English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For July 12/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 12/14-21/:”But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smouldering wick until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope.’”

Titles For Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on 11-12 July/2026
Conscience in Faith Concepts: The Divine Voice Dwelling in Man/Elias Bejjani/July 12/2025
A Testimony of Faith: The Story of the Three Massabki Brothers and Enduring Sacrifices/Elias Bejjani/July 10/2026
Walid Jumblatt’s stance on the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel is a shameful and dhimmitude capitulation to the terrorism of Berri and Hezbollah/Elias Bejjani/July 08/2026
Lebanon official confirms country’s participation in Rome talks with Israel
Israeli strike on south Lebanon kills one
US military delegation begins talks with Lebanese Army on first pilot area: LBCI source
Report: Israel to begin withdrawing from pilot zones, suspends 'sensitive' operations
US delegation in Lebanon to discuss Israel 'pilot zone' withdrawal
What is the situation like in the south?
Speaker Berri Calls for Parliament Bureau Meeting Next Monday
Total Toll of Hezbollah's Terrorist Wars: 4,322 Killed and 12,210 Wounded
A plane carrying missiles flies over the Tyre coast
Germany and France to launch joint initiative for peace in Lebanon
Salam reaffirms Lebanon's sovereignty in talks with Erdoğan
Salam’s Turkey visit: Where does Lebanon stand amid shifting regional alliances?
Authorities uncover alleged scheme to secure Lebanese citizenship for two children: The details
When Sociology White Washes Hezbollah/Dr. Makram Rabah/Levant time/July 11/2026

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on 11-12 July/2026
US military says it is striking Iran in response to attack on civilian vessel in Strait of Hormuz
Trump says he ‘just finished’ a physical at Walter Reed
Trump says 1,000 missiles aimed at Tehran, US will ‘decimate’ Iran if assassinated
US seeks pledge from Iran on safe Hormuz strait shipping, vows response to attacks
Iran state media says explosion in eastern Tehran province was controlled ammunition disposal
Saudi crown prince, Trump discuss US-Iran talks, Gulf security
Qatar, Iran, Omar discuss full opening of 'median lane' in Strait of Hormuz
Iran, Oman discuss mechanisms for safe passage of ships through Hormuz strait, Tehran says
Saudi FM discusses US-Iran mediation in call with Pakistani counterpart
Iran supreme leader vows revenge for father's killing
Pakistan PM urges Iran president to preserve 'hard-earned' peace
Iran and Oman discuss mechanisms to ensure safe passage of ships through Strait of Hormuz
EU countries to discuss trade ban on Israeli settlements
Russian strikes kill six in Ukraine, officials say
Iraqis protest over power cuts in sweltering summer heat
Death toll in Venezuela earthquakes surpasses 4,300: Official
Canada/Toronto police say 2 people dead, multiple injured at Salsa on St. Clair festival

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on 11-12 July/2026
Iran Fears the Israel Factor: Why Washington Must Fully Integrate Jerusalem in Every Move/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/July 11/ 2026
How Iran and the Hormuz crisis pose a strategic test for NATO/Jonathan Gornall/Arab News/July 12/2026
Are the US and Iran back to square one?/Con Coughlin/Arab News/July 11, 2026
1,000 days after Oct. 7, Israelis still wait for answers/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/July 11, 2026

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on 11-12 July/2026
Conscience in Faith Concepts: The Divine Voice Dwelling in Man
Elias Bejjani/July 12/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/07/146391/
The study of conscience in the evangelical tradition is not merely an inquiry in psychology or ethics, but a spiritual journey to explore the intimate relationship between Creator and creature. Conscience, in its essence, is not simply a human feeling or a product of social upbringing, but the Divine voice dwelling in man—the presence of God guiding us to discern between good and evil. It is the inner compass placed by the Creator in every human heart to be the “judge” of thoughts and actions.
Conscience as a Divine Compass and Grace
Conscience is the “presence of God” within us. This is what distinguishes it from a mere “feeling of guilt.” Saint John Chrysostom said: “Neither fame, nor wealth, nor authority, nor bodily strength, nor a splendid table, nor elegant clothes, nor any other human distinction can bring true happiness; but all these come from a pure conscience.” This teaching affirms that true happiness springs from inward harmony with God’s will, realized only through a straight conscience. Christ likened conscience to the eye, saying:
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” (Matthew 6:22-23)
Here the “eye” is conscience—pure and undefiled, allowing the light of God to fill the whole of life.
Conscience as an Inner Witness and the Voice of God
God, who created man in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1:27), did not abandon him in the face of trials. He gave him conscience as a living voice, a witness warning and restraining him—a kind of inner adversary against evil intentions. Christ in the Sermon on the Mount said:
“Agree with your adversary quickly… lest your adversary deliver you to the judge.” (Matthew 5:25)
This “adversary” is the conscience, confronting our wrongful desires to bring us back to repentance before standing in divine judgment. The Apostle Paul emphasized this truth, showing that conscience serves as a law written in the heart even for the nations that did not receive the written Law: “For when Gentiles, who do not have the Law, by nature do the things in the Law, these, although not having the Law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.” (Romans 2:14-15)
The Relationship Between Conscience and Freedom
In Christian understanding, freedom is not liberation from God but liberation from sin. Jesus said:
“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)
Conscience directs and guards freedom. Neglect of conscience turns freedom into demonic chaos leading to moral and social corruption. True freedom, however, is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, freeing man from slavery to passions. Paul declared:
“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (1 Corinthians 6:12)
Thus, a pure conscience empowers man to exercise freedom responsibly, without falling captive to desires, while considering the weakness of others:
“Conscience, I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience?” (1 Corinthians 10:29)
Conscience and Shame as Signs of Spiritual Life
Shame is the fruit of a living conscience. When man feels guilt, it is proof his conscience is still listening to God’s voice. After the Fall, Adam and Eve felt fear and shame:
“I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” (Genesis 3:10)
Likewise, when Jesus rebuked the scribes and Pharisees,
“Those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.” (John 8:9)
The Apostle Paul warns against a “seared conscience”: “Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.” (1 Timothy 4:2)
The death of conscience is the greatest spiritual danger—losing the ability to hear God’s voice, leading to corruption and destruction.
The Saving Dimension of Conscience
A pure conscience leads to the Kingdom, for it brings repentance and holiness. True peace comes only through forgiveness and the cleansing of conscience. Paul proclaims:
“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14)
Baptism is not merely an external washing but the renewal of conscience:
“There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 3:21)
The Christian Mission of Conscience
The believer is called to maintain a pure conscience and bear witness to truth in a world that justifies sin under false slogans. Paul declared:
“This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.” (Acts 24:16)
And again: “For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:12)
Conscience in the Qur’anic Understanding: The Voice of God Within Man
Surah Ash-Shams (91:7–8)
Qur’anic text: {وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا • فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا}/Interpretive translation in Arabic: By the soul and He who proportioned it, and inspired it with its wickedness and its righteousness.
Surah Al-Qiyamah (75:2)
Qur’anic text: {وَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَةِ}/Interpretive translation in Arabic: And I swear by the self-reproaching soul — the one that reproaches its owner and blames him for his deeds.
Surah Al-Hashr (59:18)
Qur’anic text: {يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلْتَنْظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ}/Interpretive translation in Arabic: O you who believe, fear Allah, and let every soul look to what it has sent forth for tomorrow (the Day of Judgment).
Surah Al-Infitar (82:10–12)
Qur’anic text: {وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحَافِظِينَ • كِرَامًا كَاتِبِينَ • يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ}/Interpretive translation in Arabic: Indeed, over you are appointed guardians, noble recorders, who know whatever you do.
Surah Qaf (50:16)
Qur’anic text: {وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِ نَفْسُهُ}/Interpretive translation in Arabic: We have certainly created man, and We know what his soul whispers within him.
Surah Al-Isra (17:14)
Qur’anic text: {اقْرَأْ كِتَابَكَ كَفَى بِنَفْسِكَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا}/Interpretive translation in Arabic: Read your book; sufficient are you today against yourself as reckoner.
Surah Aal ‘Imran (3:30)
Qur’anic text: {يَوْمَ تَجِدُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَا عَمِلَتْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ مُحْضَرًا وَمَا عَمِلَتْ مِنْ سُوءٍ}/Interpretive translation in Arabic: On that Day, every soul will find present whatever good it has done, and whatever evil it has done.
Surah Az-Zalzalah (99:7–8)
Qur’anic text: {فَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ • وَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ}/Interpretive translation in Arabic: So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.
Surah At-Takwir (81:14) Qur’anic text: {عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَا أَحْضَرَتْ} Interpretive translation in Arabic: Then every soul will know what it has brought forth.
Conclusion
In both the Bible and the Qur’an, conscience is understood as the inner voice of God.
In Scripture: a witness of truth, guiding freedom, convicting of sin, and leading to holiness.
In the Qur’an: the self-reproaching soul, the divine inspiration within man, God’s knowledge of hidden thoughts, and the call to a pure heart.
Conscience, therefore, is the sacred meeting point between Creator and creature. Whoever keeps his conscience pure lives in God’s light and tastes already the pledge of the Kingdom. Whoever silences his conscience becomes enslaved to sin and strays from God.
Let us pray to preserve this divine voice within us—alive, active, and obeyed—so that our lives may glorify God and lead us into His eternal presence.

