English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For September 28/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in
my name, saying, “I am the Messiah!” and they will lead many astray
Matthew 24/01-14: “As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his
disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. Then he asked
them, ‘You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be
left here upon another; all will be thrown down.’ When he was sitting on the
Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when
will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the
age?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will
come in my name, saying, “I am the Messiah!” and they will lead many astray. And
you will hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for
this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes
in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs. ‘Then they
will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be
hated by all nations because of my name. Then many will fall away, and they will
betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and
lead many astray. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many
will grow cold. But anyone who endures to the end will be saved. And this good
news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to
all the nations; and then the end will come.”
Titles For The Latest English
LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September
27-28/2025
The Assassination of the terrorist Hassan Nasrallah was a gift to the
patriotic Lebanese/Elias Bejjani/September 27/2025
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
Lebanese President Aoun urges unity on anniversary of Hezbollah leaders'
assassination
PM Salam meets Iran’s Ali Larijani, stresses respect for sovereignty
Larijani lauds Qassem's call for new page with KSA
Sheikh Qassem Asserts Hezbollah’s Complete Revival, Pledges Unwavering
Allegiance to Martyred Leaders
Qassem says Hezbollah won't disarm, 'ready for martyrdom'
Hezbollah supporters gather at Nasrallah's tomb to commemorate killing
A year after the assassination of Hezbollah's Nasrallah, Lebanon still reels
from the shockwave
A year after losing Nasrallah, Hezbollah is beginning to regroup
Lebanese president calls for unity on death anniversary of Hezbollah leaders
Hezbollah marks one year since Israel killed then-chief Nasrallah
Iran's top security official urges regional unity against Israel as he visits
allies in Lebanon
Sheikh Abbas Yazbek was denied travel: Forgive us, Sheikh Abbas, our compromised
state found no one else to bully but you.
On the State of Power in Lebanon/Judge Francois Daher/Facebook/September 27,
2025 (Translated from Arabic)
Riad Salameh walks free after posting record bail
From Raoucheh Rock to the courts: Lebanon weighs political consequences
Nasrallah’s Assassination: Raoucheh Instead of Jerusalem/Michel Touma/This is
Beirut/September 27/2025
Enemy or Peace?/Amine Jules Iskandar/This is Beirut/September 27/2025
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 27-28/2025
Canada recognizes a Palestinian state. Israel says it's a non-starter. So
what does it mean for Palestinians?
Trump voices major optimism over possible Gaza deal
Former UK PM Blair could lead transitional authority in Gaza
Hague Group members call on world to deny Israel ‘tools of genocide’
Airstrikes and shooting kill at least 38 people in Gaza as Israel ignores
demands for a ceasefire
UAE foreign minister urges end to Gaza war in meeting with Netanyahu in New York
Hundreds of Israelis receive recruitment calls from Iranian intelligence, police
say
Gaza mourners express anger at Israel, Hamas as family killed in strike
Hamas says it has not received Trump plan as Israel expands Gaza City assault
Palestine Action prisoners say they face restrictions after group’s ban
S. Africa protesters demand govt sever ties with Israel
UN sanctions on Iran set to return as nuclear diplomacy fades
US demands handover of all enriched nuclear material, Iran president says
Iran defiant on restored sanctions as it recalls ambassadors
Israel-Syria talks hit snag over humanitarian corridor, sources say
Putin preparing to attack another European country, Zelenskyy says
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on September 27-28/2025
Thank You, President Trump: Turning Decades of Iranian Impunity Into
Accountability/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/September 27, 2025
Iraq’s elections are being stolen by Iran before votes are cast/Heyrsh Abdul/The
Hill/September 27, 2025
Barrack's remarks on the party and the weakness of the state reflect an
American, European, and Arab stance/Youssef Faris/Al-Markazia/September 28, 2025
Between a "Paper Tiger" and a "Real Bear"... Is there an end in sight for the
Russian-Ukrainian conflict?/Yola Hashem/Al-Markazia/September 28, 2025
Selected X tweets For September 27/2024
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 27-28/2025
The Assassination of the terrorist
Hassan Nasrallah was a gift to the patriotic Lebanese
Elias Bejjani/September 27/2025
Hassan Nasrallah is a terrorist who headed a criminal network that dragged
Lebanon into the jihadist project of Iran’s clerical regime. His assassination
and the dismantling of his organization would be a divine blessing and the start
of the country’s deliverance.
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.
Lebanese President Aoun urges unity on anniversary of
Hezbollah leaders' assassination
LBCI/September 27/2025
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on all Lebanese to mark the first
anniversary of the assassinations of former Hezbollah secretary-generals Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem Safieddine as a moment to honor the
sacrifices of the nation’s people, regardless of their affiliations. Aoun said
true loyalty to those sacrifices lies in uniting around the project of a single,
strong, and just state. He warned of the security, political, and economic
threats facing Lebanon, stressing that these challenges can only be confronted
through national solidarity, avoidance of division, and the recognition that
real protection exists only under the authority of the Lebanese state. The
president reaffirmed that the state alone holds legitimate power and is the sole
guarantor of safety for all Lebanese without discrimination. He expressed hope
that this painful anniversary would serve as an opportunity for reconciliation
and a renewed commitment to a unified state, a single army, and constitutional
institutions that safeguard sovereignty and dignity.
PM Salam meets Iran’s Ali Larijani, stresses respect for
sovereignty
LBCI/September 27/2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, accompanied by acting Foreign Minister Ghassan
Salame, received Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali
Larijani and his delegation in Beirut. Talks focused on recent regional
developments and bilateral relations. During the meeting, Salam emphasized that
ties between Lebanon and Iran must be based on mutual respect for each country’s
sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs.
Larijani lauds Qassem's call for new page with KSA
Associated Press/September 27/2025
A top Iranian security official called on regional countries Saturday to put
their differences aside and cooperate closely as they face what he called
"Israel's conspiracies."Ali Larijani, head of Iran's Supreme National Security
Council, spoke in Beirut where he arrived earlier Saturday to attend the
anniversary of Israel's assassination of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah in Lebanon. Iran has been the main backer of Hezbollah over the past
four decades, supplying it with weapons and money that had turned it into one of
the most powerful militant groups in the region. But Hezbollah suffered heavy
losses in a 14-month war with Israel, which ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire
in November, with much of its political and military commanders killed in
Israeli strikes.The latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict began the day after the
Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel triggered the ongoing war in
Gaza. Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel from Lebanon in support of
Hamas and the Palestinians. In June, Israel launched airstrikes in Iran,
triggering a 12-day war between the two countries that killed several key Iran's
military commanders and targeted its arsenal of ballistic missiles while
decimating the country's air defenses.Earlier this month, Israel struck the
headquarters of Hamas' political leadership in Qatar as the group's top figures
gathered to consider a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strp. "Today,
amid Israel's conspiracies, regional states should closely cooperate and even if
there were disagreements between them they should put these disagreements
aside," Larjani said after a nearly one-hour meeting with Lebanon's Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri. Larijani praised the call by Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim
Qassem for Saudi Arabia to open a new page after years of tense relations,
calling it "a step in the right direction." Referring to Israel, Larijani said
Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah both "have a common enemy." Asked about reports that
Israel might launch new strikes against Iran, Larijani said, "We are ready to
face all scenarios but I don't think that the Israelis will behave in this
stupid way.""If they do that, they will receive strong retaliation," Larijani
said, without elaborating. Later on Saturday, thousands of people attended a
ceremony that was held next to Nasrallah's grave in a southern Beirut suburb.
They included Larijani and other Lebanese and Hezbollah officials. In a
televised speech aired during the ceremony, Qassem said that Hezbollah is
restoring its military capabilities, adding that they are ready to confront any
"escalation by Israel." Qassem reiterated that Hezbollah rejects last month's
decision by the Lebanese government to disarm the group, adding that the group
will not hand over its weapons because "we are in the middle of an existential
war" with Israel.
Sheikh Qassem Asserts Hezbollah’s Complete Revival,
Pledges Unwavering Allegiance to Martyred Leaders
Al-Manar Website/ September 27, 2025
In a powerful address marking the first anniversary of the martyrdom of
Hezbollah Secretaries‑General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem
Safieddine, the group’s Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem affirmed the
movement’s recovery on military, political, and social fronts and vowed to carry
forward the great martyrs’ legacy until victory is achieved.
Honoring the Exceptional Martyred Leaders
Speaking at a central ceremony attended by Lebanese and international
dignitaries, Sheikh Qassem opened by saluting the crowds gathered at the burial
sites of the Resistance leaders—Sayyed Nasrallah in Beirut, Sayyed Hashem
Safieddine in the southern town of Deir Qanoun Al-Nahr, and Sayyed Abbas Al-Moussawi
in Bekaa’s Nabi Sheet. “Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, the martyr and leader, has
departed. But his light shines ever brighter. He was a commander—now he is a
source of inspiration for generations of commanders,” Sheikh Qassem declared.
His Eminence emphasized that the nation’s Supreme Martyr, Sayyed Hasan, “held
fast to the rope of salvation, bound to the guidance of Imam Khomeini and the
leadership of Imam Khamenei,” shaping Hezbollah’s ideological and operational
course with his intellect, spirituality, and blood. “Sayyed Nasrallah planted
the love of Palestine in our hearts, and it blossomed into an unyielding
resistance.”
Nation’s Supreme Martyr
Sheikh Qassem traced the trajectory of the Resistance’s triumphs, beginning with
pivotal confrontations in 1993 and 1996, the liberation of southern Lebanon in
2000, the steadfastness during the 2006 war, and the victory over terrorism in
the eastern mountain ranges in 2017. His Eminence recalled Martyr Sayyed
Nasrallah’s iconic words, “The era of defeats is over; the era of victories has
begun,” affirming that this ethos continues to shape Hezbollah’s spirit and
determination. “The people loved him, and he loved the people. Sayyed Hasan
lives on in our hearts—his soul has ascended, but his presence remains with us,”
Sheikh Qassem added. “This Resistance is for all religions, for every free
person on Earth. It is the child raised on dignity, the family nourished by
purity, the fighter armed with truth, and the struggle itself.”His Eminence
called Sayyed Hasan “the master of the martyrs of the nation and the world—the
international Resistance leader who inspires freedom-seekers everywhere.”Sheikh
Qassem stressed that the path laid by Sayyed Nasrallah and his comrades is
eternal. “They killed your body, but your soul was set free. You live on, and we
will not rest while your cause lives within us.”
Tribute to Hezbollah’s Sayyed Safieddine
Sheikh Qassem also paid homage to Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, describing him as
the steadfast pillar beside Sayyed Nasrallah, who cared deeply for the group’s
fighters as well as for the people’s needs. His Eminence also remembered martyr
commander Haj Ali Karki (Abu Al-Fadl), praising his role in training
martyrdom-seekers and leading logistical operations.
Resilience Amid Global War
Sheikh Qassem spoke of the immense international pressure Hezbollah has endured,
revealing that the group faced a global war—waged by the Israeli occupation army
and backed by the United States and Europe—aimed at dismantling the Lebanese
Resistance and advancing the project of a so-called “Greater Israel.”“The
assassination of Sayyed Hasan, Sayyed Safieddine, and their comrades was
intended to collapse our structure. However, we responded by electing a new
secretary-general, appointing new leaders, and continuing the battle. The
Resistance did not fall—it rose,” His Eminence asserted.
Post-War Social and Political Presence
Following the latest Israeli war on Lebanon, Sheikh Qassem affirmed Hezbollah’s
swift and determined recovery on all fronts. His Eminence pointed to the
massive, million-strong funeral procession held for the martyrs as a clear sign
of the people’s unwavering loyalty and to the immediate return of displaced
families to their southern villages, defying the destruction and reasserting
their presence at the border. Sheikh Qassem noted Hezbollah’s sweeping success
in local elections, with uncontested victories in more than half of the towns,
as a reflection of the trust and support the Resistance enjoys.
“Reconstruction efforts moved at full speed, with over 400,000 housing units
restored as part of a broad campaign to rebuild and shelter affected families.
The Ashura commemoration was held on an unprecedented scale, reaffirming the
spiritual and social vitality of the Resistance’s base. Additionally, Hezbollah
maintained a powerful political and social presence across all levels of
national life,” Sheikh Qassem emphasized. “Our military forces have recovered.
We are ready for any confrontation with the Israeli enemy. The Resistance stood
firm—neither in the field nor in politics did they achieve what they hoped,” His
Eminence declared.
Defying Disarmament, Defending Sovereignty
Sheikh Qassem warned against American efforts to dismantle Hezbollah under the
guise of empowering the Lebanese Army. “They want to weaken Lebanon, not
strengthen it. Their vision is to arm the army not to defend Lebanon, but to
fight Hezbollah,” His Eminence cautioned, pointing to recent admissions by US
officials as evidence. “The US-Israeli threat is existential—not just against
the Resistance, but against Lebanon. Disarming the Resistance is fulfilling the
Israeli enemy’s goals. We will not allow it. This is a Karbala-like
confrontation. We are in a battle of existence.”His Eminence called on the
Lebanese government to fulfill its obligations under UN Resolution 1701,
including halting Israeli aggression, ensuring withdrawal from Lebanese
territory, releasing prisoners, and launching a genuine reconstruction effort.
“National sovereignty must top the government’s agenda. Sovereignty means
expelling the Israeli occupation army from our land, deploying the army along
the borders, and resisting any form of occupation.”
A United Lebanon Against the Enemy
Reaffirming Hezbollah’s commitment to national unity, Sheikh Qassem affirmed
that Lebanon belongs to all its people. “We are committed to internal unity and
ready to stand in one trench for Lebanon’s revival. A strong Lebanon must
integrate its strength into a comprehensive national defense strategy. We must
respond to threats with defense, not surrender.”His Eminence called for full
implementation of the Taif Agreement, including liberating remaining occupied
territories, asserting state sovereignty over all lands, and conducting
parliamentary elections on time under the current law.Addressing the Lebanese
government, Sheikh Qassem said, “You erred in your decision to disarm the
Resistance. Correct this mistake. This country belongs to all of us.”
