English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News &
Editorials
For August 13/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2026/english.August
13.26.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie
his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke
13/10-17/:"Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just
then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen
years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus
saw her, he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are set free from your
ailment.’When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and
began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had
cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, ‘There are six days on which
work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath
day.’ But the Lord answered him and said, ‘You hypocrites! Does not each of you
on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to
give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound
for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?’ When
he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was
rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing."
Titles For Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related
News & Editorials published on August 12-13/2026
The only treatment for the cancerous
Hezbollah is strictly Israeli/Elias Bejjani/ِAugust11/2026
A jihadist alliance built on hatred, enmity, and contradictions: its fate is
certain failure/Elias Bejjani/ِAugust 09/2026
Inside Every Human Being There Is a Beast …The true struggle within every human
being is between the image of God within them and the distortion of that
image/Elias Bejjani/ِAugust 08/2026
What did US general discuss with Aoun and Haykal?
Report: US may form panel of int'l officers to monitor framework agreement
Katz says Israel won't withdraw, discusses preparations for 'anticipated
campaign' against Hezbollah
US rejects idea of permanent Israeli military presence in Lebanon after Katz
comments
Airstrikes, shelling and detonations continue in south Lebanon despite ceasefire
Lebanese Army says Israeli violations hindering its deployment in south
Ali Taher becomes focal point as Israel weighs wider operation in southern
Lebanon
UK, Italy among states considered to verify Hezbollah disarmament, sources say
PM Salam: Israel’s actions in southern Lebanon violate international law
PM Salam, FM Al-Shaibani discuss enhancing Lebanese-Syrian cooperation
UNIFIL Force Commander says 1701 remains key to stability and peace in south
Lebanon
Parliament passes general amnesty bill in session boycotted by Hezbollah and FPM
Lebanon's sweeping amnesty law: What we know
Political clash: A dispute over one speech reveals a deeper power struggle in
Lebanon
UN urges Mideast to follow Lebanon in ending death penalty link
Former BDL governor Riad Salameh detained after questioning
Lebanese army seizes 1.2 million captagon pills
Lebanon Becomes First Middle Eastern Country to Abolish Death Penalty
Ranking Member Shaheen, Senator Lankford Introduce Legislation to Support
Lebanon’s Sovereignty and Counter Hezbollah
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 12-13/2026
Video link from Fox News/ USA Senate
examines alleged Muslim Brotherhood network in America
Credible missile threat led to secret aircraft switch for Trump, source says
Trump says Leavitt to leave job as press secretary at month’s end
Pentagon wants to deploy lasers, other counter-drone tech in US
Trump says US has ‘total control’ of Strait of Hormuz, ‘will keep it’
US must return to interim deal, no ceasefire extension talks, Iranian source
says
More than 30 countries condemn Iran executions
Pakistan interior minister in Iran to discuss regional security
Three Pakistanis among 6 killed in Houthi attack on ship
Israel carries out first Gaza strike in more than week, one killed: Officials
Israel's military says it targeted a Hamas commander planning attacks in Gaza
Israel seeking to ‘remove Palestine’ from world’s agenda, Erdogan says
Iraq PM reaffirms commitment to ending US military presence in meeting with
CENTCOM chief
Turkey condemns Colombia's recognition of Israel sovereignty over Golan Heights
Putin threatens retaliation for Western seizures of Russian commercial vessels
UN calls on Russia to lift election ban on anti-war party
Car bomb kills Haftar intel chief in eastern Libya
Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials
from miscellaneous sources published
on August 12-13/2026
The Exploding Islamization of the West: A Conversation with Alexandre del
Valle, Part I/Grégoire Canlorbe/Gatestone Institute/July 26, 2026
The Dangerous Neo-Ottomans and the Great Bat Ye'or: A Conversation with
Alexandre del Valle, Part II/Grégoire Canlorbe/Gatestone Institute/August 12,
2026
The Modern Axis of Christian Persecutors/Samuel Ben-Ur/Providence/August 12/2026
Yemen on the Brink of a Return to Civil War/Bridget Toomey/FDD-Policy
Brief/August 12/2026
Islamism 101...America’s leaders refuse to do their homework/Clifford D. May/The
Washington Times/August 12, 2026
The Mecca Defense Pact Looks Toothless. That Doesn’t Mean It’s Harmless.....The
emerging Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan alliance threatens to trigger regional
realignment./Sinan Ciddi & Ahmad Sharawi/ The Dispatch/ August 12, 2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets on August 12/2026
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese
Related News & Editorials published on August 12-13/2026
The only treatment for the cancerous
Hezbollah is strictly Israeli.
Elias Bejjani/ِAugust11/2026
The only treatment for cancerous, terrorist, Iran-jihadist Hezbollah is strictly
Israeli. The solution is letting Israel uproot and eliminate it as soon as
possible; everything else is a waste of time and a consolidation of Iran’s
occupation and its barbaric jihadism.
A jihadist alliance built on hatred, enmity, and contradictions: its fate is
certain failure.
Elias Bejjani/ِAugust 09/2026
Peace between Israel and Lebanon and Saudi Arabia's accession to the Abraham
Accords are the first casualties of this failed sectarian
Turkish-Saudi-Pakistani alliance.
Inside Every Human Being There Is a Beast
…The true struggle within every human being is between the image of God within
them and the distortion of that image
Elias Bejjani/ِAugust 08/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/08/151757/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwwRjeSflwc
Christian faith teaches us a fundamental truth: the human being was created in
the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26) and was called to live in communion
with Him, in love and holiness. Yet, because of the Fall, every person carries
within himself a wounded nature. In this wounded nature lies what can be
described, in spiritual terms, as an inner “beast”—a force of uncontrolled
instincts and desires that emerges when the human person separates himself from
God’s grace.
This beast is not an independent power. It is not stronger than the human person
by nature. It remains dormant as long as the person lives in humility,
generosity, and love, and remains faithful to the gifts and responsibilities
entrusted to him by his Heavenly Father.
The beast sleeps when the human being lives according to love, because love is
not merely a moral value; love is God Himself:
“God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him”
(1 John 4:16).
As long as a person is conscious of his holiness, of his identity as a child of
God by grace, and remains faithful to God’s commandments, the inner beast
remains restrained. The awareness of standing one day before God’s judgment is
essential to Christian life, for Scripture tells us:
“For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (Romans 14:10).
On the last day, when God reclaims from the human being the gift of life, the
soul will stand alone before Him. At that moment, wealth, power, and earthly
achievements lose all value. They remain behind, because:
“For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing
out” (1 Timothy 6:7).
The only thing a person carries with him is his spiritual provision—his faith
expressed through works of love. As Christ says:
“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one
according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).
According to what this spiritual provision contains, the Lord will either say:
“Well done, good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew
25:21), or the soul will face separation from God if it is empty of love, mercy,
and good works, and filled only with greed, pride, and unrepented sin, where:
“Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48).
The inner beast awakens when faith weakens, hope fades, and the human being
falls into temptation. At that point, the person returns to the “old self” and
abandons the new life given through baptism by water and the Holy Spirit,
forgetting the words of Scripture:
“Put off the old man… and put on the new man, which was created according to
God” (Ephesians 4:22–24).
When a person distances himself from God, disobeys His commandments, and lives
as if God does not exist, the beast within rises and dominates. Sin then becomes
not an isolated act, but a way of life, because:
“The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
In this light, Jesus presents to us the parable of the rich fool (Luke
12:16–21). This man was not condemned for being rich, but for believing that his
life depended on his possessions. He spoke only to himself and not to God. He
trusted his barns, not his Creator. Therefore God said to him:
“Fool! This night your soul will be required of you.”
This parable reveals a deep spiritual truth: the true beast within the human
person is the illusion of self-sufficiency and independence from God. When God
is removed from the center of life, the human being becomes a slave to money,
power, and pleasure. As Jesus teaches:
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
This truth applies not only to individuals, but also to societies and political
systems. The crisis of our world—and of Lebanon in particular—is not only
political or economic, but spiritual. It is the crisis of humanity that has
forgotten God. Therefore Christ’s warning remains timeless:
“What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”
(Mark 8:36).
In conclusion, the true struggle within every human being is between the image
of God and its distortion. Salvation does not come by suppressing the beast
through human effort alone, but by returning to God through repentance, grace,
and a life rooted in faith and love. For in God alone there is true life:
“But now having been set free from sin… you have your fruit to holiness, and the
end, everlasting life” (Romans 6:22).
The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website:
https://eliasbejjaninews.com
What did US general discuss with Aoun and Haykal?
Naharnet/August 12/2026
President Joseph Aoun met Wednesday in Baabda with U.S. general Joseph
Clearfield, the head of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon (MCG4L), in
the presence of U.S. Ambassador to Beirut, Michel Issa.During the meeting, they
discussed the procedures for implementing the framework agreement reached as a
result of the Lebanese-American-Israeli negotiations in Washington, in light of
General Clearfield's talks in Israel last week, the Presidency said. Separately,
Clearfield met in Yarze with Army Commander General Joseph Haykal. A statement
issued by the Lebanese Army said they discussed developments in southern
Lebanon, security arrangements related to the framework agreement, and “the
difficulties the army faces in carrying out its missions, primarily the
continued attacks, bulldozing, and destruction by the Israeli occupation.”“Both
sides emphasized the importance of supporting the army in light of its
operations in southern Lebanon and other regions of the country,” the statement
added.
Report: US may form panel of int'l officers to monitor
framework agreement
Naharnet/August 12/2026
A preliminary agreement has been reached for a new round of negotiations to be
held between Lebanon and Israel at the beginning of September, sources told Al-Arabiya
television. They noted that the United States is considering forming a committee
comprised of officers from several countries to monitor the framework agreement
in Lebanon. The sources added that the Lebanese state remains committed to the
option of negotiating with Israel. They also indicated that reports of
ex-Ambassador Simon Karam's resignation as head of the Lebanese negotiating
delegation are untrue, following earlier reports that Karam intended to resign
in protest against Israeli conduct during the negotiations.
Katz says Israel won't withdraw, discusses preparations for
'anticipated campaign' against Hezbollah
Naharnet/August 12/2026
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stressed Wednesday that the Israeli army
will not withdraw from the security zone in southern Lebanon. During a visit to
Israeli forces in occupied southern Lebanon, he stated: "I have instructed the
Israeli army to take all necessary steps for a long-term presence in the
security zone encompassing Lebanon, Syria and Gaza."He added: "We are destroying
Hezbollah's infrastructure and all the houses in the security zone, and we will
not allow our citizens to be threatened." He continued: "We have destroyed the
tunnels they built with Iranian support to infiltrate the Galilee."
Katz noted that "the Israeli army defeated Hezbollah with exceptional skill and
seized control of the al-Shakif mountain in southern Lebanon."The Israeli
ministry of defense meanwhile announced that "Katz visited Israeli forces in
southern Lebanon today and discussed with their commanders the preparations for
the anticipated campaign against Hezbollah."
US rejects idea of permanent Israeli military presence in
Lebanon after Katz comments
Al Arabiya English/13 August ,2026
The Trump administration does not support a permanent Israeli military presence
inside Lebanon, a State Department official told Al Arabiya English on Monday,
hours after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz suggested that Israeli forces
would remain in a so-called security zone in Lebanese territory. “The United
States expects all parties to act in a manner consistent with the Framework they
agreed to, and Israel clearly stated that it has no territorial ambitions in
Lebanon,” the official said.The official was referring to the US-brokered
ceasefire framework between Lebanon and Israel, which was agreed earlier this
summer and calls for the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon and the
disarmament of Iran-backed Hezbollah. Speaking from southern Lebanon on Monday
morning, Katz said Israeli forces were “here to stay.”He added: “As the prime
minister and I have made unequivocally clear, we are not withdrawing from this
security zone.” Katz went on to tout the total destruction of homes and villages
in southern Lebanon, which he claimed were Hezbollah infrastructure.
“A permanent military presence in South Lebanon is not consistent with the
commitments made in the Framework, or the long-term peace and security of both
states,” the State Department official said, adding that Washington fully
supports Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. US officials have
previously used the term “redeployment” when asked whether Israeli forces could
remain in Lebanese territory under certain conditions. Under the framework, a
conditions-based process for the “progressive redeployment” of Israeli forces is
linked to verified disarmament of Hezbollah and the dismantling of its military
infrastructure. Israel has repeatedly accused the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) of
failing to do enough to disarm Hezbollah, while Beirut has argued that Israeli
military operations and its continued presence in Lebanese territory complicate
the process. In recent weeks, the first pilot zones have been established in
southern Lebanon, where the LAF is to assume control of areas previously
occupied by either Israeli forces or Hezbollah.
The Lebanese Armed Forces are implementing the first pilot zones, and the United
States will continue to support full implementation of that process,” the State
Department official said.
The comments come as Washington seeks to advance the broader framework through
direct talks between Lebanon and Israel. US officials have described recent
technical discussions as constructive, while acknowledging significant political
and security obstacles to implementation. Washington has sought to link Israeli
redeployment with measurable progress by the LAF in establishing state authority
and clearing Hezbollah infrastructure, while also supporting Lebanon’s
sovereignty and territorial integrity. The US position puts the administration
at odds with any suggestion that Israel could maintain an open-ended military
presence in southern Lebanon, even as Washington continues to press for the
security conditions it says are necessary for an Israeli withdrawal.
Airstrikes, shelling and detonations continue in south
Lebanon despite ceasefire
Naharnet/August 12/2026
Israeli drones targeted Wednesday the Kafra-Assi road, Beit Yahoun and al-Mansouri,
injuring several people, the National News Agency said. In Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh,
Haddatha, Beit Yahoun, Wadi touline and Wadi Slouqi, Israeli forces carried out
demolitions.
Overnight into Wednesday, artillery shelled Kfar Remman, a strike targeted Deir
Seryan and violent detonations were carried out in Bani Hayyan and al-Qantara.Israeli
twin strikes on Nabatieh killed one person on Tuesday and damaged an ambulance.
Lebanese Army says Israeli violations hindering its deployment in south
Naharnet/August 12/2026
The Lebanese Army announced Wednesday that Israeli forces are “continuing their
attacks and violations of existing agreements and international law, most
recently detonating the municipality building in Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh ... in
addition to the public school, clinic, kindergarten, and several homes in the
town.”“This confirms the occupation's continued destructive approach aimed at
inflicting maximum damage on southern villages and towns and preventing the
establishment of stability,” the army said in a statement. “Meanwhile, the army
continues its operations in the south, facing significant difficulties as a
result of these attacks, which hinder its full deployment and the return of
residents,” the army added.
Ali Taher becomes focal point as Israel weighs wider
operation in southern Lebanon
LBCI/August 12/2026
Israel is imposing tight military censorship on details of its operations in the
Ali Taher hills in southern Lebanon, amid reports that a large-scale operation
there could be imminent.
While Tel Aviv has refused to confirm or deny reports that it has used advanced
weapons, including phosphorus bombs, against the area, several officials said
Israel is tightening its siege of tunnels that it claims house Hezbollah
fighters and members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Israel is
awaiting a green light from U.S. President Donald Trump before deciding how to
proceed with the fighting there. According to an assessment meeting involving
Israel's security establishment and political leadership, and based on what
military censorship has allowed to be reported, the army is expected to
intensify its operations in the Ali Taher hills in the coming days, after taking
control of large parts of the tunnel complex. While some believe Israel will
continue applying pressure in an effort to push toward negotiations over the Ali
Taher tunnels, amid reports that Hezbollah fighters have been killed in the
area, the political leadership is seeking to prevent the escalation from
reaching a level that could threaten direct talks with Lebanon.