A Testimony of Faith: The Story of the Three Massabki Brothers and Enduring Sacrifices
Elias Bejjani/July 10/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/07/145053/
In the bright pages of history that is filled with faith and sacrifice, shines the story of the three Massabki brothers: Francis, Abdel Moati, and Raphael. In Damascus in 1860, they wrote with their blood a powerful testament to spiritual heroism. These Maronite martyrs, all over sixty years old, refused to abandon their Christian faith despite threats of death. They became living examples of what faith means in Christianity, proving that those who kill the body cannot kill the believing soul. This heroic testimony still resonates today, connected to similar sacrifices recently witnessed in Damascus, such as the bombing of St. Elias Greek Orthodox Church.
The 1860 Massacres and an Unwavering Faith
On the night of July 10, 1860, Damascus saw bloody events targeting Christians. The Massabki brothers, along with many other Christians and Franciscan priests, sought refuge in a church. But the attackers broke in, demanding they change their religion. It was then that the brothers’ strong faith shone through. Francis spoke unforgettable words, showing their courage and resolve: “We don’t fear those who kill the body… Our crown awaits us in heaven, and we have but one soul, which we will not lose. We are Christians and we want to die Christians.”
Francis was a silk merchant known for his good Christian life; he’d never start work without first visiting the church. Abdel Moati had left trade to teach at the Franciscan school, while Raphael helped the brother in charge of the sacristy. This good character and Christian commitment weren’t just outward show; they were deeply rooted in their hearts, allowing them to face death with unshakeable resolve. The three brothers were killed in the church before the altar, their blood becoming a living testament to the power of their faith.
The Meaning of Faith in Christianity: “Whoever Acknowledges Me Before Others”
The story of the Massabki brothers clearly shows what faith means in Christianity. In Christianity, faith isn’t just believing intellectually that God exists. It’s a complete and total trust in God, involving surrender to His will, obedience to His commands, and a readiness to sacrifice for Him. It’s a living, personal relationship with God, built on love and hope.
The Bible verse: “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33), highlights the importance of publicly declaring one’s faith. Acknowledging Christ isn’t just words; it’s a way of life—a willingness to face challenges and persecution for the truth. This verse emphasizes a core principle: eternal life is the fruit of this confessed faith, and witnessing for Christ in this world is the key to being acknowledged by God in heaven.
Another important verse: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28), points to the truth that physical death cannot end spiritual life. For believers, physical death is a doorway to eternal life with Christ. The Massabki brothers deeply understood this, so they didn’t fear death; instead, they saw it as a path to the crown prepared for them in heaven.
The Continuation of Sacrifice: From the 1860 Massacres to the St. Elias Church Bombing
Tragic events, such as the bombing of St. Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus, show that the spirit of persecution for faith has not ended with time. Despite the significant time gap between the martyrdom of the Massabki brothers and this horrific crime, there are strong and deep-rooted connections between them:
Sacred Space as a Target: The Massabki brothers were martyred inside a church. The same occurred at St. Elias Church, where terrorists stormed the building while worshippers were inside, and one detonated an explosive belt, killing and injuring dozens, including children, elderly, and women. In both incidents, a house of God was turned into a scene of brutal violence against believers.
Targeted Because of Faith
The Massabki brothers paid the ultimate price for refusing to abandon their faith. In the St. Elias Church bombing, the targets were Christian worshippers gathered for prayer, confirming that the primary motive behind the attack was to target the Christian faith itself. Both crimes aimed to terrorize Christians and force them to abandon their religious identity.
Continuous Witness
The victims of St. Elias Church, like the Massabki brothers, made the ultimate sacrifice. They became martyrs for their faith, not necessarily for verbally refusing to deny Christ, but because they were killed for being Christians exercising their right to worship. This embodies the profound meaning of the verse: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body,” for despite the killing and destruction, faith remains alive and triumphant. Connected History of Persecution: What happened at St. Elias Church reminds us of the persecutions that occurred in 1860 and others throughout history. It confirms that Christian communities in the region continue to face existential challenges that demand steadfastness and resilience in the face of violence and extremism.
Ecclesiastical Honor: Saints on the Altar of God
In recognition of their heroic sacrifice, the Catholic Church beatified the three Massabki brothers. On October 10, 1926, Pope Pius XI declared their beatification. Then, on October 20, 2024, Pope Francis declared them saints, placing them on the altar of God.
Today, the Lebanese Maronite Church, along with the entire Catholic Church, remembers the testimony of these brothers who never abandoned Christ or their faith in Him. They accepted martyrdom because of their unwavering belief. Their remains are still kept in the Maronite church in Damascus, serving as a lasting reminder of their sacrifice and unshakeable faith.
The story of the three Massabki brothers, and the sacrifices of the martyrs of St. Elias Church, call every believer to reflect on the meaning of true faith and to be ready to bear witness to Christ in all circumstances, understanding that the believing soul is stronger than any attempt to destroy it. These stories highlight that faith is not just a belief, but a life lived and sacrificed for.

Walid Jumblatt’s stance on the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel is a shameful and dhimmitude capitulation to the terrorism of Berri and Hezbollah
Elias Bejjani/July 08/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/07/155776/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmpz6yGfjUA
Walid Jumblatt may be in need of psychological treatment, as he lives in a bygone era of Lebanese history that will never return. He remains a prisoner of the “worn-out” culture and mentality of the Lebanese, anti-peace, jihadist, and hypocritically Arabist “National Movement.” He has been and continues to be submerged in a culture of hatred, animosity, acrobatics, arrogance, and deception. Ever since he inherited the legacy of his father—who was assassinated by the Hafez al-Assad regime—he has humbly accepted working against the Lebanese entity, state, norms, coexistence, and diverse social segments under the umbrella of the so called “National Movement.” For this reason, he wore the Arafat-era terrorist, jihadist, and Arabist keffiyeh, alongside his friend Nabih Berri and the leftist faction that hates even itself, and he subserviently joined the criminal Assad regime that openly assassinated his father.
His positions are chameleon-like, with a hundred different colors, and cannot be understood outside the culture and mentality of opportunism, dhimmitude, personal agendas, and self-interest. Because he is a captive of feudal and arrogant thinking, he often begins his speeches by saying, “I have agreed with Taymour,” as if the country belongs to him and his son Taymour, and that they are the ones who decide for the Druze community in particular, and for the Lebanese people in general.
He has become addicted to—or rather, inherited—a worn-out culture that has become a thing of the past. Consequently, Lebanon will not see any positive change as long as he, his partner in corruption and decadence Nabih Berri, Hezbollah, and the majority of local political parties’ owners and their deep state remain in control of all state institutions.
As for the stupidity, ignorance, and sterility of the thought of those sycophantic politicians and journalists who applaud the “intelligence” and “vision” of Walid Jumblatt… words fail to describe it.
In this narcissistic context, Jumblatt’s stance on the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel, sponsored by the United States, is the height of stupidity, opportunism, lack of vision, and hostility toward Lebanon and the Lebanese people. This disgraceful position was expressed yesterday in a memorandum he presented to the Druze Religious Council on July 07, 2026, which stated: “The framework agreement is not a tripartite agreement, but a unilateral one dictated by Israel and the United States, which is not a guarantor power to be relied upon.” “Israel dictated this agreement to a Lebanese team—both abroad and inside—with limited experience in law and diplomacy, along with some bureaucrats who met with the Baabda and Saray (PM headquarter) groups.” “I supported negotiation in principle, but not to arrive at this agreement or framework, which will not lead to a ceasefire.” He stated that “talking about peace with Israel is impossible,” citing the words of Prince Turki al-Faisal, whom he described as “very important,” regarding the policy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel.
He said, “Let us abandon the word ‘peace’ out of respect for ourselves and history,” pointing out that “the term ‘Zionist enemy,’ which we have not heard from some in the country, was mentioned in the statement that condemned the ongoing and persistent Zionist aggression.” He considered that “the framework memorandum has overthrown all the foundations of the Taif Agreement, which is a very dangerous matter,” noting that “since the 1949 Armistice Agreement, through to the Taif Agreement and all international resolutions, a withdrawal from the South were mentioned, except in this treaty and this dictate.” He added, “This is what we have reached when the fate of the country is handed over to groups with no experience in international politics, whose only concern is power.” Jumblatt addressed the mayors in the South, calling for “rejecting calls to join Israel and showing solidarity with our people in the South.”
To begin with, any stances, regardless of their nature, content, or level, and any narative—whether negative or positive—taken by Walid Jumblatt have no value, weight, or credibility. The saying we use in the mountains applies to him 100%: “His word is not to be relied upon.”
The disaster in Lebanon with Jumblatt, and other political merchants, is that they are a group of hypocrites, frauds, opportunists who bow to the power, switch jackets, change hats, and are defined by defeatism and surrender. With them, we can only reap defeats, disasters, poverty, and misery.
If free people everywhere in the world had accepted their submissive and prostrate logic, nations would never have been liberated, democracy would not have spread, and there would be no human rights charters or United Nations.
Walid Jumblatt specifically is a strange and peculiar creature, and one of the most dangerous politicians to Lebanon in general, and to his own Druze community in particular, because he permits for himself whatever suits his personal interests, rather than what is in the interest of his sect and the homeland. Anyone who looks back at his frightening chameleon-like past and his series of fluctuations and betrayals since entering politics sees that he is opportunistic, power-seeking, inconsistent, and narcissistic. He has no permanent friendship with anyone, and he has no problem with swallowing his words at any time and replacing them with others, always under the slogan: “One hour of abandonment and one hour of manifestation.”
He fought the Lebanese using the Palestinians, the Syrians, Gaddafi, Nasserism, and Saddam Hussein—every infiltrator, invader, and occupier—and then turned against them the moment their strength waned.
He exploited the March 14 alliance, then betrayed it and the Cedar Revolution. He is now surrendering to Hezbollah’s weapons and subserviently begging for the approval of Berri and Hezbollah.
Wisdom dictates that Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf states should stop providing him with money. And in short, the man is a major Lebanese political disaster, and he is always prepared to burn Lebanon and the world for the sake of his own interests. Ultimately, containing the evil and danger of Walid Jumblatt lies in keeping him strictly in the category of “neither friend nor foe,” and keeping him in front of us, not behind us or on the side.
The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website: https://eliasbejjaninews.com

Lebanon official confirms country’s participation in Rome talks with Israel
AFP/11 July ,2026
A Lebanese official told AFP on Saturday that his country would take part in planned talks with Israel next week in Rome, after Beirut had previously conditioned participation on Israel withdrawing from certain areas it occupies in the south. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that “Lebanon will participate” without offering further details, as a US military delegation visited the country to discuss implementing a framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel.