Salutes to Allies, Resistance Supporters
Sheikh Qassem extended salutes to Iran and its leadership, the people of Yemen,
Iraq’s authorities and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), and the global
pro-Palestine movement—including Tunisia and international solidarity efforts.
His Eminence praised the steadfast support base of the Resistance, declaring,
“To the people of the Resistance in Lebanon, Palestine, and across the
region—from the unborn in the womb to the wounded and the families of
martyrs—you are the bedrock of this Resistance. It is your lives, your
sacrifices, and your unwavering resolve that make victory possible.”“This land,
watered by the blood of martyrs, will drive out the Zionists. No one can defeat
you. Together, we shall triumph and show the enemies the defeat of their
project,” Sheikh Qassem concluded.
Qassem says Hezbollah won't disarm, 'ready for martyrdom'
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/September 27/2025
Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said the group would not allow itself to be
disarmed on Saturday as he addressed supporters marking one year since the
killing by Israel of his predecessor Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. The charismatic
leader was killed in an Israeli air strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut on
September 27, 2024. Without Nasrallah and with much of its military capability
destroyed by Israel, Hezbollah's grip on Lebanese politics has weakened, and
Beirut has ordered the army to disarm the group. "We will never abandon our
weapons, nor will we relinquish them," Qassem told the tens of thousands of
supporters gathered at the tomb of the former chief on Saturday. "We are ready
for martyrdom," he added. Qassem also said that Hezbollah is restoring its
military capabilities, adding that they are ready to confront any "escalation by
Israel."Qassem reiterated that Hezbollah rejects last month's decision by the
Lebanese government to disarm the group, adding that the group will not hand
over its weapons because "we are in the middle of an existential war" with
Israel. Iran-backed Hezbollah, weakened by a deadly war with Israel last year,
has organized a series of commemorative events to mark Nasrallah's death. Waving
the group's yellow banner as well as Lebanese, Palestinian and Iranian flags,
Hezbollah supporters gathered at the mausoleum, near Beirut airport, chanting
"death to America, death to Israel" while partisan and religious songs blared
from loudspeakers.
'A new cause'
Speaking before Qassem's address, many of the supporters gathered for the
anniversary said disarmament must not be allowed to happen. Wisam Hodroj, a
51-year-old working in Iraq, arrived early at the commemorations. Draped in
black, he said: "What has happened since the last war has only increased our
enthusiasm and strength. Today, we have a new cause -- we will not compromise on
our weapons, and we will not hand them over."Nearby, Ali Jaafar, a 21-year-old
university student, told AFP: "Handing over the weapons is the dream of the
enemies, the internal and external ones -- but it will remain just a
dream."Zahraa Haidar, an 18-year-old student, said they "went through difficult
times... we have the resolve and the strength to never surrender our weapons and
never submit to the enemy."Iranian security chief Ali Larijani was in
attendance. Tehran is a key supporter of Hezbollah.
'More than words'
Hezbollah is commemorating the killings of Nasrallah and second-in-command
Hashem Safieddine in a series of events which began on Thursday with the
projection of their images onto the iconic Raouche rock in Beirut, despite
government opposition and the party's lack of official authorization. That
opposition in turn drew criticism of the government from Hezbollah supporters.
In a statement on Saturday, President Joseph Aoun expressed his hope that "this
painful anniversary will serve as a rallying point, reinforcing the belief that
Lebanon's salvation lies in having one unified state, one army and
constitutional institutions that protect sovereignty and uphold dignity."Despite
a November ceasefire that ended over a year of hostilities between Hezbollah and
Israel, the latter has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon and still has troops
positioned at five border points inside Lebanon.
Hezbollah is under intense pressure to hand over its weapons, with the Lebanese
Army having drawn up a plan to disarm it, beginning in the south.
Lebanon itself is under pressure from the United States and ongoing Israeli
strikes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Lebanon's efforts towards
disarming Hezbollah from the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, but said
he needed "more than words."Hezbollah was the only major armed group allowed to
keep its weapons following Lebanon's civil war, because it was fighting
continued Israeli occupation of the south. The group's heartlands are in mainly
Shiite southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as south Beirut. In October 2023,
it began launching rockets at Israel in support of Hamas in Gaza. Months of
exchanges escalated into all-out war in September 2024, before a ceasefire was
agreed two months later.
Hezbollah supporters gather at Nasrallah's tomb to
commemorate killing
Naharnet/September 27/2025
Thousands of Hezbollah supporters gathered Saturday at the tomb of the group's
former chief, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, to mark the first anniversary of Israel's
assassination of their longtime leader. The Iran-backed group, weakened by a
deadly war with Israel last year, has organized a series of commemorative events
to mark Nasrallah's death. Waving the group's yellow banner as well as Lebanese,
Palestinian and Iranian flags, Hezbollah supporters gathered at the leader's
mausoleum, near Beirut airport, while partisan and religious songs blared from
loudspeakers.
The charismatic leader, a major figure in the wider region, was killed in a
massive Israeli air strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut on September 27,
2024. Without Nasrallah and with much of its military capability destroyed by
Israel, Hezbollah's grip on Lebanese politics has weakened. The government has
gone as far as to order the army to disarm the group, once thought
better-equipped than the state. For many of the supporters gathered for the
anniversary, that should not be allowed to happen. Wissam Hodroj, a 51-year-old
working in Iraq, arrived early at the commemorations, where the new leader
Sheikh Naim Qassem was due to speak in the presence of Iranian security chief
Ali Larijani. He said: "What has happened since the last war has only increased
our enthusiasm and strength. Today, we have a new cause -- we will not
compromise on our weapons, and we will not hand them over."Nearby, Ali Jaafar, a
21-year-old university student, told AFP: "Handing over the weapons is the dream
of the enemies, the internal and external ones -- but it will remain just a
dream."Hezbollah is under intense pressure to hand over its weapons, with the
Lebanese Army planning to begin the disarmament in the south. Lebanon itself is
under pressure from the United States and ongoing Israeli strikes.Hezbollah was
the only major armed group allowed to keep its weapons following Lebanon's civil
war, because it was fighting continued Israeli occupation of the south. The
group's heartlands are in mainly Shiite southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as
south Beirut. In October 2023, it began launching rockets at Israel in support
of Hamas in Gaza. Months of exchanges escalated into all-out war in September
2024, before a ceasefire was agreed two months later.
A year after the assassination of Hezbollah's Nasrallah,
Lebanon still reels from the shockwave
LBCI/September 27/2025
A year has passed since the assassination of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah, shattering the hopes of those who once believed he might have
survived. Today, only his image remains—plastered across the buildings of
Beirut's southern suburb of Haret Hreik, where supporters continue to honor the
man they considered "the most honorable."Israel, long determined to eliminate
Nasrallah, seized what it deemed the perfect opportunity to strike the most
devastating blow against Hezbollah. After years of systematically targeting the
group's senior leadership, Israeli forces sought a zero-margin operation, firing
missiles within a one-kilometer radius to prevent any possible escape through
the area's underground tunnels. The assault leveled four buildings and heavily
damaged seven others, killing Nasrallah along with 24 members of his operations
team and 25 civilians.Nasrallah's death marked the end of a 33-year leadership
as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once described him as "the axis of
the axis," a reference to his pivotal role in the regional alliance spanning
Iran, Syria, and allied groups. Israel framed the operation as part of its
effort to establish a "new order" in the region.While Lebanese authorities have
not produced a clear security account or detained any suspected collaborators,
Israeli intelligence sources detailed a complex Mossad-led mission. According to
these accounts, agents received intelligence of a September 27 meeting between
Nasrallah and an Iranian Revolutionary Guard adviser in a heavily guarded
underground hideout known only to a small inner circle. The plan unfolded under
the cover of simultaneous Israeli bombardment to divert attention. Mossad
operatives allegedly infiltrated the dense alleys of the southern suburbs,
planting guidance devices to ensure precision strikes even in shifting
conditions. After securing their positions, the operatives withdrew, leaving
only the final strike to be executed. At exactly 6:20 p.m., more than 80 tons of
explosives rained down on the target, killing Nasrallah. Netanyahu monitored the
operation from New York, while U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was
reportedly informed only 15 minutes before the strike, prompting anger in
Washington over fears of a wider regional conflict. No such war followed, but
the political and psychological impact was seismic. Nasrallah's assassination
not only shook Hezbollah's internal structure but also reverberated across the
Middle East, influencing dynamics from the future of Syria's government to the
balance of power involving Iran.
A year after losing Nasrallah, Hezbollah is beginning to
regroup
Associated Press/September 27/2025
Hezbollah suffered one blow after another during its most recent war with
Israel, culminating in the killing of the group's longtime leader, Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah, in massive Israeli airstrikes on a Beirut suburb. The group was
weakened militarily and politically. Many of its opponents declared that its
days as a dominant regional and local player were over. But one year later, many
of Hezbollah's supporters, enemies and analysts agree in their assessment: It is
regrouping. "The loss of this leader was a very painful blow to Hezbollah,"
senior Hezbollah political official Mohammad Fneish told The Associated Press in
the run-up to Saturday's anniversary of Nasrallah's death. "However, Hezbollah
is not a party in the usual sense that when it loses its leader, the party
becomes weak," he said. "In a relatively short period of time, it was able to
fill all the positions it lost when (leaders) were martyred, and it continued
the confrontation."An Israeli military official, speaking anonymously in line
with regulations, said in a statement that Hezbollah's "influence has declined
considerably" and that "the likelihood of a large-scale attack against Israel is
considered low."
But the statement added that "the organization is attempting to rebuild its
capabilities; efforts are limited but expected to expand." The official declined
to comment on how much of Hezbollah's arsenal of missiles and drones Israel
believes remains intact.
Despite losing most of its top leadership and key communications systems,
Hezbollah continued to fight when Israeli troops invaded southern Lebanon last
October.
After a U.S.-brokered ceasefire halted the fighting in late November, Israeli
forces took control of more territory than they did during the war, and Israel
has continued carrying out near-daily airstrikes that it says target Hezbollah
militants and facilities.
Hezbollah also lost a key route for supplies from its backer, Iran, when the
allied government of Bashar Assad in Syria fell in a rebel offensive in
December, which Fneish acknowledged was a blow to Hezbollah's "strategic depth."
The Lebanese government, meanwhile, has said it will work on disarming the group
by the end of this year, a key demand of the U.S. and Saudi Arabia before
funding reconstruction and a decision Hezbollah has categorically rejected.
Political opponents say the group is in denial about its loss of power.
"Hezbollah's leadership is detached from reality," said Lebanese lawmaker Elias
Hankash, a frequent critic of Hezbollah, who called on it to surrender its
weapons and become solely a political party. "Hezbollah did not defend the
Lebanese, nor itself, nor its weapons, nor its command."
But U.S. envoy Tom Barrack cautioned against underestimating the group in an
interview with United Arab Emirates-based IMI Media Group: "The Lebanese think
Hezbollah is not rebuilding. They're rebuilding."
The Israeli military official said, "Hezbollah is currently struggling to
receive sufficient funding from Iran." But Barrack asserted the group, which the
U.S. designates a terrorist organization, is receiving as much as $60 million
per month from unknown sources. That is despite measures to cut off its funding,
including a ban on flights from Iran. "Hezbollah is our enemy, Iran is our
enemy. We need to cut the heads off of those snakes and chop the flow of funds,"
Barrack said.
Fneish didn't address the group's funding sources, but said its financial
situation is "normal" and its institutions are functioning as before, including
healthcare and social services as well as its armed wing.
Founded in 1982, months after Israel invaded Lebanon and occupied parts of it,
Hezbollah morphed into one of the region's most powerful armed groups, fighting
several wars with Israel and spearheading a campaign that forced it to withdraw
from southern Lebanon in 2000.
The latest conflict began the day after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on
southern Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. Hezbollah began firing
rockets into Israel from Lebanon in a "support front" for Hamas and the
Palestinians.
In September 2024, Israel expanded its attacks, starting with the detonation of
thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members. Days later, it
launched a major wave of airstrikes that killed Hezbollah commanders and
hundreds of civilians. The biggest blow was Nasrallah's assassination, with the
dropping of more than 80 1-ton bombs that destroyed an entire block under which
Nasrallah and some of his top officials were meeting with an Iranian general.
Days later, Nasrallah's successor, Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, was killed in
similar massive airstrikes. The group later named Nasrallah's deputy, Sheikh
Naim Qassem, as the new leader, but the wide perception is that Qassem lacks
Nasrallah's charisma.
"Nasrallah's assassination was an emotional shock that is destabilizing, but
their identity finds continuity through the martyrdom culture," said Bashir
Saade, a lecturer of politics and religion at the University of Stirling in
Scotland who has written a book about the group. Fneish said the group does not
have an identity crisis."Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was the representation of this
identity; he was not himself the identity," he said. Hezbollah, particularly its
military wing, largely went underground after Nasrallah's death. Officials in
the group said Hezbollah has been working to close the intelligence gaps that
led Israel to successfully target its military and political officials.
Hezbollah members now rely less on technology, an official with the group said
on condition of anonymity because he was speaking about internal affairs. The
Hezbollah official said Israel used technology and spies to gather information
and plan attacks.
Months before Nasrallah's assassination, the group detained a Lebanese man who
had been suspiciously wandering around the area where Nasrallah was later
killed. The man confessed to gathering information for Israel and is still
detained by Hezbollah, he said. The biggest breach, the official said, was
Israel's infiltration of the group's internal cable communications network.
Growing pressure within Lebanon for Hezbollah to give up its weapons and delays
in reconstruction of war-battered areas have left many in its largely Shiite
base feeling that there are attempts to marginalize them. Lebanese political
writer Sultan Suleiman said that feeling contributed to the base rallying and an
overwhelming victory by Hezbollah and its allies in this year's municipal
elections in its traditional political strongholds. Some who originally favored
disarmament have reassessed.
