English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For  February 08/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Parable Of Lazarus The Poor Man, & The Rich Man Who Was dressed In Purple & Fine Linen
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 16/19-31/:”‘There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.” But Abraham said, “Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.” He said, “Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house for I have five brothers that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.” Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.” He said, “No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” He said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on February 07-08/2026
To USA Senator Lindsey Graham: Yes, Hezbollah Is A terrorist, Criminal & Jihadist Iranian Armed Proxy/By constitutional standards and in accordance with all relevant international resolutions, the majority of the Lebanese people affirm that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization and a group of outlaws./Elias Bejjani/February 08/2026
Hezbollah the Iranin Armed Proxy is nothing but terror and terrorism/Elias Bejjani/February 06/2026
The important thing is to get rid of the mullahs' regime and all their criminal arms./Elias Bejjani/February 06/ 2026
The Signing Anniversary of the Infamous "Memorandum of Understanding" Between Hezbollah and Michel Aoun is a Cursed One of Collaboration, Treason, and a Iscariotism/Elias Bejjani/February 06/ 2026
Video link to an interview with engineer Tom Harb/America does not trust individuals in the leadership of the Lebanese Army, and the time for change has come
PM Salam from Tyre: Lebanese government is working on three main tracks to recovery
Dispute over Hezbollah designation clouds meeting between US senator and Lebanese delegation — the details
France backs Lebanon army support conference, pushes reforms and state control of weapons
Prisoner transfer deal signals cautious thaw in Lebanese-Syrian relations
Lebanon’s FM calls prisoner transfer deal first step in reset with Syria
Mahmoud Qomati: "We have turned the page on disagreements and are ready for dialogue". ...: Aoun and Salam succumbed to external dictates and are now trying to correct the course.
Heikal discusses ongoing preparations for the Army Support Conference in France with Barrot
Moussa: "The Party" is ready to cooperate in implementing the second phase of arms containment
UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon Allege Surge in Israeli Violence toward Them
France to Rally Aid for Lebanon as It Warns Truce Gains Remain Fragile

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 07-08/2026
Trump says US talks with Iran ‘very good,’ more negotiations expected
Israel’s Netanyahu expected to meet Trump in US on Wednesday and discuss
Iran FM looks to more nuclear talks, but warns US
Top Trump Iran negotiator visits US aircraft carrier in Middle East
‘Doctrine of Domination’: Iran’s FM criticizes Israel after nuclear talks with US
Iran arrests 11 suspected members of Kurdish group over ‘sabotage’
Iran army reports fire at Tehran barracks, says blaze contained, no injuries
Ramadan nears: Israel weighs timing of possible US strike on Iran
Thousands protest in Berlin in solidarity with Iranian uprisings
Italy FM rules out joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’
US plans meeting for Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ in Washington: Report
Zelenskyy says US gave Ukraine and Russia June deadline to end war
Algeria begins to cancel air services agreement with UAE
Saudi Arabia announces major new Syria investments
Over 2,200 ISIS detainees transferred to Iraq from Syria: Iraqi official
France opens probe against ex-culture minister lang after Epstein file dump

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 07-08/2026
Question: What does it mean that believers are to be salt and light (Matthew 05:13-16)/GotQuestions.org/February 07/2026
Italy, Saudi Arabia share a vision based on dialogue, accountability/Guido Crosetto/Arab News/February 07/2026
Iran facing its most severe set of challenges/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/February 07/2026
Culture and heritage are driving regional economic growth/Zaid M. Belbagi/Arab News/February 07/2026
Japan, China roll out red carpet for UK leader/Andrew Hammond/Arab News/February 07/2026
US-Iran talks in Oman: A beginning of dialogue in the shadow of distrust/Raghida Dergham/Al-Arabiya English/07 February/2026
Iran: The Contractual Crisis Between State and Society/Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al-Awsat/February 07/2026
New START Comes to an End, World without Nuclear Restrictions Begins/Emile Ameen/Asharq Al-Awsat/February 07/2026
X Platform Selected twittes for 07/2026

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on February 07-08/2026
To USA Senator Lindsey Graham: Yes, Hezbollah Is A terrorist, Criminal & Jihadist Iranian Armed Proxy
By constitutional standards and in accordance with all relevant international resolutions, the majority of the Lebanese people affirm that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization and a group of outlaws.
Elias Bejjani/February 08/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/02/151924/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqk5riyDsXw&t=47s
All you need to say is simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew Bible 05/37)
Hezbollah: The Root and Lineage of Terrorism
Elias Bejjani/ X Platform/February 06/ 2026
“Hezbollah, the fundamentalist Khomeinist organization, is the mother, father, grandfather, and entire lineage of terrorism.”“Hezbollah is a terrorist—one million times a terrorist—criminal, drug manufacturer and trafficker, money launderer, fundamentalist gang of thugs, and an enemy of Lebanon, the Lebanese people, and all universal principles of peace.
The priority is liberation from the mullahs’ regime and all its criminal arms
Elias Bejjani/X Platform/February 06/2026
“Whatever the method, whatever its nature or components, what matters is that it leads to the downfall of the demonic mullahs’ regime and the dismantling of its octopus-like terrorist and fundamentalist arms—first and foremost Hezbollah in Lebanon.There will be no peace in the Middle East before the fall of the mullahs’ regime.”
A Political Slap, Not a Diplomatic Incident
The swift withdrawal of U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham from his meeting with Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal was not a routine protocol matter. It was a political slap that exposed the deep dysfunction within Lebanon’s ruling authority—military and political alike—in dealing with the most dangerous terrorist, theocratic, and criminal armed organization in Lebanon’s modern history: Hezbollah.
Graham’s question was direct and unambiguous: Is Hezbollah a terrorist organization?
The answer was confused, hesitant, and burdened with all the failures of the Lebanese state: “No, not in the Lebanese context.”
A Revealing Answer
With this response, General Haykal did not merely make a misjudgment. He provided further proof that Lebanon’s ruling class remains unable—or unwilling—to call things by their proper names, and unwilling to bear the cost of truth, even when that truth is constitutional, legal, and internationally documented.
Senator Graham said what needed to be said and wrote on X platform what needed to be written. He reminded the Lebanese authorities of what they deliberately try to forget: Hezbollah has been designated a terrorist organization since 1997 by both Republican and Democratic U.S. administrations. Its hands are stained with American blood, from the Marine barracks bombing to a long list of cross-border terrorist operations. When Graham stated that no military partner can be trusted if it denies this reality, he was expressing the position of a state—not a personal or emotional reaction.
The Answer That Should Have Been Given
In Lebanon, reactions varied. Many retired military officers, politicians, and citizens rightly argued that the answer should have been professional and constitutional: “I am a military officer who executes state decisions. It is not within my authority to decide whether Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. This question should be directed to the government.” Such an answer would have protected the Lebanese Army’s institutional role and spared it from political double standards.
Hezbollah: An Illegal Armed Group by Constitution
The answer that Hayal gave actually reflects the confusion of Lebanon’s political authority—still hostage to Hezbollah’s dominance and incapable of acknowledging that it is an Iranian, sectarian, criminal terrorist organization involved in drug production and trafficking, political assassinations, and every form of illicit trade.
More dangerously, Hezbollah was never legally legitimate in Lebanon. It was imposed by force under the cover of the Syrian Baathist occupation, which lasted until 2005. Hezbollah was the only armed group exempted from disarmament under the Taif Accord, which explicitly mandated the disarmament of all militias and the extension of state authority over all Lebanese territory.
The so-called formula of “the army, the people, and the resistance” is a constitutional aberration. It appeared only in ministerial statements, which have no legislative value. Legislation belongs exclusively to Parliament, and Parliament has never legalized Hezbollah as a resistance force. Under the Lebanese Constitution, Hezbollah is therefore an illegal armed group.
The Lebanese State Has Already Decided
This reality is no longer subject to interpretation. The current Council of Ministers, headed by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and attended by President Joseph Aoun, adopted a clear majority decision in its sessions of August 5 and August 7 of last year, classifying Hezbollah—like all other armed groups—as illegal. This decision was taken in implementation of: The ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel (approved unanimously by the Hezbollah-led government of Najib Mikati), UN Security Council Resolutions 1559, 1701, and 1680, The Armistice Agreement, And the Taif Accord.
Accordingly, the Lebanese state itself has dismantled what remained of the false political and rhetorical cover of the so-called “resistance.” Even the wooden and imposed “army, people, and resistance” formula has collapsed. Official state language now refers to Hezbollah simply as an armed group.
What Is Required Today
What Lebanon needs today is not gray rhetoric or ambiguous answers, but clear, independent, constitutional, and sovereign decisions—free from fear, appeasement, submission, and political acrobatics. Constitutionally and in accordance with all UN resolutions related to Lebanon, the Lebanese government must:
Officially declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization,
Expel its ministers from government and its MPs from Parliament,
Dismantle all its military, educational, and financial institutions,
Confiscate its weapons,
Arrest its leaders and refer them to the judiciary,
Fully implement the Constitution and all U*N resolutions.
Final Conclusion
Hezbollah is the father, mother, and entire lineage of terrorism, organized crime, and mafia-style criminality. States are not built through appeasement, and sovereignty is not restored through denial.
Simply, Those officials and politicians who lack the courage to give a clear answer are unfit for the positions they occupy.
NB/The enclosed image was generated using artificial intelligence and is not a genuine photograph.

Hezbollah the Iranin Armed Proxy is nothing but terror and terrorism
Elias Bejjani/February 06/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/02/151872/
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.

