English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News
& Editorials
For June 11/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
And when day came, he called
his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to
Saint Luke 06/12-19/:”Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray;
and he spent the night in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his
disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he
named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and
Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who
was called the Zealot, and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a
traitor. He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd
of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and
the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their
diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all
in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed
all of them.
Titles For Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related
News & Editorials published on 10-11 June/2026
Yazed Bin Farhan's Remote control and the corrupted owners of all the
Lebanese political parties/Elias Bejjani/June 08/2026
The terrorist group Hezbollah and its demented mullah masters understand only
the language of force./Elias Bejjani/June 07/2026
Life of Saint Rafca, The Blind mystic of Lebanon, The Lily of Himlaya/Saint
Rafqa/Saint Of The Day Face Book Page
Netanyahu calls on Lebanese people to join Israel against Hezbollah
At least 16 killed in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon
Two killed in Israeli strike on vehicle in Sidon's center
Lebanon says 11 killed in Israeli strikes on Tyre
MBS orders resumption of Lebanese exports to Saudi Arabia
Two municipal workers abducted in Kfarshouba, taken to Israel 'for questioning'
Aoun: A return to the era of tutelages is unacceptable
UN rights chief says sending mission to Lebanon to collect evidence on war
crimes
Iran and Lebanon: intertwined fronts in the Mideast war
Spy's mysterious disappearance spotlights Israel's intelligence networks in
Lebanon
Military escalation in the Gulf reverberates into Lebanon negotiations: The
details
LBCI sources: Fate of June 22 direct talks with Israel still undecided, proposal
for military-political round in Washington
From infiltration to escalation? Israel reassesses its Lebanon strategy after
security breach
Lebanese Army commander concludes visit to Pakistan, discusses security and
defense cooperation
Lebanese diplomatic source to Al Jazeera: “Pilot zones” are only path to halt
deterioration and launch reconstruction
Decoding the Lebanon-Israel Agreement: Strategic Gains and Unresolved Risks/Marwan
El Amine/This Is Beirut/June 10/2026
America Between Military Victory and Political Failure/Etienne Saqr - Abu Arz/June
10, 2026
Why Is Saudi Arabia Circumventing the Lebanese State?/Hussain Abdul-Hussain/This
Is Beirut/June 10/2026
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous
Reports And News published
on 10-11 June/2026
Trump: Iranians Asked for a Halt to Bombings; Strikes Will End Soon
New US Strikes on Iran... and Tehran Threatens the Strait of Hormuz
Trump says US military will carry out more ‘hard’ attacks against Iran
Iran, US trade blows as Middle East peace deal draws no nearer
Trump says Iran 'taken too long to negotiate,' will have to 'pay the price'
Iran would be ‘unwise’ to challenge US further, Pentagon's Hegseth says
Trump orders downsizing of key intelligence office
Iran war anxiety sends global container shipping rates soaring
US military secretly helped 100 mln barrels of oil through Hormuz: Trump
IAEA board passes resolution demanding Iran report uranium stocks
Gulf countries say Iran’s aggression closes door to dialogue
Leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE invited to G7: Macron
Erdogan: Turkey's security begins from Aleppo, Damascus and Beirut
Israel's Netanyahu will run in the next elections
Pope says Christians cannot promote war
on 10-11 June/2026
on 10-11 June/2026
Yazed Bin Farhan's Remote
control and the corrupted owners of all the Lebanese political parties
Elias Bejjani/June 08/2026
The greatest service Saudi Arabia can offer Lebanon and the Lebanese is to stop
funding the corrupted owners of all the Christian, Druze, and Sunni political
parties, to let Lebanon make peace with Israel,end the heresy of the two-state
solution, and also to stop Berri's posturing and sto welcoming his thug's
mouthpiece, Ali Hassan Khalil, who is being sanctioned for corruption.
The terrorist group Hezbollah and its
demented mullah masters understand only the language of force.
Elias Bejjani/June 07/2026
The demented rulers of Iran understand only
Netanyahu's language: force, humiliation, and assassinations. Trump remains
ignorant of Iran's culture of delusions, fantasies, and empty bravado.
Life of Saint Rafca, The Blind mystic of Lebanon, The
Lily of Himlaya
Saint Rafqa/Saint Of The Day Face Book Page
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/06/116856/
Rafqa El-Rayess was born on June 29th 1832, in Himlaya, one of
the northern Metn villages. She was the only child to her parents Mourad Saber
el-Chobok el-Rayess and Rafqa Gemayel.
On July 7th 1832 she was baptized and christened Boutroussieh. Her mother died
when she was seven.
Her father sent her to serve at Assad Badawi’s in Damascus in 1843. Rafqa came
back after four years; her father was remarried to a woman named Kafa who wanted
her to marry her brother, while her aunt wanted her to marry her son. In order
to resolve the conflict, Rafqa chose to enter the monastic life.
In Our Lady of Delivrance monastery in Bekfaya and in front of her Icon, Rafqa
asked God for help and hears His voice saying: ’’You’re becoming a nun’’.
Rafqa wore the initiation Robe on St Joseph day on March 19th 1861.
On March 19th 1862, Rafqa presented the monastic vows in the monastery of Ghazir.
She became a nun in the Congregation of St Mary.
Rafqa stayed in Ghazir’s clericalism, amongst the clergy were Patriarch Elias
Houwayek and Archbishop Boutros el-Zoughbi. She studied arabic, calligraphy and
calculation.
Rafqa was sent to Deir el-Kamar to teach catechism in 1860. During the bloody
event that took place in the Mont of Lebanon back then, Rafqa saw a lot of
people getting killed and she saved a child by hiding him under her robe.
In 1864, she was transferred to Maad village where she stayed seven years and
established a school to teach girls.
Crisis arises in the Congregation of St Mary in 1871, Rafqa prayed and saw in
her dream St Anthony the Great, father of the monks, saying to her: ‘’ Become a
nun in the Lebanese Order’’.
In the monastery of St. Simon el-Qam in Aito, Rafqa wore the Initiation Robe on
July 12th 1871 and then presented her vows on August 25th 1872.
In October 1885, Rafqa asked God to make her a part of his divine pains. Pain
started in her head then in her eyes, an American doctor pulled her right eye by
accident while doing a surgery. Doctors considered treatments useless as her
left eye was affected too.
She suffered unbearable pains for 12 years in patience, silence and prayer.
In 1897, she was sent to the new monastery of St. Jospeh al-Dahr in Jrabta,
Batroun.
In 1899, she became blind. Her right hip and leg were disjointed, her shoulder
dislocated.
On March 23rd 1914, Rafqa rested in peace.
Pope John Paul II declared her:
Venerated on February 11th 1982.
Beatified on November 17th 1985.
Role model in the adoration of the Eucharist in the Jubilee year 2000.
Saint for the whole church on June 10th 2001.
Saint Rafca was born in Himlaya, a small village near Bickfaya (Metn), on June
29, 1832 and was given the name Petronilla as a reminder that she was a daughter
of St. Peter, on whose feast day she entered the world.
The Land of Rafca
The Land of Rafca is Lebanon: a country, torn by four years of war, in search of
peace and tranquillity. The wealthy, big powers have brought their conflicts
there and are trying to resolve them there. The greatness of that Land lies in
the fact that it has always been a land of refuge.
The Land of Rafca is the land of the Canaanites and the Phoenicians, and is
mentioned with enthusiasm and wonder more than sixty times in Holy Scripture.
Preface
Like Therese of Lisieux, Rafca, "The Little Flower of Lebanon," the "Purple
Rose," the "Silent and Humble Nun", had to tell her life story to her Mother
Superior some months before her death. Obedience to this request is the reason
why today we are able to know something about this woman who sought for nothing
else but to be forgotten by men and live only for God. However, the perfume of
this violet immediately spread after her death and has attracted the attention
of the ecclesiastical authorities.
The Cause for Beatification of the Servant of God, Rafca, is currently in Rome.
It will now be up to the Holy Father to make the final decision regarding her
virtues and the graces obtained through her intercession, as to whether he will
elevate her to the ranks of the saints. As we anticipate and pray for this
glorious day, we submit ourselves to the decision of the Church and patiently
wait.
Bride of the Crucified
Rafca's condition grew more serious. The pain she was enduring in her eyes
became excruciating. Her Superior sent her to Tripoli for treatment. The
treatments were most painful, too, and she lost a great deal of blood. However,
during all of this time, she kept repeating, "With your sufferings, O Lord, for
your glory." ...
The Total Gift
In 1897, a group of nuns from the convent of St. Simeon of the Horn moved to the
new convent of St. Joseph Ad-Daher. Mother Ursula, who was to be the Superior of
the new foundation, asked to have Sister Rafca included in the group. She wished
to have her example before the eyes of the sisters as they met with the
hardships that are always inherent in establishing a new foundation.
Sister Rafca spent the last seventeen years of her life in this convent which
was to be the scene of her greatest sufferings, as well as of her greatest
spiritual joys.
Rafca was not to disappoint Mother Ursula. Her example and assistance proved
invaluable in establishing the new convent. The novices especially were
impressed with the blind nun's spirit of prayer, humility, and charity. Many
years later, after her death, several of Rafca's sisters who had either come
with her to the new foundation, or who had been novices during the seventeen
years that she lived at St. Joseph Ad-Daher and had never forgotten what they
had observed of their sister's life, testified regarding her holiness...
...Rafca suffered for seventeen years as a blind paralytic. Only God knew how
much she had to endure. Her pain was continuous night and day, yet the other
sisters never heard her murmuring or complaining. She often told them that she
thanked God for her sufferings, "...because I know that the sickness I have is
for the good of my soul and His glory" and that "the sickness accepted with
patience and thanksgiving purifies the soul as the fire purifies gold."
She was always quiet and calm, smiling, enduring even the greatest pain with
patience, hoping in the Lord who promised to increase the glory of His faithful
servants in heaven (Lk. 21:19).
By her patience, she can be compared to the greatest of the saints.
A Light Shining in the Darkness
A few years before she died, Rafca's Bridegroom granted her two more favors to
show His acceptance of her offering of herself as a Victim of Love.
One day, mother Ursula noticed that Rafca seemed to be suffering much more than
usual and, touched by pity for the poor sister, asked her, Is there anything
else you want from this world? Have you never regretted the loss of your sight?
Don't you sometimes wish you could see this new convent with all the natural
beauties that surround it--the mountains and rocks, and the forests?"
Sister Rafca answered simply, "I would like to see just for an hour,
Mother--just to be able to see you."
"Only for one hour?" asked the Superior. "And you would be content to return to
that world of darkness?"
"Yes," replied the invalid.
Mother Ursula shook her head in wonder and began to leave Rafca's cell.
Suddenly, the paralyzed nun's face broke into a beautiful smile and she turned
her head toward the door. "Mother," she called, I can see you!"
The Superior turned around quickly and saw the glow on Rafca's face. That alone
was enough to tell her that her daughter was not teasing, but she wanted to be
certain that the phenomenon was actual and not just a trick of the mind of the
poor nun who had been blind for so many years.
Desperately trying to conceal her emotions, she walked back to the bedside.
"If it is as you say," she queried, "tell me what is lying on the wardrobe."
Sister Rafca turned her face toward the little closet and answered, "The Bible
and the Lives of the Saints--she could hardly contain her excitement. But, she
reasoned, perhaps Rafca knew that these were the only two books in her cell as
she had no need for others and the sisters who read to her usually only used
these two titles--knowing that the invalid loved them best.
Another test would have to be tried and this time, witnesses were called in the
testify to the miracle.
There was a lovely multi-colored cover on Rafca's bed. Mother Ursula called her
attention to it and began to point to the colors one by one, asking the
newly-sighted nun to call out the names of the colors as she pointed to them.
The three sisters who assisted the Superior in the test verified that Sister
Rafca named each color correctly.
As she had requested, though, this new sight lasted only for one hour during
which time she conversed with Mother Ursula and looked around her cell, at her
siters, and through the window to catch glimpses of the beauties outside.
After this time, she fell into a peaceful sleep. The Mother Superior remained at
Rafca's side for a short time and then decided to waken the nun to see if she
would be able to see again...
From the Dust of the Earth
Charify Khoury, widow of Saad Peter Khoury, Mayor of Mazraat Ram (Batroun)
declared on November 23, 1925:
My son, Peter, who was three years old, became very ill when his body began to
store up uric acid. The quantity of acid increased to such an extent that his
body became swollen and his eyes were closed. Dr. Elias Anaissi forbade him to
eat anything except milk, but the child did not like milk and refused to take
it. We used to put rose water in the milk and force it into his mouth, but he
would just vomit it back up and finally refused to take any more.
The doctor insisted that the only medicine for his condition was milk and
advised that if he didn't take it, he would die, so we kept forcing him to drink
the milk. I was very frightened. This situation continued for thirty or forty
days and Peter was close to death.
I had heard about the miracles of Rafca, so I made her a conditional vow: "If my
son gets well so that I can feed him any kind of food without hurting him, I
will visit the Convent of St. Joseph with him."
That very night I saw in my dreams an old lady with a cane in her hand. She told
me, "Do not be afraid for your son. Give him whatever he wants to eat. He will
not die". I realized that this was Rafca.
** ololmi.org
Netanyahu calls on Lebanese people to join Israel
against Hezbollah
LBCI/June 10, 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday called on the Lebanese
people to join Israel's fight against Hezbollah, saying their country had been
taken "hostage" by the militant group. "Israel is not at war with you. We are at
war with Hezbollah, that has taken your country hostage... We yearn for peace
with you, with Lebanon," Netanyahu said in a video statement directed at the
Lebanese people. "Israel wants peace with you. Seize your future. Join Israel.
