English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News
& Editorials
For April 30/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
When reviled,
we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we speak kindly
First Letter to the Corinthians 04/09-16: “For I think that God has exhibited us
apostles as last of all, as though sentenced to death, because we have become a
spectacle to the world, to angels and to mortals. We are fools for the sake of
Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are
held in honour, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we are hungry and
thirsty, we are poorly clothed and beaten and homeless, and we grow weary from
the work of our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;
when slandered, we speak kindly. We have become like the rubbish of the world,
the dregs of all things, to this very day. I am not writing this to make you
ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you might have
ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Indeed, in
Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. I appeal to you, then, be
imitators of me.”
Titles For Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News &
Editorials published on April 29-30/2026
Elias Bejjani's video and text/exposing and ridiculing the
"national meeting" held by Hezbollah today, which brought together rotting
corpses, extinct dinosaurs, Baathists, Nasserists, leftists, mercenaries,
nationalists, and Christian Trojan horses
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
Lebanon President Says Israel Must 'Fully Implement Ceasefire' before Talks
Rubio Says Both Lebanon, Israel Agree on Dismantling Hezbollah
Officials Exert Efforts to Unify Lebanon’s Stance on Negotiations with Israel
Over 1.2 mn People in Lebanon to Face Acute Hunger due to War
Army soldier killed as Israel strikes south Lebanon despite truce
Trump says working to prevent collapse of Lebanon ceasefire over next two weeks
and beyond
Israeli army chief visits south Lebanon, vows strikes beyond 'Yellow Line'
Israeli envoy says int'l support for Lebanon must not depend on 'empty
statements'
Report: Aoun tells US he'll meet Netanyahu at end, not start, of talks
Aoun says Israel must 'fully implement ceasefire' before talks, as strikes
continue
No 'rift' between Aoun and Berri, president to press US on ceasefire
He once struck a peace deal with Israel and says Lebanon's leaders should try
again now
Report: Israel to resume war in Lebanon if no deal within two weeks
Israeli army pressuring political leadership to return to striking Beirut,
report says
Lebanon detains ex-Palestinian envoy at Beirut airport on corruption charges
Israeli military contractor killed by drone strike in south Lebanon
Hezbollah-Aoun clash over Israel talks deepens Lebanon divide
Saudi Envoy Says Adherence to Taif Accord is Key to Any Settlement in Lebanon
Aoun…and Redefining Lebanon as a State/Jamal Al-Kashki/Asharq Al Awsat/April
29/2026
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous
Reports And News published
on April 29-30/2026
UN: Iran Has Executed 21, Arrested 4,000 Since Start of War
Trump warns Iran better 'get smart soon' and accept nuclear deal
Analysts Say Iran is Drowning in its Own Oil
Trump Reportedly Plans Long Blockade of Iran
Swiss President Backs Saudi Arabia, Urges US-Iran Talks
Netanyahu’s Rivals Are Joining Forces. Would They Shift Israel’s Security
Policy?
Jeddah Summit Stresses Importance of Restoring Navigation Security in Hormuz
Shehbaz Sharif: We Repaid $3.5 Billion in Debt Thanks to Saudi Arabia’s
'Pivotal' Support
Asharq Al-Awsat Reveals Details of New Gaza Proposal
Hamas Revives Momentum for Political Bureau Chief Election
UK Police Say Two Men Stabbed in London in Stable Condition
Who Is Iraq’s PM-Designate Al-Zaidi?
Titles For The Latest
English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on April 29-30/2026
International Law Can't Stop Tyrannical Regimes/Gerald M. Steinberg/Gatestone
Institute/April 29, 2026
Vision 2030: A Decade in Review/Emile Ameen/Asharq Al Awsat/April 29/2026
Cash alone will not buy the UK migration control/Mohamed Chebaro/Arab News/April
29, 2026
Redefining energy security, a 10-point guide/Richard Haass and Carolyn Kissane/Arab
News/April 29, 2026
Hormuz, resilience and cohesion dominate Jeddah summit/Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab
News/April 29, 2026
Gaza’s Board of Peace a monument of broken promises/Osama Al-Sharif/Arab
News/April 29, 2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets for April 29/2026
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials
published on April 29-30/2026
Elias Bejjani's video and text/exposing
and ridiculing the "national meeting" held by Hezbollah today, which brought
together rotting corpses, extinct dinosaurs, Baathists, Nasserists, leftists,
mercenaries, nationalists, and Christian Trojan horses
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/04/154033/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tUZ-YgjbGU&t=149s
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
Lebanon President Says Israel Must 'Fully Implement
Ceasefire' before Talks
Asharq Al Awsat/April 29/2026
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that Israel must "fully implement"
the ceasefire between the two countries before beginning direct negotiations,
adding that Beirut was waiting for Washington to set a date for the talks, AFP
reported. Israel "must first fully implement the ceasefire in order to move on
to negotiations... Israeli attacks cannot continue as they are," Aoun said in a
statement shared by the presidency."We are now waiting for the United States to
set a date to begin direct negotiations" with Israel. Despite the ceasefire,
Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have both engaged in
fighting, trading blame over violations of the fragile truce.
Rubio Says Both Lebanon,
Israel Agree on Dismantling Hezbollah
Washington: Ali Barada/ Asharq Al Awsat/29 April 2026
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that both the Lebanese and the
Israeli governments want the same thing: peace and Hezbollah gone. In an
interview with Fox News, Rubio said the Lebanese people are the victim of the
pro-Iran organization, claiming that Israel has no territorial claims on
Lebanon. Asked about the Trump administration’s efforts to try and reach an
agreement between Israel and Lebanon, the Secretary of State said the current
ceasefire between the two nations “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,” he
explained. The top diplomat said both the Lebanese and the Israelis seek peace.
“They have no problem with one another. Israel has no territorial claims on
Lebanon. There isn’t some part of Lebanon that Israel claims belongs to them.”
According to Rubio, the problem Israel has is not with Lebanon but with
Hezbollah inside of Lebanon. Also, he noted, the Lebanese have acknowledged that
Hezbollah is a problem for them. “Not only is Israel the victim of Hezbollah,
but so are the Lebanese.” The US official noted that the efforts now focus on
the ceasefire and to make sure that Israel has a right to defend itself from an
imminent attack or an ongoing attack from Hezbollah elements, who will do
everything they can to disrupt the ceasefire. He said both sides agree that the
answer is a Lebanese Armed Forces with the capability to go after and disarm and
dismantle Hezbollah inside of their country. “And that’s what we’re working
towards establishing, is a system that actually works where vetted units within
the Lebanese Armed Forces have the training, the equipment, and the capability
to go after elements of Hezbollah and dismantle them so Israel doesn’t have to
do it,” he added. Rubio said US officials urged Israelis to measure themselves
in their response, to make sure their responses are proportional and targeted,
and so far that appears to be the case. “I don’t know what’s happened since I’ve
been in this room with you, but that’s so far the case because that’s
important,” he said, adding that it’s acknowledged in the agreement that Israel
has a right to deal with threats that Lebanon can’t deal with. Asked whether he
sees a scenario where Lebanon joins the Abraham Accords, Rubio said: “We’re not
there yet.”He added: “I mean, obviously that would be very promising, but we’re
not at that point. I think what we perceive – and it’s pretty clear – is by and
large there is no Lebanese-Israeli conflict per se.”The Secretary of State said
he thinks what needs to happen inside Lebanon is not just that the overwhelming
majority of the country, the Sunnis and the Christians, say Hezbollah has been a
nightmare for us, but even within the Shiite population that there be a
rejection of Hezbollah.
“There should be one government, one armed forces inside of Lebanon, and it
should belong to the Lebanese government. And that’s who we should be
empowering,” he affirmed.
Officials Exert Efforts to Unify Lebanon’s Stance on
Negotiations with Israel
Beirut: Asharq Al Awsat/29 April 2026
Efforts are underway to unify Lebanon’s position on negotiations with Israel
amid disagreements on how to approach the issue, particularly as Hezbollah
objects to the process and wages what critics describe as a systematic campaign
against President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, even as both enjoy
broad support among most political factions. A meeting between Aoun, Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri and Salam is expected to be held this week in an effort to
consolidate Lebanon’s position. Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar
said his country had no intention of seizing Lebanese territory. Speaking at a
joint news conference with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, Saar said:
“Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon. Our presence in areas along our
northern border serves one purpose only: protecting our citizens,” referring to
the deployment of Israeli forces in parts of southern Lebanon. His remarks came
as the Israeli military continues air and ground operations against Hezbollah
despite the ceasefire.Aoun has drawn broad domestic backing since a
first-of-its-kind statement Monday in which he accused Hezbollah of betrayal,
saying: “The traitor is the one who dragged his country into war in pursuit of
foreign interests.”In a sign of support, MP Melhem Riachi visited him as an
envoy of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. After the meeting, Riachi said:
“We held wide-ranging talks on current developments, particularly negotiations
between Lebanon and Israel aimed at securing a ceasefire and containing the
situation in the south.”“I expressed full support for the president’s efforts,”
he added. Referring to reports about a possible meeting involving Aoun and
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, Riachi said: “We
encourage him to meet (US) President Donald Trump, and if other meetings are to
take place, they should come at the appropriate time .... We have no objection
to any step that spares Lebanon and its people, especially our people in the
south.”Echoing his remarks, the political bureau of the Kataeb Party, meeting
under the chairmanship of MP Sami Gemayel, said Aoun’s position “expressed the
will of the Lebanese, who reject a militia - Hezbollah - unilaterally imposing
its will on the Lebanese in service of the interests of the Islamic Republic of
Iran.”It added that the roadmap laid out by Lebanon to reach peace is being
translated in practice through the negotiating track launched under Arab and
international sponsorship. The political bureau called for creating the
conditions necessary for the Israeli withdrawal, the end to attacks, the return
of detainees, the end to war, the deployment of the Lebanese army and the launch
of reconstruction.
Over 1.2 mn People in Lebanon to Face Acute Hunger due to
War
Asharq Al Awsat/29 April 2026
A UN-backed report said Wednesday that more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon
were expected to face acute hunger due to the latest war between Israel and
Hezbollah. The figure was announced in a joint statement by the UN's Food and
Agriculture Organization, the World Food Program and Lebanon's agriculture
ministry. Some "1.24 million people -- nearly one in four of the population
analysed -- are expected to face food insecurity" at crisis levels or worse
between April and August 2026, they said. They were referring to analysis from
the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a UN-backed group that
monitors hunger and malnutrition. This marks a "significant deterioration" from
before the war erupted in March, "when an estimated 874,000 people, roughly 17
percent of the population, were experiencing acute food insecurity", the
statement said.
"The deterioration is due to conflict, displacement and economic pressures," it
added. A ceasefire since April 17 has paused six weeks of war between Israel and
Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah that has killed more than 2,500 people in
Lebanon and displaced more than one million, according to the authorities.
Israeli forces are operating in south Lebanon near the border where residents
have been warned not to return, and both sides have been trading fire despite
the truce. "Acute food insecurity is likely to deepen without sustained and
timely humanitarian and livelihood support," the statement added.
Army soldier killed as
Israel strikes south Lebanon despite truce
Naharnet/29 April 2026
A Lebanese army soldier was killed Wednesday along with his brother in an
Israeli strike that targeted the motorcycle on which they were traveling from
the soldier’s work post to his home in the village of al-Sowaneh, the army said
in a statement. "A soldier and his brother were killed in an Israeli strike that
targeted them in the town of Khirbet Selm in Bint Jbeil (district) while they
were travelling on a motorbike" heading home, the army statement said. The
Lebanese army has stood on the sidelines during the latest Israel-Hezbollah war,
which began on March 2 when the militant group launched a salvo of missiles into
Israel, two days after the U.S. and Israel launched their attacks on Iran. But
soldiers have frequently gotten caught in the crossfire. A total of 20 Lebanese
army soldiers have been killed by Israeli strikes since March 2, most of them
while en route to or from their duty stations, the army said. Altogether, more
than 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon during the war and during a shaky
ceasefire implemented earlier this month that has reduced but not halted the
fighting. The Israeli army also struck Wednesday Kafra, al-Tiri, Burj Qalaway,
Hinniyeh, Jwaya, Debaal, al-Mansouri, Baraashit and Hanine in south Lebanon and
detonated houses in the border towns of Shamaa and Naqoura, despite an ongoing
ceasefire. Israeli strikes on Tuesday killed more than 13 people, including
civil defense rescuers, women, and children. Hezbollah for its part claimed an
overnight attack on Israeli troops near Alma al-Shaab with a swarm of explosive
drones. It later downed an Israeli Hermes drone over the southern border town of
al-Qantara with a surface-to-air missile and targeted Merkava tanks there with
two attack drones. On three separate occasions on Tuesday, the Israeli military
said it sought to intercept "a suspicious aerial target" where troops were
operating. It also said Hezbollah had launched a number of attack drones that
detonated adjacent to Israeli soldiers, but nobody was hurt. 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. The Israeli military currently lacks an effective
defense against these explosive drones guided by fiber-optic cables, Israeli
media reports say.