"There's a portion of this community that was psychologically worn down after
this war, and started saying, fine, let's give up the weapons and we'll be able
to relax," Lebanese journalist Jad Hamouch said. "But after they saw how Israel
is behaving in the region, now they're saying, no, we want to keep the
weapons."Amira Jaafar, who lived in the border village of Kfar Kila before it
was largely destroyed during the war, lost her son in the conflict. She said
despite all of Hezbollah's losses, including the death of its "great leader"
Nasrallah, "we are still strong and there are many, many young men" still "ready
to fight until their last breath."A Western diplomat, who spoke on condition of
anonymity in order to speak freely, said the Lebanese state is caught in a
catch-22 regarding its decision to disarm the group. The cash-strapped and
understaffed Lebanese Army, where many soldiers work second jobs to make ends
meet, is ill-equipped to face a force of battle-hardened and better-paid
fighters who also, in some cases, come from their own communities, he said. "I
don't see any coming back on this (decision), but I don't see how it will go
forward either," he said.
Lebanese president calls for unity on death anniversary of Hezbollah leaders
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/September 27, 2025
BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Saturday urged citizens to “safeguard
the sacrifices made by our people” as the country marked the first anniversary
of the deaths of Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine. The
militant group held a memorial event where an Iranian delegation, led by the
head of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, was present
alongside large numbers of Hezbollah supporters waving the organization’s flags
with Lebanese, Iranian and Palestinian banners. The ceremony followed days of
political friction, during which time Hezbollah projected images of the slain
leaders, who were assassinated during the group’s war with Israel, onto Raouche
Rock without authorization. The move prompted protests from lawmakers in Beirut
and a government directive from Prime Minister Nawaf Salam requiring official
approval for such displays. Just back from the UN General Assembly in New York,
Aoun, in a separate statement, called for cohesion in honoring the legacy of
victims of the war and urged the Lebanese people to “rally around a unified,
strong and just state.”His statements came as the government seeks to disarm
Hezbollah and other non-state organizations. “Today’s threats to Lebanon,
whether security related, political or economic, can only be addressed through
national unity while rejecting division,” he said. He stressed the need for “one
state, one army and constitutional institutions that uphold sovereignty and
dignity.”Lebanese authorities restricted Iranian participation at the event by
refusing landing permits to two aircraft carrying would-be attendees — a
decision influenced by Israeli warnings against Iranian flights to Beirut during
the recent hostilities. In a meeting with Larijani, Parliament Speaker Nabih
Berri and Salam stressed the need to respect Lebanese sovereignty.
“Lebanese-Iranian relations must be built on mutual respect for both nations’
sovereignty and non-interference in domestic affairs,” Salam said. Larijani did
not respond to Salam’s comments but after talks with Berri — a Hezbollah ally —
expressed Tehran’s desire for “all regional nations to be strong and
independent.”He urged countries in the region to work closely together amid
“Israeli conspiracies.”“Even if past disagreements existed, (countries) should
minimize these differences and base their relationships on cooperation,” he
said. “Lebanon, despite its small geographical area, is distinguished by the
greatness and strength of its people and is today considered an impregnable
trench against the Israeli entity.”When asked about the threat of an Israeli
military strike against Iran, Larijani said Tehran was prepared for all
possibilities. “I do not believe the Israelis would act so foolishly. However,
if they do, they will face a strong response,” he said.
Hezbollah marks one year since Israel killed then-chief
Nasrallah
Reuters/September 27, 2025
BEIRUT (Reuters) -Lebanese armed group Hezbollah on Saturday will commemorate
one year since its then-chief Hassan Nasrallah was killed by Israel, the opening
salvo of a war that ultimately battered his once-powerful group and left swathes
of Lebanon in ruins. On the evening of September 27, 2024, a string of Israeli
bunker-busting bombs on a Hezbollah complex in Beirut's southern suburbs killed
Nasrallah, who had led the powerful Shi'ite religious, political and military
group for more than 30 years. Nasrallah's death and the war that followed dealt
huge blows to the Iran-backed group. His heir apparent Hashem Safieddine was
killed weeks later. By December, Hezbollah's Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad was
toppled. Now pressure is swelling on the group to disarm - a demand Hezbollah
has rejected. Nasrallah became secretary general of Hezbollah in 1992 aged just
35 after his predecessor, Sayyed Abbas al-Musawi, was killed in an Israeli
helicopter attack. With his fiery speeches, he swiftly became the public face of
a once-shadowy group founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982 to fight
Israeli occupation forces. He was at the helm when Hezbollah guerrillas drove
Israeli forces from southern Lebanon in 2000, ending an 18-year occupation, and
declared a "Divine Victory" after the group waged 34 days of war with Israel in
2006, winning the respect of many Arabs who had grown up watching Israel defeat
their armies. As his group grew to become Lebanon's most influential political
and military force, it also developed a regional role as the spearhead of Iran's
"Axis of Resistance" - fighting in Syria on behalf of Assad and training Houthis
in Yemen. The day after Hamas's cross-border attack into Israel on October 7,
2023, Hezbollah entered the fray in solidarity with its Palestinian ally by
firing on Israel from southern Lebanon. That prompted exchanges of fire for
nearly a year before Israel sharply escalated by detonating explosives-rigged
communication devices used by Hezbollah, pummelling the country with air strikes
and sending troops into Lebanon's south. More than 4,000 people were ultimately
killed in Israel's military assault, including more than 300 children. Despite a
truce, Israel continues to carry out deadly strikes in Lebanon. Israel's air and
ground campaign prevented a formal burial for Nasrallah for months. Followers,
including his son, have since flocked to his grave to pray. Crowds are expected
to gather in Hezbollah strongholds in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon's
south and east. The group's secretary-general, Naim Qassem, who took over a
month after Nasrallah's killing, will make an address. Tensions over the
commemoration have been mounting this week, particularly after Hezbollah
projected the portraits of Nasrallah and Safieddine on the famed towering rocks
off the coast of Beirut. The display went ahead, despite orders by Lebanese
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and the Beirut governor not to do so, angering
Lebanese opponents of Hezbollah who said the cliffs should not be used for
political displays.
Iran's top security official urges regional unity
against Israel as he visits allies in Lebanon
The Associated Press/September 27, 2025
BEIRUT (AP) — A top Iranian security official called on regional countries
Saturday to put their differences aside and cooperate closely as they face what
he called “Israel’s conspiracies.”Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National
Security Council, spoke in Beirut where he arrived earlier Saturday to attend
the anniversary of Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah
in Lebanon. Iran has been the main backer of Hezbollah over the past four
decades, supplying it with weapons and money that had turned it into one of the
most powerful militant groups in the region. But Hezbollah suffered heavy losses
in a 14-month war with Israel, which ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in
November, with much of its political and military commanders killed in Israeli
strikes. The latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict began the day after the Oct. 7,
2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel from Lebanon in support of Hamas and
the Palestinians. In June, Israel launched airstrikes in Iran, triggering a
12-day war between the two countries that killed several key Iran's military
commanders and targeted its arsenal of ballistic missiles while decimating the
country’s air defenses.Earlier this month, Israel struck the headquarters of
Hamas’ political leadership in Qatar as the group’s top figures gathered to
consider a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strp. “Today, amid Israel’s
conspiracies, regional states should closely cooperate and even if there were
disagreements between them they should put these disagreements aside,” Larjani
said after a nearly one-hour meeting with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih
Berri. Larijani praised the call by Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem for Saudi
Arabia to open a new page after years of tense relations, calling it “a step in
the right direction.” Referring to Israel, Larijani said Saudi Arabia and
Hezbollah both “have a common enemy.”Asked about reports that Israel might
launch new strikes against Iran, Larijani said, “We are ready to face all
scenarios but I don’t think that the Israelis will behave in this stupid
way.”“If they do that, they will receive strong retaliation,” Larijani said,
without elaborating. Later on Saturday, thousands of people attended a ceremony
that was held next to Nasrallah’s grave in a southern Beirut suburb. They
included Larijani and other Lebanese and Hezbollah officials. In a televised
speech aired during the ceremony, Kassem said that Hezbollah is restoring its
military capabilities, adding that they are ready to confront any “escalation by
Israel.” Kassem reiterated that Hezbollah rejects last month’s decision by the
Lebanese government to disarm the group, adding that the group will not hand
over its weapons because “we are in the middle of an existential war” with
Israel.
Sheikh Abbas Yazbek was denied travel: Forgive us,
Sheikh Abbas, our compromised state found no one else to bully but you.
Rasha Al-Amir/Facebook/September 27, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
What happened yesterday at Rafik Hariri Airport is a stain on the face of the
new regime. Without any apparent reason, Sheikh Abbas Yazbek was denied travel;
his passport and phone were confiscated. A blatant insult to a free-thinking
Shia religious figure and to what he represents: a pure return to his Lebanese
identity. Abbas Yazbek, who once walked alongside the "political party," has
returned to the core values: the nation, the state, and the flag. Yesterday, a
respected religious leader was humiliated in a country where patriotism is
treated as a crime, while fraudsters and charlatans travel freely from this
airport. Tomorrow or the day after, the Sheikh will get his passport and phone
back, and the authorities will acknowledge their wrongdoing. But an apology is
essential, not optional. Nawaf Salam, the Chief Justice, is obligated, more than
anyone else, to refer the perpetrators, by name, to a disciplinary committee and
to apologize, on behalf of the desired state, to the good Lebanese citizen,
Sheikh Abbas. Respect for the innocent begins with words. Forgive us, Sheikh
Abbas, our compromised state found no one else to bully but you.
On the State of Power in Lebanon
Judge Francois Daher/Facebook/September 27, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
Today, the current government is criticized for being manipulated by Hezbollah,
or rather, by the Shiite bloc. However, the real blame should lie with those who
worked, exerted effort, and contributed to its formation through a presidential
agreement, which they finalized after the November 27, 2024 agreement.
This agreement, as we have previously mentioned in earlier articles, nullified
all of Hezbollah's narratives, its entire political project, and any legitimacy
for its use of weapons. Then, the presidential agreement of January 9, 2025,
reconstituted the constitutional authorities in the country, and included
Hezbollah in this process. However, Hezbollah immediately seized control and
thwarted the implementation of the aforementioned agreement. Today, it is
reasserting its grip on all aspects of power, both on the ground, financially,
politically, and even legislatively, through the blatant disregard for law and
the constitution practiced by the Speaker of Parliament against the entire
parliamentary body. The latest example is its disregard for the parliamentary
petition signed by 67 members, demanding the repeal of Article 112 of the
current electoral law. In this situation, the country becomes vulnerable to the
strategic security interests of Israel, potentially leading to its division,
destruction, the reoccupation of its entire southern region, and the
displacement of its citizens. This occurs after the fragile government has
proven incapable of keeping the country out of the regional conflict raging on
its territory, a conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel, which
aims to establish that the security and existence of the latter is dependent on
the former. This situation also confirms that the same political forces that
undermined the Cedar Revolution (March 14, 2005) are also responsible for the
failure of the agreement to end Iranian control over Lebanon, signed on November
27, 2024. This is because they neglected to propose holding a constituent
assembly following the agreement's signing, which would have been necessary to
discuss the possibility of restructuring the Lebanese state and establishing an
appropriate political system, based on the outcomes of that assembly. But: To
whom do you recite your psalms, O David? David replied: For my own reflection
and for posterity...
Riad Salameh walks free after posting record bail
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/September 27/2025
Lebanon's former central bank governor Riad Salameh walked free from a year in
custody over embezzlement allegations Friday after posting more than $14 million
in bail, a judicial official told AFP. "Salameh left the Bhannes Hospital (in
north Beirut) where he was being held and treated under guard," the official
told AFP on condition of anonymity. Salameh, 75, who headed the central bank for
three decades, has faced numerous accusations including embezzlement, money
laundering and tax evasion in separate probes in Lebanon and abroad. He has
repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. He was arrested in September last year and
indicted in April for allegedly embezzling $44 million from the central bank.But
last month, the judiciary agreed to release Salameh on bail of more than $20
million and with a one-year travel ban, and on Thursday reduced the bail figure
upon the request of Salameh's legal team. Salameh's lawyer "paid the bail of $14
million plus five billion Lebanese pounds" (around $55,000) -- the highest
amount in Lebanese judicial history -- and the judge signed the documentation
authorizing his release, a judicial official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The former central bank chief will be released "in the next few hours once legal
procedures have been completed," the official added, noting the travel ban came
into effect upon the bail payment. In recent months, Salameh has been held under
guard in hospital due to his deteriorating health. He had been expected to be
automatically released in early September when his detention order expired
without trial, a judicial official had told AFP last month. The judiciary had
already issued orders for his release in two other cases in July. Salameh is
widely viewed as a key culprit in Lebanon's economic crash, which the World Bank
has called one of the worst in recent history, but he has defended his legacy,
insisting he is being made a "scapegoat".He left office at the end of July 2023
and has repeatedly denied the allegations against him, saying his wealth comes
from private investment and his previous work at U.S. investment firm Merrill
Lynch.
After Salameh posted the amount, investigators questioned him about the source
of the funds and asked him for documents to prove that they were not the
proceeds of illicit activities. Salameh’s lawyer, Marc Habka, told journalists
that his client was in poor health, and that “we have presented to the court all
the evidence” to prove his innocence. “It’s the right of the Lebanese people to
know, in the end,” he said. “If Riad Salameh is involved (in the alleged
crimes), he will be convicted. If other people are involved, they will be
convicted, and if he is innocent, he will be acquitted.”