Israeli strike on south Lebanon kills one
Agence France Presse/July 11/2026
An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon killed a young motorcyclist on Friday, Lebanese state media reported, the latest attack despite a truce in the Israel-Hezbollah war. "A young man from the city of Nabatieh was martyred in a raid by an enemy drone that targeted him this afternoon, when he was riding a motorcycle" in Kfar Rumman near the city of Nabatieh, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said. It also reported other strikes in the area, wounding at least one person.The Israeli military meanwhile said it targeted "a Hezbollah terrorist operating near an access shaft of the underground terror infrastructure at the Ali al-Taher Ridge, within the Security Zone where (Israeli) soldiers are operating", referring to a hill that overlooks the area of Nabatieh. "In an additional strike, the (Israeli army) eliminated a suspect traveling in a vehicle who posed a threat to (Israeli) soldiers operating within the Security Zone."Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the regional war on March 2 by attacking Israel, claiming it was acting in retaliation for the death of Iran's supreme leader, killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Israel responded with a large-scale bombing campaign and a ground offensive, killing more than 4,300 people and occupying territory near the border. Israel has kept up intermittent strikes on south Lebanon, particularly in the Nabatieh area, despite the truce, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives. Lebanon and Israel recently reached a framework agreement that calls for Hezbollah's disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory while Lebanon's army deploys into "pilot zones". However, the agreement -- rejected by Hezbollah -- does not set a timetable for Israel's withdrawal, and Israeli officials have also vowed that their forces will remain in a "security zone" 10 kilometers (six miles) deep as long as Hezbollah remains armed. Friday's strikes come as Lebanon and Israel are set to meet for a new round of talks in Rome next week, and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is expected in Washington on June 21, invited by his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump.
In an interview with the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, Aoun said that "the United States is the only party capable of exerting pressure on the Israeli government to prevent it from targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut, the infrastructure, or expanding the occupied territories in southern Lebanon".
"We want the American administration to help us regain all of our land."

US military delegation begins talks with Lebanese Army on first pilot area: LBCI source
LBCI//July 11/2026
A military source told LBCI that a U.S. military delegation has begun meetings with the Lebanese Army command to establish a mechanism for implementing the first pilot area.

Report: Israel to begin withdrawing from pilot zones, suspends 'sensitive' operations
Naharnet/July 11/2026
The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation has reported that the Israeli army is expected to begin withdrawing from the so-called "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon next week, coinciding with a new round of talks with Lebanon to be held in Rome. Moreover, the Israeli report revealed that, at the request of the United States, the Israeli political leadership has instructed the Israeli army to freeze all operations deemed "sensitive" in southern Lebanon.

US delegation in Lebanon to discuss Israel 'pilot zone' withdrawal
Agence France Presse/July 11/2026
A U.S. military delegation met with Lebanon's army in Beirut to discuss the implementation of Israel's withdrawal from a "pilot zone" in occupied territory, a Lebanese military official told AFP on Saturday. Under a framework agreement reached on June 26, Israel will gradually withdraw from areas of southern Lebanon where it has deployed troops to fight Hezbollah. As part of the agreement, the long-disempowered Lebanese military will take full control of two small areas dubbed pilot zones. "The American military delegation arrived and began meetings with the Lebanese Army command to discuss the mechanisms for implementing the first pilot zone from which the Israelis will withdraw, allowing the Lebanese Army to deploy," the official said, requesting anonymity. "This is the main objective the American military delegation is bringing to Lebanon... it is the translation and implementation of the framework agreement."U.S. ambassador Michel Issa told President Joseph Aoun on Thursday that the American delegation was coming to "determine the mechanism" for the deal's implementation. In Washington, a U.S. official had said on condition of anonymity that "the first pilot zone will launch in a matter of days, and further pilot zones are being mapped out and planned." U.S. Central Command will coordinate on the zones with both countries, he said. The agreement -- rejected by Hezbollah -- does not set a timetable for Israel's withdrawal, and Israeli officials have also vowed that their forces will remain in a "security zone" 10 kilometers (six miles) deep as long as Hezbollah remains armed. The war, which began in early March when Hezbollah entered the wider Middle East conflict on the side of its backer Iran, displaced more than a million people in Lebanon, according to the U.N.'s humanitarian agency OCHA. On Saturday the agency said more than 732,000 people had now returned home, up from 640,000 a week before. That leaves more than 430,000 still displaced, it added. Israel has pursued intermittent strikes despite a truce in its war with Hezbollah, with Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reporting several in the south on Saturday. The latest talks between Lebanon and Israel, which have no formal relations but have met for five rounds of negotiations since the start of the war, will take place in Rome next Wednesday and Thursday. Lebanon conditions its participation on Israel withdrawing from two pilot zones. The talks precede Aoun's expected visit to Washington later this month at the invitation of his American counterpart Donald Trump.

What is the situation like in the south?
NNA/July 11, 2026
The Israeli army continues its attacks by demolishing houses in the town of Houla, Marjeyoun district. An Israeli drone carried out two separate raids this afternoon on the town of Kfar Tebnit. Israeli warplanes also launched two separate raids targeting the town of Mansouri in the Tyre district, striking several residential neighborhoods. An Israeli drone also targeted the town of Majdal Zoun. An Israeli helicopter dropped a stun grenade near the Teachers' Training College in Nabatieh al-Fawqa. An unexploded ordnance detonated in the town of Srifa, but no security incidents were reported. The Israeli army set fire to the town of Khiam, where it is believed the fires spread to the remaining houses in several neighborhoods. This coincided with ongoing military movements within the town, and thick plumes of smoke rose from several locations as the enemy conducted a large-scale sweep using machine guns. Field reports indicated that an explosion was heard, carried out by Israeli forces in the area between the towns of Arnoun and Kfar Tebnit in southern Lebanon. News reports circulated about an Israeli incursion into the town of Beit Yahoun in the Bint Jbeil region, with Israeli tanks and a bulldozer reaching the eastern outskirts of the town, adjacent to the town of Qounine.

Speaker Berri Calls for Parliament Bureau Meeting Next Monday
NNA/July 11, 2026
National News Agency - Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, called for a meeting of the Parliament Bureau at 1:00 PM on Monday, July 13, 2026, at the Second Presidency headquarters in Ain al-Tineh.

Total Toll of Hezbollah's Terrorist Wars: 4,322 Killed and 12,210 Wounded
LCCC/July 11, 2026
National News Agency - The Health Emergency Operations Center of the Ministry of Public Health issued a statement announcing that the cumulative total toll of Hezbollah's terrorist wars from March 2 to July 11 is as follows: 4,322 killed and 12,210 wounded.

A plane carrying missiles flies over the Tyre coast
Al-Markazia/July 11, 2026
Citizens on the Tyre coast spotted an Israeli F-15 fighter jet carrying MK-84 missiles with the naked eye. The jet reportedly launched a series of airstrikes on the town of Mansouri.

Germany and France to launch joint initiative for peace in Lebanon
LBCI/July 11/2026
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Berlin and Paris plan to launch a joint initiative aimed at achieving peace in Lebanon. “We and France want to develop a common policy toward Lebanon to increase the chances of achieving peace in the Middle East,” Wadephul told the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel. The initiative is expected to be announced during the German-French ministerial council meeting scheduled for July 17.

Salam reaffirms Lebanon's sovereignty in talks with Erdoğan
LBCI/July 11/2026
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reaffirmed the importance of close coordination between friendly countries amid a sensitive regional phase, emphasizing Lebanon's commitment to sovereignty and efforts to end Israeli attacks.
In a statement following a dinner hosted by President Erdoğan in Istanbul during his official visit to Turkey, Salam said the meeting underscored the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation and elevating Lebanese-Turkish ties to the level of a strategic partnership. Salam expressed appreciation for Turkey's support to Lebanon, particularly the humanitarian assistance it has provided in recent months. He also stressed that Lebanon remains committed to making independent national decisions and to extending the state's full authority across its entire territory. He added that Beirut is working to rally support from friendly and brotherly countries to secure an end to Israeli attacks and Israel's withdrawal from all Lebanese territory. For his part, Erdoğan reiterated Turkey's support for Lebanon and its efforts to achieve a complete Israeli withdrawal from its territory. He also voiced support for Lebanon's commitment to preserving the independence of its decision-making, safeguarding its security, territorial integrity, and stability.

Salam’s Turkey visit: Where does Lebanon stand amid shifting regional alliances?
LBCI/July 11/2026
“Which team are you supporting in the World Cup?” is a question heard frequently these days. In politics and at the level of states, a similar question is emerging: Which axis will countries align with? The American-Israeli axis? The Iranian axis? Or the Turkish-Arab axis, with an extension toward Pakistan? As regional alliances remain in the process of being shaped amid the realities of wars that have continued for three years, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the war is not over yet and that some axes are declining while others are rising. So where does Lebanon stand amid all these changes? Is it seeking to join a specific axis, or is it aiming to build balanced relations with all sides? In this context, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s visit to Turkey comes at a highly significant time.

