English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For  February 25/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
Metthew 07/01-12: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on February 24-25/2026
Link to a video interview with writer and director Youssef Y. El Khoury on the “Lebanon On,” Youtube Platform
Key topics discussed by Youssef El Khoury in the interview:
Egypt Urges Int’l Support for Lebanese Army to Ensure State Exclusivity over Arms
Lebanon urges Hezbollah militant group to avoid getting involved if the US strikes Iran
Lebanon Fears Israeli Strikes if Iran Situation Escalates
Israel Seeking Direct Military Coordination with Lebanon
The Cairo Meeting: A Safety Net for Lebanon as Israel Triggers the Detonator
The "Mechanism" or the Committee that Became Superfluous/Ghada Halawi/Al-Modon/February 25/2026
Cairo Meeting: Lebanese Hopes, Egyptian Support, and International Caution
Israel threatens to strike civilian infrastructure if Hezbollah intervenes; "Lebanese Forces" challenge budget articles, and Association of Banks meets at the Serail.
Israeli operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah: February 16–22, 2026

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 24-25/2026
USS Gerald Ford, World’s Largest Aircraft Carrier, at US Base on Crete
Revolutionary Guards Conduct Military Drills in Iran’s South
Iran Issues Death Sentence Linked to January Unrest, Source Says
Iran is ready for any necessary steps to reach deal with US, deputy foreign minister says
Iran Says Students Have Right to Protest but Must Know ‘Red Lines’
Iran nears deal to buy supersonic anti-ship missiles from China
Saudi FM, Rubio Discuss Regional Developments
Mohammed bin Salman, Egypt’s Sisi Discuss Regional Developments
MWL Supports Joint Statement Condemning Israeli Actions in the West Bank
EU Diplomats Meet Board of Peace Director over Gaza's Future
Hamas Calls for Sanctions Against Israel Over New West Bank Moves
EU memo raises security concerns over mass escape from IS-linked Syria camp
Zelenskiy Says Ukraine Has Defended Its Independence on Fourth Anniversary of War
Pakistan, Afghan forces exchange fire after airstrikes deepen tensions
About 6.5 Million People in Somalia Face Acute Hunger Due to Drought, Govt and UN Say

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 24-25/2026
The Conflicting Priorities and Choices Before the World/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al-Awsat/February 24/2026
Iran’s Crackdown on Christians Undermines Trump’s Emphasis on Religious Freedom/Janatan Sayeh/FDD-Policy Brief/February 24/2026
When U.S. Allies Turn on Each Other, America Must Act/Eric Navarro and Edmund Fitton-Brown/ Middle East Forum/February 24/2026.
What Russia’s War on Telegram Means for the West/Reagan Easter/FDD-Inght/February 24/2026
China's Biological Weapons Labs in America/Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute./February 24, 2026
X Platform Selected twittes for 24/2026

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on February 24-25/2026
Link to a video interview with writer and director Youssef Y. El Khoury on the “Lebanon On,” Youtube Platform
Discussing the necessity of peace with Israel, the inevitability of war with Iran, historical milestones related to the Southern border strip and the South Lebanon Army,
the alleged myth of Hezbollah’s liberation of the South, and various Lebanese issues—foremost among them the sin of imposing taxes.
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/02/152452/
The interview was conducted via the “Lebanon On” website on February 24, 2026.

Key topics discussed by Youssef El Khoury in the interview:
Transcribed and edited by Elias Bejjani with full freedom – February 24, 2026.
*War with Iran is inevitable, and U.S. and Israeli military preparations have been completed.
*Trump is unable to back down, and in my opinion the ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Iran revolve around who will succeed the Khamenei regime.
*Militarily, Iran is incapable of confronting the U.S. and Israel. Recent reports indicate that during the 12-day war, the number of Mossad agents inside Iran reached 120.
*The claim that Hezbollah liberated South Lebanon in year 2000 is, disproven by documents that will soon be published, allegedly confirming coordination between the Hezbollah and the Israeli left.
*The Lebaneseborder strip, which was under the responsibility of the South Lebanon Army until 2000, had preserved all the components of the Lebanese state.
*Hezbollah’s announcements about arresting Israeli agents are dangerous, as it is believed they are killed and later declared martyrs.
*Criticizing Hezbollah’s violations and scandals is not criticism of the Shiite community, But merely to Hezbollah’s atrocities and crimes.
*The fall of the Iranian clerical regime would relieve Lebanon, and Hezbollah should be disarmed and its leaders deported to Iran.
*Hezbollah’s “victories” are hallucinations and delusions, as are those of the Iranian regime.
*Exposure of media-fabricated narratives promoted by Hezbollah, including claims of victory and matters related to the town of Aishieh.
*The Lebanese MP who was detained in Khiam prison was imprisoned for smuggling weapons into the border strip.
*Regarding the current government and the gasoline tax introduced since the time of Abu Omar, Mr. Khoury questions whether its performance should be judged as incompetence and stupidity
“Mr. Khoury is against all imposed taxes.
*A serious Hezbollah disarmament plan would not take more than a month if Hezbollah cooperated with the army; otherwise, if he keeps on refusing to do so, the situation would be different.
*Peace with Israel, neutrality, stability, and ending Hezbollah’s control are vital keys to resolving Lebanon’s crises.
*Some reports claim that land considered Israeli within Lebanese borders was seized by the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, although these lands are reportedly owned by Christians.
*Mr khoury, sees no difference between the current Syrian Sharaa regime and the toppled Assad one.
*Regarding the historical controversy attributed to Dean Brown about ships waiting to relocate Christians, Lhoury argues the statement was inaccurate and politically manipulated.
*Khamenei’s refusal to surrender his missiles and accept U.S. conditions is likened to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor—effectively inviting an American strike on Iran.

Egypt Urges Int’l Support for Lebanese Army to Ensure State Exclusivity over Arms
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 24/2026
Egypt on Tuesday urged the international community to better support Lebanon's armed forces to ensure that all weapons in the country come under the exclusive authority of the state.Speaking at a preparatory meeting in Cairo ahead of next month's Paris conference in support of the Lebanese army, Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty praised "the success of the Lebanese army in completing the first phase of the plan"."This achievement reflects the efficiency of the military institution and requires intensifying international support to complete the remaining phases of the plan," Abdelatty said. Last year, Lebanon's government committed to disarming Hezbollah, which was severely weakened in its recent war with Israel, and tasked the army with drafting a plan to implement the decision. In January, and in line with the 2024 truce, the army announced it had completed the first phase of the disarmament plan, covering the area between the Litani River and the Israeli border about 30 kilometers (20 miles) further south.Abdelatty said that Tuesday's meeting aimed "to enable the Lebanese state to ensure that all weapons are held exclusively by the state".The meeting brought together Lebanon's top security chiefs, including Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal and Internal Security Forces Director-General Major General Raed Abdallah. They were joined by representatives of the Quintet Committee on Lebanon, among them Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi, the French President's personal envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian and Saudi Arabia's envoy to Beirut Prince Yazid bin Farhan, along with senior officials from the United States. The second phase of the plan focuses on the area between the Litani and Awali rivers, around 40 kilometers south of Beirut.
Hezbollah has so far refused to hand over its weapons north of the Litani. The government said last week that the army would need at least four months to implement the plan's second phase to disarm Hezbollah in the country's south,

Lebanon urges Hezbollah militant group to avoid getting involved if the US strikes Iran
Jamey Keaten/AP/February 24, 2026
GENEVA (AP) — Lebanon's Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji on Tuesday urged the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah not to get involved in any fighting between the United States and Iran, expressing concerns about a new possible conflict with Israel. Rajji told journalists in Geneva that Lebanese officials had been warned that in the event of another Israel-Hezbollah war, Israel would strike harder against civilian infrastructure across Lebanon than in the previous round of fighting. The appeal comes amid growing concerns that the U.S. might carry out new strikes against Iran. Iran held annual military drills with Russia on Thursday as a second U.S. aircraft carrier drew closer to the Middle East. The U.S. and Iran have signaled they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran’s nuclear program fizzle out. Rajji said Lebanese authorities had appealed to Hezbollah, which has fought several wars with Israel, most recently in 2024, not to respond in any way that could trigger “bad situations” for Lebanese civilians. “Lebanon has received signs that the Israelis could strike civilian infrastructure and maybe the airport” in Beirut, Rajji said in Geneva, where he was attending a Human Rights Council session.During the last Israel-Hezbollah war, in 2024, the airport was not hit and remained operational throughout the conflict. In a monthlong war between the two in 2006, Israel struck the Beirut airport. Many Lebanese civilians have been killed, wounded or displaced in previous rounds of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel a day after the militant Palestinian group Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, triggering the war in Gaza. After months of low-level fighting, the conflict escalated into a full-scale war in September 2024, when Israel launched bombardment that killed much of Hezbollah's leadership, followed by a ground invasion, severely weakening Hezbollah before a U.S. brokered ceasefire nominally halted the fighting. Israel has continued to launch-near daily strikes in Lebanon since the November 2024 ceasefire, which it says aim to stop Hezbollah from rebuilding. Rajji said Lebanon is also asking Western partners to appeal to the Israelis not to attack civilian infrastructure if Hezbollah goes after Israel, a key U.S. ally, following possible U.S. strikes on Iran. The comments come a day after the U.S. State Department said it had ordered nonessential diplomats and their family members at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut to leave Lebanon, as tensions over Iran rise with the threat of a potentially imminent military strike. Rajji said he was not aware of any other countries that were taking similar precautions to those of the U.S. in Lebanon. Lebanon has been the site of numerous Iran-related retaliatory attacks against U.S. facilities, interests and personnel for decades given Tehran’s support for and influence with Hezbollah. The group has been held responsible for the deadly bombings of the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 and an embassy annex in 1984.

Lebanon Fears Israeli Strikes if Iran Situation Escalates
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 24/2026
Lebanon's foreign minister said Tuesday his country feared its infrastructure could be hit by Israeli strikes if the situation with Iran escalates, as Israel has intensified its attacks on Tehran-backed Hezbollah. Also on Tuesday, Lebanon's army accused the Israeli military of firing near a position it was setting up in the country's south, saying it had instructed troops to return fire. "There are signs that the Israelis could strike very hard in the event of an escalation, potentially including strategic infrastructure such as the airport," foreign minister Youssef Raggi told reporters in Geneva. His comments came amid a massive US military buildup in the Middle East that suggested Washington was prepared to wage a potentially sustained campaign against Iran. Iran vowed on Monday to retaliate "ferociously" against any attack from the United States, and repeated its warning of a regional conflagration in response to President Donald Trump's latest threat of strikes. "We are currently conducting diplomatic efforts to request that, even in the event of retaliation, Lebanese civilian infrastructure not be targeted," Raggi said. He stressed that his country's leadership had been very clear: "This war does not concern us."A Lebanese official who requested anonymity said "what the Lebanese fear is a chain reaction: an American strike against Iran, a Hezbollah retaliatory strike against Israel, followed by a massive Israeli response."Israeli strikes -Israel has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon despite a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Iran-backed Hezbollah, usually saying it was targeting the group. Last Friday, Israel carried out deadly strikes on what it called Hezbollah positions in eastern Lebanon and targets linked to the Palestinian group Hamas in the south. Hezbollah said Saturday that eight of its fighters had been killed, and vowed "resistance".Its leader Sheikh Naim Qassem stated last month that any attack on Tehran would also be an attack on Hezbollah. On Monday, Washington ordered non-emergency personnel to leave its embassy in Lebanon's capital Beirut as anticipation rose of a possible conflict with Iran. On Tuesday, Lebanon's army said it was "establishing a new observation post on the southern border" when "the area surrounding the post was subjected to gunfire from the Israeli side"."The army command issued orders to reinforce the post, remain there, and return fire."On the same day in Cairo, a preparatory meeting was held ahead of a conference in Paris next month to back Lebanon's army, which is facing heavy pressure from Washington and Israel to disarm Hezbollah. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that Tuesday's meeting aimed "to enable the Lebanese state to ensure that all weapons are held exclusively by the state". Lebanon's government last year committed to disarming Hezbollah, which was badly weakened in a recent war with Israel, and tasked the army with drawing up a plan to do so. The army, which has limited capabilities, declared in January the completion of the first phase of its plan near the border with Israel. It said last week it would need at least four months to complete the second phase. Israel, which accuses Hezbollah of rearming, has criticized the army's progress as insufficient.

