English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News
& Editorials
For April 06/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
When Jesus rose
early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of
whom he had driven seven demons
Mark 16/09-20/When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared
first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and
told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they
heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.
Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were
walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did
not believe them either. Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating;
he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe
those who had seen him after he had risen. He said to them, “Go into all the
world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized
will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs
will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they
will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when
they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their
hands on sick people, and they will get well.” After the Lord Jesus had spoken
to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then
the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them
and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Titles For Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related
News & Editorials published
on April 05-06/2026
It truly is a time of cowardice and cowards/Elias Bejjani/April 05/2026
Joseph Aoun’s last refuge is silence and prayer, and fear of the Final Judgment
DayElias Bejjani/April 05/2026
Holy Saturday: When Light Triumphed Over Darkness, and Hope Over Despair/Elias
Bejjani/April 04/2025
Good Friday: The Day of Greatest Love and Perfect Sacrifice/Elias Bejjani/April
03/2026
Lebanese Forces official killed in Israeli strike
Apartment Targeted in Ain Saadeh... Casualties!
Exclusive - Video from a New Angle... This is How He Escaped from the Hills of
Ain Saadeh
Ministry of Health Announces Toll from the Airstrike on the Hills of Ain Saadeh
Nidaa Al Watan, April 6, 2026
At least 14 people killed in Israeli strikes across Lebanon
Israeli Army: We Eliminated Over 90 Hezbollah Members... Lebanon Is Not a Basket
for Others' Projects
Israel Says Will Strike Lebanon-Syria Border Crossing
Israel Aiming to Impose Security Control through Fire over Southern Lebanon
UNIFIL: Israeli and Hezbollah Activities Endanger Peacekeepers
Israel Uncovers Hezbollah Military Equipment Inside a School!
Impact of war: Masnaa Crossing threat raises fears of trade disruption in
Lebanon
Israeli army says Golani Brigade allegedly found Hezbollah equipment in school
in South Lebanon
Hezbollah Says Targeted Israeli Warship with Cruise Missile
Lebanon President Calls for Israel Talks to Prevent Gaza-Style Destruction
Israel Renews Lebanon Strikes, Forces Syria Border Crossing Closed
Indonesia Lays to Rest Peacekeepers Killed in Lebanon
The War on Hezbollah-The Iranian Terrorist Proxy Continues/LCCC website
links to several important news websites
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous
Reports And News published
on April 05-06/2026
Trump issues fiery new threat against Iran
as details of US aviator's rescue emerge/MATTHEW LEE, BASSEM MROUE, KONSTANTIN
TOROPIN and SAMY MAGDY/AP/April 05/2026
Trump gives Iran 24 more hours to reopen Hormuz Strait or face infrastructure
attacks
Trump says ‘good chance’ of deal with Iran on Monday
US President Donald Trump holds an umbrella as gives a thumbs up while boarding
Air Force
Commandos probed deep into Iran to rescue downed airman: US media
Iran parliament speaker warns Trump ‘whole region going to burn’
Oman, Iran hold talks on Strait of Hormuz: Omani state news agency
Israeli rescuers search for missing people after building hit by Iran missile
Trump Vows Strikes on Iran’s Power Plants, Bridges if Strait of Hormuz isn't
Reopened
Israel Says Haifa Residential Building Suffers Direct Hit in Iran Attack
China ready to cooperate with Russia to ease Middle East tension, foreign
minister says
Russia says US should abandon 'language of ultimatums' on Iran
Hamas Armed Wing Says Disarmament Calls Are Unacceptable
Ukraine, Syria agree to cooperate on security, Zelenskyy says
Ukraine, Syria agree to cooperate on security: Zelensky
links to several television channels and newspapers
Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on April 05-06/2026
Israel isn’t just responding to threats –
it’s reshaping the Middle East/Spyros A. Sofos, Simon Fraser University/The
Conversation/April 05/2026
With Friends Like These: America and Its Fake Allies/Nils A. Haug/Gatestone
Institute./April 05/2026
Same Regime, Different Face: The West's Recurring Mistake in Iran/Majid
Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/April 05/2026
The madness before the explosion: Iran, Trump, and the cost of victory/Raghida
Dergham/Al Arabiya English/05 April/2026
The Lunar Mission/Samir Atallah/Asharq Al Awsat/5 April/2026
The Promised Day"/Sawsan al-Shaer/Asharq Al Awsat/5 April/2026
From Illusion of Decisive Victory to War of Attrition/Dr. Ghassan Khatib/Asharq
Al Awsat/5 April/2026
Iran: From “Terrorist State” to “Terrorist Organization”/Nadim Qoteish/Asas
Media/April 6, 2026 (Translated from Arabic by Google)
X Platform & Facebook Selected twittes on April 05-06/2026
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese
Related News & Editorials published on April 05-06/2026
It truly is a time of cowardice and
cowards
Elias Bejjani/April 05/2026
Today was marked by the crocodile tears of our shepherd, and by the slaughter of
the grace of shame through the blatant dhimmitude of our president. Yet, the
Lebanon of holiness remains innocent of their Iscariotism.
Joseph Aoun’s last refuge is silence and prayer, and fear of
the Final Judgment Day
Elias Bejjani/April 05/2026
It is almost certain, in the view of a wide segment of the Lebanese—both at home
and in the diaspora—that everything Joseph Aoun will say today on the
anniversary of Christ’s Resurrection will lack national, sovereign,
constitutional, and Maronite value. This is because words that are not followed
by actions are scattered dust. As the Holy Bible teaches us in the Epistle of
Saint James: “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead”
(James 2:17).
Since the man’s path, beginning with the “oath speech,” has lacked the actions
that embody those promises, his words today will be nothing more than an echo of
emptiness in truth and credibility, and a manipulation of the “Word,” which is
God who became incarnate and became man, as stated in the Gospel of Saint John:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1–14).
Personally, sincerely I wish that Aoun would spend his day today in Bkerki,
praying, silent, and seeking forgiveness, because his tongue has never reflected
the aspirations of the free, but rather has spoken—and continues to speak—the
agendas of Hezbollah, the terrorist enemy of Lebanon and the Lebanese, and Nabih
Berri, who is corrupt and a fomenter of strife, and among those who have
deliberately and knowingly worked toward the destruction and downfall of the
country.
What is required of Aoun—Maronite, Lebanese, and constitutionally—is that he
respect, even if only once, his position, his oath, and the aspirations of the
free and sovereign Lebanese people. Yet he surrounds himself with an army of
“jihadist,” fundamentalist, and opportunistic advisors—most of whom come from
the school of Michel Aoun, who has fallen joyfully into the temptations of
“Lucifer,” the king of demons—and with individuals hostile to Lebanon and
everything Lebanese, belonging to Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, the Syrian
Social Nationalist Party, and groups resembling the scribes and Pharisees, as
well as merchants and people of financial interests.
What is required of Aoun is not to make matters worse through empty rhetoric
that debases the word, especially since he assumed the presidency through a
Parliament whose legitimacy and legality are contested. We remind those who are
celebrating what he will say today that he “will not perform miracles,”
particularly in light of many files surrounded by questions… and God knows best.
In conclusion, if Aoun speaks—and we hope he does not, so as not to further
disappoint people—he will not dare to align himself with the constitution or
international resolutions, nor will he call things by their proper names.
Meanwhile, all his previous positions have lacked any real action confronting
Hezbollah’s terrorism, its weapons, and its Persian domination over the state.
Likewise, all his approaches, proposals, and initiatives have been submissive,
appeasing Berri’s corruption and avoiding confrontation with the brazenness,
indecency, and moral corruption of Hezbollah’s leaders.
Before concluding, I, ask: will the Holy Spirit descend upon Joseph Aoun today
and command the security forces and the army to enter the Iranian embassy, expel
the insolent ambassador, and sever diplomatic relations between Lebanon and
Iran?
Will we be surprised today by a different Joseph Aoun than the one we have known
for years? Perhaps only if the Holy Spirit comes upon him and he decides, in
repentance, to cast off the garment of appeasing Berri and flattering the “Party
of Satan, Hezbollah,” and arm himself with patriotism, courage, and the faith of
“al-Bashir.” However, these hopes will most likely not be fulfilled, because his
path so far has been in a different direction. Accordingly, the man’s last
refuge remains silence, prayer, and fear of the Final Judgment Day.
Holy Saturday: When Light Triumphed Over Darkness,
and Hope Over Despair
Elias Bejjani/April 04/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/04/142476/
Each year, in the stillness of contemplation and the sacred anticipation of the
Resurrection, the Church commemorates one of the most profound and spiritually
rich moments in the journey of redemption: Holy Saturday—the day that stands
between the agony of the Cross and the glory of the Resurrection.
This is not a day of mourning, but a day of radiant hope. It is the silent
threshold before Easter dawns—the moment when Christ passed through death to
illuminate humanity’s path to eternal life. On this sacred day, the earth may
have closed over the body of Jesus, but heaven remained open, and hope was alive
and burning.
Even in death, Jesus was not absent from the world. He descended into Hades,
into the depths of human suffering and death, to break the chains of bondage and
liberate the souls held captive.
“For You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to
see decay.”(Acts 2:27, quoting Psalm 16:10)
These prophetic words, spoken by St. Peter in his sermon at Pentecost, remind us
that even as Christ lay in the tomb, the work of salvation was still unfolding.
Holy Saturday was not an empty pause between death and life, but rather a sacred
fullness, a divine mystery where the first rays of resurrection pierced the
heart of darkness.
On the dawn of that first Easter Sunday, the women came to the tomb with sorrow
in their hearts and spices in their hands. But what they found there changed
everything: “And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord
descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it… But the
angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who
was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said.’”(Matthew 28:2,
5–6)
Fear and confusion turned to awe and sacred joy. The One who was crucified was
no longer in the grave. The tomb was not a symbol of absence, but rather of
divine presence revealed in a new and glorious way. Christ’s resurrection became
the eternal flame of hope—igniting faith in hearts and dispersing every shadow
of despair.
Holy Saturday is a sacred invitation to every believer not to remain in the
shadow of the cross, but to look forward to the radiance of the promised glory.
As Jesus foretold: “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of
men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise on the third
day.”
(Mark 9:31)
On this day, we contemplate the eternal conflict between life and death, and we
rejoice in the victory of light over darkness. The Resurrection was not merely a
past event—it is the foundational truth of our Christian faith. It proclaims
that love is stronger than hatred, that forgiveness triumphs over vengeance, and
that hope rises above every fear and despair.
“If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who
raised Christ Jesus will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit
who dwells in you.”(Romans 8:11)
On Holy Saturday, we do not simply recall an ancient story—we renew our hope in
the promise of the Resurrection. We draw strength to face the struggles, pain,
and disappointments of this world, knowing that injustice may crucify the
righteous, but the light of Christ will rise from the grave.
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing
with the glory that is to be revealed in us.”(Romans 8:18)
Let us remember, in the sacred silence of this day, that the grave is never the
final word. The sorrow will give way to joy, and the darkness will bow before
the eternal dawn. Christ is alive forever, and He calls us to walk as children
of the light, never surrendering to hopelessness, but clinging always to the
promise of the empty tomb.
Let us ignite within our hearts today the unquenchable flame of faith and hope.
Let us rejoice, because darkness has not and will never overcome the light.
Christ is risen—not as a memory, but as a living and eternal presence in the
life of every believer.
“Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in
the tombs bestowing life.”
Glory to You, O Lord, who turned the sorrow of Holy Saturday into the dawn of
Resurrection, and who transformed the darkness of the grave into a light that
never fades.
*The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website:
https://eliasbejjaninews.com
Good Friday: The Day of Greatest Love and Perfect Sacrifice
Elias Bejjani/April 03/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/04/142417/
At the heart of history, on a hill called Golgotha outside the walls of
Jerusalem, the greatest scene of divine love was written: Jesus Christ, the
incarnate Son of God, was crucified to redeem humanity from the bondage of sin
and death. This is Good Friday — a day of sorrow, yes, but also a day of hope; a
day of the Cross, yet in essence, a day of complete love.
The cross, once a tool of shame and torment, was transformed in Christ into a
throne of the Kingdom and an altar of redemption. Jesus carried the cross not
for any sin He had committed, but for the sins of the whole world. As the
prophet Isaiah wrote: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for
our iniquities…” (Isaiah 53:5).
In the cross we see the full revelation of divine love — a love without limits,
one that moved Jesus to willingly offer Himself: “Greater love has no one than
this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). This is perfect
sacrifice: God giving Himself on our behalf so that we may return to Him free
and justified.
The Word Became Flesh: God With Us in Our Pain.
Good Friday is not just a commemoration of the crucifixion. It is also a
proclamation of the mystery of the Incarnation. God did not remain distant in
the heavens but “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Jesus
shared in everything human — in joy and sorrow, in hunger and fatigue, in cries
and tears, even in death itself.
Christ’s suffering on the cross bears witness that God does not observe human
suffering from afar — He enters into it. He is the God who understands human
pain — not in theory, but through experience. “For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in
every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
In the peak of His agony, Christ forgave His executioners: “Father, forgive
them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). From the cross, He
opened the doors of forgiveness to all — to the thief on the right, to the
soldiers, to all of humanity. This is the essence of Good Friday: love stronger
than death, and forgiveness more powerful than hate.
Though Good Friday appears to be a day of grief, it is not the end of the story
— it is its beginning. The cross is never separate from the resurrection.
Christ’s death is the seed through which eternal life blossoms. Through His
suffering, we passed from death to life, from darkness to light.
Good Friday calls us not only to weep for the crucified Christ but to open our
hearts to the risen One — the One who loved us to the end and rose to give us
life. It is a call to faith, to hope, and to walk with Jesus on the path of the
cross, knowing that suffering is not the end, but the beginning of resurrection.
Let us carry our crosses each day with trust and hope, knowing that the One who
died for us is alive, and that “the love of Christ compels us…” (2 Corinthians
5:14).
On Good Friday, we do not only see a raised cross — we hear the voice of divine
love calling us: “Behold, I have loved you to the uttermost.”