Build safety and prosperity for all of our children. And once Hezbollah is
dismantled, the possibilities are endless. And they are sky high."AFP
At least 16 killed in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon
Naharnet/June 10, 2026
Israeli strikes targeted Wednesday the southern city of Tyre and other towns and
villages in south Lebanon including Tayrdebba, Nsariyeh, al-Majadel, Srifa,
Bazourieh, Deir Qanoun, Kfar Remman, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Kfardounine, Ghassaniyeh
and Bnaafoul. The Israeli army targeted a car in Dweir and issued evacuation
orders for Ghassaniyeh, Houmine al-Fawqa, and Nsariyeh. At least 14 people were
killed in strikes on Tayrdebba, Deir Qanoun and Siddiqine. In the country's
east, Israeli artillery shelled Sohmor and Yohmor in West Beqaa. Hezbollah, for
its part, targeted Israeli troops and equipment in the southern towns of Qantara,
al-Bayyada and Yohmor-Shqif. In the southern border village of Kfarshouba, the
Israeli army abducted a municipal council member and a local worker as they were
pumping water to the village. Later in the day, strikes targeted al-Qlayleh, al-Mansouri,
Zebqine, Majdalzoun, Tayr Harfa and Wadi Hassan, and a vehicle in the center of
the southern coastal city of Sidon, killing two people.
Two killed in Israeli strike on vehicle in Sidon's center
Agence France Presse/June 10, 2026
A strike hit a vehicle in the center of the southern coastal city of Sidon on
Wednesday, killing two people, as Israeli attacks continue across the country's
south. Other strikes targeted Majdalzoun, Kfar Rumman, Dweir and other towns and
villages in south Lebanon, while Hezbollah targeted Israeli troops and equipment
in Yohmor-Shqif. Israel's military said on Wednesday it launched multiple
strikes in southern Lebanon over the past day, targeting Hezbollah
infrastructure.
Lebanon says 11 killed in Israeli strikes on Tyre
Agence France Presse/June 10, 2026
Israeli airstrikes on the historic city of Tyre in southern Lebanon and
surrounding areas killed 11 people Tuesday amid an Israeli military warning for
the entire city to evacuate. Israel's army said its forces killed a gunman who
had managed to infiltrate Israeli territory from Lebanon and opened fire on its
troops. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported raids on more
than a dozen other locations across the country's south, as Israel pressed on
with its war against the militant group Hezbollah. An Israeli strike near Tyre
killed three people on Tuesday, the health ministry said, taking the death toll
up to 11 in the region. The strike also wounded nine people, including two
women, the ministry added, further confirming an earlier toll of eight dead. The
action came despite a warning the day before from Iran that it would resume
attacking Israel if it continued striking its neighbour. Tehran insists that
Lebanon must be part of any deal to end the wider Middle East war, which
Hezbollah pulled Lebanon into by attacking Israel in support of its backer Iran.
On Tuesday, Hezbollah urged Lebanese authorities to mend their relationship with
the group's backer Iran and benefit from Tehran's support, days after Iran
struck Israel in response to bombardment on south Beirut. Last week Lebanon's
president and prime minister issued pointed calls for Tehran to stop interfering
in their country's affairs, after Hezbollah rejected a conditional ceasefire
with Israel.
Residents fleeing -
An AFP correspondent saw residents of Tyre, including from the Christian
quarter, fleeing and heavy traffic heading north after the Israeli warning.
Another correspondent in the coastal city of Sidon, further north, saw displaced
people arriving from Tyre, some with belongings hastily strapped to the roofs of
their cars. Israel has repeatedly struck the city of Tyre since the latest war
erupted with Hezbollah, following the militants' rocket fire at Israel on March
2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader. But until Tuesday, Tyre's
Christian quarter in the Old City -- a small, picturesque area where displaced
people had sought refuge -- had been spared Israeli evacuation warnings
targeting the rest of the city in the ongoing war. "Urgent warning to the
residents of the city of Tyre, including the Christian quarter, and the camps
and surrounding neighbourhoods," the Israeli army warning on X read, referring
to several Palestinian refugee camps in the area. "For your safety, we ask you
to immediately evacuate your homes... and move north of the Zahrani River.""The
neighbourhood is empty, some people are packing their belongings to leave, and
others have already left... and only a few people remain," municipal council
member Walid al-Tawil said. Most people left for Sidon or Beirut, he added. The
Zahrani River is around 30 kilometres north of Tyre. The Israeli army last month
declared all areas south of the river "combat zones".
Rising toll -
The NNA reported an Israeli strike on Tyre's outskirts before the evacuation
notice was issued, and further strikes on the city after the warning. The health
ministry earlier said the pre-warning strike killed at least eight people and
wounded 32 others, with rescuers still searching rubble for survivors.
Hezbollah has kept up its attacks on Israeli troops who have invaded south
Lebanon. Last week, Israel's military alleged that Hezbollah members were
operating in Tyre's Christian quarter and said it would warn people to leave if
the group remained there. An AFP correspondent said some people who had been
sleeping in cars or tents at the edge of the quarter left for other parts of the
city after that warning. Lebanese authorities say Israeli attacks since March
have killed 3,666 people and displaced more than one million others. On the
Israeli side, 29 soldiers and one civilian contractor have been killed in
Lebanon, according to the army. Neither side has respected a ceasefire first
announced in mid-April.
MBS orders resumption of Lebanese exports to Saudi Arabia
Al Arabiya English/11 June ,2026
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday ordered the resumption of
Lebanese exports to the Kingdom after a request from Lebanese President Joseph
Aoun to lift the five-year ban. The decision was conveyed during a phone call
with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, during which the Crown Prince
reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for Lebanon’s stability, sovereignty and
territorial integrity, as well as the well-being of its people. The Crown Prince
also expressed confidence that Lebanon would take all necessary measures to
ensure the country is not used “as a platform to harm its brothers,” according
to a readout of the call published by the Saudi Press Agency. Saudi Arabia
imposed a ban on Lebanese fruit and vegetable imports in 2021 after authorities
uncovered attempts to smuggle large quantities of narcotics into the Kingdom
through shipments originating from Lebanon. The move marks the latest sign of
improving ties between Riyadh and Beirut following years of strained relations.
Two municipal workers abducted in Kfarshouba, taken to
Israel 'for questioning'
Agence France Presse/June 10, 2026
the Israeli army abducted Wednesday a municipal council member and a local
worker in the southern border village of Kfarshouba, as they were pumping water
to the village, the National News Agency said. The Israeli military later said
the two men had approached troops in southern Lebanon and that they were taken
to Israel for questioning. "Following the identification and in order to rule
out any threat, the soldiers apprehended the suspected individuals, who were
transferred to Israeli territory for further questioning," Israel's army said.
Aoun: A return to the era of tutelages is unacceptable
Naharnet/June 10, 2026
President Joseph Aoun stressed Wednesday that "it is impossible to live outside
the framework of the state, as experience has proven," warning that "anything
else is a sin" against the country. "An attack on any part of Lebanon
means an attack on the entire country. No region can be separated from Lebanon
as a whole," he added. He noted that his efforts aim to "stop the attacks,
secure Israel's withdrawal, ensure the return of the displaced and prisoners,
deploy the army in the south and have it solely responsible for security, and to
oversee reconstruction." "The goal is one, but the methods are different. The
experience of war did not lead us to our goal, and its final toll was nearly
four thousand martyrs and billions of dollars in material losses, without
achieving any results," Aoun pointed out.He also said that he is "in complete
agreement with the Speaker of Parliament and the Prime Minister, contrary to
what is being reported in the media." "The goal of the negotiations in
Washington is to restore the state's authority, so that the Lebanese people are
no longer subservient to anyone, whether through a tutelary power or through
someone negotiating on our behalf," Aoun added. He emphasized that "a return to
the era of tutelages, regardless of their source, is unacceptable.""We welcome
assistance from any country, but there is a significant difference between
providing assistancd and interfering in Lebanon's internal affairs for the
benefit of any other country at the expense of Lebanese interests, which we will
not tolerate," Aoun underscored.
"I have decided to pursue negotiations and will continue them until the end
because Lebanon is a founding member of the United Nations and possesses its own
entity and sovereignty. Furthermore, I am convinced that wars achieve nothing
but losses," the president went on to say.
UN rights chief says sending mission to Lebanon to collect
evidence on war crimes
Agence France Presse/June 10, 2026
The U.N. rights chief said Wednesday he would send a mission to Lebanon to
collect evidence on alleged rights abuses since the war began between Hezbollah
and Israel. "I have agreed with the government of Lebanon to conduct an
impartial and independent assessment mission in the country," Volker Turk told
journalists, adding: "I will soon be deploying a team to collect information and
evidence on alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law, and
violations of international humanitarian law and related law committed by the
parties to the armed conflict in the country since March 2."
Iran and Lebanon: intertwined fronts in the Mideast war
Agence France Presse/June 10, 2026
President Donald Trump's administration has sought -- with very limited success
-- to separate Iran and Lebanon peace talks, while Tehran insists the two are
linked, complicating efforts to resolve the intertwined conflicts. The Iran war
began with a joint U.S.-Israeli attack -- though the interests of those two
countries' leaders have since diverged -- while Lebanese militant group
Hezbollah struck Israel shortly thereafter, sparking a devastating Israeli
military response. "Trump's strategy has been to compartmentalize the
conflicts," said Sina Toossi of the Center for International Policy. "The
problem is that Iran has never accepted that separation." The U.S. president is
striving to negotiate with Iran, prevent a wider regional war, stabilize energy
markets and contain the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz -- all while allowing
Israel to pursue its military campaign in Lebanon, Toossi said. Tehran has
demanded that Lebanon be part of any agreement to end the war with Israel and
the United States, which began on February 28. Iran and Israel resumed striking
each other over the weekend -- albeit on a limited scale -- for the first time
since a fragile ceasefire took effect on April 8, with Tehran saying it was
retaliating because Israel struck Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah
stronghold. Trump had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to
retaliate, seeking to avoid jeopardizing peace efforts the U.S. president says
are nearing fruition, but Israel hit back anyway. Lebanon was dragged into the
Middle East war on March 2 when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in retaliation
for the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Israel has since carried
out a massive campaign of strikes that have killed more than 3,600 people in
Lebanon, while also occupying a large chunk of the country's south. Elisa Ewers,
of the Council on Foreign Relations, said that Trump's effort to delink Lebanon
from Iran "has not been all that successful." "Iran is testing President Trump's
resolve by continuing to demand that Lebanon be part of any initial
negotiation," and "testing whether Trump would continue his backing for Israeli
strikes," Ewers said. She also noted that "Iran is trying to preserve Hezbollah
capabilities as much as possible."
Irony' -
The United States has hosted four rounds of Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington
-- the first direct negotiations in decades between the two countries, which do
not have diplomatic relations. From the beginning, Washington has insisted on
keeping the two peace tracks -- Lebanese and Iranian -- separate. The talks have
so far failed to end the violence, despite ceasefire announcements that have
been rejected by Hezbollah and ignored by Israel. According to Toossi, Tehran
wants to demonstrate that "regional stability cannot be separated from Iran's
security concerns or those of its allies." The relationship between Trump and
Netanyahu has meanwhile become increasingly tense. "The real tension is that
Israeli actions in Lebanon repeatedly risk undermining Trump's larger objective
of stabilizing the region and reaching a broader 'end-of-war' framework deal
with Iran that can reopen transit through the Strait of Hormuz," said Toossi.
Richard Haas, the former president of the Council on Foreign Relations, sees a
certain "irony" in the situation, given that Trump launched the war against Iran
at Netanyahu's urging. "The 'peace' is near certain to drive a wedge between the
two leaders and the two countries because it is unlikely to deal meaningfully
with many of the issues Israel cares most about," Haas wrote in his newsletter
last week. Mona Yacoubian, of the Center for Strategic and International
Studies, said that "ultimately, the Lebanon and Iran conflicts will proceed
along separate tracks." "While interconnected, each conflict is driven by its
own set of dynamics related to conditions of the ground," she said.
"Unfortunately, this intersection more often will result in unpredictable
conflict escalation transmitted from one arena to the other, rather than
mutually reinforcing de-escalation," Yacoubian added.
Spy's mysterious disappearance spotlights Israel's
intelligence networks in Lebanon
Associated Press/June 10, 2026
As Israeli warplanes pounded Beirut's southern suburbs last March and residents
fled in panic, one man found his opportunity. Amid the chaos, he slipped out of
his imprisonment in a Hezbollah cell and made his way to the green hills
overlooking the Lebanese capital. There, in the posh diplomatic quarter of
Baabda, he disappeared inside the gates of the Ukrainian Embassy. Where he is
now is a mystery, tangled up in an ongoing spy game as Hezbollah attempts to
root out Israeli intelligence operatives that have infiltrated the militant
group. The man identified by Lebanese officials as Khaled al-Aydi is said to be
a Palestinian refugee from Syria who also holds Ukrainian citizenship. He had
been detained by Hezbollah in the Beirut suburbs and accused by Lebanese
officials of being part of a thwarted Israeli intelligence plot to carry out
bombings and assassinations. Details of al-Aydi's escape and a Lebanese military
court's case against him were provided by three judicial officials and two
senior security officials in Lebanon who spoke on condition of anonymity because
they were not authorized to comment publicly. A senior political official in
Hezbollah also provided details. Al-Aydi's disappearance could have political
implications for the Lebanese government, which has largely remained silent
about the case. If evidence were to emerge that al-Aydi escaped Lebanon with
help from the government, it could inflame tensions with Hezbollah's largely
Shiite Muslim base. The government already faces scrutiny for directly
negotiating with Israel, which has been engaged in fierce fighting with
Hezbollah since the early days of the Iran war. The Ukrainian embassy asked
Lebanese authorities in March to facilitate al-Aydi's departure from the country
after he escaped Hezbollah detention, according to a Lebanese government
document obtained by The Associated Press. But Lebanon's General Security agency
refused, saying a judicial warrant for his arrest had been issued in September
2025, according to the document. Israel's Mossad intelligence agency declined to
comment. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry also declined comment. A Ukrainian official
with knowledge of the case said al-Aydi is not in the Ukrainian Embassy or its
compound in Lebanon. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because
of the sensitivity of the situation, would not say where al-Aydi is — and out of
concern for the security of Ukraine's embassy and its personnel, would not say
whether al-Aydi was ever in the embassy, or whether Ukraine helped him escape.