Israel Seeking Direct Military Coordination with Lebanon
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 24/2026
Israel is seeking to alter the post-ceasefire coordination mechanism along the Lebanese border by establishing direct contact with the Lebanese army, bypassing the United Nations peacekeeping force deployed in the south, said Israeli media. The proposal has reignited debate in Beirut over the future of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the role of international oversight in southern Lebanon, with Lebanese officials insisting that any modification must remain strictly within the United Nations framework. Reports attributed to Israel’s security establishment say the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has recently adopted what Israeli officials describe as a “confrontational stance” toward the Israeli military. Israeli media quoted officials as telling American counterparts that direct coordination between the Israeli military and the Lebanese army would be preferable to the current arrangement, which operates through UNIFIL. Some officials reportedly argued that the peacekeeping force now causes “more harm than benefit.” The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation said Israel’s security establishment believes UNIFIL has grown increasingly “hostile” in recent weeks. The force’s mandate in southern Lebanon is due to expire at the end of this year. Lebanese officials have responded by underscoring that the country’s position remains anchored in international legality and UN authority. Fadi Alame, head of the Foreign Affairs and Immigrants Committee in Lebanon’s parliament, said Israeli media discussions “do not bind Lebanon,” stressing that “Lebanon’s sole reference remains the international resolutions issued by the United Nations.” Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Alame reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to Resolution 1701 and expressed support for UNIFIL.He said the force monitors implementation of the resolution and safeguards Lebanon’s rights and sovereignty within the UN framework. “As long as there is a UN resolution in force, any amendment or termination must occur through the United Nations itself,” he stated. “International law requires an international monitoring body as long as the resolution remains in effect.” Addressing speculation about replacing UNIFIL or shifting to direct coordination with the Lebanese army, Alame said Beirut’s official stance remains unchanged. “Lebanon is committed to Resolution 1701 under a clear government decision,” he underlined. “For us, Resolution 1701 and other UN resolutions remain the foundation.” He added that Lebanon is awaiting a report from the UN secretary-general in June that is expected to outline potential options. These could range from maintaining the current international force to introducing a European-led presence or increasing the number of international observers. Any proposal, he stressed, would remain subject to UN approval. Meanwhile, a Lebanese ministerial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel’s proposal for direct coordination without UNIFIL “raises questions,” noting that the peacekeeping force is already embedded in the existing tripartite coordination mechanism.Communication with Israel is conducted through UNIFIL under an established framework, the source explained, adding that Lebanon insists on maintaining an international sponsor and monitoring body as long as Resolution 1701 has not been fully implemented.
European proposals remain under discussion, including the possibility of a European-led force under French supervision or a mission focused on training and equipping the Lebanese army to assume expanded responsibilities. However, these ideas have yet to crystallize and remain tied to future political and security developments.The debate follows a UN Security Council decision in August 2025 to extend UNIFIL’s mandate until December 31, 2026, with a coordinated drawdown planned to begin the following year. UNIFIL has been deployed in southern Lebanon since 1978. It serves as a monitoring and buffer force, overseeing implementation of Resolution 1701 and supporting the Lebanese army’s deployment south of the Litani River.

The Cairo Meeting: A Safety Net for Lebanon as Israel Triggers the Detonator
Headline Analysis – Al-Modon/February 24/2026 (Translated from Arabic)
While Arab and international diplomacy intensifies to provide a "safety net" for the Lebanese Army—highlighted by the preparatory meeting in Cairo ahead of the March 5 Paris Conference—Lebanon faces a critical juncture. Existential military threats are intertwining with structural internal crises, all while the region braces for the fallout of a potential military shock in the Middle East.
Key Developments: Direct Threats and Internal Paralysis
The Israeli Message: Leaks via Reuters reveal an indirect Israeli warning to Lebanon: a comprehensive strike on civilian infrastructure (airport, ports, power stations) will occur if Hezbollah joins any anticipated U.S.-Iranian confrontation.
The Cairo Initiative: France and the "Quintet" committee are moving to fortify the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) as the sole institution capable of preventing total chaos. However, a paradox emerges: the international community seeks to strengthen Lebanese sovereignty, while Israel threatens to destroy the very infrastructure of that sovereignty. Internal Discord: Domestically, political forces are bogged down in technicalities. The 2026 Budget faces legal challenges before the Constitutional Council from "Change" MPs and the "Strong Republic" bloc (Lebanese Forces), particularly over Article 55 regarding customs legislation.
From Threat to Deterrence: The "Alma" Report Insights
The Israeli Alma Research and Education Center describes Hezbollah’s "strategic dilemma" amid rising Iranian-U.S. tensions. The Dilemma: Hezbollah is caught between ideological loyalty to Tehran and the necessity of organizational survival.
"Rogue Action" Scenario: Israel is preparing for the possibility of "uncontrolled field escalation" by Hezbollah's military wings due to a perceived leadership vacuum following the 2025 assassination of Abu Ali Tabatabai.
Preemptive Strikes: Israel is framing recent strikes in the Bekaa Valley (which reportedly killed commander Mohammad Yaghi) as "preventive measures" to establish a narrative of legitimacy before a full-scale war breaks out.
The "Mechanism" or the Committee that Became Obsolete
Analysis by Ghada Halawi – Al-Modon, February 25, 2026
Since its formation, the Ceasefire Committee (The Mechanism) has failed to record any significant achievements. It has largely transitioned from a monitoring body to a mere "message carrier."
Reasons for the Committee’s Decline:
Israeli-U.S. Constraints: Israel has intentionally restricted the committee's role, rejecting the participation of Lebanese civilian negotiator, Ambassador Simon Karam, in favor of seeking direct political negotiations.
Location Dispute: Lebanon insists on meeting in Naqoura, while Israel and the U.S. have proposed neutral ground, such as Cyprus, to move toward a "bilateral" rather than "tripartite" format.
The Shift to Backchannels: With the U.S. Ambassador Michael Issa taking over the file, the focus has shifted toward the broader U.S.-Iran negotiations.
Hezbollah’s Silence: Hezbollah has ignored warnings sent via UNIFIL regarding strikes on Dahiyeh and the Bekaa, viewing the "Mechanism" as an empty and "suspicious" entity.
Summary: Lebanon currently operates like a room filled with simultaneous alarms: an regional alarm for a U.S.-Iran clash, an Israeli alarm for total infrastructure destruction, and an internal alarm for a state without a political compass.

The "Mechanism" or the Committee that Became Superfluous
Ghada Halawi/Al-Modon/February 25/2026 (Translated from Arabic)
Since its inception, the Ceasefire Committee—or "The Mechanism"—has failed to record any notable achievements. Its routine meetings have become practically useless, though its mere existence may serve as a moral deterrent or a channel for passing messages. This comes after the deterioration of Israel’s relationship with UNIFIL, leading Israel to favor a limited role for the Mechanism, stripped of any oversight authority. Under these circumstances, little is expected from today’s meeting. Attendance is restricted to the military side, in the absence of Lebanon’s civilian envoy, Ambassador Simon Karam, who has barely participated in two meetings and has not been able to fulfill his designated role as a civilian negotiator—despite initial U.S. insistence on his inclusion.
Intentional Downsizing
It requires little effort to understand that the Mechanism’s role has been intentionally diminished by an Israeli decision backed by the United States. Israel objected to naming Karam as the sole civilian representative, as it sought direct negotiations with official political representation. Other factors contributing to the committee's decline include:
Economic Conditions: Lebanon’s refusal to discuss an economic plan for frontline border villages before the cessation of aggression and the guaranteed return of displaced residents.
The Venue Dispute: Lebanon’s rejection of moving the meetings—after they were converted to a tripartite format—from Naqoura to another location, such as Cyprus.
The U.S. announcement of military-level meeting schedules for the coming months serves as an unofficial declaration that future sessions will be limited to military representatives, effectively excluding Ambassador Karam. This followed Lebanon’s rejection of a proposal by U.S. Ambassador Michael Issa to expand representation and move the venue outside Lebanon.
Diplomatic Stagnation
Lebanon is still awaiting clarifications regarding the freezing of political meetings and the level of U.S. participation. High-level political sources confirm that Lebanon has not been notified of any date for the resumption of political-level talks. Ambassador Issa has reportedly stopped raising the issue of negotiations via the Mechanism with Lebanese officials, creating the impression that the file is now suspended and tied to the broader Iranian-Israeli negotiations currently preoccupying the world.
Messages of Threat
Sources reveal that Israel, which is pushing for a U.S. strike on Iran, has intensified efforts to ensure Hezbollah remains neutralized. Through UNIFIL, Israel sent a message stating that any involvement in the war in support of Iran would be met with a violent Israeli response targeting Beirut’s Southern Suburbs (Dahiyeh) and the Bekaa.
In this climate of high alert and U.S. threats against Tehran, the Mechanism has become a minor detail of little consequence unless it transforms into direct bilateral talks. Neither the presence of France nor UNIFIL is currently seen as a necessity—the latter is already preparing for departure. The Mechanism’s role is now being reshaped by Washington to suit Israeli desires: either direct negotiations or a formal, toothless "Mechanism" while aggression continues to fluctuate based on regional developments.

