English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For  May 02/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid/When Peter noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, You of little faith
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 14/22-33: "Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’

Titles For Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on 01-02 May/2026
Video, Text, Arabic & English/On Labor Day, we remind the Lebanese that the General Labor Union in Lebanon, in all its branches and leadership, is a product of Syrian and Iranian intelligence incubators and a destructive tool in the hands of Berri and Hezbollah/Elias Bejjani/May 01/2026
Elias Bejjani's video and text/exposing and ridiculing the "national meeting" held by Hezbollah today, which brought together rotting corpses, extinct dinosaurs, Baathists, Nasserists, leftists, mercenaries, nationalists, and Christian Trojan horses
Elias Bejjani/Video link to my interview of today from the "Transparency" Youtube platform
Elias Bejjani / Video Link of my Interview with "Arab Files"
Israel Responds to Lebanon’s De-Escalation Demand with More Pressure, Attacks
Aoun Insists on Ceasefire Before Lebanon-Israel Talks
US embassy says Lebanon at 'crossroads', urges Aoun-Netanyahu meeting
Berri responds to US embassy statement on proposed Aoun-Netanyahu meeting
Uncertainty grows as Israel awaits Lebanon's response to ‘historic opportunity’
Hezbollah bloc rejects Lebanon’s negotiation track, disowns potential outcomes
Israeli army issues urgent evacuation warning for South Lebanon's Habbouch village
Israeli army says it hit over 40 Hezbollah targets in South Lebanon
At least 15 killed in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon on Thursday
UAE announces travel ban on nationals to Iran, Lebanon and Iraq
Report: Israel to strike Hezbollah drone production deep in Lebanon
Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: No Point Negotiating with Israel Under Fire
Lebanon, the State, and the ‘Duo’/Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al-Awsat/April 01/2026

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on 01-02 May/2026
Trump says ‘not satisfied’ with new Iran proposal
Iran delivered new proposal for US talks via Pakistan
US approves military sales of over $8.6 billion to Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Israel
Trump tells Congress hostilities with Iran ‘have been terminated’ on 60-day deadline
US cautions Americans in UK to be alert after Britain raised threat level
US to close its flagship Gaza mission as Trump plan stalls, sources say
Fourteen IRGC members killed in demining operation: Local media
Imprisoned Iranian Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi transferred to hospital
Shia cleric killed in grenade attack near Syrian capital of Damascus
Trump says will place 25 percent tariff on autos from the EU, accusing it of not complying

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on 01-02 May/2026
The Gulf After the Reordering of Deterrence/Dr. Abdullah Faisal Alrabeh/Asharq Al-Awsat/April 01/2026
A greater Israel and a greater Iran/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Mustafa Fahs//Asharq Al-Awsat/April 01/2026
China Attacked Meta, So Cut All Tech Links/Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/May 01/2026
Question: Does God promise to not give us more than we can handle?/GotQuestions.org/May 01/2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets for May 01/2026

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on 01-02 May/2026
Video, Text, Arabic & English/On Labor Day, we remind the Lebanese that the General Labor Union in Lebanon, in all its branches and leadership, is a product of Syrian and Iranian intelligence incubators and a destructive tool in the hands of Berri and Hezbollah
Elias Bejjani/May 01/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/05/154084/
Lebanon marks Labor Day today under the umbrella of a vile Iranian occupation, and in the shadow of a General Labor Union in Lebanon that is a creation of Syrian and Iranian intelligence services. This labor body from top to bottom, is nothing but a tool of destruction, sabotage, and corruption in the hands of the Iranian occupier, represented by its two Lebanon's enemies: Nabih Berri, the king of corruption and the corrupt, and Hezbollah, the Iranian, terrorist, Persian, and jihadist army.
Out of the necessity to raise awareness among the Lebanese people, it is essential to expose the facts, call things by their names, and inform all concerned parties in Lebanon and abroad that all current labor unions—with their leaders, administrations, and officials—are enemies of the workers and their rights. They act under the orders of their handlers, mobilizing workers in the service of Berri and Hezbollah through hypocrisy and deceit, using misleading slogans that present falsehood disguised as truth.
Among the Trojan figures tasked with corrupting and “Iranizing” labor unions are Beshara Al-Asmar and Bassam Tlais. Like the rest of the union leadership, they are merely tools in the hands of Nabih Berri and Hezbollah, operating according to their directives, with little to no concern for workers or their rights.
Since these unions function as tools of destruction in the hands of the occupation and its symbols, they do not truly represent workers nor act in their interest. Therefore, it is imperative that they be dissolved and that fair laws be reestablished to protect the rights and responsibilities of labor unions in Lebanon, in accordance with international legal standards.
In conclusion, the current labor unions in Lebanon do not represent the workers. Rather, those who placed them in their positions did so in service of the occupation project of Berri and Hezbollah.

Elias Bejjani's video and text/exposing and ridiculing the "national meeting" held by Hezbollah today, which brought together rotting corpses, extinct dinosaurs, Baathists, Nasserists, leftists, mercenaries, nationalists, and Christian Trojan horses
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/04/154033/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tUZ-YgjbGU&t=149s

Elias Bejjani/Video link to my interview of today from the "Transparency" Youtube platform
A Reading into the Reality of the Occupation and the Hezbollah status in Lebanon; The Inevitability of Uprooting it, Placing Lebanon Under International Trusteeship, Imposing Peace by Force, and the Retirement of the Entire Rotten Political Class—If Not Their Prosecution.
To President Aoun: "You must have the courage of Bashir and Chamoun."
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/04/154013/
The interview was conducted by journalist Patricia Samaha via Zoom for the Transparency Youtube Platform on April 28, 2026.
Introduction by Transparency Youtube Platform
on April 28, 2026.
Elias Bejjani Explodes Political Bombs from Canada: "We are living in a Hezbollah state, and the Army’s doctrine was imposed upon it by Syria!" Is the end of Iran’s influence in Lebanon approaching?
In an exceptional episode of the program "Politics and People," journalist Patricia Samaha hosts political activist Elias Bejjani for a deep and bold analysis of the Lebanese reality. The meeting tackles thorny files starting with a response to Naim Qassem, moving through the file of naturalized citizens and "demographic cleansing," and reaching an explicit call for a comprehensive peace agreement with Israel to end the state of war that has destroyed Lebanon since the seventies.
Interview Timestamps and Headlines
00:00 – The lesson from the humiliating Syrian withdrawal: A message to every invader and occupier.
03:30 – The file of the 1,000,000 naturalized citizens: The necessity of immediately cleaning the Lebanese demography.
07:00 – "The international plan to eliminate Iran's arms": Hezbollah is finished.
08:45 – The difference between peace and normalization: Why does Lebanon need a comprehensive reconciliation with Israel?
10:30 – A fierce attack on Lebanese leaders: "Nationally and sovereignly castrated."
18:20 – A shocking legal analysis: Who is the real "enemy" in the Lebanese Constitution?
25:40 – How the Taif Agreement abolished the "Lebanese Entity" and entered us into the Arab prison?
33:00 – Criticism of the Army Command: "He who forbids criticism lacks dignity."
41:30 – A message of hope: Lebanon will return to its sovereignty, freedom, and original identity.
Elias Bejjanil"I thank journalist Patricia Samaha and those in charge of the Transparency website for hosting me and providing the space to freely express my Lebanese national positions and convictions, and to call things by their true names."

Elias Bejjani / Video Link of my Interview with "Arab Files"
The Arab Normalizers Reject Lebanon’s Peace with Israel
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/04/154001/
Interviewed by Dr. Zeina Mansour via "Arab News"/April 27/2026
In this fiery interview, political activist Elias Bejjani reveals details regarding the "Arab Veto" preventing Lebanon from signing a peace treaty. He exposes the secrets behind the retreat of Lebanese leaders following a "Saudi Decree," predicting an upcoming international mandate to uproot Hezbollah.
The Arab campaign to obstruct the peace agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
How did the Saudi envoy change Samir Geagea’s stance on Chapter VII?
The truth about Lebanon’s leaders: "Party-Corporations" and products of foreign occupations.
The Taif Agreement: A lie that marginalized the Christian and Druze roles.
The upcoming American project: International mandate and the end of Hezbollah.
Timestamp Highlights
00:00 - 03:33 | Arab offensive to derail peace.
02:40 - 05:20 | A Saudi decree changes Geagea’s position.
06:00 - 09:00 | Why are they preventing Lebanon from achieving peace?
10:10 - 12:20 | The lie of dialogue with Hezbollah.
12:39 - 17:00 | Lebanon’s rulers are the product of foreign occupations.
26:11 - 28:00 | Taif marginalized Christians and Druze.
31:22 - 32:44 | International mandate and the uprooting of Hezbollah.
Personal Note
Elias Bejjani/Greetings to everyone who watches this interview. My heartfelt thanks to Dr. Zeina Mansour and the "Arab Files" website for hosting me and providing the opportunity to freely express my national and sovereign views and aspirations.