*The author, Elias Bejjani, is a
Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website:
https://eliasbejjaninews.com
Lebanese Forces official
killed in Israeli strike
LBCI/April 5, 2026
A local official from the Lebanese Forces was killed in an Israeli airstrike
that targeted the hills of Ain Saadeh on Sunday. Pierre Moawad, head of the
party’s center in Yahchouch, was killed in the strike, while his wife remains
trapped under the rubble as rescue efforts continue.
Apartment Targeted in Ain Saadeh... Casualties!
Al-Markazia/April 5, 2026
It was reported this evening that an Israeli airstrike targeted an apartment on
the third floor of Block C in the Maronite project in the hills of Ain Saadeh.
Reports indicate casualties as a result of the strike.
Exclusive - Video from a New Angle... This is How He Escaped from the Hills of
Ain Saadeh
Nidaa Al-Watan/April 6, 2026
Nidaa Al-Watan obtained exclusive video footage showing, from a new angle, the
chase that took place between residents of buildings adjacent to the targeted
building in the hills of Ain Saadeh and a person dressed in black who fled the
building on a motorcycle. They were unable to catch him. All the videos are now
in the possession of the security services in the hope of identifying him and
the reasons for his escape.
Ministry of Health Announces Toll from the Airstrike on the
Hills of Ain Saadeh
Nidaa Al-Watan, April 6, 2026
A statement issued by the Health Emergency Operations Center of the Ministry of
Public Health announced that the Israeli airstrike on the hills of Ain Saadeh
resulted in "the death of 3 citizens, including two women, and the injury of 3
women." Father Pierre Raai and Pierre Mouawad... Friends in Life and Death
Nidaa Al Watan, April 6, 2026
A photo circulated showing Father Pierre Raai, the parish priest of Qlaiaa, who
was killed last month in an Israeli bombing that targeted the town, with Pierre
Mouawad, head of the Yahshoush center for the Lebanese Forces, who was killed in
the raid that targeted an apartment in the hills of Ain Saadeh. It turned out
that they were close friends and shared the same name; just as life had brought
them together, death could not separate them.
At least 14 people killed in
Israeli strikes across Lebanon
AFP, AP and DPA/ April 05/2026
Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon and the capital, Beirut, have killed at
least 14 people, a day after Israel threatened to hit Lebanon’s main border
crossing with Syria, forcing its closure. Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern
suburbs on Sunday killed at least four people while 10 people – including a
family of six – were killed in Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon. A further 39
people were wounded in an Israeli strike on Beirut’s Jnah neighbourhood,
according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. The strike hit about 100
metres (330ft) from Rafik Hariri University Hospital, the country’s largest
public medical facility, a medical source told the AFP news agency. Israel has
launched air strikes across Lebanon since March 2 after the Lebanese armed group
Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in response to the United States-Israeli war
on Iran. Israeli forces have also launched a ground invasion of southern
Lebanon. Hezbollah on Sunday claimed to have fired a cruise missile at an
Israeli warship 126km (78 miles) off the Lebanese coast. There was no immediate
comment from the Israeli military. Al Jazeera was not able to verify the claim.
Although most Israeli strikes against Hezbollah have been conducted by jets and
drones, some have come by sea. In a statement, the Israeli military warned it
had “begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure sites” in Beirut’s southern suburbs
without providing evidence for its claims. On
Saturday, Israel said it would carry out strikes on the Masnaa border crossing
between Lebanon and Syria. Masnaa serves as a vital trade route for both
countries and a key gateway to the rest of the region for Lebanese people.
The border post was quickly evacuated on the Lebanese side, and the site
was virtually deserted early on Sunday with only a few guards still on duty,
according to AFP. Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 have killed more than
1,400 people, including 126 children, and displaced over 1.2 million, according
to Lebanese authorities. In the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Hatta, an Israeli
strike killed seven people including a four-year-old girl and a Lebanese
soldier, the Health Ministry said on Sunday. The previous evening, the Israeli
army issued a forced evacuation order for the town, where many displaced people
from other parts of southern Lebanon have fled. In another air strike on
southern Lebanon, at least three people were killed and others injured early on
Sunday, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported. As Israeli troops push
deeper across their border into southern Lebanon and destroy villages, Lebanese
President Joseph Aoun reiterated his call for talks with Israel, saying he
wanted to spare southern Lebanon from destruction on the scale seen in Israel’s
genocidal war on Gaza.
“Why don’t we negotiate … until we can at least save the homes that have not yet
been destroyed?” he proposed in a televised address on Sunday.
Israeli Army: We Eliminated
Over 90 Hezbollah Members... Lebanon Is Not a Basket for Others' Projects
Al-Markazia/April 5, 2026
Israeli Army Spokesperson Ella Wawiya wrote on the "X" platform: "Since the
beginning of the battle against the Hezbollah terrorist group, the Air Force has
attacked more than 2,000 targets in support of ground forces in southern
Lebanon, using fighter jets, attack helicopters, and drones. Command and control
cells and Air Force crews remain in constant and direct contact with combat
forces and support the fighting in various sectors, directing ground forces and
eliminating threats with rapid, close-circuit operations, sometimes within
meters of the troops." Wawiya added: "As part of deepening inter-branch
cooperation, Air Force Commander Major General Tomer Bar conducted a situation
assessment at the Northern Command, alongside the Command's Commander, Major
General Rafi Milo. The commanders discussed plans for the next phase, and the
Air Force commanders received an updated picture of the operational situation of
the forces in the field and the operational needs for continuing the operation."
https://x.com/i/status/2040688454204309772
In a second post, she added: “More than 90 terrorists have been eliminated by
the 146th Division since the start of the operation; the forces are continuing
focused ground activity. The 146th Division has continued its operations in
recent weeks in the South Lebanon area, expanding its focused ground activity to
protect the population of the North.”
Wawiya continued: “In the last 24 hours, the 226th Brigade identified two cells
of Hezbollah terrorists. In a swift closing operation, the Air Force eliminated
the terrorists under the guidance of forces in the field. During the night, the
213th Fire Battalion and the Air Force also destroyed operational infrastructure
used by Hezbollah terrorists.” She also said: "Throughout the war, the Hezbollah
terrorist organization exploited its proximity to UNIFIL positions and
deployment points to carry out terrorist attacks against the State of Israel.
The IDF now reveals that since the start of Operation Lion's Roar, approximately
165 rocket launches by the Hezbollah terrorist organization have been detected,
landing in or near UNIFIL positions." She continued: "The Hezbollah terrorist
organization continues to systematically violate international law, endangering
international forces and harming UN personnel operating in the area. During the
fighting in southern Lebanon, the IDF maintains a coordination mechanism with
UNIFIL forces on the ground." In another post, she wrote: "On Easter… some are
painting death… and presenting it as salvation. Eggs decorated with slogans… but
inside… a project of destruction is being exported to the region."She added:
"Lebanon is not a basket for others' projects. It will not be an egg broken in
an Iranian game. The true resurrection begins… when the homeland is liberated
from the arms of death." She attached a picture of Hezbollah Secretary General
Sheikh Naim Qassem to her post.
Israel Says Will Strike
Lebanon-Syria Border Crossing
Asharq Al Awsat/5 April/2026
The Israeli military said on Saturday it would strike an area near the main
crossing between Syria and Lebanon, urging residents to evacuate immediately as
it continued its attacks across Lebanon. Israel has
carried out strikes across Lebanon and launched a ground invasion in the south
since March 2, when Hezbollah entered the war in the Middle East on the side of
its backer Iran. "Due to Hezbollah's use of the Masnaa
crossing for military purposes and smuggling of combat equipment, the (Israeli
army) intends to carry out strikes on the crossing in the near future," said the
military's Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, urging people to leave the
area. A Lebanese security source at the Masnaa border
crossing told AFP they were "currently evacuating the crossing following the
Israeli threat".In Syria, the General Authority for Borders and Customs public
relations director, Mazen Aloush, said the crossing, known as Jdeidet Yabous on
the Syrian side, was "exclusively for civilian use and is not used for any
military purposes". Aloush added that "in light of the
circulating warnings and out of concern for the safety of travelers, traffic
through the crossing will be temporarily suspended until any potential risks
subside".An AFP journalist on the Syrian side of the crossing said early Sunday
it was empty, with only a few guards remaining. Masnaa is the main crossing
between Lebanon and Syria, making it a vital trade route for both countries and
a key land gateway for Lebanon to the rest of the region.
Israel struck the crossing in October 2024, during its previous war with
Hezbollah.The crossing remained closed until Lebanese and Syrian authorities
began repair works after a ceasefire the following month.
Israel Aiming to Impose
Security Control through Fire over Southern Lebanon
Beirut: Soubhi Amhaz/Asharq Al Awsat/5 April/2026
The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel in southern Lebanon is taking on a
more complex shape, no longer limited to images of tanks and front line. Based
on its operations on the ground and statements from its officials, Israel is not
aiming for a traditional sense of occupation of the South, but rather imposing
security control without actually holding territory.This position reflects a
shift in tactics and push towards managing the conflict, moving from military
control that is based on advances and positioning, to security hegemony based on
prevention, control, and reshaping geography and the population.
Modern security belt
Here rises the concept of the security belt, but in a more modern form than the
one that prevailed pre-2000 when Israel occupied the South for nearly two
decades. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken of “expanding the
security belt in southern Lebanon.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz has also said that Israel aims to disarm
Iran-backed Hezbollah and that it will target its leaders and members
“throughout Lebanon.” Houses that are used as Hezbollah positions “will be
destroyed according to the model adopted in [Gaza’s] Rafah and Khan
Younis.”Israel will seek to control territories up to the Litani River and
prevent tens of thousands of people from returning to their homes before it
achieves its security. Despite the escalation, Israel
keeps saying that it is not aiming to fully occupy Lebanon. Israel’s Haaretz
reported that the army has not set this as a war goal, despite acknowledging
that in theory, the disarmament of Hezbollah would demand it. This contradiction
reflects the essence of the strategy: avoiding the cost of occupation, while
achieving its end goals through other means based on control by fire and
clearing the area.
18 positions
An informed source on the ground told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel is seeking to
re-occupy 18 strategic positions it had held before 2000. They include
al-Bayyada, Shamaa, Beit Leef, Tallet al-Aweida, al-Tayba hills, the Beaufort
Castle, and the Iqlim al-Tuffah heights that overlook the western Bekaa region.
Israel will not deploy its forces, but impose complete security control by fire
over the Nabatieh district, all the way to al-Zahrani, Sidon, western Bekaa and
Jezzine, allowing for control on the ground without actually having to position
its troops there permanently.
Israel is aiming to acquire the ability to manage the South from heights and
strategic points, the source explained. Of the 600,000 people displaced from the
area, the source said Israel will prevent them from returning. This includes
areas beyond Iqlim al-Tuffah, al-Nabatieh and parts of the western Bekaa,
reflecting an intent to change demographics on the ground.
Retired General Naji Malaeb told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel does not want a
permanent ground occupation, but the ability to control the field through fire,
air or alternate forces. This can happen through
either direct military presence that runs the area or through establishing a
buffer zone on scorched earth that prevents the people from returning to their
homes and prevents any military positioning in the area. This approach also
prevents Israel’s adversaries from using the territory, he added.
UNIFIL: Israeli and Hezbollah
Activities Endanger Peacekeepers
Al-Nidaa Al-Watan, April 6, 2026
UNIFIL spokesperson Candice Ardell stated that "UNIFIL has consistently
expressed its concern regarding the firing of projectiles and bullets by
Hezbollah fighters and Israeli soldiers at or near our positions, actions which
have unfortunately already resulted in deaths and injuries among our
peacekeepers." She added, "We are also deeply concerned about attacks launched
by both Hezbollah fighters and Israeli soldiers from near our positions, which
could provoke a response. We are also concerned about the presence of fighters
near the residences and work sites of our peacekeepers, as these locations are
also vulnerable to attack."She said: "These activities endanger peacekeepers. We
remind all actors on the ground of their obligation to ensure the safety and
security of UN personnel and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all
times." She concluded: "We also urge them to lay down their arms and work
seriously towards a ceasefire, as there is no military solution to this
conflict, and prolonging it will only lead to more death and destruction for
both sides."
Israel Uncovers Hezbollah
Military Equipment Inside a School!
Al-Markazia/April 5, 2026
Israeli army spokesperson Ella Wawiya posted on Sunday via the X platform: “I
hope the Lebanese army will address the issue of disarmament to provide an
explanation to the Lebanese people. Our forces found a large quantity of
equipment belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization inside a school.
This included military equipment and uniforms belonging to the organization,
certificates of completion for training courses for the Radwan Force, RPG
operation manuals, surface-to-surface missiles, and launchers.” She continued:
“This was in addition to packages sent from Iran to Shiite villages in Lebanon.
Near the school, an additional cache of military equipment and weapons was
found, including military vests and helmets, explosive devices, and anti-tank
missiles.” She concluded: “And here is the question that every Lebanese person
is asking: Where was the Lebanese army? Where is this army that is supposed to
protect its schools and children? Isn’t the army supposed to serve the people?
Where is the one who called himself the shield and protector of the homeland?
The Lebanese army, which was entrusted with the task of disarming the militias,
failed miserably.”
Impact of war: Masnaa Crossing
threat raises fears of trade disruption in Lebanon
LBCI/April 5, 2026
Until Saturday, Lebanon relied on a single land route for part of its imports
and exports: The Masnaa Border Crossing. With the Abboudieh Border Crossing
still out of service since the 2024 war and Israeli threats to target Masnaa,
concerns have emerged over a potential land blockade of goods and its economic
impact.However, trade data suggests the overall effect may be limited. Between
85% and 90% of Lebanon's trade flows through maritime ports, while land
transport accounted for about 2% of imports and roughly 8% of exports in 2025.
The remainder is handled through air freight through the country's
airport.Lebanon's Economy and Trade Ministry said total annual trade stands at
around $21 billion, with approximately $700 million passing through Masnaa,
representing between 2% and 5% of total trade. Officials noted that the
importance of land crossings has declined in recent years, particularly as Gulf
countries have reduced imports from Lebanon. Still,
the crossing remains critical for certain sectors. Agricultural goods,
especially perishable produce, depend heavily on land transport to reach nearby
markets quickly without compromising quality. According to the Agriculture
Ministry, about 450 tons of agricultural products are imported and roughly 1,000
tons exported via land routes to neighboring countries. Additional shipments
include around 2,000 tons of processed meat and 500 tons of fresh meat.