The Signing Anniversary of the Infamous "Memorandum of Understanding" Between Hezbollah and Michel Aoun is a Cursed One of Collaboration, Treason, and a Iscariotism
Elias Bejjani/February 06/ 2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/02/151833/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXCTz9QXVVU&t=396s
"Woe to you, destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, betrayer, you who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed. Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress."Prophet Isaiah (33:01-02):
The Lebanese people were told on the day the Memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) on February 6, 2006, that the primary goal was to bring Hezbollah back into the fold of the Lebanese state and to "Lebanonize" it. Today, 20 years later, the exact opposite has happened. Hezbollah has nullified the state and all its components, turned it into a compliant tool in its hands, and placed it in confrontation with the majority of the Lebanese people, Arab countries, and most of the world countries—all to serve the Iranian sectarian, terrorist, and expansionist military imperial project.
This "100%  Iranian "Mullah" jihadist armed proxy has practically and realistically transformed Lebanon into a war base, a military camp, and an Iranian weapons depot. In a quick review of the "MoU’s" clauses, we see that the most dangerous is the tenth clause, which addresses Hezbollah’s weapons. This clause describes Hezbollah's arms as a "sacred means."
What is striking about this heretical description is that it is the first time in Lebanon's history that a group other than Hezbollah (the FPM) considers weapons to be a sacred means. Consequently, dealing with Hezbollah’s weapons according to this concept is akin to dealing with deities. Here lies the dilemma and the difficulty—even the impossibility—of discussing this "sacred" matter with Hezbollah's leadership and its patron, Iran.
When the means are sacred, the end becomes divine. What is astonishing about this "sanctity" is the acceptance of this blasphemous heresy by the other signatory, the FPM, which is supposed to be a sovereignist, pro-independence, secular organization resistant to occupation forces. Furthermore, it was and remains deeply deplorable to sign a document with a religious, sectarian, Iranian armed proxy whose project is Iranian, stating that its weapons are sacred, while they are, first and last, sectarian, Iranian, militia-controlled weapons—neither legitimate nor subject to the Lebanese state or its command.
Indeed, this "divine" concept of weapons and the "holy" objectives for their use facilitated the Hezbollah's "mini-state" and its Iranian reference to seize the state and gain full control over it. This strange, bizarre, anti-sovereign, anti-independence, and unconstitutional reality has manifested strongly on many abnormal occasions, including Hezbollah's external wars and terrorist operations, its militia incursions inside Lebanon, and the series of assassinations it committed.
"If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!" (Mark 09:42-48; Luke 17:01-02)
Twenty years after the signing of this infamous "MoU," Lebanon and its people have reaped nothing but national disasters in all forms—sovereign, national, constitutional, security, and economic—in addition to the disruption, and even destruction, of Lebanon’s international, Arab, regional, and global relations. In practice, the document was and remains a tool for destroying, marginalizing, and confiscating the state in favor of the "mini-state," and for dominating all state decisions, (decision making process) large and small, especially the decision of peace and war.
Some Local Harvest of the "MoU" Direct and Indirect:
*Preventing the establishment of the state and obstructing the restoration of sovereignty and independence.
*Hegemony of the "mini-state" over the state.
*Disabling the constitution, marginalizing the legislative and executive branches, and Hezbollah's dominance over all state institutions.
*Imposing Hezbollah’s will on presidential and parliamentary elections, and the appointment of the cabinet.
*An economic collapse unprecedented in Lebanon’s modern history.
*Unprecedentedly high levels of unemployment and poverty.
*Mass migration affecting all segments and sects.
*Absence of the middle class and the spread of corrupt deals, brokerage, smuggling, and defiance of law and security.
*Dangerous security chaos and the total absence of accountability.
*Opening the borders and Hezbollah’s involvement in regional wars for the benefit of the Iranian project.
*Imposing a hybrid electoral law that serves the Iranian project.
*Imposing the heresy of the so-called "Army, People, and Resistance" trilogy.
*Invasions of Beirut and the Lebanon Mountain region, toppling governments, and a series of assassinations.
*The "prostitution" of the constitution in the shameful "Doha Agreement".
*Stagnation of agricultural crops and the destruction of the Lebanese industrial sector due to Hezbollah's participation in the Syrian war and the closure of export routes.
*Disruption of the service sector (electricity, water, waste management, transport, health, etc.) as the state is paralyzed and its decisions are hijacked.
*Severe international, Arab, regional and global restrictions and sanctions on the banking sector following accusations against Hezbollah of money laundering and drug trafficking.
*Hezbollah causing the 2006 war with Israel.
*Hezbollah waging the recent war on Israel in support of Gaza which is still going on.
Some Arab Harvest of the "MoU" Direct and Indirect:
*Damaging Lebanon's relations with most Arab countries, especially the Gulf states, due to Hezbollah's attacks on their regimes and targeting their lands with terrorist operations for the benefit of Iran’s rulers, threatening the fate of about half a million Lebanese working there.
*Destroying Arab and all kinds of tourism to Lebanon and several Arab countries banning their citizens from traveling to Lebanon.
Some International Harvest of the MoU (Direct and Indirect):
*Obstructing the implementation of international resolutions related to Lebanon, 1559, 1680, 1701, the Armistice Agreement, the Taif Agreement and the recent "cessation of hostilities" agreement between Lebanon and Israel..
*Branding Lebanon with terrorism as Hezbollah is listed on terror lists in most countries, including many Arab nations.
*Harassing Lebanese citizens regarding travel to many countries due to Hezbollah's designation as a terrorist organization.
In short, the document contributed significantly to Lebanon remaining a state without its own decision-making power, unable to control its borders, with its institutions nearly paralyzed, hindering the rise of institutions and handing the state over to the "mini-state"... and the list goes on.

Video link to an interview with engineer Tom Harb/America does not trust individuals in the leadership of the Lebanese Army, and the time for change has come
The interview is from the Transparency Youtube Platform and was conducted by journalist Patricia Samaha
February 07/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/02/151914/
Where do the military aid funds go, and has Washington lost confidence in Joseph Aoun?
In a fiery episode of the program “Politics and the People” with Patricia Samaha, the General Coordinator of the American Lebanese Coalition, Tom Harb, opens the black box surrounding the visit of the Lebanese Army Commander to Washington. Was the visit a closed-door military “interrogation”? And why were meetings with top-tier officials in the U.S. administration absent?
Tom Harb reveals American “lack of trust” in specific figures within the Lebanese military institution, accusing the current leadership of “collusion” with Hezbollah and of stalling in the implementation of UN Resolution 1701. The discussion also addresses the fate of the illegal crossings with Syria, the U.S. administration’s position on labeling Israel an “enemy” in official forums, and potential military scenarios should the army fail to secure the area south of the Litani River.
Topics and timeline (Timestamps):
00:00 – Behind the scenes of the Army Commander’s visit to Washington and the nature of the meetings
02:24 – Why did Joseph Aoun not meet with the U.S. Secretary of Defense?
03:03 – The diplomatic trap: the term “the Israeli enemy” inside U.S. offices
05:32 – Washington’s conditions for continuing support of the Lebanese Army
07:30 – Direct accusations: Is the army leadership colluding with Hezbollah?
10:14 – The failed state and the inability of institutions to disarm militias
11:46 – Rifts within the Shiite community and the need to hold Nabih Berri accountable
13:54 – The scandal of the 200 illegal crossings on the Syrian border
16:30 – The Army Commander’s final message before it is too late
Lebanon PM pledges reconstruction on visit to ruined border towns
AFP/07 February/2026
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam visited heavily damaged towns near the Israeli border on Saturday, pledging reconstruction.
It was his first trip to the southern border area since the army said it finished disarming Hezbollah there, in January. Swathes of south Lebanon’s border areas remain in ruins and largely deserted more than a year after a US-brokered November 2024 ceasefire sought to end hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed group. Lebanon’s government has committed to disarming Hezbollah, and the army last month said it had completed the first phase of its plan to do so, covering the area between the Litani River and the Israeli border about 30 kilometers (20 miles) further south.
Visiting Tayr Harfa, around three kilometers from the border, and nearby Yarine, Salam said frontier towns and villages had suffered “a true catastrophe.” He vowed authorities would begin key projects including restoring roads, communications networks and water in the two towns.
Locals gathered on the rubble of buildings to greet Salam and the delegation of accompanying officials in nearby Dhayra, some waving Lebanese flags.
In a meeting in Bint Jbeil, further east, with officials including lawmakers from Hezbollah and its ally the Amal movement, Salam said authorities would “rehabilitate 32 kilometers of roads, reconnect the severed communications network, repair water infrastructure” and power lines in the district.
Last year, the World Bank announced it had approved $250 million to support Lebanon’s post-war reconstruction, after estimating that it would cost around $11 billion in total. Salam said funds including from the World Bank would be used for the reconstruction and rehabilitation projects.
The second phase of the government’s disarmament plan for Hezbollah concerns the area between the Litani and the Awali rivers, around 40 kilometers south of Beirut. Israel, which accuses Hezbollah of rearming, has criticized the army’s progress as insufficient, while Hezbollah has rejected calls to surrender its weapons. Despite the truce, Israel has kept up regular strikes on what it usually says are Hezbollah targets and maintains troops in five south Lebanon areas. Lebanese officials have accused Israel of seeking to prevent reconstruction in the heavily damaged south with repeated strikes on bulldozers, excavators and prefabricated houses. Visiting French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Friday said the reform of Lebanon’s banking system needed to precede international funding for reconstruction efforts. The French diplomat met Lebanon’s army chief Rodolphe Haykal on Saturday, the military said.

PM Salam from Tyre: Lebanese government is working on three main tracks to recovery
LBCI/February 07/2026
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, on his first stop to South Lebanon, said the government is working on three main tracks: continuing relief efforts, launching reconstruction, and creating the conditions for long-term economic and social recovery. Speaking from the coastal city of Tyre, Salam said the challenges facing the south remain significant, but stressed the state is determined to overcome them. He pointed to what he described as daily Israeli attacks on border towns, calling them an assault on the dignity of Lebanese citizens. Salam said the visit was aimed at reaffirming the state’s presence in the south and signaling a commitment to changing the situation on the ground. Salam said the rights of residents in South Lebanon are a national right that cannot be divided, and insisted reconstruction is a continuing obligation rather than a seasonal promise. On immediate relief, he said the government is working to expand direct support for temporary housing through cash assistance to help displaced families pay rent, in coordination with the Ministry of Social Affairs. On the economic and social front, Salam said the government will prioritize job creation, reviving local economies, and supporting cooperatives and farmers. He said Lebanon has secured 35 million euros in grants from the European Union, France, and Denmark to support recovery efforts, with a particular focus on agriculture. On reconstruction, Salam said the government is working to rehabilitate infrastructure and public property, including schools, hospitals, government buildings, electricity and water networks, and roads. He said Lebanon has secured $250 million in concessional loans from the World Bank and 75 million euros from the French Development Agency to support these efforts.

Dispute over Hezbollah designation clouds meeting between US senator and Lebanese delegation — the details
LBCI/February 07/2026
An LBCI team was waiting outside U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham’s office at the U.S. Congress when the Lebanese delegation, led by Lebanese Army Commander Rodolph Haykal, arrived at around 3:15 p.m. Washington time for a meeting that later drew attention.
Graham opened the meeting by saying that the regime in Iran must fall and that the United States should take measures against Iran. He then asked the Lebanese army commander whether he considered Hezbollah a terrorist organization. The army commander replied that in Lebanon, it is not designated as such, while in the United States, it is classified as a terrorist organization. Graham responded, “Thank you for being honest with me,” before saying that if this was the Lebanese position, the United States could not support the Lebanese army. He then declared the meeting over.
After the meeting, Graham posted on the social media platform X, describing what took place and saying that the Lebanese army commander’s refusal to label Hezbollah a terrorist organization undermines American confidence in the Lebanese army as a security partner. The Lebanese army did not comment on Graham’s post, which went viral on social media. It is widely known — and Graham is certainly aware — that the army does not set Lebanon’s public policy or determine the country’s political orientation. Rather, it is required to adhere to state directives. For that reason, the question posed to the army commander was out of context and appeared intended to provoke an issue. This raises the question: Who is Lindsey Graham, and could what happened affect Lebanese-U.S. relations? Graham is a U.S. senator and a senior member of the Republican Party, known for his hard-line positions on foreign policy and national security, particularly regarding the Middle East and Iran.  He is also a member of Senate committees, including a committee that oversees the U.S. military, defense policy, and military assistance to other countries. What occurred between Graham and the Lebanese army commander does not, in practical terms, affect decisions taken by the U.S. Congress or the administration. Congress functions collectively, and no single senator can determine policy or suspend assistance unilaterally. While Graham’s views carry influence, decisions on military aid are made jointly by the U.S. administration and Congress, not by an individual lawmaker. In short, Graham is a senator known for his hard-line positions, and his remarks do not automatically translate into consequences for Lebanon. Nor are they expected to affect the army commander’s visit to Washington, which was described as successful and included meetings with military and political officials who praised the role of the Lebanese army in efforts to confine weapons.