UK, Italy among states considered to verify Hezbollah
disarmament, sources say
Reuters/12 August ,2026
Israel and Lebanon have agreed on Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Indonesia as
potential contributors to a proposed mechanism that could see foreign troops
deployed to Lebanon to verify Hezbollah’s disarmament, people familiar with the
matter said. The shortlist emerged from US-mediated talks in Rome last week, the
latest round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon on implementing a June
agreement that ties Israel’s phased withdrawal from Lebanon to the disarmament
of Hezbollah. The countries could help define the mechanism’s scope, provide
personnel to oversee its implementation or contribute troops to observe or take
part in inspections verifying disarmament, three sources said. A Lebanese
official told Reuters on Friday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed on a list of
potential countries that could send troops to verify disarmament, but declined
to identify them, saying the US would decide which of them would take
part.Israel and Lebanon in late June agreed to a US-mediated framework as part
of Washington’s efforts to end the latest round of conflict between Israel and
Hezbollah, triggered in March when the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group attacked
Israel following US and Israeli war against Iran. A source with direct knowledge
of the matter said discussions surrounding the shortlisted countries were in the
early stages but said that they were “cautiously optimistic” the effort would
proceed. The Israeli prime minister’s office, the Lebanese presidency and the
British, Italian, and Indonesian foreign ministries did not immediately respond
to requests for comment. Switzerland’s foreign ministry had no immediate
comment.
Israel seeking searches of private homes
Israel’s military occupies what it describes as a security zone extending 10
kilometers into southern Lebanon and has said it will not withdraw unilaterally
until Hezbollah is disarmed. Two sources said that under the proposed mechanism,
villages in southern Lebanon would be inspected and verified as being free of
weapons. Israel wants those inspections to include private homes, they said.
Lebanon’s army has resisted pressure over the last year to search private
properties, fearing such searches could spark tensions in the south and with
Hezbollah more broadly. Security officials have told Reuters the army would need
warrants for each house. A foreign security official said the question of
private properties would need addressing, including how and by whom they would
be searched. The official said the extent of foreign troops’ freedom of movement
would also need to be clearly established.A mandate for the presence of foreign
troops in Lebanon would have to be agreed, the sources said, with the most
likely scenario being that they would be formally invited by the Lebanese
government under a framework endorsed by Israel. The US and Israel were unlikely
to accept UN involvement, the sources said, while European nations may oppose
oversight by US President Donald Trump’s so-called Board of Peace.
PM Salam: Israel’s actions in southern Lebanon violate
international law
LBCI/August 12/2026
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Israel’s actions in southern Lebanon constitute
a serious violation of international and humanitarian law. He said Israeli
attacks and incursions in Mansouri, Zawtar El Charqiyeh, Kfar Tebnit and other
southern villages, including the systematic destruction of homes, residential
areas, infrastructure, government buildings and places of worship, amount to
serious violations of international law. Salam rejected Israel’s justification
that the destruction targets military facilities, saying the nature of the sites
being targeted contradicts that claim. He stressed that Lebanon’s sovereignty,
the security of its people, and the right of southerners to return to their land
and rebuild their villages are “not matters open to negotiation.”
PM Salam, FM Al-Shaibani discuss enhancing Lebanese-Syrian
cooperation
LBCI/August 12/2026
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received a phone call from Syrian Foreign Minister
Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani, during which they discussed ways to enhance
cooperation and coordination between Syria and Lebanon in a manner that serves
the shared interests of the two countries and their peoples and supports their
security and stability. The call also addressed the latest regional and
international developments and their repercussions on both countries, with both
sides stressing the importance of continued coordination and cooperation in
addressing issues of mutual concern.
UNIFIL Force Commander says 1701 remains key to stability
and peace in south Lebanon
Naharnet/August 12/2026
UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara said
principles of Security Council Resolution 1701 – adopted exactly two decades ago
and which forms basis of UNIFIL’s mandate – remain the cornerstone of efforts to
preserve stability in south Lebanon and support peace in the region. Speaking
during a commemorative ceremony at UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura, Major General
Abagnara said that, in a changing and increasingly complex regional environment,
“the principles of Resolution 1701 are more relevant than ever.”“Resolution 1701
is far more than the legal basis of our mandate. It is the framework that guides
every patrol, every liaison meeting, every coordinated activity with the
Lebanese Armed Forces and every engagement with local communities,” he said.
“For our mission, Resolution 1701 remains our compass, guiding our actions, our
decisions and our commitment to peace every single day.”Adopted on 11 August
2006, Resolution 1701 ended that year’s hostilities and established a framework
aimed at achieving a lasting peace along the Blue Line and a permanent ceasefire
between Lebanon and Israel. UNIFIL continues to support the parties in
fulfilment of their obligations under this resolution. The UNIFIL Force
Commander noted that “true strength” of the resolution is not measured by the
words written 20 years ago but by “the actions, the commitment and the dialogue
that continue to bring those words to life.”
At Tuesday's ceremony, Abagnara led tribute to seven peacekeepers who lost their
lives in the line of duty amidst hostilities in recent months. He unveiled a
commemorative plaque and planted a tree for each of the seven fallen
peacekeepers. “These were not simply ceremonial acts,” Abagnara said. “They
represented a journey, from memory, to responsibility, to hope.”A total of 346
UNIFIL peacekeepers have lost their lives while serving in support of peace and
stability in southern Lebanon since 1978. Eighty-nine of these peacekeepers died
since the adoption of Resolution 1701 in 2006. The UNIFIL head noted that the
sacrifice of fallen peacekeepers serves as a reminder that the values
underpinning peacekeeping require courage, commitment and selfless service.
Reflecting on the symbolism of tree planting, the Force Commander said peace,
like nature, must be nurtured and sustained over time. “The tree looks to the
future. It reminds us that peace, like nature, cannot simply be declared, it
must be cultivated. It requires strong roots, constant care and patience,” he
said. “May the values of dialogue, cooperation and hope continue to grow, just
as the trees we planted today, for the benefit of Lebanon, the region and the
generations to come.”
Parliament passes general amnesty bill in session boycotted
by Hezbollah and FPM
Naharnet/August 12/2026
Parliament on Wednesday passed a sweeping and long-awaited amnesty law that
should benefit thousands of prisoners and wanted people, in the first
legislation of its kind since 1991.The office of the speaker of parliament
announced the "approval of a draft law aimed at granting a general amnesty and
exceptionally reducing the terms of certain sentences", which had been a demand
of various political factions and a topic of debate for years in Lebanon. Free
Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah MPs left the parliamentary session on Wednesday
after Defense Minister Michel Menassa was not allowed, for a second day in a
row, to deliver a speech on the general amnesty bill. A heated argument was
reported on Tuesday between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Menassa, after the
premier reportedly insisted on preventing the minister from delivering his
speech. On Tuesday, Parliament abolished the death penalty and debated the
controversial general amnesty law that could reduce sentences or even release
convicted militants, including those from Sunni Islamist groups. Menassa’s
speech was intended to voice the Lebanese Army's position regarding the general
amnesty bill, but Salam reportedly warned Menassa that he was putting the
Lebanese Army in confrontation with the Sunni community. Family members of
Lebanese soldiers and servicemen killed or attacked by Islamist militant groups
have repeatedly protested against the law, some saying they had hoped to see the
perpetrators who killed their family members executed rather than be issued
reduced prison sentences.
Lebanon's sweeping amnesty law: What we know
Agence France Presse/August 12/2026
Lebanon's parliament on Wednesday passed an amnesty law, the first of its kind
since 1991, that is expected to benefit thousands of prisoners and wanted
people. The legislation is largely aimed at easing prison overcrowding but
critics say it is the result of bargaining among sectarian groups and
perpetuates a culture of impunity.Parliament has not yet published the final
text of the law, but here is what we know so far:
Why now? -
For years, Lebanon's parliament had been trying to pass the bill as a way to
reduce overcrowding in prisons, which has been exacerbated by slow-moving trials
and the detention of suspects for years without judicial proceedings. In a
report last year, the country's National Human Rights Commission said the prison
population had reached 300 percent of capacity, with more than 6,200 inmates by
the end of March. However, the law was also helped across the finish line by
political and sectarian motives, with the country's diverse factions all vying
for the release of their own. It was brought back into the spotlight after the
fall in 2024 of longtime president Bashar al-Assad in neighboring Syria, because
many Islamists imprisoned in Lebanon were jailed over events linked to the
Syrian civil war.
Most of these inmates hail from northern Lebanon's Sunni-majority city of
Tripoli and were accused of crimes including attacking the Lebanese Army,
participating in clashes and planning bombings. But other political or religious
groups, including Iran-backed Hezbollah, had also been demanding amnesty for
their allies. Hezbollah has called for the inclusion of thousands of detainees
held over drug-related offenses or car theft in the eastern Baalbek and Hermel
districts. Christian parties meanwhile have pushed for the law to include the
families of those who joined an Israeli-backed proxy and fled to Israel after
its withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. Many of these people feared
reprisals in Lebanon after fleeing, particularly from Hezbollah and its
supporters. So far however, Lebanese authorities have not announced the names of
those who will benefit from the amnesty.
Who does the law include? -
According to Nizar Saghieh, executive director of the non-governmental group
Legal Agenda, the legislation allows "for each political group to take its share
of the cake".
Parliament has not yet released the final version, but based on the bill that
was voted on and statements by lawmakers after its passage, the law contains a
broad amnesty for crimes committed before March this year, with some exceptions.
"Amnesty has become the principle and accountability the exception," Saghieh
told AFP, warning that vagueness on crimes exempted could lead to legal
disputes. Murder and "acts of terrorism" against civilians, soldiers, and
Lebanon's security forces will not be pardoned, but may be subject to reduced
sentences, which experts and lawmakers say could benefit Islamists. According to
Imad al-Hout, one of the lawmakers in favor of the bill, the legislation reduces
sentences for those facing the death penalty and life imprisonment to 17 "prison
years". This is equivalent to 12 years and nine months of actual imprisonment in
Lebanon, where a "prison year" is generally nine months. Hout also said 79
Islamist detainees or convicts out of 146 were supposed to be released
immediately under the law. In addition, the legislation stipulates the release
of inmates who have been detained for more than 12 prison years if the courts
have not yet reached a verdict on their culpability. But it excludes "crimes of
treason, espionage, and illicit ties with" Israel, though Saghieh said it should
benefit the families of people accused of being Israeli "agents".The law also
excludes crimes against public funds, corruption in the public sector and
illicit enrichment, along with several financial and banking-related offenses.
Social cohesion or impunity?
Although the passage of the law was the result of a "temporary political
consensus", Saghieh said it does not build genuine social cohesion. Many
contentious issues in Lebanon are managed through compromises between religious
and political forces, leading to a culture of impunity. For Saghieh, the problem
is an absence of a path towards national reconciliation or a broader vision or
justification for the pardons. "All that is happening is a kind of compromise
and bargaining, without a real narrative. The amnesty comes without any real
reconciliation, without any work to amend and reform the laws, and without a
general vision of what should be pardoned and what shouldn't," he said. The law
embodies "the application of the idea of power-sharing" among Lebanon's
factions, Saghieh added. However, legislator Bilal Abdallah, a supporter of the
bill, insisted the law was "national and humanitarian" before being "sectarian"."Today
we open a new door to reconciliation and justice, and we affirm that healing
national wounds requires law, justice and the state," added fellow lawmaker Hout.
Political clash: A dispute over one speech reveals a deeper
power struggle in Lebanon
LBCI/August 12/2026
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's reaction to a question in Parliament has
highlighted the extent of the differences between his government and Lebanon’s
military establishment, a rift that has surfaced repeatedly in recent months and
resurfaced during a parliamentary session through Defense Minister Michel Mnassa.
Salam prevented Mnassa from delivering a speech outlining the army's position on
a proposed general amnesty law. Salam cited Article 64 of Lebanon's
Constitution, which states that the prime minister represents the government and
speaks on its behalf.
However, a competing constitutional interpretation holds that the Speaker of
Parliament controls parliamentary sessions and grants lawmakers and ministers
the right to speak. Under that interpretation, a minister may speak with the
Speaker’s permission and cannot be prevented from addressing Parliament by the
prime minister. The competing interpretations have once again underscored the
long-standing disputes in Lebanon over constitutional powers and their
interpretation.
According to LBCI sources, the disagreement goes beyond constitutional
questions. Salam had reportedly reviewed Mnassa's planned speech and objected to
its content, believing it could unintentionally put the defense minister and the
military establishment at odds with part of Lebanese society. That suggests the
dispute was political rather than purely constitutional. Meanwhile, sources at
the Grand Serail and the prime minister’s office stressed that no one has the
right to question the government’s support for the army. They said Salam is
among the military’s strongest supporters and is committed to extending the
state’s authority across all Lebanese territory.Parliamentary sources close to
Salam described the dispute as “principled,” centering on a fundamental
question: Is the army an independent authority, or is it an institution
responsible for implementing decisions taken by the political authorities?
According to those sources, the military is not a separate authority and must
implement the decisions of the political leadership. The disagreement between
Salam and the military establishment is not new. It emerged during an incident
in Beirut's Raoucheh area, when the iconic rock formation was illuminated with
images of Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine on the
anniversary of their killings, despite a government decision banning the
display. Salam had expected the security agencies to enforce the decision. The
rift became more pronounced during a well-known parliamentary session on March
2, when lawmakers moved to classify armed groups as outside the law. A dispute
reportedly erupted between Salam and Army Commander General Rodolph Haykal after
the army chief suggested finding a way to communicate with Hezbollah. Salam
responded at the time that “there is no security through consensus.”Therefore,
the latest confrontation reflects a broader disagreement over how Lebanon should
be governed and the relationship between the political authorities and the
military, amid shifting balances of power from South Lebanon to the wider
region.
UN urges Mideast to follow Lebanon in ending death penalty
link
Agence France Presse/August 12/2026
The United Nations hailed Lebanon’s decision to scrap the death penalty, and
urged other countries in the Middle East and North Africa to do likewise.
"I commend the decision by the Lebanese parliament to formally abolish the death
penalty in the country. Lebanon is now the first country in the region to do so,
and I call on the other countries that still maintain the death penalty to
follow its lead in ending this inhumane practice," U.N. rights chief Volker Turk
said Tuesday.
Former BDL governor Riad Salameh detained after questioning
LBCI/August 12/2026
Former Banque du Liban (BDL) governor Riad Salameh was detained after appearing
before Beirut Investigating Judge Shahrazad Nasser, who questioned him in
connection with financial charges against him. Following the interrogation,
Nasser issued an in-person detention order against Salameh, according to
judicial sources.
Lebanese army seizes 1.2 million captagon pills
Agence France Presse/August 12/2026
Lebanon's military has seized 1.2 million captagon pills that were about to be
sent abroad. Lebanon has faced pressure from Gulf states to counter the
production and trafficking of drugs, particularly the amphetamine-like narcotic
captagon, for which the conservative monarchies are a major market. In a
statement, the Lebanese army said it had arrested "two individuals... while they
were packing approximately 1.2 million captagon pills into a vehicle for
smuggling out of Lebanon" in an area north of Beirut. In neighboring Syria,
captagon was the largest export following the eruption of the civil war in 2011
and a key source of illicit funding for former Syrian president Bashar
al-Assad's government. Since Assad's fall in 2024, the new authorities in
Damascus have been working to combat the captagon trade, while both countries
are trying to stop smuggling on their porous, 330-kilometre-long (205-mile)
border. In Lebanon, Assad's ally Hezbollah has also faced accusations of using
the captagon trade to finance itself. The synthetic drug has flooded the region,
with neighboring countries occasionally announcing seizures and asking Lebanon
and Syria to ramp up efforts to combat the trade.
