English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For  September 26/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2025/english.September26.25.htm

News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006 

Click On The Below Link To Join Elias Bejjaninews whatsapp group
https://chat.whatsapp.com/FPF0N7lE5S484LNaSm0MjW
اضغط على الرابط في أعلى للإنضمام لكروب Eliasbejjaninews whatsapp group

Elias Bejjani/Click on the below link to subscribe to my youtube channel
الياس بجاني/اضغط على الرابط في أسفل للإشتراك في موقعي ع اليوتيوب
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAOOSioLh1GE3C1hp63Camw

Bible Quotations For today
No one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 09/38-50/:”John said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. ‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. ‘For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.’ “.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 25-26/2025
Peace with Israel and neutrality are the true foundations of Lebanon's protection—not weapons, wars, or the deceit and illusions of the so-called resistance. /A Wake-Up Call for Lebanon: The Path to Peace and Neutrality/Elias Bejjani/September 25/2025
God punishes us for our infidelity and lack of faith in Michel Aoun, who has succumbed to all the temptations of Lucifer, and in his son-in-law, Gebran the Magnitsky (sanctioned under the US Magnitsky Act), and in all those who are of their Trojan ilk./Elias Bejjani/September 23, 2025
A link to a video of a panel discussion about President Trump’s vision, moderated by Morgan Ortagus featuring Ambassadors, Steven Witkoff, & Tom Barrack focusing on their respective roles in the Middle East
A link to a video interview from "Al-Badil" Youtube Platform with Dr. David Ramadan
Prime Ministe, Salam: What happened in Raouche was a violation, and I have asked the Ministers of Interior, Justice, and Defense to take action and arrest those involved.
Lebanese Prime Minister Cancels Appointments to Follow Up on Hezbollah and Roché Rock Incident
Hezbollah defies the state and illuminates the Roché Rock with images of Nasrallah and Safi al-Din/It reneged on the agreement and caused chaos throughout the day
Hezbollah: Caught Between Unchosen Challenges and Limited Options
Wafiq Safa: The Shadow Figure Challenges: "We Came to Illuminate It"
Illuminating the Roché Rock: Hezbollah's Security Wing Prevails Over its Political Wing
Barrack says US continues to support Lebanon's efforts after uproar
Hezbollah beams images of Nasrallah, Safieddine and Rafik and Saad Hariri on Raouche Rock
Salam orders arrest of those who beamed Nasrallah pic to Raouche Rock
Rubio says US 'remains very committed' to Lebanon
Iranian speaker says supplying Hezbollah with rockets 'not impossible'
Macron calls on Israel to withdraw from south Lebanon
Rajji tells Khamenei only legitimate govt. and Lebanese army will remain
Aoun meets Rubio, Blair and US congressmen in New York
Berri denies more posts for Shiites in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament
The End of U.S. Patience in Lebanon: Disarm Hezbollah—or Face the Consequences/Charbel Antoun/Linkendin/September 25/2025
Is Lebanon witnessing a return to the era of assassinations?/Tony Atiyeh/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 26, 2025
Hezbollah and "The March of Folly"/Dr. Joseline Bustani/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 26, 2025
"The Shiites duo" imposes what it couldn't achieve during its period of strength, now in times of weakness?/Alan Sarkis/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 26, 2025
People, Army, and "The Rock"/Jean El-Fakhri/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 26, 2025
Will David Petraeus Replace Tom Perriello?/Nadia Ghosoub/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 26, 2025
Hezbollah broke the authority of the state and gave "the enemy" the perfect gift./Dr. Saied Harqas//Nidaa Al-Watan/September 26, 2025
Can Hezbollah still dictate outcomes in Syria, or have battlefield losses curtailed its once formidable influence?/ANAN TELLO/Arab News/September 26, 2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 25-26/2025
Israel says struck Houthi targets in Yemen's rebel-held capital
Israel-Palestine issues not insurmountable, Saudi FM tells Arab News
Trump: ‘I will not allow Israel to annex West Bank’
Arab vision for Gaza is ‘clear,’ Egypt FM tells Arab News
Palestinian president warns against plans for ‘Greater Israel’
Trump new Gaza 'peace' plan presented to Arab, Muslim leaders
Trump envoy Witkoff expects Mideast 'breakthrough' in coming days
At least 17 killed in Gaza Strip as leaders ramp up pressure for ceasefire
What to know about the international flotilla seeking to break Israel's blockade of Gaza
‘We’re moving closer’ to two-state solution, Saudi aid chief tells Arab News
Israel says struck Houthi targets in Yemen's rebel-held capital
Libyan leader urges UN to back full sovereignty, elections, end to foreign interference

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on September 25-26/2025
A Gaza Endgame With More Blood and Politics/Alberto M. Fernandez/National Catholic Registery/September 25, 2025
Deployment of Italian, Spanish naval vessels complicates Gaza flotilla/SETH J. FRANTZMAN/Face Book/September 25, 2025
Qatar is no Arab Switzerland ...It’s a Muslim Brotherhood terrorist haven/Clifford D. May/The Washington Times/The Washington Times/September 25/2025
More than 600,000 Gazans have evacuated Gaza City amid growing IDF offensive/Seth J. Frantzman/FDD's Long War Journal/September 25/2025
Big powers must change or our world will continue to bleed/Mohamed Chebaro/Arab News/September 25, 2025
Israel Is Pushing Arab Peace Partners to Their Limits/David Schenker/Washington Institute/September 25/2025
The priorities for reform under UN80 Initiative/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/September 25, 2025
Emmanuel Macron is Clueless on the Palestinians/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/September 25, 2025
Selected X tweets For September 25/2024

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 25-26/2025
Peace with Israel and neutrality are the true foundations of Lebanon's protection—not weapons, wars, or the deceit and illusions of the so-called resistance.
A Wake-Up Call for Lebanon: The Path to Peace and Neutrality
Elias Bejjani/September 25/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147641/
In his latest interview with Sky News Arabia, U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack presented positions that were unprecedented in their frankness and clarity. He did not settle for vague diplomatic rhetoric but instead spoke plainly about official U.S. policy toward Lebanon, confirming that his words were a precise reflection of Washington’s stance. This makes his remarks a political document worthy of careful attention.
1. American Honesty in Confronting Lebanese Duplicity
Barrack stressed that the Lebanese authorities are practicing what he called “clever maneuvering”: issuing promises and slogans that are never implemented. He explained that the government manipulates the international community, saying one thing and doing the opposite—especially regarding its obligation to disarm Hezbollah in accordance with international resolutions and the ceasefire agreement. This was not a polite remark or a passing observation. It was a direct and blunt accusation that the Lebanese state is complicit in covering for the Iranian militia’s hegemony. Barrack made it clear: Washington no longer believes empty promises—it wants real commitments, not words.
2. The Reality of U.S. Support for the Lebanese Army
One of the statements that stirred debate was Barrack’s remark that America will not supply Lebanon with offensive weapons against Israel. Some voices seized upon this and launched attacks against Washington, accusing it of leaving Lebanon exposed. Yet such criticism is distorted and selective.
The facts are clear: the United States has provided consistent support to the Lebanese Army for years—training, equipment, vehicles, border surveillance, and significant defensive weaponry. This support amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars annually, allowing the army to maintain cohesion in a country suffering total economic collapse. Without this aid, the army would struggle even to pay soldiers’ salaries.
Why won’t America supply Lebanon with offensive weapons? The answer is simple: Lebanon neither needs nor can acquire offensive weapons on the scale of Israel’s arsenal. Any attempt to do so would be strategic suicide. Israel possesses nuclear weapons, the most advanced air defense systems in the world, precision-guided smart munitions, and military technology far beyond that of any regional state. Even if Lebanon acquired some heavy weapons, it would not alter the balance of power.
3. What Protects Lebanon is not Weapons but Agreements and Peace
True protection for Lebanon will not come from an arms race but from adherence to international law, respect for U.N. resolutions, and a commitment to peace. The examples from neighboring states are clear:
Jordan has limited military capacity, yet since signing a peace treaty with Israel in 1994 it has faced no Israeli aggression.
Egypt fought bloody wars with Israel, but since the 1979 Camp David accords, its borders have remained secure.
These examples prove that peace safeguards small and vulnerable nations more effectively than weapons ever could. If Lebanon chose a similar path, it would be safe from aggression and spared the devastation of endless wars.
4. The Collapse of the “Resistance” Myth
Here it is necessary to expose the claims of Hezbollah, Iran, and the broader Islamist movements—Shiite and Sunni alike—including the Muslim Brotherhood and their sponsors in Qatar and Turkey. They wave the banner of “resistance” and promise to wipe Israel off the map. Yet reality has proven the exact opposite:
In 1967, all Arab armies were defeated by Israel in just six days.
In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon, reached Beirut, and expelled the PLO.
In 2006, the July War plunged Lebanon into devastation, proving that Hezbollah’s weapons do not protect the country but instead invite catastrophe.
Lately Israel has managed to cripple Hezbollah’s capabilities in the south through deterrence and precision strikes, while helping in toppling the Assad regime and end Iran’s presence in Syria.
Meanwhile Israel is on the way to eliminating Hamas in Gaza, despite extensive Iranian, Qatari, and Turkish support.
These facts reveal that Hezbollah’s and Iran’s slogans of “divine victories” are nothing but hypocrisy, deceit, and delusion. The Iranian project is built on exploiting the illusion of “resistance” to keep populations under control, but in the end, it has suffered repeated defeats.
5. Lebanon Needs No “Phantom Resistance,” Only Neutrality and Peace
The core reality is that the Lebanese Army does not need offensive weapons, nor should it be dragged into futile wars. Its capabilities are limited, its economy shattered, and it has no interest in confronting a regional military powerhouse like Israel.
What Lebanon truly needs is:
The disarmament of Hezbollah, in line with international resolutions.
The adoption of positive neutrality, following Switzerland’s example, to escape the regional proxy wars.
A fair peace agreement with Israel, securing its borders and resources while allowing Lebanon to focus on rebuilding and development.
6. Debunking Misleading Arguments
Those who attack Ambassador Barrack and claim that Washington is “preventing Lebanon from defending itself” ignore basic realities:
Lebanon cannot engage in an arms race with Israel.
It cannot purchase weapons worth billions while drowning in economic collapse.
The weapons Hezbollah claims “protect Lebanon” have not stopped Israel from striking the south daily, nor have they prevented financial and political ruin. On the contrary, they have destroyed Lebanon’s sovereignty.
These arguments are nothing more than propaganda tools serving Iran’s agenda.
Conclusion: An Opportunity to Save Lebanon
Ambassador Tom Barrack’s words should be read as a wake-up call: Lebanon stands before two stark choices. Either it continues in its duplicity and empty promises, covering for Hezbollah’s weapons and sliding deeper into crises and ruin. Or it takes the bold decision to break free from the culture of arms, return to international legitimacy, and embrace neutrality and peace.
All of Hezbollah’s and Iran’s claims about “resistance” have collapsed in utter defeat. They have neither deterred Israel, nor regained territory, nor empowered Lebanon. On the contrary, they have only brought international isolation, poverty, and mass emigration.
The only viable protection for Lebanon is peace. This is the core message carried by the U.S. Ambassador: there is no room left for illusions.

God punishes us for our infidelity and lack of faith in Michel Aoun, who has succumbed to all the temptations of Lucifer, and in his son-in-law, Gebran the Magnitsky (sanctioned under the US Magnitsky Act), and in all those who are of their Trojan ilk.
Elias Bejjani/September 23, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147563/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW_b8SjEaTk&t=160s
The popular receptions and celebrations held for Michel Aoun and his sanctioned son-in-law during their tours in some regions of Lebanon in recent days are a shameful and strange reality, to which the popular saying “the cat loves its strangler” and “Stockholm syndrome” apply.
These receptions are the best evidence of the depth of our national and spiritual tragedy. On a personal faith-based and firm conviction, I have become certain that the Lord is punishing us Christians in Lebanon and the diaspora in particular, with a class of stinking, devilish, corrupt, and corrupting politicians and clerics who have gleefully succumbed to all the temptations of Lucifer, the king of demons. This is because we have distanced ourselves from our faith and the duty to protect our sacred homeland, and we have deliberately and premeditatedly preferred all that is worldly, earthly, and uncontrolled instinctive.
I have personally become convinced that the punishment and retribution for this instinctive reality come to us through infidel leaders, politicians, rulers, and clerics, foremost and most dangerous of whom are the corrupt and narcissistic Gebran Bassil, and his uncle Michel Aoun, who has killed within himself all the components of shame and conscience, which are God.
Through the power, debauchery, and harlotry of these scribes and Pharisees of politicians, heads of so falsely called political party (in reality commercial companies), and turbaned and hooded groups, God is punishing us by letting them roam freely, deciding our fate by buying and selling us in the slave market. They have surpassed their masters in inventing all kinds of evils and falls, drowning us in their quagmires and burning us with their fire.
In this context of punishment, I find it strange that there is still a single rational and faithful Christian in Lebanon and abroad, capable of differentiating between good and evil, right and wrong, who has not explicitly cursed Michel Aoun, his son-in-law, and the majority of politicians and heads of party companies after all the infidelity, ingratitude, collaboration, betrayal, corruption, depravity, errors, and sins they have committed.
In short, whoever is still submerged in a coma of ignorance, stupidity, and slavery, and continues to “glorify” and “sanctify” Michel Aoun and his son-in-law Gebran, receiving them, walking their walk, and saying their say despite their un-Lebanese and unpatriotic actions and choices, it simply means that the effects of the heavenly curse, divine wrath, and retribution will not stop. They will continue to strike Lebanon and its people through this duo and through all those of their ilk from politicians, clerics, and leaders.
It remains that the political and national exposure of Bassil and his uncle, their practices, errors, and sins, does not in any way mean that the rest of the heads of our party companies, their followers, and 99% of our political teams, and the turbaned and hooded ones are better than them, even if they do not provoke the noise, disgust, and curses that Gebran and his uncle, and those who follow them of merchants, opportunists, and narcissists, provoke.
We ask: How can any Lebanese expatriate support Gebran Bassil and Micheal Aoun and not curse them, and not work to overthrow them from all that they politically and nationally represent, while they, with debauchery, shamelessly oppose the participation of Lebanese expatriates in the parliamentary elections just like their resident relatives? How can the expatriate not curse them when they are the ones who handed the country over to Hezbollah and let it turn it into an Iranian colony? Those who still support them in the diaspora should go to the nearest mental health clinic and pray day and night, hoping that God will forgive them for their national, spiritual, and mental falls.
It remains that our current reality is a reality of a time of drought, misery, sorrow, and disbelief… while Lebanon of sanctity and saints is being eaten to the bone by the worm of moral and ethical decay due to a lack of faith and the fear of God and His final judgment.

A link to a video of a panel discussion about President Trump’s vision, moderated by Morgan Ortagus featuring Ambassadors, Steven Witkoff, & Tom Barrack focusing on their respective roles in the Middle East
Concordia Platform/Voices of Diplomacy: Shaping America’s Role in the World | 2025 Concordia Annual Summit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODBkp2-CbEA
Speakers:
The Hon. Morgan Ortagus, The Hon. Steven Witkoff,
The Hon. Tom Barrack
Concordia is the leading public-private sector convener, with the Annual Summit one of the most important global gatherings of C-suite executives, heads of state, government officials, nonprofit leaders, and entrepreneurs.
September 25/2025

A link to a video interview from "Al-Badil" Youtube Platform with Dr. David Ramadan
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147634/
An excellent interview that can be described in one word: "stripping the mask off"—exposing the hypocrisy, deceit, cowardice, and indecisiveness of Nawaf Salam who is a caretaker PM, under the mere control of the mafia boss Nabih Berri. Everything negative Tom Barrack said about the Lebanese officials it true. September 25/2025

Prime Ministe, Salam: What happened in Raouche was a violation, and I have asked the Ministers of Interior, Justice, and Defense to take action and arrest those involved.
NNA/September 25, 2025 (Translate from Arabic)
Prime Minister, Nof Salam, wrote on X: "What happened today in the Raouche area constitutes a clear violation of the terms of the permit issued by the Governor of Beirut to the organizers of the demonstration. This permit explicitly stated that 'the Raouche Rock must not be illuminated under any circumstances, whether from land, sea, or air, and no images may be projected onto it.' Therefore, I contacted the Ministers of Interior, Justice, and Defense, and asked them to take appropriate action, including arresting those involved and referring them to investigation so that they may face the consequences in accordance with the law. It goes without saying that this constitutes a breach of the explicit commitments of the organizing group and its supporters, and represents another setback for them, negatively impacting their credibility in their dealings with the state and its institutions." This reprehensible act will not deter us from our resolve to rebuild a state based on the rule of law and strong institutions; rather, it strengthens our determination to fulfill this national duty.”

Lebanese Prime Minister Cancels Appointments to Follow Up on Hezbollah and Roché Rock Incident
Al-Sharq Al-Awsat/September 25, 2025 (Translate from Arabic)
Several Lebanese media outlets reported on Thursday evening that Prime Minister Nof Salam had canceled his scheduled meetings for Friday at the government palace in order to focus on developments following Hezbollah's insistence on illuminating the Roché Rock in Beirut with images of its former secretaries-general, Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safi al-Din. Thousands of Hezbollah supporters gathered at the Roché Rock to commemorate the first anniversary of Nasrallah's alleged assassination in an Israeli airstrike. Following this, Salam instructed the Ministers of Interior, Justice, and Defense to take appropriate action against the organizers of the Roché event in Beirut for violating the terms of the permit issued by the Beirut governor, which stipulated that the Roché Rock was not to be illuminated. In a statement, Salam said, “What happened today in the Roché area constitutes a blatant violation of the terms of the permit issued by the Beirut governor to the organizers of the gathering, which clearly stated that the Roché Rock was not to be illuminated at all, whether from land, sea, or air, and that no images were to be projected onto it.” He emphasized that “this constitutes a breach of the explicit commitments of the organizing party and its supporters and is another misstep that negatively impacts their credibility in their dealings with the state and its institutions.” He stressed that “this reprehensible act will not deter us from our resolve to rebuild a state based on the rule of law and strong institutions; rather, it strengthens our determination to fulfill this national duty.”

