The important thing is to get rid of the mullahs' regime and all their criminal arms.
Elias Bejjani / February 06/ 2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/02/151872/
Whatever the method, whatever its type or components, the important thing is that it leads to the downfall of the devilish mullahs and the elimination of their octopus-like, terrorist, and fundamentalist arms, foremost among them the criminal Hezbollah in our Lebanon. There will be no peace in the Middle East before the mullahs' regime is overthrown.

A video report from the scene covering the meeting between Army Commander Rudolph Haykal and Senator Graham, who withdrew from the meeting after Haykal refused to acknowledge Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, with commentary by journalist Ali Hamadeh.
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/02/151867/
Hezbollah the Iranin Armed Proxy is nothing but terror and terrorism
Elias Bejjani/February 06/2026
Hezbollah is a terrorist, a million terrorists, a criminal, a drug dealer, a money launderer, a fundamentalist, a gang of villains, and an enemy of Lebanon, the Lebanese people, and all the foundations of global peace.
Lindsey Graham
X platform/February 05/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/02/151867/
I just had a very brief meeting with the Lebanese Chief of Defense General Rodolphe Haykal. I asked him point blank if he believes Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. He said, “No, not in the context of Lebanon.” With that, I ended the meeting. They are clearly a terrorist organization. Hezbollah has American blood on its hands. Just ask the U.S. Marines. They have been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by both Republican and Democrat administrations since 1997 – for good reason. As long as this attitude exists from the Lebanese Armed Forces, I don’t think we have a reliable partner in them.
I am tired of the double speak in the Middle East. Too much is at stake.
February 05/2026

Israeli military strikes alleged Hezbollah weapons depots across Lebanon
LBCI/February 05/2026
The Israeli military said it carried out attacks on alleged Hezbollah weapons depots in multiple areas across Lebanon, reporting explosions that indicate the presence of arms.. On Thursday, Israeli warplanes were spotted over the Baalbek region. According to the state-run National News Agency, an airstrike struck an area surrounding the city. The Israeli military said Thursday that it was carrying out airstrikes targeting alleged Hezbollah positions in several areas inside Lebanon. Two air raids hit the Mahmoudiyeh area between the districts of Jezzine and West Bekaa, as well as the Wadi Bourghoz area in the Hasbaya district.

Haykal holds 'very good' meetings with US military officials
 Naharnet/February 05/2026
Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal held "very good" meeting with U.S. military officials in the United States, sources familiar with the matter said. In remarks to al-Akhbar newspaper, the sources said Haykal sensed "a clear professional understanding from the military leadership regarding the Lebanese Army's approach" to addressing the issue of weapons in Lebanon. The sources explained that the Army Commander emphasized during his meetings that resolving the issue of Hezbollah's weapons cannot be accomplished in a short period, but requires sufficient time.
He stressed that it cannot be “a purely military approach, but rather requires political backing, operational capability, and broad internal consensus.” He affirmed that “the army cannot engage in internal conflict with a fundamental component of the country and of the military establishment itself, given the serious risks this poses, which could lead to a division within the army and ignite a civil war,” the sources said. The sources, however, pointed out that this "understanding" from the U.S. military leadership does not necessarily mean it will extend to the political level within the U.S. administration, especially in light of “the campaign led by a pro-Israel faction pressuring Lebanon to take immediate steps toward disarmament.”

Lebanon army chief holds positive talks with US officials, faces pushback on
Al Arabiya English/06 February/2026
Lebanon’s army commander, Rodolphe Haykal, was set to leave Washington this week after a series of generally positive meetings with US officials. However, his visit was overshadowed by sharp criticism from a senior Republican lawmaker, raising new questions about the future of American military assistance to Lebanon. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump, said he abruptly cut short what he described as a “very brief meeting” with Haykal after asking whether the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) considered Hezbollah a terrorist organization. According to Graham, Haykal replied, “No, not in the context of Lebanon.”Citing the US Marine barracks bombing in Beirut, carried out by Hezbollah’s predecessor, Graham pointed to the bipartisan US consensus designating the group as a terrorist organization. “As long as this attitude exists from the Lebanese Armed Forces, I don’t think we have a reliable partner in them,” Graham said in a post on X. “I am tired of the double speak in the Middle East. Too much is at stake.”Graham and several other lawmakers had already scrapped a planned visit last year amid growing frustration with what they viewed as insufficient progress by the Lebanese military in disarming Hezbollah.At a gathering this week, Haykal said the army’s top priority remains internal security. He also reiterated his commitment to delivering on the Lebanese government’s pledge to establish state control over all weapons in the country, including those held by Hezbollah.Haykal’s reception on Capitol Hill was not uniformly negative. He met a day earlier with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who struck a more upbeat tone. The Lebanese army chief also held meetings with senior members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, including Chairman Brian Mast and Ranking Member Gregory Meeks. Beyond Capitol Hill, Haykal held separate sit-downs at the CIA, the National Security Council, and the Pentagon, where he met with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine. His first stop during the visit was the headquarters of United States Central Command (CENTCOM) in Tampa, Florida.

Raad says agreed with Aoun on sustained dialogue
Naharnet/February 05/2026
Hezbollah is keen on cooperation to achieve the interest of all Lebanese, MP Mohammad Raad said Wednesday after he met with President Joseph Aoun in Baabda. He added that meetings and talks will continue between Hezbollah and the president to achieve Lebanon's interests. "We are keen on cooperation to achieve the goals of all Lebanese people -- ending the occupation, releasing prisoners, strengthening stability, and the return of our people to their homes and villages," Raad said. The meeting comes amid recent tensions between Hezbollah and the President over his commitment to disarm the group.Raad called for launching the reconstruction of war-hit regions, and said Hezbollah will support the state, when necessary, as it assumes the responsibility of protecting sovereignty. In a press conference from the Baabda palace, Raad rejected "all forms of interference", calling for unity to end the occupation and restore sovereignty. "We must all act responsibly in facing the risks of occupation and foreign mandates," he said, likely referring to American pressure on Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah. Last month, two Pro-Hezbollah journalists were summoned over anti-Aoun remarks, as tensions between the group's supporters and the president grew after Aoun described Hezbollah as a "non-state armed group" and used the word "cleaning" to refer to the group's disarmament south of the Litani -- a technical term meaning an area has become completely free of weapons or threats. Hezbollah prefers to be called "Resistance", a moniker that gives the group legitimacy after it fought to liberate Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon until 2000, when Israeli troops withdrew. It differentiates them from militias, which in Lebanon carries a negative meaning and is heavily associated with the brutalities of a sectarian civil war.

Salam says state sole decision-maker but Israel undermining govt. efforts
Naharnet/February 05/2026
Israel is not abiding by the ceasefire as it is still occupying five points in south Lebanon and detaining Lebanese prisoners in Israel, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told CNN. Salam said the Israeli attacks and violations are undermining the efforts of his government to disarm Hezbollah and expand the state's authority to all Lebanese territory. Salam said the conditions for peace with Israel are not yet in place and that " it is not logical to talk about peace" when "Israel continues to occupy Lebanese territory and violate Lebanon's sovereignty on a daily basis."In another interview with Euronews, Salam stressed that Lebanon wants stability and that an all-out war must be avoided. "We want stability of the region and to avoid an all-out war," he said, adding that Israeli attacks and violations fuel instability and obstruct the government's efforts. Asked by CNN journalist about Hezbollah's warning that if the United States attacks Iran, it will not remain neutral. "It's not a matter of neutrality or not," Salam said. "I have said and I re-iterate that the state is the only authority on matters of war and peace."

Report: Bitar to conclude investigation within a month at most
Naharnet/February 05/2026
Beirut port blast investigator Judge Tarek Bitar has held a lengthy meeting with the State Prosecutor Jamal al-Hajjar to coordinate the next steps following Bitar's decision to wrap up the investigation into the case and refer it to the Public Prosecutor's Office for review, paving the way for the issuance of an indictment, a media report said. Bitar received, through the Public Prosecutor's Office, a letter from the German authorities in response to a request for assistance he had submitted, Asharq al-Awsat newspaper quoted informed judicial sources as saying. The sources said the letter "contains precise information about the movement of bank accounts and transfers of individuals suspected of involvement in financing the ammonium nitrate shipment that exploded at the Port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, and clarifies important points that Bitar sought to strengthen the evidence he possessed."The sources emphasized that Bitar “has completed 99 percent of the necessary information and now possesses all the documents and evidence that definitively determine how the ammonium nitrate was imported, how the shipment was financed, who was responsible for transporting it to Lebanon, and how it was stored and protected at the Port of Beirut, as well as how and why the explosion occurred.”According to sources, the investigating judge is making significant efforts to conclude the investigation within a few weeks, or a month at the most.

