English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For July 21/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
 Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
Luke 11/37-41: "While he was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine with him; so he went in and took his place at the table.The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not first wash before dinner. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? So give for alms those things that are within; and see, everything will be clean for you."

Titles For Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on 20-21 July/2026
The Annual Commemoration of Saint Elijah the Living, the Zealous Prophet/Elias Bejjani/July 20/ 2026
Israeli army to pull out of southern Lebanon pilot zones Tuesday: Axios
US State Department: Pilot zone operations began in the villages of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar El Gharbiyeh
US says pilot zone operations in south Lebanon have begun
Aoun heads to Trump meeting with Hezbollah, sovereignty and economic recovery in focus
Aoun to reportedly discuss with Trump a proposal for addressing Hezbollah's arms
Israeli warplanes conduct mock raids over northern border, Akkar and Hermel
Saudi crown prince calls Aoun and voices support for Lebanon
Berri wants ceasefire and withdrawal, regardless of who brings them
Will Italy play a 'verification' role in south Lebanon?
Slotkin to LBCI: Lebanese army needs resources to confront Hezbollah, $36 million request submitted for special forces
Lebanon Pushes for Two Proposals: The Realities of the Discussion on the Experimental Zones/Munir Al-Rabi’/Al-Modon/July 21, 2026
The Party of Tunnel and Grave Diggers/Ahmed Al-Ayoubi/Nidaa Al-Watan/July 21, 2026
The ill-fated Syrian intervention: Let the position be decisive/Nabil Bou Moncef/An-Nahar/July 20, 2026

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on 20-21 July/2026
After deadly weekend for US troops, Trump vows revenge against Iran
Israel raises alert to highest level as Iranian missiles near strategic sites
US strikes hit civilian nuclear plant, kill one in northwest Iran
Rubio says US still open to Iran negotiations but 'it has to be real'
Iran calls on IAEA to condemn strikes on under-construction nuclear site
Iran minister set to visit Islamabad on Monday
Iran president says country in ‘full-scale war’ with US
Iran says diplomatic exchanges with US ongoing via mediators
Bahrain says Iran targeted air navigation systems, traffic unaffected
Hamas says Khalil al-Hayya elected as group's new chief
France slams 'act of intimidation' against two of its diplomats in Iran
Italy says Russia expelled Italian military attache 'without cause'
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis announce maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia
Al-Alimi says time has come to end Houthi takeover in Yemen
Trump dismisses NY mayor’s threat to arrest Netanyahu

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on 20-21 July/2026
President Aoun’s visit to the US and expectations/Colonel Charbel Barakat/July 20/2026
Iran's War on the Arabs: Time for the Gulf to Stand with Israel/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/July 20/2026
The Illusion of Representation in Syria’s New Parliament/Ahmad Sharawi/FDD/July 20/2026
Iran’s dangerous escalation and miscalculation in the Gulf/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al ARabiya English/July 20/2026
A Moderate Religious Character in the Syrian Army: Quran Memorization and Islamic Ethics/Mohammed Kassah/Al-Modon/July 21, 2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets on 20 July/2026

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on 20-21 July/2026
The Annual Commemoration of Saint Elijah the Living, the Zealous Prophet
Elias Bejjani/July 20/ 2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/07/156043/
Note: The information presented in this study has been compiled from numerous reputable ecclesiastical, theological, historical, and scholarly sources.
Introduction
Saint Elijah the Living is revered as one of the most extraordinary figures in Sacred Scripture and among the greatest prophets in the history of salvation. He stands as a towering witness to unwavering faith in the One True God during a period marked by widespread idolatry, spiritual corruption, and disregard for the divine commandments. The Church commemorates his feast annually on July 20, honoring his holy life, prophetic mission, apostolic zeal, and unique intimacy with God. Throughout the Christian East, particularly in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Jordan, Saint Elijah occupies a cherished place in the hearts of the faithful. Numerous churches, monasteries, shrines, and religious institutions bear his name, and believers continually seek his intercession, inspired by his steadfast faith and courageous witness to God's truth.
Saint Elijah in Sacred Scripture
Saint Elijah in the Old Testament
The Prophet Elijah appears primarily in the First and Second Books of Kings, where his life and ministry are recounted in remarkable detail. His first appearance occurs before King Ahab, when he boldly proclaims: “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). This dramatic declaration marked the beginning of a prolonged confrontation between the prophet and the political and religious authorities who had permitted and encouraged the worship of the pagan god Baal.
Sacred Scripture records numerous significant events in Elijah's life, including:
His stay by the Brook Cherith, where ravens miraculously brought him food.
His residence in the home of the widow of Zarephath.
The raising of the widow's son from death.
His celebrated confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.
His flight into the wilderness following Queen Jezebel's threats.
His encounter with God on Mount Horeb.
His calling of Elisha as his disciple and successor.
His ascension into heaven in a fiery chariot.
Saint Elijah in the New Testament
Although Saint Elijah lived approximately nine centuries before the birth of Christ, his presence and significance continue prominently in the New Testament. Our Lord Jesus Christ referred to him on several occasions, and Elijah appeared together with Moses during the Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor.
The Gospel records: “And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him” (Matthew 17:3). Christ also taught that Saint John the Baptist came “in the spirit and power of Elijah,” carrying forward the prophetic mission of calling humanity to repentance and reconciliation with God. Thus, Elijah serves as a vital bridge between the Old and New Covenants, representing the prophetic tradition that ultimately points toward the coming of the Messiah.
Who Was Saint Elijah?
Saint Elijah was one of the greatest prophets raised by God in the Old Testament. His Hebrew name, Eliyahu, means: “My God is the Lord.” This name perfectly summarizes his life's mission and message. Throughout his ministry, Elijah devoted himself entirely to defending the worship of the One True God at a time when many Israelites had abandoned the faith of their ancestors and embraced idolatry. Both Jewish and Christian traditions honor him as one of the greatest prophets. The Church has long referred to him as “the Zealous Prophet” because of his passionate devotion to God's glory and his unwavering commitment to divine truth.
Where Did Saint Elijah Live?
The Prophet Elijah lived during the ninth century before Christ in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. According to biblical tradition, he originated from the region of Gilead, east of the Jordan River. Throughout his prophetic ministry, he traveled extensively through various regions, including: Gilead, The Brook Cherith,
Zarephath of Sidon, Samaria Mount, Carmel Mount, Horeb (Sinai), The Jordan Valley
These journeys were intimately connected with his prophetic mission and the various stages of his struggle to call God's people back to repentance and fidelity.
The Historical Context of Elijah's Ministry
Saint Elijah lived during the reign of King Ahab and his wife Queen Jezebel. While Ahab was politically powerful, he tolerated and facilitated the spread of Baal worship throughout Israel. Jezebel, a Phoenician princess by birth, actively promoted pagan religion, sponsored the construction of pagan temples, and persecuted the prophets of the Lord. Into this atmosphere of spiritual confusion and religious corruption, God sent Elijah to restore authentic faith among His people. Standing almost entirely alone against kings, priests, and pagan authorities, Elijah relied solely upon God's power and providence.
The Miracles of Saint Elijah
The life of Elijah is associated with numerous miracles through which God manifested His divine power.
1. Fed by Ravens in the Wilderness/When drought struck the land according to God's judgment, Elijah was instructed to hide by the Brook Cherith. There, ravens miraculously brought him bread and meat every morning and evening, demonstrating God's providential care for His faithful servant.
2. The Widow's Flour and Oil/ God directed Elijah to a poor widow in Zarephath of Sidon. She possessed only a small amount of flour and oil, sufficient for one final meal for herself and her son. Elijah assured her that the flour and oil would not be exhausted. Miraculously, the jar remained full throughout the famine.
3. Raising the Widow's Son/When the widow's son became ill and died, Elijah carried the child and prayed fervently to God. The Lord answered his prayer and restored the boy to life. This event is widely regarded as the first recorded resurrection miracle in the Bible.
4. Calling Down Fire from Heaven/ This is perhaps the most celebrated miracle in Elijah's life. Gathering the people on Mount Carmel, Elijah challenged them to choose between the Lord and Baal. After preparing an altar and drenching the sacrifice with water, he prayed: “Answer me, O Lord, answer me.”
Immediately, fire descended from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and even the water. The people fell to the ground and cried out: “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”
5. The Return of Rain/ Following three and a half years of drought, Elijah prayed earnestly for rain. God answered his prayer, and abundant rain fell upon the land, restoring life and fertility.
6. Parting the Waters of the Jordan/ Shortly before his departure from this world, Elijah struck the waters of the Jordan River with his mantle. The waters parted, allowing him and Elisha to cross on dry ground.
The Great Spiritual Battle Against Baal Worship
Many people wonder about the “war” fought by Saint Elijah. In reality, Elijah did not lead a conventional military campaign. Rather, he waged a profound spiritual battle against idolatry and false worship. This confrontation reached its climax on Mount Carmel. Present there were: King Ahab, The people of Israel
Four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal Elijah standing alone. Elijah proposed that each side offer a sacrifice without lighting a fire beneath it. The true God would reveal Himself by answering with fire. The prophets of Baal prayed throughout the day without receiving any response.
Elijah then offered a simple prayer filled with faith. God answered immediately by sending fire from heaven, revealing the truth before all the people. Thus, the worship of the Lord triumphed over idolatry, and many returned to faith in the God of Israel.
The Ascension of Saint Elijah into Heaven
Among the most extraordinary events recorded in Sacred Scripture is Elijah's ascent into heaven. After completing his earthly mission, Elijah was walking with his disciple Elisha near the Jordan River when a remarkable event occurred. Scripture recounts: “And behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11). Elisha witnessed the majestic scene and cried out: “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!”From that moment onward, Christian tradition has honored him as “Saint Elijah the Living,” because he did not experience earthly death in the ordinary manner of humanity.
Saint Elijah in Christian Tradition
Saint Elijah enjoys profound veneration in both Eastern and Western Christian traditions. Believers regard him as a model of: Steadfast faith, Fervent prayer, Courage in proclaiming truth, Absolute trust in God, Zeal for holiness. For this reason, Christian iconography frequently portrays him holding a sword, standing upon a mountain, or ascending into heaven in a fiery chariot.
Churches and Monasteries Dedicated to Saint Elijah in Lebanon
Saint Elijah is among the most beloved saints in Lebanon. Numerous churches, monasteries, and shrines bear his name, including those located in: Antelias, Shwayya, Ehden, Kfardebian, Beit Shabab, Bsharri, Al-Qoubaiyat, Zahle, Ain Toura, Sarba, Touq, Jeb Jennine, Among the best-known monasteries are:
Monastery of Saint Elijah Shlita ,Monastery of Saint Elijah Touq. In addition, dozens of churches and devotional shrines dedicated to Saint Elijah are found throughout Lebanon.
Conclusion
Saint Elijah the Living remains one of the greatest witnesses to faith in sacred history. Standing alone against idolatry and spiritual corruption, he courageously defended divine truth and demonstrated that authentic strength comes neither from political power nor numerical superiority, but from complete trust in God.
His life continues to inspire Christians today to persevere in faith, remain faithful to truth, and refuse compromise in matters of conscience and belief, regardless of the challenges they may face.
A Prayer for Lebanon Through the Intercession of Saint Elijah
O Saint Elijah, Zealous Prophet of the Most High God, who loved the Lord with all your heart and courageously defended His glory, we humbly ask for your intercession on behalf of Lebanon. Protect this beloved nation from every evil. Preserve it from war, division, conflict, and despair. Bless its mountains, valleys, cities, towns, and villages, and watch over its people both at home and throughout the diaspora. Grant wisdom, integrity, and justice to those entrusted with public responsibility. Strengthen the young in faith, hope, and love. Bless families with peace, unity, and mutual understanding.
May Lebanon remain a land of holiness, witness, freedom, and Christian mission. May its people enjoy security, prosperity, and enduring peace. Through your powerful intercession, O Saint Elijah the Living, hear our prayers, O Lord, and bless our nation. Amen.
Elias Bejjani
Lebanese Diaspora Activist and Political Commentator
Website: https://eliasbejjaninews.com
Email: phoenicia@hotmail.com