Hezbollah defies the state and illuminates the Roché Rock with images of Nasrallah and Safi al-Din/It reneged on the agreement and caused chaos throughout the day
Middle East/September 25, 2025 (Translate from Arabic)
Hezbollah defied the Lebanese government's decision to prohibit the use of public property by displaying images of its former secretaries-general, Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safi al-Din, on the Roché Rock, after reneging on the agreement reached on Wednesday, which stipulated that the event would be limited to a gathering. Hezbollah's announcement last week that it intended to illuminate the Roché Rock with the images of its two former secretaries-general on the first anniversary of their assassination sparked widespread opposition in Lebanon, with MPs from Beirut denouncing the move as provocative, arguing that the rock is an archaeological landmark that cannot be used for political or partisan events.
After the party announced this move without obtaining prior permission from the Beirut Governorate, which is responsible for such matters according to the law, Prime Minister Tammam Salam issued a circular to all government departments, public institutions, municipalities, their associations, and relevant authorities, regarding compliance with the laws governing the use of public land and sea areas, archaeological and tourist sites, official buildings, and landmarks of national significance. The circular requested "strict enforcement of the prohibition of their use without obtaining the necessary permits and licenses." Based on this, reports indicated that the party had initially decided against illuminating the rock with the images of Nasrallah and Safi al-Din, after obtaining a permit from the Beirut Governorate to hold a gathering of no more than 500 people in the Raouche area. However, it did not receive permission to illuminate the rock. The event was to take place in the area as a memorial gathering, with security measures implemented by the Lebanese Army, and without the rock being illuminated. But after this information angered Hezbollah supporters, who were opposed to the decision, as reflected on social media, Lebanese media outlets, particularly those affiliated with Hezbollah, began publishing reports and leaks from early Thursday morning, indicating that the party remained firm on its decision to illuminate the rock. Later that afternoon, the party issued a statement reiterating its invitation to participate in the event, creating confusion and tension in Lebanon, with fears of a potential confrontation between event participants and security forces. Videos circulated of car convoys carrying portraits of Nasrallah and Safi al-Din and Hezbollah flags, arriving from the Bekaa and southern regions to participate in the event. Before the event began, there was a display of boats on the sea, flying Hezbollah flags. Wa'ik Safa, the head of the party's liaison and coordination unit, also participated in the event, arriving to chants of "We are with you, Nasrallah!" At 6:55 PM, as planned, the Raouche rock was illuminated with the Lebanese flag and then with Nasrallah's image, to chants of "We are with you, Nasrallah... Shiites, Shiites... We are with you, Qassem" (referring to current Secretary-General Naim Qassem). Political sources expressed their astonishment at the "abandonment of the agreement and compromise" reached following the contacts between officials, most notably Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Tammam Salam, noting that communications had continued throughout the day in an attempt to ensure the event would proceed without any tension. The party had announced that it would commemorate the anniversaries of its two former secretaries-general with a series of public and political events, running from September 25 to October 12. The first day would feature the illumination of the iconic Rock of Roueche with the images of Nasrallah and Safi al-Din, and a main official ceremony would take place on September 27, including a speech by current Hezbollah Secretary-General, Naim Qassem. Notably, most of the events were not limited to the southern suburbs of Beirut, but would also be held in other parts of the city. Portraits of Nasrallah, Safi al-Din, and current Secretary-General Naim Qassem, along with those of other leaders and slogans emphasizing the continuation of resistance, were displayed throughout the streets of the southern suburbs. Salam's stance received broad support, particularly from Hezbollah's opponents who stressed the need for the state to assert its authority. MP Wajih al-Sadiq wrote on X: "When the narrative shifts from the elimination of the State of Israel to displaying a picture on the Rock of Roueche, while Israel continues its daily attacks and assassinations, the party is in a leadership and political predicament and must reconsider its strategy. The only way forward is to accept and adhere to the principles of the state and to work with all Lebanese citizens to rebuild Lebanon." For his part, MP Fadi Karam wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "Coexistence between the rule of law and lawlessness is impossible; coexistence between the state and armed groups is not feasible; and coexistence between a people who love their country and uphold the law, and an ideological group that does not believe in the nation, partnership, or public order, is unsustainable. Either the state must assert its authority and function as a true state, or it will be devoured by gangs and lawless elements." Meanwhile, former MP Fares Saied wrote on his X account: "I wish Presidents Aoun and Salam success in continuing the difficult path of state-building, and to President Hariri, I say: '(One tree cannot hide the forest) You are responsible for the shift of the Shia community from party politics to state institutions...'"

Hezbollah: Caught Between Unchosen Challenges and Limited Options
Cities/September 25, 2025 (Translate from Arabic)
Hezbollah understands that all the political and military pressures on Lebanon aim to disarm it, regardless of the cost. Nevertheless, it prefers to lose its weapons through force at the hands of an enemy that targets it daily, rather than surrender them voluntarily. The party believes that its existence and identity are inextricably linked to its possession of weapons, and that surrendering them would constitute an admission of defeat and an end to its project, which derives its strength and prestige from its military capabilities. Well-informed sources indicate that Hezbollah is convinced that Israel's continued aggression against Lebanon and its occupation of Lebanese territory, along with the Lebanese state's "inability" to counter this aggression through diplomacy, justifies its retention of weapons. Even if it cannot use these weapons today, it believes it can do so when conditions become more favorable. Hezbollah wants to use every passing day to preserve what remains of its arsenal and rebuild its military capabilities. However, it fully realizes that it will not have the luxury or freedom to do so at present, as its assets will remain vulnerable to Israeli targeting, and because it cannot currently revert to the traditional confrontation tactics it employed before the November 27, 2024 ceasefire. According to these sources, the party believes that the regional situation is not conducive, and that the fragile Lebanese situation cannot withstand another Israeli war on Lebanon. Furthermore, to rebuild its military capabilities, it needs three essential, interconnected factors that are currently unavailable:
1. Territory from which it can conduct military operations, free from daily Israeli targeting.
2. Safe routes for the movement of its weapons and fighters, both across and within the borders. * Funds for rebuilding its military infrastructure or for any strategy or plan it wants to implement.
The same sources add that if the party were to succeed even once in targeting an Israeli objective, it understands that this is precisely what Netanyahu is waiting for and wants, in order to escalate his aggression and war against Lebanon. Furthermore, the party would thus reveal to Israel what remains of its positions and weapons.
Bending to the Storm
The party is currently adopting a strategy of bending to the storm until it passes, rather than confronting it, in order to avoid collapse and the end of its weapons and its project. All it wants now is time, and more time—because it is betting on regional or international developments that will "distract" the Americans and Israelis from its arsenal. Besides time, it is also betting on the continued Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory, in order to rebuild the elements of strength it has lost, is losing, or is about to lose: its public support and its base of support, by keeping them mobilized, active, and supportive of any decision it makes later. It also aims to strengthen its internal structure by reorganizing it and purging it of anything that could expose it to further infiltration, and by learning from all the security loopholes and mistakes for which it has paid dearly. It also aims to rebuild its military and human capabilities by attempting to recruit a new generation of fighters, even if this is currently difficult due to its heightened security vulnerability to Israeli surveillance and operations.
How will it withstand?
The party faces the challenge of its ability to maintain its current stance of clinging to its weapons in the long term, in light of the new reality surrounding it both inside and outside its borders: Hezbollah has lost its ally, Syria, from which it used to receive support and through which it supplied its front lines. After the regime change in Syria and the party's complete withdrawal from the country, Syria has transformed from a supporting front to an enemy front. The siege imposed on the party, cutting off all its sources of funding and weapons, and severing its lifeline to Iran by land, sea, and air. The United States and Israel have linked the reconstruction of the southern towns and villages—which formed the infrastructure of Hezbollah's arsenal, its base of popular support, and the geographical area from which it operated—to Hezbollah's disarmament. This will create significant public pressure within its own community. UNIFIL's oversight, which has become a heavy burden, monitors its activities and uncovers its hideouts and tunnels. The greatest challenge facing the party remains the risk of internal strife. Thus, it seems to be walking a tightrope between two high cliffs. Any rash move could plunge it into a quagmire of internal conflict, which alone would be enough to destroy the myth of the party and its weapons in one fell swoop. In conclusion, Hezbollah appears trapped between challenges it did not choose and options it does not possess. It is betting on time and prefers to wait... but will Israel wait?

Wafiq Safa: The Shadow Figure Challenges: "We Came to Illuminate It"
Cities/September 25, 2025 (Translate from Arabic)
It was not expected that Hezbollah would back down from holding its event in the Rasha area, or that it would agree not to project the images of its two secretaries-general onto the rock. The event was no longer merely a commemoration of a symbolic occasion; it had transformed into a clear political message, which the party intended to convey to the international community, more than to the domestic audience, in defiance of those who seek to diminish its role or restrict its weapons. In a deliberate act of defiance, Hezbollah's message was complete, as it interpreted the granted permit according to its own vision. It projected the images of its two secretaries-general using modern technology, highlighting their faces prominently, then the image of Mr. Hassan Nasrallah appeared, with its symbolic and profound significance, before the scene was overlaid with another image of him with Presidents Rafik and Saad Hariri. Alongside this exceptional display, Hezbollah's liaison and coordination official, Wafiq Safa, appeared among the crowd, in a three-dimensional message that Hezbollah intended to refute recent claims about diminishing its role or removing it from decision-making positions. Through his rare public appearance, Safa intended to make his presence a challenge, stating: "I came to illuminate the rock." He sat opposite the Rasha rock, awaiting the moment of illumination, a scene captured precisely by photographers, conveying a broader message affirming that the party is recovering from the blow it suffered during the recent war, which affected it deeply on several levels. This public appearance of Wafiq Safa among the Hezbollah supporters, and his presence alone without any other party officials, carried political and security implications. It serves as an affirmation that he remains in a position of power, steadfast in his approach, tone, and security role that defines his character. His appearance served as a clear message that attempts to marginalize or remove him had failed. These messages come at a time when reports suggest a decline in Safa's role and a reduction in his powers within the party, with some responsibilities being taken away from him. However, his statement, "We're here to make it happen," seemed to confirm that he is the driving force behind the idea and one of those most determined to implement it. His personal presence was a testament to both the achievement and the challenge. It's worth noting that Wafiq Safa, the prominent security chief of Hezbollah, miraculously survived an Israeli attack that targeted the building where he was staying during the war, while his two sons were injured in the pager bomb explosions. His current presence is therefore a demonstration of his resilience and continued influence within the party. Any redistribution of roles or changes in his assigned responsibilities will not diminish his standing, as evidenced by his immediate phone calls after the event—one to the army commander to thank him for maintaining security, and another to the head of the Internal Security Forces—further reinforcing his continued role within the party, particularly in the security sphere. This may have implications for the future.

Illuminating the Roché Rock: Hezbollah's Security Wing Prevails Over its Political Wing
Rin Qazi/Al-Madina/September 25, 2025 (Translate from Arabic)
The illumination of the Roché Rock with the images of the former secretaries-general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safi al-Din, has resulted in a situation that transcends Lebanese government decisions, demonstrating that the security wing of the party prevailed over its political wing. The illumination of the rock stemmed from a deliberate challenge by the party, in defiance of attempts to prevent it. The attempts to prevent it sparked discussions on social media over the past few days, portraying the party as weakened and forced to comply with the new regime. The social media victory led the party to efforts to prove otherwise, but this did not conceal the internal divisions within the party itself, nor the attempt to re-establish roles that many believed had changed with the party's transformations and new positions. In more detail, over the past two days, political officials from Hezbollah shuttled between official offices, and MP Amin Shrieh held several meetings, including with Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjaj, Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud, and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, who took the lead in contacting Prime Minister Tammam Salam. These meetings resulted in the party confirming its commitment to the government decision, and it obtained the necessary permit from the governorate on that basis. This commitment came from the party's political wing. Things were moving in this direction until the head of the Coordination and Liaison Committee, Wafiq Safa (a security figure), arrived at the gathering spot in front of the Roché Rock and made a brief statement: "We will illuminate it," amidst the crowds that had gathered in the area, thus giving the event a significant political momentum. As soon as darkness fell, the rock was first illuminated with lasers, then with images of the two party leaders. This context suggests two possible interpretations. One is that Safa broke the political wing of the party's promise to abide by its commitments. The other interpretation is that the large crowd gathered at the site, which was encouraged by MP Hussein Al-Hajj Hassan to attend in large numbers, left the security forces no choice but to allow the "popular demand" for the rock's illumination, thus preventing any potential confrontation between the army and the crowd. The party then used this situation to implement what it had announced the previous week, effectively countering any attempts to undermine its position through the rock illumination event. According to this second hypothesis, Safa also used his presence to send a message through the media, demonstrating his willingness to uphold the popular will, following reports circulating last week about a potential shift in his position within the party. In either case, the party's opponents paved the way for this by widely discussing the issue on social media, framing the rock illumination as an act of defiance against the party. This intense online discussion prompted the party to publicly challenge any attempts to weaken or isolate it, particularly by excluding it from Beirut. It responded by defying the state and its government decisions through the rock illumination, sending a message that it had not been weakened and that the government could not control the popular support that had flowed to Al-Rousheh, exceeding all expectations. The messages of defiance conveyed by the party also included an attempt to appease the Sunni community in Beirut. The rock formation was illuminated with a composite image of Nasrallah, flanked by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, whose assassination the International Tribunal for Lebanon attributed to Salim Ayyash, a member of Hezbollah. Later, the iconic Roueche Rock was illuminated with a photograph taken during the 2006 dialogue sessions, showing Saad Hariri and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri alongside Nasrallah. In this way, the party attempted to portray the lawmakers who opposed the illumination as unrepresentative of Beirut, while claiming "legitimacy from the Sunni street" by invoking the legacy of Rafik Hariri and Nasrallah's relationship with the assassinated prime minister. This approach ignores the surreal contradictions and painful memories it evokes, as well as Nasrallah's subsequent relationship with Saad Hariri. The party exploited these contradictions to send a political message, ultimately culminating in the confrontation at Roueche—a tactic that, on the ground, was less costly than appearing weak in the eyes of its own supporters, and more importantly, in the eyes of its opponents.

Barrack says US continues to support Lebanon's efforts after uproar
Naharnet/September 25/2025
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack announced Thursday that the U.S. “continues to support Lebanon’s endeavor to rebuild its own state” and “find peace with its neighbors,” days after his remarks he made sparked concern and outrage in Lebanon and drew responses from Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Nawaf Salam. In a post on X, Barrack added that Washington also backs Lebanon as it continues “its quest for resolution of its recently signed cessation of hostilities agreement in November of 2024, including the disarmament of Hizballah.”
In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Barrack had said "the Lebanese, and I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, all they do is talk," claiming that there is no real action on Hezbollah's disarmament. This prompted Salam to "affirm that the government is committed to fully implementing its Ministerial Statement, particularly with regard to carrying out reforms and extending the state's authority over all its territory.""I am surprised by the recent statements made by Ambassador Thomas Barrack, which question the seriousness of the government and the role of the army," he said, adding that he is confident that the army is fulfilling its responsibilities in protecting Lebanon's sovereignty, ensuring its stability, and carrying out its national duties, including implementing the disarmament plan. "On this occasion, I call on the international community to intensify its support for the Lebanese Army and to pressure Israel to withdraw from the territories it occupies, as well as to stop its repeated aggressions in implementation of the ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024."After the Lebanese government took last month the decision to disarm Hezbollah, Barrack said the "Lebanese government has done their part" and "now what we need is for Israel to comply with that equal handshake."In the recent interview, he seemed to change his stance, accusing the government of only "talking" with no real action, and revealing that Israel will not withdraw which will give Hezbollah more excuses to keep its arms.

Hezbollah beams images of Nasrallah, Safieddine and Rafik and Saad Hariri on Raouche Rock
Naharnet/September 25/2025
Hezbollah on Thursday beamed images of its slain leaders Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem Safieddine on Beirut's iconic Raouche Rock, defying Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and a number of Beirut MPs and anti-Hezbollah politicians.
Hezbollah also beamed the Lebanese flag and a picture of Nasrallah along with ex-PMs Rafik and Saad Hariri. MTV had earlier reported that Speaker Nabih Berri was “dismayed by Hezbollah's decision to turn against yesterday's agreement over the illumination of the Raouche Rock.”According to media reports, an agreement had been reached overnight following a phone call between Salam and Berri. The agreement had reportedly called for allowing Hezbollah to stage a ceremony at the site but not to illuminate the rock with any images.
“Hezbollah is still maintaining its stance on the illumination of the Raouche Rock with the images of Nasrallah and Safieddine and the notice submitted to the governor does not include any details about the activity or a pledge not to illuminate the rock,” LBCI television reported earlier on Thursday. Al-Jadeed television had reported that Salam had contacted Berri and explained that the rock’s illumination could be considered “provocative to the capital’s sons” and that “it would be better to avoid it to prevent any tensions.”“Berri was understanding and expressed full responsiveness to PM Salam’s proposal, which led to a settlement that respects Salam’s memo that prohibits the use of land and sea public properties and the archeological and touristic sites,” Al-Jadeed said. It added that Hezbollah MPs Amin Sherri and Ibrahim al-Moussawi had visited Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar and that the two sides agreed that “an association close to Hezbollah would submit a permission request to Beirut’s governor in order to stage the event.”
The pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper reported Thursday that the meeting with Hajjar was “positive” and that he “expressed keenness on cooperation and avoiding any clash.”“Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud has announced that the permissions needed to organize the event on the Raouche corniche have been issued, while stressing that traffic should not not be impeded and roads should not be closed,” al-Akhbar added. “As for the reports that the organizers have pledged not to illuminate the rock, no pledges have been issued in this regard and the final decision belongs to Hezbollah,” the daily said.
Al-Jadeed reported Wednesday that“the ceremony would begin with the Lebanese national anthem and would involve speeches and mourning hymns, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
Salam had on Monday instructed “all public administrations and institutions, municipalities, their unions, and all relevant agencies” to be strict in “enforcing the laws governing the use of public land and sea properties, archaeological and touristic sites, official buildings, and landmarks that carry a unifying national symbolism.”“I requested strictness in preventing their use before obtaining the necessary licenses and permits,” he added. Hezbollah’s initial announcement had prompted several politicians and Beirut lawmakers to declare their rejection of the move. MP Waddah al-Sadek said the move is “unacceptable on all levels.”“They are not official figures and their pictures will be displayed in a city whose most residents reject their policies, not to mention that some accuse them of taking part in the murder of their leader (ex-PM Rafik Hariri),” Sadek added, noting that Hezbollah “has not obtained any permission from the municipality or the (Interior) Ministry” to carry out the activity. “What’s worse is that their party, as usual, warns against being dragged into a civil war but wastes no chance to provoke Beirut’s residents. We must also not forget that the ‘glorious day’ is still carved in the memory of the Beirutis,” Sadek went on to say, referring to Nasrallah’s description of the May 7, 2008 day, when Hezbollah and its allies staged an armed takeover of parts of the capital. “The government, which has shown its strength in its (latest) decisions (on arms monopolization), must prevent Hezbollah and others from making any provocative moves in order to preserve civil peace in the country,” Sadek added.Beirut MPs Fouad Makhzoumi and Nabil Bader also wrote similar posts on the X platform. On social media, Hezbollah supporters meanwhile reminded that the rock had been illuminated in the past with pictures of Saudi King Salman, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and the Saudi, French and Emirati flags. Hezbollah’s historic and revered leader Nasrallah and his successor Safieddine were killed in huge Israeli airstrikes on their underground bunkers during last year’s Israeli war on the group. The Raouche Rocks are iconic natural limestone formations off the coast of the Raouche area in Beirut. Named Pigeons' Rocks for the wild rock doves that historically nested in them, these two massive rock islets have been shaped by erosion and are a popular spot for tourists and locals to admire from the nearby corniche or through boat tours that navigate through the arch of the largest rock.

