English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News &
Editorials
For November 02/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2026/english.November02.26.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
They were yours, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John
17/01-08/:”After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said,
‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you,
since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all
whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by
finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your
own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world
existed. ‘I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world.
They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they
know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave
to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I
came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.”
Titles For The English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related
News & Editorials published on November 01-02/2026
The Faith and Patriotism of Father Najeeb Al-Ameel versus the Trojanism
and Diabolism of the Regime, the Rulers, the Judiciary, and the Politicians
under the Barbaric Occupation of Hezbollah/Elias Bejjani/31 October 2026
Halloween in Canada: Concepts, Religious Background, and the Role of Native
Canadian Traditions/Elias Bejjani/October 31/2025
Israel faces political deadlock amid regional war preparations, with Lebanon in
focus
Rmeish Municipality and its active figures appeal to Aoun to intervene in the
case of Father Najib al-Ameel
On the eve of the expiry of Electricité du Liban’s deadline for payment of dues…
Source in the Board of Directors: We will cut power to defaulters and there will
be no political interventions
Airstrikes, shelling and house demolition in the South… and an Israeli drone
explodes in Mayfdoun
This is what will happen if Lebanon adopts Hezbollah's’s demand and abandons
negotiation!
Army patrols and checkpoints to maintain security in these areas
Hezbollah 'won't escalate' after 13 charged in explosives case
Aoun doesn't trust Hezbollah's assurances despite 'timid dialogue'
Israel faces political deadlock amid regional war preparations, with Lebanon in
focus
LBCI sources reveal how authorities foiled cocaine smuggling operation at Beirut
airport
Two suitcases, 40 kilos of cocaine and a $3,000 payoff: Inside Beirut airport's
major drug bust
The Maronie Cross/Edmond El-Chidiac/November 01/2026
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on November 01-02/2026
Netanyahu reportedly urges Trump to attack Iran after US midterms
Trump says US still has 'one or two targets' in Iran
UAE says hoping for breakthrough yet 'braced for the worst' in Iran-US war
Iranian negotiators hold third day of talks in Qatar to end US-Iran war
UAE says hoping for breakthrough yet ‘braced for the worst’ in Iran-US war
Iran army says any new war with US could be 'longer than previous conflict'
Israeli strikes in Gaza kill eight, including a child
Israel faces political deadlock amid regional war preparations, with Lebanon in
focus
Israel elections chief says inquiry into irregularities will not undermine
result
Houthi media says Saudi strikes target Yemen's Hodeidah port
Saudi-led coalition says it targeted resources used by Houthis in Yemen
Saudi military official calls for collective action to protect maritime
waterways
Russian strikes cut power to thousands in Ukraine as drones damage Russian
facility
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on November 01-02/2026
What the Muslim Brotherhood Plans for You if It Is Elected/Mohamed Saad
Khairalla/Gatestone Institute/November 01/2026
Ruined State Imperialism/Amb. Alberto M. Fernandez/MEMRI/November 01/2026
Donald Trump’s moment of reckoning: Appeasing Iran’s regime or luring it to its
downfall/Raghida Dergham/Al Arabiya English/01 November/2026
After the midterms... Trump freezes out public concerns and focuses on a
“personal” Iranian achievement/Laura Yamin/Al-Markazia / November 01/ 2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets on November 01/2026
Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on
November 01-02/2026 (Some of the News reports below are
translated from Arabic by AI)
The Faith and Patriotism of Father
Najeeb Al-Ameel versus the Trojanism and Diabolism of the Regime, the Rulers,
the Judiciary, and the Politicians under the Barbaric Occupation of Hezbollah
Elias Bejjani/31 October 2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/10/158726/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7UYdHm16FM
Oh the shame, oh the horror, oh the disgrace!
What Father Najeeb Al-Ameel, the priest of the steadfast town of Rmeish, has
been subjected to at the hands of an unjust, ungrateful female judge—stripped of
all human feeling, detached from reality and conscience, a compliant tool in the
hands of the barbaric Iranian occupier, who knows nothing of the judiciary but
its name—is a vile insult to everything that is human, to humanity itself, to
reason, values, principles, and conscience.
It is a judicial and humanitarian crime complete in all its elements: a priest
who stood with his people in the most difficult circumstances, who strengthened
them on their land and refused their displacement, is summoned and accused of
issuing a threat merely because he asked, with bitter sarcasm, about the
impossibility of resorting to any force other than the Lebanese state under
occupation. Instead of being honored for preserving the land, honor, and
dignity, he is treated as a suspect.
In this context it a must to read the words of the Lord Jesus in the Gospel of
Matthew (Chapter 23): “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you
shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor
do you allow those who are entering to go in… Woe to you, blind guides… For you
pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters
of the law: justice and mercy and faith.
It also veryhelpfull to read in the Gospel of Saint Luke (11:42-46) the Lord’s
rebuke of the Pharisees and lawyers who load people with burdens hard to bear,
while they themselves will not touch them with one of their fingers, yet neglect
justice and the love of God.
This female judge—an instrument in the hands of the terrorist and jihadist
Hezbollah—and those behind her, above her, and with her from the political
rabble, the so falesly called political parties, the companies, and the
agencies, are a filthy, degenerate, and diabolical contemporary version of those
same scribes, Pharisees, and Trojans across the ages, for they turn a blind eye
to occupation, destruction, displacement, and killing.
Therefore, in a loud voice that will not be silenced, I say with a clear
conscience and deep conviction: May the curse of heaven fall upon the Lebanese
regime, the rulers, and the judiciary of Lebanon, upon all the political parties
apparatuses, companies, and agencies, and upon the political rabble of its
scribes, Pharisees, and Trojans.
O God, uncover what is hidden, replace the oppressors, and grant victory to the
truth and its people.
*The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website: https://eliasbejjaninews.com
Halloween in Canada: Concepts, Religious Background, and
the Role of Native Canadian Traditions
Elias Bejjani/October 31/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/10/148754/
Definition and General Concept
Halloween, celebrated every year on October 31, is one of the most popular and
colorful events in Canada. Known for costumes, pumpkin decorations, haunted
houses, and children roaming neighborhoods shouting “Trick or Treat!”, it is a
blend of ancient pagan rituals, Christian traditions, and modern secular
customs. Although today Halloween is mainly associated with fun, candy, and
costumes, its origins are deeply rooted in ancient religious beliefs and
cultural practices that date back thousands of years.
Historical and Religious Background
The origins of Halloween go back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain
(pronounced Sow-in), celebrated in what is now Ireland, Scotland, and parts of
France. The Celts believed that on the night of October 31, the boundary between
the world of the living and the dead became blurred. They lit bonfires and wore
costumes to ward off wandering spirits. When Christianity spread through Europe,
the Church sought to replace or Christianize these pagan celebrations. In the
8th century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as All Saints’ Day (All
Hallows’ Day) — a day to honor saints and martyrs. The evening before it,
October 31, became known as All Hallows’ Eve, which later evolved linguistically
into “Halloween.”Thus, Halloween as we know it today is a mix of pagan and
Christian influences — a fusion of the Celtic belief in spirits and the
Christian remembrance of the dead.
The Role of Native Canadian Indians
Before European settlers arrived, Indigenous peoples across North America had
their own autumn festivals to mark the end of harvest and to honor the spirits
of ancestors. While these Indigenous traditions were not directly related to the
Celtic Samhain, they shared a spiritual connection with nature, life, and death.
When European immigrants — especially from Ireland and Scotland — brought
Halloween to Canada in the 1800s, the celebration gradually mixed with Native
Canadian storytelling, seasonal harvest ceremonies, and community gatherings.
Over time, Halloween in Canada became a cultural event reflecting both European
folklore and Indigenous respect for the spirit world and nature’s cycles.
The Origin and Meaning of the Pumpkin Tradition
The pumpkin has become the most recognizable symbol of Halloween. The tradition
of carving faces into pumpkins, known as “jack-o’-lanterns,” began with an old
Irish legend about a man named Stingy Jack, who tricked the devil and was
condemned to wander the earth carrying a lantern made from a carved-out turnip.
When Irish immigrants came to North America, they discovered that pumpkins were
larger and easier to carve than turnips, and thus they replaced the original
vegetable. Lighting a candle inside the carved pumpkin came to symbolize
guidance for lost spirits and protection from evil ones, turning the pumpkin
into both a symbol of creativity and a charm against darkness.