Israeli army to pull out of southern Lebanon pilot zones Tuesday: Axios
LBCI/July 20/2026
The Israeli army’s withdrawal from the pilot zones in southern Lebanon will take place on Tuesday, Axios reported Monday.

US State Department: Pilot zone operations began in the villages of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar El Gharbiyeh
LBCI/July 20/2026
The U.S. State Department said on Monday that pilot zone operations began in the villages of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar El Gharbiyeh in accordance with the Trilateral Framework and under the auspices of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon. In a statement, the State Department said, "This milestone is a direct outcome of last week's discussions between Israel and Lebanon in Rome. The United States will continue working closely with both parties to implement the Framework to a successful conclusion."

US says pilot zone operations in south Lebanon have begun
Naharnet/July 20/2026
The United States on Monday announced the launch of the “pilot zone” process in south Lebanon. “Today, pilot zone operations began in the villages of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar Al-Gharbiya in accordance with the Trilateral Framework and under the auspices of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement. “This milestone is a direct outcome of last week’s discussions between Israel and Lebanon in Rome. The United States will continue working closely with both parties to implement the Framework to a successful conclusion,” the statement added. The announcement coincides with a visit to Washington by President Joseph Aoun, who is scheduled to meet with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump on Tuesday. Pilot zones are areas from which Israel is supposed to withdraw its forces to be replaced by the Lebanese Army. However, some of the announced villages are not occupied while others are under Israeli gunfire.

Aoun heads to Trump meeting with Hezbollah, sovereignty and economic recovery in focus
Al Arabiya English/20 July ,2026
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun enters a pivotal week in Washington after receiving a strong public endorsement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who framed Lebanon’s future as dependent on strengthening the state, disarming Hezbollah and restoring the government’s monopoly over the use of force. Following their meeting on Sunday, Rubio described the talks as “very positive,” saying the best outcome for Lebanon would be “to have a government, a legitimate government, his government, that controls the country.” “The biggest problem Lebanon has is that you have a political movement that also has an armed militia that is not just well armed and trained and equipped and financed by Iran, but they use that to conduct terrorism,” Rubio said, referring to Hezbollah. He argued that defeating Hezbollah does not simply mean military confrontation, but replacing its role with stronger state institutions. “You defeat and replace them with a government that is strong enough to be the sole force of arms in the country, basically with the security of Lebanon in the hands of the Lebanese Armed Forces, and a government that’s able to provide prosperity for its citizens,” Rubio said. In a separate readout of the meeting, State Department Spokesman Tommy Pigott said Rubio commended “the courage of the Government of Lebanon, under President Aoun’s leadership, for their determined effort to reclaim Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and move towards peace.”According to the statement, Rubio also reaffirmed US support for implementing the Trilateral Framework with Israel. Rubio’s public comments also suggest Washington’s vision extends beyond security. He said discussions included attracting greater US and international investment into Lebanon, as well as beginning a process that could eventually restore direct commercial flights between the United States and Lebanon, a symbolic and practical step that has long been viewed as dependent on improved security conditions. On Monday, Aoun is scheduled to meet members of Congress, policy experts and business leaders before what is expected to be the most consequential meeting of his visit: talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday. The meeting would mark the first bilateral White House meeting between a US president and a Lebanese president since 2009.
Ed Gabriel, former US ambassador to Morocco and president of the Washington-based American Task Force on Lebanon, believes the White House meeting should focus on translating political support into concrete steps on the ground. Gabriel said the most important issue to raise with the US president concerned Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.“The Israelis must demonstrate goodwill by withdrawing from key pilot zones. Israeli withdrawal followed by the return of citizens to the south will strengthen President Aoun’s hand with Hezbollah to cooperate and demonstrate that the framework is working,” Gabriel told Al Arabiya English. He added that Lebanon also needs stronger international oversight of the ceasefire framework. “Aoun needs to impress on President Trump the need for an empowered enforcement mechanism to ensure that both parties are carrying out the terms of the framework,” he said. Gabriel also argued that any effort to weaken Hezbollah’s influence must go well beyond military measures. “President Aoun must also impress on President Trump that disarmament of Hezbollah will require a whole of government approach,” he said. This includes governance reforms that strengthen financial oversight, judicial independence and reconstruction support for citizens of the south. “It will also require serious support for the LAF,” Gabriel said.
Syrian intervention
Trump has repeatedly suggested that Syria, headed by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, could do a much better job against Hezbollah than Israel has been able to do. Trump has cited irrational Israeli attacks to go after what it has said are high-value targets. During his meeting with Rubio on Sunday, Aoun voiced his opposition to any Syrian military intervention in Lebanon, according to US Ambassador to Beirut Michel Issa. “We (the US) are sure that Syrian intervention in Lebanon makes no sense,” Issa told a local Lebanese outlet, adding that Rubio agreed with Aoun that he opposes such a move.
Whether Tuesday’s meeting produces tangible commitments remains to be seen. But Rubio’s remarks and the State Department’s explicit endorsement of Aoun suggest the Trump administration increasingly views Lebanon’s president as its primary partner for advancing state authority, implementing the ceasefire framework and reducing Hezbollah’s influence through a combination of security assistance, governance reforms and economic recovery.

Aoun to reportedly discuss with Trump a proposal for addressing Hezbollah's arms
Naharnet/July 20/2026
Talks between President Joseph Aoun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio covered several topics, most notably the implementation of the framework agreement with Israel, providing full support to the Lebanese Army, and addressing the Lebanese government's program regarding investments, reconstruction, and the conferences required for this purpose, informed sources said. The discussions also touched upon the possibility of U.S. investment in the energy, transportation, and telecommunications sectors, among others, and the organization of joint conferences in these fields, the sources told al-Liwaa newspaper in remarks published. The sources added that relations between Lebanon and Syria were on the meeting's agenda, specifically regarding coordination based on the principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs.According to the sources, Aoun called for Israeli steps to implement the framework agreement. Rubio also told Aoun that a Syrian military intervention in Lebanon against Hezbollah is not on the table, the sources added.Reports circulating in Washington meanwhile said that Aoun will present U.S. President Donald Trump during their meeting on Tuesday with “a proposal for addressing Hezbollah's weapons.”

Israeli warplanes conduct mock raids over northern border, Akkar and Hermel
Naharnet/July 20/2026
Israeli warplanes conducted mock raids Monday over Lebanon's northern border, Akkar's heights and al-Hermel. In the south of the country, drones dropped stun bombs on al-Mansouri and Marjaayoun, and Israeli forces carried out a massive explosion in the town of Kfartebnit.

Saudi crown prince calls Aoun and voices support for Lebanon
Naharnet/July 20/2026
President Joseph Aoun received a phone call from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Presidency said, during a visit by the president to the United States. The call tackled “recent developments on both the Lebanese and regional levels” and the Crown Prince “affirmed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's support for Lebanon, particularly during this critical time, and for the choices made by President Aoun to safeguard Lebanon's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity,” the Presidency said in a statement. Bin Salman also reiterated Saudi Arabia's “commitment to providing assistance in all areas needed by Lebanon, in accordance with the priorities identified by the Lebanese government.” He also extended an invitation to Aoun to visit the kingdom to discuss “all matters of mutual interest,” as Aoun thanked the Crown Prince for his “supportive stances towards Lebanon and the measures taken to assist the country and strengthen its economy,” expressing gratitude for the invitation and promising to visit the kingdom.

Berri wants ceasefire and withdrawal, regardless of who brings them
Naharnet/July 20/2026
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri hopes a meeting set for Tuesday between President Joseph Aoun and U.S. President Donald Trump will yield positive results. Berri told local news platform al-Afdal, in remarks published Monday, that he only cares about reaching a real solution, regardless of where that solution comes from. Hezbollah and Amal had criticized a framework agreement reached in Israeli-Lebanese direct talks, but Berri told al-Afdal News that what matters is liberating Lebanon and securing its rights.Berri revealed that Aoun had called him shortly before departing for Washington to brief him on the visit and consult with him. He urged him to insist on consolidating the ceasefire and ensuring a full Israeli withdrawal from the occupied southern territories.