Israel's intelligence networks
Using human and high-tech surveillance, Israel has cultivated far-reaching
intelligence networks in Lebanon. That has helped it carry out dramatic
operations against Hezbollah. In the most elaborate example, Israel infiltrated
Hezbollah's supply chain and sent the Iran-backed militant group thousands of
booby-trapped pagers and walkie-talkies. Israel remotely detonated the devices
in September 2024, killing at least 37 people. Days later, Israeli airstrikes
killed Hezbollah's longtime leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, while he was hiding
in a heavily fortified bunker. Even before that, Israel's intelligence within
Hezbollah allowed it to hit the group's senior leaders and field commanders
"with relative ease," said Nicholas Blanford, an expert on the militant group at
the Atlantic Council. Since the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah war, Hezbollah and
Lebanese authorities have cracked down on alleged spy networks. About 50 people
have been convicted and are serving sentences, while others remain under
investigation, the judicial officials said. "We were successful in detecting
many spy networks, and the state was also successful in this matter," Hezbollah
political official Wafiq Safa, said. But "the Israelis are always working to
recruit young Lebanese people from all communities." Al-Aydi doesn't fit the
profile of other alleged spies
Many alleged spy networks have involved current or former Hezbollah members or
individuals with family ties to the group. Al-Aydi, in contrast, was an
outsider. He had Ukrainian citizenship through his mother, according to the
Lebanese government document AP obtained. It is not known how he was allegedly
recruited by Israel. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians came to Lebanon for refuge
during Syria's 14-year civil war. But Al-Aydi entered the country in August 2025
on a flight from Ethiopia, one of the Lebanese security officials said. While
Hezbollah began in the 1980s as a small guerrilla operation fighting Israel's
occupation of southern Lebanon, it greatly expanded after its 2006 war with
Israel, making it "easier for the Israelis to penetrate," Blanford said. The
group's entry into the Syrian civil war further exposed it, as recruitment
standards were lowered, he said.
Lebanon's economic crisis also aided Israel's recruitment efforts, Blanford
said. Cases filed in Lebanon's military court describe operatives being paid
between $2,500 and $20,000 to provide intelligence on Hezbollah weapons depots
and political offices. Many of the alleged agents were recruited by Israeli
handlers through social media, judicial officials said. One high-profile case
was Mohammad Hadi Saleh, a singer and prominent religious performer within
circles connected to Hezbollah. He was arrested in May 2025 and charged with
providing the Mossad with maps and coordinates of key Hezbollah sites later
struck in Israeli operations. He is in jail awaiting trial. "It's ironic that
they (Hezbollah) were spending a lot of time accusing their opponents of being
Israeli spies, and it turns out that the spies were actually from within the
organization and its support base," said Mohanad Hage Ali, a senior fellow at
the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. Recruitment efforts
continue. During the latest war, Israel has dropped leaflets over Lebanon with
QR codes that, according to the Lebanese army, direct people to an Israeli
military unit tasked with recruiting agents.
Al-Aydi is thought to have fled the country
Lebanon's General Security said in October it had broken up a network planning
bombings and assassinations in Lebanon, including an operation meant to target
events for the one-year commemoration of Nasrallah's death. Authorities
discovered a motorcycle rigged with explosives and a car modified to hold
explosives, security and judicial officials said. Al-Aydi and six others, all
Lebanese, were charged. One of the six also escaped, and the others are in a
Lebanese jail awaiting trial, the judicial officials said. Only al-Aydi was
being held by Hezbollah, likely because he was seen as a high-value catch.The
military court alleges the operation was orchestrated by a Mossad handler living
in Germany who communicated with others through encrypted applications. The
court sent a summons to the Ukrainian embassy that went unanswered. Safa said
there was an unsuccessful attempt to smuggle al-Aydi out of Lebanon to Syria. He
did not elaborate. The two senior Lebanese security officials said al-Aydi is
believed to have left the country. It was not clear whether he crossed into
Syria, where officials said they had no information about him. Alleged spy's
disappearance raises political tensions
Relations between the Lebanese government and Hezbollah are at a low point. The
government was angered by the militant group's unilateral decision to enter
another war with Israel, while Hezbollah is furious the government has chosen to
negotiate a ceasefire and potentially wider security and political agreement
directly with Israel. Al-Aydi's escape could exacerbate tensions and put the
Lebanese state in a difficult situation. If Lebanese authorities refused to let
al-Aydi leave the country, the U.S. and Ukraine were "well-positioned to exert
significant pressure" to secure his release, Hage Ali said. On the other hand,
if the state is seen to have let al-Aydi escape, it would face "public anger,
predominantly among Lebanese Shia" sympathetic to Hezbollah, which could use
that emotion to inflame internal tensions, he said.
Military escalation in the Gulf reverberates into Lebanon
negotiations: The details
LBCI/June 10, 2026
From the Strait of Hormuz to Lebanon, military and diplomatic developments have
intersected over the past 24 hours. The beginning came with the downing of a
U.S. Apache helicopter in the strait. U.S. President Donald Trump announced the
pilots survived and ordered an investigation into the incident, before blaming
Iran for what happened and saying the United States would respond. Hours later,
the U.S. military targeted Iranian military sites, including radar systems,
surveillance equipment, and air defense installations near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran responded by striking U.S. military bases and positions in the region,
including Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan and U.S. military sites in Bahrain
and Kuwait, which it said had been used as launch points for the U.S. strikes.
The attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base marked a notable development, as the base
hosts U.S. forces and aircraft in the region and is used to manage air
operations as well as surveillance and reconnaissance missions. As the
confrontation between Washington and Tehran entered a new phase, Trump said
Wednesday that he was close to issuing new orders for strikes against Iran,
which he said was taking too long to reach an agreement. The developments then
extended from Iran and the Gulf to Lebanon. Reports circulated of contacts
between French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. envoy Tom Barrack to introduce
amendments to the Lebanese-Israeli joint statement issued following the fourth
round of talks in Washington, in a way that would take into account remarks from
Hezbollah and Amal Movement. However, diplomatic sources told LBCI that the
information was inaccurate, confirming that French-American communication is
ongoing but concerns broader issues, including developments between the United
States and Iran as well as the Lebanese file, without any effort to amend the
joint statement. The sources also said France fully supports the negotiation
process and the statement, particularly the concept of “pilot zones,” which
Paris views as a potential starting point for a practical solution enabling an
Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, the extension of Lebanese Army
authority over all Lebanese territory, and the return of displaced residents.
While Paris reiterated its full support for Lebanese government decisions,
discussions with the United States on implementing the ceasefire agreement are
continuing, with no changes currently to the text announced earlier this month
in Washington. Further talks are expected during the June 22–24 negotiation
sessions.
LBCI sources: Fate of June 22 direct talks with Israel
still undecided, proposal for military-political round in Washington
LBCI/June 10, 2026
Sources told LBCI that the fate of the direct negotiation round with Israel
scheduled for June 22 has not yet been decided. According to the sources,
discussions are taking place in Washington about a proposal to hold a military
and political negotiation round on that date at the U.S. State Department.
From infiltration to escalation? Israel reassesses its Lebanon strategy after
security breach
LBCI/June 10, 2026
While U.S. President Donald Trump affirmed his agreement with Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to target Beirut's southern suburbs, the Israeli
military has reportedly recommended that the political leadership change its
rules of engagement in the north and return the southern suburbs to the center
of its response strategy in retaliation for any fire directed at Israel. This
comes as the military continues its investigation into an infiltration operation
carried out by a Hezbollah member on Tuesday, which enabled him to reach within
one kilometer of the Margaliot settlement. Security agencies have classified the
incident as the most serious since the outbreak of the October war. Israeli
military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir is personally overseeing the investigation,
amid reports that it could lead to dismissals within the military establishment.
The scale of the breach extends beyond failures in the border fence built along
the Lebanese frontier and includes the Israeli-controlled area beyond it.
Preliminary findings indicate that the attacker advanced on foot through Hunin
valley in southern Lebanon, an area under Israeli control, and managed to bypass
multiple layers of security before opening fire on an army force and being
killed. Amid discussions over the southern suburbs response doctrine and the
Margaliot operation, the military announced that reinforced forces continue
training and preparations for various scenarios. Tel Aviv remains committed to
what a military official described as its right to pursue Hezbollah even into
Beirut's southern suburbs. The developments come amid statements indicating that
Israel may be compelled to launch a strike against Iran even if the United
States does not participate.
Lebanese Army commander concludes visit to Pakistan, discusses security and
defense cooperation
LBCI/June 10, 2026
Lebanon’s Army Commander General Rodolph Haykal concluded his visit to the
Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which took place from June 6 to June 9, 2026, at
the official invitation of his Pakistani counterpart, Field Marshal Syed Asim
Munir, Chief of Army Staff and Commander of the Pakistani Defense Forces. The
visit began at the army headquarters with an official reception ceremony
performed by a joint unit from the Pakistani land, naval, and air forces.
General Haykal then met Field Marshal Munir, where they discussed regional
developments and issues of mutual interest, particularly security and defense
matters. Field Marshal Munir emphasized the importance of the historic relations
between the two countries, while General Heikal praised the professionalism of
the Pakistani army, its role in enhancing regional security and stability, and
its efforts in maintaining international peace. The meeting was followed by an
expanded session attended by Field Marshal Munir, General Heikal, and officers
from both sides, during which ways to strengthen cooperation between the two
armies were discussed, especially in training, as well as support for the
Lebanese Army amid current challenges. The Lebanese Army commander also visited
several military companies and factories, where he reviewed defense innovation
technologies and industrial capabilities under development, in addition to
exploring areas of mutual interest and future cooperation opportunities.
Lebanese diplomatic source to Al Jazeera: “Pilot zones” are only path to halt
deterioration and launch reconstruction
LBCI/June 10, 2026
A Lebanese diplomatic source told Al Jazeera that “pilot zones” remain the only
practical entry point to halt further deterioration, through the deployment of
the Lebanese Army and the withdrawal of armed groups. The source said the
Washington declaration aims to stop the deterioration, facilitate the return of
the army and residents, and launch reconstruction efforts. The source added that
Washington has tools to influence Israel, but its room for maneuver is tied to
the nature of the existing U.S.-Israeli alliance. According to the source,
Israel is not showing a genuine desire to negotiate and has treated the current
track as something imposed upon it. The source also claimed that Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu wants to continue the war in Lebanon until the Israeli
election period. The source further said no party is capable of offering gains
beyond what was achieved in the Washington negotiations, arguing that
battlefield realities are what led to the Washington declaration.
Decoding the Lebanon-Israel Agreement: Strategic Gains
and Unresolved Risks
Marwan El Amine/This Is Beirut/June 10/2026
Amid Berri and Hezbollah’s obstruction, the central question now is whether
Lebanon’s political leaders and the LAF command will continue to hesitate when
it comes to disarming Hezbollah.
The June 3 U.S.-mediated agreement between Lebanon and Israel is a mixed
package, containing both promising elements and potential risks, and warrants
careful assessment of its immediate and long-term strategic implications.
The trilateral statement begins by announcing that Lebanon and Israel agreed to
implement a ceasefire contingent on Hezbollah halting its military operations
and withdrawing its militants from the border area south of the Litani River.
Notably, the statement makes no reference to Hezbollah’s military infrastructure
elsewhere in the country. After the November 27, 2024 ceasefire, the
Lebanese state took no meaningful steps to disarm Hezbollah north of the Litani.
If this scenario were to be repeated, the new ceasefire would constitute a
strategic gain for Hezbollah, which is under heavy military pressure. The group
needs a truce to reorganize its ranks, rebuild its capabilities, and consolidate
its position, particularly north of the Litani River.
As such, the trilateral statement’s provisions risk entrenching Hezbollah’s
continued influence outside the border zone. The primary objective of Iran and
Hezbollah is to preserve their control and influence in Lebanese areas outside
those occupied by the Israeli military. Iran’s influence in Lebanon is not
threatened by Hezbollah withdrawing its fighters from south of the Litani, where
Israel has already accomplished its objectives. Rather, the main threat to the
Islamic Republic’s project in Lebanon lies in the Lebanese state’s restoration
of sovereignty over security and military affairs.
In the trilateral statement, Lebanon and Israel agreed on the establishment of
“pilot zones” in which the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) would assume control of
territory to the exclusion of Hezbollah. While attractive on paper, the proposal
leaves unanswered how Hezbollah would be prevented from re-establishing itself
in the “pilot zones” when it continues to maintain arms and military
infrastructure north of the Litani.
Hezbollah could reassert its military presence in the “pilot zones” through the
return of residents who are themselves Hezbollah fighters. By discarding their
military garb, they could re-enter a “pilot zone” as civilians while, in
practice, operating Hezbollah cells and military networks. Such a scenario would
enable Hezbollah to move weapons through returning residents, allowing it, over
time, to rebuild its stockpiles and restore its military infrastructure within a
“pilot zone.”
Significantly, the trilateral statement amounts to a joint declaration by
Lebanon and Israel of their intent to work “towards a comprehensive peace and
security agreement.” However, achieving this will require dismantling
Hezbollah’s military infrastructure throughout Lebanon, rather than merely
relocating its fighters. The trilateral agreement affirms that relations between
Lebanon and Israel should be determined exclusively by the two states,
implicitly rejecting interference by Iran and Hezbollah. This position reflects
the U.S. policy of separating the conflict in Lebanon from the broader regional
standoff with Iran. For its part, Tehran has been actively trying to link
Lebanon to its negotiations with Washington. It was therefore unsurprising that
both Iran and Hezbollah rejected the June 3 agreement, as both oppose a role for
the Lebanese state in diplomatic negotiations and the shaping of political
settlements. Instead, they insist that such processes pass through Tehran rather
than Beirut. Particularly noteworthy, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri aligned
with Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in rejecting
the U.S.-brokered agreement. In effect, he sided with them against the Lebanese
state’s legitimacy.
The agreement’s most significant provision is Beirut’s acceptance of the
principle that Lebanon and Israel do not harbor hostile intent toward each
other. What is especially notable about this stance is that it was adopted amid
an ongoing war. This shows that Lebanon views the conflict as one primarily
between Israel and Hezbollah, with Iran standing behind the latter. While an
unprecedented development, this Lebanese position now needs to be translated
into practice. As a start, it would require Lebanon to repeal its 1955 boycott
law against Israel that criminalizes contact with the country.
Amid Berri and Hezbollah’s obstruction, the central question now is whether
Lebanon’s political leaders and the LAF command will continue to hesitate when
it comes to disarming Hezbollah. The coming phase requires a more resolute
approach aimed at dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and restoring
the Lebanese state’s exclusive monopoly over the use of force.