Barrack says Hezbollah can't be disarmed militarily, urges direct talks with Israel
Naharnet/February 05/2026
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has again described Lebanon as a “failed state,” noting that “the confessional system does not work.”“A Maronite president, a Sunni prime minister and a Shia speaker; a 128 parliamentary seats split equally between Islam and Christians; everything is a deadlock,” said Barrack at a seminar organized by the Milken Institute.Asked about the Hezbollah disarmament process, Barrack said the Iran-backed group “happens to be a large political party within Lebanon.”“This idea of saying you to disarm Hezbollah … you’re not actually gonna do it militarily,” Barrack added, stressing that “nobody wants a civil war in Lebanon.”Addressing Lebanese leaders, the U.S. envoy said: “You have to really have a discussion with Israel. March to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, sit down and have a discussion.”Asked whether Israel will launch a new attack on Hezbollah, Barrack said: “I hope not, attacks haven’t worked.”“The U.S. is saying Hezbollah needs to be disarmed, Hezbollah is a foreign terrorist organization, it cannot exist. My personal opinion is you kill one terrorist, you create ten. That can’t be the answer, there has to be another answer and the Lebanese leadership now … is terrific,” Barrack added.He also said he believes that Speaker Nabih Berri “controls really both Amal and Hezbollah.”“I think they’re all (President Joseph Aoun, Berri and PM Nawaf Salam) in the state of saying, ‘Enough.’ They have to run to Israel and make a deal, there is no other answer,” Barrack added.

US lawmakers seek sanctions on anyone who obstructs Lebanese elections
Naharnet/February 05/2026
U.S. Congressmen Darrell Issa and Darin LaHood, who are of Lebanese origin, have submitted a draft bill seeking the imposition of sanctions on any “foreign person or entity that hinders, obstructs or delays Lebanon's electoral process, including efforts to restrict or prevent Lebanese citizens abroad from voting in parliamentary elections.”The draft bill was dubbed the “Lebanon Election Integrity and Diaspora Voting Protection Act of 2026''. “Free, fair, and timely elections are essential to Lebanon's sovereignty, political stability, and democratic governance,” the draft says, noting that “Lebanon's diaspora population -- estimated in the millions -- plays a critical role in the country's civic, political, and economic life.”“Hezbollah and other armed groups, corrupt political elites, and foreign actors have historically exerted undue influence over Lebanon's political processes, including voter intimidation, manipulation of electoral administration, and obstruction of reforms enabling diaspora voting,” the draft bill charges. It noted that “protecting the rights of Lebanese voters, including those abroad, is in the national security interest of the United States.”

Beyond the rubble: Israel’s actions leave South Lebanon’s agriculture in ruins
LBCI/February 05/2026
If one were to paint a picture of southern Lebanon today, entire towns reduced to rubble would come into view, families displaced, and thousands killed or wounded in assassinations and attacks. Yet beyond the human toll, there are losses that can be just as devastating — because they represent both the heritage of the past and the hope of the future. These losses lie in Lebanon’s agricultural and forest wealth, which Israel has repeatedly targeted since the start of the war in 2023 through various means. At the height of the fighting, vast areas of farmland were burned by phosphorus munitions, and thousands of decades-old trees were uprooted. But the environmental damage did not end there. More recently, Israel sprayed chemical substances along approximately 18 kilometers of the Blue Line, from Aalma El Chaeb to Rmaych. The substance used is one that farmers typically apply in carefully controlled quantities to eliminate weeds. However, the concentrations used by Israel were between 30% and 50% higher than standard agricultural levels. In a statement, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said this was not the first time Israel had used unidentified chemical substances over Lebanese territory. This amounts to an environmental crime by all standards, even though the full extent of the damage has yet to be determined. It adds to losses in Lebanon’s agricultural sector estimated at $747 million, in addition to direct damages valued at $73 million in the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon. This represents a cry born of the suffering of every farmer. The question remains: What does Israel want from Lebanon’s agricultural sector? Maps showing damage from southern Lebanon through the Bekaa Valley, extending as far north as Sidon, illustrate varying levels of destruction to crops caused by Israeli bombardment. Another map highlights losses in orchards, underscoring the scale of the devastation. Taken together, the data suggest a clear objective: turning these areas into scorched land. What Israel is doing appears aimed at preventing Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities, both underground and above ground, where forest cover once existed, and at suffocating its surrounding environment by preventing displaced residents from returning, so that it no longer serves as a supportive base. According to this reading of events, Israel’s plan follows a broader pattern of creating border zones along all its frontiers — with Lebanon as part of that strategy — the depth and future viability of which remain known only to Tel Aviv.

Are there militants in Hermel compound housing Shiite refugees from Syria?
Associated Press/February 05/2026
A walled compound in Lebanon housing hundreds of people who fled their homes in Syria after the fall of Bashar Assad over a year ago has drawn allegations that the residents are Assad loyalists, which they deny. The attention on the compound in Hermel town highlights the sensitivities around Syria's transformation after a long civil war, suspicions that can linger about identity and minorities' fear of retaliation. The Associated Press visited the 228-unit compound in northeastern Lebanon along Syria's border. It is decorated with posters of Assad allies including Iranian religious leaders and generals as well as fallen commanders of Hezbollah. The residents of the Imam Ali Housing Compound are mostly Shiite Muslims. They include scores of Lebanese who had lived for generations in Syrian villages near the Lebanese border.
Army sweeps find no illegal activity
Allegations by media outlets that residents were conspiring against Syria's new Sunni Islamist rulers have led to several raids by the Lebanese army, which later announced it found no armed activities. Meanwhile, some have alleged that Hezbollah is using the compound to recruit fighters after its heavy losses during and after its latest war with Israel. Ghada Ayoub, a legislator with the anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces Party, said last month that she has formally asked the government about the building of the compound without state supervision "by an armed group" in a sensitive border area. Ayoub this week told the AP she did not receive any response and that she plans to follow up. The Lebanese army last month said it conducted its latest sweep of the compound and did not find anything illegal. Syrian citizen Mohammad Assoura, 57, and his wife moved into one of the housing units, consisting of a room, a small kitchen and a toilet, in October. Before that, they sheltered for months in a mosque and then at an apartment they rented for $150 a month, eventually leaving them broke. "Do I look like a fuloul of the regime?" asked Assoura, smoking a cigarette as he sat cross-legged in his new home, referring to the Arabic word for "remnants." The term is widely used to refer to Assad loyalists. Assoura said he fled with his wife on a motorcycle to Lebanon after receiving calls from relatives warning them that Assad was overthrown. Concerns were high about retaliatory attacks on anyone seen as having supported his government or Lebanon's Hezbollah. Assoura pointed to a small bag in the corner, saying it was all he brought from Syria, with cash and identity cards. He now relies on aid from local nongovernmental organizations to survive and hopes to return to Syria soon.
An influx of refugees
During Syria's civil war that broke out in 2011, Hezbollah sent thousands of fighters to help Assad stay in power. They remained until insurgent groups marched into Damascus in December 2024, ending the 54-year rule of the Assad family. The mayor of Hermel, Ali Taha, recounted how after the fall of Assad some 50,000 people fled from Syria to the town, doubling the population within hours. People filled mosques and schools, while others stayed with relatives or in tents set up in public gardens. Many later moved elsewhere in Lebanon. Syria's upheaval under Assad created more than 5 million refugees. Lebanon hosted an estimated 1.5 million of them. Some half-million Syrians have returned since Assad's fall, according to Lebanon's social affairs minister. But tens of thousands of new refugees have fled to Lebanon. They are mainly Shiites as well as members of Syria's minority Alawite sect after clashes between Assad's supporters and the new authorities led to sectarian killings of hundreds of Alawite civilians. Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has promised to hold perpetrators of sectarian violence accountable, but minority communities remain wary. The Hermel mayor said the idea for the compound as a place for those unable to pay rent came when classes resumed, highlighting the need to clear refugees from schools. The municipality owned the land, and funding for the housing units came from Shiite religious institutions in Iraq and Iran, Taha said. The mayor denied that the compound is being used to conspire against Syrian authorities, saying that would not be in the interest of the border region."The allegations regarding this facility are politically motivated," Taha said. The United Nations refugee agency said it had no presence at the camp and no information on what is happening inside.
'Better than staying in tents'
Maha al-Abeer, a Syrian widow from the border town of Qusair, lives in one of the housing units and has opened a grocery shop to support her son and four daughters. "Thank God we are sheltered. It's better than staying in tents and mosques," said al-Abeer, who also denied allegations about the camp. Qusair was attacked and captured by Hezbollah in 2013, marking the group's first public involvement in Syria's conflict and leading to a rise in anti-Shiite sentiments among Syria's Sunni majority. Shayban Midlij, 73, and his wife, Ihsan, 70, both born in Fadlieh village just across the border, worked for decades in farming but left everything behind and fled after Assad's fall, fearing reprisals by Sunni gunmen because they are Shiites. They now share a unit in the compound with their daughter and her three children. "Before moving here we were at a Shiite mosque. It was like hell," said the wife, referring to the crowds and how illnesses easily spread. She denied the presence of pro-Assad elements. "We are all old people waiting to die and be buried," she said. Samples show Israel sprayed herbicide in border areas
Agence France Presse
Beirut accused Israel of spraying the herbicide glyphosate on the Lebanese side of their shared border, with President Joseph Aoun decrying a "crime against the environment". After collecting samples following the recent spraying, the agriculture and environment ministries said some of them showed concentrations of glyphosate "20 to 30 times higher than the average" in the area. In a joint statement, they expressed worries about "damage to agricultural production" and soil fertility. More than a year after a ceasefire was struck to end a war with Israel, border areas in Lebanon remain largely deserted and Israel continues to carry out regular air strikes in the south. Aoun denounced Wednesday the spraying as a "flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a crime against the environment and health".The Israeli army did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, said Monday that it had been notified by Israel of its plans to spray a "non-toxic chemical substance" near the border and warned to take shelter. The spraying forced UNIFIL to "cancel over a dozen activities"."This is not the first time that the IDF (Israeli army) has dropped unknown chemical substances from airplanes over Lebanon," it said, calling the operation "unacceptable".The Lebanese foreign ministry said it intended to refer the matter to the U.N. Security Council.