Israel Responds to Lebanon’s De-Escalation Demand with More Pressure, Attacks
Beirut: Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al-Awsat/April 01/2026
Israel responded on Thursday to Lebanon’s demands for de-escalation with more evacuation warnings for southern towns that will increase internal pressure on the Lebanese state. It issued the warnings even as Lebanese and United Nations proposals have been relayed to Israel over consolidating the ceasefire in the South. At the moment, these efforts appear to have yielded little results save for keeping Lebanese state infrastructure out of Israel’s targets. UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert informed on Thursday Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on the outcome of her visit to Israel on Sunday as part of efforts to consolidate the ceasefire. Informed sources said her visit yielded no initiative. Lebanese ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that she conveyed “ideas and visions” to Israeli officials over how to consolidate the ceasefire and pave the way for negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. Her efforts were met with an Israeli escalation with the warnings to southern towns in the Tyre and Nabatieh districts. Israel has repeatedly said that its operations are solely aimed against Hezbollah, not the Lebanese state. Lebanese sources, however, view the attacks as an attempt to increase pressure against the state. The warnings are leading to the displacement of tens of thousands of people, which is increasing pressure on the state that views direct negotiations with Israel as a solution to the problem. The “Shiite duo” of Hezbollah and its ally, Amal, are opposed to the talks. Aoun has through his various diplomatic contacts been urging Israel to commit to the ceasefire that US President Donald Trump extended for another three weeks. Aoun has also been calling for Israel to release Lebanese detainees and withdraw from Lebanese territories. He met on Thursday with a delegation from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. He stressed to it the need for Israel to respect international laws and agreements and cease attacks against civilians, medics, and civil defense, humanitarian, health and relief teams.
Berri and Hezbollah
Meanwhile, differences between Aoun and parliament Speaker and Amal movement leader Nabih Berri over direct negotiations with Israel came to the open on Wednesday. Telecommunications Minister Charles al-Hage said: “There are no disputes between them over the end goals. The main goals are ending the destruction and killing.”“Not a single Lebanese person trusts Israel, and so, we need international guarantees, especially ones from the US and Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia, to ensure that the ceasefire will be respected and consolidated,” he added. In a statement on Labor Day, which falls on May 1, Berri called on the Lebanese “state, and all of its authorities, and the international community, and its rights and justice organizations, to make Israel immediately cease its attacks.” He also called for an international probe into Israel’s crimes in Lebanon.Hezbollah, meanwhile, continued its attacks against Aoun over direct negotiations with Israel. Member of the Iran-backed party’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Ali Fayyad said the president’s stance is “increasingly alarming because he is promoting American demands, rather than distancing himself from them.” “Most dangerous is that he is agreeing to them without making a clear objection to allowing Israel freedom of movement even though he has been demanding a ceasefire,” he said in remarks to local radio. How can a date for the next round of talks be scheduled amid the ongoing Israeli attacks and escalation? he wondered. He noted that there appears to be “clear confusion in the official Lebanese stance and a lack of transparency. Most dangerous of all is the undisclosed American-Israeli side agreement that has given Israel the green light to act freely against potential threats. Aoun’s statements imply that he has agreed to this.”

Aoun Insists on Ceasefire Before Lebanon-Israel Talks
Beirut: Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al-Awsat/April 01/2026
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is pushing to lock in a ceasefire and halt Israeli strikes on civilians before Lebanese and Israeli representatives resume bilateral talks in Washington, as Hezbollah continues to vehemently reject the negotiations. Aoun is under pressure from both sides. The United States is urging direct engagement between Lebanon and Israel, including a meeting between Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hezbollah, meanwhile, rejects direct talks outright. Aoun says diplomacy is the only option to secure a ceasefire, ensure an Israeli withdrawal, and extend state control across all Lebanese territory. But he refuses any meeting with Netanyahu, after rejecting even a phone call with him as part of a US-mediated three-way contact.
Consolidating the ceasefire
Aoun’s push to cement the ceasefire was discussed with US Ambassador to Beirut Michel Issa, hours after the US Embassy said a direct meeting between Aoun and Netanyahu, "facilitated by President Trump, would give Lebanon the chance to secure concrete guarantees on full sovereignty, territorial integrity, secure borders, humanitarian and reconstruction support, and the complete restoration of Lebanese state authority over every inch of its territory -- guaranteed by the United States."The Lebanese presidency said Aoun met Issa after returning from Washington and reviewed developments, focusing on consolidating the ceasefire and stopping attacks on civilians and civilian facilities, ahead of further Washington talks aimed at securing peace and stability along the border. Issa reaffirmed the US’s continued support for Lebanon and its institutions. Aoun thanked Washington for its backing. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also met Issa to discuss consolidating the ceasefire and negotiations with Israel, the prime minister’s office said. Sources close to the presidency told Asharq Al-Awsat that a ceasefire and a halt to attacks on civilians and civilian facilities are “the basis for completing negotiations.”
Aoun’s position on a direct meeting “is known and declared,” the sources said. “Anyone who rejected a phone call with Netanyahu will certainly reject meeting him.”
Hezbollah pressure
Alongside US pressure, Aoun faces pressure from Hezbollah, which has vowed to keep fighting Israel in the south, and is holding the state responsible for the path it is taking. Hezbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc said the authorities’ move toward direct negotiations is “rejected and condemned,” calling it a deviation from national principles, a violation of sovereignty, and a contradiction of the Taif Accord and national consensus. It said it is “not concerned at all” with their outcomes. The bloc accused Israel of daily killings of civilians and systematic destruction of border villages, calling them war crimes that will not deter people from defending the country, but instead reinforce support for the resistance- Hezbollah.It added that such actions should push the authorities to “stop their series of free concessions.”
Geagea
The move toward direct talks with Israel has drawn support from some political forces, led by the Lebanese Forces. MP Sethrida Geagea said Lebanon’s current phase “cannot tolerate more one-upmanship or populist rhetoric,” which she said has only led to further collapse.
She voiced full support for Aoun’s efforts to end the war through a “clear and explicit negotiating path” aimed at protecting Lebanon and re-establishing the state as the sole authority.

US embassy says Lebanon at 'crossroads', urges Aoun-Netanyahu meeting
Agence France Presse/April 01/2026
The U.S. embassy in Beirut said on Thursday that Lebanon was at a crossroads and urged a meeting between President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Lebanon stands at a crossroads. Its people have a historic opportunity to reclaim their country and shape their future as a truly sovereign, independent nation," the embassy said on X, two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war, adding that "the time for hesitation is over."A direct meeting between Aoun and Netanyahu, "facilitated by President Trump, would give Lebanon the chance to secure concrete guarantees on full sovereignty, territorial integrity, secure borders, humanitarian and reconstruction support, and the complete restoration of Lebanese state authority over every inch of its territory -- guaranteed by the United States," the statement added.

Berri responds to US embassy statement on proposed Aoun-Netanyahu meeting
LBCI/May 01/2026
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday issued his first response to the statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, which called on President Joseph Aoun to hold a direct meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the statement “speaks for itself” and that he has nothing to add. Berri said he had “turned off his engines,” stressing that his response to the president “came in reply to what he said during his meeting with the economic bodies,” referring to Aoun’s remarks about full coordination with Berri regarding the negotiations.
He said this is what lies behind his apology for not attending the meeting that had been scheduled with Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the presidential palace. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Berri said the so-called truce has allowed Israel to go too far in its aggression and commit massacres in an unprecedented manner, without intervention from the United States to compel it to stop hostilities and consolidate the ceasefire, especially since it was behind reaching the extension of the truce, which, he said, requires it to respect its commitments to the Lebanese and the international community.