Authorities uncover alleged scheme to secure Lebanese citizenship for two children: The details
LBCI/July 11/2026
Has Lebanese citizenship become so valuable that some people are willing to commit fraud to obtain it? Two boys have been living with their biological parents in the Jabal Mohsen neighborhood of Tripoli. Yet, in Lebanon's civil registry, they were registered under the names of two different people.
A Syrian man has lived in Jabal Mohsen for the past 20 years. During that time, he married a Palestinian woman, and the couple had two sons. In an attempt to obtain Lebanese citizenship for the children, they were registered under the name of the man's brother-in-law.
Both children were born at Our Lady Hospital in Zgharta. On each occasion, the mother, in coordination with her husband and his brother-in-law, was admitted to the hospital using the identity of the brother-in-law's wife, who is also the children's paternal aunt.
Because the identification document used during admission carried an outdated photograph, the hospital staff did not detect the deception. The hospital subsequently issued birth records identifying the children as Lebanese and listing the brother-in-law as their father, even though their biological parents were the Syrian father and the Palestinian mother. Using the hospital-issued birth records, the brother-in-law obtained birth certificates from the local mukhtar before registering the boys with Lebanon's civil registry and obtaining official civil status records in their names. After receiving a tip from an informant, the Tripoli branch of the State Security Directorate launched an investigation.
The investigation led to the arrest of the children's biological father and the brother-in-law on the instructions of North Lebanon's duty appellate public prosecutor, Judge Katia Andary.
Once the investigation and trial are completed, the two boys are expected to be removed from Lebanon's civil registry following DNA testing and re-registered under the names of their biological parents, who are Syrian nationals.

When Sociology White Washes Hezbollah
Dr. Makram Rabah/Levant time/July 11/2026
There is a logic that reappears every time the question of Hezbollah’s weapons is raised. It tries to present the party not as an armed authority that has confiscated the decision of a sect and a country, but as the natural extension of Lebanon’s Shiite community — as though objecting to Hezbollah were an objection to Shiites themselves, and as though disarming it meant uprooting an entire community from its history, memory, and means of protection.
This logic is not only wrong. It is insulting.
It reduces Shiites to their fear. It turns their long history into a prelude to a rifle. It treats an entire community as though it cannot exist except inside the network of an armed party — as though Jabal Amel, Najaf, jurisprudence, reform, scholars, intellectuals, farmers, students, merchants, and all the Lebanese Shiite national experiences were nothing more than a preparation for Wilayat al-Faqih.
The truth is that Shiites did not begin with Hezbollah, and they will not end with it.
Before the party, there was a full history of knowledge, politics, society, moderation, representation, and demands for justice. There was Sayyed Mohsen al-Amin, Imam Musa al-Sadr, Sayyed Mohammad Mahdi Shamseddine, Sayyed Hani Fahs. There was a Lebanese Shiite discourse that understood the meaning of the state, the meaning of partnership, and the meaning of dignity — a dignity that cannot be reduced to weapons outside institutions, cannot be measured by the number of rockets, and cannot be sold in the marketplace of regional axes.
Hezbollah benefited from fear, from the Israeli occupation, from the absence of the state, from long-standing marginalization, and from real wounds inflicted on the South, the Bekaa, and the southern suburbs. But benefiting from a wound does not give anyone the right to own the body.
What may have begun, at a certain moment, as an answer to fear gradually became a permanent system for fabricating fear. The party tells people: I protect you from danger. Then it makes its own existence a permanent reason for summoning danger. It says it protects the South, then turns the South into an open battlefield. It says it protects Shiites, then makes them pay the price of its wars, sanctions, alliances, and decisions in which they have no say.
As for the talk of hospitals, schools, loans, salaries, and services, it does not prove the legitimacy of the weapons. It exposes the scale of the catastrophe.
When a citizen needs a party in order to be born, to learn, to receive treatment, to borrow money, to work, and to bury his martyr, this is not a supportive environment as much as it is a structure of social captivity. Services do not grant the right to declare war. Assistance does not justify the confiscation of decision-making. A monthly salary does not turn a family into a false witness for the legitimacy of arms. Mafias also provide protection. Totalitarian regimes also distribute bread. Gangs also know how to make people dependent on them. But the question is not what such a power gives. The question is what it takes. And Hezbollah has taken far more than it has given. It has taken the decision of war and peace. It has taken the right to dissent inside the Shiite community. It has taken the image of Shiites in Lebanon and the Arab world. It has taken religion and turned it into a mobilization machine. It has taken martyrdom and turned it into political capital. It has taken fear and transformed it into a long-term contract of submission. The most dangerous thing Hezbollah has done is that it tied the fate of Shiites to its own fate. It made any pressure on it appear as pressure on them, any criticism of it appears as an insult to them, and any attempt to disarm it appear as a threat to their very existence.
This is not social genius. It is calculated political blackmail.
When the party places a hospital, a school, a loan, a salary, a martyr, and a rocket in the same chain, it is not building a normal society. It is building a large cage — a cage with many service doors, but one that does not allow free political exit.
Shiites have every right to ask: Who will protect us?
This is a legitimate question. It is a question that must not be dismissed, because the Lebanese state has failed them, as it has failed others, and because the South has paid a heavy price in occupation, wars, and destruction.
But a legitimate question must not be turned into an eternal answer in favor of a militia. “Who will protect us?” does not mean that weapons must remain forever outside the state. It does not mean that the decision of a community and a country should remain in the hands of an organization tied to a regional project. It does not mean that people should be forced to choose between the party and annihilation, between the state and slaughter, between Lebanon and Iran.
Protection is not achieved by making fear permanent.
Protection is achieved through a capable state, one army, one decision, borders that are not controlled by an organization, and a foreign policy that is not run from the southern suburbs or from Tehran. Protection means returning Shiites to the state, not convincing them that the state is impossible and that the party is their only destiny.
Those who say that the failure of the state justifies the survival of the militia are like those who say that the failure of a doctor justifies handing the patient over to a charlatan forever.
The memory used to justify the weapons is also an incomplete memory.
Yes, there is 1978, 1982, the Israeli occupation, and official abandonment. But there is another memory too: the wars at home, the suppression of independent Shiite voices, the accusations of treason against dissenters, the dragging of Lebanon into the 2006 war, the sending of young men to Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, the transformation of the South into a platform in a conflict its people do not decide, and the forcing of people to call defeat victory and ruin steadfastness.
No one has the right to speak in the name of Shiite memory while erasing from that memory everything the party has done to Shiites themselves. No one has the right to invoke the images of Israeli occupation in order to prevent questions about the party’s occupation of political decision-making. And no one has the right to turn old fear into a title deed over the future.
Shiites are bigger than Hezbollah.
The South and its villages are not a storage site for Iran’s rockets. The southern suburbs are not a barracks. The Bekaa is not a military corridor. Martyrdom is not a blank check in the hands of a party. Religion is not a party card. Deprivation is not an eternal license to confiscate the state. Memory is not a prison. Fear is not an identity. What is required is not to leave Shiites without protection, but to liberate them from a false equation that tells them their protection can only come from the force that has confiscated their decision.
What is required is not to ignore their wounds, but to prevent the trading of these wounds.
What is required is not to deny that the state has failed, but to reject the transformation of that failure into a permanent mandate for an armed party. A state is built when it is reclaimed from militias, not when what remains of it is handed over to them. The worst kind of defense of Shiites is the one that presents them as a community trapped inside a single fate, with no future except weapons, no security except the party, and no dignity except in a project whose decision they do not own.
This defense may appear, on the surface, to be sympathy. In essence, it is erasure. It does not see the Shiite as a free citizen, but as a frightened dependent who needs an armed guardian to explain to him the meaning of survival. The truth is simpler than all this rhetoric: Hezbollah no longer protects Shiites from danger. It has become the danger from which it asks them to fear everything except itself.
And when protection becomes captivity, when victimhood becomes trade, and when weapons become destiny, the duty of speech is not to ask how to preserve this system, but how to liberate people from it. A community that produced scholars, reformers, resistance figures, thinkers, and citizens must not be reduced to an organization, especially one that has failed morally before it ever did politically. People who paid the price of occupation, wars, and abandonment must not be asked to pay new prices so that the party may remain above the state.
Anyone who truly wants to do justice to Shiites should begin by recognizing that they belong to no one — not to a party, not to an axis, and not to a Supreme Leader.
Shiites are Lebanese citizens. Their protection lies in a state that protects them, not in a militia that uses their fear. And their future lies in Lebanon, not in waiting for another war decided by others and paid for by them.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on 11-12 July/2026
US military says it is striking Iran in response to attack on civilian vessel in Strait of Hormuz
Agencies/July 12, 2026
WASHINGTON: The US military said ​on Saturday it launched a new round of strikes against Iran after Islamic Revolutionary Guard ‌Corps ‌forces ​attacked ‌a Cyprus-flagged ⁠container ​ship M/V GFS Galaxy as it transited ⁠the Strait of Hormuz. “A civilian crew member is missing and ⁠the vessel is ‌unable to ‌continue ​the ‌journey due to ‌an onboard fire and significant engine room damage,” the US ‌Central Command said in a ⁠statement on ⁠X. The US Central Command said the strikes were carried out at the direction of President Donald Trump. Iran said it has closed the Strait of Hormuz as it acknowledged striking a vessel using an “unauthorized route” in the strait. Following the US military’s announcement, Iranian media started reporting explosions in the country's coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz. “Three explosions heard in Bandar Abbas and two in Sirik,” state TV reported, while Mehr News Agency said explosions were heard in Qeshm island. In its post on X, the US Central Command said Iran was provided another opportunity to demonstrate adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding “after being held accountable for earlier attacks on commercial vessels but has again failed.” “In response, the United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait,” CENTCOM said. The US military was referring to the Pakistan-brokered MoU signed last month between Iran and the US, aimed at securing a lasting agreement to end the war, which has resulted in over 8,080 deaths and 49,240 injuries across multiple countries since the conflict that began on February 28, 2026.Pakistan on Friday urged the two nations to uphold their commitments, calling on them to avoid steps that could undermine ongoing negotiations.• With AP & Reuters

Trump says he ‘just finished’ a physical at Walter Reed
Reuters/July 11/2026
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he had “just finished” a physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, without specifying when the exam was conducted. It was not clear whether Trump had a new physical or he was referring to the one he had in late May, following which he said “everything checked out perfectly.”“I just finished a perfect physical at Walter Reed, I do it every six months, and I requested another Cognitive Test, the only President to do so, three times, and I aced them all — Got every question right,” Trump, who turned 80 in June, wrote in a Truth Social post.