Lebanon: The Story of a Negotiation
Dr. Charles Chartouni/This Is Bierut/February 06/2026
(free translation from Arabic by the LCCC website editor)
Paradoxically, Lebanon signed a truce in November 2024, only to find ways to evade it the very next day. Multiple pretexts were used, including the status of the signatories, their legal ambiguities, and their intentions. This was especially true at a time when it was crucial to thwart Israeli pressure in order to regroup, resume the war, or, at the very least, maintain a state of tension as long as it served Iran's interests. This web of considerations explains the conduct of the Lebanese authorities at the time.
This episode was followed by the presidential election phase and the formation of a new government that was hypothetically independent and less subject to the tutelage of Hezbollah, which had exercised suzerainty for nearly two decades. However, this idealized representation tarnished in record time, and the government soon revealed its flaws and its inability to function as a coherent entity. Internal inconsistencies transformed it into a collection of separate, watertight, and discreet entities that nothing could unite toward a consistent common action.
Ideological disparities, partisan allegiances, and the inconsistencies of a random, scriptless transition heavily conditioned the actual conduct of this heterogeneous government. Regardless of the unequal qualifications of its members or the absence of a common narrative, this government was at the mercy of competing powers and struggled to extricate itself from the composite tutelages that prevented it from acting. In reality, it turned into one actor among many, competed with and checked by the Shiite Speaker of Parliament, by Hezbollah's insidious power of sabotage, and by the lack of a roadmap to guide its path.
On the other hand, the President of the Republic, once elected, implicitly revealed his multiple dependencies on Hezbollah. These dependencies began with concessions and electoral commitments and ended with a heavy liability of compromises of all kinds, dating back to his time as Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces. The accumulated mortgages on both sides of the executive branch sufficiently account for the ambiguous steps, the deliberate failures, and the roadblocks erected along the way.
Starting with the subterfuges used to justify inaction: the goal was to provide Hezbollah with pretexts, allowing it to progressively reconstitute itself financially and militarily, and to reinvest in the State's various judicial and security bodies. The aim was to reconnect with the dynamics of the "counter-state," which Hezbollah successfully transformed into a "deep state" that symmetrically vampirizes both the State and society. Whatever the excuses, the incumbent power proved to be an accomplice of Hezbollah, both voluntarily and involuntarily.
The declarations of principle made by the President during his inaugural speech and the ministerial declaration served little purpose when it came time for action and the enforcement of the truce's stipulations. Indeed, the text was formal regarding the confiscation of weapons and the dismantling of political and military extraterritorialities—both on the part of Hezbollah and the Palestinian camps, which had been transformed into logistical and operational relays at various stages. More than ten months of procrastination ensued while Israel, bolstered by the truce's stipulations, pursued the systematic destruction of Hezbollah's operational and logistical platforms and its proxies.
By demonstrating incapacity and complicity, the government endangered the viability of the truce agreements and called into question the consistency of the Lebanese State and its ability to defend its sovereign prerogatives after having intentionally surrendered them. It took the tenacious and sustained intervention of the U.S. government and the continued Israeli policy of destruction to overcome Hezbollah's attempts at recovery.
Nevertheless, this erratic policy ultimately discredited the Lebanese State, reduced Lebanese sovereignty to naught, and expanded the circles of lethality in a country entirely transformed into a battlefield by Hezbollah. The intermediate solution outlined by the "mechanism" commission showed its limits. Indeed, its agenda was already circumscribed by Hezbollah's diktat, which ultimately restricted its scope of action and imposed its narrative on the Lebanese State, which then adopted it. The failure of the monitoring committee merely reflected the inadequacies of a timid Lebanese approach, riddled with ideological and strategic contradictions that condemned it to repeated presumptive failures.
The Army Commander's visit to Washington is ambiguous. The executive branch seeks to offload its responsibility onto the military, which ultimately has no constitutional prerogatives regarding sovereignty. Furthermore, the army is undermined from within by political tutelages and the state of corruption that permeates it, especially among high-ranking officers loyal to those powers. Beyond the fact that the truce was short-lived, the execution of a military plan alone cannot suffice. The absence of a framing political perspective ended up producing perverse effects, whereas this agreement was supposed to pave the way for a comprehensive political settlement of a conflict that has been unduly prolonged.
One does not entrust a military leader with the task of defining political choices, especially someone who has embraced Hezbollah's theses. The Washington visit will soon fizzle out if the operational commitments are not part of a process that leads to the signing of a peace agreement with the State of Israel. Lebanon is in a posture that involves its very survival; any ambiguity in this matter could prove fatal.
The country is no longer able to accommodate such contradictions in a regional environment where geopolitical fault lines are in a state of convulsion. Finalizing a peace agreement with Israel is no longer one option among many; it is an imperative for survival in an uncertain regional context. Does the current visit follow a change of course? Future developments will tell.

Israel escalates threats against Iran’s ballistic missile program ahead of US-Tehran talks
LBCI/February 05/2026
Israel has escalated threats of military action against Iran’s ballistic missile program if Friday’s talks between Washington and Tehran do not put the issue at the top of the agenda. Israeli officials see Washington’s decision to move the talks from Turkey to Oman as an early sign of U.S. backtracking under pressure from Arab states. The Israeli cabinet has discussed the potential implications of the upcoming negotiations. Israeli assessments say the gap between U.S. and Iranian positions is large and difficult to bridge, especially after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed that talks with Tehran must include ballistic missiles and Iran’s relations with regional proxies. If a framework to bridge these differences emerges, an Israeli official said it would likely follow a step-by-step approach: starting with the nuclear file, including the transfer of Iran’s enriched uranium to Russia and Turkey, then allowing International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back into Iran, and finally dismantling the remaining enrichment capabilities at nuclear facilities. The approach fuels Israeli concerns that Iranian stalling could leave the missile issue unresolved, prompting Israel to intensify preparations in case it must strike these sites. Israeli security agencies and cabinet ministers are closely monitoring developments in the Oman talks. Security forces are preparing both defensively and offensively for potential moves by Tehran and its regional proxies, anticipating escalation across multiple fronts.