France backs Lebanon army support conference, pushes reforms and state control of weapons
LBCI/February 07/2026
A conference aimed at securing international support for the Lebanese Army, scheduled for March 5, will go ahead as planned. The army has prepared a list of its needs to present at the conference, which President Joseph Aoun is expected to attend. The upcoming gathering was among the issues discussed during meetings in Beirut between French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Lebanese officials, including the president, the parliament speaker, the prime minister, and the foreign minister. According to sources, Barrot is scheduled to meet Saturday morning with the Lebanese Army Commander, who is returning from Washington, to discuss aligning the army's requirements with the next phases of Lebanon's plan to place all weapons under state control. The talks are also expected to cover support for the Internal Security Forces (ISF) to strengthen their ability to maintain domestic security and ease pressure on the army. In parallel with preparations for the army support conference, Barrot continued discussions with Lebanese officials that he had started during visits to Iraq and Syria, focusing on the regional status of Iran's allies, a file that directly concerns Lebanon. In that context, Barrot reiterated France's longstanding position calling for weapons to be held exclusively by the Lebanese state, the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, and Israel's withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory. French officials also voiced support for separating a proposed civilian negotiation committee, designed to facilitate communication between Lebanon and Israel through U.S. mediation, from the existing military mechanism that oversees ceasefire implementation. France has signaled readiness to participate in the civilian committee, citing its historic role in Lebanon. Regarding the U.N. peacekeeping force in South Lebanon, the French side, like the United Nations, is still examining the nature of a potential alternative should UNIFIL withdraw. Barrot's talks in Beirut also addressed Lebanon's reform agenda, with France encouraging the government to move forward with reforms, particularly the passage of key legislation expected to pave the way for an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). France is seeking to convene a broader international conference to support Lebanon and postwar reconstruction, but officials have linked the timing of such a meeting to Lebanon reaching an IMF deal, as part of a broader path out of the country's economic crisis.

Prisoner transfer deal signals cautious thaw in Lebanese-Syrian relations
LBCI/February 07/2026
Lebanon and Syria have many unresolved issues, and officials from both countries consistently emphasize the need to address them. Resolving these issues requires extensive discussions and mutual concessions, with each side seeking to protect its own interests. The first step in this process is the signing of an agreement to transfer convicted prisoners from the country where the sentence was issued to the country of the prisoner’s nationality — from Lebanon to Syria. The agreement covers more than 300 Syrian convicts, with the handover process set to begin Saturday. Those included were convicted of various crimes. There are no exceptions to the transfer process, even if the offense is related to Lebanon’s state security. The sole condition for transfer is that the prisoners must have served long sentences, having completed at least 10 years of their term. This agreement is seen as an incentive to quickly reach another accord addressing the status of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons, whose number is estimated at around 2,500. In addition to this two-part file, another key issue for both countries has been discussed multiple times: the demarcation of land and maritime borders, and their security and economic implications.Lebanese-Syrian relations may be among the issues linked to regional developments, but they continue to suffer from stagnation and from the repercussions of relations maintained by some Lebanese parties with the former Syrian regime, which have yet to be fully resolved.

Lebanon’s FM calls prisoner transfer deal first step in reset with Syria
LBCI//February 07/2026
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji said the government’s approval of an agreement to transfer convicted Syrian prisoners marks the beginning of a broader effort to reset relations between Lebanon and Syria.
In a post on X, Rajji described the deal as “the first step” toward clearing and improving bilateral ties. He said Lebanon and Syria would continue cooperation on other key files, including the issue of missing Lebanese, the demarcation of land and maritime borders, advancing the safe return of Syrian refugees, and reviewing bilateral agreements in a way that serves the interests and sovereignty of both countries

Mahmoud Qomati: "We have turned the page on disagreements and are ready for dialogue". ...: Aoun and Salam succumbed to external dictates and are now trying to correct the course.
Al-Markazia/February 07/2026
The head of Hezbollah’s Political Council, Mahmoud Qomati, announced this Saturday: "We have turned the page on the recent disagreement with President Aoun, and we are always ready for dialogue." Qomati considered that "President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam were subject to external dictates in the previous stage," noting that "they are now trying to correct the course and address the errors resulting from those pressures."

Heikal discusses ongoing preparations for the Army Support Conference in France with Barrot
Al-Markazia/February 07/2026
The Commander of the Army, General Rudolf Heikal, received French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and an accompanying delegation at his office in Yarzeh, in the presence of the French Ambassador to Lebanon, Hervé Magro. The discussion covered general conditions and developments in Lebanon and the region, as well as the requirements needed to strengthen the army's capabilities. They also deliberated on the ongoing preparations for the conference to support the Lebanese Army, set to be held in France.

Moussa: "The Party" is ready to cooperate in implementing the second phase of arms containment
Al-Markazia/February 07/2026
Egyptian Ambassador Alaa Moussa confirmed that Egypt is in contact with all relevant parties responsible for the Lebanese Army Support Conference, noting that coordination with France is being carried out in detail to ensure the success of this process. In a televised interview, Moussa stressed that any Lebanese negotiator needs to possess "strength cards" to bolster their negotiating position, suggesting that the absence of such leverage would prevent Lebanon from achieving real gains. He explained that making progress in negotiations and reviving their mechanism requires new inputs, namely a cessation of Israeli violations and actual responsiveness regarding the five occupied points. Regarding the internal situation, the Egyptian Ambassador expressed his belief that "The Party" (Hezbollah) is ready to cooperate with the Lebanese Army to implement the second phase of the plan for the containment of weapons (centralization of arms). Since you are following developments regarding the "dismantling of Hezbollah’s grip on power" and US policy in Lebanon, would you like me to find recent official reactions from Washington regarding these specific statements on "arms containment" or the French-led Army Support Conference?

UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon Allege Surge in Israeli Violence toward Them
Asharq Al Awsat/February 07/2026
UN peacekeepers patrolling southern Lebanon have faced a dramatic surge of “aggressive behavior” by Israeli forces over the last year, including drone-dropped grenades and machine-gun fire, according to an internal report seen by The Associated Press.
The report by one of the 48 nations that together have more than 7,500 peacekeepers in southern Lebanon says the number of incidents jumped from just one in January to 27 in December. The hilly frontier zone where the UNIFIL force patrols has seen decades of cross-border violence. Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militants fought a full-scale war in 2024. The targeting of peacekeepers appears aimed at undermining the international force and strengthening Israel’s military footprint along the UN-drawn border with Lebanon, known as the Blue Line, the report alleges. It was shared with AP on condition that the news organization not identify the country whose peacekeepers compiled the findings for internal use by their senior command. Israel has long mistrusted UNIFIL, accusing it of failing to prevent Hezbollah from building up its military presence along the border in violation of ceasefire agreements going back two decades. The growing catalog of run-ins comes as a half-century of international peacekeeping efforts along the border face an uncertain future. UNIFIL’s mission is scheduled to end this year and US President Donald Trump ’s administration regards it as a waste of money.
Israel says it tries to reduce harm
In a statement to AP, the Israeli military said it “is not conducting a deterrence campaign against UNIFIL forces" and is working within accepted frameworks to dismantle Hezbollah, largely based in southern Lebanon. The military “takes steps to reduce harm to UNIFIL forces and other international actors operating in the area,” it said. UNIFIL said in a statement that “the number of attacks on or near peacekeepers, as well as aggressive behavior toward peacekeepers, have increased since September 2025,” with most of those incidents attributed to the Israeli military. “The majority of incidents do not involve physical harm to peacekeepers, but any action that interferes with our mandated activities is a matter of concern,” it said. The UN force has reported additional incidents this year. An Israeli tank opened fire with small-caliber bullets on a UNIFIL post on Jan. 16, it said. This week, it reported that a drone dropped a stun grenade that exploded in the vicinity of a peacekeeping patrol before flying toward Israeli territory.
Report details array of incidents
The report seen by AP details multiple instances in 2025 of grenades being dropped by Israeli drones near UNIFIL patrols, including an attack in October that wounded a peacekeeper, as well as machine-gun fire near UNIFIL positions. In some cases, UNIFIL vehicles were damaged.
The last four months of 2025 also saw a surge in incidents of direct fire at all targets from Israeli positions on both sides of the Blue Line, the report says. Such incidents spiked to 77 in December, up from just two in January, it says.
UNIFIL vehicles and positions are clearly marked as belonging to the UN, and Hezbollah militants have not maintained a visible presence or fired on Israeli forces in recent months. The report says “it cannot be excluded” that Israel is using the incidents to maintain a military presence north of the border and prevent people who have fled the zone from returning.
Israel-Hezbollah conflict
After the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas -led attack on Israel that triggered war in Gaza, Hezbollah began firing rockets from Lebanon into Israel in support of Hamas and the Palestinians. Israel responded with airstrikes and shelling. The low-level conflict escalated into full-scale war in September 2024, later reined in but not fully stopped by a US-brokered ceasefire two months later. Since then, Israel has accused Hezbollah of trying to rebuild in the south, in violation of the ceasefire, and has carried out near-daily strikes in Lebanon that it says target Hezbollah militants and facilities. Israeli forces also continue to occupy five hilltop points on the Lebanese side of the border. Hezbollah has claimed one strike against Israel since the ceasefire.
Spraying of chemicals spurs an outcry
The UN and Lebanon say Israeli forces dropped herbicide on Lebanese territory on Sunday, forcing a more than nine-hour pause in peacekeeping activities, including patrols. “The use of herbicides raises questions about the effects on local agricultural lands, and how this might impact the return of civilians to their homes and livelihoods in the long-term,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said. There was no Israeli comment. Dujarric added that “any activity” by the Israeli military north of the Blue Line violates a UN resolution adopted in 2006 that expanded the UNIFIL mission, in hopes of restoring peace to the area after a monthlong war between Israel and Hezbollah. Uncertain future for border area UNIFIL was created nearly five decades ago to oversee Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon after its troops invaded in 1978.
The UN Security Council voted last August to terminate its mission at the end of 2026. Israel had long sought an end to its mandate, saying UNIFIL failed to keep Hezbollah away from the border. Under the 2006 UN ceasefire, the Lebanese army was supposed to maintain security in the south with backing from UNIFIL and militants were to disarm. Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon have frequently accused UNIFIL of collusion with Israel and have sometimes attacked its patrols. The Lebanese government says UNIFIL serves a necessary purpose. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said in December that Lebanon will need a follow-up force to fill the vacuum and to help Lebanese troops along the border as they expand their presence there. In an AP interview this week, Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said several proposals are under discussion. One possibility is an expansion of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, or UNTSO, which maintains a small observer force in Lebanon. The European Union has also offered to contribute to an international observer force, he said. Whatever the arrangement, Mitri said: “We need a neutral, internationally mandated force to observe and make sure that whatever is agreed upon in negotiations is fully respected."