Trump says working to prevent collapse of Lebanon ceasefire over next two
weeks and beyond
Naharnet/29 April 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump has told Israel's Channel 12 that he is working on
preventing the collapse of the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire over the next two weeks
and beyond. "I told (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu that he needs to
act in Lebanon in a more surgical manner, not to knock down buildings. You can't
do things like that. It's too terrible and makes Israel look bad," Trump added.
"I love Lebanon. I love the Lebanese leadership. Hezbollah is the problem. It
used to be a great country. But Iran destroyed Lebanon. Their proxy destroyed
Lebanon. But Lebanon can go back to what it was. If we finish Iran, we will
automatically finish Hezbollah," the U.S. president went on to say.
Israeli army chief visits south Lebanon, vows strikes
beyond 'Yellow Line'
Agence France Presse/29 April 2026
Israel's military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir vowed to strike Hezbollah
targets north of Lebanon's Litani River and beyond the so-called "Yellow Line"
during a visit to south Lebanon on Wednesday. "Any threat, anywhere, against our
communities or our forces -- including beyond the Yellow Line and north of the
Litani -- will be eliminated," Zamir said, according to a military statement
issued after his visit to troops stationed within a newly-established Israeli
security zone in southern Lebanon. Israel first mentioned the existence of a
"Yellow Line" in south Lebanon, similar to the one separating its forces from
Hamas-held areas in Gaza, on April 18.
The army chief said that the military has achieved the objectives set by the
government in Lebanon, and it may be required to hold some of its positions in
the country in the future.
"In Lebanon, the mission assigned to us by the political echelon is to hold the
line that prevents direct fire at the communities. We have achieved this... It
is possible that we will be required to remain on it," Zamir said. Military
successes have "created the operational conditions for the processes that the
political echelon is now leading," he added, referring to negotiations between
Israel and the Lebanese state under U.S. mediation for the disarmament of
Iran-backed Hezbollah.
President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that Israel must fully implement the
ceasefire before beginning direct talks. "Israeli attacks cannot continue as
they are," Aoun said in a statement shared by the Presidency. "We are now
waiting for the United States to set a date to begin direct negotiations" with
Israel, he added. Israel said on Wednesday that it struck "approximately 20
command centers and military structures used by Hezbollah" in south Lebanon.
Israeli envoy says int'l support for Lebanon must not
depend on 'empty statements'
Associated Press/29 April 2026
Ambassador Danny Danon said it’s impossible to talk about peace in Lebanon
without mentioning Hezbollah. “Hezbollah is not just set on Israel’s
destruction. It is Lebanon’s greatest obstacle to sovereignty. It has weakened
the Lebanese government,” he told a ministerial meeting of the U.N. Security
Council. Lebanon’s government has demanded that Hezbollah disarm, but Israel
says this has not happened. A ceasefire in the latest Israeli-Hezbollah conflict
was recently extended for three weeks. Danon said that if the U.N. Security
Council wants to help Lebanon, it should ask the government how many Hezbollah
weapons it has seized, “which tunnels have been destroyed and what is being done
to stop arms smuggling from Iran.”“International support for Lebanon must depend
on results on the ground and not more empty statements,” Danon said.
Report: Aoun tells US he'll meet Netanyahu at end, not start, of talks
Naharnet/29 April 2026
President Joseph Aoun has informed Washington that he does not intend to meet
with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the beginning of the proposed
negotiations, but rather when they conclude, MTV reported. "This means that if
the negotiations succeed, they will culminate in a meeting with Netanyahu under
the auspices of U.S. President Donald Trump," MTV said. It noted that an
understanding between Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam
to postpone their tripartite meeting is due to "the Israeli escalation, the
(evacuation) warning to 16 southern villages, and to avoid embarrassing Berri in
front of his southern constituency."MTV added that there is a U.S. understanding
of Aoun's concerns regarding meeting Netanyahu at the beginning of the
negotiations, and sources familiar with the contacts expect the White House to
schedule a meeting between Aoun and Trump soon. Israel considers the extension
of the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon until mid-May a window of opportunity to
reach a genuine understanding, amid talk of resuming and escalating the war
should the direct negotiations, sponsored by Washington, fail. The Israeli
Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan 11) quoted an Israeli source as saying,
"Israel cannot wait indefinitely. An additional two weeks will be given for
negotiations, after which action will be taken."The source added that Tel Aviv
plans to return to "intensive fighting and activity" against Hezbollah if no
progress is made during this period.
Meanwhile, the source indicated that the administration of US President Donald
Trump is seeking to use this timeframe to push for a meeting between Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, despite
the prevailing skepticism among the parties involved on both sides regarding the
feasibility of such a meeting. The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted an
Israeli official as saying, "Our problem is that the decision-maker regarding
the ceasefire with Lebanon is Trump."
Aoun says Israel must 'fully implement ceasefire' before
talks, as strikes continue
Agence France Presse/29 April 2026
President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that Israel must fully implement the
ceasefire with Lebanon before beginning direct talks, after Israeli strikes
killed more than 20 people over the last two days. Hezbollah drew Lebanon into
the Middle East war on March 2, and Israeli and Lebanese representatives have
since met twice in Washington, the first such meetings in decades, for
discussions that Hezbollah has categorically rejected. After the first talks,
U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire that began on April 17,
and a three-week extension after the second round. Trump said he hoped to host
Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "over the next couple of
weeks" as the two sides prepare for direct negotiations. Israel "must first
fully implement the ceasefire in order to move on to negotiations... Israeli
attacks cannot continue as they are," Aoun said in a statement shared by the
Presidency."We are now waiting for the United States to set a date to begin
direct negotiations" with Israel, he added. Israel has repeatedly bombed
Lebanon, particularly the south, despite the truce, and has carried out
demolitions of border villages inside a "Yellow Line" it established in southern
Lebanon. It said on Wednesday that it struck "approximately 20 command centers
and military structures used by Hezbollah." State-run National News Agency (NNA)
reported a series of Israeli strikes on the country. Hezbollah meanwhile claimed
responsibility for attacks on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, and drone and
rocket fire on northern Israel, saying it is in response to ceasefire
"violations".
'Consolidate the ceasefire'
A Lebanese soldier and his brother were killed in an Israeli strike on
Wednesday, Lebanon's military said. The raid comes one day after 19 people
including three civil defense personnel were killed in strikes in the country's
south, according to updated health ministry figures, while two army troops were
also wounded. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called the strike that killed the civil
defense workers a "war crime". Aoun said Wednesday that authorities were keeping
up "contacts to consolidate the ceasefire and stop the demolition of homes in
occupied southern villages", according to a statement from his office. Under the
truce, Israel reserves the right to act against "planned, imminent or ongoing
attacks". Its troops are operating inside an Israeli-announced "yellow line",
which demarcates a ribbon of Lebanese territory around 10 kilometers (six miles)
deep along the length of the border, where Lebanese have been warned not to
return. Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 60 people since the
ceasefire began less than two weeks ago, according to an AFP tally of health
ministry and army statements. Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah vowed
Wednesday that Israeli attempts to "establish a security belt on our land...
will be brought down by the sacrifices of the resistance and the steadfastness
of our people". He also reiterated his party's rejection of direct talks with
Israel. Planned direct negotiations with Israel have caused a strong rift
between the government and Hezbollah, which previously rejected Beirut's
commitment to disarming it. Aoun on Monday stated that direct negotiations aimed
at stopping the war, securing an Israeli withdrawal from the south, returning
the displaced to their homes, demarcating the border and reaching an end to the
"state of hostility" with Israel.
No 'rift' between Aoun and Berri, president to press US on ceasefire
Naharnet/29 April 2026
There is no rift between Baabda Palace and Ain el-Tineh and a phone call took
place yesterday between President Joseph Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri, Al-Jadeed
TV reported on Wednesday. "The primary objective of the call was to bolster the
internal situation, which is considered a top priority for both the presidency
and the speakership," Al-Jadeed said. The report noted that communication
channels between Aoun and Berri remain open, with each "understanding the
other's position" on the issue of direct negotiations with Israel. It also
revealed that Aoun is intensifying his contacts with the U.S. administration,
particularly the State Department, to pressure Israel to adhere to the
ceasefire. MTV meanwhile reported that Berri will not visit the Presidential
Palace and has called for a complete ceasefire as a condition for any agreement
following the recent Israeli escalation. "Contacts between Aoun, Berri and Salam
are ongoing, and President Aoun is in contact with the U.S. side in an attempt
to curb the Israeli escalation," it said.
He once struck a peace deal with Israel and says Lebanon's
leaders should try again now
Associated Press/29 April 2026
The former Lebanese president who once signed a short-lived deal with Israel
ending decades of a state of war now says the time is right to try again. Amin
Gemayel spoke with The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday after the
first direct talks between Lebanon and Israel since the 1980s, as they explore
what could lead to a security agreement or even the eventual normalization of
relations. He is part of one of Lebanon's strongest political dynasties that
founded the Christian Kataeb Party, which held powerful positions for decades.
The 84-year-old Gemayel, who rarely speaks to international media, acknowledged
that much has changed as Lebanese leaders again pursue talks with Israel and as
a fragile ceasefire holds. The discussions in Washington have led to angry
protests as the Israeli military invasion of southern Lebanon continues, and as
parts of Beirut recover from a devastating Israeli bombardment early this month.
For one, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah had only been established during Gemayel's
presidency and was far from the powerful armed and political presence it has
since become. Hezbollah opposes direct talks with Israel and believes Lebanon
instead should support Iran in its talks with the United States, saying Tehran
has more leverage. But Hezbollah has taken major blows, Gemayel noted, and he
supports its disarmament. The group's military capabilities were significantly
weakened by Israel's strikes in Lebanon over the past two years. And the ouster
of longtime backer Bashar Assad in Syria by Islamist-led armed opposition groups
closed off much of the porous border used for transporting weapons. Regional
circumstances also have changed, Gemayel said.
"During my time, discussing a peace agreement with Israel was an unforgivable
fatal crime," he said. Now he believes there is more openness in the region, and
pointed to Syria's direct talks with Israel as well as the Abraham Accords,
where a handful of Arab countries, notably the United Arab Emirates, established
diplomatic ties with Israel.
- The deal with Israel in the 1980s crumbled quickly
Gemayel was Lebanon's youngest-ever president in 1982 when he was sworn in, at
40 years old. The country was in the middle of a devastating 15-year civil war,
occupied by both Syrian and Israeli troops. He decided to enter U.S.-brokered
direct talks with Israel, via a foreign ministry official, and reached an
agreement in May 1983 that included ending the state of war that had existed
since Israel's inception in 1948. Israeli troops would withdraw from southern
Lebanon and Lebanese troops would deploy there. Despite U.S. President Ronald
Reagan's backing at the time and the Lebanese parliament voting overwhelmingly
in favor for the agreement, it never went into effect. Gemayel blamed Syria and
its allies in Lebanon, which were critical of any talks with Israel from the
start, as well as Israel itself. "Israel, though we had finished the
negotiations and reached the stage of signing, tried to impose an article
outside of the framework of the agreement, which was the simultaneous withdrawal
alongside the Syrian army in Lebanon. So the Israeli military wouldn't withdraw
unless the Syrians would," Gemayel said. "It gave the Syrian military a veto to
the agreement ... and a public atmosphere of doubt that (then-Syrian President
Hafez) Assad and his crew created." But now, Gemayel said, Lebanon's leaders
should pursue a long-term peace deal. Even an armistice, like the one signed in
1949 to bring calm to tense frontier for 18 years, could be a good step forward,
as long as it keeps the country in one piece.
Lebanon's president seeks a step short of full normalization -
President Joseph Aoun has said he is seeking a deal similar to the 1949
agreement, not a full normalization of relations with Israel. The move by Aoun
and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to enter into direct talks with Israel was met
with both wide support and criticism in the deeply divided country. The
officials have said the negotiations are the only way to secure the withdrawal
of Israeli troops and bring about long-term calm. "There is an opportunity for
the Lebanese government to go into negotiations to reach a solution that
achieves peace, security, and stability in Lebanon," Gemayel said. "That would
also satisfy the feelings of Lebanese who yearn for the bare minimum of calm,
peace, stability, and an end to the war."During this latest round of fighting
between Israel and Hezbollah, which began two days after the U.S. and Israeli
attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, over 2,500 people in Lebanon have been killed and
over one million people displaced. Israeli troops remain in large swaths of
southern Lebanon and continue to clash with Hezbollah fighters despite a truce
being nominally in place. Both sides accuse each other of violating the
ceasefire. Lebanese have largely been critical of Hezbollah's decision to launch
rockets into Israel on March 2, but they have also been horrified by Israel's
bombardment and ground invasion. Gemayel said the situation remains complicated,
especially in a "boiling region" suffering from serious security and economic
repercussions from the Iran war."We have to see how far we can go," he said. "We
trust General Aoun to enter negotiations as far as they go while maintaining the
interests of the country and the unity of Lebanon. And he knows exactly how far
he can go in negotiations."
