English LCCC Newsbulletin For Le

English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 13/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 12/35-44:”‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. ‘But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’ Peter said, ‘Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone? ’And the Lord said, ‘Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions.”

Titles For Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on 12-13 June/2026
Dhimmi, shortsighted, and ignorant of the concepts of Wilayat al-Faqih is anyone who equates Israel on one hand, with Iran and Hezbollah on the other./Elias Bejjani/June 12/2026
Israel Will Not Withdraw from Security Zones in Lebanon, Says Defense Minister Katz
Large Explosions Reported Near Marjeyoun and Nabatieh Following 42 Continuous Seconds of Israeli Strikes
Israel military claims more than 1,300 Hezbollah members killed since ceasefire took effect
Syrian president has no intention of intervening in Lebanon: sources
Hezbollah says it confronted Israeli troops advancing in south Lebanon
Iran seeks to use Lebanon as leverage in any US deal with Tehran
Hezbollah confident any US-Iran deal will include Lebanon, politician says
A war with limits: US constraints challenge Israel's plans in Lebanon and Iran
Inside the Heron-1: The Israeli surveillance drone shot down over Lebanon
Unable to return, displaced southern Lebanese turn to satellite images to check on homes
US official says Iran war deal 'includes Lebanon'
PM Salam says Iran rejected ceasefire to show it still holds control over Lebanon
Israel Draws Red Line on Iran as Trump Pursues Diplomatic Agreement
FPV Drones Are the Logical Evolution of Hezbollah’s Warfighting Doctrine/David Daoud and Ahmad Sharawi/FDD-Policy Brief/June 12/2026
The Trajectory of Events in Lebanon Following the US-Iran Agreement/Colonel Charbel Barakat/June 12/2026
Israel’s Drive to Beirut Is No Longer a Threat. It Is a Plan/Makram Rabah/Now Lebanon/June 12/2026

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on 12-13 June/2026
Iran, US make progress towards peace MOU but doubts persist
US official says '80-85%' confident of signing Iran deal
Iran deal very close, signing possible in coming days, US official says
Senior Trump administration official outlines deal Iran agreed to, Vance plays down rumors
Mediator Pakistan says Iran-US peace deal text ‘agreed’
Iran FM claims draft US deal includes ending naval blockade, Hormuz arrangements
UAE ‘categorically’ denies report that it transferred $3 bln to Iran
Trump says Iran version of peace deal has 'no relation to the truth'
US military helping move 7 mln barrels of oil per day out of Gulf, Wright says
Hamas disarmament remains sticking point in Cairo talks on Gaza
Turkiye’s Erdogan, Israel’s Netanyahu trade genocide barbs
Musk becomes world’s first trillionaire as SpaceX shares jump
Suspect dead after Texas shooting kills one and leaves nine others in the hospital
Pope exits plane on Spain’s Canary Islands due to technical problem
Putin says Ukraine drone strikes aim to divide Russians
Lukashenko: Iran war is with Israel, not the US

on 12-13 June/2026
There Is No 'Good Deal' to be Made with Iran's Regime/Eric Levine/Gatestone Institute./June 12, 2026
Don’t buy Iran’s charade — this regime can’t afford peace at ANY price/Mark Dubowitz and Miad Maleki/New York Post./June 12, 2026
Question: Why does God require faith?/GotQuestions.org./June 12, 2026
What are the different names of God, and what do they mean?/GotQuestions.org/June 12/2026
NATO can no longer treat the Arctic as a peripheral concern/Luke Coffey/Arab News/June 12, 2026
When the environment becomes infrastructure/Mohammed Qurban/Arab News/June 12, 2026

on 12-13 June/2026
Dhimmi, shortsighted, and ignorant of the concepts of Wilayat al-Faqih is anyone who equates Israel on one hand, with Iran and Hezbollah on the other.
Elias Bejjani/June 12/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/06/155244/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjmYqJxPX9Y
The State of Israel is liberating Lebanon from the occupation of the Iranian and its jihadist Hezbollah, not out of love for Lebanon or the Lebanese, but because Iran and Hezbollah poses an existential threat to its entity and its people… Its interests transitionally align with the interest of Lebanon… Therefore, no equivalence should be made between a liberator (the State of Israel)—despite all its violence and destructive capacity—and a barbaric, jihadist, terrorist, and criminal occupier that destroyed Lebanon, seized its governance, and holds absolute control over its rulers, while hijacking the Shiite community, stripping it of its Lebanese identity, taking it hostage, displacing it, destroying its areas, and killing its youth in the futile wars of the Mullahs. Wisdom, reason, logic, and foresight dictate that all free people of Lebanon and friendly countries should not miss the golden opportunity that Israel offers, but should welcome it and support it by all available means, while at the same time freeing themselves from the complexes, illusions, hallucinations, and daydreams of the Nasserists, the nationalists, the rotten left, and the merchants of the lie of resistance.

Israel Will Not Withdraw from Security Zones in Lebanon, Says Defense Minister Katz
This is Beirut/12 Jun 2026
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Friday that Israel will maintain its military presence in designated "security zones" in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, while reaffirming Israel's determination to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. In a lengthy statement, Katz said U.S. President Donald Trump is currently pursuing an agreement with Iran that serves American interests, including the shared U.S.-Israeli objective of preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. "We expect him to stand by this principle, as well as additional principles concerning missiles and terrorist proxies," Katz said. The defense minister stressed that Israel must preserve its ability to act independently against Iran if necessary, revealing that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for such a scenario. Katz also delivered a firm message regarding Israel's regional military posture, declaring that Israeli forces will not withdraw from "security areas" under their control in Lebanon, Syria, or Gaza. The minister further stated that Israeli forces would remain deployed in what he described as "terror camps" in the northern West Bank and suggested that military operations could be expanded to additional areas if deemed necessary. Katz said Israel's security doctrine remains focused on confronting both nearby and distant threats, emphasizing what he described as a strategy aimed at achieving decisive outcomes rather than compromises. The remarks come amid ongoing regional tensions and discussions surrounding a potential U.S.-Iran agreement.