Lebanon Becomes First Middle Eastern Country to Abolish
Death Penalty
This is Beirut/11 Aug 2026
The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday that Lebanon made significant progress
in fiscal transparency during its 2026 review period, while warning that the
government continues to face major shortcomings in budget reporting, auditing
and public procurement. According to the State
Department's 2026 Fiscal Transparency Report, Lebanon published its executive
budget proposal and enacted budget online within a reasonable timeframe and
included major revenue and expenditure figures, broken down by ministry. The
budget also included allocations for executive offices as well as military and
intelligence spending.However, the report said Lebanon did not publicly release
its end-of-year budget execution report. It also found that previous budget
estimates were not considered sufficiently reliable or accurate and did not
correspond to actual revenues and expenditures. The
State Department further said Lebanon did not prepare its budget documents
according to internationally accepted principles, while the country's supreme
audit institution failed to meet international standards for independence and
did not audit the entire annual executed budget or publish its reports within a
reasonable timeframe.The report also highlighted limited public disclosure of
government procurement contracts.The State Department recommended that Lebanon
publish end-of-year budget reports, issue revised estimates or supplementary
budgets when spending significantly deviates from projections, disclose
allocations to and revenues from major state-owned enterprises, strengthen
oversight of off-budget accounts, improve the independence of its supreme audit
institution and publicly disclose procurement contracts.The report comes as
Lebanon continues efforts to strengthen state institutions and improve public
financial management amid its broader economic and fiscal crisis.
Ranking Member Shaheen, Senator Lankford Introduce Legislation to Support
Lebanon’s Sovereignty and Counter Hezbollah
USA Foreign Relations Committtee/August 07, 2026
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and James Lankford (R-OK) introduced the
Lebanon Sanctions, Stabilization and Support Act, legislation to support
Lebanon’s rule of law and democratic institutions through targeted sanctions,
support for expanding the state’s civil authority, and security assistance to
help the Lebanese state establish a monopoly of force over its territory, disarm
Hezbollah, integrate communities into the state and free Lebanon from Iran’s
malign influence.
“For the first time in decades, Lebanon has a real chance to reclaim its
sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and break free from Iran’s malign influence, but
success depends on sustained American support,” said Ranking Member Shaheen.
“That’s why I’m proud to introduce the bipartisan Lebanon Sanctions,
Stabilization and Support Act with Senator Lankford. It combines tough sanctions
on Hezbollah’s enablers with targeted security and recovery assistance as well
as congressional oversight. This legislation helps the Lebanese state extend its
authority and build toward a peaceful future with its neighbors. A sovereign,
stable Lebanon is firmly in America’s interests, and I urge my colleagues to
support this bill.”
“For decades, Iran has used Hezbollah to destabilize Lebanon, Israel, and
threaten Americans who live in the region, but President Trump has created a
real opening for change by bringing Israel and Lebanon to the table for the
first direct talks in 30 years,” said Senator Lankford. “That's why I'm proud to
introduce the Lebanon Sanctions, Stabilization, and Support Act with Senator
Shaheen. Our bill imposes tough sanctions on the network financing Hezbollah and
provides security assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces. A sovereign Lebanon
protects Lebanese, Israeli, and American citizens living in the region, and puts
real pressure on the terrorists.”
The Lebanon Sanctions, Stabilization, and Support Act seizes on the opportunity
presented by direct negotiations and the trilateral framework between the United
States, Israel and Lebanon to ensure the disarmament of Hezbollah, integrate
Lebanese communities previously reliant on Hezbollah into the Lebanese state and
build toward peaceful relations between Lebanon and Israel.
After years of Iranian proxy influence through Hezbollah, a banking sector
crisis and challenges in government formation, Lebanon’s reform-minded
government represents the best chance in decades to secure a safe and prosperous
future. While the Lebanese Armed Forces, with U.S. support to coordinate with
the Israel Defense Forces, have made progress in disarming Hezbollah, Iran’s
illicit financing and support of the group remains a significant impediment to
completing that effort. Deepening this crisis, an estimated 1.2 million people
have been displaced from southern Lebanon, risking another regional crisis.
Specifically, this legislation would:
Impose sanctions on foreign persons who support Iran's financing of Hezbollah or
obstruct Lebanon’s efforts to disarm the group and reform its financial sector.
Sanctions include blocking of property, financial transaction prohibitions and
visa ineligibility, with exceptions for humanitarian assistance.
Support stabilization by continuing humanitarian assistance and establishing an
incentive fund for recovery of infrastructure and civil services run by the
state, as opposed to Hezbollah.
Authorize $200 million annually in security assistance to strengthen the
Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces, conditioned on demonstrated
progress against Hezbollah and with the opportunity to increase to $300 million
annually if there is sufficient progress, including Foreign Military Financing
and support to interdict weapons, Captagon and other illicit goods that fund the
group.
Require recurring oversight, including reporting on Lebanon's progress in
disarming Hezbollah, a strategy for use of stabilization and security funds to
provide Lebanese communities with an alternative to Hezbollah, efforts to secure
funding from international donors, U.S. efforts to coordinate between the
Lebanese Armed Forces and Israel Defense Forces, banking-sector reform and
progress toward peaceful relations between Lebanon and Israel.
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on August 12-13/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/08/156601/
رابط فيديو من قناة فوكس نيوز لوقائع جلسة استماع اللجنة القضائية الفرعية في مجلس
الشيوخ تتناول 3 شهادات بحق شبكة الإخوان المسلمين في أمريكا
التاريخ: 5 أغسطس 2026
رابط الفيديو: Senate examines alleged Muslim Brotherhood network in America
Video link from Fox News/ USA Senate examines alleged
Muslim Brotherhood network in America
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee holds a hearing titled, ‘Hidden in Plain Sight:
Confronting the Muslim Brotherhood Network in America,’ examining allegations
about the group’s influence and activities in the U.S. August 05/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/08/156601/
The three winesses
Laura Burns Retired FBI Special Agent; Senior Research Fellow, George Washington
University Program on Extremism Counterterrorism, terrorism financing
investigations, Hamas fundraising networks, FBI national security and
international terrorism operations
Ariel Clay Senior Litigation Counsel, National Jewish Advocacy Center Legal
analysis of Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated organizations in the U.S., national
security law, terrorism-related prosecutions
Kyle Shideler
Director and Senior Analyst for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, Center
for Security Policy Homeland security, counterterrorism, domestic extremist
threats, terrorism ideology, Antifa and other security-related movements
Brief Professional Backgrounds
Laura Burns
Former FBI Special Agent.
Helped lead the major terrorism-financing case against the Holy Land Foundation.
Served as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Texas.
FBI Supervisory Special Agent and International Terrorism Program Coordinator in
Dallas.
Retired from the FBI in 2023.
Joined the George Washington University Program on Extremism in 2024.
Ariel Clay
Senior Litigation Counsel at the National Jewish Advocacy Center.
Researches and analyzes Muslim Brotherhood-linked entities in the United States.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida.
Former Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan.
Graduate of Columbia Law School and the University of Pennsylvania.
Kyle Shideler
Director and Senior Analyst at the Center for Security Policy.
Studies domestic and international terrorism threats to the United States.
Has briefed Congress, law enforcement agencies, and government officials.
Testified before the U.S. Senate and the Canadian Senate.
Expert witness in the first federal terrorism trial involving Antifa members.
Author and editor of several books on counterterrorism and homeland security.
Main areas of expertise represented before the Senate:
FBI Counterterrorism & Terror Financing — Laura Burns.
National Security Law & Muslim Brotherhood Networks — Ariel Clay.
Homeland Security & Terrorism Threat Analysis — Kyle Shideler.
Credible missile threat led to secret aircraft switch for
Trump, source says
Reuters/12 August ,2026
A threat that Air Force One could be targeted by a shoulder-fired missile
prompted the Secret Service to secretly move President Donald Trump onto an
unmarked government jet during a trip to Turkey last month, a person briefed on
the matter said on Wednesday.
The threat emerged on the final day of Trump’s visit to Ankara for the NATO
summit amid heightened tensions with Iran, the source said. The Secret Service
deemed the threat to be credible and imminent, prompting an extraordinary
operation to conceal the US president’s movements. The source declined to say
where the intelligence came from but said officials had little time to prepare
and devised the plans at the last minute. Trump and a small group of aides used
a catering truck to surreptitiously switch them from the big blue-and-white
presidential aircraft to a smaller, nondescript C-32A jet for the flight out of
Turkey on July 8, while Air Force One departed separately carrying senior
administration officials, White House staff and the traveling press corps,
according to the source. Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he made the switch
at the direction of the Secret Service, which is charged with presidential
security. He flew from Ankara to a refueling stop in Britain without incident.
“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk,” Trump told
reporters, without providing evidence. “I think it was at greater risk because
that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for.”US
presidents, including Trump, have occasionally traveled under secrecy when
visiting war zones or high-risk regions in order to maintain security. But those
trips typically involved advance notice for journalists traveling with the
president. Some members of the press got a heads up ahead of a Thanksgiving 2003
trip by President George W. Bush to Baghdad. Other members of the press corps
covering Bush’s Thanksgiving holiday in Crawford, Texas, were misled, however.
Told that Bush was spending the feast day with family, they were shocked when
the president abruptly surfaced in Iraq. The source on Wednesday said the Secret
Service did not have the luxury of time in Turkey. “They were scrambling to head
off what they thought was a credible, imminent threat,” the source said. The
Washington Post first reported details of the operation this week, more than a
month after it was carried out. The New York Times reported that US officials
were alarmed to discover that Iranians knew where Trump was staying in Ankara,
including the exact floor of his hotel. On board the Air Force One jet now seen
as a decoy were US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who the source said was
briefed on the maneuver; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent; White House
communications director Steven Cheung; and a number of other aides plus the
typical 13-person press pool that included a Reuters correspondent and
photographer.White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, executive assistant
Natalie Harp and director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta made the move in
the catering truck with Trump, the source said. Some media commentators and
lawmakers have questioned whether the operation left Trump’s aides and
journalists traveling with him at risk aboard the plane presumed to be carrying
the president. The source said it was determined that it was in Trump’s best
interests to keep the ruse secret as hostilities escalated with Iran, which
borders Turkey. Turkish officials did not immediately comment on the threat.
Trump says Leavitt to leave job as press secretary at month’s end
Reuters/12 August ,2026
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that White House Press Secretary
Karoline Leavitt would depart her role at the end of the month to spend more
time with her family. “Serving as the White House Press Secretary over the past
year and a half has been the honor and adventure of a lifetime,” Leavitt said in
a post on social media site X. “Karoline will now be one of my top outside
advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to
defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections,” Trump said in a post
on Truth Social. Leavitt joined Trump’s 2024 campaign and served as transition
spokeswoman before Trump selected her to be White House press secretary,
becoming the youngest person to be appointed to the role.
Pentagon wants to deploy lasers, other counter-drone tech in US
Bloomberg/12 August ,2026
The Pentagon is moving to speed up the deployment of high-powered lasers and
other counter-drone systems around key US facilities, amid increased threats
from unmanned aircraft.The Defense Department will sign an agreement within days
with the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration
to use new technologies to bring down unmanned aircraft systems at airports and
other installations in the US, David Bagnati, who leads a Pentagon taskforce on
the issue, said on Wednesday.
“Did we ever think that the FAA would be talking about bringing counter-UAS
equipment into the airspace,” Bagnati said at the Space and Missile Defense
Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama. “That’s where we are now. That’s where we are
going. I think our interagency partners are with us.”The arrangement is part of
a broader effort to close what US officials describe as regulatory gaps that
have complicated the Pentagon’s ability to defend against proliferating drones,
and comes as the department tries to expand the capabilities available to
commanders defending key military facilities. Last week, Germany’s Leipzig-Halle
airport, a major hub for transporting cargo and military equipment, suspended
flights amid concerns about armed drones, while a cargo plane collided midair
with a small, unmanned craft.
The need for better coordination was underscored by a high-profile incident in
El Paso earlier this year, when the FAA abruptly closed the airspace around a
nearby airport after a military-loaned counter-drone laser was used by Customs
and Border Protection without adequate communication with aviation authorities.
The airspace restriction was lifted hours later, but the episode exposed the
gaps between agencies. In a separate incident just weeks later, Defense
Department personnel accidentally shot down a CBP-operated drone on the Texas
border with Mexico using a high-energy laser, people familiar with the matter
said earlier. Since then, high-energy lasers have been approved for use at
critical facilities, while high-power microwave systems are nearing similar
approval, Bagnati said. The two technologies give commanders more options than
just shooting drones out of the sky.
Trump says US has ‘total control’ of Strait of Hormuz, ‘will keep it’
Al Arabiya English/12 August ,2026
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States is in control of the
strategic Strait of Hormuz and will “keep it.”“The U.S.A. has total control over
the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social
platform. “Our Naval Blockade is being called, by everyone, ‘A WALL OF STEEL,’
and there is nothing Iran can do about it.”Trump has repeatedly claimed the
United States controls the strait, which is vital for the flow of energy and
other commodity shipping through the Middle East. However, Iran says it
effectively controls much of the waterway and intends to impose a toll system in
response to the US war launched by Trump on February 28.Late Tuesday, Trump told
reporters: “We have total control over the Hormuz Strait right now. They don’t
have control. We have total control. We own it.”US and Israeli forces have
heavily bombed Iran’s military and killed a swath of the country’s leadership so
far in the nearly six month war, launched initially with goals including forcing
Tehran to abandon its nuclear power program and regime change. Iran has resisted
with missile attacks on US bases in the region, Israel and targets in
neighboring countries. Its most effective response has been to strike shipping
in Hormuz, effectively snarling the trade route, rattling the world economy.With
his political popularity sinking at home ahead of the November midterm
congressional elections, Trump has backed off threats to escalate the war in
search of a decisive victory.
That leaves the war in a standoff. However, the Republican says that the United
States is prepared to focus on blockading Iranian ports in a strategy that he
told Axios was “low-keying.”“We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just
watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money,” Trump
told Axios on Sunday. With AFP
US must return to interim deal, no ceasefire extension
talks, Iranian source says
Reuters/12 August ,2026
There have been no talks on extending a ceasefire between Iran and the US under
an interim deal, with Tehran saying that Washington must return to the pact and
define a timeframe to implement its commitments, a senior Iranian source told
Reuters on Wednesday. The source’s comments came after Turkey’s Anadolu news
agency, citing Pakistani government sources, reported that Tehran and Washington
had agreed to extend a 60-day ceasefire under their Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU). “One of the issues that is being discussed via mediators is the US
returning to the interim agreement and defining a timeframe for implementing its
commitments. There has been absolutely no progress on this issue,” the source
said. The interim deal signed in June between Tehran and Washington declared an
“immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts,” but
quickly unraveled, with US President Donald Trump saying on July 7 that the pact
was “over.” Tehran has repeatedly accused Washington of consistently violating
its commitments.“There is no talk of an extension because ... the United States
violated the interim agreement 48 hours after it was reached and withdrew from
it a few days later,” the source told Reuters.In the agreement, the 60-day
period refers to an extendable timeframe within which Iran and the US were
expected to reach a final deal, which would include larger issues including the
fate of Iran’s disputed nuclear program. A series of requirements, such as a
ceasefire in Lebanon, free navigation in the Gulf and waivers for Iran to sell
its oil, were viewed as necessary before entering the further negotiation
period.However, efforts to secure a lasting peace have hit an impasse over a
range of issues, including disagreements over the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran says
the vital shipping route will remain closed as long as the US does not change
its behavior and accept Iran’s conditions to end the war, including the
unfreezing of Iranian funds overseas. After the start of the war, which began
with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, Tehran effectively shut the
strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas was
shipped. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Iran and
the US are not engaged in talks and Tehran will not start them as long as
Washington breaches the interim deal, adding that messages are being exchanged
via intermediaries Pakistan and Qatar.