Officials also pointed to a positive outlook, noting that the start of Lebanon's
agriculture season is boosting local self-sufficiency. On the import side,
Lebanon relies on land routes for products such as processed meats, poultry,
live livestock, dairy products, and veterinary medicines.
While the Masnaa crossing remains an important artery, particularly for
agriculture, officials stress that it is not the backbone of Lebanon's economy,
which continues to depend primarily on maritime trade routes.
Israeli army says Golani Brigade allegedly found Hezbollah
equipment in school in South Lebanon
LBCI/April
5, 2026
The Israeli army claimed troops from the Golani Brigade had discovered what it
described as Hezbollah military equipment inside a school in South Lebanon
during ongoing ground operations. According to an
Israeli military spokesperson, the forces are continuing their advance to expand
a designated security zone. During the operation, troops reportedly found a
large amount of materials inside the school, including military gear, uniforms
linked to Hezbollah, certificates related to training courses for the group's
Radwan Force, as well as manuals for operating RPG launchers, surface-to-surface
missiles, and launchpad platforms. The army also said
it found packages allegedly sent from Iran to Shiite villages in Lebanon.In
addition, Israeli forces reported discovering a nearby cache containing further
military equipment, including vests, helmets, explosive devices, and anti-tank
missiles.
Hezbollah Says Targeted Israeli Warship with Cruise Missile
Asharq Al Awsat/5 April/2026
Hezbollah on Sunday said it had targeted an Israeli warship with a cruise
missile off the Lebanese coast, the first such claim by the group since the
start of the Middle East war. In a statement, the Iran-backed group said it
targeted the vessel 68 nautical miles off the Lebanese coast, claiming the
warship was "preparing to launch attacks on Lebanese territory". The Israeli
military told AFP when contacted: "We are not aware of it." Israeli warships
have been used on several recent occasions to launch strikes on Lebanon
Lebanon President Calls for Israel Talks to Prevent Gaza-Style Destruction
Reuters/April 5, 2026
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reiterated on Sunday a call for negotiations with
Israel, saying he wanted to spare his country's south from destruction on the
scale seen in Gaza. "It is true that Israel might want to do in southern Lebanon
what it did in Gaza," Aoun said in a televised address, after Israel launched
airstrikes and a ground offensive against Hezbollah, destroying several southern
Lebanese villages. "Gaza was destroyed, over 70,000 people were killed, and they
eventually sat down and negotiated, so why don't we negotiate... until we can at
least save the homes that have not yet been destroyed?" he added.
Israel Renews Lebanon Strikes, Forces Syria Border Crossing
Closed
Asharq Al Awsat/5 April/2026
Israeli strikes on south Beirut and its suburbs killed at least four people on
Sunday, a day after Israel threatened to hit Lebanon's main border crossing with
Syria, forcing it to close. The Israeli military also carried out deadly attacks
on Lebanon's south, one of which killed seven people including a family of six.
Israel has launched airstrikes across Lebanon as well as a ground invasion in
the south since March 2, when armed group Hezbollah entered the war in the
Middle East on the side of its backer Iran. Hezbollah on Sunday claimed to have
fired a cruise missile at an Israeli warship off the coast, but the Israeli
military told AFP it was "not aware" of such an incident. One of Israel's
strikes in Beirut on Sunday killed at least four people and wounded 39 in the
Jnah neighborhood, the Lebanese health ministry said. It landed about 100 meters
away from the Rafik Hariri University Hospital, the largest public medical
facility in Lebanon, a medical source told AFP. Another attack struck a building
elsewhere in the area that the Israeli military had warned it would target.
After the first attack, 53-year-old Jnah resident Nancy Hassan thought she was
safe at home. "Shortly after, the planes were flying overhead, and we heard a
huge bang, then stones rained down on us," she told AFP. Hassan
lost her daughter in an Israeli strike on the same area during the 2024 war
between Hezbollah and Israel. "My daughter was killed, she was 23 years old.
Today, her friends were killed. Every time, they bomb us in the neighborhood
without warning," she added. Zakaria Tawbeh, deputy head of the Rafik Hariri
hospital, said they received "four killed, three Sudanese and a 15-year-old
girl, and 31 wounded". "Lots of glass was broken, and some of our patients had
panic attacks." Israel also launched several strikes on the nearby southern
suburbs, an area now largely evacuated but where Hezbollah holds sway. In a
statement, the military warned it had "begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure
sites".
Vital crossing
On Saturday, Israel had said it would target the Masnaa border crossing between
Lebanon and Syria, the main gateway between the two countries. "Due to
Hezbollah's use of the Masnaa crossing for military purposes and smuggling of
combat equipment, the (Israeli army) intends to carry out strikes on the
crossing in the near future," said the military's Arabic-language spokesman
Avichay Adraee, urging people to leave the area. The border post was quickly
evacuated on the Lebanese side. In Syria, borders and customs public relations
director Mazen Aloush insisted the crossing was exclusively used by civilians,
and said it would temporarily due to the threats. Masnaa is a vital trade route
for both countries and a key gateway to the rest of the region for Lebanese
people. Military expert Hassan Jouni told AFP that Israel's threat to strike the
crossing "is not based on sound security considerations, but rather aims to
pressure the Lebanese government... to disarm Hezbollah". At another border
crossing further north known as Qaa, an AFP correspondent on Sunday saw a long
line of cars and vans waiting to enter Syria as people sought an alternative
route.
Family killed -
Israeli attacks on Lebanon since the start of the war have killed more than
1,400 people, including 126 children, and displaced over a million, according to
Lebanese authorities. In the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Hatta, far from the
border with Israel, an Israeli strike killed seven people including a
four-year-old girl, the health ministry said Sunday. The Lebanese army mourned
an off-duty soldier killed in the attack. The Israeli army had issued an
evacuation warning for the town on Saturday evening. A source from Lebanon's
civil defense told AFP that a family of six who had been displaced from a town
further south were waiting for a relative to pick them up in a vehicle when they
were killed. The relative also perished in the strike. An AFP photographer saw
at least eight homes destroyed by attacks in Kfar Hatta. As
Israeli troops push into border areas in southern Lebanon, destroying villages,
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reiterated his call for talks with Israel, saying
he wanted to spare his country's south from destruction on the scale seen in the
Palestinian territory of Gaza.
"Why don't we negotiate... until we can at least save the homes that have not
yet been destroyed?" he said in a televised address.
Indonesia Lays to Rest Peacekeepers Killed in Lebanon
Asharq Al Awsat/5 April/2026
Three Indonesian peacekeepers killed in two separate explosions in southern
Lebanon last week were laid to rest in their hometowns on Sunday. Peacekeeper
Farizal Rhomadhon, 28, died when a projectile exploded on March 29 in southern
Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting since Lebanon was drawn
into the Middle East war. Two other blue helmets, Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, 33, and
Muhammad Nur Ichwan, 26, died a day later when an explosion struck a logistics
convoy of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), also in southern Lebanon.
The deadly incidents sparked calls from Indonesian authorities for an
investigation and security guarantees for peacekeeping forces. The soldiers were
buried on Sunday in coffins draped in the Indonesian flag during military
funerals with gun salutes. Weeping family members scattered flower petals on
their graves. Zulmi was buried in a military cemetery in his hometown in
Bandung, West Java, while Ichwan and Farizal were laid to rest in their
respective hometowns in Central Java and Yogyakarta.
"I'm letting him go proudly. I accept it sincerely, even though it is not what I
had hoped as a parent," Zulmi's father Iskandarudin told reporters after the
funeral.
"I am certain that he's waiting for me in heaven."Agus Subiyanto, the commander
of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, told reporters that every fallen
soldier will receive compensation in recognition of their service. "We have
prepared all the rights and entitlements that must be given to the fallen
soldiers. Among these is compensation from the United Nations," Agus said after
attending Zulmi's funeral. The bodies of the three peacekeepers arrived in
Jakarta on Saturday, received with honors in a ceremony attended by President
Prabowo Subianto. Prabowo said on Instagram that Indonesians "strongly condemn
every heinous act that undermines peace and causes the deaths of our nation's
soldiers".Less than a week after the explosions that killed the three
peacekeepers, another blast took place at a UN facility near Adeisseh on Friday,
injuring three more Indonesian blue helmets.
Indonesia's Foreign Ministry called the attacks "unacceptable" and urged the UN
Security Council "to immediately convene a meeting of troop-contributing
countries to UNIFIL to conduct a review and take measures to enhance the
protection of personnel serving with UNIFIL".Foreign Minister Sugiono, who like
many Indonesians only has one name, told reporters on Saturday that Indonesia
wanted a thorough UN investigation, and demanded better security guarantees for
peacekeeping soldiers.
The War on Hezbollah-The Iranian Terrorist Proxy Continues/LCCC website
The just war being waged by the United States and Israel against Iran and its
proxies—devils, terrorists, drug traffickers, and mafia networks—continues
relentlessly and will not stop before their complete defeat.
To follow the news, below are- links to several
important news websites
National News Agency (Lebanon)
https://www.nna-leb.gov.lb/ar
Nidaa Al Watan
https://www.nidaalwatan.com/
MTV Lebanon
https://www.mtv.com.lb/
Voice of Lebanon
https://www.vdl.me/
Asas Media
https://asasmedia.com/
Naharnet
https://www.naharnet.com/
Al Markazia News Agency
https://almarkazia.com/ar
LBCI (English)
https://www.lbcgroup.tv/news/en
LBCI (Arabic)
https://www.lbcgroup.tv/news/ar
Janoubia Website
https://www.lbcgroup.tv/news/ar
Kataeb Party Official Website
https://www.kataeb.org
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports
And News published
on April 05-06/2026
Trump issues fiery new threat against Iran
as details of US aviator's rescue emerge
MATTHEW LEE, BASSEM MROUE,
KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and SAMY MAGDY/AP/April 05/2026
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday made expletive-laden
new threats to escalate strikes on Iran and its infrastructure if it doesn't
open the Strait of Hormuz by his deadline, after American forces rescued an
aviator whose Iran-downed plane fell behind enemy lines. A defiant Iran struck
infrastructure targets in neighboring Gulf Arab countries, challenged the U.S.
account of the rescue and threatened to restrict another heavily used waterway
in the region, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the Arabian Peninsula.In a social
media post, Trump vowed to hit Iran’s power plants and bridges and said the
country would be “living in Hell” if the Strait of Hormuz, crucial for global
trade, isn’t opened by Tuesday. He ended with “Praise be to Allah.”Trump has
issued such deadlines before but extended them when mediators have claimed
progress toward ending the war, which has killed thousands, shaken global
markets and spiked fuel prices in just over five weeks. “It seems Trump has
become a phenomenon that neither Iranians nor Americans are able to fully
analyze,” Iranian Culture Minister Sayed Reza Salihi-Amiri told visiting
Associated Press journalists in an interview in Tehran, adding that the
president “constantly shifts between contradictory positions.”Both sides have
threatened and hit civilian targets like oil fields and desalination plants
critical for drinking water. Iran’s U.N. mission on social media called Trump’s
threat “clear evidence of intent to commit war crime.”Iran’s military joint
command warned of stepped-up retaliatory attacks on regional oil and civilian
infrastructure if the U.S. and Israel attack such targets there, according to
state television.The laws of armed conflict allow attacks on civilian
infrastructure only if the military advantage outweighs the civilian harm, legal
scholars say. It’s considered a high bar to clear, and causing excessive
suffering to civilians can constitute a war crime.
U.S. describes a dramatic rescue
An intense search had followed Friday's crash of the F-15E Strike Eagle, while
Iran promised a reward for the “enemy pilot.”Trump said that the service member
was “seriously wounded and really brave” and rescued from “deep inside the
mountains" in an operation involving dozens of armed aircraft. He said a second
crew member was rescued in “broad daylight” within hours of the crash. A senior
U.S. administration official said that prior to locating the pilot, the CIA
spread word inside Iran that U.S. forces had found him and were moving him for
exfiltration, confusing Iranian officials. The official spoke on the condition
of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public. The fighter jet was the
first known American aircraft to crash in Iranian territory since the U.S. and
Israel launched the war with strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. Iran also shot down
another U.S. military plane, demonstrating both the perils of the bombing
campaign and the ability of Iran's degraded military to hit back. Neither the
status of the A-10 attack aircraft's crew nor where it crashed is known. On
Sunday, Iran’s state television aired a video showing what it claimed were parts
of U.S. aircraft shot down by Iranian forces. The broadcaster said that Iran had
shot down a transport plane and two helicopters that were part of the rescue
operation. However, a regional intelligence official briefed on the mission told
The Associated Press that the U.S. military blew up two transport planes because
of a technical malfunction and brought in additional aircraft to complete the
rescue. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the covert
mission. Two Black Hawk helicopters were hit during the rescue but navigated to
safe airspace, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on
condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive information.
Diplomatic efforts continue
Trump's upcoming deadline centers on growing alarm over Iran's grip on the
Strait of Hormuz, critical for shipments of oil and gas from the Persian Gulf to
Europe and Asia as well as humanitarian supplies. Some ships have paid Iran for
passage. An Iranian presidential spokesperson, Seyyed Mohammad Mehdi Tabatabaei,
said on social media that the strait can reopen only if some transit revenues
compensate Iran for war damages. A top Iranian adviser, Ali Akbar Velayati,
warned on social media that Tehran also could disrupt trade on the Bab
el-Mandeb, a key waterway to and from the Suez Canal. Diplomatic efforts
continued. Oman's Foreign Ministry said that deputy foreign ministers and
experts from Iran and Oman met to discuss proposals to ensure “smooth transit”
through the strait. Oman has often served as a mediator between the U.S. and
Iran. Egypt said that Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty had spoken with U.S. envoy
Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, as well as with
Turkish and Pakistani counterparts. Islamabad has said that it would soon host
talks between the U.S. and Iran.