Uncertainty grows as Israel awaits Lebanon's response to ‘historic opportunity’
LBCI/May 01/2026
Israel is awaiting Lebanon’s response to what Washington has described as a “historic opportunity” to accelerate the diplomatic track between the two countries. The opportunity is said to be based on Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s openness to a request to hold a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington. Despite Tel Aviv’s expectation that Aoun is unlikely to respond positively to the U.S. proposal, reports of Netanyahu’s possible trip to Washington next week have persisted. The Israeli prime minister has faced criticism over what opponents describe as a policy of restraint toward Hezbollah, reportedly at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump. As the situation remains unclear, the Home Front Command has returned to a state of alert across most northern settlements. The Israeli military issued a statement urging residents to remain close to protected areas. At the same time, the military acknowledged fierce clashes involving its forces in southern Lebanon, where deployed troops came under a barrage of rockets and drone attacks by Hezbollah, wounding a number of soldiers. The air force, however, said operations are continuing, adding that recent strikes have destroyed at least 900 Hezbollah infrastructure sites.

Hezbollah bloc rejects Lebanon’s negotiation track, disowns potential outcomes
LBCI/May 01/2026
Hezbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc on Friday sharply criticized Lebanon’s negotiation track, saying it contradicts the country’s national consensus and the Taif Agreement, and fails to serve the goal of securing gains or restoring national rights. In a statement, the bloc said it is “not concerned whatsoever” with any outcomes that may emerge from the ongoing talks. It also rejected the government’s decision to pursue direct negotiations with Israel, describing the move as “condemned,” a deviation from national constants, and an infringement on Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Israeli army issues urgent evacuation warning for South Lebanon's Habbouch village
LBCI/May 01/2026
The Israeli army's spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued an urgent warning to residents in the village of Habbouch in South Lebanon, calling on them to evacuate immediately. In a statement, Adraee said that alleged activities by Hezbollah constitute a breach of the ceasefire, adding that Israeli forces would act forcefully against the group while claiming they do not intend to harm civilians. He urged residents to leave their homes at once and move at least 1,000 meters away from the village toward open areas. The statement also warned that anyone remaining near Hezbollah fighters, infrastructure, or weapons would be putting their lives at risk.

Israeli army says it hit over 40 Hezbollah targets in South Lebanon
LBCI/May 01/2026
The Israeli army said it carried out a series of strikes over the past 24 hours targeting more than 40 sites linked to Hezbollah in South Lebanon. Military spokesperson Ella Waweya said the targets included command centers, military buildings, and additional infrastructure that she claimed were used by Hezbollah fighters to plan attacks against Israeli forces and Israel. She added that a "suspicious aerial target" was detected Thursday evening and was apparently intercepted in South Lebanon, noting that warning systems were activated in line with standard procedures.
Waweya said the Israeli army would continue to operate against what it described as threats to its forces and civilians, in accordance with directives from the political leadership.

At least 15 killed in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon on Thursday
Agence France Presse/May 01/2026
Lebanon's health ministry said six people were killed in an Israeli strike on the village of Zebdine, raising the number of people killed in raids on the country's south on Thursday to at least 15. The state-run National News Agency said an Israeli drone targeted the group in Zebdine "while they were gathered near the village's cemetery".

UAE announces travel ban on nationals to Iran, Lebanon and Iraq
Agence France Presse/May 01/2026
The United Arab Emirates foreign ministry has announced a travel ban on Emirati nationals going to Iran, Lebanon and Iraq, citing regional developments including the Middle East war. Iran has targeted the Gulf nation throughout the Middle East conflict sparked by a U.S.-Israeli attack before a fragile ceasefire was announced, including missiles fired at civilian and energy infrastructure. "In light of current regional developments, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) announces a travel ban on UAE nationals travelling to the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Lebanese Republic, and the Republic of Iraq," state news agency WAM reported. It said the ministry called on "all UAE nationals currently in these countries to expedite their immediate return" to the UAE.

Report: Israel to strike Hezbollah drone production deep in Lebanon
Associated Press/May 01/2026
Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir has instructed the Northern Command and the Israel Air Force to strike the production and supply chain of Hezbollah's FPV drones, including deep inside Lebanon, Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported on Friday. This means Israel might strike in Beirut or its southern suburbs for the first time since the ceasefire went into effect. Hezbollah has launched a new weapon against invading Israeli troops and northern Israel in the latest round of fighting: small drones controlled with fiber-optic cables the width of dental floss that avoid electronic detection.These drones — used widely in the war in Ukraine — are small, hard to track and lethal. Drones killed an Israeli soldier in southern Lebanon and injured at least a dozen others in northern Israel on Thursday, two seriously. A soldier and defense contractor were killed in Lebanon earlier this week. Many drones are susceptible to electronic jamming by air defenses. Jamming can cause a drone to crash or return to its point of origin. Fiber-optic drones are not piloted via GPS signals or radio control. They have a thin cable spooling out behind them that connects the operator's console directly to the drone, making it impossible to electronically jam. The drones are not infallible because the wind — or other drones — can cause the cables to tangle. But, "if you know what you're doing, it's absolutely deadly," said Robert Tollast, a drone expert and researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in London, explaining how the drone can fly low and creep up on a target. Experts say militaries must either intercept the drones, which is difficult due to their small size and short flight path, or find a way to snip the nearly invisible cable.1 Hezbollah — the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon — announced it has been using the fiber optic drones on Israeli soldiers operating in southern Lebanon or towns on the border.Israel believes the drones are made locally and are easy to produce – requiring little more than an off-the-shelf drone, a small amount of explosives, and transparent wire that is readily available on the consumer market. The fiber-optic drones are the latest part of a cat-and-mouse race as Israel's high-tech defenses race to intercept new threats, especially ones that are less sophisticated.1 Ran Kochav, a former head of the Israeli military's air defense command, said Israel is failing in its attempts to defend against the fiber-optic drones. "They fly very low and very fast, and they are very small, it's very difficult to detect them, and even after they're detected, they are really hard to track," he said. Ali Jezzini, a journalist specializing in security and military affairs who closely follows Hezbollah's capabilities, estimated that some of the drones used by the group cost between $300 and $400 each. He added that they appear to be manufactured locally using 3D printing technology, in addition to readily available electronic components typically used for civilian purposes but capable of dual-use applications. Hezbollah announced that it began using fiber-optic guided drones for the first time during the round of fighting that began March 2, after using other types of drones for years.

Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: No Point Negotiating with Israel Under Fire
Mohamed Choucair/Asharq Al-Awsat/April 01/2026
In his first comment on the statement issued by the US Embassy in Beirut, which called on President Joseph Aoun to hold a direct meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat that the statement “speaks for itself, and I have nothing to add.”He added that his response to the president “came in reply to what he said while receiving economic bodies” (in reference to Aoun’s remarks about full coordination with Berri regarding negotiations). This, he said, explains his apology for not attending the meeting that had been scheduled with President Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the presidential palace. Berri also addressed the extension of the truce for three weeks, brokered by US President Donald Trump, asking: “Where is this truce?” Has Israel stopped leveling towns, demolishing homes, shedding the blood of children, women and the elderly, preventing rescue teams from saving the wounded and transporting them to hospitals, or retrieving those trapped under rubble until they died? He also pointed to the targeting of medical bodies and paramedics, which led to the killing of dozens of them, questioning whether all these victims were part of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, as Israel claims to justify the destruction of southern towns. He said the so-called truce has allowed Israel to press ahead with its aggression and commit unprecedented massacres, without US intervention to compel it to halt hostilities and entrench a ceasefire, particularly since Washington was behind securing the truce extension. This, he added, obliges it to honor its commitment to the Lebanese and the international community. Otherwise, what is the point of negotiations under Israeli fire? And what would be said to the families of those killed in what he described as Israeli treachery in the south?
Aoun and Berri: divergence, not a rupture
In this context, a parliamentary source following presidential relations said the emerging dispute between Aoun and Berri remains within the bounds of differing interpretations of the US State Department statement. The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that mediators intervened to cool tensions between the two sides, ruling out any rupture given the difficult and delicate circumstances Lebanon is going through, which require collective efforts, starting with the presidents, to compel Israel to cease fire and entrench it before asking Lebanon to enter direct negotiations, even if indirect talks would be preferable, as the US administration is expected to pursue. The source added that as long as the three presidents agree on the necessity of halting hostilities ahead of any negotiation track with Israel, the recalibration of positions on the sidelines of the cabinet session helped ease tensions between Aoun and Berri, opening the way for renewed momentum in presidential relations. None of the presidents, the source said, has an interest in the absence of consultation, which is essential to reach a roadmap for handling the negotiations matter.
The source noted that there is no alternative to renewed coordination among the three presidents as long as they adhere to national constants and do not compromise them, as a prerequisite for launching negotiations that cannot be held without being paired with a firmly established ceasefire. This, he said, calls on Trump to intervene with Israel to stop it from escalating its aggression.
Berri’s stance on negotiations
The parliamentary source defended Berri’s position, questioning why the US administration has not intervened to compel Israel to implement the ceasefire agreement it sponsored in coordination with France in 2024, which never came into force. Instead, it allowed Israel to continue violating it by expanding its aggression beyond the south to Beirut’s southern suburbs and towns in the Bekaa. He confirmed that Hezbollah responded to Berri’s position and adhered, to the fullest extent, to the cessation of hostilities, playing, with the party’s authorization, a role in reaching it with the then US mediator Amos Hochstein, under US and French sponsorship. This came, he said, while Israel was given free rein to continue its aggression under the pretext of self-defense through preemptive strikes against what it claims are threats to its northern settlements.
The source said Hezbollah’s commitment to the ceasefire for 15 months, contrasted with Israel’s insistence on violating it, placed it in a difficult position, especially with Washington refraining from pressuring Israel to halt its breaches, leading to an expanded offensive, despite prior commitments to synchronized steps by both sides as a condition for implementing the agreement. He added that Nawaf Salam’s government, while primarily betting on a diplomatic track to compel Israel to withdraw from the south, faced Israeli defiance of the agreement and continued pressure through fire to force Lebanon to accept its terms.
The three-week truce
The source said the three-week truce remained ink on paper, enabling Israel to turn the south into an open military operations zone, continuing systematic destruction across areas south and north of the Litani River, displacing residents under pressure to evacuate their towns.
He expressed confidence that President Aoun remains committed to his position that securing a ceasefire must come first as a prerequisite for launching direct negotiations between the two countries under US sponsorship, without compromising national constants regardless of pressure.
This position, he added, aligns with his understanding with Berri and Salam, and was reaffirmed in the latest cabinet session when Aoun said negotiations have not yet begun, meaning he rejects any negotiation track before Israel halts its military pressure on Lebanon.
Securing a ceasefire
The source stressed that Aoun will not agree to begin negotiations unconditionally, foremost without a secured ceasefire. From his perspective, US pressure to urgently arrange a meeting with Netanyahu could inflame the domestic atmosphere and raise tensions amid growing disagreements if such pressure is met without guarantees for Lebanon, primarily a ceasefire and the return of displaced people to their villages. He confirmed his support for Aoun’s preference not to rush into a meeting with Netanyahu, considering the timing premature. Such a meeting, he said, should come as the culmination of an agreement that responds to the national constants upheld by the president, in exchange for ending the state of war between the two countries, with subsequent steps to be addressed later. He also questioned why the call for Aoun to meet Netanyahu was issued by the US Embassy in Beirut rather than the White House, noting that Aoun raised this matter during his meeting with US Ambassador to Beirut Michel Issa, who had recently returned from Washington, to clarify the reasons behind issuing the statement from the embassy, which he described as unprecedented in the history of relations between the two countries.

Lebanon, the State, and the ‘Duo’
Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al-Awsat/April 01/2026
Between the natural state and the parallel state that stands in its place, especially in functional terms, the Shiite duo (Hezbollah and Amal Movement) has succeeded in entrenching sectarianism through a distorted iteration of older failed Lebanese models. In truth, the duo’s conduct at the height of its ascendancy did not break the pattern. The pressing question, however, remains. Why insist on repeating the mistakes of those who had been there before?
The Shiite question in Lebanon is now being raised in light of two key turning points: social and political, internal and external. The first is the October 17 protests: an unfinished collective push for change. The second is the October 7 attacks and their repercussions in Lebanon and the region. Thus, the pressing Shiite question, on all its levels (intra-Shiite, national, and external) has come to the forefront, overtaking what has long been a foundational question since the creation of the state.
If the Shiite consciousness in Lebanon was broadly shaped by a sense of marginalization - one that Shiite political elites, heirs to both traditional political families and the left, have heavily exploited; the Amal Movement, after the disappearance of Musa al-Sadr, adopted the slogan of “the deprived,” while Hezbollah raised the banner of “the oppressed” to monopolize the representation of the community - they failed, however, to reckon with the fact that transforming these slogans from demands into instruments of power would create crises with other communities and bring dysfunction to the state. Having a non-state army neither resolved Shiites’ sense of disorientation nor addressed their underlying issues; instead, it reproduced them.
In an early effort to grapple with the Shiite question, Hani Fahs sought to address Shiite mistrust of the state. While acknowledging the community’s historic marginalization, he rejected the idea of turning the community into a closed unit or a substitute for the state. Shiites, he believed, cannot achieve political fulfillment outside the state, and the state cannot have stability without the Shiites' full integration as citizens rather than as a separate component.
In this respect, Fahs uses what Iraqi thinker Abdul-Jabbar al-Rifai calls the “component paradigm:” transforming sects into self-sufficient political entities that take precedence over the idea of the nation. In this model, the individual is not defined as a citizen but as a member of a sectarian component of the state, and their rights are determined by the group they belong to. The state thus recedes from being a shared home to an arena for competition among groups.
If there is indeed a Shiite issue in Lebanon, the sounder path forward, for both Shiites and Lebanon, is to resolve it nationally. In its current iteration, the first question of how to address the issue must be directed to Shiites themselves. The ruling Shiite duo alone bears responsibility for providing an answer. It would be unjust to question the Shiite community’s ultimate belonging to Lebanon. Nonetheless, its current leadership is showing that it believes in “conditional patriotism” shaped by considerations beyond citizenship: a particularistic identity that fosters an illusory sense of superiority, rests on the notion of permanent dominance, and leads to inertia and ideological encampment when confronted with setbacks.
Therefore, the broader Shiite question in Lebanon cannot be turned into a confrontation with the state. Rather, the relationship must be redefined. More specifically, it is a question of geography and its loss- of the systematic erasure of southern memory, of the loss of lives, infrastructure, and livelihoods, and of the risks of dispersion. It is also a question of what the community wants, and what it can realistically achieve as a sect. Here, questions of identity, partnership, role, and choices come to the fore, as does the question of permanent “resistance” and its elevation to an alternative for the authority of the state.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on 01-02 May/2026
Trump says ‘not satisfied’ with new Iran proposal
AFP, Washington/01 May ,2026
President Donald Trump said Friday he was unhappy with a new proposal from Iran for peace talks with the United States, and threatened to “blast them to hell” if they failed to strike a deal. “At this moment I’m not satisfied with what they’re offering,” Trump told reporters at the White House. The president’s remarks came after Iranian state media reported that Tehran had delivered the text of a talks proposal to mediator Pakistan on Thursday evening. The war, launched by the United States and Israel with a vast wave of surprise strikes on February 28, has been on hold since April 8 with a ceasefire. But only one failed round of direct talks has taken place between Iranian and US representatives. Meanwhile Iran has maintained its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off vast amounts of oil, gas and fertilizer from the world economy, while the US has imposed a counterblockade on Iranian ports. Asked why he was unsatisfied with the Iranian offer, Trump said: “They’re asking for things that I can’t agree.” He gave no details.Trump said Iran had “made strides” in negotiations, but added that there was “tremendous discord” in the Islamic Republic’s leadership and warned: “I’m not sure if they ever get there.”Trump was asked what he would do if there was no deal but refused to say whether he would launch more strikes. “Do we want to go and just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever -- or do we want to try and make a deal? I mean, those are the options,” he said.
Trump added that he would “prefer not” to launch a huge offensive but added: “That’s the option: do we want to go in there heavy and just blast them away or do we want to do something?”He was also asked about blowing past the 60-day deadline set out in the War Powers Act for getting congressional approval for the war and claimed that the notion that he would need approval was “totally unconstitutional.”“Also, we had a ceasefire so that gives you additional time, but no other country has done it,” he said. “We’re in the midst of a big victory. This is a victory like we haven’t had since Venezuela.” He meant the US ouster of Nicolas Maduro in January.

