English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News
& Editorials
For May 05/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
You are Simon
son of John. You are to be called Cephas, the rock
John 01/35-42.: “The next day John again was standing with two of
his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the
Lamb of God! ’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking
for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you
staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was
staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the
afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew,
Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We
have found the Messiah’ (which is translated Anointed).He brought Simon to
Jesus, who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You are to be
called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter). the rock”
Titles For Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News &
Editorials published on
04-05
May/2026
Text and Video, Arabic and English/The “Shoes” Culture Used by Hezbollah to
Attack Al-Rahi is the Language of All Political “Parties-Corporations,” and the
Conflict Between Al-Rahi and Hezbollah is an “Internal Friendly Dispute”/Elias
Bejjani/ May 02, 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
US ambassador meets Berri after 'Anjar to Awkar' remarks
Lebanon prioritizes ceasefire as US envoy works to bridge political divide: The
details
US reportedly tells Israel Lebanon ceasefire to continue, new talks may be held
Thursday
Israeli official threatens to hit Hezbollah officials in 'Beirut' if operational
opportunity arises
Hezbollah says fighters clashed with Israeli troops in south Lebanon
Israel strikes south Lebanon, kills one and wounds rescuers
Hezbollah clashes with Israeli troops in south Lebanon amid strikes and shelling
Israeli military issues evacuation warning for six southern Lebanese villages
Aoun says security deal with Israel must come before Netanyahu meeting
Salam: Arms monopoly decision won't be reversed, no need to put army in
confrontation with any party
Hezbollah urges Lebanon to declare us ambassador ‘persona non grata’
Hezbollah MP urges Lebanon to declare US ambassador 'persona non grata'
Berri says keep eyes on Islamabad, expects US-Iran deal this month
Israeli authorities ban Jewish pilgrimage near Lebanese border
Qassem say there are no yellow lines or buffer zones — and won't be
Melkite Catholic bishops express concern over Israeli demolitions in southern
Lebanon
Impact of escalating conflict on education systems in Lebanon, Arab States
To Squeeze Hezbollah, Look to West Africa/Daniel Swift/National Interest/May
04/2026
Why Iraq’s Politics Haven’t Changed/Hussain Abdul-Hussain/National Interest/May
04/2026
Hezbollah’s New Drone Threat/Seth J. Frantzman/The National Interestt/May
04/2026
Meaning of Negotiating Under Occupation Without Guarantees/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq
Al Awsat/May 04/2026
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous
Reports And News published
on
04-05
May/2026
Trump warns Iran forces will be 'blown off the face of the Earth' if they target
US ships
US says destroyed six Iranian boats, downed missiles and drones
CENTCOM commander says US military destroyed six Iranian boats after attacks
US intelligence indicates limited new damage to Iran’s nuclear program, sources
say
Most Strait of Hormuz shipping at a standstill despite latest US pledge
UAE says intercepted 15 missiles, four drones launched from Iran
Iran resumes attacks on UAE
Two injured after residential building in Oman targeted
Iran says had 'no pre-planned program' to attack UAE
UAE announces all schools returning to remote learning
Israel raises alert level amid Gulf tensions, possible shelter warning under
consideration: LBCI correspondent in Haifa
Saudi Arabia voices concern over regional escalation, urges restraint and
diplomacy
EU chief calls Iran's strikes on UAE 'violation' of international law
Zelensky lands in Bahrain for talks on security cooperation: Ukrainian source
Ukraine to observe own truce with Russia between May 5–6, Zelensky says
Titles For The Latest
English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on
04-05
May/2026
Breaking the Architecture of Iran's Regime
Power/Ahmed Charai/Gatestone Institute/May 04/2026
Iran’s defining choice: The future of regional stability/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al
Arabiya English/05 May ,2026
The Hormuz ‘Reactor’ and the ‘Humiliating Solution’/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat
newspaper/May 04/2026
The Future of Human Civilization in the Age of Artificial Intelligence/Dr.
Abdelhak Azzouzi/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/May 04/2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets for May 04/2026
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials
published
on
04-05
May/2026
Text and Video,
Arabic and English/The “Shoes” Culture Used by Hezbollah to Attack Al-Rahi is
the Language of All Political “Parties-Corporations,” and the Conflict Between
Al-Rahi and Hezbollah is an “Internal Friendly Dispute”
Elias Bejjani/ May 02, 2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/05/154129/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRp5lwL9YjQ
There has never been a day when Patriarch Al-Rahi, his entourage,Waled Ghayad
and his subordinate Abu Kasm were not aligned with Assad, Iran, and
Hezbollah—remaining in a fatal estrangement from Lebanon, the rights of its
people, independence, and sovereignty. From his first day as Patriarch, Al-Rahi
supported Iran’s terrorist party in Lebanon, Hezbollah, glorified what is
falsely and blasphemously called “Resistance,” cheered for the criminal of
“human presses” Bashar al-Assad, and participated—via his henchman Father Abu
Kasm—in “Quds Day” in Tehran. He also toured the world marketing Assad, Iran,
and Hezbollah as the protectors of Christians in the Middle East.
Al-Rahi has always, whether indirectly or directly, been considered an ally of
Hezbollah. Therefore, Herzbollah’s attack on him is an “internal friendly
dispute” that does not warrant all this performative “Zajal” of condemnation.
Let them resolve the dispute among themselves.
As for the language and “culture of shoes” used by Hezbollah—which wretchedly
reflects its mindset and caliber—this is the language and culture of all owners
of the “political Parties-Corporations” in Lebanon, whether they are foreign
proxies or local family-run businesses.
Ultimately, the poetic statements of condemnation are mere words that change
nothing; they are devoid of credibility or effectiveness. In conclusion, the
best service His Eminence Al-Rahi can provide to the Church, the Maronites, and
Lebanon is to resign—to find peace and grant others peace.
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.
US ambassador meets Berri after 'Anjar to Awkar' remarks
Naharnett/May 04/2026
U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa met Monday with Maronite Patriarch
Beshara al-Rahi and Speaker Nabih Berri. Speaking from Bkerke before heading to
Ain el-Tineh, Issa said he respects Berri who "is doing what he can for
Lebanon". He said he will see when he meets him today what he meant by comments
published in an-Nahar, in which he hinted, according to sources who quoted him,
that the decision-making in Lebanon is made in the U.S. Embassy in Awkar. Berri
was quoted by his visitors as saying that Lebanon has moved from Syrian
interference to American interference. "Have we shifted from Anjar to Awkar?"
Berri had reportedly asked his visitors. A ministerial source told an-Nahar that
President Joseph Aoun cannot meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
without Berri's political cover, given Hezbollah's fierce opposition, as a
Shiite blessing is needed. Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said Monday that
he only supports "indirect diplomacy" as he lashed out again at Lebanon's plan
for direct talks with Israel. Before meeting Berri, Issa said that Aoun's visit
to the U.S. will give Lebanon the opportunity to voice its demands, most notably
the end of the Israeli occupation of a "buffer zone" in south Lebanon, south of
the Litani river.
Lebanon prioritizes ceasefire as US envoy works to bridge
political divide: The details
LBCIt/May 04/2026
Lebanese officials are focusing on securing a ceasefire with Israel as
diplomatic efforts continue, amid growing tensions between the country’s top
political leaders over the direction of negotiations. U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon
Michel Issa has recently held talks with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, in what
is seen as an effort to ease strains between Berri’s office in Ain al-Tineh and
the presidential palace in Baabda following disagreements linked to ceasefire
arrangements and a statement from the U.S. State Department. Issa’s contacts are
aimed at reconnecting positions between President Joseph Aoun and Berri after a
period of political distance that had even affected coordination over a planned
trilateral meeting. Sources said the discussions focused primarily on Israel’s
continued violations of the ceasefire, while avoiding broader issues such as
President Aoun’s potential visit to the United States. Aoun’s trip to Washington
has not yet been confirmed. If it proceeds, reports indicate his meetings would
likely be limited to U.S. President Donald Trump, with no planned meeting with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. President Aoun has previously said
that Lebanon is preparing for preliminary talks with its ambassador in
Washington in the coming days, describing the process as an important
opportunity for the country and confirming that no alternative exists to the
negotiation track. He has also emphasized that Lebanon’s priorities in any talks
include an Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory and the release
of detainees. Officials say efforts are also being discussed for a possible
third round of meetings in Washington involving Lebanese and Israeli
ambassadors, with a focus on reinforcing the ceasefire. For now, Lebanese
officials stress that stabilizing the ceasefire remains the immediate priority,
while other regional issues are expected to depend on the outcome of broader
U.S.-Iran negotiations.
US reportedly tells Israel Lebanon ceasefire to continue,
new talks may be held Thursday
Naharnett/May 04/2026
Washington has informed Israel that the ceasefire with Lebanon will remain in
place regardless of any developments with Iran, Israel's Channel 12 said on
Monday. A Lebanese ministerial source meanwhile told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper
that the U.S. administration is preparing for the third preparatory meeting
between Lebanese Ambassador to U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad and her Israeli
counterpart Yechiel Leiter, intended to start direct negotiations between
Lebanon and Israel. The ministerial source pointed out that "Washington is doing
its best to host the third meeting this week, maybe on Thursday."
Israeli official threatens to hit Hezbollah officials in
'Beirut' if operational opportunity arises
Naharnett/May 04/2026
Israel intends to intensify its attacks on Hezbollah, Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth
newspaper said Monday, as an Israeli security official insisted that, "contrary
to the impression" that Israel’s hands are tied, “Hezbollah will be hit in
places it did not think" Israel would reach. "The Americans may be bothered when
we strike in Beirut, but they are less bothered in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah
will feel that soon. And if there is an operational opportunity, we will hit its
senior officials in Beirut as well," the official told Yedioth Ahronoth. Israel
uses the term Beirut to refer to both the capital and its southern suburbs.
Israel and Lebanon are continuing U.S.-mediated talks, but Israeli officials
believe the process is going nowhere. “There is nothing real there,” an Israeli
official said. “The Lebanese government does not want to and cannot disarm
Hezbollah. But the talks continue in order to ‘drive Hezbollah crazy,’” the
official told the newspaper. Lebanese reports said a third meeting is expected
this week, on Wednesday or Thursday, in Washington between Israeli Ambassador
Yechiel Leiter and his Lebanese counterpart, Nada Hamadeh Moawad. Israel has not
confirmed the report. According to an Israeli official, the Israeli army has
thinned out its forces in southern Lebanon, where two divisions are now
operating — one on defense and one on offense. Still, an Israeli official
warned: “This situation will not last much longer. Hezbollah will pay a heavy
price for ceasefire violations. For now, we are giving negotiations a chance.”
Hezbollah says fighters clashed with Israeli troops in south Lebanon
LBCIt/May 04/2026
Hezbollah said its forces clashed with Israeli soldiers on Monday in south
Lebanon near the border where its troops are still operating, despite a
ceasefire since April 17.Hezbollah in a statement said that after Israeli troops
attempted to advance near the town of Deir Seryan -- which is inside the
Israeli-declared "yellow line" where Lebanese residents have been told not to
return -- its fighters "opened fire on the enemy force and engaged in heavy
clashes with them".