Halloween and Christianity: Connections and Controversies
While Halloween’s roots touch Christian traditions such as All Saints’ Day
(November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2), its modern expression has become
largely secular and commercial. Many Christians — especially Catholics and
Anglicans — observe All Saints’ Day as a holy day of obligation, remembering the
faithful who have passed away. For them, the evening before (Halloween) can be
seen as a time of reflection rather than superstition.
However, certain Christian denominations, particularly Evangelical and
conservative Protestant groups, view Halloween negatively. They argue that its
focus on ghosts, witches, and demons glorifies evil or the devil, rather than
goodness and holiness.This belief has led some families and churches to avoid
Halloween celebrations or to organize “Harvest Festivals” or “Holy Nights” as
wholesome alternatives. The Catholic Church, on the other hand, does not
officially condemn Halloween, but it encourages believers to avoid practices
that promote superstition, occultism, or satanic imagery. Many Catholic
educators emphasize that Halloween’s original intent was to honor the saints and
pray for the dead, not to celebrate evil.
Is Halloween a Celebration of the Devil?
Despite widespread claims, Halloween is not a “devil’s day.”
Historically, it was a time to confront fear and darkness with courage and
faith, not to worship evil. The imagery of ghosts, skeletons, and demons
represented the human confrontation with death and the unknown — central themes
in both pagan and Christian worldviews. In modern culture, Halloween’s
connection to the supernatural is largely symbolic and playful. Most people who
celebrate it today do so for entertainment, creativity, and community fun,
rather than for any religious or anti-religious reason.
Modern Celebrations in Canada
In Canada, Halloween has become a nationally recognized cultural celebration.
Communities, schools, and families decorate homes with pumpkins, lights, and
spooky figures. Children dress up as superheroes, ghosts, or fairy-tale
characters and go from door to door saying “Trick or Treat!” — a phrase dating
back to medieval times when poor people begged for “soul cakes” in return for
prayers for the dead. Canadian cities like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and
Halifax host Halloween parades, haunted house events, and pumpkin festivals.
Safety campaigns are also widespread, emphasizing reflective clothing, adult
supervision, and careful candy checks. For children, Halloween is primarily
about joy, imagination, and sharing. For adults, it can also be a chance to
reflect on the mystery of life, death, and the spiritual world — echoing its
ancient roots.
Conclusion
Halloween in Canada today stands as a fusion of ancient Celtic rituals,
Christian remembrance, and modern social fun. While some view it as a harmless
cultural festival, others see it as a reminder to avoid glorifying darkness. The
truth lies somewhere in between: Halloween’s true meaning depends on how it is
celebrated. If approached with understanding, creativity, and moral awareness,
Halloween can be a positive occasion — a night that connects the living with
their past, strengthens community bonds, and celebrates the victory of light
over darkness.
*The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email:
Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website:
https://eliasbejjaninews.com
Israel faces political deadlock amid regional war
preparations, with Lebanon in focus
LBCI / 1 November 2026
All scenarios for forming a new Israeli government are facing obstacles,
prompting Benjamin Netanyahu to say he has halted efforts to form a coalition
and hint at the possibility of new elections. Amid the deadlock, the parties
involved are hardening their positions. Netanyahu’s fierce rival, Gadi Eisenkot,
has voiced support for military operations against anyone who threatens Israel’s
security, even if they take place before a new government is formed. The
statement has heightened tensions amid other developments, including the arrival
of a U.S. airlift carrying air defense systems and combat vehicles in Israel.
The Israeli military has also announced that it is prepared to operate on all
fronts, from Gaza to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. According to a security official
cited by the Israeli daily Maariv, Lebanon would become a key target if an
attack on Iran prompted Hezbollah to retaliate. Israel is taking the possibility
of Hezbollah joining the fighting against it very seriously, the newspaper
reported. Under an Israeli military plan, any strikes against Lebanon would rely
on naval and ground forces, as the air force would be occupied with the Iranian
front. The plan reportedly focuses on Nabatieh, Tyre, Sidon and Beirut’s
southern suburbs, as well as imposing a naval blockade on the ports of Beirut
and Tripoli. While disagreements over government formation remain in the
spotlight, a national unity government is reportedly also being discussed behind
the scenes. Under one scenario, a U.S. or joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran
would last several days, during which Israel would face retaliatory strikes. A
state of emergency would then be declared, placing national security at the
forefront of political decision-making. As the situation remains uncertain,
particularly ahead of the U.S. elections, Eisenkot has outlined four conditions
for joining a government under his leadership. These include recognizing Israel
as a Jewish and democratic state, making national service in all its forms
mandatory for all Israeli citizens, and designating Hamas as a terrorist
organization.
Rmeish Municipality and its active figures appeal to Aoun
to intervene in the case of Father Najib al-Ameel
Al-Markazia / 1 November 2026
The Municipality of Rmeish and its active figures addressed Lebanese President
General Joseph Aoun with an appeal to give attention to the case of the summons
issued against Father Najib, following remarks that were misunderstood, amid the
exceptional circumstances the town is experiencing. In a statement, the
Municipality and active figures of Rmeish said: “Rmeish and its people have
never forgotten the President of the Republic standing by their side in the most
difficult circumstances, and his keenness on their security and steadfastness on
their land. From this standpoint, we turn to him today with the confidence of
those who know that His Excellency has never abandoned Rmeish and will not
abandon it today.” They affirmed that the town, which has always clung to the
state and its institutions, to good neighborliness and shared living, was and
will remain under the roof of the law and the authority of the judiciary, keen
on Lebanese legitimacy and on the bonds that unite the people of the region, no
matter how severe the circumstances become. The statement said: “However, the
municipality’s commitment to the provisions of the law does not eliminate the
necessity of taking into account the limits of its capabilities, and not
burdening it with loads and responsibilities that exceed its ability to
implement, especially in light of the absence of the necessary security support
to implement the demolition decision. The municipality cannot alone bear the
consequences of problems that may arise among the people of the town, at a time
when Rmeish needs a greater presence of the state and its institutions. In this
specific context came Father Najib’s question in a sarcastic and denunciatory
tone: ‘What are we supposed to do, call the Israeli?’ to express the
impossibility of resorting to any party outside the framework of Lebanese
legitimacy, and the impermissibility of leaving the municipality alone facing
responsibilities for which it does not possess the means to bear. It is
regrettable that this question is interpreted as seeking support from the
Israeli, while what was meant was exactly the opposite.
On the eve of the expiry of Electricité du Liban’s deadline
for payment of dues… Source in the Board of Directors: We will cut power to
defaulters and there will be no political interventions
Al-Markazia /1 November 2026
Hours remain before the expiry of the deadline given by Electricité du Liban to
administrations, public institutions and independent authorities before
implementing its decision to cut electricity supply to those who have failed to
settle their financial dues to the institution. On the eve of the deadline set
for 2 November, phone calls poured into the Board of Directors of Electricité du
Liban from some of the institutions concerned with paying their dues, and the
phones of board members did not stop ringing as they responded to parties
seeking to prevent the power cut by initiating the process of placing the dues
on the payment table. On the eve of the deadline’s expiry, a source in the Board
of Directors of Electricité du Liban told Bird Eye News, responding to what will
happen on Monday morning, that “electricity will be cut to the administrations
that have not paid the dues owed by them, noting that contacts did not stop
throughout Sunday from the institutions, administrations and authorities
concerned, some of which sent copies of the financial transfers, while others
expressed readiness for installment and scheduling.” The source added: “What the
Board of Directors of Electricité du Liban will do on Monday morning is contact
Banque du Liban to find out who has transferred the dues, and on this basis the
cutting decision will begin to take effect around eleven o’clock before noon.”
Commenting on administrations rushing to pay in the final hours of the deadline,
the source said: “Everyone rushed at the last moment to call, from water
authorities and others, and there are administrations that have not paid since
2006. Is it reasonable that they do not take the electricity bill into account?”
The source continued: “Electricité du Liban is neglected and abandoned, and it
is no longer acceptable for its wall to be low. What is strange is that the
Minister of Finance talks about budgets allocated to administrations and public
institutions for operating expenses, while some of these administrations, it
seems, transferred the electricity appropriation and others to other things.”