France to Rally Aid for Lebanon as It Warns Truce Gains Remain Fragile
Asharq Al Awsat/February 07/2026
France said on Friday that Lebanon's recovery remains precarious despite positive signs following a ceasefire and government transition, and it stood ready to support the country's reconstruction if it continues with reforms. French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, addressing reporters after meetings in Beirut with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and other top officials, said France was prepared to host a dedicated conference in Paris on reconstruction, but only if reforms continue, legislation is passed ‌and decisions ‌are implemented. While Lebanon has adopted ‌banking ⁠secrecy and ‌bank resolution laws, it must still complete restructuring, reach an IMF agreement and pass a loss-sharing law, Barrot said. He also urged swift action on Hezbollah disarmament and national reconciliation. Barrot said Lebanon had reached a crucial juncture in implementing the November 2024 truce with Israel, as well as restoring ⁠state authority over weapons and stabilizing a shattered financial system. France, the ‌country's former colonial power, plans ‍to mobilize international backing for ‍the Lebanese armed forces and internal security forces at ‍a separate conference scheduled for March 5 in Paris. "Lebanon must work to restore confidence - that of its citizens, businesses, depositors, and the diaspora," Barrot said. France's immediate focus was ensuring respect for the ceasefire, which he emphasized "implies that Israel withdraws from Lebanese territory, in accordance with its ⁠commitments, and that civilians are protected from strikes," alongside implementation by Lebanese authorities of an agreed-upon arms monopoly plan.Lebanon has pledged to bring all arms in the country under state control, in line with the 2024 agreement that ended a devastating war between Hezbollah and Israel, and has asserted control over areas of the country closest to the border with Israel. But Hezbollah has warned the government that pressing on with efforts to disarm ‌the group throughout the country would trigger chaos and possibly civil war.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 07-08/2026
Trump says US talks with Iran ‘very good,’ more negotiations expected
AFP/February 07/2026
Trump said Friday Washington held “very good talks” on Iran after the two sides held an indirect dialogue in Oman.
Iran for its part said it expected to hold more negotiations with the United States, hailing a “positive atmosphere” during a day of talks in the Gulf sultanate. With an American naval group led by an aircraft carrier in Middle Eastern waters, US and Iranian delegations held talks in Muscat mediated by Oman without publicly meeting face-to-face.
Shortly after the talks concluded, the US announced new sanctions against shipping entities and vessels, aimed at curbing Iran’s oil exports. But it was not clear if the move was linked to the talks. The talks were the first between the two foes since the United States joined Israel’s war with Iran in June with strikes on nuclear sites. “We likewise had very good talks on Iran,” Trump told reporters on board Air Force One en route to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, adding, “we’re going to meet again early next week.”
However, as Iran warned against further threats after Washington raised the spectre of new military action, Trump said: “If they don’t make a deal, the consequences are very steep.”Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led Iran’s delegation in Muscat, said talks “focused exclusively” on the Iranian nuclear program, which the West believes is aimed at making an atomic bomb but Tehran insists is peaceful.
The US delegation, led by Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s influential son-in-law Jared Kushner, had also wanted Tehran’s backing for militant groups, its ballistic missile program and treatment of protesters on the agenda. “In a very positive atmosphere, our arguments were exchanged and the views of the other side were shared with us,” Araghchi told Iranian state TV, adding that the two sides had “agreed to continue negotiations.”
Speaking to the official IRNA news agency, Araghchi expressed hope that Washington would refrain from “threats and pressure” so that “the talks can continue.”
‘Destabilizing power’
Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of US Central Command, was present at the talks, according to images published by the Oman News Agency.
Multiple sessions of talks in the morning and afternoon saw both sides shuttling to and from the residence of Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.
The foreign ministry of US ally Qatar expressed hope the talks would “lead to a comprehensive agreement that serves the interests of both parties and enhances security and stability in the region.”The White House has made clear it wants the talks to rein in Tehran’s ability to make a nuclear bomb, an ambition the Islamic republic has always denied. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Friday that Iran should stop being a “destabilizing power,” citing its nuclear program and support for “terrorist” groups. Barrot also called on “groups supported by Iran” to exert “the utmost restraint” in the event of any military escalation involving the Islamic republic.
‘Maximum pressure’
Trump initially threatened military action against Tehran over its crackdown on protesters last month, which rights groups say killed thousands, and even told demonstrators “help is on its way.”Regional powers including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar urged the United States not to intervene, calling on Washington and Tehran to instead return to talks. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said Friday it has confirmed 6,505 protesters were killed, as well as 214 members of the security forces and 61 bystanders. Those numbers are expected to climb because the magnitude of the crackdown has masked by the blanket internet shutdown imposed by the authorities for a fortnight, rights groups say. Almost 51,000 people are also confirmed to have been arrested amid “the growing use of forced confessions,” according to HRANA. Yet Trump’s rhetoric in recent days has focused on reining in the Iranian nuclear program and the US has maneuvered a naval group led by aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln into the region.
Iran has repeatedly vowed it will hit back at US bases in the region if attacked. The new sanctions to curb Iran’s oil exports come with Trump “committed to driving down the Iranian regime’s illicit oil and petrochemical exports under the administration’s maximum pressure campaign,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

Israel’s Netanyahu expected to meet Trump in US on Wednesday and discuss
Reuters/07 February/2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet US President Donald Trump on Wednesday in Washington, where they will discuss negotiations with Iran, Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday. Iranian and US officials held indirect nuclear talks in the Omani capital Muscat on Friday. Both sides said more talks were expected to be held again soon. A regional diplomat briefed by Tehran on the talks told Reuters Iran insisted on its “right to enrich uranium” during the negotiations with the US, and that Tehran’s missile capabilities were not raised in the discussions.
Iranian officials have ruled out putting Iran’s missiles - one of the largest such arsenals in the Middle East - up for discussion, and have said Tehran wants recognition of its right to enrich uranium. “The Prime Minister believes that any negotiations must include limiting ballistic missiles and halting support for the Iranian axis,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

Iran FM looks to more nuclear talks, but warns US
AFP/07 February/2026
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday he hoped talks with the United States would resume soon, while reiterating Tehran’s red lines and warning against any American attack. According to excerpts published on his official Telegram channel during an interview with Qatari media, Araghchi said that Iran’s missile program was “never negotiable” in Friday’s talks in Oman. He warned that Tehran would target US bases in the region if the US attacked Iranian territory. However, Araghchi also said that despite the talks in Muscat being indirect, “an opportunity arose to shake hands with the American delegation.” He called the talks “a good start,” but added that building trust would take time. He said the talks would resume “soon.” US President Donald Trump on Friday called the talks “very good,” and pledged another round of negotiations next week. Despite this, he signed an executive order effective from Saturday that called for the “imposition of tariffs” on countries still doing business with Iran. The United States also announced new sanctions against numerous shipping entities and vessels, aimed at curbing Iran’s oil exports. More than a quarter of Iran’s trade is with China, with $18 billion in imports and $14.5 billion in exports in 2024, according to World Trade Organization data. Araghchi said that nuclear enrichment was Iran’s “inalienable right and must continue.”
‘Defense issue’
“We are ready to reach a reassuring agreement on enrichment,” he said. “The Iranian nuclear case will only be resolved through negotiations.”He also said Iran’s missile program was “never negotiable” because it relates to a “defense issue.”Washington has sought to address Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for militant groups in the region - issues which Israel has pushed to include in the talks, according to media reports. Tehran has repeatedly rejected expanding the scope of the negotiations beyond the nuclear issue. Friday’s unprecedented talks between the two arch enemies came amid a major US military buildup in the region in the wake of Iran’s crackdown on protests that began in late December, driven by economic grievances. Aragchi warned that Iran “will attack their (US) bases in the region” if Washington targets Iranian territory. The negotiations were the first since nuclear talks between Iran and the United States collapsed last year following Israel’s unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, which triggered a 12-day war. During the war US warplanes bombed Iranian nuclear sites. Araghci said that if attacked again, “we will attack their bases in the region,” referring to the United States. The authorities in Iran have acknowledged that 3,117 people were killed in the recent protests, publishing on Sunday a list of 2,986 names, most of whom they say were members of the security forces and innocent bystanders. International organizations have put the toll far higher.

Top Trump Iran negotiator visits US aircraft carrier in Middle East
AFP, Washington/07 February/2026
US President Donald Trump’s lead Iran negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Saturday visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, the US military said, with Washington and Tehran due to hold further talks soon. The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said the two top officials visited the nuclear-powered vessel in a post on social media. In his own social media post, Witkoff said the aircraft carrier and its strike group was “keeping us safe and upholding President Trump’s message of peace through strength.”Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday he hoped talks with the United States would resume soon, while reiterating Tehran’s red lines and warning against any American attack. The two sides held a first round of indirect talks in Oman on Friday, with Araghchi terming them a “good start.” Trump also described the talks as “very good.” The USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the Middle East in January, as Trump ramped up threats against Iran over its crackdown on widespread anti-government protests. Friday’s negotiations were the first since nuclear talks between Iran and the United States collapsed last year following Israel’s unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, which triggered a 12-day war.During the war, US warplanes bombed Iranian nuclear sites.

‘Doctrine of Domination’: Iran’s FM criticizes Israel after nuclear talks with US
AFP/07 February/2026
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday criticized what he said was a “doctrine of domination” that allows Israel to expand its military arsenal while pressuring other countries in the region to disarm. His remarks came a day after renewed nuclear talks with Washington, with previous talks collapsing when Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran last June that triggered a 12-day war. Araghchi was speaking at a conference in Qatar but made no reference to Friday’s talks with the United States. “Israel’s expansionist project requires that neighboring countries be weakened: militarily, technologically, economically and socially,” Araghchi said. “Under this project Israel is free to expand its military arsenal without limits ... Yet other countries are demanded to disarm. Others are pressured to reduce defensive capacity. Others are punished for scientific progress,” he added.
“This is a doctrine of domination.” During the 12-day war Israel targeted senior Iranian military officials, nuclear scientists and sites as well as residential areas, with the US later launching its own attacks on key nuclear facilities. Iran responded at the time with drone and missile attacks on Israel, as well as by targeting the largest US military base in the Middle East, located in Qatar. On Friday, Araghchi led the Iranian delegation in indirect nuclear talks with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in Muscat. The top Iranian diplomat later described the atmosphere as having been “very positive,” while US President Donald Trump said the talks were “very good,” with both sides agreeing to proceed with further negotiations. The talks followed threats from Washington and its recent deployment of an aircraft carrier group to the region following Iran’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protests last month. The United States has sought to address Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for militant groups in the region -- issues which Israel has pushed to include in the talks, according to media reports. Tehran has repeatedly rejected expanding the scope of negotiations beyond the nuclear issue.

Iran arrests 11 suspected members of Kurdish group over ‘sabotage’
AFP/07 February/2026
Iranian authorities have arrested 11 members of an outlawed Kurdish group on suspicion of committing acts of sabotage, state television said on Saturday. The arrest of the 11 alleged members of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) – considered a terrorist group in Iran – comes in the wake of mass anti-government protests in which thousands of people, including security forces, were killed last month. Since its formation in 2004, PJAK – an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) – has staged operations against the Iranian military. The 11 people arrested in west Iran were “in direct contact with PJAK elements, seeking to launch sabotage actions and to disturb the population’s security,” the Fars news agency said. “They were identified and arrested before they were able to commit the act,” it added, citing Mohsen Karimi, a regional commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Both Turkey and the United States also consider PJAK to be a terrorist organization. Iranian authorities have said that the majority of those killed during January’s protests were members of the security forces or bystanders targeted by “terrorists” acting on behalf of Tehran’s arch-foes the United States and Israel. However, rights groups based abroad have accused Iranian security forces of deliberately targeting protesters.

Iran army reports fire at Tehran barracks, says blaze contained, no injuries
Agencies/07 February/2026
A fire erupted at a wood workshop located within the grounds of a military barracks in Iran’s capital on Friday, the army said in a statement. The blaze was contained and no injuries have been reported, the army added, as it blamed an electrical fault for the fire.“The fire was brought under control when firefighting teams arrived on time,” said the statement, which was carried by official media.Earlier this week, a fire broke out at a bazaar west of Tehran, with rescuers bringing it under control. The fire on Tuesday did not result in any injuries, rescuers had said at the time. Fires and explosions in Iran have often provoked fears of possible attacks by Israel or the United States, after Israel attacked Iran in a 12-day air war in June which the United States briefly joined, pounding key nuclear installations and killing top military commanders and nuclear scientists.

Ramadan nears: Israel weighs timing of possible US strike on Iran
LBCI/February 07/2026
With Ramadan expected to begin in about 10 days, Israeli officials are increasingly focused on whether a possible U.S. military strike on Iran would come before or after the holy month, according to assessments circulating in Tel Aviv. The renewed speculation follows remarks attributed to Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who previously spoke of a timeframe ranging from two weeks to two months for a potential U.S. strike, after what the report described as confidential talks in Washington. In Tel Aviv, the prevailing view remains that a strike is likely, with some arguing that President Donald Trump's administration's push toward negotiations is largely intended to demonstrate that diplomatic efforts have been exhausted, thereby providing political justification for a broader military operation against Iran. While the timing remains uncertain, the majority expectation in Israel is that any strike would take place after Ramadan, aligning with the longer, two-month window Zamir referenced. According to the report, the calculations also take into account plans by the U.S. administration during Ramadan to convene a "Peace Council" in Washington on February 19. Trump announced the body as part of the second phase of his Gaza plan, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to take part in its launch. The report noted that this political atmosphere contrasts with assessments by security and military officials familiar with U.S.-Israeli discussions, who anticipate that the Oman negotiations could succeed if they remain limited to Iran's nuclear program. Regardless of timing, Israel has kept a high level of alert in place and continues preparations across multiple fronts, the report said. As a second round of talks approaches, Israeli officials are also continuing to review and finalize war plans for Iran, moving toward formal approval. According to the report, if any agreement between Washington and Tehran is confined solely to the nuclear file, Israel may still move to carry out its own strike targeting Iran's ballistic missile program — including missile stockpiles, storage sites and launch platforms — to undermine Iran's ability to manufacture such weapons. The report added that Israeli officials do not believe their air force alone could achieve the goal of toppling Iran's ruling system.