More than 30 countries condemn Iran executions
Al Arabiya English/12 August ,2026
More than 30 nations, including France, the United Kingdom and Canada, on
Wednesday condemned Iran’s use of capital punishment, saying in a joint
statement that Tehran was executing protesters to “silence dissent.”The
countries, joined by the European Union’s top diplomat, “condemn in the
strongest terms the ongoing executions of protesters and use of the death
penalty” by Iran. “The use of capital punishment to silence dissent, intimidate
communities, and punish individuals exercising their human rights can never be
justified,” the statement said. “The people of Iran must be free to exercise
their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear.”After
the initial 26 countries and the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, “other
countries joined this declaration” bringing the number of signatories up to 32,
the French foreign ministry told AFP. Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Italy,
Germany and numerous other European nations were among those calling for Iran
“to immediately end the use of the death penalty and release all those
arbitrarily detained.” The statement joins growing alarm from the United Nations
and rights groups over a surge in executions in recent months, after Iran was
rocked by nationwide anti-government protests earlier in the year and the start
of the Middle East war in February. Earlier in August UN rights chief Volker
Turk said the death penalty was being used by Tehran to “instill fear.”According
to the UN, since March 19, at least 56 people have been executed on national
security-related charges, including 27 people in cases linked to the
protests.More than 100 others are at risk of being put to death on similar
charges, Turk said. The UN and rights groups have warned of a lack of fair
trials and forced confessions. In late December last year, a protest movement
initially sparked by the high cost of living exploded into widespread
anti-government demonstrations. Iranian authorities reported more than 3,000
deaths, but attributed the violence to “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the
United States and Israel. Rights groups based abroad recorded a far higher toll
and said the security forces had fired on demonstrators. “Seven months after the
mass atrocities committed against the Iranian people, who rose up to demand
justice and dignity, the regime continues to shed blood by carrying out a
growing number of executions,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in
an X post with the statement. The United States and Israel launched a joint
attack on the country weeks on February 28, triggering the Middle East war.
Since then, arrests and executions have multiplied in the country, linked to
both the conflict and the protests. Last year, Iran put to death over 2,150
people, according to Amnesty International, making it again by a huge margin the
world’s most prolific executioner after China.With AFP
Pakistan interior minister in Iran to discuss regional
security
Agence France Presse/August 12/2026
Pakistan's interior minister is visiting Iran to discuss regional security,
stability and other developments, the Pakistani foreign office said Wednesday,
as Islamabad tries to mediate a resolution to the Middle East war. Mohsin Naqvi,
previously involved in mediation efforts between Iran and the US, is known to be
close to the powerful head of the Pakistani army, Asim Munir. Iranian state news
agency IRNA reported late Tuesday that Naqvi met with Iranian President Masoud
Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Interior Minister Eskandar
Momeni. "He is discussing bilateral relations, security, regional security and
stability, and constructive engagement amongst the parties in the region and
regional developments," Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told
reporters in Islamabad. The Iranian government's website said Naqvi conveyed to
Pezeshkian "a message from the Pakistani prime minister and the chief of the
army", without specifying its content. Tehran insists on retaining control of
the Strait of Hormuz after the war and wants to charge fees for passage,
repeatedly striking ships it accuses of attempting to circumvent its preferred
route. The US has imposed a rival blockade on Iranian ports. Attacks in the
waterway, which was free to transit before the war, led to the collapse of an
April ceasefire, and mediators have urged both sides to return to the terms of a
subsequent June memorandum that set out a path for peace talks. Last week Iran
said it had agreed a route with neighbouring Oman for ships transiting the
strait and was finalising arrangements for jointly managing the strategic
waterway. On Tuesday the US military announced that it had fired on a
Panama-flagged cargo ship that attempted to break the American blockade of
Iran's ports.
Three Pakistanis among 6 killed in Houthi attack on ship
Associated Press/August 12/2026
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday condemned an attack by Houthi
rebels on a ship in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, saying three Pakistanis had been
killed in the attack and another wounded. A total of six people were killed in
the attack on Tuesday.
“Such attacks endanger innocent lives, constitute a violation of international
law, and pose a serious threat to freedom of navigation, maritime security, and
the safety of commercial shipping in the Red Sea,” Dar said in a post on X. With
the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down by Iran, there has been a renewed
focus on the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb strait at Yemen’s southern tip, which is
an alternate route for Saudi Arabia to ship its oil. The attack came as part of
a growing number of Houthi strikes against government forces in Yemen and oil
facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government,
and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea. Many of the attacks have been focused
on the government-held port city of Mokha on the Red Sea. Overall, dozens of
government troops and civilians have been killed in attacks since last week,
according to Yemen's military.
Fears are growing that the renewed violence could reignite Yemen’s civil war
following a 2022 truce, and open a new front in the Middle East war.
Iranian-backed Houthis kill 6 in attack on vessel
Associated Press/August 12/2026
Six people were killed Tuesday by Houthis firing missiles on a vessel in the Bab
el-Mandeb strait, Yemeni authorities said. Yemen's coast guard said the dead
included four crew members and two members of the government-allied National
Resistance Forces. Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at the Yemeni
commercial vessel, according to the Transportation Ministry of Yemen’s
internationally recognized government.They are the first known deaths from
Houthi attacks on shipping off Yemen in the latest bout of fighting in the Arab
country. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down by Iran, there has been
a renewed focus on the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb strait at Yemen’s southern tip,
which is an alternate route for Saudi Arabia to ship its oil. The deadly vessel
strike came amid Houthi attacks on the government-held port city of Mokha on the
Red Sea and other areas of the country. Dozens of government troops and
civilians have been killed in attacks since last week, according to the Yemeni
military. The strikes are part of an escalation by the Houthis against
government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which
supports the Yemeni government, and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea. The
Houthi attacks could reignite Yemen’s civil war following a 2022 truce, and open
a new front in the Middle East war. Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Houthis’ chief
negotiator and spokesperson, accused Saudi Arabia in a social media post of
exploiting the ceasefire to tighten an air and sea blockade it imposed in 2015.
He said the Houthis are open for negotiations, but any settlement must include
lifting the blockade.
Israel carries out first Gaza strike in more than week, one killed: Officials
AFP/12 August ,2026
Israel on Wednesday carried out its first airstrike in more than a week in Gaza,
both sides said, breaking a lull as the United States pressed a peace plan. The
Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas commander, charging that he had been
planning attacks against Israeli forces operating in the war-battered territory.
“The terrorist was struck in an aerial strike in order to remove the threat to
IDF troops,” a military statement said, adding that it tried to mitigate
civilian harm. Gaza’s civil defense agency, a rescue service under Hamas, said
the strike in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip targeted civilians riding in
a tuk-tuk.The strike killed Mohanad Saada, whose body was “torn to pieces,” and
wounded five other people, according to the civil defense agency and Al-Shifa
Hospital.A witness said Saada was among a group of workers who were repairing a
wall damaged by Israeli shelling. “It is true that Israeli airstrikes and
assassinations had almost completely ceased for over a week, but today the
occupation resumed its aerial bombardment,” civil defense spokesman Mahmoud
Bassal told AFP. Israel has not carried out airstrikes in the Gaza Strip since
August 3, following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a “major
milestone” in his plan to end the war. Hamas had announced that it would disarm
by giving its weapons to a nascent Palestinian governing committee. Trump’s
“Board of Peace,” in change of implementing the ceasefire deal, had initially
announced that Israel in turn would start a phased withdrawal from much of the
Gaza Strip. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday publicly rejected
the deal and vowed no Israeli pullout, even after the Board of Peace reassured
him that Israel would not have to withdraw until complete Hamas disarmament.
Despite the statements by Netanyahu, who faces pushback from his right-wing base
on Gaza ahead of tight elections in October, Israel had been seen as largely
complying with the Trump plan by avoiding major strikes. The two sides agreed to
a ceasefire pushed by Trump in October, after which Israel reduced but did not
end military operations.Israeli operations in Gaza have killed 1,259
Palestinians since the ceasefire, according to the territory’s health ministry,
which operates under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable
by the United Nations. The Israeli army has reported five deaths in its ranks
during the same period.
Israel's military says it targeted a Hamas commander planning attacks in Gaza
LBCI/August 12/2026
An Israeli airstrike critically wounded a Palestinian man in the Gaza Strip, in
an attack the Israeli military said targeted a Hamas commander planning attacks
against Israeli troops operating in the territory.It was the first such
airstrike in over a week, after Israel scaled back major attacks under U.S.
pressure to implement the latest iteration of President Donald ?Trump's plan to
end the war in Gaza. Reuters
Israel seeking to ‘remove Palestine’ from world’s agenda,
Erdogan says
AFP/12 August ,2026
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday accused the Israeli
government of Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to “remove Palestine” from the
world’s agenda. “The aim of the Netanyahu government is to remove Palestine from
the common agenda of humanity by profiting from chaos and new conflicts in the
region,” Erdogan said at a joint news conference with his Palestinian
counterpart Mahmoud Abbas. “No matter what they do, they will not succeed. The
Palestinian cause will continue to grow in people’s hearts as they try to
destroy it,” he said, vowing Turkey would fight for the establishment of a
Palestinian state. A strong advocate of the Palestinian cause, Erdogan has
repeatedly lambasted Netanyahu’s government, accusing the Israeli prime minister
of committing “genocide” in Gaza and of pursuing expansionist policies in the
West Bank, Lebanon, Syria and beyond. Abbas arrived in Ankara on Tuesday
accompanied by his diplomatic adviser Majdi Khalidi, intelligence chief Majed
Faraj and senior Palestinian official Ziad Abu Amr. He met Erdogan on Wednesday
with the pair discussing developments in the region in talks the Palestinian
leader described as “important and fruitful.” Last month, Abbas, 90, said
Palestinian legislative elections would take place on November 28 followed by a
presidential poll early next year. If the November election goes ahead, it would
be the first such ballot in two decades. “I hope the decision to hold
legislative and presidential elections in Palestine after a long time will bring
good fortune… (and) will advance the reconciliation process,” Erdogan said, in a
nod to the historic rivalry between Abbas’ Fatah movement and Gaza’s Hamas
rulers. Abbas also hailed the August 7 defense pact between Turkey, Saudi Arabia
and Pakistan, saying it was “of utmost importance” and expressing hope it would
help enhance security and stability in the region.
Iraq PM reaffirms commitment to ending US military presence in meeting with
CENTCOM chief
Al Arabiya English/12 August ,2026
The top US military commander met with Iraq’s prime minister in Baghdad on
Monday, where the Iraqi leader reaffirmed his government’s commitment to
completing the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq by the end of September. United
States Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Adm. Brad Cooper met with Prime Minister
Ali al-Zaidi, according to the prime minister’s office. During the meeting, al-Zaidi
reaffirmed Iraq’s commitment to the agreed timeline, under which September 30
will be the “fixed and final date” for ending the military mission of the Global
Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Iraq and completing the departure of its forces, his
office said. The two officials discussed the evolving relationship between
Washington and Baghdad, which is expected to focus on economic, development and
security cooperation following the end of the coalition’s military mission.“The
Prime Minister stated that October 1 will mark a new day in the trajectory of
the Iraqi state,” his office said, adding that Iraq would be free of any foreign
military presence, exercise full sovereignty over its territory and continue
strengthening its security and military capabilities to independently protect
its stability. Al-Zaidi has also pledged to bring all weapons under the control
of the Iraqi state, an issue that remains particularly sensitive given the
presence of Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq. Several of those groups have
carried out attacks against US forces in Iraq and the region in recent years.
During his meeting with Cooper, al-Zaidi reiterated his commitment to ensuring
that weapons are held exclusively under state authority.
Turkey condemns Colombia's recognition of Israel sovereignty over Golan Heights
Associated Press/August 12/2026
Colombia, shortly after the swearing-in of conservative Abelardo de la Espriella
as president on Friday, became just the second country to recognize Israeli
sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel captured during the 1967 Middle
East war and later annexed in 1981. The United States, during the first term of
President Donald Trump, was the first, reversing more than a half-century of
U.S. policy in the Middle East. De la Espriella, a Colombian-American citizen,
received Trump’s backing during his election campaign. Turkey condemned the
decision by Colombia's new government, calling it a move to “legitimize Israel’s
occupation” of the territory. Turkey's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that
the Golan Heights are an "integral part of Syria” and said Colombia’s move
constitutes “a grave violation of international law.”The United Nations
recognizes the territory as part of Syria.The Turkish statement called on the
international community to work toward ending Israel’s occupation of the Golan
Heights and other parts of southern Syria.
Ukraine has retaken 745 sq km in ‘precision’ operation this
year, Zelenskyy says
Reuters/12 August ,2026
Ukrainian forces have liberated 745 square km (288 square miles) of
Russian-occupied land this year across a swathe of the southeastern front,
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday, hailing an operation he said
went “exactly as planned.”Ukraine’s military has sought to heap pressure on
Moscow’s war effort in recent months, counterattacking on parts of the 1,200-km
front and striking logistics and energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy said 26
settlements in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions had been
brought back under Kyiv’s control. They are located along an approximately 60 km
stretch of the front where the borders of the three regions meet. “This
offensive operation of ours was carried out with precision – exactly as
planned,” he said on X, crediting Kyiv’s air-assault forces and other units.
According to a battlefield map by Ukrainian open-source group DeepState, much of
the area remains in a gray zone that is not fully controlled by either side.
Some is marked as still Russian-controlled. A video posted by Ukraine’s General
Staff on Wednesday featured mostly drone-shot footage of its troops holding up
the Ukrainian flag in the freed settlements. Reuters could not independently
verify it. Russia’s battlefield advances have slowed this year across much of
the front, analysts say, though its forces are still closing in on key cities in
Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. Moscow has demanded Kyiv give up the rest of
the industrialized Donetsk region, which it refuses to do.
Putin threatens retaliation for Western seizures of Russian
commercial vessels
Associated Press/August 12/2026
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday threatened retaliation for Western
seizures of its commercial vessels, describing them as "piracy."Speaking on a
visit to a Russian warship that was taking part in a naval exercise in the
Pacific, Putin described the Western moves to detain vessels linked to Russia as
a breach of international maritime law. "It's nothing but piracy and robbery,"
Putin said. "If this is done, we will be forced to respond in kind."He added
that the Russian response wouldn't necessarily come in the waters where the
Russian ships were seized, noting that Moscow could retaliate "in any area where
we see it as necessary and appropriate," including in the Pacific. The Pacific
Fleet chief, Adm. Viktor Liina, reported to Putin that the navy was ready to
start inspections of the commercial ships serving the "unfriendly
nations."Russia is believed to be using a fleet of hundreds of ships to evade
international sanctions imposed after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in
February 2022. France and the U.K. have detained tankers suspected of being of
Russia's "shadow fleet" shipping oil in violation of international sanctions.
The EU has sanctioned hundreds of "shadow fleet" ships.Russia has recently
started deploying warships to escort its commercial vessels.