Israel strikes south Lebanon, kills one and wounds rescuers
Agence France Presset/May 04/2026
Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed at least one person and wounded four
rescuers on Sunday, the Lebanese health ministry said, as Israel maintained its
attacks on the country despite a fragile truce. In separate statements, the
ministry said a strike on Arabsalim killed at least one person and wounded
three, including a child, and another strike on Srifa wounded five people
including four rescuers from the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee,
as the strike hit near one of their centers. "The Ministry reiterates its
condemnation of these repeated attacks and recalls what is included in Article
19 of the Geneva Convention regarding the need to verify that medical facilities
are safe from any danger caused by attacks in conflict zones, while what is
happening is exactly the opposite."Israel's military on Sunday issued new
evacuation warnings in southern Lebanon for villages beyond the area it
occupies. The warning covered more than 10 villages and towns including several
in the district of Nabatieh, which lies north of the Litani River, south of
which Israel has stationed troops.Arabsalim and Srifa were included in the
warning. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported a series of Israeli
strikes across southern Lebanon, including on towns not mentioned in the
evacuation warning.
- 'Beyond the yellow line' -
Since April 17 a fragile ceasefire has been in place between Israel and Lebanon,
which was aimed at pausing the violence between the Hezbollah militant group and
Israel's military. On Wednesday Israel's military chief of staff Eyal Zamir had
threatened to strike Hezbollah "beyond the yellow line", which marks the area of
Israeli control. "Any threat, anywhere, against our communities or our forces --
including beyond the Yellow Line and north of the Litani -- will be eliminated,"
he said during a visit to Israeli troops. The ceasefire text grants Israel the
right to act against "planned, imminent or ongoing attacks". In the past week
two soldiers and an army contractor have been killed by drone attacks in the
area, with dozens of soldiers wounded. Hezbollah has recently begun using cheap
drones controlled by fiber-optic cable, making them largely immune to electronic
jamming, to conduct daily attacks. These drones have a range of several dozen
kilometers, which puts Israeli troops in Lebanon and communities in northern
Israel under threat. The group on Monday said it targeted Israeli troops in
Bayada, southern Lebanon, with a drone in response to Israel's violation of the
ceasefire. The United States has called for direct peace negotiations between
Lebanon and Israel, but Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on Wednesday for
Israel to fully implement the ceasefire before the talks can take place.
Hezbollah is strongly opposed to direct talks, with lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah
saying on Sunday that the group was "capable of thwarting all the objectives of
these negotiations, which increase the sharp division in the country between the
factions of our people and within the state itself".
Hezbollah clashes with Israeli troops in south Lebanon amid
strikes and shelling
Agence France Presset/May 04/2026
Hezbollah said its forces clashed with Israeli soldiers on Monday in south
Lebanon near the border where its troops are still operating, despite a
ceasefire since April 17. Hezbollah in a statement said that after Israeli
troops attempted to advance near the town of Deir Seryan -- which is inside the
Israeli-declared "yellow line" where Lebanese residents have been told not to
return -- its fighters "opened fire on the enemy force and engaged in heavy
clashes with them". The group also targeted troops in al-Qantara, al-Bayyada,
while the National News agency said Israeli troops were advancing Monday toward
the southern border town of Rmeish, amid strikes and shelling on several regions
of south Lebanon. Israel ordered residents of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Mayfadoun,
Qalaway, al-Majadel, Debaal, Qaaqaiyet al-Jisser, Qana and Srifa to evacuate,
and later struck and shelled several villages and towns including Baraashit, al-Mansouri,
Zawtar, Burj Qalaway, Touline, Kfartebnit, Yohmor-Shqif, Kounine, Deir Qanoun,
Jannata, al-Kharayeb, and Kafra. Two people were killed in a strike on Shhour.
Israeli military issues evacuation warning for six southern
Lebanese villages
LBCIt/May 04/2026
The Israeli military issued an urgent warning to residents in several villages
in southern Lebanon, including Nabatiyeh El Faouqa, Maifadoun, Qalaouiyeh, Borj
Qalaouiyeh, Mjadel and Srifa, urging them to evacuate immediately. In a
statement attributed to the Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee,
residents were told to leave their homes “immediately” and move at least 1,000
meters away into open areas for their safety. The warning said that in light of
what it described as ''violations of the ceasefire by Hezbollah,'' the Israeli
army would operate against the group “with force,” while stressing that it
''does not intend to harm civilians.'' It also warned that ''anyone staying near
Hezbollah members, infrastructure or military equipment would be putting their
lives at risk.''
Aoun says security deal with Israel must come before Netanyahu meeting
Agence France Presset/May 04/2026
President Joseph Aoun said on Monday that a security deal and an end to Israeli
attacks were needed before any meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, sought by Washington. Aoun's office said in a statement that the
president "reiterated his view that the timing is not appropriate now for a
meeting" with Netanyahu, and quoted Aoun as saying: "We must first reach a
security agreement and stop the Israeli attacks on us before we raise the issue
of a meeting between us." The president added that preparatory talks are
expected the Lebanese Nd Israeli ambassadors to Washington in the coming days,
stressing that "there is no turning back from the path of negotiations."
Salam: Arms monopoly decision won't be reversed, no need to
put army in confrontation with any party
Naharnett/May 04/2026
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam noted Monday that the country has been placed on "a
new path," and that implementing the Beirut demilitarization decision will take
"weeks and months" but will be eventually implemented. There will be "no turning
back" on the decision, Salam stressed, calling for strengthening security
measures in Beirut and deterring violators. In remarks following a meeting of
the Central Security Council at the Ministry of Interior, Salam added: "We wish
they could have been implemented faster, but these are our
capabilities."Regarding negotiations with Israel, he stated that there are no
negotiations yet, only preliminary meetings. Salam also affirmed that there is
no need to place the army in a confrontation with any Lebanese party. Meetings
in Washington will continue until a ceasefire is reached, he said.
Hezbollah urges Lebanon to declare us ambassador ‘persona
non grata’
AFP/04 May ,2026
Hezbollah urged Lebanese authorities on Monday to declare the US ambassador
“persona non grata” after the envoy suggested those who had offended a senior
Christian religious leader should leave the country. The controversy erupted on
Saturday after a video published by Lebanese television channel LBCI caricatured
Hezbollah leaders and fighters as characters from the “Angry Birds” mobile phone
games, triggering sectarian-tinged debate. Hezbollah supporters condemned the
video and what they saw as the ridiculing of their leader Naim Qassem, who is
also a Shia cleric. Some reacted by sharing images insulting Maronite Patriarch
Beshara Rai, in a campaign that sparked broad condemnation and expressions of
support for the head of Lebanon’s most influential Christian sect. After meeting
Rai on Monday, US ambassador Michel Issa said the visit was to show support for
the patriarch and “express my disapproval for what happened over the
weekend.”“This is inappropriate in Lebanon... a country known for coexistence,”
he said. “I think the people who did this, Lebanon may be unsuitable for them,
so let them look for another country to live in,” he added. Hezbollah issued a
statement from lawmaker Ali Ammar condemning “the blatant interference of the US
ambassador in Beirut in Lebanese affairs and his call to push Lebanese out of
their country.”“The simplest measure that could be taken is to declare him
persona non grata,” Ammar added. After the controversy erupted, Lebanese
officials including President Joseph Aoun and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a
Hezbollah ally, condemned attacks on religious leaders. LBCI later deleted the
video after being summoned by Lebanon’s judiciary.Despite Lebanon’s relative
freedom of expression compared to other Arab countries, the media, artists and
comedians have faced harassment over work deemed by some to be offensive to
political or religious figures. The latest conflict between Israel and
Hezbollah, which has killed nearly 2,700 people and displaced more than one
million others, has deepened divisions in Lebanon. The Iran-backed group is
accused of having dragged the country into the Middle East war on March 2 by
firing rockets at Israel to avenge the US-Israeli killing of Iranian supreme
leader Ali Khamenei.
Hezbollah MP urges Lebanon to declare US ambassador
'persona non grata'
Agence France Presse/t/May 04/2026
A Hezbollah lawmaker urged Lebanese authorities on Monday to declare the U.S.
ambassador "persona non grata" after the envoy suggested those who had offended
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi should leave the country. The controversy
erupted on Saturday after a video published by Lebanese television channel LBCI
caricatured Hezbollah leaders and fighters as characters from the "Angry Birds"
mobile phone games, triggering sectarian-tinged debate. Hezbollah supporters
condemned the video and what they saw as the ridiculing of their leader Sheikh
Naim Qassem, who is also a Shiite cleric. Some reacted by sharing images
insulting al-Rahi, in a campaign that sparked broad condemnation and expressions
of support for the head of Lebanon's most influential Christian sect. After
meeting al-Rahi on Monday, U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa said the visit was to
show support for the patriarch and "express my disapproval for what happened
over the weekend." "This is inappropriate in Lebanon... a country known for
coexistence," he said. "I think the people who did this, Lebanon may be
unsuitable for them, so let them look for another country to live in," he added.
Hezbollah issued a statement from lawmaker Ali Ammar condemning "the blatant
interference of the U S. ambassador in Beirut in Lebanese affairs and his call
to push Lebanese out of their country". "The simplest measure that could be
taken is to declare him persona non grata," Ammar added. After the controversy
erupted, Lebanese officials including President Joseph Aoun and Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, condemned attacks on religious leaders.
LBCI later deleted the video after being summoned by Lebanon's judiciary.
Despite Lebanon's relative freedom of expression compared to other Arab
countries, the media, artists and comedians have faced harassment over work
deemed by some to be offensive to political or religious figures. The latest
conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which has killed nearly 2,700 people and
displaced more than one million others, has deepened divisions in Lebanon. The
Iran-backed group is accused of having dragged the country into the Middle East
war on March 2 by firing rockets at Israel to avenge the U.S.-Israeli killing of
Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Berri says keep eyes on Islamabad, expects US-Iran deal
this month
Naharnett/May 04/2026
Speaker Nabih Berri has said "eyes must be kept on Islamabad," because of the
information he obtained from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, which
contained "a dose of reassurances and guarantees that Lebanon will be included
in Iran's negotiations with the U.S. and that its file is at the top of the
agenda," a Shiite Duo source said. "An Iranian-American agreement is expected to
be reached before the end of May, perhaps prior to Trump's visit to China," the
source quoted Berri as saying, in remarks to Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.
Israeli authorities ban Jewish pilgrimage near Lebanese
border
Agence France Presset/May 04/2026
Israeli police on Monday warned people not to defy the cancelation of a major
pilgrimage near the border with Lebanon, scrapped because of hostilities with
Hezbollah, while local media reported thousands had gathered at the site.
Fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah is ongoing in southern Lebanon
despite a ceasefire in effect since mid-April. Israeli media reported thousands
of people had gathered at the pilgrimage site on Monday despite the cancelation
and a ban on large gatherings due to ongoing hostilities. Authorities announced
the pilgrimage’s cancelation on Friday, citing the “security situation,”
sparking the closure of roads leading to the Mount Meron site starting Sunday
morning. Israeli authorities fear that some worshippers will attempt to
circumvent the roadblocks and warned that “police will not allow extremist
elements to turn this sacred place into a scene of violence,” a police statement
said. It added that police “will act to bring to justice anybody who will incite
violence or act against officers fulfilling their duty.”The Mount Meron
pilgrimage occurs on the Lag BaOmer holiday, when mainly ultra-Orthodox Jews
throng the site of the tomb of revered second-century rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
The pilgrimage was canceled in 2024, and took place with restrictions in 2025,
both times due to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah which began after the
start of the war in Gaza. On April 30, 2021, a stampede in the section reserved
for men caused the deaths of 45 pilgrims, including at least 16 children. A
commission of inquiry concluded three years later that there was “personal
responsibility” on the part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a video on Sunday, Israel’s Chief Rabbi David Yossef lambasted those wanting
to go to Meron despite the bans. “The risk of endangering one’s life overrides
all religious commandments, and security experts say there is a real danger,” he
stressed.