Large Explosions Reported Near Marjeyoun and Nabatieh Following 42 Continuous Seconds of Israeli Strikes
This is Beirut/12 Jun 2026
Large Explosions Reported Near Marjeyoun and Nabatieh Following 42 Continuous Seconds of
Large explosions in the sky from Israeli strikes were reported around Marjeyoun and Nabatieh, likely targeting sites near Nabatieh’s Ali al-Taher hill, during a continuous bombing operation that lasted 42 seconds. (NNA)

Israel military claims more than 1,300 Hezbollah members killed since ceasefire took effect
LBCI/June 12/2026
Israel’s military claimed it had inflicted significant damage on Hezbollah’s command structure, claiming the killing of more than 10 field commanders, including individuals who were appointed to replace previously killed leaders. Since a ceasefire took effect, the military said more than 1,300 Hezbollah members have been killed in various locations inside Lebanon. The Israeli military said more than 10 field commanders from Hezbollah have been killed in recent weeks while directing fighters and overseeing combat operations against Israeli forces. Among those named was the commander of Hezbollah’s “Nasr” unit, identified by the military as Hajj Salameh. It said his successor, Mehdi Bazi, along with Ashraf Salloum, were killed less than two months after taking over the position. The military also said that within 12 hours, it killed the commander of the Shaqif sector, identified as Nasser Shoukair, along with his successor, Ahmad Sablini, who had previously served as his deputy. According to the Israeli military, those killed include several senior field commanders: Commander of the Bint Jbeil sector, Ali Abbas; Commander of the Tyre sector, Kamil Younes; Commander of the Hujair sector, Fouad Moussa; Commander of the Jibchit sector, Hussein Salameh; Commander of the Khiam sector, Ali Hayek, and Commander of the Qana sector, Muslim Harb.

Syrian president has no intention of intervening in Lebanon: sources
AFP/June 12, 2026
DAMASCUS: Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa told visitors that Damascus has no intention of intervening in Lebanon, two of them told AFP, days after US President Donald Trump suggested it might be willing to do so. One of those present, requesting anonymity to speak freely, said that Sharaa told dozens of notables and dignitaries from the Damascus province that “what is being circulated about Syria entering Lebanon is nothing more than rumors.”The Syrian presidency announced on Thursday that Sharaa received the delegation at the presidential palace in a meeting that addressed service and development issues of concern to the province’s residents. The statement made no mention of Sharaa’s remarks on Lebanon. It came with Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah still trading blows in the country, despite a conditional ceasefire announced by Lebanese and Israeli envoys earlier this month in Washington. Hezbollah rejected the agreement, which makes no mention of Israel having to cease attacks or withdraw its troops from Lebanon. Trump told US broadcaster NBC last week that Sharaa was willing to help against Hezbollah, which has been fighting a war with Israel since March 2 as part of the broader Middle East conflict. “I’d like to see a more surgical attack on Hezbollah. I think it should be more surgical. And we can help them with that, or we can recommend Syria,” he said.
“Syria’s doing a very good job of cleaning up their act. They have a very good leader. They have a leader that’s really done a good job in a short period of time. And he would love to help.”
In a televised interview on Thursday, Syrian interior ministry spokesperson Noureddine Al-Baba aid that Damascus stands with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in “preserving Lebanon’s security and the sovereignty of the Lebanese state.”“Coordination with our brother Lebanon is the cornerstone of any possible role that Syria can play in resolving Lebanese issues,” he added. Responding to Trump’s words, Baba said that “the Syrian and Lebanese sides are best positioned to interpret these statements and agree on a formula that serves both countries within the framework of the common Arab vision.”Syria, which under the Assad family was a close ally of Hezbollah, dominated Lebanon for decades following a military intervention in the latter’s 1975-1990 civil war, withdrawing only in 2005, making any new military involvement a fraught proposition. Hezbollah fought alongside the Syrian government in that country’s own civil war, making the new authorities in Damascus, which took over after the fall of Bashar Assad in 2024, deeply hostile to it.

Hezbollah says it confronted Israeli troops advancing in south Lebanon
AFP/June 12, 2026
BEIRUT: Hezbollah said on Friday its fighters had confronted Israeli forces advancing toward a southern Lebanese town, as Israel pressed on with its strikes in Lebanon. In a statement, Hezbollah said its fighters first targeted Israeli troops advancing toward Majdal Zoun, around five kilometers (three miles) from the western side of the border, on Thursday evening “with repeated rocket barrages, forcing them to retreat.” It then said it engaged with an advancing force there on Friday “engaging them with light and medium weapons and rockets.”The group also claimed other attacks on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military meanwhile issued an evacuation warning for three southern Lebanese villages. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported a series of strikes across the south, including on areas not included in the Israeli warning. The NNA later reported large explosions and artillery shelling near the Ali Taher hills, which overlook the southern city of Nabatieh. An aid convoy organized by the Vatican envoy to Lebanon that was headed for southern Christian villages, whose residents remained despite the conflict, was stopped by the Israeli military and forced to change course, a convoy member told AFP on Friday. 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 and a ground invasion that have killed more than 3,700 people in Lebanon, while occupying a large chunk of the country’s south.An April ceasefire in Lebanon was never observed, and the fighting has continued despite a new conditional truce deal announced last week after Lebanese-Israeli talks in Washington. Hezbollah rejected the conditional agreement, which requires it to stop launching attacks but makes no mention of Israel having to cease attacks or withdraw its troops from Lebanon.
Iran insists that Lebanon must be part of any agreement to end the wider Middle East war.

