English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News
& Editorials
For January 03/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
Simeon; this righteous Man took Jesus in his
arms and said: ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according
to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation
Luke 02/25-35/:"Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was
Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of
Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the
Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought
in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took
him in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Master, now you are dismissing your
servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation
to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’And the child’s father and
mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them
and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the
rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the
inner thoughts of many will be revealed and a sword will pierce your own soul
too.’"
Titles For The
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on January
02-03/2026
Elias Bejjani/Video and Text: “Astrologers Have Lied, Even If They Speak
the Truth”/Elias Bejjani/January 02/2026
Patriotic and Faithful Reflections for the New Year/Elias Bejjani/January
01/2026
Israeli airstrikes pound areas north of Litani River as tensions with Hezbollah
escalate
Israel Says It Intercepted 'False Target' after Drone Alert near Lebanon Border
Series of Israeli strikes hit south and east Lebanon
Israeli army claims targeting Hezbollah training complex and military sites in
South
Israeli media cite plan for broader military action against Lebanon: Amal
Shehadeh
Israel army preparing for Lebanon offensive, report says
Israel 'heavily' deploying on Lebanon border ahead of possible offensive, report
says
New Year’s Eve incident: Lebanon arrests man over public indecency at a Beirut
restaurant
New details emerge in Lebanon’s ‘fake prince’ case as investigation advances
Le Drian to visit Beirut Jan. 7, Israel unsatisfied with Paris' efforts
Salam says his reappointment as PM hinges on 'reform process'
Mitri rejects reported activities of ex-Syrian regime figures
Hezbollah Receives ‘Last-Chance Advice’ from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey to Disarm
Lebanon Probes Syrian Anti-Sharaa Operations from Its Soil
Sheikh Khaldoun Oraymet detained as probe into 'Abou Omar' scandal deepens
Aarida crossing: Storms wreak havoc along Lebanon-Syria border
President Aoun offers condolences to Switzerland over deadly Crans-Montana
resort fire
Lebanon PM Pledges State Authority, Vows to End Israeli Attacks
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous
Reports And News published
on January
02-03/2026
FBI says it disrupted a New Year's Eve attack plan inspired by Islamic
State group
Locked and loaded: Trump and Iran trade threats as protests continue
Trump warns US will intervene if Iran kills protesters
Social anger spreads in Iran even as government recognises ‘legitimacy’ of
protests
Two of the Middle East’s most powerful countries are facing off in Yemen. Here’s
what to know
7 dead in Saudi coalition airstrikes on UAE-backed forces in Yemen
Homeland Shield forces advance to take control of military camps in Yemen’s
Hadramout
Saudi royal naval forces deploy in Arabian Sea for anti-smuggling operations
Yemeni deputy FM says STC has to be dismantled, become political party only
Saudi Arabia, regional foreign ministers warn of worsening humanitarian crisis
in Gaza
The British military expected to see more of Russia's 'prestige equipment,' like
T-14 tanks, fighting in Ukraine, officer says
Zelenskyy names Ukraine's head of military intelligence as his new chief of
staff
Jordan condemns Israel over seizure of planning powers at Ibrahimi Mosque
MSF calls Israeli ban a ‘grave blow’ to Gaza aid
Saudi, Arab and Muslim ministers voice deep concern over worsening humanitarian
crisis in Gaza
Woman and grandson burn to death in tent as Gaza humanitarian crisis deepens
US sets new LNG export records in banner year marked by new capacity
Sworn-in as New York City’s first Muslim mayor, Mamdani vows leftist success
Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published
on January 02-03/2026
A South
African Betrayal/Paul Trewhela/Gatestone Institute./January 2, 2026
Question: What does it mean that humanity is made in the image of God/GotQuestions.org/January
02/2026
Israel’s Somaliland play against Turkiye doomed to fail/Dr. Sinem Cengiz/Arab
News/January 03, 2026
US-Europe relationship too important to be sidelined/Luke Coffey/Arab
News/January 03, 2026
Silicon Valley socialism invites skepticism/Noreena Hertz/Arab News/January 03,
2026
Iran: The Bazaar is Angry/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/January 02/2026
Iran: The Supreme Leader, the President, and the Street/Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al-Awsat/January
02/2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets/ January 02/2026
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on January 02-03/2026
Elias Bejjani/Video and Text: “Astrologers Have Lied, Even If They
Speak the Truth”
Elias Bejjani/January 02/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/01/138623/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akG1nXqso_E&t=608s
Have those who practice astrology, prophecies, lies, and hypocrisy replaced
Almighty God?
Have they truly become capable of reading the future and knowing the unseen?
There is no doubt that in Lebanon, almost all the owners of media facilities (TV
stations, radio stations, YouTube channels, newspapers, and online websites)
neither fear Almighty God nor the hour of His last reckoning. They brazenly
promote infidelity, hoaxes, and lies through programs that epitomize spiritual
decadence. These programs—whose stars are alleged astrologers claiming to know
and predict the future—are mere swindlers and hypocrites. Some of them are even
linked to regional and local intelligence groups that use misinformation to
propagate various conspiracies.This heretical media status is deeply flawed,
sad, disgusting, and frightening. Many Lebanese media institutions have sunk
into a mire of faithlessness and immorality.
To those responsible for these outlets—who promote the lies and trivialities of
heretics practicing magic, astrology, and false prophecies—we ask: Do you fear
God?
Do you believe in the Holy Scriptures? Are you aware of the dire consequences
awaiting those who engage in such satanic practices, condemned by Christian,
Jewish, and Islamic teachings alike?
We also ask Lebanese religious authorities: Why do you not take a firm stand
against every media outlet that promotes infidelity and Satanism through
programs of predictions, prophecies, and claims of knowledge of the unseen?
These programs blatantly defy all heavenly laws. Similarly, we question the
inaction of MPs, ministers, and other state officials: Why have you not enacted
laws to prevent these heresies, which are sinful according to all monotheistic
religions?
For those who follow the heresies promoted by most Lebanese media during the New
Year—whether in the homeland or the diaspora—this situation evokes memories of
the sinful eras of Sodom, Gomorrah, Noah, and Nimrod’s arrogance. Have
astrologers, false prophets, and hypocrites replaced God Almighty, claiming to
read the future and uncover the unseen? Do clerics, politicians, media
professionals, and heretics not understand that only God knows the future? Even
the prophets and messengers were not granted this grace. The holy books of
monotheistic religions unequivocally condemn practices such as spirit
preparation, sorcery, divination, astrology, and the reading of horoscopes.
These are considered satanic acts, and believers are urged to reject and avoid
anyone who engages in them. Such practices divert believers from God, leading
them toward darkness and deception.
In Islam, astrology and all forms of fortune-telling are explicitly prohibited
and forbidden (haram). As the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stated in
Sahih Muslim: “Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about anything, his
prayers will not be accepted for forty nights.” If merely consulting a
fortune-teller results in such consequences, what fate awaits the
fortune-tellers themselves?
Christianity and Judaism similarly denounce these practices. The Bible teaches
that Satan often masquerades as good, using astrologers, magicians, and
fortune-tellers to deceive people and lead them astray. Those who fall into
these traps risk distancing themselves from God and embracing satanic deception.
Astrologers and fortune-tellers often become victims of their own delusions,
unknowingly serving as tools of Satan. As humans created in God’s image, we are
called to seek His will through prayer, faith, and adherence to His teachings,
not through sorcery or astrology.
Anyone who believes in the false claims of astrologers and fortune-tellers
commits a grave sin, as these acts defy the core tenets of all monotheistic
religions. It is no wonder our country faces tribulations, hardships, and divine
wrath. As our society mirrors the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, it should come as
no surprise that we endure God’s righteous judgment.
In conclusion, all who practice astrology, divination, and similar acts stand in
direct opposition to the teachings of heavenly religions. They defy God’s will,
becoming tools of Satan and slaves to sin, infidelity, and ingratitude. Those
who believe in or promote such practices are complicit in these acts and share
in their guilt. We end with a verse from Leviticus 20:27 (Old Testament): “A man
or a woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are
to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.”
NB: The Above Editorial & Video are from the 2023 Archive
**Scriptural Prohibitions: Biblical and Quranic Verses
Condemning Astrology and Divination
Isaiah 44:25
"I am the one who exposes the lies of the false prophets and reveals the folly
of fortune-tellers. I confuse the wise and turn their knowledge into
foolishness."
Leviticus 20:27
"Any man or woman who is a medium or a fortune-teller shall surely be put to
death; they shall be stoned with stones."
Deuteronomy 18:9–22 (Summary of context provided)
"When you enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not
learn to practice the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found
among you anyone who burns his son or daughter as a sacrifice in the fire, nor
one who practices divination, nor a soothsayer, nor an omen-reader, nor a
sorcerer, nor one who casts spells, nor one who consults a medium or a spiritist,
nor one who consults the dead. For all these things are an abomination to the
Lord your God. Be blameless before the Lord your God. For those nations whose
land you possess listen to soothsayers and fortune-tellers; but as for you, the
Lord your God has not permitted you to do so."
Leviticus 19:31
"Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them.
I am the Lord your God."
Leviticus 20:6
"And the soul that turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself after
them, I will set My face against that soul and cut him off from among his
people."
2 Kings 21:6
"And he made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying, used omens,
and consulted mediums and spiritists; he did much evil in the sight of the Lord,
provoking Him to anger."
Isaiah 8:19
"And when they say to you, 'Seek out the mediums and the fortune-tellers who
chirp and mutter,' should not a people seek their God? Should they consult the
dead on behalf of the living?"
Revelation 21:8
"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral,
sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which
burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
1 Chronicles 10:13–14
"So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he committed against the Lord,
because of the word of the Lord which he did not keep; and also because he
consulted a medium for guidance, and did not seek the Lord. Therefore He killed
him and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse."
Exodus 22:18
"You shall not permit a sorceress to live."
Micah 5:12
"I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more
soothsayers."
Acts 16:16–19
"And it happened, as we were going to prayer, that a slave girl possessed with a
spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by
fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, 'These
men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of
salvation.' And she did this for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned
and said to the spirit, 'I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out
of her.' And he came out that very hour. But when her masters saw that their
hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the
marketplace to the authorities."
Islamic Texts (Quran and Hadith)
Surah An-Naml
"Say: 'None in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allah...'"
Surah Luqman
"Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and
knows what is in the wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow,
and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and
Acquainted."
Prophetic Hadith (Sahih Muslim)
"Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about something, his prayer will
not be accepted for forty nights."
Would you like me to find more historical context on how these practices were
viewed in ancient times, or perhaps compare how different translations handle
specific terms like "medium" and "spiritist"?
Patriotic and Faithful Reflections for the New Year
Elias Bejjani/January 01/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/12/81879/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udOAxwh6Au0&t=7s
How transformative and healing it would be if each and every one of us were
fully ready to welcome the new year with a clear conscience, a reconciled
spirit, and a renewed commitment to love and understanding. Imagine entering the
new year with a heart unburdened by the weight of past grievances, a mind freed
from the chains of hostility, hatred, and jealousy, and a soul glowing with
forgiveness and compassion.
Life, as fleeting as it is precious, unfolds in the blink of an eye. The gift of
life that Almighty God has granted us is a treasure that He may choose to
reclaim at any moment. These undeniable truths compel us to reflect deeply on
how we live our days and how we engage with those around us. Let us, therefore,
make a conscious decision to leave behind the pains, hardships, and
disappointments of the ending year, embracing the opportunity for a fresh start.
As we turn the page to the new year, let us commit to filling the blank slate of
this new year with acts of kindness, gestures of goodwill, and moments of
genuine connection. Let us strive to build bridges where walls once stood, to
sow seeds of hope where despair had taken root, and to light the path of love
where shadows of division lingered.
For our beloved Lebanon, a nation enduring the heavy yoke of occupation and
oppression, let this new year ignite a collective yearning for peace and
freedom. May it inspire all its people—the impoverished, the marginalized, and
the oppressed—to find strength in unity, courage in faith, and resolve in their
pursuit of justice and sovereignty. Let us pray that 2025 brings a renewed
spirit of hope and the dawn of a brighter, liberated future for our homeland.
To every faithful and wise individual, the call is clear: Begin this new year
with open hands, a forgiving heart, and unwavering faith. Extend love to those
who may have wronged you, embrace the gift of reconciliation, and walk forward
with self-confidence and hope.
Let us usher the new year with prayers for a year marked by peace, love, and the
fear of God. May it be a time of renewal and blessings for all. From the depths
of our hearts, we wish everyone a Happy New Year filled with forgiveness, faith,
hope, and enduring love.
May Lebanon’s suffering come to an end, and may its people rise with strength
and dignity to reclaim their freedom and future.
Israeli airstrikes pound
areas north of Litani River as tensions with Hezbollah escalate
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/January 02, 2026
BEIRUT: Israeli airstrikes on Friday hit several areas north of the Litani
River, a day after Israel signaled it could resume its attacks on Hezbollah
after claiming the Lebanese army was “not moving fast enough” and that the
Iran-backed group was “rebuilding its military system.”The raids struck multiple
locations across the Iqlim Al-Tuffah region, the heights of Jabal Al-Rihane, and
the towns of Mlikh and Aaramta in the Jezzine District, as well as the area
around Qal’at Meiss between Ansar and Al-Zrariyah. Strikes on the Tabna area, on
the outskirts of Al-Baisariyah in the Sidon–Zahrani district, cut the road
linking nearby villages.Airstrikes also hit the valley between Kafroue and Aazze
in the Nabatieh District, the outskirts of Ain Al-Tineh, and Jabal Machghara in
Western Bekaa, while Israeli warplanes flew at low altitude over the south,
reaching the airspace of Baalbek, northern Bekaa, and the surrounding villages.
BACKGROUND
Lebanon has faced mounting pressure from the US and Israel to disarm Hezbollah
under a ceasefire deal. Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed that
Israel’s forces had targeted a “training compound” of the Radwan Force of
Hezbollah allegedly used to conduct training for its members “in order to plan
and carry out terrorist plots against army forces and the citizens of the state
of Israel. The terrorist operatives were undergoing shooting training and
qualification in the use of various combat means.”Adraee added that the Israeli
army struck “buildings and military facilities (used) for storing weapons”
belonging to Hezbollah, and suggested that attacks were likely to continue.
Political writer Ali Al-Amin told Arab News: “The areas targeted by the Israeli
airstrikes on Friday had previously been targeted repeatedly, but these areas
are valleys and closed spaces belonging to the party, extending from the south
to the Western Bekaa, and everyone knows that they contain bases and armament
centers.”Al-Amin added that Hezbollah “is currently living (in) an unprecedented
moment of weakness. Iran, on the other hand, is facing a renewed predicament,
confronting internal protests at a moment of external pullback, which means that
whether Hezbollah hands over its weapons or does not hand them over, it is in a
state of exposure at a time of a major imbalance.”The end of 2025 marked the
deadline Lebanon committed to for the state’s monopoly of arms south of the
Litani River. On Jan. 8, its first session of the year, the Cabinet is expected
to hear the Lebanese army’s report announcing the completion of its mission,
preceding the second phase which covers the southern area up to the Awali River.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the country remained committed to meeting the
deadline.
An official political source confirmed to Arab News: “The army commander will
present his report and the military institution will continue its mission. There
will be no postponement.”Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem said in a
statement: “Hezbollah’s disarmament is a US-Israeli project targeting Lebanon
and its sovereignty and independence, even if it is marketed under the banner of
exclusive state control of arms.”He added that the demand for control of weapons
amid “continued Israeli attacks means that you are not working in Lebanon’s
interest, but in Israel’s interest.”On Thursday, following his meeting with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump said that
Hezbollah “has been behaving badly” and “must be completely disarmed,” adding
that “the Lebanese government is at a little bit of a disadvantage” with the
group.
Asked whether Israel should strike Hezbollah in Lebanon due to the group’s
refusal to disarm, Trump replied: “We’re going to see about that.”Sirens sounded
in Baram in Western Galilee in Israel on Friday morning, and a missile was
launched toward a target in Upper Galilee, exploding in the north near the
Lebanese towns of Maroun Al-Ras and Yaroun. Israeli Army Radio later reported
that it had been a false alarm and the “suspect was a flock of birds.”
Israel Says It Intercepted
'False Target' after Drone Alert near Lebanon Border
Asharq Al-Awsat/January 02/2026
The Israeli military said on Friday it intercepted what it described as a "false
target" in the northern town of Bar’am after sirens were triggered by a
suspected drone.
A source close to Lebanon's Hezbollah told Reuters the Iran-aligned group is not
linked to the incident. Lebanon has faced mounting pressure from the United
States and Israel to disarm Hezbollah under a truce deal, with Israeli Defense
Minister Israel Katz warning that Israel would "act as necessary" if Beirut
fails to curb the group's arsenal.