Gulf targets struck by Iran
In Kuwait, Iranian drone attacks caused significant damage to power plants and a
petrochemical plant. They also put a water desalination station out of service,
according to the Ministry of Electricity. In Bahrain, a drone attack caused a
fire at one of the national oil company’s storage facilities and a state-run
petrochemical plant, the kingdom’s official news agency said. In the United Arab
Emirates, authorities responded to fires at a petrochemical plant in Ruwais that
they said were caused by intercepted debris, halting operations. The strikes
came a day after Israel struck a major petrochemical plant in Iran that Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said generated revenue used to fund the war. The
petrochemical industry converts oil and gas into products like plastics and
fertilizer. Meanwhile, more than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the
war began. In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen
people have died, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel and 13 U.S. service
members have been killed. In Lebanon, more than 1,400 people have been killed
and more than 1 million people have been displaced. Ten Israeli soldiers have
died there
**Bassem Mroue reported from Tehran, Iran, Sam Metz from Jerusalem and Samy
Magdy from Cairo. Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Lisa Mascaro and
Seung Min Kim in Washington; Munir Ahmed in Islamabad; and Farnoush Amiri in New
York; contributed to this report.
Trump gives
Iran 24 more hours to reopen Hormuz Strait or face infrastructure attacks
AFP/05 April/2026
US President Donald Trump on Sunday appeared to extend by 24 hours his deadline
for Iran to make a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating
infrastructure attacks. “Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!” he simply said on his
Truth Social platform. The new deadline, 0000 GMT Wednesday, would mean another
day for Tehran to attempt to placate the mercurial US leader or risk him
following through on a threat to destroy the country’s power plants and bridges.
Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, a vital route
for the world’s oil and gas, since the start of the US-Israeli bombing campaign
on February 28. Trump, who has held no public events since an address to the
nation on Wednesday, seemed to confirm the new timing in an interview with The
Wall Street Journal. “We are in a position that’s very strong, and that country
will take 20 years to rebuild, if they’re lucky, if they have a country,” he
told the Journal Sunday. “And if they don’t do something by Tuesday evening,
they won’t have any power plants and they won’t have any bridges standing.”The
US president did a string of short interviews with media outlets after he
announced the dramatic rescue of a US airman – and issued an expletive-laden
ultimatum to Iran to free up the strategic waterway or risk a fierce US attack.
He told Fox News he believes there is a “good chance” of making a deal with Iran
on Monday. “I think there is a good chance tomorrow, they are negotiating now,”
the president said.
“If they don’t make a deal and fast, I’m considering blowing everything up and
taking over the oil,” he added. In the same interview, Trump said he had given
Iranian negotiators “immunity from death” – and said they had conceded that
Tehran would not move ahead with the development of nuclear weapons. “The big
thing is they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. They’re not even
negotiating that point, it’s so easy,” he said. “That’s already been conceded.
Most of the points are conceded.”In an interview with ABC News, Trump said the
conflict should end in “days, not weeks,” but warned that without some kind of
agreement with Tehran, there was “very little” that would be considered
off-limits in terms of US action.
Kurds
Trump told Fox News that the United States had tried to send weapons to Iranian
protesters opposing the cleric-run government by way of Kurdish intermediaries.
Demonstrations erupted in December in Iran over the high cost of living. Those
rallies ultimately escalated into anti-government protests that were squashed
with deadly force. “We sent guns to the protesters, a lot of them,” Trump said.
“And I think the Kurds took the guns.”Late last month, a top official in Iraqi
Kurdistan said in an interview with AFP that Washington had not armed Iranian
Kurdish opposition groups exiled in the autonomous region. “We have not seen any
attempts by the United States, any branch of the United States, to arm Iranian
opposition groups in Kurdistan,” said the deputy prime minister of autonomous
Iraqi Kurdistan, Qubad Talabani.
Trump says ‘good chance’ of deal with Iran on Monday
Agencies/05 April/2026
US President Donald Trump said Sunday he believes there is a “good chance” of
making a deal with Iran on Monday, ahead of his deadline for Tehran to reopen
the Strait of Hormuz or face heavy bombing. “I think there is a good chance
tomorrow, they are negotiating now,” the president told a Fox News journalist.
“If they don’t make a deal and fast, I’m considering blowing everything up and
taking over the oil,” he added. Earlier on Sunday, Trump said in an
expletive-laden social media post that the US would target Iran’s power plants
and bridges on Tuesday if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened. “Tuesday will be
Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be
nothing like it!!!” Trump said in a Truth Social post, referencing the key
shipping lane that Tehran has effectively closed since the US and Israel
launched attacks on Iran more than a month ago. “Open the F*ckin’ Strait, you
crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!,” Trump said, ending
his Easter morning post with: “Praise be to Allah.” The president separately
said he would hold a news conference on Monday in the Oval Office, after the US
military rescued two US pilots whose aircraft were downed in Iran.
US President Donald Trump holds an umbrella as gives a
thumbs up while boarding Air Force
Al Arabiya English/05 April/2026
US President Donald Trump said Sunday an airman rescued from inside Iran after
his warplane was downed was “seriously wounded,” and added he would give a news
conference the next day. “We have rescued the seriously wounded, and really
brave, F-15 Crew Member/Officer, from deep inside the mountains of Iran,” Trump
said on his Truth Social platform, after previously describing the airman as
only “injured” and “safe and sound.”“The Iranian Military was looking hard, in
big numbers, and getting close,” Trump added in his post. “I will be having a
News Conference, with the Military, at the Oval Office, on Monday, at 1:00 P.M.
(1700 GMT),” he wrote. Trump said early Sunday that US forces had safely
recovered a second airman downed in Iran, calling it “one of the most daring
Search and Rescue Operations in US History.”Tehran said this week it had shot
down an F-15 warplane, the first US fighter jet to go down inside Iran since the
start of the war. Washington has not confirmed the details of how the fighter
went down. With AFP
US rescues airman, vows ‘hell’ for Iran if Strait of Hormuz
stays shut
Al Arabiya English/05 April/2026
US special forces rescued an airman in a high-risk mission deep inside Iran
while President Donald Trump threatened to rain “hell” on Tehran if it did not
reopen the Strait of Hormuz for oil flows vital to the world economy. Trump
announced the rescue in the early hours of Sunday in a social media post that
described the operation in a mountainous area as “one of the most daring” such
missions in US history. The airman, the weapons officer of an F-15 jet shot down
on Friday, was wounded but “will be just fine,” Trump said in a message on X.
The pilot was rescued on Friday. In another post laden with expletives, Trump
told Iran to open the Hormuz waterway by Tuesday. The conduit for around a fifth
of the world’s oil and natural gas supply has been largely shut down since the
war began five weeks ago. “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all
wrapped up in one, in Iran,” he said on his Truth Social platform, threatening
to hit energy and transport infrastructure that critics say would violate
international law. “There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait,
you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to
Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Adding to the pressure, Washington’s ally in the war Israel, which attacked a
major petrochemicals facility on Saturday, was preparing to attack energy
facilities next week and was awaiting US approval, a senior Israeli defense
official said. However, in the sort of mixed messaging that has baffled
supporters and foes alike let alone financial markets, Trump told Fox News on
Sunday that Iran was negotiating, with a deal possible by Monday. Tehran is
demanding an end to hostilities and its parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher
Ghalibaf condemned Trump’s threats, saying he was being misled by Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.“Your reckless moves are dragging the United States
into a living HELL for every single family, and our whole region is going to
burn because you insist on following Netanyahu’s commands,” he posted on X.
Hostage crisis averted
With the impact from the Strait of Hormuz’s closure on the global economy
deepening by the day, the rescue of the US airman removed the risk for Trump of
a hostage crisis further souring the mood of an American public already
skeptical of the war. A US official said the operation, which Israel said it had
assisted, involved dozens of military aircraft and encountered fierce resistance
from Iranian forces. Iran said several US aircraft were destroyed during the
operation, including two military transport planes and two Black Hawk
helicopters. Footage posted on social media showed burned-out aircraft wreckage,
which Reuters verified was in the area. The loss of the F-15 last week – as well
as an A-10 ground-attack aircraft in a separate incident – underlined the risks
still facing US and Israeli aircrew despite Trump’s assertions of total control
in the skies over Iran. A senior administration official in Washington said the
rescue had involved a CIA deception campaign spreading word inside Iran that US
forces had already found the missing airman and were moving him on the ground
for exfiltration out of the country. While the Iranians were confused and
uncertain of what was happening, the missing weapons officer was located inside
a mountain crevice and rescued, the official said in a statement. The war, which
opened with US and Israeli airstrikes across Iran on Feb. 28, has spread into
Lebanon, where Israel has resumed its campaign against the Iranian-backed
Hezbollah. Thousands have died, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, where Israeli
airstrikes killed another 11 people on Sunday, according to Lebanon’s health
ministry.
Peace efforts fruitless
But efforts brokered by Pakistan to bring the two sides to an agreement have so
far been fruitless.
“What we care about are the terms of a conclusive and lasting END to the illegal
war that is imposed on us,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X.
Iran’s chokehold over the narrow Strait of Hormuz shipping lane off its southern
coast has given it powerful leverage. Crude prices LCOc1 have surged to a
four-year high close to $120 a barrel, squeezing consumers and businesses across
the globe. Tehran has, however, said it would allow passage through the Strait
for vessels without US or Israeli connections and one tanker loaded with Iraqi
crude and bound for Malaysia passed through, data from LSEG and Kpler showed.
Three Omani-operated tankers, a French-owned container ship and a Japanese-owned
gas carrier have also gone through in recent days. Tehran has continued to
launch missile and drone attacks against Israel and the Gulf states. On Sunday,
in response to Israeli attacks on petrochemical sites in Iran, Tehran hit
petrochemicals plants in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi. Iran also attacked an
Israel-affiliated vessel with a drone in the strait, setting the ship on fire,
state media said. Israeli media showed search-and-rescue teams combing debris
and hunting survivors after a residential building was hit by an Iranian missile
in Israel’s northern city of Haifa. Israeli paramedics said they were treating
nine patients.With Reuters
Commandos probed deep into Iran to rescue downed airman: US
media
AFP/05 April/2026
American commandos deployed deep into Iranian territory to rescue a downed
airman, US news outlets reported on Sunday, hours after President Donald Trump
announced that the crew member had been recovered “safe and sound.”Tehran said
this week it had shot down an F-15 warplane, the first US fighter jet to go down
inside Iran since the start of the war. Washington has not confirmed the details
of how the fighter went down. Trump said early on Sunday the US military had
“pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US History,
for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly
respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and
SOUND!”Navy SEAL Team 6 commandos were tasked with extracting the airman, while
US attack aircraft dropped bombs and opened fire on Iranian convoys to keep them
away, the New York Times reported, citing an unidentified official. The airman,
a weapon systems officer, was wounded after the ejection but could still walk,
evading capture in the mountains for more than a day, according to news outlet
Axios, which cited a US official. The unidentified airman was equipped with a
pistol, a beacon and a secure communications device to coordinate with rescuers,
the New York Times reported. American commandos converging on the officer fired
their weapons to keep Iranian forces away from the rescue site, the Times said.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he had directed the US military to
send “dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to
retrieve” him. “He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine,” Trump wrote.
Two of the planes meant to transport the airman and his rescuers to safety were
stuck in a remote base in Iran and had to be destroyed to prevent them from
falling into Iranian hands, the New York Times and CBS reported. US forces then
used three other transport planes to carry the airman and his rescuers out of
Iran.The Iranian military said on Sunday the US operation to rescue the airman
had used an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan province.
“The so-called US military rescue operation, planned as a deception and escape
mission at an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan under the pretext of
recovering the pilot of a downed aircraft, was completely foiled,” said Ebrahim
Zolfaghari, spokesman for the Iranian military’s central command. Zolfaghari
also said two US “C-130 military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters
were destroyed.”The CIA reportedly launched a deception campaign to spread word
inside Iran that US forces were moving the airman out of the country on the
ground. In his post, Trump also confirmed the “successful rescue of another
brave Pilot, yesterday,” adding it was not disclosed to avoid jeopardizing the
second rescue mission. “This is the first time in military memory that two US
Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory,” he wrote, adding
that both operations were concluded “without a SINGLE American killed, or even
wounded.” AFP has contacted the White House and the Pentagon for comment.
Iran parliament speaker warns Trump ‘whole region going to
burn’
Agencies/05 April/2026
Iran’s parliament speaker warned US President Donald Trump on Sunday that his
“reckless moves” would mean “our whole region is going to burn.”“Your reckless
moves are dragging the United States into a living HELL for every single family,
and our whole region is going to burn because you insist on following
Netanyahu’s commands,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote in an X post in English,
referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ghalibaf added that the
“only real solution is respecting the rights of the Iranian people and ending
this dangerous game.”Trump said that his deadline for Iran to open the Strait of
Hormuz or face attacks on critical infrastructure is Tuesday evening, according
to an interview he gave to the Wall Street Journal on Sunday. “If they don’t do
something by Tuesday evening, they won’t have any power plants and they won’t
have any bridges standing,” Trump told the Journal.
Trump later posted on social media, without mentioning Iran or any other
details: “Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!”In a separate post earlier on Sunday,
Trump had said Iran would face infrastructure attacks if it did not open the
strait by Tuesday, but gave no specific time.
Oman, Iran hold talks on Strait of Hormuz: Omani state news
agency
AFP/05 April/2026
Oman and Iran held talks on easing passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the
Omani state news agency reported Sunday, with the key shipping chokepoint
effectively closed due to war in the Middle East. “Oman and the Islamic Republic
of Iran held a meeting at the deputy ministers’ level in the foreign ministries
of the two countries, with the attendance of specialists from both sides, during
which the possible options were discussed regarding ensuring the smooth passage
through the Strait of Hormuz,” the news agency posted on X. “The experts from
both sides put forward a number of visions and proposals regarding it,” it
added. In response to US and Israeli strikes that began at the end of February,
Iran has targeted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, effectively closing the
strategic waterway through which one-fifth of global oil usually passes. The war
has engulfed the Middle East and paralyzed shipping in the Gulf, in particular.