Iran seeks to use Lebanon as leverage in any US deal with Tehran
The Arab Weekly/June 12/2026
Iran is waging a calculated campaign to preserve Lebanon as its last bastion of influence on the Mediterranean, tying the country’s fate to a grand bargain with Washington as it seeks to end Hezbollah’s war with Israel on its own terms, not Beirut’s. That effort is colliding with a historic US-sponsored negotiating track between Lebanon and Israel aimed at ending decades of conflict along their frontier and redefining the balance of power in a country long caught between regional foes. Yet Beirut is not backing down. President Joseph Aoun told Reuters on Wednesday that “Lebanon’s future is in the hands of the Lebanese, not Iran — nor Israel,” casting the negotiations as a struggle for Lebanon’s sovereignty. “Cooperation with Iran is one thing, but we do not accept that the Iranians dictate to us,” Aoun said. “We are a sovereign state. Iran cannot speak in our name. We do not accept that Lebanon becomes a field for other people’s wars.”“I am determined to proceed with the diplomatic track,” he added. “There is no military solution. We have no choice but to negotiate to end this conflict, and neither do the Israelis.”
Still, Lebanon finds itself at an impasse. Hezbollah has publicly rejected direct talks with Israel, calling them shameless, but Aoun said the group had not presented the government with its own roadmap to end the crisis.
He warned that if Hezbollah chose to remain on a war footing, the Shia group would harm the very community it claims to defend, prolonging a conflict that erupted on March 2 in parallel to the Iran war and has strained Lebanon’s sectarian and political faultlines.
Tehran, meanwhile, has made a ceasefire in Lebanon a condition for any broader deal with Washington, giving it leverage over a process from which it is formally excluded. Lebanon has become all the more important for Iran since the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a main pillar of Tehran’s “Axis of Resistance”, in late 2024.
“Lebanon is the ground zero of Iran’s resistance narrative,” said Andreas Krieg at the School of Security Studies at King’s College London, describing it as Tehran’s primary frontline against Israel and a base for operations across the Levant. This week’s Iranian strike on Israel, in retaliation for an attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs, underlined that posture, signalling Tehran’s willingness to enforce red lines, particularly in Lebanon, Krieg said. It marked the first time Tehran has intervened directly in a Hezbollah-Israel war. An Iranian official said those red lines include any effort to weaken Hezbollah, normalise strikes on Lebanon or target Shi’a areas. The message has been conveyed to Washington and Tel Aviv, the official said, along with a warning that continued hostilities could derail ceasefire efforts and risk wider regional fallout, including threats to maritime chokepoints. A Lebanese source familiar with the US talks said Tehran was angered by Beirut’s decision to negotiate independently with Israel, which it saw as stripping Iran of a key bargaining chip in its standoff with Washington.
Meanwhile, the talks in Washington have produced little visible progress. At their core lies a stark divide. Lebanon is demanding a durable ceasefire as the basis for negotiations leading to a full Israeli withdrawal and the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians under Lebanese army supervision. Israel wants Hezbollah dismantled as a military force — at least in southern Lebanon — and proof of its removal before relinquishing occupied territory. Two Lebanese officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the talks with Israel as tortuous. Five hours into a meeting last week, Lebanese negotiators concluded Israel was not prepared to make concessions. Chief negotiator Simon Karam informed US mediators that talks should be paused and left the room. The meeting resumed only after the direct intervention of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. That produced what the Lebanese officials described as a “last-minute, take-it-or-leave-it proposal”, short on detail. It proposed a ceasefire contingent on Hezbollah’s cessation of hostilities and withdrawal from southern Lebanon as a first step. Like an earlier ceasefire announcement in April, it did not explicitly refer to Israeli troop withdrawal.
Rubio accused Iran this month of trying to stymie the talks.
For upcoming talks this month, Beirut is proposing parallel tracks: an Israeli withdrawal and the gradual extension of Lebanese state authority. Lebanese officials say both tracks must proceed simultaneously. A ceasefire would trigger a 24-hour deadline for Hezbollah to begin withdrawing to allow for “pilot zones” to be established, beginning around Beaufort Castle, they said. Zone by zone, Israeli troops would withdraw, Lebanese troops would deploy and displaced civilians would begin returning, backed by international reconstruction efforts.
Hezbollah swiftly rejected the plan, publicly describing it as surrender to Israeli terms. A Lebanese source familiar with Hezbollah’s position said the Washington track would lead nowhere, pitting an Israel unwilling to halt its offensive against a Lebanese delegation with no authority over the group. The real negotiations, he said, would only begin once a ceasefire emerges from a U.S.-Iran deal, when Lebanon would push for Israeli withdrawal and Israel for security arrangements that address Hezbollah’s weapons — an issue the group’s leadership is not ready to confront while war continues. Beirut’s position, the two officials say, is fortified by growing Western and Arab backing and rare domestic consensus outside the Shia community supporting an independent national track free from Iranian tutelage. The government must now try to navigate a path between Israel’s insistence on dismantling Hezbollah and Iran’s determination to preserve it as a regional lever. Continued deadlock risks entrenching a new reality in south Lebanon, potentially preventing the return of large segments of the Shia population.

