English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For  April 29/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2026/english.apri29.26.htm

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

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

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

Bible Quotations For today
He woke up & rebuked the wind & the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them Where is your faith?
Luke 08/22-25: “One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake.’ So they put out, and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A gale swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger.They went to him and woke him up, shouting, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?’”

Titles For Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 28-29/2026
Elias Bejjani/Video link to my interview of today from the "Transparency" Youtube platform
Elias Bejjani / Video Link of my Interview with "Arab Files"
Elias Bejjani: Video and Text/ A Critical Reading of Samir Geagea’s Sunday Appearance on Al-Jadeed TV
Elias Bejjani/Text and Video: The Anniversary of the Syrian Army's Withdrawal from Lebanon Is Marked by Defeat and Disappointment
Israel Military Issues Evacuation Warning for Area of South Lebanon
Israel Spy Chief Hails ‘Groundbreaking’ Ops in Iran, Lebanon
Israel says has 'no territorial ambitions in Lebanon'
Rubio says Lebanon ceasefire 'unique' because 'Lebanon and Israel are not at war'
Trump pressures Netanyahu to keep response to Hezbollah 'calculated and limited'
Israeli troops detonate Bint Jbeil stadium — a symbol of Lebanon's liberation
Israel cancels major holiday gatherings over fears of a Hezbollah attack
Israel strikes south, orders residents to evacuate despite truce
Israeli army says destroyed huge Hezbollah tunnel network in south Lebanon
Lebanese Army says Israeli strike wounds two troops
Amnesty International urges Israel to stop destroying civilian property in southern Lebanon
Hezbollah's drones: Small but immune weapon bypassing Israeli defense
Berri: Where is the ceasefire?
Israel spy chief hails 'groundbreaking' ops in Iran, Lebanon
Lebanon army says targeted Israeli strike wounds two soldiers
Lebanon: Faced with the Israeli Project and Its Regional Cost/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al-Awsat/April 28/2026
Lebanon in the Bottleneck/Hanna Saleh/Asharq Al-Awsat/April 28/2026

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 28-29/2026
Trump says Iran has told him it is in a ‘state of collapse’
Trump claims Iran has 'just' informed the US it's in a 'State of Collapse'
Peace efforts stall as US examines latest Iran proposal
US spy agencies examine how Iran would react to Trump declaring victory
US to produce passports bearing Trump’s image
UAE leaves OPEC and OPEC+
MBS chairs GCC Consultative Summit, regional and international developments discussed
Iraqi security forces open fire at drone flying over Baghdad’s Green Zone
Analysis: Iran’s IRGC seizes wartime power, blunting supreme leader’s role

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on April 28-29/2026
Trump's Triumph: Nuclear Fusion Roadmap, the Next Breakthrough in America's 'Tech Revolution'/Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute/April 28, 2026
Europeans Dream of Throwing Themselves into the Jaws of the Russian Bear/Drieu Godefridi/Gatestone Institute./April 28, 2026
Trump is Right: Laws Across the Middle East to Prevent Normalization with Israel are 'Crazy' - and Poisonous/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/April 28, 2026
The WHCD Attack and the Revolutionary Vanguards/Alberto M. Fernandez/National Catholic Register/April 28/026

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 28-29/2026
Elias Bejjani/Video link to my interview of today from the "Transparency" Youtube platform
A Reading into the Reality of the Occupation and the Hezbollah status in Lebanon; The Inevitability of Uprooting it, Placing Lebanon Under International Trusteeship, Imposing Peace by Force, and the Retirement of the Entire Rotten Political Class—If Not Their Prosecution.
To President Aoun: "You must have the courage of Bashir and Chamoun."
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/04/154013/
The interview was conducted by journalist Patricia Samaha via Zoom for the Transparency Youtube Platform on April 28, 2026.
Introduction by Transparency Youtube Platform
on April 28, 2026.
Elias Bejjani Explodes Political Bombs from Canada: "We are living in a Hezbollah state, and the Army’s doctrine was imposed upon it by Syria!" Is the end of Iran’s influence in Lebanon approaching?
In an exceptional episode of the program "Politics and People," journalist Patricia Samaha hosts political activist Elias Bejjani for a deep and bold analysis of the Lebanese reality. The meeting tackles thorny files starting with a response to Naim Qassem, moving through the file of naturalized citizens and "demographic cleansing," and reaching an explicit call for a comprehensive peace agreement with Israel to end the state of war that has destroyed Lebanon since the seventies.
Interview Timestamps and Headlines
00:00 – The lesson from the humiliating Syrian withdrawal: A message to every invader and occupier.
03:30 – The file of the 1,000,000 naturalized citizens: The necessity of immediately cleaning the Lebanese demography.
07:00 – "The international plan to eliminate Iran's arms": Hezbollah is finished.
08:45 – The difference between peace and normalization: Why does Lebanon need a comprehensive reconciliation with Israel?
10:30 – A fierce attack on Lebanese leaders: "Nationally and sovereignly castrated."
18:20 – A shocking legal analysis: Who is the real "enemy" in the Lebanese Constitution?
25:40 – How the Taif Agreement abolished the "Lebanese Entity" and entered us into the Arab prison?
33:00 – Criticism of the Army Command: "He who forbids criticism lacks dignity."
41:30 – A message of hope: Lebanon will return to its sovereignty, freedom, and original identity.
Elias Bejjanil"I thank journalist Patricia Samaha and those in charge of the Transparency website for hosting me and providing the space to freely express my Lebanese national positions and convictions, and to call things by their true names."

Elias Bejjani / Video Link of my Interview with "Arab Files"
The Arab Normalizers Reject Lebanon’s Peace with Israel
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/04/154001/
Interviewed by Dr. Zeina Mansour via "Arab News"/April 27/2026
In this fiery interview, political activist Elias Bejjani reveals details regarding the "Arab Veto" preventing Lebanon from signing a peace treaty. He exposes the secrets behind the retreat of Lebanese leaders following a "Saudi Decree," predicting an upcoming international mandate to uproot Hezbollah.
The Arab campaign to obstruct the peace agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
How did the Saudi envoy change Samir Geagea’s stance on Chapter VII?
The truth about Lebanon’s leaders: "Party-Corporations" and products of foreign occupations.
The Taif Agreement: A lie that marginalized the Christian and Druze roles.
The upcoming American project: International mandate and the end of Hezbollah.
Timestamp Highlights
00:00 - 03:33 | Arab offensive to derail peace.
02:40 - 05:20 | A Saudi decree changes Geagea’s position.
06:00 - 09:00 | Why are they preventing Lebanon from achieving peace?
10:10 - 12:20 | The lie of dialogue with Hezbollah.
12:39 - 17:00 | Lebanon’s rulers are the product of foreign occupations.
26:11 - 28:00 | Taif marginalized Christians and Druze.
31:22 - 32:44 | International mandate and the uprooting of Hezbollah.
Personal Note
Elias Bejjani/Greetings to everyone who watches this interview. My heartfelt thanks to Dr. Zeina Mansour and the "Arab Files" website for hosting me and providing the opportunity to freely express my national and sovereign views and aspirations.

Elias Bejjani: Video and Text/ A Critical Reading of Samir Geagea’s Sunday Appearance on Al-Jadeed TV
 A Coup Against All His Positions Following His Meeting with Yazid bin Farhan and His Receipt of the Arab and Turkish "Firman" Calling for the Obstruction of Peace Between Lebanon and Israel.
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/04/153970/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpsK0y53EtY
April 27/2026
Elias Bejjani’s Analysis / These are the clauses of the Saudi "Firman" expressed by Samir Geagea in his interview with Al-Jadeed TV on Sunday, April 26, 2026:
He retreated from supporting the meeting between [General Joseph] Aoun and Netanyahu, giving a vague response without a direct answer.
He focused on what he calls the "Deep State" to justify his participation in a "peace government" and everything that has transpired since, under Hezbollah’s occupation, including the election of Michel Aoun. This includes covering for the party’s occupation, sharing spoils with Aoun and his son-in-law, and passing an electoral law that deprived expatriates of their constitutional rights—the list goes on.
When asked who this "Deep State" is (which he has recently been singing and tweeting about), he became confused and stuttered, failing to name Hezbollah or Berri. He settled for saying it consists of the judiciary, the security forces, and the army.
He gave a vague response to the question: "What if Hezbollah does not hand over its weapons?" His answer was a coup against his own proposal regarding Chapter VII and placing Lebanon under international trusteeship.
The heresy of demanding compensation from Hezbollah instead of prosecuting it, isolating it, and banning it from political activity.
Blatant ambiguity in all his answers and his refusal to disclose what took place between him and Prince Yazid bin Farhan.
His sudden meeting with Samy Gemayel immediately following the Saudi "Firman" overnight, without announcing the topics discussed or issuing an official statement