Thousands protest in Berlin in solidarity with Iranian uprisings
LBCI/February 07/2026
Thousands of people protested in Berlin on Saturday in support of Iranians' nationwide uprising, coinciding with the anniversary of Iran's 1979 anti-monarchy revolution. The rally follows nationwide protests in Iran, which started in December over economic hardships and quickly turned political and were repressed in the most violent crackdown since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.Around 8,000 were gathered at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate at 1300 GMT, the Berlin police told Reuters, adding that 20,000 had registered to attend. Reuters

Italy FM rules out joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’
AFP/07 February/2026
Italy will not take part in US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Saturday, citing “insurmountable” constitutional issues. Trump launched his “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January and some 19 countries have signed its founding charter. But Italy’s constitution bars the country from joining an organization led by a single foreign leader. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a Trump ally, last month noted “constitutional problems” with joining, but suggested Trump could perhaps reopen the framework “to meet the needs not only of Italy, but also of other European countries.”Tajani appeared Saturday to rule that out.“We cannot participate in the Board of Peace because there is a constitutional limit,” he told the ANSA news agency. “This is insurmountable from a legal standpoint,” he said, the day after meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Vice President JD Vance at the Olympics in Milan. Although originally meant to oversee Gaza’s rebuilding, the board’s charter does not limit its role to the Palestinian territory and appears to want to rival the United Nations. Key US allies, including France and Britain, have expressed doubts about joining.

US plans meeting for Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ in Washington: Report
Reuters/07 February/2026
The White House is planning the first leaders meeting for President Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” in relation to Gaza on February 19, Axios reported on Friday, citing a US official and diplomats from four countries that are on the board. The plans for the meeting, which would also be a fundraising conference for Gaza reconstruction, are in early stages and could still change, Axios reported. The meeting is planned to be held at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, the report added, noting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House on February 18, a day before the planned meeting. The White House and the US State Department did not respond to requests for comment. In late January, Trump launched the board that he will chair and which he says will aim to resolve global conflicts, leading to many experts being concerned that such a board could undermine the United Nations. Governments around the world have reacted cautiously to Trump’s invitation to join that initiative. While some of Washington’s Middle Eastern allies have joined, many of its traditional Western allies have thus far stayed away.
A UN Security Council resolution, adopted in mid-November, authorized the board and countries working with it to establish an international stabilization force in Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire began in October under a Trump plan on which Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas signed off.
Under Trump’s Gaza plan revealed late last year, the board was meant to supervise Gaza’s temporary governance. Trump thereafter said it would be expanded to tackle global conflicts. Many rights experts say that Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory’s affairs resembled a colonial structure and have criticized the board for not including a Palestinian. The fragile ceasefire in Gaza has been repeatedly violated, with over 550 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers reported killed since the truce began in October. Israel’s assault on Gaza since late 2023 has killed over 71,000 Palestinians, caused a hunger crisis and internally displaced Gaza’s entire population. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a UN inquiry say it amounts to genocide. Israel calls its actions self-defense after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages in a late 2023 attack.

Zelenskyy says US gave Ukraine and Russia June deadline to end war
The Associated Press/07 February/2026
The US has given Ukraine and Russia a June deadline to reach a deal to end the nearly four year war, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters, as Russian strikes on energy infrastructure forced nuclear power plants to cut output on Saturday. If the June deadline is not met, the Trump administration will likely put pressure on both sides to meet it, he added. “The Americans are proposing the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer and will probably put pressure on the parties precisely according to this schedule,” Zelenskyy said, speaking to reporters on Friday. Zelenskyy’s comments were embargoed until Saturday morning. “And they say that they want to do everything by June. And they will do everything to end the war. And they want a clear schedule of all events,” he said. He said the US proposed holding the next round of trilateral talks next week in their country for the first time, likely in Miami, Zelenskyy said. “We confirmed our participation,” he added. Zelenskyy said Russia presented the US with a $12 trillion economic proposal — which he dubbed the “Dmitriev package” after Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Bilateral economic deals with the US form part of the broader negotiating process.
Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure continued with over 400 drones and about 40 missiles launched overnight Saturday, Zelenskyy said in a post on X. Targets included the energy grid, generation facilities and distribution networks. Ukrenergo, the state energy transmission operator, said the attack was the second mass strike on energy infrastructure since the start of the year, forcing nuclear power plants to reduce output. Eight facilities in eight regions came under attack, it said in a statement. “As a result of missile strikes on key high-voltage substations that ensured the output of nuclear power units, all nuclear power plants in the territories under control were forced to reduce their load,” the statement said. It said the power deficit in the country has increased “significantly” as a result of the attacks forcing an extension of hourly power outages in all regions of Ukraine. The latest deadline follows US-brokered trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi that produced no breakthrough as the warring parties cling to mutually exclusive demands. Russia is pressing Ukraine to withdraw from the Donbas, where fighting remains intense — a condition Kyiv says it will never accept.
“Difficult issues remained difficult. Ukraine once again confirmed its positions on the Donbas issue. ‘We stand where we stand’ is the fairest and most reliable model for a ceasefire today, in our opinion,” Zelenskyy said. He reiterated that the most challenging topics would be reserved for a trilateral meeting between leaders. Zelenskyy said no common ground was reached on managing the Russian held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and expressed skepticism about a US proposal to turn the Donbas region, coveted by Russia, into a free economic zone as a compromise. “I do not know whether this can be implemented, because when we talked about a free economic zone, we had different views on it,” he said. He said in the last round of talks the negotiators discussed how a ceasefire would be technically monitored. He added that the US has reaffirmed it would play a role in that process. Repeated Russian aerial assaults have in recent months focused on Ukraine’s power grid , causing blackouts and disrupting the heating and water supply for families during a bitterly cold winter, putting more pressure on Kyiv. Zelenskyy said the US again proposed a ceasefire banning strikes on energy infrastructure. Ukraine is ready to observe such a pause if Russia commits; but he added that when Moscow previously agreed to a one-week pause suggested by the US, it was violated after just four days.

Algeria begins to cancel air services agreement with UAE
LBCI/February 07/2026
Algeria has begun the process of cancelling its air services agreement with the United Arab Emirates, signed in Abu Dhabi in May 2013, state media said on Saturday. It gave no immediate reason for the move, but Algerian media outlets have strongly criticized the UAE in recent months, accusing it of attempting to sow regional discord. "Algeria has initiated procedures to terminate the air services agreement with the United Arab Emirates, signed in Abu Dhabi on 13 May 2013 and ratified by a presidential decree dated 30 December 2014," the North African country's state-owned radio said."Under Article 22 of the agreement, the Emirati side must be formally notified of the termination through diplomatic channels. The Secretary-General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will also be notified to undertake the necessary procedures within the organization."
There was no immediate comment from the UAE. Reuters

Saudi Arabia announces major new Syria investments
Reuters/ 07 February/2026
Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday a major investment package in Syria spanning energy, aviation, real estate and telecommunications. Saudi Arabia launched an investment fund in Syria that will commit 7.5 billion Saudi riyals ($2 billion) to develop two airports in the Syrian city of Aleppo over multiple phases, Saudi Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Saturday. The Elaf Fund aims to finance large-scale projects in Syria with participation from Saudi private-sector investors, al-Falih added. In civil aviation, Saudi budget carrier flynas and the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority signed an agreement to establish a new airline, “flynas Syria.”The joint venture will be 51 percent owned by the Syrian side and 49 percent by flynas, with operations expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, the company said. Saudi Arabia’s largest telecoms operator STC will also invest more than three billion riyals ($799.96 million) to “strengthen telecommunications infrastructure and connect Syria regionally and internationally through a fiber-optic network extending over more than 4,500 kilometers,” according to the state news agency. The latest investments mark the largest such announcement since the US lifted sanctions on Syria in December. “We commend the Saudi-Syrian investment agreements announced this week. Strategic partnerships in aviation, infrastructure, and telecommunications will contribute meaningfully to Syria’s reconstruction efforts,” Tom Barrack, the US envoy to Syria, said on X. Last year, Riyadh announced $6.4 billion of investments, split into 47 deals with more than 100 Saudi companies working in real estate, infrastructure and telecoms.The two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding and a joint development agreement with Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power and the Saudi Water Transmission Company, setting out a roadmap for cooperation in the water sector. “We have drawn up plans to establish a seawater desalination plant, with the aim of delivering fresh water from the Syrian coast to the south of the country,” said Syria’s Energy Minister Mohamed al-Bashir.

Over 2,200 ISIS detainees transferred to Iraq from Syria: Iraqi official
AFP/07 February/2026
Iraq has so far received 2,225 ISIS group detainees, whom the US military began transferring from Syria last month, an Iraqi official told AFP on Saturday. They are among up to 7,000 ISIS detainees whose transfer from Syria to Iraq the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced last month, in a move it said was aimed at “ensuring that the terrorists remain in secure detention facilities.”Previously, they had been held in prisons and camps administered by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria. The announcement of the transfer plan last month came after US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack declared that the SDF’s role in confronting ISIS had come to an end. Saad Maan, head of the security information cell attached to the Iraqi prime minister’s office, told AFP on Saturday that “Iraq has received 2,225 terrorists from the Syrian side by land and air, in coordination with the international coalition,” which Washington has led since 2014 to fight ISIS. He said they are being held in “strict, regular detention centers.”A Kurdish military source confirmed to AFP the “continued transfer of ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq under the protection of the international coalition,” using another name for ISIS. On Saturday, an AFP photographer near the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria saw a US military convoy and 11 buses with tinted windows.
Iraq calls for repatriation
ISIS seized swathes of northern and western Iraq starting in 2014, until Iraqi forces, backed by the international coalition, managed to defeat it in 2017. Iraq is still recovering from the severe abuses committed by the extremists.
In recent years, Iraqi courts have issued death and life sentences against those convicted of terrorism offences. Thousands of Iraqis and foreign nationals convicted of membership in the group are incarcerated in Iraqi prisons. On Monday, the Iraqi judiciary announced it had begun investigative procedures involving 1,387 detainees it received as part of the US military’s operation. In a statement to the Iraqi News Agency on Saturday, Maan said “the established principle is to try all those involved in crimes against Iraqis and those belonging to the terrorist ISIS organization before the competent Iraqi courts.”Among the detainees being transferred to Iraq are Syrians, Iraqis, Europeans and holders of other nationalities, according to Iraqi security sources. Iraq is calling on the concerned countries to repatriate their citizens and ensure their prosecution. Maan noted that “the process of handing over the terrorists to their countries will begin once the legal requirements are completed.”