Qassem say there are no yellow lines or buffer zones — and
won't be
Naharnett/May 04/2026
Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said Monday that he only supports "indirect
diplomacy" as he lashed out again at Lebanon's plan for direct talks with
Israel. "There is no ceasefire, but rather a continuing Israeli-American
aggression," Qassem said, adding that there are no yellow lines or buffer zones
— "and there won't be". Israel has kept up deadly strikes on Lebanon despite the
April 17 ceasefire that sought to halt more than six weeks of war. Israeli
soldiers are now occupying some 10 kilometers deep inside Lebanon's border,
where they are carrying out wide-scale detonations and demolitions of buildings.
The "yellow line" marks the area where troops are operating, mainly south of the
Litani river. It includes about 55 Lebanese towns and villages such as Bint
Jbeil, Khiam, and Naqoura. Lebanese residents are not allowed to return to their
homes there.
Melkite Catholic bishops express concern over Israeli
demolitions in southern Lebanon
Associated Presst/May 04/2026
A branch of the Catholic church expressed deep concern Monday over reports that
Israel was demolishing civilian and religious buildings in parts of southern
Lebanon under its control, following claims that a convent had been bulldozed.
The Council of Melkite Greek Catholic Bishops in Lebanon urged the Lebanese
government and the United Nations to protect the property of civilians and
religious institutions in southern Lebanon, citing in particular the village of
Yaroun where officials said Israeli troops destroyed a Melkite convent earlier
this month among other demolition. The bishops called the destruction of
buildings, after residents of the area had evacuated, a "deep wound in the
national and human conscience." Israel took control of border areas in southern
Lebanon in its latest war against Hezbollah ahead of a ceasefire on April 17 and
has said it aims to root out the militants and their infrastructure in the area.
It has asked residents to evacuate villages for their own safety. The Israeli
military said it does not intentionally target religious institutions, but said
in a statement on Saturday that while destroying Hezbollah infrastructure in
Yaroun, that it had damaged a house without religious signs, and that it had
prevented further damage to the building after recognizing it was linked to a
church. The Israeli military said the building in Yaroun was part of a compound
that Hezbollah militants had used in the past to fire rockets toward Israel, and
it released photographs of an intact building at the site. Adib Ajaka, a
Christian community leader in Yaroun, told The Associated Press that the photos
posted in the Israel statement were of another building next to the convent that
housed a clinic and archbishopric, and that the Israeli military had bulldozed
the convent. He handed over a photograph showing rubble next to the clinic
building that he said were the remains of the convent. The Israeli military did
not immediately respond Monday to questions from The Associated Press about the
convent.
Adib, as well as a municipal official from Yaroun and Gladys Sabbagh, the
superior general of the Basilian Salvatorian Sisters who had used the convent,
all told The Associated Press that according to news they received, the convent
had been bulldozed while residents were evacuated from the area. The municipal
official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak
to the media. The French Catholic charity L'Oeuvre d'Orient condemned what it
called the "deliberate act of destruction of a place of worship and the
systematic destruction of homes in southern Lebanon aimed at preventing the
return of civilian populations."The latest war between Israel and Hezbollah
began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel, two days
after the United States and Israel launched a war on its main backer, Iran.
Israel has since carried out hundreds of airstrikes and launched a ground
invasion of southern Lebanon, capturing dozens of towns and villages along the
border. A 10-day ceasefire declared in Washington went into effect on April 17.
The ceasefire was later extended by three weeks. The Health Ministry in Lebanon
said Monday that the latest Israel-Hezbollah war has killed 2,696 and wounded
8,264 .
Impact of escalating conflict on education systems in
Lebanon, Arab States
Naharnett/May 04/2026
UNESCO has released a rapid overview on the impact of escalating conflict on
education systems in the Arab States, highlighting a regional emergency
affecting over 100 million children. Across the region, millions of learners are
experiencing disruption through school closures, shifts to remote learning, or
reduced access. Learning loss is deepening at an unprecedented scale, while the
risk of permanent dropout is rapidly increasing. Psychosocial distress has
reached critical levels, affecting both learners and teachers. In Lebanon, 1,156
public schools are designated as collective shelters, with 570 schools closed or
in conflict areas, affecting 241,671 students. In the Gaza Strip, the education
system has effectively collapsed, with 97.5% of schools damaged or destroyed and
over 637,000 children out of school. Lebanon illustrates how acute crises
rapidly overwhelm already fragile systems. As of April, the report said. The
risk of permanent dropout is rapidly increasing. In a region where one in three
children was already out of school, current disruptions, such as 241,671
children affected due to school closure or in conflict areas in Lebanon are
pushing many learners beyond the threshold of return. This raises the real
prospect of a lost generation, particularly among displaced and vulnerable
populations. Education systems themselves are under severe strain. In Lebanon,
55% of shelter centers are public schools. In Gaza, education delivery has
shifted entirely to humanitarian modalities. In Iraq, reform processes and
service delivery are being delayed. Across the region, systems face budget
constraints, limited preparedness, and insufficient crisis-response capacity, as
highlighted in UNESCO’s framework.
UNESCO said it sustains learning, promotes cohesion, and safeguards wellbeing
during this crisis in Lebanon. It provides targeted mental health and
psychosocial support for learners and educators, ensures learning continuity and
learning recovery by producing and distributing learning kits, adapting
curriculum resources for the emergency response, and facilitating continuity of
national exams. It also Promotes social cohesion through
curricular/extracurricular activities. The report highlights that education is
no longer a secondary casualty of conflict, but central to the crisis itself,
while also serving as a critical entry point for protection, stability, and
recovery.
To Squeeze Hezbollah, Look to West Africa
Daniel Swift/National Interest/May 04/2026
https://nationalinterest.org/feature/to-squeeze-hezbollah-look-to-west-africa
With Iran blockaded and weakened, Hezbollah may be increasingly dependent on its
West African financial schemes. Iran’s economy is buckling. Under a US blockade,
the Islamic Republic faces its most severe economic distress in years. For
Hezbollah, which has long benefited from Iran’s expansive largesse, this begets
a serious question: how to replace its financial patron. The terror group’s best
option outside the Middle East is its West Africa network.
The United States is now in a global economic war with Iran and its proxies. It
should use every economic tool at its disposal—diplomacy, technical assistance,
and financial regulation—to squeeze Hezbollah and Iran.
Hezbollah has spent decades cultivating financial networks among the Lebanese
diaspora in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Senegal. These are not
peripheral operations. US authorities have identified Côte d’Ivoire’s roughly
100,000-strong Lebanese community as the primary conduit for Hezbollah money
transfers in Africa. The mechanisms are well-documented: trade-based money
laundering through used car exports, diamond smuggling, real estate,
construction, organized crime, and drug smuggling. The money flows from Africa
to Lebanon.
The Trump administration has rightly prioritized maximum pressure on Iran and
its proxies. But that pressure campaign has a gap. The US government is not
paying sufficient attention to West Africa—even as it may be increasingly
important for Iran and Hezbollah. At the same time, there is an opportunity for
the United States. West African countries want deeper relations with America on
trade, security, and governance. The United States should use this appetite in
West Africa for more engagement—along with talks with Lebanon—to shut down these
networks now.
First, the United States should ramp up diplomatic pressure in the region. Côte
d’Ivoire is currently under increased monitoring by the Financial Action Task
Force (FATF)—the global standard-setter for anti-money laundering. FATF
identified several deficiencies in Côte d’Ivoire, including a lack of effective
risk-based supervision, insufficient transparency in beneficial ownership
information, and inadequate investigations and prosecutions related to money
laundering and terrorist financing. The United States should make clear that
Hezbollah’s financial facilitation is a priority, and that our support for
delisting Côte d’Ivoire from FATF’s greylist is contingent on enhanced
enforcement and writing sanctions on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
and Hezbollah into local banking laws.
In Guinea, the US Treasury Department has documented Hezbollah financiers
bribing officials and moving suitcases of cash through Conakry’s airports. That
level of state facilitation warrants sustained diplomatic pressure beyond
sanctions on bad actors. To do this effectively, the United States should ensure
that it has an experienced and Senate-confirmed ambassador in place. Embassies
across West Africa should also actively promote the State Department’s Rewards
for Justice program, which currently offers up to $10 million for information
leading to the disruption of Hezbollah’s financial networks. Lebanese business
communities in these cities are precisely the environment where that kind of
outreach—conducted discreetly through trusted local contacts—could generate
actionable intelligence.
Second, the United States should deploy the Treasury’s Office of Technical
Assistance (OTA) to build enforcement capacity. Many West African countries lack
the institutional infrastructure to combat trade-based money laundering and
terrorist financing—not because they’re unwilling, but because they are
under-resourced. This is precisely what makes them such a valuable foothold for
Hezbollah’s illicit fundraising.
Treasury’s OTA has a proven track record of helping partner nations strengthen
financial intelligence units, customs enforcement, and legal frameworks for
Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT). An
OTA resident advisor program in Côte d’Ivoire, focused on AML/CFT supervision
and financial intelligence unit capacity, would close FATF compliance gaps while
building the infrastructure to detect Hezbollah-linked trade-based money
laundering. This is the kind of patient technical work that rarely makes
headlines but compounds over time.
Third, there are opportunities to sharpen our regulatory tools. FinCEN’s October
2024 alert was a useful tool. A follow-on advisory that names specific high-risk
jurisdictions—Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Guinea—and sectors such as
artisanal gold would sharpen the effectiveness of compliance programs among US
correspondent banks. Treasury should also consider broader use of Section 311
designations, which label specific institutions as “primary money laundering
concerns” and cut them off from the US financial system.
The Treasury has used this tool outside of Africa to devastating effect against
Lebanese Canadian Bank in 2011 for its role in Hezbollah finance. Similar
actions—or even the threat of such actions—against enabling banks, money service
businesses, and exchange houses operating in West Africa would send a strong
signal to global banks and West African governments that the United States is
serious about crushing Hezbollah and Iran’s proxies.
We have an opportunity to get ahead of Hezbollah’s illicit finances now while
Iran is economically weakened. Money from Iran once complemented diaspora
remittances and criminal proceeds. Now, Hezbollah will likely need to rely
increasingly on illicit flows from West Africa. That’s precisely when US efforts
to curtail illicit finance matter most. Every dollar that doesn’t reach Beirut
is a dollar that can’t pay a fighter, rebuild missile stocks, or bribe
officials.
About the Author: Daniel Swift
*Daniel Swift is a senior research analyst for economics, finance, and trade for
the Center on Economic and Financial Power at the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies. He is a retired US diplomat and was most recently the Acting
Coordinator for Prosper Africa—a presidential-level national security initiative
to increase two-way trade and investment between the US and Africa.
Why Iraq’s Politics Haven’t Changed
Hussain Abdul-Hussain/National Interest/May 04/2026
Iraq’s latest prime minister designate, Ali al-Zaidi, is an embodiment of the
corruption that has held Iraq hostage for over 20 years.
The Iraq of today is marked by two conflicting feelings: cautious hope for the
future and a recognition of the country’s endemic corruption. The good news is
that the country’s electoral politics are finally maturing. Voters are punishing
proximity to Iran and rewarding genuinely patriotic national leaders. This
surging sense of Iraqi identity has made Tehran’s once-iron grip on its neighbor
feel increasingly uncertain.