Hezbollah confident any US-Iran deal will include Lebanon, politician says
LBCI/June 12/2026
Hezbollah is confident that Iran will insist on Lebanon being included in a deal with the United States, a leading Hezbollah politician said on Friday, as hopes grew for an agreement between Tehran and Washington. "If the ⁠agreement happens, we have complete confidence in the Islamic Republic ... we have confidence that it will insist on any agreement including the file of Lebanon," Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah politician, said in an excerpt of a speech broadcast by the group's al-Manar TV. A Western source said a memorandum between the United States and Iran to halt the war in the Gulf could be signed ‌as ⁠soon as Sunday. The source said that language in the memorandum was still being finalised and Iran was sticking to its position that the deal must also end fighting in Lebanon. Reuters

A war with limits: US constraints challenge Israel's plans in Lebanon and Iran
LBCI/June 12/2026
Israel is facing growing limitations on its military operations against both Iran and Lebanon, with U.S. restrictions increasingly shaping the scope of its actions despite the ongoing fighting in South Lebanon. On the Iranian front, Israeli officials have been left unsettled by President Donald Trump's decision to cancel a coordinated strike against Iran that had reportedly been planned in consultation with Israel. In Lebanon, the Israeli military is confronting what Israeli officials describe as a dilemma surrounding the southern city of Nabatieh. Israeli forces are seeking to gain control of the area, but U.S. directives have prevented them from entering the city, leaving troops positioned on its outskirts while awaiting a political decision that could authorize further advances. In the meantime, the Israeli military has focused on consolidating its presence around the strategic Wadi al-Saluki area. According to Israeli assessments, the U.S.-imposed restraints extend beyond Nabatieh and affect broader military plans across Lebanon, including operations involving Beirut's southern suburbs, limiting Israel's ability to independently implement its military objectives. The restrictions have sparked criticism across Israel's political and security establishment, including from figures generally regarded as moderates. As Israeli leaders weigh whether to authorize a renewed push northward, the military's 36th Division remains deployed in Lebanon. The Israeli army also released photographs it said were taken in the Lebanese town of Dibbine, where it said troops had conducted operations in recent weeks. The debate over the future direction of Israel's campaign comes amid continuing military activity and growing tensions over the extent to which U.S. considerations are influencing Israeli strategy in both Lebanon and Iran.

Inside the Heron-1: The Israeli surveillance drone shot down over Lebanon
LBCI/June 12/2026
Not every drone flying over Lebanese airspace serves the same purpose. While some are used for close-range tactical surveillance, others function as airborne command centers. The latter category includes the Heron-1, the Israeli drone that Hezbollah said it shot down over the Nahle area in Lebanon's Bekaa region. Developed by Israel's aerospace industry, the Heron-1 is considered one of the air force's most important long-range reconnaissance platforms. Rather than serving as a conventional attack drone, it acts as an intelligence-gathering asset capable of remaining airborne for extended periods while transmitting real-time imagery and data to military command centers. With a wingspan of more than 16 meters, roughly comparable to that of a small passenger aircraft, the Heron-1 can remain in the air for more than 40 consecutive hours without landing and operate at altitudes exceeding 10 kilometers. These capabilities allow it to monitor vast areas across Lebanon, Syria, and controlled territory without the need for frequent returns to base. The drone's role extends well beyond aerial photography. Combining advanced cameras, radar systems, and electronic surveillance capabilities on a single platform, the Heron-1 plays a key role in building the intelligence picture used in military operations. Regarding the reported shootdown, Hezbollah said only that it used a "specialized missile" but did not disclose its type or designation. In previous operations, the group has announced the use of surface-to-air missiles against Israeli drones, while Israel has acknowledged on several occasions losing unmanned aircraft after they were targeted by anti-aircraft systems. If the downing of the Heron-1 is confirmed, it would represent more than the loss of a routine surveillance drone. It would mark the loss of one of Israel's premier airborne intelligence-gathering platforms. Each aircraft is estimated to be worth millions of dollars and forms a critical component of Israel's surveillance and intelligence network.The development comes days after controversy emerged in Lebanon over claims that imports of fiber-optic equipment had been restricted because of alleged Hezbollah use. The Lebanese army later issued an official statement denying that any such ban had been imposed.