Elias Bejjani/Text and Video: The Anniversary of the Syrian Army's Withdrawal from Lebanon Is Marked by Defeat and Disappointment
Elias Bejjani/April 26/2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6t5nn80VRA&t=222s
Moses looked north, toward the mountains of Lebanon, and said, “And this mountain?” God answered and said, “Close your eyes. This mountain is my own property (endowment -glebe). Your feet shall not tread upon it, neither you nor he who comes after you (Deuteronomy-Old testament)
It was reported that Ka‘b al-Ahbar said: "Mount Lebanon is one of the eight mountains that will carry the Throne on the Day of Judgment." It was also reported that Abu al-Zahiriyya said: "Mount Lebanon is one of the eight bearers of the Throne on the Day of Judgment.
 April 26, 2005, is not merely a date to remember—it marks the end of a long and painful chapter that began in 1976, when the Syrian army entered Lebanon and began suppressing the free will of the Lebanese people.
Today, the Lebanese commemorate the withdrawal of the Assad regime’s brutal army from their homeland—a retreat marked by humiliation, defeat, and disgrace. This historic exit was the result of persistent, peaceful, and honorable pressure by the Lebanese people of the Cedar Revolution, backed by international and regional support. However, the vacuum left by the Syrian occupation was swiftly filled by the Iranian army’s proxy—Hezbollah, a terrorist, sectarian militia that now occupies Lebanon, strips it of its sovereignty, and suppresses its free citizens and their independent leaders.
The key difference between these two brutal occupations lies in their form: the Syrian Ba’athist occupation was carried out by a foreign force supported by traitorous Lebanese factions. That regime has now collapsed, its atrocities—including those against its own people—fully exposed. In contrast, the Iranian occupation continues through Hezbollah—an armed gang composed of our own people from the Shiites community, who have been misled and manipulated. Their decisions, allegiance, funding, arms, culture, and ideological direction are entirely dictated by Iran’s clerical regime. Since 1982, this regime has worked tirelessly to dismantle the Lebanese state and replace it with a theocracy governed by the concept of Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist).
 Despite countless international, Arab, and regional resolutions—and despite almost daily, devastating Israeli strikes—Hezbollah remains in a state of arrogant denial. It refuses to acknowledge the defeat reflected in the ceasefire agreement and continues its threats and provocations. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s new leadership—its president and cabinet—remain hesitant and submissive, appeasing Hezbollah instead of taking a firm stand to set a clear timeline for disarmament or to impose it by force. Hezbollah’s weapons are not pointed at Israel—they are aimed at the Lebanese people.
 Therefore, the Iranian occupation, executed through the treacherous, criminal, jihadist, and Persian-backed Hezbollah, is far more dangerous than the previous Syrian Assad occupation. Hezbollah was crushed in its confrontation with Israel, and the myth of its so-called resistance has been shattered. For this reason, every patriotic Lebanese citizen who believes in a Lebanon of peace, coexistence, and sovereign purpose must rise against this occupation. They must reject and expose every official, politician, or religious leader who enables its survival.
Ultimately, evil can never triumph over good. Lebanon represents goodness, while the Iranian jihadist occupation embodies evil. And because of that truth, Lebanon will prevail—no matter how long the struggle takes. All occupying forces will eventually suffer defeat, disgrace, and destruction.
Yet even more dangerous to Lebanon's identity, culture, and future than foreign occupations are the shameful, narcissistic behaviors of many current and former Lebanese politicians, clerics, and officials. Their hatred and envy resemble that of Lucifer—the fallen angel cast out of heaven for defying the greatness of God. These figures have similarly fallen, betraying Lebanon for personal gain and power.
Yes, the Syrian army withdrew on April 26, 2005. But its domestic mercenaries remain—especially Hezbollah, along with the toxic remnants of radical leftist groups, Arab nationalists tainted by Nasserism, and frauds who continue to deceive the public with empty slogans of resistance and liberation. These forces, blinded by primitive instincts, hatred, and ignorance, are the true enemies of Lebanon. They cloak themselves in hypocrisy and lies, peddling slogans about “resistance,” “defiance,” and “throwing Jews into the sea,” all while functioning as Trojan horses undermining Lebanon from within. With malice, corruption, and violence, they actively sabotage efforts to restore sovereignty and freedom—resorting to assassinations, invasions, terrorism, and mafia-like intimidation.
Lebanon, with its divine message, ancient civilization, and sacred identity, has endured for over 7,000 years. It is a flame that burns the hands of those who try to destroy it. And in time, it will always rise up to crush those who insult its dignity, freedom, and people.
On this solemn and truly national day, let us bow our heads in prayer for the souls of our martyrs, for the return of our heroic, honorable refugees living in exile in Israel, and for those still forcibly disappeared in the Assad regime’s criminal prisons.
In the end, sacred Lebanon will endure—despite hardship and suffering—because angels guard it, and because the Virgin Mother intercedes lovingly on its behalf. Just as the Syrian occupation fell, so too will the Iranian one—whether sooner or later, by God’s will.

Israel Military Issues Evacuation Warning for Area of South Lebanon
Asharq Al-Awsat/April 28/2026
Israel's military on Tuesday warned residents of more than a dozen villages and towns in southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate and head northwards, saying it would respond to Hezbollah's "violation of the ceasefire" there.
The military "does not intend to harm you, and out of concern for your safety, you are required to evacuate your homes immediately and move away from the specified area towards the Sidon District", Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X.
"Anyone present near Hezbollah elements, their facilities or their weapons is endangering their life," he added. All the areas listed in the post appear to be outside or on the border of the so-called "Yellow Line" -- a strip of Lebanese territory around 10 kilometers (six miles) deep along the border within which Israeli troops are operating. Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have traded blame over violations of the fragile ceasefire in Lebanon agreed earlier this month, and attacks by both sides have continued. In two incidents on Tuesday morning, the Israeli military said an interceptor was launched "toward a suspicious aerial target that was identified in an area where Israeli forces are operating in southern Lebanon". On both occasions, it said the target did not cross into Israeli territory. The military also announced on Tuesday morning that one soldier had been severely injured and another lightly injured a day earlier "as a result of an explosive drone impact during operational activity in southern Lebanon". "This incident constitutes a violation of the ceasefire understandings by the Hezbollah terrorist organization," it said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Hezbollah's rockets and drones remained a key threat requiring action by the Israeli military, adding that Israel was continuing to carry out strikes. Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2 by firing rockets towards Israel to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Israel Spy Chief Hails ‘Groundbreaking’ Ops in Iran, Lebanon
Asharq Al-Awsat/April 28/2026
The head of Israel's Mossad has praised the spy agency's "groundbreaking" operations in the war against Iran and Hezbollah, saying it acquired intelligence "from the heart of the enemy's secrets". "In the campaigns against Iran and Hezbollah, we worked shoulder-to-shoulder with the army, on both defense and offence," David Barnea said, referring to the Israeli military. His remarks were delivered during a commendation ceremony at Mossad headquarters on Monday and published on Tuesday. "We acquired strategic and tactical intelligence from the heart of the enemy's secrets," Barnea said, adding that Mossad had "proved new, groundbreaking operational capabilities in target countries". A ceasefire in the war with Iran, which began with US-Israeli strikes on February 28, has so far held. In Lebanon, Hezbollah drew the country into the war on March 2 by firing rockets towards Israel to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei by the US and Israel. US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire on the Lebanese front earlier this month, which has since been extended. Despite the truce, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Hezbollah's rockets and drones remained a key threat demanding action by the Israeli military, adding that Israel was continuing to carry out strikes.Hezbollah has said it is responding to Israeli ceasefire "violations". Barnea said the military and Mossad had changed Israel's "strategic posture" and "strengthened its might", but added that the agency would "not rest on our laurels". "When we see a threat, we will act with full force," he said.

Israel says has 'no territorial ambitions in Lebanon'
Agence France Presse/April 28/2026
Israel's top diplomat on Tuesday said Israel was not seeking to take territory in Lebanon, as its military presses operations in the south despite a ceasefire. "Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon. Our presence in the areas by our northern border serves one purpose: protecting our citizens," Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said at a joint news conference with his Serbian counterpart Marko Djuric.

Rubio says Lebanon ceasefire 'unique' because 'Lebanon and Israel are not at war'
Naharnet/April 28/2026
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted Tuesday on the X platform segments of an interview in which he told Fox News that "The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire is very unique" because "Lebanon and Israel are not at war.""Israel’s problem is with Hezbollah. Unfortunately, Hezbollah happens to be inside of Lebanon conducting attacks against Israel," Rubio said in the interview.
He added that "both Israel and Lebanon seek peace with each other," and both "are victims of Hezbollah."

Trump pressures Netanyahu to keep response to Hezbollah 'calculated and limited'
Naharnet/April 28/2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly told his ministers that there is nothing more that he can do in Lebanon. "This is what Washington wants," Israel's public radio quoted the PM as saying. The Israeli army on Tuesday struck and shelled several villages in south Lebanon after issuing an evacuation order for 16 villages south of the Litani river, despite a ceasefire. Israel's Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu told U.S. President Donald Trump that failing to respond to Hezbollah's attacks encourages the group to go further and jeopardizes the ceasefire.
Trump requested that any Israeli response be "calculated and limited", Channel 12 said.

Israeli troops detonate Bint Jbeil stadium — a symbol of Lebanon's liberation
Naharnet/April 28/2026
Israel's army released a video Tuesday of troops detonating the stadium of Bint Jbeil — a symbolic site where Hezbollah’s former leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, delivered his 2000 Liberation speech following Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation.
Israeli forces have been burning and destroying houses and buildings in southern border towns including Bint Jbeil, Khiam, Houla, Mays al-Jabal, and Shamaa. Bint Jbeil, located around five kilometers north of the Israeli border, had been the scene of heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah for days before the truce went into force. It was also the site of some of the fiercest fighting during the 2006 war, when Hezbollah's resistance there became central to the group's narrative of defiance. Before the truce, Hezbollah was engaged in "point-blank" clashes with Israeli forces in the town and had repeatedly reported targeting Israeli forces and vehicles there. Israeli forces said they had encircled it, but Hezbollah said its fighters ultimately forced troops to withdraw. On Tuesday, amid a U.S.-brokered truce, recently extended by three more weeks, troops managed to reach the Bint Jbeil stadium. Hezbollah said its fighters launched several attacks on the troops, including on an army bulldozer that was demolishing homes there. The Israeli army said a soldier was severely wounded and another lightly injured in a Hezbollah explosive drone attack in Bint Jbeil.

Israel cancels major holiday gatherings over fears of a Hezbollah attack
Associated Press/April 28/2026
Typically, around 100,000 mostly ultra-Orthodox Jews would gather next week on Mount Meron in northern Israel to celebrate the Lag BaOmer holiday.However, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the large festival will replaced with a smaller symbolic ceremony, citing concerns about the gathering being attacked by Hezbollah. Similar restrictions were imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and previous wars.Mount Meron is only about 4 miles from the border with Lebanon. People normally light bonfires, dance and have large meals there in honor Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a 2nd-century sage and mystic who is believed to be buried on the mountain.Across Israel, even in secular areas, people often celebrate Lag BaOmer with barbecues and bonfires in parks and forests.