Iran delivered new proposal for US talks via Pakistan
AFP, Tehran/01 May ,2026
Iran delivered a new proposal for peace talks with the US via mediator Pakistan, state media reported Friday, with negotiations between the two sides frozen despite a weeks-long ceasefire. The text of the proposal was handed to Islamabad on Thursday evening, the IRNA news agency reported. The war, launched by the United States and Israel with a vast wave of surprise strikes on February 28 has been on hold since April 8, but only one failed round of direct talks has taken place between Iranian and US representatives. In the meantime, Iran has maintained its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off vast amounts of oil, gas and fertilizer from the world economy, while the United States has imposed a counterblockade on Iranian ports. The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that US President Donald Trump had told security officials to prepare for the blockade to last months, causing oil prices to spike. Despite the failure to negotiate an end to the war, the ceasefire has held. On Friday, judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, a senior figure and well-respected cleric, said “the Islamic Republic has never shied away from negotiations.”But in yet another sign that finding a compromise may prove difficult, Ejei said “we certainly do not accept imposition,” in a video shared by the judiciary’s Mizan Online website. Tehran, though, does not want a return to war he said. “We do not welcome war in any way; we do not want war, we do not want its continuation.”The lack of fighting has not assuaged markets, with oil prices still more than 50 percent above their prewar levels as traders confront a prolonged closure of Hormuz, while the European Central Bank held interest rates amid fears of soaring inflation.
War powers debate
Washington, meanwhile, was gripped by a legalistic debate over whether Trump had passed a deadline for requesting congressional approval for his war with Iran. Administration officials, including defense secretary Pete Hegseth, insisted that the ceasefire meant that the clock was paused on a 60-day deadline requiring the president to seek war powers authorization from Congress. “For War Powers Resolution purposes, the hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28 have terminated,” a senior administration official told AFP late on Thursday. Trump is under increasing domestic pressure over the war, with no clear victory in sight, inflation spiking due to the conflict and midterm elections due in November. On Thursday, US government data showed slower than expected growth and inflation hit 3.5 percent. In Iran, meanwhile, the economic consequences of the war, which come on top of years of fierce international sanctions, were beginning to bite. On Thursday, the US military said its blockade had stopped Iran from exporting $6 billion worth of oil, while inflation, already above 45 percent before the war, reached 53.7 percent in recent weeks, according to the national statistics center. “For many people, paying rent and even buying food has become difficult, and some have nothing left at all,” 28-year-old Mahyar told an AFP reporter based outside Iran, saying the company he worked for had laid off 34 people - nearly 40 percent of its staff.
Hormuz missions
Trump has repeatedly lashed out at Washington’s international allies for failing to join efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. France and Britain have led efforts to bring together an international coalition of dozens of countries that would help reopen the strait, but only once peace is secured.
But on Thursday, a US official confirmed to AFP that Washington was launching its own international coalition to restart shipping, dubbed “the Maritime Freedom Construct.”That prompted French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot to insist that the two missions would complement and not compete with each other. The US mission is “not of the same nature as the one we established... it comes as a sort of complement,” Barrot said on a visit to the Gulf.

US approves military sales of over $8.6 billion to Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Israel
Reuters/Published: 02 May ,2026
The US State Department said on Friday it was approving military sales totaling over $8.6 billion to
Middle Eastern allies Israel, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. The announcements came as the US and Israel’s war against Iran marked nine weeks since its start and more than three weeks since a fragile ceasefire came into effect. Friday’s announcements by the State Department included approving military sales to Qatar of Patriot air and missile defense replenishment services costing $4.01 billion and of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS) costing $992.4 million. They also included approval of the sale to Kuwait of an integrated battle command system costing $2.5 billion and to Israel of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems costing $992.4 million. The State Department approved a sale to the UAE of APKWS for $147.6 million. The principal contractor in the APKWS sales to Qatar, Israel and the UAE was BAE Systems, the State Department said. RTX and Lockheed Martin were the principal contractors in the integrated battle command system sale to Kuwait and in the Patriot air and missile defense replenishment sale to Qatar, the State Department added. Northrop Grumman was also a principal contractor in the Kuwaiti sale.

Trump tells Congress hostilities with Iran ‘have been terminated’ on 60-day deadline
Al Arabiya English/01 May ,2026
US President Donald Trump says there is no need for congressional authorization for the war against Iran since there is a ceasefire. “There has been no exchange of fire between United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026. The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026 have been terminated,” Trump said in a letter to Congress. The US president sent the letter as part of his compliance with the War Powers Resolution, which allows the president 60 days of conflict before seeking approval from Congress. Nevertheless, Trump said the US military was updating its force posture in the Middle East “to address Iranian and Iranian proxy forces’ threats and to protect the United States and its allies and partners.”Trump declared a ceasefire on April 7 for two weeks, which was later extended. But there has not been a deal reached between Washington and Tehran, with Trump vowing to keep in place a naval blockade on Iran until such an agreement is concluded.

US cautions Americans in UK to be alert after Britain raised threat level
Reuters/02 May ,2026
The US embassy in London has cautioned Americans in the UK to stay alert in public places, keep a low profile and review their personal security plans after British government officials said earlier that they were raising the national terrorism threat to its second-highest level.
“The recent increase in terrorist threats is driven by a rise in Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorist threats in the UK,” the US embassy said in a security alert on Friday. Britain raised its national terrorism threat level to “severe” from “substantial” on Thursday after an antisemitic stabbing attack earlier in the week in north London.The threat level indicates that an extremist attack is highly likely within the next six months.

US to close its flagship Gaza mission as Trump plan stalls, sources say
Reuters/01 May ,2026
A US military-run center near Gaza that critics say failed in its mission to monitor the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and boost aid flows to besieged Palestinians is set to be shut by the Trump administration, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The closing of the Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) in Israel would mark the latest blow to President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, already undermined by repeated Israeli attacks since the October truce and a refusal by Hamas to lay down its arms. Diplomats and officials said the move, which has not been previously reported, underscores the difficulties facing US efforts to oversee the truce and coordinate on aid, as Israel seizes more Gaza territory and Hamas firms its grip in areas under its control. The move could also add to unease among Washington’s allies, whom Trump encouraged to deploy personnel to the CMCC and commit funds for his Gaza rebuilding plan, effectively on hold since the US launched its joint war with Israel against Iran. Trump-led board declines to comment on CMCC’s future
According to seven diplomats familiar with CMCC operations, the US-led center will soon be shut and its aid and monitoring responsibilities handed to a US-commanded international security mission that is meant to deploy to Gaza. US officials have privately described the move as an overhaul, but diplomats said it would in effect shutter the center once the International Stabilization Force (ISF) takes over.A diplomat briefed on the US plan said that the number of US troops working at the revamped ISF would drop to 40 from around 190. The US would seek to replace those troops with civilian staff from other countries, the diplomats said. All of them spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Diplomats say the CMCC lacked authority to enforce the ceasefire or ensure aid, making it unclear whether folding it into the ISF would have much practical effect on the ground.
An official with Trump’s so-called Board of Peace, set up to oversee Gaza policy, declined to comment on the CMCC’s future but said the center plays a “critical role in ensuring aid deliveries and coordinating efforts” and advancing Trump’s plan. The White House and the US military’s Middle East command both referred requests for comment to the Board of Peace. Once the CMCC is folded into the ISF, the center is expected to be rebranded as the International Gaza Support Centre, two of the sources said. It would likely be led by US Major General Jasper Jeffers, the White House-appointed ISF commander. The ISF was supposed to deploy immediately to Gaza to establish control and maintain security. But that is yet to happen with only a handful of countries having so far pledged troops, and none of them have committed to security roles. Washington has said US troops would not deploy to Gaza. The ISF has, however, established a walled-off annex inside the CMCC, which has been operating from a warehouse in southern Israel, but access to the annex is tightly controlled by US troops who, three sources said, regularly deny entry to representatives from allied countries.
Israeli attacks continue despite ceasefire
The CMCC’s establishment was a key element of Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, following a ceasefire meant to halt Israel-Hamas fighting and allow for rebuilding the territory after its pulverization by Israel in two years of fighting. Dozens of countries, including Germany, France, Britain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, sent personnel including military planners and intelligence officials to the center as they sought to influence discussions on Gaza’s future. But with Israel continuing to carry out attacks and pushing its armistice line with Hamas deeper into Gaza, diplomats say the CMCC’s momentum faded. Hamas has also reassumed governance in a coastal slice of Gaza under its control. Some countries now send representatives as little as once a month, one diplomat said. Another said only a handful of countries regularly showed up.
Israel says its attacks in Gaza aim to stop threats from Hamas or people approaching the armistice line. Palestinians say this is a pretext to subsume more of Gaza in a bid to force them from land they seek for a future state. More than 800 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire, meant to halt a war that started with the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. During the fighting, Israel reduced much of Gaza to rubble, displaced nearly the entire two million population and ruined infrastructure needed for water distribution, sanitation and electricity.
The CMCC was intended to help ensure aid was delivered to Palestinians in need. Diplomats say aid levels have remained largely stagnant despite an influx of commercial goods entering Gaza, with Israel banning many items that it says can carry dual military and civilian uses.
Those items include poles needed for tents in displaced persons camps and heavy machinery needed to clear rubble. COGAT, the Israeli military agency that controls access to Gaza, said that 80 percent of trucks entering Gaza daily carried commercial goods purchased in Israel but that they were intended to supplement humanitarian supplies. The Board of Peace official said Gaza ultimately needs what they described as “a sustainable civilian administration to truly transform from the years of aid dependency and cycles of violence that have clouded its past.”