Asked whether collecting the accumulated dues would be sufficient for
Electricité du Liban to activate productivity, increase supply hours and cover
its expenses to companies, service providers and its employees’ salaries, the
source in the Board of Directors said: “No, it is not sufficient, and we are
waiting for the $100 million from the government after its approval of a draft
law aimed at opening an additional credit of $100 million to help ministries,
administrations and institutions settle the accumulated electricity bills in
favor of Electricité du Liban. This amount would relieve the institution until
next January, noting that collecting the dues is one orientation among several
orientations to secure sufficient liquidity, such as activating collection and
other measures.” Regarding the Palestinian camps that have dues estimated at
around $70 million and whether UNRWA would cover the payment, the source said
that “the organization does not seem inclined in this direction, and what will
happen is holding a meeting with the Palestinian factions, after which we will
give them twenty days to pay and settle their situations, noting that what
raises astonishment is that the camps settle what is due every month to the
owners of private generators and exclude the state.” Regarding the practice of
political interventions by certain references on the Board of Directors of
Electricité du Liban, the source denied their existence and said: “No one has
called or approached us; on the contrary, the ‘big ones’ were diligent in paying
the dues to the institution.” While clarifying that the administration of Beirut
Airport rushed to contact and will pay large accumulated amounts, he affirmed
that “the goal is not to disrupt the administrations, but rather to regularize
the process of monthly payment to Electricité du Liban and introduce this
culture into public institutions.” Information indicates that when the new Board
of Directors was appointed at Electricité du Liban six months ago, there was
$145 million in the treasury before the war broke out and energy prices began to
soar, “swallowing” the funds to open credits for the power ships. Energy
Ministry sources had confirmed in the same context that the decision to cut
electricity to the defaulting parties is not an emotional reaction, nor a
punitive or arbitrary measure, but rather a necessary measure that falls within
the principle of “the last remedy is cauterization.” – Bird Eye News – Writer:
Pauline Fadel
Airstrikes, shelling and house demolition in the South… and
an Israeli drone explodes in Mayfdoun
Al-Markazia / 1 November 2026
An Israeli airstrike targeted the outskirts of the town of Aita al-Jabal in the
Bint Jbeil district. Enemy warplanes were reported flying over the skies of Tyre
and the towns of the district at low altitude while carrying out mock raids. The
Israeli army carried out another explosion in the town of Al-Qantara, and also
targeted the town of Qabrikha with artillery shelling toward Wadi al-Salouqi. In
parallel, the Israeli army has been carrying out a demolition operation of
houses in the town of Zoutar al-Sharqiya since this morning. Large bulldozers
were seen working to undermine the columns of houses and destroy them,
accompanied by an enemy military force. The Israeli army also carried out a
large explosion in the town of Al-Qantara. An explosion was reported in the town
of Kounine in the Bint Jbeil district, simultaneous with Israeli artillery
shelling that targeted the town. In addition, an Israeli drone exploded in a
room on the roof of a sheep farm on the Mayfdoun–Zoutar al-Sharqiya road. No
casualties were reported. Israeli warplanes carried out five airstrikes
targeting the town of Froun in southern Lebanon. Violent explosions were heard
in the city of Sidon and neighboring areas, resulting from Israeli artillery
shelling targeting a number of southern towns. A series of Israeli airstrikes
also targeted Kfar Tebnit, Al-Qantara and Wadi al-Hujeir. Artillery shelling
targeted the outskirts of Aita al-Jabal, the outskirts of Braashit–Kounine, and
Bani Hayyan. An Israeli drone searched one of the buildings in the inhabited
town of Touline. Israeli artillery had shelled the town of Al-Mansouri and the
outskirts of Haddatha at dawn, and the Israeli army carried out an explosion in
the town of Aynata. Israeli drones are flying over the city of Jezzine and its
area at low altitude.
This is what will happen if Lebanon adopts Hezbollah's’s demand and abandons
negotiation!
Lara Yazbek / Al-Markazia / 1 November 2026
On Thursday, President of the Republic General Joseph Aoun chaired a meeting
attended by Army Commander General Rudolph Haykal and the head of the
negotiating delegation, former ambassador Simon Karam, during which he was
briefed by the head and members of the Lebanese military delegation on the
results of the meetings held in Tampa with the American and Israeli delegations
on 20 and 21 October. Before this meeting, Aoun had stressed to German Minister
of Economic Development and Cooperation Reem Al-Abali Radovan that “Lebanon is
committed to diplomatic and negotiated solutions to address conflicts.” While
affirming the necessity of stopping Israeli aggressions and adhering to existing
understandings, he noted “that the Lebanese state and the Lebanese army are
prepared to address any security concerns through official mechanisms and the
adopted coordination, rather than resorting to military operations.” The
President of the Republic insists on the negotiation option despite everything.
He clings to it, despite the intensive campaigns waged by Hezbollah, its media
and those orbiting around it against the negotiations, which they consider first
a betrayal, and second of no benefit, as in their view they have achieved
nothing for Lebanon—even though, at the very least, they have succeeded in
restraining and controlling the Israeli killing machine, according to sovereign
political sources speaking to Al-Markazia. The party is astonished that the
state is proceeding with negotiation, and it does not cease calling on it to
abandon this table and instead join what it calls the “Islamabad track,” knowing
that this track is dead and has long been dead, according to the sources. But
let us imagine for a moment that the state did what the party is asking of it.
What results would follow from this choice? First, the sources answer, the
American umbrella available to Lebanon today would disappear. That is, the
Israeli side would return free and released from all the restraints imposed on
it by Washington with regard to Lebanon. Accordingly, it would intensify its
military operations in the South and resume them with greater force without
restraint or oversight, and it would also return to striking the southern
suburbs and the Bekaa whenever it suspected a presumed threat in these areas.
The possibility of achieving new withdrawals, even limited ones, in exchange for
the entry of the Lebanese army, would evaporate. The coordination lines open
today strongly between Beirut and Washington, and extending to Israel, to try to
achieve breakthroughs, even limited ones, in some files, such as knowing the
fate of prisoners, would be cut. The possibility of settling the chronic
outstanding problems between Lebanon and Israel, for example on some border
points, and ending the state of conflict between them leading to a permanent and
stable peace that turns the page on the wars between them, which have cost
Lebanon a great deal, would also fall by knockout. In return, Lebanon would have
no support: neither the alleged resistance would benefit it, nor would Iran
support it, nor Islamabad, where the American would refuse to give Iran any
gains in Lebanon. Is this the scenario that the Axis of Resistance wants to drag
the country into? Most likely yes, and it is behavior not surprising from a team
that has found it easy to burn its country repeatedly so that Iran may live
Army patrols and checkpoints to maintain security in these
areas
Al-Markazia / 1 November 2026The Army Command – Directorate of Orientation
issued the following statement: Units of the army carried out security measures
in the areas of: Tripoli, Halba, Al-Bira and Al-Arida – Akkar; Khalde and
Choueifat – Aley; Naameh, Ramaila, Saadiyat and Damour – Chouf. The measures
included conducting mechanized and foot patrols and setting up temporary
checkpoints to pursue wanted persons and those disturbing security.
Hezbollah 'won't escalate' after 13 charged in
explosives case
Naharnet/November 01/2026
Hezbollah will not escalate over the charges filed by Judge Claude Ghanem
against 13 suspects in the Dahr al-Baidar explosives case and "a decision has
been made to give political contacts a chance," political sources told the
pro-Hezbollah daily al-Akhbar. Hezbollah has not issued an official statement,
but its MP Hussein al-Hajj Hassan said that "the indictment issued by the
Government Commissioner to the Military Court against a number of Lebanese
citizens lacks the most basic rules of the National Pact, the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Charter, and numerous Lebanese
laws, all of which guarantee the legitimate rights of any resistance against the
occupation." He pointed out that "the detainees and
the rest of the accused citizens were performing a national duty in defense of
their country, state sovereignty, and to protect the Lebanese people, for which
they deserve honor rather than trial.""They have no connection to all the false
accusations issued by parties inside and outside the rulimh authority," Hajj
Hassan added, referring to the accusations that the explosives were meant to be
used in assassinations. "Regardless of the local and foreign political targeting
that accompanied this case, the reliance of this decision on certain articles of
the Penal Code is completely incompatible with the mission the defendants were
performing. This accusation is unfair and unjust, and its merits are subject to
well-known political dictates," the legislator stated. "These resistance
fighters were not in a position to undermine state security and safety, but were
rather confronting the Israeli enemy, which threatens Lebanon's existence
through its continuous occupation and the daily crimes of assassination,
bombing, and destruction it commits against our country and people," the MP
argued. The charges marked the latest sign of a dramatic shift in relations
between Hezbollah and Lebanon after two wars between the Iran-backed group and
Israel in the past three years. For decades, Hezbollah moved weapons freely in
parts of Lebanon. That changed in March, when the government declared the
group's military activities illegal following the outbreak of the latest war.