America Between Military Victory and Political Failure
Etienne Saqr - Abu Arz/June 10, 2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/06/155203/
Issued by the President of the Guardians of the Cedars Party – Lebanese
Nationalist Movement
The United States entered Afghanistan in 2001, achieving a resounding military
victory, but failed to translate this victory into any significant political or
strategic gain.
Then it entered Iraq in 2003, repeating the same scenario: a brilliant military
success, met with political stumbling that squandered all the fruits of the war
and handed Iraq over to Iran on a silver platter.
Today, it is engaged in a fateful confrontation with Iran, and has thus far
succeeded, in cooperation with Israel, in achieving broad military objectives.
However, it seems to be slipping once again into a vortex of long and fruitless
negotiations that could dissipate its achievements on the ground and allow the
Iranian regime to declare a political “victory,” according to the following
equation: any war on terror is a losing one if it fails to eradicate it at its
roots.
The repetition of this pattern raises serious questions about the effectiveness
of American foreign policy and the ability of its policymakers to translate
overwhelming military superiority into sustainable political and strategic
outcomes.
In short: If the United States achieves military victories but stumbles
politically each time, the problem lies not with its military, but with how it
manages its victories.
Labbayk Lebanon
Etienne Saqr - Abu Arz
Why Is Saudi Arabia Circumventing the Lebanese State?
Hussain Abdul-Hussain/This Is Beirut/June 10/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/06/155206/
Saudi Arabia's decision to actively undermine diplomacy between Lebanon and
Israel, a pathway to peace and disarming Hezbollah, should not be tolerated by
the Lebanese.
Aflurry of statements and reports reveals that Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar
helped Hezbollah establish an indirect channel to U.S. President Donald Trump,
offering a ceasefire in Lebanon on Hezbollah’s terms. Their proposal calls for
Israel to halt military actions against the militia, relinquish control over
Lebanese territory it wrested from it, and allow the Iranian proxy to
reconstitute for future attacks against Israel. For days, Hezbollah touted that
it was forcing through a ceasefire, one which the Lebanese state had been unable
to secure through diplomacy with Israel. Trump, for his part, repeatedly told
the press that his administration had “talked to Hezbollah,” a Foreign Terrorist
Organization per the U.S. Department of State, and that “all shooting must
stop.” Since then, fighting in Lebanon has worsened, with the situation now on
the verge of further escalation. Hezbollah and Iran rejected a U.S.-mediated
ceasefire between Beirut and Jerusalem announced on June 3. The trilateral
agreement was conditional on Hezbollah ending its fire on Israel and the
Lebanese state asserting its authority over the militia. Everyone wants a
ceasefire in Lebanon, but all proposed plans come with their own conditions.
Both Israel and Lebanon seek a “ceasefire to end all ceasefires,” one tied to
Hezbollah’s disarmament and the transfer of territory from the Israel Defense
Forces (IDF) to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). Hezbollah, for its part, wants
an unconditional ceasefire and Israeli military withdrawal. After the 2006 and
2024 wars, Hezbollah agreed to ceasefires that included Lebanon’s commitment to
disarm the militia once hostilities ceased. Lebanon, however, never lived up to
its promises. Instead, it pocketed Israel’s concessions to stop its campaigns
and withdraw while allowing Hezbollah to reorganize and rearm. In effect,
ceasefires amounted to little more than pauses in preparation for the next war.
Long targeted by Hezbollah and the Houthis, Saudi Arabia had spent decades
defending itself against Iran’s proxy network. After the fall of Saddam Hussein
in 2003, Saudi Arabia countered efforts by Iranian-backed militias to take over
Iraq. This contributed to the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri, a key figure in Riyadh’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah and
restore Lebanese sovereignty. Since then, Saudi Arabia has tried every trick in
the book to disarm Hezbollah. In 2009, it patched up relations with the Bashar
al-Assad regime in Syria in hopes of luring Damascus away from Iran and
Hezbollah. In 2016, it severed ties with Tehran and went as far as waging war on
Iran’s proxy, the Houthis, in Yemen.Until 2025, Riyadh had led the campaign
against Iran’s bullying and belligerence across the Middle East. Then something
changed. The kingdom started playing nice with Iran and took its foot off the
pedal in efforts to counter Tehran’s network of regional militias. The reasons
behind this shift in Saudi strategy remain unclear. In the lead-up to the June
2025 war, Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman traveled to Tehran, where he
met the late Ali Khamenei to warn him of an impending Israeli offensive. Ahead
of the 2026 war, Saudi Arabia said that it would not allow the U.S. to use Saudi
airspace or bases for any military operation against Iran. Iran still attacked
Saudi energy installations, inflicting tens of billions of dollars in damages,
after the U.S. and Israel launched their military campaign against the Islamic
Republic. Saudi Arabia responded tamely, summoning the Iranian ambassador for a
reprimand but stopping short of expelling him. This showed Tehran that Riyadh
was taking the strikes lying down.
As the war continued, Iran scaled back its attacks on Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Following the April 8 ceasefire, it stopped targeting Saudi Arabia and Qatar
altogether, while continuing intermittent attacks against the United Arab
Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, and Bahrain.
Despite being the world’s eighth-largest military spender, Saudi Arabia did not
respond militarily to Iran’s attacks on its territory. Saudi officials justified
their surrender by saying they sought to spare Saudi lives and sensitive
economic infrastructure, including desalination plants. But Iran too has
desalination plants to worry about had it escalated to such a level of
brutality. Riyadh’s choice to appease Iran while escalating its rhetoric against
Israel is its own business. But its decision to actively undermine diplomacy
between Lebanon and Israel, a pathway to peace and disarming Hezbollah, should
not be tolerated by the Lebanese. Perhaps Saudi Arabia thinks itself big
and important, and that it can boss Lebanon around. Such tactics might work with
some Lebanese, but will infuriate many others. If the kingdom wants to play
footsie with Iran and Hezbollah, it should be prepared to face the same venom
directed at Iran and Hezbollah by Lebanese sovereignty advocates for decades.
Saudi Arabia and Lebanese opponents of Hezbollah have spent the last two decades
together in the trenches against Iran. If the Saudis now want out, they must be
prepared to be treated like Iran. However, if they mind their own business or
once again support the disarmament of Hezbollah and peace with Israel, these
disagreements will become water under the bridge.
**Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a research fellow at the Foundation for the Defense
of Democracies and a columnist focusing on Lebanon and broader Arab affairs.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on 10-11 June/2026
Trump: Iranians Asked for a Halt to
Bombings; Strikes Will End Soon
Riyadh - Al Arabiya.net/June 10,
2026
US President Donald Trump revealed direct contact with Iranian officials,
confirming that Tehran had asked him to halt the US bombing campaign. He
indicated that military operations against Iran might cease soon, although the
option of further strikes remains on the table. In an interview with Fox News,
Trump stated that US fighter jets are currently flying over Iran, signaling
continued military pressure on Tehran alongside diplomatic efforts to
de-escalate the situation. He added that Iranian
officials contacted him directly and requested a halt to the bombing, without
disclosing the identities of these officials or the nature of the communications
between the two sides.
Bombings May Stop
The US president clarified that the ongoing military operations against Iran
"will stop soon," marking the first direct indication of a possible containment
of the escalation witnessed in the region in recent days. But Trump did not rule
out further strikes if circumstances warranted it. Fox News quoted him as saying
he kept the option of launching more attacks against Iran on the table,
reflecting the continuation of the pressure campaign against Tehran despite talk
of a possible de-escalation. Despite Trump's assurances, an Iranian official
denied any contact with Iranian officials, emphasizing that Tehran had not had
any direct contact with the US president during the current crisis.
In a significant development concerning maritime security, the US
military confirmed that commercial vessels continue to transit the Strait of
Hormuz normally, despite previous Iranian threats to close the strait and target
any ship attempting to pass through it. The military also stated that "Iran's
claims of targeting US warships in the Strait of Hormuz are unfounded." The US
president's statements come after a series of strikes carried out by US forces
against military targets in southern Iran, including air defense sites, radar
installations, command and control centers, and units associated with operating
drones.
No Israeli Role
In a notable point, Trump confirmed that Israel did not participate in the
strikes targeting Iran, denying any direct Israeli involvement in the recent
military operations. This statement comes as Israel has raised its alert level
in anticipation of a possible Iranian response, amid fears of a wider regional
confrontation.
Between Pressure and Negotiation
Trump's statements reflect the continuation of the American approach of
combining military and diplomatic pressure in dealing with Iran. While
Washington affirms its readiness to continue military operations, the US
administration continues to speak of the possibility of reaching an agreement
with Tehran. Observers believe that the US president's talk of an Iranian
request to halt the bombing and the possibility of operations ceasing soon may
indicate the existence of active communication channels between the two sides,
despite the military confrontation witnessed in the region in recent hours. With
continued US military overflights of Iran and the exchange of threats between
the two sides, attention remains focused on whether the ongoing contacts will
lead to a temporary de-escalation or to a broader agreement that ends one of the
most dangerous crises the Middle East has witnessed in recent years.
New US Strikes on Iran... and Tehran Threatens the Strait of Hormuz
Riyadh - Al-Arabiya.net/ June 10,
2026
New US military operations against Iran have begun, with the US military
announcing strikes targeting air defense systems, surveillance radars, command
and control centers, and units responsible for operating and managing drones.
Tehran later escalated the situation by announcing the closure of the Strait of
Hormuz to all types of ships and oil tankers. A US
official confirmed to Axios that the strikes on Iran had commenced, after the
United States intensified its rhetoric against Iran on Wednesday. US Defense
Secretary Pete Higseth announced that US forces were preparing to carry out
powerful strikes against key targets inside Iran, at a time when hopes for
reaching an agreement to de-escalate tensions between the two sides are fading.
Higseth said Wednesday evening that the United States "will strike Iran hard
tonight," confirming that US Central Command (CENTCOM) would be engaged in the
coming hours in executing the planned operations. He added, "If we need to
negotiate with bombs, we will do so." This was before US Central Command (CENTCOM)
posted a statement on its Twitter account saying: "We have begun strikes against
multiple targets in Iran... Our strikes are in response to Iran's continued and
unprovoked aggression." Later, US President Donald
Trump told Fox News that US fighter jets were flying over Iran, explaining that
he had spoken directly with Iranian officials. He added, "The Iranians asked me
to stop the bombing... and the bombing of Iran will stop soon," but he left open
the option of launching further strikes against Iran.
Extensive Targets
Meanwhile, US sources revealed further details about the targets struck inside
Iran. Axios quoted a US official as saying that all the targeted sites were
located in southern Iran. The official explained that the strikes included air
defense systems and surveillance radars, as well as command and control centers
and units responsible for operating and managing drones.
The nature of the targets indicates that Washington focused on weakening
Iran's defensive and surveillance capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz, as
well as reducing its ability to manage air and drone operations in the region.
The strikes also reflect a US effort to send a military deterrent message while
avoiding targeting a wider range of civilian or economic facilities.
Focus on Southern Iran
According to Iranian media, the US strikes focused on multiple areas in southern
Iran, particularly along the coast overlooking the Strait of Hormuz. Reports
spoke of explosions near a military base close to Bandar Abbas airport,
explosions within the port of Bandar Abbas, and repeated explosions in the city
of Sirik, near the strait, and in Minab in the south of the country. The Mehr
News Agency reported clashes between US and Iranian forces in the waters of the
Persian Gulf. Air defense systems were activated in Asaluyeh in Bushehr province
and in Fars province, while other reports indicated the sound of fighter jets
over Isfahan province and the activation of air defenses west of Tehran. Local
media also reported hearing unusual sounds on Kish Island, while Iranian sources
confirmed that the country's southern coast was under bombardment during the
initial hours of the attacks, suggesting a wider scope of operations to include
military sites and facilities related to air defense, surveillance, and command
in several Iranian provinces. Higgseth had explained that the strikes would
target key facilities inside Iran, emphasizing that they would be "clear and
strong," indicating that Washington intended to send a direct message of
deterrence to Tehran after days of escalating military tensions between the two
sides.
US Interests
The US Secretary of Defense explained that the anticipated operation would
bolster US military interests in the region and strengthen Washington's
diplomatic position in the ongoing negotiations with Iran. He noted that most
Iranian missiles miss their targets, a comment reflecting the US
administration's assessment of Tehran's military capabilities following a series
of tit-for-tat attacks in recent days. Meanwhile, US officials stated that they
expected an Iranian response targeting US bases. During the escalation, Iranian
media quoted the Revolutionary Guard as saying, "Any new military action will be
met with an immediate and strong response," and Iranian reports indicated that
Iran had targeted US ships in the Strait of Hormuz with missiles and drones. US
officials stated that they expected an Iranian response targeting US bases. In a
development that could open a new front of escalation, Reuters quoted the
Iranian Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying that the Strait of Hormuz was closed to
all shipping, warning that any vessel attempting to pass through would be
considered a legitimate target and would be attacked. They stated that "two
ships that attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz were hit." However, the US
military later confirmed that commercial vessels were continuing to transit the
Strait of Hormuz normally, adding that "Iran's claims of targeting US warships
in the Strait of Hormuz are false." Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Baghdad said
that "our citizens should leave Iraq immediately," while Axios reported that
Trump was holding a meeting in the Situation Room regarding potential strikes
against Iran, and that the operation he was considering was short-term but
wide-ranging, intended to bolster the US negotiating position. In parallel with
the US escalation, Israel raised its military alert level in anticipation of any
possible Iranian response to the anticipated strikes. Israeli Channel 12
reported that the Israeli army had placed its forces on high alert in
anticipation of renewed fighting with Iran, while the newspaper Yediot Ahronot
quoted officials as saying that Israel was preparing for a scenario in which
Iran would launch missiles in response to any new American attack. However,
Israeli media later clarified that "the Israeli army is not involved in the
ongoing operation in Iran," although they noted that "the US had informed Israel
in advance of the operation underway in Iran."
Diplomatic Track Stalls
The American statements come at a time when prospects for an agreement between
the two sides have diminished. A Pakistani source told Al-Arabiya that the
chances of reaching a peace agreement today are now slim. The new American
statements are seen as reflecting a trend toward continuing the policy of
military pressure while simultaneously keeping the door open for negotiations—an
approach adopted by President Donald Trump's administration in recent weeks.