Cairo Meeting: Lebanese Hopes, Egyptian Support, and International Caution
Israel threatens to strike civilian infrastructure if Hezbollah intervenes; "Lebanese Forces" challenge budget articles, and Association of Banks meets at the Serail.
Al-Markazia/February 24/2026 (Translated from Arabic)
The level of Israeli threats to strike Lebanon—should Hezbollah intervene in any U.S.-Iranian confrontation—has reached its peak with warnings of targeting civilian infrastructure. Similarly, expectations of a strike against Tehran have surged based on serious indicators.
Lebanon, anxious that Hezbollah or "Axis" factions might disregard government advice to avoid a catastrophe that would destroy the last hope for the state, is divided in its focus: one eye is on U.S. measures following the evacuation of a significant number of embassy staff, while the other follows the preparatory meeting in Cairo for the International Conference to Support the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces. Lebanon hopes to secure substantial support to enable the Army to implement the decision to confine weapons to the north of the Litani River.
International Caution and Financial Aid
As of now, there are no clear signs that all goals have been met. Reports suggest the European Union will initially contribute $100 million. Regional developments may lead some countries, particularly Arab states, to hesitate in increasing their financial contributions, though Lebanon remains hopeful for positive outcomes from Cairo to launch a subsequent conference for economic recovery.
Diplomatic Support: France and Egypt
Participants: Alongside Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French delegation includes General Valentin Seiler, representing France in the "Mechanism" and the Technical Military Committee for Lebanon. Saudi Envoy Prince Yazid bin Farhan also participated.
Egyptian Stance: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s support for Lebanon’s sovereignty. He welcomed the upcoming March 5 Paris conference and stressed that stability requires compelling Israel to stop its aggression, withdraw from occupied lands, and implement UN Resolution 1701 without selectivity.
Lebanese Diplomacy in Geneva
Foreign Minister Youssef Reji stated from Geneva that Lebanon looks forward to effective participation in the Paris conference. He linked this support to the government’s reform agenda, which includes anti-corruption measures, liberating land, and ensuring that weapons are held exclusively by legitimate forces.
The Field: Israeli Warnings and Military Friction
Infrastructure Threat: Reuters reported that Israel warned it would target Lebanese civilian infrastructure if Hezbollah joins any U.S.-Iran war.
Sarda Incident: The Lebanese Army reported that while establishing an observation post in Sarda (Marjayoun), the area came under Israeli fire. An Israeli drone issued threats to force personnel to leave, but the Army command ordered troops to hold their positions and return fire if necessary.
Border Aggression: Israeli forces reportedly blew up houses in Hula and Ayta al-Shaab, and used heavy machine guns to sweep the outskirts of Alma al-Shaab.
Electoral and Political Tensions
Elections on Time: MP Ghassan Hasbani stressed the necessity of holding parliamentary elections on their constitutional schedule.
Hezbollah’s Warning: MP Hassan Fadlallah (Hezbollah) accused foreign powers of interfering to force a postponement of the elections, claiming they believe the current environment will shift against the "Resistance" in a year’s time following a potential regional war.
Kataeb’s Concern: The Kataeb Party expressed "grave concern" over Hezbollah’s readiness to support Tehran, calling for the immediate dismantling of the group’s military apparatus to safeguard the democratic process.
Financial and Economic Files
The Financial Gap: Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with the Association of Banks to discuss the "Financial Gap" bill. While the banks highlighted difficulties in implementation, Salam noted the government’s openness to improvements but stressed that the file is now in the hands of Parliament.
Budget Challenge: MPs Ghassan Hasbani and Razi Laje (Strong Republic/LF) filed a challenge before the Constitutional Council against the 2026 Budget, citing the absence of a "final account" (audit of past spending) and violations of Article 87 of the Constitution.
Maritime Assets: Minister of Public Works Fayez Rasamni presented a plan to increase state revenue by reviewing encroachments on maritime public properties and re-evaluating rental prices per meter.

Israeli operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah: February 16–22, 2026
FDD's Long War Journal/February 24, 2026 |
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted numerous operations throughout Lebanon against Hezbollah between February 16 and February 22, 2026. While Israeli activities this week mostly consisted of policing operations along the Israel-Lebanon frontier, the IDF carried out several targeted killings of Hezbollah personnel allegedly involved in the group’s regeneration efforts south of the Litani River, and more significant strikes against Hezbollah assets and personnel as far north as the area surrounding Baalbek. The Israeli military also targeted Hamas personnel inside Lebanon’s Ain Al Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp.Hezbollah’s officials continued to reject disarmament this week. These rejections included Secretary-General Naim Qassem in his office holder’s customary annual February 16 speech and Hezbollah’s cabinet ministers after the Lebanese government voted on proceeding with the second phase of the Lebanese Armed Forces disarmament plan between the Litani and Awali Rivers. While Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos, who often functions as the government’s spokesman, said the disarmament process would take at least four months, he added the caveat that the deadline would be extended if the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) lacked the necessary capabilities and Israel continued its operations in Lebanon. Notably, the LAF claimed to have completed the first phase of its disarmament plan and to have taken “operational control” of the area south of the Litani River on January 8, 2026. However, Israeli strikes on Hezbollah assets and personnel involved in the group’s local regeneration efforts have continued in that sector, including several last week. By mid-week, Major General Rafi Milo, head of the IDF’s OC Northern Command, which is responsible for operations in Lebanon, ordered his forces to adopt a more aggressive approach against Hezbollah’s regeneration efforts. This effort emphasizes targeted killings, strikes on military infrastructure, including tunnel shafts and weapons depots, and expanded freedom of action for IDF forces in southern Lebanon. In the two days following this order, the Israeli military expanded its operations in Lebanon, culminating in a February 20 strike in Riyaq in northeast Lebanon that killed 10 Hezbollah operatives who were part of the group’s missile array. Some reports also indicated Israel had destroyed Hezbollah long-range missiles, equipped with warheads and ready for deployment, in the strike. However, this information was not confirmed by an IDF statement. Hezbollah responded to the strikes by reiterating its commitment to “resistance” against Israel. The strikes, IDF sources said, were meant to degrade Hezbollah’s rocket and missile capabilities in case the group sought to resume hostilities as tensions between Iran and the United States remain high. The sources said that the Israeli military had identified preparations by Hezbollah’s rocket and missile forces to strike Israel if the United States targets Iran. Secretary-General Qassem recently said that Hezbollah would not remain idle in case of such an attack, though he did not specify how his group would respond. Al Arabiya, quoting unnamed sources “close to Hezbollah,” alleged that the group was bracing for an Israeli attack and drawing up battle plans, while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly sent officers to Lebanon to direct Hezbollah. Meanwhile, as Israel’s security cabinet convened on Sunday, Israeli Channel 11 indicated that officials discussed the possibility of an escalation by Hezbollah if the Tehran regime is attacked.
The IDF conducted operations in 25 Lebanese locales, some of them more than once. These activities included:
Airstrikes: Eight+
Artillery missions: Nine
Detonations: Five
Drone strikes: Five
Ground activities: Four
Naval operations: Possibly one
Quadcopter activities: Eight
Tank fire: One
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Baalbek-Hermel Governorate
Baalbek District: Anti-Lebanon Mountain Range, Mahallet al Shaara, Mount Lebanon Range, Qasrnaba, Riyaq, and Tamnin al Tahta
Nabatieh Governorate
Bint Jbeil District: Aitaroun, Ayta Ash Shaab, Ayta Ash Shaab-Ramyeh, Beit Lif, Beit Lif-Ramyeh, Hanine, Maroun al Ras, and Yaroun
Marjayoun District: Adaisseh, Houla, Khiam, Markaba, and Sarda-Wazzani
South Lebanon Governorate
Sidon District: Ain Al Hilweh and Tebna
Tyre District: Labbouneh, Maaroub, Marwahin, and Shihine
Casualties
Between February 16 and February 22, 2026, Israeli operations in Lebanon killed 14 people—10 of them Hezbollah operatives and two Hamas operatives—and wounded 27 individuals.
February 16, 2026: Two Hezbollah operatives were killed.
February 17, 2026: No casualties were reported.
February 18, 2026: No casualties were reported.
February 19, 2026: No casualties were reported.
February 20, 2026: Two Hamas operatives were killed, eight Hezbollah operatives were killed, one male Syrian national was killed, one female Ethiopian national was killed, one Hezbollah operative succumbed to prior wounds, and 24 unidentified individuals and three children were wounded.
February 21, 2026: No casualties were reported.
February 22, 2026: No casualties were reported.
Chronology of Israeli operations against Hezbollah, February 16–22, 2026
February 16
NNA Lebanon reported that at 7:00 am, an Israeli drone targeted two vehicles with several missiles in Hanine in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District. The strike killed one person, reported as Mohammad Tahsin Hussain Qashaqesh, allegedly in front of his home. Afterward, Qashaqesh was transferred to Martyr Salah Ghandour Hospital in Bint Jbeil, which is operated by Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Committee. NNA Lebanon claimed that Qashaqesh used the targeted vehicle to transport students to their schools. The IDF released a statement saying it had targeted a Hezbollah operative near Hanine. Hezbollah-affiliated social media later announced the death of Hezbollah operative Mohammad Tahsin Hussain Ahmad Qashaqesh, whose nom de guerre was Abu Dawoud, from Hanine. The IDF released a subsequent statement saying that Qashaqesh had been involved in the restoration of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure near Hanine “in violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.” The statement also noted that the IDF had killed three Hezbollah operatives similarly involved in regeneration activities in the preceding week and destroyed infrastructure and equipment used for that purpose. Hezbollah gave Qashaqesh a military funeral in his hometown.
At 8:22 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli patrol detonated a house on the outskirts of Ayta Ash Shaab and Ramyeh in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 12:28 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted the area near a bulldozer that was allegedly clearing the remains of a home targeted during the recent war in Maaroub in the South Lebanon Governorate’s Tyre District.
At 3:15 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli artillery targeted Wadi Muzlem on the outskirts of Beit Lif in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 4:18 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli artillery positioned inside Israel targeted the Kasayer area between Ramyeh and Beit Lif, striking near some houses in Beit Lif.
At 7:08 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle in Tallouseh in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District. The strike killed one person. The IDF released a statement saying that it had just targeted a Hezbollah operative near Tallouseh. Hezbollah later announced the funeral of Hezbollah operative Ahmad Hussain Turmos, whose nom de guerre was Abu Hussain, from Tallouseh. The IDF released a subsequent statement saying that Turmos was “involved in efforts to restore Hezbollah’s military infrastructure near Tallouseh,” and that he “acted as a Hezbollah liaison officer in Tallouseh […] overseeing contacts between the organization and the village’s residents in military and economic matters, and worked on the acquisition of private property to be used for terror purposes […] in violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.” Hezbollah gave Turmos a military funeral in his hometown.
Death announcement for Mohammad Tahsin Hussain Qashaqesh (Left) and funeral announcement for Ahmad Hussain Turmos (Right). (Balagh Media on Telegram)
February 17
At 9:38 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun explosive in Ayta Ash Shaab in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 12:13 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun explosive on Labbouneh in the South Lebanon Governorate’s Tyre District.
At 4:43 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped another explosive in Ayta Ash Shaab, bringing the day’s total to four.
February 18
No operations were reported.
February 19
NNA Lebanon reported that, overnight, Israeli airstrikes targeted Tebna, toward Tuffahta, in the South Lebanon Governorate’s Sidon District. At 12:22 am, the IDF released an initial statement saying that it was “targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in south Lebanon.” A subsequent statement said that the Israeli military had “targeted weapons storage facilities, missile launchers, and military sites used by Hezbollah to advance terror initiatives against the State of Israel,” the existence of which “violates the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
NNA Lebanon reported that, overnight, an Israeli patrol conducted a detonation on the southern outskirts of Yaroun in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
NNA Lebanon reported that, at dawn, an Israeli patrol detonated a home in Wadi al Asafir in Khiam in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
NNA Lebanon reported that, at dawn, an Israeli patrol detonated another house in Yaroun’s southern outskirts.
At 12:10 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun explosive on the Masarib neighborhood south of Adaisseh in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
At 5:43 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli artillery fired five shells at the Marjayoun Valley in the direction of Khiam, while Israeli troops positioned in the IDF’s Tel Hamames outpost directed machine-gun fire toward the area.
At 6:52 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli artillery targeted the outskirts of Yaroun.
At 6:58 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli artillery intermittently targeted the forested areas of Yaroun, while a shell fired from an IDF Merkava tank directly struck a house in Aitaroun in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 7:20 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli airstrike targeted Mahallet al Shaara, near the barrens of Nabi Sheet and on the edges of the Anti-Lebanon Mountain Range, in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate’s Baalbek District.
February 20
NNA Lebanon reported that at 2:20 am, Israeli forces conducted a massive detonation operation near Adaisseh in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
NNA Lebanon reported that at dawn, an Israeli drone fired two missiles at the facilities of a stonework factory on the outskirts of Markaba in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District, damaging the equipment.
NNA Lebanon reported that at around 10:00 am, an Israeli drone dropped a stun explosive in Houla in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
NNA Lebanon reported that at around 10:00 am, Israeli forces positioned at the IDF’s Jabal Blatt post in south Lebanon directed machine-gun fire toward the outskirts of Marwahin and Shihine in the South Lebanon Governorate’s Tyre District.
NNA Lebanon reported that at 10:15 am, Israeli forces directed machine-gun fire toward the outskirts of Yaroun in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 4:33 pm, the IDF released a statement saying that it had “just targeted a command center from which Hamas terrorists were operating near Ain Al Hilweh in south Lebanon.” NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted the Hittine neighborhood of the Ain al Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in the South Lebanon Governorate’s Sidon District with three missiles. Israel’s Kan 11 reported that Israeli naval missile boats also took part in the operation. The strike killed two people and wounded three unidentified individuals. Hamas initially denied that the targeted building was one of its command centers, saying it had previously belonged to the camps’ joint Palestinian security force and had recently been rented out to a man who was using it to distribute food packages. However, the group later issued an official statement announcing the deaths of Hamas operatives Bilal Deeb al Khatib and Mohammad Tareq al Sawi. The IDF released a subsequent statement claiming that “Hamas operatives were using the targeted command center throughout the recent period for preparing terror operations against IDF troops in Lebanon, including training exercises whose objective was advancing terror initiatives against IDF troops and the State of Israel […] in violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
Death announcements for Bilal Deeb al Khatib (Left) and Mohammad Tareq al Sawi (Right). (Al Manar TV)
At 8:25 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli airstrikes targeted areas of the Anti-Lebanon Mountain Range and Mount Lebanon in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate’s Baalbek District.
At 8:29 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that three Israeli airstrikes targeted Mahallet al Shaara in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate’s Baalbek District. One of the strikes reportedly struck a building near a branch of Al Qard Al Hassan—Hezbollah’s small loans institution—on the Riyaq-Baalbek Highway and completely leveled it. The strike killed 10 people and wounded 21 unidentified individuals, including three children. Two of the fatalities appear to be civilians—one reportedly a male Syrian national and the other a female Ethiopian national—but their identities remain undisclosed. Hezbollah later announced the deaths of eight of its operatives:
Hezbollah operative Mohammad Ibrahim Wahbi Al Musawi, whose nom de guerre was Ali Hussain, was from Nabi Sheet.
Hezbollah operative Ali Zeid Al Musawi, whose nom de guerre was Nasser, was from Nabi Sheet.
Hezbollah operative Hussain Khairallah Alaeddine, whose nom de guerre was Radwan, was from Hermel.
Hezbollah operative Ahmad Hussain Al Hajj Hassan, whose nom de guerre was Mujahed, was from Shaath.
Hezbollah operative Qassem Ali Mahdi, whose nom de guerre was Abdel Mutaleb, was from Ali Al Nahri.
Hezbollah operative Ahmad Mohammad Zuaiter, whose nom de guerre was Ashtar, was also reported in other Hezbollah sources as Waad from Riha.
Hezbollah operative Hassanein Yasser Al Seblani, whose nom de guerre was Aathaab, was from Shmistar.
Left to right: Death announcements for Hussain Mohammad Yaghi, Mohammad Ibrahim Al Musawi, and Ali Zeid Al Musawi. (Hezbollah Central Military Media on Telegram)
Left to right: Death announcements for Hussain Khairallah Alaeddine, Ahmad Hussain al Hajj Hassan, and Qassem Ali Mahdi. (Alahed News)
Left to right: Death announcements of Ahmad Mohammad Zuaiter and Hassanein Yasser al Seblani. (Alahed News)
The IDF released a statement at 8:38 pm, saying it had targeted Hezbollah command centers near Baalbek being used to “advance terror initiatives against IDF troops and the State of Israel.” The IDF released a follow-up statement saying it had “targeted and killed Hezbollah operatives belonging to the group’s missile array forces located in three different command centers belonging to the organization.” The IDF claimed it had “recently detected efforts by the operatives to accelerate force readiness and reinforcement procedures, while planning to direct fire at the State of Israel, and advancing terror initiatives endangering IDF troops and the citizens of the State of Israel. [Hezbollah’s] missile array is responsible for firing missiles and rockets at the State of Israel and is currently planning on conducting such operations into our territory.” The IDF’s statement customarily noted that such activities were “a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
At 8:39 pm, NNA Lebanonreported that Israeli airstrikes targeted the valleys of Qasrnaba and Tamnin al Tahta, west of Baalbek, in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate’s Baalbek District.
At 10:52 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun explosive on Houla.
At 11:11 pm, Hezbollah-affiliated social media announced the death of Hezbollah operative Ali Mohammad Bazzi, whose nom de guerre was Sajed, from Bint Jbeil. Bazzi was wounded in Israel’s September 17, 2024, pager detonation operation and succumbed to the wounds he sustained in that attack.
Death announcement for Ali Mohammad Bazzi. (Balagh Media on Telegram)
February 21
At 6:18 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun explosive in Maroun Al Ras in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 11:14 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli artillery targeted the outskirts of Beit Lif and Ramyeh in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
February 22
At 4:44 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli artillery fired incendiary shells between Sarda and Wazzani in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
At 4:49 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun explosive near an unidentified Lebanese national in Maroun al Ras in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 6:32 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli artillery targeted the old town of Ayta Ash Shaab in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 8:24 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli artillery fired several shells at the old town of Ayta Ash Shaab while drones flew overhead.
https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/02/israeli-operations-in-lebanon-against-hezbollah-february-16-22-2026.php
**David Daoud is Senior Fellow at at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies where he focuses on Israel, Hezbollah, and Lebanon affairs