Will Italy play a 'verification' role in south Lebanon?
Naharnet/July 20/2026
Contacts are underway between the United States and several European countries to strengthen the verification mechanism for implementing the pilot zone arrangements in southern Lebanon, a diplomatic source said. The source explained to al-Joumhouria newspaper that Italy has expressed its readiness to contribute to this effort in coordination with Washington, while Lebanon has no objection to the participation of any European country in this mechanism. The source added that the recent deployment of the Lebanese Army in the town of Froun was in implementation of an operational plan prepared by the military establishment. The source explained that the next phase will involve completing searches of private properties in full coordination with the Lebanese judiciary.

Slotkin to LBCI: Lebanese army needs resources to confront Hezbollah, $36 million request submitted for special forces
LBCI/July 20/2026
U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin said efforts are underway to provide the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) with additional support, including a $36 million funding request aimed at strengthening the army’s special forces. Speaking about U.S. policy toward Lebanon in remarks to LBCI, Slotkin said the Lebanese army cannot be expected to take on powerful armed groups such as Hezbollah without being “properly armed and prepared.”“If you want the Lebanese Armed Forces to take on Hezbollah, they need to be properly armed,” Slotkin said, adding that the funding request was part of broader efforts to strengthen Lebanon’s state institutions. The senator stressed that these measures come within the framework of reaching a successful negotiation process that would eventually lead to the withdrawal and pullback of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. Slotkin noted that Hezbollah remains a powerful group with significant support inside Lebanon, adding that the Lebanese community in Michigan closely follows developments in the country. “They're watching the destruction of their homes in southern Lebanon,” she said, emphasizing the strong interest among Lebanese Americans in reaching a resolution. Slotkin reiterated that the Lebanese Armed Forces should be the country’s primary military authority, saying the army must have the necessary capabilities to assume that role.

Lebanon Pushes for Two Proposals: The Realities of the Discussion on the Experimental Zones
Munir Al-Rabi’/Al-Modon/July 21, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
Coinciding with President Joseph Aoun’s presence in the United States, and prior to his meeting with US President Donald Trump scheduled for today, the implementation of the experimental zones began in southern Lebanon, specifically in Frun, Zawtar al-Gharbiyah, and Srifa. This is in accordance with what was agreed upon during the sixth round of negotiations in Rome. It is necessary to recount the story of these experimental zones, especially after all the ambiguities that have accompanied this issue, particularly following the talk about the necessity of starting the experimental zones in lands and towns occupied by Israel, from which Israel would then withdraw, allowing the Lebanese army to enter. This was Lebanon’s demand, in contrast to an Israeli demand based on the idea of ​​focusing the Lebanese army’s operations north of the Litani River to disarm Hezbollah. Israel, on the grounds that it is the one operating south of the Litani, does not want the Lebanese army to disarm the areas it has entered as long as its military forces are present and capable of dismantling Hezbollah’s weapons and military infrastructure. On Both Banks
Here, a proposal was reached following the Washington negotiations, based on the principle of the Lebanese army operating south and north of the Litani River, with the pilot areas located on both the northern and southern banks. It appears that the fundamental condition set by the Americans and Israelis is that the Lebanese state, and especially the army, demonstrate the will and capability to disarm Hezbollah. This means that the primary focus is on disarming the party and dismantling its military infrastructure, and the Israeli withdrawal will be contingent upon these results. A key part of the details discussed at the political and military levels concerns the implementation mechanism that Lebanon will employ to disarm Hezbollah and prevent it from rebuilding its capabilities.
Cooper's Intervention
On the first day of the Rome negotiations, the Israelis sat at the table presenting conditions that went so far as to consider all residential buildings in the towns included in the pilot areas as having a military character, which is both impossible and unreasonable. The Israelis insisted on the army entering and inspecting all these buildings, a demand that Lebanon rejected. Meanwhile, the Lebanese army had begun moving its forces towards these towns and was preparing to deploy there, considering them all free of occupation, except for the southeastern part of the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya. Upon receiving reports that the Lebanese army had entered Frun, Ghandouriya, Qalawiya, and Burj Qalawiya, the Israeli ambassador, Leiter, became angry and demanded that the Lebanese delegation halt the deployment. However, the Lebanese side asked the Americans to intervene, otherwise the agreement would fail. At that point, the commander of the US Central Command, Brad Cooper, intervened, making a call and pressuring the Israelis to accept the deployment and not object.
40 Percent
Negotiations continued to address some technical aspects related to the deployment process. The army was supposed to begin its deployment in the town of Frun, inspecting the sites and confiscating weapons. The Israelis then demanded a 100% search of homes, private properties, and buildings, a demand that Lebanon objected to. Ultimately, an agreement was reached to search 40% of the buildings, and this would only be done with a judicial warrant, especially concerning private properties, and would be coordinated with the municipalities. This means that the mayor, a member of the municipal council, or the town's mukhtar (headman) must be present.
Two proposals:
In this context, President Joseph Aoun is banking on convincing US President Donald Trump to pressure Israel to withdraw from some of the Lebanese towns it occupies, so that the army can enter them, disarm them, and take full control. There are two proposals in this regard. The first concerns the towns of Arnoun, Yahmar, Beaufort Castle, and Kfar Tebnit. The second proposal relates to a withdrawal from the area between Bayada and Naqoura in the western sector, allowing the army to enter and take full control, amidst doubts about Israeli intentions.

The Party of Tunnel and Grave Diggers
Ahmed Al-Ayoubi/Nidaa Al-Watan/July 21, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
The Iranian axis has become addicted to digging tunnels and graves in the duality of terrorism and death it has spread throughout the region. It has invested billions of dollars in creating networks of tunnels that resemble its esoteric ideology, which has stored this legacy of accumulated hatred and contained planning rooms for spreading murder and targeting all who disagree with it and everything that differs from it. This axis believes itself to be the center of the universe and that it possesses divine authority that empowers it to exterminate millions of people for the sake of the doctrine of summoning the Mahdi, who has been absent in the cellar for more than a thousand years, while the people suffer all forms of oppression, violence, and impoverishment. A Lebanese report reveals that Hezbollah has invested between one and three billion dollars in its underground network over the past two decades, and the cost of a single tunnel, one kilometer long, can reach five million dollars (two or three tunnels were dug for each village, distributed across sixty villages). The tunnels of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and parts of the Bekaa Valley contain extensive and well-fortified systems, including wells, storage facilities, combat infrastructure, and networks for electricity, ventilation, sewage, water, and other necessities, all located beneath every Shiite village in Lebanon. One can only imagine what this enormous sum of money could have done for the Shiites in southern Lebanon. With it, all damaged housing units could have been fully rehabilitated, factories and businesses built to employ tens of thousands could have been constructed, infrastructure repaired and revitalized, solar energy projects implemented to address electricity shortages, water networks established, and much more could have been built. Beyond the funds that could have met the community's needs, there is another aspect to this issue. While Hezbollah fighters take refuge in these protected tunnels, the residents of southern Lebanon are subjected to Israeli attacks, resulting in the deaths and injuries of thousands in the south and the Bekaa Valley. Hezbollah left them exposed, without shelter or protection, and they fell without this posing any problem for the party in continuing to carry out the orders of its patron in Tehran. For them, human beings are just numbers; what matters is the survival of Hezbollah and the Revolutionary Guard. The Iranian party militarized Shiite society, transforming its supporters into a blind mass that sees only what Hezbollah allows them to see, and established its roots in tunnels and operations rooms shrouded in secrecy. It considered its tunnels a significant advantage in war, as they provided hiding places for its Revolutionary Guard commanders and their militia followers in Lebanon and the region. The Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah planted tunnels under every house and facility in the south, which explains the Israeli occupation army's insistence on searching private properties, after evidence proved that they contained tunnels of varying sizes. But the advantage the tunnels provided ended and turned into a curse, burying the tunnel diggers, trapping them, and turning them into hostages, after they lost the land, both in terms of people and territory. This is precisely what is happening in the south, where most tunnels have become cages and prisons for Hezbollah fighters and their allies. This is evidenced by the siege faced by the besieged Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah commanders at the foot of Ali al-Taher Hill, which houses the most important military facility in the south, though it is practically considered militarily and strategically untenable. Those trapped inside have no option but surrender or death; it is only a matter of time. The Israeli occupation, now the dominant occupying force, will allow nothing less than the complete destruction of the Imad 4 facility, as it has done in other areas of the south. The era of tunnels in the region is over. Just as the tunnels of the SDF, which rivaled Iran's in sophistication and resilience, have fallen, so too will the tunnels of the axis of evil, whose criminality has reached its peak, fall. People no longer care who eliminates it, and this serves Israel's greatest interests.

The ill-fated Syrian intervention: Let the position be decisive
Nabil Bou Moncef/An-Nahar/July 20, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/07/156096/
It is not known about US President Donald Trump, among his qualities that are too numerous to list in a hurry, his passion for the history of the countries whose accession he is now celebrating or for consolidating, enhancing and strengthening the bonds of their alliances with the United States of America. We do not believe that his first reception of President Joseph Aoun, who comes from a country beset by other people’s wars on its soil, will accommodate extended and reinforced historical narratives in the face of the urgency of the priorities of the present in Lebanon, America, and the Middle East. However, it is unwise to ignore the possibility of the meeting that has been expected from the Lebanese president since his election, without raising a topic that is not marginal at all and is supposed to go into some depth, which is the astonishing insistence of the American president on inciting the transitional president in Syria, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, to intervene, “good” or other forms of intervention, in Lebanon. This is because the official Lebanese reliance on the mediation, sponsorship, and weight of the current American administration, in the negotiating option made by the Lebanese government, even if it is considered the most important, bravest, and most strategic option of all that it has made, does not, on the other hand, replace frankness with a realistic and strategic background for this administration that is no less bold in the Lebanon and Syria file. Specifically, what is meant here is not only to raise one’s voice in all frankness with an “eternal” rejection of any implicit or direct course of restoring Syrian military, security, or political intervention in Lebanon, and this is a conclusion that does not require going into its obviousness, but more, that is, an explicit and transparent focus on rejecting American restorations in the narrative of Lebanon’s “binding” to Syria. There is no harm, in fact, there is a need for more than a passing pause at one of the “key” factors for Lebanon’s disasters at the beginning of the war that was collusively called a civil war in the 1970s, and it was not like that until later because it began as Lebanese-Palestinian and then rotted due to transgressions and became a deadly, interactive mixture between foreign and civil wars. At that time, Lebanon also collapsed due to the American surrender to Hafez al-Assad to intervene after his approval intersected with Israel’s approval to organize the red lines in dividing Lebanon under the auspices of Henry Kissinger. This was only the beginning, as eras followed eras in Lebanon and states after presidential states in America, and the American position rose and fell according to the circumstances of American interests with the regimes of the region and Israel, while Lebanon was crushed to pieces amid wars and the destruction of authority and security. The American intervention after the Israeli invasion in 1982 constituted the best lever for the legitimate state during the era of President Amin Gemayel, leading to the agreement of May 17, 1983, with an internal push to support the covenant, which was translated into heavy military support for the Lebanese army, albeit at a heavy cost compared to the state’s situation at the time, into other aspects of support.
Whatever is said about the reasons for dropping that agreement, it does not obscure the reality of the Lebanese-American alliance, which had many similarities with the current era. But, also for history, America has long turned its back on what George Schultz once called “the swamp” or “karantina.” The turn of the back occurred with great seriousness after the “dawn” of bloody Iranian terrorism that struck the American embassy and then the French marines and paratroopers and permitted the kidnapping of foreigners. The most dangerous obligation was to leave the guardianship of the Assad regime in partnership with the mullahs’ regime until the “explosion” of the year 2005. It is not a historical hobby to recall such grave facts in order to stop insulting Lebanon forever..