Simultaneous Pressure
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump threatened Iran with new strikes, accusing Tehran of
"disregarding" diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the crisis. The US president
said his country would carry out "powerful strikes again today, just as we did
yesterday," emphasizing that Washington is still seeking a "real and effective"
agreement with Iran. He added that Tehran had agreed in principle not to possess
nuclear weapons, but stressed that what is now required is to move to the
signing and implementation phase. These developments come amid the most serious
direct confrontation between the United States and Iran in years, amid fears
that continued military escalation will undermine the chances of reaching a
political settlement in the near future.
Trump says US military will carry out more
‘hard’ attacks against Iran
Al Arabiya English/June 10/2026
The US has been secretly taking out “millions of barrels of oils” from Iran, the
American president revealed. President Donald Trump threatened further military
action against Iran on Wednesday, hours after the US military carried out
multiple waves of strikes on Iranian military targets in response to the downing
of an Apache helicopter. “We are going to be attacking them very hard,” Trump
told reporters in the Oval Office. “We hit them hard yesterday, and we’re going
to hit them hard again today.” Trump said Washington remains open to reaching an
agreement with Tehran but insisted any deal must be substantive and enforceable.
“We want a deal that is meaningful. We want a deal that works,” he said. “But
they keep tapping us along, they keep playing us for suckers.”
Trump also revealed that the US has been secretly taking out “millions of
barrels of oils” from Iran. “Now that they figured it out, I can tell you... I
wanted to say it so badly, I didn’t want to ruin it, but it was very hard,”
Trump said. “And that’s why it’s at $85-90 a barrel, instead of $250,” he added.
Iran, US trade blows as Middle East peace deal draws no nearer
Agence France Presse/June 10, 2026
Iran attacked U.S. bases in Jordan and Bahrain on Wednesday, the latest salvo in
tit-for-tat strikes with the United States after the downing of a U.S.
helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz. The worst bout of fighting between
Washington and Tehran since their April 8 ceasefire has cast further doubt on
U.S. President Donald Trump's earlier claim that negotiations were in their
"final throes" before reaching an enduring settlement to end the Middle East
war. The fresh Iranian strikes came after the United States carried out its own
attacks on the Islamic republic in response to Tehran shooting down an American
helicopter. Iranian forces fired "long-range missiles" and "targeted and
destroyed four major targets" in Jordan, including F35 fighter nests at an air
base and the U.S. command center in Al-Azraq, the country's Revolutionary Guards
said in a statement quoted by state-run IRNA news agency early on Wednesday.
Jordan's military said it shot down five missiles from Iran, with no casualties
or material damage. The hostilities extended to other countries in the Middle
East, with air raid sirens sounding in Bahrain after the Guards said they had
struck another U.S. base there. The Kuwaiti military said its air defenses were
engaging "hostile aerial targets", without immediately mentioning the aggressor,
though Iran has recently carried out deadly attacks on the U.S. ally. The
incidents came after the U.S. military said it had "completed" what Trump
portrayed as a retaliatory assault on Iran over the downing of an Apache attack
helicopter. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American forces in
the Middle East, said on X that it had "struck Iranian air defense, ground
control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz with
precision munitions from U.S. Air Force and Navy fighter jets". Iranian Foreign
Minister Abbas Araghchi had earlier threatened payback, saying on X: "The U.S.
(has) opted to test our determination. Our Powerful Armed Forces will leave no
attack or threat unanswered."
Deal or no deal? -
During the U.S. strikes, Iranian media reported at least two series of
explosions along Iran's southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz. Digital news
outlet Axios reported that U.S. forces had attacked several Iranian air defense
systems and radar systems around the strait.
Hours earlier, Trump had said talks to end the three-month-long war were in
their final stages -- a claim he has made repeatedly in the past few weeks.
Asked whether it would be matter of days or weeks, the U.S. leader said it would
take "two or three days". But after the downing of the helicopter on Monday,
Trump said in a telephone interview with ABC News that the United States was
responding "in a strong manner"."And I believe the response should be very
strong, very powerful, and that's what this one is," he said. The shaky
ceasefire between Washington and Tehran already faced a serious test over the
weekend when Iran and Israel briefly resumed their attacks, before later
announcing a halt.
Iran has insisted any deal to end the war must include a truce in Lebanon.
Lebanese officials said 11 people were killed in airstrikes on the southern city
of Tyre on Tuesday.
The Israeli military also warned the entire city to evacuate. An AFP
correspondent saw residents of Tyre, including from the Christian quarter,
fleeing and heavy traffic heading north after the Israeli warning. Another
correspondent in the coastal city of Sidon, further north, saw displaced people
arriving from Tyre, some with belongings strapped to the roofs of their cars.
Strait on the edge -
The renewed fighting has also overshadowed efforts to reopen the Strait of
Hormuz, the critical waterway for global fuel supplies that Iran has virtually
blockaded since the start of the war. Crude prices jumped one percent on
Wednesday amid dimming prospects of a deal to reopen the strait, having fallen
as much as five percent at one point the previous day on optimism an agreement
would be reached. On Tuesday, Araghchi urged foreign forces to leave the strait
and surrounding areas, warning that they faced a risk of being caught in the
crossfire if they remained.
"The Strait of Hormuz is NOT international waters but shared between Iran and
Oman," Araghchi said. "Foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at
constant risk... (the) best solution is for them to leave," he said. The Apache
helicopter is the second crewed aircraft that Washington has confirmed was shot
down by Iran during the war, following the loss of an F-15 fighter plane in
April.
CENTCOM said the two crew members were rescued after the helicopter went down
near the coast of Oman.
Trump says Iran 'taken too long to negotiate,' will have to 'pay the price'
Associated Press/June 10, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran is taking "too long to
negotiate a deal" and that "now they will have to pay the price."Trump made the
comment on his Truth Social platform. It wasn't clear what exactly that would
mean for Tehran. It came after the countries exchanged fire earlier
Wednesday.Trump wrote: "They've taken too long to negotiate a deal that would
have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!"THIS IS A
BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below. DUBAI, United Arab
Emirates (AP) — The United States launched airstrikes early Wednesday against
Iran after blaming Tehran for the crash of an American attack helicopter, and
Iran fired back at countries in the region — another escalation that threatened
to derail efforts to end the war. Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan — all of which host
U.S. troops — came under Iranian fire. It was the second time this week that
back-and-forth strikes have tested the ceasefire after Iran and Israel targeted
each other on Monday, and it again raised the question of how much pressure the
deal can take before it cracks. While U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted
that negotiations with Iran to end the war are making progress, he has
repeatedly vacillated between expressing such optimism and warning that he was
ready to return to all-out war. Iran, meanwhile, has proved resilient despite
having faced weeks of heavy bombing, betting that its ability to effectively
close the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial passageway for the world's oil and
natural gas — gives it a strong bargaining chip. Both countries seem to be
looking for a way to end the conflict — if they can manage to sell it as a win
at home. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears intent on
pursuing much more difficult goals: the collapse of Iran's theocratic
government, the elimination of its nuclear program, and the destruction of the
Iranian-allied Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. That will make compromise
much harder.
Strikes by the US and Iran shake the Mideast
Since the U.S. and Israel started the war with attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, the
conflict has shaken the global economy, driven up energy prices around the
world, and made many basics, including food, more expensive. Brent crude oil,
the international standard, was at more than $91 a barrel on Wednesday, up more
than 25% since the start of the war. In the latest strikes, U.S. fighter jets
targeted "air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites,"
the military's Central Command said. Iran acknowledged strikes around Bandar
Abbas and Qeshm Island, but gave no details on the damage. "The operation was a
proportional response to recent attacks on U.S. forces and international
commercial ships transiting regional waters," Central Command said. Iran's top
diplomat vowed that there would be a response, and Tehran later claimed attacks
in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan. Jordan said it shot down five incoming missiles,
which Iran said targeted the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. The base has hosted
American F-35 fighter jets and other aircraft. Jordan's state-run Petra news
agency carried a military statement saying there were no injuries and that
explosives experts examined the debris from the interceptions. Bahrain and
Kuwait said they intercepted incoming fire, without elaborating. Iranian Foreign
Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the American attacks as a violation of Iranian
sovereignty in calls with his counterparts from Turkey and Saudi Arabia "and
emphasized the inherent right of self-defense, including reciprocal action,"
according to a post on his office's Telegram channel. Foreign Ministry
spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in televised comments Wednesday that in light
of the new attacks, Iran would review its stance on negotiations to end the war.
The exchanges of fire came a day after a U.S. Army attack helicopter crashed
near the Strait of Hormuz after colliding with an Iranian drone, according to a
U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing
investigation. It wasn't clear whether the collision was intentional.
A drone boat rescued both of the helicopter's aviators, and Trump said they were
uninjured.
A cargo ship is attacked by a small boat in the Gulf of Aden
Guards aboard a cargo ship off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden exchanged
fire with gunmen in a small boat and repelled their attack, the British
military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.
No group immediately claimed responsibility. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels
have said they will resume their attacks against Israel-affiliated ships in the
Red Sea. Somali pirates have also become more active in the region. The UKMTO
later reported a fire in the engine room of a tanker in the Gulf of Oman, near
the Strait of Hormuz, saying one person had been hurt and two others aboard were
missing. It wasn't immediately clear what caused the fire.
Trump has said a deal to end the war is coming
Before he accused Iran of downing the U.S. helicopter, Trump expressed renewed
optimism over negotiations with Iran, but didn't say why there was reason for
hope. While Trump, wary of high gas prices and upcoming congressional elections
in November, seems to be looking for a quick win, he is also making demands that
will be tough for Iran to swallow. The U.S. wants to see Iran give up its
stockpile of highly enriched uranium. While Iran insists its nuclear program is
peaceful, that uranium is a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels.
Iran is refusing to give up the uranium and demanding relief from sanctions. It
also wants the release of frozen assets even before a final agreement is in
place, something rejected by Trump. It's not clear how those differences can be
bridged — and Trump has repeatedly threatened to walk away from the talks. On
his Truth Social platform overnight he seemed to be warning again that he was
ready to return to all-out war, posting a clip from the American TV series "The
West Wing" with actor Martin Sheen as president bellowing: "We don't come back
with a proportional response, we come back with total disaster!"Meanwhile, Iran
has continued to insist that any deal to end the war must also end fighting
between its ally Hezbollah and Israel. Instead, Israel has intensified its
military campaign against the militant group. Israel's military said on
Wednesday it launched multiple strikes in southern Lebanon over the past day,
targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. An airstrike on a village east of Tyre
killed at least six people, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported.
Iran would be ‘unwise’ to challenge US further, Pentagon's
Hegseth says
Reuters/10 June ,2026
Iran would be “unwise” to challenge US further after it carried out strikes
overnight in retaliation for the downing of a US Apache helicopter, US Defense
Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday. “Right now, they’re defensive strikes
to ensure we protect our people. Again, Iran would be unwise to challenge us
further,” Hegseth said during a visit to the US base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
“President Trump is seeking a deal. But not just a deal, a great deal on behalf
of the American people so that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.”
Trump orders downsizing of key intelligence office
AFP/10 June ,2026
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has directed his contentious pick
for director of national intelligence to cut the size of his agency when he
takes office on an acting basis this month. In a post on Truth Social, Trump
said that he had told Bill Pulte, who will start as director of national
intelligence on June 19, “to execute the immediate and needed downsizing of the
office, reverting staff to their home agencies.”The appointment of Pulte, a
Trump loyalist with no background in intelligence, has drawn ire from
legislators. The ODNI agency was established to coordinate the activities of the
sprawling US intelligence community.
Iran war anxiety sends global container shipping rates soaring
Reuters/10 June ,2026
Fuel analysts and maritime experts warn it could take around a year for bunker
fuel supplies to return to normal even if Trump is able to quickly clinch an
Iran deal. The cost of shipping a container of goods from Asia to the United
States has doubled since the start of the Iran war, driven by spiking fuel
prices and an uptick in demand from importers who are worried costs will only
rise further as the conflict wears on. “If you want to know how seriously to
take the threat of an energy crisis, look at container shipping rather than oil
markets because the risk is priced into the spiraling freight rates far more
clearly,” said Peter Sand, chief analyst at freight pricing platform Xeneta. The
dynamic threatens to feed into already high inflation rates in the United
States, and reflects a major challenge for the US administration of President
Donald Trump after it started its war on Iran. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright
said on Friday that lowering fuel prices will ultimately take a resolution with
Iran to get more oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. The off-contract spot
rate to send a 40-foot container from Shanghai to Los Angeles was $4,565 on
Thursday, while the Shanghai to New York rate was $5,505, according to the
latest weekly Drewry World Container Index (WCI). Asia-to-US spot rates reported
by both Xeneta and Drewry are up almost 100 percent from levels at the end of
February, when the Iran conflict began, but still well below the $16,000 peak
early in the COVID pandemic, which sparked spree buying by homebound consumers.
Bunker fuel spike
Hostilities stemming from the US and Israeli attacks on Iran have raged for more
than 100 days with no immediate end in sight, choking the flow of oil through
the Strait of Hormuz — normally the conduit for almost 20 percent of the world’s
supply. Global oil inventories and emergency reserves are rapidly depleting as a
result. Fuel analysts and maritime experts warn it could take around a year for
bunker fuel supplies to return to normal even if Trump is able to quickly clinch
an Iran deal. While there is currently no widespread shortage of the tar-like,
bottom-of-the-barrel “bunker” fuel used by marine vessels, supplies are reduced
and are being redirected to areas less affected by the Iran war. Those
disruptions, coupled with some frontloading by shippers, helped send the cost of
that very-low-sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) on Tuesday up 55 percent to $845 across 20
major fueling hubs since the start of the Iran war, according to data from
global marine fuel price publisher Ship & Bunker. Prices varied wildly. They
stood at $1,211 in Fujairah, a key refueling point in the United Arab Emirates
for ships carrying oil and fuel from the Gulf; $770.50 in the key hub in
Singapore; $676 in Europe’s hub in Rotterdam; and $918 in Los Angeles, home to
the busiest US container port. Bunker fuel can account for as much as 60 percent
of a container ship’s voyage cost, so even small swings in cost can quickly send
freight rates above what underlying demand would justify, analysts said. “If
Hormuz remains closed or only partially usable into the second half of 2026,
shortages are to be expected, not necessarily everywhere, but in key grades and
key locations,” said Gisele Widdershoven, founder of Blue Water Strategy, a
maritime and energy advisory firm. Sea-Intelligence Maritime Analysis estimated
the Middle East conflict has already added $5.5 billion in bunker fuel expenses
since late February, with container carrier Hapag-Lloyd alone spending as much
as $50 million extra each week to keep ships moving. Carriers, which also
include MSC, Maersk and CMA CGM, have shifted some of that cost to customers
through emergency fuel surcharges on spot shipments. On July 1, many vessel
operators will roll those costs into their customers’ annual contracts.