What to know as Iran and US set for nuclear talks in Oman
Associated Press/February 05/2026
Iran and the United States will hold talks Friday in Oman, their latest over Tehran's nuclear program after Israel launched a 12-day war on the country in June and the Islamic Republic launched a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests. U.S. President Donald Trump has kept up pressure on Iran, suggesting America could attack Iran over the killing of peaceful demonstrators or if Tehran launches mass executions over the protests. Meanwhile, Trump has pushed Iran's nuclear program back into the frame as well after the June war disrupted five rounds of talks held in Rome and Muscat, Oman, last year. Trump began the diplomacy initially by writing a letter last year to Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to jump start these talks. Khamenei has warned Iran would respond to any attack with an attack of its own, particularly as the theocracy he commands reels following the protests. Here's what to know about Iran's nuclear program and the tensions that have stalked relations between Tehran and Washington since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Trump writes letter to Khamenei
Trump dispatched the letter to Khamenei on March 5, 2025, then gave a television interview the next day in which he acknowledged sending it. He said: "I've written them a letter saying, 'I hope you're going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it's going to be a terrible thing.'" Since returning to the White House, the president has been pushing for talks while ratcheting up sanctions and suggesting a military strike by Israel or the U.S. could target Iranian nuclear sites. A previous letter from Trump during his first term drew an angry retort from the supreme leader. But Trump's letters to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in his first term led to face-to-face meetings, though no deals to limit Pyongyang's atomic bombs and a missile program capable of reaching the continental U.S.
Oman mediated previous talks
Oman, a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has mediated talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. The two men have met face to face after indirect talks, a rare occurrence due to the decades of tensions between the countries.
It hasn't been all smooth, however. Witkoff at one point made a television appearance in which he suggested 3.67% enrichment for Iran could be something the countries could agree on. But that's exactly the terms set by the 2015 nuclear deal struck under former President Barack Obama, from which Trump unilaterally withdrew America. Witkoff, Trump and other American officials in the time since have maintained Iran can have no enrichment under any deal, something to which Tehran insists it won't agree. Those negotiations ended, however, with Israel launching the war in June on Iran.
The 12-day war and nationwide protests
Israel launched what became a 12-day war on Iran in June that included the U.S. bombing Iranian nuclear sites. Iran later acknowledged in November that the attacks saw it halt all uranium enrichment in the country, though inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency have been unable to visit the bombed sites. Iran soon experienced protests that began in late December over the collapse of the country's rial currency. Those demonstrations soon became nationwide, sparking Tehran to launch a bloody crackdown that killed thousands and saw tens of thousands detained by authorities
Iran's nuclear program worries the West
Iran has insisted for decades that its nuclear program is peaceful. However, its officials increasingly threaten to pursue a nuclear weapon. Iran now enriches uranium to near weapons-grade levels of 60%, the only country in the world without a nuclear weapons program to do so. Under the original 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium up to 3.67% purity and to maintain a uranium stockpile of 300 kilograms (661 pounds). The last report by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran's program put its stockpile at some 9,870 kilograms (21,760 pounds), with a fraction of it enriched to 60%  U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program, but has "undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so." Iranian officials have threatened to pursue the bomb.
Decades of tense relations between Iran and the US
Iran was once one of the U.S.'s top allies in the Mideast under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who purchased American military weapons and allowed CIA technicians to run secret listening posts monitoring the neighboring Soviet Union. The CIA had fomented a 1953 coup that cemented the shah's rule. But in January 1979, the shah, fatally ill with cancer, fled Iran as mass demonstrations swelled against his rule. The Islamic Revolution followed, led by Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and created Iran's theocratic government. Later that year, university students overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seeking the shah's extradition and sparking the 444-day hostage crisis that saw diplomatic relations between Iran and the U.S. severed. The Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s saw the U.S. back Saddam Hussein. The "Tanker War" during that conflict saw the U.S. launch a one-day assault that crippled Iran at sea, while the U.S. later shot down an Iranian commercial airliner that the U.S. military said it mistook for a warplane. Iran and the U.S. have seesawed between enmity and grudging diplomacy in the years since, with relations peaking when Tehran made the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. But Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018, sparking tensions in the Mideast that persist today.

Iran Guards seize two foreign-crewed tankers in Gulf
Agence France Presse/February 05/2026
Iran's Revolutionary Guards have seized two oil tankers with their foreign crews in Gulf waters for "smuggling fuel," the Tasnim news agency reported Thursday. It was not immediately clear what flags the tankers were carrying nor the nationalities of the crew.The seizures took place amid heightened tension after Washington dispatched a naval group to the region after Tehran's deadly response to anti-government protests.

Turkey is doing its best to prevent US-Iran conflict, Erdogan says
Reuters/05 February/2026
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is working hard to prevent US-Iran tensions from tipping the Middle East into a new conflict, as the two adversaries signal that disagreement over Tehran’s missile arsenal threatens to torpedo a deal. Speaking to reporters on a return flight from a visit to Egypt, Erdogan added that talks at the level of the US and Iranian leadership would be helpful after lower-level nuclear negotiations due in Oman on Friday, according to a transcript of his comments shared by his office on Thursday. Turkey was doing its best to prevent an escalation, said Erdogan, who has spent years cultivating a close relationship with US President Donald Trump while expanding Ankara’s diplomatic influence across the Middle East and beyond. Iran and the US remain at odds over Washington’s insistence that negotiations include Tehran’s missile arsenal and Iran’s vow to discuss only its nuclear program, in a standoff that has led to mutual threats of airstrikes. Differences over the scope and venue for the discussions have raised doubts whether the meeting would take place, leaving open the possibility that Trump could carry out a threat to strike Iran. Asked on Wednesday whether Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei should be worried, Trump told NBC News: “I would say he should be very worried. Yeah, he should be.” He added that “they’re negotiating with us” but did not elaborate. After Trump spoke, US and Iranian officials said the two sides had agreed to shift the talks’ location to Muscat after initially accepting Istanbul. But there was no indication they had found common ground on the agenda. Tensions are high across the region as the US builds up forces there, and regional players seek to avoid a military confrontation that many fear could escalate into a wider war. Trump warned of ‘bad things’ if no Iran deal agreed Iran says the talks must be confined to its long-running nuclear dispute with Western powers, rejecting a US demand to also discuss Tehran’s missiles, and warning that pushing issues beyond the nuclear program could jeopardize the talks. But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that talks would have to include the range of Iran’s ballistic missiles, its support for armed proxy groups around the Middle East and its treatment of its own people, besides nuclear issues. Iranian sources say the US is demanding Tehran limits the range of Iran’s missiles to 500 km (310 miles). Tehran’s regional sway has been weakened by Israel’s attacks on its proxies - from Hamas in Gaza to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq - as well as by the ousting of Iran’s close ally, former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. While the talks were originally slated for Turkey, Iran wanted the meeting to take place in Oman as a continuation of previous talks held in the Gulf Arab country that had focused strictly on Tehran’s nuclear program, a regional official said. Iran says its nuclear activities are meant for peaceful, not military purposes, while the US and Israel have accused it of past efforts to develop nuclear weapons. A regional official said the talks could be mediated by several countries, though Iran has indicated that it wants a two-way format limited to Washington and Tehran. The diplomatic efforts follow Trump’s threats of military action against Iran during its bloody crackdown on protesters last month and the deployment of more naval power to the Gulf. The US has sent thousands of troops to the Middle East, as well as an aircraft carrier, other warships, fighter jets, spy planes and air refueling tankers.After Israel and the United States bombed the Islamic Republic last summer, renewed friction has kindled fears among regional states of a major conflagration that could rebound on them or cause long-term chaos in Iran. Trump has warned that bad things” would probably happen if a deal could not be reached, ratcheting up pressure on the Islamic Republic.