Report: Israel to resume war in Lebanon if no deal within
two weeks
Naharnet/29 April 2026
Israel considers the extension of the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon until
mid-May a window of opportunity to reach a "genuine" understanding, Israeli
reports said as an Israeli source said Israel plans to return to "intensive
fighting and activity" against Hezbollah if no progress is made during this
period. The source added, in remarks to the Israeli Public Broadcasting
Corporation, that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking
to use this timeframe to push for a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, despite the prevailing
skepticism on both sides regarding the feasibility of such a meeting. Another
Israeli official told the network that Israel's "problem" is that the
decision-maker regarding the ceasefire with Lebanon is Trump" himself.
Israeli army pressuring political leadership to return to
striking Beirut, report says
Naharnet/29 April 2026
The Israeli army is pressuring the political leadership to return to striking
Beirut, but U.S. President Donald Trump is not allowing it, according to an
Israeli media report. The Yedioth Ahronoth report emphasized that Lebanon
remains tethered to the broader Iranian conflict, which does not serve Israel’s
interests.While Lebanese leaders have asserted that only the state can negotiate
on behalf of the country, Hezbollah and Iran maintain that the current ceasefire
in Lebanon was an Iranian-imposed condition. Trump meanwhile insists on a
ceasefire, even if it allows Hezbollah to continue its operations while the war
persists for residents of northern Israel and Israeli ground forces, the report
said."In terms of aerial freedom of action, we have gone backward," the report
stated. "We must hope this problematic situation is temporary — until Trump
resumes the campaign against Iran and we can return to creating a different
reality in Lebanon. However, we cannot allow this window of time to last too
long." The report further stressed that the drone threat from Hezbollah is
rapidly "getting out of control." 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.
The Israeli military currently lacks an effective defense against these
explosive drones guided by fiber-optic cables, Israeli media reports say.The
Israeli army is unable to stop Hezbollah's FPV attack drones, the newspaper
said, as it accused the political leadership of indifference. "Israel must
respond to the threat of unmanned aerial vehicles... Hezbollah is launching
drones repeatedly, operating on the ground as if it were entirely under its
control. How is it possible that Hezbollah’s UAV commanders are operating in
southern Lebanon almost undisturbed?""This is no longer an emerging threat but a
real, established danger — and it is likely the most problematic threat on the
northern front today, primarily because there is currently no effective response
to it," the report said.
Lebanon detains ex-Palestinian envoy at Beirut airport on
corruption charges
Associated Press/29 April 2026
Lebanese authorities detained the former Palestinian ambassador to Lebanon on
corruption charges shortly after he arrived in the country, officials said
Wednesday. The officials said Ashraf Dabbour was arrested upon arrival at
Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport late Tuesday. The two judicial and
two security officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not
authorized to speak to the media. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas relieved
Dabbour of his post as Palestinian ambassador to Lebanon last year after the
Palestinian Authority accused him of corruption. The Lebanese officials said
authorities detained Dabbour in Beirut based on a Red Notice issued by the
Interpol late last year. Dabbour was reportedly involved in selling property in
Lebanon that was owned by the Palestinian Liberation Organization that was based
in the country until Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon. The officials said
Dabbour was being questioned by a judge at the prosecutor's office in Beirut.
Israeli military contractor killed by drone strike in south
Lebanon
Associated Press/29 April 2026
A brief statement by the Israeli army said a civilian employee of an engineering
company, who was working with the military on projects in southern Lebanon, died
in a drone attack.
Despite a ceasefire in Lebanon, Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have been
intermittently attacking each other in the south, where Israeli soldiers are
occupying a slice of territory along the border.
Hezbollah-Aoun clash over Israel talks deepens Lebanon divide
Agence France Presse/29 April 2026
With President Joseph Aoun pushing for direct talks with Israel while Hezbollah
rejects them, the country is once again at an impasse after a verbal spat
between its leader and the Iran-backed movement. Lebanon has officially been at
war with Israel since 1948, making direct negotiations taboo until recently when
two wars between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah exhausted the country. With
Lebanon's leaders facing difficult decisions, where do Aoun and Hezbollah stand,
and what lies ahead for the country?
What does Aoun want? -
A Lebanese official source told AFP on Tuesday that Aoun "is proceeding with the
option of negotiations... there is no going back".The president on April 17, the
day a truce in the war went into force, said all Lebanese were "on the same
boat" and that no one should commit the "crime" of sinking it. The president on
Monday stated that direct negotiations aimed at stopping the war, securing an
Israeli withdrawal from the south, demarcating the border and reaching an end to
the "state of hostility" with Israel. In a jab at Hezbollah, which accused the
government of "surrender", Aoun rejected criticism of the talks saying that
those who drew Lebanon into the conflict were the ones committing "treason".
"The president saying Hezbollah is committing treason is certainly unprecedented
language," Heiko Wimmen, researcher at the International Crisis Group told AFP.
U.S President Donald Trump said he hoped to host a "historic" meeting between
Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Beirut
committed to disarming Hezbollah last year. Wimmen said that while Aoun and the
government can negotiate with Israel, they "cannot make commitments in these
negotiations that (they) can deliver". Experts and politicians in Lebanon fear
causing a rift in Lebanon's army, which once split along sectarian lines in 1976
during Lebanon's civil war, should they face Hezbollah militarily. There are
also concerns over the army's lack of capabilities to disarm the group. The
truce terms state that "with international support", Lebanon "will take
meaningful steps to prevent Hezbollah... from carrying out any attacks...
against Israeli targets", without specifying the type of support.
Where does Hezbollah stand? -
Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem warned on Monday that direct talks may lead
to a "spiral of instability", adding that his group will deal with them "as if
they do not exist... and they do not concern us in the slightest". The group
also refuses to disarm, openly challenging the Lebanese government with
officials and supporters leading a campaign against Aoun. Before a damaging 2024
war with Israel, Hezbollah was a dominant political power in Lebanon. "Hezbollah
has become more than ever isolated on the political scene," researcher and
Hezbollah expert Joseph Daher said, as he says its support base in
multiconfessional Lebanon is now largely restricted to its Shia community. "The
key issue is they do not want a peace agreement," he added, saying that the
group "will pressure, in the media, and maybe do demonstrations". Former
Hezbollah lawmaker Nawaf Moussawi in a recent interview reminded Aoun of
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, who was assassinated in 1981 over "treason" for
signing a peace treaty with Israel.
What lies ahead for Lebanon? -
With both sides entrenched in their positions, Nicholas Blanford, an analyst at
the Atlantic Council, told AFP there are "two polar opposite visions of where
the country needs to go". "I don't think either side really has the capability
of imposing their vision on the other," he added.
"Hezbollah is not as influential and politically strong as it was before, but
the state is still fundamentally fairly weak."The division caused by this issue
is evident within Lebanon. Across eastern Beirut, an area outside of Hezbollah's
influence, billboards bearing Aoun's image have been raised reading "the
decision is Lebanon's".Meanwhile, on Beirut's airport road, graffiti read "no to
normalization" and "Aoun is a traitor, Nawaf is a turncoat", referring to the
country's prime minister. Blanford said the group may resort to some "street
action down the road" like in 2008 when Hezbollah used its weapons against
political opponents after the Lebanese government moved to shut down its
independent communications network. The decision was later repealed. Blanford
believes the government will be "more resolute" this time, and will not back
down from negotiations.Israel, which has repeatedly bombed Lebanon since the
truce meanwhile expressed eagerness for a "historic peace" with Lebanon. Israeli
Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Monday that Hezbollah was "playing with
fire" and that Aoun was "gambling with the future of Lebanon".Terms of the truce
allow Israel to act against "planned, imminent or ongoing attacks" by Hezbollah.
Saudi Envoy Says Adherence to Taif Accord is Key to Any
Settlement in Lebanon
Beirut: Asharq Al Awsat/29 April 2026
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari said adherence to the 1989 Taif
Agreement is the backbone to any settlement in Lebanon, alongside the need to
reinforce civil peace and prioritize wisdom and reason. Bukhari made the remarks
during visits to Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, Deputy Head of the
Higher Islamic Shiite Council Sheikh Ali al-Khatib and Druze spiritual leader
Sheikh Sami Abi al-Muna. During his meeting with Derian, Bukhari stressed Saudi
Arabia’s commitment to Lebanon’s unity in facing current challenges, saying the
Kingdom was pursuing diplomatic efforts to help Lebanon through its crisis and
stood by the Lebanese state and its institutions in support of solutions that
promote security, stability and prosperity. Derian, for his part, praised Saudi
Arabia’s role in the region, particularly in supporting Lebanon’s stability,
security and unity under exceptional circumstances. He said rebuilding the state
was the only path to saving Lebanon by restoring its authority across all its
territory, confining weapons to the Lebanese army and adhering to the Taif
accord while strengthening national unity. Derian also welcomed diplomatic
efforts by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, with the
support of Arab and international partners, to halt the war in Lebanon and reach
a settlement that ensures stability. In a second stop, Bukhari met Ali al-Khatib
at the Higher Islamic Shiite Council, where they reviewed developments in
Lebanon and the region and prospects for the coming phase. Bukhari voiced
optimism about the future and stressed the need to strengthen civil peace in
Lebanon, saying this had been a focus of recent Saudi efforts and expressing
confidence in “people of wisdom and reason.”He stressed that what is needed
today is a path agreed by Lebanon’s three top leaders to safeguard civil peace,
while praising the wisdom and experience of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at
every critical juncture. Bukhari said a return to the Taif accord was the main
gateway to agreement on broad principles that protect every Lebanese component
and avoid excluding any party, recalling late parliament speaker Hussein
Husseini’s saying that “the alternative to Taif is implementing Taif.”Khatib,
for his part, praised Saudi Arabia’s role in strengthening civil peace in
Lebanon and repeated that “we have no separate political project of our own.”He
said hopes rested on Saudi Arabia’s role in curbing Israeli and Western
overreach, calling for cooperation among major Arab and Islamic states to forge
a project capable of confronting the Zionist plan. He added that the Arab and
Islamic worlds needed a front to protect them and that Saudi Arabia was central
to that effort, expressing hope such cooperation would lead to greater
integration while preserving each state’s particularities. Bukhari also met Abi
al-Muna to discuss broader developments in light of continued military
operations, efforts to stop the war, Saudi Arabia’s role in helping Lebanon
overcome its difficult circumstances, the importance of preserving civil peace
and national unity, and the outcome of the recent visit to Lebanon by Saudi
Foreign Ministry adviser Yazid bin Farhan.
Aoun…and
Redefining Lebanon as a State
Jamal Al-Kashki/Asharq Al Awsat/April 29/2026
From the moment Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that negotiations do not
mean relinquishing rights, and that he is prepared to bear responsibility for
the choices ahead, it seemed as though the discourse opened a window onto a
question deeper than day-to-day politics, one that concerns the very idea of
Lebanon itself and the historical weight that has made this perceptive,
sensitive country a constant arena for intersecting wills and competing
projects. Lebanon has never been merely a set of borders on a map. It is an idea
shaped by its human diversity, a country small in size yet large in influence,
diverse in sects, languages, and identities, yet always living on the edge of
tension between being a permanent homeland and an open arena for others. Since
the birth of modern Lebanon at independence, the country has carried the promise
of a modern state. Beneath that promise, however, it also carried the seeds of
internal conflict, with a sectarian system that emerged as a compromise but,
over time, became a structure that reproduces crises.
At every historical juncture, Lebanon has redefined itself between a possible
state and a deferred one. In the 1960s and 1970s, Lebanon appeared as a cultural
and economic oasis in the Levant. Beirut was a city open to the world, with a
free press, active universities, and a thriving service economy. Beneath this
prosperity, however, fault lines were accumulating. With the entry of armed
Palestinian actors and the overlap with Cold War dynamics, Lebanon gradually
became an arena for regional and international conflicts beyond its control.
Then came the civil war, marking a fundamental shift in the meaning of the
state. Society fractured inward, the domestic merged with the external, and
Lebanon became a set of smaller maps within the larger one. Each region carried
its own authority, weapons, and identity, as though the state itself had receded
before the logic of factions and militias.
The Taif Agreement was an attempt to restore the state and reconstitute a
balance framework. Despite its importance in ending the war, it did not address
its deeper causes. The sectarian structure remained intact, the state continued
in constant negotiation with its components, and arms outside the framework of
the state remained part of both the internal and regional equation. With the
start of the new millennium, Lebanon entered a new phase of complexity:
political assassinations, sharp polarization, and the rise of direct regional
involvement on its territory. The July 2006 war again revealed that Lebanon’s
decisions were not entirely sovereign, and that geopolitics outweighed national
sovereignty at moments of crisis. The same has been evident in the current war,
especially after October 7, 2023, and again beginning March 2, 2026.