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 24-25/2026
USS Gerald Ford, World’s Largest Aircraft Carrier, at US Base on Crete
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 24/2026
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, has reached the US naval base of Souda Bay on Crete, en route to joining a massive military build-up in the Middle East. President Donald Trump, who ordered strikes on Iran last year, has repeatedly threatened Tehran with fresh military action if it does not cut a new deal on its contentious nuclear program, which the West fears is aimed at building an atomic weapon. The Ford reached the Greek island on Monday, according to an AFP photographer. The Greek defense ministry declined to comment on the aircraft carrier's arrival, and the US embassy in Athens did not immediately respond to questions from AFP. US Naval Support Activity Souda Bay is home to approximately 1,000 people, including active duty military, US civilian employees, local national employees, contractors, and family members. Washington currently has more than a dozen warships in the Middle East: one aircraft carrier -- the USS Abraham Lincoln -- nine destroyers and three littoral combat ships.It is rare for there to be two US aircraft carriers -- which carry dozens of warplanes and are crewed by thousands of sailors -- in the Middle East. The United States had two of the massive warships in the region in June last year when it bombed three Iranian nuclear sites during Israel's 12-day war with Iran. In his first term in office, Trump abandoned a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that placed curbs on its atomic activities in exchange for sanctions relief.Following the United States' withdrawal, Iran began enriching uranium at higher levels -- up to 60 percent, near the 90 percent needed for a bomb -- though it has always maintained its program is strictly peaceful. A previous round of nuclear diplomacy last year fell apart when Israel launched its surprise campaign against the country.

Revolutionary Guards Conduct Military Drills in Iran’s South
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 24/2026
Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the military, are carrying out drills on the country's southern shores of the Gulf, state media said Tuesday. "Combined 1404 (2026) exercise of the IRGC Ground Forces has begun," state TV reported, referring to this year in both the Iranian and Gregorian calendars. The war games are focused on the south coasts but similar drills are happening in other parts of Iran, the report added. They include drones, vessels, amphibious vehicles, ground-to-sea missiles and rockets as well as artillery, state TV said."Very good measures have been designed in various sectors, including missiles, artillery, drones, special forces, armored vehicles and armored personnel carriers," Mohammad Karami, commander of IRGC ground forces, told state television. He said the drills were being conducted "based on the threats that exist", without elaborating. The drills come after Washington and Tehran concluded two rounds of Oman-mediated talks aimed at reaching a deal on Iran's nuclear program, with further talks set for Thursday. Washington has repeatedly called for zero uranium enrichment by Iran but has also sought to address its ballistic missile program and support for militant groups in the region, demands Iran has rejected. Western countries accuse Tehran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. Tehran denies having such military ambitions but insists on its right to nuclear technology for civilian purposes. US President Donald Trump, who has ratcheted up pressure on Iran to reach an agreement, has deployed a significant naval force to the Middle East. He once again on Monday threatened Iran with a military attack if a deal is not reached. Last week, Iranian naval forces conducted another round of military drills in the Gulf and around the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Iran Issues Death Sentence Linked to January Unrest, Source Says
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 24/2026
A revolutionary court in Tehran has issued a death sentence for an Iranian man accused of "enmity against God", which if confirmed would be the first such sentence linked to mass protests in January, a source close to the man's family said. The ‌source told Reuters ‌on Tuesday that ‌Iran's ⁠judiciary had not yet ⁠announced the sentence against the man, Mohammad Abbasi, and that Iran's Supreme Court was yet to uphold it. Abbasi was accused of killing a security officer, ⁠an allegation his family denied, the ‌source ‌said. Rights groups say thousands of people were ‌killed in a crackdown on ‌the protests, the worst domestic unrest in Iran since the era of its 1979 revolution.During the unrest, ‌US President Donald Trump warned Tehran that he could order ⁠military ⁠action if it carried out executions. The source said the defendant's daughter, Fatemeh Abbasi, was handed a 25-year prison sentence over her role in protests. "The defendants do not have access to the lawyer they wanted, and were given a public defender," the source added.

Iran is ready for any necessary steps to reach deal with US, deputy foreign minister says
Reuters/February 24, 2026
DUBAI, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Iran is ready to take any necessary steps to reach a deal with the United States, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said ‌on Tuesday, as the two countries prepare for a fresh round of talks.The ‌talks are set to take place on Thursday in Geneva, a senior U.S. official said on Monday, with U.S. ​envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner slated to meet with an Iranian delegation for the negotiations.The two countries resumed negotiations earlier this month as the U.S. builds up its military capability in the Middle East. Iran has threatened to strike U.S. bases in the region if it is attacked. "We are ‌ready to reach an agreement ⁠as soon as possible. We will do whatever it takes to make this happen. We will enter the negotiating room in Geneva with complete honesty ⁠and good faith," Takht-Ravanchi said in comments carried by state media.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump's first option was always diplomacy but that he was ​willing to ​use lethal force if necessary. A senior Iranian official ​told Reuters on Sunday that Tehran ‌would seriously consider a combination of sending half of its most highly enriched uranium abroad, diluting the rest and taking part in creating a regional enrichment consortium - an idea periodically raised during years of Iran-linked diplomacy. Iran would do this in return for U.S. recognition of Iran's right to "peaceful nuclear enrichment" under a deal that would also include lifting economic sanctions, the official said. "If ‌there is an attack or aggression against Iran, we ​will respond according to our defence plans... A U.S. attack ​on Iran is a real gamble," ​Takht-Ravanchi added. Indirect talks between the two sides last year brought no agreement, ‌primarily due to friction over a U.S. ​demand that Iran forgo uranium ​enrichment on its soil, which Washington views as a pathway to a nuclear bomb. Iran has always denied seeking such weapons.