Series of Israeli strikes
hit south and east Lebanon
Naharnet/January 02/2026
Israel conducted Friday a series of strikes on south Lebanon and West Bekaa,
including on al-Rihan mountains, the Tabna area near al-Baysariyyeh and Ansar's
outskirts. The Israeli army said it targeted a training center used by elite al-Radwan
force and arms depots in south Lebanon. Despite the ceasefire reached in
November 2024, Israel kept up its attacks on south and east Lebanon, claiming it
is targeting Hezbollah's infrastructure, weapons depots and training centers.
Israeli army claims targeting Hezbollah training complex
and military sites in South
LBCI/January 02/2026
The Israeli army said on Friday that it targeted a training complex of the
Radwan Unit, along with military buildings and infrastructure, in multiple
locations in southern Lebanon. The army added that it continues to carry out
operations against Hezbollah targets in the region.
Israeli media cite plan for broader military action against
Lebanon: Amal Shehadeh
LBCI/January 02/2026
Amal Shehadeh told LBCI that Israeli media are reporting a decision to expand
military operations against Lebanon, including intensified airstrikes and
possible ground incursions. According to the report, an Israeli security cabinet
meeting is expected to convene to discuss a plan prepared by the army outlining
the expanded operations.In addition, Israeli media reported, citing an unnamed
source, that the Trump administration does not rule out a possible Israeli
operation against Hezbollah, but said it asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu to delay any decision to allow more dialogue with the Lebanese
government.
Israel army preparing for Lebanon offensive, report says
Naharnet/January 02/2026
The Israeli Army is preparing options for action against Hezbollah, Israeli
media reports said. Israeli Maariv newspaper reported Friday that the options do
not include an all-out war that would disrupt the ceasefire agreement, but a
"limited offensive" or a series of high-intensity operations aimed at
dismantling Hezbollah's long-range missile capabilities, which Israel claims are
being rebuilt. The daily had previously reported that U.S. President Donald
Trump has given Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "green light" to
take military action against Hezbollah "if necessary" as the two leaders met at
Mar-a-Lago. Earlier this week, Maariv said that the Israeli army is ready to act
against Hezbollah, claiming that the group is rebuilding itself especially north
of the Litani river and that the Lebanese Army will not move to phase two of
Hezbollah's disarmament, north of the river. The daily said Hezbollah's ability
to respond will be limited, as the group was weakened during its war with
Israel. Despite the ceasefire, Israel kept up its attacks on south and east
Lebanon, claiming it is targeting Hezbollah's infrastructure, weapons depots and
training centers. On Friday, Israel conducted a series of strikes on south
Lebanon and Bekaa, including on al-Rihan mountains, the Tabna area near al-Baysariyyeh
and Ansar's outskirts. The Israeli army said it targeted a training center used
by elite al-Radwan force and arms depots.
Israel 'heavily' deploying on Lebanon border ahead of
possible offensive, report says
Naharnet/January 02/2026
A report in Lebanese news portal al-Anbaa said Friday that the Israeli military
is heavily deploying elite units on the border with Lebanon, in preparation for
a possible operation against Hezbollah. The daily said Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to hold a security and government meeting Sunday
to make "exceptional" decisions, as he reportedly returns from the U.S. with a
green light to act against Hezbollah if needed. According to al-Anbaa's sources,
Israel established, in October, a new military unit and trained it on ground
attack scenarios involving the use of drones and fast-moving infantry units on
the northern front. A committee monitoring the ceasefire between Lebanon and
Israel will convene next Thursday in Naqoura. The meeting will not include the
Lebanese and Israeli civilians recently added to the delegations, as the
discussions will mainly focus on military matters, al-Anbaa said.
Israel meanwhile conducted a series of airstrikes on south and east Lebanon,
claiming it targeted Hezbollah's weapons depots and a training center.
New Year’s Eve incident: Lebanon arrests man over public indecency at a Beirut
restaurant
LBCI/January 02/2026
Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces said a man was arrested on charges of public
indecency following an incident during a New Year’s Eve party at a restaurant in
Beirut. In a statement, the agency said it received information on Jan. 1, 2026,
that a person had danced naked inside a restaurant during a New Year’s
celebration. The incident was documented in a video that later circulated on
social media. After coordinating with the competent judiciary, a patrol
inspected the restaurant and summoned its owner and the hall manager. On Jan. 2,
the restaurant owner and manager appeared for questioning and said the
individual shown in the video was a transgender person who danced in a manner
deemed offensive to public morals for about 50 seconds. They said restaurant
management intervened, stopped the act, covered the individual, and asked him to
leave. Both said they intended to file a personal complaint against him for
violating public decency, causing harm, and damaging the restaurant’s
reputation. Following investigations, the Internal Security Forces identified
the suspect as R.D., born in 1989 and a Lebanese national. Investigators also
obtained another video circulating online showing him engaging in similar acts
at a separate private party. After judicial approval, the suspect was summoned
for questioning and admitted to committing acts that violate public decency on
his own initiative, without any request or incitement, citing psychological
motives. He denied drug use, and laboratory tests came back negative. The
restaurant owner and hall manager were released, while R.D. was detained pending
investigation at the competent court's orders.
New details emerge in Lebanon’s ‘fake prince’ case as investigation advances
LBCI/January 02/2026
A video shows the so-called “fake prince” Abu Omar, whose real name is Mustafa
al-Hassyan. It was filmed last October, when he was detained by one of the
people he allegedly defrauded, who extracted answers from him under physical
assault. His jaw was broken during the incident. He was later handed over to
Army Intelligence, which waited for him to recover before launching its own
investigation. That investigation led him to repeat the same statements he had
made in October, namely that his handler was Sheikh Khaldoun Oraymet. Abu Omar
was released from the Ministry of Defense prison on Friday and taken to Public
Prosecutor Judge Jamal al-Hajjar as part of the investigations overseen by al-Hajjar.
Al-Hajjar had, days earlier, questioned the individual who initially detained
Abu Omar. That person has since left Lebanon to attend to business abroad. Army
Intelligence has continued its investigation into the fake prince case. Sheikh
Khaled al-Sabsabi appeared, accompanied by a lawyer, and gave testimony. Al-Sabsabi
is an official at a school in Akkar and is also responsible for a charitable
association. Information indicated that Abu Omar and Sheikh Oraymet may have
used the school's and the association's names to obtain money from people they
deceived. In the same case, Bahia Hariri said in a statement that while
receiving condolences for her husband, she received a condolence call from Abu
Omar via the phone of former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. She said Siniora had
informed her that a person calling himself Emir Abu Omar wished to offer
condolences. Hariri added that she informed Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari, who
told her clearly that no such person or name exists. The Abu Omar case and the
investigations surrounding it have been subject to political pressure and
disputes that have delayed the probe, particularly regarding Sheikh Khaldoun
Oraymet. Army Intelligence is nearing the completion of its investigation into
the case, raising questions over whether the judiciary will make its findings
public.
Le Drian to visit Beirut Jan. 7, Israel unsatisfied with
Paris' efforts
Naharnet/January 02/2026
The French president’s special envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, will return
to Beirut on January 7, An-Nahar newspaper reported on Friday. “His visit will
focus the army support conference and moving forward in approving the financial
gap law,” the daily said. Saudi envoy Yazid bin Farhan will also visit Beirut
next week. Israel’s Maariv newspaper meanwhile reported that Israel is dismayed
because France is “refraining from throwing its weight behind disarming
Hezbollah at this stage.”“Israel says France is a key player in Lebanon and has
even pledged to work to supervise the Lebanese government in implementing the
ceasefire agreement, but it is not acting as expected,” Maariv added.
Salam says his reappointment as PM hinges on 'reform process'
Naharnet/January 02/2026
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has stressed that Hezbollah’s weapons should be
“under the command of all Lebanese and under the decision of the Lebanese
government.”“No one wants to throw them into the sea or hand them over to Israel
as is being rumored,” Salam said in an interview with LBCI television. “I don’t
believe that there is a risk of internal strife, seeing as we have passed
through wars, especially civil wars, and I don’t think anyone wants to return to
internal strife or any form of civil war,” the premier added. Noting that the
reconstruction process “requires capabilities,” Salam reminded that “the World
Bank’s $250 million loan was approved 10 days ago in parliament.” “I have met
with the Council for Development and Reconstruction and hopefully we will begin
dispending these funds with the beginning of the year,” Salam added. “We will
work on holding the parliamentary elections on time, and if I notice a chance
for the continuation of the reform process, I’ll be more than ready for assuming
the premiership again, but I’m not a ‘fan of seats,’” the premier went on to
say.
Mitri rejects reported activities of ex-Syrian regime
figures
Naharnet/January 02/2026
Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri on Friday described as “alarming” the reports
about figures from Syria’s former regime using Lebanon as a launchpad for
activities hostile to Syria’s new rulers. “Lebanese security agencies should
seek to verify the reports and take the appropriate measures, seeing as this is
its duty. They are obliged and we are all obliged to fend off any acts that harm
Syria’s unity, security or stability, inside Lebanon or coming out of it,” Mitri
added in an post on X. “This also pushes us to further cooperation with the
Syrian authorities on the basis of mutual confidence and respect for the two
countries’ sovereignty and common interest,” the deputy PM said. Al-Jazeera
meanwhile reported that “around 20 pilots from the forces of the former Syrian
regime are residing in Lebanon and trying to join the (ex-regime’s) remnants.”It
added that the chief of the former regime’s special forces, Major General Suheil
al-Hassan, has “prepared a huge office in Lebanon near the Syrian border to
serve as a command and operations management center.” “The documents obtained by
Al-Jazeera reveal that one of the leaders of the remnants of Bashar’s regime is
a Lebanese national called Mahmoud al-Salman,” the TV network said.
Hezbollah Receives ‘Last-Chance Advice’ from Egypt, Qatar,
Turkey to Disarm
This is Beirut/January 02/2026
Lebanese ministerial officials say Hezbollah on Wednesday received “last-chance
advice” from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey to hand over its weapons to Lebanon’s
government, according to the Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat. According to the
sources, the countries warned the militant group that failing to disarm would
isolate Lebanon politically and economically. Its failure to cooperate would
also lead to a war with Israel, only deepening anti-Hezbollah sentiment within
Lebanon.
Hezbollah Refuses to Disarm
In Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Kassem’s latest speech, he said that the
Lebanese government’s plan to disarm the Iran-backed group is an
“Israeli-American plan” that is not in the country’s “best interest.”He claimed
that until Israel fulfils its end of the agreement to release prisoners, halt
military aggression, and allow reconstruction to commence, the militant group
has no obligation to disarm.
Rising International Pressure
Beirut has faced heavy pressure from the U.S. and Israel to disarm south of the
Litani River by the end of 2025. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) reported
significant progress and says they are nearing the completion of the first phase
of a government-mandated plan. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said January
20th, that the first phase of the army’s plan to confine weapons to state
control south of the Litani River is “days away from completion,” confirming
that Lebanon is ready to move to the second phase of the plan. According to
numerous media reports, U.S. President Donald Trump has authorized Israel to act
against Hezbollah if it deems military intervention unavoidable. During a
meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago earlier
this week, Trump reportedly said that if the LAF fails to disarm Hezbollah,
Washington would support an Israeli operation.
Despite the ceasefire framework and ongoing diplomatic negotiations, tensions
along the Lebanese-Israeli border remain high. Israeli strikes continue to hit
primarily southern and eastern Lebanon, targeting what Israel claims are
Hezbollah sites and infrastructure.
Lebanon Probes Syrian Anti-Sharaa Operations from Its Soil
Bassam Abou Zeid/This Is Beirut/January 02/2026
Lebanese authorities have stepped up security measures following reports from Al
Jazeera that groups loyal to the former Syrian regime may be preparing military
operations against Syria’s current government from Lebanese territory. Sources
say the issue is a top priority for Lebanese security agencies, particularly
military intelligence. The northern branch is closely monitoring reports of an
operations room in Al-Hayseh, a predominantly Alawite town. A committee has been
formed within the Intelligence Directorate to oversee the situation, given the
potential risks to Lebanese-Syrian relations, which are already fragile and
cannot withstand further tension. Al Jazeera’s reports on pro-Assad activity in
northern Lebanon have also raised alarm among local Sunni groups, particularly
in Tripoli. Ziad Allouki, a former leader of factions involved in clashes
between the Alawite neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen and the Sunni district of Bab
al-Tabbaneh, warned that such movements must be closely monitored by the
Lebanese army and that those involved should be detained. He added that these
activities could spark sectarian tensions. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s political
leadership appears to be taking action. Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Metri urged
authorities to verify the reports and, if confirmed, take all necessary measures
to prevent any escalation. Sources monitoring the situation expect the matter to
be discussed in the first Cabinet session. Lebanon has repeatedly received
warnings from Syrian authorities about the presence of Assad regime loyalists on
its soil. The issue has been raised in discussions between Syrian and Lebanese
security officials, particularly after Bassam Al-Hassan appeared in Beirut.
Al-Hassan was implicated in the disappearance of journalist Austin Tice in
Syria. Concerns intensified following the killing of Ghassan Al-Sukhni in Kfar
Yassin, the leader of a Syrian militia reportedly supported by the Fourth
Division under Maher Al-Assad.
Sheikh Khaldoun Oraymet detained as probe into 'Abou Omar'
scandal deepens
Naharnet/January 02/2026
A judicial investigation into a sophisticated impersonation plot has sent
shockwaves through Lebanon’s political establishment this week, as authorities
peel back the layers of the “Abou Omar” scandal -- a years-long fraud that
allegedly manipulated high-level government appointments and parliamentary
votes.
The scandal peaked following the arrest of Mustafa al-Hassian by Lebanese Army
intelligence agents. Al-Hassian, a car mechanic from the Akkar region, was
apprehended while attempting to enter Lebanon from Syria. Investigators allege
that al-Hassian is the voice behind “Abou Omar,” a persona he used to
impersonate a high-ranking Saudi prince. Utilizing a Gulf accent and
international SIM cards, al-Hassian reportedly spent years courting Lebanese
MPs, ministers, and party leaders, offering them political backing and "Saudi
blessings" in exchange for financial contributions toward purported humanitarian
projects. The probe took a dramatic turn when State Prosecutor Jamal al-Hajjar
authorized the detention of Sheikh Khaldoun Oraymet, a well-known Sunni cleric.
Al-Hassian reportedly confessed to investigators that Oraymet acted as the
intermediary, introducing him to influential politicians and lending the "fake
prince" an air of religious and political legitimacy. Sheikh Oraymet has
fiercely denied the claims, dismissing the allegations as a "big lie" and a
coordinated smear campaign. Meanwhile, al-Mustaqbal Movement issued an urgent
communiqué on Friday, distancing its Secretary-General, Ahmad Hariri, from the
scandal and branding reports of his involvement as "fabricated news" aimed at
political sabotage. The gravity of the scandal extends beyond mere financial
fraud. Reports suggest that “Abou Omar” exerted direct influence over Lebanese
constitutional processes. Several Members of Parliament reportedly received
"Saudi directives" from the impostor during binding parliamentary consultations,
potentially skewing the selection process for the Prime Minister and the
formation of recent cabinets. The investigation gained momentum after Saudi
Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan reportedly handed over a comprehensive
file to Lebanese officials during a recent visit to Beirut. Saudi authorities
had initiated their own probe after discovering that a fraudulent actor was
communicating with Lebanese officials in the kingdom's name. As of Friday
afternoon, the Lebanese judiciary continues to interrogate al-Hassian and
Oraymet, with sources close to the investigation suggesting that more
high-profile arrests may follow as the list of victims -- and potential
accomplices -- within the Lebanese state grows.
Aarida crossing: Storms wreak havoc along Lebanon-Syria border
LBCI/January 02/2026
This is the situation at the Aarida border crossing. Inside the town, collapses
can be seen in the foundations of the crossing, which are made of temporary
sandy material. This has created a large sinkhole and cut the road linking
Lebanon and Syria. The collapses at the crossing helped spare homes in the town
along the banks of the Nahr al-Kabir from flooding, as the water stopped at the
edge of agricultural land. From Aarida, the tour continues through the river and
plain villages. In Hekr el-Dahri, heavy machinery is removing sediment left by
floodwaters that flowed between homes. Along the river, lakes have formed that
only heavy equipment can cross. Agricultural land has been submerged, families
have been displaced by the flooding, and some residents are risking crossing the
swamps on motorcycles. The road ends at the Aboudieh crossing, where floodwaters
have surrounded General Security and army positions and inundated large areas.