The bad news is equally stark. The man parliament has just designated as prime
minister, Ali al-Zaidi, is a walking embodiment of the rot that has poisoned
Iraq for decades.
Zaidi has pledged to make Iraq “a balanced country, regionally and
internationally.” Translated from diplomatic speak, that means he promises
neutrality in the conflict between Washington and Tehran. It is a position that
captures the new patriotic mood sweeping Iraq, one so strong that even the
pro-Iran Shia bloc, the Coordination Framework, felt compelled to say that it
was “monitoring with concern” the Iran War, but fell short of taking sides or
expressing support toward Iran.
The shift did not happen by accident. In the 2025 parliamentary elections,
Iran-aligned factions absorbed a painful lesson from their 2021 collapse, when
brazen boasts of loyalty to Tehran cost them more than 100 seats. Chastened,
they rewrote their script. They stopped calling themselves Tehran’s foot
soldiers and started siding with the Iraqi state against Iran’s proxies, even if
they were allied with these same proxies. As it started expressing support for
Iraq against Iran and its Iraqi proxies, the Shia Coordination Framework, once
dismissed as Tehran’s proxy bloc, surged from fewer than 50 seats to more than
175 in the 325-seat parliament, comfortably clearing the majority threshold.
Yet behind the numbers lies a fractured, venomous alliance. The bloc is not a
unified force but an uneasy confederation of eight ambitious chiefs, each hungry
for the premiership: interim Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sudani of the
Construction bloc; former premier Nuri al-Maliki of the State of Law Coalition;
Hadi al-Amiri of the Fatah Alliance; Ammar al-Hakim of the Wisdom Movement;
former premier Haider al-Abadi of the Victory Coalition; Falih al-Fayyad, who
oversees the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and its Tehran-loyal militias;
Qais al-Khazali of Asaib Ahl al-Haq; and Hammam Hammoudi of the Supreme Islamic
Council.
These are not colleagues. They cooperate when necessary, but otherwise distrust
each other. The fear of these Shia chiefs was simple and ruthless: hand the
premiership to a rival Shia, and he will use the state’s patronage machine to
eclipse everyone else and become Iraq’s permanent strongman. Staring down a
constitutional deadline to appoint a prime minister, the eight chiefs reverted
to the same cynical playbook they have used since 2003. They chose a political
nobody with no independent bloc in parliament. That nobody is Ali al-Zaidi.
Three of the Shia eight—Maliki, Abadi, and Sudani—were also once chosen as
political novices and used the premiership to build a parliamentary bloc that
they still hope will one day help them regain their old jobs. Zaidi has never
uttered a single memorable political statement. But he is legendary in the world
of graft. His signature crime was the manipulation of the national food-ration
program, the Provision Portions that began under Saddam Hussein during the 1991
sanctions and survived the dictator’s fall. Under Zaidi’s companies, the cost of
these government-subsidized rations doubled while the actual weight of
staples—rice, sugar, cooking oil—was reduced. Zaidi’s al-Oweis Holding is one of
Iraq’s largest conglomerates. Until 2019, he also chaired Al-Janoob Islamic
Bank, which allegedly laundered money for Iran and its allied militias in Iraq.
The operation became so brazen that the United States forced Iraq’s Central Bank
to cut Zaidi’s bank from engaging in US dollar transactions in 2024. This is the
paradox now facing Iraq. Zaidi may be patriotic enough to push Baghdad away from
Tehran’s suffocating orbit while preserving strong ties with Washington. Yet a
political novice with a troubling record will do little to lift a country that
already sits near the bottom of Transparency International’s corruption index.
Iraqis deserve better.
**About the Author: Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a research fellow at The Foundation for Defense of
Democracies (FDD), where he focuses on the Gulf region and Yemen. Hussain earned
a degree in history and archaeology from the American University of Beirut. He
joined FDD after a 20-year career in journalism, during which he served as a
reporter and editor at The Daily Star in Beirut, helped set up and manage the
Arabic satellite network Alhurra Iraq in Washington, DC, and headed the
Washington bureau of Kuwaiti daily newspaper Alrai. He has also written for The
New York Times and The Washington Post. He is the author of The Arab Case for
Israel: And Other Essays from a Distant Conflict.
Hezbollah’s New Drone Threat
Seth J. Frantzman/The National Interestt/May 04/2026
The Israel-Hezbollah conflict will now lead to another leap in understanding the
dynamics between warfare and drone technology.
Alarm bells are ringing in Jerusalem as the Iranian-backed terrorist group
Hezbollah appears to be shifting its tactics toward drone warfare despite the
recently extended ceasefire. Hezbollah has been using one-way attack drones
against Israel for years. Most of them are based on Iranian models. However, in
recent weeks, Hezbollah has unveiled more small first-person-view (FPV) drones
as well as drones attached to fiber-optic cables, similar to those used in
battles in the Ukraine War.
In Ukraine, videos of drones hunting down soldiers on the frontline are
commonplace. Ukrainian drone production grew exponentially after the Russian
invasion in 2022, allowing the Ukrainian military to experiment with new tactics
and doctrines.
Israel’s Ynet, a large daily newspaper and website, noted: “Hezbollah has
increasingly relied on cheap, upgraded drones fitted with explosives and
fiber-optic cables, a battlefield adaptation from Ukraine that helps them evade
IDF electronic warfare and reach targets up to 10 kilometers [6 miles] away in
southern Lebanon.”The threat of Hezbollah’s (or Hamas’) small drones, such as
quadcopters carrying munitions, flying into armored vehicles or into groups of
infantry, has been known for years. However, the concern, among Hebrew media and
commentators in Israel, is that the Israeli Defense Forces have not focused
enough on these emerging trends. For instance, Shai Levy, the military reporter
for the Israeli media site Mako, noted on April 28 that “the IDF is trying to
portray Hezbollah’s explosive drones as a ‘new threat,’ only the reality on the
ground and in the briefing rooms is different.”
He went on to note that “five different officers who have dealt with the issue
reveal that the information existed, a command center was built, and a dedicated
simulator was installed. A solution was purchased against the drones with the
optical fiber, but the purchase did not reach all battalions, and those who
received it are not professional and regular users.”
Another report in Israel, by Israel’s Army Radio reporter Doron Kadosh, noted
that Israeli commanders in Lebanon express frustration at the few tools
available to confront the drone threat. He quoted a commander as saying,
“There’s not much you can do about it.” Nevertheless, Israeli troops are
innovating and adapting.
Hezbollah began its war against Israel on October 8, 2023, with limited rocket
and mortar attacks. It later expanded its operations to include one-way attack
drones of various sizes. Most of these were similar to Iranian-style Shaheds and
Ababil drones that have been seen on other battlefields from Ukraine to Yemen.
Hezbollah saw limited success with these systems. Apache helicopters, warplanes,
and Israel’s multi-layered air defenses can easily shoot down the relatively
slow-moving drones. Israel has even begun to develop laser air defenses over the
last few years as a new addition to its numerous other systems.
Israel confronted the Hezbollah rocket and drone threat with a variety of means.
In many cases, the IDF tried to target rocket launchers and also munition depots
of Hezbollah. However, there are some diminishing returns in this effort.
Hezbollah appears to have dispersed its munitions and launchers. It fires fewer
of them at a time, but it continues to target Israel. A ceasefire in November
2024 and another in April 2026 didn’t completely end the attacks.
Israel has vowed to remain in a buffer zone in southern Lebanon. This zone
places IDF soldiers in the crosshairs of the new Hezbollah drone threat.
However, the drones themselves don’t win wars. In Ukraine, drone warfare has
helped create a war of attrition and an extensive no-man’s-land along hundreds
of miles of the frontline, similar to the battlefield conditions of World War I.
Israel will, no doubt, confront the new threat with technological innovation. As
with the war in Ukraine, the war with Hezbollah will now lead to another
evolutionary leap in the conduct of drone warfare.
*About the Author: Seth Frantzman
Seth Frantzman is the author of Drone Wars: Pioneers, Killing Machine,
Artificial Intelligence and the Battle for the Future (Bombardier 2021) and an
adjunct fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He is the acting
news editor and senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem
Post. Seth has researched and covered conflict and developments in the Middle
East since 2005 with a focus on the war on ISIS, Iranian proxies, and Israeli
defense policy. He covers Israeli defense industry developments for Breaking
Defense and previously was Defense News’ correspondent in Israel. Follow him on
X: @sfrantzman.
Meaning of Negotiating Under Occupation Without Guarantees
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/May 04/2026
Washington continues to forcefully push "official" Lebanon toward normalization
with Israel, through a process premised on direct negotiations between Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun,
effectively without conditions or guarantees.
This pressure is intensifying despite the absence of any signs of "good faith"
from the Israeli side, which has killed around 325 Lebanese citizens since the
announcement of a largely meaningless "truce," while accelerating bombardment,
destruction, and displacement across southern and southeastern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Lebanon is deeply divided, regrettably, along two clear lines:
The first sees no alternative but to engage in direct, unconditional
negotiations with Israel, not only because of the stark military imbalance
between the two sides, but also because Washington, under its current
administration, is the sole effective external sponsor.
The second argues that what the United States seeks is not negotiations aimed at
producing mutually beneficial arrangements, but rather the formal entrenchment
of Israeli dominance, granting Israel, on a silver platter, everything it wants
within Lebanon, as well as in its waters and surrounding environment.
The camp advocating negotiations, largely aligned with the first position,
includes a significant proportion of Christians, echoing the "scenario" of 1982,
when Israeli forces, under Menachem Begin and the military command of Ariel
Sharon, occupied half of Lebanon and reached the capital, Beirut. At the time,
as today, that Israeli war enjoyed US backing, most notably from President
Ronald Reagan, then leader of the Republican right, much like current President
Donald Trump, along with Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and Ambassador
Philip Habib, the special presidential envoy of Lebanese origin.
In 1982, Palestinian guerrilla organizations and their Lebanese leftist allies
constituted the shared "enemy" of both Begin and Reagan. The Israeli invasion
did, in fact, albeit temporarily, achieve two major objectives:
First, it broke the military capacity of Palestinian guerrilla organizations and
pushed them out of Lebanon. Second, it enabled the election of a Lebanese
president willing to enter direct peace negotiations, culminating in the May 17,
1983 agreement, which both Tel Aviv and Washington expected to lead to full
normalization with Israel.
These objectives were only partially realized before both Tel Aviv and
Washington lost the ability to control events in the longer term. Lebanese
"calculations" and "equations" forced even those who had bet on the Israeli
"racehorse" to reckon with the importance of the Arab hinterland, and to
recognize its role in sustaining any governing formula in Lebanon’s
multi-sectarian system.
While it is true that a majority of Christians supported the May Agreement at
the time, contrary to what the "hawks" of Christian normalization with Tel Aviv
had anticipated, the leaders of that majority failed to secure a corresponding
majority among Muslims.
Cracks quickly emerged, enabling shifts and realignments, compounded by
Lebanon’s departure, traditionally grounded in consensus, from the May Agreement
into a clear "winner and loser" dynamic. In reality, under conditions of
demographic pluralism, such an imbalance was never sustainable, particularly
given that multiple actors stood to benefit from exploiting the fragility of the
temporary dominance produced by the 1982 war.