Salam orders arrest of those who beamed Nasrallah pic to Raouche Rock
Associated Press/September 25/2025
Thousands of Hezbollah supporters gathered at a scenic overlook on Beirut's coast Thursday and projected images of the group's former longtime leader and his successor on the iconic arched Raouche rock to commemorate their deaths in Israeli airstrikes nearly a year ago.
The move came despite an attempt by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to halt the planned light show. alam issued a circular earlier this week pointing to "the recent recurrence of the exploitation of national monuments for propaganda purposes and to hold activities in which partisan and political slogans are raised." e directed public bodies to "strictly prohibit the use of public land and sea areas, archaeological and tourist landmarks, or those that bear a unifying national symbolism before obtaining the necessary licenses and permits from the relevant authorities."
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the longtime leader of the militant group and political party, was killed in a series of massive Israeli strikes on a site in Beirut's southern suburbs on Sept. 27, 2024, that destroyed an entire block under which Nasrallah was meeting with an Iranian general and some of his top military commanders. Days later, Nasrallah's successor, Hashem Safieddine, was killed in another series of airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs. Salam said in a post on X that a gathering permit was issued by the governor of Beirut to the organizers of the demonstration, but "clearly stipulated that the Raouche rocks shall not be illuminated at all, whether from land, sea, or air, and no light images shall be broadcast on them."He said he had asked the ministers of interior, justice and defense to take "appropriate measures, including arresting the perpetrators and referring them for investigation" and that the incident "negatively impacts (Hezbollah's) credibility in dealing with the logic of the state and its institutions."A Hezbollah representative, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with the group's procedures, confirmed that the organizers had only requested permission for the gathering. e said it was unclear which agency had authority to give permission for the light show on the rock and that they considered it was covered by "freedom of expression" under Lebanon's constitution. he event was a show of force by the Shiite militant group and political party, which suffered serious blows in last year's war with Israel and has been under domestic and international pressure to give up its remaining arsenal since then. The conflict began a day after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that triggered the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Hezbollah began firing rockets across the border in a "support front" for Hamas and Palestinians in Gaza. Israel responded with airstrikes and shelling, and the two sides were locked in a low-level conflict that escalated into a full-on war in September 2024. t ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in November, but Israel has continued to carry out near-daily airstrikes in Lebanon, which it says aim at preventing Hezbollah from regrouping. he Lebanese government has said it will work on disarming Hezbollah and consolidating weapons in the hands of the state. Hezbollah officials have said they will not discuss handing over the groups weapons until Israel stops its airstrikes and withdraws its forces from several key border points they are occupying in southern Lebanon. Lebanese officials have been reluctant to push the country's cash-strapped army to forcibly disarm the group, fearing that such a move would lead to civil conflict.

Rubio says US 'remains very committed' to Lebanon
Naharnet/September 25/2025
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that there is a “historic” opportunity in Lebanon and that the U.S. "remains very committed in that regard" and to ensuring there is "a strong Lebanese state."He added that this Lebanese state should be “respectful of the diversity of that country” and “free of the influence of Iran and Hezbollah and others who might undermine that stability.”Rubio also said that the Lebanese state should be able to “exert its sovereignty,” hoping Lebanon “can emerge from a longstanding economic crisis.”The U.S. top diplomat voiced his remarks during a New York meeting with Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi and the Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council Member States.

Iranian speaker says supplying Hezbollah with rockets 'not impossible'
Naharnet/September 25/2025
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said that “supplying Hezbollah with rockets is not impossible.”In a TV interview broadcast Wednesday evening, Ghalibaf said that had he been Hezbollah’s leader, he would have “waged war on Israel at depths of 100 and 200 kilometers.”He added that when he says that Hezbollah is more vigorous than ever he means that that “encompasses many aspects that include beliefs, capabilities and coherence, in addition to material and moral aspects, without that meaning that there are no challenges.”
Ghalibaf’s remarks about Hezbollah had drawn a rebuke from Lebanon’s foreign ministry in recent months.

Macron calls on Israel to withdraw from south Lebanon
Naharnet/September 25/2025
French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Israel to withdraw from south Lebanon, in an interview with Saudi news interactive channel al-Hadath. "The Lebanese army must regain control of this entire region," Macron said, adding that France will continue to support Lebanon's army. The French president told al-Hadath that France is closely working with the United States on the situation in Lebanon, describing the crisis and war-hit country as "a model of pluralism in the region".Macron praised a plan by the Lebanese army to disarm Hezbollah and said the plan will allow the army to restore its authority. Paris will soon host two aid conferences to support the Lebanese army and to help rebuild the war-hit regions in Lebanon.

Rajji tells Khamenei only legitimate govt. and Lebanese army will remain
Naharnet/September 25/2025
Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji has said the only force that remains in Lebanon is the legitimate government after Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Hezbollah should not be underestimated, describing it as a "continuing force" with influence well beyond Lebanon.
Khamenei said former Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah "is gone, but the wealth he created remains."In response, Rajji said the only things that remain in Lebanon are the government's irrevocable decisions particularly the decision to disarm Hezbollah, and the Lebanese army, which is the "sole and first" defender of Lebanon, its people, and its sovereignty.

Aoun meets Rubio, Blair and US congressmen in New York
Naharnet/September 25/2025
President Joseph Aoun has met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York. He also met with other American officials including members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.
During his meetings, Aoun urged the U.S. administration to pressure Israel to halt its attacks on Lebanon and its occupation of Lebanese territories in order for the army to deploy in the south and implement its plan to disarm Hezbollah. Aoun said his meeting with Rubio was "positive".
U.S. representative Gregory Meeks, for his part, welcomed Aoun’s efforts toward political and economic reforms in Lebanon and expressed "support for further strengthening the Lebanese Armed Forces."Aoun also met with former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair.

Berri denies more posts for Shiites in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament
Naharnet/September 25/2025
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has denied that the Shiites would obtain more senior state posts in exchange for handing over Hezbollah's weapons. "These reports have no basis in reality," Berri told local newspaper An-Nahar, in remarks published Thursday."What we want is the full implementation of the Taif Agreement," Berri said, adding that he has submitted a non-confessional draft electoral law.

The End of U.S. Patience in Lebanon: Disarm Hezbollah—or Face the Consequences
Charbel Antoun/Linkendin/September 25/2025
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/end-us-patience-lebanon-disarm-hezbollahor-face-charbel-antoun--ny8re/
Washington’s ultimatum is clear: Lebanon must confront Hezbollah’s power or face Israeli action with U.S. backing—an end to open‑ended diplomacy in the Middle East.
Tom Barrack’s recent remarks on Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel mark a sharp pivot in U.S. policy—away from endless diplomacy and toward hard deadlines. For decades, Lebanon has been paralyzed by corruption and militia dominance, with Hezbollah at the center of the gridlock. Barrack’s interview makes clear: the United States is done waiting. Either Lebanon acts to disarm Hezbollah, or Israel will—with Washington’s backing. This shift in Washington’s stance demands closer examination as it shapes the strategic horizon for U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
The End of Open‑Ended Diplomacy
Washington has long struggled to reconcile its support for Lebanese sovereignty with the reality of Hezbollah’s growing autonomy as an armed militia stronger than the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). Barrack’s candid words bluntly underscore this challenge: “All they do is talk. There’s never been one act. We told them, do you want our help? We gave them a playbook. They can’t get there.” This frustration reveals a deep erosion of trust in Lebanon’s political class, which Barrack asserts is fatally compromised by a “parallel cash economy” that props up Hezbollah’s power and undermines the country’s institutions.
The U.S. message is now unequivocal—diplomatic engagement has limits, and Lebanon’s government cannot hide behind rhetoric any longer. Support for Lebanese state institutions, including crucial security assistance to the LAF, is explicitly tied to actual progress on disarming Hezbollah’s weapons. Barrack’s tone leaves no room for ambiguity: “If they don’t help themselves, this president’s not going to waste his time and effort.” This marks a substantive move away from open-ended diplomacy toward conditional leverage rooted in outcomes.
Israel as Enforcer: The Inevitable “Plan B”
Barrack was equally blunt about what happens if Lebanon fails: “Jerusalem is going to take care of Hezbollah for you.” In other words, Israel will act militarily, with U.S. political cover but without American boots on the ground. This is Plan B—an Israeli campaign against Hezbollah if Lebanon cannot or will not ac
Barrack echoes Republican lawmakers, such as Senator Lindsey Graham, who warned that Israel will not alter its posture until Lebanon takes concrete steps against Hezbollah. The implication is stark: Israel sees Hezbollah’s disarmament as non-negotiable, linking any withdrawal discussions to Lebanon’s compliance. This effectively signals a U.S.-Israeli joint strategy that unswervingly prioritizes confronting Hezbollah’s military power, while pinning hope on Lebanese reform as a preferred but failing option.
Conditional Trust and Accountability for Lebanese Leadership
The U.S. approach is nuanced in its calculation of Lebanese political leadership, especially regarding President Joseph Aoun, whom Washington regards as untainted by corruption and capable of reform. Barrack conveys significant respect for Aoun’s military background and his understanding of Lebanon’s structural challenges. However, trust is conditional: The message is clear: reform, disrupt Hezbollah’s networks, and deliver results—or risk losing U.S. support altogether.
Barrack’s critique is pointed, he pushes the Lebanese leader to begin, and continue with the same seriousness and rigor, to achieve tangible results. This is a call for clear accountability that rejects the status quo of promises without delivery. The Trump administration expects Aoun and the Lebanese government to disrupt Hezbollah’s grip on state institutions, choke off its corruption networks, and enforce disarmament efforts. Without firm progress, Washington’s support risks suspension, fragmenting Lebanon’s already fragile equilibrium.
Economic Leverage and Cutting Off Hezbollah’s Lifelines
Barrack’s strategy relies not solely on military and diplomatic pressure but also on economic mechanisms. He recognizes that Hezbollah’s strength is tied not just to weapons, but to its parallel governance and economic enterprises, many funded by Iran’s steady flow of cash. Disrupting this financial artery is a core objective.
The U.S. aims to leverage sanctions, promote international financial transparency, and funnel economic incentives toward rebuilding Lebanon’s official economy and infrastructure—thereby offering an alternative to Hezbollah’s shadow economy. This economic pressure complements the diplomatic and security tracks, aiming to isolate Hezbollah and break its cycle of funding and corruption.
Washington’s policy reckons with the reality of Iran’s regional ambitions and the growing international resolve to reinstate “snapback” UN sanctions. Iran’s looming possible withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty heightens the stakes, adding urgency to U.S. efforts to dismantle Hezbollah as an Iranian proxy in Lebanon.
Risks of an Escalating Conflict
This calibrated pressure cooker approach carries inherent risks. Should Lebanon fail to comply, Israel’s military reprisals could precipitate a broader conflict with Hezbollah, potentially destabilizing Lebanon further and dragging in regional actors. Washington’s refusal to deploy boots on the ground leaves Israel as the primary enforcer, with the U.S. primarily engaged politically and economically.
However, the Trump administration appears prepared to accept this risk, viewing inaction as a greater strategic liability. Barrack’s statements crystallize a broader strategic vision: containment and weakening of Hezbollah to restore a stable, sovereign Lebanese state, albeit through a painful transitional phase.
A Strategic Prescription for U.S. Policy
As the United States moves into this critical juncture, its policy toward Hezbollah must integrate firm diplomatic demands, robust economic measures, and conditional military support through allies like Israel. Disarmament of Hezbollah is a precondition for meaningful U.S. aid and a prerequisite for Lebanon’s political and economic revival.
Washington should clearly communicate that Lebanese sovereignty and international support are inextricably linked to decisive reforms. Simultaneously, the U.S. must continue bolstering Lebanon’s legitimate security forces while coordinating closely with Israel to mitigate conflict escalation.
Finally, economic reconstruction assistance, contingent on reform and disarmament progress, should be designed to undercut Hezbollah’s financial foundations and empower civil governance. This multi-pronged strategy offers Lebanon its best chance to reclaim stability and averts the dire consequences of continued militia dominance.
Lebanon’s Stark Choice: Reform or Ruin
Tom Barrack’s remarks reveal that U.S. policy on Hezbollah has entered a new, decisive phase. The era of diluted diplomacy is over. Lebanon faces clear demands: disarm Hezbollah or endure escalating Israeli military pressure with U.S. support. The stakes extend beyond Lebanon’s borders—this is a crucial test for American influence in the Middle East and a pivotal moment in the struggle to curb Iranian-backed militias. The Trump administration’s hardline stance—combining conditional aid, economic sanctions, and military backing for Israel—signals a new reality that Lebanese leaders cannot afford to ignore. For Lebanon, the choice is stark: reform and reintegration into the international fold, or a protracted conflict that erodes any hope of sovereignty. Washington’s policy, sharpened by Barrack’s candid warnings, demands action—and time is running out.
Charbel Antoun
Principal, Rising Rock Media. Writer, Columnist, World Affairs, Conflicts Resolution. Human Rights | 'From Scratch To Screen': Programs & Digital Creator | John 8:32| Produced @DCAlhurra.

Is Lebanon witnessing a return to the era of assassinations?
Tony Atiyeh/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 26, 2025 (Translate from Arabic)
This question/title may seem related to Israel's resumption of assassination operations targeting Hezbollah leaders and officials. However, the issue at hand extends beyond this framework, encompassing an internal dynamic that Lebanon has long suffered from, at least since the Taif Agreement, through the Cedar Revolution of 2005, and even before the "proxy war." That period was characterized by organized political crime, targeting members of parliament, prominent figures, journalists, intellectuals, and pro-sovereignty activists. These crimes were not isolated or random acts, but part of a comprehensive system, managed by an ideological security apparatus, aimed at eliminating political opponents and imposing a climate of fear and submission—a treacherous and unequal battle: thought versus darkness; words versus bullets and silencers; and political action versus physical elimination. The finger of suspicion points strongly at the "Resistance Axis" (first under Syrian leadership, then Iranian), both in terms of political motives and the evidence available to the judicial and security authorities at the time. In addition to numerous kidnappings and bombings that targeted residential areas. Interestingly, since the outbreak of the "proxy war" on October 8, 2023, which marked a strategic and security turning point in the local and regional arenas, Lebanon has not witnessed any political assassination of figures opposing the Axis. The last such incident occurred two months before "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood," when the Lebanese Forces official in the south, Elias Hasrouni, was killed in Ain Ebel. The certainty of Hezbollah's involvement in this crime was reinforced by their obstruction of the investigation. Despite the fact that some evidence was available to the security services, which could have led to the identification of the perpetrators, the matter was kept public and transparent. In a conversation with a former security source, he stated that since the outbreak of the "support battle" and its subsequent major setback and defeat, Hezbollah has ceased its pattern of organized political violence. He understands fully that any assassination attempt at this sensitive stage would be seen as an additional internal crisis, further increasing political and media pressure on it, both domestically and internationally, at a time when it is trying to minimize losses and regain control of its base. The source indicated that the current "calm" does not necessarily signify a change in security doctrine, but rather reflects circumstantial and deep-rooted calculations, including military challenges on one hand, and an open political confrontation with the Lebanese government on the other. The changing international climate of scrutiny, along with the important factor of breaking the silence and fear within the legitimate security and judicial institutions, is also a factor. Furthermore, the fall of the Syrian regime closed the door to safe haven for the perpetrators of assassinations, as Syria, before Assad's fall, served as a safe haven for various Iranian militias. The recent war also exposed Hezbollah's vulnerabilities and security and military weaknesses, particularly to Israel. The dangerous point in this context is that Israel, having infiltrated and undermined the "resistance" movement's structure and security apparatus to its core, knows precisely the extent of the "resistance" movement's involvement in this series of assassinations. An "enemy" that managed to penetrate the inner sanctum of the former Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, is unlikely to be unaware of Hezbollah's activities and operational details. This refers to the actions taken against a group of Lebanese individuals. However, according to the same source, it is in Israel's interest to "conceal what it knows," allowing Hezbollah to further fuel internal divisions, while also employing a "tactical cover-up" of its intelligence activities to protect its sources. Therefore, the source concludes that it is unlikely this approach will be used again in the foreseeable future, unless Hezbollah feels it is in immediate existential danger, or deems organized political crime a necessary tool to mitigate internal setbacks.

Hezbollah and "The March of Folly"
Dr. Joseline Bustani/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 26, 2025 (Translate from Arabic)
Beyond predictions and assumptions, the upcoming confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel will not arise from miscalculations or errors in judgment, but rather from two contrasting strategic logics: one held by Hezbollah and the other by Israel.
The first logic, adopted by Hezbollah, embodies "The March of Folly," a framework for analyzing historical blunders presented by historian Barbara W. Tuchman, which explains how some leaders persist in policies they know will lead to disaster.
According to this concept, this behavior stems from a lack of adaptability. Identity-based organizations and groups often cling to routines and existential narratives more than they rely on rational calculations. Consequently, they continue down a path that inevitably leads to destruction, due to their institutional and ideological inability to compromise. Since Hezbollah's survival as a political and military actor is tied to its identity as a "resistance movement," this choice is crucial and non-negotiable. Surrendering its weapons would mean abandoning its fundamental justification for existence and would constitute political suicide. Furthermore, relinquishing its weapons would weaken its position vis-à-vis Tehran.
On the other hand, despite recognizing the fragility of the situation in Lebanon and its own vulnerability after 2024, Hezbollah insists on rebuilding its capabilities, i.e., seeking to rearm, knowing that this guarantees renewed war and the destruction of the country. Iran, despite facing its own limitations, can encourage this stance... Hezbollah may be strong, but it cannot protect itself from Israeli strikes. This is the dynamic of "the march of reckless decisions" in its contemporary Lebanese version: a deliberate march towards a predictable catastrophe. The second logic, while Hezbollah is trapped by its organizational identity, Israel's logic is based on enforcing its victory. States that achieve military victory are expected to impose the terms of the post-war settlement; otherwise, they lose their deterrent credibility both with their adversaries and with their broader regional audience. This aligns with the logic of enforcement in post-war systems, where victors must prevent defeated adversaries from reconstituting their power. This concept is based on several references, including deterrence theory (Schelling, Jervis), and writings on reputation and credibility (Huth, Mercer, Press), which explain how states escalate to maintain their credibility not only with the adversary, but also with external parties. It also includes the logic of enforcement in post-war systems (Lake, Ikenberry), where victors must implement the terms of the settlement to consolidate their gains. For years, Israel considered a full-scale war with Hezbollah a nightmare because of its missile arsenal. But the 2024 war changed the equation, proving that this group is militarily vulnerable and that the deterrence that held it back is no longer valid. Therefore, Hezbollah's challenge to the disarmament clause is now seen not as something to tolerate, but as a direct threat to the results of the 2024 victory. Israel cannot allow Hezbollah to rearm; tolerating it would only lead to the collapse of its credibility domestically and regionally, even if it requires military action. a constantly evolving military strategy. Unlike Hezbollah, whose actions are driven by its organizational identity, as previously mentioned, Israel's logic is based on deterrence and the credible enforcement of its decisions. A victorious state cannot allow a defeated adversary to rebuild its strength, lest it lose its credibility both with its enemies and its own public. Combining these two premises—the "cycle of reckless decisions" and the "logic of enforcement in post-conflict systems"—leads to one inevitable conclusion: escalation. Hezbollah cannot correct its course on its own; its organizational identity guarantees that it will continue down the path toward conflict. Without serious enforcement mechanisms to uphold a ceasefire, all mediations will fail. The United States, Europeans, and Arabs must be realistic: deterring Hezbollah requires coercive measures, not mere persuasion. Because the next confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel will not arise from a miscalculation, but rather from two conflicting strategic logics, and because one party cannot abandon its "cycle of reckless decisions," while the other is logically compelled to enforce its gains, Lebanon, unless international actors change this equation, is on a predetermined path toward certain destruction.