Had the rainfall continued for a few more hours, Aboudieh and other villages
would have been submerged. Border demarcation: Lebanon-Syria border incident
raises questions over security coordination The storm in recent hours serves as
a warning of the potential disasters that could affect the region and its
villages in future storms.
President Aoun offers condolences to Switzerland over deadly Crans-Montana
resort fire
LBCI/January 02/2026
President Joseph Aoun sent a telegram to Swiss President Guy Parmelin, offering
condolences over the victims of a fire that broke out at the Crans-Montana
resort on New Year’s Eve. In his message, Aoun expressed his deepest sympathies
to Parmelin, the Swiss people, and the families of the victims, conveying
Lebanon’s solidarity with Switzerland following the tragic incident.
Lebanon PM Pledges State
Authority, Vows to End Israeli Attacks
Asharq Al-Awsat/January 02/2026
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has pledged to press ahead with reforms,
extend the authority of the state, and work to end Israeli attacks and remove
the occupation, even as Israel signals preparations for a “measured” military
action against Hezbollah.In a New Year message posted on X, Salam wished
Lebanese a year marked by hope, continued state recovery, and restored public
trust. “We promise to continue together the path of reform and the extension of
state authority,” he wrote. He added a renewed pledge “to keep working to end
Israeli attacks, remove the occupation, and secure the return of our detainees,”
saluting the Lebanese army and security forces deployed nationwide to safeguard
public safety. Lebanon has maintained diplomatic contacts with the sponsors of
the ceasefire with Israel, which took effect in November 2024 and ended 66 days
of fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli army. Beirut says diplomacy and
steps by the Lebanese army have prevented a renewed war. Israel, however, still
occupies five border points inside Lebanese territory, holds around 20
detainees, including civilians, and continues to violate the agreement through
intermittent strikes and targeted killings inside Lebanon. In parallel, Israeli
media report heightened security readiness for possible action against
Hezbollah, citing Israeli assessments that recent Lebanese measures fall short
of ceasefire terms. The daily Maariv said security chiefs are preparing to brief
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on readiness levels, pointing to what Israel
describes as Lebanon’s failure to dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure
south and north of the Litani River. According to the report, Lebanon may soon
declare the end of army operations to disarm Hezbollah south of the Litani
without extending them northward, an outcome Israel deems a breach. Israeli
assessments suggest this could prompt unilateral action if Lebanon is seen as
unable or unwilling to comply. Israel accuses Hezbollah of rebuilding
capabilities, including precision missiles, and says recent airstrikes targeted
training sites linked to the Radwan Forces. Israeli officials argue Hezbollah is
currently in a weakened operational state, enabling “calibrated” options aimed
at pressuring the group while preserving the ceasefire framework.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous
Reports And News published
on January 02-03/2026
FBI says it
disrupted a New Year's Eve attack plan inspired by Islamic State group
Gary D. Robertson And Erik Verduzco/CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)/January 2, 2026
The FBI said Friday it disrupted a New Year’s Eve attack plot targeting a
grocery store and fast-food restaurant in North Carolina, arresting an
18-year-old man who authorities say pledged loyalty to the Islamic State
group.Christian Sturdivant was charged with attempting to provide material
support to a foreign terrorist organization. Investigators said he told an
undercover FBI employee posing as a supportive confidant about his plans to
attack people. Their online messages, along with a recent search of his home,
indicated attacks would occur with knives and hammers, according to prosecutors
and records. Worried Sturdivant might attempt violence before New Year’s Eve,
the FBI placed him under constant surveillance for days, including on Christmas,
U.S. Attorney for Western North Carolina Russ Ferguson said. Agents were
prepared to arrest him earlier if he left his home with weapons, Ferguson said
at a news conference in Charlotte. “At no point was the public in harm’s
way.”Sturdivant was arrested Wednesday and remained in custody after a federal
court appearance Friday. An attorney representing him did not immediately
respond to an email or phone message seeking comment. Another hearing was
scheduled for Jan. 7.The alleged attack would have taken place one year after 14
people were killed in New Orleans by a U.S. citizen and Army veteran who
proclaimed support for IS on social media. The FBI has foiled several alleged
attacks through sting operations in which agents posed as terror supporters,
supplying advice or equipment. Critics say the strategy can amount to entrapment
of mentally vulnerable people who wouldn’t have the wherewithal to act alone.
Searches of Sturdivant’s home and phone uncovered what investigators described
as a manifesto detailing plans for the attack, FBI Special Agent in Charge James
Barnacle told reporters. “He was willing to sacrifice himself,” Barnacle said. A
handwritten note found in a trash can at Sturdivant's home listed details of the
planned attacks and the number of intended victims at a Burger King restaurant
and unnamed grocery store, according to an FBI affidavit. The note also said he
would attack arriving officers and “hoped to die by the hands of police.”
Ferguson said the attack was to take place in Mint Hill, a bedroom community of
Charlotte. The affidavit said a database check indicated Sturdivant worked at
Burger King in Mint Hill. It wasn't clear if that was the same restaurant cited
in the note. Ferguson declined to identify the specific targeted businesses,
citing the ongoing investigation. If convicted, Sturdivant faces up to 20 years
in prison, according to court documents. The fact that Sturdivant encountered
two undercover officers while allegedly planning the attack should reassure the
public, Ferguson said. The affidavit says the investigation began last month
after authorities linked Sturdivant to a social media account that posted
content supportive of IS, including imagery that appeared to promote violence.
The account’s display name referenced Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the former leader of
the extremist group. Some experts argue that IS is powerful today partly as a
brand, inspiring both militant groups and individuals in attacks that the group
itself may have no real role in. The affidavit says Sturdivant had been on the
FBI's radar in January 2022, when he was a minor, after officials learned he'd
been in contact with a suspected IS member in Europe, and received instructions
to dress in black, knock on people's doors and commit attacks with a hammer. At
that time, Sturdivant set out for a neighbor’s house armed with a hammer and a
knife but was restrained by his grandfather, the affidavit says.
No charges were filed at that time, but Sturdivant underwent psychological
treatment and the FBI was told he no longer had access to social media, Ferguson
said. But the FBI found out weeks ago that he was back on it, he added. The FBI
in Los Angeles last month announced the disruption of a separate New Year’s Eve
plot, arresting members of an extremist anti-capitalist and anti-government
group who federal officials said planned to bomb multiple sites in southern
California. Other IS-inspired attacks over the past decade include a 2015
shooting rampage by a husband-and-wife team who killed 14 people in San
Bernardino, California, and a 2016 massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando,
Florida, by a gunman who fatally shot 49 people.
*Robertson reported from Raleigh, North Carolina. Associated Press writer Eric
Tucker in Washington contributed.
**Gary D. Robertson And Erik Verduzco, The Associated Press
Locked and loaded: Trump
and Iran trade threats as protests continue
The Associated Press/January 03/2026:
US President Donald Trump and top Iranian officials exchanged dueling threats
Friday as widening economic protests swept across parts of the Islamic Republic,
further escalating tensions between the countries after the US bombed Iranian
nuclear sites in June.Trump initially wrote on his Truth Social platform,
warning Iran that if it “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States
“will come to their rescue.”At least seven people have been killed so far in
violence surrounding the demonstrations, sparked in part by the collapse of
Iran's rial currency. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” Trump wrote,
without elaborating. Shortly after, Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker
who serves as the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, alleged
on the social platform X that Israel and the US were stoking the demonstrations.
He offered no evidence to support the allegation, which Iranian officials have
repeatedly made during years of protests sweeping the country. “Trump should
know that intervention by the US in the domestic problem corresponds to chaos in
the entire region and the destruction of the US interests,” Larijani wrote on X,
which the Iranian government blocks.“The people of the US should know that Trump
began the adventurism. They should take care of their own soldiers.”Larijani’s
remarks likely referenced America’s wide military footprint in the region. Iran
in June attacked Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar after the US strikes on three
nuclear sites during Israel’s 12-day war on the Islamic Republic. Ali Shamkhani,
an adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei who previously was the council's
secretary for years, warned that “any interventionist hand that gets too close
to the security of Iran will be cut.”“The people of Iran properly know the
experience of ‘being rescued’ by Americans: from Iraq and Afghanistan to Gaza,”
he added on X. The current protests, now in their sixth day, have become the
biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police
custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. However, the demonstrations have
yet to be countrywide and have not been as intense as those surrounding the
death of Amini, who was detained over not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, to
the liking of authorities. Iran’s civilian government under reformist President
Masoud Pezeshkian has been trying to signal it wants to negotiate with
protesters. However, Pezeshkian has acknowledged there is not much he can do as
Iran’s rial has rapidly depreciated, with $1 now costing some 1.4 million rials.
That sparked the initial protests.The protests, taking root in economic issues,
have heard demonstrators chant against Iran’s theocracy as well. Months after
the war, Iran said it was no longer enriching uranium at any site in the
country, trying to signal to the West that it remains open to potential
negotiations over its atomic program to ease sanctions. However, those talks
have yet to happen as Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have
warned Tehran against reconstituting its atomic program.
Trump warns US will intervene if Iran kills protesters
Jaroslav Lukiv/BBC/January 2, 2026
US President Donald Trump has warned Iran's authorities against killing peaceful
protesters, saying Washington "will come to their rescue". In a brief post on
social media, he wrote: "We are locked and loaded and ready to go," but gave no
further details. A senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei responded by saying Trump should "be careful" if he intervened, warning
of potential chaos across the Middle East At least eight people are reported to
have been killed in Iran after almost a week of mass protests sparked by
worsening economic conditions. In Friday's post on Truth Social, Trump wrote:
"If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their
custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue."In his post, the
US president did not specify what action Washington could take against the
Iranian authorities. In June, the US carried out strikes against Iran's nuclear
sites on Trump's orders. American officials later argued that the strikes had
significantly set back the prospect of Tehran building a nuclear weapon - a
claim disputed by Iran. In retaliation, Iran launched a missile attack on a
major US military base in Qatar.Shortly after Trump's latest social media post,
Khamenei adviser Ali Larijani issued a warning of his own. "Trump should know
that US interference in this internal matter would mean destabilising the entire
region and destroying America's interests," he wrote. But for some of the
protesters, intervention from the US would be welcome.
"They [security forces] are afraid and they shake to the bones when Mr Trump
says something or Mr (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu says
something," a young woman protesting in Tehran told the BBC's Newshour programme.
Preferring to stay anonymous for her own safety, she said protesters had been
asking for US support for years, because the security forces "believe that if Mr
Trump says something, he will do [it]", and they "know if anything happens, they
would have to take the consequences". Eight people are reported to have been
killed since protests started on Sunday.
Two people died in clashes between protesters and security forces in the
south-western city of Lordegan, according to the semi-official Fars news agency
and the human rights group Hengaw, which said they were protesters, naming them
as Ahmad Jalil and Sajjad Valamanesh. Three people were killed in Azna and
another in Kouhdasht, all in the west of the country, Fars reports. It did not
specify whether they were demonstrators or members of the security forces. One
death was reported in Fuladshahr, central Iran, and another casualty in
Marvdasht, in the south. BBC has not been able to independently verify the
deaths. Footage posted on social media showed cars set on fire during running
battles between protesters and security forces. BBC Persian has verified videos
showing Thursday's protests in Lordegan, Tehran and Marvdasht. Iranian officials
earlier said a young member of the country's securities forces had been killed
on Wednesday in the western city of Kouhdasht. But protesters said the man was,
instead, from their ranks and had been shot dead by the security forces. On
Friday, clashes were reported during the man's burial ceremony attended by
thousand of mourners. Uniformed members of the security forces had tried to
carry his coffin - but the crowds wrested it from them and chased them away. The
protests began on Sunday in Tehran among shopkeepers angered by another sharp
fall in the value of the Iranian currency, the rial, against the US dollar on
the open market. By Tuesday, university students were involved and protests had
spread to several cities, with people chanting against the country's clerical
rulers. Many protesters have since been calling for the end of Khamenei's rule.
Some have said they want a return to the monarchy. "We don't have any kind of
liberty here," the protester who spoke to the BBC said. "We fight every day – we
face the most brutal things every day. We want to end it [the regime], even with
the price of our lives, we don't have anything." The protests have been the most
widespread since an uprising in 2022 sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa
Amini, a young woman accused by morality police of not wearing her veil
properly, but they have not been on the same scale. President Masoud Pezeshkian
has said he will listen to the "legitimate demands" of the protesters. But the
country's Prosecutor-General, Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, warned that any attempt to
create instability would be met with a "decisive response".Follow the twists and
turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's
weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those
outside the UK can sign up here.
Social anger spreads in
Iran even as government recognises ‘legitimacy’ of protests
The Arab Weekly/January 02/2026
Six people were killed in protests that began on Sunday in Tehran, where
shopkeepers went on strike over high prices, currency fluctuation and economic
stagnation.
Protesters and security forces clashed in several Iranian cities on Thursday,
with six reported killed, the first deaths since the cost-of-living
demonstrations broke out last Sunday. Authorities in Tehran have arrested 30
suspects accused of public order offences, the news agency Tasnim reported
Thursday, after days of protests.“After a coordinated operation by the security
and intelligence services, 30 people accused of disturbing public order in the
Malard district of western Tehran were identified and arrested last night,” the
report said. On Thursday, Iran’s Fars news agency reported two people killed in
clashes between security forces and protesters in the city of Lordegan, in the
province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and three in Azna, in neighbouring
Lorestan province. “Some protesters began throwing stones at the city’s
administrative buildings, including the provincial governor’s office, the
mosque, the Martyrs’ Foundation, the town hall and banks,” Fars said of Lordegan,
adding that police responded with tear gas. Fars reported that the buildings
were “severely damaged” and that police arrested several people described as
“ringleaders”. In Azna, Fars said “rioters took advantage of a protest gathering
… to attack a police commissariat”. The protests began days ago in Tehran, where
shopkeepers went on strike over high prices, currency fluctuation and economic
stagnation, and have since spread to other parts of the country. State media
have labelled demonstrators as rioters, as during previous protest movements.
Earlier on Thursday, state television reported that a member of Iran’s security
forces was killed overnight during protests in the western city of Kouhdasht. “A
21-year-old member of the Basij from the city of Kouhdasht was killed last night
by rioters while defending public order,” the channel said, citing Said Pourali,
the deputy governor of Lorestan Province. The Basij are a volunteer paramilitary
force linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the Islamic
republic. Pourali said that “during the demonstrations in Kouhdasht, 13 police
officers and Basij members were injured by stone throwing”.The demonstrations
are smaller than the last major outbreak of unrest in 2022, triggered by the
death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s
strict dress code for women. Her death sparked a nationwide wave of anger that
left several hundred people dead, including dozens of members of the security
forces. The latest protests began peacefully in the capital and spread after
students from at least ten universities joined in on Tuesday. Iranian President
Masoud Pezeshkian has sought to calm tensions, acknowledging protesters’
“legitimate demands”, and called on the government on Thursday to take action to
improve the economic situation. “From an Islamic perspective … if we do not
resolve the issue of people’s livelihoods, we will end up in hell,” Pezeshkian
said at an event broadcast on state television. Pezeshkian said in a social
media post that he had asked the interior minister to listen to “legitimate
demands” of protesters. Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said a
dialogue mechanism would be set up and include talks with protest leaders. “We
officially recognise the protests … We hear their voices and we know that this
originates from natural pressure arising from the pressure on people’s
livelihoods,” she said on Tuesday in comments carried by state media. Video of
protests in Tehran showed scores of people marching along a street chanting
“Rest in peace Reza Shah”, a reference to the founder of the royal dynasty
ousted in the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Mossad “on the ground”
Israel added another layer to the rising tensions by backing the demonstrations
and claiming to be on the ground. Israeli Mossad spy agency issued a direct call
urging Iranians to press on with protests, saying it was supporting them “on the
ground”.
“Go out into the streets together. The time has come. We are with you,” Mossad
wrote in a post on its Farsi-language X account, Israel’s army radio reported on
Wednesday. “Not just from a distance or through words. We are also with you on
the ground.”Footage aired on Iranian state television on Monday showed people
gathered in central Tehran chanting slogans. The semi-official Fars News Agency
reported that hundreds of students held protests on Tuesday at four universities
in Tehran. Authorities, however, have also promised to take a “firm” stance, and
have warned against exploiting the situation to sow chaos. Local media coverage
of the demonstrations has varied, with some outlets focusing on economic
difficulties, and others on incidents caused by “troublemakers”. Iran is in the
middle of an extended weekend, with the authorities declaring Wednesday a bank
holiday at the last minute, citing the need to save energy during the cold
weather. They made no official link to the protests. The weekend in Iran begins
on Thursday, and Saturday is a long-standing national holiday. Iran’s prosecutor
general said on Wednesday that peaceful economic protests were “legitimate”, but
any attempt to create insecurity would be met with a “decisive response”. “Any
attempt to turn economic protests into a tool of insecurity, destruction of
public property, or implementation of externally-designed scenarios will
inevitably be met with a legal, proportionate and decisive response.”On
Wednesday evening, the Tasnim news agency reported the arrest of seven people it
described as being affiliated with “groups hostile to the Islamic Republic based
in the United States and Europe”. It said they had been “tasked with turning the
demonstrations into violence”. Tasnim did not say when they were arrested. The
national currency, the rial, has lost more than a third of its value against the
US dollar over the past year, while double-digit hyperinflation has been
undermining Iranians’ purchasing power for years. The inflation rate in December
was 52 percent year-on-year, according to the Statistical Centre of Iran, an
official body.