Israel strikes south, orders residents to evacuate despite truce
Associated Press/April 28/2026
The Israeli army ordered Tuesday the residents of 16 villages south of the Litani river to immediately evacuate and head northwards, as Israel expanded strikes on Lebanon despite a ceasefire. The warning included the villages of Ghandourieh, Burj Qalaway, Qalaway, Sawaneh, Jmayjmeh, Safad al-Battikh, Baraashit, Shaqra, Aita al-Jabal, Tebnine, Sultanieh, Bir al-Salasel, Kfardounine, Kherbet Selem, Selaa, and Deirkifa. "You are required to evacuate your homes immediately and move away from the specified area towards the Sidon District," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X, adding that "anyone present near Hezbollah elements, their facilities, or their combat means is endangering their life."Israeli strikes and shelling meanwhile targeted Houmine, Zawtar, Jibal al-Botom, al-Mansouri, Bouyout al-Siyyed, Majdalzoun, Touline, Kawnin, Burj al-Shamali, Shaqra, Yater, Baraashit and Tebnine in south Lebanon. Israel's army released a video of troops detonating the stadium of Bint Jbeil — a symbolic site where Hezbollah’s former leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, delivered his 2000 'Liberation' speech following Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation. The health ministry said Israeli strikes on the south killed four people on Monday, including a woman, and wounded 51 others, including women and children. The Israeli army said Tuesday that its troops have dismantled more than 1,000 infrastructure sites in south Lebanon used by Hezbollah to carry out attacks against Israeli forces. It said a soldier was severely wounded and another lightly injured in a Hezbollah explosive drone attack in south Lebanon. Hezbollah had said its fighters launched Monday several attacks on Israeli troops, including on an army bulldozer that it said was demolishing homes in the border town of Bint Jbeil. Meeting with army commanders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hezbollah’s ability to fire into Israel has been sharply degraded, estimating the group retains about 10% of its arsenal. Iran-backed Hezbollah is believed to still have tens of thousands of rockets, missiles and drones despite decades of efforts by Israel, U.N. peacekeepers and Lebanon’s government to disarm it. Despite Israeli pressure, it’s unclear whether Lebanese authorities have the capacity or political will to disarm Hezbollah. Netanyahu said Israeli forces’ occupation of parts of southern Lebanon — which he described as a “security zone” — has made northern Israel safer. He said deals brokered with the U.S. and Lebanon gave Israel a “freedom of action” to counter threats inside that country. Beirut has not acknowledged any such right, and Hezbollah says it will keep firing as long as Israel does. Israel's army released videos Monday showing troops operating in Lebanon, including coordinated explosions in unnamed villages. The wide scale of destruction has Lebanese officials and residents increasingly worried that displaced people will have nowhere to return.

Israeli army says destroyed huge Hezbollah tunnel network in south Lebanon
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/April 28/2026
The Israeli military said on Tuesday it found and destroyed a large Hezbollah tunnel network used by elite fighters in south Lebanon, near Israel's northern border.
Israel has been fighting Hezbollah since early March, sending troops into south Lebanon to battle the Iran-backed group after it launched rockets at Israeli territory, with the violence ongoing despite a shaky April 17 ceasefire.Troops found "two Hezbollah terror tunnels, constructed over approximately a decade" that stretched for some two kilometers (1.2 miles) underground and were connected to firing positions directed at Israel, an army statement said. Located in the Qantara area, Israeli troops used "over 450 tons of explosives" to demolish them, it said. An Israeli military source described it as a "massive underground military installation" comprising an 800-meter tunnel and a second which ran for 1.2 kilometers, used as "an assembly area" for Hezbollah's elite Radwan forces. He said it was "designed, sponsored and paid for by Iran" for the purpose of "raiding Israeli communities along the border". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military would keep targeting Hezbollah's infrastructure. "Today we blew up a huge Hezbollah terror tunnel. We are destroying their terror infrastructure, we are killing many dozens of their terrorists -- and we're not done yet," he said in a pre-recorded video. In a statement, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the army has been instructed to destroy any Hezbollah infrastructure it finds in southern Lebanon “just like in Gaza.”

Lebanese Army says Israeli strike wounds two troops
Agence France Presse/April 28/2026
The Lebanese Army said on Tuesday that two soldiers were wounded in an Israeli strike while they were engaged in a rescue operation in southern Lebanon, despite an ongoing ceasefire.
The statement was the first time the Lebanese Army has said its troops have been targeted since the truce began. The army said "two soldiers were wounded as a result of a hostile Israeli targeting of an army patrol that was accompanied by civil defense personnel and two civilian bulldozers in the town of Majdal Zoun... during an operation to rescue civilians."Lebanon's civil defense also said three of its rescuers were left "trapped under the rubble" by the airstrike, and efforts are underway to rescue them. Israel carried out heavy airstrikes across southern Lebanon on Tuesday, despite a ceasefire in its war with Hezbollah that came into effect on April 17. Israel carried out intense attacks on Tuesday, including demolition operations, in the country's south, where its troops are operating inside an Israeli-announced "yellow line" near the border where Lebanese residents have been warned not to return. Hezbollah, for its part, announced operations targeting Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. On Tuesday the Lebanese health ministry raised the death toll to 2,534 people killed since the war began on March 2.

Amnesty International urges Israel to stop destroying civilian property in southern Lebanon
Associated Press/April 28/2026
The human rights organization made the statement Tuesday after a video circulated on social media showing Israeli military excavators destroying solar panels for the Lebanese border village of Debel and its water station. On Saturday, the Israeli military said it was investigating the incident after the footage emerged. Debel is the same village where a soldier was filmed earlier this month smashing a statue of Jesus, prompting international condemnation. “Amnesty International has previously documented extensive destruction by the Israeli military along Lebanon’s border before and after the November 2024 ceasefire,” the group said, adding it had called for reparations and war crimes investigations. “So far, neither has appeared.”

Hezbollah's drones: Small but immune weapon bypassing Israeli defense
Naharnet/April 28/2026
The Israeli military currently lacks an effective defense against Hezbollah’s explosive drones guided by fiber-optic cables, according to a report by The Times of Israel. On Sunday, a small First-Person View (FPV) drone targeted Israeli soldiers in the southern border town of Taybeh, killing one soldier and wounding six others, four of them seriously. As a medical helicopter arrived to evacuate the casualties, two additional drones struck the site. "The attack laid bare a growing vulnerability: Israel’s lack of preparedness for FPV drones in Lebanon, which have become an increasingly prominent weapon in Hezbollah’s arsenal," the report stated. While Hezbollah utilized these drones in 2024, their frequency has surged during the current fighting, specifically targeting troops and tanks within the southern border villages now occupied by Israel. According to military analyst Jakub Janovsky, fiber-optic FPV drones first appeared on the Ukrainian battlefield in the spring of 2024. "It took more than six months to refine the early designs into something reliable and effective," he told The Times of Israel. Despite the growing threat, Israel’s Defense Ministry only issued a call for "innovative solutions" to address the issue earlier this month. Hezbollah’s FPV drones are relatively inexpensive compared to other weapons, such as anti-tank guided missiles. Built largely from off-the-shelf components and 3D-printed parts, they typically carry RPG warheads. While plentiful, these warheads are only marginally effective against heavy Israeli armor; however, they have proven lethal against infantry. These drones are capable of operating at ranges of up to 15 kilometers.on has been cut off," the source said.
"Hezbollah has adopted a strategy of rationing its attacks by launching drones or missiles," the source noted. "Army checkpoints and patrols have contributed to halting the transfer of weapons between areas," the source pointed out.

Berri: Where is the ceasefire?
Naharnet/April 28/2026
Everything is "at a standstill, and no discussions are taking place until a ceasefire is achieved, for which we have done everything possible," Speaker Nabih Berri has reportedly said. Berri also ruled out, in meetings with his visitors, any meeting between him and President Joseph Aoun in the near future. As for Aoun's statement on Monday, in which he stressed the necessity for a ceasefire before negotiations and noted that the Lebanese state is not concerned with any other talk, Berri referred those asking to the president, saying, "Ask him!" He added, "Where is the ceasefire today?" When asked whether an agreement had been reached with Saudi envoy Yazid bin Farhan on a cabinet reshuffle or changes to the government's performance, Berri, according to al-Akhbar, emphasized that "the priority is a ceasefire, and the government is as paralyzed as Lebanon itself."The visitors of Ain el-Tineh also quoted Berri as saying that "hopes are still pinned on something serious" in the U.S.-Iranian negotiations in Islamabad. Abad. He also warned against any "attempt to tamper with the Lebanese pound's exchange rate, given the disastrous consequences this would have for the country."

Israel spy chief hails 'groundbreaking' ops in Iran, Lebanon
Agence France Presse/April 28/2026
The head of Israel's Mossad has praised the spy agency's "groundbreaking" operations in the war against Iran and Hezbollah, saying it acquired intelligence "from the heart of the enemy's secrets". "In the campaigns against Iran and Hezbollah, we worked shoulder-to-shoulder with the IDF, on both defense and offence," David Barnea said, referring to the Israeli military. His remarks were delivered during a commendation ceremony at Mossad headquarters on Monday and published on Tuesday. "We acquired strategic and tactical intelligence from the heart of the enemy's secrets," Barnea said, adding that Mossad had "proved new, groundbreaking operational capabilities in target countries". A ceasefire in the war with Iran, which began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28, has so far held. In Lebanon, Hezbollah drew the country into the war on March 2 by firing rockets towards Israel to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei by the U.S. and Israel and retaliate for months of Israeli strikes that had persisted despite a November 2024 ceasefire. U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire on the Lebanese front earlier this month, which has since been extended. Despite the truce, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Hezbollah's rockets and drones remained a key threat demanding action by the Israeli military, adding that Israel was continuing to carry out strikes.
Hezbollah has said it is responding to Israeli ceasefire "violations".Barnea said the military and Mossad had changed Israel's "strategic posture" and "strengthened its might", but added that the agency would "not rest on our laurels"."When we see a threat, we will act with full force," he said.

Lebanon army says targeted Israeli strike wounds two soldiers
AFP, Beirut/28 April ,2026
The Lebanese army said on Tuesday that two soldiers were wounded in a targeted Israeli strike while they were engaged in a rescue operation in southern Lebanon, despite an ongoing ceasefire between the two countries. The statement was the first time the Lebanese army has said its troops have been targeted since the truce began. The army said “two soldiers were wounded as a result of a hostile Israeli targeting of an army patrol that was accompanied by civil defense personnel and two civilian bulldozers in the town of Majdal Zoun... during an operation to rescue civilians.”Lebanon’s civil defense also said three of its rescuers were left “trapped under the rubble” by the airstrike, and efforts are underway to rescue them. Israel carried out heavy airstrikes across southern Lebanon on Tuesday, despite a ceasefire in its war with Hezbollah that came into effect on April 17. Israel carried out intense attacks on Tuesday, including demolition operations, in the country’s south, where its troops are operating inside an Israeli-announced “yellow line” near the border where Lebanese residents have been warned not to return. Hezbollah, for its part, announced operations targeting Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. On Tuesday the Lebanese health ministry raised the death toll to 2,534 people killed since the war began on March 2.