"The Shiites duo" imposes what it couldn't achieve during its period of strength, now in times of weakness?
Alan Sarkis/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 26, 2025 (Translate from Arabic)
Everyone is waiting to see what developments the coming days will bring. The statements of the US envoy, Tom Barrack, were quite harsh, placing the Lebanese state in a precarious position. All this is happening amidst a growing number of internal issues that require solutions. It is impossible to predict what the coming days will hold. America continues its pressure. The Lebanese state is not taking any significant action, and the ball is in Israel's court, which could move at any moment after Barrack's negative signal. Joseph Aoun was elected President, Nof Salam was appointed Prime Minister, and a government with a majority in parliament was formed, but citizens, observers, and some countries feel that the deep state is still under the control of Hezbollah, Amal Movement, and the "Resistance Axis." Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri tries to project an image of being the kingmaker in internal politics. The formation of the government and administrative appointments are the best evidence that he, under Hezbollah's direction, wields significant power. Despite the defeat suffered by Hezbollah, the fall of the Assad regime, and the decline of the "Resistance Axis," it monopolized the Shia ministerial seats and continued to control administrative appointments, which still depend on Berri's approval. No Shia candidate can be appointed to any position without Berri's consent, regardless of their competence or qualifications. The policy of appeasement and pandering to the "Shiite duo" may have led to this situation, while some key figures in the state and government remain convinced and continue to accommodate and fear a "party" that has been militarily defeated and whose power-mongering antics lead nowhere. The issue of the electoral law and the right of expatriates to vote for the 128 parliamentary seats reveals the extent of Hariri's and Hezbollah's power. The 2018 and 2022 elections were held, and expatriates were allowed to vote in their respective constituencies. At that time, Hezbollah was at the height of its power, occupying Syria, fighting in Iraq and Yemen, and threatening the security of the Gulf region; it was a regional power, and the "Shiite duo" could not prevent expatriates from voting. Everything has changed—locally, regionally, and internationally. President Donald Trump returned to the White House. Hezbollah suffered devastating blows, culminating in the assassination of its leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and most of its top commanders. Syria fell from Assad's control and was liberated from Tehran's grip. All this has happened, yet Hariri and Hezbollah still appear to be the strongest force on the scene and able to impose their will. This poses a major challenge to the sovereign powers and the government. If the "Shiite duo" succeeds in imposing its will and preventing expatriates from voting, Hariri will have scored a victory against these powers that claimed to have won. They may have won strategically, but they lost tactically and in the details. This demonstrates the extent to which the "resistance" forces have infiltrated and controlled key institutions of the state and parliament. If Hezbollah were to lose most of its military power and allies, yet retain this level of influence, it would mean that Lebanon needs a fundamental transformation. It would also mean that the 2006 scenario could be repeated, albeit in a different form. Everyone remembers that after Lebanon's liberation from Syrian occupation in 2005, Hezbollah and Amal were left standing alone. The opposition won a parliamentary majority, and the Syrian regime was isolated. Hezbollah was looking for a way out, and the March 14 Alliance accommodated it by including it in the government. Hezbollah then gambled on time and succeeded, completely reversing the political landscape, and the March 14 Alliance went from offense to defense. The non-participation of the diaspora in the upcoming parliamentary elections, if they even take place, may not significantly affect the results, but it sends a very negative political signal. It tells the diaspora that the Shia bloc controls the levers of power, thus eroding their confidence in the new government and the country. On the other hand, the Shia bloc would register a victory over the mainstream political forces, reinforcing to its supporters and the international community that nothing has changed; that it can achieve what it could in times of victory, it can also achieve in times of defeat, and that all pressure will be futile. This applies to the issue of weapons, and that is where the real disaster lies.

People, Army, and "The Rock"
Jean El-Fakhri/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 26, 2025 (Translate from Arabic)
Anyone who clings to the narrative that the 1860 events in Mount Lebanon between Christians and Druze were caused by a dispute between two boys, one Christian and the other Druze, over a game of marbles, is a falsifier of history. Similarly, anyone who believes that the checkpoint at Ain el-Remmane was the cause of the outbreak of war in Lebanon in 1975 is oversimplifying the facts. How many boys in history have argued over a game of marbles, leading to a war? How many checkpoints in the world have been fired upon without causing a war? In the same vein, it is naive to believe that the Roché Rock can spark a war. The issue is not whether the rock is illuminated or not; it is the prevailing mindset, constantly maintained by the "power-driven" faction, that "the country belongs to us," period. This is the established truth, and everything else is mere detail. The "we own the country" strategy is based on "legitimizing violence" and "struggle" according to the logic of "if we can't liberate Palestine, we'll liberate Lebanon," and thus "resistance justifies everything." But if any observer examines the facts closely, most of the achievements that Hezbollah boasts about are questionable: The "Liberation of 2000" was an Israeli withdrawal that Israel had decided on in January 2000 and implemented in May of the same year. In this regard, one can refer to Ehud Barak's statement in January, in which he announced that his army would withdraw from Lebanon in May—and that is what happened. For further verification, one can look at the reports that appeared in German newspapers about German intelligence mediation to secure the Israeli withdrawal. What was leaked at the time was never denied, because the "liberation narrative" suited everyone. The "divine victory" that Hezbollah claimed in the July 2006 war was contradicted by the former Secretary-General of the party, Hassan Nasrallah, in a single sentence: "If I had known..." This meant that if the party had known the cost of that war, it would not have risked waging it. Therefore, where is the "victory" in that war? And when a "victory" turns into a "defeat," it is no longer a victory, but rather a gamble—one day we win, and the next day we lose. In the aforementioned stages, the "party" needed someone to pull it down from the "high-price tree," and the most dangerous stage was the adventure it embarked on since October 8, 2023, which can be considered a decisive and fatal blow to it. Comparing its situation before that date to what it is today reveals the following: Before October 8, 2023, the "Al-Rizwan Forces" conducted a maneuver under the title "We Will Cross," implying that Hezbollah would cross the border towards the Galilee, signaling the beginning of Israel's demise. Today, it is content to cross from land to the Raouche Rock, and only by light, not to plant the "party" flag in the Galilee, but to plant it on the Raouche Rock, thus reenacting the scene of May 7, 2008. This achievement is astonishing, but dangerous because it reflects the persistent mentality that says: "This country is ours."

Will David Petraeus Replace Tom Perriello?
Nadia Ghosoub/Nidaa Al-Watan/September 26, 2025 (Translate from Arabic)
Political and media sources are circulating unconfirmed information about a potential change in the identity of the US official overseeing the Lebanese file. It is rumored that General David Petraeus, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), may replace Tom Perriello. However, this news remains merely speculation, raising a series of questions: Has Washington deliberately chosen a military-intelligence figure with extensive field experience to manage this sensitive file? Or is this merely an attempt to gauge the Lebanese and regional pulse before any official action? And if this change does occur, could it reflect a US shift towards a broader security approach in light of the tensions in the south? This discussion coincides with the notable meeting between Syrian transitional president Ahmad Jarba and Petraeus at the Concordia Summit in New York, where the latter praised Jarba, suggesting a US openness to the new regime in Damascus. Does this meeting provide further evidence that Petraeus is indeed at the heart of both the Syrian and Lebanese files? Meanwhile, in Lebanon, according to information obtained by Nidaa Al-Watan, Major General Stéphane Dutron, head of the Belgian intelligence agency SGRS, is expected to hold meetings with UNIFIL officers in the south, days after the visit of US envoy Morgan Ortagus. Should this European-American activity be interpreted as part of a new phase of intelligence coordination, or is it merely a coincidence of timing? At this stage, these developments remain merely inconclusive indications. Are we witnessing a genuine shift in US policy in the Middle East, with the replacement of Tom Fomra by David Petraeus being one of its key elements? Or is this merely media speculation that will fade away once the official facts emerge?

Hezbollah broke the authority of the state and gave "the enemy" the perfect gift.
Dr. Saied Harqas//Nidaa Al-Watan/September 26, 2025 (Translate from Arabic)
Hezbollah's insistence on lighting up the iconic Rock of Roueche in Beirut, contrary to the official commitments made by the organizers to the governor of Beirut, has transformed into more than just an internal debate about a popular activity. It has become a serious indicator of the Lebanese state's inability to enforce its decisions on even the simplest matters, and how this weakness directly impacts its image before the international community, placing it in a position unworthy of a state that claims to defend its sovereignty against Israel. The Prime Minister's decision was clear: national landmarks should not be exploited for political or partisan purposes. However, this decision was disregarded in a move that confirms the existence of a political-military militia that considers itself above the law and capable of imposing its will on Lebanon, both its government and its people. Here, we are not talking only about lighting up the rock, but about a deliberate and premeditated attempt to undermine the authority of the state, in order to establish the notion that official institutions are powerless against the dictates of the Hezbollah militia. At this critical juncture, when Lebanon faces the threat of Israeli escalation, Hezbollah should have acted with prudence and wisdom to project an image of a strong and united state capable of controlling its territory and demanding that the enemy cease violating its sovereignty. But the emotional shortsightedness that guides Hezbollah today sent the opposite message: a fragmented state, incapable even of protecting a tourist landmark from political exploitation. This humiliating incident was perceived abroad as further evidence of the state's weakness and subservience, thus diminishing its ability to garner international support in the face of Israeli aggression, or even in its negotiations with financial institutions and donor agencies. More dangerously, what transpired handed Israel, on a silver platter, what it had been seeking for years: portraying Lebanon as a failed state, held hostage by a powerful armed militia that defies its legitimate authority. When the state's authority is undermined in the eyes of the international community over an illuminated rock, it becomes easy for Israel to justify its attacks by claiming the absence of a legitimate partner, and that the real power lies with the "Hezbollah" militia, not the government.
Thus, instead of demonstrating unity in the face of the enemy, Lebanon appeared paralyzed, unable to assert its authority over its territory and symbols. What happened in Rouche is not an isolated incident, but rather a new chapter in a long-running campaign to undermine state authority. The more the official institutions allow such violations to occur, the deeper the chasm becomes between them and the concept of sovereignty. The issue is no longer about illuminating a rock or displaying a picture, but rather about Lebanon's very identity: is it a state governed by law, or a battleground ruled by force and imposed symbols? Weakening the state's image domestically opens the door to a collapse of public trust, but humiliating it before the international community is incomparably more dangerous, as it means losing support and reinforcing the enemy's narrative of Lebanon as a fragile entity. In this sense, what happened was not merely a symbolic act, but a serious violation of sovereignty with potentially high political and security costs. Restoring the state's authority is not just a slogan for domestic consumption, but a fundamental requirement for Lebanon's resilience against its enemies and for convincing the world that it remains a functioning state, not merely an open arena.

Can Hezbollah still dictate outcomes in Syria, or have battlefield losses curtailed its once formidable influence?
ANAN TELLO/Arab News/September 26, 2025
LONDON: Syria’s interim authorities announced earlier this month that they had dismantled a cell linked to Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The Iran-backed group, which fought alongside the ousted Bashar Assad regime during the civil war and more recently clashed with Israel, denies any presence in Syria. f the allegations are true, the Sept. 11 arrests raise a pressing question: Why would Hezbollah, still nursing wounds from its mauling by Israel in 2024, seek to maintain a foothold in Syria now that its old regime allies have been removed from power?
Syria’s Interior Ministry said in a statement that specialized units, working with the general intelligence service, had arrested “a terrorist cell belonging to the Hezbollah militia” in the Damascus countryside. In a separate post, the ministry shared images of five men it said were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the Hezbollah cell. The suspects, it added, were “referred to the competent authorities to continue the investigations.”
Hezbollah swiftly rejected the accusation.
“We categorically and completely deny what the Syrian Interior Ministry mentioned regarding the affiliation of those arrested in western Damascus countryside to Hezbollah,” the group’s media office said in a statement the same day. he group reiterated what it called its longstanding position. “Hezbollah has no presence and conducts no activity on Syrian territory, and it is deeply committed to Syria’s stability and the security of its people.”
Fadi Nicholas Nassar, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, said Tehran likely views Hezbollah’s continued activity as of a piece with “Iran’s strategy to salvage what remains of its regional security infrastructure after the seismic setbacks it suffered in the Levant with the weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the fall of Assad in Syria.
“For now, Tehran is still banking on Hezbollah to disrupt progress in the Levant and exploit spoiling opportunities as they emerge,” he told Arab News. “In Syria, the Gulf states are investing significant political, economic, and technical assistance to help ensure a functioning state emerges from the ashes of years of war. Iran’s leverage lies in threatening to disrupt that progress and in waiting to twist any shift in the Syrian landscape to its favor.”
Given its weakness and the perhaps more pressing challenges to its existence in Lebanon, the strength of Hezbollah’s appetite for intervening meaningfully in Syria remains up for debate.
Sam Heller, a Beirut-based fellow with the US think tank The Century Foundation, said the group “was hit hard by the fall of the Assad government in Syria, which came alongside Israel’s military escalation targeting the group inside Lebanon.
“The loss of strategic depth and supply lines through Syria is particularly significant now, as Hezbollah seeks to rebuild and reconstitute some of its capabilities,” Heller told Arab News.
“That said, the group has denied interfering in Syria, and it’s unclear whether it would now try to destabilize the country or reestablish itself there.”
Much of the Syrian Interior Ministry’s account of the Sept. 11 arrests remains unverified. Some analysts say the announcement was a message to a far more significant neighbor — Israel — that Damascus is prepared to cooperate on security.
FASTFACTS
• Hezbollah, backed by Iran, played a critical role in preserving Bashar Assad’s regime during Syria’s civil war.
• Syria’s interim government aims to seal US-mediated security and military deals with Israel by late 2025.
They consider the timing of the arrests significant, coming as they did just days before Syria’s interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s visit to New York for the UN General Assembly.
“We do not know much about the facts and much about this story remains speculative,” Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told Arab News. It would not be surprising if Israel worked with Al-Sharaa’s military to have this ‘Hezbollah-linked cell’ arrested in the days leading up to Syria’s New York appearance.”Landis added that the administration of US President Donald Trump is “putting great store in Al-Sharaa’s willingness to work with Israel on security along their mutual border.”
Ali Rizk, a Lebanese security and political analyst, noted that the announcement also coincided with Israel-Syria negotiations. e told Arab News that “from the start, (Al-Sharaa’s government) has made clear it is not looking for trouble with Israel, and it continues to do so despite the Israeli military operations against Syria.”
Al-Sharaa delivered a historic speech at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday — the first by a Syrian leader since 1967 — declaring Syria’s return to the international community after decades of dictatorship and civil war. e said Syria is “reclaiming its rightful place among the nations of the world,” outlined an agenda for reform, reconstruction, and transitional justice, and announced plans for new institutions, elections, and inclusive government.
Al-Sharaa condemned Israeli airstrikes on Syria, called for the complete lifting of remaining sanctions, and pledged accountability for war crimes, stressing Syria’s commitment to balanced diplomacy and dialogue for regional peace.
Since taking power in December 2024, Al-Sharaa has repeatedly stressed that Syria poses no threat to Israel or any other neighbor, describing his strategy in March as one of “patience and wisdom.”Despite this, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes and incursions in Syria, destroying up to 80 percent of its strategic weapons and infrastructure within the first 48 hours of Assad’s overthrow, the BBC reported. sraeli forces also occupied at least 460 sq. km of Syrian territory, including parts of the UN-monitored buffer zone, in violation of the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement.
In response, Washington initiated talks on a security deal. Syria hopes such an agreement will halt Israeli operations and prompt a troop withdrawal, while Israel is pressing for a demilitarized zone extending from southwest Damascus to the border.
On Sept. 17, Al-Sharaa said negotiations could yield results “in the coming days.” Speaking to reporters in Damascus, he said a potential UN-monitored security pact is a “necessity” that must respect Syria’s territorial integrity and airspace.
That same day in London, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer held US-brokered talks on a draft agreement to replace the 1974 deal. ccording to Rizk, although the new government in Syria “poses a major threat” to Hezbollah, he does “not see Hezbollah being actively involved in such operations” as those allegedly taking place in the Damascus countryside. “Post-Assad Syria has clamped down on the routes that were used to send weapons to Hezbollah,” he said, referring to the arc of territory previously used by Iran to channel materiel to its proxies across the region. espite this major strategic setback, which Hezbollah is likely keen to remedy, it is unlikely the group is “ready for such activity, especially if you look at how it hasn’t responded to the ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
“In other words, all indications show that Hezbollah is still rebuilding itself and is not currently in the process of getting involved in military operations — be it against Syria or Israel — unless of course it faces an offensive from either or both sides that could be an existential threat.”
That restraint stems in part from Hezbollah’s losses. In October 2023, the group began firing rockets into northern Israel in support of its Hamas allies in Gaza. After months of cross-border exchanges, the conflict suddenly escalated in September 2024, with Israeli air attacks killing multiple Hezbollah leaders, including its longtime chief Hassan Nasrallah.Israel’s 2024 campaign crippled Hezbollah’s infrastructure and weakened its ability to mount an effective response, according to media reports.
This defanging came as a huge strategic blow for Iran, which was then left far more exposed to Israeli and US strikes against its nuclear facilities. Hezbollah’s weakening also likely played a role in the rapid implosion of the Assad regime.
Its vulnerability within Lebanon, too, has placed its future in some doubt. ezbollah “is under great pressure to cease its military operations, and the Lebanese government has promised to take a tough line on Hezbollah both to Western powers and Israel,” said Landis.
The US-brokered ceasefire deal reached in November 2024 requires Hezbollah to withdraw from the area between the border with Israel and the Litani River, and Israeli troops to withdraw from the same area and to cease all attacks.
Despite this, Israel continues to occupy at least five points inside Lebanese territory.
Moreover, Hezbollah’s disarmament remains a highly contested issue. Lebanon’s government faces domestic and international pressure to place all weapons under state control, while Hezbollah has warned such moves could trigger a new civil war.
Iran’s role complicates the picture. Landis says Tehran “is working overtime to push back against Western efforts to have Hezbollah permanently decommissioned.
“Syria’s border with Israel is the ideal ground for Iran to fish in troubled waters,” he said. “The Druze massacre in July, Israel’s bombing of Syrian military bases, and Al-Sharaa’s efforts to placate Israel make it ripe for disruption.”Violent clashes between Druze and Bedouin armed groups in Syria’s southern region of Suweida began around July 12. The violence swiftly escalated into widespread fighting that also involved Syrian government forces. edouin and tribal gunmen keep a position during clashes with Druze fighters in Syria's southern city of Sweida, despite an announcement by the Syrian interim president of an "immediate ceasefire" on July 19, 2025. Israel soon intervened and bombed Syrian government forces deployed to Suweida and key targets in Damascus, claiming it sought to protect the Druze community. A ceasefire, thought fragile, was reached on July 19. ezbollah sent thousands of fighters to Syria during the civil war to help shore up the Assad regime, playing decisive roles in battles against opposition forces. The intervention advanced Iran’s strategic aims but cost Hezbollah dearly. Between Sept. 2012 and Feb. 2016, at least 865 of its fighters were killed in Syria, according to the Washington Institute. ebanese political adviser Nadim Shehade says Hezbollah “lost many more men fighting in Syria than fighting Israel and all that for what now seems like nothing. “If the object was to support the Assad regime, which eventually collapsed, then it was a useless and costly operation,” he told Arab News. Also, very bad optics that Hezbollah, who presents itself as a resistance, ends up being the occupier displacing people from their homes and conducting starvation sieges. I can imagine that this looks like Hezbollah’s Vietnam. A subject they would rather avoid and in which the objectives were immoral and disgraceful.”

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 24-25/2025
Israel says struck Houthi targets in Yemen's rebel-held capital
Agence France Presse/September 25/2025
Israel's defense minister said the military struck Houthi targets in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa on Thursday, a day after a Houthi-claimed drone attack on the Israeli tourist resort of Eilat. "We have just dealt a powerful blow to numerous terror targets of the Houthi terror organization in Sanaa," Israel Katz said in a post on X. The military "struck several military camps, including a camp of the Houthi General Staff, eliminated dozens of Houthi terror operatives, and destroyed stockpiles of UAVs (drones) and weaponry," he added.