Unable to return, displaced southern Lebanese turn to satellite images to check on homes
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/June 12, 2026
BEIRUT: Displaced residents of villages in southern Lebanon, who currently have no way of reaching their homes, are turning to commercial satellite imagery to learn whether the houses they fled are still standing. For many families, the images offer the first glimpse of homes left behind during successive waves of displacement since Israel’s war on Lebanon began. Some pool money with neighbors to purchase the images, hoping to answer a question that has become an obsession: Is there anything left to return to? The practice has spread across southern Lebanon as Israeli evacuation orders, continued military operations, and systematic destruction have left dozens of villages inaccessible to their residents. Eighty-five villages have effectively been cut off since Israel’s incursions into southern Lebanon, which began in 2023 and intensified further in March. In April, Israel established what it calls a “Yellow Line” buffer zone extending between 1.2 and 12 kilometers north of the Blue Line. Residents say information from the border is scarce, particularly since repeated attacks on ambulances and rescue teams have limited one of the few remaining sources of information from inside the restricted zone, which spans approximately 568 square kilometers. “When people fled their villages in haste, they left behind all their belongings and memories,” Hawraa, a medical professional from the town of Zebdin in the Nabatieh district, told Arab News. “Our primary concern was escaping death and finding a safe place to shelter.” As military operations intensified, residents’ anxiety about their homes grew.
“We began searching for any information we could find. Satellite images became one of the few available options after we started seeing them shared on social media, showing the extent of the destruction,” she said. Hawraa turned to OnGeo, a satellite imagery platform, and found updated images of the village. She contacted fellow residents through a social media group and suggested that they pool their money to purchase the images. “Some contributed $5, others $10, and we managed to raise $80. However, the images cost $130, so a well-off resident of the village covered the remaining amount,” she said. “We now have a means of checking on our homes.” Hawraa said this method has become widespread in Lebanon and was already being used, albeit on a limited scale, during the last war to determine the fate of frontline villages that the Israeli army had effectively reduced to scorched earth. Satellite images taken in early May revealed the systematic destruction of urban areas and the opening of military corridors. These corridors include a route passing through 19 towns in the Tyre district, 23 towns in Bint Jbeil, 25 in Marjeyoun, 11 in Hasbaya, 6 in Nabatieh, and one town in Rashaya. Engineer Tariq Mazraani, from the border town of Houla, is the head of a group representing the displaced residents. He said he was able to return to his town and found his home in Houla completely destroyed when the ceasefire came into effect in 2024, while another house was reduced to ashes. “I had planned to turn the latter into a museum, as it contained artifacts, rare books and documents about the history of the village and southern Lebanon,” Mazraani told Arab News. His family relocated to Zawtar Al-Sharqiyah, which was also struck during the recent war, forcing them to move again, this time towards Beirut. As an engineer who has built numerous homes and villas across the south, Mazraani said property owners often bring him satellite images they have purchased to determine whether their homes can still be restored. “Images are not available for every area, as there are restrictions on what satellites are permitted to capture,” he said. “However, in the images I can review, it is immediately apparent when a structure has been completely destroyed.”
One such property belonged to his friend Mounir, 61, who owns a villa in Houla.
“When he asked me to analyze an image of his property, I could not bring myself to tell him that the house he had spent 40 years and his life savings building has been reduced to ashes,” Mazraani told Arab News. “Eventually, one his relatives conveyed the news to him, and when he called me again to confirm what he had heard, I told him the truth. He fell utterly silent, then dissolved into grief-stricken sobbing.”
The cost of obtaining a satellite image ranges between $130 and $170, although some people have said that prices have climbed as high as $200. Hawraa said that obtaining an image used to take 24 hours, but can now take up to two days. “It is striking that people’s peace of mind has turned into a daily source of anxiety, even at a cost many can scarcely afford. Those whose homes survived one round of attacks now purchase updated images. This reflects a deepening sense of anxiety among people who have lost their security,” she told Arab News. Hawraa noted that images currently being requested are of villages that have been recently cut off, such as Zawtar Al-Sharqiyah, Arnoun, kfar Tebnit and Yohmor. She added that some of the updated images show Israeli tanks inside the town of Yohmor, where the latest updates show that “Israeli forces have bulldozed (the) cemeteries, sparking widespread anger among people and reopening wounds that had yet to heal. Even the cemeteries no longer remain in the village,” Hawraa said. Diana Moukalled, from Tebnine, told Arab News that the civil defense and paramedics were the main source of information about the fate of their homes, but after the targeting of paramedics, there were no sources left. “My mother, my siblings and I learned of the destruction of our home in the village from the paramedics, who took pictures of the house my father built — now reduced to rubble — and sent them to us,” she said, adding that the family, dismayed, analyzed the photos intently, searching for any trace of the things they once owned and loved.
“My sister said, ‘Look, this is part of our swing that we used to race to sit on; the stones have crushed it.’ It was an attempt to process the loss,” Moukalled told Arab News.
“We sat crying and looking at each other, unable to speak. How can a family mourn its house? How can they hold a wake for walls? How can we believe that our home, in which we lived and which lived in us, has suddenly turned to ashes?”After the previous war, her brother restored what Israel had destroyed as a tribute to their late father, she explained. “But today, after the house was targeted, we have not succeeded in keeping that promise. The house has become rubble,” Moukalled said. "And today I understand that this, for us, was more than just a house; it was our home.”

US official says Iran war deal 'includes Lebanon'
LBCI/June 12/2026
A proposed deal between the United States and Iran to end the Middle East war would also include Lebanon, a senior U.S. official said Friday. "It includes Lebanon, it includes Iran, it includes the Gulf Coast countries, and includes Israel," the senior administration official told reporters on a call. AFP

PM Salam says Iran rejected ceasefire to show it still holds control over Lebanon
LBCI/June 12/2026
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Iran's rejection of a proposed ceasefire agreement with Israel was intended to demonstrate that the ultimate decision-making authority in Lebanon remains in Tehran. According to an interview published by the British newspaper The Times, Salam said Iran's refusal of the ceasefire deal "did not come out of nowhere," arguing that Tehran wanted to send a message to the international community that Lebanon remains a card in its hands and that it alone determines the country's fate. Salam said the Iranian rejection, which came before Hezbollah announced its official position on the proposal, underscored the extent of Tehran's influence over the group and highlighted its close ties to Iran. "If this rejection indicates anything, it is the degree of control exercised by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, not only over Hezbollah's military and security wings, but also over the party's decision-making process itself," Salam said. The Lebanese premier distinguished the current relationship between Hezbollah and Iran and that which existed under the late Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. He said Nasrallah had been deeply involved in decision-making and had maintained a degree of relative independence. According to Salam, Iran now exerts direct and decisive influence over Hezbollah to an unprecedented extent. He also stressed that the Lebanese state is the only entity capable of mobilizing the resources needed to rebuild the destruction caused by the war. Reconstruction, he said, can only be carried out through state institutions, just as Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory can only be achieved through negotiations conducted by the Lebanese state.
Despite the ongoing conflict and challenges facing the country, Salam expressed cautious optimism about Lebanon's future. "I am not pessimistic at all. I can say that I am optimistic, but I am not naive," he said. Salam added that he still believes Lebanon possesses enormous potential and that there is no alternative to pursuing serious reforms if the country is to restore the authority and effectiveness of the state.