Trump says 1,000 missiles aimed at Tehran, US will ‘decimate’ Iran if assassinated
AFP/11 July ,2026
President Donald Trump said Friday the United States would “completely decimate” Iran if it attempted or succeeded in assassinating the sitting president. “1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands of more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat, pronounced in many corners of the Globe, to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “Orders have already been given, and the US Military is ready, willing, and able, for a one year period of time, subject to extension, to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran,” he said.

US seeks pledge from Iran on safe Hormuz strait shipping, vows response to attacks
Al Arabiya English/11 July ,2026
The US warned of “grave consequences” in the event of hostile Iranian activity in the Strait of Hormuz, Al Arabiya reported Saturday citing sources. Washington has also demanded a written commitment from Iran that it will not target tankers in the Strait of Hormuz again, according to the sources. The report highlighted that the US warned Iran through intermediaries that it will respond to attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that a lack of response from Tehran would result in an escalation of military action. Iran’s foreign minister arrived in Oman on Saturday to discuss arrangements for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said, with Washington seeking a public pledge of free, secure transit. US President Donald Trump said on Friday the US and Iran had agreed to continue talks despite an escalation of hostilities this week, while also declaring an end to the ceasefire reached between the two sides. No attacks were reported on Friday or early Saturday, however. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said on Saturday that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had arrived in Oman. The country is helping to mediate an end to a war that has spread insecurity in the Gulf and raised prices around the world since the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on February 28. CBS News and its UK partner the BBC both reported that US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were expected to lead negotiations on Saturday with Araghchi. Reuters was not immediately able to confirm the reports, which did not say whether they would be in Oman or attend virtually. Iran’s Fars news agency later cited a source saying no negotiations would take place until the US retreated from its positions.Iran says US has violated the interim agreement. Araghchi accused the United States of violating the ceasefire agreement; the US revoked the license authorizing the sale of Iranian crude on Tuesday after the vessels were hit.
“There can only be mutual compliance,” he wrote on X.
Senior US officials told reporters on Friday that Iran had informed US officials that recent attacks on shipping in the strait were from an “errant part of their system,” comments that appeared to be aimed at calming tensions. The flareup cast further doubt over the future of an interim agreement aimed at ending the conflict and pushed oil prices higher, a politically sensitive issue for Trump ahead of November congressional elections. “The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks.’ We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Friday. Iran disputed Trump’s interpretation, saying it had not requested talks with the US but had agreed to host a Qatari mediator, state television reported. Qatari negotiators met officials in Iran on Friday to de-escalate tensions and discuss the Strait of Hormuz, a person with knowledge of the situation told Reuters. Trump also posted that he had ordered the US military to be prepared to launch strikes against Iran if Tehran carried out or attempted an assassination of the president. “1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands of more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat, pronounced in many corners of the Globe, to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!,” he posted. The Wall Street Journal and other US media reported this week that Israel had shared intelligence with Washington that Iran had recently devised a plan to assassinate Trump. There was no immediate comment from Iran on Trump’s latest remarks.At the funeral of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Thursday, a huge crowd of mourners packed a courtyard, some bearing banners reading, “We Will Kill Trump.” Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the war. US officials report constructive conversations with Iran The United States is demanding that Iran publicly state it will stop attacks on ships in the strait - and that all lanes will be open with no tolls through the waterway that carried one-fifth of global oil supplies before the war, the senior US officials told reporters on Friday. During the war Tehran has largely taken control of the strait, forcing a stalemate in its confrontation with the world’s most powerful military. At least 17 people were killed in US strikes on six cities in Iran on Wednesday and Thursday, the head of the public relations and information center at Iran’s Health Ministry said. He said 115 people were wounded. Even so, US officials said conversations between the two countries had been productive in recent days. Tehran said any breach of commitments by Washington would be met with “reciprocal action,” the foreign ministry spokesperson said, according to state media.Last month’s interim deal was meant to pave the way to the end of a conflict now in its fifth month, which has killed thousands, throttled worldwide energy supplies and raised fears of a global economic downturn. With Reuters

Iran state media says explosion in eastern Tehran province was controlled ammunition disposal
Reuters/July 11, 2026
Iran state media reports explosion heard in eastern part of Tehran province
An explosion heard in the eastern part of Tehran province was caused by the controlled ‌disposal of ammunition ‌remaining ​from ‌the ⁠war, ​Iranian state ⁠media, citing a local official, said on Saturday. The official said the operation posed ⁠no threat to ‌citizens and ‌that no ​incident ‌had occurred.
Earlier on ‌Saturday, Iranian state media reported that an explosion was heard in ‌the eastern part of Tehran province, ⁠with residents ⁠of Pakdasht and Qiyamdasht reporting the blast while its source and exact location were not immediately known.

Saudi crown prince, Trump discuss US-Iran talks, Gulf security
Arab News/July 11, 2026
RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and US President Donald Trump discussed regional security, maritime navigation and ongoing US-Iran contacts during a telephone call on Friday, as Riyadh and Washington stepped up diplomatic coordination following a renewed flare-up in Gulf tensions. According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the two leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation and ways to strengthen ties across various sectors. They also exchanged views on regional and international developments, including discussions between Washington and Tehran. The crown prince and Trump stressed the importance of safeguarding maritime navigation, protecting international sea lanes and supporting efforts aimed at enhancing regional security and stability. Separately, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during which the two reaffirmed the importance of continued coordination and consultations to promote security and stability across the region, SPA reported. The calls came after a fresh escalation between the United States and Iran that threatened to undermine recent diplomatic efforts to end months of hostilities. The latest crisis erupted after Iranian forces attacked commercial oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz despite a ceasefire agreement, prompting US airstrikes on targets inside Iran. Tehran later retaliated with missile and drone attacks against US allies in the Gulf, raising fears of a wider regional conflict. The renewed violence has intensified international calls for Washington and Tehran to return to negotiations. Egypt and Qatar have urged both sides to resume dialogue and implement the memorandum of understanding reached earlier this year as the basis for a broader settlement, while Pakistan has appealed for restraint and offered to continue mediating between the two countries. Trump said on Friday that the United States had agreed to continue talks with Iran, although he declared that the ceasefire was effectively over following the latest exchange of attacks. Saudi Arabia has consistently called for restraint, dialogue and diplomatic solutions to preserve regional stability and ensure the security of international shipping routes, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical energy transit corridors.

Qatar, Iran, Omar discuss full opening of 'median lane' in Strait of Hormuz
Naharnet/July 11, 2026
Qatari officials are participating in talks between Iran and Oman in Muscat over the strait of Hormuz, a diplomat with knowledge told U.S. news portal Axios on Saturday. A regional source told Axios that the parties are discussing a potential statement on full opening of the "median lane" in the strait of Hormuz ,which is in international waters, for full and free movement.

Iran, Oman discuss mechanisms for safe passage of ships through Hormuz strait, Tehran says
Reuters/11 July ,2026
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart exchanged views on “appropriate mechanisms” for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with Article 5 of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, Araghchi said on his Telegram channel on Saturday.
Iran warns it will not be bound by deal with US if ‘violations continue‘Trump says 1,000 missiles aimed at Tehran, US will ‘decimate’ Iran if assassinated

Saudi FM discusses US-Iran mediation in call with Pakistani counterpart
Al Arabiya English/11 July ,2026
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan discussed the latest regional developments with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar during a phone call on Saturday, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. The two officials reviewed the recent regional escalation and stressed the need to support mediation efforts, resume talks between the United States and Iran, and contain tensions, according to SPA. They also underscored the importance of making the necessary efforts to reach peaceful and comprehensive solutions that would strengthen regional and international security and stability. The call comes as regional diplomatic efforts continue to focus on reviving dialogue between Washington and Tehran following recent rounds of negotiations aimed at easing tensions, an issue that Saudi Arabia has consistently backed through diplomacy and de-escalation efforts.