France opens probe against ex-culture minister lang after Epstein file dump
Reuters/07 February/2026
The French Financial Prosecutor’s Office said on Saturday it had opened an investigation into former culture minister Jack Lang and his daughter Caroline on suspicion of ‘aggravated tax fraud laundering,’ a move that follows the release of files linked to late convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Pressure is rising on Lang to resign as president of the Arab World Institute in Paris since files released on January 30 by the US Department of Justice showed Epstein and Lang corresponding intermittently between 2012 and 2019, when the financier died by suicide in jail. French media including Le Monde, Le Figaro and Mediapart said the preliminary investigation had been opened after the US documents revealed years of correspondence and financial links between Lang and Epstein. The office confirmed the investigation but did not provide further details. Jack Lang has been summoned to report on Sunday to the Foreign Ministry, which supervises the Arab World Institute, a cultural and research institution that promotes understanding of the Arab world. Lang said on X that he welcomed the investigation “with serenity and even relief.”“It will allow all the light to be shed on accusations attacking my integrity and my honor,” he added. “The accusations levelled against me are baseless, and I will demonstrate this, beyond the sound and fury of the media and digital courts.” Lang’s name appears more than 600 times in the Epstein files, according to a Reuters review of them. On Monday, Caroline Lang, a long-time media executive, resigned as head of France’s Independent Production Union after her own links to Epstein surfaced. Jack Lang’s lawyer told BFM TV that he would “prove that he is not involved in any malpractice or criminal offence.”“There has been no movement of funds ... But I think it is normal for the justice to want to verify this,” Laurent Merlet said. The file dump has heightened scrutiny of Epstein’s global connections with public figures including Britain’s Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor - the younger brother of King Charles - Peter Mandelson, the former UK ambassador to the United States and Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit.

The Latest LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 07-08/2026
Question: What does it mean that believers are to be salt and light (Matthew 05:13-16)
GotQuestions.org/February 07/2026
Answer: Jesus used the concepts of salt and light a number of different times to refer to the role of His followers in the world. One example is found in Matthew 5:13: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Salt had two purposes in the Middle East of the first century. Because of the lack of refrigeration, salt was used to preserve food, especially meat, which would quickly spoil in the desert environment. Believers in Christ are preservatives to the world, preserving it from the evil inherent in the society of ungodly men whose unredeemed natures are corrupted by sin (Psalm 14:3; Romans 8:8).
Second, salt was used then, as now, as a flavor enhancer. In the same way that salt enhances the flavor of the food it seasons, the followers of Christ stand out as those who “enhance” the flavor of life in this world. Christians, living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in obedience to Christ, will inevitably influence the world for good, as salt has a positive influence on the flavor of the food it seasons. Where there is strife, we are to be peacemakers; where there is sorrow, we are to be the ministers of Christ, binding up wounds, and where there is hatred, we are to exemplify the love of God in Christ, returning good for evil (Luke 6:35).
In the analogy of light to the world, the good works of Christ’s followers are to shine for all to see. The following verses in Matthew 5 highlight this truth: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16, NASB). The idea here is similar—the presence of light in darkness is something that is unmistakable. The presence of Christians in the world must be like a light in the darkness, not only in the sense that the truth of God’s Word brings light to the darkened hearts of sinful man (John 1:1-10), but also in the sense that our good deeds must be evident for all to see. And indeed, our deeds will be evident if they are performed in accordance with the other principles that Jesus mentions in this passage, such as the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-11. Notice especially that the concern is not that Christians would stand out for their own sake, but that those who looked on might “glorify your Father who is in heaven” (v. 16, KJV).
In view of these verses, what sorts of things can hinder or prevent the Christian from fulfilling his or her role as salt and light in the world? The passage clearly states that the difference between the Christian and the world must be preserved; therefore, any choice on our part that blurs the distinction between us and the rest of the world is a step in the wrong direction. This can happen either through a choice to accept the ways of the world for the sake of comfort or convenience or to contravene the law of obedience to Christ.
Mark 9:50 suggests that saltiness can be lost specifically through a lack of peace with one another; this follows from the command to “have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” And in Luke 14:34-35, we find a reference to the metaphor of salt once again, this time in the context of obedient discipleship to Jesus Christ. The loss of saltiness occurs in the failure of the Christian to daily take up the cross and follow Christ wholeheartedly.
It seems, then, that the role of the Christian as salt and light in the world may be hindered or prevented through any choice to compromise or settle for that which is more convenient or comfortable, rather than that which is truly best and pleasing to the Lord. Moreover, the status of salt and light is something that follows naturally from the Christian’s humble obedience to the commandments of Christ. It is when we depart from the Spirit-led lifestyle of genuine discipleship that the distinctions between ourselves and the rest of the world become blurred and our testimony is hindered. Only by remaining focused on Christ and being obedient to Him can we expect to remain salt and light in the world.

Italy, Saudi Arabia share a vision based on dialogue, accountability
Guido Crosetto/Arab News/February 07/2026
We are living in a time when we can no longer read the relationships between states through a partial lens or past schemes. Security, economic growth, technological innovation, energy transition, and cultural exchange are the dimensions of a single system. The relationship between Italy and Saudi Arabia takes place within this integrated perspective: a mature dialogue, based on reciprocal accountability and projected toward a common vision of stability and growth. For Italy, the Kingdom is an important interlocutor in the connection area linking Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In an international scenario marked by tensions, competition between powers and new hybrid threats, the dialogue between responsible nations is a collective security factor. It is not just a question of bilateral cooperation, but a contribution to regional stability, protection of energy supply and trade routes, maritime security, and the fight against terrorism and transnational criminal networks. Within this context, cooperation between Italy and Saudi Arabia assumes also a broader political meaning, fostering the conditions for peace and stability in the Middle East.
Supporting de-escalation and dialogue pathways is essential in regions currently characterized by deep fragility such as Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria, as well as to guarantee the success of US-Iran negotiations. The latter is a crucial step to prevent further regional escalations. In this perspective, dialogue between responsible partners contributes to create opportunities for diplomacy and the conditions necessary for stability. Cooperation in the defense sector fits this framework. For Italy, the staple of defense is a fundamental principle: Security is a global public asset. Strengthening our prevention, protection, and crisis response capabilities means reducing instability, disincentivizing conflicts, and protecting civilians, infrastructures, and trade. Saudi Arabia and Italy are aware that modern, trained armed forces, equipped with advanced technology are not instruments for confrontation, but for deterrence and stability.
Within this framework, cooperation between the defense industries of our two countries is an asset of strategic and industrial value. Italy boasts a highly specialized industrial system, in which technological excellence joins manufacturing quality and the capacity for integration between major industrial groups and the supply chains of small and medium enterprises. Our relationship with the Saudi industrial sector is not exclusively a commercial one, but a genuine pathway to partnership including transfer of know-how, training, joint technological development, and creating shared value. This is how lasting relations are established, based on trust and common objectives.
We must keep an open channel for discussion and be true to our vision.
Defense, however, is not an isolated sector. Technologies developed for military use — from space to cybersecurity, from autonomous systems to advanced materials — result in significant returns for the civilian sector. Technological cooperation between Italy and Saudi Arabia can become a multiplier for innovation in key sectors such as artificial intelligence, critical infrastructure protection, data management, energy, and environmental security. Investing together in R&D will prepare our economies to tackle future challenges. The Kingdom today is one of the most dynamic, transformative global markets. Major modernization programs and economic diversification are opening significant opportunities for the Italian economic system: infrastructures, design, engineering, agro-industry, aerospace, and green technologies. Italian companies are appreciated for the quality of their products as well as their offer of integrated, sustainable solutions, and their high creativity content. In this regard, the economic dimension of our bilateral relationship is an integral part of our strategic partnership.
Energy cooperation is a further pillar: In the current phase of global transition, the security of supplies, development of renewable sources and access to strategic and critical raw materials must move forward together. Italy and Saudi Arabia can collaborate both to guarantee traditional market stability and speed up innovation on hydrogen, CO2 capture technologies, energy efficiency, smart networks, and critical mineral supply chains, in which Saudi Arabia is increasingly investing while promoting international initiatives and forums. We can turn energy and resources from vulnerability factors into a terrain for cooperation and reciprocal trust.
The role of tourism and cultural exchanges goes beyond the economic sector. Knowing each other means reducing distance, overcoming stereotypes, and building bridges between civil societies. Italy, with its historical, artistic, and environmental heritage, and Saudi Arabia, with its incredible cultural wealth and the enhancement of new hubs for tourism, can develop bidirectional flows involving collaboration and exchange at academic and research center level. Our new generations are our actual long-term strategic investment.
A key word is fundamental to our relationship: accountability.
Accountability means working in full transparency, complying with international law, focusing on regional stability and the impact on our peoples. It means understanding that technological and economic power must always proceed shoulder to shoulder with a wise political vision. Italy and Saudi Arabia, regardless of their different history and systems, today share the will to play a constructive role in a complex global scenario.
Finally, vision is what turns cooperation into a shared project. It is not about managing what already exists, but of imagining the future together: safer, more sustainable cities, resilient infrastructures, diversified economies, societies open to innovation. Along this track, constant discussion between institutions, industries, and the scientific community is the main tool.
Italy and Saudi Arabia are proving that it is possible to build a relationship which joins security and development, industry and culture, national interests, and international accountability. We must continue on this path to tackle a more uncertain world: keep an open channel for discussion, and be true to our vision.
• Guido Crosetto is Defense Minister of Italy. X: @GuidoCrosetto

Iran facing its most severe set of challenges
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/February 07/2026
Iran and the US are on the brink of a direct confrontation, and considering the American military buildup in the Gulf and the wider region, this could result in a much broader round of hostilities, ending in a regional escalation and possibly regime change. It may make the US military intervention in Iran last June in support of Israel appear a mere prelude to something much bigger. Back then, the US carried out short and precise airstrikes against Iranian nuclear sites. The message to Tehran appears uncompromising: Accept Washington’s negotiation conditions or face severe military consequences. The message might have been more effective when huge crowds of anti-regime protesters took to the streets across Iran early last month.
Washington’s approach presupposes, and dangerously so, that there is enough pragmatism among the Iranian leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, not to test Washington’s resolve by rejecting the Trump administration’s demands. So far, the Iranian leadership’s response to this could be seen as either contradictory or complementary. While Khamenei warned that any US attack on his regime would ignite a “regional war,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Iran is ready to negotiate with the US after requests from “friendly governments in the region” to respond to a proposal for talks. Furthermore, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the media that he was “confident that we can achieve a deal” with the US on Tehran’s nuclear program.
One of the countries with the most interest in this development, Israel, reacted with skepticism. Its Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen Eyal Zamir, traveled to Washington last week to coordinate with the Americans in case of a military operation against Iran, which could likely end in Iran retaliating against Israel. To state the obvious, there is complete distrust in Israel regarding Iranian intentions, and vice versa, and the working assumption in Israel is that Tehran will be unable to accept all or even most of the American demands and instead will enter negotiations with no intention of reaching a conclusion. During meetings in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, to be wary of Iran’s promises, claiming that Tehran would not honor them. Israel believes that Iran is using delaying tactics in the hope that the moment for the US to use military force against it will pass, and other issues on the saturated international agenda, plus the short attention span of the current administration, will divert Washington’s focus elsewhere. Objectively, the Iranian regime enters these negotiations from a position of weakness, which paradoxically makes it both dangerous and vulnerable. Over the last two years, its so-called Axis of Resistance has suffered severe setbacks, whether for Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and to a certain extent the Houthis in Yemen. It lost Syria as a major ally with the fall of the Assad regime, and the recent popular uprising in Iran demonstrated the extent of discontent with the regime among broad segments of Iranian society. The use of excessive force, which reportedly left many thousands dead or injured, and mass arrests in suppressing the uprising has further eroded the legitimacy of the Iranian leadership. However, this also means it is a regime that fights for its survival, something that has always been its primary motto, more than ideology. This might result in it turning against neighboring countries in a bid to save itself at home. When Tehran says it is ready to negotiate, it is referring to the nuclear issue.
The dilemma under these circumstances for the leadership in Tehran is that if it refuses to accept the main elements of a deal as demanded by the US, it risks a war with a superior military power, which could also bring renewed discontent inside the country. However, to accept such a deal and be seen as weak at home and abroad could open deep rifts between the pragmatic and the hard-line elements in the regime. When Tehran says it is ready to negotiate, it is referring to the nuclear issue, while refusing, as the White House has repeatedly demanded, to discuss topics such as its ballistic missiles or support of its proxies, which it sees as interference in its legitimate affairs. Some sources in Iran have argued that the country could show flexibility on uranium enrichment, possibly handing over its 400 kg of highly enriched uranium, but nothing beyond this. With the main protagonists disagreeing on the agenda for their meetings, and even the venue becoming a point of contention, the risk of confrontation, even accidental or unintentional, remains high. Last Wednesday, an Iranian drone described by a US military source as “aggressively approaching” an American aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea was shot down. Moreover, the US military deployment in the region, referred to by Trump as an “armada,” has been an explicit declaration of intent. If Iran rejects the main American demands, it leaves relatively little room for the US to make a U-turn and not use force, as that might be regarded as losing both deterrence and credibility. The best-case scenario is that the negotiators reach an agreement for Iran to halt uranium enrichment and ballistic missile development, while agreeing to refrain from intervening in other countries’ affairs, which is not likely. Hence, if the discussions reach a stalemate and the US decides to attack Iran, it still leaves open the question of the nature and scope of such a military operation. It could resort to surgical attacks that target the military bases of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the Basij unit, in the hope that the regime then agrees to a deal or collapses. The Iranian government could retaliate by targeting US forces and neighbors as far away as Israel, which would drag the latter into such a war. Such a scenario would affect the entire region, particularly if civilian populations and energy production facilities are hit, which would also affect the global economy.
Should the regime in Iran collapse, it would not necessarily guarantee a more accommodating and liberal government; instead, it might lead to a prolonged period of chaos, adding to regional uncertainty. To be sure, the Iranian revolution is facing its most severe set of challenges, both domestically and externally, and they require careful handling.
• Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. X: @YMekelberg