Israel-Palestine issues not insurmountable, Saudi FM tells Arab News
Ephrem Kossaify/Arab News/September 26, 2025
NEW YORK: The issues between Israel and Palestine are not insurmountable and could be resolved through a negotiated process if there is serious political will, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told Arab News on Thursday. “Obviously, there will have to be a negotiated process between Palestine and Israel to finalize all of the outstanding issues. We don’t see these issues as insurmountable,” he said. “If there’s serious will — and we know from the Palestinian Authority that they’re ready and will come to address these issues in a reasonable and pragmatic way — we could have a Palestinian state in relatively short order, one that’s also very much sustainable and viable, and can live in harmony with its neighbors in Israel.”He was speaking in New York on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, where the Gaza war has dominated world leaders’ discussions.
It was preceded by the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, which was co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France. It resulted in the adoption of the New York Declaration, a comprehensive roadmap outlining tangible, timebound steps toward the peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The declaration, endorsed by the UNGA with overwhelming support, sets out a multi-dimensional framework addressing political governance, security, humanitarian aid, economic recovery and legal accountability. It also calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, its reunification with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority and the exclusion of Hamas, the establishment of a temporary UN-led stabilization mission, and a halt to Israeli settlement expansion. Prince Faisal expressed hope that the two-state solution could be realized soon, describing it as the only viable path to lasting peace and stability in the region. “Is it in the near future? I certainly hope it is because that’s the only pathway for hope, for all of us in the region to live in security and stability in a way that’s sustainable,” he said.
Prince Faisal noted that the foundations of a future Palestinian state are already established under international law, and that a sustainable peace would require final-status negotiations to move forward in good faith. “The building blocks are there. It’s clear in the founding UN resolutions that established the State of Israel,” he said. “There was also a clear understanding of the foundation of the State of Palestine. The 1967 borders are understood by international law to form the borders of the state of Palestine. On the situation in Gaza, Prince Faisal emphasized the scale of the international response and humanitarian support, but warned that reconstruction must be part of a long-term solution, not another short-term fix.“I think we’ve seen, just by the significant outpouring of aid just for the emergency relief of Gaza, that there’s a commitment to the rebuilding of Gaza,” he said. “But what I do want to make clear is that it’s absolutely necessary that when we transition, hopefully soon, to a ceasefire, that this won’t be a temporary state of affairs. “I think it’s unacceptable that we come to the international community to ask them to come together to rebuild Gaza when it was destroyed by Israel, only for the potential of the situation on the ground to exist where this could all happen again.”He stressed the need for reconstruction efforts to be sustainable and tied directly to a political resolution. “I think it’s absolutely critical, hand in hand with the immediate relief of the situation in Gaza, that that reconstruction be ensured to be sustainable, that we do it once and for all. “And there again comes the need for a final agreement on the status of Palestine, through the Palestinian state.”Prince Faisal also told reporters in New York that Arab and Muslim countries made clear to US President Donald Trump the dangers of Israeli annexation of the West Bank. “Some countries made very clear to the president the danger of annexation of any type in the West Bank and the risk that poses not just to the potential of peace in Gaza, but also to any sustainable peace at all. “And I feel confident that President Trump understood the position of the Arab and Muslim countries.”

Trump: ‘I will not allow Israel to annex West Bank’
Arab News/September 26, 2025
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will not allow Israel to annex the occupied West Bank, rejecting calls from some far-right politicians in Israel who want to extend sovereignty over the area. Trump addressed the topic after what he described as a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss resolving the Gaza conflict. “I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Nope, I will not allow it. It’s not going to happen,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Netanyahu has faced some pressure from right-wing allies to annex the West Bank, prompting alarm among Arab leaders, some of whom met on Tuesday with Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.“I’m not allowing Israel to annex the West Bank. There’s been enough. It’s time to stop now,” he said. Israel captured the West Bank in a 1967 war. The Palestinians have long sought it for a future state, along with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. About 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in a move not recognized by most countries.Israel refuses to cede control of the West Bank, a position it says has been reinforced since the Hamas-led militant attack on its territory, launched from Gaza October 7, 2023.

Arab vision for Gaza is ‘clear,’ Egypt FM tells Arab News
Ephrem Kossaify/Arab News/September 26, 2025
NEW YORK: Egypt’s foreign minister on Thursday laid out a “clear,” comprehensive Arab and Muslim vision to end the conflict in Gaza, calling for an immediate ceasefire followed by coordinated reconstruction and governance efforts. peaking on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, Badr Abdelatty emphasized the urgent need to halt Israeli military operations and begin rebuilding. The first step … is, of course, ending this unjust war. This is extremely important to stop the Israeli aggression,” he told Arab News. Following a ceasefire, Abdelatty stressed the need “to move ahead with issues related to security arrangements, as well as the governance of Gaza.”He added: “We in Egypt, in cooperation with Jordan, are providing training to Palestinians to be part of the security force to be deployed in Gaza, in full coordination with the Palestinian Authority.”On the potential deployment of international forces, Abdelatty said: “We’re open to the idea ... but it should be mandated by the Security Council and, of course, with one objective: to help and support the Palestinian Authority to realize its own independent state.”As a transitional step, Arab countries are proposing the establishment of a neutral, non-partisan administrative committee to temporarily govern Gaza in coordination with the PA before handing over full control. We have an administrative — not political, not affiliated with factions — specific committee to govern Gaza in full coordination with the Palestinian Authority for a specific period, and then to hand over,” Abdelatty said. He also called for an international conference to be convened immediately after a ceasefire, aimed at implementing an Arab-Islamic recovery and reconstruction plan for Gaza. “This is extremely important because it was endorsed by the EU, by Japan, by the international community. So all components, all ingredients are there,” he said. Abdelatty identified the main obstacle to progress as “the lack of political will from the Israeli side. This is what’s extremely important — to end this aggression, this war, as soon as possible, and then to move forward with the other steps.”He added: “We’re coordinating with Americans, with Qataris, of course, to continue our endeavors in order to reach a deal which will secure the release of all hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and to lift all impediments hindering the flow of humanitarian aid.”

Palestinian president warns against plans for ‘Greater Israel’
Arab News/September 25, 2025
LONDON: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for an end to the war in Gaza and condemned Israel’s “expansionary plans,” in a virtual address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday. e demanded “intervention” to stop Israel’s war in Gaza and settler violence in the West Bank, warning that plans for a “Greater Israel” would encroach upon the territory of other Arab states. aza is “a war of genocide, destruction, starvation, and displacement,” Abbas said, adding that more than 220,000 Palestinians — the majority of them women, children and the elderly — have been killed or injured in the enclave since October 2023. e accused Israel of starving more than 2 million people, and of destroying 80 percent of Gaza’s buildings. What Israel is carrying out isn’t merely an aggression. It’s a war crime and a crime against humanity that’s both documented and monitored,” he said.
“And it will be recorded in history books and the pages of international conscience as one of the most horrific chapters of humanitarian tragedy in the 20th and 21st centuries.”Abbas said Israel’s settlement plans in the West Bank, including the E1 project, would make a two-state solution unviable and contravene international law and several UN Security Council resolutions. He noted the unchecked, violent behavior of settlers in the West Bank, saying: “They burn homes and fields. They uproot trees and attack villages, and attack unarmed Palestinian civilians. In fact, they kill them in broad daylight under the protection of the Israeli occupation army.”Abbas cited recent remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a “Greater Israel,” and the recent Israeli strikes in Qatar, as reasons for concern for the broader Arab world, calling them “an escalation that’s a grave and a blatant violation of international law, which requires a decisive intervention and deterring procedures and measures.”He was equally unequivocal in condemning the Hamas attack on Israel of Oct. 7, 2023, demanding the immediate release of all remaining hostages in Gaza and the disarming of the group. These actions don’t represent the Palestinian people, nor do they represent their just struggle for freedom and independence,” he said. We’ve affirmed, and will continue to affirm, that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the state of Palestine, and that we’re ready to bear full responsibility for governance and security there. “Hamas won’t have a role to play in governance. Hamas and the other factions will have to hand over their weapons to the Palestinian Authority as part of a process to build the institutions of one state, one law and one legal security forces. We reiterate that we don’t want an armed state.”
Abbas added that though the Palestinian people “are still living the tragedies of the Israeli aggression and occupation,” progress is being made on an independent Palestinian state following high-level diplomatic efforts led by Saudi Arabia and France at a meeting on Sept. 22. He thanked the two countries for their efforts, as well as a raft of other governments that have recently recognized Palestinian statehood or announced plans to do so, including the UK, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Portugal and others. “Our people won’t forget this noble position,” Abbas said.
“We highly appreciate all the peoples and organizations around the world who protested in support of the rights of the Palestinian people to freedom and independence, and to stop the war, destruction and starvation,” he said. We reject confusing the solidarity with the Palestinian cause and the issue of antisemitism, which is something that we reject based on our values and principles.”Abbas reaffirmed the need for aid to be allowed to flow freely into Gaza through the UN, an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, the release of prisoners on both sides, and an end to aggression at religious sites.
He said it is essential that the people of Gaza not be displaced from their land, that Israel release confiscated taxes to help in the reconstruction of the Occupied Territories, and called for support for the PA to hold nationwide elections within a year of the end of hostilities.
“We want a modern and democratic state that abides by international law, the rule of law and multilateralism, and the peaceful transition of power,” he added. We declare that we’re ready to work with US President Donald Trump, and with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and France, the UN, and all partners to implement the peace plan that was approved in the conference that was held on Sept. 22.”Abbas said: “Peace can’t be achieved if justice isn’t achieved, and there can be no justice if Palestine isn’t freed. We want to live in freedom, security and peace — like all other people on Earth — in an independent sovereign state on the borders of 1967 with East Jerusalem as our capital, in security and peace with our neighbors.
“We want a modern civilian state that’s free of violence, weapons and extremism, one that respects law, human rights and invests in people, development, technology and education, not in wars and conflict.”He added: “Palestine is ours. Jerusalem is the jewel of our heart and our eternal capital. We won’t leave our homeland. We won’t leave our lands. Our people will remain rooted like the olive trees, firm as the rocks. We’ll rise from under the rubble to rebuild, and to send from our blessed and holy land the messages of hope and the sound of truth and right, and build the bridges of a just peace for the people of our region and the entire world.”

Trump new Gaza 'peace' plan presented to Arab, Muslim leaders
Agence France Presse/September 26, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump has presented a plan to end the Gaza war in a meeting with Arab and Muslim leaders this week, his envoy said Wednesday, as Gaza's civil defense agency reported dozens killed in Israeli attacks. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been involved in months of mediation efforts seeking an end to the nearly two-year war, said Trump had detailed a "21-point plan for peace in the Mideast and Gaza" in Tuesday's meeting with a group of leaders from Arab and Muslim nations. "We're hopeful, and I might say even confident, that in the coming days we'll be able to announce some sort of breakthrough," Witkoff told a summit on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The plan "addresses Israeli concerns as well as the concerns of all the neighbors in the region", he said without elaborating on the 21 points. A joint statement from the governments represented in Tuesday's meeting said the leaders had "reiterated their commitment to cooperate with President Trump, and stressed the importance of his leadership to end the war". Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayahu said later Israel was not bound by a wave of recognitions of the State of Palestine, including by Australia, Britain, Canada and France. "The shameful capitulation of some leaders to Palestinian terror does not obligate Israel in any way. There will be no Palestinian state," he said. On the ground, Israel pressed its assault on Gaza City which has displaced hundreds of thousands. Israel says the major air and ground offensive aims to root out Hamas, the Palestinian militant group whose October 2023 attack sparked the war.
Thaer Saqr, 39, said his sister was killed as the family headed south from Gaza City.
"The tanks on the coastal road... opened fire on us, and my sister was killed," he said after returning to the northern city. From Al-Shifa Hospital, he said he "will not leave, even if they kill us all". The civil defense agency said hundreds of families have been sleeping on the ground for days after fleeing from northern Gaza, unable to secure temporary shelter. "I appeal to the world: help us," Saqr said. "I say to Israel: you want us to evacuate, but how can we when we have no shekels, no transportation, and no place to go?"
'Pitiful sight' -
The civil defense said Israeli attacks on Wednesday killed at least 40 people across Gaza, including 22 in a warehouse sheltering displaced people near the Firas market in Gaza City. An AFP journalist said several children were among those pulled from the rubble. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it struck "two Hamas terrorists" in the north, where Gaza City is located, without offering more details. Media restrictions in the territory and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the details provided by the civil defense or the Israeli military. AFP footage showed Palestinians combing through large piles of rubble and warped metal following the attack. In the aftermath, sobbing women knelt over their loved ones, hugging their lifeless bodies wrapped in white shrouds. Mohammed Hajjaj, who lost relatives, said "heavy bombing" hit the building while people were asleep. "We came and found children and women torn apart. It was a pitiful sight."Another eight people were killed by Israeli fire near an aid distribution center close to Khan Yunis in the south, according to Gaza's civil defense. Israel's army told AFP it was unaware of the incident. "These distributions are death traps," Hosni Abu Amsha, a Palestinian whose nephew was killed, said in the aftermath.
'Death was near' -
In launching its U.S.-backed ground offensive in Gaza City, the Israeli military told Palestinians to go to a designated "humanitarian area" in the south. Israel has carried out repeated strikes on that area, Al-Mawasi, since declaring it a safe zone early in the war. Mahmud al-Dreimly, 44, said on his way to find a tent for his family to shelter in Gaza City's Al-Rimal neighborhood, he "felt death was near"."I saw tanks firing into the air and sometimes at people," he told AFP. The intensification of the ground assault last week came as a U.N. probe accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza. Israel rejected the findings. Over nearly two years, Israeli military operations have killed at least 65,419 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, figures the U.N. considers reliable. Hamas' attack that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Trump envoy Witkoff expects Mideast 'breakthrough' in coming days
Agence France Presse/September 26, 2025
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday he expected a breakthrough related to Gaza in the coming days, saying President Donald Trump had presented a plan to regional countries. Witkoff, a real estate friend of Trump who has become his roving ambassador, said the U.S. president shared ideas when meeting with a group of Arab and Islamic countries Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. "We presented what we call the Trump 21-point plan for peace in the Mideast and Gaza," Witkoff said. "I think it addresses Israeli concerns as well as the concerns of all the neighbors in the region," he told the Concordia summit on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. "We're hopeful, and I might say even confident, that in the coming days we'll be able to announce some sort of breakthrough." French President Emmanuel Macron, who also met with Trump on Tuesday, said he expected the plan, which Witkoff did not detail, to include elements he presented to the U.S. president. Macron has promoted a plan that would include the dismantling of Hamas and an international force to stabilize war-ravaged Gaza. "The United States is now going to absorb that, so to speak," Macron said in an interview jointly with France 24 and Radio France Internationale. "I think that if we can align everyone -- the United States, the Arabs, the Europeans -- around this peace plan, we can have a result," Macron said. Macron also on Monday led a summit that recognized a Palestinian state, an initiative strongly opposed by Trump and Israel.
But Macron said that Trump shared opposition to Israeli annexation of the West Bank, a threat made by right-wing Israeli ministers to scuttle the prospects for a Palestinian state. "What President Trump told me yesterday was that the Europeans and Americans have the same position," Macron said. Witkoff and Trump have repeatedly voiced hope for ending the devastating nearly two-year war. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was more somber on a trip last week to Israel, which has launched a massive new offensive to seize Gaza City.

At least 17 killed in Gaza Strip as leaders ramp up pressure for ceasefire
Associated Press/September 26, 2025
At least 17 people were killed Thursday in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, according to local health officials, as international pressure for a ceasefire continued to grow.
On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, French President Emmanuel Macron told France 24 his country had recognized a Palestinian state on the conviction it "is the only way to isolate Hamas," which has proved itself able to regenerate even after many of its leaders have been killed. "Total war in Gaza is causing civilian casualties but can't bring about the end of Hamas," he said in the interview Wednesday. "Factually, it's a failure." He said he had been lobbying U.S. President Donald Trump to press Israel again for a ceasefire, telling him "you have an important role to play — you who supports peace, who wants to bring peace to the world.""You cannot stop the war if there is no path to peace," the French president added. Some Israeli ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government have pushed for annexing the occupied West Bank in response to international recognition of Palestinian statehood — a move that could effectively strip the Palestinian Authority of its civil and security powers in parts of the territory. Macron said such a move would be a red line for France, and "I think it's also a red line for the United States of America."Neither the White House nor the State Department responded to requests for comment on Macron's statement. Netanyahu has said he won't make any decisions until he returns from the U.S., where he is to address the U.N. General Assembly on Friday and then carry on to meet with Trump in Washington.
Deadly strikes hit central and southern Gaza
Meanwhile in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, 12 people were killed in an Israeli attack on the central town of Zawaida that hit a tent and a house, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the nearby city of Deir al-Balah. Eight children were among the victims, according to the hospital, and family members said another girl was still under the rubble. The hospital said another girl was killed in an airstrike that hit a tent in Deir al-Balah, and that it was caring for seven others injured in that attack. In the southern city of Khan Younis, another Israeli attack hit an apartment building, killing four people, according to the Nasser Hospital where the bodies were taken. Netanyahu denounces leaders who have recognized a Palestinian state On Monday ahead of the opening of the U.N. General Assembly meetings, France, Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, and Monaco announced or confirmed their recognition of a Palestinian state in the hopes of galvanizing support for a two-state solution to the Mideast conflict. Their announcements came a day after the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Portugal did the same, in defiance of Israel and the United States.
Netanyahu lashed out at the idea early Thursday before heading to New York himself.
"At the U.N, General Assembly I will speak our truth," he told reporters. "I will denounce those leaders who, instead of denouncing the murderers, the rapists, the child burners, want to give them a state in the heart of the land of Israel. It will not happen."
At separate events in New York on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's lead negotiator Steve Witkoff both offered optimistic views about what Witkoff called a "Trump 21-point plan for peace" that was presented to Arab leaders on Tuesday.
The U.S. has not released details of the plan or said whether Israel or Hamas accepts it, but Netanyahu suggested Israel's position had not changed. The Israeli leader said when he travels from New York on to Washington to meet with Trump, he would "discuss with him the great opportunities our victories have brought and also our need to complete the goals of the war: to return all our hostages, to defeat Hamas and to expand the circle of peace that is open to us."The U.S., along with Egypt and Qatar, have spent months trying to broker a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release. Those efforts suffered a major setback earlier this month when Israel carried out an airstrike targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Forty-eight captives are still inside Gaza, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive, after most of the rest were freed in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's ongoing retaliatory offensive has killed more than 65,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It doesn't say how many were civilians or combatants, but says women and children make up around half the fatalities. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government. U.N. agencies and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.Israel launched another major ground operation earlier this month in Gaza City, which experts say is experiencing famine. More than 300,000 people have fled, but up to 700,000 are still there, many because they can't afford to relocate.