In this context, President Joseph Aoun’s remarks about bearing responsibility go
beyond a political statement. They reflect an attempt to redefine the role of
the state between external pressure and internal division, between sovereignty
and survival, between the desire for independent decision-making and the reality
of regional entanglement surrounding every Lebanese detail. Lebanon today stands
at a delicate crossroads, between a ceasefire as a temporary truce and long-term
agreements that could reshape the relationship between the state and its
surroundings, between inside and outside, between arms and the state, and
between a burdened memory and the need for a less fragile future.
Lebanon is not merely a political crisis, as some in its surroundings would
frame it, but a cultural and spiritual idea: a country that refuses to close in
on itself despite its divisions, one that lives on diversity yet pays the price
when that diversity turns into sharp division instead of a source of strength.
For this reason, Lebanon has remained in the Arab consciousness an open cultural
space, a sphere of relative freedom, and a platform for intellectual and media
experimentation. Yet this “space” has always been under threat. The more freely
Lebanon breathes, the closer the winds of conflict draw, as though it were fated
to live on the edge of a delicate balance between life and collapse, between
state and non-state, between sovereignty and implicit internationalization.
Today, as President Joseph Aoun speaks of bearing responsibility and insists
that Lebanon is no longer anyone’s pawn, the question of the future becomes
clear: can this country move from being an arena to becoming a fully functioning
state? Can national identity be redefined beyond sectarian lines toward a
concept of citizenship? Can a memory burdened by war become a foundation for a
different kind of future?
At its core, the idea of Lebanon does not lie in its institutions alone, but in
its enduring ability to survive, to regenerate itself despite fractures, and to
persist despite storms. Today, however, it needs more than survival. It needs a
historic decision to redefine the meaning of the state, the meaning of arms, and
the meaning of belonging.Lebanon, born of delicate balances, now stands before
two paths: either remaining in a gray zone of recurring political crises, or
succeeding in becoming a real state that accommodates its diversity rather than
being consumed by it.
In all cases, Lebanon remains an idea greater than its borders, an idea of
plurality in a region inclined toward rigidity, of freedom in a space burdened
by conflict, and of the possibility of statehood in one of the most complex
environments. Any discussion of its future is therefore not only about
geography, but about the very meaning of survival. In my view, Lebanon is now at
a moment of release, despite the forces, internal and external, that continue to
bear down on it.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on April 29-30/2026
UN: Iran Has Executed 21, Arrested 4,000 Since Start of War
News agencies/29 April 2026
Iran has executed at least 21 people and arrested more than 4,000 since the
beginning of the Middle East war, the United Nations said on Wednesday. Since
the US-Israeli strikes sparked the war in late February, at least nine people
have been executed in connection with the protests that rocked Iran in January
2026, another 10 for alleged membership of opposition groups and two on spying
charges, the UN's rights office said. More than 4,000 people are meanwhile
estimated to have been arrested on national security-related grounds, the agency
added, according to AFP. It said many detainees had been victims of forced
disappearances, torture or "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment", including
forced confessions -- sometimes televised -- and mock executions. "I am appalled
that -- on top of the already severe impacts of the conflict -- the rights of
the Iranian people continue to be stripped from them by the authorities, in
harsh and brutal ways," UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement. "I call
on the authorities to halt all further executions, establish a moratorium on the
use of capital punishment, fully ensure due process and fair trial guarantees,
and immediately release those arbitrarily detained."
Trump warns Iran better
'get smart soon' and accept nuclear deal
Agence France Presse/29 April 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tehran on Wednesday that it should "get smart
soon" and capitulate to Washington's demands for tight controls on its nuclear
program, as a U.S. naval blockade turned the screws on Iran's economy. Pentagon
chief Pete Hegseth was due to testify before Congress later in the day, but U.S.
press reports suggested Trump has already decided to reject Iran's latest
proposed deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The news sent oil prices higher
once again. At around 1335 GMT, a barrel of Brent crude for June delivery was up
5.16 percent at $117, its highest level since the fragile ceasefire between the
United States and Iran came into effect on April 8. According to the Wall Street
Journal, Trump intends to pursue the blockade of Iranian ports until Tehran is
forced to dismantle its nuclear program. "Iran can't get their act together...
They better get smart soon," Trump posted on his social media platform, above a
mocked-up picture of himself toting a rifle in front of explosions wrecking a
desert fortress and the slogan: "No more Mr Nice Guy."Iran has blockaded the
strait -- a vital conduit for oil and gas shipments from the Gulf -- since the
U.S. and Israel launched the war two months ago, sending shockwaves through the
global economy. But its own economy is also suffering. On Wednesday, the Iranian
rial fell to historic lows against the dollar, while Tehran residents speaking
to AFP journalists in Paris reported a sense of despair. "Every time in recent
years that negotiations have taken place, the economic situation of the people
has only gotten worse. Sanctions have either started or intensified," a
52-year-old architect told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"They go to negotiate and come back with even more sanctions, and the
issue is always nuclear. There's no talk about people, the economy, or freedom.
People have the right to not even want to hear the word 'negotiation'," he said.
'No trust' -
During a White House state dinner Tuesday, Trump told Britain's King Charles III
and other guests that Iran has been "militarily defeated", and added: "Charles
agrees with me even more than I do -- we're never going to let that opponent
have a nuclear weapon." But 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. Efforts to end
the war have stalled in recent days. The latest Iranian proposal, passed along
by Pakistan and studied by Trump administration officials in a meeting Monday,
laid out red lines including on nuclear issues and Hormuz, according to Iran's
Fars news agency. The plan would reportedly see Tehran ease its chokehold on the
strait and Washington lift its retaliatory blockade while broader negotiations
continue, including over the nuclear program. Iranian defense ministry spokesman
Reza Talaei-Nik said 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. Qatar -- a U.S. ally that
was hit by Iranian strikes despite its role as a mediator -- warned of the
possibility of a "frozen conflict" if a definitive resolution is not found.
Analysts Say Iran is
Drowning in its Own Oil
London: Asharq Al Awsat/29 April 2026
20The US naval blockade is having significant impact on oil flows in Iran, which
is running out of places to store its own crude and only about 22 days of
capacity left to avoid a crippling production shutdown. With shipments falling
sharply and fuel reservoirs nearly filled, Iran’s storage capacity crisis poses
a prominent threat to the country's infrastructure. Analysts say the country
could soon run out of space to store oil — forcing deeper production cuts and
potentially triggering long-term damage to its energy system. According to data
firm Kpler, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, the blockade has cut exports
by roughly 70%, forcing Iran to revive derelict sites known as “junk storage,”
using improvised containers and trying to ship crude by rail to China. The
unusual steps are aimed at delaying an infrastructure crisis and blunting
Washington’s leverage in the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, according to
The Wall Street Journal. Since early April, with the imposition of the naval
blockade on Iranian ports, the volume of oil loading onto tankers has dropped
from 1.85 million barrels per day in March to only 567 thousand, according to a
Bloomberg report. And despite reports saying some tankers have evaded the
blockade, data from Kpler and The Wall Street Journal said no ships have
successfully escaped the US blockade of Iranian ports, with officials stating
that vessels had been turned back or complied with redirection orders. Chabahar
Port, located east of the Strait of Hormuz and outside the Arabian Gulf, is a
critical backup gateway for Iran to circumvent strait-related risks. However,
satellite imagery confirms that around six to eight Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs)
are anchored off the coast of Chabahar in the Gulf of Oman, where the tankers
serve as “floating oil storage” unable to break the US blockade.To manage the
crisis, Iran is using new ways to store excess oil that it cannot sell due to
the blockade. Tehran has activated the 30-year-old supertanker Nasha for
emergency oil storage near Kharg Island. According to Kpler, the accumulation of
oil at sea is substantial. Iran currently holds around 184 million barrels of
crude in floating storage, with 60 million barrels trapped within the blockade
zone and the remainder located near major Asian trading hubs. Last week, the US
Navy said it forcefully intercepted and turned away two VLCCs. Iran's onshore
crude inventories have risen by about 4.6 million barrels since the blockade to
nearly 49 million barrels, according to Bloomberg. While total storage capacity
is estimated at around 95 million barrels if additional northern refinery tanks
are included, Kpler said operational constraints, safety limits, and geographic
factors mean a significant portion of this capacity may not be practically
usable. This means that Iran has just 12 days of onshore capacity storage left,
rising to about 22 days including floating storage, before it is forced to cut
production of up to 1.5 million barrels a day as soon as mid-
Trump
Reportedly Plans Long Blockade of Iran
Asharq Al Awsat/29 April 2026
President Donald Trump has told US national security officials to prepare for a
long blockade of Iran's ports in order to compel Tehran to give up its nuclear
program, according to the Wall Street Journal. Trump, according to the report,
does not believe that Iran is negotiating in good faith and hopes it can be
forced to suspend uranium enrichment for 20 years and accept tight restrictions
thereafter. "They better get smart soon!" Trump declared, in a post on his
social media platform. Citing unnamed officials, the Journal said Trump had
decided during a Monday meeting in the White House situation room that both
resuming bombing or walking away from the conflict were too risky. Instead, he
reportedly told officials, the US Navy would continue to squeeze Iran's key oil
exports until Tehran agrees to all of Washington's demands. Meanwhile, Trump and
his top officials met with oil and gas executives including Chevron CEO Mike
Wirth at the White House on Tuesday to discuss the energy fallout of the
Iran war and other topics, Axios reported on Wednesday. White House chief of
staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and envoys Steve
Witkoff and Jared Kushner were present, and topics for the meeting included
domestic production, progress in Venezuela, oil futures, natural gas and
shipping, according to the Axios report
Swiss President Backs Saudi
Arabia, Urges US-Iran Talks
Riyadh: Fatehelrahman Yousif/Asharq Al Awsat/29 April 2026
Swiss President Guy Parmelin reaffirmed his country’s support for Saudi Arabia
in what he described as difficult circumstances, and stressed the need to press
ahead with efforts to reach a diplomatic solution between Washington and Tehran
through negotiations, to safeguard regional peace and stability. Speaking to
Asharq Al-Awsat, Parmelin said the region’s security situation topped the
agenda. He expressed Switzerland’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia, praised Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s wisdom and restraint, and conveyed Swiss support.
He said both sides agreed on the need to back all efforts to secure a negotiated
diplomatic solution in the interest of regional stability. Parmelin said his
visit to Jeddah on April 22 and 23 marked the 70th anniversary of diplomatic
ties and aimed to boost political and economic relations.
He was accompanied by State Secretary for Economic Affairs Helene Budliger
Artieda and a senior business delegation representing key Swiss industries.
Deepening strategic cooperation
Parmelin said talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who also serves as
Saudi Prime Minister, focused on strengthening economic ties amid global
uncertainty. He said both sides explored opportunities to deepen cooperation in
strategic sectors, including logistics, commodities, financial services, and
insurance, where both countries have strong expertise. He said an economic
roundtable, co-chaired with Saudi Investment Minister Fahad bin Abduljalil Al-Saif,
was a key part of the visit. The meeting brought together senior officials and
business leaders and helped identify concrete areas for expanding cooperation
and strengthening ties between Swiss and Saudi companies. Parmelin said the
signing of a new bilateral investment protection agreement with the Saudi
investment minister was a main outcome of the visit. He said the presence of
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan at the ceremony underscored the
agreement’s importance in boosting legal certainty for investors and
strengthening the framework for bilateral economic engagement. He added that the
attendance of chief executives from major Swiss multinational companies
highlighted the deal’s importance to the private sector in both countries.
Saudi-Swiss relations
Parmelin said relations between Switzerland and Saudi Arabia are close,
longstanding, and span more than 70 years, describing them as strong and
steadily evolving. He said the partnership is built on mutual respect, regular
dialogue, and growing economic ties, underpinned by a shared interest in
stability, open markets, and rules-based international cooperation. Economic
cooperation lies at the core of the relationship, he said, noting that
Switzerland is a key trading partner for Saudi Arabia, with around 200 Swiss
companies operating in the Kingdom across sectors including pharmaceuticals,
machinery, engineering, technology, commodities, logistics, financial services,
and insurance. Parmelin said Switzerland sees significant opportunities tied to
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 program, adding that Swiss expertise in hospitality,
research, innovation, sustainable infrastructure, advanced manufacturing,
education, and vocational training could support its goals. At the institutional
level, he said both countries are advancing their joint agenda through the
annual Joint Economic Commission, bilateral financial dialogue, and political
consultations, while maintaining constructive political exchanges and
cooperation in multilateral forums.
Parmelin said Swiss-Saudi relations are broad and forward-looking, offering real
opportunities to expand cooperation across existing and emerging sectors.
Netanyahu’s Rivals Are
Joining Forces. Would They Shift Israel’s Security Policy?