Lebanon: Faced with the Israeli Project and Its Regional Cost
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al-Awsat/April 28/2026
Before the momentum generated by Lebanon “breaking of the taboo” of engaging in direct negotiations with Israel began to subside, there began to emerge European reverberations that complement the projects of Benjamin Netanyahu for the future of the Middle East.
Having hosted last week the “negotiation” process in the presence of President Donald Trump, Washington’s position is understandable. Trump’s apparent unawareness that engaging with Israel is prohibited by law in Lebanon shows that the negotiations’ “program” had been set by another party, with Washington adopting it in full. In reality, this “program” is the product of joint efforts between Israel and Lebanese-American groups aligned with it - groups that had played a similar role during the 1982 invasion and the May 17 Agreement of 1983. Today, Netanyahu seeks to achieve one of two desired outcomes, or both: either a civil war leading to partition and fragmentation, or full occupation backed and endorsed by the West.
The general atmosphere in Lebanon is unsettling. The country’s current divisions are perhaps the worst since the civil war that erupted in 1975. At the sectarian level, this division is reflected today in statements, media appearances, and social media discourse.
Within Christian politics, there are signs, particularly the broad support for direct negotiations with Israel, that some Lebanese Christian leaders are highly optimistic about regaining what they lost over past decades, especially since the decline of “political Maronitism” beginning in 1975, which was later reinforced by the Taif Accords that ended the war and ultimately by the dominance of Hezbollah. This is underscored by the repeated media appearances of Lebanese-American activists who have not yet shed the exclusionary resentments of the past, as well as the maps some are circulating and promoting in the United States - naturally under the Likud’s patronage - alongside the “Greater Israel” maps that Netanyahu seeks to turn into reality.
On the other hand, within the Muslim space, many Shiites feel they would be the biggest losers if Israel were to strip them of the political, economic, and security influence they had gained over the era of Hezbollah’s arms and Iran’s regional expansion. They also fear that their heavy reliance on Iran may have already cost them what should have been automatic support from their Sunni partners in any confrontation with their “common enemy,” Israel.
After losing their successive bets on Nasserist Arabism, then Palestinian fedayeen Arabism, and later Saddam-era Arabism, the Sunnis, who had been politically divided for decades, found stability under the prosperity brought by “Hariri-style politics” during his time.
The assassination of Rafik Hariri in Iran-dominated Lebanon, along with the sectarian dimensions of the Syrian war (2011–2025), have reconfigured the Sunni scene. Multiple factions emerged, and direct negotiations with Israel are likely to add a dilemma, potentially deepening Sunni fragmentation between Islamist, Arab nationalist, and leftist factions on one side, and right-wing liberal currents and figures from the business world on the other.
The role of the Druze remains. Though they are among the smaller sectarian components in Lebanon, Syria, and occupied Palestine, they possess highly significant advantages that have allowed them to go on despite their religious isolation for over a thousand years, with many of their figures rising to political prominence.
The post-independence Lebanese and Syrian constitutions considered the Druze, like the Alawites and Ismailis, as part of the Muslim community. Following a “divide and conquer" strategy, however, the Zionist movement exploited the secrecy of the doctrine, the esoteric nature of its practices, and the particularity of its traditions and concepts, to claim that the Druze are not Muslims or even Arabs.
Unfortunately, the ignorance of certain extremist groups has placed Druze communities and regions in the Levant under a kind of demographic, cultural, and economic siege. The current Israeli leadership claims concern for the wellbeing of the Druze, and it seeks to exploit their fears of regional sectarian strife by committing to their protection. This claim, of course, finds some resonance among fearful members of the community and those who believe in such “protection.” Some have been swayed through social media platforms designed to “infiltrate Druze youth” who may lack deep knowledge of their history and heritage. The more prudent among them, on the other hand, tend toward caution. They do not believe that Muslims are facing a collapse that would tempt some weak souls to abandon their identity, origins, and culture.
Going back to the start of this article and the “European echoes” of Netanyahu’s projects, which go beyond Iran to include targeting Türkiye, and perhaps others as well. Unfortunately, some Western European leaders close to Israel have aligned themselves with these ideas in their statements. However, a “global Christian war against Muslims,” as Netanyahu envisions it, would not serve anyone’s interests in my view, including Israel’s. And while Israel’s leader may still feel confident in his lobbies’ ability to pressure and steer Western governments as he wishes, there are indications that his ambitions could be thwarted.
There is currently a split - even within the American Christian–Jewish base - and it may widen further after Trump.
Moreover, the positions of Pope Leo XIV reflect a complete rejection of the logic of war and hatred. Alongside European reservations, there are also the positions of Russia and China - these are forces that cannot be dismissed.
Finally, in the Arab and Islamic world, there remain rational actors who understand the dangers of the current scheme and the scope of its targets. They know that there can be no leniency in the face of plots to aggravate strife, division, and fragmentation.

Lebanon in the Bottleneck
Hanna Saleh/Asharq Al-Awsat/April 28/2026
With each passing day, the depth of Lebanon’s predicament becomes clearer. Israel is nibbling away at territory after uprooting and displacing its entire population, while Iran, through the Quds Force, is meddling in the country and remains intent on eroding Lebanese sovereignty and decision-making. The Israeli-Iranian war imposed on the country has placed all citizens under the weight of the harshest collective punishment. It has enabled Israel to reduce a vast region to ruin and to reimpose occupation stretching from the Mediterranean in the west to Mount Hermon in the east, linked to occupied southern Syria, as part of Israel’s aggressive “forward defense” strategy deep inside Lebanese territory, extending across all areas north of the Litani up to the eastern mountain range and the last hills of Hermel.
At the same time, the clerical regime has folded up the banner of “resistance,” after cheapening its role in the region and in wars waged from Lebanon as its proxy. From the moment it launched its rockets, Hezbollah became a burnt card, with no standing outside the Iranian ceiling - evidenced by the ease with which Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf described this war as one “to defend Iran”.
For a moment, it seemed as though the clerical regime considered it among its “rights” to use Lebanon as a theater for its projects, even if the price was erasing 61 southern villages from the map and displacing two million people, while the Israeli enemy declares there will be no return for those people, though they are the people of the land and its spirit.
This terrifying scene is what prompted the authorities - the presidency and the government - to take the initiative by declaring the option of direct negotiations with Israel, in order to halt defeat at the point it has reached and demand the occupier’s withdrawal once its attacks on Lebanon cease. In such a situation, negotiation is not a crime; the crime lies in the occupation resulting from the catastrophic and destructive choices adopted by Hezbollah in submitting to the schemes of its handlers in Tehran, decisions over which Lebanon has no influence.
The authorities paired this initiative with announcing a ban on Hezbollah’s military and security activity, as well as a decision to expel members of the Revolutionary Guard, whom Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said were responsible for “the attack on Cyprus” and who “run military operations.” He revealed they had acquired forged passports and that their presence in Lebanon is illegal. In this context, the presence of the Revolutionary Guard, including its Lebanese legion, “the party”, has become an Iranian assault on Lebanon.
The days of the fragile truce, as well as the two preliminary rounds of negotiations, which produced the extraordinary impression that the Lebanese issue ranks among President Trump’s priorities, together with Beirut’s breaking of the taboo on direct negotiations, may still fail to secure the Lebanese state’s demands. True, the negotiation track has become detached from the Iranian file, but realities on the ground are different.
Hezbollah, after being reinforced by groups from the Quds Force, could launch more rockets toward positions newly established by the Israeli enemy in the occupied south. And the youths left amid the rubble, including boys aged fourteen to sixteen, with no path of retreat left open to them, will fight to the last breath. That would raise the death toll, deepen the destruction, and strengthen the Israeli enemy’s insistence on maintaining the occupation. Thus, a mutually reinforcing dynamic emerges: the occupation grants legitimacy to illegal arms, and illegal arms in turn legitimize occupation, increasing Lebanon’s losses and the prices demanded of it.
Amid this landscape, Lebanon is taking a larger step with President Joseph Aoun’s declaration of an intention “to adopt any means capable of ending war and destruction.” He revealed that the proposed negotiating path begins from “the principle of ending the state of war with Israel.”
But an atmosphere of tension and branding the authorities traitorous has not helped Lebanon formulate what serves the national interest. Instead, an alarming condition prevails: some parties rushed to promote what they immediately called the “peace of the south,” and denounced the presidency’s reservation about a handshake between Aoun and Netanyahu while the land remains occupied and extermination has not ceased; while other parties insist on indirect negotiations and say the ceiling should be a return to the 1949 Armistice Agreement.
Here it is worth noting that while “peace” is being promoted on one side and reviving the Armistice Agreement proposed on the other, Lebanon - facing a challenge of such gravity and delicacy - ought to formulate middle-ground arrangements, such as an “Armistice Plus” agreement. Time has moved beyond proposals that limit matters merely to a cessation of hostilities, which was central at the time under the Security Council resolution issued under Chapter VII.
That was the basis of the Armistice Agreement, but it also carried Israeli recognition of Lebanon’s historic borders as established by the League of Nations in 1924. Such an approach could secure Lebanon greater positive distinction in the American stance toward it, and more support from brothers and friends, especially from Saudi Arabia, which has devoted sustained attention to preserving internal stability. Entering negotiations - a sovereign decision grounded in constitutional legitimacy - is no picnic, nor is the road to it rosy. Yet it is an existential necessity, the only option left to the country, imposed by the need to confront responsibly the horrors to which this imposed war has brought us, and the horrors witnessed by those who managed to visit the south as strangers and were appalled by what they saw.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 28-29/2026
Trump says Iran has told him it is in a ‘state of collapse’
Al Arabiya English/28 April ,2026
Donald Trump said Iran had informed him it was in a “state of collapse” and was figuring out its leadership situation, as efforts to end the conflict appeared at an impasse on Tuesday with the US president unhappy at the latest plans from Tehran. Iran’s most recent proposal on resolving the two-month war would set aside discussion of its nuclear program until the conflict was concluded and disputes over shipping from the Gulf resolved. Trump wants nuclear issues dealt with from the outset, a US official briefed on Trump’s Monday meeting with his advisors said. In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday Trump said: “Iran has just informed us that they are in a ‘State of Collapse’. They want us to ‘Open the Hormuz Strait,’ as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation (Which I believe they will be able to do!). Thank you for your attention to this matter!”. It was not clear from Trump’s social media post how Iran might have communicated that message. Iran’s previous nuclear deal with the United States and other powers in 2015 sharply curtailed its nuclear program, which it has long maintained is for peaceful, civilian purposes. But that deal fell apart when Trump unilaterally withdrew in his first term in office. Hopes of reviving peace efforts in a conflict that has killed thousands, thrown energy markets into turmoil and disrupted global trade routes, have receded since Trump last weekend scrapped a visit by his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to mediator Pakistan. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shuttled in and out of Islamabad twice during the weekend. He also visited Oman and on Monday went to Russia, where he met President Vladimir Putin and received words of support from a longstanding ally. The World Bank forecast energy prices would surge by 24 percent in 2026 to their highest level since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago, if the most acute disruptions caused by the Iran war end in May. At least six tankers loaded with Iranian oil have been forced back to Iran by the US blockade in recent days, ship-tracking data showed, underscoring the war’s impact on traffic. Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani told state media on Tuesday, however, that Iran had prepared for maritime blockade scenarios as early as the US 2024 presidential election and made necessary arrangements so that “there is nothing to worry about.”
She added Tehran was using northern, eastern and western trade corridors that did not rely on Gulf ports to neutralize the blockade’s effects. Reza Rostami of the Iran Chamber of Commerce told Shargh newspaper that private sector operators were using four Caspian Sea ports, and rail links via Turkey and Turkmenistan. Iran was also in talks with Oman and Pakistan to channel goods through their ports, he added. Between 125 and 140 ships usually crossed in and out of the Strait of Hormuz daily before the war, but only seven have done so in the past day, according to Kpler ship-tracking data and satellite analysis from SynMax, and none of them were carrying oil bound for the global market. Senior Iranian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the proposal carried by Araghchi to Islamabad over the weekend envisioned talks in stages, with the nuclear issue to be set aside at the start. A first step would require ending the US-Israeli war on Iran and providing guarantees that the US cannot start it up again. Then negotiators would resolve the US Navy’s blockade of Iran’s trade by sea and the fate of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran aims to reopen under its control. Only then would talks look at other issues, including the longstanding dispute over Iran’s nuclear program, with Iran still seeking some kind of US acknowledgment of its right to enrich uranium. With Reuters