Two defendants were arrested when authorities seized the shipment earlier this
month and remain in custody. The other 11 remain at large and were charged in
absentia. Five were identified only by nicknames because their real names remain
unknown. The charges include crimes against internal state security, possession
of weapons and explosives, and forming illegal associations aimed at undermining
state authority, the state-run National News Agency said. The truck was stopped
at a checkpoint on the main highway linking Beirut to the eastern Bekaa Valley
earlier this month. It carried 780 kilograms of explosives, including 250
kilograms of TNT and 250 kilograms of C-4 plastic explosives, according to
judicial officials. The seizure sparked heated public debate, with many accusing
Hezbollah of planning to assassinate domestic opponents as it faces mounting
pressure to disarm.The government outlawed Hezbollah's military activities hours
after the group fired rockets into northern Israel, triggering a war that has
killed nearly 4,000 people in Lebanon and left Israeli forces occupying a large
swath of the country's south. Hezbollah fired the rockets two days after Israel
and the United States launched a war on Iran, its main backer.
Hezbollah has refused to recognize the government's decision.
Aoun doesn't trust Hezbollah's assurances despite 'timid
dialogue'
Naharnet/November 01/2026
President Joseph Aoun still has concerns that a third war might erupt between
Israel and Hezbollah, despite new assurances from the Iran-backed group that it
will not enter into any new confrontation that might break out between Tehran,
the United States, and Israel, Asharq al-Awsat newspaper has reported. "The
source of the presidential anxiety is that he had received similar assurances
prior to the second round of the war last March, which Hezbollah soon reneged on
following the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei," the daily
said. "Based on the Lebanese proverb that warns against 'testing the tested'
(repeating a failed experiment), President Aoun is dealing cautiously with these
assurances, as well as with the beginning of a timid dialogue that recently
kicked off between him and Hezbollah," the newspaper added. It said that Aoun
realizes that a third round of war could be devastating for southern Lebanon and
the Shiite community in particular, in light of warnings conveyed to him and to
several Lebanese officials.The latest of these came during a phone call between
him and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who stated clearly that Hezbollah's
entry into the confrontation would have devastating consequences.
Israel faces political deadlock amid regional war
preparations, with Lebanon in focus
LBCI/November 01/2026
All scenarios for forming a new Israeli government are facing obstacles,
prompting Benjamin Netanyahu to say he has halted efforts to form a coalition
and hint at the possibility of new elections. Amid the deadlock, the parties
involved are hardening their positions. Netanyahu's fierce rival, Gadi Eisenkot,
has voiced support for military operations against anyone who threatens Israel's
security, even if they take place before a new government is formed. The
statement has heightened tensions amid other developments, including the arrival
of a U.S. airlift carrying air defense systems and combat vehicles in Israel.
The Israeli military has also announced that it is prepared to operate on all
fronts, from Gaza to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. According to a security official
cited by the Israeli daily Maariv, Lebanon would become a key target if an
attack on Iran prompted Hezbollah to retaliate. Israel is taking the possibility
of Hezbollah joining the fighting against it very seriously, the newspaper
reported. Under an Israeli military plan, any strikes
against Lebanon would rely on naval and ground forces, as the air force would be
occupied with the Iranian front. The plan reportedly focuses on Nabatieh, Tyre,
Sidon and Beirut's southern suburbs, as well as imposing a naval blockade on the
ports of Beirut and Tripoli. While disagreements over government formation
remain in the spotlight, a national unity government is reportedly also being
discussed behind the scenes. Under one scenario, a U.S. or joint U.S.-Israeli
attack on Iran would last several days, during which Israel would face
retaliatory strikes. A state of emergency would then be declared, placing
national security at the forefront of political decision-making. As the
situation remains uncertain, particularly ahead of the U.S. elections, Eisenkot
has outlined four conditions for joining a government under his leadership.
These include recognizing Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, making
national service in all its forms mandatory for all Israeli citizens, and
designating Hamas as a terrorist organization.
LBCI sources reveal how authorities foiled cocaine
smuggling operation at Beirut airport
LBCI/November 01/2026
Lebanon’s General Security had been tracking the cocaine shipment from the
moment it was prepared and departed Accra for Beirut, LBCI sources said.
According to the sources, General Security officers monitored the suspected
smuggler upon his arrival at Beirut’s airport and alerted customs officers, who
searched his luggage and seized 46.7 kilograms of cocaine
Two suitcases, 40 kilos of cocaine and a $3,000 payoff:
Inside Beirut airport's major drug bust
LBCI/November 01/2026
The biggest drug bust in Beirut airport’s history. That is how Lebanese customs
described the seizure. But the story begins at the Masnaa border crossing. On
Oct. 23, Syrian passenger B.H. legally entered Lebanon by land through the
Masnaa border crossing. He left the country by air the same day through Beirut
airport, heading to Accra, the capital of Ghana. Eight days later, he returned
to the same airport carrying two suitcases containing drugs. This time, however,
Lebanese security agencies had been tracking his movements since his departure
from Ghana, based on intelligence they had received.
What happened in Accra?
According to Lebanese customs sources who spoke to LBCI, the passenger is
suspected of having paid a bribe at Accra airport to facilitate the passage of
his two suitcases. The sources said Brig. Gen. Misbah Khalil, head of the Higher
Customs Council, contacted Ghanaian security and customs authorities, and the
two sides exchanged information to uncover the smuggling network, trace its
route, and identify those involved in both countries. Lebanese customs and
General Security had been monitoring the passenger’s movements since he departed
Ghana aboard Middle East Airlines flight MEA 576. At around 8 p.m. on Saturday,
the plane landed in Beirut. B.H. disembarked and headed to the baggage claim
area. General Security surveillance officers monitored him until he collected
his two suitcases. Both bags were then opened at the customs checkpoint. Inside
were 40 packages of cocaine, concealed using packaging methods designed to
prevent detection by scanning equipment. Inspectors also found AirTag tracking
devices inside the packages. According to General Security, the shipment
contained 40 kilograms of cocaine, with each package weighing 1 kilogram. The
customs figure of 46.7 kilograms, meanwhile, includes the inner packaging of the
packages. This is what is meant by gross weight. Customs described the operation
as the largest drug bust in the history of Rafic Hariri International Airport.
However, in December 2025, the same directorate announced the seizure of around
70 kilograms of cocaine that had also arrived from Ghana. The difference was
that the drugs had entered Lebanon through air freight as part of a 600-kilogram
shipment declared as coconut oil. This time, the cocaine was found in the
luggage of a single passenger.
What would have happened if the two suitcases had made it out of the airport?
According to Lebanese customs sources, B.H. was supposed to contact someone
outside the airport and hand over the shipment. He was to be paid $3,000 for the
task. The man carrying the suitcases was arrested, but the identity of the
person he was supposed to contact remains unknown. Under judicial supervision,
investigations are ongoing to determine who was supposed to receive the shipment
in Lebanon and who sent it from Ghana.
The Maronie Cross
Edmond El-Chidiac/November 01/2026
Emblem of Faith, Resurrection, and Existence
Bound to the Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) as the Tree of Life (Ilono d-Ḥaye),
the Maronite Cross stands as a living icon of the Paschal mystery. Far from a
symbol of death, it embodies a Syriac-Antiochian faith deeply rooted in the
Lebanese rock—one that withstands trials and yields the fruits of freedom and
hope.
I. The Mystery of the Wood: Ephrem & Jacob of Serugh
In Syriac theology, the Cross is not an instrument of defeat, but the restored
Tree of Life from Eden and the cosmic center (Axis Mundi) through which divine
grace transforms the world:
The Promised Fruit (Rev 2:7): Unlike the forbidden tree of Eden, Christ hangs
upon the boughs of the Cross as the living fruit, offering His Body as the
medicine of life (Sam Ḥaye).
Saint Ephrem the Syriac (Key to Paradise): St. Ephrem teaches that the wood of
the Cross disarms the fiery sword of the Cherubim guarding Eden, turning an
instrument of execution into the source of eternal nourishment:
"Blessed is he who feeds upon the fruit of this Tree, for death, which devoured
all, has itself become the food of life."