From Raoucheh Rock to the courts: Lebanon weighs political
consequences
LBCI/September 27/2025
Questions remain over whether the controversy surrounding the Hezbollah-linked
celebration at Beirut’s Raoucheh Rock has subsided or entered a legal track
whose political repercussions are yet to be seen. Before the event, debate in
the country centered on two opposing views: one in favor of allowing the party
to mark the occasion without objection, and another, led by Prime Minister Nawaf
Salam, insisting on rejecting the lighting of the landmark in line with a
decision by the capital’s governor. LBCI learned that President Joseph Aoun,
speaking from New York, held a phone call with Salam to address the matter in a
way that would safeguard national unity and prevent sectarian strife. Following
Friday’s cabinet meeting, questions arose over whether accountability would be
limited to the “Rissalat” association, which had applied for the permit, or
whether the investigation would extend further. Justice Minister Adel Nassar
told LBCI he would not intervene in judicial work, noting that the public
prosecutor had acted swiftly by instructing security services to summon those
who violated the permit and to determine how sound and lighting equipment was
brought to the Raoucheh site. He said findings could begin to emerge as early as
Monday, adding that regardless of the scale of penalties, “the important thing
is that the law will be applied.”According to political sources, Salam’s
handling of the issue aimed to let the law take its course to identify and hold
accountable those who defied regulations, signaling a new approach to governance
based on upholding the law. The same sources stressed that Hezbollah must
understand no political faction can impose its will as in the past. A new
framework, they said, requires all parties to respect the authority of the state
above any other authority.
It remains unclear whether the Raoucheh controversy has blown over or will leave
lasting political repercussions among Lebanon’s leaders.
Nasrallah’s Assassination: Raoucheh Instead of Jerusalem
Michel Touma/This is Beirut/September 27/2025
No one could have imagined it for a single moment. At the time, it never
occurred to anyone that an operation of such magnitude was possible or even
conceivable. The massive resources mobilized for the assassination of Hassan
Nasrallah, exactly one year ago to the day, sent shockwaves not only through the
ranks of the pro-Iranian party but also across political and popular circles far
beyond Lebanon’s borders.Without question, this assassination represents the
heaviest blow dealt to the Shia movement since its creation in the early 1980s,
under the impetus of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which had deeply
entrenched itself in the Beqaa for that purpose.
Hassan Nasrallah undoubtedly possessed extraordinary charisma. He managed to
embody the role of catalyst for a vast partisan mobilization and for the
crystallization of an obstructionist current that at times even reached certain
factions in this part of the world. Therefore, it is no surprise that Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently declared that Nasrallah’s
assassination had practically broken the Iranian axis in the Middle East and
brought about the fall of the Assad regime.
This first commemoration of the Hezbollah leader’s death should prompt serious
critical reflection on the party’s political course. In this regard, it is
instructive to revisit an interview given a few days ago to an Arab-language
daily by former MP Elias Atallah. The latter was a wartime pillar of the
Communist Party and, alongside late George Hawi, one of the founders of the
secular “national resistance” set up after Israel’s 1982 invasion. Based on
experience and stressing the importance of self-criticism, Atallah emphasized
that “resistance is a means, not an end in itself,” and certainly not a
“trademark” or a “permanent identity.” He drew a clear line between “a
resistance that liberates and then withdraws” (in favor of the state) and “a
resistance that turns bearing arms into a profession and holds the country
hostage.”
In a sense, Hassan Nasrallah paid with his life for his party’s failure to
respect these clear‑sighted principles advanced by Elias Atallah. After Israel’s
full withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, the “resistance” that Hezbollah insisted
on embodying exclusively should have stepped aside and yielded to the state,
paving the way for development, reconciliation and internal stability. Instead,
the party subordinated to the Pasdaran and chose a radically different path. It
provoked Israel’s return to the South twice, in 2006 and again in 2023. More
importantly, it transformed what it called “resistance” into nothing more than
an instrument for internal power-grabbing and for strengthening Iran’s hegemonic
regional expansionism.
In his memoirs, late Imam Mohammed Mehdi Chamseddine urged Shias to “have no
project of their own but to struggle while integrating fully into the society in
which they live.” Rather than following his advice, Hezbollah chose to play in
the big leagues by aligning itself with the mullahs’ regime in Tehran (wilayat
al-faqih and all that…). But whoever seeks to play there without actually having
the means inevitably draws large-scale retaliation, precisely like the operation
of September 27, 2024. The surreal resources deployed to assassinate Nasrallah,
together with the string of highly strategic setbacks suffered by the
pro-Iranian party in 2023 and 2024, are but the direct consequence of what can
only be described as a lack of geopolitical foresight. How else to define such
blindness but by the reliance on ideology, fiery rhetoric and empty slogans to
confront an adversary whose overwhelming technological, military, economic,
intelligence and AI supremacy can no longer even be measured? Such blindness
could only culminate in the November 27, 2024, attack and in the total setback
Hezbollah has endured in recent months. And, unable to realize on the ground the
leitmotif “on the road to Jerusalem,” launched in October 2023, Hezbollah today
is reduced to harboring the supreme ambition of achieving the great “feat” of
projecting images onto the Raoucheh rock. This act is accompanied by the
gratifying bonus of a marked blow to the authority of the Prime Minister and the
government, with the obvious aim of further perfecting the deconstruction of the
central state.
Enemy or Peace?
Amine Jules Iskandar/This is Beirut/September 27/2025
There is no freedom for a people forced to accept imposed friends and enemies,
and no hope for a people who dare not speak openly of peace. According to Carl
Schmitt, the concept of the enemy lies at the heart of politics. It stands apart
from morality, aesthetics, and economics. To identify an enemy is thus a
strictly political act, carrying no moral weight and showing no regard for
historical accuracy. Within this realm, free from any claim to objectivity, an
enemy can be conceived purely to advance political goals. In a multicultural
society like Lebanon, the enemy is deliberately designated to enforce a single
ideology, enabling cultural hegemony and the marginalization of diversity. Carl
Schmitt notes that the distinction between friend and enemy relies on no moral
compass—no sense of good or evil—no aesthetic judgment of beauty or ugliness,
and not even on economic concerns such as profitability. Instead, it can serve
an ideological purpose: either to cement a society internally or to dominate
others.
Killing Two Birds with One Stone
The enemy is the “other,” and it is through this opposition that one defines
oneself. A group’s identity—the “we”—is forged in relation to its enemy.
Totalitarianism exploits this dynamic skillfully, turning it to cunning and
insidious purposes. In this way, messianic Islamism (Hezbollah), like the
supposedly secular Arabism that preceded it, seeks to unify its society by
asserting its identity against the other, who comes to embody evil in its purest
form. “Tell me who your enemy is, and I will tell you who you are,” one might
observe, echoing the spirit of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. As he wrote in
Citadelle, “man is measured by the obstacle” and also, “man only discovers
himself by confronting what opposes him.” In this light, constructing the image
of the Zionist enemy becomes an existential imperative, used to enforce social
cohesion. Totalitarianism, however, makes a dual use of the ideology of the
enemy. By imposing it on the societies it seeks to subjugate, it erases their
memory, their cognitive references, and thus their cultural identity. It
accomplishes two goals at once. Since the 1960s, Arabists have aimed to create
or impose a singular national identity, built largely around the unifying core
that is the concept of the Zionist enemy.
Cultural Substitution
Hezbollah, as the direct heir of Arabist movements, has shown through its
leniency toward its Israeli neighbor that this demonization of the enemy is
directed solely at other cultural groups within Lebanon. By readily conceding
Lebanon’s territorial waters and gas fields, it exposed the true nature of its
intentions: the ideology of the enemy-as-scarecrow is merely a legalistic weapon
aimed at terrorizing other ethnic groups and annihilating diversity. Carl
Schmitt sees in the friend–enemy duality (Freund/Feind) a complementarity that
guides political choice. For him, this pairing represents the fundamental
distinction of politics. Once the enemy is defined, the designation of the
friend inevitably follows—an ally not only militarily but, above all,
culturally. In the impossibility of demographic replacement, the totalitarian
ideologies of secular Arabism and messianic Islamism turn to cultural
substitution, seeking the adoption of the culture and identity of the designated
and imposed ally.
The Linguistic Shift
The adoption of this cultural identity seeks to penetrate deeply by reshaping
cognitive patterns. It works by persuading through the removal of all points of
reference. The Sapir–Whorf hypothesis, or the hypothesis of linguistic
relativity, suggests that language structures the way we perceive and think
about the world. As Benjamin Lee Whorf noted, when a culture adopts the words,
categories, and metaphors of another language, it also takes on the cognitive
framework that language carries. Linguistic shift thus enables the acceptance of
foreign ideas and values that stand in direct opposition to our own.
This shift, initiated by the Arabist ideology in the 20th century, moved into
the realm of vocabulary with messianic Islamists in the 21st century. The
majority of media then submit to the lexicon imposed or propagated by
Hezbollah’s propaganda platforms, which determine the choice of terms,
expressions, and syntactic structures, as well as the categories and metaphors
that carry foreign conceptual frameworks. This targeted language reshapes mental
categories and influences the cognitive framework.
The Enemy of Humanity
This form of value upheaval is illustrated by George Orwell in 1984, when the
regime imposes a sudden redefinition of the hereditary enemy upon the
population. This new “truth” must be accepted immediately and without
resistance, as is the case in reality under Baathist, Nasserist, Arabist, and
Islamist regimes. The enemy’s designation by those in power is seen by Michel
Foucault and Antonio Gramsci as a means of legitimizing societal control. It is
through this ruse, turned into a phobia, that the military tribunal terrorizes
the Lebanese population.
Hannah Arendt rightly notes that totalitarian regimes declare the designated
enemy, above all else, a threat to all of humanity. By transforming a national
or Pan-Arab cause into a so-called cause of humanity, it is treated as sacred,
universal, indisputable, and non-negotiable. Any challenge to this dogma is met
with immediate intimidation, forcing those who resist to submit to the dictates
of the prevailing orthodoxy. There can be no true liberation of Lebanon without
a liberation of the mind. Beyond interrogations, arrests, the confiscation of
passports and mobile phones, and trials in military courts, the real chains that
oppress us are those we impose on ourselves—whether through coercive
self-censorship or the fear of thinking outside established conventions and
norms. There is no freedom for a people forced to accept imposed friends and
enemies, and no hope for a people who dare not speak openly of peace.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous
Reports And News published on September 27-28/2025
Canada recognizes a Palestinian state. Israel says
it's a non-starter. So what does it mean for Palestinians?
CBC/September 27, 2025
Last Sunday, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada would recognize
Palestinian statehood. In recent weeks, Canada, Australia, Portugal, the U.K.
and France have joined the ranks of a majority in the United Nations — 147 out
of 193 — who already recognize Palestine as a state. Carney said the recognition
was prompted by the current Israeli government's "avowed policy" of preventing a
Palestinian state from ever being established. Canada's move was welcomed by the
Palestinian Authority and Hamas officials, with the latter linking the
announcement to the aftermath of the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attacks against
Israel. Not surprisingly, these announcements of recognition were swiftly
condemned by Israel. Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the UN, called them
"empty declarations." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said all it does is give
a "huge reward to terrorism."
Netanyahu also added: "It will not happen. A Palestinian state will not be
established west of the Jordan River." With Netanyahu continuing to reject a
two-state solution, what does the broader recognition of a Palestinian state
signify? Is it merely symbolic or might it have some practical ramifications for
Palestinians?
CBC News explores these questions.
What defines a state?
The answer to what defines a state isn't simple, experts in international
relations say.
"The reality is, it's surprisingly fluid," said Catherine Frost, a political
science professor at McMaster University in Hamilton. The Montevideo Convention
on the Rights and Duties of States, established in 1933, laid out four criteria
for statehood: a permanent population; a defined territory; government; and
capacity to enter into relations with the other states. But just because a
geographical entity may meet those criteria doesn't mean it will be certified a
state, Frost said. She suggested that recognizing statehood is subjective,
meaning a state is born when another state recognizes it as such. Recognition is
always binary, she said. "It's between one state saying, 'I see you,' to another
state," she said. That's in part because there has never been a clear basis for
recognizing states, said George Kyris, an associate professor of international
relations at the University of Birmingham. Over the years, states have
recognized — or not recognized — other states based on political calculations,
he said. "I think the main thing here to remember is that recognition has never
been purely legal. It has been very political." That means there's no
universally accepted international law on how recognition should take place,
Kyris said.
Does a Palestinian state meet the 1933 convention criteria? Does it matter? The
situation in the Palestinian territories has raised questions among
international relations experts as to whether it meets the criteria for
statehood set out by the 1933 convention. The borders are disputed, and no
single government entity oversees or controls the main territories that would
make up a Palestinian state. "The reality today argues against this important
criterion in the definition of the convention," Daniel Kurtzer, a former U.S.
ambassador to Egypt and Israel and professor at Princeton University's school of
public and international affairs, wrote in The Atlantic magazine. However, a
Palestinian state does meet the criteria of a permanent population. And while
disputed, the borders of a Palestinian state are largely seen as those that
would include the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. Although Mahmoud
Abbas is the Palestinian president, the Palestinian Authority, which he leads,
has limited administrative control in parts of the West Bank. The West Bank,
along with East Jerusalem, remain occupied by the Israeli army and under Israeli
control. The PA ran Gaza after Israel's withdrawal from the territory in 2005,
before it was ousted by Hamas two years later. Now, however, the area is a war
zone and occupied by Israeli forces, with lingering questions as to who would
oversee the area in a postwar scenario. But disputed borders aren't necessarily
a barrier to statehood recognition, Frost says. She noted that the newest member
of the UN, South Sudan, was accepted in 2011 while its borders had not been
formed. In fact, there are still border disputes between South Sudan and Sudan.
"All of these criteria are in the eye of the beholder," she said.
What's the significance of Canada and others recognizing a Palestinian state?
Some international experts have characterized this latest recognition of a
Palestinian state as mostly symbolic. As Kurtzer wrote in The Atlantic, "though
Israel has no veto power over international recognition of the State of
Palestine, it controls the territory and thus controls whether anything comes of
diplomatic recognition.""Diplomatically, almost nothing will change as a result
of increased international support for Palestinian statehood. The Palestinians
will enjoy enhanced standing in some international forums, such as the
International Criminal Court, but that will not materially change their
experience," he wrote.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the recognition of
Palestinian statehood, saying it's a reward for terrorism.