Culture and heritage are driving regional economic growth
Zaid M. Belbagi/Arab News/February 07/2026
The Middle East and North Africa is one of the world’s most culturally dense regions, where history is embedded in cityscapes, architecture, social practices, and everyday livelihoods. From ancient trade routes to living traditions passed through generations, heritage is not confined to the past. It continues to shape daily life and collective identity. This reality is driving a quiet but profound shift, one that positions culture and heritage as essential economic infrastructure. The cultural capital, from architecture to creative industries and local communities, is a strong engine of economic diversification across the region. Morocco’s tourism performance in 2025 signals a clear upward trajectory. The kingdom welcomed over 15 million visitors, generating about $13.5 billion in revenue, a 14 percent year-on-year increase. Egypt received 19 million arrivals, up 21 percent, with tourism now contributing more than 4.7 percent to gross domestic product. The UAE recorded 25.2 million hotel guests in 2022, with travel and tourism representing 9 percent of GDP. These confirm the Arab world as one of the fastest-growing tourism regions. But the more significant development is not the scale of growth but its strategic direction. Across the region, policymakers and investors are pivoting from volume-based competition toward value-based models centered on quality of experience and per-visitor spending.
This transition is grounded in an empirical reality as cultural tourism generates superior economic returns. In Morocco, about 60 percent of visitors cite culture and heritage as central motivations for their trips. These culturally motivated travelers typically stay longer, spend more per day, and develop stronger place attachment than conventional leisure tourists. They are also more likely to return and recommend destinations within their networks.
The reconceptualization of heritage as economic infrastructure is transforming Saudi Arabia’s tourism landscape. One prominent example is AlUla, the pearl of the desert, combining conservation with strategic investment, generating demand for local services, skilled guides, artisans, and hospitality. Overseen by the Public Investment Fund, the Royal Commission for AlUla is driving a $1.6 billion development pipeline, aiming for 1 million visitors by 2030 and 2 million thereafter. The impact is already visible across the sector.
By Q3 2025, over 1 million Saudis were employed in tourism, a 6.4 percent increase from the previous year. Sustainability remains central, with eco-lodges and managed trails ensuring that heritage continues to deliver long-term economic value. In Egypt, the Grand Egyptian Museum alone is expected to attract up to 7 million additional visitors annually, highlighting the strong regional potential of heritage-based tourism.
The Gulf states have extended this logic beyond preservation and monuments into the realm of contemporary cultural production. For much of the 20th century, Arab popular culture revolved around Cairo’s cinema and Beirut’s music. Today, the center of gravity is shifting. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar are emerging as vibrant hubs of the creative economy, with spaces such as Alserkal Avenue, Dubai’s premier arts district, and Doha Design District at the heart of Msheireb Downtown Doha leading the way.
Saudi Arabia now hosts MDLBeast Soundstorm, one of the world’s largest music festivals, alongside Riyadh Season, a months-long cultural and entertainment program that draws millions of visitors annually. Additionally, the Red Sea International Film Festival is positioning the Kingdom as a key player in global cinema. In Qatar, the Doha Film Institute has emerged as a champion of independent Arab storytelling. Similarly, in Abu Dhabi, the twofour54 media zone has succeeded in attracting major Hollywood productions.
From ancient trade routes to living traditions passed through generations, heritage is not confined to the past.
The economic implications are significant. UNESCO estimates that culture and creative industries account for 6.1 percent of the global economy, worth $4.3 trillion annually, and support more than 50 million jobs worldwide. For the Gulf states, these sectors offer a credible pathway to economic diversification, enriching tourism experiences, and projecting soft power. Culture, in this sense, becomes both an economic asset and a geopolitical instrument.
This experience-based model is not without risks. Tourism developments that operate as enclaves, disconnected from local communities, can generate resentment rather than shared prosperity, eroding the social license needed for long-term growth. Heritage sites monetized without adequate protection risk becoming commodified, losing the authenticity visitors seek. High entrance fees can exacerbate this perception.
A notable example is Al-Azhar Park, redeveloped by the Aga Khan Foundation, which charges 40 Egyptian pounds ($.85), rendering Cairo’s second-largest green space too expensive for the local population to visit. Additionally, sustainability branding, when unsupported by credible certification and enforcement, loses traction with discerning travelers. Long-term competitiveness depends on governance decisions that include building skilled employment pathways, enforcing environmental limits and coordinating policies across culture, environment, transport, and infrastructure authorities.
Another strategic opportunity lies in regional integration. Cross-border cultural initiatives could revive ancient trade routes as shared heritage corridors, link Mediterranean cities through layered historical narratives, or connect Islamic, Christian and Jewish sites into pluralistic stories of coexistence. Cities such as Marrakech, where Muslims, Berbers, Arabs, Jews, Christians, and Andalusians have left enduring marks, from the historic medina to the Jewish cemeteries and synagogues, embody this rich cultural mosaic. In an era where soft power increasingly flows through storytelling, the region’s cultural memory represents both economic potential and strategic influence.
What is unfolding across the MENA region is a deeper reconceptualization of tourism’s role in economic development. The shift from volume to value reflects a more sophisticated understanding of competitiveness, one that treats cultural differentiation as a renewable advantage rather than a finite resource. Investments in heritage sites, cultural institutions, creative industries and enabling infrastructure are, in effect, long-term bets that culture can drive growth without hollowing out the very authenticity on which it depends.
Early signals are encouraging. Rising per-visitor spending, longer stays, improved global competitiveness rankings, and increasing public and private capital flows show that the strategic reorientation is gaining momentum. The region’s vast cultural endowment offers a strong foundation. Whether it becomes a lasting advantage will depend on whether governance, investment discipline, and operational capacity can match the scale of ambition.
**Zaid M. Belbagi is a political commentator and an adviser to private clients between London and the Gulf Cooperation Council. X: @Moulay_Zaid

Japan, China roll out red carpet for UK leader
Andrew Hammond/Arab News/February 07/2026
Keir Starmer faces mounting domestic policy challenges at home, so it was no surprise the UK prime minister welcomed the opportunity of a visit to Tokyo and Beijing — a road trip that allowed him to focus on foreign policy.
Starmer’s first trip as UK premier to Japan and China was as important as it was timely. In Japan, he met with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi whose Liberal Democratic Party is poised to make striking gains in an important snap election on Sunday that could be a gamechanger for the country’s politics.
In Tokyo, Starmer was told that bilateral relations are the “strongest in decades.” The two leaders agreed to strengthen collective security across the Atlantic and Asia-Pacific region, while boosting growth and economic resilience, including launching a new cybersecurity strategic partnership.
The two powers also agreed to build more diversified supply chains in critical minerals, and boost global trade by expanding the 12-nation Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which includes not only the UK and Japan, but also Australia, Brunei, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Vietnam. Yet, the mainstay of Starmer’s trip was the several days he spent in Beijing, where he became the first UK prime minister to visit China in about eight years. Starmer has called for a “more sophisticated” bilateral relationship that would bring greater stability after the diplomatic rollercoaster of the last decade and a half.
That latter period saw the so-called “golden age” in ties between London and Beijing during the governments of David Cameron to 2016. However, there has been a cooling in relations in the post-Brexit period, and especially since the pandemic, under later Prime Ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak. Chinese President Xi Jinping also voiced the need for greater equilibrium in ties. Xi said last week he had “long been clear that the UK and China need a long-term, consistent, and comprehensive strategic partnership” beyond the “twists and turns” of recent times.
Yet, despite this apparent meeting of minds between the two leaders, the trip has been widely criticized domestically in the UK, and also by Donald Trump. The US president last month described Starmer’s visit as “dangerous” for London, despite the fact that he is also planning to visit China in April.
Starmer broadly continues a policy trajectory of recent UK governments of all political stripes. Within the UK, Starmer has also been slammed by much of the political right and left. On the right, Trump ally and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage declared himself “very nervous” about the UK moving toward closer relations with Beijing. Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch slammed Starmer for moving ahead with a trip that she said was “not in the national interest.”Across the political spectrum, Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats — now the third-largest party in the UK Parliament — said Starmer was going “cap in hand” to China. She said the visit would not have a “single consequence” for Beijing over its “campaign of espionage.”While Farage, Badenoch, and Cooper come at this topic with different viewpoints, they all purported to disagree with the government’s decision last month to grant China planning permission to build a so-called “super-embassy” in London. They also believe Starmer won too little from Beijing during his trip. Perhaps the key prize from last month’s visit is a feasibility study for a possible trade in services agreement. This is welcome for London as the UK had a £10 billion surplus in services with China in the year to last June, with potential for much further growth.
Broader deals include visa-free travel for UK citizens, which brings the UK in line with more than 50 other countries, including France and Germany; and enhanced cooperation on organized crime. For all the criticism that Starmer has endured over his policy on China, it largely represents a continuation of that of previous UK governments, both Conservative and Labour, which have overseen a significant UK reorientation to the Asia-Pacific region, especially since Brexit. Starmer has also visited both Samoa and India, with New Delhi signing the UK’s biggest trade deal since the CPTPP was accepted by the last Conservative government. Taken together, while the UK leader received much criticism about his China visit, domestically and from Trump, it broadly continues a policy trajectory of recent UK governments of all political stripes. Under this and future UK administrations, the country is only likely to deepen and broaden its focus on the vast Asia-Pacific region, including key powers such as Japan and India.
**Andrew Hammond is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.