Saint Jacob of Serugh (The Bridge Over Death): St. Jacob envisions the Cross
planted deep into the soil of Golgotha as an incorruptible wooden bridge. It
stretches from the darkest depths of the grave up to the heights of heaven,
swallowing death in the radiance of the Resurrection.
II. The Pillars of Identity
The Roots: Syriac-Antiochian heritage and the open-air asceticism of St. Maron.
The Trunk: Christ—the unshakeable Rock (Cephas) sustaining His Church through
every storm.
The Branches: Ascetics, monks, monasteries, and families preserving the deposit
of faith (Mawhabto).
The Fruits: Sacrificial love (Houbo), unyielding faith (Haymanoutho), and
divine freedom (Heroutho).
III. The Covenant of Cross and Cedar
United with the Cedar of Lebanon, the Cross reflects biblical resilience (Psalm
92:12). Just as cedar roots clasp the deep limestone cliffs of Mount Lebanon,
Maronite faith remains fiercely anchored to its sacred soil—transforming the
land into an altar of covenant and freedom.
IV. Existential Resistance
Maronite endurance was never merely political, but a spiritual vocation to
defend human dignity and liberty:
Sanctuaries of the Valleys: Valleys like Holy Qadisha served as fortresses of
prayer where Syriac chanting met the labor of the land.
Guardians of Enlightenment: Monasteries, schools, and early printing presses
(such as Qozhaya in 1610) safeguarded language, culture, and truth.
Fortress of Liberty: Mount Lebanon stood as an autonomous haven of freedom and
a refuge for the persecuted.
V. Accompanying Inscription
The Maronite Cross — The Tree of Life
Rooted in the ascetic faith of Saint Maron,
Majestic as the Cedar of Lebanon in its sacred soil,
Triumphant through Christ's Cross and Resurrection,
Bearing the holy fruits of faith, freedom, and love,
And reaching toward eternal life.
Conclusion
The Maronite Cross is the Tree of Life because Christ turned suffering into
resurrection. Intertwined with the Cedar, it stands as an imperishable monument
to a faith that cannot be uprooted and a holy covenant of freedom that endures
across generations.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on November 01-02/2026/
(Some of the News reports below are
translated from Arabic by AI)
Netanyahu reportedly urges Trump to
attack Iran after US midterms
Al Arabiya English/01 November/2026
US President Donald Trump held a call with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu over when
and whether to ramp up combat operations against Iran, US media reported Sunday.
Axios quoted one US and one Israeli official saying the two leaders on Saturday
discussed the state of negotiations with Tehran, with Netanyahu pressing the
president to launch strikes on Iran immediately after the US midterm elections
and Trump eager to let negotiations play out. The Israeli source described the
call as “tough,” while the American source said it was “direct,” according to
Axios. Later on Sunday, Trump confirmed that he had spoken with Netanyahu on
Saturday. “Just had a very good talk with him,” Trump said of the conversation,
adding that one of the topics of conversation was Iran. Throughout the
eight-month war Trump has pursued dual tracks with Tehran: a campaign of
airstrikes and other attacks, while seeking to reach a deal that would jumpstart
peace talks and fully open the Strait of Hormuz to vital oil and gas traffic. On
Saturday the president maintained to reporters that negotiations with Iran to
end the war were “going fine,” and that there were still one or two targets to
“take care” of. He stressed too that Washington was not in a hurry to take
offensive action because it had already decimated Iran’s military and its
nuclear program. The Trump-Netanyahu talks followed the disclosure Saturday by
Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei that he had received a letter from US Vice
President JD Vance seeking to revive stalled talks. In another sign that
mediators are keen to resume negotiations, a Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran
on Friday for talks with Iranian officials, state media reported. Trump has
faced immense political pressure over the Middle East war, with US midterm
voters furious over rising gas prices and other cost-of-living hikes – and they
could potentially vent that anger at the ballot box. With AFP
Trump says US still has 'one or two targets' in Iran
Agence France Presse/01 November/2026
U.S. President Donald Trump said overnight that the United States has knocked
out much of Iran's military but still has to "take care of" one or two targets,
as Tehran warned of reprisals if attacked. Trump maintained that negotiations
with Iran to end the war, which was started by the United States and Israel in
February, were "going fine but you know they're not very reliable."The
Republican president said the United States is not in a hurry to take offensive
action because it had already decimated Iran's military and nuclear program.
"We've knocked out their nuclear. We still have to take care of, I would say one
or two sites, but we can do that in 10 minutes," Trump told reporters at his
Florida residence. "You probably could look at Pickaxe Mountain, and you have to
take care of that. We can do that all very quickly," he added, referring to a
suspected underground nuclear complex. The Iranian government denied any nuclear
work is carried out there. Earlier Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio
said Trump has not made a decision about fresh strikes on Iran and that the
United States would be open to a diplomatic solution. Iran's supreme leader on
Saturday warned the United States and Israel against launching a new offensive,
following threats they could resume strikes after crucial elections in both
countries. Trump had previously warned an attack could come after the U.S.
midterms this week, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of a
"historic, one-time opportunity" to topple the Iranian government. The elections
in both countries could determine the direction of the conflict, with Israel
having voted in a general election on Tuesday but yet to form a new government.
"Any level or type of threat must be met with an immediate, impactful and
geographically unrestricted response," Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei
told top military commanders, according to a statement. Khamenei also ordered
commanders to update Iran's target list to include "all types of tangible and
intangible assets belonging to the American-Zionist enemy."This was the first
reported meeting between Khamenei and military top brass.The supreme leader has
not been seen publicly since before he took the helm in March, after the killing
of his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in U.S.-Israeli strikes.
Oil price spike
Rubio warned that "we can achieve military objectives if we seek to", adding
that Trump had not made a decision on any fresh strikes. Since the recent
outbreak of the war, Tehran has restricted shipping through the Strait of
Hormuz, which normally carries around one-fifth of global oil consumption.
Iran has previously warned it would also consider severing undersea cables in
the Strait of Hormuz. A ship traversing the strait struck a mine and caught
fire, Iranian state television reported Saturday. Iran's Revolutionary Guards
said Friday three oil tankers had been halted after encountering unspecified
"incidents" or hitting mines.The blockade has caused a spike in global energy
prices, making the war unpopular among the U.S. public ahead of the upcoming
polls. Gains for the opposition Democrats could restrict, to an extent, Trump's
ability to enact policy. Voting in Israel has left Netanyahu's political camp
with the most seats in parliament but short of a majority, leaving the make-up
of the next administration unclear.
'Flames of war' -
Fresh diplomatic efforts are underway to avert any resumption of fighting.
Qatari mediators landed in Tehran on Friday, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance
sent a letter to Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei. "I read the letter," said
Rezaei, head of Iran's supreme national security council, in a video broadcast
on Iranian television. "I haven't yet responded. Their tone has completely
changed," he added, describing that as "a good sign" without going into more
detail. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there were currently no
plans for meetings with U.S. officials. "Iran's conditions are clear, and
consultations regarding them are ongoing among mediators," he said in an
interview with Al Jazeera, according to the state news agency IRNA. Rezaei
insisted Iran would continue to blockade the Strait of Hormuz until its
conditions, including releasing frozen assets, were met. Qatar and Pakistan have
been mediating between the warring parties, but the talks have yet to produce a
lasting agreement. Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said any resumption
of hostilities would only expand the scope of the war. "The flames of war will
undoubtedly engulf a much wider geographical area," he said on social media.
Araghchi warned on X that there would no longer be any "red lines".
UAE says hoping for breakthrough yet 'braced for the worst'
in Iran-US war
Agence France Presse
The UAE is hoping for a breakthrough in negotiations between Iran and the United
States while being prepared for the worst, a senior official said on Sunday,
following threats of a resumption of the Middle East war. "We're hoping that
there is a diplomatic breakthrough," diplomatic adviser to the Emirati president
Anwar Gargash said during a conference in Manama."It is not the interest of the
region to go through another round... But I think we're also, as we've shown
before, braced for the worst," he added.