Iran supreme leader vows revenge for father's killing
Agence France Presse/11 July ,2026
Iran's supreme leader on Saturday vowed revenge for the U.S.-Israeli killing of his father and predecessor, hours after President Donald Trump warned against any attempt to assassinate him. Both sides dialled up the rhetoric after exchanges of fire this week rocked an interim agreement aimed at ending their war, which broke out in late February with massive U.S.-Israeli strikes. Trump has declared their ceasefire over, while mediators have been trying to salvage diplomacy, with Iranian media reporting that a delegation from Qatar travelled to Iran on Friday. "Vengeance is the will of our nation and must inevitably be carried out," Mojtaba Khamenei said in a written message. He became Iran's supreme leader after his father Ali Khamenei's killing in late February by U.S.-Israeli strikes, but has not been in public since before the war. "This matter depends neither on my personal existence nor on that of other officials. Whether we are present or not, it will come to pass," he wrote in his first message since his father's funeral this week.
He said Iran had compiled a list of individuals to be targeted.
Hours earlier Trump had posted on his Truth Social platform that any attempt to assassinate him would lead the United States to "completely decimate" Iran. "1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands of more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat, pronounced in many corners of the Globe, to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!," Trump wrote. "Orders have already been given, and the U.S. Military is ready, willing, and able, for a one year period of time, subject to extension, to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran."With both nations stepping up their threats, mediators have been working to bring diplomacy back on track. Iran's Tasnim news agency reported on Friday that a Qatari delegation was visiting Iran to "try to reinforce Qatar's role as a mediator". Trump has said talks with Iran will continue but has labelled them "a waste of time". Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meanwhile insisted Tehran had stuck to its end of the bargain after the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding last month.
Tehran "has so far kept its word", he said. "Reality check: There can only be mutual compliance."
Hormuz deadline
U.S. and Iranian delegations have held one round of direct talks in Switzerland since the signing of their memorandum of understanding, as well as indirect negotiations in Qatar, but there has been no sign of diplomatic progress since. A key roadblock to a final deal is the future of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran closed to commercial shipping during the war in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes. The waterway is a key conduit for oil and gas exports out of the energy-rich Gulf countries, and its closure has heavily impacted the world economy. Iran insists on controlling the passage of ships and has announced plans to charge fees, saying there will be no return to the free navigation of the pre-war era, which Washington has rejected. Under customary international law, states are not generally permitted to charge tolls on straits used for international navigation. Araghchi on Saturday arrived in Oman, which sits on the other side of Hormuz, for talks on administering the strait. News outlets Axios and Politico reported that Washington has given Tehran until Saturday to stop firing on commercial ships transiting Hormuz and acknowledge the waterway is open. This week's exchange of strikes was sparked after Iran was accused of targeting three vessels it said had deviated from its approved route. The attacks prompted Washington to launch a heavy round of bombing in Iran, hitting around 90 targets across the country, according to the US military. The U.S. strikes killed 17 people, Tehran's health ministry said Saturday, and injured 115 more. They also triggered a wave of reprisals by Iran against U.S.-allied countries in the Gulf that host American military bases.
'Hard-earned peace' -
Despite being one of the Gulf nations targeted during the war, Qatar has spearheaded efforts to get diplomacy back on track. Aside from the Qatari delegation visiting Iran, Qatar's emir on Friday held a call with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, which has also been mediating, according to Sharif's office. The Pakistani leader said he had also spoken with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, urging him to safeguard the "hard-earned peace" in the region. But Iran's chief negotiator in talks with Washington, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, struck a defiant tone. "Ending the war is a priority for the countries of the world, but everyone must know that this confrontation will never end with Iran's surrender," Iran's ISNA news agency quoted him as saying.
Iranians, he said, were "fully prepared to defend ourselves".

Pakistan PM urges Iran president to preserve 'hard-earned' peace
Agence France Presse/11 July ,2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Middle East conflict negotiator Pakistan has urged Iran's president to safeguard the "hard-earned peace" after Tehran and Washington exchanged strikes this week. "We discussed the evolving regional situation and underscored the imperative of restraint, dialogue and diplomacy to safeguard the hard-earned peace gains of recent months," Sharif posted on X of his conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Sharif added that Pakistan remained ready to continue "as an honest and sincere mediator for lasting regional peace."

Iran and Oman discuss mechanisms to ensure safe passage of ships through Strait of Hormuz
LBCI/11 July ,2026
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Saturday that he and his Omani counterpart exchanged views on “appropriate mechanisms” to ensure the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, in line with Article 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.In a post on his Telegram channel, Araghchi said the discussions focused on arrangements to facilitate secure maritime traffic through the strategic waterway. Reuters

EU countries to discuss trade ban on Israeli settlements
AFP/WAFA/July 11, 2026
Key meeting in Brussels on Monday will help gauge support for future action, diplomats say
BRUSSELS: EU foreign ministers will discuss imposing an import ban on products from Israeli settlements, after pressure from a raft of member states for the bloc to take action, diplomats said. Diplomats said the debate at a meeting in Brussels on Monday was not expected to yield any concrete decisions, but would help gauge whether there is enough support to move forward. Several EU countries — including Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain — have already imposed their own trade restrictions on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, considered illegal under international law. Under pressure for the EU as a whole to take measures, the bloc’s executive this week laid out options to curb trade with settlements, including a ban. There is disagreement in Brussels over whether that move would require backing from all 27 member states or just a weighted majority.Diplomats say that key players, Germany and Italy, are still undecided on the move.Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the territory, excluding East Jerusalem, among some 3 million Palestinians. The UN chief Antonio Guterres has condemned the “relentless” expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying in a report seen by AFP last month that they are contributing to the territory’s worst displacement crisis since 1967. The EU has long been hampered by divisions over its approach toward Israel, some members staunchly backing the country and others supporting the Palestinians. The Irish parliament passed a bill recently banning the import of products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The legislation prohibits the import of goods from “certain Israeli settlements” located outside Israel’s internationally recognized borders, encompassing all residential, agricultural, and commercial goods. The center-right coalition government stated that the legislation was based on a 2024 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, which ruled that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip is illegal under international law.

Russian strikes kill six in Ukraine, officials say
AFP/11 July ,2026
Russia struck Ukraine with missiles, drones and guided bombs on Saturday, killing six people and wounding dozens of others, officials said. Missiles also hit the capital Kyiv, wounding 12 people including two children, according to the city’s mayor. AFP journalists in Kyiv heard two series of explosions in the early hours, with an air alert siren sounding minutes after the first blast. Moscow has been firing missiles and drones at Kyiv almost daily since launching its invasion in February 2022.But a recent spate of deadly attacks using dozens of ultra-fast ballistic missiles has put Ukraine’s air defense system under strain. Russia launched more than 120 drones and 12 missiles during the night, half of them ballistic, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X. “Civilian infrastructure was hit even before the air raid alert was issued,” he added.He posted videos of emergency teams working in the smoke and rubble of ruined buildings. Apartment buildings, offices and a theological school were damaged in Kyiv, while recovery efforts were under way in other regions, he added. In the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy, “a guided aerial bomb” killed four people including a young girl, the city’s mayor Artem Kobzar said.
A separate missile strike on the southern city of Odesa killed two others, regional governor Oleg Kiper said.
Air defense call
Zelenskyy said air defenses “managed to shoot down most of the targets – but not the ballistic ones.”He repeated his plea for allies to send more military aid to help it fight off the Russian invasion, now well into its fifth year. He urged the United States to swiftly follow through on its pledge to license Ukraine to make Patriot air defense systems. US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would allow Ukraine to manufacture the missiles. Zelenskyy said on Thursday that technical details still needed to be agreed. Saturday’s strike on Kyiv marked the second time in less than a week that missiles hit before an air alert was issued. Sergiy Sternenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister, said that impacts before the sirens could indicate Russia had used S-400 anti-aircraft missiles to carry out strikes on the ground. “During ground attacks, these missiles are more difficult to detect by radar,” he wrote on Telegram. “There is no military logic to such attacks. It is simply terrorism for the sake of terrorism.” Russia, which denies targeting civilians, said it had struck “military-industrial facilities in Kyiv and seaport infrastructure in Odesa.” On Friday, Ukrainian drones hit oil refineries in southern Russia, as Kyiv targeted its foe’s energy infrastructure.

Iraqis protest over power cuts in sweltering summer heat
AFP/July 11, 2026
KUT: Hundreds of residents of an eastern Iraqi city protested on Saturday against power cuts during extreme summer heat, an AFP correspondent said. Temperatures in the city of Kut have peaked at 44C, with residents organizing protests to urge authorities to boost electricity supply.
Decades of war have left Iraq’s infrastructure in a pitiful state, with power failures worsening blistering summers.On Friday night, hundreds of protesters took to the streets with dozens hurling stones at security forces, who responded by firing tear gas and detaining more than 30 people, according to an AFP correspondent. The clashes lasted until early morning.Two local health officials told AFP on condition of anonymity that more than 50 police officers were injured. It is unclear how many protesters were wounded, with one source estimating the number at around 30. Protesters have likely avoided reporting themselves to hospital for fear of arrest, a health official said. Demonstrations against power cuts are frequent in Iraq, especially during the scorching summer months, when temperatures often reach 50C. In the oil-rich country, many households have just a few hours of state electricity per day, and those who can afford it use private generators to keep fridges and air conditioners running. Iraq is the second-largest oil producer in the OPEC cartel, but despite its immense oil and gas reserves, it remains dependent on imports to meet its electricity needs.

Death toll in Venezuela earthquakes surpasses 4,300: Official
Reuters/11 July ,2026
The death toll in Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes last month has topped 4,300, a top lawmaker said Saturday. National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez - the brother of interim leader Delcy Rodriguez - put the toll at 4,333, up from 4,118 on Friday.