Asharq Al Awsat/29 April 2026
Two of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's top rivals announced they
would join forces in an upcoming election to oust his coalition government,
with a focus mainly on domestic issues such as military conscription for the
ultra-Orthodox.But on issues like Iran, Gaza and Lebanon, the joint party led by
right-wing Naftali Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid is expected to pursue a
security posture similar to that of Netanyahu - who heads the most right-wing
government in Israel's history - meaning Israel's foreign policy would remain
largely unchanged. The new party, called "BeYachad" meaning "together" in
Hebrew, has not released a formal policy platform. But below is what is known
about their positions on regional conflicts, based on recent public comments.
IRAN
Bennett, 54, and Lapid, 62, have staunchly backed Netanyahu's decision to
jointly attack Iran with the US, reflecting broad public support in Israel for
the war. At the start of Israel's aerial bombardment in Iran, Lapid told Reuters
in an interview that it was a "just war against evil."
Both Bennett and Lapid have since criticized Netanyahu, 76, for what they
describe as a failure to achieve Israel's main objectives in the war, including
toppling Iran's clerical government.
However, neither man has called for a resumption in fighting since Israeli and
US attacks and Iranian missile fire was halted by an April 8 ceasefire.A
source close to their new party described Bennett and Lapid as "hawkish" and
"tough on Iran." They are also "pragmatic and understand the need for
diplomatic agreements and the work that happens after the military use of force
to achieve strategic goals," said the source, who spoke on condition of
anonymity to describe their party's priorities.
LEBANON
Bennett and Lapid have also both staunchly supported Israeli military operations
in Lebanon while questioning an April 17 ceasefire that has failed to halt
fighting between the Israeli military and Iran-backed Hezbollah. Shortly before
Israel's military invaded southern Lebanon in March, Lapid said that Israel must
take whatever steps were necessary to protect Israelis. After the ceasefire with
Hezbollah was announced in April, Lapid said the only solution was the permanent
removal of the threat to northern Israel. Bennett sharply criticized the
ceasefire, saying in an April 17 Facebook post: "One can already count
backwards towards the next round. Hezbollah began this morning to rebuild
southern Lebanon and is becoming stronger with missiles ahead of the next
round."
GAZA
On the war in Gaza, where Israel has continued to carry out deadly strikes
despite a ceasefire last October, both Bennett and Lapid have criticized
Netanyahu for not fully destroying the Hamas group after the October 7, 2023
attack on Israel that it led. In January, Lapid said Netanyahu's government had
achieved the "worst possible outcome" in Gaza, saying that Hamas still has tens
of thousands of armed fighters. Hamas retained control of a sliver of territory
on Gaza's coast under the ceasefire. In a Facebook post this month, Bennett said
Netanyahu's policies -- including allowing some aid into the enclave after
restricting all humanitarian supplies for three months in 2025 -- had helped
Hamas regain control. "This is with the help of hundreds of aid trucks that
Netanyahu's government brings them every day," Bennett wrote. Netanyahu has
cast Israel's devastating military assault that destroyed much of Gaza and
killed more than 72,000 Palestinians as a success. He has held out the
possibility of resuming a full-scale war if Hamas fails to disarm under a
US-backed process, something the group has thus far rejected.
PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD
With public opinion polling showing that most Israelis oppose the formation of
an independent Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and East
Jerusalem, a Bennett-Lapid government would be unlikely to bring a major policy
shift on the Palestinians.
Netanyahu opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state, and his government
has accelerated settlement building plans in the West Bank, in what ministers in
his government say is part of a bid to destroy any future for Palestinian
independence. In 2022, Lapid, who like many in Israel's political center and
left are not outright opposed to Palestinian sovereignty, said that a two-state
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the right thing to do. When
asked by US broadcaster ABC during a 2024 interview why he opposes a two-state
solution, Bennett said he believed it would lead to violence against Israelis.
"What we've learned over the past 30 years is that every time we gave the
Palestinians a piece of land, instead of building it into a beautiful Singapore
they turned it into a terror state and began killing Israelis," Bennett said. On
the West Bank, Netanyahu, Bennett and Lapid have all spoken forcefully against
settler violence toward Palestinians. Such attacks have escalated under
Netanyahu, who critics accuse of allowing settlers free rein to burn Palestinian
villages and harm villagers. Netanyahu's office denies this.
Jeddah Summit Stresses
Importance of Restoring Navigation Security in Hormuz
Jeddah: Asharq Al Awsat/29 April 2026
The Gulf summit, which was chaired on Tuesday by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman, discussed the regional situation. It affirmed the necessity of restoring
navigation security in the Strait of Hormuz and strongly condemned the flagrant
Iranian aggressions against the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and
Jordan. GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi affirmed in a statement that the
summit was held at the invitation of the Saudi leadership and discussed ways to
find a diplomatic path to end the crisis and pave the way for agreements and
understandings that address the concerns of the Gulf states and enhance
long-term security and stability.He clarified that the leaders expressed strong
condemnation and denunciation of the flagrant Iranian aggressions against the
Gulf states and Jordan, emphasizing that these treacherous attacks have led to a
sharp loss of confidence by the Gulf states in Iran. Albudaiwi noted that the
leaders praised the ability demonstrated by the Gulf states to deal with the
challenges they faced due to this crisis, pointing out that the leaders
expressed their categorical rejection of illegal Iranian measures to close the
Strait of Hormuz and obstruct navigation in it, affirming the necessity of
restoring navigation security and freedom and returning the situation in the
Strait to what it was before February 28. Albudaiwi also highlighted that the
leaders of the Gulf states directed the urgency of completing the requirements
for achieving access to all joint Gulf projects, including transport and
logistics services, along with accelerating the implementation of the GCC
railway project. The Secretary-General of the Council further noted the leaders'
affirmation of the importance of promptly taking steps towards establishing an
oil and gas pipeline project, a water linkage project between the Gulf states,
and moving forward with studying the creation of strategic Gulf reserve areas,
in addition to the importance of intensifying military integration among the
Council's states and accelerating the completion of the ballistic missile early
warning system project.
Shehbaz Sharif: We Repaid $3.5 Billion in Debt Thanks to
Saudi Arabia’s 'Pivotal' Support
Asharq Al Awsat/29 April 2026
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Wednesday that his country
had successfully repaid $3.5 billion in mandatory bilateral debt, affirming that
this achievement came thanks to the “pivotal” support of the Custodian of the
Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman. He clarified that this repayment did not affect the stability of foreign
exchange reserves; rather, it strengthened market confidence in Pakistan’s
ability to meet its international obligations. The Kingdom had announced the
provision of substantial financial support to Pakistan, including the extension
of the term of a previous $5 billion deposit and the provision of an additional
$3 billion deposit, aimed at enhancing economic stability and addressing global
changes. On Friday, the State Bank of Pakistan announced that Islamabad had
completed the repayment of $3.45 billion in deposits to the United Arab
Emirates, settling a final tranche worth $1 billion. The bank had also announced
that it had received the Saudi deposit worth $3 billion. This came after the
United Arab Emirates requested that Pakistan return the funds it had deposited
in the State Bank of Pakistan in 2018 to bolster its foreign exchange reserves.
This qualitative support aims to enable the Pakistani economy to confront global
economic changes and strengthen its financial resilience, in a way that
positively reflects on the living conditions of the Pakistani people. It also
reaffirms the Kingdom’s consistent and ongoing position of standing alongside
Pakistan under all circumstances, embodying the sincere bonds of brotherhood
between the leaderships and the peoples. In an address before the cabinet, the
Pakistani Prime Minister clarified the current financial situation, stating: “We
have repaid our mandatory external debts (amounting to approximately $3.5
billion in bilateral loans). Our foreign exchange reserves are stable at their
current level, and we have fulfilled our obligations and repaid our debts.”These
developments constitute a key pillar in Pakistan’s relationship with
international institutions; the stability of liquid reserves at around $20.6
billion (including $15.1 billion held by the central bank) contributes to
strengthening Islamabad’s negotiating position with the International Monetary
Fund. Pakistan’s success in repaying its bilateral debts, alongside adherence to
the requirements of the Fund’s financing program, is seen as a vote of
international confidence in the Pakistani economy’s ability to meet its
immediate and future financial commitments.The central bank indicated that its
success in managing the outflows required to repay these billions was achieved
without causing any shock to the value of the local currency, as the Pakistani
rupee remained stable thanks to supportive deposits and cautious monetary
policies. For his part, Sharif explained that this repayment did not come at the
expense of monetary stability; rather, it resulted from a coordinated plan
between the Ministry of Finance and the central bank to ensure that foreign
exchange reserves remained at safe levels, which strengthens Pakistan’s position
in its ongoing negotiations with international financial institutions. Regarding
the role played by the Kingdom in securing this financial passage, the Prime
Minister expressed his country’s deep appreciation, saying: “We are extremely
grateful to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz,
and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman; they played a pivotal
role in this matter. I am confident that these major issues will also be
resolved, and Pakistan’s peace efforts continue uninterrupted and without
relent.” Sharif noted that this Saudi support was not merely temporary financial
assistance, but rather a reflection of the depth of historical ties, adding:
“Just as we have strengthened mutual cooperation by removing obstacles at both
the joint and institutional levels, positive results have emerged from this.” It
is worth noting that this new Saudi move is not unprecedented. In 2018, the
Kingdom provided a $6 billion support package, which included a $3 billion
deposit in the State Bank of Pakistan, in addition to deferred oil payment
facilities of the same value.
Asharq Al-Awsat Reveals Details of New Gaza Proposal
Asharq Al Awsat/29 April 2026
Asharq Al-Awsat has obtained details of a new proposal drafted by
representatives of the Board of Peace, including the board’s high
representative, Nickolay Mladenov, mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye, as
well as the United States, concerning the Gaza Strip, particularly on the issue
of disarmament. The document - described as a “roadmap” for completing
implementation of US President Donald Trump’s comprehensive peace plan for Gaza
- has 15 provisions to carry out the second phase of the ceasefire agreement
that entered into force on Oct. 10, 2025.
A senior Hamas source told Asharq Al-Awsat the proposal had also been conveyed
to Israel, and meetings in Cairo could begin Wednesday to discuss responses from
all parties, including Hamas and other factions. The source declined to clarify
Hamas’ position following internal consultations. Other sources said Monday that
Mladenov would visit Israel before arriving in Egypt on Tuesday for discussions
on Israel’s position on the proposal. Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's
lead envoy for Gaza, speaks during an interview with Reuters during a visit to
Brussels, Belgium April 20, 2026. REUTERS/Christian Levaux. The document calls
for establishing a committee known as the Implementation Verification Committee,
to be created by the High Representative for Gaza and composed of guarantor
states, the International Stabilization Force and the Board of Peace, to ensure
all parties fulfill their obligations. The committee would be reinforced through
an enhanced monitoring mechanism.In its first provision, the document stresses
the importance of all parties fully implementing UN Security Council Resolution
2803 and Trump’s comprehensive plan, describing them as an agreed international
framework to guide the process toward restoring civilian life, enabling
Palestinian governance, reconstruction, security and economic recovery, and
creating conditions for a credible path to Palestinian self-determination and
statehood.
The proposal adopts Palestinian demands recently presented by a Hamas and
factional delegation, requiring Israel to complete all outstanding commitments
from the first phase in full and without delay before moving to the second
phase, under the supervision of the verification committee.
According to the document, movement from one stage of the second phase to the
next would be conditional on completing all obligations in the preceding stage,
under monitoring by the verification committee. It grants the Board of Peace a
mandate to oversee governance, reconstruction and development in Gaza until a
reformed Palestinian authority can resume its responsibilities and conditions
are created for a credible path to Palestinian statehood.
The Board of Peace would also be authorized to establish the International
Stabilization Force and make arrangements necessary to implement the plan’s
objectives. The document explicitly states Hamas and all Palestinian factions
would have no direct or indirect role in governing Gaza. Current civil servants
affiliated with Hamas serving in civilian ministries would be dealt with legally
and fairly, with full respect for their rights. It says Gaza must be governed
according to the principle of one authority, one law and one weapon, with arms
permitted only for individuals authorized by the national committee, while all
armed groups. Newly trained police personnel would be integrated into existing
police structures and subjected to security vetting. Those who fail to meet
standards would be offered alternative unarmed roles or compensation packages.
All police weapons would be transferred to committee control upon its entry into
Gaza.On weapons control, the document outlines a phased disarmament process
linked to an agreed implementation timetable, monitored and supported by the
office of the High Representative and the verification committee. The process
would be under Palestinian leadership, with weapons transferred to the national
committee. All armed groups would participate in inventorying infrastructure and
collecting all weapons, though they would not be required to transfer weapons to
Israel. The process would be monitored by the verification committee. The
national committee for administering Gaza would have sole authority to register
weapons, issue and revoke licenses, and collect unlicensed arms, primarily
personal weapons. Through a gradual process using buyback programs,
reintegration assistance and social support, the national committee would
oversee weapons collection, with factions committed to cooperating. The document
says surrender of personal weapons by armed members would occur only in parallel
with the handover of militia weapons, under conditions ensuring security and
police capacity to guarantee personal safety. It also calls for signing a social
peace agreement to prevent internal fighting and violence, ban shows of force,
military parades and armed demonstrations, and halt retaliatory acts. Regarding
the International Stabilization Force, the document says it would deploy between
areas controlled by Israeli forces and areas under the national committee’s
control, but would not conduct policing activities. It would be permitted to
support disarmament and humanitarian operations and provide protection for them.
