk’s murder was a “warning” to President Donald Trump and other prominent Americans: They could be next. Perhaps most unsettling of all was Russian ultranationalist Aleksandr Dugin, who posted, with more than a hint of wishcasting, that Kirk’s death was “very much like the beginning of a civil war,” and painting the Democratic Party as “America’s Ukraine” — that is, in his twisted telling, agents of insurrection. None of these assertions were rational. They were evil. While pretending to mourn Kirk, these pro-Kremlin voices were just exploiting his loss.
What’s worse, they were not alone.
The FBI and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox both confirmed that Russian and Chinese “bots” — automated social media accounts — actively amplified malicious online posts about Kirk’s murder. “What we are seeing is our adversaries want violence,” Cox said.
They aimed to manipulate the raw anger, grief and loss that many Americans were feeling to incite further domestic conflict. What’s most vile about these state-sponsored campaigns to translate Kirk’s death into societal breakdown and political violence is that they are directly at odds with his life’s work and worldview. “When people stop talking, that’s when you get violence,” Kirk famously said. “That’s when civil war happens.”
Indeed, his conservative ideals were fundamentally incompatible with Putin’s Russia, Xi’s China, and the communist roots that both regimes still lionize. As a leading defender of free speech, Kirk embodied America’s constitutional values. In the rough-and-tumble of public debate, he championed the First Amendment both for those who agreed with him and for those who passionately did not. Kirk steadfastly rejected appeals to emotion and what Abraham Lincoln called the “wild and furious passions,” opting instead for civil engagement and vigorous, factual debate. That’s our premier civil right, and Americans honor Kirk’s legacy when they stop listening to the foreign bots — and start talking to each other.
To do that, we must first recognize that the campaign to exploit Kirk’s assassination was not our adversaries’ first use of divisive propaganda. They have been refining their media manipulation techniques for decades. During the Cold War, the Kremlin used a similar playbook to spread falsehoods about everything from the JFK assassination to the origin of the AIDS virus — and social media have made their efforts easier than ever.
The goal then, as it is now, is to get Americans to fight with Americans, leaving Moscow a free hand, whether to challenge Washington on the global stage or to conquer Ukraine.
We must also remember that the aim of hostile figures like Medvedev and Dugin is chaos and noise, not to promote one preferred narrative. By consistently spinning conspiracy theories and “alternative facts,” their state-sponsored campaigns look to pollute the information space with competing talking points, spreading discord and acrimony with every share. Most important, we must realize that Russia and China are opportunists. Kirk’s murder adds to a list of recent high-profile political attacks and deaths that their information operations have exploited, including last year’s assassination attempt on Trump.
Perhaps the greatest danger is not that Russia or China will persuade all Americans to despise their neighbors, but that we will become so exhausted by competing falsehoods that we lose faith in each other and in the shared philosophy underlying our national cohesion: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We have innumerable reasons to be angry about Kirk’s murder. But for the love of God, country and Charlie himself, we must not allow our grief to be manipulated by those who oppose everything America stands for.
https://nypost.com/2025/09/16/opinion/americas-enemies-aim-to-divide-us-over-charlie-kirks-murder-dont-take-the-bait/
**Peter Doran is adjunct senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Ivana Stradner is a research fellow.