Israel Draws Red Line on Iran as Trump Pursues Diplomatic Agreement
This is Beirut/June 12/2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday reaffirmed Israel's commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, while signaling support for U.S.-led diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis. In a statement published on X, Netanyahu declared that "as long as I am Prime Minister of Israel, Iran will not have nuclear weapons," adding that he and U.S. President Donald Trump were in "full agreement" on the issue. "For over 30 years, I have been at the forefront of the international campaign against Iran's nuclear program," Netanyahu said, arguing that his efforts had prevented Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons. He also accused Iran of seeking the destruction of Israel and pledged to continue opposing its nuclear ambitions. Separately, Katz said Trump was leading efforts to secure an agreement with Iran that serves American interests while also addressing the shared U.S.-Israeli objective of preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons."We expect him to stand by this principle and additional principles concerning missiles and terrorist proxies," Katz said. The Israeli defense minister stressed that Israel would continue to maintain the capability to act independently against Iran if necessary. Katz added that he and Netanyahu had instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for such a scenario."Israel must ensure that, in the future as well, we retain the ability to act independently to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons," he said. The statements came one day after Trump announced that he had cancelled planned U.S. strikes against Iran, saying negotiations with Tehran had reached the highest levels of the Iranian leadership and that an agreement had been approved in principle by multiple regional and international actors. The announcement marked a significant shift from Trump's earlier rhetoric. In remarks attributed to an interview with Fox News, Trump had warned that he would "bomb Iran severely" if Tehran failed to sign a deal and stated that the conflict would continue until Iran surrendered. He also suggested that the United States was "not hitting Iran enough yet" and indicated that taking control of Iran's strategic Kharg Island would be his preferred option.
Despite suspending the planned strikes, Trump said a naval blockade would remain in place until a final agreement is signed, with details regarding the timing and location of the signing expected to be announced later.

FPV Drones Are the Logical Evolution of Hezbollah’s Warfighting Doctrine
David Daoud and Ahmad Sharawi/FDD-Policy Brief/June 12/2026
Hezbollah’s new first-person view (FPV) drones provide the group with a maximum return on investment — earning their name from their cameras broadcasting footage of attacks until moment of impact. FPVs are cheap, easy to acquire or produce locally, and virtually unstoppable when equipped with fiber-optic guidance — which allows the operator to control the drone through an ultra-thin, transparent, physical fiber-optic cable, rather than by radio, GPS, or wireless transmission. Hezbollah has relied heavily on FPVs during the most recent round of fighting with Israel. Operating at a range of 10-20 km, these drones are immune from electronic jamming and largely go undetected before striking their intended targets — all while their operator remains safely hidden from Israeli forces throughout the attack.
Propaganda Is a Cornerstone of Hezbollah’s Military Doctrine
FPV drones help generate propaganda that Hezbollah deems as valuable as actual damage to Israeli forces. Hezbollah describes its military media as another weapon in the group’s arsenal, intended to “memorializing the achievements of the resistance and waging psychological war against the enemy, with the camera as its pillar.” Especially if the targets are infantry, and the camera captures their facial expressions, then the footage can potentially carry massive psychological impact, allowing the group to manipulate its audience — whether they are friends or foes — into believing Hezbollah is winning the fight. Hezbollah began refining this propaganda methodology during the 1985-2000 South Lebanon Conflict against Israel. It was then that the group learned that proper camera use could transform tactical pinpricks into strategic accomplishments. Then, as now, Hezbollah admittedly lacked the ability to directly defeat Israel. So, the group amplified the impact of its limited kinetic means with psychological warfare. To its supporters, through carefully editing and packaging operational footage, the group rewrote even tactical failures against the IDF into enduring victories for “the Resistance.” In Israel, meanwhile, “Lebanon fatigue” was growing along with sensitivity to IDF casualties they increasingly believed were unnecessary. The group fed into this souring on the Lebanon campaign through a steady drumbeat of often visceral footage showing a persistent and disciplined Hezbollah wounding or killing demoralized IDF soldiers. Over time, this created a groundswell of pressure on the Israeli government to prematurely end the fight against Hezbollah and withdraw from south Lebanon.
FPVs Allow Hezbollah To Exploit the Gaps in Israel’s Technology and War Strategy
Hezbollah has proven adept at exploiting, in its own words, Israel’s “gap of vulnerability to small, agile, and uncontainable threats” with relatively simple weapons. This gap can be found in Israel’s strategy. When the IDF hunkered down in fortifications during the conflict in south Lebanon in the 1990s, Hezbollah used mobile bands of fighters to snipe at the IDF’s outposts with anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). Nearly thirty years later, Hezbollah is exploiting Israel’s current immobility in south Lebanon, the result of U.S.-brokered ceasefires with Beirut, to strike with impunity at gatherings of Israeli troops. But the gap can also be technological. As Hezbollah also noted, its FPVs were created as a direct response to the Israel’s single-minded emphasis on developing electronic warfare systems effective against radio and GPS signals. But this came at the expense of overlooking the threat of relatively simple weapons, like drones operated by fiber optic cable.
Washington’s Direct Interest in Israel’s Fight Against Hezbollah’s UAVs
Washington stands to benefit from allowing Israel more operational flexibility in south Lebanon. First, doing so will allow the Israelis to reclaim the advantage over Hezbollah, a U.S. adversary, transforming the FPV threat into a temporary nuisance until their production sites and operators are located. As the Israelis confront FPVs in real time, they will also begin to hone the tactics, techniques, and procedures necessary to neutralize this threat. The resulting methods, lessons, and countermeasures can then be shared with the United States, which has its own and growing interest in countering the threat of small and cheap drones.
https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2026/06/11/fpv-drones-are-the-logical-evolution-of-hezbollahs-warfighting-doctrine/
**David Daoud is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) focused on Israel, Hezbollah, and Lebanon affairs. Ahmad Sharawi is a senior research analyst at FDD focused on Syria and Iranian intervention in Arab affairs and the Levant. For more analysis from the authors, please subscribe HERE. Follow FDD on X @FDD. Follow David on X @DavidADaoud. Follow Ahmad on X @AhmadA_Sharawi. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