Two of the Middle East’s
most powerful countries are facing off in Yemen. Here’s what to know
Mostafa Salem, CNN/January 2, 2026
A decade after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates led a joint military
campaign to curb Iran’s influence in Yemen, the two allies now find themselves
pitted against each other there. The Arab world’s most powerful nations have
entered an unprecedented public spat over Yemen, a strategically located and
impoverished nation with a history of unresolved conflicts. This week, Saudi
Arabia struck a UAE shipment carrying combat vehicles bound for Yemen in an
unprecedented military escalation before accusing Abu Dhabi of “highly
dangerous” actions and endangering the kingdom’s national security. The civil
war in Yemen began in 2014 after the Iran-backed Houthi movement overran the
north of the country and took over the capital Sana’a. Saudi Arabia and the UAE
intervened the following year, propping up the local government and militias
under a unified vision of destroying the Houthis.
But over the years, disagreements surfaced between rival Yemeni factions whose
competing agendas unintendedly exposed a rift between the two Middle Eastern
allies, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
Here’s how Yemen’s war has morphed into a proxy conflict involving erstwhile
allies:
Since the Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, the country has fragmented into
multiple spheres of influence, giving Iran expanded leverage on the southern
flank of the Arabian Peninsula through its support for the group. The Houthis,
formally known as Ansar Allah, are a Shiite Islamist movement in the northwest
of the country. In 2014, they orchestrated a swift takeover of Sana’a, with some
popular backing, seizing control of the government. With sustained Iranian arms
supplies and support, they emerged as Yemen’s most cohesive military and
political entity, controlling most of the country’s northwestern border with
Saudi Arabia, and holding critical Red Sea coastline, including access to vital
maritime corridors. Over time, the Houthis evolved into one of Tehran’s most
disruptive regional proxies, launching missile strikes on Saudi Arabia and as
far as Israel. They endured a prolonged Saudi-led military campaign, which
ultimately failed and led to the Houthis securing a de facto truce in 2022.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government, operating under the Saudi-backed
Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), was established in 2022 to unify
fragmented factions against the Houthis; it commands a loose coalition of
regular military remnants, tribal militias, and Sunni Islamist groups in the
center and south of the country. These forces hold a patchwork of strongholds,
primarily in the central province of Marib, parts of Taiz, and Aden in the
south. Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has conducted extensive air and naval
operations, with limited ground troop deployments to prop up the government and
counter the growing threat on its southern border. The Southern Transitional
Council (STC) is a UAE-backed separatist body in southern Yemen founded in 2017
to advocate for the restoration of the southern Yemeni state which ceased to
exist in 1990 after the country unified. Militias aligned to the group are
backed by Abu Dhabi and have played a crucial role in battles over the course of
the war, including in recent weeks. The two countries led the military
intervention in 2015 to counter the Houthis and restore the internationally
recognized government, but diverging agendas led them to support rival factions.
The UAE’s backing of southern separatists seeking independence directly
conflicts with Saudi Arabia’s support for a unified and stable Yemen at its
border. After years of stalled efforts to end the civil war, UAE-backed forces
launched a rapid offensive in early December, seizing control of oil-rich
provinces – at times from Saudi-backed forces – leading to deadly clashes.
Tensions peaked this week when Saudi-led coalition airstrikes targeted a UAE
shipment of vehicles at southern Yemen’s Mukalla port, accusing Abu Dhabi of
endangering Saudi national security. “Over the past decade, the UAE acted at the
request of the legitimate Yemeni government and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and
within the Saudi-led Coalition, making substantial sacrifices to support Yemen’s
stability and security- particularly in confronting terrorist organizations that
threaten civilians and the wider region. In line with its approach of urging
calm and de-escalation, the UAE concluded the presence of its counterterrorism
forces,” a UAE government official said in a statement. On Friday, tensions
further escalated as Saudi Arabia deployed its navy off Yemen’s coast shortly
after Riyadh-backed forces launched what they called a “peaceful” ground
offensive to retake areas from the UAE-backed southern separatists. Videos
showed large convoys of vehicles allegedly on their way to the areas under
control of southern forces. The separatists rejected the claim that the
offensive was peaceful, accused Saudi Arabia of misleading the international
community and declared the battle a “north-south war.” Southern forces also
accused Riyadh of launching several airstrikes on its locations. Saudi Arabia
hasn’t commented on the matter. Later on Friday, the STC announced it would hold
an independence referendum in two years to help “exercise the right of
self-determination for the Southern people.”Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow
at London’s Chatham House think tank, said the unprecedented escalations
“reflect fundamental disagreements between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi over the future
political structure of Yemen and the balance of influence within it.”“These
actions mark a critical turning point, signaling a volatile and dangerous phase
in Yemen’s fractured alliances,” Al-Muslimi said. Recurring conflicts have left
the nation – strategically located south of Saudi Arabia with access to key
maritime corridors – heavily impoverished, highly unstable, and well-armed, as
regional powers vie for influence. Amid the renewed conflict, Yemen splinters
further, with the Houthis – once targeted by some of the region’s most powerful
nations – viewing the divisions among their enemies as advantageous. The group,
which launched missile and drone attacks on Abu Dhabi and Riyadh in the past,
had endured a years-long Saudi-led coalition blockade and airstrikes. “The
Houthis are likely to view the growing rift between two of their principal
adversaries with considerable advantage, observing as former coalition partners
– who jointly fought and failed to defeat them – now turn against one another,”
Al-Muslimi noted. “How western governments will respond to escalating tensions
between two of their most important regional partners remains uncertain, but the
implications for regional stability and for Yemen’s already fragile political
landscape are profound,” he added.
7 dead in Saudi coalition
airstrikes on UAE-backed forces in Yemen
Agence France Presse/January 02/2026
Airstrikes killed seven people in Yemen on Friday as a Saudi-led coalition
attacked UAE-backed separatists who have seized huge swathes of territory, an
official for the group. More than 20 people were also wounded as seven
airstrikes hit a camp in Al-Khasah, said Mohammed Abdulmalik, head of the
separatist Southern Transitional Council in Wadi Hadramaut and Hadramaut Desert.
Homeland Shield forces advance to take control of military
camps in Yemen’s Hadramout
Al Arabiya English/January 02/2026
Footage obtained by Al Arabiya on Friday showed government-aligned “Homeland
Shield” forces moving to seize military camps in Yemen’s eastern Hadramout
governorate, as part of a limited security operation announced by the province’s
governor. The move came after Hadramout Governor Salem al-Khanbashi said
authorities had launched an organized peaceful operation dubbed “Operation
Takeover of Camps” to assume control of military sites in the governorate.Images
showed Homeland Shield forces advancing to take over the sites “peacefully and
in an organized manner,” in line with the governor’s earlier announcement.
Reports of senior commanders fleeing
Yemeni sources said the commander of the Fifth Brigade, Mukhtar al-Nubi, fled
from the 37th Brigade camp amid the advance. Sources told Al Arabiya that “Abu
Ali al-Hadrami” had also fled Yemen. These claims could not be independently
verified.
‘Not a declaration of war’
Earlier Friday, al-Khanbashi said the operation was aimed at securing military
camps without escalation. “The military operation is not a declaration of war,
but rather a responsible precautionary measure that does not target any
political or social group, nor civilians,” he said. He added that “the operation
is limited and its goal is to neutralize the weapons and prevent the use of
military camps to threaten the security of the province.”
Fighting positions around the 37th Brigade
Yemeni presidential adviser Thabit al-Ahmadi accused the Southern Transitional
Council of attempting to impose control by force. “The Southern Transitional
Council is trying to impose its presence by force,” he said, alleging that “some
of its leaders are linked to Iran and received training in Beirut’s southern
suburbs,” a reference to areas long associated with Hezbollah. Al Arabiya could
not independently verify those claims. Al-Ahmadi said Homeland Shield forces
were taking control of military positions surrounding the 37th Brigade in the
al-Khash’ah area, adding that Fifth Brigade commander al-Nubi had fled to Sayun.
Rising tensions in eastern Yemen
The developments follow statements by Homeland Shield forces earlier this week
declaring their readiness to take over military sites from Southern Transitional
Council forces in Hadramout and al-Mahra. They also came after forces affiliated
with the Southern Transitional Council said early Thursday that they would
continue operations in areas they had seized, while coordinating with
government-aligned Homeland Shield forces. However, al-Khanbashi said late
Thursday that Southern Transitional Council forces “have not responded to calls
for de-escalation and efforts to calm the situation, but are continuing their
mobilization.” Tensions have escalated since early December between Yemen’s
internationally recognized government and the Southern Transitional Council,
after the latter launched a surprise offensive in Hadramout and al-Mahra,
seizing territory in the country’s east. The escalation prompted intervention by
the Arab Coalition at the request of Yemen’s government.
Saudi royal naval forces deploy in Arabian Sea for
anti-smuggling operations
Al Arabiya English/January 02/2026
Arab Coalition Spokesperson Major General Turki al-Malki said on Friday that
Saudi royal naval forces completed deployment in the Arabian Sea. He added that
the forces will carry out inspection and anti-smuggling operations in the
Arabian Sea.
Yemeni deputy FM says STC has to be dismantled, become political party only
Al Arabiya English/January 02/,2026
Yemeni Deputy Foreign Minister Mustapha Noman told Al Arabiya English on Friday
that the Southern Transitional Council (STC) has to be dismantled, or at the
very least it will have to give up arms and become a political organization
only. “The [STC] is now an outlawed entity…They have led a rebellion against the
internationally recognized government. This entity has to be dismantled or at
least their status has to be changed… They have to turn into a political party
or political entity.”Noman also slammed STC head Aidarus al-Zubaidi saying he is
not a representative of the whole south of Yemen and that while his personal
ambition is to rule the south, he “will discover that he’s left alone in the
south and he will have no place to stay and he will have to leave the
country.”“He has to admit he is not the only representative of the south. There
are many southern blocs that are not under his umbrella. Now he is trying to
impose himself as the sole leader, as the sole representative of all the
southern territory. [This] is not true…I am sure that he is going to either
recalculate his measures or to just be absent out of the country.”He also said
that the STC’s claims that it does not have enough political representation
within the present authority are false, noting that the STC has three out of
eight seats in the Presidential Leadership Council and two thirds of the
majority in the cabinet. Commenting on the STC’s recent advances in Hadramout
and al-Mahra, Noman said no country on Earth will accept militias on its
borders, adding that the STC’s advances “were a grave mistake.”“The biggest
mistake [the STC] has made is that [it] antagonized Saudi Arabia. To get close
to the Saudi borders is of top sensitivity to the [Kingdom] and to Yemen… No
country on Earth will accept militias to control borders from their side… They
have made a grave mistake, and they will pay dearly for that.” He also likened
the STC’s actions in Yemen to what Hezbollah is doing in Lebanon and what the
Houthis are doing in Yemen. “There is no difference between these three
entities. They are outlaws… [The STC] will have to surrender its arms… This is
the only option to bring peace to the south again.”Noman added that Abu Dhabi
will realize what the STC has been doing under the name of the UAE, adding that
there are more common interests between Saudi Arabia and the UAE than the STC.
“I am sure that at one point [Abu Dhabi] will realize that what the STC has been
doing under the name of the UAE was wrong.”He added that Yemen can have a
federal system, but that this cannot be enforced by what the STC is dictating.
“We have to sit on a table [to discuss politics]… but [the STC] has to
surrenders [its] arms first.”
Saudi Arabia, regional
foreign ministers warn of worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza
Al Arabiya English/January 02/2026
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and several other countries expressed
“their deepest concern” regarding the deteriorating humanitarian situation in
the Gaza Strip. In a joint statement issued on Friday, the ministers of Saudi
Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkiye, Qatar
and Egypt said the crisis has been “exacerbated by severe, harsh, and unstable
weather conditions, including heavy rainfall and storms,” alongside “the
continued lack of sufficient humanitarian access” and “acute shortages of
essential life-saving supplies.” They warned that delays in the entry of
essential materials needed for the rehabilitation of basic services and the
establishment of temporary housing are further worsening conditions on the
ground. The ministers also highlighted that the severe weather has “laid bare
the fragility of existing humanitarian conditions,” particularly for the almost
1.9 million people and displaced families living in inadequate shelters. They
said that flooded camps, the collapse of damaged buildings, and exposure to cold
temperatures – coupled with malnutrition – have significantly heightened risks
to civilian lives, “especially among children, women, the elderly, and
individuals with medical vulnerabilities.”he foreign ministers commended “the
tireless efforts of all United Nations organizations and agencies, especially
UNRWA, as well as humanitarian international NGOs,” for continuing to assist
Palestinian civilians under “extremely difficult and complex circumstances.”They
demanded that Israel ensures the UN and international NGOs are able to operate
in Gaza and the West Bank “in a sustained, predictable, and unrestricted
manner,” stressing that “any attempt to impede their ability to operate is
unacceptable.” The ministers reaffirmed “their full support for UNSCR 2803 and
President Trump’s Comprehensive Plan” and expressed their intention to
contribute to its implementation “with a view to ensuring the sustainability of
the ceasefire, bringing an end to the war in Gaza, to secure a dignified life
for the Palestinian people who have endured prolonged humanitarian suffering,
and leading to a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and
statehood.”They stressed the urgent need to immediately initiate and scale up
early recovery efforts, including “the provision of durable and dignified
shelter to protect the population from the severe winter conditions.”The
statement also called on the international community to uphold its legal and
moral responsibilities and to pressure Israel, “as the occupying power, to
immediately lift constraints on the entry and distribution of essential supplies
including tents, shelter materials, medical assistance, clean water, fuel, and
sanitation support.”
The ministers urged the immediate, full and unhindered delivery of humanitarian
aid into Gaza through the UN and its agencies, the rehabilitation of
infrastructure and hospitals, and the opening of the Rafah Crossing in both
directions in line with President Trump’s Comprehensive Plan.
The British military expected to see more of Russia's 'prestige equipment,' like
T-14 tanks, fighting in Ukraine, officer says
Sinéad Baker/Business Insider/January 2, 2026
The British military expected to see more "prestige" Russian equipment in
Ukraine, an officer said.
This includes Russia's advanced T-14 tanks, which don't appear to have seen
combat in Ukraine.
The poor performance of the high-end gear Russia has in Ukraine, though, gives
the UK confidence against the systems missing in action.
A British Army officer said that the military was surprised it did not see more
advanced Russian weaponry, like some of its best tanks, on the battlefield in
Ukraine.
"We probably would've expected to have seen more of their prestige equipment,"
Maj. Maguire told Business Insider, speaking on the condition that only his rank
and last name be used. He previously helped lead the UK-led training for
Ukrainian soldiers and also produced reports for the UK and allies on tactics in
Ukraine and the lessons Western forces could draw from them. One example he gave
of Russian equipment that hasn't been seen is the T-14, considered Russia's most
advanced tank.
That kind of warfighting equipment is what the British military sort of sees as
"the pacing threat equipment that we train against."
The T-14, estimated to cost between $5 million and $9 million, is regarded as
one of Russia's best tanks. Western analysts had worried the tanks might rival
NATO's most advanced tanks. Russian state media has often touted the Armata as
"cutting edge."
Yet these weapons haven't been seen in the war. Sergei Chemezov, the CEO of
Rostec, which produces the Armata, previously said the tanks might not be
well-suited for Ukraine. "Armata is, in general, a little expensive," he said.
"In terms of functionality, it is, of course, much superior to existing tanks,
but it is too expensive, so the army is unlikely to use it now." The UK expected
this kind of prestige equipment, but instead these tanks "haven't really been
used, and I think that's probably more surprising than the fact that they've
used a lot of their stockpiles and stuff," Maguire said.