U.S. and Europe Must Prevent Iran’s Acquisition of New Enrichment Equipment
Andrea Stricker/FDD/September 18/2025
Israeli and U.S. strikes in June left Iran with only limited equipment for enriching uranium, according to a September 13 report in Le Monde. Indeed, Tehran is unlikely to be able to restart such efforts anytime soon, the story said, based on a briefing to French officials of Jerusalem’s post-war battle damage assessment.To resurrect its enrichment program — which would enable Iran to produce new fuel for nuclear weapons — Tehran will likely need to source some equipment from outside the country. Its ability to do this is likely to depend on Western nations’ readiness to restore thorough proliferation safeguards.
Major Bottlenecks in Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Pathway
Israeli and U.S. strikes created major bottlenecks to Iran’s ability to make nuclear weapons.
To stymie Iran’s production of enriched uranium fuel, Israel bombed Tehran’s centrifuge manufacturing, assembly, and testing facilities, along with related equipment. Jerusalem and Washington also eliminated Iran’s uranium conversion plant at Esfahan, and severely damaged or destroyed three enrichment facilities at Natanz and Fordow, where some enriched uranium stockpiles may now be entombed. Also at Esfahan, the strikes stymied access to stockpiles of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in tunnels nearby, and also to a new enrichment plant Iran was constructing there.
Moreover, Israel eliminated, at least temporarily, Iran’s pathway to assembling nuclear weapons — known as weaponization — by destroying an Esfahan lab that Iran could use to create uranium metal for nuclear weapon cores, along with several weaponization facilities containing key equipment and documentation. Jerusalem also assassinated more than a dozen essential nuclear scientists.
All told, and absent unknown capabilities or major foreign assistance, Iran’s ability to make nuclear weapons has been set back by at least two years, according to Israeli assessments.
‘Only a Matter of Time’ To Restart Enrichment
Despite these achievements, Iran retains enrichment capabilities it could reactivate over the longer term, Israel reportedly underscored to French officials.
“While the centrifuge manufacturing sites and most of the uranium enrichment facilities were destroyed, particularly at Fordow and Natanz, Iran still possesses this type of equipment,” Israeli officials reportedly said. Tehran has “too few to restart the program in the short term, but it’s only a matter of time.” It is unclear whether the officials were referring specifically to centrifuges or to all relevant enrichment equipment.
Iran is also working to excavate any nuclear assets that might have survived the attacks. It is likely hoping to find enriched uranium stocks, supporting enrichment equipment, and centrifuges. Tehran may also have unknown quantities of centrifuges hidden away to help restore a small enrichment program.
But whatever it cobbles together, Tehran will likely require equipment from abroad.
UN Sanctions and Detection Efforts Can Stem Iran’s Nuclear Trade
The United States, as well as the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, are in the process of restoring UN sanctions on Iran, designed in part to curb Tehran’s illicit acquisition of nuclear-related goods and equipment. The sanctions were loosened under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and are set to expire in October 2025. To ensure nuclear trade with Tehran remains banned, the parties should finalize the “snapback” of the UN sanctions by the end of a 30-day window that closes on September 27.
In addition, the United States, Israel, and their partners must work to detect, thwart, and penalize any covert nuclear assistance from Iran’s partners in the Axis of Aggressors: China, Russia, and North Korea. While this trio refrained from defending Tehran against U.S. and Israeli strikes, they may be less averse to quietly helping Iran rebuild its nuclear capabilities, including by turning a blind eye to illicit sales from their own domestic companies.
Finally, Washington and Jerusalem must be prepared to strike Iran again — eliminating any revived Iranian enrichment or weaponization activities — to ensure the regime is kept far from nuclear arms.
**Andrea Stricker is a research fellow and deputy director of the Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from the author and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Andrea on X @StrickerNonpro. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focused on national security and foreign policy.

Five years later, President Trump’s Abraham Accords show that peace really does lead to prosperity
https://washingtonreporter.news/p/op-ed-bonnie-glick-five-years-later
Bonnie Glick/Washington Reporter/September 18/2025
Five years ago, President Donald Trump made the historic announcement that Israel would normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain. Thus two historic peace treaties were signed on the White House lawn with President Trump pulling off the master negotiation of peace between Arabs and Israelis at a scale never seen before.
But two countries at once was not enough for the president. He further brought Morocco to the peace table with Israel and, in an unimaginable move, he brokered peace between Israel and Sudan. Sadly, the price of peace may have been too much for Sudanese radicals, as the peace-making government in Khartoum was overthrown in a coup d’etat. But lasting peace between Israel and three Arab countries has stood the rocky test of time over the past five years. There are two specific areas where the peace agreements have been most significant: economically and militarily.
The economic numbers of trade, cooperation, tourism, and development have been astounding. Hundreds of thousands of Arabs have visited Israel — while comparable numbers of Israelis have visited their “cousins” in the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco. Prior to the Palestinian terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 projections for trade were sky high. Billions of dollars had already crossed borders.
The newfound Israel-UAE relationship alone came in at over $3 billion in bilateral trade in the first two years of the accords. The Emirates began to market itself as the scale-up nation to Israel’s start-up nation.
The energy and excitement around collaboration was the envy of other Muslim countries that had not yet normalized relations with the Jewish state. Joe Biden’s dream was to bring peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Of course his ability to execute was non-existent.
President Trump’s vision, on the other hand, as outlined in his first administration on his first overseas trip in Saudi Arabia, was of Peace Through Prosperity. It seemed, after the signing of the Abraham Accords, to be within reach with endless possibilities for growth.
October 7th transformed the primarily trade-based relations into more complicated military-based relations, and a lot more countries were pulled into the mix. The alignment of the Arab “peace players” in the aftermath of the brutal terrorist attacks was seen through universal condemnation of Hamas and support for Israel’s just war. It helped, on many levels, that Hamas’s main backers are Iran, Qatar, and Turkey, none of whom are overly friendly toward the peacemakers nor, indeed, toward Saudi Arabia.
But geopolitics are unpredictable. After Israel targeted Hezbollah through the terrorists’ beepers and built a drone factory inside Iran, and after Israel began targeting Houthi pirates who were disrupting global trade, and after the U.S. and Israel obliterated Iran’s nuclear capabilities, verbal support for Israel from Saudi Arabia on the global stage has been noticeably silent. Following Israel’s recent strategic strikes on Hamas leaders who were being given safe harbor in Doha, the Gulf Arabs rallied around their erstwhile neighbor, Qatar. Saudi Arabia stopped making cryptic comments about how peace with Israel was almost at the finish line. Instead, the Kingdom and the Crown Prince have been quick to criticize Israel’s precise and targeted attacks on terrorists and terror cells. It’s almost as if Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman thinks that now that Israel has taken care of the mutual enemies of Saudi Arabia and of Israel, he no longer needs to play nice in the sandbox.
If Saudi Arabia is rethinking its long-term strategy of peace through prosperity with Jerusalem, that is a shame. MBS should take a page from the UAE and Bahrain notebooks: peace really does lead to prosperity. It leads to access to Israeli innovation. It leads to increases in tourism. It leads to military cooperation. It leads to technological and innovative breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, in agriculture, and in space. And it leads to political and economic stability. Five years later, the numbers don’t lie.
Israel has stood by its Abraham Accords allies in contests with the Houthis in Yemen, just as Arab peacemakers have cooperated with Israel in downing Iranian ICBMs headed toward Israel. There are bad actors in the Middle East, to be sure, and the old adage of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” holds true in the desert. Israel now has formal peace agreements with five Arab countries and, given President Trump’s extraordinary negotiating skills, more such peace agreements could emerge in the short term.
The world should expect new and interesting conversations on the margins of the UN General Assembly this month in New York between Israel and her neighbors including never-imagined efforts to broker agreements between Jerusalem and Damascus as well as between Jerusalem and Beirut.
MBS in Riyadh will surely be watching from the sidelines, but he would be wise to join the conversations directly as well — Saudi Arabia with its dreams of modernization would have a great partner in the country across the Red Sea that literally made its own desert bloom.
**Bonnie Glick is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).