Trump claims Iran has 'just' informed the US it's in a 'State of Collapse'
Associated Press/28 April ,2026
“They want us to “Open the Hormuz Strait,” as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation,” U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media. He added that he believes they will be able to sort out reported divisions within the Islamic Republic government about negotiations with the U.S. The White House did not immediately respond to questions about who on the Iranian side delivered the message, who in the Republican administration received it and whether the communications were conducted directly with the U.S. or through an intermediary.

Peace efforts stall as US examines latest Iran proposal
Agence France Presse/28 April ,2026
Efforts to end the Middle East war appeared at a standstill on Tuesday, with the US considering Tehran's latest offer to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran saying Washington could no longer dictate terms. Iran has blockaded the waterway -- a vital conduit for oil and gas shipments -- since the start of the U.S.-Israeli offensive two months ago, sending shockwaves through the global economy. CNN, however, reported that U.S. President Donald Trump was unlikely to accept Iran's proposal to restore traffic in the strait, as Qatar warned of the possibility of a "frozen conflict" if a definitive resolution is not found. "We do not want to see a return to hostilities in the region anytime soon. We do not want to see a frozen conflict that ends up being thawed every time there is a political reason," Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said at a press conference, calling for a "sustainable" peace. While a ceasefire has held so far, diplomacy aimed at permanently ending the war has proven inconclusive. Trump met with top security advisors on Monday to discuss the Iranian proposal after Tehran passed "written messages" to Washington via Pakistan spelling out its red lines, including on nuclear issues and Hormuz, Iran's Fars news agency reported. The plan would reportedly see Tehran ease its chokehold on the strait and Washington lift its retaliatory blockade on Iranian ports while broader negotiations continue, including over the thorny question of Iran's nuclear program. But CNN, citing two sources familiar with the matter, said Trump had signaled at Monday's meeting that he was reluctant to take Hormuz off the table without resolving the nuclear question, though it was unclear what his next steps would be. Iranian defense ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik said on Tuesday that Washington "must abandon its illegal and irrational demands.""The United States is no longer in a position to dictate its policy to independent nations," he said, according to state TV. Asked about Iran's proposal, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News "it's better than what we thought they were going to submit," but questioned whether it was genuine. "They're very good negotiators," he said, adding any eventual deal had to be "one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon."Mediator Pakistan previously hosted an initial, unsuccessful round of U.S.-Iran peace talks, but hopes for a second over the weekend ultimately came to nothing. Trump has said that if Iran wants talks, "they can call us."The Islamic republic's blockade of Hormuz has cut off flows of oil, gas and fertilizer and sent prices soaring. Trump faces domestic pressure to find an off-ramp as prices rise, with midterm elections due in November and polls showing the war is unpopular among Americans.
'No trust'
Tehran would need guarantees that Washington and Israel would not attack again if it was to offer security assurances for the Gulf, Iran's envoy to the U.N. said. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, welcomed Gulf leaders and officials on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing crisis in the region. An Iranian army spokesman told state TV on Tuesday that "we do not consider the war to be over," saying Tehran had "no trust in America.""We have many cards that we have not yet used... new tools and methods of fighting based on the experiences of the past two wars, which will definitely allow us to respond to the enemy more decisively" should the fighting resume, Amir Akraminia said in an interview. On a visit to Russia, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the war had shown "Iran's true power" and stability, but back home in Tehran, the mood was sober. "Everything in the country is up in the air right now. I have not worked for a long time," small business owner Farshad told Paris-based AFP journalists. "The country is in complete economic collapse."

US spy agencies examine how Iran would react to Trump declaring victory
Reuters/29 April ,2026
US intelligence agencies are studying how Iran would respond if President Donald Trump were to declare a unilateral victory in the two-month-old war that has killed thousands and become a political liability for the White House, two US officials and a person familiar with the matter said.
The intelligence community is analyzing the question along with others at the request of senior administration officials. The goal is to understand the implications of Trump potentially pulling back from a conflict that some officials and advisers worry could contribute to deep Republican losses at the midterm elections later this year, according to the sources. While no decision has been made - and Trump could easily ramp back up military operations - a quick de-escalation could ease political pressure on the president, even as it could leave behind an emboldened Iran that could eventually rebuild its nuclear and missile programs and threaten US allies in the region.
The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive intelligence matters.
It is not clear when the intelligence community would complete its work, but it has previously analyzed the likely reaction of Iran’s leaders to a US declaration of victory. In the days following the initial bombing campaign in February, intelligence agencies assessed that if Trump were to declare victory and the US drew down its forces in the region, Iran would likely view it as a win, one of the sources said. If Trump instead said the US had won but maintained a heavy troop presence, Iran would likely see it as a negotiating tactic, but not one that would necessarily lead to the end of the war, the source said. “CIA is not familiar with the intelligence community’s reported assessment,” Liz Lyons, director of the agency’s office of public affairs, said in a statement after the publication of this story. The CIA declined to answer Reuters’ specific questions about its current work on Iran.The Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment. White House Spokeswoman Anna Kelly said the US is still engaging with the Iranians on negotiations and would “not be rushed into making a bad deal.”“The president will only enter into an agreement that puts US national security first, and he has been clear that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon,” she said.
High political costs
Opinion polls show the war is overwhelmingly unpopular with Americans. Only 26 percent of respondents in a Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week said the military campaign has been worth the costs, and only 25 percent said it has made the US safer. Three people familiar with White House discussions in recent days have described Trump as keenly aware of the political price being paid by him and his party. Twenty days after Trump declared a ceasefire, a flurry of diplomacy has failed to fully open the economically vital Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran closed by attacking ships and laying mines in the narrow waterway. Choking off the shipping that carries about 20 percent of the world’s crude oil has driven up energy costs worldwide and the price at US gasoline pumps. Iran’s ability to disrupt commerce gives it powerful leverage against the United States and its allies.
A decision to scale back the US military presence in the region, paired with a mutual lifting of the blockade, would eventually bring down gasoline prices. So far, however, the two sides appear far from any agreement. Last weekend, Trump canceled a trip by his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to meet Iranian officials in Pakistan, telling reporters on Saturday that it would take “too much time” and that if Iran wanted to talk “all they had to do was call.”
Military options remain on table
Various military options remain formally on the table, with renewed airstrikes on Iran’s military and political leaders among them, according to a separate person familiar with administration dynamics. One of the US officials and another person familiar with the discussions said, however, that the most ambitious of those options - such as a ground invasion of the Iranian mainland - appear less likely than they did a few weeks ago.A White House official described the domestic pressure on the president to wrap up the war as “enormous.”One of the sources said Iran has taken advantage of the ongoing ceasefire to dig out launchers, munitions, drones and other materiel that had been buried by US and Israeli bombing in the opening weeks of the conflict. As a result, the tactical costs of resuming full-scale war are arguably higher now than they were in the initial days of the ceasefire, which began on April 8.

US to produce passports bearing Trump’s image
Reuters/29 April ,2026
The US State Department said on Tuesday it would produce a limited number of commemorative passports bearing a portrait of Donald Trump, the latest example of the administration attaching the president’s likeness or name to official property. The passports will be released as part of celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence in July, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement, which did not mention that the passports would contain Trump’s image. Renderings provided by the State Department showed Trump’s portrait displayed on a page inside the passport, opposite an image of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.“These passports will feature customized artwork and enhanced imagery while maintaining the same security features that make the US passport the most secure documents in the world,” Pigott said.
It was unclear whether US citizens will be able to opt out of receiving the commemorative passport, but a State Department official said there would be no extra fee charged to receive one of the limited run of commemorative passports. The US Mint has also announced plans for a commemorative gold coin featuring Trump’s image to mark the anniversary of the country’s founding, and the Treasury Department has said paper currency will bear Trump’s signature, the first time a sitting president has signed US money. Since he returned to office early last year, Trump’s administration has also affixed his name to prominent Washington buildings, a planned class of Navy warships, a visa program for wealthy foreigners, a government-run prescription drug website, and federal savings accounts for children.