The Russians have relied heavily on tanks like T-90s and T-80s, as well as some
decades-old equipment, some first deployed in the 1940s. It has been pulling old
tanks out of storage rather than putting its most capable assets, at least on
paper, out onto the battlefield. Its stores are vast, with numerous tanks built
for a Cold War fight, and building new tanks is a long process, even with
Russia's ramped-up defense industry output. Sophisticated machinery takes time
to build, and the Western sanctions at crippling the industry don't make it any
easier.
Maguire did not speculate on why Russia is not using the T-14, but the UK
Ministry of Defence has previously weighed in. It said last year that the
Armata's absence was "highly likely due to the potential reputational damage of
losing the 'prestige' vehicle in combat and the requirement to produce greater
quantities of MBTs which can only be satisfied by other variants."An earlier
ministry intelligence update that Russian troops in Ukraine were reluctant to
accept the first tranche of T-14s that were offered to them "because the
vehicles were in such poor condition."
Russia's confidence in the tank is unclear; however, it notably reduced its own
order for the tanks, instead focusing on modernizing older types. Western
analyses say the tank is impressive but also appears to be more vulnerable than
Russia has said.
The war has not been kind to tanks and other armored vehicles. It is a fight in
which neither side has achieved air superiority and cheap drones and mines
threaten anything that moves. Considering the substantial losses, cost-effective
mass has often proven more valuable than exquisite combat power.
Other high-level equipment is missing
Beyond the T-14, Russia also hasn't sent in its fifth-generation fighters, its
Su-57s. These aircraft are built for this kind of war, where air defenses make
the skies extremely dangerous for older fourth-gen jets. Russia hasn't made the
progress it hoped for in Ukraine, yet these planes are still largely sitting out
the fight.The UK defense ministry said in 2023 that the Su-57's usage seemed
limited to Russian territory and launching long-range air-to-surface or
air-to-air missiles into Ukraine. It said Russia was "highly likely prioritising
avoiding the reputational damage, reduced export prospects, and the compromise
of sensitive technology which would come from any loss" of the jet over Ukraine.
Questions have been raised about the Su-57 stealth and combat capabilities, with
some speculation that it may not be a true fifth-gen aircraft. A former UK air
force officer turned analyst previously told Business Insider that Russia was
likely saving them for a possible conflict with NATO.
The West is confident
When it comes to the high-level equipment Russia isn't using, Maguire said, "I
have no idea why they're not using it, but I'm pretty sure whatever it is, we
could defeat it with what we have."Russia has put some advanced systems into the
war; however, the few weapons that have made an appearance haven't "performed
very well," the major said. He pointed to Ukraine's destruction of Russia's
newly developed BMPT "Terminator", a 23-foot-long armored vehicle carrying a
host of weapons. Ukraine has also been able to shoot down the Kinzhal missiles
Russia boasted were unstoppable with Patriots, and Russia's S-400 air defense
system, while still formidable, has somewhat underperformed.Russia's military in
general has underperformed compared to Western expectations, including in its
failure to quickly overpower Ukraine, which has left it bogged down in a
grinding fight in the east. NATO officials also say the quality of its military
has degraded throughout the war, though others have noted its learning too,
making it a threat the West is watching closely.
Read the original article on Business Insider
https://www.businessinsider.com/uk-expected-more-russian-high-end-equipment-in-ukraine-officer-2026-1
Zelenskyy names Ukraine's head of military intelligence as his new chief of
staff
Illia Novikov/KYIV, Ukraine (AP) /January 2, 2026
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday appointed the head of Ukraine's military
intelligence as his new chief of staff, a move that comes as the U.S. leads a
diplomatic push to end Russia's nearly 4-year-old invasion. Announcing the
appointment of Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs to focus on
security issues, developing its defense and security forces, and peace talks —
areas that are overseen by the office of the president. Zelenskyy had dismissed
his previous chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, after anti-corruption officials
began investigating alleged graft in the energy sector.
The president framed Budanov's appointment as part of a broader effort to
sharpen the focus on security, defense development and diplomacy. “Kyrylo has
specialized experience in these areas and sufficient strength to achieve
results,” Zelenskyy said. Budanov, 39, said on Telegram his new position is
“both an honor and a responsibility — at a historic time for Ukraine — to focus
on the critically important issues of the state’s strategic security.” In his
evening address, Zelenskyy announced further changes to his team, saying he had
proposed Mykhailo Fedorov, the current minister for digital transformation, as
the new minister of defense.Fedorov, 34, is credited with spearheading the
introduction of drone technology in Ukraine’s army and introducing several
successful e-government platforms in his current role. He replaces Denys Shmyhal
who took up the post last July in a major government shake-up. Zelenskyy thanked
Shmyhal and said he would be taking up another role in government. He also
credited the ministry for reaching a target production of more than 1,000
interceptor drones per day in December.
Earlier, Zelenskyy appointed Foreign Intelligence Service head Oleh Ivashchenko
to replace Budanov as intelligence chief.
‘Prominent face of Kyiv’s intelligence effort Budanov is one of the country’s
most recognizable and popular wartime figures. He has led Ukraine’s military
intelligence agency, known by its acronym GUR, since 2020. A career military
intelligence officer, he rose through the defense establishment after Russia’s
illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. He also took part in special operations
and intelligence missions linked to the fighting with Moscow-backed separatist
forces in eastern Ukraine before the full-scale invasion of February 2022. He
reportedly was wounded during one such operation.
Since the full-scale invasion, Budanov has become a prominent face of Kyiv’s
intelligence effort, regularly appearing in interviews and briefings that mix
strategic signaling with psychological pressure on Moscow. He has frequently
warned of Russia’s long-term intentions toward Ukraine and the region, while
portraying the war as an existential struggle for the country's statehood. Under
Budanov, the GUR expanded its operational footprint, coordinating intelligence,
sabotage and special operations aimed at degrading Russian military capabilities
far beyond the front lines. Ukrainian officials have credited military
intelligence with operations targeting Russian command structures, logistics
hubs, energy infrastructure and naval assets, including strikes deep inside
Russian territory and occupied areas.His appointment to lead the office of the
president marks an unusual shift, placing an intelligence chief at the center of
Ukraine’s political and diplomatic coordination. Ihor Reiterovych, a Kyiv-based
independent political expert, noted that Budanov had participated in the talks
with the U.S. and “will fit much more naturally into the overall context" of the
negotiations.
“Unlike Yermak, he has both experience in this field and has worked in a
relevant position,” Reiterovych said, adding that the GUR also has had certain
contacts with Russia on issues such as prisoner exchanges.
Russia reports a higher death toll from a strike
Russian authorities said Friday the death toll from what they called a Ukrainian
drone strike on a cafe and hotel in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine’s
Kherson region rose to 28. Kyiv strongly denied attacking civilian targets.
Svetlana Petrenko, spokeswoman of Russia's main criminal investigation agency,
the Investigative Committee, said those killed in the village of Khorly, where
at least 100 civilians were celebrating New Year's Eve, included two minors,
while 31 people were hospitalized. A spokesman for Ukraine’s General Staff,
Dmytro Lykhovii, denied attacking civilians. He told Ukraine's public
broadcaster Suspilne on Thursday that Ukrainian forces “adhere to the norms of
international humanitarian law” and "carry out strikes exclusively against
Russian military targets, facilities of the Russian fuel and energy sector, and
other lawful targets.”He noted that Russia has repeatedly used disinformation
and false statements to disrupt the ongoing peace negotiations.
The Associated Press could not independently verify claims made about the
attack.
Washington praises progress in negotiations
U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday that
he, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared
Kushner had a “productive call” with the national security advisers of Britain,
France, Germany and Ukraine “to discuss advancing the next steps in the European
peace process.” The U.S. efforts has faced a new obstacle earlier this week,
when Moscow said it would toughen its negotiating stand after what it said was a
long-range drone attack against a residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin
in northwestern Russia early Monday.
Kyiv has denied attacking Putin’s residence, saying the Russian claim was a ruse
to derail the negotiations. In his New Year’s address, Zelenskyy said a peace
deal was “90% ready” but warned that the remaining 10% — believed to include key
sticking points such as territory — would “determine the fate of peace, the fate
of Ukraine and Europe, how people will live.”
Overnight attacks
Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russia struck a residential area of Kharkiv with two
missiles Friday, Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram page, adding that Moscow's
forces "continue the killings, despite all the efforts of the world, and above
all the United States, in the diplomatic process.”At least 19 people in the
eastern city were injured, including a 6-month-old, said regional administration
head Oleh Syniehubov. The Russian Defense Ministry denied launching any strikes
with missiles or other airborne weapons on Kharkiv on Friday and suggested,
without offering evidence, that the damage could have been caused by the
detonation of ammunition at a weapons depot. Earlier Friday, Russia conducted
what local authorities called “one of the most massive” drone attacks at
Zaporizhzhia. At least nine drones struck the city, damaging dozens of
residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure but causing no
casualties, according to Ivan Fedorov, head of the regional administration.
Overall, Russia fired 116 long-range drones at Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s
air force, with 86 intercepted and 27 striking their targets. The Russian
ministry said its air defenses intercepted 64 Ukrainian drones overnight in
multiple Russian regions. The Russian city of Belgorod was hit by a Ukrainian
missile, according to regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov. Two women were
hospitalized after the strike, which shattered windows and damaged an
unspecified commercial facility and a number of cars in the region that borders
Ukraine, he said.
Illia Novikov, The Associated Press
Jordan condemns Israel over
seizure of planning powers at Ibrahimi Mosque
Arab News/January 02, 2026
AMMAN: Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Friday strongly
condemned Israel for its decision to strip Hebron Municipality of its planning
and construction authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque in the West Bank. The
ministry described the move as a blatant violation of international law and the
historical and legal status quo at the holy site, the Jordan News Agency
reported. On Wednesday, the Israeli Civil Administration, which oversees the
occupied West Bank, said it had transferred planning powers from the Palestinian
Authority’s Hebron Municipality to its own Supreme Planning Council. The
announcement was accompanied by approval for a project to construct a roof over
the mosque’s internal courtyard, a move that has drawn fierce opposition from
Palestinians. The municipality condemned the decision as a “serious and illegal
violation” by Israeli authorities, describing it as part of a systematic effort
to alter the status quo at the mosque and weaken the authority of Palestinian
institutions responsible for its management. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said
Israel, as the occupying power, was acting unlawfully by unilaterally approving
construction work at the mosque and stripping Palestinian authorities of their
administrative powers. The actions undermine Islamic administration of the site,
it warned. Fouad Al-Majali, official spokesperson for the ministry, affirmed
Jordan’s “absolute rejection and severe condemnation” of continuing illegal,
unilateral actions by Israel in the occupied West Bank. Such actions constitute
clear violations of international law and international humanitarian law, he
added, including the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural
Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, and UN resolutions. Al-Majali also
highlighted the 2017 decision by UNESCO to add Hebron’s Old City, and the
Ibrahimi Mosque, to its the List of World Heritage in Danger. He urged the
international community to fulfill its “legal and moral responsibilities” by
compelling Israeli authorities to halt their illegal activities in the occupied
territory, and protect and preserve the cultural and religious heritage of the
Ibrahimi Mosque, which he said was under increasing threat as a result of
Israel’s actions. Regional security and a just and comprehensive peace will
remain impossible goals unless the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people
are fulfilled, Al-Majali said, including the right to self-determination,
including the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with
East Jerusalem as its capital.
MSF calls Israeli ban a
‘grave blow’ to Gaza aid
AFP/January 02, 2026
JERUSALEM: International charity Doctors Without Borders Friday condemned a
“grave blow to humanitarian aid” after Israel revoked the status it needs to
operate in Gaza for refusing to share Palestinian staff lists. Israel on
Thursday confirmed it had banned access to the Gaza Strip to 37 foreign
humanitarian organizations for refusing to share lists of their Palestinian
employees. Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which has 1,200 staff members in the
Palestinian territories, the majority of them in Gaza, said in a statement that
“denying medical assistance to civilians is unacceptable under any
circumstances.”The medical organization argued that it had “legitimate concerns”
over new Israeli requirements for foreign NGO registration, specifically the
disclosing of personal information about Palestinian staff. It pointed to the
fact that 15 MSF staff had been “killed by Israeli forces,” and that access to
any given territory should not be conditional on staff list disclosure.
“Demanding staff lists as a condition for access to territory is an outrageous
overreach,” the charity said. MSF also denounced “the absence of any clarity
about how such sensitive data will be used, stored, or shared,” charging that
Israeli forces “have killed and wounded hundreds of thousands of civilians” in
Gaza during the course of the war. It also charged that Israel had “manufactured
shortages of basic necessities by blocking and delaying the entry of essential
goods, including medical supplies.”Israel controls and regulates all entry
points into Gaza, which is surrounded by a wall that began to be built in
2005.Felipe Ribero, MSF head of mission in the Palestinian territories, told AFP
that all of its operations were still ongoing in Gaza. “We are supposed to leave
under 60 days, but we don’t know whether it will be three or 60 days” before
Israeli authorities force MSF to leave, he said.Prominent humanitarian
organizations hit by the Israeli ban include the Norwegian Refugee Council
(NRC), World Vision International and Oxfam, according to an Israeli ministry
list. The ban, which came into effect on December 31, 2025 at midnight, has
triggered widespread international condemnation. Israel says the new regulation
aims to prevent bodies it accuses of supporting terrorism from operating in the
Palestinian territories. MSF says it currently supports one in five hospital
beds in Gaza and assists one in three mothers in the territory, and urged the
Israeli authorities to meet to discuss the ban.
Saudi, Arab and Muslim ministers voice deep concern over
worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza
Arab News/January 02, 2026
DUBAI: The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates,
Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkiye, Qatar and Egypt expressed deep concern over the
rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip on Friday. A
statement published by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on X cited severe
weather conditions and restrictions on humanitarian access as key factors
exacerbating civilian suffering. It said flooded camps, collapsed structures,
damaged tents and exposure to cold temperatures had significantly increased
risks to civilian lives, particularly among children, women, the elderly and
those with medical vulnerabilities. The ministers warned that the combination of
malnutrition, poor shelter and lack of clean water has heightened the risk of
disease outbreaks, placing additional strain on Gaza’s fragile health system.
The statement commended the efforts of UN agencies, particularly UNRWA, as well
as international humanitarian organizations, for continuing to provide
assistance under extremely challenging conditions. The ministers stressed that
humanitarian organizations must be allowed to operate in Gaza and the occupied
West Bank in a sustained, predictable and unrestricted manner, describing any
obstruction of their work as unacceptable. The statement highlighted support for
UN Security Council Resolution 2803 and US President Donald Trump’s
“Comprehensive Plan,” as well as the ministers’ intention to contribute to
efforts aimed at sustaining the ceasefire, ending the war in Gaza, and enabling
early recovery and reconstruction. The ministers also called on the
international community to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities, urging
Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately lift restrictions on the entry
and distribution of essential supplies, including shelter materials, medical
aid, fuel, clean water and sanitation support. They also demanded the immediate,
full, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance into Gaza through the
UN and its agencies, the rehabilitation of critical infrastructure and
hospitals, and the opening of the Rafah Crossing in both directions, in line
with Trump’s plan.
Woman and grandson burn to death
in tent as Gaza humanitarian crisis deepens
Wafaa Shurafa, Associated
Press/January 2, 2026
A grandmother and her five-year-old grandson burned to death in Gaza when their
tent caught fire, as thousands of Palestinians battle harrowing winter
conditions in flimsy makeshift housing and the humanitarian crisis deepens.
The nylon tent in Yarmouk caught fire on Thursday night from cooking activity, a
neighbour said. As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel
and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza. But
Palestinians are still being killed almost daily by Israeli fire, and the
humanitarian crisis shows no signs of abating. Over past weeks, cold winter
rains have repeatedly lashed the sprawling tent cities, causing flooding,
turning Gaza’s dirt roads into mud and causing buildings damaged in Israeli
bombardment to collapse.
Unicef says at least six children have now died of weather-related causes,
including a four-year-old who died in a building collapse. At least three
children have died from hypothermia, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are getting into Gaza during the
truce. Figures recently released by Israel’s military suggest it has not met the
ceasefire stipulation of allowing 600 trucks of aid into Gaza a day, though
Israel disputes that finding. There is also concern that Israel’s recent
suspension of more than three dozen international aid groups from operating in
Gaza will make it even harder to get supplies such as tents in. Palestinians
have long called for mobile homes and caravans to be allowed in to protect them
against living in impractical and worn-out tents. In Yarmouk people live in
nylon tents near a rubbish dump. Ashraf al-Suwair said he woke up to the sound
of screaming. He said the nylon is like fuel, easy to ignite. “We need a good
place that suits the people and the children of Gaza, instead of burning to
death,” he said. On Friday the foreign ministers of Arab and Muslim countries,
including Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, expressed concern about Gaza’s
deteriorating humanitarian situation. The situation has been “compounded by the
continued lack of sufficient humanitarian access, acute shortages of essential
life-saving supplies, and the slow pace of the entry of essential materials,”
said the joint statement. Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began,
414 people have been killed and 1,142 wounded in Gaza, according to the Health
Ministry.