Spanish PM to visit site of deadly wildfire on Monday
LBCI/11 July ,2026
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will on Monday visit the site of a wildfire in the south of the country that killed 12 people, the government said Saturday.Sanchez changed his schedule to travel to the affected area, where a devastating fire has burned 6,600 hectares and is one of the deadliest in Spain's recent history. AFP

Canada/Toronto police say 2 people dead, multiple injured at Salsa on St. Clair festival
CBC/July 11, 2026
Toronto police say they've secured the scene where an active shooter at the Salsa on St. Clair festival left two people dead and multiple injured. The shooting happened in the area of St Clair Ave. W. & Arlington Ave., police said on social media Saturday evening. Police say the suspect or suspects involved are still outstanding. Police said they plan to provide an update to the public later Saturday night. Police say six people have been located with gunshot wounds. Toronto paramedics are still on site and treating people and said they've transported several patients to hospital.
Crowds of people and emergency responder vehicles could be seen on St Clair Street after a shooting at the annual salsa festival. The shots were fired at the Salsa on St. Clair street festival, an event that drew large crowds. A CBC reporter on site said several shots rang out just east of the festival's main stage and paramedics performed CPR to at least one victim. Officers moved through the crowds urging people to leave the area. People scrambled to get away from the shooting; they shielded their children, ran into restaurants and knocked over patio furniture as they fled.
Police are now advising the public to stay away from the area where they have a large presence.

The Latest LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on 11-12 July/2026
Iran Fears the Israel Factor: Why Washington Must Fully Integrate Jerusalem in Every Move
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/July 11/ 2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/07/155852/
Israel is the party most directly affected by any development involving Iran — whether diplomatic negotiations, sanctions relief, or military action. Its security is daily on the line. Israel therefore must be included in every discussion, every operation, and every strategic decision concerning Iran.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, for all of its 47-year existence, has pursued the destruction of Israel and the United States as a core ideological goal, using proxies, terrorism, and the development of nuclear weapons to advance it. Israel, in turn, has proven its value as a partner through resilience and deep knowledge of the Iranian threat. It is the ally we can trust most in this theater — the one whose interests, capabilities and willingness converge perfectly with America's.
The U.S. must maintain the closest possible coordination with Israel, including it fully in all talks, operations and strategies regarding Iran. When America and Israel stand together, they can deter aggression, protect shared values, and safeguard democracy, peace and stability more effectively than any alternative approach. Iran knows this — and that is precisely why it seeks to divide them. In the best interests of the United States, its alliance with Israel must remain unbreakable.
For decades, Israel has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States against the Iranian regime, a hostile power that threatens regional stability, global security, and the very existence of democratic values in the world. Israel has proven its value as a partner through resilience and deep knowledge of the Iranian threat. It is the ally we can trust most in this theater — the one whose interests, capabilities and willingness converge perfectly with America's.
For decades, Israel has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States against the Iranian regime, a hostile power that threatens regional stability, global security, and the very existence of democratic values in the world. Whether facing direct threats or terrorist groups and proxy militias, Israel has demonstrated unwavering and steadfast resolve, and a willingness to act when others in the world hesitated.
This alliance has proven critical time and again; Israel has been with the U.S. in moments of need, from intelligence sharing to coordinated responses against Iranian aggression. This partnership is not one of convenience but of shared strategic interests and mutual defense against a common foe. The Iranian regime itself acknowledges this reality in its rhetoric. It labels the United States the "Great Satan" and Israel the "Little Satan," viewing both as existential enemies to its revolutionary ideology. Israel is the only truly dependable Middle Eastern ally of the West and bastion of democratic values.
Iran's hatred of both Israel and the United States only underscores why deepening the U.S.-Israel alliance is essential in any strategy to counter the "sick," Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) now ruling the country with a toxicity that should be as unacceptable to everyone as it is to its neighbors and its own brutalized citizens. The Iranian regime's ambitions — for nuclear weapons, intercontinental ballistic missiles, control of international waterways, regional dominance through proxies, and the spread of its theocratic influence — directly target both the U.S. and Israel, as well as Europe and Iran's Gulf neighbors. As a result, strengthening coordination between Washington and Jerusalem is a strategic imperative.
A recent assessment highlighted in reports from the Jerusalem Post and Israeli officials reveals that Iran has no interest in drawing Israel into broader regional conflicts. According to multiple Israeli sources, including those cited by the Jerusalem Post, Tehran is currently refraining from direct attacks on Israel precisely to avoid escalating involvement that could pull Israel fully into the fray. Israeli officials assess that Iran would only face strikes if Iran or its proxies directly attack it, or if Israel is requested by the U.S. to attack.
Why this caution from Tehran? Iran deeply fears the power of Israel. Israel's intelligence capabilities inside Iran, Lebanon and Gaza have been dramatically demonstrated in recent operations. In June 2025, during the twelve-day war, Israel conducted precise strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, military sites and leadership targets, while showcasing sophisticated infiltration and real-time intelligence. Similar effectiveness was evident in follow-on actions, including the first few hours of February 28, when, in sixty seconds, Israel successfully decapitated virtually the entire leadership of Iran's regime. Mossad operations, combined with precision capabilities, exposed vulnerabilities deep within the Iranian regime.
Israel knows Iran intimately. For nearly five decades, Israel has lived on the front lines, watching Iranian leaders repeatedly vow to "wipe" it off the map. Iranian Supreme Leaders and IRGC commanders have made threats of elimination a cornerstone of their ideology. Through funding and arming proxies such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, Iran has pursued a strategy of encirclement and attrition. These groups serve as Tehran's forward operating arms, launching attacks designed to bleed Israel while providing Iran plausible deniability.
The brutal massacre by Hamas on October 7, 2023 — enabled and emboldened by Iranian support — represented a horrific escalation. Though the attackers failed in their ultimate goals, the event highlighted the regime's genocidal intent and the resilience required to counter it.
Israel has consistently demonstrated not only military superiority but also the intelligence and determination to disrupt these networks. From thwarting plots to striking high-value targets, Israel's actions have repeatedly set back Iran's timelines.
This proximity and lived experience give Israel unparalleled insight. No other nation in the region matches Israel's understanding of Iranian tactics, decision-making, and weaknesses. Israel is the party most directly affected by any development involving Iran — whether diplomatic negotiations, sanctions relief, or military action. Its security is daily on the line. Israel therefore must be included in every discussion, every operation, and every strategic decision concerning Iran.
Excluding or sidelining Israel creates the risk of flawed policies that ignore ground realities and endanger shared interests. When the United States and Israel work in close coordination, their combined strength is formidable. Joint intelligence, technological edge, and operational synergy amplify effectiveness far beyond what either could achieve alone. Israel's advice aligns inherently with U.S. interests: both nations face the same determined adversary. Most of all, the Islamic Republic of Iran fears this unity -- the regime knows that a tightly aligned U.S.-Israel front severely constrains its options and raises the costs of aggression.
The Islamic Republic, for all of its 47-year existence, has pursued the destruction of Israel and the United States as a core ideological goal, using proxies, terrorism, and the development of nuclear weapons to advance it. Israel, in turn, has proven its value as a partner through resilience and deep knowledge of the Iranian threat. It is the ally we can trust most in this theater — the one whose interests, capabilities and willingness converge perfectly with America's.
The U.S. must maintain the closest possible coordination with Israel, including it fully in all talks, operations and strategies regarding Iran. When America and Israel stand together, they can deter aggression, protect shared values, and safeguard democracy, peace and stability more effectively than any alternative approach. Iran knows this — and that is precisely why it seeks to divide them. In the best interests of the United States, its alliance with Israel must remain unbreakable.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22690/iran-fears-the-israel-factor
**Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a political scientist, Harvard-educated analyst, and board member of Harvard International Review. He has authored several books on the US foreign policy. He can be reached at dr.rafizadeh@post.harvard.edu
**Follow Majid Rafizadeh on X (formerly Twitter)
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.

How Iran and the Hormuz crisis pose a strategic test for NATO
Jonathan Gornall/Arab News/July 12/2026
LONDON: The main focus of the two-day NATO summit in Ankara this week was, overwhelmingly, the alliance’s renewed pledge of “unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” backed by additional military equipment and training.
There was also a renewal of the commitment made at the 2025 summit in The Hague, following sustained pressure from US President Donald Trump, that all members will invest 5 percent of their respective gross domestic product in defense by 2035.
The very large elephant in the room, however, was Iran — Turkiye’s eastern neighbor.
“I thought it was notable that the very short summit declaration included robust language on Iran,” said Luke Coffey, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, who was in Ankara for the summit.
The summit’s final communique, issued on Wednesday, stated that NATO “continues to respond and adapt to the strategic competition, pervasive instability, hybrid threats and recurrent shocks that define our broader security environment.
“Allies reiterate that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon and call on Iran to fully respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Not only did the statement emphasize that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon — something NATO has said before — “but it also added that freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz should be maintained as a priority,” Coffey said.
“This language from NATO is new.”
As if to remind delegates of the conflict unfolding on their host’s eastern border, the US and Iran traded missiles once again. The latest exchange followed Iranian attacks on three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. In response, the US struck more than 90 Iranian military targets, prompting Iran to launch missiles at Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.
At the summit on Wednesday, Trump declared the fragile ceasefire over before renewing criticism of NATO, complaining that its members “didn’t want to help us with the number one state sponsor of terror, that’s Iran.”
Individual members of the alliance have contributed in various ways.
On Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte acknowledged the “disappointment for the Americans when it comes to Iran,” but noted that “at the same time, we’ve seen up to 5,000 sorties from European (air) bases.”
Throughout the conflict, NATO air defense systems have also intercepted numerous Iranian missiles aimed at allies and members, including Turkiye.
But, Coffey said, while there are no signs NATO is likely to be drawn into direct action against Iran, “there are things NATO can do in the Middle East generally, and in the Gulf more specifically, because many of the challenges facing the Gulf and the broader region are also shared concerns for Europe. “At the top of the list is air defense. From the Gulf of Finland to the Gulf of Oman, European and Arab countries face an increasing air threat, especially from unmanned systems, often originating from Iran or involving Iranian-designed drones.
“This is where I think NATO, along with Ukraine, can work more closely with the Gulf states to improve defensive capabilities.