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on 20-21 July/2026
After deadly weekend for US troops, Trump vows revenge against Iran
Reuters/20 July ,2026
President Donald Trump on Monday said Iran would “pay” for killing US soldiers after multiple service members were killed over the weekend as part of the United States’ war against Iran. The number of US troops killed in the war on Iran rose to 17 over the weekend, with the remains of an additional service member being examined. Two of the personnel were confirmed to have been killed when Iran attacked US personnel in Jordan. “Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine.”The weekend was one of the deadliest ones for US troops since the war started in February. In March, six US troops were killed when an Iranian drone slammed into a US military facility in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait. Roughly 430 US troops have been injured in the conflict so far. The White House said Trump would attend the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for the service members killed. It is unclear what specific “directive” Trump passed to the Pentagon. But a US official told Reuters that prior to the deadly attack in Jordan, the United States had already started moving additional military aircraft, including fighter jets and refueling tankers, to the Middle East. In the past week, Trump has threatened to expand the targets being struck in Iran to include energy plants and bridges, sending ground forces to seize Iran’s Kharg Island oil hub and bombing a deep-underground nuclear-linked site known as Pickaxe Mountain. Sources have told Reuters that recent waves of US strikes on Iran aimed at forcing open the Strait of Hormuz are also targeting Iranian military capabilities the US would want to destroy before executing more complex operations against Iran. The war, including its monetary cost, is set to dominate a congressional hearing on Tuesday with Hegseth and Caine.

Israel raises alert to highest level as Iranian missiles near strategic sites
LBCI/July 20/2026
As Iranian missiles reached the Jordanian city of Aqaba, near strategic and sensitive Israeli sites, Israel raised its alert level to its highest state of readiness amid concerns over possible Iranian strikes. The developments came as Knesset Deputy Speaker Nissim Vaturi said Israel had entered a phase of anticipating a difficult confrontation extending from Iran to Lebanon.The heightened preparations are not limited to responding to a potential attack, but also include the possibility of participating in any new strike the United States may launch.Such a strike is expected to be discussed during a security meeting scheduled for Monday evening, coinciding with the Israeli security establishment's assessment that the likelihood of escalation with Tehran has increased, despite reports suggesting U.S.-Iran negotiations could resume.Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who has continued reviewing the readiness of military units on the Lebanese and Syrian fronts, expanded his inspections to the West Bank and said the military was prepared to respond immediately to the most dangerous scenarios involving Iran. On the ground, the Israeli military has redeployed air defense systems across the country as marathon security assessments continue. The meetings, attended by military and intelligence officials along with a limited number of ministers at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are intended to examine the range of possible decisions.

US strikes hit civilian nuclear plant, kill one in northwest Iran
Associated Press/July 20/2026
The U.S. military’s Central Command announced a new round of strikes early Monday, now into their ninth straight night. Central Command said it targeted “Iranian military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and communications networks.”Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported that the American strikes killed at least one person around Tabriz, a northwestern city about 520 kilometers from the capital, Tehran. Tabriz is believed to host underground missile bases run by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. U.S. strikes likely also hit Iran's southern port city of Bushehr, home to the country's only civilian nuclear plant, Bandar Imam Khomeini in Khuzestan province, Sirik and Jask in Hormozgan province and Konarak and Chahbahar in Sistan and Baluchistan province, IRNA reported.
As the strikes began, a vessel caught fire early Monday in the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by a projectile near the coastline of Oman, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. The crew abandoned the vessel, which was adrift and still ablaze hours later, the UKMTO said. The route around Oman has been the one the U.S. military has encouraged ships to travel to avoid Iran’s control. The Guard later claimed it was targeting tankers in the strait. Tehran has retaliated by hitting U.S.-allied countries throughout the Middle East. Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens Monday morning, while Kuwait said its air defense were firing at an incoming Iranian barrage.

Rubio says US still open to Iran negotiations but 'it has to be real'
Associated Press/July 20/2026
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to target Iran’s power stations and bridges to try to compel Tehran to loosen its hold on the Strait of Hormuz, which saw one-fifth of traded global oil supplies transit before the war. Recent attacks suggest the U.S. military is carrying out that plan.
The U.S. in the past week reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports to halt its shipments of crude oil. The military on Saturday said it had redirected six ships and disabled one since then. The halfway point has passed in the 60 days the deal set out to negotiate the permanent end of the war and other issues, including Iran’s nuclear program. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the U.S. is still open to negotiating with Iran but that “it has to be real.”“We’re going to continue to respond. If the door opens to diplomacy — if the guys that want to do something productive for Iran win and take control of that system, or take control of the negotiations — that’ll be a very positive development,” Rubio said. “That’s not where we are tonight, unfortunately.”Mohammad Javad Zarif, a former Iranian foreign minister who helped elect the country's reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, acknowledged in an essay published Monday by Foreign Policy that “the deal could never survive such dissonance” over the Strait of Hormuz. “As the current conflict makes clear, Washington cannot eliminate the Iranian government,” Zarif wrote. “Only diplomacy, a new peace agreement, and a new security framework produced by regional states and for regional states will allow the United States to turn its attention elsewhere.”However, Zarif did warn the country's theocracy that “if Iran repeatedly threatens maritime traffic, it could turn much of the world against it.”Iranian authorities on Sunday said at least 50 people have been killed and 517 wounded in the latest rounds of U.S. strikes. Since the war began on Feb. 28, 17 U.S. service members have been killed.

Iran calls on IAEA to condemn strikes on under-construction nuclear site
Agence France Presse/July 20/2026
Iran urged the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Monday to condemn U.S. strikes that it said targeted the Darkhovin nuclear power plant under construction in the country's southwest. "Iran... expects the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Board of Governors and the Director General of the IAEA, who from time to time makes political statements regarding the Iranian nuclear issue, to clearly state their position on this matter in condemning the U.S. crime," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said at a press conference in Tehran attended by AFP.

Iran minister set to visit Islamabad on Monday
Agence France Presse/July 20/2026
Iran's Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni is set to travel to mediator Pakistan's capital on Monday, a Pakistani interior ministry source said. The source confirmed to AFP that the minister would have talks with Pakistani officials but did not elaborate on whether it was linked to Pakistan's long-running mediation efforts to end fighting between the United States and Iran. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said Monday "We have been informed by mediators, we have received messages -- without going into details -- but the main point is that the diplomatic apparatus has been active in recent days and ideas have been conveyed to us by certain mediators."

Iran president says country in ‘full-scale war’ with US
AFP, Tehran/20 July ,2026
Iran is fighting a “full-scale war” with the United States, its president said Monday, as Washington expanded its strikes across the Islamic Republic including a city hosting a nuclear power plant. Iran kept up its own attacks across the region in response, with its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announcing they had hit targets in Bahrain, Jordan and Syria, while Bahrain said Tehran had targeted its air navigation systems. “The reality is that today the Islamic Republic of Iran is engaged in a full-scale war,” said President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to a presidency statement. He added that “we must be realistic and accept the natural consequences of this resistance.”His comments came after state media and local authorities reported US strikes on Monday in the north and center of the country, further than areas near the blockaded Strait of Hormuz waterway through which a fifth of world oil supplies transited prior to the war. The Middle East war resumed after a weeks-long lull prompted by an agreement signed in June, and oil prices surged to a one-month high as the foes battled to control the vital Strait of Hormuz. As its truce with the US collapsed, Tehran reimposed its blockade of the waterway, while Washington hit back by again blockading Iran’s ports. All of the Iranian provinces hit on Monday host military bases and air defense systems. In Bushehr, home to the country’s only operational civilian nuclear power plant, governor Mohammad Mozaffari told state news agency IRNA: “A few minutes ago, several locations in Bushehr city were hit by American enemy’s projectiles.” In East Azerbaijan province in the north, the head of the local crisis management unit Majid Farshi told IRNA that “one person was martyred and several others injured” in an attack there. Despite the latest attacks, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said diplomatic exchanges with the United States via mediators were ongoing.“Ideas have been conveyed to us by certain mediators,” he told a press conference in Tehran attended by AFP.

Iran says diplomatic exchanges with US ongoing via mediators
Agence France Presse/July 20/2026
Iran said on Monday that diplomatic exchanges with the United States via mediators were ongoing despite U.S. military strikes on the country. "We have been informed by mediators, we have received messages -- without going into details -- but the main point is that the diplomatic apparatus has been active in recent days and ideas have been conveyed to us by certain mediators," said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei at a press conference in Tehran attended by AFP. Baghaei said that Iran would not allow the vital Strait of Hormuz to be used by its foes to threaten the country's security. "We must not allow this waterway to be misused again to threaten Iran's security and national interests."He added that the country was "determined to take the necessary measures" to safeguard its sovereignty. A Pakistani interior ministry source meanwhile said that Iran's Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni is set to travel to mediator Pakistan's capital on Monday.The source confirmed to AFP that the minister would have talks with Pakistani officials but did not elaborate on whether it was linked to Pakistan's long-running mediation efforts to end fighting between the United States and Iran.