Fourteen IRGC members killed in demining operation: Local media
AFP/01 May ,2026
Fourteen soldiers were killed on Friday during operations to defuse unexploded ordnance in Iran’s northwestern Zanjan province, local media reported. “Following enemy airstrikes using cluster bombs and aerial mines, parts of Zanjan province, including about 1,200 hectares of agricultural land, were contaminated by bombs,” Fars news agency reported, citing the country’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). IRGC specialists were working to clear the areas, and had neutralized more than 15,000 items, it added. “However, today, during one of these missions, 14 of these dedicated forces were martyred and 2 were injured,” it said. Iran has previously accused the US and Israel of using cluster munitions, which explode in mid-air and scatter smaller bomblets -- some of which fail to explode, creating a danger that can last for decades. Israel has also accused Iran of using the munitions in its missile strikes on Israeli cities. Iran, Israel and the US have all declined to join the more than 100 countries that are party to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits their use, transfer, production and storage.

Imprisoned Iranian Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi transferred to hospital
The Associated Press/01 May ,2026
Iran’s imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has been urgently transferred from prison to a hospital in northwestern Iran after a “catastrophic deterioration” of her health, her foundation said Friday. The Narges Mohammadi Foundation said the Nobel Prize laureate had two episodes of complete loss of consciousness and a severe cardiac crisis. Earlier Friday, Mohammadi had fainted twice in prison in Zanjan northwestern Iran, according to the foundation. She was believed to have suffered a heart attack in late March, according to her lawyers who visited her a few days after the incident. At the time, she appeared pale, lost weight and needed a nurse to help her walk. The hospital transfer comes “after 140 days of systematic medical neglect,” since her arrest on December 12, the foundation said.

Shia cleric killed in grenade attack near Syrian capital of Damascus
The Associated Press/01 May ,2026
Assailants killed a Shia cleric Friday near the Syrian capital by hurling a grenade into his car, state media reported. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack that killed Farhan al-Mansour, the main preacher at a Shia shrine in the Damascus suburb of Sayyida Zeinab.
State news agency SANA and state TV said that security was boosted in the southern suburb of Damascus, adding that security forces have launched an investigation to find the suspects behind the attack. The area was the scene of intense clashes during the early years of Syria’s conflict that broke out in March 2011. Tens of thousands of Shia Muslims used to visit the Sayyida Zeinab Shrine where they believe the granddaughter of Prophet Mohammed is entombed. Since the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government in December 2024, the numbers have dropped sharply.Zeinab is a daughter of the first Shia imam, Ali, cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad. She’s especially revered among Shias as a symbol of steadfastness, patience and courage.Sayyida Zeinab has been the site of past attacks on Shia pilgrims by ISIS.

Trump says will place 25 percent tariff on autos from the EU, accusing it of not complying
The Associated Press/01 May ,2026
President Donald Trump said on Friday that he will increase the tariffs charged on cars and trucks from the European Union next week to 25 percent, a move that could jolt the world economy at a fragile moment. Trump said in a social media post that the EU “is not complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal,” though he did not flesh out his objections in the post.Asked by reporters on Friday about the increase in import taxes as he departed the White House for Florida, Trump said the EU was not “as usual” adhering to last year’s trade framework, without detailing the source of the tension. He added that he believed the shift to higher tariffs “forces them to move their factory production much faster” to the US. Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had agreed to the trade deal last July. It set a tariff ceiling of 15 percent on most goods, though the Supreme Court this year ruled against the legal authority that Trump had used to charge that tax. This left Trump looking for substitute authorities, and his administration has imposed a 10 percent tax while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues. The tariffs hit at a moment when the Iran war has crushed the world economy with expectations of slower growth and higher inflation, as oil and natural gas prices have risen due to the effective closure of the critical Strait of Hormuz after strikes by the US and Israel began at the end of February. At the same time, Trump faces political pressure in the US going into November’s midterm elections because of rising levels of inflation. Trump, a Republican, returned to the White House last year on the explicit promise that he could quickly tame prices that jumped in the aftermath of the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, but higher energy costs pushed annual inflation in March to 3.3 percent, which was higher than what he had inherited.
Just 30 percent of US adults approved of Trump’s handling of the economy , according to the latest poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs. Both the US and the EU had previously confirmed their commitment to preserving the trade framework, known as the Turnberry Agreement, which was named after Trump’s golf course in Scotland. The status of the 2025 deal was first cast into doubt after the Supreme Court this year ruled that the president lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency and charge tariffs on goods from the members of the EU and other states. The alternative tariffs being explored by the Trump administration could ultimately put the agreement with the EU in risk of violation, though European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic told reporters last week that the relationship with the US had become more positive over the past year. The EU had said it expected the bilateral deal would save European automakers about 500 million to 600 million euros ($585 million to $700 million) a month. The value of EU-US trade in goods and services amounted to 1.7 trillion euros ($2 trillion) in 2024, or an average of 4.6 billion euros a day, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat. “A deal is a deal,” the European Commission said in February after the Supreme Court ruling. “As the United States’ largest trading partner, the EU expects the US to honor its commitments set out in the Joint Statement - just as the EU stands by its commitments. EU products must continue to benefit from the most competitive treatment, with no increases in tariffs beyond the clear and all-inclusive ceiling previously agreed.”