UN calls on Russia to lift election ban on anti-war party
LBCI/August 12/2026
The United Nations on Wednesday called on Russia to lift its ban on the anti-war
party Yabloko running in September's parliamentary elections."We are deeply
concerned about the barring of Yabloko, one of Russia's oldest political
parties, from the September parliamentary elections," said a statement from the
U.N. Human Rights Office. "We call on the authorities to overturn the ban."AFP
Car bomb kills Haftar intel chief in eastern Libya
Agence France Presse/August 12/2026
The head of military intelligence for the Libyan National Army (LNA), which
controls the east and parts of southern Libya, has been killed in a car bombing,
the army said in a statement Tuesday. Fawzi al-Mansouri was assassinated on
Monday when an explosive stuck to his car detonated as he was leaving a local
mosque at night, the statement said. Reports said the killing occurred in the
eastern Libyan city of Benghazi. Libya has remained divided since being plunged
into war during the ousting in 2011 of former leader Muammar Gaddafi.Two
governments are currently vying for power: the U.N.-recognized administration in
Tripoli led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival in Benghazi backed
by military commander and LNA chief Khalifa Haftar. Khaled Haftar, the son of
Khalifa, told AFP in a statement that an investigation was opened, adding that
"indicators point to a despicable terrorist tactic"."Terrorism is a project
targeting the entire region, not just Libya," the statement added.The bombing
was a setback to efforts by the Haftars to paint a picture of stability in the
areas they control."An attack of this sophistication in an LNA stronghold is
also a major blow to the group's security credentials," Hamish Kinnear, an
analyst with UK-based Verisk Maplecroft, told AFP.
Reunification deal
"The intelligence required to target such a high-profile figure successfully is
indicative of significant capabilities on the part of the responsible actor,"
Kinnear added. Authorities have yet to identify the perpetrators. In a
statement, the LNA said it would "not cease fighting terrorism and will continue
our struggle for the stability and security of Libya, as well as for the
unification of its institutions". Al-Mansouri's killing also came as efforts
were under way to unify the country's executive powers under a
Washington-mediated plan that the LNA has publicly backed. "None of this bodes
well for a US plan to re-unify Libya," Kinnear said, adding that under the
roadmap, neither side "is likely to be satisfied with their respective positions
for long". "A new, destabilizing power struggle could soon emerge."Libya expert
Jalel Harchaoui said the killing would "disrupt, or at the very least delay" the
U.S.-brokered deal. "The agreement rests on two premises: that security reigns
supreme in Benghazi, and that for senior officers, loyalty to Saddam (Haftar's
son and heir apparent) guarantees protection in the Benghazi stronghold,"
Harchaoui explained. But "a bomb that kills the head of military intelligence as
he leaves a mosque undermines these premises," he said.
Prominent LNA figure -
Meanwhile, reunification would "require some gestures of openness toward reform
and change within the army", Harchaoui added.The Tripoli-based government issued
a statement denouncing a "terrorist attack" against al-Mansouri, saying it
condemned the killing "regardless of one party's positions or alliances".
Khaled's office later said in a statement to AFP that authorities arrested a
"terrorist cell in Benghazi that was preparing to carry out acts of sabotage"
but did not say whether it was linked with al-Mansouri's killing. Authorities in
Benghazi held al-Mansouri's funeral on Tuesday afternoon, publishing photos that
showed armed men in military fatigues with the attendance of senior LNA
officials at the ceremony, including Khaled and Saddam Haftar. The LNA described
al-Mansouri as a "heroic martyr".Al-Mansouri was a prominent military leader
with close ties to the Haftar family.He played a key role in the LNA's fighting
against jihadist groups, including the Islamic State, between 2014 and 2017 in
parts of the country's east. He was also a leading figure during Haftar's
Russia-backed offensive to seize Tripoli in 2019, which was thwarted by forces
in the capital with the support of Turkey.
The Latest LCCC analysis & editorials from
miscellaneous sources published
on August 12-13/2026
The Exploding Islamization of the West: A Conversation with Alexandre del
Valle, Part I
Grégoire Canlorbe/Gatestone Institute/July 26, 2026
One of the great successes of Islamist movements appears to have been to
convince much of the third generation of Muslim families to break with
assimilation. Many of that generation were beginning to become more integrated
than their parents or grandparents.
[B]y launching barbaric jihadist attacks -- such as Bataclan, Charlie Hebdo,
London, Madrid, Barcelona, Brussels, Berlin, or the July 14 Nice attacks --
radical Islamists in fact aim to induce hostility toward Muslims and provoke a
clash between Muslims and non-Muslims, to motivate Muslims to separate from
their non-Muslim environment and de-assimilate.
This strategy has been most effective. Islamic terrorism produces criticism of
Islamism. The Islamists then say that the criticism is proof that they are
victims of Islamophobia.... This community then functions as a counter-society
against Western society, which is perceived as harmful, decadent, "Islamophobic,"
or "racist."There are networks that organize Islamization – it seems, mainly of
three kinds. The first network consists of Islamist movements themselves....
Some states play an extremely direct role in this process: Turkey, Qatar and
Pakistan, among others.... The institutions involved include the Organization of
Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which brings together 57 Muslim states and promotes
an international Islamic order. One can also mention ISESCO, the Islamic
counterpart of UNESCO. These structures help to spread a narrative that by
adapting to Western culture... This narrative not only tries to adapt sharia to
Europe, but tries to push Europe to adapt to sharia. The third network is... the
dominant current within Western societies themselves, shaped by "political
correctness." Out of fear of conflict, fear of not getting votes, or Western
postcolonial guilt, many Europeans conveniently manage not to see the Muslim
colonization of Turkey, Egypt, Albania, Kashmir, Cyprus and Israel. Sometimes,
simply out of a desire to buy peace in their neighborhoods, Western elites
accommodate Islamist demands. Local elected officials, confronted with
"difficult" neighborhoods, come to implicit agreements with a community's
representatives just in order to preserve a form of peace.
We are, in fact, creating "extraterritorial mini-caliphates."
US President Donald Trump has spoken of "civilizational erasure." He is
absolutely right.
Many Islamists tell Muslims in Europe that their presence in a non-Muslim
country can be justified only on two conditions. First, they must re-Islamize in
order to protect themselves from the supposedly harmful influence of the
unbelieving societies. Second, they must contribute to expanding the Muslim
community until it one day becomes dominant. In this mindset, living in Europe
becomes acceptable only if one works to transform it gradually into an Islamized
space.
A great mistake of the Western elites seems to have been to reduce "national
interests" only to material interests. Many in the West appear to have believed
that democracy and human rights would seduce all of humanity. They passed over
in silence the dimensions of religion and ethnic values of the West — its shared
culture, language and history, and its anchoring in Judeo-Christian
priorities—in order to present democracy and human rights as a model exportable
to the entire world.
Much of the West no longer thinks of itself in cultural, religious, or
civilizational terms. It thinks of itself rhapsodically as a space that is open
to all ethnicities and religions, reduced to individual rights, democracy, and
consumption -- and capable of extending over the entire world.
Much of the West also no longer believes in its own civilization; many no longer
even believe it is a civilization. Under these circumstances, how could it be
capable of pursuing a policy of defense of Western civilization and the
Judeo-Christian heritage?
This loss of self-awareness might explain some serious strategic errors. If one
believes that Europe has neither religion, history, shared values nor
civilization, then Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Kuwait, or Turkey can appear
merely as economic partners. Their investments, buildings, football clubs, and
financial power are noticed; their ideological and religious roles are
overlooked.
If the West had preserved a vision of itself as a civilization, it could have
maintained economic relations with these countries while prohibiting any
religious interference. It could have said clearly: "We cooperate, but you do
not finance the Islamization of our territories." The West, having stopped
seeing itself as a civilization, allowed Islamist powers to finance mosques,
associations, and networks of influence on its own soil. If you refuse to defend
your civilization, you are disarming your nation. The West is a civilization
shared by a number of ethnic groups, which is mainly the product of
Judeo-Christian values. If a nation does not know its identity, how can it
defend itself? If a nation renounces its value systems, its traditions, its
historical religion, and its heritage, it implicitly accepts changing its
population, identity and religion.
"[B]y launching barbaric jihadist attacks -- such as Bataclan, Charlie Hebdo,
London, Madrid, Barcelona, Brussels, Berlin, or the July 14 Nice attacks --
radical Islamists in fact aim to induce hostility toward Muslims and provoke a
clash between Muslims and non-Muslims, to motivate Muslims to separate from
their non-Muslim environment and de-assimilate." — Alexandre del Valle.
Alexandre del Valle is a French author specializing in geopolitics.
Grégoire Canlorbe: What do we know, please, about the Islamization of Europe?
Alexandre del Valle: The Islamization of countries such as Belgium, France, the
United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, or the Netherlands has, in my view, reached a
critical threshold, perhaps even a point of no return. The reasons are at once
demographic, cultural, and ideological. These recent minorities have not only
reached a significant numerical weight; they also have much higher fertility
rates. Above all, for the past twenty years or so, there has been not only a
failure of assimilation, but a form of de-assimilation among populations that,
until then, had seemed assimilated.
One of the great successes of Islamist movements appears to have been to
convince much of the third generation of Muslim families to break with
assimilation. Many of that generation were beginning to become more integrated
than their parents or grandparents. They had begun to adopt some codes of
European societies: freedom of individuals, freedom of movement, separation
between religion and politics, sometimes even emotional and sexual freedom. You
could see young Muslim women dating Christians, atheists, or non-Muslims.
For a number of years, though, you can see a retreat, particularly during
conversations on "Islamophobia." Islamists, often with the support -- or
complacency -- of many on the "left," have managed to instill in many Muslims a
mentality of mistrust, sometimes verging on paranoia, leading them to believe
that they are surrounded by enemies -- that the non-Muslim society is
fundamentally hostile to them, and that they must therefore not join it. In what
turned out to be a bestseller in France, The Strategy of Intimidation, I
explained that by launching barbaric jihadist attacks -- such as Bataclan,
Charlie Hebdo, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Brussels, Berlin, or the July 14 Nice
attacks -- radical Islamists in fact aim to induce hostility toward Muslims and
provoke a clash between Muslims and non-Muslims, to motivate Muslims to separate
from their non-Muslim environment and de-assimilate.
This strategy has been most effective. Islamic terrorism produces criticism of
Islamism. The Islamists then say that the criticism is proof that they are
victims of Islamophobia. Young people who were assimilated, or at least
interested, are encouraged to withdraw voluntarily into an isolated Islamic
community. This community then functions as a counter-society against Western
society, which is perceived as harmful, decadent, "Islamophobic," or "racist."
In this framework, withdrawal—whether it involves a veil, marrying only within
one's religion, Muslim clothing excluded by non-Muslims from everyday life, or
abstention from some democratic activities -- is then presented as a condition
of survival in the face of a small minority community supposedly being oppressed
by a large majority.
There is now a discourse in these Muslim communities that suggests it might be
best if they separated themselves from the rest of society. The separation is
being presented as a demand for protection, a right to difference, or even a
right to reparations in the face of the supposedly "racist" attitude of Western
society. The discourse presents Western society as diabolically secular,
anti-religious, perverse, Islamophobic, and, of course, Zionist. In this
narrative, Christians are often described as the accomplices of Jews or Zionists
-- a view that further reinforces the hostility toward the host society and the
wish to separate from it.
Canlorbe: Is this Islamization spontaneous?
del Valle: Often it is not spontaneous. There are networks that organize
Islamization – it seems, mainly of three kinds. The first network consists of
Islamist movements themselves. These may be transnational organizations, such as
the Muslim Brotherhood, Pakistani Tabligh, the Barelvi or Deobandi movements,
the Europe-based Turkish movement Milli Görüş, or Salafist currents. Those
networks are supported by associations, foundations, mosques, Islamic centers --
and also by states.
Some states play an extremely direct role in this process: Turkey, Qatar and
Pakistan, among others. They sometimes act openly, sometimes through religious,
diplomatic, consular, or associative intermediaries. Often Muslim states,
transnational Islamist organizations, and international institutions converge
into what appears to be the three major poles of re-Islamization. The
institutions involved include the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),
which brings together 57 Muslim states and promotes an international Islamic
order. One can also mention ISESCO, the Islamic counterpart of UNESCO. These
structures help to spread a narrative that by adapting to Western culture,
Muslims who have immigrated to Europe are betraying their parents, their
religion and their ancestors. Muslims are told that their parents already began
this betrayal by integrating, and that their dignity requires a form of
redemption: becoming fully Muslim again, re-Islamizing themselves, and claiming
a form of sharia adapted to Muslim minorities in Europe. This narrative not only
tries to adapt sharia to Europe, but tries to push Europe to adapt to sharia.
The process is made clear in two books by Bat Ye'or: Islam and Dhimmitude: Where
Civilizations Collide, or her other major work on dhimmitude, The Dhimmi: Jews
and Christians Under Islam.
The second network is not Muslim; it is a new, Marxist "far left." Out of hatred
for the West, Jews and Israel, many seem to see radical Islam as an instrument
for destabilizing and eradicating Western societies. Complicity with Islam
appears to stem from their hostility to Jews, "Zionists" -- meaning Jews -- and
Judeo-Christian values such as individual merit, opportunity, free-market
economies, democratic self-rule as opposed to top-down rule by a government or
religious decree, and so on. In this revolutionary logic, Islam is perceived as
a force of rupture capable of shaking -- and eventually displacing -- Western,
democratic, Judeo-Christian states. Marxist, Third-Worldist, and pro-Palestinian
circles see this political pressure as a lever to confront the established
order, with a view to revolution.
The third network is more diffuse but just as important: it is the dominant
current within Western societies themselves, shaped by "political correctness."
Out of fear of conflict, fear of not getting votes, or Western postcolonial
guilt, many Europeans conveniently manage not to see the Muslim colonization of
Turkey, Egypt, Albania, Kashmir, Cyprus and Israel.
This capitulation affects both the left and the right. Sometimes, simply out of
a desire to buy peace in their neighborhoods, Western elites accommodate
Islamist demands. Local elected officials, confronted with "difficult"
neighborhoods, come to implicit agreements with a community's representatives
just in order to preserve a form of peace. That appeasement is sometimes known
as a "pax islamica": a momentary peace in the hope of avoiding the cost of
escalating demands and even more concessions – which usually come soon enough,
anyway.
These three networks — the Islamist, the alliance with the Marxist "far left,"
and a misguided, Western political correctness — allow Islam to advance by
peaceful means, such as proselytizing, infiltrating, lobbying, revising
education, legal pressure, political pressure, and community demands. What the
great Islamic invasions failed to accomplish between the 7th and 15th centuries,
Islam is achieving today through immigration, demography, ideological influence,
and institutional conquest.
The great expert on Islam, Bernard Lewis, spoke of a third great wave of
Islamization. We are witnessing it today not only in Europe but also in Africa
and, gradually, in Canada, the United States, Venezuela, and Brazil. Across the
West as a whole, the interweaving of Islam, the far left, and political
correctness is successfully advancing the entrenchment of Islam.
We are, in fact, creating "extraterritorial mini-caliphates." This does not
necessarily mean imagining that all of Europe will be transformed into a
caliphate, but rather that many areas may cease to be culturally European. Many
of England's major cities now have Muslim mayors who are working to advance the
cause of Islam. US President Donald Trump has spoken of "civilizational
erasure." He is absolutely right. In some neighborhoods marked by massive
immigration, entire zones become at once Arab-African and Islamic, with their
own norms, codes, courts, and informal authorities.
This process is difficult to curb. The more the number of Muslims influenced by
Islam increases, the more a pattern of self-reinforcement develops: marriages
only within the group, family reunification, meaning the arrival of cousins,
spouses, in-laws, or other extended family members. Pierre Brochand, former
director of France's DGSE [Directorate-General for External Security] from 2002
to 2008, noted that Islamic immigration eventually becomes self-sustaining.
Many Islamists tell Muslims in Europe that their presence in a non-Muslim
country can be justified only on two conditions. First, they must re-Islamize in
order to protect themselves from the supposedly harmful influence of the
unbelieving societies. Second, they must contribute to expanding the Muslim
community until it one day becomes dominant. In this mindset, living in Europe
becomes acceptable only if one works to transform it gradually into an Islamized
space.
In Europe, therefore, the more numerous Muslims influenced by Islam become, the
more they seek to bring in other Muslims, who are then supervised by imams,
associations, and re-Islamization networks. European laws on family
reunification, religious freedom, and immigration facilitate this dynamic.