“Importers are once again racing the clock” to avoid higher costs, said Steve
Hughes, CEO of HCS International, which specializes in automotive sourcing and
shipping.
Factories squeezed
The fuel disruptions could also mean reduced output from Asian manufacturing
plants, meaning higher prices and less availability of some of the products US
importers hope to purchase, said Zac Rogers, lead author of the Logistics
Managers’ Index, which offers an early gauge of US business activity.Essentially,
“there will be less fuel for moving ships around, as well as less fuel to run
the factories that are generating the components that are filling these ships
up,” he said. Some vehicle part suppliers have been frontloading raw materials
used to make plastics and resins as a hedge, said Collin Shaw, president of MEMA
Original Equipment Suppliers. In South and Southeast Asia, it is becoming more
costly to replace the Middle East crude oil and liquefied-natural-gas-derived
products in everything from plastic packaging to synthetic fabric. Some factory
owners could be forced to choose between losing money or shutting down, said
Henning Gloystein, the Eurasia Group’s managing director of energy, climate and
resources. At the same time, so-called “feeder” ship services that shuttle goods
from those factories to major ports for global distribution are at risk of being
pared back to preserve fuel for more profitable shipping routes, he said. “There
is a fuel shortage by cost rather than by supply,” Gloystein said. “The effect
is the same.”
US military secretly helped 100 mln barrels of oil through Hormuz: Trump
LBCI/June 10, 2026
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. military secretly helped 100
million barrels of oil pass through the contested Strait of Hormuz, which Iran
largely closed in response to U.S. and Israeli attacks."Last month, I directed
our Great U.S. Military to execute a secret mission to support Oil Tankers and
other Commercial Ships through the Straight of Hormuz," Trump said in a post on
his Truth Social platform, claiming the U.S. "controls" the strait."Today, I am
pleased to announce that this effort has resulted in more than 100 MILLION
Barrels of Oil making its way through," he said, adding that more than 200
commercial ships had gone through. AFP
IAEA board passes resolution demanding Iran report uranium stocks
Reuters/10 June ,2026
The UN nuclear watchdog’s 35-nation Board of Governors passed a US-backed
resolution on Wednesday telling Iran to declare its remaining enriched uranium
stocks and let inspectors verify them, which could complicate Washington’s talks
with Tehran. The move came within hours of the US and Iran trading military
strikes after US President Donald Trump said Iran had downed a US Apache
helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. Israeli and US attacks in June of last
year destroyed or badly damaged Iranian uranium-enrichment plants but much of
the enriched uranium they produced, including material close to weapons-grade,
is thought to have survived. Iran still has not informed the International
Atomic Energy Agency of the fate of that material, or let IAEA inspectors return
to the bombed sites to check. The US led the push for the resolution, but Iran
has called it “whitewashing military aggression,” since inspectors had access
before the strikes. The resolution text submitted by the United States, Britain,
France and Germany was passed with 21 votes in favor, three against and 10
abstentions, diplomats at the closed-door meeting said. The countries opposing
were Russia, China and Niger, they said, adding that Venezuela was not allowed
to take part.
Gulf countries say Iran’s aggression closes door to
dialogue
Al Arabiya English/11 June ,2026
A statement issued on Wednesday following the 167th ministerial meeting of the
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), held in Bahrain, said that Iran’s “hostile”
actions do not serve understanding or rapprochement. Instead, they “drive
peoples further apart, undermine the foundations of trust, sow division, and
shut down the channels of dialogue that Gulf states have long advocated,” the
statement said. “Aggression does not build relationships, and intimidation does
not create stability,” it said. The GCC ministerial council reaffirmed the Gulf
states’ commitment to peace, good-neighborly relations, and diplomatic solutions
as the preferred means of resolving disputes. The statement also posed a
question to “the aggressor party – Iran”: how can future relations be built
while such attacks continue and are actively pursued? The council warned that
persisting with a policy of aggression would lead “only to greater isolation,”
while emphasizing that the door remains open to dialogue for those who choose
the “path of wisdom and good-neighborliness.”The GCC ministerial meeting was
held on Wednesday in Manama, Bahrain, as Bahraini air defenses intercepted
Iranian attacks in the early hours of the morning. Kuwait and Jordan were also
targeted. The council strongly condemned Iran’s “brutal” attacks against
Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan, calling them a “blatant” assault on the sovereignty
of those states, the security of their populations, and the integrity of their
territory. It said the attacks constituted a clear violation of international
law, the United Nations Charter, and the principles of good-neighborly
relations. The council also expressed its full solidarity with Bahrain, Kuwait,
and Jordan, stressing that the security of GCC member states is indivisible and
that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. The GCC reaffirmed
what it described as the legitimate and established right of its member states
to defend themselves individually and collectively, and to respond to the
attacks through all lawful means. It cited Article 51 of the UN Charter, which
recognizes the inherent right of states to self-defense if they are subjected to
armed attack. The statement also sought to reassure citizens and residents of
Gulf countries, saying that the region’s joint defense capabilities and
air-defense systems were confronting these attacks with a “high degree of
effectiveness and readiness.” It added that GCC leaders remain committed to
preserving regional security and stability, and stated that such attacks would
“only strengthen unity, determination, and resolve” among Gulf populations. The
GCC statement held Iran fully responsible for the attacks and their “dangerous
consequences” for regional security, international shipping, and global energy
supplies. It called for an immediate halt to the attacks and demanded that Iran
cease targeting GCC states, their interests, and their citizens. The council
also urged the UN Security Council and the wider international community to
fulfill their responsibilities by condemning the attacks and holding those
responsible accountable, in order to uphold state sovereignty and preserve
regional and international peace and security.
Leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE invited to G7: Macron
LBCI/June 10, 2026
Leaders from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will be
invited to participate in a G7 session in France next week to discuss the Middle
East war, the French president said Wednesday. Next Tuesday's summit session
will focus on the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has "a real impact on
our economies" due in particular to soaring fuel prices, and on "negotiations on
Iran", Emmanuel Macron said. AFP
Erdogan: Turkey's security begins from Aleppo, Damascus and
Beirut
Naharnet/June 10, 2026
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Wednesday that Israel's attacks on
Syria and Lebanon have started to represent a threat to Turkey. "Turkey's
security does not begin in Hatay, but rather in Aleppo, Damascus and Beirut. We
will not allow a fait accompli in our brotherly countries, and we will not turn
a blind eye to any attacks targeting them," Erdogan cautioned. He also noted
that ever since its inception, Israel "has been playing a role threatening peace
and security in our region."
Israel's Netanyahu will run in the next elections
Agence France Presse
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will seek re-election in the country's
upcoming national vote, expected to be held by late October, the 76-year-old
leader's Likud party announced Wednesday. "Prime Minister Netanyahu will run in
the next elections and, God Willing, he will win," the party said on Telegram.
Pope says Christians cannot promote war
LBCI/June 10, 2026
Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday said Christians could not consider themselves such if
they "promote war" -- a thinly veiled reference to U.S. President Donald Trump's
administration. In a homily at Barcelona's Sagrada Familia basilica, Leo also
appeared to refer to migration, saying Christians could not "abandon... those
who flee from misery".AFP
on 09-10 June/2026
Qatar: Trump Administration 'Making States that Sponsor Terrorism Great Again'
Robert Williams/ Gatestone Institute/June 10, 2026
"Qatar is at the top of funding terrorism worldwide.... Even more than Iran." —
Udi Levy, a former senior official of Israel's Mossad spy agency who dealt with
economic warfare against terrorist organizations, YNet, April 18, 2024.
It was disclosed last week that Qatar has been funding US institutions of
learning for years with donations amounting to more than $400 billion. Those
were just the ones for which there were receipts.
Qatar also hosts the forward headquarters of US Central Command (CENTCOM) at Al
Udeid Air Base in addition to a recent promise from the Trump administration to
defend the emirate if it is attacked. It is hardly a secret that Qatar is no
friend to Israel. Qatar has been called "A genocidal anti-Israel propaganda
machine." After Trump leaves office, will Qatar be one of the new launchpads
from which to try to eliminate the Jewish State?
During the first Trump administration, the US warned Israel that "security
cooperation with the U.S. could be reduced," due to a deal signed with China's
Shanghai International Port Group to operate a new terminal at Haifa Port, where
the U.S. Navy ships often dock. How come the US does not have the same concerns
with Qatar?
US President Donald J. Trump is reportedly strengthening Qatar's military and
giving immunity from any potential future attack by supplying it with
state-of-the-art counter-drone capabilities, including Raytheon's FS-LIDS
system. Qatar is also purchasing the MQ-9B SkyGuardian remotely piloted aircraft
system ("the most advanced multi-mission remotely piloted aircraft in the
world"). The rapid increase in Qatar's military power is a direct reflection of
the strides that the terror-sponsoring and terror-propagandizing Islamist state
has been able to make in its gradual buy-up of a greedy and flatterable Western
world.
Wherever you look, Western leaders are engaging in policies that invite
civilizational suicide by arming enemies of the West who would like to see it
dead. Sadly, the last place one would expect such policies is the Trump
administration. It claims it wants to "Make America Great Again." Now it has
been incentivizing countries -- such as Qatar, Turkey and Pakistan -- that want
to "Make States that Sponsor Terrorism Great Again."
"Qatar," according to Udi Levy, a former senior official of Israel's Mossad spy
agency who dealt with economic warfare against terrorist organizations, "is at
the top of funding terrorism worldwide.... Even more than Iran."
It was disclosed last week that Qatar has been funding US institutions of
learning for years with donations amounting to more than $400 billion. Those
were just the ones for which there were receipts.
US President Donald J. Trump is reportedly strengthening Qatar's military and
giving immunity from any potential future attack by supplying it with
state-of-the-art counter-drone capabilities, including Raytheon's FS-LIDS
system, for which Qatar will be "the first international customer," the Trump
administration recently boasted. Qatar is also purchasing the MQ-9B SkyGuardian
remotely piloted aircraft system ("the most advanced multi-mission remotely
piloted aircraft in the world").
Qatar already has a fleet of F-15 fighter jets and AH-64 Apache attack
helicopters. That does not even count what weapons systems Qatar has procured
from the Europeans and Communist China.
Since 2014, when all Qatar had to show for itself was a negligible defensive air
force, the emirate has been able to attain, according to MEMRI, "one of the most
powerful air fleets in the Middle East."
Qatar also hosts the forward headquarters of US Central Command (CENTCOM) at Al-Udeid
Air Base in addition to a recent promise from the Trump administration to defend
the emirate if it is attacked.
The rapid increase in Qatar's military power is a direct reflection of the
strides that the terror-sponsoring and terror-propagandizing Islamist state has
been able to make in its gradual buy-up of a greedy and flatterable Western
world.
President Barack H. Obama began promising fighter jets to Qatar. He approved the
sale of F-15s at the end of his term in 2016. It was, however, the first Trump
administration that ultimately signed and finalized the fighter jets deal in
2017, ironically after Trump himself had declared that "the nation of Qatar,
unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high
level."
Significantly, this announcement came at a time when Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the
UAE and Bahrain had cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, closed their borders and
airspace to Qatar, and imposed an economic blockade that lasted more than three
years, to counter "Qatar's embrace of various terrorist and sectarian groups
aimed at destabilizing the region, including the Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Qaeda,
Daesh and groups supported by Iran," according to Saudi Arabia.
Arming Qatar is a terrible idea: Qatar is most likely still supporting most of
the same terrorist forces. What is to stop Qatar from supplying terrorist groups
with the very military technology to which the US is giving it access?
Empowering Qatar is irresponsible – not just to the region, but to the US and
the world at large.
It is hardly a secret that Qatar is no friend to Israel. Qatar has been called
"A genocidal anti-Israel propaganda machine." After Trump leaves office, will
Qatar be one of the new launchpads from which to try to eliminate the Jewish
State?
The US and Qatar, during Trump's visit in May, agreed that this
terror-sponsoring Islamist state would be investing up to $38 billion "in
potential investments including support for burden-sharing at Al Udeid Air Base
and future defense capabilities related to air defense and maritime security."
Communist China's Huawei is supplying Qatar's telecommunications network,
deepening its AI engagement in Qatar and building "smart cities" to surveil
everyone.
The Trump administration, however, evidently has no problem operating in Qatar,
hostile as it is to the entire West, and presumably swarming in Chinese spying
devices. During the first Trump administration, the US warned Israel that
"security cooperation with the U.S. could be reduced," due to a deal signed with
China's Shanghai International Port Group to operate a new terminal at Haifa
Port, where the U.S. Navy ships often dock. How come the US does not have the
same concerns with Qatar?
Robert Williams is based in the United States.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22593/trump-qatar-terrorism
Gatestone
Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily
reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.
Crazy rich Qataris
Clifford D. May/The Washington Times/June 10, 2026 |
For centuries, Qatar was a sparsely populated sheikhdom under the loose
influence of successive Islamic empires, caliphates, and regional Arab rulers.
In 1916, it transitioned into a British protectorate.
At that time, its main industry was pearl diving – which sounds romantic but
was, in fact, an arduous trade. Divers suffered from ruptured eardrums and
chronic lung ailments. During the off-season many families lived in poverty.
Conditions in Qatar deteriorated sharply when the Great Depression reduced
global demand for luxuries, and cultured pearls from Japan devastated the market
for natural pearls.
Then, in 1939, geologists working for a European/American consortium discovered
oil beneath the Connecticut-sized peninsula’s desert sands. Ten years later,
commercial extraction began.