Romain Le Boeuf, a professor in international law at the University of
Aix-Marseille in southern France, echoed that from a legal point of view, the
recognition is "useless." "Palestine has no new rights since it's been
recognized by France, Canada and [the U.K.]," Le Boeuf said. But Le Boeuf said
this recognition is important, as the number of UN members who don't recognize
Palestinian statehood continues to dwindle, and become a smaller minority. As
well, all members of the UN Security Council, except for the U.S., now recognize
a Palestinian state. (U.S. opposition, however, means Palestine will not become
a full UN member and instead maintain observer status.) Le Boeuf said the new
recognition from countries like Canada, Australia, Portugal, Britain and France
means they could pass international treaties of commerce with the newly
recognized state, which would give Palestinians more access to global goods.
Also, the recognition of Palestinian statehood provides a basis for "a complete
revision of bilateral relations with Israel," Ardi Imseis, an associate
professor at the Queen's University faculty of law and a former UN official,
told the New York Times.
A country that recognizes Palestine has to review agreements with Israel to make
sure Israel doesn't violate its obligations to the Palestinian state, Imseis
told the Times. Canada already has a Representative Office in Ramallah, West
Bank, but Frost says Canada could now establish an embassy there, and send an
official ambassador, while Ottawa could welcome one from the newly recognized
state. "Ambassadors are very important figures in international law," Frost
said. "It's a very special category of diplomatic relationship that you only
have between states."
Trump voices major optimism over possible Gaza deal
Naharnet/September 27, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump said overnight that there are “very inspired and
productive discussions with the Middle Eastern Community concerning Gaza.”
”Intense negotiations have been going on for four days, and will continue for as
long as necessary in order to get a Successfully Completed Agreement,” Trump
said in a post on his Truth Social network. “All of the Countries within the
Region are involved, Hamas is very much aware of these discussions, and Israel
has been informed at all levels, including Prime Minister Bibi (Benjamin)
Netanyahu,” he revealed. “There is more Goodwill and Enthusiasm for getting a
Deal done, after so many decades, than I have ever seen before. Everyone is
excited to put this period of Death and Darkness behind them. It is an Honor to
be a part of this Negotiation. We must get the Hostages back, and get a
PERMANENT AND LONGLASTING PEACE!” Trump went on to say. He had met in recent
days with Arab and Muslim leaders in New York and the conferees also voiced
optimism about a looming deal.
Former UK PM Blair could lead transitional authority in
Gaza
Agence France Presse/September 27, 2025
Former UK prime minister Tony Blair could take a leading role in a transitional
authority for Gaza under US-led peace plans, various British media reported on
Friday. It follows Blair's involvement in discussions with the administration of
U.S. President Donald Trump and others over the post-war transitional body for
the Palestinian territory. The plan could involve Blair leading the authority
with the support of the U.N. and Gulf nations, according to the BBC and The
Economist magazine. The Financial Times reported that the former UK leader, who
worked as a Middle East peace mediator formally from 2007 to 2015, had asked to
be on its supervisory board. The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, a
non-profit organization, declined to comment to AFP on the stories. Israeli
media reports last week about his involvement in the U.S.-led peace plan
prompted sources close to Blair to confirm that he has been working on a scheme
to halt the conflict alongside other parties. However, they noted he would not
support any proposal to permanently displace Gazans, and that any transitional
governing body for the territory would ultimately hand power back to the
Palestinian Authority, based in Ramallah in the West Bank.
In its report, The Economist said that a body to be known as the "Gaza
International Transitional Authority" would seek a UN mandate to be the "supreme
political and legal authority" for five years, before handing control to
Palestinians. The authority would have a secretariat of up to 25 people and a
seven-person board, it added. It would initially be based in Egypt, near Gaza's
southern border, before transferring to Gaza once it is secure, the BBC said.
Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen told BBC Radio on Friday that "I love" the idea,
calling Blair a "wonderful person". "If he is willing to take this
responsibility, which is huge, I think... there is a hope" for Gaza, he added.
"I think that he can bear that burden strongly." Blair's involvement would
inevitably raise eyebrows given his involvement in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq
in 2003. An official UK inquiry into the conflict found he had acted on flawed
intelligence when deciding to join the war. Blair reportedly joined a White
House meeting with Trump in August to discuss plans for post-war Gaza. Trump has
floated plans to make Gaza the "Riviera of the Middle East", involving the
forced displacement of Palestinians in the territory.
Hague Group members call on world to deny Israel ‘tools
of genocide’
Arab News/September 27, 2025
LONDON: A group of countries has called on the international community to deny
Israel “the tools of genocide.”The Hague Group, an alliance of states dedicated
to putting pressure on Israel, met in New York on the sidelines of the UN
General Assembly. They discussed ways to alleviate suffering in Gaza, and to
prevent Israel from committing further violence in the enclave and the occupied
West Bank. Members called for a block on exports to the country, a ban on
participation in international cultural events, and support for an aid flotilla
currently approaching Gaza in the Mediterranean. The group is co-chaired by
Colombia and South Africa, whose government brought a case accusing Israel of
genocide in Gaza to the International Court of Justice in December 2023. Last
week, South Africa’s ICJ case was joined by Brazil, which said Israel has no
right to claim that its actions in Gaza constitute self-defense as an occupying
power. Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told the group: “We must turn
indignation into action, law into justice, and justice into peace.”His
government has also called for an international mission to be sent to Gaza,
similar to the one established by the UN in 1962 to oversee the end of apartheid
in South Africa. “International law requires a state not only to refrain from
genocide but also to prevent it. Failure to do so may give rise to state
responsibility including complicity with genocide,” Vieira said. “The time has
come for states to fulfill their obligations under the Genocide Convention by
adopting effective measures to ensure that they don’t, directly or indirectly,
collaborate with its perpetrators.”Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said
it is essential that international corporations complicit in the occupation are
identified. Chile, another member of the group, recently withdrew its ambassador
to Israel. Zane Dangor, director general of South Africa’s Department of
International Relations and Cooperation, said preventing genocide is a duty,
despite the difficulty in proving it legally, in the aftermath of a UN report
earlier this month that found reasonable grounds to conclude that Israel is
committing genocide in Gaza. Riyad Mansour, Palestinian envoy to the UN, told
The Guardian: “The Hague Group represented an inflection point in the struggle
to secure accountability and to prevent Israel receiving arms and services. Much
more needs to be done, and fast.”
Airstrikes and shooting kill at least 38 people in Gaza
as Israel ignores demands for a ceasefire
AP/September 27, 2025
DEIR AL-BALAH: Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 38 people across
Gaza, health officials said, as international pressure grows for a ceasefire but
Israel’s leader remains defiant about continuing the war. Strikes in central and
northern Gaza killed people in their homes in the early hours of Saturday
morning, including nine from the same family in a house in the Nuseirat refugee
camp, according to health staff at the Al-Awda hospital where the bodies were
brought. The attacks came hours after a defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu told fellow world leaders at the UN General Assembly Friday that his
nation “must finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza. Netanyahu’s words, aimed as
much at his increasingly divided domestic audience as the global one, began
after dozens of delegates from multiple nations walked out of the UN General
Assembly hall en masse Friday morning as he began speaking.International
pressure on Israel to end the war is increasing, as is Israel’s isolation, with
a growing list of countries deciding recently to recognize Palestinian statehood
— something Israel rejects. Countries have been lobbying US President Donald
Trump to press Israel for a ceasefire. On Friday, Trump told reporters on the
White House lawn that he believes the US is close to achieving a deal on easing
fighting in Gaza that “will get the hostages back” and “end the war.”Trump and
Netanyahu are scheduled to meet Monday, and Trump said on social media Friday
that “very inspired and productive discussions” and “intense negotiations” about
Gaza are ongoing with countries in the region. Yet, Israel is pressing ahead
with another major ground operation 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.The strikes Saturday
morning demolished a house in Gaza City’s Tufah neighborhood, killing at least
11 people, more than half of them women and children, according to the Al-Ahly
Hospital where the bodies were brought. Four other people were killed when an
airstrike hit their homes in the Shati refugee camp, according to Shifa
hospital. Six other Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire while seeking
aid in southern and central Gaza, according to Nasser and Al Awda hospitals
where the bodies were brought. Israel’s army did not immediately respond about
the airstrikes or the gunfire. Hospitals and health clinics in Gaza City are on
the brink of collapse. Nearly two weeks into the offensive, two clinics have
been destroyed by airstrikes, two hospitals shut down after being damaged and
others are barely functioning, with medicine, equipment, food and fuel in short
supply.
Many patients and staff have been forced to flee hospitals, leaving behind only
a few doctors and nurses to tend to children in incubators or other patients too
ill to move. On Friday, aid group Doctors Without Borders said it was forced to
suspend activities in Gaza City amid an intensified Israeli offensive. The group
said Israeli tanks were less than half a mile from its health care facilities
and the escalating attacks have created an “unacceptable level of risk” for its
staff. Meanwhile, the food situation in the north has also worsened, as Israel
has halted aid deliveries through its crossing into northern Gaza since Sept. 12
and has increasingly rejected UN requests to bring supplies from southern Gaza
into the north, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 65,000 people and wounded more
than 167,000 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It doesn’t
distinguish between civilians and combatants, but says women and children make
up around half the fatalities. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government,
but UN agencies and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most
reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
UAE foreign minister urges end to Gaza war in meeting
with Netanyahu in New York
Arab News/September 27, 2025
DUBAI: UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed stressed the urgent need
for ending the Gaza war during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, UAE state
news agency WAM reported on Saturday. Sheikh Abdullah stressed “the urgent need
to bring an end to the bloody conflict in Gaza, reach a permanent and
sustainable ceasefire, prevent further loss of life, and put an end to the
crisis and the tragic conditions faced by civilians in the Gaza Strip.” He also
noted that the dire humanitarian situation of civilians in Gaza requires the
mobilization of all possible efforts to ensure the unimpeded and sustainable
delivery of humanitarian aid. Sheikh Abdullah reiterated the UAE’s “unwavering
commitment to supporting all initiatives aimed at achieving a comprehensive
peace based on the two-state solution, in a way that fulfills the aspirations of
both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples,” WAM said. The UAE top diplomat also
reaffirmed his country’s support for “international efforts aimed at securing
the release of all hostages and detainees, while emphasizing the importance of
concerted global action to confront extremism and terrorism in all its
forms.”The meeting was attended by UAE Minister of State Lana Zaki Nusseibeh,
and UAE Ambassador to Israel Mohamed Mahmoud Al Khaja. It was Netanyahu’s first
meeting with a senior Arab official since Israel’s Sept. 9 attack on Hamas
leaders in Qatar, which the UAE condemned and protested by summoning Israel’s
deputy ambassador.
Hundreds of Israelis receive recruitment calls from
Iranian intelligence, police say
Dana Karni and Catherine Nicholls, CNN/September 27, 2025
Hundreds of Israeli citizens have received calls from Iran’s intelligence
service in attempts to recruit them, the country’s police force said Saturday.
“Hundreds of citizens” reported that they received phone calls from an unknown
number on Saturday morning, Israel Police said in a statement. When they picked
up, “a person spoke to them and offered to recruit them to an Iranian
organization,” it said. An alleged recording of one such phone call was posted
on the Israeli news site Ynet. In it, a robotic voice tells the listener that
“the Iranian intelligence is looking for qualified agents,” offering a
“competitive salary and comprehensive security.”CNN has reached out to the
Iranian foreign ministry for comment. Police said the calls were “intended to
cause alarm among the public during wartime,” adding that they “represent
attempts by Iranian intelligence elements to recruit Israeli citizens at home
and abroad for the purpose of advancing intelligence-gathering and terrorist
activities in Israel.”Last year, Israeli authorities said an unprecedented
number of its citizens were arrested for spying for Iran. Some were allegedly
recruited via social media, with Iran reportedly spamming Telegram accounts with
messages in the hope that some recruitment offers may be accepted, police said
at the time. Oded Allam, a former top Mossad official, told CNN in December that
Iran is more interested in casting a wide net than in recruiting skilled
operatives. “They say to themselves: ‘Okay, if we fail here, we’ll go to the
next one.’ And they don’t really care (about) the outcome,” Allam said. Since
Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel and the resulting war in Gaza that followed,
Israel Police has investigated more than 25 espionage cases linked to Iran,
resulting in approximately 46 arrests, Dean Elsdunne, a police spokesperson,
told CNN this week. In relation to the phone calls on Saturday, Israel Police
urged the public to “remain vigilant” and report any “unusual incident” to
authorities. Authorities “will continue to act to locate and thwart terrorist
and espionage activities in Israel and abroad, and will ensure that all those
involved are brought to justice,” it said in Saturday’s statement.
Gaza mourners express anger at Israel, Hamas as family
killed in strike
AFP/September 27, 2025
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Palestinian women wept and wailed Saturday
as they mourned a family killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza City, expressing
anger at Israel and Hamas for the bloodshed engulfing the city. Seven members of
the Bakr family were killed overnight in the strike on Al-Shati refugee camp in
Gaza City, where Israeli forces have stepped up a ground and air assault. The
dead included children and women, according to the Gaza civil defense agency, a
rescue force operating under Hamas authority, which said several others were
also wounded in the Israeli strike. “What is happening are massacres, massacres
that are condemned internationally,” said Umm Khaleel, who survived when the
family home was hit. AFP footage showed women in black abayas crying out in
grief, one clutching the small body of her child tightly to her chest. “We
cannot sleep because of the bombing and shelling on Al-Shati... the children
were sleeping when suddenly a missile landed on us,” said Salwa Subhi Bakr.
“What does the world want from us? What does (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin)
Netanyahu want? What does Hamas want?.”The bodies, wrapped in white shrouds,
some stained with blood, were then taken for burial.Gaza’s main Al-Shifa
hospital confirmed receiving six bodies of victims killed in the strike. The
Israeli military did not offer an immediate response. Bakr, displaced by the
nearly two-year-long war, said families had nowhere safe to flee. “They tell us
go there, then come back here. Where do we get the money for trucks?” she said.