Bahrain says Iran targeted air navigation systems, traffic unaffected
Al Arabiya English/20 July ,2026
Bahrain’s civil aviation body said that Iran had targeted its air navigation systems with drones on Monday, though traffic remained unaffected. “As a result of a hostile Iranian act of aggression against the Kingdom of Bahrain, civil air navigation systems serving the Bahrain Flight Information Region were targeted by hostile drones. However, air navigation operations remained unaffected,” it said in a statement, adding that “flights and air traffic” were proceeding normally. The US has attacked Iran, which has responded with strikes on the Gulf and other Arab countries. A shaky US-Iran ceasefire has all but collapsed as Iran began attacking vessels using an Omani route in the Strait of Hormuz to force them to use its waters. Bahrain said earlier on Monday that its air defenses “intercepted and destroyed a number of Iranian aerial aggressions,” while Kuwait’s military reported a “heinous Iranian aggression.”With AFP

Hamas says Khalil al-Hayya elected as group's new chief
Agence France Presse/July 20/2026
Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas announced Monday that it had elected Khalil al-Hayya, the group's lead negotiator in indirect ceasefire talks with Israel, as the new head of its political bureau. "The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announces the election of brother mujahid Khalil al-Hayya as head of the movement's political bureau, succeeding the martyred leader Yahya al-Sinwar," Hamas said in a statement. Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in October 2024 in Gaza.

France slams 'act of intimidation' against two of its diplomats in Iran
LBCI/July 20/2026
Two French diplomats in Iran suffered "an extremely serious act of intimidation" by Islamic Republic security services, with one of them physically abused, France's foreign minister said Monday. Jean-Noel Barrot said in a statement sent to AFP that the two diplomats were targeted by the Iranian officials late Sunday "in flagrant violation of diplomatic immunity."Both were "detained for several hours without reason, interrogated and one of them was physically abused" before they were able to return to the embassy, he said. AFP

Italy says Russia expelled Italian military attache 'without cause'
LBCI/July 20/2026
Italy's foreign minister said Monday that Russia had expelled an Italian military attache and one of his aides from Moscow "without cause."Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote on X that it represented a "blatant act of retaliation for Italy’s expulsion of two Russian military attachés," whom he said had been caught spying against Rome.AFP

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis announce maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia
Agence France Presse/July 20/2026
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Monday announced a maritime embargo of their foe Saudi Arabia, after the pair traded fire last week for the first time in years. The rebels "declare a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of 'an eye for an eye,' effective immediately upon the issuance of this statement," military spokesman Yahya Saree said.

Al-Alimi says time has come to end Houthi takeover in Yemen
Al Arabiya English/21 July ,2026
The chairman of Yemen’s internationally recognized Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, said on Monday that “the time has come to end the suffering caused by the terrorist Houthi militia.”He called on Yemenis from all sections of society to rally behind the state, support the armed forces and security services in their efforts to restore state institutions, and bring an end to the Houthi takeover. In a televised statement, al-Alimi announced that Yemen would resume oil exports starting on July 20, with the revenues to be used to serve citizens across the country. He said the state had never stopped seeking peace or trying to ease the suffering of the Yemeni people, but accused the Houthis of choosing escalation, continuing to reject humanitarian initiatives, and exploiting the suffering of Yemenis to advance their own agenda. Al-Alimi said the current stage required “unity and confidence in the state,” adding: “There is no future for Yemen under armed groups, no security under a coup, and no peace with a project built on permanent war.”He said the past several years had shown that the tragedy facing Yemenis was not inevitable, but was instead the direct result of the Houthi takeover and the use of civilian suffering to serve the agenda of the Iranian regime and draw Yemen into its regional conflicts. Al-Alimi renewed his call for residents of provinces under Houthi control to rally behind the state and the republic, describing them as the only guarantee of security, stability and the future all Yemenis deserve.

Trump dismisses NY mayor’s threat to arrest Netanyahu
AFP/July 20/2026
US President Donald Trump on Monday vowed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not face arrest at a UN summit in New York, after the city’s new mayor said he was investigating the move. Mayor Zohran Mamdani admitted he was unsure if he had the power to order police to detain a foreign leader but said he was discussing the matter with his legal team ahead of the UN General Assembly in September. “Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” Trump said on social media. “He is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”The Hague-based International Criminal Court said in 2024 that it had reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israel’s offensive in Gaza following the brutal October 7, 2023, cross-border attack by Hamas.“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mamdani told the New York Times on Saturday. “He’s a war criminal.”Netanyahu’s office also dismissed Mamdani’s stance and said the ICC was a kangaroo court.

The Latest LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on 20-21 July/2026
President Aoun’s visit to the US and expectations
President Aoun should impress the Lebanese oppressed people with positive stances towards lasting solutions, not disappoint them with positions devoid of vision and based on deadly appeasements…
Colonel Charbel Barakat/July 20/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/07/156087/
President Aoun is conducting a visit to the United States at the invitation of President Trump. Many believe this visit will contribute to solving some of Lebanon's problems; however, as the popular saying goes, "the letter is read from its address" (the writing is on the wall). Within the details of this address lie indicators regarding the actual level of this visit. It does not resemble the visit of a president and the head of the executive branch in a country suffering from rampant foreign interference—a country seeking to diminish those impacts on its future. Lebanon’s greatest suffering stems from a fierce war imposed upon it by the Iranian regime through the Revolutionary Guard. This guard sponsors a segment of the population loyal to the Wali al-Faqih (the Supreme Leader), who have no connection to what truly matters to Lebanon, its citizens, their residential areas, or the impact of wars on them and the future of their children.
The second concern, which stems from the first, is the presence of representatives of the people who were elected under the influence of that abnormal situation. They continue to paralyze democratic life in the country and hold a tight grip on the head of the legislative branch, preventing any progress toward solutions, eliminating the Revolutionary Guard's control over the country, and stopping it from being pushed into confrontations with its neighbors. Furthermore, the President's working team, represented by the government, does not appear cohesive. It includes representatives of the Iranian party and those influenced by it, alongside a faction of leftists who perhaps still dream of the days of Arafat and his entourage. They refuse to rid Lebanon of the influence of what they call the "Palestinian cause," which has burdened the country with heavy tolls and wars on its soil, aborting every attempt at progress and turning it into an arena for regional conflicts where its people bear the brunt of various forms of infighting and proxy projects.
However, the most prominent indicator lies in the delegation accompanying the President, making him appear isolated on the stage, unsupported by any effective force on the ground willing to stand by him and defend his vision. For instance, he did not come to the United States accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is supposed to handle international relations portfolios, nor by the Minister of Defense, who is supposed to carry military solution projects. The President does not even seem interested in studying any solution framework, given that he brought along only one of his advisors—who was previously banned from entering the United States due to his media stances supporting the so-called "Resistance" axis (the line of the Revolutionary Guard and its derivatives), who are currently enemies of the United States and blockers of logical solutions in the region—along with a former officer around whom many rumors circulate in areas that do not inspire trust or respect. So, what does the President want to achieve from this visit, from which the Lebanese people expect so much?
The President, who requested to visit the United States because it is a supporter of Lebanon during these difficult circumstances, has not yet decided to take the reins of initiative and rid the country of the influence of the Iranian party, which has caused its destruction. Nor has he announced the dissolution of armed militias, the prosecution of their members, or the dismantling of their apparatuses to convince President Trump to pressure Israel to halt its war on this faction—a faction that has held the country captive, destroyed villages and cities, and displaced citizens to support the positions of the Revolutionary Guard and the ruling regime in
Tehran, an enemy of the United States. At the very least, anyone seeking America's help should consider themselves among its allies and prevent its enemies from using their territory to fight it. But the President and his government have not yet reached this level. We are not saying he must shake hands with Prime Minister Netanyahu and declare a desire for peace across the border, but at the very least, he should declare that the Iranian party is politically and militarily banned. Just as anyone accused of contacting Israel is prosecuted to this day, the prosecution should begin for anyone claiming affiliation with this party, its backers, and its commanders from the Revolutionary Guard circle.
So, what does President Aoun expect from his meeting with President Trump? And what do the Lebanese expect from this meeting?
Despite President Trump's affection for Lebanon as a country and for the Lebanese as a people who have proven their contribution to global civilization through their long history and diaspora among nations, he will not be able to make decisions on behalf of its officials. We can see, through the statements issued by Secretary of State Mr. Rubio after his meeting with President Aoun, that the United States is seeking to have Lebanon adopt the termination of the party’s weapons, the dismantling of its apparatuses, and work toward peace with Israel. These are fundamental points that President Aoun must understand well before meeting President Trump. The Lebanese must expect decisions related to such a path if they truly want to rid themselves of war, rather than trying to be clever again, playing with words, and demanding withdrawals before finalizing the dissolution of the party, the collection of its weapons, and the prosecution of its leadership.
If President Aoun is capable of absorbing such solutions, he should be prepared to hear proposals to that exact effect. If he believes he can get President Trump to sympathize with his position and his fear of what he calls "civil war," then he remains far from actual solutions. He and the rest of the Lebanese must understand that this party—which remains stubborn despite the regular regime in Tehran falling into a vortex of violence that will eliminate it—is still linked to implementing Tehran's decisions, dreaming of following its instructions and supporting it at the expense of the Lebanese people. This party is the root of every problem in Lebanon; it is the entity that must be besieged, prosecuted, and stripped of its control over the community. Every Lebanese citizen—from President Berri down to the last individual among the people of the South and the Bekaa—ought to stand against it and fight it within their own communities first, and subsequently support the state in ending its dominance, hegemony, and influence over Lebanese minds. They must not placate it or leave it to continue spewing its venom among the people and threatening ruin and demolition—not just of buildings, but within a society it was allowed to infiltrate, corrupting its cohesion.
Lebanon is heading toward solutions, and President Aoun’s visit must be positive and useful in laying the foundations for the future, especially regarding relations with the United States. However, we must remain cautious and prepared to take the bold stances that enable the Lebanese to build a stable future, rather than allowing the country to remain an arena for conflict and a field for the competition of various powers in the Middle East
President Aoun should impress the Lebanese oppressed people with positive stances towards lasting solutions, not disappoint them with positions devoid of vision and based on deadly appeasements…