Iranian negotiators hold third day of talks in Qatar to end
US-Iran war
Al Arabiya English/01 November/2026
Iranian negotiators were in Doha on Sunday for a third consecutive day of talks
with Qatari mediators aimed at pushing for a deal to end the US-Israeli war on
Iran, an official briefed on the discussions told Reuters. The talks come amid
concerns that the conflict could escalate again after the November 3 US midterm
elections. President Donald Trump has said the United States will not launch new
attacks on Iran before the vote and that talks with Tehran have been productive,
though he has not ruled out further military action afterward. Iran’s Foreign
Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that the purpose of the “ongoing and
progressing” talks was to continue consultations with the Qatari mediators,
adding Tehran is prepared for “both defense and diplomacy.”Speaking to state
media, Araghchi said discussions on a “two-day proposal” were continuing, but
that no final conclusion had been reached.
Iran has repeatedly said it would respond to any new attacks by striking US and
Israeli targets in neighboring countries, as the eight-month-old war continues
to disrupt global oil supplies and spill over across the Middle East. “We are
doing our best in this process, and we hope that there is rationality on the
other side so that they prioritize diplomacy over other paths,” Araghchi said of
the talks with Qatari officials. Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on
Saturday ordered the armed forces to be prepared for any attack, while the
military later announced steps to strengthen its readiness. US Secretary of
State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that Trump has not decided whether to launch
new strikes against Iran, but would prefer to resolve the conflict
diplomatically. Qatari mediators were in Tehran on Friday for discussions with
Iranian officials before moving the talks to Doha on Saturday, an official had
told Reuters. The talks were being coordinated in regular contacts with
Washington, the official added. With Reuters
Iranians in camouflage outfits stand at attention during
the inauguration of a training center by the Iranian
Al Arabiya English/01 November/2026
Iran warned on Sunday that any renewed war with the United States could last
longer than the previous round of fighting, after President Donald Trump said he
still had to “take care” of more targets. Diplomatic efforts to end the Middle
East war have been punctuated by repeated threats from the United States and
Israel to resume bombardments as they hold crucial elections. “A potential
future war could last longer than previous conflict, and the American president
would not be in a position to dictate the timing or the conditions of its
conclusion,” said army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia, according to Iranian state
television. In the most intense phase of the war, which began on February 28
with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, Tehran retaliated with missile and drone
attacks across the region. Iran-backed militias joined the fighting in Lebanon
and Yemen. Akraminia’s remarks followed Trump’s suggestion that the United
States could swiftly strike its remaining targets in Iran. “We still have to
take care of, I would say one or two sites, but we can do that in 10 minutes,”
Trump told reporters at his Florida residence. “You probably could look at
Pickaxe Mountain, and you have to take care of that. We can do that all very
quickly,” he added, referring to a suspected underground nuclear complex.
‘No geographical limitations’
Top military and political officials in Iran have warned against any new attack.
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman Hossein Mohebbi on Sunday
echoed a warning issued a day earlier in a written message by Iran’s Supreme
Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. “In a conflict with America, there are no geographical
limitations; a vast theatre has been defined for inflicting damage upon the
enemy,” Mohebbi said, according to state television. The warnings came as Iran’s
security chief Mohsen Rezaei disclosed on Saturday that he had received a letter
from US Vice President JD Vance seeking to revive talks. Rezaei noted what he
described as a positive change in “tone” from the US side but said he had yet to
respond. He said Tehran had previously told Washington that unless its
conditions were met, “neither would the Strait of Hormuz be reopened nor would
there be any negotiations.”
Those conditions include unfreezing Iranian assets abroad, ending the
months-long US naval blockade of Iranian ports, lifting longstanding sanctions
and ending the war on all fronts. Since the war began, Iran has claimed control
over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy conduit, and repeatedly
targeted vessels attempting to cross without its authorization. The United
States has imposed a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
‘Braced for the worst’
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the Emirati president, said on Sunday that
the United Arab Emirates hoped the exchanges would yield a breakthrough but was
preparing for the worst. “We’re hoping that there is a diplomatic breakthrough,”
he told a conference in Manama. “It is not the interest of the region to go
through another round... But I think we’re also, as we’ve shown before, braced
for the worst.”In Tehran, some residents described a sense of helplessness as
threats of renewed fighting mount. “The news coming in is truly worrying.
However, no matter how much I, as an ordinary citizen, immerse myself in these
reports, there is nothing I can actually do about it,” Mohadese, a 27-year-old
health inspector, told AFP. Others including 48-year-old vendor Ebrahim saw no
reason to be concerned. “We do not fear another war; we have been at war for 48
years now – we are always at war,” he said in downtown Tehran. With AFP
UAE says hoping for breakthrough yet ‘braced for the worst’ in Iran-US war
Al Arabiya English/02 November/2026
The UAE is hoping for a breakthrough in negotiations between Iran and the United
States while being prepared for the worst, a senior official said on Sunday,
following threats of a resumption of the Middle East war.“We’re hoping that
there is a diplomatic breakthrough,” Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the
Emirati president, said during a conference in Manama. “It is not the interest
of the region to go through another round... But I think we’re also, as we’ve
shown before, braced for the worst.” Following a visit to Tehran this week by a
Qatari delegation, Iran has dispatched envoys to the Gulf country to continue
consultations as part of indirect negotiations with the US to end the war. But
US President Donald Trump reiterated his threats on Saturday, saying the United
States still has to “take care of” one or two targets in Iran. “We just can’t
allow Iran to take this region and the global economy hostage,” US Assistant
Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Donald Blome said at the Manama conference on
Sunday. “The hand of negotiation has been extended, and those channels have
continued to be open and active at the same time,” Blome said. “We’ve been also
prepared to go in another direction.” On Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco
Rubio said Trump has not made a decision about fresh strikes on Iran and that
the US would be open to a diplomatic solution. The war began on February 28 with
joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which retaliated by targeting, among others,
Gulf countries.
Iran army says any new war with US could be 'longer than
previous conflict'
Agence France Presse/01 November/2026
Iran warned on Sunday that any new war with the United States could last longer
than the previous conflict and that U.S. President Donald Trump would not be the
one to determine its duration. "A potential future war could last longer than
previous conflict, and the American president would not be in a position to
dictate the timing or the conditions of its conclusion," said army spokesman
Mohammad Akraminia, according to Iranian state television. He was referring to
the most intense phase of the fighting in the war that began on February 28 with
U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, killing the Islamic republic's supreme leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones across
the region, while the militant groups it backs also entered the fray in Lebanon
and Yemen. Iran's Defense Minister Mehrdad Akhlaghi on Sunday warned of a
"proportionate, decisive, and impactful response" to any attack on the country,
according to state TV. "Those who pose threats will not dictate the scope,
timing, or consequences of Iran's defensive response," he added. Also on Sunday,
Hossein Mohebbi, the spokesperson of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the
ideological arm of Iran's military, echoed the remarks made by the country's new
supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in a written message the day before.
"In a conflict with America, there are no geographical limitations; a vast
theatre has been defined for inflicting damage upon the enemy," Mohebbi said,
according to state TV. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the
United States has knocked out much of Iran's military but still has to "take
care of" one or two targets. "We've knocked out their nuclear. We still have to
take care of, I would say one or two sites, but we can do that in 10 minutes,"
Trump said.
Israeli strikes in Gaza kill eight, including a child
Al Arabiya English/02 November/2026
Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed eight people including a child on
Sunday, according to emergency services and local hospitals. Five people were
killed in Khan Younis and three in Gaza City, said a statement from the
territory’s civil defense service.Local hospitals said they had received the
bodies as well as several people wounded.“Occupation aircraft targeted several
on-duty police officers” in Khan Younis, Gaza’s interior ministry said. The
Israeli army told AFP it had targeted a “terrorist” in southern Gaza and several
others in the north.The military was examining the results of the strikes, it
added.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas has left
much of the territory in ruins and killed more than 74,500 people, according to
Gaza’s health ministry. A ceasefire took effect in October 2025 but more than
1,500 people have been killed in Gaza since that time.With AFP
Israel faces political deadlock amid regional war
preparations, with Lebanon in focus
LBCI/01 November/2026
All scenarios for forming a new Israeli government are facing obstacles,
prompting Benjamin Netanyahu to say he has halted efforts to form a coalition
and hint at the possibility of new elections.Amid the deadlock, the parties
involved are hardening their positions. Netanyahu's fierce rival, Gadi Eisenkot,
has voiced support for military operations against anyone who threatens Israel's
security, even if they take place before a new government is formed. The
statement has heightened tensions amid other developments, including the arrival
of a U.S. airlift carrying air defense systems and combat vehicles in Israel.