In 1971, Shell geologists discovered natural gas reserves offshore that proved
to be the largest field in the world. That same year, the British granted Qatar
independence.
Today, Qatar has a population of roughly 330,000 citizens – about equal to
Honolulu – and, thanks to petroleum, they’re crazy rich.
So, the question is: How are the Qataris spending their fortune?
Natalie Ecanow, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies (FDD), has spent over a year digging through financial records.
She’s found more than $400 billion spent in the U.S. since 2000 – approximately
$1.2 million for every Qatari citizen. And that’s probably a lowball figure
because much of Qatar’s spending is tough to track.
Qataris have poured money into multiple sectors of the U.S. economy, including
real estate, sports teams, and Hollywood studios. The Qataris also spent more
than $295 million on roughly 70 lobbying and public relations firms.
In addition, they buy gifts for officials, donate to think tanks, underwrite
congressional baseball games and pick up the tab for elaborate dinner parties
for the Washington media elite.
The Qataris have garnered good will at the Pentagon by hosting, since 2003, the
U.S. air operations center at their Al-Udeid base. In 2022, President Biden
named Qatar a “Major Non-NATO ally.” President Trump hasn’t removed that
designation and, in 2025, extended U.S. security assurances to Qatar.
Qatar has provided a Boeing 747, valued at roughly $400 million, that’s being
refurbished for use as Air Force One during President Trump’s term.
None of these activities appears to be illegal, but recall Qatargate: In 2022,
Belgian authorities arrested several members of the European Parliament for
allegedly accepting bribes from Qatar to influence EU policy.
In a foreword to “Mapping Qatar’s $400 Billion Footprint in the United States,”
FDD executive director Jonathan Schanzer points out that the ruling Al Thani
family has sheltered Al-Qaeda, supported the Taliban, remains a patron of Hamas,
and is the primary backer of the Muslim Brotherhood, “a global network of
violent and nonviolent Islamist groups that seek the downfall of the West.
Several branches of this network have recently been sanctioned by the U.S.
government.”
If you understand this, you also grasp why it’s disturbing that Qatar has spent
more than $8.8 billion to infiltrate U.S. higher education.
The schools that receive the most Qatari funding are those with satellite
campuses in Doha: Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, Northwestern, Virginia
Commonwealth, and Texas A&M —which announced in 2024 that it will close its Doha
campus by 2028.
Qatar also has set up partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and
Universities. Commentator Dumisani Washington observed that the HBCUs “are
following the example of the President and bipartisan lawmakers on Capitol Hill:
Take Muslim Brotherhood terrorist money, because everyone else is.”But wait, there’s more! Since 2009, the Qataris have been providing funds to
public K-12 schools, including “study abroad” trips to Doha, and “suggestions”
for curricula concerning the Middle East. The dollar amounts invested are
difficult to ascertain, but FDD researchers are working on it.
As an old ink-stained wretch, I’m no less troubled by Qatar’s Al Jazeera Media
Network. Though most of the spending on these channels is not in the U.S., they
influence what Americans see, read, and hear.
Al Jazeera was founded in 1996. In its early years, as noted by Shibley Telhami,
a professor at the University of Maryland, it gave “voice to Osama bin Laden.”
Following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the scholar Fouad Ajami wrote
in the New York Times magazine that “Al Jazeera deliberately fans the flames of
Muslim outrage.”
For years, Al Jazeera featured Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who defended the death penalty
for Muslims who convert and praised Imad Mughniyah, the Hezbollah mastermind
behind the 1983 suicide bombings that slaughtered 241 Americans and 58 French
servicemen in Beirut.
As noted in the FDD report, a clip of former Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin
Jassim Al-Thani resurfaced in November 2025 in which he boasts that Doha “had
journalists on our payroll in many countries.” In 2020, the U.S. Justice
Department ordered Al Jazeera’s U.S.-based affiliate, AJ+, to register under the
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). It failed to comply, for which there
were no serious repercussions.
These days, Al Jazeera’s content is absorbed into the large language models that
power many AI platforms. Its coverage is more accessible to AI training
pipelines than articles in Western media that are locked behind paywalls. That
gives Al Jazeera an advantage in shaping what AI systems “know.”I’ll conclude by highlighting a glaring irony: The Qataris are crazy rich thanks
to Western science and capitalism, and they are using their lucre to support the
Muslim Brotherhood whose mission is to bring down the West.
Mr. al-Qaradawi, who died in Doha in 2022 at age 96, was quite clear about that.
He argued relentlessly that Muslims are obliged to spread “Islam until it
conquers the entire world and includes both the East and West, [marking] the
beginning of the return of the Islamic caliphate.”
**Clifford D. May is founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies (FDD), a columnist for the Washington Times, and host of the
“Foreign Podicy” podcast.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jun/9/muslim-brotherhood-backers-qatar-indoctrinating-children/
Read in
The Washington Time
Qatar’s New Online Influence Machine
Ari Ben Am and Natalie Ecanow/The Cipher Brief/June10/2026
For years, Qatar has positioned itself in Washington as a trusted American
partner: a host to major U.S. military assets, a mediator in hostage
negotiations, and a wealthy Gulf state capable of talking to nearly everyone in
a turbulent region. At the same time, Doha has earned a reputation for exerting
influence by illicit means, such as the bribes that secured it the right to host
soccer’s 2022 World Cup. Less recognized is the Qatari regime’s employment of an
artificial media platform that poses as an independent news organization while
promoting Doha’s agenda.
To complement Al Jazeera, its global media powerhouse, Doha created Eekad, an
Arabic-language media platform that presents itself as an independent
fact-checking and open-source investigative outlet. In actuality, Eekad is part
of an opaque digital ecosystem with links to Qatari government ministries and
contracted PR firms that consistently pushes narratives aligned with Qatar’s
geopolitical interests, while attacking many of Doha’s regional rivals.
Eekad produces polished content that mimics serious investigations by using
satellite imagery, network analysis graphs, and short-form videos designed for
mass consumption across the Arabic-speaking world. It has built a strong
audience online but obfuscates who funds, operates, and controls the platform.
What is clear, however, is that multiple Eekad employees simultaneously worked
at Al Jazeera, Qatari ministries, and state-affiliated organizations.
Eekad’s messaging follows a remarkable pattern. It regularly criticizes Israel,
Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates while defending Hamas and dismissing
criticism of Qatar. For example, after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre in
Israel, the platform questioned reports of atrocities committed against Israeli
civilians while portraying criticism of Hamas as part of coordinated foreign
influence campaigns. This jibes with Qatar’s position of holding Israel “solely
responsible” for the October 7 massacre.
Eekad has also repeatedly defended Qatar’s reputation by attempting to debunk
criticism of Doha. The platform worked to discredit allegations of labor abuses
tied to the 2022 World Cup despite FIFA finding that “severe human rights
impacts did ultimately occur in Qatar.”
These are the same narratives and talking points that Qatar has peddled outside
the shadows of social media. Documents submitted to the U.S. Department of
Justice pursuant to the Foreign Agents Registration Act show how Qatar has spent
over $235 million dollars employing dozens of American lobbying and public
relations firms to polish Qatar’s reputation and promote its relationship with
the United States.
In some cases, Doha has employed U.S. firms specifically for outreach to
traditional media. Tucker Carlson’s viral 2025 interview with Qatar’s prime
minister is a product of these efforts. Qatar has invested in a significant U.S.
media campaign in recent months, hiring a former CNN producer to serve as a
registered agent in the United States, and encouraging Qatar-based academics to
“examine strategies of sectarian hate speech and propaganda on social media in
the Gulf region.”
The patterns hinting at direct Qatari government control of Eekad are difficult
to dismiss. Washington tends to think about foreign influence through the lens
of Russian troll farms or Chinese espionage, but Qatar is working to earn itself
a place on that list.
Today’s influence campaigns increasingly operate through decentralized digital
ecosystems: “independent” brands, influencers, and social media networks that
can maintain plausible deniability while still advancing state interests. This
is no secret to Qatar, which brought a group of conservative influencers to Doha
over Thanksgiving 2025 on a luxury trip that resembled a sophisticated foreign
influence campaign rather than an educational endeavor. One influencer, a
veteran with nearly half-a-million followers on X, said he had an “eye-opening
few days” learning about “the unique and mutually beneficial military and
financial partnerships that we share with Qatar.” Months later, another online
personality said that Qatar had invited him on the influencer trip but then told
him that “they ran out of money for ticket allocation” after he posted a video
“questioning Qatar’s influence in America.”Platforms like Eekad are effective because they do not resemble traditional
state propaganda outlets. Their content adopts the aesthetics of scrappy
open-source intelligence and online fact-checking outlets, helping the material
to appear credible to ordinary viewers. It is a suitable approach for countries
like Qatar, which seek to maintain close military and diplomatic ties with
Washington while promoting narratives directly harmful to American interests.
When meeting with Qatari counterparts, senior U.S. leaders should make clear
they aware of Qatar’s underhanded methods and that Washington will strip Doha of
the privileges of being ally if behaves like an adversary.
https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2026/06/09/qatars-new-online-influence-machine/
**Ari Ben Am is an adjunct fellow at FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology
Innovation. His research focuses on emerging threats, influence and information
operations, cyber operations, and hybrid warfare. Natalie Ecanow is a senior
research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) focusing on
the Middle East and the Gulf.
Four Myths and Four Realities
David Hale/This Is Beirut/June 10/2026
The debate in America about the Middle East today surfaces myths and realities.
and realities.
Myth 1: This conflict could have been avoided if the first Trump Administration
had not withdrawn from the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal with Iran.
In fact, the capture of Iranian nuclear files by Israel before America's 2018
withdrawal revealed that Iran had a) more advanced and comprehensive weapons
than previously revealed, b) plans to continue and conceal its nuclear weapons
program, and c) systematically deceived the IAEA watchdog, in violation of its
adherence to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran never deviated from its intent
to build nuclear weapons. It obtained JCPOA's sanctions relief knowing the
agreement's sunset deadlines would soon enough allow it to proceed without
restrictions. President Obama himself acknowledged that advanced centrifuge
development would enable Iran to possess zero enrichment breakout time by 2028.
These flaws and others -- such as the deal's blind eye to Iran's sponsorship of
regional proxies -- were why JCPOA had limited political support in the U.S. and
among America's Middle East partners. Iran got cash to fund its military and
Arab proxies in return for a modest delay in its nuclear programs.
Myth 2: The conflict has shown the benefits of Iran's alliances with China and
Russia.
On the contrary, Iran's experience should demonstrate that a strategic alliance
with either Moscow or Beijing is a one way street. There may be arms transfers
and intelligence sharing behind the scenes, but nothing that is sufficient to
spare Iran from the strategic consequences of its miscalculations or that saved
the lives of the Iranian architects of these alliances.
Myth 3: Iran's attacks on the GCC have brought those economies to their knees
and weakened their ties to the US.
In fact, these states are showing remarkable resilience. The attacks are uniting
their citizens against Iran and deepening a sense of nationalism, while
reinforcing their desire for strong security ties with the U.S. Most Gulf
leaders are not asking the U.S. to end the war on any terms, but that the U.S.
not leave a job half done, abandoning them to deal with the consequences. If the
U.S. hesitates, they will hedge -- but Iranian weaknesses and malign intentions
are revealed.
Myth 4: the U.S. is facing significant domestic political and economic pressure.
The war is not popular, in part because of Washington's confusing communication
strategy at the start. Gas prices are about where they were in 2022, which
America survived. Productivity and job growth are rising. The party holding the
White House almost invariably loses seats in the congressional midterms, as the
Republicans are anticipating this year. But no plausible scenario will give the
Democrats the 2/3rds majority of both houses of congress needed to override a
presidential veto or to pursue an impeachment through to Senate conviction.
Trump is unlikely to change his security strategy to gain a few seats in the
midterms.
Reality 1: Iran will emerge from this conflict more isolated than ever.
Iran has shown its true colors in its attacks on peaceful neighbors and attempts
to hold the global economy hostage. Recent events prove that coexistence with a
nuclear Iran is not feasible.
Reality 2: Europe is irrelevant beyond its shores.
The war is unpopular in Europe but Iran's closure of Hormuz is a direct threat
to Europe's economic well-being, suggesting that creative initiatives of
self-defense and diplomacy should be pursued. Instead, the approval ratings of
Britain's Starmer (21-23%) and France's Macron and Germany's Merz (both less
than 20%) have incapacitated them from exercising leadership, leaving it to
Pakistan to step up to the plate. Cowards are rarely popular.
Reality 3: Iran Is Overplaying Its Hand.
Its nuclear ambitions and proxy sponsorship gave Iran perverse leverage in
recent years, but it has misjudged Israeli and American resolve. The standoff in
Hormuz and attacks on the GCC have not weakened the Gulf states, brought the
global economy to a halt, or caused America to cease and desist. Its continual
upping of the negotiating ante has underscored that it still thinks it can
out-wait and out-maneuver its adversaries without making any concessions. This
behavior reinforces the historic lesson that just as the Iranian regime only
resorts to violence and intimidation at home and abroad, it only responds to the
use of force and military pressure.
Reality 4: Be Prepared for a Long Game.
This conflict does not yet have an apparent end state on the horizon. Expect on
again, off again diplomatic initiatives, on again, off again military actions,
and persistent American pressure on Iran until Tehran sees its only relief is
through negotiated compromise. Iran's leaders do not seem close to that point.
And even then, long and tortuous negotiations would be in store. There are no
easy or quick solutions to the problem posed by Iran; only persistence and
pressure can deal with this menace.
Understanding Iran’s 3,000-Mile Battlefront
Seth J. Frantzman/The National Interest/June 10/2026
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/understanding-irans-3000-mile-battlefront
Iran is fighting a regional war, while the United States can focus only on one
front at a time.
On June 3, an Iranian drone slammed into Terminal 1 at Kuwait International
Airport. One person was killed, and 60 were injured in the attack. On June 2,
the Kurdish Iranian opposition group Komala said that one of its bases in the
Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq was targeted by Iran. On June 1, the head of
the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, Esmail Qaani,
threatened attacks on shipping near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance to
the Red Sea.