The Latest LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on 01-02 May/2026
The Gulf After the Reordering of Deterrence
Dr. Abdullah Faisal Alrabeh/Asharq Al-Awsat/April 01/2026
The Middle East is entering a decisive phase marked by a reengineering of geopolitical balances, particularly in the wake of rapid developments in the trajectory of US–Iran relations and the shifts accompanying Washington’s deterrence doctrine. This complex landscape, in which diplomacy intertwines with the persistent signaling of hard power, places the Gulf states before strategic imperatives that require careful assessment and an approach combining political pragmatism with advanced military readiness.
At the heart of these transformations, Saudi Arabia stands out as a model of modern state rationality, adept at managing regional crises along parallel tracks. On one hand, Riyadh is leading sustained diplomatic efforts to de-escalate, driven by a deep understanding that the sustainability of development and major national projects requires a secure and stable environment. De-escalation here is neither a response imposed by immediate necessity nor a tactical reaction; it is an institutional strategy aimed at dismantling sources of tension and drying up the pretexts on which militias and non-state actors feed to justify their existence outside state institutions.However, this measured diplomatic rationality does not in any way imply reliance on the illusion of permanent stability. The security fluidity imposed by the nature of today’s asymmetric wars makes preparedness for worst-case scenarios imperative. The Saudi leadership recognizes that genuine and sustainable deterrence in the era of postmodern warfare is fundamentally rooted in national capacity. Accordingly, the path of diplomatic de-escalation proceeds in parallel with a firm track of strengthening autonomous deterrence capabilities, through the localization of defense industries, the development of air defense and cybersecurity systems, and the diversification of strategic partnerships.
The current landscape embodies a deeper struggle between two opposing concepts: the nation-state, which monopolizes the legitimate instruments of force and seeks construction and economic integration to meet the aspirations of its citizens, and the non-state, where transnational armed groups seek to exploit chaos and fragment national identities in favor of subnational loyalties. In this context, Saudi moves can be understood as a sustained effort to institutionalize regional stability, restore the primacy of state sovereignty, and curb the ability of disruptive actors to hijack political decision-making in fragile states.In sum, the Gulf today stands on solid ground, driven by a strategic vision that skillfully balances an extended diplomatic hand to build bridges of stability with an advanced military shield capable of protecting national sovereignty. It is a phase of reordering deterrence, in which the Saudi model demonstrates that safeguarding nations in complex crises can only be achieved through the capacity to make peace and full readiness to enforce discipline when required.

A greater Israel and a greater Iran
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Mustafa Fahs//Asharq Al-Awsat/April 01/2026
Writers of political narratives have succeeded in reviving an old story known as “Greater Israel,” rooted in Talmudic interpretations, taking advantage of the current weakening of Iranian power, which is spreading fear and frustration among Iran’s allies.
In my view, we are indeed witnessing an important moment in history today: A conflict between two projects, “Greater Israel” versus “Greater Iran.”
Let us first agree that every nation has ambitions to expand to the point where it may pose a threat to its neighbors, the regional order, and perhaps even the world. Yet such ambitions often dissolve quickly, like sandcastles on the shore.
In this region, two historical phenomena emerged as major projects: Iran and Israel. Modern Iran succeeded in building a regional empire stretching from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, drawing on its rich Persian and Islamic heritage. Its expansionist wars lasted four decades, and Iran effectively reached the waters of the Mediterranean and the Red Sea through Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, and Yemen. This military expansion prompted regional and international powers to confront it and ultimately dismantle it before it could fortify itself with nuclear weapons. Following the counteroffensive, Iran quickly contracted and is now largely confined to its Gulf waters.
Tehran’s leadership showed iron resolve in defying the world, and after regional and international powers hesitated to challenge it, it assumed that “Greater Iran” was permanent. This ideological, historical, and aggressive project inherited the territories once influenced by the British and French empires, undermining or weakening the sovereignty of the states it dominated. Yet “Greater Iran” collapsed rapidly at its first direct confrontation. An ideologically driven system created networks of proxy entities that were quickly shattered in recent wars. The late supreme leader might have achieved partial success, or even secured his expansionist project, had he been supported by leaders better versed in modern political realities. Iran’s campaigns resembled the Napoleonic conquests, sweeping rapidly across Europe before collapsing just as quickly.
What about “Greater Israel”? Like Iran, it has expansionist ambitions, though rooted in a different ideology. Similarly, through determination and persistence, it has managed to establish a highly capable state in a hostile environment. Today, Israel wields enormous influence extending from Washington to Beijing. Iranians and Israelis also share similarities in drawing on historical and religious narratives. However, the differences between the two are decisive: Israel has only around five million Jews, while Iran has a population of ninety million. Iran theoretically enjoys broader demographic, geographic, and sectarian reach. Israel does not have these advantages.
If Israel were to attempt a ground expansion, it is unlikely it would risk advancing beyond Sinai toward the Suez Canal, or into western Syria and the Litani River in Lebanon. Israel appears more aware of geopolitical risks than the clerical leadership in Tehran; the gains are limited, while the risks are high.If we engage with expansionist conspiracy theories, one could argue there are theoretically two Israels: a religious “promised land” vision rooted in Talmudic interpretation, and a state defined by historical narratives. Regarding the latter, Israelis say its borders are essentially those of today, including the West Bank and parts of southern Lebanon. Israel has spent fifty years trying to absorb the West Bank, and it remains difficult to integrate.
Any major state requires certain foundations, chief among them population size. Israel has sought to attract Jews from around the world, who are relatively few, to immigrate, but has not fully succeeded. On the map, Israel is among the smallest countries in the world; Tunisia is eight times larger. As a Jewish state, it has been governed by 11 secular prime ministers out of 14. It is also not a homogenous nation. Palestinians, who are its primary concern, make up more than half the population in the occupied territories, and one-fifth of Israel’s own citizens are Palestinian. All of this makes the idea of territorial expansion unrealistic and potentially threatening to the unity of the Israeli state itself.
Proponents of the “Greater Israel” conspiracy rely on two very thin threads, as if it were a secretly crafted plot: a 1982 article and an image of a patch on the shoulder of an Israeli soldier. Logic suggests that if Israel had ambitions to expand, such as occupying northern Saudi Arabia, all of Jordan, half of Iraq, and all of Sinai, it would openly declare, promote, justify, and prepare the world to accept such plans. That is how expansion is managed, as we see with Donald Trump speaking about Greenland and Canada.
The “Greater Israel” referenced by Netanyahu and others does not resemble these claims. Rather, it is aimed at completing the annexation of the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights – areas Israel already occupies and which lack international legitimacy.
Yes, there is a “Greater Israel” project, but it is based on influence and dominance as a competing regional power. In recent years, Israel has become a formidable military force, one that few are willing to challenge, and those who do are defeated. Israeli researcher Daniel Levy has discussed the idea of “Greater Israel,” the concept of expansionist conflict, and his vision for the post-war period. I agree with some of his views and disagree with others. He argues that Israeli political philosophy today aims not merely to pressure Tehran, but to bring down the regime itself, seeking to weaken and fragment Iran, and that this reflects Israel’s broader regional strategy. This is a serious argument that I will return to in more detail.