The Trajectory of Events in Lebanon Following the US-Iran Agreement
Colonel Charbel Barakat/June 12/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/06/155249/
Yesterday, President Trump announced that a multi-month negotiation has culminated in an agreement between the Iranian regime and the United States regarding the ongoing war in the Gulf. The documents are expected to be signed next week. Crucially for Lebanon, its situation was not included as an item in the agreement, leaving Israel with a free hand to resolve the issue as it sees fit.
Will Hezbollah finally realize that it cannot dictate any terms regarding its arsenal? Will it accept the status quo and coordinate the disbandment of armed factions with the Lebanese state—which has pledged to confine arms and retain a monopoly on force? Furthermore, will this development prompt Speaker Berri to mobilize within the Shia community to stabilize the situation and pave the way for ending security lawlessness and defiance against state authority? Could this pressure Hezbollah into accepting reality with minimal losses, given the immense damage it has already inflicted on both its community and the nation?
What of the Israeli conditions demanding the complete clearance of weapons and outlawed militants across all of Lebanon—not just south of the Litani River, as some hope? This includes dismantling missile depots, ammunition, weapons manufacturing plants, and drone facilities. Is this a prelude to accelerating negotiations for a definitive cessation of hostilities, mapping out a future peace agreement between the two countries independently of other regional states?
The Failure of Iranian Attempts and the Dilemma of Hezbollah’s Stronghold
It is certain that the recent Iranian attempt to impose conditions at the negotiating table regarding Lebanon and the “Armed Party” (Hezbollah) has failed miserably. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decisive stance was clear: he will tolerate no compromises on this matter. In fact, he threatened to bring the war back to Iran’s doorstep should it interfere in Lebanese affairs again; the safety and security of Israeli citizens in the north are non-negotiable.
Continued displacement and destruction will be the definitive, irreversible response to anyone attempting to use Lebanon as a launchpad for sabotage, no matter how long it takes. This persists even as efforts are made to alleviate the suffering of the Shia community, which has yet to take a clear, unified stance against the armed group dragging them toward self-destruction.
Hezbollah’s propagandists will undoubtedly try to spin any media narrative to save face in the shadow of a bleak future—especially if a grieving population turns against them. The party has sacrificed their children, destroyed their homes, and promised absolute victory, yet the reality on the ground is entirely different. Moving forward, there is no room for armed displays or street dominance, nor any pride left in deception and imaginary victories. The Lebanese state, led by Speaker Berri, will no longer be allowed to turn a blind eye to its duty to control the ground, prevent lawlessness, and enforce the rule of law. This extends to corrupt civil servants across various sectors who grew accustomed to profiting from Hezbollah’s financial handouts in exchange for covering up its security operations and unlawful behavior—actions that eroded public order and plunged the country into chaos, ultimately resulting in the destruction of the South’s infrastructure for the sake of the Supreme Leader and the Revolutionary Guard. These foreign handlers care nothing for Lebanon or its people, viewing them merely as a geographical buffer zone and sandbags to shield the Mullah regime.
The Map of Anticipated Military Operations and Targeted Areas
The war in Lebanon will undoubtedly continue, though at a different pace. Israel will not tolerate the continued existence of underground missile depots or military hardware, no matter how small or distant from the border.
Positions such as “Nabi Tahir,” “Nabi Sojod,” “Nabi Mlikh,” “Nabi Safi,” “Birkat Jabbour,” the farms surrounding Aishiyeh (the President’s hometown), and the entirety of Mount Rihan—which secures the connection to the Beqaa Valley via Machghara—will not escape clearance. This disarmament will either be carried out by the Lebanese Army under verifiable international supervision to satisfy Israeli security demands, or the IDF will execute the mission independently.
While this applies to the sparsely populated areas south of Jezzine, which were fortified by the party and its patrons, the remaining Shia and non-Shia villages between the Litani, Zahrani, and Awali rivers must also be cleared of depots and trenches. This process will demand significant time and effort, and potentially further destruction if Hezbollah refuses to cooperate by disclosing full details.
Furthermore, what about the Southern Suburbs (Dahiyeh), the Beqaa, and the Christian and Druze areas of Mount Lebanon, where trenches and depots were dug amidst peaceful villages? Will these be left to the Lebanese Army to clear, especially since the broader population—having never consented to their presence—is likely to voluntarily expose these sites and assist the military when necessary?
A Vision for the Future: Salvation Begins with Disarmament
The state faces an immense, multifaceted task to rid itself of the remnants of the past four decades, which dragged Lebanon into the abyss. This era saw successive domination by the Assad occupation, the Mullah regime, Arafat and his factions, and a blind Left indifferent to national interests, culminating in Hezbollah’s dominance. Together, they turned this sacred land into a global hub for terrorism, corruption, vice, and violence. Will a new dawn break as quickly as the Lebanese people hope?
Some critics may point out that our articles focus heavily on military infrastructure rather than political commentary. Our answer is simple: this specific phase is entirely contingent upon the existence of these weapons and the threat they pose to Lebanon and its citizens. Once these arms are eliminated, state institutions will gradually recover, and citizens can once again dream of building a future for themselves and their children. Ultimately, Lebanon’s salvation hinges on closing the battlefield, collecting weapons, and preventing aggression. Once achieved, everything else falls into place; Lebanese ingenuity is more than capable of resolving the historic gridlocks that stalled progress. Rejoining the global train of peace and advancement will become a given. When that happens, citizens will no longer sell their votes, and remnants of outlawed apparatuses and organizations will be barred by law from running for office. Let us dare to dream of a new Lebanon built on genuine opportunity, fair competition, and noble goals—a nation where people return to productive and creative work across all fields.