Iran has also attacked neighboring countries’ energy infrastructure in a
conflict that has convulsed the global economy. US President Donald Trump said
on Saturday Tehran had 48 hours left to cut a deal or face “all Hell,” before
Washington announced American forces had safely recovered a second airman downed
in Iran. On Thursday, Tehran said it was drafting a peacetime protocol that
would supervise maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz with Oman, state
media reported. Deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi told Russia’s Sputnik
state media that the protocol would apply after the war with the United States
and Israel ends, setting basic rules to manage ship movements, IRNA news agency
said. Last week an Iranian parliamentary committee voted to impose tolls on
vessels in the strait and completely ban ships from the United States and
Israel.
Israeli rescuers search for missing people after building hit by Iran missile
AFP/05 April/2026
Israeli firefighters were searching for three missing people in the rubble of a
residential building in the northern city of Haifa after it was struck by an
Iranian missile Sunday. The direct hit on a seven-story building tore through
parts of the structure, injuring four people, the military and rescue services
said. The strike took place minutes after the military warned it had detected a
new round of missiles fired from Iran at around 1500 GMT. The building was hit
by a “direct impact of a missile,” a military spokesperson told AFP, confirming
the missile was fired from Iran. Israel’s emergency service, Magen David Adom,
said four people were wounded when the building sustained a direct hit. Israel’s
Fire and Rescue Services said firefighters were searching for three missing
people “at the scene of a building that has partially collapsed.”AFP footage
showed rescuers using flashlights to search through the building’s rubble and
scattered concrete blocks. The injured included an 82-year-old man, MDA said,
adding that he was in a “serious condition.” A hospital later said he was
stable.He was “wounded by a heavy object and the blast,” the MDA said, adding
that the other three suffered shrapnel and blast injuries.
The three injured included a 10-month old baby who suffered a head injury, MDA
said. Dozens of Israeli security and members of rescue forces were deployed at
the site of the strike, an AFP correspondent reported. Images and footage
published by MDA show smoke rising from the remains of a flattened building in a
densely populated area, and stretchers laid on the road by rescuers for
casualties. MDA paramedic Shevach Rothenshtrych quoted residents saying that
there were casualties trapped under the rubble on the lower floors, and the
82-year-old was rescued after first responders “managed to move large pieces of
concrete with our hands.”His colleague Tal Shustak said that when emergency
calls were received, “we were dispatched in large forces to the scene and saw
extensive destruction, including glass, smoke and concrete scattered across the
ground.”On Sunday, the military detected five waves of missiles fired from Iran,
and each time it said its “defensive systems are operating to intercept the
threat.”Iran has fired missiles daily at Israel since February 28, in
retaliation to joint US-Israeli attacks on the country that has killed several
top Iranian leaders, including supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Since the start of the conflict, Israeli and US airstrikes have attacked number
of Iran’s missile production sites and also nuclear facilities.
Trump
Vows Strikes on Iran’s Power Plants, Bridges if Strait of Hormuz isn't Reopened
Asharq Al Awsat/April 05/2026
US President Donald Trump has promised strikes on Iran’s power plants and
bridges on Tuesday, restating his threat to attack civilian infrastructure if
the Strait of Hormuz isn’t reopened. In an expletive-laden post Sunday morning,
Trump promised the “crazy bastards” would be “living in Hell” if the waterway
isn’t opened to marine traffic, The AP news reported.Trump had previously
threatened strikes two weeks ago, but extended the deadline for Iran to reopen
the waterway twice, claiming there were positive signs in negotiations with the
Iranians. But there have been few public signs of progress in a diplomatic
off-ramp to the war.
Israel Says Haifa Residential Building Suffers Direct Hit in Iran Attack
Asharq Al Awsat/April 05/2026
The Israeli military and medics said on Sunday that a missile fired from Iran
hit a residential building in the northern city of Haifa, injuring four people.
The building was hit by a "direct impact of a missile", the military told AFP.
When asked if it was a missile fired from Iran, it said: "Yes."
The strike occurred minutes after the military warned it had detected a new
round of missiles fired from Iran. In a separate statement, Israel's emergency
service, Magen David Adom, said four people were wounded when a seven-storey
building sustained a direct hit. Images and footage published by MDA show smoke
rising from the remains of a flattened building in a densely populated area, and
stretchers laid on the road by rescuers for casualties. The injured included an
82-year-old man, MDA said, adding that he was in a "serious condition".He was
"wounded by a heavy object and the blast", the MDA said, adding that the other
three suffered shrapnel and blast injuries. MDA paramedic Shevach Rothenshtrych
quoted residents saying that there were casualties trapped under the rubble on
the lower floors, and the 82-year-old was rescued after first responders
"managed to move large pieces of concrete with our hands". His colleague Tal
Shustak said that when emergency calls were received, "we were dispatched in
large forces to the scene and saw extensive destruction, including glass, smoke
and concrete scattered across the ground".
China ready to cooperate with Russia to ease
Middle East tension, foreign minister says
Reuters/05 April/2026
China is willing to continue to cooperate with Russia at the UN Security Council
and make efforts to cool down the Middle East situation, Foreign Minister Wang
Yi told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in a phone call, state agency
Xinhua reported Sunday. Wang said the fundamental way to resolve navigation
issues in the Strait of Hormuz is to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible,
adding that China has always advocated political settlement of hotspot issues
through dialogue and negotiation. The foreign ministers’ call came ahead of a UN
Security Council vote next week on a Bahraini resolution to protect commercial
shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
Russia says US should abandon 'language of ultimatums' on Iran
Reuters/April 05/2026
April 5 (Reuters) - Russia expressed hope on Sunday that efforts to de-escalate
the Iran conflict would bear fruit and said the U.S. would contribute by
"abandoning the language of ultimatums and returning the situation to a
negotiating track."The Russian Foreign Ministry statement was issued after a
conversation between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Iranian Foreign
Minister Abbas Araqchi. It said both sides "called for efforts to avoid
actions, including in the U.N. Security Council, that could undermine the
remaining chances for advancing political and diplomatic efforts to resolve the
crisis."Russia, it said, backed efforts to de-escalate tensions "in the
interests of long-term and sustainable normalisation of the situation in the
Middle East, which would be facilitated by the United States abandoning the
language of ultimatums and returning the situation to a negotiating track
Hamas Armed Wing Says Disarmament Calls Are Unacceptable
Asharq Al Awsat/April 05/2026
Hamas' armed wing said on Sunday discussing the group's disarmament before
Israel fully implements the first phase of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire was an
attempt to continue what it called a genocide against the Palestinian people.
In a televised statement, Hamas' armed wing spokesperson Abu Ubaida said raising
the issue of weapons “in a crude manner” would not be accepted. The issue of
Hamas relinquishing its weapons is a major obstacle in talks to implement US
President Donald Trump’s proposed "Board of Peace" plan for Gaza, aimed at
cementing a ceasefire that halted two years of full-scale fighting last
October. Hamas has told mediators it will not discuss disarmament without
guarantees that Israel will completely quit Gaza, three sources told Reuters
last week. "What the enemy is trying to push through today against the
Palestinian resistance, via our brotherly mediators, is extremely dangerous,"
he said. He said the disarmament demands were "nothing but an overt attempt to
continue the genocide against our people, something we will not accept under
any circumstances." It was not immediately clear whether the comments amounted
to a formal rejection of the US-backed disarmament plan, and Hamas political
officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Hamas-Israel
war in Gaza erupted after Hamas-led fighters carried out cross-border attacks
on southern Israel, prompting a devastating Israeli offensive that displaced
much of Gaza's population and left the enclave largely in ruins. Since the
ceasefire took effect, Hamas and Israel have repeatedly accused each other of
violating its terms. Abu Ubaida urged mediators to pressure Israel to fulfil its
commitments under the first phase of the Trump plan before any discussion of the
second phase can take place. "The enemy is the one who undermines the
agreement," he said. There was no immediate comment from Israel on his remarks.
Ukraine,
Syria agree to cooperate on security, Zelenskyy says
Reuters/05 April/2026
Ukraine and Syria pledged greater security cooperation in talks on Sunday,
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said as Kyiv seeks to promote its military
expertise across the region following the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on
Iran. Zelenskyy, continuing his tour of Middle East countries, met with his
Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus. “We agreed to work together to
provide more security and opportunities for development for our societies,”
Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “There is a great interest in exchanging military
and security experience.”In recent weeks, Zelenskyy has visited Middle East
countries, offering Ukrainian expertise in countering drone and missile attacks
developed during its four-year war with Russia. Since the war began on February
28, Iran and its proxies have launched strikes on US allies and bases in the
region.Syria is not known to have any air defenses capable of dealing with
Iranian drones or missiles. Zelenskyy also said Ukraine, a major grain producer,
wants to contribute to food security in the Middle East and told the Syrian
leader his country was a reliable supplier. The two presidents “discussed joint
opportunities to strengthen food security across the region,” he said.Turkey’s
Foreign Ministry said on X that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met in
Damascus with Zelenskyy and his counterparts from Syria, Asaad al-Shaibani, and
Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha. Pictures of the meeting were posted without further
details. In Turkey on Saturday, Zelenskyy said he had agreed on “new steps” in
security cooperation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and discussed
opportunities in joint gas infrastructure projects and gas field development. It
was the Ukrainian leader’s first trip to Syria since diplomatic relations were
re-established in September following the fall of Syria’s long-time strongman
Bashar al-Assad in late 2024. During Zelenskyy’s visits to Gulf states last
weekend, Ukraine signed long-term military cooperation deals with Saudi Arabia
and Qatar, and he said that a similar agreement was close to completion with the
UAE. Syria is home to two major Russian military bases, used by its navy and air
force. Al-Sharaa said on Tuesday at an event in Chatham House in London that
work was under way to transform these into “centers to train the Syrian army.”
Ukraine, Syria agree to cooperate on security: Zelensky
LBCI/5 April/2026
Ukraine and Syria pledged greater security cooperation in talks on Sunday,
President Volodymyr Zelensky said as Kyiv seeks to promote its military
expertise across the region following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war on
Iran. Zelensky, continuing his tour of Middle East countries, met with his
Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus. "We agreed to work together to
provide more security and opportunities for development for our societies,"
Zelensky wrote on Telegram. "There is a great interest in exchanging military
and security experience."Reuters
The
following are links to several television channels and newspapers
Asharq Al-Awsat Newspaper
https://aawsat.com/
National News Agency
https://www.nna-leb.gov.lb/ar
Al Arabiya/Arabic
https://www.alarabiya.net/
Sky News
https://www.youtube.com/@SkyNewsArabia
Nidaa Al Watan
https://www.nidaalwatan.com/
Al Markazia
https://www.nidaalwatan.com/
Al Hadath
https://www.youtube.com/@AlHadath
Independent Arabia
https://www.independentarabia.com/
The Latest
LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on April 05-06/2026
Israel
isn’t just responding to threats – it’s reshaping the Middle East
Spyros A. Sofos, Simon Fraser University/The Conversation/April
05/2026
Discussions about Israel’s role in the Middle East still revolve around threats
and responses. Yet recent developments suggest that Israel isn’t only reacting
to events, but is increasingly shaping the conditions in which they occur. This
involves both direct interventions that affect the security and cohesion of
neighbouring states — as seen in its policies on Syria and Iran — and the
cultivation of regional relationships that sustain ongoing tension.
Understanding how these two dynamics interact is key to making sense of the
region’s current trajectory. They’re distinct but interconnected. Together, they
expand Israel’s room to manoeuvre and redefine its regional position. What’s
emerging is a more assertive approach to regional order in the Middle East,
combining the use of force, selective military interventions, security
partnerships and the management of surrounding political conditions.
Weak, fragmented states
This approach is most visible in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and now Iran. Military
operations increasingly extend beyond immediate tactical goals, contributing to
the erosion of governance capacity, infrastructure and territorial cohesion. The
objective is not only deterrence, but the creation of political environments
where state authority remains weak, fragmented and unable to consolidate. This
logic is not always tied to imminent threats. It reflects a broader preference
for environments in which adversaries — actual or potential — remain divided and
constrained. These developments are happening in a changing international
environment, particularly Israel’s current relationship with the United States,
which grants greater operational autonomy and lowers the political costs of
unilateral action.
Regional fragmentation
A second part of this strategy works at the regional level by maintaining
divisions and tensions. This is especially visible in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Israel’s deepening partnerships with Greece and the Republic of Cyprus are
evolving into an alliance: an integrated security framework based on shared
technologies, intelligence co-operation, joint exercises and converging
strategic interests. Greece’s acquisition of Israeli defence systems — in areas
such as air defence, surveillance and drone warfare — makes it easier for their
forces to work together, and connects Israel more closely to the region’s
security system. This relationship doesn’t just reflect shared interests; it
actively shapes the strategic environment. Israeli officials have increasingly
portrayed Turkey as a future challenger, suggesting it will become a major
concern following the Iran war. That means Israeli co-operation with Greece and
Cyprus encourages them to adopt a more assertive stance in disputes with Turkey
over maritime boundaries, energy exploration and airspace. From one perspective,
this is standard defence co-operation among aligned partners. From Turkey’s
perspective, however, it looks like a wider effort by potentially hostile
neighbours to surround it. But these partnerships don’t need open conflict to
work. Israel’s goal isn’t necessarily to fight Turkey, but to position itself in
a region where tensions remain constant.
Examples from further afield
This regional approach supports the internal dynamics described earlier.
Weakening states limits adversaries from within, while regional divisions limit
them from the outside by preventing stable alliances. A comparable pattern can
be observed in the Horn of Africa. Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an
independent state introduces a new political entity in a strategically sensitive
area near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The waterway separates the Arabian Peninsula
from Africa and leads to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
U.S. Navy personnel on a U.S. ship. This move overlaps with Turkish influence in
Somalia, where the Turks have built close ties and taken on a major role in
providing military and naval security. But Somaliland is a breakaway region, not
an internationally recognized state. Israel’s recognition risks creating new
tensions along the Somali coast, complicating the maritime space Turkey is
helping to secure. As in the eastern Mediterranean, the aim isn’t direct
confrontation, but insertion into a complex regional landscape that adds new
forces to the mix, diversifies alignments and complicates the consolidation of
rival influence.