Slected X tweets For September 18/2025
Dr Walid Phares
Any serious security dialogue between the regime in Damascus and Israel must begin with the withdrawal of jihadi forces from Alawite, Christian, and Druze areas in Syria, and the establishment of local protection forces, similar to the model implemented in Rojava. Once this condition is met, the regime and Israel can move toward a peace agreement under the auspices of the United States. Internal stability is the foundation of broader regional stability.

Prime Minister of Israel
https://x.com/i/status/1968511432032391272
Charlie Kirk was a great man. He deserves honor - not lies.

Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט
https://x.com/i/status/1968588064663515574
The world’s first laser-based interception system that works!🇮🇱
Israel will share this life saver with our friends.
Watch:

Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט
https://x.com/i/status/1968440680688001524
Breaking news:
Israel has deployed the world’s first *effective and battle-tested* laser interception system.
Rafael Industries announced today the official release of this system.
It’s already taken down dozens of rockets, UAVs and even mortars.
This spells a profound change to military history:
Weapons at the speed of light.
The moment we see the projectile, we hit it. No time lag.
This will save endless lives.
The cost per interception: 2 dollars of electricity (no mistake here).
The cost per Iron Dome interception was about $60,000.
This totally revolutionizes the war economy. We’ll simply bankrupt our enemies.
Yes, this will take time to fully evolve.
We will rapidly improve the distance and the beam power.
We will later on place this in space, so we can intercept ballistic missiles.
This was Reagan’s StarWars.
This will change everything.
I’m so proud of my country, Israel

Trump Truth Social Posts On X
I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
(TS: 17 Sep 20:26 ET)‍

JD Vance
https://x.com/i/status/1968479397108740172
The movement that Charlie Kirk built will keep growing long after he's gone.
His legacy will be felt by millions of people for years to come, and it grows stronger every day as we remember the incredible life he led.

Congressman Randy Fine
We need to stop pretending Islam is compatible with American values.

Zéna Mansour
Hosting terrorist figures like ElJulani, who celebrated the 9/11 attacks, at the UN headquarters in New York undermines the organization's credibility and poses a global security risk.

Rep. Nancy Mace
Tonight, 210 Democrats and 4 Republicans sold out and chose to protect Ilhan Omar, a woman who mocked the cold-blooded assassination of an innocent American husband and father, who has openly supported ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood, and who has repeatedly incited political violence. They didn’t stand with Charlie Kirk. They didn’t stand with the millions of Americans mourning his death. They stood with the one who mocked his legacy. They showed us exactly who they are, and we won’t forget.