To begin with, there was the "Syrian factor," reflected in the relationships
between the regime of Hafez al-Assad and Lebanese factions, as well as remnants
of Palestinian organizations. In this context, a member of one such group was
accused of assassinating President-elect Bachir Gemayel, whose selection had
been endorsed by Washington, particularly by Philip Habib.
There were also voices of restraint within Christian communities that opposed a
complete rupture with the Arab hinterland and rejected placing "all eggs in the
Israeli basket."
In addition, the relocation of armed Christian groups to Druze-majority areas in
southern Mount Lebanon, and the abuses committed by some against local
residents, triggered an unforeseen but decisive factor. These actions provoked
Druze communities across Lebanon and even within Israel, where Druze figures
exerted pressure on senior Israeli officials, including cabinet ministers, as
well as among Druze serving in the Israeli military. The outcome was Druze
control over southern Mount Lebanon. Soon after, Sunni communities regained
their footing, while the Damascus–Tehran axis consolidated its grip over
Shiite-majority areas in eastern and southern Lebanon. Today, despite many
similarities, including the roles of figures such as Philip Habib and Michel
Issa, the situation is unlikely to be an exact replica of 1982 and its
aftermath.
However, if grave miscalculations are made before and after the "US-imposed"
negotiations, the consequences for Lebanon and the wider region could be severe.
In my view, Lebanon’s fragile condition cannot withstand a civil war further
fueled by Israeli settler extremism. Nor will the broader Shiite landscape
across the Middle East remain passive in the face of a major US war against
Iran, the repercussions of which are already unfolding.
Above all, there is reason to fear for Arab solidarity if reckless gambles
continue, gambles that threaten the survival of existing states, fracture
national cohesion, destroy prospects for economic growth, and leave the Arab
world exposed to deepening animosities amid escalating conspiracies and great
power competition over its remnants.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on
04-05
May/2026
Trump warns Iran forces will be
'blown off the face of the Earth' if they target US ships
Naharnet/May 04/2026
U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iranian forces on Monday that they would be
“blown off the face of the Earth” if they attempted to target U.S. ships in the
Strait of Hormuz or Persian Gulf. In the phone interview with Fox News, Trump
also said the Iranian neogitators were being “far more malleable” than they were
previously. Trump has made similar threats before — including writing on social
media last month that “a whole civilization will die” — but this time, they were
accompanied by some military action that will test an extended ceasefire between
the two countries. The president said on Truth Social Monday afternoon that the
military “shot down” seven Iranian boats in the strait after Tehran targeted
other boats trying to traverse the passage. Trump also told Fox News that he
sees two paths forward: Reaching a good faith deal or resuming military
operations.
US says destroyed six Iranian boats, downed missiles and
drones
Agence France Presse/May 04/2026
The United States has destroyed six Iranian boats and shot down missiles and
drones fired at U.S. Navy and commercial vessels by Tehran's forces, a top U.S.
admiral said Monday. The military action occurred as American forces seek to
facilitate the transit of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz in an
effort dubbed "Project Freedom" that President Donald Trump announced on Sunday.
U.S. Apache and Seahawk helicopters hit "six Iranian small boats threatening
commercial shipping," Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM),
told journalists. U.S. forces also "effectively engaged" all "missiles and
drones that were fired at both us and the commercial ships," Cooper said. Some
cruise missiles were launched at U.S. Navy ships but most of them as well as
multiple drones targeted commercial vessels, he said. "We defended both
ourselves and, consistent with our commitment, we defended all the commercial
ships," Cooper said. U.S. and Israeli forces launched a massive military
campaign against Iran on February 28, prompting Iran to close the Strait of
Hormuz -- a vital route for oil and gas exports -- while American forces later
launched a blockade of Iranian ports. Iranian state television said earlier
Monday that the country's navy had fired cruise missiles, rockets and combat
drones near U.S. destroyers crossing the strait in what it described as a
"warning shot." CENTCOM said that two U.S. guided-missile destroyers had passed
through the strait into the Gulf as part of "Project Freedom," while two
U.S.-flagged merchant vessels transited the opposite way and "are safely headed
on their journey."
CENTCOM commander says US military destroyed six Iranian
boats after attacks
Al Arabiya English/04 May ,2026
The top US military general for the Middle East said Monday that Iran had tried
to open at US Navy ships and commercial vessels this morning before his forces
returned fire. Six small Iranian boats were destroyed by United States Central
Command (CENTCOM) forces, Adm. Brad Cooper said.Cooper, the CENTCOM chief, said
15,000 US servicemembers were involved in “Project Freedom,” which the Trump
administration launched today to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of
Hormuz. The Iranian missiles and drones were launched by the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to Cooper, who added that Tehran was
trying to disrupt the mission to unblock the waterway. Cooper also issued a
warning to Iranian forces, “strongly advising” them to remain clear of US
military assets. The US-imposed naval blockade on Iran remains in place, he
said, but would not comment on whether Monday morning’s events were a violation
of the ceasefire.
US intelligence indicates limited new damage to Iran’s
nuclear program, sources say
Reuters/ 05 May ,2026
US intelligence assessments indicate that the time Iran would need to build a
nuclear weapon has not changed since last summer, when analysts estimated that a
US-Israeli attack had pushed back the timeline to up to a year, according to
three sources familiar with the matter.
The assessments of Tehran’s nuclear program remain broadly unchanged even after
two months of a war that US President Donald Trump launched in part to stop the
Islamic Republic from developing a nuclear bomb. The latest US and Israeli
attacks that began on February 28 have focused on conventional military targets,
but Israel has hit a number of significant nuclear facilities. The unchanged
timeline suggests that significantly impeding Tehran’s nuclear program may
require destroying or removing Iran’s remaining stockpile of highly enriched
uranium, or HEU. The war has stalled since the US and Iran agreed an April 7
truce to pursue peace. Tensions remain high as both sides appear deeply divided,
and as Iran has choked traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, blocking some 20
percent of world oil supplies and igniting a global energy crisis. Secretary of
Defense Pete Hegseth has said publicly that the US aims to ensure Iran does not
obtain a nuclear weapon via ongoing negotiations with Tehran. US intelligence
agencies had concluded prior to June’s 12-day war that Iran likely could produce
enough bomb-grade uranium for a weapon and build a bomb in around three to six
months, said two of the sources, all of whom requested anonymity to discuss US
intelligence. Following the June strikes by the US that hit the Natanz, Fordow
and Isfahan nuclear complexes, US intelligence estimates pushed that timeline
back to about nine months to a year, said the two sources and a person familiar
with the assessments. The attacks destroyed or badly damaged the three
enrichment plants known to have been operating at the time. But the UN nuclear
watchdog has been unable to verify the whereabouts of some 440 kilograms of
uranium enriched to 60 percent. It believes that about half was stored in an
underground tunnel complex at the Isfahan Nuclear Research Center, but it has
been unable to confirm that since inspections were suspended. The International
Atomic Energy Agency assesses the total HEU stockpile would be enough for 10
bombs if further enriched. “While Operation Midnight Hammer obliterated Iran’s
nuclear facilities, Operation Epic Fury built on this success by decimating
Iran’s defense industrial base that they once leveraged as a protective shield
around their pursuit of a nuclear weapon,” said White House spokeswoman Olivia
Wales, referring to the June operation and the latest war that began in
February. “President Trump has long been clear that Iran can never have a
nuclear weapon – and he does not bluff.”The Office of the Director of National
Intelligence did not respond to a request for comment.
Stopping Tehran’s nuclear program a key US goal
US officials, including Trump, repeatedly cite the need to eliminate Iran’s
nuclear program as a key objective of the war. “Iran can never be allowed to
obtain a nuclear weapon. That is the goal of this operation,” Vice President JD
Vance wrote on X on March 2. The unchanging estimate of how long it would take
Iran to build such a weapon reflects in part the focus of the latest US and
Israeli military campaign, the sources said. While Israel has struck
nuclear-related targets, including a uranium-processing facility in late March,
US attacks have concentrated on conventional military capabilities, Iran’s
leadership and its military-industrial base. The unchanged estimates may also
stem from a lack of major nuclear targets that can be readily and safely
destroyed following June’s military action, according to some analysts.
Eric Brewer, a former senior US intelligence analyst who led assessments of
Iran’s nuclear program, said it was not surprising that the assessments have not
changed because recent US strikes have not prioritized nuclear-related targets.
“Iran still possesses all of its nuclear material, as far as we know,” said
Brewer, vice president of the nuclear materials study program at the Nuclear
Threat Initiative arms control think tank. “That material is probably located in
deeply buried underground sites where US munitions can’t penetrate.”In recent
weeks, US officials have contemplated dangerous operations which would
significantly impede Iran’s nuclear efforts. Those options include ground raids
to retrieve the HEU believed to be stored in the tunnel complex at the Isfahan
site. Iran has repeatedly denied seeking nuclear weapons. US intelligence
agencies and the IAEA say Tehran halted a warhead development effort in 2003,
though some experts and Israel contend that it secretly preserved key parts of
the program.
Possible impact from killing of scientists
Precisely evaluating Iran’s nuclear capacity is difficult, even for the world’s
leading intelligence services, say experts. Several US intelligence agencies
have independently studied Iran’s nuclear program, and while the sources
described a broad consensus regarding Iran’s capacity to build a nuclear weapon,
outlying assessments do occur. It is possible Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been
set back further than the intelligence estimates suggest. Some officials,
including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have argued that US strikes on
Iranian air defenses have reduced the nuclear threat by diminishing Iran’s
ability to defend its nuclear sites should it decide to rush toward
weaponization in the future. There also is the impact of Israel’s assassinations
of Iran’s leading nuclear scientists. David Albright, a former UN nuclear
inspector who runs the Institute for Science and International Security, said
the killings have added significant uncertainty to Tehran’s ability to build a
bomb that would function as intended. “I think everyone agrees knowledge can’t
be bombed, but know-how certainly can be destroyed,” he said.
Most Strait of Hormuz shipping at a standstill despite
latest US pledge
Reuters/04 May ,2026
There were no signs of increased vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz on
Monday, a day after President Donald Trump said the US would begin efforts to
free up shipping. Only one tanker, a sanctioned, handy-sized LPG carrier, along
with a few cargo ships and a cable-laying vessel passed into the Gulf of Oman on
Monday, MarineTraffic data showed. No tankers or other commercial vessels were
seen lining up to transit and German shipping group Hapag-Lloyd HLAG.DE said
transit for its vessels remained impossible due to a lack of clarity over secure
passage procedures. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it would begin helping to
restore freedom of navigation through the strait on Monday, while continuing its
blockade of Iranian ports.The shipping industry has received no guidance
regarding the US operation and its intent, while the overall security situation
remained unchanged, shipping association the Baltic and International Maritime
Council (BIMCO) said. “Without consent from Iran to let commercial ships transit
safely through the Strait of Hormuz, it is currently not clear whether the
Iranian threat to ships can be degraded or suppressed,” its chief safety and
security officer, Jakob Larsen, said. BIMCO provides security alerts for the
industry. Hundreds of commercial vessels and up to 20,000 seafarers have been
unable to transit the waterway as a result of the Iran war, the International
Maritime Organization said. The US-led Joint Maritime Information Center said
the maritime security threat level in the strait remained “critical”, advising
mariners to consider routing via Omani territorial waters south of the traffic
separation scheme. CENTCOM described US missions as “defensive” and said they
would combine diplomatic efforts with military coordination. Iran, meanwhile,
warned the US Navy to stay out of the Strait of Hormuz and said commercial
vessels would need to coordinate any passage with its military. It also issued a
new map outlining what it said was Iran’s control area.Pakistan said all 22 crew
members of the Iranian-flagged container ship Touska, which was boarded and
seized by US forces last month, were evacuated to Pakistan and would be returned
home. The vessel will also be returned to its owners after repairs, Pakistan’s
foreign ministry said, calling the move a “confidence-building measure.” The US
naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports on April 13 has also shrunk Tehran’s oil
exports.