 Germany’s Merz promises arms cooperation as he seeks more Qatari energy
Al Arabiya English/05 February/2026
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged to work “more intensively” on arms exports to Gulf states during a trip to Qatar on Thursday, as Europe’s largest economy looks to build deeper economic ties and diversify its energy sources.Merz is on a campaign to sell Germany as a good country to do business with as US tariff policies prompt countries to seek more trade deals elsewhere. He already has trips to Brazil, India and South Africa under his belt, with a trip to China set for later this month, according to media reports.Merz, who is travelling with the CEOs of Uniper and Diehl Defence, among others, said that Germany would work “more intensively in arms cooperation than in recent years” with what he described as reliable partners in the Gulf region. “This is in our mutual interest, because we want to ensure that the world becomes safer, and it will only become safer if we are able to defend ourselves,” he told journalists. Germany also wants to increase the amount of liquefied natural gas it imports from Qatar beyond the current 2 million tons a year, he said. That would ensure a reliable energy supply and reduce dependencies, said Merz, who was in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and heads to the United Arab Emirates later on Thursday. To build on these foundations, Merz added that he had invited Qatar’s emir for an official visit to Berlin in July.With Reuter

US cuts contact with Polish parliament speaker over Trump ‘insults’
Reuters/05 February/2026
The US ambassador in Warsaw cut off contact with Poland’s parliament speaker on Thursday, accusing him of insulting Donald Trump after he criticized the president’s policies and declined to support his Nobel Peace Prize ambitions. Ambassador Tom Rose’s furious response to Parliament Speaker Wlodzimierz Czarzasty underlined the precarious balancing act politicians from Poland’s pro-European coalition government face in keeping their most important ally onside while Trump is pursuing “America First” policies many of them find unnerving. Czarzasty said on Monday he would not support an initiative put forward by US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson and Israeli Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana to rally heads of parliaments to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2026 for his efforts to bring peace to the Middle East. “In my opinion, President Trump is destabilizing the situation in these (international) organizations by representing the politics of force and using force to pursue a transactional policy,” Czarzasty, leader of The Left, the junior coalition partner in the government, told journalists. “All of this means that I will not support President Trump’s Nobel Prize nomination because he doesn’t deserve it.”Rose lashed out at Czarzasty on Thursday, saying Washington will have no further “dealings, contacts, or communications” with him, effective immediately. “(Czarzasty’s) outrageous and unprovoked insults directed against President Trump has made himself a serious impediment to our excellent relations with Prime Minister Tusk and his government,” he wrote on social media platform X on Thursday. “We will not permit anyone to harm US–Polish relations, nor disrespect (Trump) who has done so much for Poland and the Polish people.”In response, Czarzasty wrote on X that he regretted the ambassador’s reaction but would not change his position on fundamental issues.

Trump accepts UK deal on Indian Ocean islands with key military base
AFP/06 February/2026
President Donald Trump on Thursday dropped his opposition to an agreement in which Britain returned to Mauritius an Indian Ocean archipelago that hosts a key US-UK military base. But after speaking with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump warned in a post on Truth Social that he retains the right to “secure and reinforce” the US presence on Diego Garcia island, which is home to the base, if the British deal comes undone or the American presence is threatened. Under a deal agreed in May of last year, Britain will hand back the Chagos islands, which include Diego Garcia, to Mauritius but keep the base, jointly run by US and British forces, on a 99-year lease. Trump initially endorsed this accord but then last month changed his mind. “The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired,” Trump said on January 20. On Thursday, Trump said Starmer made “the best deal he could make” on the Chagos Islands, which had been at the center of a decades-long diplomatic battle.Trump said: “However, if the lease deal, sometime in the future, ever falls apart, or anyone threatens or endangers US operations and forces at our Base, I retain the right to Militarily secure and reinforce the American presence in Diego Garcia.”In their conversation Thursday Starmer and Trump agreed to work “closely” on the implementation of the Chagos Islands agreement, the UK leader’s office said.

In show of support, Canada, France open consulates in Greenland
AP/February 06, 2026
COPENHAGEN, Denmark: Canada and France, which both adamantly oppose Donald Trump’s wish to control Greenland, will open consulates in the Danish autonomous territory’s capital on Friday, in a strong show of support for the local government. Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has repeatedly insisted that Washington needs to control the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island for security reasons. The US president last month backed off his threats to seize Greenland after saying he had struck a “framework” deal with NATO chief Mark Rutte to ensure greater American influence. A US-Denmark-Greenland working group has been established to discuss ways to meet Washington’s security concerns in the Arctic, but the details of the talks have not been made public. While Denmark and Greenland have said they share Trump’s security concerns, they have insisted that sovereignty and territorial integrity are a “red line” in the discussions. “In a sense, it’s a victory for Greenlanders to see two allies opening diplomatic representations in Nuuk,” said Jeppe Strandsbjerg, a political scientist at the University of Greenland. “There is great appreciation for the support against what Trump has said.” French President Emmanuel Macron announced Paris’s plans to open a consulate during a visit to Nuuk in June, where he expressed Europe’s “solidarity” with Greenland and criticized Trump’s ambitions. The newly-appointed French consul, Jean-Noel Poirier, has previously served as ambassador to Vietnam. Canada meanwhile announced in late 2024 that it would open a consulate in Greenland to boost cooperation. The opening of the consulates is “a way of telling Donald Trump that his aggression against Greenland and Denmark is not a question for Greenland and Denmark alone, it’s also a question for European allies and also for Canada as an ally, as a friend of Greenland and the European allies also,” Ulrik Pram Gad, Arctic expert at the Danish Institute of International Studies, told AFP. “It’s a small step, part of a strategy where we are making this problem European,” said Christine Nissen, security and defense analyst at the Europa think tank. “The consequences are obviously not just Danish. It’s European and global.”
Recognition
According to Strandsbjerg, the two consulates — which will be attached to the French and Canadian embassies in Copenhagen — will give Greenland an opportunity to “practice” at being independent, as the island has long dreamt of cutting its ties to Denmark one day. The decision to open diplomatic missions is also a recognition of Greenland’s growing autonomy, laid out in its 2009 Self-Government Act, Nissen said. “In terms of their own quest for sovereignty, the Greenlandic people will think to have more direct contact with other European countries,” she said. That would make it possible to reduce Denmark’s role “by diversifying Greenland’s dependence on the outside world, so that it is not solely dependent on Denmark and can have more ties for its economy, trade, investments, politics and so on,” echoed Pram Gad. Greenland has had diplomatic ties with the European Union since 1992, with Washington since 2014 and with Iceland since 2017. Iceland opened its consulate in Nuuk in 2013, while the United States, which had a consulate in the Greenlandic capital from 1940 to 1953, reopened its mission in 2020.The European Commission opened its office in 2024.

Trump and Xi discuss Iran in wide-ranging call
Associated Press/February 05/2026
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the situation in Iran in a wide-ranging call as the U.S. administration pushes Beijing and others to further isolate Tehran. Trump said the two leaders also discussed a broad range of other critical issues in the U.S.-China relationship, including trade and Taiwan and his plans to visit Beijing in April. "The relationship with China, and my personal relationship with President Xi, is an extremely good one, and we both realize how important it is to keep it that way," Trump said in a social media posting about the call. The Chinese government, in a readout of the call, said the two leaders discussed major summits that both nations will host in the coming year that could present opportunities for them to meet. The Chinese statement, however, made no mention of Trump's expected April visit to Beijing. Trump and Xi discussed Iran as tensions remain high between Washington and Tehran over Iran's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month. The U.S. president says he's weighing taking military action against the Middle Eastern country. Trump is also pressing Iran to make concessions over its nuclear program, which his Republican administration says was already set back by the U.S. bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-day war Israel launched against Iran in June. U.S. and Iranians officials said Wednesday they have agreed to hold high-level talks on Friday i n Oman. The talks had initially been slated for Turkey but were shifted to the Gulf country at Iran's insistence. A White House official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the administration remains "very skeptical" that the talks will be successful but agreed to go along with the change in plans out of respect for allies in the region. Trump announced last month that the U.S. would impose a 25% tax on imports to the United States from countries that do business with Iran. China is Iran's biggest trading partner. Years of sanctions aimed at stopping Iran's nuclear program have left the country isolated. But Tehran still did nearly $125 billion in international trade in 2024, including $32 billion with China, $28 billion with the United Arab Emirates and $17 billion with Turkey, the World Trade Organization says. China also made clear that it has no intention of stepping away from its long-term plans of reunification with Taiwan, a self-governing, democratic island operating independently from mainland China, though Beijing claims it as its own territory. The Trump administration in December announced a massive package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion that includes medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones. The move continues to draw an angry response from Beijing. "Taiwan will never be allowed to separate from China," the Chinese government statement said. "The U.S. must handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with prudence."Neither Trump nor the Chinese government in its statement raised whether the U.S. leader's repeated calls for a U.S. takeover of Greenland, the Arctic territory controlled by Denmark, came up during the conversation. Trump has made his case for the U.S. taking over the strategic island as necessary to rebuff Chinese and Russian encroachment, even as experts have repeatedly rebuffed Trump's claims of Chinese and Russian military forces lurking off Greenland's coastline. Denmark and Greenland as well as several European government leaders have pushed back against Trump's takeover calls.Separately, Xi also spoke on Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Xi's engagement with Trump and Putin comes as the last remaining nuclear arms pact, known as the New START treaty, between Russia and the United States is set to expire Thursday, removing any caps on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century.Trump has indicated he would like to keep limits on nuclear weapons but wants to involve China in a potential new treaty. "I actually feel strongly that if we're going to do it, I think China should be a member of the extension," Trump told The New York Times last month. "China should be a part of the agreement."The call with Xi also coincided with a ministerial meeting that the Trump administration convened in Washington with several dozen European, Asian and African nations to discuss how to rebuild global supply chains of critical minerals without Beijing. Critical minerals are needed for everything from jet engines to smartphones. China dominates the market for those ingredients crucial to high-tech products. "What is before all of us is an opportunity at self-reliance that we never have to rely on anybody else except for each other, for the critical minerals necessary to sustain our industries and to sustain growth," Vice President JD Vance said at the gathering. Xi has recently held a series of meetings with Western leaders who have sought to boost ties with China amid growing concerns about Trump's tariff policies and calls for the U.S. to take over Greenland, a Danish territory. The disruption to global trade under Trump has made expanding trade and investment more imperative for many U.S. economic partners. Vietnam and the European Union upgraded ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership last month, two days after the EU and India announced a free-trade agreement. And Canada struck a deal last month to cut its 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products.