UAE leaves OPEC and OPEC+
Reuters/Published: 28 April ,2026
The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday it was quitting OPEC and OPEC+.
“This decision reflects the UAE’s long-term strategic and economic vision and evolving energy profile, including accelerated investment in domestic energy production, and reinforces its commitment to a responsible, reliable, and forward-looking role in global energy markets,” WAM said. It added that the decision “follows a comprehensive review of the UAE’s production policy and its current and future capacity and is based on [the country’s] national interest and commitment to contributing effectively to meeting the market’s pressing needs.”“The decision reflects a policy-driven evolution in the UAE’s approach, enhancing flexibility to respond to market dynamics while continuing to contribute to stability in a measured and responsible manner,” it also said, adding that following its withdrawal from the group, “the UAE will continue to act responsibly, bringing additional production to market in a gradual and measured manner, aligned with demand and market conditions.”

MBS chairs GCC Consultative Summit, regional and international developments discussed
Al Arabiya English/28 April ,2026
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday chaired the GCC Consultative Summit in Jeddah, bringing together leaders and heads of delegations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states. The summit “addressed regional and international developments and ways to coordinate efforts in this regard,” the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. MBS had earlier welcomed Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Hamad al-Sabah, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa upon their arrival in Jeddah to attend the summit. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan welcomed his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, upon his arrival. Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim later said in a post on X that the Gulf summit that was held in Jeddah embodies the unified Gulf stance towards current developments and “the need it entails for intensifying coordination and consultation, in a manner that strengthens our countries’ active role in supporting diplomatic paths, safeguarding the security of the region and the stability of its people, and achieving their aspirations towards development and prosperity.”GCC Secretary-General Jasem al-Budaiwi said Gulf leaders discussed regional developments and the escalation in the region at the summit in Jeddah, adding that participants explored ways to reach a diplomatic solution to end the crisis. The summit condemned Iran’s attacks, al-Budaiwi said, adding that the strikes have led to a sharp decline in trust between Gulf states and Tehran. Gulf leaders also discussed paving the way for agreements that address the sources of concern for their countries, he said. Gulf leaders affirmed the right of Gulf states to defend themselves individually or collectively, al-Budaiwi said, adding that Iran must take the initiative and make serious efforts to rebuild trust.The leaders affirmed that any attack on a GCC member state would be considered an attack on all Gulf countries, al-Budaiwi said. He added that Gulf states have swiftly restored energy facilities damaged during the war. Gulf leaders rejected Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and any obstruction to navigation, al-Budaiwi said, adding that they also opposed imposing any fees on ships transiting the waterway under any circumstances. The summit comes as relations between Gulf countries and Iran have been badly strained since the outbreak of war between Iran, the United States and Israel on February 28. Iran and some of its regional allies targeted its Gulf neighbors, launching drones and missiles during the war. A ceasefire is currently in effect, although the situation remains fragile as there has been no diplomatic breakthrough and no agreement to fully end the conflict.

Iraqi security forces open fire at drone flying over Baghdad’s Green Zone
Reuters/28 April ,2026
Iraqi security forces opened fire at a drone flying over Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, security sources said on Tuesday, adding that it was likely being used for surveillance.
The drone managed to escape after coming under fire, the sources said, with no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The Green Zone houses government buildings and foreign missions, including the US embassy, which has come under rocket and drone attacks in recent weeks following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Analysis: Iran’s IRGC seizes wartime power, blunting supreme leader’s role
Reuters/28 April ,2026
Two months into a war with the US and Israel, Iran no longer has a single, undisputed clerical arbiter at the pinnacle of power — an abrupt break with the past that may be hardening Tehran’s stance as it weighs renewed talks with Washington. Since its creation in 1979, the Islamic Republic has revolved around a supreme leader with final authority on all key matters of state. But the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war, and the elevation of his wounded son, Mojtaba, have ushered in a different order dominated by commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and marked by the absence of a decisive, authoritative referee.
Mojtaba Khamenei remains at the apex of the system, but three people familiar with internal deliberations say his role is largely to legitimize decisions made by his generals rather than issue directives himself. Wartime pressure has concentrated power into a narrower, harder-line inner circle rooted in the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), the Supreme Leader’s office and the IRGC, which now dominates both military strategy and key political decisions, Iranian officials and analysts say. “The Iranians are painfully slow in their response,” said a senior Pakistani government official briefed on peace talks between Iran and the United States that Islamabad has been mediating. “There is apparently no one decision-making command structure. At times, it takes them 2 to 3 days to respond.”
Analysts said the obstacle to a deal is not internal infighting in Tehran, but the gap between what Washington is prepared to offer and what Iran’s hardline IRGC was willing to accept.
The diplomatic face of Iran at the talks with the US has been Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, more recently joined by parliament speaker Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf -- a former IRGC commander, Tehran mayor and presidential candidate -- who has emerged during the war as a key conduit between Iran’s political, security and clerical elites.
On the ground, however, the central interlocutor has been IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi, according to a Pakistani and two Iranian sources who identified him weeks ago as Iran’s pivotal figure, including on the night a ceasefire was announced.
Mojtaba, who was severely injured in the opening Israeli and US strike that killed his father and other relatives and left him disfigured with serious leg wounds, has not appeared publicly and communicates through IRGC aides or limited audio links because of security constraints, two people close to his inner circle said. There was no immediate reply from the Iranian foreign ministry to a request for comment on the issues raised in this article. Iranian officials have previously denied any divisions over negotiations with the United States.
Real power wielded by wartime leadership, insiders say
Iran submitted a new proposal to Washington on Monday, which according to senior Iranian sources envisions staged talks, with the nuclear issue to be set aside at the start until the war ends and disputes over Gulf shipping are resolved. Washington insists the nuclear issue must be addressed from the outset. “Neither side wants to negotiate,” said Alan Eyre, an Iran expert and former US diplomat, adding that both believed time would weaken the other -- Iran through leverage over Hormuz and Washington through economic pressure and a blockade.
For now, neither side can afford to bend, Eyre said: Iran’s IRGC is wary of appearing weak to Washington, while President Donald Trump faces midterm election pressure and little room for flexibility without political cost.
“For either, flexibility would be seen as weakness,” Eyre said.
That caution reflects not just the pressures of the moment, but the way power is now exercised inside Iran. While Mojtaba is formally Iran’s ultimate authority, he is a figure of assent rather than command, insiders say, endorsing outcomes forged through institutional consensus, rather than imposing authority. Real power, they say, has moved to a unified wartime leadership centered on the SNSC.
“Important deals probably pass through him,” Iranian analyst Arash Azizi said, “but I can’t see him overruling the National Security Council. How could he go against those running the war effort?”
Hardline figures such as former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and a cluster of radical MPs have raised their profile using forceful rhetoric during the war, but they lack the institutional clout to derail decisions or shape outcomes.
Mojtaba owes his elevation to the IRGC, who sidelined pragmatists and backed him as a reliable guardian of their hardline agenda. Already strengthened by war, the IRGC’s growing dominance signals a more aggressive foreign policy and tighter domestic repression, sources familiar with the country’s inner policy-making circles told Reuters.
Driven by revolutionary Islamism and a security-first worldview, the IRGC sees its mission as preserving the Islamic Republic at home while projecting deterrence abroad.
That outlook, often shared with hardliners across the judiciary and the clerical establishment, prioritises rigid centralised control and resistance to Western pressure, particularly on nuclear policy and Iran’s regional reach.
Power shifts from clerics to security sector, analysts say
In practice, the IRGC’s ideology shapes strategy and decision-making rests firmly in their hands. With the country at war and Ali Khamenei gone, no actor inside the system has the power or scope to resist them, even if they wished to, the people close to internal discussions said.
The choice facing Iran’s leadership is no longer between moderate and hardline policy, but between hardline and even harder line. A small faction may argue for pushing further still, two Iranian sources close to power circles said, but even that impulse has so far been kept in check by the IRGC.
The shift marks a decisive reordering of power from clerical primacy to security dominance. “We’ve gone from divine power to hard power,” said Aaron David Miller, a former US negotiator. “From the influence of the clerics to the influence of the Revolutionary Guard Corps. This is how Iran is being governed.”
While differences of opinion exist, decision-making has consolidated around security institutions, with Mojtaba acting as a central convening figure rather than a lone decider, added Alex Vatanka, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. Despite sustained military and economic pressure from the United States and Israel, Iran has shown no signs of fracture or capitulation nearly nine weeks into the war. Nor, as Miller noted, is there evidence of fundamental rifts within the system or meaningful opposition on the streets. That cohesion suggests that command now sits with the IRGC and security services, which appear to be driving the war rather than merely executing it. A strategic consensus has emerged — avoid a return to full-scale war, preserve leverage, especially over the Strait of Hormuz, and emerge from the conflict politically, economically and militarily stronger, Miller said.