Beyond some threshold, the increase ceases to be circumstantial: it becomes
structural, cumulative, and self-sustaining.
Canlorbe: What then happens to national interests such as immigration policy or
foreign policy?
del Valle: A great mistake of the Western elites seems to have been to reduce
"national interests" only to material interests. Many in the West appear to have
believed that democracy and human rights would seduce all of humanity. They
passed over in silence the dimensions of religion and ethnic values of the West
— its shared culture, language and history, and its anchoring in Judeo-Christian
priorities—in order to present democracy and human rights as a model exportable
to the entire world.
These elites may have believed that they could ensure the economic and political
dominion of the Judeo-Christian West through exporting an abstract "West"
belonging theoretically to everyone and empty of all ethical or religious
content.
The West ended up believing its own lie -- through the media, advertising,
universities, schools, popular culture, radio, and television -- it spread this
vision of the West within its own space and among its own population. It forgot
that this view might collide with the views of others.
Much of the West no longer thinks of itself in cultural, religious, or
civilizational terms. It thinks of itself rhapsodically as a space that is open
to all ethnicities and religions, reduced to individual rights, democracy, and
consumption -- and capable of extending over the entire world.
Much of the West also no longer believes in its own civilization; many no longer
even believe it is a civilization. Under these circumstances, how could it be
capable of pursuing a policy of defense of Western civilization and the
Judeo-Christian heritage?
This loss of self-awareness might explain some serious strategic errors. If one
believes that Europe has neither religion, history, shared values nor
civilization, then Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Kuwait, or Turkey can appear
merely as economic partners. Their investments, buildings, football clubs, and
financial power are noticed; their ideological and religious roles are
overlooked.
If the West had preserved a vision of itself as a civilization, it could have
maintained economic relations with these countries while prohibiting any
religious interference. It could have said clearly: "We cooperate, but you do
not finance the Islamization of our territories." The West, having stopped
seeing itself as a civilization, allowed Islamist powers to finance mosques,
associations, and networks of influence on its own soil.
The intelligence services were often immensely disconcerted by this
indifference: they saw political authorities tolerate, for decades, the action
of Islamist networks in suburbs and sensitive neighborhoods in the name of
economic or diplomatic partnership.
If you refuse to defend your civilization, you are disarming your nation. The
West is a civilization shared by a number of ethnic groups, which is mainly the
product of Judeo-Christian values. If a nation does not know its identity, how
can it defend itself? If a nation renounces its value systems, its traditions,
its historical religion, and its heritage, it implicitly accepts changing its
population, identity and religion.
National interests cannot be defended without being aware of who we are and what
we stand for. Without knowing that, there can be no defense.
*Grégoire Canlorbe, a journalist, currently lives in Paris. He has conducted
interviews for journals such as Man and the Economy, founded by Nobel
Prize-winning economist Ronald Coase, and think tanks such as Mises Institute
and Gatestone Institute. Contact: gregoire.canlorbe@wanadoo.fr
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22688/islamization-of-the-west
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
The Dangerous Neo-Ottomans and the Great Bat Ye'or: A Conversation with
Alexandre del Valle, Part II
Grégoire Canlorbe/Gatestone Institute/August 12, 2026
An empire always seeks to expand its influence. From this perspective, [Turkish
President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan sees the Muslim communities of Europe as a
natural extension of Turkish power, not just the Muslims of Cyprus, Greece, the
Balkans, Bulgaria, Bosnia, and Romania, but also the millions of Muslims settled
in Western Europe as a result of mass immigration.
Turkey occupies 37% of Cyprus. Year after year, its officials there pursue a
policy of demographic colonization. Tens of thousands of Turks, notably from
eastern Anatolia and often Islamized, have been settled in the northern part of
the island presumably to alter the demographic balance.
In 2008, Erdoğan shocked Angela Merkel by declaring that the assimilation of
Turks in Germany constituted a "crime against humanity." For Erdoğan, asking
Turkish Muslims to integrate into the values of their host countries amounts to
attacking the Turks' Islamic identity.
Saudi Arabia was also considering joining [the Abraham Accords], but in Europe,
their reception was largely distorted by the choice of those Muslim
interlocutors who were favored by states and institutions. The individuals who
claim to represent Europe's Muslims are backed politically and financially by
Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, and Kuwait. Those countries fund and support Sunni
associations and mosques linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the Sunni
movements most hostile to Israel, alongside Turkey's Millî Görüş movement. Both
organizations have close ties to Hamas.
The representation of Europe's Muslims has often been entrusted to countries,
associations, or networks ideologically hostile to Israel: Qatar, some movements
linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, Milli Görüş, or other radical Islamist
organizations. These networks are deeply anti-Zionist, extremely
pro-Palestinian, and sometimes even complacent toward Hamas. The result is that
the Abraham Accords, which should be seen as a diplomatic, security, and
civilizational advance, have been presented in Europe as a betrayal.
Countries that support Islamist associations linked to the Muslim Brotherhood,
such as Turkey and Qatar, as well as pro-Iranian influence groups that are
highly active within radical left-wing and, at times, populist political
movements, exert pressure on Muslims to regard countries supportive of the
Abraham Accords—such as Morocco and the United Arab Emirates—as traitors to
Islam. Those countries are portrayed as complicit with an allegedly "satanic"
Israel, accused of massacring Palestinians in Gaza who are associated with
Hamas. Hamas, itself a jihadist organization rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood,
is in turn presented as the purest embodiment of the Islamic cause in its
struggle against the American and Israeli-Zionist "devils."
[Most Muslims] are exposed to a demonizing discourse conveyed by associations,
preachers, or extremely anti-Zionist states such as Algeria and Qatar. In this
discourse, recognizing Israel or cooperating with it becomes unthinkable.
In fact, some Muslims in Europe are today more radicalized on the issue of
Israel's right to exist than the populations of several Arab countries. In
Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and especially the Emirates, it is
possible to defend the Abraham Accords or to criticize Hamas. In Europe, in some
Muslim circles, such a position becomes much harder to maintain.
Some Emirati officials have been worried to see their nationals return from
London with Islamist, radical pro-Palestinian ideas, whereas in their own
country—the UAE—they had been protected from these influences.
Christians now represent 0.3% of the population of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco,
compared to 95% in 650. The fatal error of the West is to organize its own
dhimmitude in the form of self-racism, self-flagellation, and self-destruction
in a guilt-ridden Europe inclined to atone for its past by allowing itself to be
overwhelmed by Islamization and extra-European immigration.
This new form of voluntary dhimmitude aims to buy peace. Europe agrees no longer
to criticize Islam, it also agrees to finance mosques, and to allow a political
and religious ideology to enter without reciprocity.
An empire always seeks to expand its influence. From this perspective, Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (pictured) sees the Muslim communities of Europe
as a natural extension of Turkish power, not just the Muslims of Cyprus, Greece,
the Balkans, Bulgaria, Bosnia, and Romania, but also the millions of Muslims
settled in Western Europe as a result of mass immigration. (Photo by Serdar
Ozsoy/Getty Images)
Alexandre del Valle is a French author specializing in geopolitics. He is the
author of the acclaimed Islamist Totalitarianism: Democracies Under Attack, The
Strategy of Intimidation: From Jihadist Terrorism to Islamic Correctness, and
The Western Complex: A Short Treatise on De-culpabilization, among other
publications.
Read Part I: The Exploding Islamization of the West
Grégoire Canlorbe: Is Erdoğan's Turkey a danger at Europe's gates?
Alexandre del Valle: Erdoğan's Turkey is definitely a danger -- comparable to
the Ottoman Empire. Erdoğan's entire geopolitical and ideological vision appears
to rest on the idea of continuity with that empire. He seems to see himself as
the heir of the Ottoman sultans, even as the restorer of an empire abolished by
Atatürk. He appears to regard that rupture as being secular and anti-religious.
The movement from which Erdoğan comes, Milli Görüş, is in some ways the Turkish
equivalent of the Muslim Brotherhood. This international Turkish Islamist
organization regards Atatürk, the founder of modern and secular Turkey, as a
traitor who destroyed a sacred institution, the caliphate. Erdoğan appears to be
a proponent of historical reparation: he wants to reconcile Turkey with its
Ottoman and Islamic past in order to restore imperial greatness to it.
An empire always seeks to expand its influence. From this perspective, Erdoğan
sees the Muslim communities of Europe as a natural extension of Turkish power,
not just the Muslims of Cyprus, Greece, the Balkans, Bulgaria, Bosnia, and
Romania, but also the millions of Muslims settled in Western Europe as a result
of mass immigration.
Turkey therefore presents itself as the only great Eurasian Muslim country
capable of embodying the leadership of European Islam. After the fall of
Andalusia in Spain and of Muslim Sicily, it was the Ottoman Empire that long
carried political Islam in Europe, especially through the Balkans and Eastern
Europe. Erdoğan seems to view a Neo-Ottoman Turkey as the natural heir to this
European Islam.
That inclination might explain Erdoğan's apparent desire to extend the influence
of networks such as Milli Görüş, but also official structures such as the
Turkish Diyanet, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and the German DITIB— the
Turkish Islamic Union for Religious Affairs—its offshoot in European countries.
Through these religious and consular networks, Erdoğan spreads a neo-Ottoman
state Islam that seeks to impose itself as the protector, sponsor, and leader of
Europe's Muslims.
Canlorbe: What importance does Cyprus have in Erdoğan's plans?
del Valle: Turkey occupies 37% of Cyprus. Year after year, its officials there
pursue a policy of demographic colonization. Tens of thousands of Turks, notably
from eastern Anatolia and often Islamized, have been settled in the northern
part of the island presumably to alter the demographic balance. In the long
term, Erdoğan's apparent objective is to ensure that Cyprus is placed entirely
under Turkish influence, or better, under Turkish control.
The Turkish government also exerts constant pressure on Greece, particularly
around its islands, while instrumentalizing the Muslim minority present on Greek
territory. Turkish officials regularly raise issues concerning the Muslim
minority in Muslim Thrace in its diplomacy with Greece, advocating for its
rights and identity while using these issues as leverage in broader bilateral
disputes.
Turkey also seeks to extend its influence among the Muslim minorities of
Bulgaria, Romania, the Balkans, Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia, and Macedonia -- a
considerable geopolitical lever.
For these reasons, the Turkish presence in the Mediterranean represents a direct
threat to Cyprus and Greece. The danger is also ideological and is promoted
among local communities. Through its religious, collaborative, and consular
networks, Turkey exerts growing influence over the Muslim communities of Western
Europe that have recently emerged from immigration, as well as over the historic
Muslim communities of Eastern Europe.
In 2008, Erdoğan shocked Angela Merkel by declaring that the assimilation of
Turks in Germany constituted a "crime against humanity." For Erdoğan, asking
Turkish Muslims to integrate into the values of their host countries amounts to
attacking the Turks' Islamic identity.
Such a view reveals a policy of subversion that, in the long term, threatens the
sovereignty of European states. Large Muslim communities—10% on average in
industrialized European countries, often from 20% to 80% in some cities or
districts—will become Muslim in France, Belgium, Sweden, Great Britain, and the
Netherlands. In a few years or decades, depending on the countries, the
percentage could go as high as 20-30% and create loyalty conflicts and risks of
partition. Europe will then find itself undermined from within by a foreign
power that uses religion, demography, and identity as instruments of political
influence, as in many places it already does, such as Molenbeek, Belgium; Malmö,
Sweden; Marseille, France, and quite a few cities in the United Kingdom.
Canlorbe: Have the Abraham Accords had a positive effect on the perception that
Islamic populations have of the West, and that small piece of the West that is
Israel?
del Valle: Unfortunately, no. The Abraham Accords are a good thing, and the
United Arab Emirates was one of their pioneers. Saudi Arabia was also
considering joining them, but in Europe, their reception was largely distorted
by the choice of those Muslim interlocutors who were favored by states and
institutions. The individuals who claim to represent Europe's Muslims are backed
politically and financially by Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, and Kuwait. Those
countries fund and support Sunni associations and mosques linked to the Muslim
Brotherhood, one of the Sunni movements most hostile to Israel, alongside
Turkey's Millî Görüş movement. Both organizations have close ties to Hamas.
The representation of Europe's Muslims has often been entrusted to countries,
associations, or networks ideologically hostile to Israel: Qatar, some movements
linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, Milli Görüş, or other radical Islamist
organizations. These networks are deeply anti-Zionist, extremely
pro-Palestinian, and sometimes even complacent toward Hamas. The result is that
the Abraham Accords, which should be seen as a diplomatic, security, and
civilizational advance, have been presented in Europe as a betrayal of Islam.
Countries that support Islamist associations linked to the Muslim Brotherhood,
such as Turkey and Qatar, as well as pro-Iranian influence groups that are
highly active within radical left-wing and, at times, populist political
movements, exert pressure on Muslims to regard countries supportive of the
Abraham Accords—such as Morocco and the United Arab Emirates—as traitors to
Islam. Those countries are portrayed as complicit with an allegedly "satanic"
Israel, accused of massacring Palestinians in Gaza who are associated with
Hamas. Hamas, itself a jihadist organization rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood,
is in turn presented as the purest embodiment of the Islamic cause in its
struggle against the American and Israeli-Zionist "devils."
Most Muslims in Europe therefore do not receive the positive reading of the
Abraham Accords — based on intellectual, strategic, and geopolitical cooperation
with Israel — that are promoted by the Emirates. On the contrary, they are
exposed to a demonizing discourse conveyed by associations, preachers, or
extremely anti-Zionist states such as Algeria and Qatar. In this discourse,
recognizing Israel or cooperating with it becomes unthinkable.
We are even increasingly seeing the use of the expression "Zionist entity,"
intended to deny the very legitimacy of the State of Israel. In fact, some
Muslims in Europe are today more radicalized on the issue of Israel's right to
exist than the populations of several Arab countries. In Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain,
Saudi Arabia, and especially the Emirates, it is possible to defend the Abraham
Accords or to criticize Hamas. In Europe, in some Muslim circles, such a
position becomes much harder to maintain.
Some Emirati officials have been worried to see their nationals return from
London with Islamist, radical pro-Palestinian ideas, whereas in their own
country — the UAE — they had been protected from these influences.
In countries such as the Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan, or Egypt, it remains
possible to support the Abraham Accords and condemn the terrorist group Hamas.
In Europe, that view might not go down as well in the European Muslim community.
It is increasingly shaped by a radical Islamic-Palestinian ideology enormously
hostile to any normalization with Israel.
Canlorbe: You referred to Bat Ye'or earlier. What has been her impact?
del Valle: The theses she developed have had a profound impact alongside the
works of Antoine Fattal and Samuel Huntington.
Bat Ye'or developed two key concepts from the history of non-Muslim minorities
in Islamic lands. The first concept is jihad, understood not merely as holy war,
but as a juridical and political doctrine of expansion — the legal instrument
that enabled the expansion of Dar al-Islam [The House of Islam, as opposed to
the Dar al-Harb, the House of War – denoting the rest of the world still to be
conquered for the cause of Islam] from the seventh to the nineteenth century.
The aim was to bring all territories under Islamic law. Peace exists only after
submission or conversion.
The second concept is dhimmitude: the inferior, tolerated legal status imposed
on conquered non-Muslim populations—Christians, Jews, Hindus, Zoroastrians, and
so on. It means a monetary "protection pact": the dhimma. In exchange for being
spared, the dhimmi pays a financial tribute, the jizya ["substitute tax',
meaning a sufficient substitute for declining to convert to Islam]. Dhimmis are
also subjected to legal discrimination: a prohibition on building new places of
worship; testifying against a Muslim; criticizing Muhammed or Islam, riding
horses, meaning relegated instead to donkeys, and so on. For Bat Ye'or, this is
a "civilization of religious apartheid" that entrenches the slow disappearance
of minorities through conversion, exile, or demographic attrition.