Iran Says Students Have Right to Protest but Must Know ‘Red Lines’
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 24/2026
University students have the right to protest but everyone must "understand the red lines", the Iranian government's spokeswoman said Tuesday, in the first official reaction to renewed rallies on campuses since the weekend. "Sacred things and the flag are two examples of these red lines that we must protect and not cross or deviate from, even at the height of anger," Fatemeh Mohajerani said. She said Iran's students "have wounds in their hearts and have seen scenes that may upset and anger them; this anger is understandable".University students in Iran started a new semester Saturday with pro- and anti-government rallies, according to local media, reviving slogans from nationwide demonstrations that peaked in January and led to thousands of deaths.Protests first began in December sparked by economic woes in the sanctions-hit country but grew into nationwide demonstrations on January 8 and 9. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has recorded more than 7,000 deaths, while warning the full toll is likely far higher.Iranian officials acknowledge more than 3,000 deaths, but say the violence was caused by "terrorist acts" fueled by the United States and Israel.Mohajerani on Tuesday said a fact-finding mission is investigating "the causes and factors" of the protests and will provide reports.

Iran nears deal to buy supersonic anti-ship missiles from China
John Irish, Parisa Hafezi and Gavin Finch/Reuters/February 24, 2026
LONDON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Iran is close to a deal with China to purchase anti‑ship cruise missiles, according to six people with knowledge of the negotiations, just as the United States deploys a vast naval force near the Iranian coast ahead of possible strikes on the Islamic Republic. The deal for the Chinese‑made CM‑302 missiles is near completion, though no delivery date ‌has been agreed, the people said. The supersonic missiles have a range of about 290 kilometres and are designed to evade shipborne defences by flying low and fast. Their deployment would significantly enhance Iran’s strike capabilities and ‌pose a threat to U.S. naval forces in the region, two weapons experts said. Negotiations with China to buy the missile weapons systems, which began at least two years ago, accelerated sharply after the 12‑day war between Israel and Iran in June, according to the six people with knowledge of the ​talks, including three officials who were briefed by the Iranian government as well as three security officials. As talks entered their final stages last summer, senior Iranian military and government officials travelled to China, including Massoud Oraei, Iran’s deputy defence minister, according to two of the security officials. Oraei’s visit has not been previously reported. “It’s a complete gamechanger if Iran has supersonic capability to attack ships in the area,” said Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli intelligence officer and now senior Iran researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies think tank. “These missiles are very difficult to intercept.”Reuters could not determine how many missiles were involved in the potential deal, how much Iran had agreed to pay, or whether China would go through with the agreement now given heightened tensions in the region. “Iran ‌has military and security agreements with its allies, and now is an appropriate time ⁠to make use of these agreements,” an Iranian foreign ministry official told Reuters. In a comment sent after publication, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was not aware of the talks about a potential missile sale that Reuters had reported. China's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment. The White House did not directly address the negotiations between Iran and China over ⁠the missile system when asked by Reuters. U.S. President Donald Trump has been clear that “either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” a White House official said, referring to the current standoff with Iran. The missiles would be among the most advanced military hardware to be transferred to Iran by China and defy a United Nations weapons embargo that was first imposed in 2006. The sanctions were suspended in 2015 as part of a nuclear deal with the U.S. and allies, and then reimposed ​last ​September. The potential sale would underscore deepening military ties between China and Iran at a moment of heightened regional tension, complicating U.S. ​efforts to contain Iran’s missile programme and curb its nuclear activities. It would also signal China’s ‌growing willingness to assert itself in a region long dominated by U.S. military might. China, Iran and Russia hold annual joint naval exercises, and last year the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned several Chinese entities for supplying chemical precursors to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for use in its ballistic missile program. China rejected those allegations, saying it was unaware of the cases cited in the sanctions and that it strictly enforces export controls on dual-use products. While hosting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for a military parade in Beijing in September, Chinese President Xi Jinping told the Iranian leader that "China supports Iran in safeguarding sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity.”China joined Russia and Iran in a joint letter on October 18 to say they believed the decision to reimpose sanctions was flawed. “Iran has become a battlefield between the U.S.” on one side and Russia and China on the other, said one of the officials who was briefed by Iran’s government on the missile negotiations. The deal comes as the U.S. assembles ‌an armada within striking distance of Iran, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group. The USS Gerald R. Ford ​and its escorts are also heading to the region. The two ships together can carry more than 5,000 personnel and 150 aircraft. “China does not want ​to see a pro-Western regime in Iran,” said Citrinowicz, the Israeli specialist on Iran. “That would be a threat to ​their interests. They are hoping that this regime will stay.”Trump said on February 19 he was giving Iran 10 days to reach an agreement over its nuclear programme or face military action. ‌The U.S. is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if Trump ​orders an attack, Reuters reported on February 13. The CM-302 ​purchase would be a significant improvement in an Iranian arsenal depleted by last year’s war, said Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. China’s state-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) markets the CM-302 as the world’s best anti-ship missile, capable of sinking an aircraft carrier or destroyer. The weapons system can be mounted on ships, aircraft or mobile ground vehicles. It can also take out targets on land. CASIC did not respond ​to a request for comment. Iran is also in discussions to acquire Chinese surface‑to‑air missile systems, ‌so-called MANPADS, anti‑ballistic weapons, and anti-satellite weapons, the six people said. China was a major arms supplier to Iran in the 1980s, but large‑scale weapons transfers dwindled by the late 1990s under international pressure. In recent ​years, U.S. officials have accused Chinese companies of providing missile-related materials to Iran but have not publicly accused it of supplying complete missile systems.

Saudi FM, Rubio Discuss Regional Developments
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 24/2026
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah held telephone talks on Tuesday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They discussed the strategic relations between their countries and the latest regional developments and efforts exerted towards them.

Mohammed bin Salman, Egypt’s Sisi Discuss Regional Developments
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 24/2026
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi held talks in Jeddah on Monday on developments in the Middle East. Meeting over an iftar banquet at the Salam palace, they discussed the close historic bilateral relations between their countries and means to develop them in various fields. They also reviewed several issues related to the Arab and Muslim arenas. Egyptian presidency spokesman Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy said Crown Prince Mohammed stressed to Sisi the “centrality” of relations between their countries, hoping to elevate them further to serve the interests of their people. Sisi, for his part, noted the “great development in the fraternal ties between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, stressing the importance of strengthening cooperation in different fields.” The leaders discussed developments in Gaza, underlining the need for all parties to respect the ceasefire agreement and implement US President Donald Trump’s peace plan. They called for increasing humanitarian aid to the enclave and their unimpeded delivery, said El-Shennawy. Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meet in Jeddah on Monday. (SPA) They expressed their rejection of attempts to displace the Palestinian people, adding that the solution to the crisis lies in launching a comprehensive political process that leads to the implementation of the two-state solution. Crown Prince Mohammed and Sisi also tackled several regional and international developments. They stressed the need to avert escalation and tensions in the region and to support peaceful solutions through dialogue. They called for bolstering Arab solidarity to confront challenges, while underscoring respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations. They agreed to maintain contacts and bolster consultations and political coordination to preserve regional stability, said El-Shennawy. The meeting was attended by Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah; Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet, and National Security Advisor Dr. Musaed Al-Aiban; Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet for Shura Council Affairs Dr. Issam bin Saad bin Saeed; President of the General Intelligence Presidency Khalid Al-Humaidan. Also present were Egyptian FM Badr Abdelatty, chief of intelligence Hassan Rashad and other officials.
Sisi departed Jeddah later on Monday and he was seen off by Crown Prince Mohammed.

MWL Supports Joint Statement Condemning Israeli Actions in the West Bank
Asharq Al Awsat/February 24/2026
The Muslim World League (MWL) welcomed the joint statement issued by the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia and various other foreign ministers condemning Israel’s unlawful decisions regarding the West Bank. On Monday, the ‌foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Brazil, France, Spain, Türkiye, Egypt, Qatar, as well as heads of the Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemned the Israeli decisions that they said introduce sweeping extensions to unlawful Israeli control over the West Bank. MWL Secretary-General Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, cautioned against the grave consequences of Israel’s continued violations of international law, international humanitarian law, and established norms and conventions. He praised the foreign minister’s strong commitment to taking practical steps, consistent with international law, to counter the expansion of unlawful settlements in the Palestinian territories. He also emphasized the need to address the policies of forced displacement, annexation, and the threats they pose. Dr. Al-Issa urged the international community to take action to end Israel’s violations in the occupied Palestinian territories and to implement relevant resolutions, including those of the United Nations Security Council and the New York Declaration, regarding the Palestinian people’s established historic right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state. Israel's cabinet on February 15 approved further ⁠measures to tighten Israel's control ‌over the occupied ‌West Bank and make it easier for ‌settlers to buy land, a move ‌Palestinians called a "de-facto annexation". The West Bank is among the territories that Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much ‌of it is under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule ⁠in ⁠some areas run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.

EU Diplomats Meet Board of Peace Director over Gaza's Future
Asharq Al Awsat/February 24/2026
The European Union's top diplomats met Monday in Brussels with the director of the Board of Peace after a shaky and controversial embrace of US President Donald Trump's efforts to secure and rebuild the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. Nikolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and UN diplomat chosen by Trump to manage the Board of Peace, met the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and foreign ministers from across the 27-nation bloc. The EU diplomats were also expected to discuss the war in Ukraine and fresh sanctions on Russia. “We want to be part of the peace process in Gaza and also contribute with what we have,” Kallas said ahead of the meeting. Afterward, she said Mladenov updated diplomats on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the Board of Peace's activities and strategy, which included an EU presence in stabilization and humanitarian efforts.“It was good to hear from Mladenov that it’s really right now trying to improve the situation, that he sees this in the same way, that actually they also need us there contributing," Kallas said. One EU nation blocked new sanctions on Israeli settlers agreed by the rest of the bloc, she said, without naming the holdout. The EU's planned training of Palestinian police in Gaza is awaiting approval by Israel, Kallas said. Just across the Mediterranean Sea from the Middle East, the EU has deep links to Israel and the Palestinians. It now plays a crucial oversight role at Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt, and is the top donor to the Palestinian Authority.
The question of whether to work with the Trump-led board has split national capitals from Nicosia to Copenhagen. The EU is supportive of the United Nations’ mandate in Gaza. EU members Hungary and Bulgaria are full members of the board, as are EU candidate countries Türkiye, Kosovo and Albania. Twelve other EU nations sent observers to the inaugural meeting in Washington on Thursday: Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The EU flag was displayed at the event alongside EU observer and member nations. European leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen turned down invitation to join, as did Pope Leo XIV. But von der Leyen did send European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica to the meeting in Washington as an observer. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said sending Šuica without consulting the European Council, the group of the bloc's leaders, broke EU regulations. “The European Commission should never have attended the Board of Peace meeting in Washington,” Barrot said in a post on X. “Beyond the legitimate political questions raised by the ‘Board of Peace,’ the Commission must scrupulously respect European law and institutional balance in all circumstances.”"It is in the remit of the commission to accept invitations,” von der Leyen spokesperson Paula Pinho said Friday. While the executive is not joining the board, it is seeking to influence reconstruction and peacekeeping in Gaza beyond being the top donor to the Palestinian Authority, she said.Trump’s ballooning ambitions for the board extend from governing and rebuilding Gaza as a futuristic metropolis to challenging the UN Security Council’s role in solving conflicts. But they could be tempered by the realities of dealing with Gaza, where there has so far been limited progress in achieving the narrower aims of the ceasefire.