US-Iran talks in Oman: A beginning of dialogue in the shadow of distrust
Raghida Dergham/Al-Arabiya English/07 February/2026
The American-Iranian talks in Oman were not about tangible progress but rather an opening for potential negotiations between the two sides. The White House considered the talks a good occasion to present clear demands to Tehran so that no one can claim that Iran was not well informed and abundantly warned. The focus was on the nuclear issue, while ballistic missiles were referenced as part of the nuclear file, as they are not dangerous unless equipped with nuclear warheads. The matter of proxies was mentioned illustratively, not as a direct negotiation item, with a reminder that any support for proxies would play very badly with the US if it threatened its interests or those of its allies in the region.
The talks were serious but not conclusive in any way. Iran did not commit to agreeing to any demands or timetables because Iran’s premise is that of buying time. The US side indicated that waiting would not be prolonged, and that time, while temporarily useful for both sides, is not open ended.
It’s quite dangerous for President Donald Trump to be trapped in a negotiations process with Iran. He does not want a repeat of the bad experience of Ukraine. Trump rejects endless unlimited negotiations while continuing economic pressure through tariffs on countries that do business with Iran. He believes that diplomacy backed by a serious threat of a military strike is the only way to drive Iran to deliver.
Iran was served notice in the Oman talks of what is expected from it. Whether this is an entrapment for Iran to provide justification for a US military operation, or a serious test to understand its intentions particularly regarding its nuclear intentions, remains to be seen.
The nuclear issue is a top priority for the Trump administration as a starting point, not as the end of the process. Ballistic missiles are present in the US considerations as part of the nuclear file because they do not pose a threat unless armed with nuclear warheads.
As for the regional proxies and the internal Iranian situation, they are not off the table in the next rounds of talks or future negotiation. It is worth noting that the White House issued an important official statement on this matter.
It stated that the president holds Iran responsible for its attempts to acquire nuclear weapons, supporting terrorism, developing ballistic missiles, and destabilizing regional security which threatens the security of the US and its allies. But positions within the administration diverged. Vice President J.D. Vance focused almost entirely on the nuclear priority, with an implicit indication that the US is not concerned in the other files. In contrast, Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted that the administration is committed to all four points: nuclear, ballistic missiles, regional behavior, and internal conduct of the Iranian regime. Whether in genuine conflict or in a premeditated orchestration, the goal is to assess whether Iran can deliver something remarkable in the nuclear dossier. Trump awaits to gauge Iran’s response to what was presented. If remarkable, or meeting a substantial part of US demands, it could be built upon. US demands are clear: full cessation of the nuclear program, disclosure of all sites, assurance of no nuclear program, and full access to all nuclear locations. These demands are likely to face Iranian rejection. If not met substantially, a US strike could follow within days of the next round. A deal is possible, potentially with secret guarantees, but what has occurred so far is a purchase of time for both parties, useful temporarily but not open-ended.
The United States presents itself as ready to give Iran the opportunity, and if not utilized, it retains the right to direct upcoming strikes that could severely impact the Iranian regime. Iran seeks to buy time, avoiding commitments on nuclear, missile, proxy-related issues, or internal developments.
Both sides operate from mutual distrust, attempting to find minimal ground for confidence. Both require a formula to save face, whether the talks fail, or concessions are made. The issue of mutual trust at the highest leadership levels- President Donald Trump and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei - is critical. Both are unpredictable personalities, each controlling decision-making directly. Both are men of arrogance.
The split within the US administration between J.D. Vance’s camp and Marco Rubio’s camp is interesting. Vance favors US restraint and limited intervention. Rubio considers Iran weak and the regime unstable. He does not trust Iran’s intentions and expects Iranian eventual retaliation.
Trump relishes in owning the element of surprise, keeping the world tense and alert, awaiting his decision. Khamenei tightly controls the Iranian system, his only weapon is retaliation. making any step unpredictable.
Iran’s projection of the end game is still unclear. For now, the regime feels reassured by what it views as American concessions in limiting talks to the nuclear and in relocating from Turkey to Oman.
But overconfidence could be perilous for the regime in Iran, as American entrapment will potentially lead to a pitfall if Ali Khamenei misjudges and misreads Donald Trump. Trump is prepared to follow through and craft a deal ultimately if he sees it in American interest. He is preoccupied now with domestic matters and is preparing the battle of midterm elections.
He is capable of retreat when necessary, and is ready to prove his mastery of negotiations with prudence. Donald Trump is not worried over America’s reputation of backtracking or betrayal when it comes to advancing national interests. But he’s also a man who does not like eating his own words and who despises being associated with weakness. President Trump cannot afford to be seen frail with Iran after assembling such a large US military presence in the region. He is now issuing Tehran a soft ultimatum and will not allow the regime a prolonged hesitation.
He is now monitoring any Iranian missteps while hoping that the regime in Tehran understands well the consequences of missing the opportunity he’s providing.

Iran: The Contractual Crisis Between State and Society
Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al-Awsat/February 07/2026
The existential challenges facing the Iranian regime will end with this wave of protests or their suppression. They would not be overcome if negotiations with Washington succeed and a strike is averted either. Recent developments are the culmination of problems that have been accumulating for years. The gap between the authorities and society has been widening, and the regime’s survival has become increasingly irreconcilable with society’s desire for change. The past few weeks have shown that the gap between the authorities and society cannot be contained or bridged. The regime is facing an impossible task, as a state and an ongoing revolution because the chasm or gap between the authorities and society cannot be bridged by addressing specific demands. Rather, the chasm is born of the fact that the authorities seem increasingly alien to Iran society, leading to a collapse in its legitimacy.
The recent protest movement, the scale of violence used by the regime, and the sacrifices protesters were willing to make, have all demonstrated that reconciliation is highly unlikely. A crisis has been precipitated by the collapse of the contractual relationship between the two sides, as the social contract between the regime and society has been shredded.This defiance of the state, the regime, and the revolution amounts to collective rupture, a clear declaration that Iran’s communities or peoples cannot tolerate their state. Moreover, this defiance shows that the regime has failed to build citizenship underpinned by equal rights and responsibilities. The deep rifts it has created among the country’s communities have now reached the regime itself, and it has pushed these groups toward mutual solidarity in opposition to it, compelling them to set aside their differences to confront the authorities.
The most dangerous aspect of the breakdown of the contractual relationship between the regime and society, or between the state and Iran’s groups or peoples, is the aggravating crisis between the center and the peripheries. The contractual gaps between them are growing. This is especially serious given that these peripheries are themselves central to the communities with whom they share bonds beyond Iran’s borders. They are willing to break with Iran’s center or marginalize it at a moment of weakness. Such an outcome represents an existential threat to the regime, which is willing to do anything necessary to avoid it. As the expert and researcher on Iranian affairs, Hassan Faqih, put it: “The regime has an ideological mindset that considers its preservation to be its ultimate duty, even if that requires extreme repression and violence. According to this logic, the numbers of the dead and the detained become a ‘necessary cost’ to ensure survival.”What can be described as a crisis of the contractual relationship between the authorities and society has exposed a crisis of representation. Popular legitimacy has come to stand against two other forms of legitimacy: its revolutionary legitimacy and its religious legitimacy. The chasm between these two has become difficult to bridge, shattering its contractual relationship with society. The latter is now seeking change and ready to make sacrifices to this end, while the regime remains captive to the moment of its founding.
Accordingly, in the decades between its founding moment and the current moment in which it is fighting for its survival, the regime has reached a point of no return. Both sides have chosen radical options.

New START Comes to an End, World without Nuclear Restrictions Begins
Emile Ameen/Asharq Al-Awsat/February 07/2026
Last Thursday, the world lost its last agreement on a regulatory framework for containing global nuclear proliferation. US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev signed the New START agreement in 2010, agreeing to restrictions on their respective strategic nuclear arsenals and reinforcing international security. Was the state of the world in need of even more chaos and seasoned with nuclear threats? New START coming to end necessarily raises fears for humanity. It heightens doubts and fears for survival, especially in light of the recent threats to use nuclear weapons - whether the traditional strategic nuclear bombs or the tactical versions, both have death on their wings. With the treaty expiring, nuclear threats approach the danger zone, and the Doomsday Clock approaches the ominous threshold of 85 seconds to midnight. On the global nuclear landscape, we find that Russia has expanded its intermediate arsenal, such as its Oreshnik ballistic missile, which it has used against Ukraine. Meanwhile, China is diligently pressing ahead to double its nuclear arsenal, aiming to reach around 1,000 nuclear warheads by about 2030. And what about the United States? One could go on and on: from President Donald Trump’s vision of resuming nuclear tests to the allocation of trillions of dollars to maintain the United States’ aging nuclear arsenal, some of whose weapons are approaching 50 years of age, and the development of new nuclear systems, some of which have been made public, such as the Sentinel nuclear missile and the Columbia-class nuclear submarine. And there are, without a doubt, many programs under wraps - American enigmas that are difficult to decipher. Last September, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered the United States a one-year extension in a good will gesture that came with the caveat of banning inspections, which undermined the credibility of the proposal in Washington. Trump gave the United States’ response in an interview with The New York Times, saying: “If it expires, it expires. We’ll make a better agreement.” Although his statements are normally brimming superlatives, many US officials expressed displeasure at their administration’s readiness to abandon the agreement simply because it would include China. For their part, the Chinese said they hoped Washington would agree to Moscow’s proposal. In truth, however, they have little faith in nuclear treaties, especially since they are watching the tsar in the Kremlin continue to impose his terms in negotiations over Ukraine, thanks to his hellish ballistic missiles tipped with the most lethal nuclear warheads. In contrast, after voluntarily relinquishing its nuclear arsenal in 1994 in exchange for a pocket change, Ukraine seems powerless in the face of nuclear threats. Will the world slip into nuclear chaos with proliferation beyond nuclear powers known since the Cold War?
All signs point in this direction. Tsar Putin has called for including France and Britain in any subsequent nuclear treaty, on the grounds that Paris and London are capable of launching nuclear missiles from submarines or deploying nuclear weapons from fighter aircraft, even if they do not possess intercontinental ballistic nuclear missiles.The Europeans, for their part, will not stand idly by. For the first time in decades, it is becoming clear that countries of the Old Continent are planning to join a new arms race and seeking to build or enhance their nuclear capabilities. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made this extension clear the week before last, when he noted that the time had come for allies to discuss establishing a shared European nuclear umbrella. There is little reason to doubt that humanity appears to be sliding toward a new nuclear arms race that deepens uncertainty. Observers warn that the treaty’s expiration, and no alternative seems to be on the horizon. That is, we could well enter a new phase of nuclear tension and a new arms race following the collapse of the last remaining mechanism of verification and trust between Moscow and Washington. The most terrifying question remains: what are the consequences of a new revolution in nuclear weapons in an age of quantum computing, microchips, and artificial intelligence - a terrifying tectonic triangle that had not been part of the calculus during the Cold War? In sum: without shared values that can lead to decisions that reinforce the common good, humanity seems to be slowly but steadily marching to an inferno.

X Platform Selected twittes for 07/2026
Tom Harb
Perhaps with Safa’s ousting after Hezbollah’s war losses, the Lebanese government—army, judiciary —should now arrest him for the crimes committed and intimidation against Lebanese citizens and justice.
No more Hezbollah impunity for figures like Safa; accountability starts here.

Hanin Ghaddar
Dear minister @YoussefRaggi
what about people like me who need to renew their passport but cannot go to Lebanon to do that. I have the right to have a passport as a Lebanese citizen, and I should to be able to do it through the embassy. It’s not acceptable that my embassy cannot issue a biometric passport for me. Please address this issue. Thank you.

Bill Clinton
I have called for the full release of the Epstein files. I have provided a sworn statement of what I know. And just this week, I’ve agreed to appear in person before the committee. But it’s still not enough for Republicans on the House Oversight Committee.

Foreign Affairs
“The likelihood of regime change or collapse in Iran is as high as it has been since 1979, but so is the likelihood of chaos, continued state violence, immense suffering, and instability,” write @ilangoldenberg