“People are in the streets, in the south scattered everywhere. Where should we
go? Find us a solution.”Since launching its air assault on Gaza City late last
month, which preceded a ground offensive, the Israeli military has repeatedly
ordered Palestinians to head south.
Some 700,000 people have already fled since then, according to the Israeli
military.
‘Finish the job’ -
At the same time, Israel continued to strike other parts of the Gaza Strip, home
to more than two million people, most of whom have been displaced at least once
since the war began. On Saturday, Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that
Israeli fire killed at least 70 people across the territory, including 38 in
Gaza City according to hospitals in the territory’s largest urban area. Media
restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable
to independently verify the tolls or details provided by the civil defense or
the Israeli military. AFP footage from a hospital courtyard in central Gaza on
Saturday showed several bodies in white shrouds, victims of a strike on Nuseirat
refugee camp. Women wept over the dead, while men stood in prayer beside the
bodies. Piles of concrete blocks and gaping holes marked the site of the strike
that hit a building in the camp. Groups of men and children picked through the
debris, salvaging what they could of their belongings. Iyad Shokr, who survived
the strike on Nuseirat, said the attack came before dawn. “The debris collapsed
on our floor. By the will of God some survived while others were martyred,” he
told AFP. On Friday, Netanyahu vowed in his address at the UN General Assembly
to “finish the job” against Hamas, despite widespread international condemnation
of the intensified offensive. The war in Gaza broke out after Palestinian
militants led by Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. That attack resulted
in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according
to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Israel’s retaliatory military
offensive has since killed at least 65,926 people, also mostly civilians,
according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, figures the United Nations
deems reliable.
Hamas says it has not received Trump plan as Israel expands
Gaza City assault
Nidal al-Mughrabi and May Angel/Reuters/September 27, 2025
CAIRO/RAMALLAH (Reuters) -Hamas has not received U.S. President Donald Trump's
Gaza ceasefire plan, the Palestinian group which runs the enclave said on
Saturday as Israeli forces expanded their assault on Gaza City. The comments
came after Israeli newspaper Haaretz cited sources saying Hamas had agreed in
principle to release all the Israeli hostages it holds in return for hundreds of
Palestinian prisoners and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops under Trump's
plan. Also included in the proposal were the end of Hamas rule in Gaza, and
Israel agreeing not to annex the territory and drive out Palestinians living
there, Haaretz reported. "Hamas has not been presented with any plan," a Hamas
official who asked not to be named told Reuters. In his comments to reporters on
Friday in which he said "it's looking like we have a deal on Gaza", Trump
offered no details of its contents and gave no timetable. Israel has not yet
made any public response to Trump's comments.
TRUMP DUE TO MEET NETANYAHU
Trump is due on Monday to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who
heads a hard-right governing coalition opposed to ending the Gaza war until
Hamas is destroyed. Trump also said on Friday talks on Gaza with Middle Eastern
nations were intense and would continue as long as required.
His special envoy Steve Witkoff said the U.S. president had presented proposals
to the leaders of multiple Muslim-majority countries this week that included a
21-point Middle East peace plan. The Israeli military said its aircraft struck
120 targets across the strip over the past day as troops pressed deeper into
Gaza City. The Palestinian Health Ministry said 74 people were killed in Gaza in
the last 24 hours. In a post on social media platform X, the military's Arabic
spokesman repeated calls for Gaza City residents to evacuate.The U.N. World Food
Programme estimates that some 350,000-400,000 Palestinians have left since
Israel began its expanded ground offensive in Gaza City a couple of weeks ago,
but hundreds of thousands remain.
MEDICAL FACILITIES CLOSED
Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres said late on Friday it had been
forced to suspend its medical activities in Gaza City because its clinics were
encircled by Israeli forces. The group said the move was the "last thing" it
wanted, saying that vulnerable people such as infants in neonatal care and
people with life-threatening illnesses are unable to move and are in grave
danger. Four health facilities in Gaza City have shut down so far this month,
according to the World Health Organization, and the U.N. says some malnutrition
centres have also closed. Israel began its assault on Gaza nearly two years ago
after an attack led by Hamas killed about 1,200 people, with 251 taken hostage,
according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israeli forces have killed more than
65,000 Palestinians in the enclave, according to Gaza's health authorities,
displaced the entire population, and crippled the territory's health system. A
global hunger monitor says famine has taken hold in parts of Gaza, while
multiple rights experts say Israel's conduct in the war amounts to genocide.
Israel strongly denies this, saying the war is in self-defence.
Palestine Action prisoners say they face restrictions
after group’s ban
Arab News/September 27, 2025
LONDON: Prisoners awaiting trial for alleged offenses linked to Palestine Action
claim they have faced new restrictions since the group was proscribed earlier
this year in the UK, a report in The Guardian said Saturday. Those held on
remand say they have been banned from wearing the keffiyeh, prevented from
taking certain prison jobs, and in some cases had personal contacts removed from
their call lists. The restrictions have been applied despite the fact that none
of the prisoners have been charged under terrorism legislation. The UK’s Crown
Prosecution Service has said, however, that their cases carry a “terrorism
connection.”Palestine Action, which has targeted sites of the Israeli arms
manufacturer Elbit Systems in the UK, was banned in July under the Terrorism
Act. The government said the decision was based on intelligence assessments,
including one that cited “the use or threat of action involving serious damage
to property.”Teuta Hoxha, who is charged with criminal damage, aggravated
burglary and violent disorder in relation to an action at Elbit Systems in
Filton, near Bristol, said she was removed from her prison library job at HMP
Peterborough following the proscription.
In a letter she received, the prison’s head of female services wrote: “In July
2025, the home secretary proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation
under the Terrorism Act 2000. The offences you are held on remand for are linked
to Palestine Action and impact roles that are considered appropriate for you.
The library orderly role is not considered appropriate.”Hoxha, who recently
staged a four-week hunger strike, said she also had a scarf she had knitted in
the colours of the Palestinian flag confiscated. She added that her sister had
been taken off her call list because of her political views, after she and two
other inmates connected to the Filton protest were categorized as terrorists by
a joint extremism unit. Audrey Corno, who is on bail awaiting two trials for
alleged Palestine Action protests before the proscription, said: “She (Hoxha)
was arrested in November 2024, way before proscription, so it’s completely banal
for them to apply this retrospectively, and it’s completely punitive the way
that they’re using this.”Another defendant, Zoe Rogers, awaiting trial in the
same case, said she was told a keffiyeh sent to her at HMP Bronzefield had been
withheld “because it features branding associated with the Palestine Action
Group.”Supporters of Palestine Action say measures are being applied unfairly
and retrospectively. Sodexo, which runs HMP Peterborough, said it did not
comment on individual cases but added: “We take our duty to ensure the safety of
our prisons very seriously and will always act in line with national security
guidance.”Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice added that all
prisoners were subject to the same rules, saying: “Flags, symbols and other
items that might threaten safety, order or security can be confiscated.”
S. Africa protesters demand govt sever ties with Israel
AFP/September 27, 2025
CAPE TOWN: More than 3,000 people marched through Cape Town on Saturday, calling
for South Africa to cut trade and diplomatic ties with Israel, including by
shutting its embassy, over the war in Gaza. Pretoria has been a leading critic
of Israel’s actions in Gaza, bringing a case before the UN’s top court in
December 2023 that argues Israel’s war in the Palestinian territory amounts to
genocide, a charge Israel has denied. Saturday’s demonstration brought together
several pro-Palestinian organizations, political parties, and Muslim and
Christian groups, marking one of the largest such turnouts in months. The
government has to take action on the kicking out of Israel’s ambassador and
embassy from South Africa now.
Usuf Chikte, Campaign coordinator
Waving Palestinian flags and slogans such as “Don’t just feel bad, do
something,” the procession handed over a petition of demands at parliament.
South Africa must “boycott, divest and sanction Israel, the same way as the
world did for us,” said Palestine Solidarity Campaign coordinator, Usuf Chikte,
referring to international measures used to pressure South Africa’s apartheid
regime. The government has to take action on the “kicking out of Israel’s
ambassador and embassy from South Africa now,” and the country should be
excluded from international sporting bodies such as FIFA, he told the crowd. The
petition also demanded that the government suspend its exports of coal to Israel
and prosecute any South Africans who enlist in the Israeli military. The war in
Gaza broke out after militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel’s
retaliatory military offensive has since killed at least 65,926 people.
Hamas said a mass walkout of delegations before Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s speech at the UN showed Israel’s “isolation” as a result of the Gaza
war. “Boycotting Netanyahu’s speech is one manifestation of Israel’s isolation
and the consequences of the war of extermination,” Taher Al-Nunu, the media
adviser to the head of Hamas’s political bureau, said in a statement.
UN sanctions on Iran set to return as nuclear diplomacy
fades
Agence France Presse/September 27, 2025
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday slammed as "unacceptable" what
he described as U.S. demands that Tehran hand over its enriched uranium, as
sweeping U.N. sanctions loomed after nuclear talks collapsed. Earlier this
month, the U.N. nuclear watchdog reported that Iran's stockpile of uranium
enriched up to 60 percent had risen to an estimated 440.9 kilograms as of June
13, an increase of 32.3 kilograms since May 17. Though Iran allowed inspectors
back into its sites, Western powers said they saw insufficient progress to
justify delaying sanctions, after a week of top-level diplomacy at the U.N.
General Assembly. European powers triggered the "snapback" mechanism a month
ago, accusing Tehran of failing to comply with requirements over its nuclear
program -- including through countermeasures it launched in response to Israeli
and U.S. strikes in June. Pezeshkian on Saturday told reporters in New York that
Washington had asked Tehran to relinquish all of its enriched uranium in
exchange for a three-month reprieve from sanctions. The United States "wants us
to hand over all our enriched uranium to them, and in return they would give us
three months" exemption from sanctions, Pezeshkian told reporters in New York
before leaving for Tehran."This is by no means acceptable," he said.He
previously said France had made a similar proposal, offering only a one-month
delay. "Why would we put ourselves in such a trap and have a noose around our
neck each month?" he asked, accusing the United States of pressuring Europeans
not to compromise.
'Null and void'
Pezeshkian reiterated that Iran had no intention of developing nuclear weapons,
charging that Washington and Israel were instead using pressure to try to topple
the Islamic republic. Talks over Iran's nuclear program had also involved Steve
Witkoff -- Special Envoy of U.S. president Donald Trump -- who said Washington
did not want to harm Iran and was open to further discussions. But Pezeshkian
dismissed him as unserious, saying he backtracked on earlier understandings that
collapsed after Israel launched its latest military campaign on Iran in June.
Meanwhile, Iran recalled its envoys from Britain, France and Germany for
consultations after the three countries triggered the sanctions mechanism, state
television reported. The measures, due to take effect at 0000 GMT Sunday (8:00
pm Saturday in New York), will reinstate a global ban on dealings with
companies, people and organizations accused of involvement in Iran's nuclear and
ballistic missile programs. The sanctions are aimed at imposing new economic
pain to pressure Iran, but it remains to be seen if all countries will enforce
them. Russian deputy ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said Friday that Moscow, a top
partner of Iran, considered the reimposition of sanctions "null and void."
Russia and China sought at the Security Council Friday to delay the reimposition
of sanctions until April but failed to muster enough votes.
'Maximum pressure' -
The United States already has unilateral sanctions on Iran and has tried to
force all other countries to stop buying Iranian oil, although companies from
China have defied the pressure. Trump imposed a "maximum pressure" campaign
during his first term when he withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear agreement
negotiated under former president Barack Obama, which had offered sanctions
relief in return for drastic curbs on Iran's nuclear program. The new sanctions
mark a "snapback" of the U.N. measures that were suspended under the 2015 deal,
which had been strongly supported by Britain, France and Germany after Trump's
withdrawal. The International Crisis Group, which studies conflict resolution,
said in a report that Iran seemed dismissive of the snapback as it had already
learned to cope with the U.S. sanctions. But it noted that the snapback was not
easy to reverse as it would require consensus at the Security Council. "It is
also likely to compound the malaise around an economy already struggling with
high inflation, currency woes and deepening infrastructure problems," the report
said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a defiant U.N. address Friday
urged no delay in the snapback and hinted that Israel was willing to again
strike Iran's nuclear program, after the 12 days of bombing in June that Iranian
authorities say killed more than 1,000 people. Pezeshkian said that Iran would
not retaliate against the sanctions by leaving the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty, warning that unnamed powers were seeking a "superficial pretext to set
the region ablaze."
US demands handover of all enriched nuclear material,
Iran president says
AFP/September 27/2025
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday slammed as “unacceptable” what
he described as US demands that Tehran hand over its enriched uranium, as
sweeping UN sanctions loomed after nuclear talks collapsed. Earlier this month,
the UN nuclear watchdog reported that Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched up to
60 percent had risen to an estimated 440.9 kilograms as of June 13, an increase
of 32.3 kilograms since May 17. Though Iran allowed inspectors back into its
sites, Western powers said they saw insufficient progress to justify delaying
sanctions, after a week of top-level diplomacy at the UN General Assembly.
European powers triggered the “snapback” mechanism a month ago, accusing Tehran
of failing to comply with requirements over its nuclear program -- including
through countermeasures it launched in response to Israeli and US strikes in
June. Pezeshkian on Saturday told reporters in New York that Washington had
asked Tehran to relinquish all of its enriched uranium in exchange for a
three-month reprieve from sanctions. The United States “wants us to hand over
all our enriched uranium to them, and in return they would give us three months”
exemption from sanctions, Pezeshkian told reporters in New York before leaving
for Tehran. “This is by no means acceptable,” he said. He previously said France
had made a similar proposal, offering only a one-month delay. “Why would we put
ourselves in such a trap and have a noose around our neck each month?” he asked,
accusing the United States of pressuring Europeans not to compromise.