The proposal calls for Israel to complete a phased withdrawal toward Gaza’s
borders according to an agreed and implementable timetable, linked to verified
progress in the disarmament process. The national committee would address any
security breaches in areas where weapons have been collected. It also says
reconstruction of the enclave would proceed through the entry of building
materials into areas where disarmament has been carried out and which are
effectively under the administration of the national committee.
Hamas Revives Momentum for Political Bureau Chief Election
Gaza: Asharq Al Awsat/29 April 2026
Two sources in the Palestinian group Hamas said on Wednesday that the movement
has resumed the process of electing a new head of its political bureau, pending
the full selection of its members. The move restores momentum to the leadership
race after it stalled at least twice in January and February. A source inside
Gaza told Asharq Al-Awsat that “conditions that had been hindering the elections
have been resolved,” opening the way for the process to restart. He said some of
those conditions were linked to internal organizational disputes in the enclave,
adding that once settled, the decision was made to resume the process, alongside
external political and security factors and ongoing negotiations. Hamas faces
its most severe crisis since its founding in 1987, after Israeli strikes
launched in response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack hit multiple wings and levels
of the group, triggering organizational and financial strains.
Estimates suggest Khaled Meshaal, head of the political bureau abroad, and
Khalil al-Hayya, head of the political bureau in Gaza, are the leading
contenders. Observers and figures inside and outside Hamas say al-Hayya is
backed by members in Gaza and the Qassam Brigades, while Meshaal has stronger
support in the West Bank and abroad. A source outside Gaza said the vote will
take place across all accessible arenas, inside Gaza, the West Bank and abroad,
depending on conditions, with a decision expected soon. For about a year and a
half, a leadership council has been managing Hamas affairs. At the start of this
year, a new push began to elect a leader for the remainder of the current
political bureau’s term, originally due to end in 2025 and extended by one year,
pending broader elections expected at the end of this year or early next year.
An attempt to hold the vote in mid-February was disrupted by the US-Israeli war
on Iran, sources said at the time.The vote will be limited to selecting a new
political bureau chief to lead Hamas inside and outside the territories. Full
elections for the bureau are not expected before the end of this year or early
2027. The current leadership council, which includes Hamas leaders in Gaza, the
West Bank and abroad, along with the movement’s secretary-general, and is headed
by Shura Council chief Mohammed Darwish, will become an advisory body overseeing
the group’s internal and external affairs.
UK Police Say Two Men Stabbed in London in Stable Condition
Asharq Al Awsat/29 April 2026
British police said on Wednesday that a man had been arrested on suspicion of
attempted murder after two men were stabbed in an area of north London with a
large Jewish population. London's Metropolitan Police said the two men who had
been stabbed had been taken to hospital and were in a stable condition. The
suspect also attempted to stab police officers, the Met said, adding that no
officers were injured, Reuters reported. "Specialist officers from Counter
Terrorism Policing are leading the investigation and working with the
Metropolitan Police to establish the full circumstances and any links to
terrorism," the Met said in a statement. Detective Chief Superintendent Luke
Williams said that "investigators are considering all possible motives"
Who Is Iraq’s PM-Designate Al-Zaidi?
Baghdad: Asharq Al Awsat/29 April 2026
Despite his close ties to Shiite party leaders in Baghdad and his extensive
financial investments, premiership nominee Ali Faleh Kazem al-Zaidi remains
largely unknown to most Iraqis outside political circles. Informed sources say
al-Zaidi has multiple financial partnerships with political and business figures
both inside and outside the government. Those familiar with his affairs describe
him as “a young man who joined the ranks of the wealthy over the past decade,”
noting that he spends generously on social aid and assistance. Born in Baghdad
in 1986, Al-Zaidi holds a law degree and is not known for seeking public
attention. This is despite the fact that he owns Dijlah TV, which he acquired
from Jamal and Mohammed al-Karboli, two brothers who are leaders of a Sunni
party that competed in elections between 2010 and 2014. If al-Zaidi succeeds in
forming a government, he would become the youngest prime minister to hold the
post since 2004. The Coordination Framework surprised most Iraqis by naming him
its candidate for prime minister, even though his name had not appeared among
those circulated during the roughly five-month political crisis and
government-formation talks.
Financial activities
Asharq Al-Awsat has learned that al-Zaidi is the owner and chairman of Al-Janoob
Islamic Bank for investment and finance, a publicly listed company on the Iraq
Stock Exchange established in 2016 and operating in the banking sector. He later
stepped down as chairman, handing the role to one of his brothers, after the US
State Department placed the bank on its sanctions list in February 2024 for
money laundering, prompting the Central Bank of Iraq to block its access to US
dollars, according to informed sources. Al-Zaidi also owns Al-Oweis Group,
which, according to its website, includes 15 companies operating across food
trade, agricultural and livestock production, contracting, printing, security
services, electronics and oil, though it does not disclose its owner or founding
date. Property registration data indicates the company was established in 2007,
later dissolved and converted into a private joint stock company with capital of
99 billion Iraqi dinars, about $75 million. An oil services company was also
established in 2018 with a capital of 2 billion dinars. The Iraq Stock Exchange
website lists 2016 as the founding year of Al-Janoob Islamic Bank alongside a
financial transfer company with capital of 250 billion dinars, about $191
million, meaning the bank’s total capital is less than the cost of a single
“food basket.”The company’s website says its total investments amount to $500
million and that it is responsible for contracts to supply the Trade Ministry’s
food basket, as well as contracts with the Defense Ministry to provide food for
300,000 soldiers daily. It also opened a private university last year named Al-Shaab.
Sources close to al-Zaidi say he holds further investments in education and
media, including Al-Shaab University, Ishtar Medical Institute and Dijlah TV.
Sources say the Trade Ministry contracted Al-Oweis, owned by al-Zaidi, to supply
food basket items to around 40 million Iraqis, a program inherited from Saddam
Hussein’s government under the oil-for-food agreement during the 1990s sanctions
period. Citizens often complain about poor food quality and delivery delays.
However, the sources say the program has been scaled down in recent years to
cover 18 million people, citing the exclusion of higher-income groups.
Group of companies
According to additional data, company registration records show that al-Zaidi
owns 15 companies registered in his name, with an initial capital exceeding 282
billion Iraqi dinars. These companies operate across key sectors including
general contracting and construction, real estate and tourism investment, oil,
gas and electricity, food and glass industries, agricultural and livestock
production, as well as higher education, medical and financial services. Among
the most prominent is Al-Oweis, which holds contracts to feed the Iraqi army and
import food basket items, alongside Al-Shaab University. Through Al-Oweis
Trading, General Contracting, Food Supply and Food Industries Ltd., al-Zaidi
implements multiple projects, including feeding the Iraqi army. The company
signed a partnership contract with the State Company for Foodstuff Trading to
supply both dry and fresh rations, covering 41 items for a total of 300,000
personnel. Another project is the food basket program, under which Al-Oweis
signed a partnership contract with the State Company for Foodstuff Trading to
supply seven food items to support around 40 million people.
The Latest
LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on April 29-30/2026
International Law Can't Stop Tyrannical Regimes
Gerald M. Steinberg/Gatestone Institute/April 29, 2026
[Former head of Human Rights Watch Kenneth] Roth and his chorus, including
morally blind academics claiming legal expertise, promote an imaginary
"rules-based international order" that paralyzes democracies while protecting
despotic dictators.
Under their absurd version of international law, preventive and preemptive
strikes – like those carried out by the US and Israel – would be prohibited
except against what they refer to as immediate, obvious, and universally
acknowledged threats. In this form of unilateral disarmament reminiscent of
European pacifists of the 1920s and 1930s, nothing can be done to restrain the
world's malicious dictators and warmongering aggressors before they begin mass
slaughter.
Whether in London, Ottawa, Berlin, or even Wellington, no plausible
interpretation of international law requires democracies to wait passively for
such catastrophic threats to become real.
When a terror regime builds missiles, arms proxy militias, and advances toward
nuclear capability while proclaiming its desire to destroy its neighbors,
inaction is suicidal. Whether in London, Ottawa, Berlin, or even Wellington, no
plausible interpretation of international law requires democracies to wait
passively for such catastrophic threats to become real.
Grandiose declarations by Western politicians claiming preventive force against
murderous regimes is somehow illegal have become de rigueur. The leaders of
Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Norway and most European countries have
weighed in with parallel and often identical statements on the essential
importance of obeying international law while waging war against Iran and its
terror proxies, such as Hezbollah.
Such statements are a revealing snapshot of the shallow and dangerous Western
discourse on war, law, and justice. Much of this is thanks to NGO personalities
like Kenneth Roth, former head of Human Rights Watch, who have transformed
rational conversation on human rights and the use of force in self-defense into
ideological weapons. Roth and his chorus, including morally blind academics
claiming legal expertise, promote an imaginary "rules-based international order"
that paralyzes democracies while protecting despotic dictators and terrorist
tyrants.
Even in New Zealand, the issues have been given a prominence far beyond their
merit. According to Helen Clark, the former prime minister, "international law
has been breached" by US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic of Iran, a
regime whose mottos are "death to America" and "death to Israel." Opposition
leader Chris Hipkins followed Clark's lead, pontificating that "adherence to
international law shouldn't be a matter of discretion." The current PM,
Christopher Luxon was more careful, acknowledging a lack of necessary
information.
Clark is a Ken Roth groupie, and her foundation brought this false prophet of
human rights to New Zealand in February. The foundation's literature lauded Roth
as a "leading global advocate for human rights," sentiments echoed by the
Amnesty International branch in New Zealand. But in reality, rather than
furthering humanitarianism, Roth, Clark and their cult have erased Iran's
vicious terror war and denied justice to its many victims. Under their absurd
version of international law, preventive and preemptive strikes – like those
carried out by the US and Israel – would be prohibited except against what they
refer to as immediate, obvious, and universally acknowledged threats. In this
form of unilateral disarmament reminiscent of European pacifists of the 1920s
and 1930s, nothing can be done to restrain the world's malicious dictators and
warmongering aggressors before they begin mass slaughter. The legal facade and
its related institutions such the United Nations and the International Criminal
Court are painfully removed from the strategic, diplomatic and military
realities of the 21st century.
In particular, those who condemn the strikes against Iran by claiming the mantle
of international law erase more than four decades in which the Islamic Republic
of Iran waged a murderous campaign against the United States and Israel. The
Tehran regime's leaders were clear from the beginning: Washington is the "Great
Satan," Israel is the "Little Satan." Countering and ideally destroying both is
central to the regime's theology.
In weaponizing these slogans, Iran built a network of proxy forces – Hezbollah
in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen and Shiite militias across Iraq.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) created a military machine with
thousands of ballistic missiles and drones to attack Israeli population centers
and block vital shipping lanes, and armed terror cells that carried out heinous
slaughter from Jerusalem to Bulgaria to Buenos Aires. The so-called
"international community," including powerful NGO leaders like Ken Roth,
politicians such as Helen Clark, and United Nations agencies tasked with
guarding international stability and justice, turned a blind eye, and
hypocritically condemned counterstrikes.
The nuclear dimension of Iran's aggressive ambitions makes stopping the threat
of mass destruction from Iran more urgent still. The uranium enrichment program,
ballistic missile development, and openly genocidal zeal toward Israel created a
uniquely volatile combination. A regime that blatantly calls for the elimination
of another state and works to implement that objective cannot plausibly expect
its neighbors to view the nuclear project as legitimate civilian energy
production.
By ignoring this reality, Western politicians and pundits in the international
law chorus are indulging in dangerous fictions. Until a nuclear missile aimed by
a rival at Tel Aviv, Brussels, New York – even Wellington or Auckland – is on
the launchpad, they will have the world believe that preventive action is wrong.
In this way, they ask democracies to welcome near-catastrophe before being
permitted to act in self-defense.
In reality, no legitimate legal system, including international law, can expect
victims to ignore visible and credible threats of annihilation. Article 51 of
the United Nations Charter recognizes the inherent right of self-defense, and
does not demand national suicide. Moreover, it does not ask countries to allow
slow-moving assaults like the Iranian one against the US and Israel. From the
Caroline affair of the 19th century to the strategic doctrines of the Cold War,
states have recognized that a government facing an overwhelming and accelerating
threat may – indeed, must – act to defend its citizens before they are attacked.