Fight against IS 'absolute priority' for France, FM says in Damascus
Agence France Presse/February 05/2026
Sustaining the fight against the Islamic State jihadist group is an "absolute priority" for France, its foreign minister said Thursday after meeting his Syrian counterpart in Damascus. "For 10 years, France has fought relentlessly and mercilessly against the terrorists of Daesh in Iraq as well as in Syria," said Jean-Noel Barrot, using an Arabic acronym for IS."I have come to reaffirm this absolute priority of France here in Syria," he added on the first stop of a regional tour.

January settler attacks cause record West Bank displacement since Oct 2023
AFP/05 February/2026
Israeli settler violence and harassment in the occupied West Bank displaced nearly 700 Palestinians in January, the United Nations said Thursday, the highest rate since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023.At least 694 Palestinians were forcefully driven from their homes last month, according to figures from the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA, which compiles data from various United Nations agencies.The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said in late January that settler violence has become a key driver of forced displacement in the West Bank. January’s displacement numbers were particularly high in part due to the displacement of an entire herding community in the Jordan Valley, Ras Ein al-Auja, whose 130 families left after months of harassment. “What is happening today is the complete collapse of the community as a result of the settlers’ continuous and repeated attacks, day and night, for the past two years,” Farhan Jahaleen, a Bedouin resident, told AFP at the time. Settlers in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, use herding to establish a presence on agricultural lands used by Palestinian communities and gradually deny them access to these areas, according to a 2025 report by Israeli NGO Peace Now. To force Palestinians out, settlers resort to harassment, intimidation and violence, “with the backing of the Israeli government and military,” the settlement watchdog said. “No one is putting the pressure on Israel or on the Israeli authorities to stop this and so the settlers feel it, they feel the complete impunity that they’re just free to continue to do this,” said Allegra Pacheco, director of the West Bank Protection Consortium, a group of NGOS working to support Palestinian communities against displacement. She pointed to a lack of attention on the West Bank as another driving factor. “All eyes are focused on Gaza when it comes to Palestine, while we have an ongoing ethnic cleansing in the West Bank and nobody’s paying attention,” she told AFP. West Bank Palestinians are also displaced when Israel’s military destroys structures and dwellings it says are built without permits. In January, 182 more Palestinians were displaced due to home demolitions, according to OCHA. Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, the West Bank is home to more than 500,000 Israelis living in settlements and outposts considered illegal under international law.Around three million Palestinians live in the West Bank.

France tells Syria anti-Daesh fight is its ‘absolute priority’
AFP/February 05, 2026
DAMASCUS: France’s foreign minister said Thursday that sustaining the fight against the Daesh group is an “absolute priority” for Paris, after meeting his Syrian counterpart in Damascus. Jean-Noel Barrot is on the first stop of a regional tour as France reassesses how to tackle militants after Kurdish allies in Syria, who were guarding detained Daesh militants, were forced to disband under pressure from Damascus. Barrot will move on to Iraq on Thursday afternoon before heading to Lebanon on Friday, according to the French foreign ministry. In the Syrian capital, he met his counterpart Asaad Al-Shaibani, with the pair discussing how to prevent a resurgence of Daesh fighters after the Kurdish forces’ withdrawal from swathes of northern Syria. “For 10 years, France has fought relentlessly and mercilessly against the terrorists of Daesh in Iraq as well as in Syria,” said Barrot, using an Arabic acronym for Daesh. “I have come to reaffirm this absolute priority of France here in Syria.”Until now, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces had been the main partner on the ground of a western anti- militant coalition, but under military pressure from Damascus they are to integrate into the Syrian army. “This tour stems from the convergence of two crises,” a French diplomatic source told AFP, referring to Barrot’s trip. “One that erupted very recently in northeastern Syria, with clashes between the Syrian authorities in Damascus and the Kurdish-dominated SDF, and the ever-present threat of a military escalation between the United States and Iran.” Western powers must now work with Syria’s government to contain Daesh, the source said, but “there is not the same history, the same reflexes developed together, or the same bonds of trust,” alluding to Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa’s past. Sharaa, who overthrew former Syrian president Bashar Assad in December 2024, has been seeking to impose his authority over all the country including Kurdish-controlled areas. Other issues on Barrot’s agenda will be the question of integrating Syria’s myriad minorities into its new political landscape. France has positioned itself as an advocate of Kurdish rights and will be pushing Damascus to comply with an agreement announced last week aimed at integrating Kurdish institutions and forces into the Syrian state. The agreement dashed the Kurds’ hopes of retaining an autonomous zone they had established in northern and northeastern Syria during a civil war that ravaged Syria between 2011 and 2024.

Syrian, Iraqi authorities seize 300,000 Captagon pills in Homs
Arab News/February 05, 2026
LONDON: Syria’s Narcotics Department, in collaboration with Iraq’s General Directorate for Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Affairs, thwarted an attempt to smuggle drugs across the border. The Interior Ministry announced on Thursday a joint security operation targeting an international criminal network in the Homs governorate of northern Syria, involved in the manufacture, promotion and smuggling of narcotics. Authorities seized about 300,000 tablets of the narcotic substance Captagon and arrested two suspects attempting to smuggle these substances into Syria to distribute them in the region later.The two suspects are wanted internationally for drug trafficking, and one of them is a foreign national, according to the ministry. In January, authorities in Syria and Iraq targeted an international drug smuggling network, leading to the seizure of about 2.5 million Captagon pills and the arrest of several individuals in both countries involved in criminal activity.

Chevron signs deal for Syrian offshore exploration, raising stakes for Lebanon’s oil sector
LBCI/05 February/2026
Amid rapid political and security shifts in the region, a memorandum of understanding was signed between U.S. energy giant Chevron, the Syrian Petroleum Company, and Qatar’s UCC Holding to assess opportunities for oil and gas exploration off Syria’s coast. The announcement came shortly after the lifting of Caesar Act sanctions and coincided with the involvement of Syrian local forces, most notably the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in the country’s new state, amid growing discussions of potential security arrangements in the region, particularly between Damascus and Tel Aviv. Together, these factors have given the agreement dimensions that go beyond its technical scope, framing it as a U.S. “reward” to Syria’s new leadership and possibly an indicator of relative stability ahead. Syria’s coastline stretches along the eastern Mediterranean between areas that have seen major gas discoveries. With Chevron’s entry into Syrian waters, the U.S. company is now present in most eastern Mediterranean countries surrounding Lebanon. By contrast, Lebanon’s offshore sector currently includes France’s TotalEnergies, Italy’s Eni, and QatarEnergy, with no U.S. companies involved. In Israel, Chevron operates the Leviathan field, one of the largest gas fields in the region. The company is also active in Cyprus and Syria, in addition to its cooperation with Turkey in the energy sector. This development has brought Lebanon’s oil and gas file back into focus, and its connection to two key issues. The first relates to a U.S. decision to freeze the file pending a resolution of the Hezbollah weapons issue. The second concerns completing maritime border demarcation with Syria, given the existing maritime overlap affecting Lebanon’s northern offshore blocks. Sources at the Lebanese Petroleum Administration said there are no concerns about major international companies operating in adjacent Syrian waters, stressing that such companies do not operate in disputed areas. The sources called for accelerating the completion of the maritime border demarcation northward between Lebanon, Syria, and Cyprus, amid reports of French-Saudi efforts to launch this process in the coming phase. Even as regional investments in the eastern Mediterranean move forward, Lebanon’s oil and gas sector remains hostage to political developments and the timing of decision-making.