‘Null and void’
Pezeshkian reiterated that Iran had no intention of developing nuclear weapons,
charging that Washington and Israel were instead using pressure to try to topple
the Islamic Republic.Talks over Iran’s nuclear program had also involved Steve
Witkoff -- Special Envoy of US president Donald Trump -- who said Washington did
not want to harm Iran and was open to further discussions. But Pezeshkian
dismissed him as unserious, saying he backtracked on earlier understandings that
collapsed after Israel launched its latest military campaign on Iran in June.
Meanwhile, Iran recalled its envoys from Britain, France and Germany for
consultations after the three countries triggered the sanctions mechanism, state
television reported.
Iran defiant on restored sanctions as it recalls
ambassadors
Reuters/September 27, 2025
DUBAI (Reuters) -Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the reimposition of
global sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme is "not like the sky is falling"
as he headed home on Saturday from New York where he failed to convince Western
powers to delay the move. Iran's immediate reaction to the resumption of United
Nations sanctions came with the announcement earlier on Saturday it was
recalling its ambassadors to Britain, France and Germany for consultations, but
it has warned a harsher response awaits. "It is not like the sky is falling. If
we are weak they will crush us. But if we are united, there is no fear from this
crisis," Pezeshkian told Iranian state television before leaving New York, where
he was attending the United Nations General Assembly. All U.N. sanctions on Iran
are due to be restored overnight, after the three European powers, known as the
E3, triggered a 30-day process accusing Tehran of violating a 2015 deal meant to
prevent it from building a nuclear bomb.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.
It has warned Western countries they will face "serious consequences" for
restoring the sanctions, but Pezeshkian has also said Iran has no intention of
quitting the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Russia and China mounted a
last-ditch effort at the U.N. Security Council on Friday to delay the sanctions
snap back, warning it could prompt escalation in the Middle East, but only four
of the 15 council members supported their draft resolution. Meanwhile, Iran's
rial currency continued to decline over fears of new sanctions. The rial fell to
1,123,000 per U.S. dollar, a new record low, on Saturday, from about 1,085,000
on Friday, according to foreign exchange websites, including Bon-bast.com. The
return of the U.N. sanctions including asset freezes and travel bans will mean
further trouble for the Islamic Republic's ailing economy, which is already
labouring under a separate list of U.S. sanctions. European sanctions will
resume next week. The returning U.N. sanctions will also include an arms
embargo, a ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing and a ban on activities
with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. Iran's nuclear
programme has already been set back by Israeli airstrikes in June that pounded
major atomic facilities as well as targeting military bases and individuals
involved in the nuclear programme. It remains unclear how far the strikes
succeeded in derailing Iran's nuclear work, which Tehran says is purely for
peaceful purposes such as generating electricity, but which Western countries
believe is aimed at building a bomb.
Israel-Syria talks hit snag over humanitarian corridor,
sources say
Maya Gebeily/Reuters/September 27/2025
BEIRUT (Reuters) -Efforts to reach a security pact between Syria and Israel have
hit a last-minute snag over Israel's demand that it be allowed to open a
"humanitarian corridor" to Syria's southern province of Sweida, four sources
familiar with the talks said. Syria and Israel had come close in recent weeks to
agreeing the broad outlines of a pact after months of U.S.-brokered talks in
Baku, Paris and London that accelerated in the lead-up to the United Nations
General Assembly in New York this week. The pact was intended to create a
demilitarized zone that would include the province of Sweida, where sectarian
violence in July killed hundreds of people from the Druze, an offshoot of Islam.
ISRAEL SAYS IT WILL PROTECT SYRIA'S DRUZE
Israel, which has a 120,000-strong Druze minority whose men serve in the Israeli
military, has said it will protect the sect and carried out military strikes in
Syria under the banner of defending it. In earlier talks in Paris, Israel asked
to open a land corridor to Sweida for aid, but Syria rejected the request as a
breach of its sovereignty. Israel reintroduced the demand at a late stage in the
talks, according to two Israeli officials, a Syrian source and a source in
Washington briefed on the talks. The Syrian source and the source in Washington
said the renewed Israeli demand had derailed plans to announce a deal this week.
The new sticking point has not been previously reported. The State Department,
the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Syria's foreign
ministry did not respond to questions on the contours of the deal or the
sticking points.
NO TALKS SINCE LAST WEEK
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who has been brokering the talks between Syria and
Israel, said on Tuesday the longtime foes were close to striking a
"de-escalation agreement" in which Israel would stop its attacks and Syria would
agree not to move any machinery or heavy equipment near the border with Israel.
He said it would serve as the first step towards the security deal that the two
countries have been negotiating. One diplomat familiar with the matter said it
appeared that the U.S. was "scaling down from a security deal to a de-escalation
deal."Speaking shortly before Barrack at an event in New York, Syrian President
Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda leader who led rebel forces that seized
Damascus last year, expressed concern that Israel may be stalling the talks. "We
are scared of Israel. We are worried about Israel. It's not the other way
around," he said. A Syrian official told Reuters that conversations before the
U.N. General Assembly began were "positive," but there had been no further
conversations with Israeli officials this week. Addressing the U.N. General
Assembly on Friday, Netanyahu said he believed an agreement could be reached
with Syria that would respect its sovereignty and protect both Israel and the
security of minorities in the region. His office said on Wednesday that
concluding ongoing negotiations was "contingent on ensuring the interests of
Israel, which include, inter alia, the demilitarization of south-western Syria
and preserving the safety and security of the Druze in Syria." Syria and Israel
have been foes since Israel's founding in 1948. A disengagement agreement in
1974 created a narrow demilitarized zone monitored by the United Nations. But
since rebels toppled Syria's then-leader Bashar al-Assad last December 8, Israel
has carried out unprecedented strikes on Syria's military assets across the
country and sent troops into the country's south. Israel has expressed open
hostility towards Sharaa, citing his former links to al Qaeda, and has lobbied
the United States to keep Syria weak and decentralized. In months of talks,
Syria had been advocating for a return to the 1974 disengagement agreement. In
mid-September, Sharaa described the deal to journalists as a "necessity." He
said then that Israel would need to respect Syria's airspace and territorial
unity but raised the possibility of Israeli breaches. "We could reach a deal at
any moment, but then another problem arises which is: will Israel commit to and
implement it? We will see this in the next phase," he said.
Putin preparing to attack another European country,
Zelenskyy says
Luke Harding in Kyiv/The Guardian/September 27, 2025
Vladimir Putin will expand his war in Ukraine by attacking another European
country, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has predicted, and accused Russia of recent drone
incursions that he said were an attempt to test Nato’s defences. Speaking in
Kyiv after his meeting with Donald Trump at the UN in New York, the Ukrainian
president said Russia was preparing for a bigger conflict. “Putin will not wait
to finish his war in Ukraine. He will open up some other direction. Nobody knows
where. He wants that,” he said. Related: Safety fears as external power to
Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant still out after three days. Ukraine’s president said
the Kremlin was deliberately checking Europe’s capacity to protect its skies,
after drone sightings in Denmark, Poland and Romania and the violation of
Estonian airspace by Russian fighter jets. More drones were spotted on Friday
night above a Danish military base, and over a Norwegian base on Saturday.
Zelenskyy suggested EU governments were struggling to deal with this new and
dangerous threat. Earlier this month, Ukraine spotted 92 drones flying towards
Poland in a “choreographed” way. It intercepted most of them. Nineteen crossed
into Polish territory, where the Poles shot four down.
“I am not comparing our forces. We are at war and they [Poland] are not,” he
said. Zelenskyy said representatives from several unnamed countries would travel
to Ukraine to receive “practical training” in how to repel Russian aerial
attacks. “We are ready to share our experience,” he added. Zelenskyy’s remarks
follow what he said were “very nice” talks with Trump on the sidelines of the UN
general assembly. After the meeting, the US president said he believed Ukraine
could win back all the territory it has lost since 2022, with the support of
Europe and Nato.
Trump also said Russia’s economy was in big trouble and described its military
as a “paper tiger”. Asked to explain this apparent warmer tone towards Ukraine,
Zelenskyy said he had briefed Trump about the realities on the battlefield. He
told him Russia’s advances were often fleeting: “It’s not success. It’s
temporary presence.”The US president now had greater “faith” in Ukraine and has
discovered that Russia treated him and everyone else with “disrespect”,
Zelenskyy said. He declined to comment on reports that he had asked the White
House for US Tomahawk cruise missiles capable of striking Moscow, saying: “It’s
a sensitive issue.”In recent months Kyiv has carried out a series of successful
strikes against Russian oil refineries using domestically produced long-range
drones. Zelenskyy said that if the Kremlin tried to destroy Ukraine’s energy
infrastructure again this winter its own capital will experience retaliatory
blackouts.
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources on September 27-28/2025
Thank You, President Trump: Turning Decades of Iranian Impunity Into
Accountability
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/September 27, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147708/
Oil sales are a lifeline for the Iranian economy, funding both domestic
governance and external operations, including support for proxy militias. If
these funds were curtailed, the regime would struggle to maintain its internal
stability while simultaneously attempting to sustain influence abroad. Such an
economic squeeze would heighten domestic discontent, increase political pressure
on leaders, and force Tehran to consider its options in a more constrained and
exposed position than ever before.
Iran is apparently aware that it faces an administration under Trump that is
determined to maintain the pressure until meaningful, verifiable changes occur.
Tehran's desperation underscores the effectiveness of the strategy: when
authoritarian regimes are confronted with coordinated, uncompromising pressure
-- duress -- they are forced to confront their vulnerabilities and recalibrate
their behavior.
Understanding the "language" of authoritarian regimes has been a critical factor
in Trump's success. Maximum pressure is not subtle; it is a direct communication
that dictators understand. It combines visibility of consequences, clarity of
demands, and the credible threat of continued escalation. For Iran, this has
meant that there is no ambiguity about the costs of pursuing nuclear weapons,
maintaining proxy operations, or destabilizing the region. Force, coordinated
international sanctions, and strategic diplomacy have created an environment
where the regime cannot rely on its previous strategies of coercion or
intimidation. This approach demonstrates that sustained, multidimensional
pressure can achieve outcomes that decades of negotiation and partial agreements
could not.
The future for the Iranian regime, under continued maximum pressure, depends on
the EU maintaining a firm stance as well. Iran's nuclear program must be
dismantled entirely, financial and military support for proxy groups curtailed,
and no concessions offered that could weaken the credibility of the strategy.
This historic moment represents an opportunity to reshape the region, limit the
threats posed by Iran, and reinforce the principle that force, when applied
strategically, remains a decisive tool in addressing state-sponsored aggression
and nuclear proliferation – also in countries other than Iran.
The Iranian regime finds itself in a situation it has never faced in its more
than 40 years of ruling. The pressures it is now under are the result of a
coordinated and relentless approach by President Donald J. Trump.
The Iranian regime finds itself in a situation it has never faced in its more
than 40 years of ruling. The pressures it is now under are the result of a
coordinated and relentless approach by President Donald J. Trump, whose policies
are systematically targeting every pillar of the Iranian state that supports its
nuclear ambitions, regional influence and financial stability.
The strategy, often described as "maximum pressure," is applying economic,
military, and diplomatic force in a way that previous administrations, despite
decades of involvement in Middle Eastern affairs, could not or did not. This
approach has forced the Iranian leadership to confront the consequences of its
actions while leaving no room for misinterpretation about the seriousness of
U.S. resolve. The result is an Iranian regime that is significantly weakened,
isolated, and desperate for relief, yet it faces the U.S. under the Trump
administration and Israel united in maintaining the pressure until its nuclear
program is completely dismantled and its destabilizing influence curtailed.
A central component of Trump's approach has been the targeted degradation of
Iran's nuclear program. For decades, successive U.S. administrations had
struggled to slow Iran's nuclear ambitions without resorting to direct military
action. Under Trump, a combination of intelligence operations, precision strikes
coordinated with Israel, and sanctions enforcement has inflicted tangible
setbacks on Iran's enrichment capabilities and infrastructure.
Facilities such as Natanz, which were critical to uranium enrichment, were
struck in a series of carefully calibrated operations that experts estimate have
set Iran back by years. These actions, coordinated with Israeli intelligence and
military efforts, demonstrate the unique ability of this administration to use
both force and diplomacy simultaneously, ensuring that Iran cannot quickly
rebuild its nuclear capabilities. The revocation of oil-sanction waivers further
compounded these setbacks by reducing the financial resources that Tehran needs
to rebuild after these strikes, leaving its nuclear program exposed and
unsustainable.
Trump's strategy extended beyond nuclear issues, to the broader regional power
structure. Historically, Iran has relied heavily on its alliances with
neighboring regimes and proxy groups to project influence and counterbalance
adversaries. Under Trump, this regional architecture began to unravel. Iran lost
Syria, depriving Tehran of an essential strategic partner. The Assad regime in
Syria was a critical for Iran, providing a conduit for military supplies and
support for its various proxies in Lebanon and across the Levant. The shift
marked not only a symbolic blow to the Iranian regime but also a tangible
disruption in Iran's ability to maintain influence in the region.
Additionally, the effectiveness of Iran's proxies, including Hezbollah in
Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, has been sharply reduced due to U.S. sanctions and
Israeli operations that targeted logistics, command structures, and financial
networks. These actions have diminished Tehran's capacity to project power
indirectly, leaving the regime more exposed than at any point in recent memory.
A significant diplomatic achievement under Trump, with direct implications for
Iran's regional influence, was the peace agreement between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. This agreement ended decades of hostilities and is establishing new
corridors of commerce and communication through the South Caucasus. For Iran,
this is a strategic setback. Previously, Iran benefited economically and
politically from its influence over Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the transit of
goods through neighboring territories. The Trump-brokered agreement bypasses
Iranian territory entirely, depriving the regime of both revenue and strategic
leverage. By positioning the United States as the mediator and stabilizer in the
region, the administration not only reduced Iran's regional influence but also
reinforced U.S. presence and authority in a historically contested area.