Are the US and Iran back to square one?
Con Coughlin/Arab News/July 11, 2026
For all the hard work invested in trying to negotiate a lasting peace settlement, the latest upsurge in violence between Iran and the US does not bode well for the survival of their 60-day ceasefire, implemented last month. A key factor in both the Trump administration and the Iranian regime agreeing to the truce was a profound sense of war weariness in the two camps. For different reasons, both want to see an end to the conflict, yet here it is, continuing.
US President Donald Trump’s decision to attack Tehran at the end of February appears to have been predicated on the basis that the war would be a relatively brief affair that would ultimately result in the collapse of the regime. The continuation of the conflict in July is, therefore, hugely inconvenient, not least economically, following a sharp rise in American energy prices. This could reflect negatively at the polls in the upcoming midterm elections. Trump’s failure to bring the conflict to a speedy conclusion has prompted many to question his ability to deal effectively with global security threats, including from within his own Republican Party.
For Iran, further conflict only increases pressure on a leadership that, having suffered militarily, now needs to rebuild the country’s devastated economy. There are signs that the war’s domestic political fallout has deepened divisions between the more pragmatic politicians in Tehran, who want to defuse tensions with the West, and hard-line supporters of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who are ideologically opposed to striking any deal.
There were pressing reasons why both sides agreed to a ceasefire, signing a 14-point memorandum of understanding setting out a framework for a permanent peace deal, but the arrangement was always going to face challenges, not least from the IRGC, which believes that by maintaining hostilities in the Gulf it is simply increasing the political pressure on Trump. The latest upsurge in military action, with Iran attacking Gulf states after the US conducted fresh strikes against IRGC targets, reflects the brittle nature of the original ceasefire deal.
At the NATO summit in Ankara this week, Trump said the ceasefire deal was “over.” Is it? Or is this just another round of the tit-for-tat exchanges that have taken place sporadically since the truce was originally implemented last month?
The ceasefire was always going to face challenges.
Judging by the extreme rhetoric from both sides, it is hard to imagine progress being made toward a permanent peace deal in the coming weeks, even though US envoys want to keep channels of communication open.
Trump has repeatedly said that he regards Iran’s nuclear program and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz as “red lines” for any deal, and that he will not sign anything that allows Tehran to continue its uranium enrichment, which experts believe is aimed at developing nuclear weapons. He also rejects Tehran’s claimed control of Hormuz and its plan to charge tolls for merchant shipping passing through one of the world’s busiest waterways, as does China.
Achieving these goals will not be easy. Iran’s hard-liners want to show their growing influence, having exploited nationwide events in recent days marking the funeral of the country’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They demonstrated their strength by organizing massive crowds of mourners, with the regime claiming as many as 20 million turned out. The events were marked by overt displays of anti-American, anti-Trump sentiment, with many calling for the US leader’s assassination, while condemning Iranian negotiators as traitors.
Whether this anti-Trump sentiment persists remains to be seen, but it has certainly had an impact on the US president, who denounced Iran’s leaders as “scum,” and insisted that he has little interest in maintaining a dialogue with Tehran. Yet with Iran attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the White House may have no alternative but to pursue some form of diplomatic dialogue with the regime.
Even if Trump were to launch a new full-scale military offensive against Iran, there are no guarantees that it would achieve the desired result in terms of forcing the ayatollahs to accept his peace deal. While the US and Israel are estimated to have destroyed around 80 percent of Iran’s military capability, the fact that the IRGC can still attack US military targets and neighboring Gulf states suggests the regime’s resilience should not be underestimated.
**Con Coughlin is one of Britain’s leading journalists and an international best-selling author. His previous posts include Executive Defense and Foreign Affairs Editor with London’s Daily Telegraph. He is a leading expert on global conflict, international security and the Middle East.
This column first appeared in Al-Majalla.

1,000 days after Oct. 7, Israelis still wait for answers
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/July 11, 2026
To mark 1,000 days since the horrific surprise attack on Israeli border communities near the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, many thousands of Israelis took to the streets in protest. Others visited the affected communities to pay their respects in silent vigils, carrying photographs of those killed as a reminder that the worst failure in the country’s history has a face, indeed many faces, of lives suddenly and cruelly cut short.
Common to these gatherings was a unified call for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry to investigate the failures of the government on the day of the Hamas attack, which left almost 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage in Gaza, as well as the conflicts on multiple fronts that followed. Yet the failure did not end on Oct. 7. More than 1,000 days later, it continues to haunt the country through a deep collective trauma and Israel’s prolonged involvement in fighting on seven fronts, with scarcely any respite. This has left little room for the country to reflect, draw lessons from what led to Oct. 7, assess what has happened since, and determine how to ensure such a catastrophe never happens again.
It needs little explanation why the current government, led by an aging, ailing, and increasingly authoritarian prime minister, who is also standing trial on corruption charges while repeatedly attempting to obstruct the judicial process, should long ago have left office. For Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s future has become secondary to the political survival of both his government and himself.
Nothing can diminish the responsibility of Hamas and the others who carried out the Oct. 7 massacre. Nevertheless, for Israel to recover from its collective trauma, it must also understand how Netanyahu and his government, without in any way excusing the brutality of that day, contributed to creating the conditions that made such an attack possible. Equally important is asking difficult questions about the morality and wisdom of Israel’s response.
The justified anger directed at the perpetrators of Oct. 7 gradually became, for many, a justification for the destruction of large parts of Gaza. About 75,000 people are estimated to have been killed there, roughly two-thirds of them noncombatants, many of them children, while the view that “there are no innocent people in Gaza” has become disturbingly widespread in parts of Israeli society. Responding to one war crime with another can never be morally justified. It has led only to moral bankruptcy, failed to defeat Hamas, and resulted in a degree of international isolation unprecedented in Israel’s history.
The grief, pain, and sadness of families who lost loved ones will never disappear. The suffering of those who were kidnapped and later returned from captivity may gradually ease with time, but it can never be erased. Their pain and anger are only compounded by the absence of accountability from those who failed to protect them on that terrible day. They, like the rest of Israeli society, deserve answers from those who were responsible for the country’s security.
Yet this government, and above all, Netanyahu, whose lack of moral compass has become more obvious than ever, refuses to accept responsibility. Instead, they blame everyone else: the security services, the opposition for allegedly weakening the military through its resistance to the government’s assault on Israel’s democratic institutions, and even promote baseless conspiracy theories suggesting that elements within the security establishment colluded with Hamas to allow the attack to happen.
Netanyahu has consistently blamed everyone but himself.
One thousand days later, the central conclusion remains straightforward. Regardless of what an independent state commission of inquiry, rather than the politically appointed body the government seeks, may ultimately conclude, it was the government of the day that failed its people, and it continues to fail them. Had its members possessed even a basic sense of public decency and integrity, they would long ago have resigned from political life, bowing their heads and asking the nation for forgiveness.
They owe this not only to the families of those murdered on Oct. 7, but also to the soldiers and civilians who have since lost their lives, to the destroyed communities, to those who endured captivity, to the reservists who have served hundreds of days away from their families, to the conscripts whose military service has been extended, and to every Israeli citizen.
Despite the nearly three years that have passed since Oct. 7, a profound sense of insecurity has become deeply entrenched throughout Israeli society. Its impact extends far beyond psychology; it has far-reaching political consequences. The most basic expectation citizens have of their government is that it will protect them from those who seek to murder or abduct them. On that fundamental test, Netanyahu, his government, and the security establishment failed in the worst possible way.
Yet, while the defense minister at the time, the heads of Israel’s security agencies, and numerous senior military commanders accepted responsibility and left their positions, Netanyahu has consistently blamed everyone but himself. What many Israelis want is a candid account of what happened, or at the very least one delivered under oath before an independent state commission of inquiry. It was, after all, Netanyahu’s policy of allowing large sums of money to flow into Hamas-controlled Gaza that helped strengthen the militant group’s rule and military capabilities, while Israel itself was catastrophically unprepared when those capabilities were ultimately turned against it.
The reckoning does not end there. One thousand days later, Israelis also deserve answers about why, despite repeated promises of “total victory,” no decisive strategic success has been achieved on any of the fronts on which Israel is fighting, even though severe damage has undoubtedly been inflicted on its enemies. Moreover, the extensive use of disproportionate force, the apparent disregard for civilian lives, and the destruction of communities and essential infrastructure in both Gaza and Lebanon have exposed an increasingly troubling side of Israel.
The government frequently argues that its public relations efforts have failed to explain or justify its policies at home and abroad. This fundamentally misunderstands the problem. The issue is not one of communication but of policy. A strategy centered on overwhelming military force, lacking a credible political or diplomatic exit strategy, and increasingly shaped by the demands of the most extreme elements within the governing coalition, is itself deeply flawed.
When leaders take their country to war, whether by choice or because war is forced on them, they have an obligation to provide a full account of their decisions and to accept responsibility when those decisions fail. One thousand long days later, the Israeli people are still waiting for that accountability. Judging by everything we have learned about Netanyahu and his political allies, the people may be waiting in vain, at least until the coming general election.
*Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. X: @YMekelberg

Selected Face Book & X tweets on 11 July