Israel’s new security doctrine?
Israel’s security doctrine has deep historical roots, including traditions that
emphasize force, strategic autonomy and coercive capacity over negotiated order.
Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, these ideas have been further
developed, radicalized and put into action. This is making the international
environment inherently unstable and persistently hostile. Peace is not a durable
end state, but a temporary and reversible condition. As a result, power —
including the use of force — is treated not as a means to an end, but as the
primary and only guarantee of survival. By weakening states and keeping the
Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean region divided, Israel is creating a
situation where neither countries nor alliances can fully stabilize. With this
approach, the Israeli advantage comes from managing or manipulating ongoing
tensions — not resolving them.
This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news
organisation bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense
of our complex world. It was written by: Spyros A. Sofos, Simon Fraser
University
**Spyros A. Sofos does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding
from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has
disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
With Friends Like These: America and Its Fake Allies
Nils A. Haug/Gatestone Institute./April 05/2026
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22366/america-fake-allies
While basking in the protection offered by America's military capability so they
can fund their bulging, barely-functioning welfare programs, and taking
advantage of America's powerful economy with preferential tariffs in their
favor, when asked for support, these putative allies run for cover. While Iran's
terror is aimed at large swaths of the West, it is Israel, as the homeland of
the Jewish people, that is Iran's first target for elimination. It seems that,
in the eyes of Europe's elite and the European Union, the Holocaust... has
become passé, if not a liability. In 2001, long before the Gaza War, France's
ambassador to the UK, Daniel Bernard, already called Israel a "shitty little
country" -- and "polite society defended him."
[For] nearly five decades, relatively little, if any, condemnation was heard
coming from the UK, France and Spain about Iran's despotic and murderous
activities across a wide array of geographical arenas. Then, when the US made a
small request -- the use of a base to remedy this global horror -- the UK turned
it down.
There is, in fact, no more loyal friend to Western interests than Israel – a
tiny nation fighting to preserve civilization for all of Europe and the free
world while in the crosshairs of Iran's terror activities. Yet, when Israel
comes under missile barrages from Iran and its proxies, Macron never offers to
send assistance of any kind, even if only defensive, nor did the UK, Spain,
Germany, or any other European nation -- nor Canada. No one did, except the
United States.
[T]he UK, France, and Germany -- reveal their antipathy towards anything that
might applaud or validate Israel's existence, perhaps out of envy over Israel's
incredible economic and military success.
Western Europe and Canada's elitist leaders appear unable in any way to
acknowledge that "those Jews" -- supposedly those upstart "oppressor-colonialist
racists" who have lived on their land for "only" 4,000 years when in fact it was
the Europeans themselves who colonized large parts of the planet -- might be
showing them up.
Netanyahu, called by Andrew Roberts "The Churchill of the Middle East," has
endured unimaginable opposition from all quarters in a seven-front war. His
villainization began long before the war. Trump and Netanyahu are evidently
obstacles to a "brave new world" wherein the brotherhood of man,
humanitarianism, climate change, globalism, diversity, equity, central planning,
and all sorts of other fanciful Marxian ideologies reign supreme.
It is political correctness run rampant. The problem is not just what has
overtaken Europe, but the entrenched fecklessness of its leaders. While Israel
predicably – and falsely -- gets the blame for leading the US into war with
Iran, the major European powers -- the UK, France, and Germany -- reveal their
antipathy towards anything that might applaud or validate Israel's existence,
perhaps out of envy over Israel's incredible economic and military success.
Pictured: France's President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the Munich Security Conference on
February 13, 2026 in Munich, Germany. ome of America's friends, purported
Western allies, have shown their true colors at last. Regrettably, without
shame, they have proven to be nothing but parasites.
While basking in the protection offered by America's military capability so they
can fund their bulging, barely-functioning welfare programs, and taking
advantage of America's powerful economy with preferential tariffs in their
favor, when asked for support, these putative allies run for cover. In naming
and shaming these "fair-weather" friends – Germany, France, Italy, Spain,
Ireland, Luxembourg, Greece and the United Kingdom, among others, the last might
be a good place to start. Somehow, somewhere along the line, leading politicians
of the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer specifically, seem to have overlooked a
bit of history. During World War II, Great Britain would have been destroyed by
Germany but for one crucial factor – the military and economic might of the
United States.
Without delving into details of the massive financial loans the US made to
Britain and a lend-lease arrangement for purchasing supplies, the almost
unlimited quantity of military equipment and foodstuffs sent to the island, and
the thousands of US troops who perished to ensure that Britain did not end up
becoming a German colony -- among many other avenues of support -- it is
lamentable that to the leaders of Great Britain today, virtues such as loyalty,
common purpose, shared culture, the best interests of the West, and their
"special relationship" with the US apparently mean little. They seem totally to
have forgotten America's costly sacrifices on their behalf.
While Iran's terror is aimed at large swaths of the West, it is Israel, as the
homeland of the Jewish people, that is Iran's first target for elimination. It
seems that, in the eyes of Europe's elite and the European Union, the Holocaust
– when the murder of some six million innocent Jewish civilians as well as
countless others took place -- has become passé, if not a liability. In 2001,
long before the Gaza War, France's ambassador to the UK, Daniel Bernard, already
called Israel a "shitty little country" -- and "polite society defended him."
With the US-Israel alliance currently confronting Iran -- called by the US
Department of State "the leading state sponsor of terrorism" -- very little
assistance was asked of the UK: merely to use its base on the island of Diego
Garcia for transit purposes. Starmer shockingly refused, claiming the war was
illegal under international law. Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, to no
one's surprise, concurred, walking back his earlier stance that favored toppling
Iran's regime. Since when, however, did Iran abide by international or any law
other than Sharia? This minor detail apparently escaped Carney.
Meanwhile, for nearly five decades, relatively little, if any, condemnation was
heard coming from the UK, France and Spain about Iran's despotic and murderous
activities across a wide array of geographical arenas. Then, when the US made a
small request -- the use of a base to remedy this global horror -- the UK turned
it down.
Although Starmer later compromised, he did so only after President Donald Trump
said that the war was already won. Sadly, Starmer revealed himself as an
ungrateful coward; a disgrace to the once-great nation of Britain, to NATO, and
the Western alliance as a whole.
France's President Emmanuel Macron, as usual, acted no better. He called for the
war to end the very day it began, and later stated, "France did not choose this
war, we are not taking part..." Revealingly, Macron recently expressed grave
concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, while overlooking Iran's mass
murder of more than 40,000 of its protesting citizens in just two days.
On March 9, Macron personally went to Cyprus, which had suffered a drone attack
from Iran that caused only minor structural damage to a British base, and
instructed French warships, including an aircraft carrier, with supporting
ground forces, to deploy there. When his office issued a statement that read,
"Together with our European partners, the aim will be to strengthen security
around Cyprus and in the Eastern Mediterranean," the hypocrisy became too big to
overlook.
There is, in fact, no more loyal friend to Western interests than Israel – a
tiny nation fighting to preserve civilization for all of Europe and the free
world while in the crosshairs of Iran's terror activities. Yet, when Israel
comes under missile barrages from Iran and its proxies, Macron never offers to
send assistance of any kind, even if only defensive, nor did the UK, Spain,
Germany, or any other European nation -- nor Canada. No one did, except the
United States.
The Europeans' moment of schadenfreude -- joy at other people's suffering --
arrived with force in mid-March when Trump called upon them, as well as other
nations, to send naval forces to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The result of
Iran's closure of the strait has catapulted the price of crude oil above $100
per barrel. Not a single leader had unreservedly committed to assist in opening
this crucial sea passage, including those NATO nations that rely on the US to
protect them, and Europe as a whole, in the event of an attack by foreign
actors. Failure to assist in this regard, warned Trump, would be "very bad for
the future of NATO." Trump implied that he would reassess US commitments to the
organization.
Nowhere in the UK, France, or Spain were there significant demonstrations
against Iran's killing of innocents; no calls for "Death to the IRGC." According
to neo-Marxian ideologies, united with radical Islam, only "Death to Israel,"
"Death to America," and "Fuck (or Gas) the Jews" are acceptable
At every opportunity, it seems, the leaders of the UK, France, Spain, Canada and
other nations would rather identify with civilization's enemies than with their
allies striving to prevent extinction of the civilization itself. As can be
expected from these socialist sell-outs -– representative of a coalition of
convenience between political Islam and radical leftism, known as the Red-Green
alliance -- enmity towards Israel takes precedence over all else.
While Israel predicably – and falsely -- gets the blame for leading the US into
war with Iran, the major European powers -- the UK, France, and Germany --
reveal their antipathy towards anything that might applaud or validate Israel's
existence, perhaps out of envy over Israel's incredible economic and military
success. Western Europe and Canada's elitist leaders appear unable in any way to
acknowledge that "those Jews" -- supposedly those upstart "oppressor-colonialist
racists" who have lived on their land for "only" 4,000 years when in fact it was
the Europeans themselves who colonized large parts of the planet -- might be
showing them up. They appear to abhor the emerging "new world order" in which an
America, which in their eyes committed the capital crime of not always being
perfect, along with its most reliable ally, Israel, is the central protagonist.
In their view, Trump is the primary obstacle to the idealized "civilizational
transformation they have already advanced in London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, and
Ottawa." They focus more on Trump than on the enemies of the West.
These elites likewise abhor any acknowledgement of Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's success in defending Western interests. They therefore use
every opportunity to vilify him and denigrate his breathtaking achievements.
Netanyahu, called by Andrew Roberts "The Churchill of the Middle East," has
endured unimaginable opposition from all quarters in a seven-front war. His
villainization began long before the war.
When Trump lauds Netanyahu by declaring, "if Bibi wasn't around, Israel would
not exist today," there is no way the leftist elites can admit that their
"goodness," which entails tolerating the intolerable, might be catastrophically
misplaced.
The joint war leadership of Trump and Netanyahu -- not to mention a reluctance
to endanger their own careers and citizens if someone else is already doing the
dirty work for them - may be one of the reasons that the leader of the UK,
France, Spain and others distance themselves from actions against Iran,
irrespective of how necessary they are for their own interests. Trump and
Netanyahu are evidently obstacles to a "brave new world" wherein the brotherhood
of man, humanitarianism, climate change, globalism, diversity, equity, central
planning, and all sorts of other fanciful Marxian ideologies reign supreme.
The opportunity for Western leaders, and the European Union as a whole, to
display some form of moral clarity, some form of concern for the desperate
cultural, religious, and political zero-sum contest against an extremist form of
Islam – predominantly sponsored by Qatar and Iran – has clearly been brushed
aside. Instead, they voice their preference for adolescent, starry-eyed
alternatives such as 'regional stability, the application of a corrupt
UN-approved "rules-based international order" -- according to EU-approved human
rights practices -- and a negotiated compromise leading to a presumably peaceful
settlement. It is political correctness run rampant.
Political analyst Shuki Friedman noted in 2022:
"Iran's evil regime has been fomenting terror and instability in the region and
far beyond almost since its inception in 1979. Trampling human rights is its
bread and butter....
"When an existential struggle against a death-sanctifying axis is labeled an
'illegal war' or 'unjustified aggression,' the term 'international law' is
stripped of its original meaning and moral substance. Instead, it is transformed
from a tool designed to protect humanity from barbarism into a legal instrument
in the hands of those who seek to destroy the very possibility of democratic
life."In plain terms, Iran's treatment of its own people, coupled with its
dedication to world domination under severe Sharia law and achieved through
terror, is the shape of a future barbarism that many Western leaders are
impliedly allowing to foster.
Argentina's President Javier Milei said last month:
"Socialism found out that the basis for the free enterprise capitalist system is
anchored on Judeo-Christian values. They found out if you attack Judaism, if you
attack Israel, then you break the basis for the capitalist system and Western
civilization."
Most Western leaders, by their muted response to Iran's mass murder of its own
unarmed civilians, and their failure to support an alliance to displace Iran's
murderous regime, would seem to make them not only parasites but also
identifying not so much with the oppressed people of Iran but, instead, their
oppressors. Their attitude harbors a severe moral collapse; the sooner they are
ejected from power, the better for all of Europe and the West.
Journalist Melanie Phillips wrote in January:
"The terrible fact is that, with the entire global humanitarian establishment
having turned into a force to demonize and delegitimize Israel, conscience in
the West has become harnessed to absolute evil. The label of 'human rights'
activists is accordingly given only to those who support the West's enemies."In
this shameful and cowardly way, the battle for Europe's soul is fast being lost
with virtually no resistance from its leaders. The problem is not just what has
overtaken Europe, but the entrenched fecklessness of its leaders.
**Nils A. Haug is an author and columnist. A Lawyer by profession, he is member
of the International Bar Association, the National Association of Scholars, the
Academy of Philosophy and Letters. Dr. Haug holds a Ph.D. in Apologetical
Theology and is author of 'Politics, Law, and Disorder in the Garden of Eden –
the Quest for Identity'; and 'Enemies of the Innocent – Life, Truth, and Meaning
in a Dark Age.' His work has been published by First Things Journal, The
American Mind, Quadrant, Minding the Campus, Gatestone Institute, National
Association of Scholars, Jewish Journal, James Wilson Institute (Anchoring
Truths), Jewish News Syndicate, Tribune Juive, Document Danmark, Zwiedzaj Polske,
Schlaglicht Israel, and many others.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22366/america-fake-allies
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.
Same Regime, Different Face: The West's Recurring Mistake in Iran
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/April 05/2026
For decades, the Iranian regime has played a calculated game. Every few years,
when pressure intensifies — whether economic, political or military — it
introduces a figure portrayed as "moderate" or "pragmatic." This narrative was
once built around figures like Presidents Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani,
both marketed to the West as agents of change.
Today, a similar narrative is emerging around Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. A closer
examination of Ghalibaf's record, however, exposes the disaster in this
recurring assumption. He is not an outsider, reformer or transformative figure.
He is a quintessential insider — a product of the system from its earliest days.