What to know about the international flotilla seeking to break Israel's blockade of Gaza
Associated Press/September 26, 2025
Spain and Italy say they are sending navy ships to where a flotilla of boats carrying activists seeking to break Israel's blockade of Gaza is sailing, after the activists said they were attacked by drones near Greece. The Global Sumud Flotilla said Wednesday it was targeted by drones and communications jamming, with several explosions occurring on or near some of the boats. Some of the vessels were damaged, but no injuries were reported.
Here's what to know about the flotilla.
The Global Sumud Flotilla's aim
Organizers say the flotilla currently includes 52 mostly small vessels carrying activists from dozens of countries. They are carrying a symbolic amount humanitarian aid, mainly food and medicine, for Palestinians in the besieged enclave of Gaza. The 23-month war has led to a humanitarian catastrophe in the territory that has seen much of it reduced to rubble. The world's leading authority on food crisis has declared famine in Gaza's largest city. Activists hope their actions will focus attention to the plight of Palestinians. They say the flotilla is the largest attempt to date to break Israel's maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has now lasted 18 years, long predating the current war in Gaza. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics consider it collective punishment.
The boats' journey
The core vessels set sail from Spain on Sept. 1, heading east across the Mediterranean, and have been joined by boats from other countries along the way. The flotilla includes larger vessels that are providing support and provisions for smaller boats. Participants include high-profile activists such as Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, as well as members of Italy's parliament and the European parliament. Organizers say delegates from 46 countries had committed to participating, with activists including military veterans, doctors, clergy and lawyers. The bulk of the flotilla was sailing south of the Greek island of Crete on Thursday, heading eastwards. Organizers said they expected to reach the Gaza area within a week.
Attacks on the flotilla
Organizers have reported at least three separate instances of participating boats being targeted by drones: twice in Tunisia on Sept. 8 and 9, and once while sailing south of Greece in the early hours of Wednesday. In the latest attack, the flotilla said it was targeted during the night by "unidentified drones and communications jamming." Activists said "at least 13 explosions" were heard on and around several flotilla boats, while drones or aircraft dropped "unidentified objects" on at least 10 boats. No casualties were reported but there was damage to the vessels and "widespread obstruction in communications," it added.
Israel's reaction
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to questions regarding Wednesday's drone attack. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has accused organizers of being linked to Hamas, a claim organizers reject. Israel has proposed the activists unload their aid in the Israeli port of Ashkelon for it to be transported into Gaza, saying it will not accept any breach of its blockade.
"Israel will not allow vessels to enter an active combat zone and will not allow the breach of a lawful naval blockade," the ministry said on Monday.
International reaction
Italy and Spain said they were sending military ships to provide assistance and possible rescues if needed. "The Spanish Government demands that international law be complied with and that the right of our citizens to navigate the Mediterranean safely be respected," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said. Speaking in parliament Thursday, Italian Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto said his government expressed "its strongest condemnation" of the drone attack and said that "actions of this type, carried out against civilian boats on the open sea, are totally unacceptable."Crosetto told lawmakers that an Italian frigate sailing nearby, the Fasan, as well as another navy ship, the Alpino, had been activated to intervene in case rescues were necessary. The aim was to make clear to flotilla organizers that they are running a risk "independent of the fact that they're going to do good." The minister asked the flotilla to offload the aid in Cyprus instead, saying the Italian government and Italian Catholic Church could get the aid to Palestinians without risking a possible "hostile act" by Israel. "We are not in the position to guarantee its security, once (the flotilla) has left international waters and entered the waters of another state," he said, adding that if the flotilla enters Israeli waters "it could be considered by that country a hostile act."U.N. Human Rights Office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan called for an investigation, while the European Union also warned against the use of any force. "The freedom of navigation under international law must be upheld," said Eva Hrncirova, a European Commission spokesperson.
Past attempts to break Israel's blockade of Gaza
It is not the first time activists trying to break Israel's Gaza blockade have come under attack.
Another vessel said it was attacked by drones in May in international waters off Malta. An overland convoy traveling across North Africa also attempted to reach the border but was blocked by security forces aligned with Egypt in eastern Libya. In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara, a boat participating in an aid flotilla attempting to breach the maritime blockade of Gaza. Nine Turkish citizens and one Turkish-American on board were killed.
The current war
The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel and killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 others hostage. Israel says its offensive is aimed at pressuring Hamas to surrender and return the remaining 48 hostages, about 20 of whom Israel believes are still alive. Most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals. The Israeli offensive has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It does not say how many were civilians or combatants, but says around half were women and children.

‘We’re moving closer’ to two-state solution, Saudi aid chief tells Arab News
Ephrem Kossaify/Arab News/September 26, 2025
NEW YORK: The head of Saudi aid agency KSrelief has expressed optimism about the future of Palestine, underscoring growing international recognition as a key step toward a durable peace. Coming from a medical background, I’m naturally optimistic,” Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah told Arab News on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. “With the growing acceptance of Palestine by many countries, especially Western nations, we’re moving closer to achieving a long-lasting solution.”The High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, resulted in the adoption of the New York Declaration, a comprehensive roadmap outlining tangible, timebound steps toward the peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. he declaration, endorsed by the UNGA with overwhelming support, sets out a multi-dimensional framework addressing political governance, security, humanitarian aid, economic recovery and legal accountability. It also calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, its reunification with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority and the exclusion of Hamas, the establishment of a temporary UN-led stabilization mission, and a halt to Israeli settlement expansion. The people of Palestine have suffered immensely for many years,” said Al-Rabeeah. “The two-state solution is the only viable path for long-term peace and a better future for Palestinians.”
Beyond the political landscape, he highlighted critical humanitarian challenges facing displaced populations worldwide, ahead of a high-level meeting on the subject. With more than 130 million people displaced globally and donor fatigue threatening aid efforts, he called for renewed global attention and action. We face numerous crises — in Sudan, Ukraine, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and beyond,” he said. This meeting is critical to shedding light on the importance of solving crises, preventing new ones, and ensuring a better future for refugees and displaced people.”

Israel says struck Houthi targets in Yemen's rebel-held capital
Agence France Presse/September 26, 2025
Israel's defense minister said the military struck Houthi targets in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa on Thursday, a day after a Houthi-claimed drone attack on the Israeli tourist resort of Eilat. "We have just dealt a powerful blow to numerous terror targets of the Houthi terror organization in Sanaa," Israel Katz said in a post on X.The military "struck several military camps, including a camp of the Houthi General Staff, eliminated dozens of Houthi terror operatives, and destroyed stockpiles of UAVs (drones) and weaponry," he added.

Libyan leader urges UN to back full sovereignty, elections, end to foreign interference
Arab News/September 25, 2025
LONDON: The chairman of Libya’s Presidential Council on Thursday urged the international community to support a Libyan-led political process that restores the country’s full sovereignty, ends foreign interference, and paves the way for free and transparent elections. Addressing the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, Mohamed Al-Menfi said his country must no longer be treated as a “battleground for settling scores or exporting crises,” but as a nation with the resources, youth and history to build a modern and democratic state. He outlined a four-point plan for moving beyond years of conflict: restoring national sovereignty free from external interference; achieving broad-based consensus through inclusive dialogue inside Libya; unifying sovereign institutions such as security, defense and financial bodies; and ending the transitional phase with elections based on a clear constitutional framework. “Any solution that doesn’t return ownership of the political process to the Libyan people, and doesn’t emanate from their free will, is doomed to repeat failure,” he said. Al-Menfi highlighted efforts to preserve stability and avoid renewed violence, pointing to the October 2020 ceasefire agreement and security arrangements in Tripoli as evidence of progress. He said “Libyan blood is a red line,” and the country’s sovereignty, unity and social fabric are non-negotiable. Speaking about the Libyan economy, he highlighted the challenges posed by institutional division and the absence of a unified budget, but said the country still has the capacity to play a pivotal role in its own recovery. He called for greater global support for economic development, including through the High Financial Committee and UN cooperation, to unify public spending and ensure fair wealth distribution. Turning to the issue of migration, he urged the international community to move away from narrow security responses and adopt a detailed developmental approach in partnership with the African Union. “Irregular migration isn’t merely a security issue, but a humanitarian challenge rooted in deep economic causes,” he said. On Palestine, Al-Menfi condemned the “unethical neutrality” by some UN member states regarding Israel’s war on Gaza, as well as “crimes of genocide and blatant violations of international law” against the Palestinian people. He called for urgent international action to end the Israeli occupation and secure Palestinian rights. Concluding his address, Al-Menfi urged the world to view Libya as “a story of resilience and will” rather than as a complicated political problem to avoid. “Libya’s future is that of a sovereign, stable state, united in its institutions, strong through its people, reconciled with itself, open to the world, and an active partner regionally and internationally,” he said.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on September 25-26/2025
A Gaza Endgame With More Blood and Politics
Alberto M. Fernandez/National Catholic Registery/September 25, 2025
https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/fernandez-gaza-endgame
COMMENTARY: Israel has been wildly successful on the battlefield during the almost two-year Hamas War, the longest hot war in Israeli history,
Dignitaries attend a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestinian statehood, during the UN General Assembly on Sept. 23, in New York City. France and Saudi Arabia on Monday chaired a meeting to build support for the recognition of a Palestinian state, despite opposition from the United States and Israel.
Wars seem easier to start than to end these days. That certainly seems to be the case in Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza. Wars traditionally ended when one side was victorious and imposed its will on the defeated or when one or both sides were exhausted by the conflict.
While the sheer carnage is higher in both the Russia-Ukraine War and the Sudanese Civil War, it is the war in Gaza that captures the globe’s obsessive imagination.
On Sept. 22, the influential Community of Sant’Egidio and a large number of other Italian Catholic associations held a “Peace for Gaza” prayer vigil at the Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, joined them via video link. Pope Leo XIV, at the Sunday Angelus the day before, had blessed the organizations gathered for the vigil, praying that “a dawn of peace and justice may soon arrive.” The Supreme Pontiff renewed past calls for “a ceasefire, the release of hostages, a negotiated diplomatic solution, and full respected international humanitarian law.”
Some Western countries are taking controversial steps to try to advance a peace process that seems moribund. France, the United Kingdom and others announced during the U.N. General Assembly that they officially recognized a state of Palestine — a state with as yet no defined borders. Israel (including the opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) criticized this, while Hamas celebrated the move as “fruits of October 7th,” the terrorist attack they launched two years ago.
But supporters of France and its partners have pushed back. The plan, they say, “is a calculated effort to strengthen the Palestinian Authority (PA), Hamas’ political rival and Israel’s only remaining Palestinian partner for peace.” How much clout the PA still has — among Palestinians, not just with Israelis — is an open question. France has also suggested some sort of international peacekeepers for Gaza while stating that Hamas needs to be disarmed and removed from power. Skeptics scoffed that the proposal is a new version of UNIFIL — the ineffective U.N. force in Lebanon that neither prevented war nor disarmed the terrorist group Hezbollah.
Where is the United States in this? President Trump ran in 2024 as the peace candidate and initially launched a furious round of “express peacemaking” across the world in early 2025. There were some successes. Accords between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and Armenia and Azerbaijan were inked. Trump overruled some of his advisers and worked to bring a broken, war-torn Syria back into the international community.
The Trump administration even secured the release of more Israeli hostages and a two-month ceasefire in Gaza from Jan. 19 to March 18 before the tenuous pause collapsed into more war. But since then, the United States has come up against a bitter reality: Neither of the belligerents in Gaza is yet ready for a definitive peace. They are both constantly maneuvering for victory and for advantage. And both the current Israeli government and the Hamas terrorists have bitter domestic rivals as well.
Hamas has been battered but survives in the rubble by just hanging on and using the lives of its Israeli hostages and the people of Gaza as bargaining chips. The group has brutally repressed any Palestinian opponents on the ground in Gaza. Meanwhile, the very real suffering of the Gazans continues to be a powerful propaganda tool for the cause, a daily club to use against Israel. The preferred outcome for Hamas is a return to the status quo ante Oct. 7, where it still rules in Gaza, rebuilds for the next round of conflict and tries to expand into the West Bank. This is precisely the outcome Israel seeks to avoid.
Hamas this week sent a letter directly to Trump offering to release half the hostages in return for a new two-month ceasefire — a partial agreement similar to the one that collapsed in March.
Israel has been wildly successful on the battlefield during the almost two-year Hamas War, the longest hot war in Israeli history, and has crippled the offensive capacity of its enemies in Iran, Lebanon, Yemen and Gaza.
But the Hamas invasion of October 2023 has led to support for a two-state solution — and for a peace process with the Palestinians — collapsing among the Israeli public. At the same time, while Hamas and its supporters have been repeatedly defeated in kinetic operations, the Palestine (and anti-Israel and often antisemitic) cause has boomed like never before in the West, including in the United States. Israel, which was attacked by Hamas, is demonized as the aggressor and feels increasingly alone, aside from the current American administration.
Some pessimistic Israelis believe that the Netanyahu government intends to continue the war in Gaza indefinitely, thereby keeping the pressure not only on the Gazans but on Hamas until Israel’s demands are met — release of all the hostages, destruction of Hamas, and the end of Hamas rule in Gaza. Beyond that, everything else — the larger questions of rebuilding Gaza, who rules it, Israel’s relations with other states, what sort of peace process, if any, remains, all seem elusive.
Those with plans — the Europeans — have zero power and, not surprisingly, have zero trust from Israel. Those with power have no plan aside from winning.
Winning what exactly is not clear. As with Ukraine and Sudan, victory continues to be an irresistible temptation, and peace a vague and elastic notion.
*Alberto M. Fernandez Alberto M. Fernandez is a former U.S. diplomat and a contributor at EWTN News.

Deployment of Italian, Spanish naval vessels complicates Gaza flotilla
SETH J. FRANTZMAN/Face Book/September 25, 2025
On the evening of September 23-24 the pro-Palestinian activists aboard three dozen boats off the coast of Crete claimed they had been attacked. The flotilla has been making its way toward Gaza since it left Barcelona in Spain on September 1. It has grown since then to around forty ships, mostly sailboats. A further six sailboats sailing from Greece also joined the group on September 25. In addition, Italy and Spain have now said they will send naval ships toward the flotilla, apparently to deter further attacks on the group.
The flotilla of activists, numbering hundreds of people, have claimed to be attacked by drones twice. First, when they were anchored off the Tunisian town of Sidi Bou Said on September 10, and again on the night of September 23-24. The incident on the night off of Crete appeared larger, with the activists claiming a dozen explosions took place. It is not clear if any vessels were damaged and the activists haven’t shown any damage. Nevertheless, it did worry the organizers enough that the ships then made a beeline for Greek waters, sailing to within a few miles of the Cretan coastline.
The concern of the activists appears to have reached the chanceries in Madrid and Rome. Italy’s Prime Minister is in New York for the UN General Assembly. Rome responded first, saying it would direct a naval ship currently north of Crete to sail around 200 miles to apparently meet the flotilla. However, Italy has also advised the flotilla not to go to Gaza but rather give aid to Gaza in another way. Israel’s foreign ministry had claimed the flotilla was linked to Hamas, but changed its tune after the Italians sent a ship, urging the flotilla to transfer the goods in a third country. Israel has also said they could go to Ashkelon to move the goods to Gaza.
As the flotilla was hugging the coast of southern Crete on September 24, the Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto was organizing a response. There are many Italian and Spanish citizens on the vessels. The Italian group of 20 sailboats had joined after sailing from a port near Augusta in Sicily in mid-September. Italians have protested for Gaza. As such Italy feels an obligation towards its citizens. Crosetto reportedly dispatched the Italian naval frigate Virginio Fasan (F 591). It is also a Carlo Bergamini-class frigate of the Italian Navy. The vessel was was commissioned in 2013. It is 144 meters long.
Now, reports say that Italy has sent a second ship. Anadolu news in Turkey “briefing lawmakers on the flotilla, Crosetto said the government aims to prevent any incidents at sea as humanitarian ships attempt to deliver aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.” He said "We will continue to work to ensure no incident occurs with the Flotilla, and I ask for your help in this regard, regardless of political opposition. The climate is worrying, and I say that we are unable to guarantee the safety of the vessels outside of international waters.” Reports say He also condemned the attacks on the flotilla. "Attacks on civilian vessels in open water are totally unacceptable... Any demonstration, if it respects the law, must be protected and cannot be suppressed with violence." The second ship being set by Rome is the Alpino, which is also a Carlo Begamini-class frigate. It was commissioned in 2016.
Spain has also said it will send a naval ship toward the flotilla. Reports claimed that this ship will sail from the Spanish port of Cartagena, a distance of some 1,350 nautical miles. Spain has a number of vessels available to deploy. Speculation has landed on the Spanish Meteoro-class offshore patrol vessel ESPS Audaz (P-45) or the Furor (P-46) which is also a Meteoro-class patrol vessel. It appears, according to various reports, that the ship is the Furor. It is slightly over 90 meters long and was commissioned in 2019.
Meanwhile Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was critical of Israel in her speech at the UN. Howeer she has also cautioned the flotilla against doing anything dangerous. We must not endanger our safety. There is no need to enter a combat zone to deliver aid to Gaza - aid that Italian authorities can send there within hours.”
Israel’s Ynet claimed on September 25 that “the Israeli Navy, with Air Force support, is working to disrupt the flotilla’s progress toward Israel. However, the IDF has not prepared for a direct military clash with Spanish or Italian forces, with whom it trained regularly until October 7. Instead, the plan is to delay the flotilla’s interception until it enters Israeli territorial waters. Early contact remains possible, and troops have been instructed not to fall for provocations and to rely only on nonviolent means if necessary.”
The activists on the flotilla anchored throughout the day of September 25 around seven miles off the coast of Crete. They anchored south of the Cretan town of Koutsouras. They anchored in pretty waters several miles between the islands of Koudonisi and Chrissi. Both are popular day trip destinations for tourists. Koufonisi is known for its caves and Chrissi is a protected natural area. The flotilla of around 44 ships is now 460 nautical miles from Gaza. It appears the flotilla now has combined with ships that sialed from Greece, swelling its ranks slightly. The NGO ship Emergency has also joined the group. This is a large red support ship that can assist in rescues. It is not clear if the flotilla will wait for the Italian and Spanish naval vessels. The flotilla makes an average of 5 knots an hour and must travel at the pace of its slowed vessel. As such it can make around 120 miles, or 104 nautical miles a day, however it doesn’t always sail for 24 hours a day.  As the naval support for the flotilla increases, the activists may feel more security. However, they also risk creating an international incident. It is not clear if Italy and Spain have coordinated their response and whether the Italian and Spanish naval captains have similar orders. Italy appears to prefer the flotilla go to a neutral port and offload aid to a third party. The Italians appear ready to assist to move the aid to Israel and then have it delivered to Gaza. On the other hand the activists do not appear to want to do this. They also have not taken Israel up on its offer to dock at an Israeli part or a third country. This sets up a possible crisis. Spain and Italy have both been critical of Israel. However, Spain is the more critical country. Italy has not yet recognized a Palestinian state. Israel will not want to clash with Italy. However, Spain may be a different story. The Spanish vessel will still take three days to reach the flotilla if it is sailing from southern Spain.