The Latest LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on April 28-29/2026
Trump's Triumph: Nuclear Fusion Roadmap, the Next Breakthrough in America's 'Tech Revolution'
Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute/April 28, 2026
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22480/trump-triumph-nuclear-fusion
If the US is ever successfully to compete with China for global supremacy in the field of artificial intelligence and other technological advances, much of it will depend on the massive amounts of inexpensive, clean energy to generate the electricity required, helped by the two generous oceans on either side of the US that offer more than enough hydrogen for an endless supply.
China, in a race to displace the US as the world's leading superpower, has already invested more than $13 billion since 2023 developing fusion energy, and has exported a tokamak (a magnetic plasma confinement reactor) to Thailand.
President Donald J. Trump, farsightedly as always, and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, have seen that what is usually meant by "nuclear reactors" -- fission energy -- simply are not providing enough energy for the US to remain the world's leader in AI and technology.
Last October, less than a year into Trump's second term, Wright and his Department of Energy published a landmark report: "Fusion Science & Technology Roadmap". Whoever might be interested in this new frontier technology should download and study this groundbreaking text, the next advancement in the 21st century's "technological revolution."
This roadmap -- compiled from the input of more than 600 researchers, engineers and industry stakeholders -- documents the nation's strategy to complete the development and commercialization of fusion energy within ten years.
The report lays out the administration's plan to combine public investment with private sector innovation for a "three-pillar" approach to achieving its mid-2030s goal: Build critical infrastructure; innovate through accelerating fusion research along with AI, and grow through investments in public-private partnerships, increased manufacturing, strong supply chains, and training workers in the field.
US companies have already received more than $9 billion in private equity investment, according to the report, and the Department of Energy is working to coordinate its existing 17 National Laboratories with private sector companies, universities, and other partners, for research and supporting commercialization.
Nuclear fusion is yet another historic, trailblazing opportunity that Trump and his team are initiating for the race against China and for the future of America. Our best and brightest will surely be taking full advantage of it.
**Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Europeans Dream of Throwing Themselves into the Jaws of the Russian Bear
Drieu Godefridi/Gatestone Institute./April 28, 2026
Europe is economically dependent on the United States, not on Russia.
Russia, for its part, mainly sold hydrocarbons such as oil and gas — 85% of its oil exports to the EU before 2022 — and bought almost nothing from Europe. Europeans have therefore been in a position of unilateral dependence -- not supposed "interdependence."
Most European states possess no aircraft carriers, no missile defense, and no supply fleet. Europe seems only to have funds for endless welfare benefits handed out to migrants who seem committed to transforming Europe into the extremist, third-world countries that they left.
German industry is experiencing a severe depression.... The cause, however, is not the loss of Russian gas. It is 100% internal — and 100% ideological. It is Germany's suicidal decision to phase out nuclear power in 2011, then coal in 2030, without a credible alternative.
The solution exists and is within reach....
Above all, stop believing that Germany's €5 trillion economy can be "decarbonized" in ten years without causing an industrial, economic, and ultimately democratic collapse.
Russia is not the solution; it is part of Europe's problem. Those in Paris, Berlin, or Brussels who continue dreaming of a "Brussels–Berlin–Moscow axis" are not realists. They are dreamers.
German industry is experiencing a severe depression. The cause, however, is not the loss of Russian gas. It is 100% internal — and 100% ideological. It is Germany's suicidal decision to phase out nuclear power in 2011, then coal in 2030, without a credible alternative.
Some ideas refuse to die. One of these is the notion of a European "reversal of alliances" into the arms of Russia. The phrase refers to the unexpected decoupling from former allies, accompanied by an unexpected alliance with former enemies. In 1756, Austria, which had always been an ally of Great Britain, instead allied with its longtime foe, France. Meanwhile, Great Britain and its old enemy, Prussia, became allies -- resulting in the Seven Years' War.
You hear it in Europe from the "new right" and the far left -- at conferences where people swoon over "multipolarity" and in the corridors of Germany's Bundestag, where desperate industrialists plead for Russia's Gazprom to reopen its taps.
If this reversal of alliances was possible in 1756, why not in 2026?
Europe is economically dependent on the United States, not on Russia
In 2024, bilateral trade between the European Union and the United States reached €1.68 trillion (exports plus imports). For 2025, goods trade rose modestly; services (which tend to grow steadily) likely pushed the combined total to a similar or slightly higher level, though exact 2025 services numbers are pending.
Trade between the EU and Russia was at €68 billion in 2023, then €67.5 billion in 2024. Full-year 2025 figures are not yet finalized, but trade continued to decline and hit record lows. In May 2025, EU News wrote, "EU-Russia trade at an all-time low, imports plummeted 86 per cent since the start of the war."
Joel Hills, business and economics editor of ITV, has been asking for years, "Why Is Europe still buying Russian oil and gas?"
In other words, for the EU, the US alone represents 30 times Russia's trade weight. Even these figures understate reality because they exclude direct US investment in Europe, the role of the dollar as a reserve currency, and financing Europe's public debt.
Russia, for its part, mainly sold hydrocarbons such as oil and gas — 85% of its oil exports to the EU before 2022 — and bought almost nothing from Europe. Europeans have therefore been in a position of unilateral dependence -- not supposed "interdependence." Those in Europe who still lament the loss of "cheap Russian gas" conveniently forget that in 2021, Gazprom was charging more than $1,200 per 1,000 m³ at the peak of the crisis — three times the price of American liquefied natural gas today.
Russia never sought an "alliance" with Europe: It seeks Europe's subjugation
People speak of an "alliance" as though Russian President Vladimir Putin were a potential partner. This is either childish or propaganda. Russia's recent history is telling: In 2008, the invasion of Georgia; in 2014, the annexation of Crimea and the start of the Donbass war, and in 2022, an attempt to erase Ukraine as a sovereign state; bombing a Ukrainian nuclear power plant, deporting thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia, and repeated nuclear threats.
Russia is not looking for partners. It is looking for vassals.
Putin's plan is clear: rebuild the old Soviet empire by force, piece by piece. Yesterday Georgia and Ukraine; tomorrow the Baltic States (constantly threatened); the day after tomorrow Moldova, Poland or Romania, and so forth.
Without NATO, Europe is defenseless — and will remain so
One may criticize NATO, its costs and its bureaucracy, or lament Trump asking for money, stationing troops or fly-over rights -- but one cannot deny a few stark military realities:
France and the United Kingdom together have around 500 nuclear warheads — respectable, but insufficient as a deterrent to defend a continent of 500 million inhabitants against a Russia that possesses more than 6,000.
Conventional European armies are "display" armies: Germany struggles to field 180,000 soldiers; some lack even functional firearms. France can at best deploy 20,000 troops for a few months. Most European states possess no aircraft carriers, no missile defense, and no supply fleet. Europe seems only to have funds for endless welfare benefits handed out to migrants who seem committed to transforming Europe into the extremist, third-world countries that they left.
Faced by Russia — and also by Turkey (which has NATO's second-largest army and pursues its own imperial ambitions), Algeria (which has just signed a strategic partnership with Moscow), Islamist militias in the Sahel, and weaponized migration flows — Europe without the US is an economic giant with feet of clay. It will take at least 10-15 years, even in the most optimistic scenario, before Europe could hope for true strategic autonomy.
Until then, those in Europe who advocate "leaving NATO" or "neutrality" are either reckless or delusional. At this point, Trump is mulling leaving it first.
Germany's tragedy is real — and entirely self-inflicted
German industry is experiencing a severe depression: BASF is shutting factories, Volkswagen is eliminating tens of thousands of jobs, and the chemical and steel sectors are at the edge of collapse. The manufacturing giant Bosch just announced plans to cut 13,000 jobs in its mobility (auto) division in Germany by 2030 (on top of earlier cuts), representing about 10% of its German workforce. This aims to save €2.5 billion annually amid stagnating auto demand. Volkswagen plans to eliminate up to 50,000 jobs in Germany by 2030 (including ~35,000 at the core VW brand), following a sharp drop in profits (down ~44% in 2025 to the lowest level since 2016). The chemicals leader BASF is closing production facilities (e.g., a hydrosulfites plant in Ludwigshafen) and has already cut around 4,800 jobs as part of restructuring. The broader chemical industry faces its worst crisis in decades, with widespread plant downsizing and job losses in the tens of thousands.
The cause, however, is not the loss of Russian gas. It is 100% internal — and 100% ideological. It is Germany's suicidal decision to phase out nuclear power in 2011, then coal in 2030, without a credible alternative.
It is the dogma of forced "decarbonization," which has sent electricity prices soaring (€40-€60/MWh in the United States, €300-€500/MWh in Germany on certain winter days).
It is the closure of Germany's last nuclear plants in April 2023, just as France was expanding its nuclear power generation — and even as Swedish and Finnish Greens were applauding new reactors.
The solution exists and is within reach:
Massively revive nuclear power. France is again proposing collaboration with Germany in the nuclear field, despite Germany's refusals in the past on ideological grounds.
Import American, Norwegian, and Australian natural gas, already much cheaper than in the past.
Exploit vast shale gas reserves in Poland, Romania and Ukraine (once the war ends).
Above all, stop believing that Germany's €5 trillion economy can be "decarbonized" in ten years without causing an industrial, economic, and ultimately democratic collapse.
Russia is not the solution; it is part of Europe's problem. Those in Paris, Berlin, or Brussels who continue dreaming of a "Brussels–Berlin–Moscow axis" are not realists. They are dreamers.
Europe really has only one option: to reinvest heavily in its defense, which means scaling back the welfare state and embracing nuclear and fossil fuels. Europe needs to salvage what it can of the transatlantic relationship by stopping its objections whenever our American allies ask for the right to use their own military bases in Europe. Europe would do well to step up to the plate. Everything else is nothing but a pipe dream — or completely self-defeating.
**Drieu Godefridi is a jurist (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain), philosopher (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain) and PhD in legal theory (Paris IV-Sorbonne). He is an entrepreneur, CEO of a European private education group and director of PAN Medias Group. He is the author of The Green Reich (2020).
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22481/europe-energy-russia
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Trump is Right: Laws Across the Middle East to Prevent Normalization with Israel are 'Crazy' - and Poisonous
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/April 28, 2026
So long as Arabs and Muslims are taught by law, religion and social pressure that contact with Israelis is forbidden, the prospects for peace and coexistence will remain out of reach.
If [Lebanese President Joseph] Aoun... were to accept Trump's invitation to meet Netanyahu at the White House, he would effectively be violating Lebanon's own anti-normalization law, which prohibits all economic, professional, cultural, or social relations between Lebanese nationals and Israeli citizens and entities.
Countries such as Syria and Iraq have long maintained sweeping prohibitions on contact with Israelis, with penalties that have included life imprisonment and even death.
In Kuwait, similar laws – backed by parliamentary legislation and Islamic religious rulings – criminalize normalization with Israel and treat it as an act of treason.
Even Egypt, which signed a peace treaty with Israel more than four decades ago, has a law that authorizes the revocation of Egyptian citizenship if a national is "qualified as Zionist." The Egyptian government has used this law, passed in 1975, to revoke the citizenship of Egyptians who marry Israeli nationals.
Another prominent Islamic body, the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), has issued a fatwa (Islamic ruling) forbidding normalization with Israel. The ruling came in response to the normalization agreement signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates more than five years ago. According to IUMS, normalization agreements are "not reconciliations or truces... rather, they are a concession of the holiest and most blessed of lands and a recognition of the legitimacy of the occupying enemy [Israel]."
The purpose of these laws and religious rulings is clear: to deter, punish, and stigmatize any form of coexistence with Israel. By criminalizing people-to-people engagement, Arab and Muslim leaders and institutions send a powerful message to their populations: peace with Israel is not merely undesirable, but a crime. This message is reinforced through media campaigns, professional blacklisting, and public accusations of "treason" against those who dare to engage with Israelis.
Where peace is illegal, peace is impossible.
Washington has diplomatic, economic, and political leverage with many of the countries that enforce these laws. The question is whether it is willing to use it.
If Lebanese President Joseph Aoun were to accept US President Donald Trump's invitation to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, he would effectively be violating Lebanon's own anti-normalization law, which prohibits all economic, professional, cultural, or social relations between Lebanese nationals and Israeli citizens and entities. Pictured: Aoun (R) meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Baabda, Lebanon, on January 9, 2026. (Photo by Courtney Bonneau/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
US President Donald J. Trump recently said that he has never heard of a Lebanese law banning contact with Israel. "I never heard of that, but... I'm pretty sure that'll be ended very quickly," Trump told reporters. "I know Lebanon doesn't want that... That's crazy."
Trump is right. These laws are "crazy." They are also poisonous.
So long as Arabs and Muslims are taught by law, religion and social pressure that contact with Israelis is forbidden, the prospects for peace and coexistence will remain out of reach.
There can be no real stability in the Middle East while anti-normalization laws and campaigns persist. Such laws and campaigns only empower extremists and terrorists who seek Israel's and the region's destruction.
Trump is reportedly seeking to invite Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a meeting in the White House as part of an effort to achieve peace and stability between Lebanon and Israel. If Aoun, however, were to accept Trump's invitation to meet Netanyahu at the White House, he would effectively be violating Lebanon's own anti-normalization law, which prohibits all economic, professional, cultural, or social relations between Lebanese nationals and Israeli citizens and entities.
Lebanon's anti-normalization law, rooted in the 1955 Boycott Law and reinforced by the penal code, prohibits virtually all contact with Israel, which is classified as an "enemy state."
The law goes even further. It bars any person or legal entity, directly or indirectly, from engaging in any transaction -- commercial, financial, or otherwise -- with individuals or organizations linked to Israel.
The penalties are severe. Violators can face prison terms ranging from three to ten years with hard labor, in addition to fines, professional bans, and the confiscation of goods.
What may sound "crazy" in Washington is, in fact, standard practice in several Arab and Islamic countries. Lebanon is not the exception; it is the rule.
Legislation to prevent countries from establishing normal relations with Israel has existed in the region for decades. Countries such as Syria and Iraq have long maintained sweeping prohibitions on contact with Israelis, with penalties that have included life imprisonment and even death.
On May 26, 2022, Iraq's parliament passed the "Criminalizing Normalization and Establishment of Relations with the Zionist Entity" law, which unanimously prohibits any diplomatic, political, economic, or cultural ties with Israel. Violations, including supporting "Zionist ideas" via social media, can incur life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Since then, Iraqi authorities have filed legal complaints against several political activists and bloggers, accusing them of supporting Israel. "One of the primary figures named in the complaints is Ghaith al-Tamimi, an Iraqi political activist living abroad. Al-Tamimi is known for his strong criticism of Iran and its affiliated factions within Iraq," according to The New Arab media outlet.
"Al-Tamimi has been accused of using his social media platforms to make statements that were interpreted as supportive of Israeli actions in Gaza and Lebanon. This has sparked outrage within Iraq, where any perceived support for Israeli operations is considered a violation of the country's laws."
In another case, the Karkh Criminal Court in Baghdad sentenced a man to life imprisonment for promoting the "Zionist entity" (Israel) on social media. According to the Supreme Judicial Council, the defendant, whose identity has not been released, published photos and videos on Facebook supporting normalization with Israel. Authorities also found Hebrew-language books and newspapers in his home.
In Kuwait, similar laws – backed by parliamentary legislation and Islamic religious rulings – criminalize normalization with Israel and treat it as an act of treason. A few years ago, the Criminal Court in Kuwait issued a three-year prison sentence with hard labor against renowned media personality Fajr al-Saeed, who had publicly called for normalization with Israel.
Even Egypt, which signed a peace treaty with Israel more than four decades ago, has a law that authorizes the revocation of Egyptian citizenship if a national is "qualified as Zionist." The Egyptian government has used this law, passed in 1975, to revoke the citizenship of Egyptians who marry Israeli nationals.
These laws are frequently reinforced not only by governments, but also by influential religious institutions such as Cairo's Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, the premier institution of Sunni Islam, which has issued rulings banning all forms of non-governmental contact with Israelis and framing normalization as religiously forbidden.
Another prominent Islamic body, the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), has issued a fatwa (Islamic ruling) forbidding normalization with Israel. The ruling came in response to the normalization agreement signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates more than five years ago. According to IUMS, normalization agreements are "not reconciliations or truces... rather, they are a concession of the holiest and most blessed of lands and a recognition of the legitimacy of the occupying enemy [Israel]."
The purpose of these laws and religious rulings is clear: to deter, punish, and stigmatize any form of coexistence with Israel. By criminalizing people-to-people engagement, Arab and Muslim leaders and institutions send a powerful message to their populations: peace with Israel is not merely undesirable, but a crime. This message is reinforced through media campaigns, professional blacklisting, and public accusations of "treason" against those who dare to engage with Israelis.
If Trump is serious about presenting himself as a peacemaker, his surprise at Lebanon's law should be only the beginning. The real challenge lies in confronting a deeply entrenched system of boycotts, legal restrictions, and incitement against Israel across the Arab and Islamic worlds.
Where peace is illegal, peace is impossible.
The US maintains close ties with several Arab and Islamic countries where laws and campaigns banning normalization with Israel remain in force. Washington has diplomatic, economic, and political leverage with many of the countries that enforce these laws. The question is whether it is willing to use it.
**Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
**Follow Khaled Abu Toameh 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. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