The overall Palestinian death toll from the war is at least 71,266. The
ministry, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians in its
count, is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed
as generally reliable by the international community. The Israel-Hamas war began
with the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on October 7 2023 that killed about
1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, Meanwhile, Israel continues operating in
the occupied West Bank. On Friday, the Palestinian Prisoners media office said
Israel carried out wide-scale raids across the territory including Ramallah and
Hebron. Nearly 50 people were detained. Israel’s military said there were
arrests made of people “involved in terrorist activity”.This follows the arrest
of at least 50 other Palestinians on Thursday. Most of those occurred in the
Ramallah area. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society says that Israel has arrested
7,000 Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem this year, and 21,000 since
the war began. The number arrested from Gaza is not made public by Israel
US sets new LNG export records in banner year marked by new capacity
Reuters/January 02/2026
The US in 2025 became the first country to export more than 100 million metric
tons (mmt) of liquefied natural gas in a single year, powered by the startup of
production from new plants, preliminary data from LSEG showed. The world’s
largest LNG exporter sold 111 mmt of the fuel, almost 20 mmt more than its
nearest rival Qatar and nearly 23 mmt more than it did last year, LSEG data
showed. US shipments accounted for roughly a quarter of global LNG exports last
year. Venture Global’s Plaquemines facility - the country’s second-largest
export plant - delivered 16.4 mmt in 2025 after sending its first cargo in
December 2024, LSEG data showed. Alex Munton, director of global gas and LNG at
research firm Rapidan Energy Group, said the 24 percent year-on-year growth came
down to high utilization across onstream terminals and a rapid ramp up at new
facilities. The annual record was supported by a monthly milestone in December
when the US exported 11.5 mmt, a record for a single month, the data showed. In
2025, the US set five monthly production records. “It is remarkable that in
nine years the US has gone from zero LNG exports to over 100 mmt, and the
success validates the US approach of selling free on board and pulling gas off
the grid and the reliability of US supplies,” Jason Feer, head of business
intelligence at shipping firm Poten and Partners, said on Friday.
Europe remains major export market
Europe remained the main destination for US LNG, with 9 mmt sold to the
continent last month as the Northern Hemisphere winter deepened and Europe
reduced its purchases of Russian gas, LSEG ship tracking data show. Turkey,
which supplies Europe with some Russian gas, stepped up its purchases of US LNG
in December, buying 1.45 mmt. In December, the US sold 1.23 mmt of the super
chilled gas to Asia, down from November’s 1.75 mmt, the data showed. Egypt
continues to buy significant amounts of US LNG cargoes amid its natural gas
shortages, buying 0.78 mmt in December, while the Americas region took 0.42 mmt.
With Plaquemines targeting full capacity this year, Cheniere’s smaller modular
plants expected to either be at full volume or ramping up, and the first train
at Golden Pass LNG - a joint venture between QatarEnergy and Exxon Mobil - set
to begin production in the first quarter of 2026, Feer predicts the US could
increase its annual production this year by another 20 mmt.
Sworn-in as New York City’s
first Muslim mayor, Mamdani vows leftist success
The Arab Weekly/January 02/2026
Mamdani used a Quran, Islam’s holiest book, for his swearing-in, a first for a
New York City mayor.
Zohran Mamdani promised on Thursday to show left-wing politics can succeed as he
took over as New York mayor for a term sure to see him cross swords with US
President Donald Trump. Thousands of people gathered in freezing conditions in
the United States’ largest city to celebrate the 34-year-old Democrat’s
inauguration after his impressive political rise from relative anonymity just a
year ago. “They want to know if the left can govern. They want to know if the
struggles that afflict them can be solved,” Mamdani said outside City Hall. “We
will do something that New Yorkers do better than anyone else: we will set an
example for the world.” In the 24-minute speech, he added: “Beginning today, we
will govern expansively and audaciously.” Mamdani, New York’s first Muslim
mayor, emphasised the cost of living issues that were central to his mayoral
campaign, pledging to help those “betrayed by the established order.”Left-wing
allies Senator Bernie Sanders and congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also
spoke in front of some 4,000 ticketed guests. “Thank you for giving us, from
coast to coast, the hope and the vision that we can create government that works
for all, not just the wealthy and the few,” said Sanders, a former presidential
hopeful.
Symbolic inauguration
The inauguration was jam-packed with symbolism.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who successfully prosecuted Trump for
fraud, performed a private midnight swearing-in at an abandoned subway station.
Mamdani’s office said the understated venue beneath City Hall reflected his
commitment to working people. In a first for the city, he used a Quran, Islam’s
holiest book, for his swearing-in. He in fact used several Qurans to be sworn in
as mayor, two from his family and one that belonged to Puerto Rico-born Black
writer Arturo Schomburg, The New York Times reported. Born in Uganda to a family
of Indian origin, Mamdani moved to New York at age seven and enjoyed an elite
upbringing with only a relatively brief stint in politics. Compensating for his
inexperience, he is surrounding himself with seasoned aides recruited from past
mayoral administrations and former US president Joe Biden’s government. Mamdani
has also opened a dialogue with business leaders, some of whom predicted a
massive exodus of wealthy New Yorkers if he won. Real estate leaders have
debunked those claims. As a defender of Palestinian rights, he will have to
reassure the city’s Jewish community, the largest in the US, of his inclusive
leadership. A small group of people holding Israeli flags appeared to protest
Mamdani on Thursday by blowing air horns during his speech.
“Tax the rich”
The focus is however expected to be on Mamdani’s economics during his term in
office. At one point during his speech, the crowd broke into chants of “tax the
rich.” Mamdani wants to raise taxes on New York’s wealthiest residents.
Thousands of people also thronged central Manhattan, many wearing yellow and
blue beanies emblazoned with “Zohran,” to watch the ceremony on large screens.
“This is the first time that either of us in our entire lives has felt some kind
of political hope at all,” 31-year-old Jacob Byerly, a scientist, said. Mamdani,
a self-described democratic socialist, comes to power at a time when Trump has
pushed a hard-right agenda. But it remains to be seen if Mamdani can deliver on
his ambitious programme, which envisions rent freezes, universal childcare and
free public buses.
How Trump behaves could be decisive.
The Republican president, himself a New Yorker, has repeatedly criticised
Mamdani, but the pair held surprisingly cordial talks at the White House in
November. One flashpoint might be immigration raids as Trump wages an expanding
crackdown on migrants across the United States. Mamdani has vowed to protect
immigrant communities. Before the November vote, the president also threatened
to slash federal funding for New York if it picked Mamdani, whom he called a
“communist lunatic.”The mayor has said he believes Trump is a fascist. Mamdani
mentioned Trump only once in his speech on Thursday while reflecting on the
city’s diversity, citing supporters of the president who also backed him in the
mayoral vote.
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published
on January 02-03/2026
A South African Betrayal
Paul Trewhela/Gatestone Institute./January 2, 2026
"[T]he Baqt treaty ... imposed an annual payment of 360 slaves on the Christian
kingdom of Nubia [based along the Nile river].... By 1877, when there were said
to be upwards of 6,000 slave-traders operating in the region, the British
government estimated in a report to the Egyptian authorities that around 30,000
slaves per annum were being sent across the Red Sea from the East African coast
to the Arabian peninsula alone." — Justin Marozzi, British historian, in his
2025 book Captives and Companions: A History of Slavery and the Slave Trade in
the Islamic World.
"For Arabic-speakers along the Nile Valley, both the terms Nubi (Nubian) and
Sudani (Sudanese), meaning black, were synonymous with 'slave.'" — Justin
Marozzi, Captives and Companions.
"A lasting and painful irony...is that the northern Arab Sudanese do not
consider themselves black, reserving that pejorative term for their dark-skinned
Sudanese and South Sudanese compatriots, in addition to Africans from further
afield, who for centuries they enslaved." — Justin Marozzi, Captives and
Companions.
Then followed the disgraceful betrayal of the black Africans of Sudan by the
government of the African National Congress, with Cyril Ramaphosa both as deputy
president (2014-2018) and as president, up to today.
"By the dying years of the twentieth century... slavery was once again thriving
in Sudan. For the National Islamic Front of Omar al-Bashir, the then president
of Sudan (in office 1993-2019), it was an effective weapon of war against his
black southern Sudanese compatriots." — Justin Marozzi, Captives and Companions.
"When the country split in 2011, it was estimated that over 35,000 South
Sudanese people remained enslaved in Sudan. In Darfur the Janjaweed militia ran
amok, committing numerous atrocities. One eyewitness, Neimat al Mahdi, recalled
how the Janjaweed would enter the village of an African tribe, kill all the men
and rape the women, mocking them afterwards with the age-old racial slur: 'You
should celebrate, you slave. You are going to give birth to an Arab.'" — Justin
Marozzi, Captives and Companions.
"Whichever way you looked across the nineteenth-century Dar al Islam ["Land of
Islam"], slavery coolly returned your gaze." — Justin Marozzi, Captives and
Companions.
Sadly, in the Qur'an, slavery is condoned and used as a justification for rape,
male control of women, and other abuse.
In 2015, South Africa's ruling African National Congress refused to implement
the arrest warrant issued for genocide by the International Criminal Court
against Sudan's then President Omar Al-Bashir when he visited South Africa -- a
"shameful failure", as reported by Amnesty International. On January 4, 2024,
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa continued this alliance when he welcomed
Bashir's military appointee, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ("Hemedti"), the
commander of Sudan's murderous and genocidal militia, the Rapid Support Forces.
Pictured: Al-Bashir (foreground) arrives at a press conference during a visit to
Durban, South Africa, on September 3, 1998. (Photo by Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty
Images)
The African National Congress (ANC) government in South Africa has a shameful
record in its response to the worst genocidal and racist crisis now continuing
in Africa.
"Is South Africa's voice... loud enough in addressing the recent conflict in
Sudan?" asked journalist Nkanyezi Ndlovu recently. "While condemnation [of the
war in Sudan] is noted, what other diplomatic steps has South Africa taken, not
only as an African superpower but also as the current G20 President?"
These are crucial points, but reflecting on the people of South Africa's
response to what Ndlovu accurately calls the "humanitarian crisis" in Sudan, the
reality is far more damning.
First, it is essential to remember that when Jacob Zuma was president between
2009-2018, with Cyril Ramaphosa his deputy president (2014-2018), the ANC
government refused to implement the arrest warrant issued for genocide by the
International Criminal Court against Sudan's then President Omar Al-Bashir when
he visited South Africa in June 2015 -- a "shameful failure", as reported by
Amnesty International. Effectively, on this issue, the ANC government aligned
itself with Bashir in opposition to the ICC.
On January 4, 2024, President Cyril Ramaphosa continued this effective political
alliance when, in Pretoria, he welcomed Bashir's military appointee, General
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as "Hemedti"), the commander of Sudan's murderous
and genocidal militia, the Rapid Support Forces.
The British historian Justin Marozzi in 2025 published an essential book,
Captives and Companions: A History of Slavery and the Slave Trade in the Islamic
World. Marozzi, fluent in Arabic, summed up his understanding of the Sudan issue
in "The shocking truth about slavery in the Islamic world today", published in
London's Daily Telegraph on July 3, 2025. The article begins:
"Up to 17 million people have passed through the slave trade in the Muslim world
since the 7th century. Tragically, the practice lives on."
In his book, Marozzi makes it clear that nowhere else on the continent more than
Sudan -- right up to today -- have black Africans suffered for so long under a
foreign colonialist and imperialist power, and its descendants. The following is
a long but crucial passage from Captives and Companions (pp. 332-34):
"Slavery in Sudan long preceded the Ottomans [masters of Turkey and the Ottoman
empire since the 15th century]. It antedated Islam by more than a millennium.
One of the earliest references to it comes from Herodotus, writing in the fifth
century BCE. Discussing the Persian Great King Cambyses' invasion of Egypt in
525 BCE, the Greek historian recorded that the biennial tribute imposed on the
ancient kingdom of Kush (northern Sudan and southern Egypt) included five
'Ethiopian' slave boys.
"In 652, almost 1,200 years later, the conquering, faith-spreading Muslim Arabs
struck their first diplomatic treaty in this region. According to Al Maqrizi,
the fifteenth century Egyptian historian, the Baqt treaty ... imposed an annual
payment of 360 slaves on the Christian kingdom of Nubia [based along the Nile
river].... By 1877, when there were said to be upwards of 6,000 slave-traders
operating in the region, the British government estimated in a report to the
Egyptian authoriities that around 30,000 slaves per annum were being sent across
the Red Sea from the East African coast to the Arabian peninsula alone.
"In the mid-tenth century, the Coptic [Christian] Bishop of Al Ashmunain,
Severus Ibn al Muqaffa (d. 987), reported that Muslims were plundering and
enslaving and selling their captives in Egyptian markets....
"When Muslim states started to be established along the central Nile and Sudanic
states from the sixteenth century, they took up where their pagan and Christian
predecessors left off, raiding along their borders and enslaving their
neighbours. For Arabic-speakers along the Nile Valley, both the terms Nubi
(Nubian) and Sudani (Sudanese), meaning black, were synonymous with 'slave'.
Bilad al Sudan, the Land of the Blacks, referred to all sub-Saharan territories
in general, but it is from that Arabic term that the nation of Sudan takes its
name.
"A lasting and painful irony, which has had baleful consequences, is that the
northern Arab Sudanese do not consider themselves black, reserving that
pejorative term for their dark-skinned Sudanese and South Sudanese compatriots,
in addition to Africans from further afield, who for centuries they enslaved.
"The great arterial link between Egypt and Sudan, the enduring commercial thread
that bound these two states together in a nexus of slaving as the market and
source for enslaved Africans respectively, was the Darb al Arbain, as the Arabs
knew it, the Forty Days' Road. The easternmost of the great north-south
trans-Saharan routes, this was an 1,100-mile road from Kobbei in Darfur to Upper
Egypt, running through a string of oases so that water was always available
within two to three days.
"Like slavery itself, the Darb al Arbain long predated Muslim Arabs and was
trodden successively by Egyptian pharaohs, Persian temple-planners, Macedonian
invaders, fort-building Romans and Ottoman traders. Caravans of camels -
groaning under loads of elephant and hippopotamus ivory, rhinoceros horn, gold,
ostrich feathers and eggs, animals skins, plants, civet, aromatic oils, incense
and gum Arabic, salt, alum, natron and cowrie shells - dutifully padded
alongside lines of African slaves on foot, often in chains, togther with the odd
'exotic' animals destined for a royal court. They plied the track towards
Egypt....
"Conditions for the slaves along the Darb al Arbain varied from humane to
appalling."
Then followed the disgraceful betrayal of the black Africans of Sudan by the
government of the African National Congress, with Cyril Ramaphosa both as deputy
president (2014-2018) and as president, up to today.
"By the dying years of the twentieth century... slavery was once again thriving
in Sudan.
"For the National Islamic Front of Omar al-Bashir, the then president of Sudan
(in office 1993-2019), it was an effective weapon of war against his black
southern Sudanese compatriots. From 1989 to 2011 he presided over the systematic
enslavement of Sudanese and South Sudanese from the border region, arming,
financing, transporting and supporting slave-taking militia raids into the Nuba
Mountains, Abyei and [19th century Arab slave-master] Zubayr's former stronghold
of Bahr al Ghazal.
"Men were routinely killed, women and children enslaved. Boys were trafficked to
Libya, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Non-Muslims were forcibly converted to Islam, and
existing Muslims were forcibly Arabized. They were sold into the slave trade,
renamed and forced to travel hundreds of miles from home, separated from their
families, beaten, abused and foced to work for no pay. Many of the women and
children were subjected to sexual abuse and torture.
"When the country split in 2011, it was estimated that over 35,000 South
Sudanese people remained enslaved in Sudan. In Darfur the Janjaweed militia ran
amok, committing numerous atrocities. One eyewitness, Neimat al Mahdi, recalled
how the Janjaweed would enter the village of an African tribe, kill all the men
and rape the women, mocking them afterwards with the age-old racial slur: 'You
should celebrate, you slave. You are going to give birth to an Arab.'
"The International Criminal Court issued two arrest warrants for Bashir in 2009
and 2010, the first time a sitting head of state had been indicted by the ICC.
The court quoted the perpetrators of attacks aganst civilians, especially from
the Fur, Masaalit and Zaghawa tribes, telling their victims: 'the Fur are
slaves, we will kill them'; 'You are Zaghawa tribes, you are slaves'; 'we are
here to eradicate blacks (nuba )'.