Qatar is no Arab Switzerland ...It’s a Muslim Brotherhood terrorist haven
Clifford D. May/The Washington Times/The Washington Times/September 25/2025
A disturbing thought experiment: Imagine your children have been kidnapped and are being tortured in a dungeon.
Your phone rings: “Hi, I just wanted to let you know about the leaders of the gang that abducted your kids. Well, it happens that I’ve hosted them in my guest house for years. Perhaps I can work out a deal for you?”
Would you think: “How nice! What a good friend!” I doubt it.
What I’ve described parallels what’s been going on between Israel and Qatar since Oct. 7, 2023, when Israel was invaded by Hamas terrorists who massacred roughly 1,200 men, women, and children and dragged about 250 more back to Gaza where maybe 20 still survive in agonizing captivity.
Qatar’s rulers have been funding Hamas for nearly two decades and formally hosting leaders since 2012. Nevertheless, they claim they are honest brokers mediating between warring parties. Israel’s war aim is to bring the hostages home and decisively defeat Hamas.
Hamas’s initial war aim was openly genocidal – to wipe Israel off the face of the earth with assistance from the jihadi regime in Tehran and its “ring of fire”: Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Assad regime in Syria, Shia militias in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen, and various terrorist groups in the West Bank.
When this well-laid plan went awry, Hamas’s goal became to keep the casualty count rising on both sides until Israel agreed to the restoration of Hamas rule over Gaza, where it could plan future assaults against the Jewish state.
In pursuit of that goal, Hamas has been using Gazan civilians as human shields to protect their fighters, confident that Israelis would be blamed for civilian deaths by what’s become an international coalition of Islamists, left and right Jew-haters, and spineless appeasers.
Thought experiment No. 2: If Hamas had said: “We’re not surrendering. But because we care about the Gazans we’ve ruled since 2007, we will release all the hostages we seized in exchange for an immediate and indefinite ceasefire.”
That wouldn’t be a fair deal. Hamas doesn’t deserve to be rewarded for the devastation it has brought upon Gazans and Israelis. But do you think Israelis would decline such an offer?
Lacking such options, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have eliminated the top Hamas leaders in Gaza. The top Hamas leaders that the Qataris are harboring, however, regarded themselves as untouchable diplomats in an Arab Switzerland.
Weeks ago, it became apparent that the talks were going nowhere. Morgan Ortagus, Deputy U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, succinctly articulated why: “Israel has accepted proposed terms that would end the war, but Hamas continues to reject them.”
So, it should have come as no surprise that Israel’s leaders decided to treat the Hamas bigwigs in Qatar as the terrorist masters they are rather than the earnest negotiators they pretended to be. I’m not arguing that it was strategically smart for Israel to fire missiles at Hamas headquarters in the Qatari capital of Doha earlier this month. Such decisions are way above my pay grade. But I am arguing that harboring terrorists violates fundamental international law.
Based on that law, Israel has the same right to target Hamas leaders wherever they are that the U.S. had when it targeted Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria, Qasem Soleimani in Iraq, Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan, and other terrorists in other countries. Israeli leaders also may have calculated – rightly or wrongly – that if they eliminated the Hamasniks dining in five-star restaurants in Doha, the Hamasniks chowing down on stolen food in the tunnels under Gaza City might demonstrate increased flexibility.
It now appears that the Israeli attack was unsuccessful, perhaps because Hamas was warned, perhaps because the highly surgical strike homed in on phones that were not in the same room as the Hamas leaders.
So, thought experiment No. 3: Imagine that those Hamas leaders, reflecting on how close they came to martyrdom, were to agree to free the hostages in exchange for a guarantee that they be removed from Israel’s “terminal list.” You think Israel’s leaders wouldn’t take that deal?
I need to say a few more words about Qatar. A country on the northeastern coast of Arabia, its fewer than 350,000 citizens are superrich because one of the largest natural gas fields in the world lies off their shores. Qatar shares this natural resource with Iran’s rulers.
The Qataris are aligned with – and bankroll – the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is the Gaza branch. The Qataris have supported other jihadi terrorist groups over the years as well.
At the same time, they’ve been spending billions of dollars insinuating Islamism into America’s educational system, spreading lucre among Washington influentials, and disinforming the “international community,” not least via Al Jazeera, their international propaganda conglomerate.
Thought experiment No. 4: Imagine if, on Oct. 8, 2023, President Biden had said to Qatar’s dynastic autocrat, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani:
“Nineteen months ago, I designated Qatar a major non-NATO ally.
“I therefore expected you to prevent Hamas from doing the kind of terrible things it’s done. You failed me. “So, now you must instruct the terrorists you’re harboring to order the release of the American hostages – in fact, all the hostages. If they refuse, you will prosecute them or extradite them to a country that will hold them accountable for their crimes.”
Had that scenario unfolded, do you not think that Gazans and Israelis alike would have been spared enormous bloodshed and pain?
Okay, final thought experiment: If President Trump were to make the same demand of Qatar’s ruler tomorrow, what do you imagine would be the result?
**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.

More than 600,000 Gazans have evacuated Gaza City amid growing IDF offensive
Seth J. Frantzman/FDD's Long War Journal/September 25/2025
More than 640,000 people have evacuated Gaza City, the Israeli military estimated on September 23. The mass evacuation of the city’s population comes as Israel’s offensive continues to grow in the northern Gaza Strip.
The offensive, Operation Gideon’s Chariots II, was approved in August and became more intense in mid-September as the IDF expanded operations with three divisions in portions of Gaza City. The Israeli military called on Palestinians to leave the urban center and its environs over the last month. By August 17, the IDF estimated that 350,000 people had evacuated Gaza City, heading south for areas away from the fighting. On September 24, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir called on residents of Gaza to “rise up and break away from Hamas — it is responsible for your suffering. The war and the suffering will end if Hamas releases the hostages and relinquishes its weapons.” Zamir made these comments during a situation assessment in Gaza, where he met with Major General Yaniv Asor, head of Israel’s Southern Command; Major General Dado Bar Kalifa, head of the IDF’s Manpower Directorate; and Brigadier General Moran Omer, commander of the 36th Division. The 36th Division is one of at least three divisions operating against Hamas in Gaza City. Over the last week, the IDF has also noted the roles of the 98th Division and the 162nd Division, as well as the component units of the three divisions, including the Givati Brigade, the Nahal Brigade, and the 7th Armored Brigade.
Zamir added on September 24 that the IDF’s operations continue to “focus on striking Gaza City to create conditions for the release of the hostages and for Hamas’ decisive defeat” and stated that most of the civilian population of Gaza City had already evacuated. He also mentioned the death of IDF Major Shahar Netanel Bozaglo, an officer in the 7th Armored Brigade, who was killed in northern Gaza. Zamir said that the officer had left his home on October 7, 2023, to join his unit and fight Hamas and had continued to serve since then. Another Israeli soldier from the Givati Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit was wounded on September 24.
The IDF’s operations in Gaza continue to involve precision airstrikes against individual terrorists. For instance, on September 21, the IDF said it eliminated Majed Abu Salmiya, a Hamas sniper. In another incident, the IDF described targeting a terrorist cell: “[S]everal terrorists and weapons were identified in a structure. In a precise airstrike, the terrorists were eliminated, and numerous secondary explosions were seen, testifying to the presence of weapons in the area.” Another strike by the Israeli Navy targeted Iyad Abu Yusuf, who the IDF said was the deputy commander of Hamas’s Naval Police, in central Gaza.
The Israeli military provided new details about humanitarian aid entering Gaza. With most of the population of Gaza City evacuating south, almost 2 million people now reside in either the Central Camps area of the territory, which is still under Hamas control, or Mawasi in southern Gaza, a humanitarian zone established in the first month of the war. The IDF said on September 21 that “over the past week, close to 1,700 trucks were collected and distributed this week from the Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom and Zikim Crossings.” In addition, 1,300 trucks entered through crossings into Gaza during the same period. On September 22, the IDF added that 460 trucks had entered Gaza. “Efforts to facilitate a broader humanitarian response in southern Gaza took place, including the establishment of an additional shelter complex, clearing areas for shelters and the entry of tens of thousands of tents,” the IDF’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) stated. On September 19, COGAT reported that approximately 24,000 tents had been transferred to the territory. Terrorist groups in Gaza have continued to attempt to target Israel with their severely depleted stocks of rockets. On September 21, sirens sounded in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod. The Israeli military then struck a building from which it said that Hamas “terrorists had launched two rockets toward the areas of Lakhish and Ashdod.”
The continued Israeli operations in Gaza City took place during the UN General Assembly, and as several European countries announced that they would recognize a Palestinian state.
The family of Israeli hostage Alon Ohel released a photo of him on September 24. The image was from a video Hamas had released on September 22.
**Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDD’s Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).

Big powers must change or our world will continue to bleed
Mohamed Chebaro/Arab News/September 25, 2025
The speech made by US President Donald Trump at the UN this week was considered absurd by many, especially when he claimed to have ended seven “unendable” wars during his eight-month tenure. However, his words reflect what everybody in the world is feeling: that the UN, and especially its Security Council, is no longer capable of bringing conflicts to an end. But the reasons for this are not a UN problem, they are a problem of the big powers like the US, China and Russia.
World leaders have gathered for the UN General Assembly in New York this week, as they have done for the past 80 years. But unlike the mere talking shops they have held previously, a sense of urgency and pressure could be felt in the speeches of most leaders this year — and for various reasons. However, all of them fell short of calling for an extraordinary summit to redraw the big powers’ goals and agree on a roadmap to achieve them. Following such a summit, a less conflictive world could emerge. It could stop the forever wars and their expensive human, material and ecological costs.
From France to South Korea and from South Africa to Suriname, speeches at the UNGA pledged support for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call to work together to address the global challenges of war, poverty and climate chaos. They backed choosing peace over war, law over lawlessness, and a future where nations come together rather than scramble for their own interests.
The question is how to turn all this rhetoric into practical steps that can lure other nations, especially the superpowers, away from conflict and toward peace? Apart from Trump's speech, which was clearly directed at his domestic “Make America Great Again” supporters, the leaders generally managed to point to the factors fueling the descent of the world into this chaotic state of conflictive narratives, uncertainty and fear.
Most leaders backed peace over war and a future where nations come together rather than scramble for their own interests
Either side of Trump’s 58-minute address in front of a silent hall, other leaders delivered veiled but astute warnings about the state of our world. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s poignant speech stood out, as he spoke about the loss of US authority without mentioning Trump. He warned of the threat posed by the new authoritarians, reminding everyone that the ideals that inspired the UN’s founding fathers in San Francisco are today under threat.
“There is a clear parallel between the multilateralism crisis and the weakening of democracy,” Lula said. “Authoritarianism is strengthened when we fail to act in the face of arbitrary acts. When international society falters in defending peace, sovereignty and the rule of law, the consequences are tragic. Throughout the world, antidemocratic forces are trying to subjugate institutions and stifle freedoms. They worship violence, praise ignorance, act as physical and digital militias, and restrict the press.”
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto received warm applause when asserting that “might cannot be right, right must be right.” And Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke for most delegates when he insisted that leaders must be restrained when they become out of control, like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has. Erdogan warned that those who remain silent in the face of barbarity are complicit in the crimes committed.
Speaker after speaker diagnosed the same problems and the majority of them recognized that the UN and multilateralism remain a prized vehicle to protect humanity in a world that is in transition. Dwindling resources, increased greed, military interventions, global warming and climate change are changing the planet we live on. One can add to that the digital transformation and the unchecked and unregulated social media realm, which is tearing at the social order in many otherwise coherent and cohesive countries.
Speaker after speaker recognized that the UN and multilateralism remain a prized vehicle to protect humanity
If it is to stay relevant and save multilateralism, the UN should be revolutionary for once and declare a global emergency that requires direct action. This would be through gathering all the elephants in one room. And I am not talking about 192 independent nations, but maybe getting two dozen leaders who agree with what has been said in the majority of the speeches at this year’s UNGA into a room with the superpowers. Together, they should come up with a roadmap that addresses their own interests but also the survival of the planet and its people.
In the last decade, the big powers, as well as rising global actors, have reached an inflection point and they now disagree on most issues, from Russia’s war in Ukraine to the Gaza genocide, from Sudan to Congo. It is high time that a covenant was created and signed that commits to a reformed world order that ensures peace and a protected environment. This would allow people and businesses to thrive, ending the constant and ever-rising uncertainty and anxiety that results from ignorance, greed and the race for profits, which could ultimately shake the central tenets of society and their durability.
Leaders of all nations and ideologies should agree on one thing — and that is to meet and disagree, as this would be the first step on the long road to finding common ground and reasonable answers to the questions that initially seem diverse but are in fact the same regardless of color, creed, geography, demography or wealth. The world that evolved after the Second World War has become ever more interconnected and it is in upholding that interconnectedness that solutions and accommodations could be found. Isolation and individual solutions have proven to be untenable.
**Mohamed Chebaro is a British-Lebanese journalist with more than 25 years’ experience covering war, terrorism, defense, current affairs and diplomacy.

Israel Is Pushing Arab Peace Partners to Their Limits
David Schenker/Washington Institute/September 25/2025
Washington Institute logo, white on blue - source: The Washington Institute
Although regional peace agreements have survived the Gaza war and other recent crises, the increasingly explicit red lines being laid down by Arab capitals need to be taken seriously in Jerusalem and Washington.
When the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation convened an emergency joint summit in Qatar this month, their ostensible purpose was to support their Gulf neighbor after Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Doha. Yet the content of their September 15 communique went far beyond that—rather than focusing on the Qatar strike, much of the document dealt with Palestinian issues, offering a list of collective and unilateral steps that the fifty-seven states in attendance might take to “prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people.” In addition to boycotts, legal moves, and a campaign to suspend Israel’s United Nations membership, the document called on Israel’s Arab peace partners to consider “reviewing diplomatic and economic relations with it.”
Regrettably, such warnings are not surprising after nearly two years of war in Gaza. Yet the talk of Arab governments openly reconsidering their peace agreements with Israel is hardly new. Well before the Doha attack, three of the five states formally at peace with Israel—Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates—offered hints that they are contemplating a recalibration of relations. Although none of them seem imminently poised to freeze or abandon Wadi Araba, Camp David, or the Abraham Accords, recent statements by senior officials in each country have laid down red lines as to what specific Israeli actions might spur such a move.
Two Years of Cumulative Tensions
When the Gaza war erupted in October 2023, Amman, Cairo, and Abu Dhabi initially called for de-escalation rather than castigating Israel (or, notably, condemning Hamas for the attack that precipitated the conflict). Yet as the Palestinian death toll climbed and tragic images continued to emerge from Gaza, their official positions began to fall more in line with the angry public sentiment that swept each country. For instance, Egypt’s government organized mass demonstrations soon after Israel’s air force began bombarding Gaza; Jordanian authorities allowed a series of large protests adjacent to Israel’s empty embassy in Amman; Jordan withdrew its envoy from Tel Aviv in November 2023; Egypt’s top diplomat left in September 2024; and Bahrain’s ambassador departed this April. The UAE is also reportedly mulling whether to shutter its embassy after the Qatar attack, while Morocco does not even have an embassy in Israel despite joining the Abraham Accords five years ago.
Indeed, the impact of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and other parts of the Middle East has been cumulative. No doubt, the Doha strike shocked the region, but many other actions have contributed to the spike in tensions. Among them are the Israeli government’s announced plans to encourage voluntary relocation of much of Gaza’s population to third countries, as well as to settle E1, a portion of the West Bank that runs from Jerusalem to Maale Adumim and could effectively preclude a contiguous Palestinian state. Such proposals have raised the already high temperature in the region, sparked weeks of angry statements, and, for the first time in recent memory, raised the specter that Arab-Israel peace agreements could be reversed.
Stressed Ties with the UAE
Until recently, the Emirates were a relative bright spot amid these tensions, maintaining the region’s warmest relations with Israel since 2020 and even during the Gaza war. Just days before the Doha strike, however, a senior Foreign Ministry official told the Times of Israel, “Annexation would be a red line for my government...[I]t would foreclose the idea of regional integration.” Initially, the statement was understood as a threat to withdraw from the Abraham Accords. Subsequent unattributed Emirati statements suggested that if Israel proceeds with annexation, Abu Dhabi might downgrade relations to more of an Egypt/Jordan-style “cold peace” rather than cutting ties altogether. Yet this clarification should provide little solace to Jerusalem or Washington, both of whom still seem intent on deepening—not downgrading—the accords and bringing in more signatories.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu exacerbated the situation soon afterward, stating on September 10 that regional officials who condemned the Qatar strike “should be ashamed of themselves.” He also pledged that Israel would continue targeting Hamas abroad if necessary, including in Qatar. In response, the Emirati Foreign Ministry summoned Israel’s deputy ambassador to protest Netanyahu’s “hostile and provocative” remarks. And in a preview of what a cold peace might look like, officials announced that Israeli firms would be excluded from this November’s Dubai Air Show. Even so, Israeli-Emirati relations look relatively good compared to the worsening situations with Jordan and Egypt.
Difficulties Across the River
Jordan’s proximity and demography have long made it extremely sensitive to developments in the West Bank and Gaza. An estimated 60 percent of the kingdom’s population is of Palestinian origin, though popular anger is not limited to this group. Twice in the past year—most recently on September 18—Bedouin tribesmen opened fire at Jordanian border crossings, killing Israeli soldiers. Queen Rania (who is also Palestinian) and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi have been especially critical of Israel’s campaign in Gaza since 2023, and their statements escalated even further in recent weeks following Israel’s announcements on annexation and displacement.
For example, at an Arab League ministerial meeting earlier this month, Safadi called for “collective Arab action” and a “comprehensive strategy—a political, economic, legal, and defense strategy—that employs all available tools to protect our future and interests.” He also defined Jordan’s “red line” as the “displacement of Palestinians from their homeland,” which he said the kingdom would confront “with all our might.”
To be sure, Jordanian foreign ministers have traditionally played the bad cop in relations with Israel, enabling the king to take a more moderate, conciliatory line. Lately, though, even this longstanding diplomatic division of labor has been dissipating. At the Arab-Islamic summit, King Abdullah joined the chorus for tougher measures, urging his colleagues to “review all our tools of joint action to confront the threat of this extremist Israeli government.” In his view, the Doha strike “is proof that the Israeli threat has no limits. Our response must be clear, decisive, and deterrent.” The king expressed similar sentiments this week at the UN General Assembly, criticizing Jerusalem’s plans for “Greater Israel.”
Tanks on the Border with Rafah
The most worrisome deterioration is happening with Egypt. From the beginning of the Gaza war, Cairo warned against any attempted displacement of Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula, while Israel accused its neighbor of enabling weapons smuggling to Hamas and “imprisoning” Palestinians in Gaza by refusing to accept refugees fleeing the fighting. In May 2024, Egypt went a step further by signing onto South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, infuriating Jerusalem.
Tensions have only increased in 2025. Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty repeated Egypt’s red line earlier this month, stating, “Displacement is not an option...and we will not allow it to happen.” In addition, the Doha strike and Netanyahu’s pledge to continue attacking Hamas outside Gaza raised fears that Israel might even target Egypt, which has hosted some of the group’s leaders as part of its mediation efforts. Cairo subsequently warned Israel that any violation of Egypt’s sovereignty would result in “catastrophic repercussions.”
Not surprisingly, President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi’s speech at the Arab-Islamic summit was particularly harsh. He warned Israel that continuing its current trajectory will not only limit opportunities for new peace agreements, but also abort “existing peace accords.” Accentuating the latter point, he referred to Israel as “the enemy”—the first time an Egyptian leader had reportedly done so since 1977—and referenced a proposal (apparently rejected by other Arab states) to establish a unified Arab military force to better contend with the Israeli threat. Meanwhile, leading anchors on state-controlled television are openly discussing the possibility of military confrontation, seemingly conditioning the public for war.
Such rhetoric is worrisome in part because the Sinai has become highly militarized in recent years. Beginning in 2013, Israel repeatedly approved Egyptian requests to flood the peninsula with troops, tanks, and other military equipment, vastly exceeding the terms of the Camp David treaty’s security annex. The original impetus for this arrangement was to help fight a rising Islamist insurgency in the Sinai, since Egypt’s existing assets and personnel in the area were insufficient. By 2022, the terrorists had largely been defeated with Israel’s assistance, yet Jerusalem never pressed for a reversion to the treaty’s original terms—until this week, when Netanyahu reportedly asked Washington to intervene on the issue. For now, hundreds of tanks and thousands of Egyptian troops remain stationed along the border, increasing the possibility of large-scale conflict if tensions keep rising.
The U.S. Role
Defying the odds, all five Arab-Israel peace agreements have survived two years of horrific war in Gaza. That’s the good news. The bad news is that a host of thorny issues—the lack of an imminent end to the war, the expansion of Israeli military activities across the region, and the ideas percolating among senior Israeli officials to annex West Bank territory and facilitate the relocation of Gazans—are pushing these peace partners to their limits. Both their articulation of explicit red lines and their threats to abort peace agreements should be taken seriously.
During the first Trump administration, Washington and its Arab partners essentially forced Israel to choose between annexation and normalization. Jerusalem opted for the Abraham Accords, opening a new era of integration with the Middle East. The October 7 attack changed Israel’s approach, but its desire for regional integration ostensibly remains. For its part, the United States has invested major diplomatic capital and billions of foreign assistance dollars to promote normalization, building a strategic architecture that has greatly benefited U.S. and Israeli national security. Reversing or at least halting the erosion of these gains should be an administration priority, since setbacks in hard-won peace agreements would serve nobody’s interests.
**David Schenker is the Taube Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of its Rubin Program on Arab Politics.