China Attacked Meta, So Cut All Tech Links
Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/May 01/2026
The Chinese regime's protection of its AI businesses raises the issue of what America must now do to protect its tech. There are two things. First, America should mirror China's actions....
Xi Jinping is determined to keep Chinese technology in China. America should be at least equally determined to keep American technology in America. Therefore, if Americans cannot buy Chinese AI companies, then China should not be allowed to buy American AI companies. Reciprocity has to be reintroduced as the fundamental basis of relations with China.
America is ahead of China in AI, so interchanges will generally benefit China, on the principle that water flows downhill.
Unfortunately, America's AI lead these days is measured in months, not years. Chinese criminality explains why the U.S. lead has been narrowed.
The second thing America should do is not sell any advanced microchips, such as Nvidia's H200 chip, to China. "You want to sell the Chinese enough that their developers get addicted to the American technology stack," Lutnick explained last July to CNBC's Brian Sullivan. "That's the thinking." That "thinking," reasonable on its face then, no longer holds up after the reversal of the Manus deal. Xi has made it clear that he is developing his own tech universe.
The Chinese regime's protection of its AI businesses raises the issue of what America must now do to protect its tech. With China blocking Meta's deal to acquire Manus, Xi Jinping has made it clear that he is developing his own tech universe.
On April 27, China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced it had blocked a foreign acquisition of Manus, the Chinese AI startup.
The one-line statement did not explain the NDRC's reasoning. Nor did it mention that the acquirer was Meta Platforms, which had agreed to acquire Manus for more than $2 billion. Meta had wanted to offer Manus's AI agent, a product the company offers, which can perform skilled work autonomously, across its various platforms. Manus was founded in China but migrated to Singapore. A number of Chinese startups have moved to the city-state in a technique known as "Singapore-washing" to facilitate, among other things, raising capital.
The Meta-Manus deal was announced in December. In January, the NDRC said it was investigating the acquisition. In March, the two Manus co-founders were barred from leaving China. On April 27, the U.S. social media giant said the acquisition "complied fully with applicable law."CNBC contributor Dewardric McNeal reports that review of the Manus deal moved from the central government's NDRC to the Communist Party's National Security Commission, which is chaired by Xi Jinping.
"When a transaction is elevated from review by a state economic agency to consideration by a party national security body, the calculus changes," writes McNeal. "At that level, decisions are evaluated through a broader strategic lens that integrates economic resilience, technological development, and geopolitical competition—narrow legal or economic considerations rarely determine the outcome."
In other words, the deal was doomed once the xenophobic Communist Party started to examine the acquisition as a foreign threat. "The recent decision by the Chinese central government to reverse the merger of Singapore-based Manus by Facebook's parent is part of a large geopolitical picture," Brandon Weichert, senior national security editor of 19FortyFive.com, told Gatestone. "There are, as of now, two visions for artificial intelligence development in the world, one China's and the other America's." The harsh action by the Communist Party — Meta had already fully incorporated Manus's AI agent into its business — is a sign of China's weakness as much as its strength. As Weichert notes, "Beijing's cancellation of the merger reflects the risk that AI development poses to the Chinese party-state, especially if that development is not fully controlled by the Communist Party."
The Chinese regime's protection of its AI businesses raises the issue of what America must now do to protect its tech. There are two things. First, America should mirror China's actions, so Washington must force Chinese businesses to divest American tech companies.
Xi is determined to keep Chinese technology in China. America should be at least equally determined to keep American technology in America. Therefore, if Americans cannot buy Chinese AI companies, then China should not be allowed to buy American AI companies. Reciprocity has to be reintroduced as the fundamental basis of relations with China.
The Biden administration had a "small yard, high fence" approach. In other words, the administration did not protect much technology, but what it did protect, it protected with high barriers. Now that China is going to great lengths to keep foreigners out, it is time for the Trump administration to go to a policy of "large yard, high fence."People say that if a country tries to protect everything, it protects nothing. Perhaps, but if links are severed, protecting everything becomes feasible. America is ahead of China in AI, so interchanges will generally benefit China, on the principle that water flows downhill. Unfortunately, America's AI lead these days is measured in months, not years. China's criminality explains why the U.S. lead has been narrowed. On April 23, Michael Kratsios of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy publicly charged China with the mass theft of American AI. "The U.S. government has information indicating that foreign entities, principally based in China, are engaged in deliberate, industrial-scale campaigns to distil US frontier AI systems," he wrote in a memo shared on social media.
Stopping the theft of intellectual property is hard, but at least the U.S. can make that task easier by cutting links with China. One of those links is the sale of advanced microchips. The second thing America should do is not sell any advanced microchips, such as Nvidia's H200 chip, to China.
In January, the Trump administration announced it would approve Nvidia's H200 chip for export to China. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick this month revealed that so far no H200 sales have been made to that country. What is the rationale for allowing China to have America's chips? "You want to sell the Chinese enough that their developers get addicted to the American technology stack," Lutnick explained last July to CNBC's Brian Sullivan. "That's the thinking."
That "thinking," reasonable on its face then, no longer holds up after the reversal of the Manus deal. Xi has made it clear that he is developing his own tech universe.
**Gordon G. Chang is the author of Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America, a Gatestone Institute distinguished senior fellow, and a member of its Advisory Board.
**Follow Gordon G. Chang on X (formerly Twitter)
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22487/china-attacked-meta
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.

Question: Does God promise to not give us more than we can handle?
GotQuestions.org/May 01/2026
Answer: First Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” This Scripture teaches us a wonderful principle. If we belong to Him, God will not allow any difficulty to come into our lives that we are not capable of bearing in the power of Christ. With every temptation and every testing that comes our way, God will remain faithful to us; He will provide a way to endure the test. We do not have to give in to sin. We can obey God in every circumstance. So, we have divine encouragement in our Christian walk. The prayer “Deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13) will be answered. However, these promises do not mean we will never face trouble; on the contrary, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33a). The key is found in Jesus’ next words, “But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b). Paul and his companions were sorely tried as they took the gospel into new areas. This is his testimony: “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death” (2 Corinthians 1:8–9). It sounds like Paul was tempted beyond what he could bear—“far beyond.” This fact leads us to another truth: our strength to endure testing and temptation does not come from ourselves; it comes from God. That’s exactly what Paul says next: “This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God” (2 Corinthians 1:9). Paul continues with praise to the Lord for His deliverance (verse 10) and an emphasis on the efficacy of the prayers of the church (verse 11).
Anything that comes our way, anything that tempts us, any tragedy that befalls us, we are capable, in God’s power, of overcoming. In all things we can achieve spiritual victory, through Christ. Life is not easy. The fact is we often need a “way of escape.” Life is hard, but we can face it with confidence in God’s gracious promises. We are “more than conquerors” in Christ (Romans 8:37). “Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4). To “overcome” the trials and temptations of the world is to prevail over them, just as David, in God’s strength, prevailed over Goliath. Evil schemes and disagreeable circumstances will not win the day. “They have greatly oppressed me from my youth, but they have not gained the victory over me” (Psalm 129:2). Our trials are for a purpose, we have the armor of God and the privilege of prayer, and God will see to it that our trials do not overcome our faith. Our position as children of God is secure; we will come through the trials intact. “I am convinced that . . . [nothing] in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39).

Selected Face Book & X tweets for May 01/2026
Tom Harb
Historic message from the Trump administration
President Aoun shall resign if he is not willing to achieve peace with Israel and restore full Lebanese sovereignty. President Trump has shown bold leadership by opening the door for Lebanon to reclaim its country from Hezbollah and Iranian influence.
The United States is ready to support secure borders, reconstruction, and complete state authority over every inch of Lebanese territory. While most Lebanese people desperately want peace and independence, President Aoun continues to hesitate and has failed to disengage from Hezbollah.
The time for excuses and delay is over. If Aoun cannot break with the militias and seize this moment for his people, he should step down and allow leadership that will. President Trump has given Lebanon this historic opportunity. Lebanon must now choose sovereignty and peace.

U.S. Embassy Beirut
Lebanon stands at a crossroads. Its people have a historic opportunity to reclaim their country and shape their future as a truly sovereign, independent nation.
Direct engagement between Lebanon and Israel, two neighboring countries that should have never been at war, can mark the beginning of a national revival. The extended Cessation of Hostilities, achieved at the personal request of President Trump, has given Lebanon the space and the opportunity to put all of its legitimate demands on the table with the full attention of the United States Government. A direct meeting between President Aoun and Prime Minister Netanyahu, facilitated by President Trump, would give Lebanon the chance to secure concrete guarantees on full sovereignty, territorial integrity, secure borders, humanitarian and reconstruction support, and the complete restoration of Lebanese state authority over every inch of its territory—guaranteed by the United States.This is Lebanon’s moment to decide its own destiny, one which belongs to all its people. The United States is ready to stand with Lebanon as it seizes this opportunity with confidence and wisdom. The time for hesitation is over.

Nadine Barakat
Threats internally? This president is hilarious
Dude his advisors are one Hezbollah ex minister, another Hezbollah financial ally, raad is his buddy, the cartels are under his protection.If Hezbollah finds out he is a Mossad agent, they won’t do shit.
Aoun and Hezbollah have always been besties
His advisors run the “Hezbollah campaigns” against him… and he plays victims …what a moron

Mossad Commentary
US is intensifying pressure on Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to meet with PM Benjamin Netanyahu, suggesting talks could lead to an IDF withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

Dr Walid Phares
Projection: If Hezbollah tries to seize the Ministry of Defense and the Presidential Palace in Lebanon, both located in Mount Lebanon, its advancing units will be hit by "two airforces." Guess which ones? The highway from Dahiye (Hezb HQ) to Yarze (defense Ministry) and Baabda (Presidential Palace) is under "allies" firepower. Add thousands of armed citizens who would erect defensive barricades.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Told @ILTVNews
https://x.com/i/status/2049941335193305584
1. Time is on America’s side in the stand off with Iran. The world will soon find alternative routes to Hormuz and speculation that’s pushing oil prices up will end.
2. Israel cannot keep on fighting Hezbollah with one hand behind its back. At one point, something has to give: Either Iran concedes and severs ties with its Lebanese proxy, or Lebanon makes the militia’s continued existence untenable while Israel takes care of the military side. Otherwise, Israel will have to go back to fighting on a bigger territory than it is doing now.