What the Trump Administration seems to find irresistible about Ghalibaf is that
he is reported to be a "yes man." The Administration is likely hoping that he
will be its "yes man," not the IRGC's. The sticking point that has surfaced,
however, is that "[e]ven if he wants to do something, he has to get approval
from the IRGC and the supreme leadership."
Even when figures such as Ghalibaf are floated as potential candidates for
Iran's presidency, they remain deeply embedded in a system where ultimate
authority lies in layers of leadership. Whoever thinks that such individuals can
independently reshape policy or fundamentally alter the regime's trajectory
misunderstands how power operates in Tehran.
The goal is not cooperatively to transform the system, but to help it survive.
For Iran's rulers, reform is not just undesirable — it is unacceptable, the
equivalent of expecting a rabbi to eat bacon on the Jewish fasting day of Yom
Kippur.
At present, there is a strong incentive for Iran to simply wait out Trump.
Future US presidents, it is assumed, will be more accommodating; they always
have been.
The United States and its allies, including Israel, should not again fall for
the dusted-off illusion that a new Iranian official will now, suddenly, out of a
top hat, represent meaningful change.... Whether it was Khatami, Rouhani, or now
Ghalibaf, in reality, within Iran's regime, there are no true moderates. As long
as the current structure of the Islamic Republic remains intact, the system —
not the individuals — is the defining force.
For decades, the Iranian regime has played a calculated game. When pressure
intensifies — whether economic, political or military — it introduces a figure
portrayed as "moderate" or "pragmatic." Today a similar narrative is emerging
around Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. A closer examination of
his record, however, exposes that he is not an outsider, reformer or
transformative figure. He is a quintessential insider — a product of the system
from its earliest days. Pictured: Ghalibaf (L) sits beside then Supreme Leader
Ali Khamenei, reading the Koran during Friday prayers on October 4, 2024 in
Tehran, Iran. (Photo by the Office of the Supreme Leader/Getty Images)
The United States should not fall for the wish that any official of the current
Iranian regime will somehow be different from the others. This illusion has
surfaced repeatedly, repackaged with new faces and new rhetoric, but always
serving the same underlying system. Washington and its allies really need to
recognize that individuals within the Islamic Republic of Iran do not operate
independently of the regime's ideological core — they are products of it.
For decades, the Iranian regime has played a calculated game. Every few years,
when pressure intensifies — whether economic, political or military — it
introduces a figure portrayed as "moderate" or "pragmatic." This narrative was
once built around figures like Presidents Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani,
both marketed to the West as agents of change.
Today, a similar narrative is emerging around Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad
Bagher Ghalibaf. A closer examination of Ghalibaf's record, however, exposes the
disaster in this recurring assumption. He is not an outsider, reformer or
transformative figure. He is a quintessential insider — a product of the system
from its earliest days. Ghalibaf joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
during the Iran-Iraq War and rose through its ranks, later serving as commander
of the IRGC Air Force, head of Iran's national police, mayor of Tehran, and
ultimately speaker of parliament.
His role in internal repression is uncomfortably telling. During student
protests in 1999, Ghalibaf co-signed a letter warning then President Khatami
that the IRGC would intervene directly if the unrest was not crushed. He oversaw
policing structures and ordered the use of force against demonstrators. These
are not the actions of a reformer — they are the actions of an enforcer.
Ghalibaf's ideological alignment is equally clear. He has consistently praised
figures such as the late IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani and has
emphasized the continuation of Soleimani's legacy, framing it as a guiding model
for Iran's regional strategy. Ghalibaf's rhetoric and positions firmly situate
him within the regime's hardline worldview, not outside it.
As speaker of parliament, Ghalibaf has also led chants of "Death to America" and
"Death to Israel" within the legislative chamber, reinforcing the regime's
ideological hostility at the highest levels of governance. This is not symbolic
or incidental — it reflects the core worldview that defines the political system
he represents.
His own words further underscore this reality. On November 2, 2022, Ghalibaf
explicitly declared:
"Relying upon the assistance of the almighty God, all conspiracies waged by the
U.S. government have totally been foiled by the vigilant nation of Islamic
Iran."
This statement is not the language of a reformer or a pragmatist — it is the
language of a committed ideological actor framing the United States as a
perpetual enemy. Ghalibaf — like President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Syria, where
minorities are being slaughtered in ongoing massacres — is most likely
attempting to humor the US until President Donald Trump is no longer in office
and someone less watchful takes his place.
The key point is that no one rises to the upper echelons of the Islamic Republic
of Iran without undergoing deep ideological vetting. This system is not a
conventional political structure where outsiders can get in to reform it. It is
a tightly controlled ideological order dominated by the Supreme Leader and
reinforced by institutions such as the IRGC. Loyalty to the regime is not
optional — it is foundational.
What the Trump Administration seems to find irresistible about Ghalibaf is that
he is reported to be a "yes man." The Administration is likely hoping that he
will be its "yes man," not the IRGC's. The sticking point that has surfaced,
however, is that "[e]ven if he wants to do something, he has to get approval
from the IRGC and the supreme leadership."
Even when figures such as Ghalibaf are floated as potential candidates for
Iran's presidency, they remain deeply embedded in a system where ultimate
authority lies in layers of leadership. Whoever thinks that such individuals can
independently reshape policy or fundamentally alter the regime's trajectory
misunderstands how power operates in Tehran.
The pattern of introducing a supposedly "pragmatic" figure during moments of
pressure is simply one way the regime seeks to buy time, ease external pressure,
and divide international consensus. The goal is not cooperatively to transform
the system, but to help it survive.
At its core, the Islamic Republic of Iran is held together by a revolutionary,
fundamentalist ideology. Those within it are not merely participants; they are
believers and beneficiaries. For Iran's rulers, reform is not just undesirable —
it is unacceptable, the equivalent of expecting a rabbi to eat bacon on the
Jewish fasting day of Yom Kippur.
That is why the expectation of change from within is fundamentally misguided.
The individuals are not the drivers of the system; they are its instruments. The
structure itself — its ideology, its power networks, and its security
institutions — dictates outcomes. Without structural change, personnel changes
are irrelevant.
Iranian leadership has also demonstrated a long-term policy of strategic
patience: an unwavering ability to think in long time horizons, particularly
when dealing with the United States. The main objective is to outlast American
administrations it perceives as unfavorable. At present, there is a strong
incentive for Iran to simply wait out Trump. Future US presidents, it is
assumed, will be more accommodating; they always have been.
The United States and its allies, including Israel, should not again fall for
the dusted-off illusion that a new Iranian official will now, suddenly, out of a
top hat, represent meaningful change. This narrative has been presented before,
repeatedly, and each time it has proven misleading. Whether it was Khatami,
Rouhani, or now Ghalibaf, in reality, within Iran's regime, there are no true
moderates. As long as the current structure of the Islamic Republic remains
intact, the system — not the individuals — is the defining force.
*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)
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.
The
madness before the explosion: Iran, Trump, and the cost of victory
Raghida Dergham/Al Arabiya English/05 April/2026
We are entering a phase of escalating madness in the war with Iran – one without
red lines, marked by a qualitative shift in US military operations targeting
civilian infrastructure, accompanied by Iranian retaliation in kind across the
Arab Gulf states, with all the resulting repercussions for oil and gas markets
and global financial systems. We may be approaching the stage that precedes the
outbreak of global chaos – without controls and without instruments of
deterrence. If President Donald Trump carries out his promise to return Iran to
the “Stone Age” should its leaders persist in their obstinacy, those in power in
Tehran will move to realize their core ambition: the destruction of the rise and
vision of the Arab Gulf states built on development, prosperity, and freedoms.
The sons and grandsons of the 1979 Iranian Revolution seek revenge for the Gulf
states’ refusal to embrace Iran’s extremist and domineering doctrine, choosing
instead the path of moderation and growth.
Tehran’s leadership operates with unconventional calculations of victory and
defeat in war, and of gain and loss in battle. The mindset of the revolution’s
heirs is both suicidal and vengeful. They have made clear that the geography of
retaliation for the American-Israeli war on Iran will not be confined to Israel
or to American bases. Their strategic decision includes drawing Saudi Arabia,
Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and even Oman into the war.
They have sought to lure these states into going beyond defensive responses,
effectively inviting them into direct war. Their calculations extend far beyond
expelling the United States from the region. The larger war with Arab states is
ideological, intertwined with religious confrontation.
President Donald Trump may not have fully grasped the intricacies of the Iranian
revolutionary mindset and therefore may not have been adequately prepared to
enter this war. Military operations were not structured on the basis of full
knowledge of the adversary and how it thinks.
“Know your enemy” is the foundation of warfare. Russian President Vladimir Putin
entered the war in Ukraine without fully understanding the capabilities of the
other side and thus became entangled in a war that has exceeded four years. The
American-Israeli operation in Iran appears to have committed the same mistake –
misinterpreting and misjudging the capabilities, the mindset, and the centrality
of doctrine within the Iranian leadership.
The American president has recently collided with the inevitability of a
difficult decision after realizing that Tehran’s leadership rejects negotiation
because it equates concession with surrender, and because it bets on its
suicidal capabilities to subdue the enemy and disorient it through a logic it
considers rational.
Donald Trump has collided with the logic of Iran, its allies, and its proxies –
that strength lies in perceived weakness. He now finds himself, along with the
overwhelming power of the American military equation, facing the force of
Iranian ideological resolve and its determination to compel the United States
and its allies to retreat.
Donald Trump was surprised not only by the capabilities of the Islamic Republic
of Iran upon discovering the scale of missiles and drones in its possession – US
and Israeli intelligence should not have erred in their assessments – but also
by another surprise of equal importance: the centrality of Iran’s network of
proxies in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen within its broader strategy.
The essential question now is whether Donald Trump will retreat, burdened by
defeat because he fears the cost of victory – particularly among American troops
– or whether he will double down on his determination to achieve strategic
objectives regardless of the cost.
In other words, will Donald Trump risk an Iranian retaliation that would affect
the entire world, including China – not only the Arab Gulf states? Or will he
fear the repercussions of a collapse in global markets on the American economy,
as well as on his political future and his historical legacy?
It may be said that Donald Trump entered the war in a state of disorientation
and then lost his compass. It may also be argued that he fully knows what he is
doing, and that his core strategy has been to contain Iran and Venezuela
together in order to seize control of global oil and dictate market dynamics.
Let us assume that Tehran’s leadership has engaged in a form of strategic
suicide through the Strait of Hormuz, implementing policies that in reality harm
China, Asia, and Europe more than the United States. Let us assume that it
decides to destroy the city of Dubai so that global financial markets collapse,
believing that this would trigger panic in American markets.
In reality, the United States would be among those affected, but not at the
forefront. Iran’s partners – China and Russia – would be in the front ranks,
along with India, Pakistan, and other Asian states, in addition to European
countries.
Iran would be shooting itself in the foot if it chose to ignite neighboring
states. Its “suicide” would not merely be doctrine and determination – it would
become its grave, and that of its proxies. The sons and grandsons of the Iranian
Revolution would bury one another over the bodies of the Iranian people if
Donald Trump were to carry out his threat to return Iran to the “Stone Age” –
for he would not stop at condemnations by the Human Rights Council, nor at
European protests over the humanitarian cost, nor at accusations by Democrats
and segments of American public opinion.
If Donald Trump decides to act decisively in the coming days, he will not leave
Iran without securing Kharg Island under his control, as it remains key to the
strategy of oil and global influence that he will not relinquish. This island,
along with others, remains central to the traditional definition of victory and
defeat.
While the fate of enriched uranium is critically important in interpreting the
war Donald Trump has waged against Iran, deeper strategic calculations have
always been the primary driver behind his decision to enter this consequential
war.
It is not true that the Islamic Republic of Iran was peacefully coexisting with
its neighbors and the world before the war that struck it. What this war has
exposed is the extent to which Iran’s doctrine is committed to undermining state
sovereignty through militias commanded by the Revolutionary Guard, through which
it wages wars against the will of governments and their peoples. These militias
are used to destabilize Gulf states, because its fundamental objective is to
destroy them, break their confidence, and dismantle their vision and prosperity.
We are facing difficult days and weeks in which we may witness all forms of the
madness of war, Trump’s unpredictability, and a world standing on the brink –
either of chaos or of a profound transformation in the fate of the Middle East
and the world.
The
Lunar Mission
Samir Atallah/Asharq Al Awsat/5 April/2026
For three days now, Artemis II has been on its flight around the Moon, signaling
the return of crewed missions to that enchanting orbit, fifty years after the
first astonishment. Half a century on, humanity is still circling restlessly
among the planets, searching for a drop of water on Mars or a trace of life on
Saturn, only to discover that it can kill 100,000 people in Gaza and a thousand
Lebanese in southern Lebanon in a single night. And if the problem is Benjamin
Netanyahu, is it even conceivable that he could also be the solution? By one of
those fateful coincidences, on the very day man took his first step on the
surface of the Moon, I took my first step into married life, and that proved far
more complex and far more difficult. It became clear to me that the journey to
the Moon is a spring outing compared with the journey of life, whether for
individuals or for societies. The question is the same whether you are Abu al-Alaa
al-Maarri in Maarrat al-Numan or a NASA scientist in Florida.Many paid little
attention to this mixed lunar mission; conditions on Earth were deteriorating at
an alarming pace. While Artemis II glides along its lunar path like a swan, a
Phantom jet, long famed for hunting airborne ghosts, falls over Iran. Human
beings do not change their habits. Give them an enchanting moon and they turn it
into a song, or a tethered prize. Give them a horse-drawn carriage and they turn
it into a spacecraft. Give them America and they will want Canada, Panama, and
Greenland along with it.The United States has advanced so far in science that
space now seems crowded with planets like festival balloons. Yet suddenly the
crack of gunfire and rockets rises, and the skies and the earth fill with drones
of every kind.It is as if Artemis II were a private gift for the occasion. What
does it mean to me, as an individual marking a wedding anniversary, compared
with what I have lived through as a defenseless individual among millions? Sun
or moon, what difference does it make? Did not Al-Akhtal al-Saghir once say: The
day I wake with neither sun nor moon, who is left to make music on a lute
stripped of its strings?