UAE says intercepted 15 missiles, four drones launched from
Iran
Al Arabiya English/04 May ,2026
The UAE’s Ministry of Defense said Emirati air defenses intercepted 12 ballistic
missiles, three cruise missiles, and four drones launched from Iran on Monday,
resulting in three moderate injuries. The UAE said it reserved the “full and
legitimate right” to respond to the latest Iranian attacks. In a statement
released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UAE said the attacks
represented a serious escalation and posed a direct threat to the country’s
security. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem al-Budaiwi
condemned Iran’s attacks on the UAE, describing them as “a serious act of
aggression and a blatant escalation.” Earlier on Monday, the UAE strongly
condemned an Iranian drone attack on an ADNOC oil tanker in the blockaded Strait
of Hormuz, as the United States prepared to begin escorting ships through the
waterway. Two drones struck the MV Barakah off the coast of Oman, but no
injuries were reported, UAE state oil giant ADNOC said, adding that the vessel
was not carrying cargo. “Targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of
Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail represents acts of piracy by
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the UAE foreign ministry said. The incident
came as President Donald Trump said the United States would begin guiding ships
through the strategic waterway from Monday. The US and Iran remain deadlocked in
peace negotiations since a ceasefire in the Middle East war took effect on April
8. Iran launched more than 2,800 drones and missiles at the UAE between February
28, the first day of the war, and the April 8 ceasefire, making it the most
heavily targeted country in Tehran’s campaign.
Iran resumes attacks on UAE
Agence France Presse/May 04/2026
The UAE said Monday that its air defenses were dealing with Iranian missile and
drone attacks, after saying that it previously intercepted three missiles over
its territorial waters earlier in the day. A drone strike meanwhile caused a
fire at an energy installation in the emirate of Fujairah, authorities said.
"Fujairah Civil Defense teams immediately responded to the incident and are
continuing their efforts to control it," the Fujairah media office said in a
statement. Fujairah is home to a major port, pipeline and other petroleum based
installations bypassing the throttled Strait of Hormuz. The UAE said earlier
that Iran fired two drones at a tanker affiliated with its state oil company
ADNOC in the Strait of Hormuz, condemning the attack. "Targeting commercial
shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or
blackmail represents acts of piracy by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps," the
foreign ministry said, adding there were no injuries.
Two injured after residential building in Oman targeted
Agence France Presse/May 04/2026
Two people were injured when a residential building was targeted in Oman's Bukha
along the coastline of the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported on Monday. "A
security source reported that a residential building for employees of a company
in the Tibat area of Bukha was targeted, resulting in moderate injuries to two
expatriates, damage to four vehicles and broken glass in one of the nearby
houses," the Oman News Agency said.
Iran says had 'no pre-planned program' to attack UAE
Agence France Presse/May 04/2026
Iran had "no pre-planned programme" to attack oil facilities in the United Arab
Emirates, Iranian state TV said Monday, after the UAE blamed the Islamic
republic for a drone strike at an energy installation in Fujairah. Authorities
in the emirate said the strike injured three Indian nationals who were taken to
hospital. The UAE meanwhile said it had been targeted by a fresh Iranian barrage
which it described as a "dangerous escalation", amid a ceasefire in the Middle
East war. "The Islamic Republic had no pre-planned programme to attack the oil
facilities in question, and what happened was the product of the U.S. military's
adventurism to create a passage for ships to illegally pass through the
forbidden passages of the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. military must be held
accountable for it," an Iranian military official told state TV. "U.S. officials
must end the ugly behaviour of using force in the diplomatic process and stop
military adventurism in this sensitive oil region that affects the economies of
all countries in the world." U.S. President Donald Trump had announced on Sunday
a plan to guide ships from neutral countries out of the Gulf, saying it was a
humanitarian effort to help their stranded crews. Iran's navy fired "warning
shots" at U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, state media said,
after the American military sent destroyers into the Gulf. Trump said U.S.
forces had "shot down" seven small Iranian military boats. A U.S. admiral
earlier said six such vessels were destroyed, but Tehran denied any had been
sunk.
UAE announces all schools returning to remote learning
LBCI/May 04/2026
The United Arab Emirates on Monday ordered all schools to return to remote
learning for the rest of the week, the education ministry said, following a
spate of attacks targeting the country. "The Ministry of Education announces a
decision to shift to a remote learning system starting from Tuesday, May 5,
2026, until Friday, May 8, 2026," read the statement posted by the ministry on
social media.AFP
Israel raises alert level amid Gulf tensions, possible
shelter warning under consideration: LBCI correspondent in Haifa
LBCI/May 04/2026
LBCI correspondent in Haifa, Amal Shehadeh, reported that Israel’s Home Front
Command is considering issuing a general alert calling on residents to remain
near shelters in the coming hours amid escalating regional tensions.Shehadeh
added that the Israeli military has raised its state of alert to the highest
level in response to developments in the Gulf region.
Saudi Arabia voices concern over regional escalation, urges
restraint and diplomacy
Al Arabiya English/05 May ,2026
The Kingdom also said it was necessary to restore freedom of navigation in the
Strait of Hormuz without any restrictions. Saudi Arabia voiced its concern over
the escalation witnessed in the region on Monday after Iranian attacks on the US
ships and the UAE, urging restraint and diplomacy. “The Kingdom is concerned
about the current military escalation in the region,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry
said in a statement. Riyadh called for backing Pakistan’s mediation efforts and
urged restraint to prevent further instability in the region. The Kingdom also
said it was necessary to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz
without any restrictions. The conditions and status of the waterway need to
return to what they were before the US-Israeli war on Iran, which started on
Feb. 28, the ministry said. The UAE’s Ministry of Defense said Emirati air
defenses intercepted 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles, and four
drones launched from Iran on Monday, resulting in three moderate injuries. The
top US military general for the Middle East said that Iran had opened fire at US
Navy ships and commercial vessels on Monday morning, before his forces returned
fire and destroyed six Iranian small boats.
EU chief calls Iran's strikes on UAE 'violation' of international law
LBCI/May 04/2026
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Iranian attacks on the UAE on Monday were "a
clear violation of sovereignty and international law". "These attacks are
unacceptable," she said on X, adding that "security in the (Gulf) region has
direct consequences for Europe". The European Commission president said the EU
will work with its partners "on de-escalation and diplomatic resolution, to
bring an end to the Iranian regime’s brutal actions. Both against its neighbors
and its own people."AFP
Zelensky lands in Bahrain for talks on security
cooperation: Ukrainian source
LBCI//May 04/2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Bahrain on Monday for talks on
"security cooperation", a source in the Ukrainian delegation told AFP. "We
landed. The goal of the visit is security cooperation," the source said on the
condition of anonymity, without elaborating. Since the Iran war began, several
Gulf nations have sought Ukrainian help in downing Iranian drones and missiles
used to attack them, according to Kyiv. AFP
Ukraine to observe own truce with Russia between May 5–6,
Zelensky says
LBCI/May 04/2026
Ukraine will observe its own truce with Russia between May 5-6, Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday, after Moscow declared a unilateral
truce with Ukraine over the May 9 Russian holiday. "As of today, there has been
no official appeal to Ukraine regarding the modality of a cessation of
hostilities that is being claimed on Russian social media," Zelensky said in a
post on X. "In this regard, we are announcing a ceasefire regime starting at
00:00 (2100 GMT) on the night of May 5–6. In the time left until that moment, it
is realistic to ensure that silence takes effect," he added. AFP
The Latest
LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on
04-05
May/2026
Breaking the Architecture of Iran's Regime Power
Ahmed Charai/Gatestone Institute/May
04/2026
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22496/iran-regime-power
For decades, Tehran has delayed, promised, denied, escalated, and recalibrated —
all while rebuilding its capabilities... and preserving the machinery of regime
survival.
The Iranian regime is not sustained by ideology alone. It is sustained by money,
contracts, ports, banks, smugglers, foundations, front companies, privileged
merchants, terrorist proxies, and commercial collaborators. Washington... must
target the networks that feed it.
The regime does not move money through uniforms and official titles. It moves
money through family members, front companies, exchange houses, shipping firms,
insurance brokers, commodity traders, gold dealers, charities, banks, and
offshore accounts. Every one of these channels must be mapped, exposed, and
disrupted.
[W]holesalers, currency dealers, gold traders, import-export operators, shipping
intermediaries, and commercial families who help the IRGC evade sanctions,
manipulate markets, launder money, or finance repression should face direct
consequences.
The objective is not to destroy Iranian commerce. The objective is to liberate
it from the regime.
The [US] strategy should ...reward defection.
[T]he regime's networks do not stop at Iran's borders. They extend across the
region through proxies, terrorist cells, cyber units, propaganda platforms, and
intelligence operations.
The Abraham Accords should not only be a diplomatic framework. They should
become a protected strategic architecture against Iranian coercion.
The message to the Iranian people must remain clear: the conflict is not with
Iran as a nation, nor with Persian civilization, nor with ordinary families
struggling to survive. The target is the regime's theft of Iran's economy. Iran
is not poor because it lacks resources. Iran is poor because the Islamic
Republic has converted national wealth into repression, missiles, militias,
corruption, and foreign adventurism.
Hormuz must be reopened, but the regime's economic, financial, military, and
proxy networks must be dismantled.
The regime does not move money through uniforms and official titles. It moves
money through family members, front companies, exchange houses, shipping firms,
insurance brokers, commodity traders, gold dealers, charities, banks, and
offshore accounts. Every one of these channels must be mapped, exposed, and
disrupted. Pictured: The Strait of Hormuz as seen from NASA's Terra satellite
(Image source: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC)
As the United States moves to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore freedom of
navigation, Washington must not lose sight of the larger strategic reality:
Hormuz is not the core issue. It is the latest instrument of Iranian blackmail.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has long mastered the politics of manipulation. It
uses propaganda to project strength, disinformation to confuse public opinion,
threats to intimidate the region, and negotiations to buy time. For decades,
Tehran has delayed, promised, denied, escalated, and recalibrated — all while
rebuilding its capabilities, consolidating its networks, and preserving the
machinery of regime survival.
This is one of the regime's most effective methods: turning the original problem
upside down.
At the beginning, the issue was Iran's nuclear program, its ballistic missiles,
its terrorist proxies, and the future of the regime itself. Today, Tehran wants
the world to discuss something else: how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, how to
avoid energy disruption, how to prevent escalation, and how to negotiate a
temporary exit from the crisis. This is not diplomacy. It is strategy.
The regime creates a crisis, then demands to be treated as the indispensable
party to solving it. It threatens regional stability, then asks for recognition
when it reduces the threat. It uses escalation to shift the agenda from
accountability to de-escalation.
Washington should not be fooled again.
The United States and its allies have tried nearly every approach: engagement,
sanctions relief, warnings, indirect negotiations, limited pressure, and
diplomatic patience. None has changed the essential nature of the Islamic
Republic. The regime has used time not to moderate, but to adapt. It has used
diplomacy not to reform, but to survive. That is why the next phase of Western
strategy must begin from a different premise.