"Bashir is accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in
Darfur. At the time of writing, reportedly he remains held in a hospital in
Merowe, 200 miles north of Khartoum, and is one of the ICC's longest-running
fugitives from justice.
"Whichever way you looked across the nineteenth-century Dar al Islam ["Land of
Islam"], slavery coolly returned your gaze." (pp. 353-54)
Sadly, in the Qur'an, slavery is condoned and used as a justification for rape,
male control of women, and other abuse.
"He gives you this example, drawn from your own lives: do you make your slaves
full partners with an equal share in what We have given you?" (Qur'an 30:20,
Abdel Haleem translation)
"Allah makes this comparison. On the one hand there is a helpless slave, the
property of his master. On the other, a man on whom We have bestowed Our bounty,
so that he gives it both in private and in public. Are the two alike? Allah
forbid! Most men have no knowledge." (Qur'an 16:75, N.J. Dawood translation)
South Africans need to reflect on this. There is a moral duty for South Africans
to acknowledge the 14 centuries of Islamic jihad against black Africans, and its
genocidal character -- not least since the massacre by Islamists of unarmed
Jewish civilians in Sydney, Australia on December 13, while celebrating the
religious festival of Chanukah.
Paul Trewhela, a journalist formerly in his native South Africa, was
incarcerated as a political prisoner in Johannesburg and Pretoria from 1964-67.
He subsequently worked in exile as a school teacher in the UK and Ireland, and
co-founded and co-edited the banned exile magazine, Searchlight South Africa,
published in London. He authored the book, Inside Quatro: Uncovering the Exile
History of the ANC and SWAPO (2009), published in South Africa.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22168/south-africa-sudan-slavery
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.
Question: What does it mean that
humanity is made in the image of God
GotQuestions.org/January 02/2026
Answer: On the last day of creation, God said, “Let us make man in our image, in
our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). Thus, He finished His work with a “personal
touch.” God formed Adam from the dust and gave him life by sharing His own
breath (Genesis 2:7). Accordingly, humanity is unique among all God’s creations,
having both a material body and an immaterial soul/spirit.
Having the “image” or “likeness” of God means, in the simplest terms, that we
were made to resemble God. Adam did not resemble God in the sense of God’s
having flesh and blood. Scripture says that “God is spirit” (John 4:24) and
therefore exists without a body. However, Adam’s body did mirror the life of God
insofar as it was created in perfect health and was not subject to death.
The image of God (Latin, imago dei) refers to the immaterial part of humanity.
It sets human beings apart from the animal world, fits them for the dominion God
intended them to have over the earth (Genesis 1:28), and enables them to commune
with their Maker. It is a likeness mentally, morally, and socially.
Mentally, humanity was created as a rational, volitional agent. In other words,
human beings can reason and choose. This is a reflection of God’s intellect and
freedom. Anytime someone invents a machine, writes a book, paints a landscape,
enjoys a symphony, calculates a sum, or names a pet, he or she is proclaiming
the fact that we are made in God’s image.
Morally, humanity was created in righteousness and perfect innocence, a
reflection of God’s holiness. God saw all He had made (humanity included) and
called it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Our conscience or “moral compass” is a
vestige of that original state. Whenever someone writes a law, recoils from
evil, praises good behavior, or feels guilty, he or she is confirming the fact
that we are made in God’s own image.
Socially, humanity was created for fellowship. This reflects God’s triune nature
and His love. In Eden, humanity’s primary relationship was with God (Genesis 3:8
implies fellowship with God), and God made the first woman because “it is not
good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Every time someone marries, makes
a friend, hugs a child, or attends church, he or she is demonstrating the fact
that we are made in the likeness of God.
Part of being made in God’s image is that Adam had the capacity to make free
choices. Although they were given a righteous nature, Adam and Eve made an evil
choice to rebel against their Creator. In so doing, they marred the image of God
within themselves, and passed that damaged likeness on to all their descendants
(Romans 5:12). Today, we still bear the image of God (James 3:9), but we also
bear the scars of sin. Mentally, morally, socially, and physically, we show the
effects of sin.
The good news is that when God redeems an individual, He begins to restore the
original image of God, creating a “new self, created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). That redemption is only available
by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior from the sin that
separates us from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Through Christ, we are made new
creations in the likeness of God (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Israel’s Somaliland play
against Turkiye doomed to fail
Dr. Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/January 03, 2026
The deterioration of relations between Turkiye and Israel has now extended
beyond the borders of the Middle East and reached the Horn of Africa following
Israel’s decision to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state. Last week,
Israel became the first country to formally recognize Somaliland, describing the
move as being in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations
between Israel and a few Arab states. However, the decision sparked strong
criticism from Turkiye and several regional powers, including Egypt and Saudi
Arabia, which warned that it could destabilize the Horn of Africa.
Somaliland unilaterally declared independence from Somalia in 1991 following the
collapse of the central government after the civil war. But it has failed to
gain recognition from either the UN or the African Union. The Somali government
continues to reject Somaliland’s independence, considering it an integral part
of its territory, and views any direct engagement with Somaliland as a violation
of its sovereignty and unity.
Following the Israeli move, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohammed traveled to
Ankara to meet his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Although it was a
scheduled visit, it took place at a highly critical moment. Turkiye is Somalia’s
closest partner in the region and has invested heavily in the country for more
than a decade through its political, military, humanitarian and development
institutions. High-level leadership diplomacy and strong people-to-people
relations have enabled Turkiye to emerge as a key actor in Somalia and the wider
Horn of Africa.
In 2011, when Somalia faced one of the worst humanitarian crises in decades due
to severe drought, Turkiye launched a nationwide aid campaign. That same year,
Erdogan became the first foreign leader to set foot in Somalia in more than two
decades. Five years later, Ankara inaugurated its largest embassy in the world
in Mogadishu, where it appointed its first ambassador back in 1981 and
maintained diplomatic presence there since then. These initiatives gave
significant momentum to bilateral relations. Turkiye is Somalia’s closest
partner in the region and has invested heavily in the country for more than a
decade
Turkiye has since been involved in managing Mogadishu’s airport and seaport,
establishing a military training academy and investing in sectors such as
energy, trade, education and infrastructure. Today, Turkiye hosts a large number
of Somali students. Several Somali ministers were educated in Turkiye and speak
fluent Turkish, which makes the roots of the bilateral relationship even
stronger.
But Turkiye’s support for Somalia has not come without cost. In 2013, its
embassy in Mogadishu was targeted by Al-Shabab, a Somalia-based terrorist group
affiliated with Al-Qaeda, in an attack that killed several Turkish nationals. As
well as its diplomatic staff, Turkish construction workers have also been
attacked on several occasions. There have been systematic attempts to prevent
the country’s development and let it remain as a fertile ground for terrorist
activities. However, Ankara did not change its Somalia policy and maintained its
presence on the ground to support the country’s development.
Moreover, between 2010 and 2013, when neither regional nor international actors
were willing to address the dispute between Somalia and Somaliland, Turkiye
stepped in as the sole mediator. Istanbul hosted conferences on Somalia in 2010
and 2012, bringing together leaders from both sides. These efforts culminated in
renewed dialogue in 2013, when Somali and Somaliland representatives met in
Turkiye after years of political silence.
Trilateral meetings were also held with then-Prime Minister Erdogan, leading to
the signing of the Ankara Declaration in 2013. The declaration aimed to revive
dialogue and establish a framework for advancing the peace process. As part of
its role, Turkiye maintains a consulate in Somaliland and has a special envoy
for Somalia-Somaliland negotiations, placing it in a unique position to engage
with Hargeisa.
As part of its role, Turkiye maintains a consulate in Somaliland and has a
special envoy for Somalia-Somaliland negotiations
Turkiye is highly concerned about preserving Somalia’s territorial integrity,
viewing the country’s stability as central to its Africa policy. Somalia has
long been regarded as Turkiye’s gateway to the continent. Israel’s recognition
of Somaliland poses a direct threat not only to Somalia’s sovereignty and unity
but also to Turkish interests and investments in the country. The timing of the
move appears linked to Israel’s broader strategy of challenging Turkiye on
multiple fronts, from Gaza to Syria, as well as its long-term political and
economic interests.
Several reports suggest that Israel aims to relocate up to 2 million
Palestinians displaced by the war in Gaza to parts of the Horn of Africa. The
Somali president warned that such a move would “open a box of evils” and accused
Israel of attempting to “export its problem in Gaza” to the region. Citing
Somali intelligence, the president stated that Somaliland allegedly accepted
three conditions in exchange for Israeli recognition: the resettlement of
Palestinians, the establishment of an Israeli military base along the Gulf of
Aden and Somaliland’s participation in the Abraham Accords.
Meanwhile, Somalia, as a member of the Arab League, does not maintain diplomatic
relations with Israel. Tel Aviv’s move appears designed to secure a strategic
foothold on both sides of the Bab Al-Mandab Strait and comes amid reports that
Turkiye and Somalia have been planning to establish another military base in Las
Qoray, a port with direct access to the Red Sea.
However, as has often been the case, Israel is pursuing a highly controversial
policy that risks destabilizing an already-fragile region and deepening
divisions in a country that has suffered from fragmentation for decades. Rather
than contributing to security, this misguided decision threatens to open a
Pandora’s box in the Horn of Africa, creating fertile ground for further
instability, terrorist activity and disruptions to maritime security in the Red
Sea. Any policy that threatens the security of a nation is, as always, doomed to
fail.
• Dr. Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes in Turkiye’s
relations with the Middle East. X: @SinemCngz
US-Europe relationship too important to be sidelined
Luke Coffey/Arab News/January 03, 2026
There is no shortage of geopolitical challenges and opportunities facing US
President Donald Trump in 2026. His to-do list, ranging from his Gaza peace
proposal to finalizing an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and managing his
evolving policy toward Venezuela, will ensure that global affairs, whether he
wants it or not, remain a top agenda item. One area of US foreign policy that
should be routine and stable, however, but has instead become difficult and
fraught, is relations with Europe. At the beginning of Trump’s second term,
relations in the transatlantic community were going well. Many did not expect
the problems now seen between the US and Europe. European leaders, having
learned lessons from Trump’s first term, knew exactly how to engage with the
president. Successful bilateral visits by several European leaders were widely
viewed as successes. Trump did not abandon Ukraine, as many feared, and instead
pursued pragmatic solutions to contentious issues in the US, such as arming
Ukraine, while at the same time seeking a peaceful outcome to the conflict.
Toward the end of 2025, however, tensions in the relationship began to mount.
These tensions culminated in the US imposing travel bans on five European
officials over alleged crackdowns on American social media companies and how
they operate in Europe.Europe, nevertheless, still needs the US and the US still
needs Europe. The two regions share historical roots that go back centuries, to
America’s founding. Many of the ideas valued in the US today were brought from
Europe as Americans built a new nation. The US also sacrificed greatly through
two world wars to keep Europe free and it would be a mistake to turn its back on
the region after investing so much.
Europe still needs the US and the US still needs Europe. Most importantly, each
side needs the other for economic reasons
Most importantly, each side needs the other for economic reasons. Taken
together, North America and Europe account for nearly half of the world’s gross
domestic product. Europe and North America are each other’s largest trading
partners. Forty-six of the 50 US states trade more with Europe than with China,
for example. Europe accounts for nearly two-thirds of all foreign investment
into the US, totaling more than $4 trillion, and each side is responsible for
creating millions of jobs on the other side of the Atlantic. This is why,
despite growing frustration in the White House with dealing with European
countries, it remains in the interest of both sides to find a way to get the
relationship back on track. There are three main points of contention in the
transatlantic relationship that need to be resolved if the relationship is to
get back on track. The first concerns Ukraine. While Europeans have been
pleasantly surprised that Trump has not abandoned Ukraine, as he hinted during
the presidential campaign, there is growing frustration over how the diplomatic
process is unfolding. This frustration also reflects deep divisions within
Europe over the best way forward. Some European countries remain dangerously
dependent on Russian energy and want peace at almost any cost, even if that
means Ukraine losing territory. Others, predominantly in Central and Eastern
Europe, view Russia as an existential threat and see Ukraine as the primary
barrier preventing the Russian military from threatening their own countries.
These countries want to see a strong, stable and sovereign Ukraine emerge from
the war.There is a growing perception that Washington is placing more pressure
on the victim of the war — Ukraine — while showing unnecessary deference toward
Russia. Ukraine has become one of the most serious issues in the transatlantic
relationship and resolving it in a satisfactory way would benefit both sides of
the Atlantic.Many around the White House view EU bureaucrats as unelected
officials pursuing policies that undermine US interests
Another sticking point is Trump’s preference for engaging European partners on a
bilateral basis rather than through intergovernmental or supranational
organizations such as NATO or the EU. Much of Trump’s global engagement is
driven by personalities, with the strength of his relationships often shaped by
how he perceives individual leaders and their political authority. Europe has,
at times, used this dynamic to good effect, as many leaders have deliberately
cultivated personal relationships with Trump during his second term.
Here again, Europe is divided — this time institutionally — between the EU and
individual member states. EU officials are frequently among the most vocal
critics of Trump. Within Trump’s nationalist, America First worldview, many
around the White House view EU bureaucrats as unelected officials pursuing
policies that undermine US interests. A third area of concern is the growing
perception in Europe that the Trump administration does not value Europe’s role
in the transatlantic community or on the global stage. This was made
particularly clear in the national security strategy published late last year.
The section on Europe drew significant media attention across the continent and
many interpreted its tone as a political attack on Europe and the transatlantic
alliance. Europe was treated more as an adversary than a friend, while Russia
was barely acknowledged as a challenge or competitor to the US. This marked a
sharp departure from Trump’s national security strategy during his first term
and has only deepened European anxieties about Washington’s intentions. As Trump
enters the second year of his second term, he needs to think carefully about how
he manages relations with his European counterparts. Put simply, Europe is too
important to America’s economic well-being and overall security to be treated as
just another region the US happens to engage with. At the same time, with US
midterm elections taking place later this year, Trump’s political energy will
almost certainly be focused more on domestic priorities than on the global
stage. Europe needs to understand this reality. For the sake of both continents,
the two sides will need to find pragmatic ways to manage differences and ensure
that the transatlantic relationship remains durable during what will be a
politically demanding year in Washington.
• Luke Coffey is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. X: @LukeDCoffey
Silicon Valley socialism invites skepticism
Noreena Hertz/Arab News/January 03, 2026
At the Saudi-US Investment Forum in November, Elon Musk sketched a future in
which artificial intelligence and humanoid robots will do almost all the work.
Money, he suggested, will become almost irrelevant. Jobs will be “optional,”
more like hobbies such as gardening. Machines will have ended poverty because
everyone will receive a “universal high income” from the state. Musk is hardly
the only tech titan with this vision of the future. Demis Hassabis of Google
DeepMind looks forward to an era of “radical abundance” in which AI will deliver
extraordinary productivity and prosperity, with the gains all “fairly”
distributed. Mustafa Suleyman of Microsoft AI argues for a “universal basic
provision” that would treat access to powerful AI systems and digital services
almost as an entitlement. And Sam Altman of OpenAI has proposed an “American
Equity Fund” that would tax large companies and private land at 2.5 percent per
year to pay every US adult an annual dividend. Put simply, the leading
architects of AI are open about the fact that they are creating systems whose
success in generating material abundance could also obliterate large swaths of
the labor market. In their envisioned future, the “springs of cooperative
wealth” will flow so abundantly that people will receive “according to their
needs,” not according to the hours they clock in a factory. If that last
sentence sounds familiar, that is because it comes from Karl Marx. Are
capitalism’s most feted poster boys actually closet socialists? In one sense,
yes. The people building advanced AI are unusually candid about the distribution
of wealth. They accept that if machines perform tasks more cheaply than humans,
labor’s share of national income will shrink. If wages disappear, people will
need another way to feed and house themselves and the economy will need new
mechanisms to sustain purchasing power. But look closely at tech leaders’
proposals and you will find that their apparent affinity for socialism fades
fast. Altman does not argue for workers’ control of OpenAI, nor for public
ownership of the infrastructure. He wants governments to socialize only the
returns. While a universal high income could help share the spoils, the chips,
models and platforms that generate those spoils would remain firmly in the hands
of an extraordinarily wealthy few.
Look closely at tech leaders’ proposals and you will find that their apparent
affinity for socialism fades fast
This would not be socialism as we know it. A tiny elite would own AI’s
“commanding heights” and hand everyone else a check or some form of digital
ration. The sum would be enough to live on but not enough to challenge those in
power.