Hamas Calls for Sanctions Against Israel Over New West Bank Moves
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 24/2026
Hamas on Tuesday called for sanctions against Israel, welcoming a joint condemnation by nearly 20 countries of new Israeli measures aimed at tightening control over the occupied West Bank. Israel has approved a series of initiatives this month backed by far-right ministers, including launching a process to register land in the West Bank as "state property" and allowing Israelis to purchase land there directly. Late on Monday, 18 countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and European powers France and Spain, slammed Israel over the recent moves.They "are part of a clear trajectory that aims to change the reality on the ground and to advance unacceptable de facto annexation", the countries said. "Such actions are a deliberate and direct attack on the viability of the Palestinian state and the implementation of the two-state solution."Hamas hailed the condemnation as "a step in the right direction in confronting the occupation's expansionist plans, which flagrantly violate international law and relevant UN resolutions". The group in a statement urged the countries involved "to impose deterrent sanctions and exert pressure on the fascist occupation government to halt its policies aimed at entrenching annexation, colonial settlement and forced displacement". It said the Israeli measures were part of ongoing "aggression" against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. In addition to roughly three million Palestinians, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements and outposts in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law. Israel's current government has accelerated settlement expansion, approving a record 54 settlements in 2025, according to activists. The West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, is envisioned as the core of a future Palestinian state, but many on Israel's religious right view it as part of Israel's historic homeland.

EU memo raises security concerns over mass escape from IS-linked Syria camp
Lili Bayer/Reuters/February 24, 2026
BRUSSELS, Feb 24 (Reuters) - An EU internal memo has raised security concerns about the escape of thousands of people from a detention camp holding relatives of suspected Islamic State fighters in northeastern Syria, suggesting militant groups could recruit from them. The ‌memo, sent from the Cyprus presidency of the Council of the European Union to member states and dated February 23, said ‌the status of third-country nationals who had fled the camp at al-Hol remained unclear and that it was reported that a majority of them had escaped. "This raises concerns about how terrorist ​groups might seek to capitalise on the current situation to increase recruitment efforts among escapees," said the memo, which was reviewed by Reuters.
PRISONERS INCLUDED THOUSANDS OF FOREIGNERS
Al-Hol, near the Iraqi border, was one of the main detention camps for relatives of suspected Islamic State fighters who were detained during the U.S.-backed campaign against the jihadist group in Syria. Control of the camp changed hands in January, when Syrian government forces under President Ahmed al-Sharaa drove the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces ‌from the area. The SDF had guarded the facility for ⁠years.The camp's population was 23,407 people the day before the government takeover, including 6,280 foreigners from more than 40 nationalities, Reuters reported last week, citing official data from the camp. The U.S. military said on February 13 it had ⁠completed a mission to transfer 5,700 adult male Islamic State fighters from jails in Syria to Iraq. It had originally said up to 7,000 prisoners could eventually be transferred. The EU memo noted that the initial target was not met.

Zelenskiy Says Ukraine Has Defended Its Independence on Fourth Anniversary of War
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 24/2026
Ukraine has defended its independence since Russia's invasion and will not betray the sacrifices made by its people as it seeks peace, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an address marking the fourth anniversary of the start of the war."Putin has not achieved his goals. He has not broken the Ukrainian people. He has not won this war," Zelenskiy said on Tuesday. "We have ‌preserved Ukraine, and ‌we will do everything to achieve ‌peace. ⁠And to ensure ⁠justice."Zelenskiy is due to welcome dignitaries from European allies, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in Kyiv later in the day for ceremonies four years on from Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers ⁠on both sides have died or been ‌wounded in Europe's ‌deadliest conflict since World War Two. Russian forces have killed ‌tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and destroyed ‌Ukrainian cities with years of missiles and drone strikes. Ongoing peace talks with Russia, brokered by the United States, appear to have stalled over the question of territory. Moscow, ‌which is advancing slowly on the battlefield, has refused to drop its insistence ⁠that ⁠Ukraine cede the final 20% of the eastern region of Donetsk, while Kyiv is adamant it will not relinquish land that thousands have died to defend. "We want peace. Strong, dignified, lasting peace," Zelenskiy said in his address. He added that he had told Ukraine's peace negotiators: "Do not nullify all these years, do not devalue all the struggle, courage, dignity, everything that Ukraine has gone through. We cannot, we must not, give it away, forget it, betray it."

Pakistan, Afghan forces exchange fire after airstrikes deepen tensions
Sayed Hassib/Reuters/February 24, 2026
KABUL/ KARACHI, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged fire along their border on Tuesday, with each side accusing ‌the other of initiating the clash, days after Pakistani airstrikes in ‌Afghanistan strained already tenuous ties.The incident marks the latest flare-up along the 2,600-km (1,615-mile) border, where tensions ​have risen since Pakistan's strikes on Saturday and Sunday and threaten a fragile ceasefire following deadly clashes in October. Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for Pakistan's prime minister, told Reuters the Afghan Taliban authorities had initiated "unprovoked firing" in the Torkham and Tirah ‌sub-sectors along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. "Pakistan's ⁠security forces responded immediately and effectively, silencing the Taliban aggression," Zaidi said, warning that any further provocation would be met "immediately ⁠and severely."Afghan officials gave a different account, saying Pakistani forces opened fire and that Afghan troops responded.Zabihullah Noorani, director of information and culture for Nangarhar province, ​said the ​incident took place in the Shahkot area ​of Nazyan district and that ‌the fighting has since stopped with no Afghan casualties. Separately, Mawlawi Wahidullah, spokesperson for an Afghan army corps responsible for security in eastern Afghanistan, said border forces were on patrol near the Durand Line in Achin and Durbaba districts when they came under fire, adding that the exchange was not retaliatory but ‌a response to incoming fire. Islamabad said Pakistani ​airstrikes on the weekend targeted camps of the Tehreek-e-Taliban ​Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State Khorasan ​Province in eastern Afghanistan, with security sources putting the militant ‌death toll at 70. The United Nations ​Assistance Mission in ​Afghanistan said it had received “credible reports” that at least 13 civilians were killed and seven injured in Nangarhar. Taliban officials put the toll higher. ​Reuters could not independently ‌verify the figures. Pakistan says TTP leaders operate from Afghan territory, a ​charge Kabul denies.

About 6.5 Million People in Somalia Face Acute Hunger Due to Drought, Govt and UN Say
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 24/2026
About 6.5 million people in Somalia ‌face acute hunger due to drought, the government and the United Nations said on Tuesday, sounding the alarm days after the UN's food agency warned that food aid could grind to a halt by April without new funding. Somalia declared a national drought emergency in November after years of failed rains, and other countries in the region have also been hit. More than a third of those facing acute malnutrition are children, Somalia's government and the United Nations Somalia said in a joint statement. The crisis has forced tens of thousands of ‌people to ‌flee their homes, with many crowding into camps ‌in ⁠Mogadishu and other ⁠cities. "The drought ... has deepened alarmingly, with soaring water prices, limited food supplies, dying livestock, and very little humanitarian funding," George Conway, the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, said in a statement. Hawo Abdi said she lost two children to illness after the drought laid waste to her homeland in Somalia's Bay region. "When I saw that the suffering ⁠was getting worse, I fled my home and ‌came to ... Mogadishu," she told Reuters ‌from her shelter on the outskirts of the capital. Last week, the UN World Food Program put the number of those facing acute hunger ‌at 4.4 million, and said it had already cut back its assistance to just over 600,000 people from 2.2 million earlier this year. It was not clear whether the new figure reflected a sharp increase in those ‌at risk or different counting methods. The government and United Nations figures tally with those also released on ⁠Tuesday by ⁠the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which sets the global standard for determining the severity of a food crisis.While rainfall in the April to June season could offer some relief, some 5.5 million people were expected to remain in the crisis level or worse, with 1.6 million people in the emergency level, the statement said. Abdiyo Ali was forced to abandon her farm in the Lower Shabelle region. "Our farms were destroyed, our livestock died, and water sources became too far away. We have nothing left to bring with us," Ali told Reuters last week while preparing her food in a displaced people's camp outside Mogadishu.

The Latest LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 24-25/2026
The Conflicting Priorities and Choices Before the World
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al-Awsat/February 24/2026
“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” has long been a fundamental maxim of common political wisdom. Recent global and regional developments - all the ambiguity, ad hoc deals, and the conflation of strategy and tactics - are showing us why. Look, for example, at the behavior of the United States, the strongest player on the international stage. It no longer speaks of deep, long-term strategic alliances but openly promotes “deals” that put out a crisis here or a dispute there as the ideals and lofty principles of the previous era recede in the face of immediate, narrow self-interest.
Two factors have led to this state of affairs in my opinion. The first is the collapse of what, for a time, had seemed like a prototype for a world order that would succeed the post-Cold War order. The second is the accelerating pace of technological progress, which is currently culminating with artificial intelligence and its inevitable implications for humanity. With regard to the first factor, Europe, despite its historical role in struggles over global hegemony, finds itself strikingly dazed and confused. By virtue of its geographical location next to Asia and Africa, as well as the influence of religions that emerged in West Asia, Europe had long been a very significant player in religion, technological development, and the economy. Europe began to carry weight in the history of Christianity with the conversion of Emperor Constantine the Great (306-337 AD). Later, technological development was precipitated by the Industrial Revolution that followed the Muslim conquest of Constantinople in 1453 and the migration of scholars to Western Europe. Europe’s global economic dominance took shape through the discovery and colonization of continents.
This “colonial Europe” gave birth, in the West, to the United States of America. In the East, its imperial war and the class struggles engendered by the Industrial Revolution gave rise to a revolutionary ideology. This ideology transformed Russia into a massive political, economic, and military powerhouse called the Soviet Union.At the same time, as Western European dominance over Latin America gradually loosened after the American War of Independence, the success of the Bolshevik Revolution produced repercussions in many regions, encouraging peoples to rise up against European hegemony. Foremost among them were China, later India, and what would become the states of Asia and Africa. The collapse of the former Soviet Union was resented by many groups and factions in Russia, the largest and central polity of the Soviet empire. This resentment was greatest among those with strong memories and even stronger interests: the men of the former regime. Russia’s current leader, Vladimir Putin, is one of those men.
Putin worked for the intelligence services. A former KGB official in East Germany during the period of its subordination to Moscow, he could not easily forget, nor readily reconcile himself to, this change. How could he forget or reconcile himself to the banners and missiles of NATO reaching Russia’s borders?
Figures like Putin are not easily distracted by ideological disputes. What they see as usurped national interests and vendettas are always in focus, and they wait for the right moment to pounce. He is well versed in European and Western politics in general. That is why he found the most effective way to take revenge on the West for bringing down his former Soviet state. Since the West succeeded in bringing down the Soviet Union from within, despite its devastating nuclear capabilities, Putin chose a similar strategy. He sought to undermine Western democracies from within, and he is doing precisely that: encouraging populist and racist extremism and by supporting the dismantling of the broad consensuses that have, until now, been the key pillar of the stability of these democracies.
The Kremlin’s current policies have nothing to do with Soviet-era ideas or leftist commitment. Its closest allies and supporters in Europe and the United States today are far-right racist parties and figures hostile to immigration and foreigners. The more powerful and popular these forces grow, and the closer they come to power, the greater the likelihood of domestic strife. This trajectory is undermining the cohesion of the countries concerned and, with it, the unity of the Western alliance as a whole.
Amid the steady rise of the European far right, many in the United States are highlighting the divisions within American politics. The most prominent of these signs emerged at the Munich Security Conference, with the remarks of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Similar views were expressed by the academic and defense expert Nadia Schadlow, associated with the neoconservative current, in an article published in Foreign Affairs.
Rubio’s speech amounted to a blunt political announcement. It promoted an American global order imposed by Washington. Europe was assigned the role of junior partner in a clash of civilizations, cultures, and religions. In his remarks, there was no apology for the colonial past. Instead, it was implicitly endorsed, alongside a rejection of international coexistence based on rules and institutions. The world was divided into two camps: good and evil. The former was presented as white, Christian, and conservative, backed by wealthy actors in advanced technology, while everyone else was placed in the latter.
Schadlow made a similar argument in her distinction between the two rival “operating systems” of today’s world. The first claims that urgent problems can only be resolved through a global, supranational, and multilateral system. The second holds that nation-states remain the pillar of legitimate authority and effective action. After listing major challenges such as migration, pandemics, and the rise of China, Schadlow argued that the debate is no longer abstract. The contradiction between “globalists” and “sovereigntists” has become clear, especially in the political exchanges between Washington and European capitals. She noted that the current American leadership has begun to question the utility of global institutions, while European leaders continue to stress their importance for preserving the post-Cold War order. She concluded by advising Washington and other “democratic” countries to stop respecting what she called an “ossified global order” and seek their own solutions to international crises.
Quite a world we live in today.