The Israeli military has also announced that it is prepared to operate on all
fronts, from Gaza to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. According to a security official
cited by the Israeli daily Maariv, Lebanon would become a key target if an
attack on Iran prompted Hezbollah to retaliate. Israel is taking the possibility
of Hezbollah joining the fighting against it very seriously, the newspaper
reported. Under an Israeli military plan, any strikes against Lebanon would rely
on naval and ground forces, as the air force would be occupied with the Iranian
front. The plan reportedly focuses on Nabatieh, Tyre, Sidon and Beirut's
southern suburbs, as well as imposing a naval blockade on the ports of Beirut
and Tripoli. While disagreements over government formation remain in the
spotlight, a national unity government is reportedly also being discussed behind
the scenes. Under one scenario, a U.S. or joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran
would last several days, during which Israel would face retaliatory strikes. A
state of emergency would then be declared, placing national security at the
forefront of political decision-making. As the situation remains uncertain,
particularly ahead of the U.S. elections, Eisenkot has outlined four conditions
for joining a government under his leadership. These include recognizing Israel
as a Jewish and democratic state, making national service in all its forms
mandatory for all Israeli citizens, and designating Hamas as a terrorist
organization.
Israel elections chief says inquiry into irregularities
will not undermine result
LBCI/01 November/2026
The head of Israel's Central Elections Committee said on Sunday that an ongoing
investigation into alleged foreign funding in the country's recent vote would
not invalidate its result, noting that so far "suspicions remain suspicions.""We
will examine them thoroughly and get to the very bottom of the matter in order
to establish the full truth," committee chief Noam Sohlberg said in a video
message. "Our position is that even if the suspicions are ultimately confirmed,
this would not call into question the integrity of the electoral process or the
overall results of the elections."AFP
Houthi media says Saudi strikes target Yemen's Hodeidah
port
LBCI/01 November/2026
Houthi media said on Sunday that Saudi airstrikes targeted Hodeidah, a strategic
port under Houthi control, as the group battles a Saudi-led coalition supporting
the internationally recognised government.
"The Saudi enemy has launched two airstrikes on Ras Issa port," Al-Masirah TV
said.AFP
Saudi-led coalition says it targeted resources used by Houthis in Yemen
Al Arabiya English/01 November/2026
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Sunday it had carried out a military
operation targeting resources used by the Iran-backed Houthi militia to support
its war effort, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. Coalition spokesman Maj.
Gen. Turki al-Maliki said the operation was conducted on Sunday morning in
response to continued Houthi attacks against civilians and civilian
infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Al-Maliki accused the Houthis of using
vital resources to support their war effort and bolster their military
capabilities, particularly ballistic missiles and drones. He said the coalition
had carried out a targeted military operation to neutralize resources used by
the Houthis to launch repeated attacks and threaten the security of Saudi Arabia
and Yemen, as well as shipping routes in the southern Red Sea. Al-Maliki said
the coalition would continue taking the necessary military measures to deter
Houthi attacks and prevent the militia from using vital resources to support its
war effort. He also called on the Houthis to halt attacks against civilians and
civilian infrastructure, warning that the militia would bear responsibility for
the consequences if such attacks continued.
Get the latest stories from AlArabiya on Google News
Saudi military official calls for collective action to protect maritime
waterways
Al Arabiya English/01 November/2026
Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Vice Adm. Fahd al-Ghufaili,
said on Sunday that threats to maritime waterways require an effective
collective response, stressing that protecting international straits is a shared
global responsibility. Speaking at the Manama Dialogue security forum in
Bahrain, al-Ghufaili warned that threats to maritime routes affect the interests
of countries worldwide and have become an international challenge. “Maritime
security is not the responsibility of a single country, and force cannot be a
substitute for law,” he said. Al-Ghufaili also stressed that international
straits should not be used as tools of political or military pressure. His
remarks come amid growing international concerns over threats to shipping
through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb, as tensions persist across the
Middle East. The US-Iran conflict has severely disrupted maritime traffic in the
Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy supplies. Meanwhile,
fighting between Yemen’s internationally recognized government forces and the
Iran-backed Houthi militia has intensified, with the militia threatening
commercial shipping through Bab al-Mandeb, a strategic waterway connecting the
Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Russian strikes cut power to thousands in Ukraine as drones
damage Russian facility
Reuters/02 November/2026
Russian strikes left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian households without power
on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, while Russian authorities
reported major damage to an industrial site following Ukrainian drone attacks on
Nizhny Novgorod region.
Even as a six-day local ceasefire held on its final day around the
Russian-controlled Ukrainian town of Oleshky, there was no letup in fighting
elsewhere along the front line and both sides kept up long-range air attacks.
Zelenskyy said Russia had hit power infrastructure in four Ukrainian regions
overnight, cutting electricity to hundreds of thousands of households. “The
intensity of the strikes is very high, and the Russians are seeking to maximally
exploit the deficit of ballistic missile interceptors,” he said on Telegram. He
said Ukraine, meanwhile, had hit the Kamensky plant in Russia’s Rostov region,
which he said was involved in the manufacture of Russian missiles. The governor
of Ternopil region in western Ukraine, Taras Pastukh, said a Russian attack on
infrastructure in a town in the region had knocked out power to localities.
Emergency crews were working to restore it.
Moscow did not comment on the reported Ukrainian attack in Rostov. In Nizhny
Novgorod region, however, Governor Gleb Nikitin said a large-scale overnight
Ukrainian drone attack caused “significant damage” to an industrial facility. He
did not identify the site that was hit. The region is home to the NORSI oil
refinery, one of Russia’s largest. Overall, Russia’s defense ministry said its
forces had downed 235 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight. Ukraine’s
air force said it had shot down 371 of 433 long-range drones launched by Russia
since Saturday evening. In its morning update, the air force said dozens of
Russian drones were still in the air as of Sunday morning. Six separate drone
alerts had been issued in Kyiv since midnight.
Fuel supplies
Nizhny Novgorod’s regional government did not identify the facility that was
struck, but it said it was taking steps to ensure gas stations were supplied
with fuel, urging motorists to “buy fuel only as needed and avoid panic buying,”
Interfax reported. The warning suggests the damaged facility may have been
linked to the region’s oil-refining or fuel-supply infrastructure. Kyiv did not
immediately claim responsibility for the Nizhny Novgorod attack. On Friday,
Russia said Ukraine had resumed strikes on its oil refineries and accused Kyiv
of ignoring a request from US President Donald Trump to stop such attacks, which
Trump has blamed for raising the cost of diesel before US midterm elections next
week. Ukraine says it supports a full ceasefire on energy targets, including its
own battered power grid, but that Moscow is unwilling to agree to this. In an
interview with state TV channel Vesti on Sunday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister
Alexander Novak, who oversees the energy sector, did not mention the Nizhny
Novgorod strike, but said Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries were adding to
global fuel market imbalances and affecting prices.
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on November 01-02/2026
What the Muslim Brotherhood Plans for You if It Is Elected
Mohamed Saad Khairalla/Gatestone Institute/November 01/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/11/158748/
How did a group carrying an ideological project that extended
beyond the boundaries of the nation manage to convince all these people that it
was merely a natural partner in building a democratic state? How did the smiling
face that it chose succeed in concealing the true nature of its political
project?
Egypt's military council did not seem unaware of the Brotherhood's political
vision. Rather, it appeared to see the group as an instrument that could be used
to reproduce the very system that the Egyptian people had just brought to an
end.
[T]he Muslim Brotherhood... regards loyalty to itself as the most important
criterion and views the state as political spoils whose institutions must be
brought under its control.
Before long... [t]he smiling face gradually disappeared, and the Brotherhood's
political objectives — which it had avoided mentioning — appeared everywhere.
These included "Mastery of the World" and "The Caliphate State." Signs on the
walls of every public office stated, "Islam is the solution." The question now
was no longer whether the Brotherhood would govern the state but how far it
would seek to reshape the state in its own image.
What we wanted was a state ruled neither by a military general "protecting the
nation" nor by a Supreme Guide "protecting the religion." We wanted a state in
which sovereignty belonged to a constitution, power to the citizens, public
positions to those with ability and rights to everyone -- without discrimination
on the basis of religious belief or political allegiance.
At the time, however, we did not realize that overthrowing the Brotherhood's
government would pave the way for the restoration of the military regime against
which we had originally revolted.
The Egyptian experience [during the 2011-2013 "Arab Spring"] revealed how a
revolution against authoritarianism can become another form of authoritarianism
and how an organization that raises the banner of democracy can embody the
adversaries of democracy.