Why Iran must not expand its conflict beyond
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya English/05 February/2026
Tensions between Iran and the United States have once again intensified. In recent periods of heightened tension, some Iranian rhetoric has gone beyond the US-Iran binary, referencing the Strait of Hormuz or hinting at consequences for other regional actors. Such language may be intended as deterrence or leverage, but it carries serious risks. Expanding the conflict – whether rhetorically or materially – would invite escalation and expose the region to instability that would be difficult to control or reverse. For this reason, Iran should exercise restraint and ensure that its confrontation remains contained, avoiding actions or threats that could internationalize the conflict or draw in neighboring states. Maintaining this implicit boundary is crucial. Once a conflict extends beyond its original actors, the ability to manage outcomes diminishes sharply. Miscalculations multiply, alliances are triggered, and local disputes turn into regional crises. Iran should not expand its conflict and tensions.
The Strait of Hormuz: Strategic importance and global consequences
The Strait of Hormuz is not merely a regional waterway; it is one of the most critical chokepoints in the global economic system. A significant portion of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes through this narrow passage every day, supplying energy to Asia, Europe, and beyond. Even minor disruptions – real or perceived – can cause immediate shocks to global energy markets, triggering price spikes, inflationary pressures, and economic instability far beyond the Middle East. Because of its importance, the strait is not just an Iranian concern. It is a shared global interest. Any threat to the free flow of maritime traffic through Hormuz instantly becomes an international issue, drawing in actors who otherwise have no direct involvement in Iran tensions. This is precisely why escalating rhetoric or military signaling around the strait is so dangerous: it transforms a bilateral confrontation into a multilateral crisis. Iran is acutely aware of the strait’s leverage value, but leverage should not automatically translate into advantage. Using the Strait of Hormuz as a pressure point would almost certainly provoke a response far beyond Washington, involving European navies, Asian energy consumers, and multinational security coalitions. Such actions would unify a broad range of actors against it. Beyond global consequences, any serious disruption to the Strait of Hormuz would directly harm Iran’s own economic and strategic interests. Iran relies on maritime routes for its own exports, imports, and economic connectivity. This would further strain an economy already under pressure, deepen isolation, and complicate relations with countries that otherwise maintain pragmatic or neutral stances toward Tehran. Moreover, escalation in such a sensitive area increases the risk of rapid military confrontation. Naval incidents, misinterpretations, or accidental clashes could spiral quickly. Once military dynamics take over, political control weakens, and outcomes become unpredictable. There ought to be a recognition that some thresholds, once crossed, cannot be easily undone. Iran would incur serious risks by turning the Strait of Hormuz into either a battlefield or a bargaining chip.
The dangers of extending conflict to other regional states
Equally important is the need that the Iranian government avoids expanding tensions to other countries in the region. The Middle East is already burdened by overlapping conflicts, fragile political systems in some countries, and economic vulnerabilities. Introducing additional points of confrontation would only compound existing instability. Many regional states maintain security partnerships with the United States, while also engaging diplomatically and economically with Iran. These countries often seek balance rather than confrontation. If Iran were to threaten or target them – directly or indirectly – it would force them into defensive alignments, harden regional divisions, and eliminate space for mediation or neutrality. Regional escalation would also increase the likelihood of coalition-based responses, drawing multiple states into a conflict that initially involved only two. Once that happens, the conflict becomes structurally entrenched.
Regional stability as a strategic asset
Stability in the region is not merely an abstract ideal; it is a strategic asset. Stable nations mean predictable borders, secure trade routes, investment opportunities, and diplomatic flexibility. Instability, by contrast, invites foreign intervention, economic decline, and long-term insecurity. For Iran, expanding its conflict and escalation undermines this balance. Turning the region into an arena of expanded conflict would also deepen humanitarian suffering, increase displacement, and prolong cycles of violence that ultimately benefit no one. These outcomes weaken states, fracture societies, and create long-term challenges that persist long after immediate confrontations fade.
Iran must avoid regional escalation
In conclusion, Iran should not expand this conflict – neither to the Strait of Hormuz nor to other countries in the region. Doing so would escalate tensions, internationalize the dispute, and create economic, military, and humanitarian consequences that far outweigh any perceived short-term gains. The Iranian government should avoid actions that would transform its conflict and tension into a regional crisis.

Saudi Arabia and Turkiye: The region’s safety valve
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager/Arab News/February 05, 2026
Saudi-Turkish relations are currently witnessing a high degree of harmony on a wide range of regional and international issues. This alignment stems from a broad convergence on the general framework for political and diplomatic solutions, driven on the one hand by mutual interests and on the other by the growing acceptance of each other’s perspectives and ideas at the leadership level. This convergence was clearly reflected in the pace and depth of meetings held during this week’s visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Saudi Arabia, which culminated in the signing of numerous agreements covering various fields, including politics, economics and security, among others. The visit also underscored the importance of continuing the joint efforts to expand the volume of non-oil trade between the two countries, while emphasizing the strategic importance of concluding a free trade agreement between the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Turkiye. Politically, the two countries have demonstrated a high level of coordination on several regional issues. The economic dimension of Saudi-Turkish relations is substantial, as well as promising, offering wide-ranging investment opportunities in key sectors such as renewable energy, electrical technologies, network automation and power grids. In addition, there are significant prospects for cooperation in clean hydrogen projects and in the development of technologies related to its transport and storage, along with other development initiatives needed by both countries. Such cooperation would enhance the economic standing and influence of both sides as members of the G20. Politically, the two countries have demonstrated a high level of coordination on several regional issues, including Syria, Yemen, Sudan and others, as well as on the Palestinian cause, a central issue for the Arab and Islamic worlds. Both Saudi Arabia and Turkiye support a just and comprehensive solution to the ongoing conflict and emphasize the vital role of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in defending Palestinian rights. In this context, they seek to strengthen and intensify the organization’s role both today and in the future.Strengthening ties and communication between Riyadh and Ankara is expected to yield important outcomes. Security and defense cooperation also featured prominently in discussions between Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Both sides stressed the importance of activating previously signed agreements in the fields of defense cooperation, cybersecurity and related areas in a manner that serves the mutual interests of both countries. Such cooperation would contribute to strengthening regional stability and positively reflect on efforts to promote peace and harmony throughout the region. In conclusion, Saudi-Turkish relations constitute a strategic balancing factor for the region as a whole, given the significant political and economic weight of both countries, as well as their deep historical roots and strategic geographic positions. Strengthening ties and communication between Riyadh and Ankara is therefore expected to yield important outcomes at the regional level, particularly in the political and security domains. Accordingly, enhancing harmony and coordination between the two countries has been, and continues to be, one of the most prominent and important issues deserving sustained attention from decision-makers in both states.
*Dr. Abdulaziz Sager is chairman of the Gulf Research Center.