Israel’s Drive to Beirut Is No Longer a Threat. It Is a Plan
Makram Rabah/Now Lebanon/June 12/2026
The latest escalation in Lebanon should not be read as just another exchange of fire along the southern front. What makes this moment different is not simply the intensity of the Israeli strikes, but their geography and political meaning. For months, many in Lebanon and the Arab world have reassured themselves with a familiar assumption: that Israel may bomb, threaten, and escalate, but that Washington will ultimately restrain it. This assumption has become part of a broader conspiratorial comfort zone — the belief that Israel is fully under American control, and that once Trump makes a few phone calls, the war machine will stop.This is a dangerous illusion. Israel listens to Washington, but it does not obey Washington when it believes its national security is at stake. The United States can pressure, delay, manage, and sometimes contain Israeli action. But it cannot always dictate the limits of Israeli military strategy. Those who assume that Trump can simply pick up the phone and stop Israel from expanding the war into Lebanon are misreading both Israel and the moment.
The drive to Beirut is real.
It may not come in the old image of tanks rolling immediately into the capital. It may come in stages: expanding airstrikes, assassinations, evacuation orders, destruction of infrastructure, the widening of the southern no-man’s land, and the gradual normalization of Beirut’s southern suburbs as part of the battlefield. But the logic is clear. Israel is no longer signaling that it only wants to push Hezbollah away from the border. It is signaling that it wants to reach the organization’s head. And that head, in Israel’s view, is not the fighter in the village or the rocket launcher in the valley. It is the remaining Hezbollah leadership embedded in Beirut and protected by the density of civilian life around it. This is why the strike on the southern suburbs matters. It breaks the illusion that Beirut remains outside the rules of engagement. Once that barrier falls, the war is no longer confined to the south. The Lebanese capital itself becomes part of the military map. In Lebanon, this reality is still being digested too slowly. President Joseph Aoun may be receiving phone calls from Trump and from officials in his administration. These calls matter. They signal that Washington still wants a political track, still wants the Lebanese state to act, and still prefers an outcome short of a wider Israeli invasion.
But the phone will not ring twice.
Lebanon is being given a narrow window to act. If the Lebanese state does not move seriously, visibly, and immediately to restore its authority over war and peace, then outside powers will act over its head. Israel will not wait indefinitely for Lebanese consensus. Washington will not spend endless political capital restraining Israel while Hezbollah remains armed, entrenched, and tied to Iran’s regional strategy.
This is the brutal equation Lebanon must now confront.
Either the Lebanese state begins to reclaim the decision of war and peace, or that decision will be made by others: by Israel through force, by Iran through Hezbollah, and by Washington through crisis management. In all cases, Lebanon itself becomes less a sovereign actor and more an arena.
Iran understands this. Its response is not driven by love for Lebanon, nor even by loyalty to Hezbollah as a Lebanese actor. Tehran wants to preserve the “Lebanon card” in its negotiations with the United States. It wants to tell Washington that no regional deal can happen unless Iran’s role in Lebanon is recognized. But this only confirms the tragedy. Lebanon is not being defended as a state. It is being used as leverage. Hezbollah and Iran may hope to return to the old bargain: Israeli withdrawal, quiet on the border, and a restoration of the pre-October 7 rules. But that world is gone. Israel is unlikely to accept a heavily armed Hezbollah on its northern border as a manageable threat. It now sees that arrangement as an intolerable risk. This is true with or without Netanyahu. Lebanese and Arab commentators who reduce everything to Netanyahu’s political survival miss the larger shift inside Israel. After October 7, the Israeli security establishment will not easily accept the old formulas. Any Israeli prime minister will be under pressure to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its former position.
That is what makes this moment so dangerous.
The military solution Israel is pursuing may be destructive, bloody, and incomplete. It may fail to eliminate Hezbollah as a political and social force. It may produce enormous civilian suffering and a prolonged confrontation inside Lebanon. But none of that means Israel is bluffing.
The Lebanese mistake is to confuse the danger of a plan with the impossibility of its execution. Israel may pay a price for going deeper into Lebanon. But it may still go deeper. It may face American objections. But it may still proceed. It may not be able to destroy Hezbollah entirely. But it may still destroy much of Lebanon in the attempt.
This is why waiting is not a strategy.
Lebanon cannot afford to hide behind theories that Washington will save it, that Trump will restrain Israel, that Iran will protect it, or that Hezbollah can calibrate escalation forever. The margin for maneuver is shrinking. The warnings are no longer rhetorical. The map is changing in real time. What began as a southern front is now becoming a direct test of Lebanese sovereignty. The question is no longer whether Israel wants a buffer zone. The question is whether Lebanon understands that Israel’s horizon has moved beyond the border.
And if Beirut does not act before the next call, it may discover that the call was not an invitation to negotiate. It was the last warning.
**Makram Rabah is the managing editor at Now Lebanon and an Assistant Professor at the American University of Beirut, Department of History. His book Conflict on Mount Lebanon: The Druze, the Maronites and Collective Memory (Edinburgh University Press) covers collective identities and the Lebanese Civil War. He tweets at @makramrabah

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