This is the essence of justice. In contrast, when a terror regime builds
missiles, arms proxy militias, and advances toward nuclear capability while
proclaiming its desire to destroy its neighbors, inaction is suicidal.
Whether in London, Ottawa, Berlin, or even Wellington, no plausible
interpretation of international law requires democracies to wait passively for
such catastrophic threats to become real.
**Professor Gerald Steinberg is founder and president of NGO Monitor. His
research focuses on Middle East diplomacy and security, the politics of human
rights and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and Israeli politics and arms
control. Publications include "The UN, the ICJ and the Separation Barrier: War
by Other Means," Israel Law Review, 2005; Best Practices for Human Rights and
Humanitarian NGO Fact-Finding (co-author), Nijhoff, Leiden, 2012; Menachem Begin
and the Israel-Egypt Peace Process: Between Ideology and Political Realism,
2019; "Applying the IHRA Working Definition to the UN and Human Rights NGOs", in
Contending with Antisemitism in a Rapidly Changing Political Climate (2021);
"European Funding for Palestinian NGOs as Political Subcontracting", in INSS
Strategic Assessment (2021). His op-ed columns have been published in The Wall
Street Journal (Europe), Financial Times, and other publications. He has
appeared as a commentator on BBC, CNN, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, and NPR. His expertise
includes BDS, lawfare politics and Europe relations,NGOs and foreign funding.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22482/international-law-tyrannical-regimes
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.
Vision 2030: A Decade in Review
Emile Ameen/Asharq Al Awsat/April
29/2026
A few days ago, the annual report of Vision 2030 was released, marking a journey
launched under the leadership of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed
bin Salman. It set out to define the contours of a nation renewing itself and a
society racing against time, placing people, not infrastructure, at the center.
The ten-year report shows that the Vision’s programs and plans continue to
advance steadily, supported by an institutional framework and maturity built
cumulatively year after year. Perhaps the most fitting words on this
transformative decade came from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Salman
bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who affirmed that Saudi Arabia has been moving toward a
better future through the achievements of Vision 2030 since its launch, making
the Kingdom a model in harnessing its energies, resources, and advantages for
comprehensive development whose impact is tangible to citizens.
Vision 2030 was not built on hollow slogans or rhetorical speeches. It rests on
three strategic pillars that have anchored its stability and strengthened its
ability to confront and overcome challenges, particularly in a world undergoing
rapid geopolitical and technological change.
The first dimension is social, focusing on a nation whose greatest asset is its
people, especially a youthful population seeking the best opportunities to
realize its potential at home while engaging with a rapidly evolving world.
The second dimension is economic, centered on the need to build further gains in
production and exports comparable to those delivered by the oil rentier model
over past decades. The approach has been to unlock the potential of land, sea,
and mountains, drawing on resources that had remained dormant for centuries,
from plains and valleys to tourism and cultural heritage.
The third dimension lies in enhancing the Kingdom’s competitiveness and global
standing by advancing scientific and technological development. This is
reflected in Saudi Arabia’s expanding global investment footprint in artificial
intelligence and emerging technologies.
In this context, Riyadh has emerged as a regional hub. Data point to a clear
improvement in the attractiveness of the Saudi market. Around 700 global
companies have established regional headquarters in the Kingdom, surpassing
Vision 2030 targets ahead of schedule. Investment inflows have also risen from
28 billion riyals in 2017 to 133 billion riyals in 2025, bringing the Kingdom
close to its targets. The question is: what has been achieved over the past
decade, with roughly four years remaining before the target date? A full answer
would require extensive data and analysis. Still, several key observations stand
out, foremost among them the rising contribution of non-oil sectors to GDP. The
Vision has also reframed the Kingdom’s historical and cultural landscape,
opening the door to the growth of heritage tourism.
The Kingdom’s geography has likewise been reappraised, from its coasts and
waters to its deserts, hills, and dunes. Long admired for their allure, these
landscapes are now active economic sectors contributing to national income
alongside oil revenues. There has also been a notable rise in women’s
participation in the labor market, increasing from around 20 percent to more
than 35 percent within a few years, alongside efforts to localize jobs and
expand opportunities for citizens. The Vision has also delivered a marked
improvement in digital services, digitizing many everyday processes. At the
heart of this transformation is a broader social shift, fostering cultural
openness and engagement with others intellectually and artistically, while
projecting a distinct Saudi identity. In this regard, the General Entertainment
Authority has played a constructive role.
The space available here does not allow for a full account of this
transformation. Mohammed bin Salman summed up the decade by saying: “The Kingdom
has presented an exceptional model in turning vision into reality through the
determination of its sons and daughters and its effective institutions.” One
clear fact remains: Vision 2030 would not have been possible without the
political and security stability the Kingdom enjoys. The successes of recent
years provide strong momentum to intensify efforts, consolidate gains, and
further advance the nation and its citizens.
Cash alone will not buy the
UK migration control
Mohamed Chebaro/Arab News/April 29, 2026
While the world’s attention is focused on the precarious truce in the war in the
Middle East and the negotiations that it is hoped will yield a settlement, peace
and the end of its many human and economic ramifications, one important event
largely escaped attention. The UK government has agreed to pay France another
£660 million ($891 million) to curb the flow of migrants and asylum seekers from
French shores and into England. As the weather improves during spring, the
seasonal headache for French and British authorities is renewed. Despite all the
draconian measures of the past, small boats continue to cross the English
Channel. The new deal will fund more French police and riot units to contain and
disperse would-be migrants, more drones and surveillance aircrafts, and
investment in coordination centers. This comes with yet another round of
tightening of the UK immigration system, making it more difficult for migrants
and refugees to settle and speeding up application processing and removal — all
to try to make Britain less welcoming.
But throwing cash at the problem will not solve it. The £660 million the UK has
agreed to pay France is a drop in the ocean for a problem that has become a
money-making machine for gangs, unscrupulous law firms and even states
weaponizing refugees as a means to exploit and blackmail for political gain.
The extreme-right Reform UK is threatening to deliver a severe blow to the
ruling Labour Party in next week’s local elections. The issue is increasingly
looking like a game of cat and mouse. When controls are tightened in France and
the police are successful in their efforts to prevent crossings, some smugglers
move their customers to the Belgian coast, where increased activities have been
observed by the authorities. One wonders how much slack the new funding will buy
the UK government as it faces intense pressure to deliver more migration
controls in the face of the growing popularity of the extreme-right Reform UK,
which is threatening to deliver a severe blow to the ruling Labour Party in next
week’s local elections.
It has long been evident that the country’s migration and settlement system
needs overhauling. Many governments have attempted to close the gaps in the
system that allow many migrants to enter the country and settle with the aim of
milking the welfare system.
Many formulas have been suggested and implemented, but none has been the silver
bullet that is needed. Take, for example, the English language, which is one
factor that makes the UK more attractive to migrants than other European
countries, where language is a condition for settlement. Then there is the case
of extended families and old empire links, which give many people with
connections to the UK the ability to join relatives and friends who have for
years shared stories of success. Then, of course, there is the dynamic
employment market and job opportunities due to constant skills shortages that
have been compounded by Brexit.Another issue is the smugglers and their agents
within the UK that have been exploiting the situation for a hefty profit. Then
there are the shady agencies offering advice on routes into the UK via
educational tracks or fake employment contracts. Investigation after
investigation has revealed no stone left unturned when looking for ways to abuse
the system.
This government has gone the furthest of any so far in trying to tighten the
rules and make Britain less hospitable
A BBC investigation this month found evidence that law firms and legal advisers
are helping new arrivals pretend to be gay to get asylum. Other migrants claimed
to have arrived in Britain through a work contract route, with shady accountants
organizing fake employment for monthly fees that they have to pay back through
working in the black market. Others have claimed religious discrimination or
other cultural exploitation in their home countries to claim asylum in Europe.
There is no doubt that the number of arrivals via small boats is currently lower
than in 2025. But the Labour government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer is still
predicted to suffer severe losses to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in next week’s
elections as a result of the immigration issue being whipped up and magnified by
the right and extreme right, who claim that the country is being invaded and its
culture changed. This government has gone the furthest of any so far in trying
to tighten the rules and make Britain less hospitable by making settled status
and residence harder to obtain, even to the detriment of starving the labor
market of workers, which could harm the economy in the long run. The government
is already seeing the benefits of the cash it is spending in France, aiming to
stop the tens of thousands of migrants it claims are willing to cross to the UK.
This is while constantly trying to make it less comfortable for migrants once
they arrive, housing them at former army barracks instead of hotels. The latter
caused an outcry last year due to the costs of this policy. Starmer has also
claimed that his government has deported or returned nearly 60,000 people with
no right to stay in the UK since it came to power.
All this is very well, but it is unlikely to be enough. Evidence shows that
sending money to France could yield respite but not a solution. Ramping up the
police presence across the Channel might require a similar deal with Belgium and
later the Netherlands, as smugglers adapt their tactics and move their
operations further along the coast. Ramping up intelligence and crime-fighting
capabilities is also welcome, as is surveillance and law enforcement. Reform of
the employment market and work visa system is also important, as providing
simple legal settlement routes is crucial to stem the flow.But this is a
colossal and grinding task that cannot alone remove the UK’s appeal, which is
often built on cultural and linguistic affinity, reputation or family precedent,
but also due to people smugglers treating migration as a commodity that can be
bought and sold.
***Mohamed Chebaro is a British-Lebanese journalist with more than 25 years of
experience covering war, terrorism, defense, current affairs and diplomacy.
Redefining energy security, a 10-point guide
Richard Haass and Carolyn Kissane/Arab News/April 29, 2026
It is too soon to know when or how the war with Iran will end or what its
geopolitical or economic consequences will be. But one thing is already certain:
What is meant by energy security must be rethought. Roughly 20 percent of the
world’s traded oil and gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz. The recent
crisis demonstrated how quickly that flow can be disrupted, placing immediate
pressure on energy-importing countries and on the global economy. The current
crisis also highlights that oil and gas facilities cannot be assumed to be
secure. On the contrary, they are highly vulnerable to war and terrorism. Energy
security is often defined as ensuring reliable and affordable access to
supplies. That definition is no longer sufficient. What recent events have
exposed is that energy security must now encompass the maintenance and
resilience of the systems that produce, refine, transport and deliver energy. In
a world of contested transit routes, intricate infrastructure and sophisticated
forms of disruption, energy security is no longer just about supply. It is about
whether the system itself can function under stress.
Energy security is no longer just about supply. It is about whether the system
itself can function under stress. Recent conflicts make this clear. The war with
Iran, together with Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, has shown that energy
infrastructure is no longer collateral damage — it is a primary target.
Refineries, pipelines, export terminals and electricity grids are now central to
wartime strategy designed to weaken the capabilities and will of adversaries.
The change reflects new technology and “military math.” Relatively inexpensive
drones, often costing less than $50,000, can disrupt assets worth billions.
Cyber operations can destabilize grids without physical strikes. The asymmetry
is striking: low-cost attacks can generate system-wide consequences with
far-reaching economic and societal implications.
Artificial intelligence is accelerating both risk and resilience. The rapid
expansion of data centers and AI-driven computing is driving a surge in
electricity demand. Yet AI is also becoming central to energy security, enabling
real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance and faster responses to threats. As
energy systems become more digital and more electrified, the intersection of AI
and infrastructure will shape the next phase of security.
What this moment demands is a redefinition of energy security, one that takes
the form of a comprehensive framework, built around 10 priorities. First,
diversify supply across regions. This calls for expanding access to supply from
the Americas, Africa and other emerging producers.
Second, diversify routes as well as sources. Energy that cannot move is
functionally unavailable. This will require expanded investment in alternative
corridors, including pipelines that bypass maritime chokepoints. Third, harden
critical energy infrastructure. Refineries, pipelines, liquefied natural gas
terminals and electricity grids must be designed and reinforced to withstand
disruption.
Fourth, build active energy defense systems. Modern conflict has made energy
infrastructure a primary target. Protecting it requires real-time defense —
layered air and missile systems, counterdrone capabilities and advanced
cyberdefense to detect, deter and respond to attacks.
Fifth, design for resilience, not just efficiency. Systems optimized for cost
and speed are inherently fragile. Energy systems require spare capacity,
redundancy across critical components and the ability to absorb and recover from
disruption.
Countries most exposed to disruption face rising input costs, pressure across
industries and slower growth. Sixth, expand and safeguard strategic reserves.
Storage should not be viewed primarily as a tool to manage prices but as
insurance against disruption.