Iran’s Crackdown on Christians Undermines Trump’s Emphasis on Religious Freedom
Janatan Sayeh/FDD-Policy Brief/February 24/2026
When the Tehran regime falters abroad, Iran’s religious minorities pay the price at home. A recently published report by Christian advocacy groups, including Article 18, Open Doors, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, and Middle East Concern, documents intensified anti-Christian repression in 2025. The report found that arrests on religion-related charges nearly doubled compared to 2024, while more than twice as many Christians served prison, exile, or forced-labor sentences, as courts imposed harsher penalties overall. The U.S. Department of State’s International Religious Freedom reports routinely flag Iran’s repression of religious minorities. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2025 report likewise recommended that the State Department uphold Iran’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern. The Islamic Republic has long targeted religious minorities not only as obstacles to the imposition of Islamic law, but also as convenient scapegoats, portraying them as foreign agents to deflect blame when the regime suffers setbacks against external adversaries.
Surge in Arrests of Iranian Religious Minorities Since June 2025 War
Tehran’s humiliation at the hands of Israel and the United States during the 12-Day War last June led the regime to escalate its suppression of Christian faith. Iran regards Christians as a national security threat — particularly members and supporters of Evangelical Christians who converted from Islam and are often accused of having ties to foreign groups. Many of these individuals have been prosecuted for “oharabeh,” or enmity against God, an offense that carries a potential death sentence. Evangelizing is strictly prohibited, and Muslims who convert can face death under Iran’s apostasy laws.
From the beginning of 2025 to the end of the war in June, Iran arrested 40 Christians on sham charges. But in the following month alone, Iranian authorities arrested at least 53 more. The justification was explicit: Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence (MOI) claimed it had arrested 53 Evangelicals “trained abroad” for collaborating with the “Zionist regime.”The renewed wave of crackdowns against religious minorities was not limited to Christians. Members of Iran’s Baha’i faced more than 750 “persecutory acts” between June and November 2025, while dozens of Iranian Jews were also arrested and their community leaders were interrogated.
Iran’s Islamic Penal Code Institutionalizes Christian Persecution
Vague interpretations of the Iranian Penal Code were employed in nearly 90 percent of cases against Christians in 2025. Article 500 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, which forbids worship that “interferes with the sacred law of Islam,” is the primary legal weapon the regime uses to stymie Christian worship. A 2021 amendment to this article broadened “deviant propaganda” provisions and increased the maximum penalty to 10 years imprisonment. The Islamic Republic recognizes only ethnic Christian communities, such as Armenians and Assyrians, and confines them to holding services in their own languages to prevent outreach beyond those groups. While imprisonment is a more common punishment than execution for targeted Christians, those convicted face monitoring, harassment, exile, and deprivation of social rights — from employment blacklisting to being forbidden from visiting the graves of deceased family members — once they are released. Despite this pressure, Iran remains home to one of the fastest-growing Christian communities in the world. Washington Should Sanction Iran’s Religious Persecution Architects. The regime’s repression of religious minorities operates on parallel tracks, with a propaganda apparatus that justifies abuse alongside a judiciary that enforces it. The Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization (IIDO), operating under the supervision of the Supreme Leader, drives the regime’s theocratic propaganda. The IIDO villainizes religious minorities as “deviationist currents,” and labels “missionary Christianity” as a “Zionist” project. On the judicial side, Judge Ashkan Ramesh of the Revolutionary Court of Varamin has become increasingly notorious for issuing heavy sentences against Christians, serving as an enforcement arm of this repression. The U.S. Treasury should therefore designate the IIDO and Judge Ramesh under existing human rights authorities for their roles in the Islamic Republic’s crackdown on religious minorities.
**Janatan Sayeh is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he focuses on Iranian domestic affairs and the Islamic Republic’s regional malign influence. Samuel Ben-Ur is a research analyst at FDD focused on global Christian persecution, For more analysis from the authors and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Janatan on X @JanatanSayeh. Follow FDD on X @FDD and @FDD_Iran. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

When U.S. Allies Turn on Each Other, America Must Act
Eric Navarro and Edmund Fitton-Brown/ Middle East Forum/February 24/2026.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates Have Been Friends and Allies for Decades, but They Have Picked Different Sides in the Fighting in Yemen
Two gasoline Goliaths of the Persian Gulf are facing off, and neither of them is Iran — in fact, both are allies of the United States. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been friends and allies for decades, but they have picked different sides in the fighting in Yemen. That’s bad for the Yemenis, who didn’t need more factional violence, and it’s bad for U.S. interests, too. Washington cannot afford to wait on the sidelines, especially if President Donald Trump’s signature peace agreement of his first term, the Abraham Accords, is in danger.
Most headlines coming out of Yemen are about the Houthis, who are responsible for attacking ships at the entry to the Red Sea, and for lobbing missiles at Israel. They also hold the north of the country. They have long been a target for the Saudis — and the Emiratis, too. But now Riyadh has turned its weapons on the allies of an ally, bombing a dock at Yemen’s Mukalla port in December. The Emiratis were using it to supply arms to a group that wants to divide Yemen into two countries — the Southern Transitional Council. It was all about reasserting Saudi primacy.
This rift is about more than Yemen. It has an impact on U.S. ally Israel, and on Trump’s plans for a broader peace in the Middle East. The UAE aligned early and openly with Israel through the Trump’s Abraham Accords. It understood that normalizing relations was not symbolic but strategic, locking in U.S. backing, intelligence cooperation, and regional deterrence. Saudi Arabia chose abstention, then ambiguity, and now delay. Despite Trump’s treatment of the Saudis as key allies, their negative messaging over the Abraham Accords undermines it. There is an honest difference of views between the Saudis and Emiratis on how to deal with conflict in the region that comprises the Arabian Peninsula, the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa. The Emiratis have a higher tolerance for risk and are comfortable dealing insurgent groups, believing effective local alliances can deliver better results than ineffective central authorities. They have no tolerance for the Muslim Brotherhood, branches of which were recently designated as terrorists by the United States. The Saudis take the opposite view, judging that it is always safer to deal with the central authorities of internationally recognized states, even if these are governed by complicated coalitions and even if they include Brotherhood sympathizers.Some analysts interpret this as evidence of a Saudi strategic realignment away from the United States and toward a new Sunni axis involving Turkey and Qatar. That analysis overreaches. Saudi Arabia is not abandoning the United States. But in its backlash against the UAE, it is probing the boundaries of American tolerance. That probing is happening because Washington has been insufficiently clear on its strategic imperatives.
Trump has demonstrated that the United States can achieve foreign policy outcomes using strength, clarity, and setting strict conditions. This second term has been different, a prime example being Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s White House access without any tangible returns for the United States. That is a strategic error.
Saudi Arabia still depends on the United States, militarily, economically, and diplomatically. Its western ports remain vulnerable to Houthi interdiction. Its eastern lifeline runs through the Strait of Hormuz at the tip of the Persian Gulf. Its air defenses, intelligence and surveillance systems, and naval security remain dependent on the United States. Riyadh is impervious to American leverage. Washington has simply chosen not to use it. That must change.The Trump administration should make three things clear to Riyadh. First, Saudi Arabia should not denigrate the United Arab Emirates. The UAE is not a marginal partner. It is the most operationally competent Arab ally the United States has and is consistently aligned with U.S. and Israeli interests. Any Saudi action that weakens Emirati influence weakens the broader U.S.-led regional architecture. This must be made clear to the Saudis.Second, Saudi Arabia must tone down its posturing against Israel, implicitly or explicitly, while it enjoys the benefits of U.S. security guarantees. Normalization is not charity. It is the price of admission to the American-backed regional order. Riyadh does not get to hedge indefinitely and it does not acquire F-35 planes unconditionally.
Third, a Saudi approach in Yemen that fractures the anti-Houthi camp must be challenged. When the Houthis sabotaged global commerce in the Red Sea that was also an act of aggression against Saudi ports, and yet Riyadh did nothing. The Houthis are unfinished business for Washington. Saudi actions that complicate Emirati counter-Houthi operations directly endanger U.S. economic and security interests. The United States is not an observer in Gulf politics. It is the central enabling power. Trump understands leverage better than most presidents. He should use it.
That means conditioning arms transfers, intelligence cooperation, and diplomatic cover on concrete Saudi behavior: de-escalation with the UAE, alignment on Yemen, and movement toward normalization with Israel. If Riyadh wants the privileges of partnership, it must accept the constraints that come with it. The United States, and the president personally, should make that reality unmistakable now, before Saudi testing really does become Saudi realignment. Eric Navarro, director of Military and Strategy Programs at the Forum, is a seasoned military officer, business leader, and national security strategist. Edmund Fitton-Brown is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and a former British diplomat.
https://www.meforum.org/military-and-strategic-programs/when-u-s-allies-turn-on-each-other-america-must-act
Read in Middle East Forum