The Promised Day"
Sawsan al-Shaer/Asharq Al Awsat/5 April/2026
An Iranian official said that “we have prepared a vast arsenal of weapons,
missiles, and drones for this promised day.” When Iran came under Israeli-US
attack on February 28, we assumed that arsenal would be directed at the enemy
that struck it. That, after all, is what this “promised day” was meant for.
Instead, 86 percent of that arsenal was aimed at the Gulf states, and for a full
month the debate has revolved around this misdirected aim. Why was it not
directed at Israel? Was the “promised day” in fact meant to be the day of
attacking the Gulf, not Israel?
It is clear that the element of surprise rattled the Iranian regime. Iran never
expected the United States to take part in a war against it. It was caught off
guard, just as it never expected Israel to resume attacks after the 12-day war,
nor did it anticipate that the United States would enter the fight in earnest,
deploying its full array of overwhelming and lethal capabilities. Nor did Iran
grasp that Trump’s America does not operate by the familiar playbook it had
grown used to over the years.The last time the United States and Iran confronted
each other directly was during the failed attempt to rescue hostages at the US
embassy in Tehran. After that, Iran cut deals with successive US
administrations. At most, it faced tighter sanctions from some, only for the
next administration to release its funds. This is how Iran managed the
relationship- by keeping confrontation off the table and avoiding any direct
clash.
The US entry into the war with a clear determination to dismantle Iran’s arsenal
caught Tehran off guard and forced it to act. It effectively brought forward the
“promised day.” There is no plausible explanation for concentrating attacks on
the Gulf states unless that vast arsenal had been prepared for expansion-
particularly toward the Gulf. Iran had already encircled the region through
proxies it had also prepared for this very day.
Logically, Iran would have been expected to respond to Israel and the United
States, which were pounding its arsenal daily. Otherwise, it risked losing that
arsenal before realizing its expansionist ambitions. The result is that Iran has
lost most of its arsenal, while the Gulf states remain as they were before
February 28. This suggests that the “promised day” may be delayed, and may never
come. Iran had effectively neutralized Russia and China for when that day
arrived, and ensured that no major Arab state would enter a confrontation with
it. That is why it did not hesitate or delay; immediately after the first US
strike, it moved toward its preselected primary targets, seeking to use its
arsenal for its intended purpose before the United States and Israel destroyed
what remained. From day one, the Iranian regime targeted the Gulf states’
infrastructure; airports, ports, refineries, desalination plants, communications
networks, databases, electricity, and more.The overwhelming majority of its
missile and drone strikes were directed at this infrastructure, while it
activated sleeper cells inside Gulf countries. That makes clear that this, in
fact, was the “promised day.”
The greatest surprise, one Iran never accounted for and that all its
intelligence services failed to anticipate, has been the Gulf states’ ability,
through their own people, to endure militarily while continuing to run their
daily life normally. That is another story, one that will be told to future
generations.
From Illusion of Decisive Victory to War of Attrition
Dr. Ghassan Khatib/Asharq Al Awsat/5 April/2026
This war was not meant to last.
That is how its parties entered it, each confident that its tools could deliver
a swift outcome. What began as a limited confrontation with a defined timeframe
has instead become an open-ended war, exceeding all expectations and draining
the capacities of those involved to varying degrees.
The most convincing explanation for this paradox lies less in the balance of
power than in converging miscalculations that pushed each side to adopt
strategies that prolonged, rather than ended, the conflict. Still, pointing to
multiple errors does not erase the differences in each side’s position at the
outset. The US operation was the primary trigger for escalation, while Iran’s
move came later as a response. Yet that response, in turn, was shaped by
misjudgments and choices that complicated the war's course and prolonged its
duration.
In this context, the US miscalculation stemmed from a wager that accompanied the
decision to engage militarily, the assumption that combined military and
economic pressure would quickly produce fractures, followed by internal
collapse, in Iran. This view relied on a conventional assumption that societies
under severe pressure tend to turn against their governments.
But it overlooked three key realities: the ideological nature of the Iranian
system, which places regime survival above any cost borne by the state and
society; the tendency of external threats to reinforce internal cohesion rather
than weaken it; and the regime’s strong coercive capacity, which makes the cost
of dissent in wartime prohibitively high. The result was not internal upheaval,
but relative cohesion that allowed the system to absorb pressure and endure,
undermining expectations of a quick resolution. On the Iranian side, although
its actions came in response, they involved a series of miscalculations that
limited their effectiveness and further complicated the conflict.Tehran bet that
raising the cost of war would force its adversaries into a rapid retreat. It
pursued this by targeting the global economy, particularly critical energy
infrastructure and maritime routes.
Yet, this calculation overlooked a structural reality of the global economy:
costs are not distributed equally. The United States, given its geographic
distance, its ability to absorb shocks, and its status as a major energy
producer, was relatively less affected. The heavier burden instead fell on
economies such as China, India, Japan, and Europe, which are not the primary
decision-makers in ending the war. As a result, the political impact of this
economic pressure remained limited despite its high cost. One clear example of
this miscalculation was the expansion of pressure to include Arab Gulf states,
through attacks or threats against their oil facilities, even though they were
not direct parties to the conflict. This approach proved problematic on two
levels. First, it widened the scope of targeting to include actors that had
maintained neutrality. Second, it was strategically unwise, as it alienated
these states rather than encouraging them to push for an end to the war. More
importantly, the underlying assumption that disrupting energy markets would
create decisive economic pressure did not materialize, given how costs are
distributed across the global economy. Iranian miscalculations did not end
there. Tehran also assumed that intensifying direct military pressure,
particularly through missile attacks, would exhaust Israeli society and lead it
to pressure its leadership to end the war. This assessment, however, failed to
account for the sophistication of air defense systems, the high level of
civilian preparedness, and the accumulated experience in managing
emergencies.While the costs were real and significant, the ability to absorb and
manage them was greater than Iranian calculations assumed. As a result, pressure
shifted from a tool of decisive impact into a factor of prolonged attrition
without resolution.
Here lies the central paradox: each side entered the war believing that time was
on its side. The United States expected that sustained pressure would expose the
fragility of Iran’s domestic front. Iran, meanwhile, believed that time would
accumulate costs its adversaries could not bear.
In practice, the opposite occurred. Time did not validate either assumption;
instead, it exposed the limits of both. With each additional round, rather than
revising strategies, both sides deepened them, hoping that the “next push” would
finally produce the delayed effect.
In this sense, the war’s prolongation is not the result of one side’s
superiority or the other’s failure, but of a shared logic of misperception, with
an important difference in how each side engaged in it. Each misidentified the
other’s point of vulnerability. Washington looked for it inside Iran and did not
find it. Tehran tried to create it through external cost imposition, but failed
to hit the center of decision-making, while also expanding the conflict in ways
that weakened its own political position. Between these two paths, a
self-sustaining dynamic took shape, in which the war continues not because
either side is approaching victory, but because both mistakenly believe that
victory remains achievable with the same tools. The harsh conclusion of this war
is that miscalculations do not cancel each other out. Instead, they can converge
in ways that amplify their cost. When decisions are based on flawed
understandings of the adversary, the distribution of costs, and the resilience
of societies, what is assumed to be a shortcut to a decisive outcome becomes an
open-ended path toward a longer and more complex war than anyone intended.
Iran:
From “Terrorist State” to “Terrorist Organization”
Nadim Qoteish/Asas Media/April 6, 2026
(Translated from Arabic by Google)
US President Donald Trump was right when he said, “We didn’t change the regime,
but the regime itself changed.” The Iranian regime did not change ideologically,
nor did its slogans or doctrine. What changed was its functional nature in the
field of regional security.
Iran entered the war as a phenomenon unprecedented in modern history: a state
with all its institutions, international membership, and diplomatic relations,
simultaneously managing an empire of militias and organized crime gangs
stretching from Sana'a to Caracas, passing through Beirut, Baghdad, Damascus,
and Gaza. A state sponsor of terrorism, it manages violence remotely, behind a
veil of denial and through proxies. This combination, which combines the
legitimacy of a state sponsor of terrorism with the effectiveness of a terrorist
organization that practices direct violence, is precisely what the war
shattered. Since the first round of fighting in June 2025, Iran has lost the
protective shield that protected it for four decades. It is now directly
targeted, its airspace and territorial waters violated, and its leaders, from
the Supreme Leader down, assassinated without a shred of immunity. This is
precisely what happens to organizations, not states.
Indeed, Iran itself is increasingly demonstrating its withdrawal from the
international system and its behavior according to the logic of a de facto power
and bullying, which has nothing to lose in terms of international legitimacy.
This is precisely what the Iranian ambassador's refusal to leave the country
that expelled him demonstrates. He is not acting as a diplomat, but rather as a
militia leader who believes his presence is a right acquired by force, not by
institutional recognition. When the Iranian ambassador in Beirut refused to
comply with the expulsion order, he did not reveal the weakness of the Lebanese
state, but rather that Iran has lost something deeper than military capability:
it has lost the very culture of statehood, which it never truly possessed.
Regular armies cannot guarantee survival.
From the very first moment of the Islamic Republic's establishment in 1979, its
founders realized that survival could not be guaranteed by regular armies alone,
and that "exporting the revolution," a founding doctrine explicitly declared by
Khomeini, required a tool radically different from traditional military logic.
Khomeini's conclusions were confirmed after he was forced to drink from the
poisoned chalice at the end of the Iran-Iraq War, in which he was defeated.
In the first decade of the revolution, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC),
with the Quds Force at its core, was born. They developed not as a reserve army,
but as an operational arm for managing a conflict that Tehran could not directly
control and feared being directly associated with.
Over the decades, this model achieved tremendous strategic gains: Hezbollah,
founded in 1982, was not an ally of Iran in the traditional sense, but rather a
functional extension of it on Lebanese soil, an arm acting at Tehran's behest,
carrying out its agenda and implementing its deterrent strategies, while Iran
maintained a degree of plausible deniability to shield itself from direct
international repercussions. Then came the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq,
the Houthis in Yemen, and factions in Syria and Gaza, each building upon its
predecessors in drawing up a map of influence that, while not explicitly labeled
as occupation because they do not fly the Iranian flag, operate with a high
degree of coordination and are managed, albeit to varying degrees, from a single
center.
The most dangerous aspect of this model is that it was not merely a tool for
expansion, but a comprehensive deterrent system. As long as Hezbollah stood on
Israel's northern border with a hundred thousand missiles, the Houthis
threatened shipping lanes in the Red Sea, and the pro-Iranian Popular
Mobilization Forces encircled American forces in Iraq, Iran possessed a
decentralized deterrent, costly for its adversaries, and without a clear point
of reference in Tehran. This ingenious arrangement transformed Iran from an
economically besieged state into a regional player that could not be ignored.
In reality, what the continuous strikes, from October 7, 2023, culminating in
the war being brought inside Iran, achieved was not simply inflicting material,
moral, or even military losses on the axis's members, but rather its systematic
dismantling. The Soviet Union Abandoned Its Proxies
It is worth noting that Moscow—the Soviet Union—abandoned its proxies because it
was confident that its core could survive them. The costs of the Strategic
Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as Star Wars, and the resulting economic
drain forced it to reduce its external commitments, but it did so from a
position of strength, believing it would remain a state. However, Tehran—under
Khomeini—never had this luxury, because it knew, in its heart of hearts, what it
wouldn't admit publicly: that the core was utterly hollow, that the proxies were
not instruments of power but power itself, and that the day the network
collapsed, the world would discover that nothing of substance lay behind it.
The brilliance of the campaign that began on October 7th and the subsequent
removal of proxies was not merely the weakening of Iran's periphery, but a
strategy to expose the hollowness of the core and shatter the illusion that had
sustained Iran for four decades. The Pilots' Rescue… Summarizes the Situation
Perhaps the two rescue operations carried out by US special forces for their
pilots inside Iranian territory in recent hours, under the same skies and on the
same soil that Tehran has always considered an inviolable red line, summarize
the state Iran has reached. It wasn't merely a matter of rescuing pilots; it was
a message written in the boots of American soldiers deep within Iranian
territory: what was forbidden by feigned deterrence is now permissible by actual
force. Iran remains undoubtedly a threat. However, it bullies, fights, and bombs
from a position radically different from the one it occupied in the regional
security system for nearly half a century. It no longer strikes through a proxy
protecting its back and masquerading as a resistance movement. Instead, it now
directly attacks the Gulf states and Jordan, claiming to be attacking America
and Israel, threatening international waterways, seizing ships like a pirate,
and holding the global economy hostage through acts of terrorism. This is
precisely what terrorist organizations, devoid of state responsibilities and
obligations, do.
Iran did not choose this transformation; it was forced into it. And in this very
coercion lies the most compelling evidence of the magnitude of its losses—not as
the end of the journey, but as the prelude to the final blow.
X Platform & Facebook Selected twittes
on April 05-06/2026
Israel Troops
BREAKING:
The second F-15E crew member has been successfully rescued after an intense
firefight inside Iran. Both airmen are now safe, marking the end of one of the
most daring combat rescue missions in decades.
They brought him home
Bless the 🇺🇸
Happy Easter!
Tom Harb
https://x.com/i/status/2040474885982707817
His legacy will always be the man who was laughed at by the West and sold out
Lebanon's sovereignty to Hezbollah for personal gain.
Please enjoy the great @Gebran_Bassil spewing nonsense and getting embarrassed
by @_HadleyGamble when asked if he would diminish Hezbollah’s influence in the
famous 2020 Davos exchange.
Nadine Barakat
Interesting report, yet I believe there will be some surprises in the coming
week.
This phase however, helped everyone see how dangerous it is to have “fake
allies”… The IRGC will go down, and will be accompanied by its “allies” .. even
those who didn’t come out of the closet ;)
Donald Trump Jr.
This is the Easter miracle I was praying for today. Pilot, WSO rescued and all
rescue operators safely out of Iran. What an extraordinary mission behind enemy
lines. Shot down in Good Friday rescued on Easter. You couldn't ask for anything
more perfect. Happy Easter all. x.com/whitehouse/sta…