The potential reinstatement of United Nations sanctions through the snapback
mechanism further reinforces the "maximum pressure" campaign. European powers,
including France, Germany and the United Kingdom, aligned with the U.S.
position, are reimposing arms embargoes, missile restrictions, and travel bans
that isolate Iran from critical international engagement. These sanctions
amplify the economic and political pressure, constraining Tehran's ability to
sustain its military and nuclear ambitions. Unlike prior enforcement efforts,
these measures signal a firm stance in confronting the Iranian regime.
Economic constraints have played an equally critical role in weakening Iran. The
decision to end the oil sanction waivers, a tool that prior administrations
frequently used to maintain limited engagement with Iran, impacts Tehran's
primary source of revenue. Oil sales are a lifeline for the Iranian economy,
funding both domestic governance and external operations, including support for
proxy militias. If these funds were curtailed, the regime would struggle to
maintain its internal stability while simultaneously attempting to sustain
influence abroad. Such an economic squeeze would heighten domestic discontent,
increase political pressure on leaders, and force Tehran to consider its options
in a more constrained and exposed position than ever before.
The combination of military, diplomatic, and economic pressure has left the
Iranian regime desperate. There have been signals from Tehran of willingness to
engage with international powers, seeking relief from sanctions and potential
negotiations. However, the Trump administration's approach makes it clear that
concessions will not be granted lightly.
Iran is apparently aware that it faces an administration under Trump that is
determined to maintain the pressure until meaningful, verifiable changes occur.
Tehran's desperation underscores the effectiveness of the strategy: when
authoritarian regimes are confronted with coordinated, uncompromising pressure
-- duress -- they are forced to confront their vulnerabilities and recalibrate
their behavior.
Understanding the "language" of authoritarian regimes has been a critical factor
in Trump's success. Maximum pressure is not subtle; it is a direct communication
that dictators understand. It combines visibility of consequences, clarity of
demands, and the credible threat of continued escalation. For Iran, this has
meant that there is no ambiguity about the costs of pursuing nuclear weapons,
maintaining proxy operations, or destabilizing the region. Force, coordinated
international sanctions, and strategic diplomacy have created an environment
where the regime cannot rely on its previous strategies of coercion or
intimidation. This approach demonstrates that sustained, multidimensional
pressure can achieve outcomes that decades of negotiation and partial agreements
could not.
The future for the Iranian regime, under continued maximum pressure, depends on
the EU maintaining a firm stance as well. Iran's nuclear program must be
dismantled entirely, financial and military support for proxy groups curtailed,
and no concessions offered that could weaken the credibility of the strategy.
The regime is now operating in a constrained environment, isolated regionally
and globally, financially weakened, and forced to consider the consequences of
any further aggressive action.
Thanks to the policies implemented under Trump, Iran's leadership is
experiencing a level of pressure that it has never before faced. The strategic
gains achieved in less than a year demonstrate the unique effectiveness of
uncompromising policy. This historic moment represents an opportunity to reshape
the region, limit the threats posed by Iran, and reinforce the principle that
force, when applied strategically, remains a decisive tool in addressing
state-sponsored aggression and nuclear proliferation – also in countries other
than Iran.
The current approach to Iran represents a paradigm shift in U.S. foreign policy
under Trump's leadership. By combining military action, economic sanctions and
political leverage, with a clear understanding of how authoritarian regimes
respond to pressure, the strategy has inflicted profound setbacks on Iran. Its
nuclear program is impaired, its regional influence diminished, and its
financial resources constrained. Thank you, President Trump!
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, is a political scientist, Harvard-educated analyst, and
board member of Harvard International Review. He has authored several books on
the US foreign policy. He can be reached at dr.rafizadeh@post.harvard.edu
**Follow Majid Rafizadeh on X (formerly Twitter)
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
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or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Iraq’s elections are being stolen by Iran before votes are cast
Heyrsh Abdul/The Hill/September 27, 2025
With elections scheduled for Nov. 11, Iraq is heading toward another vote. But
the outcome is already being written in Tehran. Iran’s agents have infiltrated
Iraq’s election commission, manipulating the process before a single ballot is
cast.
Votes are not counted — they are engineered. Through a process known as
apportionment, parliamentary seats are divided in advance among groups including
militias and political allies tied to the so-called muqawama — Iran-backed
resistance militias. This includes not only Shia factions but also Kurdish and
Iraqi groups drawn into Iran’s orbit.
The people of Iraq are being robbed of their voices.
This is not the democratic Iraq the U.S. promised when it removed Saddam
Hussein. Instead, America’s unfinished project left a vacuum that Tehran eagerly
filled. Iraq’s elections are no longer contests of ideas or competition for
public trust. Today, Iraq’s government often answers not to its citizens, but to
the Ayatollahs. The illusion of democracy hides the erosion of sovereignty.
Iranian influence reaches into every corner of Iraq — and Washington must decide
before Nov. 11 whether to resist or yield. This betrayal is not only of Iraqis
who once believed in change, but of the very principles the U.S. claimed to be
upholding in 2003. America promised freedom but instead allowed the theocracy
next door to seize control of Baghdad. The U.S. can no longer afford its policy
of ambiguity. With Iraq’s elections approaching, it faces two stark options.
First, it could walk away, abandoning Iraq to Iran’s ayatollahs and accept that
Baghdad will become another satellite of Tehran. On the other hand, the U.S.
could push back and confront Iranian interference, strengthen Iraq’s democratic
institutions and give the Iraqi people the sovereignty they deserve.
To do nothing is to choose surrender by default.
If the U.S. retreats after Iraq’s election, the consequences will extend far
beyond Iraq. Every Iranian proxy will be emboldened, and Tehran will tighten its
grip across the region. Israel will face heightened threats. U.S. allies in the
Gulf will view American passivity as an invitation to tilt toward Tehran. Nor is
this only a Middle Eastern problem. It is a direct challenge to U.S. credibility
worldwide. After years of sacrifice, trillions of dollars spent and countless
lives lost, what message will it send if Washington abandons Iraq to its
greatest regional adversary? The Iraqi people have endured dictatorship,
invasion, terrorism and corruption. They should not now be condemned to live as
pawns in Iran’s geopolitical game. Iraq still has the potential to be a
sovereign nation with its own voice, but only if Washington chooses to act
before Nov. 11.The U.S. owes Iraq more than broken promises. It owes Iraq the
chance to live free of Iran’s grip. If Washington fails, Iraq’s story will not
be written by its people, but by Tehran. This chapter of history is not yet
finished. But unless America wakes up, Iran will write the ending. Whoever leads
the United States must act before this catastrophe becomes irreversible. Heyrsh
Abdul is a senior business and intelligence analyst who has worked with
organizations in Washington, D.C. He specializes in Middle East affairs, Iraqi
elections and Iranian regional influence.
Barrack's remarks on the
party and the weakness of the state reflect an American, European, and Arab
stance
Youssef Faris/Al-Markazia/September 28, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
Al-Markazia – The statements of the American envoy Tom Barrack
regarding the "exclusive control of weapons and the fact that
what weak Lebanon does in this context is merely empty rhetoric lacking action"
reflect the opinion of Washington, not just his own. This is evident from the
unified stance of both the US Department of Defense and the State Department, as
well as their envoys to the Middle East, to the point of using the same wording.
The message is that the administration is disappointed with official Lebanon,
that the past months have been a waste of time, and that Washington is beginning
to lose patience, potentially turning this last opportunity for Lebanon into a
historical blunder unless Beirut asserts its sovereignty and frees itself from
the dominance of militias. This American stance is no different from that of
Saudi Arabia and France, indicating coordination among the US, Europe, and the
Arab world regarding the demand for the Lebanese state to have sole control over
weapons, reforms, and the restoration of state sovereignty. In conclusion,
according to observers, the American push to empower the Lebanese army to
dismantle Hezbollah's military capabilities remains a positive turning point,
contrary to what some claim, giving Lebanese institutions a renewed opportunity
to regain control, achieve security and stability, and steer the country towards
a prosperous future. Member of the Strong Republic Bloc, MP Nazih Matta, told
the "Markaziya" news agency that "before the American and Arab positions calling
for restricting weapons to the state, this was a purely Lebanese decision, taken
by the government as a whole, which tasked the Lebanese army with its
implementation. It is, after all, a key provision of Resolution 1701, which
Hezbollah itself agreed to, and which ended the Israeli war on Lebanon." He
pointed out that "Hezbollah's intransigence in refusing to disarm gives Tel Aviv
the pretext to continue targeting Lebanese areas, especially Shia areas—I regret
using the sectarian term. It also prevents the reconstruction of the more than
70 destroyed villages and the return of their inhabitants." He continued: "This
also hinders the establishment of a functioning state and the extension of its
authority over all Lebanese territory. Israel is watching us with satisfaction,
as a stable and prosperous Lebanon is its opposite and a natural competitor. Its
drones patrol the Lebanese skies day and night, not to monitor Hezbollah and its
alleged efforts to rebuild its military capabilities, but to obstruct the rise
of Lebanon." Responding to a question about "betting on the elimination and
defeat of Israel, while it has destroyed what is known as the 'resistance axis'
entirely, from Hamas in Gaza to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Assad regime in Syria,
and Yemen and Tehran," he said: "Some are living in a state of denial. Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatens us with war every day and specifies
the institutions he will bomb and destroy. Lebanon cannot bear any more
suffering and destruction. If you urge the party to acknowledge the truth, they
label you an American and a Zionist and accuse you of treason." He concluded:
"It is time to prioritize Lebanon's interests first, and for Iran to cease its
interference in our affairs, so that Hezbollah can return to its Lebanese
identity and we can build a better future for Lebanon."
Between a "Paper Tiger" and a "Real Bear"... Is there an
end in sight for the Russian-Ukrainian conflict?
Yola Hashem/Al-Markazia/September 28, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
Moscow announced yesterday that Kyiv cannot reclaim the territories controlled
by the Russian army, contradicting what US President Donald Trump stated the day
before, emphasizing that it intends to continue its ongoing offensive in Ukraine
since 2022. After long stressing that Moscow was militarily dominant, the US
president suddenly changed his stance, asserting that Ukraine is capable of
reclaiming all its territories from Russia, "and perhaps even go further,"
describing Russia as a "paper tiger" that appears strong but is not. The Kremlin
quickly responded that "Russia is not a paper tiger, but a real bear."
Despite the US president adopting a more positive tone towards Ukraine, he
seemed to distance himself from the conflict, which he had previously promised
to resolve within 24 hours, and wished "good luck to everyone."
How can Trump's stance be interpreted? Is there a near-term end to the
Russian-Ukrainian conflict?
Former ambassador to Washington, Riyad Tabara, told Al-Markazia that "Trump's
thinking is different from other politicians; he operates in a non-traditional
way, believing that intimidating others makes them comply with his demands.
However, this approach has led to the formation of alliances between countries
to confront him and unite against the United States." Regarding the
Ukrainian-Russian conflict, he points out that "Trump boasted that he could
resolve the crisis even before taking office, and it later became clear that all
of this talk was exaggerated. Even all the decisions Trump made cannot be taken
seriously. He announced his intention to withdraw from NATO, but he didn't
because his real goal was to pressure member states into increasing their
financial contributions. He also stated that he wanted to reclaim the Panama
Canal because the United States had built it, but his real objective was to
reduce the fees for his country when using the canal and increase the cost for
China. The same applies to Greenland, when he said he wanted to buy it, while
his real aim was to expand the American base there." He adds that "Trump
promised Russian President Vladimir Putin that he could keep all the territory
he had seized from Ukraine in exchange for ending the fighting, but Putin didn't
keep his word, so Trump changed his mind, believing that the United States could
help Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky win the war. This is Trump's way of
operating, based on threats, but all his past threats have not materialized, and
this one won't either." Tabara believes that "the war in Ukraine will continue
because Putin will not relinquish this territory to Ukraine, where he lost
hundreds of thousands of soldiers. The Europeans, for their part, believe that
Putin occupied Crimea, and Europe did nothing, so he went further and occupied
Ossetia from Georgia, and now he is occupying Ukraine. Therefore, if Europe
remains silent, the Russian president will become more ambitious and occupy the
countries surrounding Russia that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. If
Europe doesn't deter him, he won't stop." He adds: "Conversely, Putin believes
that while Russia was weakened economically and politically after the collapse
of the communist regime and for a decade thereafter, the European Union and NATO
expanded during that period, reaching the very borders of Moscow. Therefore,
Putin's primary concern is to create a buffer zone of friendly states along his
borders. Consequently, there is mutual distrust between Russia and Europe."
Tabara concludes by stating that "the situation in Ukraine remains unresolved
because the Europeans will not recognize Putin's victory, and Russia will not
accept relinquishing the territories it occupied. Therefore, the conflict
between the two sides will continue and remain in a stalemate until a solution
is found."
Selected X tweets For September
27/2024
Pope Leo XIV
God reveals himself to those who are simple and humble of heart because they are
open to receiving him. Their docility gives them great insight into the faith
and enables them to follow the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. We too are
invited to become childlike and to live our Christian faith authentically by
humbly following the Lord’s inspirations. #JubileeAudience
Orthodox LF ꑭ
https://x.com/i/status/1971687565234405879
Hassan Nasrallah wanted Lebanon to be under Iran's rule and implement Sharia
law.
Hassan Nasrallah wanted to take Jbeil and Kesrwen (Christian areas) way from
Christians and forbid us (Christians) from having free zones for ourselves.
NASRALLAH IS DEAD
wassim Godfrey
My opinion too break the non-functional system break free ask for chapter 7
demonstrate on the street,its an occupied country by Iran and a mafiocrat system
since 34 years if Christians move,sunna and free lebanese would follow
Mira/@MiraMedusa
https://x.com/i/status/1971901319494730105
From the anti-Israel demonstration in Damascus, showing support for Hamas,
Syrians affirmed that the Syrian cause and the Palestinian cause are one. They
rejected any form of normalization or peace and expressed readiness to fight
Israel. #Syria
Marie-Lina Hraoui
Naim Qassem the general secretary of Hezbollah still insists on holding on to
the weapons which are meaningless and compromise the notion of a sovereign state
in Lebanon. We've had enough. They have to submit to the state.