France’s new model for relations with Africa
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/February 05, 2026
Emmanuel Macron is France’s first president who did not live through or experience the country’s colonialist past. He stated early in his first mandate a will to shift Paris’ African strategy and to break away from this past, recognizing historical mistakes and building a new relationship. This shift in strategy was not merely the result of a deep self-reflection but also a necessity to adapt to global geopolitical changes in order to stay relevant. It is a way to manage France’s decline in influence and capacity to impact African files. Thanks to stronger direct engagement from China, Russia and the US, or even India, the Francafrique has been pushed over. And it is difficult to define a new way or what comes next. This is why last week’s visit of Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby to Paris has raised the question of whether a new path is starting to emerge. This visit came following a severe rupture in relations. The positive language from both parties, referring to it as a “friendship” visit, intended to redefine the parameters of Franco-Chadian cooperation. We are yet to see the outcome but could this be a case study for France’s new African policy? This visit came after Chad abruptly terminated its defense agreement with France in November 2024. Relations had rapidly deteriorated and the French military was forced to quickly withdraw. The Chadian decision clearly blindsided Paris. It was also a source of increased tensions beyond the closure of the French military base itself, as this was also happening elsewhere in Africa. It is worth noting that, while the two countries’ military collaboration broke down, diplomatic relations were never officially cut off.
Perhaps Chad has started to notice that Paris can still be a valid partner and that Macron’s approach is genuine.
Indeed, Chad is not the only country to have stopped military collaboration with France. If we focus on the Sahel region, Operation Barkhane came to an end in 2022 and thousands of French troops withdrew after France was militarily driven out of other important nations like Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. This happened in various forms, abruptly or in good order, depending on the country. These withdrawals came in the wake of coups, as well as growing anti-French sentiment. Moreover, claims were made that, despite long-term deployments, France had failed to provide security, as the threat of insurgents continued to increase. Perhaps Chad has started to notice that Paris can still be a valid partner and that Macron’s approach of turning a new page is genuine, or it could be a simple, pragmatic give-and-take situation. France needs to show that it can build anew, while there is little doubt that N’djamena needs economic support, which Moscow has not been able to provide lately. It is nevertheless important to remove the tensions of what looks like a bad breakup. This is a prerequisite in order to start afresh. One must also understand that France’s package for African countries was and still can be a mix of military, intelligence, economy and soft power, as well as international access. With its capacity for infrastructure building and development, France can be a valid partner supporting Africa’s new leaderships to deliver change for their citizens. However, something France will have to give up — especially in the face of stronger Russian and Chinese execution — is the habit of giving lessons. A more pragmatic approach is needed, as such an attitude of disdain will not work. In the same way, French judicial investigations into the alleged misappropriation of public funds could also be a blockage in bilateral relations. Although these actions should have reassured the new African leaders, it has actually added to the tensions as it is seen as a sword above their heads and a means of leverage, especially in the CFA franc environment.
Something France will have to give up — especially in the face of stronger Russian and Chinese execution — is the habit of giving lessons.
It is easy to understand that these labels portray Paris as an unsafe and unreliable economic partner. Whether all these actions are justified or not, they have created an atmosphere of preemptive distrust between France and African heads of state. This contributed to the freezing of relations with Chad, as in 2024 French prosecutors launched an inquiry into allegations that Deby embezzled public funds. Deby’s warm visit to the Elysee Palace perhaps offers a new opportunity, especially as Chad stated that the meeting helped in clarifying misunderstandings and finding an end to their disagreements. It is also clear that Chad is in search of, or in need of, economic cooperation, especially in the areas of energy, digital technology, agriculture, livestock, education and culture. Moreover, Paris can help Chad by supporting it in front of international financial organizations like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. This is something N’djamena cannot disregard. Another positive is that Macron has given a clear signal of a will to have African countries take more agency within the decision-making process of their region and to be real stakeholders in building its security and stability. This is clear in the important stance both presidents took for the establishment of a humanitarian truce in Sudan and conditions that would facilitate the resolution of its civil war. There is no doubt that what is happening in Sudan and relations with neighboring Niger could lead to increased internal divisions and instability in Chad. Hence, Deby needs the backing of strong allies such as France for international reach as well as intelligence support. This provides an opportunity for both countries, as Paris can reposition itself in the face of Russian competition. It is still too early to judge, but this could be an example of how France can reestablish its relations with African nations.
*Khaled Abou Zahr is the founder of SpaceQuest Ventures, a space-focused investment platform. He is CEO of EurabiaMedia and editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.

World must help ease Southern Africa’s flood crisis
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/February 05, 2026
Southern Africa is facing a significant humanitarian emergency, as devastating floods sweep across large parts of the region. This has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and resulted in significant loss of life. Prolonged and intense rainfall has inundated vast areas of Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe and neighboring countries. This has destroyed homes, critical infrastructure and livelihoods. As a result, the human toll has been severe, with confirmed deaths surpassing 100. It is also believed that many more people are injured, missing or being exposed to life-threatening conditions. Heavy rainfall is expected to persist for weeks, which will likely compound an already dire situation. It will also place immense pressure on the governments, humanitarian agencies and communities that have been impacted.This crisis is not an isolated natural disaster. It is the result of broader climatic and structural forces that have made Southern Africa more vulnerable to extreme weather events. The current floods have caused displacement on a massive scale, forcing families to flee their homes with little warning. They are seeking refuge in overcrowded shelters, schools and temporary camps. Some entire communities have been submerged and agricultural lands destroyed. There has been significant damage to transport networks as well. This crisis is not an isolated natural disaster. It is the result of broader climatic and structural forces. For many rural populations, the floods have eliminated not only their homes but also their primary source of food and income. This is due to the destruction of crops, livestock and stored grain. This also threatens to deepen food insecurity across the region, which will most likely have long-term consequences for nutrition, health and social stability. Urban areas have also been severely affected.
The scale and intensity of the flooding points to a dangerous escalation in weather extremes. This intensification is mostly seen as the product of interacting climatic forces, including human-driven climate change. Warmer global temperatures have increased the atmosphere’s capacity to hold moisture, leading to heavier rainfall when storms occur. As a result, weather patterns that once produced manageable seasonal floods now generate catastrophic floods with far-reaching consequences. This crisis should be understood within the broader context of climate change and its unequal global impacts. Africa, and Southern Africa in particular, contributes only a small fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet it experiences some of the most severe and frequent climate-related disasters. This imbalance exposes the deep structural inequalities embedded in the global political and economic systems.
Countries that have historically benefited from industrialization and fossil fuel consumption have accumulated wealth and resilience, while regions like Southern Africa face mounting climate risks with far fewer resources to adapt or recover. The current flooding crisis points to this phenomenon, as communities with minimal responsibility for global warming bear disproportionate suffering. It is also accurate to argue that widespread poverty, rapid urbanization and inadequate infrastructure together magnify exposure to floods. Many households reside in flood-prone areas not by choice but because economic marginalization leaves them with few options.
This kind of massive displacement also disrupts education, as schools are destroyed or converted into shelters. This interrupts learning for thousands of children and increases the risk of permanent dropout. Gendered impacts are particularly pronounced — women and girls often bear the burden of caregiving in unsafe conditions while facing increased risks of exploitation and violence in such displacement settings.
Climate-driven disasters like the flooding in Southern Africa raise fundamental questions about global responsibility. .Climate-driven disasters like the flooding in Southern Africa raise fundamental questions about global responsibility. As extreme weather events grow more frequent and severe, the obligation of wealthier nations to support vulnerable regions must become stronger and more urgent. This responsibility is not merely humanitarian but is also anchored in historical accountability for emissions. In addition, we should bear in mind that instability, food insecurity and large-scale displacement in one region can have ripple effects across borders, influencing migration patterns, economic systems and geopolitical stability. In the short term, humanitarian assistance is essential to save lives and alleviate suffering. This should include emergency food aid, clean water provision, sanitation facilities, temporary shelter and medical services. Rapid funding and logistical support are also critical. However, short-term relief alone is insufficient. Without any sustained investment to deal with such situations, Southern Africa will remain trapped in a cycle of disaster and recovery. Long-term responses can include investing in flood-resilient infrastructure, improved water management systems and mechanisms that give early warnings. Climate finance is extremely important due to the fact many Southern African countries lack the fiscal capacity to fund large-scale adaptation and recovery projects on their own. The private sector, philanthropic institutions and multinational corporations can work together to accomplish this. In a nutshell, the floods in Southern Africa should not be merely viewed as an isolated event or a regional tragedy — they are a direct consequence of the intensifying impacts of climate change. The countries most affected have contributed only a tiny amount of the global greenhouse gas emissions that drive these extreme weather events, but they are bearing a disproportionate share of the suffering. It is imperative for the international community to provide immediate and sustained support. Inaction could trigger broader consequences across continents.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. X: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Charles Elias Chartouni
Rudolf Haykal is a helpless case. Why did he come to the US in the first place? He undermined whatever is left of Lebanon's credentials, Senator Graham took notice.

Ahmad M. Yassine
The core problem lies in the Army Commander, General Rudolf Haykal, agreeing to meet with you، Who are you, anyway?
Why are you wasting the time of our army’s commander on your nonsense?