Iran's War on the Arabs: Time for the Gulf to Stand with Israel
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/July 20/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/07/156098/
Over the past week, the Iranian regime has demonstrated once again that its ambitions extend far beyond destroying Israel.
It is a war against the entire Middle East and, ultimately, against the United States and the West.
Tehran then launched missiles and drones not only against US assets but also against infrastructure in Arab countries across the Gulf, in addition to Jordan, presumably so they would pressure US President Donald J. Trump to call off US firepower and return instead to waste-of-time negotiations for a waste-of-time "deal" that Iran would not honor in the first place.
In reality, the negotiations have been worse than a waste of time... The negotiations actually caused harm. They gave the regime time to retrieve missiles it had hidden and to resume firing, with targeting assistance from China and Russia, on US forces and allies in the Gulf.
Iranian regime ideology rejects peaceful coexistence and normalization between Arabs and Israelis -- as does the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, currently embodied by Qatar and Turkey.
Taken together, these terrorist organizations form what Tehran proudly calls the "Axis of Resistance." It is, in reality, an axis of terrorism. Its purpose is not just to destroy Israel. Its objective is to spread Iran's revolutionary Shiite Islamist ideology, undermine moderate Arab governments, expel American influence from the Middle East, and ultimately wage jihad (holy war) against the West.
The Arab states therefore have every reason to openly align themselves with the United States and Israel in confronting the Iranian threat.
This is not about choosing sides in someone else's conflict. It is about defending their own sovereignty, their own interests, their own citizens, and their own future.
The lesson of the past week: So long as the regime in Tehran remains committed to exporting its "Islamic Revolution" and maintaining its network of terrorist proxies, there can be no genuine security or stability in the Middle East.
Until the Iranian regime abandons its expansionist ambitions or loses the capacity to pursue them, the Middle East will remain trapped in recurring cycles of violence. Until then, the Arab states would be wise to recognize that this is their fight as much as Israel's.
Over the past week, the Iranian regime has demonstrated once again that its ambitions extend far beyond destroying Israel. Tehran has launched an unprecedented campaign of missile and drone attacks against several Arab states, targeting critical infrastructure, ships, airports, oil facilities, power stations, desalination plants, ports and even residential neighborhoods.
For decades, governments of many Arab states have viewed Iran's aggression primarily through the prism of its conflict with Israel. That illusion has now been shattered.
Over the past week, the Iranian regime has demonstrated once again that its ambitions extend far beyond destroying Israel. Tehran has launched an unprecedented campaign of missile and drone attacks against several Arab states, targeting critical infrastructure, ships, airports, oil facilities, power stations, desalination plants, ports and even residential neighborhoods.
These attacks should remove any doubt: Iran's war is not only against Israel. It is a war against the entire Middle East and, ultimately, against the United States and the West.
The latest escalation also exposes the fatal flaw in the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Washington and Tehran only weeks earlier. The agreement was supposed to reduce tensions and guarantee safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, Iran immediately violated its commitments.
Beginning on July 6, Iran resumed attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, despite pledging to ensure safe passage for international vessels. The attacks prompted American military strikes against Iranian targets. Tehran then launched missiles and drones not only against US assets but also against infrastructure in Arab countries across the Gulf, in addition to Jordan, presumably so they would pressure US President Donald J. Trump to call off US firepower and return instead to waste-of-time negotiations for a waste-of-time "deal" that Iran would not honor in the first place.
The Iranian regime has never demonstrated any willingness to abide by agreements if they conflict with its revolutionary ideology or strategic objectives. The latest memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US has gone the way of countless previous understandings with Tehran: reduced to little more than worthless paper.
In reality, the negotiations have been worse than a waste of time, except to see if any deal might be possible with a regime that just murdered more than 50,000 of its own citizens in January alone. The negotiations actually caused harm. They gave the regime time to retrieve missiles it had hidden and to resume firing, with targeting assistance from China and Russia, on US forces and allies in the Gulf.
This chain of events is hardly surprising, and the same disaster applies to Iran's terrorist proxies.
Hamas repeatedly violated ceasefire agreements before launching its October 7, 2023 invasion of Israel. Hezbollah has ignored international resolutions demanding its disarmament while repeatedly violating ceasefire agreements. Yemen's Houthis have continued attacking international shipping despite multiple diplomatic initiatives and understandings.
Negotiating with terrorist organizations or the regime that sponsors them has consistently produced the same result: more violence and terrorism.
The current wave of Iranian attacks illustrates precisely why.
Over the past few months, Iran has carried out sustained missile and drone attacks against at least seven Arab countries.
Commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz were struck. Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan came under coordinated missile and drone attacks. Qatar was targeted for a second time in one week. Kuwait suffered direct hits on an oil facility, a power station, and a desalination plant, and was forced to suspend flights at Kuwait International Airport. Saudi Arabia issued emergency missile alerts as Iranian projectiles threatened its territory.
Even Oman, which has long maintained cordial relations with Tehran and served as an intermediary between Iran and the US, was not spared.
Tehran claims that it targets only American military facilities. Reality tells a different story.
Civilians have been killed, residential areas struck, and airports, hotels, ports, oil facilities and other civilian infrastructure have suffered significant damage.
These are not attacks on military facilities. They are acts of state terrorism, targeting purely civilian infrastructure and designed to intimidate entire societies.
The Arab League was correct in condemning the attacks as "heinous and reckless" violations of Arab states' sovereignty. It warned that Iran's actions represent "a serious and unprecedented escalation threatening the security and stability of the entire region."
The Arab League also reaffirmed its "full solidarity and unwavering support" for the Arab countries targeted by Iran.
These statements are welcome, but words alone will not stop the Iranian regime.
For years, Iran has systematically built an empire of armed proxies across the Arab world. Iran dominates Lebanon through Hezbollah. It exercises enormous influence over Iraq through Shiite militias. It transformed Yemen's Houthis into a heavily armed force capable of threatening one of the world's most important maritime trade routes. It continues to bankroll Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Iran's influence extends deep into Syria as well.
Taken together, these terrorist organizations form what Tehran proudly calls the "Axis of Resistance." It is, in reality, an axis of terrorism. Its purpose is not just to destroy Israel. Its objective is to spread Iran's revolutionary Shiite Islamist ideology, undermine moderate Arab governments, expel American influence from the Middle East, and ultimately wage jihad (holy war) against the West.
That agenda was underscored this week in a statement attributed to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, declaring that "the American enemy" should prepare for "unforgettable lessons" from Iran and the "Axis of Resistance."
This is not the language of a regime seeking peace. It is the language of a regime openly threatening continued war.
Iran's aggression is steadily eroding whatever sympathy it once enjoyed among many Arabs. The regime's true face has become impossible to conceal. This new belligerence should be a turning point for Arab governments.
According to the news website MBN:
"Ahmed Alkhuzei, a leading analyst in Bahrain, said that as the war drags on, people increasingly experience its consequences in their daily lives. As a result, he said, they are more likely to see Tehran not as a victim but as a destabilizing force whose actions directly threaten their security and prosperity.
"'Iran is being recast from a distant geopolitical actor into the immediate source of instability,' he told MBN."
Iran is not merely Israel's problem. Its missiles threaten Gulf capitals. Its proxies destabilize Arab governments. Its attacks endanger Arab economies. Iranian regime ideology rejects peaceful coexistence and normalization between Arabs and Israelis -- as does the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, currently embodied by Qatar and Turkey.
One of Tehran's principal strategic objectives has always been to sabotage the Abraham Accords and prevent further normalization between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Iran understands that regional peace and cooperation weaken its revolutionary narrative and diminish the influence of its terrorist proxies.
The Arab states therefore have every reason to openly align themselves with the United States and Israel in confronting the Iranian threat.
This is not about choosing sides in someone else's conflict. It is about defending their own sovereignty, their own interests, their own citizens, and their own future.
The lesson of the past week: So long as the regime in Tehran remains committed to exporting its "Islamic Revolution" and maintaining its network of terrorist proxies, there can be no genuine security or stability in the Middle East.
The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has already collapsed: it rested on the false assumption that the Iranian regime could be trusted to honor its commitments. The Islamic Republic's own history, and its latest missile and drone attacks against the Arab world, prove otherwise.
Peace cannot be built upon deals with a regime that views every agreement merely as another tactical pause in its long war against the US, Israel, and its Arab neighbors.
Until the Iranian regime abandons its expansionist ambitions or loses the capacity to pursue them, the Middle East will remain trapped in recurring cycles of violence. Until then, the Arab states would be wise to recognize that this is their fight as much as Israel's.
Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22715/iran-war-on-arabs
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.