Bat Ye'or's dramatic conclusion, more of a warning, is that jihad and dhimmitude
form a historical system of civilizational erosion and replacement, one that
caused the Christian civilizations of North Africa, the Near East, Anatolia, and
the Balkans to wither from within over twelve centuries. Christians now
represent 0.3% of the population of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, compared to
95% in 650. The fatal error of the West is to organize its own dhimmitude in the
form of self-racism, self-flagellation, and self-destruction in a guilt-ridden
Europe inclined to atone for its past by allowing itself to be overwhelmed by
Islamization and extra-European immigration.
This new form of voluntary dhimmitude aims to buy peace. Europe agrees no longer
to criticize Islam, it also agrees to finance mosques, and to allow a political
and religious ideology to enter without reciprocity.
The post-1968 West sees itself as guilty of colonialism and elevates repentance
into a state morality. The result is that it disarms its own right to exist.
Western slavery is taught, but not the Arab-Muslim slave trade. "Blasphemy"
against Islam is criminalized in the name of "living together." That, however,
is "Islamic correctness." It is the reintroduction of dhimmitude — societal
self-destruction — but this time on European soil, and at the request of
dangerous European elites whose wish to preserve their careers is more important
than preserving Europe.
**Grégoire Canlorbe, a journalist, currently lives in Paris. He has conducted
interviews for journals such as Man and the Economy, founded by Nobel
Prize-winning economist Ronald Coase, and think tanks such as Mises Institute
and Gatestone Institute. Contact: gregoire.canlorbe@wanadoo.fr
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
The Modern Axis of Christian Persecutors
Samuel Ben-Ur/Providence/August 12/2026
In China, faith in Christ as the only way to heaven is considered “cultist”
theology by the government. In Russia, Christians must seek state approval to
proselytize and are often refused. In Iran, the state has leveraged its upgraded
domestic digital surveillance network to crack down on its Christians. And in
North Korea, merely possessing a Bible can land up to three generations of a
Christian’s family in a labor camp.
These patterns of oppression may seem unrelated, but in reality they are
connected by a technological and ideological alliance against Christianity.
In their new book, Axis of Aggressors: Countering the Cooperation of China,
Russia, Iran & North Korea, my colleagues Bradley Bowman, Elaine Dezenski, and
Mark Montgomery document how China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are
increasingly “cooperating across economic, cyber, technology, and military
domains in ways that threaten U.S. security and raise the odds of simultaneous
major wars.”
Yet as Axis of Aggressors further explains, cooperation among these four
authoritarian countries also serves to reinforce their domestic repression.
Though each regime has a different axe to grind, there is at least one group
that none can tolerate: Christians. And just as the new Axis cooperates
militarily, it is also coordinating the persecution of Christians.
The Ideological Framework of Axis Persecution
The Axis of Aggressors is, among other things, an axis of religious control. It
supplies the technology, legal frameworks, and ideological concepts necessary
for each state to control, repress, and persecute Christians. The commonality
within their persecution, regardless of other characteristics, is that these
Axis countries insist their people must not hold any force, even God, above the
state.
During the 2017 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, China and
Russia—with Iran, which attended as an observer—expanded the definition of
“extremism” to include the legally ambiguous categories of “ideology and
practice.” This was in contrast to the 2001 Shanghai Convention on Combating
Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, which had principally defined extremism in
objective terms involving violence. This shift gave member governments greater
legal latitude to suppress religion even without any violent or criminal
activity to prosecute.
While vague, this new terminology closely mirrors Russia’s principal
anti-extremism law, which Moscow adopted in 2002 and which includes behavior
that incites “religious discord.”
A year before the 2017 summit, Moscow had pioneered this concept by passing a
package of anti-terrorism legislation called the “Yarovaya Laws.” These statutes
sharply restricted missionary activity, limited where and by whom evangelism
could be conducted, and penalized unauthorized religious outreach.
A few months after the summit in 2017, Beijing—clearly inspired by
Moscow—announced its “Five-Year Plan to Sinicize Christianity,” through which it
seeks to imbue Christianity with China’s “core socialist values.” Under this
program, China uses what it calls xie jiao law, which roughly translates to
“cult,” to persecute Christians. The CCP used xie jiao laws in May to send a
77-year-old pastor to three years in prison for such “cult” behavior as
believing that faith in Christ leads Christians to heaven.
Similarly, Pyongyang views Christian worship as an “anti-state crime.” Though
North Korea is arguably the worst persecutor of Christians in the world, it
seeks to maintain a weak façade of religious tolerance. Russia has been
instrumental in this regard, aiding North Korea in constructing its only Russian
Orthodox church, which is purely for show. It has no permanent congregation and
exists only as an international propaganda tool.
Pyongyang’s fake Russian Orthodox (ROC) church was blessed by the official
Russian Orthodox Church, when then-Metropolitan Kirill, who now leads the ROC as
Patriarch, traveled to Pyongyang in 2006 and consecrated it. Kirill also
ordained North Korea’s first state-approved Orthodox priests. The ROC serves as
a propaganda arm of the Kremlin and has built arguably the most effective
state-church façade in the world.
Meanwhile, Tehran has cooperated with Moscow in developing an ideological
alternative to universal religious freedom. The ROC and the Iranian religious
establishment have maintained a formal Orthodoxy-Islam dialogue since 1995. Iran
often calls Christian groups, particularly converts, “extremists,” and has used
this language to justify its crackdowns on believers.
At the sixth Russian-Iranian Commission meeting in Tehran in 2010, participants
declared that “human rights and freedom cannot be set against religious
tradition.” They agreed that the ROC and Iran’s Shiite establishment should
develop a concept of “traditional values” and seek its recognition in
international law. Patriarch Kirill explained the relationship at the
commission’s 12th meeting in 2023 by saying that Orthodox Christians and Muslims
shared fundamental values and should work together against Western interference
and “extremism.”
Although explicitly framed as religious, “traditional values” is a broad and
politically adaptable category whose content is defined by state-aligned Russian
and Iranian religious institutions. This formulation is analogous to China’s
efforts to Sinicize Christianity, which requires it be subordinated to Beijing’s
“core socialist values.”
Chinese Technology Fuels the Axis
China represents the cornerstone of the axis, providing the majority of
technology and intelligence to the other members. North Korea in particular has
had its persecution of Christians greatly enhanced by China. Pyongyang views all
Christian worship as “anti-state crime” and thus seeks the most comprehensive
apparatus of oppression.
Chinese authorities have created digital maps to identify support networks for
North Korean escapees and track their contact with Christian groups. Beijing
often repatriates fleeing North Koreans to Pyongyang, where they then face
especially harsh punishment, including torture, forced labor, and possible
execution.
Even though UN investigators warned China in 2014 that this information-sharing
could constitute aiding and abetting crimes against humanity, Beijing continues
this insidious practice to this day.
Similarly, Tehran’s ability to minimize public Christian worship might have
faltered had it not been for China. Iran seeks what Bowman, Dezenski, and
Montgomery call “sovereign internet,” that is, “the ability and right of the
state to control citizens’ access to the internet.”
In 2021, Chinese surveillance camera manufacturer Tiandy supplied networked
video recorders and other surveillance products to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps, police, and regular military through an Iranian distributor.
This technology’s purpose became clear during the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom”
uprising, when Iranian forces, with the aid of Tiandy cameras, killed at least
551 protesters and bystanders and detained more than 18,000 people.
While Tehran targets all perceived domestic enemies, these Chinese-supplied
capabilities strengthen the same security institutions that monitor house
churches, track Christian converts, and suppress unauthorized worship.
The U.S. Must Prioritize Christian Persecution by the Axis
Fortunately, the Trump administration has made addressing Christian persecution
a significant feature of its foreign policy. Axis of Aggressors includes
important insights and practical recommendations that can help protect
Christians from authoritarian regimes.
Washington should expand Global Magnitsky sanctions against manufacturers,
distributors, security agencies, and financial intermediaries that help
authoritarian governments identify converts, monitor house churches, censor
religious material, or repatriate Christian escapees. Congress should also heed
the book’s proposed “qui tam” mechanism, allowing whistleblowers with credible
evidence of sanctions evasion or illicit surveillance transfers to bring cases
against these institutions in America’s federal courts on behalf of the U.S.
government and receive part of recovered penalties.
Likewise, Washington should utilize its offensive information capabilities to
expose the imprisonment of pastors, sham churches, coercive “extremism” and
“cult” laws, and the technology that enables religious repression. Finally, it
should expand secure internet access, satellite connectivity, and encrypted
communications for Iranian Christians, North Korean escapee networks, and
underground churches threatened by state surveillance.
For the sake of Christians living under the Axis of Aggressors—and for
Christians in countries that might seek to join the Axis in the future—the
United States must prioritize religious freedom when confronting these regimes.
https://providencemag.com/2026/08/the-modern-axis-of-christian-persecutors/
Samuel Ben-Ur is a research analyst focusing on Christian persecution at the
Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Read in Providence
Yemen on the Brink of a Return to Civil War
Bridget Toomey/FDD-Policy Brief/August 12/2026
When the Houthis in Yemen entered the conflict between the United States and
Iran on July 20 by announcing a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, it spelled
danger in the Red Sea. Now, it appears Yemenis themselves may pay the highest
price for the Houthis’ renewed violence.
The Iran-backed Houthis escalated their attacks on military and civilian targets
across Yemen beginning on August 6. The group has since expanded its attacks,
including a campaign against Mocha, the major government-controlled port on
Yemen’s southern Red Sea coast. These attacks have reportedly left dozens of
civilians and soldiers dead and more injured — the Houthis claim hundreds, but
the internationally recognized government of Yemen has not shared an official
number.
The country’s conflict lines have remained largely static since a UN-brokered
agreement in 2022 ended the civil war sparked by the Houthi seizure of Sanaa,
Yemen’s capital, in 2014. Now, the group is escalating domestic attacks, hoping
to expand its hold in the country. But Yemeni forces cannot counter the Houthis
without the support of the Saudis, who have not committed to joining the
fighting.
Houthis Attack Key Government Positions
The attacks on August 6 focused on government forces in Marib, a key frontline
governorate in central Yemen with oil reserves and infrastructure, and Hadramawt,
an eastern governorate where some Saudi-backed Yemeni forces are deployed. The
ongoing Houthi attacks on Mocha have targeted military, civilian, and port
infrastructure, according to Yemen’s Ministry of Defense. Mocha is the
headquarters of the government-aligned National Resistance Forces, who are
central to countering the Houthis on Yemen’s west coast and have intercepted
major weapons-smuggling efforts.
Despite attacking Yemeni government and government-aligned forces, Houthi
military media has characterized their attacks as “targeting Saudi enemy
mobilizations.” Houthi propaganda portrays Riyadh’s measures to isolate and
counter the terror group as oppressing Yemenis, thus casting the Houthis as
national heroes for confronting the kingdom. In reality, Saudi Arabia supports
the internationally recognized government of Yemen and acts at its request
against the Houthis.
Riyadh Explores Military and Diplomatic Options in Yemen
In late July, Yemeni sources reported that Saudi Arabia was preparing for a
possible military operation following Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure and
vessels. Riyadh announced a 13-country maritime coalition to protect shipping in
the Red Sea on July 30 and signed a mutual defense treaty with Pakistan and
Turkey on August 7. It is uncertain how those two strategic partners will
respond to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Simultaneously, Riyadh is pursuing a negotiated solution with Omani mediators to
end both the escalation in Yemen and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. The Houthis
have been pressuring Saudi Arabia to pay reparations for damage allegedly caused
by the Saudi-led coalition during the civil war, including lost income, and
public-sector salaries. While a negotiated agreement would not remove the threat
on Saudi Arabia’s southern border, it may quiet that front amid attacks on the
kingdom from Yemen as well as Iran’s proxies in Iraq. Likewise, quiet from the
Houthis would protect vital energy flows through the Red Sea.
Preventing Houthi Resupply Is Crucial
To support Yemeni and Saudi responses to Houthi escalation, Washington should
take further steps to contain and isolate the Houthis.
In coordination with regional partners through multilateral maritime security
organizations like the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), the United States can
prioritize the interdiction of weapons traveling to the Houthis. The Trump
administration should also support Saudi efforts to prevent Iran and its Houthi
proxy from normalizing direct flights between them, which would open air supply
routes.
Washington should interrupt Houthi financial lifelines. The Trump administration
should pressure Oman to expel the group’s leaders from Muscat, from which the
Houthis can access the global financial system. Treasury should also identify
and sanction additional Houthi crypto wallets, an increasingly important element
of Houthi financing.
At the same time, the Trump administration should also remind Riyadh that any
agreements that involve the transfer of funds to the Houthis would be in
violation of U.S. sanctions.
*Bridget Toomey is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Bridget and FDD, please subscribe
HERE. Follow Bridget on X @BridgetKToomey. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a
Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national
security and foreign policy.
Islamism 101...America’s leaders refuse to do their homework
Clifford D. May/The Washington Times/August 12, 2026
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/11/us-policy-islamism-cannot-rest-ignorance/
During the Cold War, Americans took communism seriously. We knew it was vital to
study the ideology of our enemies.
In 1946, Columbia University established the Russian Institute to train what its
founders called “American specialists” in Soviet affairs. I was a student there
in the 1970s.
Harvard followed with its Russian Research Center in 1948. The federal
government itself published a journal, “Problems of Communism,” from 1952 to
1992 — sophisticated, well-documented analyses written by scholars and diplomats
and read by policymakers in both parties.
Sovietologists didn’t just track Kremlin decrees. They studied Marxism-Leninism,
tracing its splits: Soviet vs. Chinese vs. Yugoslav vs. Eurocommunist. For
decades, there were debates about what Marx and Lenin meant and how their heirs
were bending their doctrines.
The ideology we call Islamism – or radical Islam or jihadism – has been
responsible for killing far more Americans on American soil than communism ever
was.
Islamism’s intellectual genealogy runs from a 1920s Egyptian schoolteacher,
straight through to al-Qaeda’s attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and on to the current
conflict with Iran’s rulers who for decades have declared that they are leading
an “Islamic revolution” against America.
This is as complex as anything Sovietologists ever mapped, yet there is no
Islamism Institute at Columbia or Harvard. On the contrary, many of those
teaching in Middle East studies departments at elite universities are themselves
Islamists – or at least Islamist-adjacent. Extravagant funding over many years
by Qatar is a major reason why.
Nor is there a U.S. government journal called “Problems of Islamism.” And last
week, Sen. Ted Cruz, chairman of a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, convened a
fact-finding hearing titled “Hidden in Plain Sight: Confronting the Muslim
Brotherhood Network in America.”
All five Democrats on the subcommittee announced in advance they would boycott,
dismissing it in a joint statement as a “political creepshow,” designed to
scapegoat all Muslims. Not one Senate Republican showed up either, likely
because they feared being called “Islamophobic.”
I’ll concede a civil-liberties concern. But Sovietologists managed to study
Kremlin policies without treating every American with a Russian last name as a
suspect.
Perhaps these senators are unaware that the Muslim Brotherhood has been banned
or designated as a terrorist organization in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain,
Egypt, Jordan, and several other Muslim countries.
I should note that serious operational counterterrorism work on Islamism is
being conducted. RAND, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank that conducts
research under federal government contracts, has produced solid analysis of
jihadi networks for many years.
West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center and some Hoover Institution fellows do
careful research about groups, tactics, financing, radicalization – the
equivalent of Cold War threat assessment. But most of this is threat-tracking,
not sustained idea-tracking — not the study of what jihadists believe and why,
the gap Sovietology existed to fill for communism.