These are examples of how Iranian-backed threats span a Middle East frontline
stretching from Lebanon to Iraq and then to the Straits of Hormuz and Bab
el-Mandeb—a frontline of more than 3,000 miles.
Iran continues to sow chaos in the Middle East, even as the United States
continues to be engaged in talks with Iran about a deal. The current talks hinge
on many issues, including the US demands that Iran abandon its nuclear program
and that it end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran is demanding that the
United States also end its blockade of Iran. Iran will want other concessions as
well, such as guarantees that the United States and Israel will not attack the
country again.
While the talks about a deal continue, it is clear that Iran’s regional policy
remains largely the same as in the past. Over the last several decades, Tehran
has backed an array of proxies in the Middle East. This has included Hezbollah
in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and various militias in Iraq. Iran has also
backed Hamas in Palestine. Tehran’s support of all these groups has caused chaos
and conflict in the Middle East over the last few decades. For instance, the
Houthis tried to seize the Yemeni capital of Aden in 2015, triggering an
international intervention by Saudi Arabia in support of the Yemeni government.
The arming of Hezbollah led to clashes with Israel on October 8, 2023, a day
after the Hamas attack. This led to a multi-front war that continues to this
day.
In Iraq, the role of Iranian-backed militias is increasingly in the spotlight.
The militias are often referred to as the Hashd al-Shaabi, or Popular
Mobilization Forces (PMF). There are an estimated 70 groups in the PMF,
organized into brigades. In recent weeks, the new Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi
has sought to rein in the militias. Several militias have said they will place
their arms under state control and sever ties with the PMF. Others are not so
certain.
It’s worth understanding the Iranian-backed threats as a sum of their parts.
That means that instead of seeing Lebanon as merely one battlefield and Iraq as
another point of contact with Iranian-backed militias, one must look at the map
the way Tehran does. Iran can heat up various fronts whenever it wants. For
instance, one of the surprises after the United States and Israel began attacks
on Iran on February 28 was that Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz and also began
missile and drone attacks on the Gulf states.
Container ship meets pirates - watch what the captain does next!
The pirates, who were prepared for a confrontation, quickly approached the
container ship. But they did not notice the captain
In addition, Iranian-backed militias in Iraq began attacks on US diplomatic
facilities and also targeted Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the autonomous Kurdistan
Region in northern Iraq. The militias’ attacks also prompted a response from
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. However, the size of the Iranian attacks should still
raise eyebrows about what happened in Iraq. There were more than 800 attacks on
the Kurdistan Region, most of them targeting Kurdish Iranian opposition groups.
In addition to the thousands of attacks on the Gulf countries, Iran has
continued to carry out attacks after the April ceasefire. The strike at Kuwait’s
International Airport is a key example. The terminal that was attacked had just
been reopened. It is now badly damaged again, and operations have been moved to
Terminal 4.
Meanwhile, in Lebanon, Iran has been pushing for a ceasefire. It wants to
preserve Hezbollah. US-Lebanon talks on June 3 led to a new ceasefire deal. The
elephant in the room was always going to be Hezbollah. The group continues to
maintain weapons and has been increasing its deadly drone attacks on Israeli
forces. It has also attacked Israeli cities in northern Israel in recent weeks.
Israel has vowed to strike Beirut if the attacks continue.
This led US President Donald Trump to push for de-escalation in Lebanon. From
Iran’s point of view, this is an acceptable deal because Hezbollah can then wait
for the next round. Iran’s attempt to link a deal in the Gulf to Hezbollah
illustrates how it sees all these frontlines as connected.
Tehran continues to claim that any attacks on Iran will be met with a response.
It has proven willing to carry out this kind of “tit-for-tat” strikes. It has
attacked ships in the Persian Gulf, attacked Kuwait, and conducted other
operations. This illustrates the broader regional strategy that Tehran has
undertaken. Its work building up proxies over the last decade has given Iran
many pressure points. The Strait of Hormuz is just one example. The Bab
el-Mandeb Strait, at the entrance to the Red Sea, is another.
It remains to be seen what Iran will do next. However, attempts to weaken its
militias in Iraq and also Hezbollah in Lebanon are one way to roll back the
Iranian 3,000-mile frontline. The challenge for the United States, Israel, and
also partners in Iraq and the Gulf and Lebanon, is whether Iran will be able to
walk away from this conflict with its proxies still in control, or whether a
fundamental change is happening in the region. This is a regional war. Waging it
requires a regional approach.
***About the Author: Seth Frantzman
Seth Frantzman is the author of Drone Wars: Pioneers, Killing Machine,
Artificial Intelligence and the Battle for the Future(Bombardier 2021) and an
adjunct fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He is the acting
news editor and senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem
Post. Seth has researched and covered conflict and developments in the Middle
East since 2005 with a focus on the war on ISIS, Iranian proxies, and Israeli
defense policy. He covers Israeli defense industry developments for Breaking
Defense and previously was Defense News’ correspondent in Israel. Follow him on
X: @sfrantzman.
Iraq’s New Christian Patriarch Polis III Nona Inherits a
Vanishing Flock
Samuel Ben-Ur/FDD/June 10/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/06/155186/
On its surface, Polis III Nona’s installation ceremony bore all the hallmarks of
a thriving church. The new patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, Iraq’s
largest Christian denomination, was flanked by clergy, adorned with traditional
vestments, marking the transition to a new era for one of the world’s oldest
Christian communities. Yet the congregation he inherits has all but vanished
since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. Before 2003, an estimated 1.5 million
Christians called Iraq home. Today, fewer than 150,000 remain.
Not all is lost: restored churches represent renewed hope, while holiday Masses
still fill pews in Erbil and Qaraqosh. But Christian life has not recovered from
the war. Nona’s entreaties for Iraqi Christians unity are not only out of
spiritual concern, but also recognition of the reality that if the Christian
community does not stand united, it will cease to exist. Solidarity represents
the last hope for a once-vibrant community nearly obliterated by decades of
violence enabled by state weakness that persists to the present.
The 2003 invasion toppled Saddam Hussein, opening a power vacuum that al-Qaeda
in Iraq quickly filled. The terror group branded Christians as Western
collaborators and began a murderous campaign against them. The anti-Christian
violence peaked in October 2010, when gunmen stormed Our Lady of Salvation
Cathedral in Baghdad and killed 58 people. By then, roughly half of Iraq’s
Christians had already emigrated. Baghdad’s Dora district, once known as the
“Vatican of Iraq,” emptied out following kidnappings, assassinations, and
extortion. After the U.S. withdrawal in 2011, the exodus accelerated; by 2013
the Christian population had fallen to about 500,000.
Then the catastrophe escalated. In June 2014, the Islamic State (ISIS) seized
Mosul and issued an ultimatum to Christians: convert, pay tribute (jizya), flee,
or die. ISIS destroyed all 45 churches in Mosul, razed the Monastery of Saint
Elijah—the oldest in Iraq—and drove about 120,000 Christians from the Nineveh
Plains. By the time former Secretary of State John Kerry declared the campaign a
genocide in 2016, roughly 90 percent of Iraq’s pre-war Christians had fled. ISIS
was largely defeated the following year, but for Iraq’s Christians it was too
little, too late. When Pope Francis visited Qaraqosh in 2021, only about half of
its displaced residents had returned. Military success, recognition, and
reconstruction have not led to a return.— especially as economic opportunities
are largely nonexistent.
The danger did not end with ISIS, however, even if highly visible massacres of
Christians have abated. The threat now is attrition under militia rule that
makes Christian life unsustainable.
The Popular Mobilization Forces (an official Iraqi institution comprised largely
of Iranian-backed factions) now dominate the Nineveh Plains of northern Iraq.
The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Waad Qado, leader of the PMF’s 30th
Brigade, in 2019 for extortion, kidnapping, and illegal arrests. Treasury
simultaneously sanctioned PMF member Rayan al-Kildani, an Iraqi politician and
founder of the Babylon Brigades, for torture and the looting of Christian homes
in Batnaya.
The U.S. Treasury Department also identified the Babylon Brigades as blocking
Christians returning to their homes. While al-Kildani himself is Chaldean
Catholic, both the soldiers he commands and his political support base are
largely Shiite voters and his unit is similarly composed of mostly Shiite
fighters. These militias seize land in Batnaya, Tel Keppe, and Bakhdida through
forged deeds, registry intimidation, and squatting. They also control transit
checkpoints, reconstruction contracts, and the lucrative Mosul–Erbil trade
corridor.
Post-ISIS, the Nineveh Plains should be attracting citizens previously driven
away by terrorism and political instability. Instead, continued militia presence
has made recovery impossible, discouraging sustainable resettlement and
rebuilding. Sarah, a Christian who runs a volunteer organization in the region,
believes that “Many here are losing hope, because they’ve realized that starting
over will be an uphill struggle. There are no services, no jobs. We can help
each other but it is hard to imagine a future.”
Al-Kildani is also supported by Iran-aligned Shiite factions. As a Chaldean
Catholic, his Babylon Brigades provide a nominally Christian vehicle for Iranian
influence in the strategic Nineveh Plains and for converting seats in the Iraqi
parliament reserved to Christians into pro-Iran political power.
In order to guarantee Christians some level of representation in Iraq’s 329-seat
parliament, five of those seats are reserved for Christians. Yet because Iraq’s
quota system allows anyone to vote on who will fill those seats, so long as the
candidates are Christian, Shiite blocs helped al-Kildani’s Babylon Movement win
four of the five seats in 2021. Former Patriarch Louis Sako warned that al-Kildani
“does not represent Christians in any way” the following year. Christian voters
shared his sentiment, and Babylon lost two of these seats in the subsequent 2025
elections. In 2023, al-Kildani’s network helped also strip Sako of official
state recognition as Patriarch, leading to the loss of his custodianship over
church property, though Baghdad restored his title in 2024.
Given that Iraq also has a constitution that privileges Islam, including
apostasy laws that forbid Muslims from leaving Islam for any other religion, and
chronic unemployment among Iraqi Christians, the result is unsurprising: 57
percent of Nineveh Christians have considered emigration while 36 percent expect
to leave in five years.
What can the United States do? The temptation is to keep treating Iraqi
Christianity as a heritage cause by only funding the restoration of beautiful
buildings and recognizing past atrocities. That work matters, but it ignores the
present dangers facing Iraqi Christians. Today, the threats facing Christians in
Iraq stem from a weak Iraqi state that has given control over its core functions
to PMF-linked factions that have, with Iran’s aid, turned post-ISIS Christian
areas into militia-administered zones. The most useful thing Washington can do
is push to Baghdad reclaim those responsibilities.
More than a decade ago, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
urged that Iraq be designated a Country of Particular Concern, the highest
threat level for religious minorities. Yet, in recent years, despite continued
threats to Christians, Iraq is only on the Special Watch List, representing a
lower level of concern. Restoring the harsher designation would signal to the
Iraqi government that ignoring the plight of Christians carries real diplomatic
costs. Washington should sustain and expand the Treasury sanctions already
imposed on Qado and al-Kildani and escalate sanctions on their Iranian backers.
Washington should also stand firm behind its insistence that Iraq’s new prime
minister, Ali al-Zaidi, appoint no ministers who belong to political parties
affiliated with militias designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the
United States. So far, al-Zaidi has respected that demand. In the long run,
making Iraq safe for Christians and other minorities depends on breaking the
grip militias and their patrons in Tehran have on the Iraqi state.
Washington can also press Iraq’s parliament to reform the minority quota system
so parliamentary seats reflect the voters they are supposed to represent rather
than the preferences of larger outside political blocs.
Pope Francis, standing amid the ruins of Qaraqosh in 2021, urged Iraq’s
Christians not to “forget who they are or where they come from.” Sako warned
that without change in the Iraqi government, the country’s Christians may soon
disappear altogether. His successor, Nona, now shoulders the burden of working
to make sure that does not happen. Washington, as part of its broader strategy
to counter Tehran, already seeks an Iraqi government willing to degrade Iran’s
efforts to prop up militias and other nonstate actors. The same steps are
necessary to protect Iraqi Christians.
Whether the churches of the Ninevah Plains remain living centers of Iraqi
Christianity or ultimately become mausoleums depends on whether Iraq, with
American help, can protect its Christians.
Providence
*Samuel Ben-Ur is a research analyst focusing on Christian persecution at the
Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
on 09 June/2026
Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין
נתניהו
Interesting message from Benjamin Netanyahuto the Lebanese people..
https://x.com/NadimKoteich/status/2064797591527915924/video/1
Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו
The antisemitic dictator Erdoğan – who is committing genocide against the Kurds,
supports the Hamas terrorist organization, oppresses his own people and
imprisons political rivals – is the last person who can lecture the State of
Israel on morality. The State of Israel and the IDF, the most moral army in the
world, will continue to take forceful action against Ira
Prime Minister of Israel
https://x.com/IsraeliPM/status/2064736515431768380/video/1
Congratulations, Mazel Tov, my dear friend @PMOIndia @narendramodi, on becoming
India's longest-serving elected Prime Minister! 🇮🇱🇮🇳
Jonathan Conricus
It is not often that you meet a hero and role model. I had the honor and
privilege to meet a true Canadian patriot and steadfast friend of Israel @stephenharper.
If only there were more world leaders like him around today, the West would be
prouder, safer and more prosperous.
Israel Army
https://x.com/IsraelArmyX/status/2064834404879614115/video/1
Breaking News:
US strikes Iran; reports of Foreign Minister's death
Severe tension in the Middle East. According to reports, Iranian Foreign
Minister Abbas Araghchi was killed instantly in a massive US military strike.
This incident occurred just hours after Araghchi issued a direct threat to the
US.
Hiba Nasr
Reports from Lebanon claim that U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack recently
met with President Macron and French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian.
According to Beirut Post, the meeting addressed Le Drian’s visit to Lebanon and
discussed “proposals related to the possibility of introducing amendments to the
Washington Declaration of Intent that would be acceptable to the Shiite duo
(Hezbollah and Amal), in light of the role Ambassador Barrack could play in this
regard.”The Declaration of Intent has not yet been made public, while the Shiite
duo rejected the joint statement issued following the latest round of talks.
That said, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa has already met with Speaker
Nabih Berri on this matter. What I am hearing is that Washington is increasingly
frustrated with what it views as a strategy of buying time.