The Illusion of Representation in Syria’s New Parliament
Ahmad Sharawi/FDD/July 20/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/07/156101/
Outside Syria’s parliament building in Damascus, lawmakers filed past the stone façade for the chamber’s first session since Bashar al-Assad’s fall. Inside, the freshly minted lawmakers stood to take the constitutional oath as President Ahmad al-Sharaa looked on. The ceremony was carefully staged to show both Syrians and foreign observers that independent political institutions have returned after more than half a century of Assad family rule.
“Syria is writing a new chapter in its history – one that reflects its civilization, values, and heritage,” Sharaa declared. The contrast with the old parliament under Assad was very clear. There was no choreographed applause or theatrical displays of loyalty, rituals that had reduced the legislature under Assad to a room of obedient spectators. But silence or the lack of applause should not be mistaken for democracy. This was the unveiling of a new system, one designed to organize political life around Sharaa’s presidency.
The limits of the new parliament were built into it long before its members entered the chamber. Two-thirds of its 210 seats were filled through an indirect election procedure overseen by committees appointed by the president. Sharaa personally selected the remaining third. Ordinary Syrians did not vote directly for the representatives, and candidates did not represent political parties; the result is a body that may look different from Assad’s parliament but remains dependent on the executive branch.
Sharaa has effectively built a parliament without meaningful opposition — a result ensured by the provisions of the interim constitution, or “constitutional declaration,” that Sharaa imposed in March 2025 without any deliberative process. The official justification for placing the selection of lawmakers under executive control was that Syria’s political transition remained too fragile for direct elections. Millions of refugees had yet to return, organized political life was still in its infancy, and the courts were barely functional. Under those conditions, the argument went, the presidency needed to guide the formation of the new legislature.
But the composition of the assembly shows a more deliberate political project. Sharaa’s appointees were presented as a “blend between those who sacrificed” during the revolution and those with “national competencies and expertise,” while also strengthening women’s representation. Yet only 22 women were chosen, despite the government’s earlier promise that women would hold roughly a fifth of the 210 seats. Four seats remain vacant because no representatives have been selected from the Druze-majority province of Suwayda, which remains outside the government’s control.
Minority representation was even more indicative of a desire to create a façade of inclusivity that excluded independent figures. The parliament includes only one Druze member, Laith al-Balous, the leader of a faction aligned with Damascus. Among many Druze, Balous is regarded not as a representative of the community but as a “traitor” because of his role during the July 2025 massacres, in which more than 1,000 Druze were killed by government forces, as well as Sunni Bedouin tribes. Kurdish representation followed a similar pattern. Most Kurdish seats went to figures affiliated with the Kurdish National Council, a broadly pro-Damascus rival of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-led, U.S.-aligned military organization whose Autonomous Administration governed Kurdish majority areas in northeastern Syria for nearly a decade. The SDF-aligned political coalition received no seats at all, despite an integration agreement with Damascus that had explicitly promised political participation.
The Autonomous Administration, aligned with the SDF, rejected the initial parliamentary selection process as undemocratic, while the Syrian Democratic Council, also aligned with the SDF, denounced it as a “political farce”. Senior Kurdish officials argued that the vote merely concealed decisions already made by Damascus, saying that “placing the ballot box is nothing more than camouflage for these appointments,” while others described the process as “an appointment operation and an attempt to circumvent the will of the Syrian people.” Their criticism reflected a fear that Damascus was perpetuating the marginalization of the country’s Kurdish minority despite the autonomy it achieved during the civil war, and the heavy price it paid to beat back the Islamic State.
The parliament’s limited Alawite representation, with only 7 members selected, did little to win over a community already deeply distrustful of Damascus because of the massacre of more than 1,000 Alawites perpetrated by government forces and their allies in March 2025. Even before lawmakers were chosen, the Supreme Alawite Islamic Council had declared the process “invalid in principle and rejected in form and substance.” It argued that the proposed assembly possessed no “national or representative legitimacy” and was being imposed in a “coercive environment” that prevented Syrians from determining their own political future. Participation, the council warned, would amount to recognizing an authority lacking popular legitimacy and helping to consolidate a political order imposed from above.
Not all of Syria’s minorities viewed the new parliament with the same apprehension. Sharaa has empowered minority constituencies in line with his government and in service of its political interests. The Turkmen community, which secured at least 12 seats in the legislature, carries influence that extends well beyond its numbers. Several Turkmen lawmakers rose through institutions cultivated or supported by Ankara, including the Syrian Turkmen Assembly, the Turkey-backed opposition administration that governed areas in the north under Turkish control, and Turkey-backed armed factions. Ankara’s decade-long investment in Syrian Turkmen political and military networks has now translated into influence within Syria’s emerging political life.
But the deeper problem is not simply who was included or excluded. On paper, the parliament possesses powers that could allow it to restrain the president. It can propose, approve, and repeal laws; ratify treaties; and even override a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority. In practice, however, the selection process has produced a chamber dominated by Sharaa’s allies and therefore unlikely to exercise those powers against him. The president’s 70 appointees include Maher Alloush, Hassan al-Dugheim, and Hassan Soufan, all of whom Sharaa appointed to official roles during the transitional period. Sharaa assigned both Alloush and al-Dugheim to the National Dialogue Committee, which was responsible for organizing the national conference in February 2025, expected to draw up a consensus-based roadmap for the post-Assad transition. In the end, the conference served only as a short-lived façade of inclusivity for Sharaa’s consolidation of power. Hassan Soufan briefly held the post of governor of Latakia before serving on the Supreme Committee for Civil Peace, a body tasked with bridging sectarian divides that was mainly a publicity exercise.
The loyalty of Alloush and Al-Dugheim is both ideological and personal. Alloush is a writer and key ideologue of the Syrian Islamist movement. Al-Dugheim, meanwhile, is a member of the Syrian Islamic Council, a Turkey-based religious body that seeks to strengthen the role of religious institutions in Syrian society. Even those who drafted the governing framework acknowledge it does not entail checks and balances. “There is virtually no oversight of the president’s actions,” constitutional committee member Ray’an Keheilan conceded.
That is the danger of mistaking the return of parliamentary ceremonies for democratization. Foreign governments keen to stabilize Syria may see a functioning legislature as evidence that the country is moving toward some form of representative government under the rule of law. But the real test is not whether lawmakers can deliver speeches beneath the parliament’s dome. It is whether they can reject an executive decision, investigate abuses by the security forces, compel ministers to answer for government failures, and represent communities that remain deeply distrustful of Damascus. Judged by its composition and constitutional powers, there is little reason to believe this parliament can do any of those things.
That does not mean Syria would be better off without a parliament. The country needs a functioning legislature that can pass laws and eventually hold the executive accountable. The problem is that, in its current form, this parliament is more likely to alienate constituencies outside Sharaa’s political orbit than foster national integration. Rather than creating a forum in which Syria’s competing political and communal interests can negotiate their relationship with the state, it risks formalizing the dominance of one political camp while allowing the government to claim that representative institutions have already been restored.
Syria’s expanding diplomatic relations have fostered the illusion of political stability. International recognition and meetings with foreign leaders may suggest that the country is on the right track, but diplomatic normalization is not the same as political inclusion. The United States and other governments have repeatedly praised Sharaa’s ability to unify the country, yet rather than subject himself to any kind of evaluation at the hands of the people he claims to represent, Sharaa went through with his plan to engineer a parliament largely dependent on the executive and carefully insulated from meaningful opposition.
More than a year and a half after Assad’s fall, many Syrians are still waiting not only for security and reconstruction, but for a genuine political process. If communities continue to be excluded and if power continues to accumulate in the presidency, frustration will deepen rather than disappear. It is too early to declare that Syria has returned to authoritarian rule. But it is also far too early to celebrate the birth of representative government. Those who mistook the fall of Assad for the arrival of democracy should look again.
https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2026/07/17/the-illusion-of-representation-in-syrias-new-parliament/
**Ahmad Sharawi is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Iran’s dangerous escalation and miscalculation in the Gulf
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al ARabiya English/July 20/2026
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi recently condemned Iran’s attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan in the strongest terms. He described the strikes on civilian infrastructure as “war crimes” that constitute “a highly dangerous escalation, a grave violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, as well as war crimes requiring international accountability and prosecution, given the deliberate targeting of infrastructure and civilian facilities.”
Iran has crossed a really significant red line here. For months, Tehran claimed its missile and drone strikes were limited to US military bases in the Gulf states. Yet the reality on the ground tells a different story. In Kuwait, for instance, Iranian strikes hit power stations and desalination facilities, including critical water infrastructure that supplies a vast majority of the country’s drinking water. Similar attacks targeted civilian sites in Bahrain and Jordan.
These are not military objectives – they are essential services that sustain everyday civilian life.
War crimes under international law
Under international humanitarian law, deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure is a war crime. The principle of distinction, enshrined in Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (particularly Articles 48 and 52), requires parties to a conflict to distinguish at all times between civilian objects and military objectives. Civilian infrastructure such as water treatment plants, power stations, and desalination facilities – vital for public health and survival – does not qualify as a legitimate military target unless it is being used for military purposes, which was not the case here.
The United Nations and bodies like the International Committee of the Red Cross have repeatedly affirmed that attacks against civilians and civilian objects violate core rules of war, causing unnecessary suffering and potentially amounting to crimes against humanity when systematic.
The devastating effects of these attacks on ordinary people cannot be overstated. Desalination plants in the Gulf are lifelines in a region where freshwater is scarce. Disrupting them risks immediate water shortages, affecting millions in their daily lives – drinking, sanitation, hospitals, and agriculture. Damage to power plants leads to blackouts, compromising medical care, refrigeration of food and medicine, and air conditioning in extreme heat.
Oil facilities, when hit, not only threaten energy supplies but also risk environmental disasters with long-term pollution. In Kuwait, reports already note injuries to civilian workers and fires at these sites. For populations in these countries, this is not abstract geopolitics; it is a direct threat to health, safety, and basic human needs. Crucially, these Gulf states are not involved in the war. They have not launched a single missile or drone into Iran. The primary conflict is between Iran and the United States. These nations have maintained careful neutrality or diplomatic balancing acts, avoiding direct involvement in strikes against Iranian territory.
By targeting their sovereign territory and civilian populations, Iran is painting itself unmistakably as the aggressor. While Tehran continues to blame the US for regional tensions, its actions reveal a willingness to punish innocent bystanders. This approach will earn Iran no sympathy – only isolation and condemnation across the Arab world and beyond.
Undermining diplomacy and peace efforts
Gulf states have actively pursued mediation and diplomacy throughout the crisis, working behind the scenes to broker agreements, de-escalate tensions, and push for peaceful resolutions. What message is Iran sending when it responds to these efforts by striking civilian infrastructure in countries trying to foster stability?It signals contempt for diplomacy, disregard for sovereignty, and a dangerous gamble that prioritizes escalation over dialogue. Such behavior undermines the very foundations of regional security that Gulf leaders have long championed.
The United Nations must act decisively on this kind of behavior. Targeting civilians and essential infrastructure in neutral or non-combatant states demands international investigation, accountability, and potential sanctions or referrals to bodies like the International Criminal Court. The world cannot normalize the weaponization of water, power, and daily necessities as tools of war.
Failure to respond would set a perilous precedent, encouraging other actors to flout international norms. The ripple effects will harm the entire region, including Iran itself. The Gulf’s interconnected economies mean disruptions to oil exports, shipping through critical waterways, and energy infrastructure will reverberate globally and locally. Iran’s own economy – already battered by sanctions, isolation, and internal challenges – stands to suffer further from escalated conflict, severed trade ties, and heightened security risks.
By broadening the war to include non-involved states, Iran risks a wider conflagration in which it is militarily disadvantaged against superior US and allied capabilities. Escalation plays to Iran’s weaknesses rather than strengths, potentially leading to greater losses for the Iranian people and government.
Iran should stop immediately targeting any Gulf states. Continuing this path will poison relationships in the region for generations, even after any ceasefire. The Arab world’s view of Iran as a neighbor has shifted dramatically toward seeing it as a direct threat to Arab security and civilian well-being. Rebuilding trust will take decades. The Iranian regime must recognize that hurting innocent civilians in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, and beyond is not strategic – it is self-defeating and morally bankrupt.
In conclusion, Iran’s strikes on civilian infrastructure mark a profound strategic and ethical failure. The GCC’s condemnation, grounded in international law and regional solidarity, highlights the stakes. Gulf states, focused on peace and prosperity, deserve protection, not punishment. The international community must hold Iran accountable, enforce humanitarian norms, and support de-escalation. Iran’s big mistake risks not just immediate suffering but a more divided, unstable Middle East for years to come – one where its own interests suffer most.