The Iranian regime is not sustained by ideology alone. It is sustained by money,
contracts, ports, banks, smugglers, foundations, front companies, privileged
merchants, terrorist proxies, and commercial collaborators. To weaken it,
Washington must move beyond targeting only the men who command the regime. It
must target the networks that feed it.
Break the economic architecture, and the political architecture begins to crack.
The Islamic Republic is not merely a government. It is an ecosystem of coercion.
The clerics provide ideological cover. The Revolutionary Guards provide force.
The security services provide repression. The propaganda machine provides fear.
But the economic networks provide oxygen.
Without that oxygen, the system cannot breathe.
Iran today remains dangerous, but it is not strong. It can still threaten
shipping lanes, activate proxies, repress its citizens, and destabilize its
neighbors. But these are not signs of confidence. They are symptoms of a regime
that has lost the ability to inspire, persuade, or govern.
The Islamic Republic survives by turning loyalty into a business model. Those
who serve the regime receive contracts, licenses, access to foreign currency,
import privileges, protection, and immunity. Those who oppose it face exclusion,
surveillance, prison, exile, or death.
This is not ideological strength. It is organized corruption protected by
violence.
At the center of this system stands the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The
IRGC is not only a military institution. It is an economic empire, a political
machine, a sanctions-evasion network. Its influence extends through
construction, energy, ports, telecommunications, transport, procurement,
smuggling, banking, and foreign operations.
To weaken the IRGC, it is not enough to sanction commanders. The commercial
universe that sustains them must be dismantled.
The regime does not move money through uniforms and official titles. It moves
money through family members, front companies, exchange houses, shipping firms,
insurance brokers, commodity traders, gold dealers, charities, banks, and
offshore accounts. Every one of these channels must be mapped, exposed, and
disrupted.
This requires a shift from individual sanctions to network sanctions.
The same logic applies to the Bazaar. The United States and its allies should
not punish Iran's merchant class as a whole. Many ordinary merchants are
themselves victims of inflation, corruption, currency collapse, and the IRGC's
domination of trade. But regime-linked commercial networks operating inside and
around the Bazaar must be treated as part of the regime's survival structure.
There must be a clear distinction between legitimate private commerce and
collaboration with the regime economy. Ordinary traders should be separated from
the system. But wholesalers, currency dealers, gold traders, import-export
operators, shipping intermediaries, and commercial families who help the IRGC
evade sanctions, manipulate markets, launder money, or finance repression should
face direct consequences.
The objective is not to destroy Iranian commerce. The objective is to liberate
it from the regime.
Pressure must also create incentives for separation. Business figures who break
with the IRGC economy, expose sanctions-evasion channels, reveal corruption, or
stop financing the regime's machinery should have pathways to avoid punishment.
The strategy should not only punish loyalty. It should reward defection.
That is how economic pressure becomes political pressure.
But the regime's networks do not stop at Iran's borders. They extend across the
region through proxies, terrorist cells, cyber units, propaganda platforms, and
intelligence operations.
The recent dismantling of Iran-linked networks in the UAE and Bahrain should be
treated as a strategic warning. These were not isolated incidents. They were
symptoms of a broader Iranian method: use commerce as cover, finance as oxygen,
proxies as weapons, and regional instability as leverage.
The United States should therefore intensify intelligence cooperation with
regional partners targeted by Iranian-backed networks, especially countries that
have joined the Abraham Accords. These states should receive stronger
intelligence-sharing, cyber defense, maritime protection, counterterrorism
coordination, financial-investigation support, and early-warning capabilities.
The Abraham Accords should not only be a diplomatic framework. They should
become a protected strategic architecture against Iranian coercion.
The message to the Iranian people must remain clear: the conflict is not with
Iran as a nation, nor with Persian civilization, nor with ordinary families
struggling to survive. The target is the regime's theft of Iran's economy. Iran
is not poor because it lacks resources. Iran is poor because the Islamic
Republic has converted national wealth into repression, missiles, militias,
corruption, and foreign adventurism.
Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is necessary. But it is not enough. Freedom of
navigation must not become a substitute for strategic clarity. The United States
should not allow Tehran to transform a crisis it created into a diplomatic
escape route. Hormuz must be reopened, but the regime's economic, financial,
military, and proxy networks must be dismantled.
The Islamic Republic survives because repression is financed, loyalty is
purchased, corruption is protected, and national wealth is privatized by the
regime's guardians. That fortress can be dismantled.
Break the money machine, break the proxy machine, and the political machine
begins to fail.
**Ahmed Charai is the Chairman and CEO of World Herald Tribune, Inc., and the
publisher of the Jerusalem Strategic Tribune, TV Abraham, and Radio Abraham. He
serves on the boards of several prominent institutions, including the Atlantic
Council, the Center for the National Interest, the Foreign Policy Research
Institute, and the International Crisis Group. He is also an International
Councilor and a member of the Advisory Board at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies.
*This article originally appeared in the Jerusalem Strategic Tribune and is
reprinted here by the kind permission of the author.
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.
Iran’s defining choice: The
future of regional stability
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya English/05 May ,2026
Putting short-term developments and immediate tactical decisions aside, one of
the most important issues facing Iran is a fundamental, long-term choice:
Whether the Iranian government wants to become a constructive, cooperative, and
good-neighborly country in the region. This is not a tactical adjustment or a
temporary recalibration; it is a strategic crossroads that will shape the
country’s identity for decades to come. The direction Iran chooses will
determine whether it remains locked in cycles of confrontation and suspicion or
emerges as a stabilizing force capable of fostering prosperity and cooperation
across the Middle East. This overarching decision carries profound implications
not only for Iran’s foreign policy but also for its domestic legitimacy and
economic future. A constructive posture would require a redefinition of national
priorities, shifting away from ideological expansion and toward pragmatic
governance. It would also signal to regional and global actors that Iran is
prepared to move beyond zero-sum calculations and toward mutually beneficial
engagement. Without such a shift, short-term developments – whether diplomatic
openings or escalatory tensions – will continue to be overshadowed by deeper
structural mistrust.
Ending sectarianism and building regional trust
First, a meaningful transformation would require Iran to decisively abandon
sectarianism as a guiding principle of its regional policy. For years, sectarian
divisions have fueled mistrust and rivalry, particularly between Iran and
Sunni-majority nations in the region. A constructive Iran would instead pursue
inclusive diplomacy, engaging all neighboring countries regardless of religious
or ideological differences. This would entail building partnerships based on
shared economic interests, regional security, and long-term stability rather
than identity-based alignments.
Such a shift would also mean a complete cessation of hostile or destabilizing
actions toward neighboring states. No indirect pressure, no proxy escalation,
and no rhetoric that deepens divisions. Instead, Iran would prioritize
confidence-building measures, economic cooperation, and regional integration.
Over time, this approach could significantly reduce tensions, encourage
cross-border investments, and create a more predictable and stable regional
order – benefiting not only Iran but all countries in the Middle East.
Ending proxy engagement, respecting sovereignty
Second, Iran would have to fully end its support for proxy groups operating in
other countries. This policy has long been a central pillar of its regional
influence, but it has also been one of the primary sources of instability and
conflict. Supporting non-state actors in places like Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen
has deepened internal divisions within those countries and intensified regional
rivalries. It is widely viewed as interference in sovereign affairs, undermining
trust and fueling cycles of retaliation.
A genuine commitment to becoming a constructive regional actor would require
Iran to respect the sovereignty of all nations and disengage from these networks
entirely. This would not only reduce tensions but also open the door to
normalized diplomatic relations with countries that currently view Iran with
suspicion. By replacing proxy engagement with state-to-state diplomacy, Iran
could contribute to stabilizing fragile regions and help shift the Middle East
away from prolonged conflict toward sustainable peace.
Resolving the nuclear issue, preventing escalation
Third, the nuclear program remains one of the most critical and sensitive issues
shaping Iran’s relationship with the international community. If Iran seeks to
redefine itself as a responsible and constructive player, it must resolve
concerns surrounding its nuclear ambitions in a clear, transparent, and lasting
manner. Continued ambiguity or advancement in this field will inevitably trigger
suspicion, sanctions, and the risk of confrontation. More importantly, failure
to address the nuclear issue increases the likelihood of a regional arms race.
Other countries may feel compelled to pursue similar capabilities, leading to a
far more dangerous and unstable security environment. By fully addressing these
concerns and committing to non-proliferation, Iran could remove one of the most
persistent sources of tension, paving the way for economic reintegration and
long-term cooperation with both regional and global powers.
Prioritizing domestic development over regional expansion
Fourth, Iran must fundamentally shift its focus inward, prioritizing the
well-being of its own population over efforts to expand influence abroad. For
many years, significant resources have been allocated to regional strategies,
often at the expense of domestic economic development. A sustainable future,
however, depends on investing in infrastructure, job creation, education, and
improving living standards for ordinary citizens. This internal focus would not
only strengthen the country economically but also enhance social stability and
public trust. When governments prioritize the needs of their people, they build
legitimacy and resilience. By redirecting its energy toward economic growth and
social development, Iran could unlock its vast potential and create a more
prosperous and stable society – one that is less reliant on external competition
for validation or influence.
Iran’s doctrine if east vs west
Fifth, Iran faces a crucial decision in how it positions itself on the global
stage. Rather than aligning exclusively with one bloc while opposing another, a
more pragmatic approach would involve cultivating balanced and constructive
relationships with both Eastern and Western powers. This would allow Iran to
maximize economic opportunities, attract investment, and reduce its geopolitical
isolation. A balanced foreign policy would also help de-escalate global tensions
in which Iran is often entangled. By focusing on economic cooperation, trade,
and diplomacy rather than ideological confrontation, Iran could become a bridge
rather than a battleground between competing global interests. Such a strategy
would not only benefit Iran’s economy but also contribute to broader
international stability.
The consequences of inaction
These five decisions are deeply interconnected and collectively define a
coherent path toward long-term stability and growth. Progress in one area
reinforces progress in others, creating a virtuous cycle of trust, cooperation,
and development. However, the absence of such a comprehensive shift means that
underlying tensions will persist, regardless of temporary diplomatic
breakthroughs or pauses in conflict. As long as this fundamental decision
remains unmade, cycles of confrontation, proxy conflict, economic pressure, and
geopolitical rivalry will continue to resurface. The region will remain
vulnerable to sudden escalations, and Iran will continue to face isolation and
internal challenges. The choice, ultimately, is strategic and unavoidable:
without embracing these five core changes, instability is not an exception – it
is the enduring pattern.
In conclusion, regardless of the short-term developments – whether military
escalation, economic pressure, or diplomatic breakthroughs – the fundamental
issue remains: Iran must make a long-term strategic decision about the kind of
country it wants to be. Recent events only reinforce that this question cannot
be avoided. Ultimately, Iran has to decide whether it wants to become a
constructive, cooperative regional and global actor that prioritizes stability,
peaceful relations, and the well-being of its own people – or continue on a path
that only leads to confrontation and rivalry.
The Hormuz ‘Reactor’ and the ‘Humiliating Solution’
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/May 04/2026
Putin's adviser warns that the world is on the cusp of the largest energy crisis
in history. At first, it seemed like a severe, but contained, crisis that was
confined to the Middle East. It quickly went much further, becoming an
unprecedented quagmire when Iran raised enrichment to its maximum level by
closing the Strait of Hormuz. The world then understood that Hormuz is Iran’s
most dangerous "reactor.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that Tehran
was using Hormuz as an "economic nuclear weapon."