The WHCD Attack and the Revolutionary Vanguards
Alberto M. Fernandez/National Catholic Register/April 28/026
https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/fernandez-vanguards-revolution
COMMENTARY: An attempted attack on the White House Correspondents’ Dinner points to a deeper trend: In a polarized West, violence is becoming thinkable again.
It was in a 1950s motorcycle picture that the exchange is made. Marlon Brando, the “Wild One” in the movie’s title, is asked what he and his fellows are rebelling against. Brando’s character, Johnny, answers, “What’ve you got?”
If we’re not quite in an age of revolution in the West, there are many acting, or play-acting, as though we are. Ivy League graduate Luigi Mangione, who went to Penn, the same school as President Donald Trump, has become something of an icon on the left for murdering insurance executive Brian Thompson in 2024. Trans-identifying young people have shot and killed children in religious schools in Tennessee and Minnesota.
The New York Times, the most influential newspaper on the planet, recently featured a fawning interview with leftist influencers Hasan Piker and Jia Tolentino, justifying Mangione, embracing Marxism and endorsing “microlooting” — robbing stores and (in Piker’s case) even national museums — as some sort of principled stand against the powerful. Both Piker and Tolentino, like Mangione, come from upper-middle-class or wealthy backgrounds, but that doesn’t seem to have caused much introspection on their part.
The infatuation today with revolutionary violence is not limited to words. Cole Allen — the 31-year-old teacher and Caltech graduate who attempted to shoot up the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD) in an effort to target the U.S. president and senior Trump administration officials on April 25 — seems to have been steeped in the online fever swamps of anti-Trumpism. He had moved from social-media posting on Bluesky and protests to traveling across the country to try to commit murder. Allen demonized Trump for a variety of perceived or imaginary ills, including issues related to foreign policy and immigration. In his manifesto, emailed to contacts 10 minutes before he acted, Allen clearly expected to die in the attempt, thanking “my family, both personal and church, for your love over these 31 years.”
Understanding the political motivation for violence can be a complicated thing. Ideology is complex, but there are some clues. Research shows that American universities have moved sharply to the left over the past 50 years. In 1969, 45% of faculty considered themselves to be far-left/liberal. In 2022, that figure had climbed to 74% (conservative/far-right had fallen from 27% to 11% in the same time frame).
Trend lines seem to point toward greater polarization, not just in the United States but in the West in general. Unemployment rates for young people are higher than for older cohorts. A decline in entry-level hiring and the rise of artificial intelligence seem to be making this worse. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has projected a 50% decline in entry-level white-collar jobs within the next five years. In the Global South, the problem of so-called “downwardly mobile would-be elites” has led to turmoil and revolution. That challenge now seems to be heading West.
Jason Burke’s new book The Revolutionists, on the extremists who hijacked the 1970s, speaks of the political, social and economic ferment that led to terrorists like Germany’s Red Army Faction and Italy’s Red Brigades: “The use of violence, even to murder, thus became an unavoidable duty.”
Bishop Robert Barron condemned the WHCD attack by Allen, warning of “the viciousness and tribalism that are so prevalent on the internet and that contribute mightily to the violence we see in our political culture. Can we please remember that it is possible to disagree with a politician’s ideas without demonizing and dehumanizing him?”
Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming encyclical, reportedly titled Magnifica Humanitas, will surely have much to say of the tremendous challenges emerging from technological trends, including AI, that are impacting the future of work and the dignity of man. These trends are at least key contributing factors to the current polarization.
Even before the new encyclical, there are few organizations that have as much experience, or as much to say, as the Church on these matters. From St. Augustine to Joseph de Maistre to Leo XIII to Jacques Maritain and Dietrich von Hildebrand, Catholic thinkers have wrestled with the challenge of unsettled, revolutionary, polarizing times. Far from having to avoid politics, the Church may have much to say — may be called upon to say much, whether it is ready or not — about the human condition in the coming years.
The pitfalls for the Church’s prophetic voice are obvious. In Latin America, in response to revolutionary times and perceptions of injustice, many looked — disastrously — to a Catholic left that in the end wound up being mostly about violent Marxist revolution and very little about Catholicism. Colombian Father Camilo Torres began with a passion for the poor and ended up carrying a gun and dying in a botched ambush in the service of the Marxist Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN). The ELN, which featured several priests in its senior ranks through the years, still exists, still fights and has made much of its money from kidnappings and drug trafficking.
But if leftism is a real threat to an authentic Christian witness, and it is, so would a Church too comfortable and complacent with the halls of power. That seems less likely in much of the West because much of the West seems to be increasingly post-Christian — more of a vacuum than anything else, although the vacuum seems to have stopped growing.
There are those on the far left and far right with passionate intensity, and then there are great masses that believe in nothing and no one. Still, far-right “groypers,” far-left antifa, constant incitement on social media, disinformation, unemployment, boredom and nihilism make for a toxic brew. What American writer Rod Dreher has called “Weimar America” promises to be a dangerous, volatile place. But this will be, for us — for the Holy Church — not a time to shrink back, but to stand and shine more brightly amid the coming darkness.
**Alberto M. Fernandez Alberto M. Fernandez is a former U.S. diplomat and a contributor at EWTN News.

Selected Face Book & X tweets for April 28/2026