A Moderate Religious Character in the Syrian Army: Quran Memorization and Islamic Ethics
Mohammed Kassah/Al-Modon/July 21, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
The moral character of the new Syrian army differs from that of the disbanded Assad regime's army in many ways, most notably in its attention to religious matters. This is an expected development given that the current Syrian regime belongs to political Islam, or what is known as "activist Salafism."
Al-Modon observed many details about the army's behavior and the priorities of the Moral Guidance Department within the nascent military institution. These priorities are being implemented in parallel with the dissemination of a conservative national combat doctrine, representing a radical shift in military life in Syria after decades of Ba'athist rule.
The Reciters' Brigades
Abu Jihad, a member of the Syrian Army's 70th Division, regularly visits the Moral Guidance Department branch in rural Damascus to review his memorized portions of the Quran, hoping to one day join the "Reciters' Brigades," a morality unit comprising all Quran memorizers in the Syrian Army from all divisions. Abu Jihad, speaking to Al-Modon, confirms that the army provides both moral and material support for Quran memorization, noting that dozens of soldiers regularly memorize the Quran under the supervision of the Moral Guidance Department. He points out that symbolic financial rewards are added to the soldier's monthly salary, as follows: $25 for every five parts memorized, up to $150 for memorizing the entire Quran.
Moderate Religious Curricula
Religious education in the Syrian army is not limited to Quran memorization; it extends to the teaching of Islamic jurisprudence and ethics. However, these rulings and practices are not taught haphazardly, as was the case during the era of factionalism, according to an official in the Moral Guidance Department who spoke to Al-Modon. The official adds that religious rulings are taught through curricula developed in recent months, which are religiously moderate and follow the Shafi'i school of thought. This step aims to shield soldiers from any sectarian or doctrinal disputes that could negatively impact the unity of the military institution.
A List of Prohibitions
In this context, a set of behavioral prohibitions within the army stands out. Smoking is forbidden, according to several military sources who spoke to Al-Modon. These sources confirm that anyone caught smoking in public is liable to dismissal from the army. The sources also indicate that personnel in barracks adhere to general etiquette, rituals, and behaviors, such as refraining from profanity and insults, in addition to the prohibition of publicly breaking the Ramadan fast and blasphemy against God or the prophets. The sources add that prayer has become a priority in the army, unlike the army of the previous regime, which restricted and monitored worshippers. They point out the presence of prayer rooms and mosques in most barracks and military units. While these details lend a religious character to the military institution, many consider them a natural phenomenon, given that almost all those involved in this institution come from conservative social backgrounds, in addition to the conservative religious orientation of the ruling coalition, which is comprised of Islamist fighting factions.

Selected Face Book & X tweets on 20 July/2026
Charles Elias Chartouni
Mamdani is a pathetic jerk; he thinks New York City is his Islamic imarah and that he is entitled to have his own foreign policy. It’s about time to put him in place

Charles Elias Chartouni
Secretary Marco Rubio statement after meeting President Joseph Aoun:
Met with Lebanese President Aoun today. I commended his courage and his government’s work to reclaim their country and advance towards peace. We discussed implementing the Trilateral Framework. The United States remains committed to supporting this effort and Lebanon’s efforts to deliver security, peace and a better future for the Lebanese people.

Israel Foreign Ministry
Israel reaffirms its unwavering support for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus and stands in solidarity with Cyprus, on the anniversary of the 1974 Turkish invasion. The ongoing Turkish military presence in the north of the island, alongside Ankara's persistent attempts to alter the status quo through unilateral actions, is unacceptable. As a strategic partner and neighbor of Cyprus, Israel calls for the resumption of negotiations toward a just, viable, and lasting solution to the conflict.

Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו
I strongly reject the outrageous statements against IDF soldiers from the religious Zionist camp.
IDF soldiers, religious, secular, and ultra-Orthodox, leave their homes, their jobs, and their families, and risk their lives to defend the State of Israel, its citizens, and the entire Jewish people.
They deserve profound appreciation, gratitude, and full support from all segments of the public, and certainly also from the Torah world.

Israel Army
BREAKING;
 Iran: "We will lay sea mines, sink tankers, and bring global trade to a complete standstill. We will starve your allies."🇮🇱 Israel: "If you blockade the seas, we will blockade your lifelines. We will destroy your oil terminals on Kharg Island until you have nothing left to export but ash."

Israel-Alma
This is what the Al-Tanf border crossing has looked like in recent days.
The congestion at the crossing is most likely the result of tightened inspections following last week's exposure of an attempt to smuggle weapons hidden inside a fuel tanker- an incident that Hezbollah denied any involvement in.
In the video, an Iraqi truck driver can be heard complaining about the long delays and the unusually thorough inspections, suggesting that the current level of enforcement is exceptional compared to routine procedures. The footage illustrates the scale of daily traffic along this route: dozens of fuel tankers and cargo trucks cross the Al-Tanf border crossing every day. Amid such a constant flow of vehicles, identifying a single truck being used to smuggle weapons is an enormous challenge.
It is unlikely that the heightened level of inspections currently in place can be sustained over time. Al-Tanf is a major commercial and transportation corridor between Iraq and Syria, and conducting exhaustive inspections on every vehicle creates significant bottlenecks, disrupting both traffic and trade. Precisely for that reason, the footage highlights just how difficult it is to prevent smuggling over the long term along a route through which such a large volume of vehicles passes every day.
The Syrian authorities managed to intercept one smuggling attempt. But how many shipments have they failed to stop in the past- and how many will they fail to stop in the future?
Iran and Hezbollah understand this reality, and they are likely to continue exploiting it.

Israel Army
North Korea warned that any attack by the U.S. or its allies on Iran would be treated as a direct threat to North Korea. It also claimed its military and strategic forces have been placed on high alert, warning that even a small mistake could have serious consequences. 🇺🇸 U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded by saying that if North Korea or Iran takes any military action against the United States, Washington will respond with overwhelming force. He warned Pyongyang to stay within its limits or risk consequences that could threaten the survival of its regime.

Nadine Barakat
Does President Aoun have a valid answer to @POTUS & @SecRubio regarding the current Lebanese courts (judicial system) that criminalizes everyone who stood against Hezbollah? Would they ask him why no Lebanese can step foot in Lebanon until today, because freedom of speech against Hezbollah is banned.Would they ask him how Hezbollah lawyers and judges control the system? Or how LAF high ranked officials (his own crew) are all in bed with Hezbollah? Or how IRGC officials were hiding in Hazmieh in his building ?! And how Andre Rahhal forced the municipality to deny it. Or how Hezbollah is still smuggling through the port with Aoun and Andre Rahhal cover up. Or about the LAF properties that Joseph Aoun handed to Hezbollah financiers to use as a front (Voco hotel, Tyre base) ..I think Joseph Aoun pushed a huge media campaign about his visit, but in reality, he is deflecting, as usual.If we compare Iraq to Lebanon , we can clearly see that Biden admin placed Joseph Aoun only to fail Trump vision & his term: delaying and lying.

Tom Harb
It has come to our attention that Lebanon’s Foreign Minister
@YoussefRaggi
was completely cut off from all Israel-Lebanon talks under the auspices of the Trump administration and was not included in the Lebanese presidential delegation visiting Washington this week.
It is not normal to see a foreign president visiting the State Department and meeting the Secretary of State without his foreign minister. What’s going on?
According to our sources, Hezbollah refused to allow Minister Raggi to be included in the delegation and demanded that he be cut off from any contact with U.S. and Israeli parties. Hezbollah is upset with the minister’s pro-American stance and pro-Abraham Accords position. They fear he will consolidate a Lebanese partnership with the Trump administration and with @SecRubio , unlike President Aoun, who is delaying further steps toward normalization for fear of Hezbollah.

Nadim Koteich
Trump called Iran's leaders "rational, nice, strong, smart" at the G7. One month later, at the NATO summit, they were "scum, sick, hypocrites, evil." His explanation: "I got to know them." That line is the shortest and most complete refutation of thirty years of Western Iran policy.
Trump is the extreme case of the wager on Iranian reform, and the president who risked the most to win it, and lost. His collapse exposes an objective truth: the Islamic Republic is structurally unreformable. Unlike a normal state draws, Iran, as a revolution draws its legitimacy from what it rejects: the monarchy, America, Israel, the Western-aligned regional order. For this regime, shifting gear is a confession of defeat and an act of self-liquidation. Bad-faith negotiation follows as pure arithmetic, and Tehran turns the table itself into a tool to buy time and launder legitimacy.
The regime "moderates" are a safety valve, engineered to absorb domestic frustration and keep the West talking. Then come the imaginary benchmarks. China and Vietnam reformed because five conditions held: a materialist founding idea, a defeated internal or external enemy, collective power, an elite enriched by opening, a revolution dissolved into the state. Iran holds none of them. Its founding idea is messianic, its enemy external and still parked on its borders, its power flowing from one man by divine doctrine, its elite enriched by closure and smuggling, and its revolution built as a parallel structure above the state, to prevent the state. Two exits remain: the regime survives as it is, or it falls. The peaceful middle was always a mirage.