The Hormuz "reactor" wasted no time sending its radiation in every direction. A
farmer in France braces for difficult days ahead. A worker in Bangladesh fears
for the worst. A Chinese citizen takes stock of his situation, his country being
the largest importer of Iranian oil. Fears around living costs intensify,
especially in fragile regions where poverty is rampant. The global economy seems
to be held hostage, threatened with being dragged under by a closed strait: oil,
gas, supply chains, prices, stability, all at risk. States must reevaluate their
budgets. Governments must reassess and keep a close eye on the street.
The Middle East was not a quiet haven before this crisis. Its conflicts, however
fierce, had been less dangerous and did not spill over beyond the region. What
the Middle East is experiencing today is more dangerous than the Arab-Israeli
wars, the Iran-Iraq War, the invasion of Kuwait, and the war to remove Saddam
Hussein's regime combined. The "radiation" from the strangled Strait of Hormuz
is more dangerous than the fallout of all those previous wars. The world has not
witnessed a crisis as alarming as the one it is currently experiencing in six
decades. Even the disintegration of an empire the size of the Soviet Union did
not engender this degree of dread. This is a genuine global crisis. It brings
what we have read about the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 to mind - despite all
the differences in setting, conditions, and actors. That year, American
reconnaissance planes discovered excavation work in Cuba and that tunnels were
being built to store nuclear missiles the Soviet Union had been shipping to
Fidel Castro's island. The Soviet move was a reckless gambit by a superpower in
a sensitive region. President John F. Kennedy exposed their plans and announced
a naval blockade of the island. The world held its breath, fearing a devastating
nuclear exchange. It was said at the time that an adventurous Castro had told
Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev he would not object to the island's erasure
from the map if the confrontation dealt a fatal blow to "American imperialism."
The world endured days on the edge of a nightmare. The occupant of the White
House had no intention of backing down and leaving Soviet missiles parked off
American shores. Khrushchev feared the consequences of any suicidal
miscalculation. Reason prevailed, and a settlement emerged: the Soviet Union
would withdraw its missiles, and Washington would pledge not to invade Cuba.
The deal also contained a clause that remained secret for years: the missiles
threatening Soviet territory from NATO-member Türkiye were removed. Two years
after the world escaped a nuclear inferno, his "comrades" summoned Khrushchev
and forced him into retirement. Among the charges leveled against him was the
"humiliating solution" to the Cuban crisis. The Hormuz crisis differs from the
Cuban Missile Crisis. Iran is not the Soviet Union. And Donald Trump is
determined to deny it a nuclear umbrella after the regional upheaval it has
unleashed. But the question is: is fear of a "humiliating solution" hindering a
resolution of the Hormuz "reactor" crisis? The question is entirely legitimate.
Can Iran's wounded Supreme Leader, who has been injured and lost his family, and
his country's arsenal, and its economy, accept a settlement that the hawks of
the Iranian Revolutionary Guards could denounce as a "humiliating solution"?
Would it be enough for the United States to pledge not to strike the Iranian
regime again and to lift sanctions, for Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions
and release its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz? The current crisis, after
all, began over the nuclear issue, with the central demand being the stockpile
of highly enriched material that Trump insists be handed over or removed, just
as Kennedy demanded the withdrawal of Soviet missiles from Cuba. Iran raised the
level of "enrichment" by closing the Strait of Hormuz. The message was clear: it
would not be the only one to pay a price, and the global economy would pay heavy
costs for the American assault against Iran. Trump, in turn, raised the stakes
by announcing a naval blockade of the Hormuz "reactor" and Iranian ports.
Experts warn that Iran's currency could collapse further. Its oil storage
facilities and wells are almost dry, and its bet on the world's discontent will
not spare it from having to make concessions. Iran is playing for time. It
floats proposals, waits, then sends amendments. It behaves as though time is its
ally, as though Trump will stumble over the hands of the American clock counting
down to the Midterm elections. But Trump is an unconventional player, a man of
surprises. He reminds the Iranian regime that its ships lie at the bottom of the
sea, that its tanks will suffocate, that its wells will age rapidly, and that
Iran will need years to recover from the wounds inflicted by American and
Israeli strikes.
Iran makes it move: shifting its narrative and calibrating its words. That is
hardly surprising. Trump's language is blunt. He says Khomeini's country must
pay the price for what it has done over the past 47 years. He demands surrender,
even as he knows the Supreme Leader cannot stomach a "humiliating solution." In
effect, he demands that Iran dismantle its grand regional project in exchange
for being left alone, as happened with Castro.
Iran made a grave mistake when it failed to understand the full implications of
Trump's decision to kill General Qasem Soleimani. The consequences far exceeded
those of killing Osama bin Laden. It is making another mistake today if it
believes that the threat of the largest energy crisis in history could compel
Trump to accept a "humiliating solution."
The Future of Human Civilization in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Dr. Abdelhak Azzouzi/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/May 04/2026
A few days ago, the Euro-Mediterranean University of Fes (UEMF) held its
Meetings on the Alliance of Civilizations on the topic: 'The Future of Human
Civilization in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.' This international event,
which we had the honor of organizing in partnership with the Muslim World League
and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, saw the participation of 2,100
people, including high-level political, diplomatic, and academic figures from 75
countries, as well as experts, researchers, and civil society representatives,
in addition to over 1,400 young men and women.
This international meeting, which was broadcast live on the United Nations
platform, provided an opportunity for dialogue and strategic reflection on the
profound transformations imposed by the digital revolution, particularly
Artificial Intelligence, across various dimensions of human life, including
governance models, economic paradigms, geopolitical balances, and cultural
systems. Artificial intelligence is no longer merely a technological tool; it
has become a structural factor reshaping the foundations of human civilization.
This necessitates the adoption of holistic approaches that integrate scientific
and technical dimensions on one hand, with ethical, social, and cultural
considerations on the other. Many countries today are attempting to establish
regulations for the development and use of Artificial Intelligence in various
fields, warning of 'unintended consequences.' These include concerns related to
'human involvement' and 'lack of clarity regarding responsibility,' as AI has
the potential to vastly increase safety and security risks, violate civil rights
and privacy, sow suspicion, erode public trust, not to mention disseminate
misinformation.
We recall the words of the British-Canadian 'Godfather of AI,' Geoffrey Hinton,
when he resigned from Google in May 2023: "I've come to the conclusion that the
kind of intelligence we're developing is very different from the intelligence we
have. We're biological systems and these are digital systems. And the big
difference is that with digital systems, you have many copies of the same set of
weights, the same model of the world."
He added: "And all these copies can learn separately but share their knowledge
instantly. So it's as if you had 10,000 people and whenever one person learnt
something, everybody automatically knew it. And that's how these chatbots can
know so much more than any one person."
The conference proceedings focused on several key themes, foremost among them AI
governance. Emphasis was placed on the importance of establishing principles of
transparency, accountability, and interpretability, thereby fostering trust in
intelligent systems and ensuring their responsible use. Challenges related to
data quality and algorithmic biases were also addressed, along with the
necessity of developing international regulatory frameworks capable of keeping
pace with the rapid evolution of this technology.
In the health sector, the significant potential of Artificial Intelligence in
improving medical diagnosis and developing personalized medicine was
highlighted. Concurrently, the importance of protecting health data and ensuring
the safety and reliability of adopted models was underscored.
The issue of trust in Artificial Intelligence is a decisive factor in the
adoption of this technology. Emphasis was placed on the need to develop
indicators for measuring system reliability, strengthen verification and
monitoring mechanisms, and integrate the human dimension into the design of
technological solutions.
At the geopolitical level, Artificial Intelligence has become a strategic lever
for reshaping international power balances. This calls for strengthening
multilateral cooperation and avoiding the risks of unregulated competition or
technological division among nations.
Another very important aspect of this topic is the challenges associated with
cybersecurity, the spread of misinformation, and hate speech, and the threats
these pose to the stability of societies and institutions. This necessitates the
development of effective monitoring and response mechanisms and the
strengthening of national and regional capabilities in this area. In this
context, the importance of supporting the emergence of innovative AI models that
respect cultural and linguistic specificities was emphasized, thereby enhancing
digital sovereignty and ensuring fair and equitable access to this technology.
It is evident to any discerning observer that the most crucial aspect of this
topic is investment in human capital, particularly the youth, as they are the
primary agents in building a responsible digital future capable of reconciling
technological innovation with human values.
From all this, we understand that the real challenge lies not merely in
developing Artificial Intelligence, but in the ability to direct it to serve
humanity, support sustainable development, fortify peace and security, and
foster rapprochement between cultures and civilizations. This undoubtedly
requires proactive approaches based on strategic vigilance, capacity building,
and the development of international cooperation mechanisms, enabling the
confrontation of risks associated with the misuse of this technology, especially
in areas influencing public opinion, fueling conflicts, and threatening global
peace and security.
Selected Face
Book & X tweets for
May 04/2026
Shadi khalloul שאדי ח'לול
Lebanese President Aoun needs to understand that we, as Maronites
and Jews in Israel, understand that the Lebanese evasion games are over. There
is no retreat and no truce before a meeting with Netanyahu that will open the
era of peace. This is what Egyptian President Anwar Sadat did when he came to
the Israeli Knesset and subsequently received Sinai, and this is how you are
supposed to act. If the Shiites want the land they stole from Christians back,
let them disarm. They are the first to have an interest in pushing you to meet
with Netanyahu to achieve peace that will do them good. Otherwise, dismantle
your failed state and free the Christians to build peace with the Jews in Israel
in their own autonomy in Mount Lebanon, which will be a paradise and an example
to follow for the other peoples in Lebanon and the region.
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Who authors such nonsense? What Gulf leaders? Like they are a monolithic bloc?
Each one of the six governments has its own policy, even though the GCC are now
split into three vs three. Why does Foreign Affairs publish such misinformed
pieces?
Quote
Karim Emile Bitar
“For Gulf leaders, the war in Iran showed that their interests do not align with
Israel’s. Many believe Israel persuaded Trump to attack Iran—ultimately forcing
Gulf countries to pay the price of a war they never wanted”
@hahellyer in @ForeignAffairs https://foreignaffairs.com/united-states/end-axis-abraham
Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו
Sara and I pray for Rudy Giuliani’s complete and speedy recovery. He was a great
mayor and is an amazing friend of Israel and the Jewish people. Stay strong
Rudy!
Brigitte Khair-Mountain | بريجيت خير ماونتين
The illegal Iranian militia should encourage the already expelled
Iranian ambassador to leave. We Lebanese welcome the US ambassador and are
thankful for his efforts to help Lebanon restore its sovereignty. The US is our
friend. The Iranian regime and its militia are saboteurs 👎🏼
Joseph Haboush
Lebanese Hezbollah urged the government to expel US Ambassador Michael Issa
after he suggested those who had offended the top Christian religious leader
should leave Lebanon, which “may be unsuitable for them”
https://ara.tv/pg0ld
Lindsey Graham
https://x.com/i/status/2051331265991708720
When I was young, my sister and I lost both of our parents far too soon. I
promised her that no matter what, we would get through it together. It wasn’t
easy, but I kept that promise. Today, I’m stronger because of what we endured,
and I’m ready to fight for your family just like I fought for mine.
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
https://x.com/i/status/2051294691652510063
Ask any Palestinian or Arab whether anything in this dance (women dancing in
crop tops) looks like Palestinian heritage, culture, or imagined future. The
answer is no.
I have no idea what these flotilla kids think Palestine is.