But if the universal income being offered is high enough to deliver a
comfortable life, some will argue, it does not matter who owns the algorithms
and data centers. There are at least three reasons to be skeptical. First, we
are told that generous AI dividends will come whenever the productivity gains
have been fully unleashed. But history suggests that once wealth and ownership
are locked in, the beneficiaries rarely volunteer to dilute themselves. Already,
a handful of AI and platform businesses account for an astonishing share of
global corporate value. By the time any serious AI-funded income scheme arrives,
much of this value will have been converted into concentrated equity and
dynastic wealth. Asking today’s AI barons to retrofit egalitarianism onto this
structure is like asking Victorian-era mill owners to invent the welfare state.
Second, even if some sort of distribution scheme did materialize, what about the
vast majority of countries that host no frontier AI firms? If local jobs are
automated away while the profits pile up in California, Seattle or Shenzhen, who
exactly is going to fund their citizens’ income? The AI founders have been
strikingly quiet on this question.
The answer to large-scale automation cannot simply be to tax robots and buy
everyone a new Tesla
Third, a monthly payment — however generous — is no proxy for a meaningful life.
Work has long been one of the main ways that we contribute to society. It is how
we prove to ourselves and others that we matter. It gives our lives purpose,
structure and validation. Without it, we risk becoming a society of passive
spectators — well-fed, permanently entertained by AI-generated content and
tended to by humanoid robots, but stripped of the dignity that comes from caring
for others and being needed. A stipend can pacify; it can also be tinder for
revolt. A population that is materially provided for but politically powerless
is unlikely to remain forever docile.So, even if governments do figure out how
to deliver a universal high income and secure a meaningful social stake in AI’s
upside, the answer to large-scale automation cannot simply be to tax robots and
buy everyone a new Tesla. Income matters but so does agency. This means ensuring
that governments and civil society remain in control of the evolving AI terrain.
Rules, restrictions and safeguards cannot be left to powerful private sector
architects. Moreover, a significant share of any future AI bounty would need to
be spent on specific goods belonging to the “human economy” — care, education,
the arts, local democracy. The purpose would not be to manufacture pointless
jobs but to sustain the idea that citizenship is predicated on contribution. And
finally, we would need global mechanisms to spare countries without frontier AI
champions from becoming collateral damage. One option would be an International
AI Dividend Fund, financed by a modest levy on the largest AI and cloud
companies’ profits or compute usage, with payouts directed to the countries hit
hardest by automation. Such a scheme would be imperfect and politically
difficult to pull off but at least would provide an answer to the question that
Musk and his peers have ignored: who pays for everyone else? The tech titans are
offering us a future of socialism from above: they keep the means of production,
we get allowances. Our task is to promote democracy from below. That means
demanding not only a share of the AI wealth but also the power to shape and
control the means of generating it.
• Noreena Hertz is an honorary professor at the UCL Policy Lab, where she leads
research on AI. © Project Syndicate
Iran: The Bazaar is Angry
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/January 02/2026
For decades most “Iranologists” regarded one theory as “certain” in Iranian
politics: Three segments of society would never rebel against the system created
by Khomeini in 1979. The three were the bazaaris, the clergy and university
students seduced by leftist ideas in vogue across the globe at that time.
The three played a central role in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the bazaaris by
paralyzing a chunk of the economy, the clergy by fanning the fires of religious
zeal among newly urbanized masses, and students by providing the brain to
complement the muscle in the streets.
Over the decades the clergy and students occasionally broke that rule, but their
action was regarded as an exception that proves the rule. Bazaaris however
continued to act as the backbone of the regime and thus helped it navigate many
rough patches. That tradition was broken last week when large parts of the
Tehran bazaar pulled down the shutters with tens of thousands of its workforce
taking to the streets in angry demos and slogans challenging the legitimacy of
the system. It is necessary to ascertain the real weight of the bazaar in
economic, social, cultural, and political terms to understand the importance of
the protests that were still going on in Tehran and more than 50 cities at the
time of writing this piece. The Tehran bazaar and its associates in bazaars of
over 300 other small, medium, and large cities controls the distribution of some
40 per cent of consumer goods in Iran. Even the recently built ultra-chic
shopping malls in Tehran and other major cities ultimately depend on the
“mother” bazaar of Tehran for key supplies. The bazaar also finances numerous
primary and secondary schools, including religious ones, and runs mosques,
charities, orphanages and associations of provincials settled in the capital.
Hundreds of clergymen including some big shots are in the pay of the bazaar. So,
why has the bazaar decided to switch sides and openly defy a regime it helped
create? The official explanation given by Ms. Fatima Mohajerani, spokeswoman for
President Massoud Pezeshkian, is that the bazaar is feeling the effects of the
economic crisis including an un-tamable inflationary rate that makes the pricing
of goods riskier than a poker game.The daily Kayhan supposed to be echoing
“Supreme Guide” Khamenei’s views agree. In an editorial Tuesday it said: “The
truth is that constant increase in the value of foreign currencies, rising cost
of imports, higher rents and greater cost of borrowing and venture capital have
put many businessmen in a dire strait. At the same time the steady fall in
people’s purchasing power and inability to correctly forecast prices makes
continued operation for many businesses difficult.”
Some regime apologists blame the whole thing on sanctions imposed by the United
Nations, the United States and the European Union. However, Foreign Minister
Abbas Araghchi doesn’t agree. After a five-hour long discussion with a range of
businessmen in Isfahan, Araghchi wrote: “None of the businessmen and others
active in the economy urged me to go and get sanctions lifted. They all told me
that their problems are rooted in the Central Bank, the Customs’ Office, The
taxation system, the Islamic Jihad Ministry, and the ministries of agriculture,
trade and Industries. If those problems are solved new capacities would emerge.”
But how do we solve those problems?
Araghchi gives no answer, maybe because that is not in his bailiwick.
A government poll shows that 73 per cent of Iranians agree with the businessmen
who talked to Araghchi in believing that sanctions are not the principal cause
of Iran’s economic meltdown. The Tehran daily Ham-Mihan asserts that “the
solution to our economic crisis lies in changes of governance.” But the
editorialist doesn’t say what changes he means.An open letter signed by 180
leading economists inside Iran claims that all the current problems do have
economic solutions but insists that none could be applied without political
change. Ali-Akbar Velayati senior adviser of the ‘Supreme Guide” says: “We are
ready here in Tehran to eat grass but continue financing resistance in Lebanon,
Iraq, Yemen and anywhere else that people fight against arrogance and its
allies.”To ensure its preservation, the regime has chosen a strategy of
clientalization of segments of society. As a reward for loyalty, it offers
subsidies and “baskets of aid” to over 5 million people who play little or no
role in the productive process. Many mass consumer goods and services, notably
water, electricity, gas and petrol, are sold at below cost of production. The
result is that some of those items notably refined petrol are smuggled to
neighboring countries including Iraq and Türkiye where prices are much higher.
The proceeds in foreign currency are deposited at foreign banks. That then
causes a shortage of petrol inside Iran forcing the authorities to import
refined products from India. To reward loyalty, almost 40 per cent of the
economy is controlled by a few dozen public-private companies that absorb 50 per
cent of tax exemption allocations. The parallel economy, much of it controlled
by para-military groups in partnership with the clergy operates as a state
within the state.
Vanity projects such as nuclear ones absorb astronomical sums that could be
invested in productive sectors. After more than 30 years the nuclear program
hasn’t produced a single kilowatt of electricity or a single warhead. Hosting
over 40,000 foreign students of theology is another costly vanity project as is
the financing of over 1000 “research” groups supposed to be training reciters of
the holy texts known as “maddahin” and discovering the deeper meanings of
Khomeini’s philosophy.
Bill Clinton once said: “It’s the economy stupid!” He was wrong, it is always
the politics clever one!
Iran: The Supreme Leader, the President, and the Street
Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al-Awsat/January 02/2026
It is too early to judge whether Iran’s president can contain the anger on the
streets. The protest movement that erupted days ago in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar —
triggered by the collapse of the Iranian currency — quickly spread to
universities, some state-run industrial facilities, and other cities.
Still in its early stages, the movement’s durability, reach, and level of
popular participation remain unclear. What is evident, however, is that it has
unsettled both poles of power in Iran, the Supreme Leader and the president, and
exposed a growing divide between the regime and the state over how to manage
domestic and foreign challenges. While the Supreme Leader and the forces of the
regime and the “revolution” are focused on rebuilding military capabilities and
preparing for what they view as a near-inevitable confrontation with Israel,
President Masoud Pezeshkian and his cabinet are preoccupied with desperate
efforts to keep the domestic situation from unraveling, chiefly the economy. Yet
the economy is the key to achieving two objectives that are nearly impossible
under Iran’s current conditions, where priority is given to strengthening
military and security capabilities.
The first objective is economic recovery and stabilizing the national currency.
This effort faces two major obstacles: an external one stemming from sanctions,
and another — according to Pezeshkian himself — caused by the greed of those
profiting from the black-market exchange rate, whom he blames as a major factor
behind the currency’s historic decline.
The second objective is sustaining dialogue between citizens and the government,
which has so far rejected security solutions or at least succeeded in postponing
them temporarily. Pezeshkian, who instructed his interior minister to listen to
protesters’ demands, is fully aware that meeting those demands is largely beyond
his authority. The real decision-makers have entirely different priorities. As a
result, his government faces the prospect of failed dialogue: it cannot pressure
the regime’s hardline forces to make meaningful concessions, nor can it meet
even minimal demands given the accumulated deterioration inherited from previous
administrations, particularly that of the late President Ebrahim Raisi. The
widening crisis of trust among Iran’s ruling factions is increasingly evident.
Forces aligned with the Supreme Leader are watching closely and suspiciously the
state and government represented by Pezeshkian, who has failed to win over
conservative rivals and relies on only limited backing from the top. More
critically, much of the Iranian public has lost confidence in both camps, as
well as in their legitimacy and political projects. In effect, the timing and
context of this unrest reinforce the perception that the post–Israeli attack
rhetoric of social, national, and civic reconciliation has failed. No internal
concessions were offered; the same discourse was reused, merely in a different
tone. The government now faces a serious test of credibility: its ability to
defend citizens and stand firm against hardliners. Pezeshkian and his team are
racing against time to define their options. They cannot serve as a shield for
hardliners against public anger, nor can they ignore popular demands. At a
public meeting in the city of Shahrekord on Thursday, January 1, Pezeshkian
said: “We are sitting on treasures, yet people are struggling to make ends meet.
Who is responsible? We are responsible — and you are responsible.”He was clearly
pointing the finger at a specific party, one that the Iranian public broadly
agrees bears responsibility for the country’s current predicament and now faces
mounting security, political, and economic challenges that risk a sweeping
internal rupture. Accordingly, a movement that began with economic grievances
took on a political character from its very first day and is shaping up to be
the most serious challenge the system has faced since its establishment in 1979.
Selected Face Book & X tweets/ January 02/2026
Maha Aoun
If the slogan of “non-decision” in Lebanon, promoted under the banner of “no war
anymore,” had truly succeeded in delivering the desired stability, its impact
would have been directly reflected in renewed Arab and international
confidence—most notably through the reopening of external support channels and
the return of Arab and foreign investors to the Lebanese market. However,
reality has proven the exact opposite. The persistent failure of the Lebanese
administration to provide even the minimum guarantees of trust—particularly in
the banking and financial sectors—has kept the country trapped in a state of
chronic paralysis. Political stagnation has become entrenched, institutional and
economic decay has deepened, and Lebanon is being pushed gradually toward
further decline and exposure, with a growing state of disorder and loss of
confidence, instead of any genuine path out of collapse.
Maha Aoun
The recently issued “gap law” does not merely shatter the
Lebanese people’s hopes of recovering their deposits; it definitively
extinguishes any remaining hope of restoring trust in the banking sector. This
sector constitutes the cornerstone for the return of investments into the
country, and its collapse effectively undermines any realistic prospect of a
long-awaited and much-needed economic revival.
Maha Aoun
the disappointment is becoming more and more apparent at the
Trump administration’s inability to adopt a firm, coherent, and decisive policy
with Iran, the central player in the systematic sabotage of any attempt for
positive revival or development in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. The facts are in:
Syria and Iraq are plunged into systematic chaos, while Lebanon is stuck in a
political and institutional maze, hidden behind a misleading presidential slogan
— “peace, no war now” — which is actually just a decoy destined to be. put
public opinion to sleep
henri
For us Mount Lebanese, Balestinians are our enemies. This is non-negotiable.
Do we want to fight them? No.
Do we hold grudges against them? No.
We forgive, we forget, and we let go.
But they are not welcome to live here.
They have three places to choose from. Gaza, the West Bank, or Jordan.
That is where they will go.
Reza Pahlavi
President Trump, thank you for your strong leadership and support of my
compatriots. This warning you have issued to the criminal leaders of the Islamic
Republic gives my people greater strength and hope—hope that, at last, a
President of the United States is standing firmly by their side. As they risk
their lives to end this regime’s 46 year reign of chaos and terror, they send me
with a responsibility and a message: to seek the relationship Iran once had with
America that brought peace and prosperity to the Middle East. I have the plan
for stable transition for Iran and the support of my people to get it done. With
your leadership of the free world, we can leave a legacy of lasting peace.
The White House
“If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom,
the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded
and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” - President
DONALD J. TRUMP
Roger Bejjani
The ridiculousness of the judicial prosecution and the national outcry about the
improvised striptease at Liza! The absurdity! Professional assassins are on the
loose and creating a buzz that makes no sense. Oh the pain that impromptu
stripping must have caused! How long are we going to be victims of myopic
justice system? A justice that does nothing to arrest and interrogate Wafiq Safa
on the clear basis of his threats to the magistrate; but gives itself joy and
fanfare to a person who did no harm to anyone but decided to undress himself
inappropriately. Not to mention the declared Iranian agents and their daily rape
of state sovereignty. A stripper or a stripper is easier and less complicated!
When Eve gets naked, it's our society that the stage undresses. ”
Lara Khoury Hafez/Face Book/January 02/2026
There are some videos that are entertaining,
and others that do the same.
For the past few days, a New Year's Eve scene in a restaurant in Beirut, Lisa.
A dancing woman, completely naked in the middle of a crowded room.
Around her tables, frozen stares... and especially phones that film.
We now know that it was neither a planned act, nor an artist engaged in the
venue, but a client like the others, who would have entered, went to the
bathroom, returned "dressed as Eve" crossing all limits in the sight and
knowledge of all.
It is also known that the restaurant would have closed very quickly in the name
of morality and morality. Information to be confirmed.
But beyond the scandal, there remain some itching questions.
How did we get here?
What bothers me as much as the scene is the passivity around it.
Nobody really gets up to interrupt.
No one comes to cover her immediately, it's only after long minutes that a lady
tries to do it rather permissive.
We let the situation go all the way, as if curiosity overcomes responsibility.
Did we watch through hydration?
Par amusement?
By this pervert thinking who wants to "see how far she'll go"?
And from the restaurant:
Who's watching the room? Who will intervene,? who says "stop" when there's a
swing party?
In this kind of place, you can frame the light, the music, the menu, the
service... but obviously not always the overflows of a human being who is no
longer well at all.
And that woman in the center, can we have a look beyond her provocative nudity?
To see a human being not naked, but rather in pieces...
Whatever her identity, whether well known or not, transgender or not,
you don't know what she drank, what she took, what she's going through in her
head or heart.
But we know this:
his body is now circulating everywhere, his image is archived on hundreds of
phones, and his fall has become the national entertainment of the moment.
She's not just a woman dancing anymore, she's a human being delivered to
pasture.
I'm in no way looking to excuse the behavior, far from that. Undressing like
this in a public place is not anodine and naturally shocking!
But I don't know why I feel a strange sympathy for this person.
What inner hole do you have to reach to expose yourself like this?
What mixture of fragility, confusion, alcohol, provocation, despair can lead to
such a breaking point?
Stupid bet, assumed provocation, invisible distress... I don't know but through
this scandal, I see pain overflowing...
What about us in all this?
There's a collective responsibility.
There's the restaurant one, no doubt. But then there's ours.
The one of our time:
Of our voyeurism,
About our passivity when it's time to act,
Of our quickness to judge and punish,
before you understand.
It wasn't just Eve who was naked that night. This is all of us.
Faouzi Abou Reslan
With due respect to Mr junblat the Arab countries did their best for
Palestinians, but they went behind all Arabs and signed Oslo agreement on 1973.
when Arafat died, he left $12 billion dollars in an account sharing with his
wife. That means what the Arabs paid for the palestinians were not delivered. Mr
junblat thankfully cares for Palestine more than Mr A,bbas who called his people
in h Hamas as dogs. Let's care about us first as others can manage.