Seventh, ensure a diversified energy mix. Renewables (including solar, wind,
hydro, tidal and geothermal), nuclear power and hydrocarbons each play a role in
reducing exposure to shocks. In periods of acute disruption, countries may also
need to turn to readily available fuels, including coal, to maintain power
generation, industrial output and economic stability. While this will complicate
climate objectives, excluding such options altogether is inconsistent with the
realities of energy security. The good news is that the climate impact can be
offset through the accelerated development of alternatives that energy security
also requires. Eighth, depoliticize energy strategy. Energy systems must be
guided by the objectives of reliability, affordability and security, not by
short-term politics. Frequent shifts in policy direction — seen in the US,
Europe, Japan and South Korea, among others — undermine investment, delay
infrastructure development and can introduce a de facto political risk premium
into energy systems. Ninth, wherever possible, manage demand as a form of risk
reduction. Efficiency lowers exposure and strengthens resilience. Lastly,
recognize that no country is insulated. In the US, energy abundance is often
equated with energy security. But oil is priced globally and disruptions abroad
translate directly into higher costs at home, affecting fuel prices, supply
chains and inflation. Energy independence does not mean immunity from energy
crises.
The economic consequences of failing to adapt are significant. Countries most
exposed to disruption face rising input costs, pressure across industries and
slower growth. Energy insecurity is economic insecurity and maximizing both has
become a defining feature of military strategy.
There is a clear parallel with global supply chains. In the aftermath of
COVID-19, firms shifted from a “just in time” model to a “just in case” approach
that sought to strengthen resilience. Energy systems must now undergo a similar
transition. It is well worth paying an added premium; delay will only drive the
cost of energy insecurity higher.
**Richard Haass, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, is a
senior counselor at Centerview Partners, Distinguished University Scholar at New
York University, and the author of the weekly Substack newsletter “Home & Away.”
Carolyn Kissane is Associate Dean and Clinical Professor at the New York
University School of Professional Studies Center for Global Affairs and Founding
Director of NYU’s Energy, Climate and Sustainability Lab.
Copyright: Project Syndicate
Hormuz, resilience and cohesion dominate Jeddah summit
Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/April 29, 2026
Gulf Cooperation Council leaders met at an important summit in Jeddah on Tuesday
to discuss the lessons learned in the Iran war and review progress in their
collective efforts to cope with it.Since the war started on Feb. 28, there have
been nearly nonstop meetings of GCC civilian and security officials. The bloc’s
foreign ministers held an emergency meeting on March 1, followed on March 5 by a
joint meeting of EU and GCC foreign ministers and a GCC-EU joint summit of heads
of state and government to coordinate and express solidarity. This week’s Jeddah
summit reviewed progress and gave instructions for further efforts. The GCC has
always favored diplomacy to tackle the myriad contentious issues with Iran. Some
member states worked very hard to prevent this war. Some were major trading
partners. But Iran rewarded them by firing the majority of its missiles and
drones in this war — more than 85 percent of the total — at GCC targets. The
sense of betrayal was palpable. Iran’s attacks made most people and officials in
the GCC region lose trust in Iran, but they still favored a “diplomatic path” to
end the conflict with Tehran. However, with that diminished trust, any
diplomatic efforts will have to be coupled with strengthening defense and
deterrence, while enlisting the support of the international community,
including the UN and the International Court of Justice.
The GCC has always favored diplomacy to tackle the myriad contentious issues
with Iran
The most immediate issue is the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is
precipitating a global economic downturn. This issue should be handled
separately and ahead of the other issues that led to this war, because hundreds
of millions of people have been severely affected by Iran’s action, which has
wreaked havoc with both energy security and food security. The war conditions in
the Gulf, but especially the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, underscore the
need for faster and deeper connectivity between member states. A lot has been
done in the past to improve connectivity and it all came in handy, especially in
Saudi Arabia. When Iran closed the strait, exports from and imports into most
GCC countries were affected. Saudi ports on the Red Sea served as a viable
alternative. Thousands of trucks traversed the Kingdom to deliver goods to the
countries on the Arabian Gulf. The Kingdom’s 5,000 km of railroads also helped
and its airports were utilized by grounded airlines in other GCC countries.Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman has advocated since at least 2016 for more extensive
connectivity between GCC states and between the GCC region and the rest of the
world. That means harmonizing the regulatory environments concerning transport
and communications, including standards and protocols. Much has been done in
aviation, land transport and shipping, but more needs to be done. In aviation in
particular, the GCC region boasts some of the best airlines and airports in the
world. Saudi Arabia has managed to grow its rail network sixfold, from less than
800 km to close to 5,000 km, in a decade. The UAE and Qatar have started brand
new national rail networks. Saudi Arabia’s project of linking Riyadh to other
GCC capitals via ultrafast trains has advanced, with the first agreement on such
a link signed in December with Qatar. Other agreements are on the way. But the
cross-GCC railroad, agreed more than 20 years ago, has yet to start. The Jeddah
summit agreed to speed up its completion. GCC states are deeply interested in
digital development, including localizing artificial intelligence platforms,
data centers and cloud services. Some of the world’s most important data cables
cross GCC territory, but the Iran war underscored their vulnerabilities and
called for the creation of redundancies to switch to should something happen to
them.
The GCC joint electric grid became fully operational in 2010 but projects to
extend its reach to neighboring countries have yet to see the light of day. The
Dammam-based agency in charge of the grid has the capacity to expand outside GCC
borders but political constraints have limited that expansion. In 2024, the
crown prince proposed connecting the GCC and EU power grids, which led to
discussions to explore the modalities for doing so.
The Jeddah summit injected urgency into another set of integration projects to
enhance resilience
The ceasefire in the war between Iran, Israel and the US may not last long
considering the significant gap between the belligerents’ positions. Drawing
lessons from the first phase of the war, when Iran targeted or threatened nearly
every bit of critical infrastructure in the GCC, the Jeddah summit injected
urgency into another set of integration projects to enhance resilience. Some are
still in the study and exploration phase, while others have progressed further,
but the plan now is to ensure that they are implemented soon.The success of the
east-west oil pipeline in helping Saudi Arabia continue exporting through Red
Sea terminals proved the wisdom of maintaining redundancies and adopting a more
strategic calculus. Relying on strictly commercial short-term feasibility led in
the past to similar projects being abandoned, but no more. Now oil and gas
pipeline projects will be revisited and reevaluated.
Water connectivity — i.e., connecting desalination plants located in different
countries via pipelines — was also studied in the past and abandoned. Recent
Iranian attacks and threats against water projects have revived interest in
water connectivity, so that if one desalination plant goes out of service,
others can quickly replace it.Iran used mainly missiles and drones in its
attacks against GCC countries. More than 90 percent of those attacks were
thwarted, which is testimony to the quality of GCC soldiers and equipment. But
the GCC side is seeking even better interception rates, earlier warning times
and less expensive alternatives. The technology appears to be improving all the
time. GCC defense officials were among the first to meet and coordinate their
responses to Iran’s attacks. The GCC Joint Military Command and defense
committees from all military branches have been involved in coordinating the
bloc’s response. So, the coming weeks should witness a reenergized GCC system
working on several fronts — strengthening defense, improving connectivity,
rebuilding what Iran’s attacks have damaged, restoring production and export
capacity, and improving the quality of life of the 60 million people who live in
GCC countries.
**. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the GCC assistant secretary-general for political
affairs and negotiation. The views expressed here are personal and do not
necessarily represent those of the GCC. X: @abuhamad1
Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not
necessarily reflect Arab News' point of view
Gaza’s Board of Peace a monument of broken promises
Osama Al-Sharif/Arab News/April 29, 2026
Gaza’s Board of Peace, a body that US President Donald Trump created with much
fanfare more than six months ago, is proving to be a monument of broken promises
for the 2 million barely surviving inhabitants of the Strip. Trump stepped in to
end two years of what most of the world described as a genocide being
perpetrated by Israel against Gazans following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.
His Gaza plan, through which the Board of Peace was established, called for an
immediate ceasefire, an exchange of living and dead Israeli hostages and
Palestinian prisoners of war, and the immediate resumption of full humanitarian
aid. A Civil-Military Coordination Center under Adm. Brad Cooper was established
to facilitate the flow of aid. In addition, an International Stabilization Force
was to be deployed earlier this year, while the National Committee for the
Administration of Gaza was to relocate to the enclave and assume responsibility
for its administrative affairs. But none of what was promised — and endorsed by
a UN Security Council resolution — has been fulfilled. One party to the deal,
Israel, has taken it upon itself to derail, delay and obstruct the entire
process. What the people of Gaza find themselves confronting today is a state of
no-peace, no-war, while the Israeli military actively violates the ceasefire
daily.One party to the deal, Israel, has taken it upon itself to derail, delay
and obstruct the entire process
Israel has reportedly carried out strikes and bombardments across the narrow
corridor where 2 million Gazans are confined more than 2,000 times since last
October. The most recent figures put the number of Palestinians killed at more
than 800, with some 2,000 injured, since the ceasefire came into effect. Israel
has established a so-called Yellow Line as a separation boundary and now
maintains effective control over 50 to 55 percent of the Strip, including large
swaths of Rafah, Khan Younis and northern Gaza. In the areas under its control,
Israel has carried out systematic infrastructure destruction and dug a trench
along the separation line to prevent the return of displaced Palestinians. A
joint EU-UN assessment found that two years of hostilities caused Gaza’s
development to leap back by an estimated 77 years.
Beyond the relentless killing, which has intensified sharply in the past week,
Israel has barred members of the national administrative committee from entering
the enclave, while restricting the flow of humanitarian aid to about 20 percent
of what was agreed. Aid agencies, including UNRWA, have been prevented from
operating in Gaza and those still present report shortages of food and medicine.
The situation in Gaza is so dire that, with rising temperatures, the population
is now suffering from waterborne diseases, pollution and pest infestations.
UNRWA reports surging cases of ectoparasitic infection and chickenpox amid
critical shortages of medication and pesticides, with rodent infestations
spreading across residential areas and displacement camps.
A report by Doctors Without Borders has accused Israel of using access to water
as a weapon against Palestinians, documenting cases of people being injured or
even killed while attempting to reach water sources.
Even before the eruption of the Iran war at the end of February, attention on
Gaza’s plight had already begun to wane. Warnings and appeals from the UN and
other agencies have gone unheeded. The Board of Peace has not convened once to
review implementation of the agreed steps and neither Trump nor his aides have
spoken publicly about Gaza since US envoy Steve Witkoff announced in January the
launch of stage two of the ceasefire. Since then, not a single one of the plan’s
goals has advanced. All the early optimism surrounding the plan’s prospects has
since evaporated. Even before the eruption of the Iran war, attention on Gaza’s
plight had already begun to wane. The eruption of the US-Israeli war on Iran has
further complicated matters. The crises spawned by that conflict — the closure
of the Strait of Hormuz, a global energy crunch, a military buildup across the
region, the prospect of renewed hostilities, the volatile situation in southern
Lebanon and faltering nuclear talks — have kept Gaza’s ordeal firmly in the
shadows.
Israel has exploited the current environment to make life in Gaza unbearable.
Even the key intermediaries — Egypt, Turkiye and Qatar — have shifted their
focus toward resolving the US-Iran conflict amid its regional fallout.
Meanwhile, the death toll in Gaza continues its climb. The confirmed Palestinian
death toll as of this month stands at more than 72,500, including 20,000-plus
children, 270 journalists, 120 academics and at least 560 humanitarian aid
workers.At the International Court of Justice, proceedings in the South African
genocide case against Israel are moving at a glacial pace. In March, Israel and
a number of other countries, including the US, submitted counter memorials and
interventions to the court, to which South Africa will respond. The court may
hear rebuttals by year’s end and it is clear the case will drag on for many
months more. Even then, Israel will almost certainly reject the ruling.
The International Criminal Court, meanwhile, has been preoccupied with a sexual
misconduct case against Prosecutor Karim Khan, who was finally cleared of all
charges last month. Khan — who issued an arrest warrant in November 2024 against
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes — had been on
leave to contest the allegations. Now that he has returned, there is speculation
that a new round of arrest warrants may be issued against senior Israeli
ministers.
Trump’s Board of Peace was supposed to halt the killing of Palestinians and
create the conditions for a political process to restore life to the enclave and
begin reconstruction. The US president secured the backing of prominent Arab and
international figures for his controversial initiative. Yet, here we are, mired
in a gray zone where neither the UN nor its agencies are permitted to intervene
in an ongoing conflict, while the Board of Peace is nowhere to be found.
This suits Israel perfectly. Its daily violations continue unchecked and
unpunished, while the world’s attention is trained elsewhere. The question that
demands an answer is: How much longer must the people of Gaza endure the most
horrific atrocities amid a peace plan that is terminally paralyzed?
***Osama Al-Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman. X:
@plato010
Selected Face
Book & X tweets for April 29/2026
Nadim Koteich
https://x.com/i/status/2049026357989175428
In this clip from my recent @MiddleEastInst
panel, I discuss UAE’s regional threat outlook regarding Iran, as an existential
reality rooted in real-time experience. I also share a specific, revealing
example of how regional leadership attempted to "walk the extra mile" with
Tehran, only to be met with a very different reality.
The core question: Can we afford to "go to sleep at night" knowing these
capabilities remain? Watch the full clip below.
Hanin Ghaddar
@i24NEWS_EN
https://x.com/i/status/2049524470927229274