Every member of Congress should at least be familiar with Islamism’s
intellectual history. The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna,
four years after Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, a highly decorated former Ottoman
military commander, abolished the Ottoman Caliphate, one of the final steps in
building what was – back then though no longer – a secular Republic of Turkey.
Al-Banna set out to revive the caliphate and restore the power Muslims had
wielded over the Middle East and slices of Europe for more than a millennium.
According to credible academic sources, the Brotherhood received financial
support from the German legation in Cairo during the late 1930s and into the
1940s – a relationship Jeffrey Herf and other scholars trace beyond funding to a
fusion of Nazi antisemitism with Islamist thought.
The Brotherhood today is estimated to have affiliates in more than 70 countries
with no single recognized leader or international headquarters. It often works
through groups that don’t acknowledge their links with the Brotherhood.
A British government review of the Brotherhood released in 2015 concluded that
it is “deliberately opaque and habitually secretive,” and parts have a “highly
ambiguous relationship with violent extremism.”
In January of this year, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
designated the Egyptian and Jordanian branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as
Specially Designated Global Terrorists for their material support to Hamas.
Separately, the State Department designated the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as a
foreign terrorist organization.
A bit more history: Sayyid Qutb, among the Brotherhood’s most influential
theorists, spent time in the U.S. circa 1950 where he was shocked and appalled
to see men and women dancing at church socials in Greeley, Colorado.
As a teenager, Ayman al-Zawahiri — later Osama bin Laden’s deputy and, after bin
Laden’s death, the head of al-Qaeda — joined the Brotherhood as a teenager and
would spend his life trying, as he put it, to realize Qutb’s vision.
Decades before the 1979 Iranian revolution, a young Shia cleric named Ali
Khamenei translated several of Qutb’s books into Persian. After Khamenei became
the second supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1989, Qutb’s texts
were reportedly taught in training schools of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps (IRGC). In 1984, the Islamic Republic even issued a postage stamp honoring
him.
In other words, the Brotherhood inspired both the Sunni jihadis of al-Qaeda and
the Shia revolutionaries that have ruled Iran for nearly half a century.
Averell Harriman, a distinguished American diplomat who in 1982 endowed
Columbia’s Russian Institute – later renamed in his honor – said that policy
based on ignorance and illusion is dangerous; policy should rest on knowledge
and deep understanding.
The difference is that today, when a senator tries to pursue such inquiry
regarding one of America’s oldest enemies, his colleagues don’t even show up.
*Clifford D. May is founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies (FDD), a columnist for the Washington Times, and host of the
“Foreign Podicy” podcast.
The Mecca Defense Pact Looks Toothless. That Doesn’t Mean
It’s Harmless.....The emerging Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan alliance threatens to
trigger regional realignment.
Sinan Ciddi & Ahmad Sharawi/ The Dispatch/ August 12, 2026
https://thedispatch.com/article/mecca-defense-pact-saudi-pakistan-turkey/
On Friday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdoğan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Mecca
Joint Defense Agreement, committing each state to treating an armed attack on
one as an attack on all. Two days later, Iranian-backed Houthi forces struck an
Aramco refinery in southwest Saudi Arabia with a drone, the latest in a long run
of strikes on the kingdom.
There was no collective response and no visible sign that anything had changed.
Can these three states actually operate a NATO-style guarantee?
Probably not. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has described the pact as
technically equivalent to NATO’s Article 5, promised a ministerial committee and
a secretariat based in Saudi Arabia to oversee its implementation, and claimed
it took two years and eight months to finalize—though earlier reports had dated
the negotiations closer to a year. But deterrence rests on precedent, and the
precedents are pretty poor.
Riyadh has held mutual defense commitments with Pakistan since September 2025
and with its Gulf Cooperation Council partners since 2000; neither has produced
anything resembling an Article 5 response, despite attacks on Saudi Arabia by
Iran and its proxy militias in Iraq and Yemen. Pakistan’s wartime deployment to
the kingdom—approximately 8,000 troops, a JF-17 squadron, and an HQ-9 battery—in
March was financed by Riyadh and described by officials as primarily advisory.
The signatories have no plans for the integrated command and interoperability
that make NATO’s guarantee credible, and the text of the agreement has not been
published. What each party wants is more modest than common defense. For Saudi
Arabia, the pact hedges against a U.S. guarantee that failed to stop Iranian and
Houthi strikes and signals that Riyadh has abandoned its pursuit of an Article
5-style commitment from Washington. For Pakistan, it buys prestige, protects a
region that supplies most of its hydrocarbons, and gives Islamabad something to
show to an administration demanding more burden-sharing from its global
partners. For Turkey, it adds deterrent weight against an Israel that
increasingly perceives Ankara as an adversary and creates a larger market for
Turkish defense firms.Egypt’s absence is a testament that the pact’s
mutual-defense commitment could carry complications that Cairo is not yet
prepared to accept. Egypt joined months of consultations with the three
signatories yet did not sign the final pact, and Fidan’s claim that Egypt is a
“natural partner” awaiting technical fixes has drawn no public commitment from
Egyptian officials. Those technical issues may themselves reflect Cairo’s
political reservations. After all, Egypt may want to ensure that membership does
not create an automatic obligation to take military action, particularly against
Israel, even if that pact is unlikely to be activated in practice. The Turkish
position is harder still to square. In April, months after Greece, Cyprus, and
Israel penned a defense cooperation agreement, Fidan accused the three countries
of allying “against Muslim countries” and warned that Athens was pursuing
dangerous policies that threatened to destabilize the region. Four months later,
Ankara signed a collective defense treaty with a nuclear-armed state and the
Gulf’s wealthiest nation. Greek officials are reassessing their relationship
with the Gulf states, and Israeli commentators are anticipating deeper Israeli
ties with Greece, Cyprus, and India. The United Arab Emirates, an Abraham
Accords signatory whose positions have long diverged from those of Riyadh and
Ankara, remains outside the Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan partnership.
A pact with this little security substance is doing other work. The commercial
and industrial logic under which the agreement becomes genuinely consequential
is far more relevant. As geopolitical rivalries deepen, from Pakistan’s
competition with India and Saudi Arabia’s growing rivalry with the United Arab
Emirates to Turkey’s tensions with Israel and Greece, the Mecca Accords could
arguably be more of an economic integration project than a defense pact.
In June, Turkey and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement aimed at reviving the
Ottoman-era Hejaz Railway to establish a trade route linking the Gulf to Europe
through Jordan, Syria, and Turkey. The corridor would notably bypass Israel, the
United Arab Emirates, and Greece—three countries that, only a few years ago,
stood at the center of plans for greater Arab-Israeli economic integration
through the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
# Alt Text A map displaying the new modern Hejaz Railway route spanning from
Istanbul, Turkey through Syria and Jordan to the Port of Aqaba, with an
additional connection extending through Saudi Arabia to Oman and Sohar.
A Turkish government infographic showing plans for the new Hejaz Railway. (Photo
by Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Ankara wants to position itself as a central transit hub in the region and has
promoted projects such as the Middle Corridor and the Iraq Development Road
toward that end. And Turkish officials have not hidden the true intention behind
all these investments: Trade Minister Ömer Bolat argued in June that “the
reduction of Israel’s influence in the region, together with increased political
and economic solidarity among us, will bring economic prosperity.”
Riyadh remains committed to IMEC, but it is also investing in alternative
networks that give it greater flexibility and reduce its dependence on a single
corridor. Saudi Arabia has also signaled that it’s interested in routes that do
not rely on Israel. The Financial Times reported that Riyadh is “pursuing
alternative routes that bypass Israel,” including the proposed Moses Bridge
linking the kingdom with Egypt, as well as a fiber-optic connection from Saudi
Arabia to Greece through Jordan and Syria rather than Israel.
On the map, IMEC leaves Pakistan on the sidelines. The corridor begins in India
and moves westward without passing through Pakistani territory. Islamabad and
Ankara, however, are sketching out a different route. Last month, Turkey and
Pakistan agreed to revive the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul railway and discussed
plans to connect South Asia with Central Asia and Europe through their own
territories. They have also explored extending the Lapis Lazuli Corridor, which
presently runs from Afghanistan through Central Asia to Turkey, southward into
Pakistan.
Some of these projects may never come to fruition, but these geopolitical
rivalries are shaping the region’s economic geography. If the Mecca Accords
endure, they could become the security framework that ties together economic and
energy projects that would ultimately have adverse consequences for the
countries left outside of it. There should be little reason to fear military
confrontation from the pact, but if Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan leverage
the pact to build alternative corridors, their regional competitors will lose
the value gained as strategic transit hubs.
But even if the Mecca Agreement never functions as a mutual defense pact, its
failure as a military instrument would not make it harmless. Riyadh’s assurance
that the pact carries no link to “nuclear ambitions or arms race” is a
commitment that alliance systems always issue and rarely honor. The pattern is
familiar from 1918 to 1939: a guarantor recedes, exposed states improvise
overlapping commitments, and each pact summons its counter-pact. Greek news
media already frames Mecca as the starting point for a series of compensatory
alignments, and the Benjamin Netanyahu–Narendra Modi call placed days before the
signing looks, in retrospect, like the first of them.
Pacts of this kind seldom deter on their own. They accumulate, harden into
blocs, and raise the general risk of armed conflict among states.
**Sinan Ciddi is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies
and director of the Turkey program.
**Ahmad Sharawi is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies.
Selected Face Book & X tweets
on August 12/2026
Danny Danon
https://x.com/dannydanon/status/2087263199405957253/video/1
Today, my message at the UN Security Council was clear: We are not going
anywhere!
Jewish communities will remain in Judea and Samaria and will continue to grow.
The Jewish people’s historic connection to Judea and Samaria is undeniable.
Iranian photojournalist faces 15 years in prison over
images, reporting
By Nilo Tabrizy/LONDON, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Acclaimed Iranian photojournalist
Yalda Moaiery has spent much of her career documenting moments of dissent and
the lives of women in Iran. The work has repeatedly brought her into conflict
with the authorities, and on Iran's National Journalist Day on Saturday she
learned she had been sentenced to 15 years in prison. The sentence was handed
down under a law enacted after a 12-day war between Israel and Iran in 2025,
legislation that Iranian authorities say is intended to combat espionage and
cooperation with hostile states.
Hiba Nasr
Earlier today:
The U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!
Our Naval Blockade is being called, by everyone, “A WALL OF STEEL,” and there is
nothing Iran can do about it. They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, their
remaining soldiers are unpaid, the IRGC is decimated and fleeing, and their
“Leadership” is uncertain, at best! They have No Money - Their country is
“shot.” All they have is FAKE NEWS and 300% INFLATION, and getting worse! Iran
is all talk and no action, the Bully of the Middle East No Longer. Praise be to
Allah! President DONALD J. TRUMP
John Bolton
The Iranian government is fractured. The main policy difference within the
regime is whether they have squeezed everything possible from the U.S., or
whether they can extract further concessions.
Maya Khadra (PdV)
https://x.com/AliNahar/status/2087227334017310809/video/1
Lebanese journalist from the daily @Annahar
, Ali Hamadé @AliNahar
, details the behind-the-scenes internal blackmail by Hezbollah on the Lebanese
political scene.
The ideas circulating according to his revelations:
Weapons in exchange for granting Shiites control of the army leadership and the
vice-presidency of the Republic, with executive prerogatives enshrined in the
Constitution, as well as the addition of a constitutional provision stipulating
that the Ministry of Finance permanently goes to Shiites…
I recall in passing that if it's impossible to restore reforms in Lebanon, it's
precisely because the Ministry of Finance has been held by Hezbollah for many
long years.
At a time when financial and administrative decentralization is increasingly
debated in Lebanon and federalism is starting to emerge as a solution, Hezbollah
is dragging us back to a confessional state where it centralizes defense,
finances, and the vice-presidency in addition to the legislative presidency. A
blackmail that should not be allowed to succeed.
P.S: Hezbollah has quickly forgotten its goal of "liberating Al Aqsa" to seize
what remains of the Lebanese institutional fabric, already in tatters.
Israel Foreign Ministry
Bethlehem - the birthplace of Jesus - was around 50% Christian under Israeli
rule. Today, after three decades of Palestinian Authority rule, Christians make
up roughly 15%.
During the Second Intifada in 2002, Palestinian terrorists violently seized the
Church of the Nativity, turning one of Christianity’s holiest sites into the
center of a 39-day armed siege.
Bethlehem’s ancient Christian co mmunity is disappearing. This is the reality of
Christian life under Palestinian Authority rule.
Baba Banaras
https://x.com/RealBababanaras/status/2087502638300688743/video/1
Every sinner meets a painful end
"Mom! I killed 10 Jews with my bare hands! Get dad on the phone!"
Hamas Terrorist Mahmoud Mahadi Afana who killed 10 Jews including 3 newborn
babies by roasting them in a microwave was deleted by IDF when he was hiding in
a mosque.
John Spencer
Despite all the rhetoric coming out of Tehran, the reality is clear: the U.S.
blockade of Iran is effective. Iran’s claims that it has closed the Strait of
Hormuz are false. It has neither closed the strait nor effectively stopped
maritime traffic.
Morgan Ortagus
https://x.com/BloombergTV/status/2087244454189051971/video/1
The Iranian regime fears its own people more than anything else. And every day
without a deal brings more economic pressure. Sanctions are being enforced, the
blockade is proving effective, and all military options remain on the table.
I joined @BloombergTV to discuss how President Trump
has many options to continue to pressure Iran.
Gad Saad
Have you ever heard about people from Vietnam, Armenia, or Russia asking for
such preferential treatment? No Seventh-Day Adventist Commission? No Shintoism
Commission? No Hasidic Jewish Commission? Muslims are special. They deserve
unique accommodations in America because Islamophobia plus America is Islamic
Land. Good luck.
Natalie Winters
BREAKING: Massachusetts moves to create a “Muslim Commission” to
help place Muslims in government and shape state policy. The bill orders it to
“identify and recommend qualified American Muslims for appointive positions at
all levels of government.”
Mosab Hassan Yousef
The Arab Refugee Crisis Was Engineered by Arab Leaders ...Before the 1948 war,
Arab radio broadcasts in Egypt, Jordan, and Syria told local Arabs to evacuate
British Mandate Palestine. They promised the fish of the sea a fat meal, the
Jews they were certain they would slaughter. Syrian Prime Minister Khaled al-Azm
later admitted this. They lost the war, then blamed Israel for the crisis they
engineered. They also expelled nearly all Jews from Arab countries, creating a
parallel Jewish refugee crisis. Had they not done this, there would be no Gaza
refugee camps, no Gaza war, and no 77-year human tragedy. The men who engineered
this madness are dead. We're still paying for it.
Joyce Karam
Leaks on why Egypt did not join Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan pact are to
be taken with a grain of salt.
- From Yemen to Syria to Iran and Libya, Egypt’s interests have historically
diverged with both Saudi Arabia & Turkey
- The Egypt-Israel peace agreement + UAE major investments are at core of
Cairo’s calculus
- Sisi has avoided strict commitments with Saudi & UAE, walked back Qatar
boycott, remedied ties with Iran
- Egypt as a major Arab/African military force, makes it more cautious before
jumping into military/defense alliances
Stephanie Bechara
A new BDL complaint targets former governor Riad Salameh and
former BankMed chairman Mohammad Hariri over a 2017 financial arrangement linked
to former PM Saad Hariri. The case centers on a loan of more than $400 million
taken out by the former PM from an Abu Dhabi bank and later settled through a
transaction involving BDL’s purchase of $355 million in securities issued by a
Hariri-controlled company. Exclusive via @Mouniryouniss @LOrientLeJour