The priorities for reform under UN80 Initiative
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/September 25, 2025
For eight decades now, the UN has been considered a global pillar when it comes to issues such as multilateral diplomacy and international cooperation. Over that time, however, the organization has also faced multiple crises, leading it to adapt its structure and operations to meet evolving geopolitical, economic and environmental challenges. Now, as the UN’s 80th General Assembly takes place in New York, it does so against a backdrop of heightened global tension, including persistent humanitarian crises, climate emergencies and financial strain.
As a result, the UN80 Initiative, launched by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier this year, is a significant effort to strengthen the organization’s capacity, efficiency and relevance. It is necessary to address structural inefficiencies, improve operational coherence and secure the financial sustainability of the UN. This way, the UN can meet the demands of a complex and rapidly changing world.
One of the key issues is committing to enhance the effectiveness of the UN. Unfortunately, there currently appears to be operational redundancies, fragmented decision-making and bureaucratic obstacles. The UN can consolidate overlapping programs and functions, realigning priorities that will improve responsiveness. For example, the UN Development Programme, the UN Population Fund and UNICEF could coordinate their planning and resource allocation more closely. Such cooperation and integration would help these agencies to align their programming with common objectives, reducing duplication and allowing for the more rapid deployment of resources during crises.
These reforms could reduce delays in crisis response, improve coordination among UN entities and strengthen the overall coherence of the organization’s interventions. In addition, these moves would highlight the importance of clear accountability structures within the UN Secretariat, promoting decision-making that is both timely and in line with strategic objectives.
The UN80 Initiative is a significant effort to strengthen the organization’s capacity, efficiency and relevance
Another key issue at the heart of the UN80 Initiative is financial sustainability. The UN has long faced challenges in obtaining and securing predictable and adequate funding. This creates constraints and impacts the delivery of essential programs. So, there needs to be timely and equitable financial contributions. Other innovative approaches can include partnerships with private sector actors and new financing instruments. There would also be greater confidence if there was more transparency in budget allocations and it was ensured that funds are channeled into important issues.
Structural reform is also vital. The UN undoubtedly faces challenges in addressing many global issues, such as climate change, conflict and humanitarian crises. Some people have argued for reviewing the composition and decision-making processes of key bodies of the UN, such as the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the Secretariat, to create more integration, as well as specialized task forces to address certain challenges. For example, coordination between the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Programme is helping to ensure that displaced populations receive timely access to food, shelter and basic services. This is improving operational efficiency and reducing administrative overlap. hile the UN80 Initiative offers a comprehensive framework for reform, it has several obstacles to overcome. There could be political resistance among some member states because every government is going to prioritize its own strategic and economic interests, which can conflict with collective reform goals. Historical divisions have always made implementing such reforms difficult. urthermore, long-standing practices and bureaucracy can slow the adoption of new approaches and reduce the impact of proposed reforms. As a result, the initiative’s success depends not only on the types of reforms to be implemented but also on the political will of all parties involved.
Long-standing practices can slow the adoption of new approaches and reduce the impact of proposed reforms. o advance the UN80 Initiative, at least two factors must be prioritized. First, it should be inclusive, meaning that it should include consultation with all member states, as well as civil society. Second, resources should be directed to those areas with the greatest potential for impact in order to enhance operational efficiency. This would require the strengthening of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to assess the effectiveness of such reforms and to ensure accountability at all levels of the organization.
The potential benefits of effective reforms are significant. A more efficient, financially stable and strategically aligned UN could respond more effectively to crises, provide coherent leadership in multilateral diplomacy and better coordinate efforts across its diverse agencies and programs. More accountability and transparency could also improve the organization’s credibility and legitimacy in the eyes of member states and other parties. So, by addressing its structural and operational shortcomings, the UN can improve its capacity to address global challenges such as climate change, conflict, humanitarian disasters, human rights protections and sustainable development. The successful implementation of the UN80 Initiative depends on inclusive engagement with member states, political will and adaptive leadership. Through changes such as modernizing its institutional frameworks, the UN will be better equipped to advance the causes of peace and sustainable development across the world.
**. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian American political scientist. X: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Emmanuel Macron is Clueless on the Palestinians
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/September 25, 2025
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21923/macron-clueless-palestinians
"[Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas] has asserted his commitment to fighting hate speech and has promised a thorough overhaul of Palestinian governance." — French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking at the United Nations, September 22, 2025.
Abbas, unfortunately, has been promising sweeping government and security reforms ever since he assumed power in 2005. Palestinians have yet to see even the slightest change in anything.
[Abbas] had two entire decades to reform the PA, but did not seize the opportunity to end rampant corruption or make any changes in the PA that might be constructive for his people. Even the garbage disposal is toxic.
The results of these polls show that a majority of Palestinians do not share the French president's optimism regarding the implementation of government, security and economic reforms.
While Macron seems to have taken at face value Abbas's commitment to launch a "thorough overhaul" of the PA, most Palestinians, according to the polls, have not.
Macron is overly optimistic, if not pathetically naïve, regarding the prospects of democracy in a future Palestinian state.
Macron and other Western leaders, if they believe that the PA will change for the better, at least in the foreseeable future, are living in a fantasy world.... Even if a Palestinian state is created, it will be ruled either by Abbas's corrupt Fatah faction or Hamas.
In contrast to idealists and politicians such as Macron, the UK's Keir Starmer, Canada's Mark Carney and Australia's Anthony Albanese, who are evidently terrified of their Muslim voters, the Palestinians at least are realistic. They are only too aware that their leaders will keep on providing them with nothing but anguish and misery.
French President Emmanuel Macron is overly optimistic, if not pathetically naïve, regarding the prospects of democracy in a future Palestinian state. Macron and other Western leaders, if they believe that the Palestinian Authority (PA) will change for the better, at least in the foreseeable future, are living in a fantasy world. Even if a Palestinian state is created, it will be ruled either by Mahmoud Abbas's corrupt Fatah faction or Hamas. Pictured: Macron meets with PA President Abbas at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25, 2024. (Photo by Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images)
French President Emmanuel Macron, in his speech before the United Nations during the "High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution" on September 22, justified his decision to recognize a Palestinian state by arguing that Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas had promised "a thorough overhaul of Palestinian governance."
Macron expressed hope that the new Palestinian state would protect "democratic expression":
"The State of Palestine will also have to give new hope to its population, worn down by years of violence and occupation but also division and negligence. It will therefore have to provide its people with a new and secure framework for democratic expression. President Mahmoud Abbas has made that commitment to [Saudi Arabia's Crown] Prince Mohammad bin Salman and to me. He has strongly condemned the [Hamas-led] terrorist attack of October 7, 2023. He has confirmed his support for the disarmament of Hamas and has committed to excluding it from the future governance of Gaza and the entire Palestinian territory. He has asserted his commitment to fighting hate speech and has promised a thorough overhaul of Palestinian governance."
Abbas, unfortunately, has been promising sweeping government and security reforms ever since he assumed power in 2005. Palestinians have yet to see even the slightest change in anything.
A public opinion poll published by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in September 2023 showed that 87% of the Palestinians believe that there is corruption in the PA institutions. Another 78% of the Palestinians said, according to the poll, that they wanted Abbas to step down.
It is worth noting that Abbas, who was elected in January 2005, is in the 20th year of his four-year term in office. He had two entire decades to reform the PA, but did not seize the opportunity to end rampant corruption or make any changes in the PA that might be constructive for his people. Even the garbage disposal is toxic. Many towns and villages dump their garbage into nearby valleys or quarries (such as one called "Mt. Trashmore"), where it proceeds to pollute the entire water table and ecosystem (here, here, and here) – then try to blame Israel.
A poll published last year by the Palestinian Coalition for Integrity and Transparency found that the most widespread corruption crimes in PA institutions include nepotism, favoritism, embezzlement of public funds, abuse of power, bribery, and breach of trust. According to the poll, 87% of the Palestinians consider that efforts exerted by the PA leadership to combat corruption are insufficient. As for the future expectations regarding the level of the spread of corruption, 56% of the Palestinians said they believe that it will increase in 2025.
The results of these polls show that a majority of Palestinians do not share the French president's optimism regarding the implementation of government, security and economic reforms.
While Macron seems to have taken at face value Abbas's commitment to launch a "thorough overhaul" of the PA, most Palestinians, according to the polls, have not.
A poll published by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research last May showed that 81% of the Palestinians want Abbas to resign. Another 69% of the Palestinians said they believe that the new government, appointed by Abbas earlier this year, will not succeed in carrying out reforms that his previous government was unable to launch.
Macron is apparently unaware, or pretending to be, that the Palestinian Authority has had no functioning parliament for the past 18 years. The activities of the parliament, known as the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), were suspended after the Iran-backed Hamas terror group seized control of the Gaza Strip through a brutal, violent coup in 2007.
On December 22, 2018, Abbas decided to dissolve the PLC and called for holding long-overdue parliamentary elections. The last parliamentary elections were held in 2006. Needless to say, Abbas has since avoided holding presidential and parliamentary elections out of fear, justified, that Hamas would win. Abbas's decision to dissolve the parliament was strongly denounced by Palestinian political parties and human rights organizations, including the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR). The group said in a statement on March 21, 2019:
"PCHR believes that the decision to dissolve the PLC is part of the political bickering where the tools of law were used in a way that undermines the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.... PCHR warns that the continuation of the status quo would affect the future of political and constitutional life in Palestine. The absence of the PLC has created a legal and administrative gap..."
In the absence of a Palestinian parliament, Abbas has been running the PA as if it were his private fiefdom. He continues to issue "presidential decrees" as a substitute for laws passed by the parliament.
In 2022, hundreds of Palestinian lawyers formally protested Abbas's authoritarian rule. Suheil Ashour, chairman of the Palestinian Bar Association, said that his group would stand firm against legislation delivered by "presidential decree" that curbed Palestinian rights and freedoms: "Our demand is either to stop their implementation now or to cancel" a raft of restrictive laws. Since then, Abbas nevertheless has -- in total disregard for the demands of Palestinian lawyers and human rights organizations -- continued to issue presidential decrees.
Macron is overly optimistic, if not pathetically naïve, regarding the prospects of democracy in a future Palestinian state. Since its establishment 30 years ago, the PA – both under Abbas and his predecessor Yasser Arafat – has been cracking down on political opponents or anyone who dares to speak out against Palestinian leaders. Countless journalists and human rights and political activists have been intimidated, arrested, beaten, or killed by PA security forces.
In 2021, PA security officers beat to death Nizar Banat, an outspoken critic of the PA. Just days before Macron's speech, PA security officers arrested Samir Hulileh, a prominent independent businessman from Ramallah, the de facto capital of the Palestinians. Hulileh was taken into custody shortly after he declared that he had received an offer from the White House to serve as "Governor of Gaza" the day after the Israel-Hamas war. The PA leadership did not like the idea that an independent Palestinian figure had discussed the future of the Gaza Strip with the Americans behind its back. A PA court ordered Hulileh held in detention for 15 days on suspicion of "fomenting sectarian strife" – a bizarre term, as the Palestinians do not have different sects. The arrest of the businessman was clearly meant to deter Palestinians from challenging Abbas's authoritarian rule.
Macron and other Western leaders, if they believe that the PA will change for the better, at least in the foreseeable future, are living in a fantasy world. It is beyond unrealistic to expect Abbas, who will soon celebrate his 90th birthday, to bring any changes to his regime. Even if a Palestinian state is created, it will be ruled either by Abbas's corrupt Fatah faction or Hamas.
So far, a third party is not ready or able to challenge either Fatah or Hamas. In contrast to idealists and politicians such as Macron, the UK's Keir Starmer, Canada's Mark Carney and Australia's Anthony Albanese, who are evidently terrified of their Muslim voters, the Palestinians at least are realistic. They are only too aware that their leaders will keep on providing them with nothing but anguish and misery.
**Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East. His work is made possible through the generous donation of a couple of donors who wished to remain anonymous. Gatestone is most grateful.
© 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.

Selected X tweets For September 25/2024
Pope Leo XIV
In a world where the most vulnerable are the first to suffer the devastating effects of climate change, deforestation, and pollution, care for creation becomes an expression of our faith and humanity. #SeasonOfCreation

Benjamin Netanyahu bashes “Women for Gaza”:
https://x.com/i/status/1970918657888059497
“You know what the women in Gaza are? They are property, they are nothing. They have no rights. They are completely subjugated.”

Ambassador Mike Huckabee
A Houthi attack drone struck southern Israel, wounding several innocent civilians. We pray for their swift recovery. Despite lectures at the @UN
, the United States will never compromise on supporting @Israel
against violent terrorists obsessed with its destruction.

U.S. Embassy Beirut
Secretary of State Marco Rubio: "In Lebanon, an opportunity that’s also historic exists, and the United States remains very committed in that regard as well to ensuring that there is a strong Lebanese state, respectful of the diversity of that country, free of the influence of Iran and Hizballah and others who might undermine that stability, and does so in a way where the state there can exert its sovereignty and can emerge from a longstanding economic crisis."

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Read Sharaa’s answer below and you might come to a concussion similar to mine: He’s not as smart as advertised. Without his muscles, he wouldn’t have been sitting in Assad’s palace.
In the answer below, he says he went to Iraq to stop the killing of women and children and wanted change.
Saddam was killing everyone, and the war changed that configuration, and post-Saddam Iraq was like post-Assad Syria, an opportunity for a new era.
BUT, Sharaa’s dad is a Nasserite, meaning an anti-imperial Arab nationalist with a Sunni Islamist tinge. Al-Qaeda in Iraq’s suicide bombings killed more Shia Iraqi women and children than the American war. So, in addition to anti imperialism, Sharaa added anti Shiism (Al-Qaeda is an extremist Sunni supremacist and hate group) that developed into anti Iran in Syria and anti Assad, and Sharaa lived in this jihadi world until the West determined that they needed to keep Idlib from falling to both Assad and ISIS for fear of sending 4 million Syrians as refugees to Europe. West rehabilitated Sharaa’s image and what you see now is a veneer of a statesman underneath which is an Arab nationalist Islamist supremacist that often comes out when he veers off script.
And the Syrians who see him as God’s shadow on earth are either still frustrated with Assad and holding on to false hope, or are like him — Sunni Arab supremacists.

Dr. Noor Ghazal Aswad
@noorghazalaswad
Yesterday I attended a special @MiddleEastInst
talk between @Charles_Lister
and President Al Sharaa. The first question was about his unprecedented life journey and time in Iraq.
Below is a rough translation drafted of the President’s response. It is the first time I have heard him talk this openly about that period of his life:
“To analyze that period, you have to look at the rules of that era. At that time, 2001–2002, there were disturbances in Afghanistan and Palestine that affected the mood in the Arab-Muslim world. Internet access was limited, and we had to depend on information that might have been incorrect. The actions of the U.S. at the time created a strong reaction: children and women in Iraq were being killed, and political policies in the area were harmful. There was a need for an escape (“مخرج"). I was from a family that talked politics—our family was not Islamic as much as political and we cared about public affairs. We had a responsibility to relieve ourselves of the dire situation, so I went to Iraq. I cannot go into all the details—it needs a research study and much detail to describe how I got here. The disturbances at the time, the inhumane/negative politics, and the need for change in the region are what caused me to go on this route. My intentions were noble. Seeing a child killed in the street, you must question: what kind of person would I be if I didn’t revolt? There was a search for a solution. There may have been mistakes. Yes, I we

Pierre Poilievre
Mark Carney is back on his taxpayer funded jet — back to the UK for more photo ops.
This would be a great opportunity for him to apologize for causing the British housing and inflation crises during his disastrous stint as that country’s bank governor.
Now he is doing the same to Canada.

Congressman Brandon Gill
Sharia Law is utterly barbaric and has no place in America whatsoever.
Proud to cosponsor this legislation.

Congressman Randy Fine
I just introduced the No Sharia Act, which would ensure that no U.S. court, public agency, or legal institution can ever enforce or legitimize Sharia law.
You don’t get to come to this country and demand that our legal system accommodate your oppressive laws. Proud to work with @RepKeithSelf on this important legislation.

Dany A. Khalek
Qatar is a haven for terrorists.
"This is one of the criminals who committed crimes of abducting women and killing children against Syrians. He is now in Qatar. Truly, it has been said: Qatar is a haven for terrorists."

Sally Obeid
https://x.com/i/status/1970842343923175825
6 churches burned. Over 250 Christian families affected. The final death toll is still unknown.
Bishop Tony Boutros asks: “Where is your condemnation of the violations?”
While victims grieve and rebuild, the world stays silent as Jolani parades into the UN.

Laura Loomer
Julani should not be allowed on US soil. Less than 2 months ago, he orchestrated a massacre of Druze. Shaking hands with Islamic terrorists is a bad look for the US.
There needs to be more support for the Druze. These innocent people have been massacred on Julani’s watch. We need to have moral clarity and protect religious minorities from blood thirsty Jihadis. Once a head chopper, always a head chopper.

A link to a video of a panel discussion about President Trump’s vision, moderated by Morgan Ortagus featuring Ambassadors, Steven Witkoff, & Tom Barrack focusing on their respective roles in the Middle East
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147626/
Concordia Platform/Voices of Diplomacy: Shaping America’s Role in the World | 2025 Concordia Annual Summit
Speakers:
The Hon. Morgan Ortagus, The Hon. Steven Witkoff,
The Hon. Tom Barrack
Concordia is the leading public-private sector convener, with the Annual Summit one of the most important global gatherings of C-suite executives, heads of state, government officials, nonprofit leaders, and entrepreneurs.
September 25/2025

Joe Rogan Podcast: Mel Gibson Breaks Down Islam’s Impact on the Future of Faith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7ssX5zlOtY
Sep 16, 2025
Path to Power Youtube Platform
Joe Rogan sits down to dive deep into a mind-blowing discussion about Islam’s impact on the future of faith with insights inspired by Mel Gibson. This powerful breakdown explores how Islam’s discipline, spirituality, and unshakable values may become the anchor for humanity in an age of chaos, technology, and moral collapse. Get ready for one of the most eye-opening conversations on religion, spirituality, and the future of mankind.
This is not just about religion — it’s about the survival of meaning, the search for truth, and the role of Islam in shaping the next chapter of human history. Don’t miss it!