What Russia’s War on Telegram Means for the West
Reagan Easter/FDD-Inght/February 24/2026
The Russian government escalated its information crackdown by drastically slowing down the service of Telegram, a popular Russian messaging app used by more than 100 million Russians, including government officials and soldiers. This move is deeply ironic. In its pursuit of regime security, Moscow is jeopardizing other interests: military effectiveness in Ukraine, soft power, and human capital. The United States needs a strategy to exploit those gaps and keep information flowing in. The throttling of Telegram is the continuation of a years-long Kremlin campaign to dominate the Russian information space and insulate it from outside influence. Moscow has seized ever-greater control over the country’s traditional and social media while expanding state surveillance and pursuing a “sovereign internet.” The crackdown intensified after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Moscow banning many foreign outlets and social media platforms. In fact, this is not Moscow’s first attempt to crush Telegram, on which many Russians rely to read the news, including from opposition and Western outlets that are otherwise more difficult to access. Founded by libertarian-minded Russian entrepreneurs in 2013, Telegram soon moved its headquarters abroad and resisted government access to users’ messaging data, irking Russian authorities. In 2018, Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, ordered a nationwide ban on the app. The ban was a failure. With nearly 20 million IP addresses blocked, the ban knocked out Amazon Web Services and Google services across Russia. Additionally, users bypassed restrictions using VPNs and proxies. By the time the ban was officially lifted in 2020, Telegram’s Russian user base had doubled. What’s different in this case is that Russia is not attempting to block Telegram outright. Instead, it is stifling the service while simultaneously mandating a state-controlled alternative, MAX. Since September 2025, the government has required MAX pre-installation on all new devices sold in Russia. Beginning January 2026, all messaging services operating in Russia had to store user messages for three years and make them accessible to security agencies on request. State media market MAX as a “patriotic alternative to WhatsApp and Telegram,” modeled after China’s WeChat.
But this forced march to increase control over the Russian information space carries risks on three fronts Moscow will have to reckon with.
The most immediate danger is to Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. Russian soldiers commonly use Telegram for battlefield communications, while government officials share safety announcements via the app. Volunteer organizations rely partly on Telegram to crowdfund for gear for Russian troops.The Telegram crackdown could compound the disruption to Russian military communications caused by the recent loss of access to the Starlink satellite internet service. Following the backlash from Russian war bloggers and troops, Russian Minister for Digital Development Maksut Shadaev promised that Moscow would not restrict Telegram in the warzone.The second risk concerns Russian influence abroad. The popularity of Telegram, which boasts 1 billion active users worldwide, offers Russia a useful tool to cultivate “soft power” and push favorable narratives. While Russian government agencies and information-warfare groups will likely continue to use Telegram, the crackdown could undermine Russia’s international image and attenuate links between Russians and Russian-speakers abroad. The third cost is economic. Russia’s digital crackdown risks accelerating a brain drain that began with the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. For Moscow’s tech sector, Telegram is more than a messaging app, it is a channel for professional networks and independent media. Strangling it while designing a state-controlled alternative, sends a clear message to Russians: the digital noose is tightening. Around 100,000 Russian IT professional fled the country by the end of 2022. Each incremental restriction on the country’s digital environment raises the probability that those who stayed will reconsider. The United States should not make the mistake of treating Russia’s digital iron curtain as a purely internal matter. When Russian’s lose access to independent information, the Kremlin’s ability to sustain public support for the war against Ukraine and to suppress domestic dissent only grows stronger. A Russian population that can access uncensored news is a strategic asset for Washington. One confined to state-controlled information ecosystems is not. The United States has a direct interest in making sure the curtain does not fully close.
To do so, Washington should increase support for the tools that can help Russians bypass government restrictions. The Open Technology Fund (OTF) supports VPNs and secure browsers that serve millions of Russian users. After Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the number of daily users of OTF-sponsored VPNs in Russia reportedly surged from 48,000 to over a million. Despite this reach, OTF received only $43.5 million last year through the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), roughly 5% of USAGM’s previous budget of about $860 million. The Trump administration has already signaled its desire to gut USAGM. Rather than simply cutting the agency, Congress should revist that decision and instead reallocate a meaningful portion of USAGM’s now-reduced budget toward OTF and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). RFE/RL reaches an estimated 10 million people across Russia. Making it one of the most effective instruments the United States has for reaching audiences behind the Kremlin’s information wall. The administration’s effort to freeze RFE/RL’s funding and shut off its satellite broadcasts into Russia has handed Moscow a gift it could not have engineered on its own. OTF also has a complementary record of reaching through authoritarian censorship at a cost-effective rate of only 0.07 cents per user per month. Both programs are among the cheapest instruments Washington has to penetrate the information fortress Moscow is attempting to create.
Some of Russia’s most outspoken cheerleaders, military bloggers, are already complaining about Roskomnadzor’s latest restrictions. Their lament is not misplaced. Moscow is indicating that it is choosing regime security over military effectiveness, over soft power, and over human capital. The goal for the United States should be clear, widen the cracks Moscow is making and keep the curtain from fully closing. Reagan Easter is a senior communications associate at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). She previously worked with Homeland Security Investigations and holds a degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

China's Biological Weapons Labs in America
Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute./February 24, 2026
A Declaration of Arrest Report, issued by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in connection with the detention of Ori Solomon on January 31, states that there is a "deeper conspiracy" between an illegal biological lab in Reedley, California and a residence containing apparently dangerous substances in Nevada. Fortunately, in California, Code Enforcement Officer Jesalyn Harper in December 2022 noticed a garden hose connected to a supposedly abandoned building. She entered the structure and discovered what appears to have been a secret biological weapons laboratory. Inside, Harper found Chinese nationals working in white coats. The lab stored nearly a thousand transgenic mice—773 live and more than 175 dead— "genetically engineered to catch and carry the COVID-19 virus."Authorities also found medical waste and chemical, viral, and biological agents. There were on-site at least 20 potentially infectious pathogens, including those causing coronavirus, HIV, hepatitis, and herpes. Moreover, the Chinese regime is behind that conspiracy.All this demonstrates that China's Communist Party, which could have ordered Zhu and Wang to shut down the effort after the discovery of the Reedley lab, allowed it to continue. Among other things, the continuation of the effort suggests there is a broader effort to spread disease in the United States. "It is indeed brutal to kill one or two hundred million Americans. But that is the only path that will secure a Chinese century, a century in which the Communist Party leads the world." — General Chi Haotian, China's defense minister and vice chairman of the Party's Central Military Commission, reportedly secret speech advocating the extermination of Americans.
Chi's plan was to use disease for this purpose.
"We are on notice that the Chinese regime is preparing to spread disease in America. We have been very slow off the mark..." — Blaine Holt, retired U.S. Air Force general, now specializing in civil preparedness measures, to Gatestone, February 2026.
China has been maintaining at least two facilities — one in California and the other in Nevada — that are part of a biological weapons program. A Declaration of Arrest Report, issued by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in connection with the detention of Ori Solomon on January 31, states that there is a "deeper conspiracy" between an illegal biological lab in Reedley, California and a residence containing apparently dangerous substances in Nevada. On January 31, Las Vegas SWAT and federal agents raided a home on the eastern outskirts of the city and seized over a thousand vials of an unknown substance or substances. Those vials have been sent to an FBI lab in Maryland for analysis.A housecleaner tipped off authorities after she and others temporarily residing at the home got "deathly ill."
Solomon was the property manager of the location.
Jiabei Zhu, a Chinese national also known as Jesse Zhu, Qiang He and David He, is the listed agent of a company, David Destiny Discovery LLC, that is the registered owner of the Las Vegas house along with Zhaoyan Wang, his business partner and the mother of his child.
Zhu will go to trial in April on federal charges for the operation of the lab in Reedley, near Fresno in the Central Valley. Fortunately, in California, Code Enforcement Officer Jesalyn Harper in December 2022 noticed a garden hose connected to a supposedly abandoned building. She entered the structure and discovered what appears to have been a secret biological weapons laboratory. Inside, Harper found Chinese nationals working in white coats. The lab stored nearly a thousand transgenic mice — 773 live and more than 175 dead — "genetically engineered to catch and carry the COVID-19 virus."
Authorities also found medical waste and chemical, viral, and biological agents. There were on-site at least 20 potentially infectious pathogens, including those causing coronavirus, HIV, hepatitis, and herpes.
The lab contained a freezer labeled "Ebola." The freezer held unlabeled sealed bags used to store high-risk biological materials. Researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology are studying Ebola, which has a natural fatality rate of 50%, undoubtedly to weaponize it.
The Reedley facility was run by Chinese fronting for parties in China. Among the fronts is Zhu. In 2024, Brandon Weichert, author of Biohacked: China's Race to Control Life, in comments to Gatestone, called the Reedley facility a "kamikaze lab," which was "unsecured, poorly contained, makeshift, containing a couple dozen pathogens near a population center."
There are reasons to be alarmed.
First, as Weichert noted at the time, the Reedley facility could not be a "one-off." Now, we know that he was right. There is — at least — a second location, the "deeper conspiracy" as the Las Vegas police termed it.
Moreover, the Chinese regime is behind that conspiracy. Wang fled to China sometime in 2023. While there, she kept tabs on the Las Vegas home by, for instance, monitoring cameras at the location.
Zhu was also a top official at one of China's state-controlled companies that had links to the People's Liberation Army. According to recent reporting, he has maintained business relations with parties connected to the Chinese regime.
All this demonstrates that China's Communist Party, which could have ordered Zhu and Wang to shut down the effort after the discovery of the Reedley lab, allowed it to continue. Among other things, the continuation of the effort suggests there is a broader effort to spread disease in the United States.
Second, Zhu operated the Reedley and Las Vegas facilities with malign intent.
Zhu, according to Canadian court statements, told a co-conspirator in an earlier theft of U.S. intellectual property that these efforts would help "defeat the American aggressor and wild ambitious wolf!" "The law is strong," he added at the time, "but the outlaws are ten times stronger."
These statements were included in the Las Vegas Declaration of Arrest Report. As a recent analysis states, "the declaration reveals, for the first time, the full scope of what U.S. investigators believe they are dealing with: not merely a rogue lab operator, but a PRC-trained biologist with state-linked corporate ties, a proven history of stealing American technology for Beijing's benefit, and language that investigators now treat as evidence of ideological motivation."As Weichert said of the Reedley lab two years ago, "It is, I believe, a part of a large Chinese military operation to spread disease throughout the American population."He is undoubtedly correct. A quarter century ago, General Chi Haotian, China's defense minister and vice chairman of the Party's Central Military Commission, reportedly gave a secret speech advocating the extermination of Americans. "It is indeed brutal to kill one or two hundred million Americans," he said. "But that is the only path that will secure a Chinese century, a century in which the Communist Party leads the world."
Chi's plan was to use disease for this purpose.
The FBI now appears to be concerned about the extent of the Chinese effort. It executed a search warrant on the Reedley facility on February 8th. Have U.S. authorities now discovered everything? "We need to know if there is a third biological weapons location and maybe a fourth," Blaine Holt, a retired U.S. Air Force general who now specializes in civil preparedness measures, told Gatestone this month. "We are on notice that the Chinese regime is preparing to spread disease in America. We have been very slow off the mark and have absolutely no time to lose. The Chinese regime could give the go-signal at any moment."
**Gordon G. Chang is the author of Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America, a Gatestone Institute distinguished senior fellow, and a member of its Advisory Board.
**Follow Gordon G. Chang on X (formerly Twitter)
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