What happens to democracy when power is entrusted to an organization that does
not place democratic values and principles above its ideological project?
The fall of the Ottoman Empire was part of the views at the time in which al-Banna's
project took shape. There was a desire to revive the Islamic nation and restore
Islam to a central position in organizing society and the state. Consequently,
treating the Brotherhood as an ordinary political party that differs from other
parties only in its religion means overlooking the most important question: Is
participation in elections the ultimate goal of the project, or is it one of the
means that can be employed to achieve objectives that extend beyond the
boundaries of the nation-state and liberal democracy?
The real question is not whether the Brotherhood accepts the ballot box as a
means of reaching power, but whether it accepts the constraints imposed by the
constitution, the peaceful transfer of power, judicial independence, freedom of
religion and expression, and full equality in citizenship even when these
principles conflict with its ideological convictions — or whether it seeks to
set about changing them to promote its vision of how it believes the world ought
to be.
The difference between rhetoric that reassures the public of moderation on one
side, and an ideology that defines the organization's ultimate objectives on the
other, may not become clear until the demands of democratic governance come into
conflict with the requirements of the ideological project.
The Muslim Brotherhood's emblem features two crossed swords, a Qur'an, and the
word "Wa-a'iddu" ("And prepare"), which refers to verse 60 of Surah Al-Anfal:
"And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war by
which you may terrify the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them
whom you do not know [but] whom Allah knows. And whatever you spend in the cause
of Allah will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged." —
(Quran,8:60, Sahih International Translation)
They mean it.
What if the Muslim Brotherhood came to power in this country or that? What would
happen to the state and its institutions, to society and its freedoms, and to
the democracy that enabled the Brotherhood to reach power? Pictured: The logo of
the Muslim Brotherhood.
What if the Muslim Brotherhood came to power in this country or that? What would
happen to the state and its institutions, to society and its freedoms, and to
the democracy that enabled the Brotherhood to reach power?
I lived through the experience — and paid a price. The journey began with the
dream of establishing a democratic civil state in Egypt and ended in exile,
after confronting two competing projects vying for power that shared a hostility
toward the civil state: the project of religious rule and the project of
military rule.
Many of us called for the departure of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak after he
had ruled the country for nearly three decades. Years before his departure, when
we took to the streets to collect signatures for the Declaration of Change, one
thing continued to be astonishing: the comfort with which the opposition leaders
dealt with the Muslim Brotherhood, They treated it as merely another political
faction that shared their demands for freedom and change.
How did a group carrying an ideological project that extended beyond the
boundaries of the nation manage to convince all these people that it was merely
a natural partner in building a democratic state? How did the smiling face that
it chose succeed in concealing the true nature of its political project?
As soon as Mubarak stepped down on February 11, 2011, the Brotherhood began
making deals with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which had assumed
control of the country. Egypt's military council did not seem unaware of the
Brotherhood's political vision. Rather, it appeared to see the group as an
instrument that could be used to reproduce the very system that the Egyptian
people had just brought to an end.
The parliamentary elections for the People's Assembly and the Shura Council
granted the Muslim Brotherhood and the religious current an overwhelming
majority. As a candidate on the lists of "The Revolution Continues," I filed a
complaint concerning electoral irregularities, but it was not given serious
consideration. Reports circulated about money flowing from certain Gulf states
to support the Brotherhood, but mainly silence prevailed. The euphoria of
getting rid of Mubarak overshadowed the need to scrutinize what was unfolding
before our eyes.
On February 21, 2012, before the Brotherhood achieved the presidency, the
Egyptian newspaper Al-Shorouk published an interview with journalist Ahmed
Mahrous, in which I tried to warn that "Ikhwanization is coming" ("Ikhwan" is
the Arabic name for the Muslim Brotherhood). When the journalist asked what that
meant, I explained that it referred to giving Brotherhood members preferential
treatment in appointments to public positions at the expense of competence and
merit. It was hardly a supernatural prophecy; it was just an assessment of the
nature of an organization, in the instance, the Muslim Brotherhood, which
regards loyalty to itself as the most important criterion and views the state as
political spoils whose institutions must be brought under its control.
Before long, those signs began to appear one after another. The smiling face
gradually disappeared, and the Brotherhood's political objectives — which it had
avoided mentioning — appeared everywhere. These included "Mastery of the World"
and "The Caliphate State." Signs on the walls of every public office stated,
"Islam is the solution." The question now was no longer whether the Brotherhood
would govern the state but how far it would seek to reshape the state in its own
image.
The Brotherhood put forward Mohamed Morsi as its candidate in the presidential
election; he faced General Ahmed Shafik in the runoff. Accounts continue to
circulate among prominent political figures claiming that Shafik was the actual
winner but that the military council allowed Morsi to assume the presidency out
of fear that the situation might "explode." The more likely reason is that
Egypt's military council probably saw that the Brotherhood's rise to power might
ultimately create the conditions for the military regime to return in a new
form.
Morsi assumed the presidency on June 30, 2012. Two months later, on August 30, a
group of us joined a number of colleagues in establishing the "Popular Front
Against the Ikhwanization of Egypt." Within a few months, the Front expanded its
presence, thousands of Egyptians joined it, and the Brotherhood's political
mistakes helped spread our message. We opposed turning state institutions into
extensions of the Brotherhood. We aspired to a democratic civil state, not the
replacement of religious rule with military rule. At the time, however, we did
not realize that overthrowing the Brotherhood's government would pave the way
for the restoration of the military regime against which we had originally
revolted.
On November 22, 2012, Morsi issued his "Constitutional Declaration." The
Declaration shielded his decisions from judicial review and granted him
exceptional powers that placed him above accountability. This Declaration marked
a decisive turning point. The dispute was no longer about the Brotherhood's
competence to govern but about its willingness to respect the constitutional
limits of power. At that moment began the end of the Brotherhood's rule over
Egypt.
On June 30, 2013, huge crowds of Egyptians took to the streets to protest the
Brotherhood's rule. Morsi's presidency ended after just one year.
The Brotherhood's fall was not a victory for the democracy we had dreamed of.
The greatest beneficiary of the conflict was the military regime that took over
the Egyptian government after Morsi and reasserted its control over the country
under the presidency of General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. After a bloody
confrontation with the new government, I left Egypt on April 1, 2018, to save my
life and seek refuge in exile.
What we wanted was a state ruled neither by a military general "protecting the
nation" nor by a Supreme Guide "protecting the religion." We wanted a state in
which sovereignty belonged to a constitution, power to the citizens, public
positions to those with ability and rights to everyone -- without discrimination
on the basis of religious belief or political allegiance.
The Egyptian experience revealed how a revolution against authoritarianism can
become another form of authoritarianism and how an organization that raises the
banner of democracy can embody the adversaries of democracy.
The Egyptian experience is not an isolated exception. The Brotherhood's
discourse on democracy seems more appealing when it is outside government than
when it is trying to govern.
The Brotherhood, or forces associated with its ideological and organizational
school, failed in other places as well. In Sudan, the Islamist project that
helped establish Omar al-Bashir's regime culminated in a state exhausted by
authoritarianism and conflict. In Tunisia, the Islamic Ennahda party, during its
years in government, could not prevent its own collapse. In Morocco, the Justice
and Development Party ended in a crushing electoral defeat in 2021. In Jordan,
the Brotherhood, despite decades of participation in some governments, failed to
transform its project into a model of governance capable of overthrowing the
king.
What happens to democracy when power is entrusted to an organization that does
not place democratic values and principles above its ideological project?
To understand what may await you if the Muslim Brotherhood comes to power, it is
important to return to the ideological roots of its project, and the objectives
of its founder, Hassan al-Banna, as well as Sayyid Qutb, author of Milestones
and In the Shade of the Qur'an, and one of the Brotherhood's most influential
figures decades before the Brotherhood reached the ballot box.
In March 1928, four years after the official abolition of the Ottoman Empire
Caliphate, the Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Ismailia, Egypt. The fall of
the Ottoman Empire was part of the views at the time in which al-Banna's project
took shape. There was a desire to revive the Islamic nation and restore Islam to
a central position in organizing society and the state. Consequently, treating
the Brotherhood as an ordinary political party that differs from other parties
only in its religion means overlooking the most important question: Is
participation in elections the ultimate goal of the project, or is it one of the
means that can be employed to achieve objectives that extend beyond the
boundaries of the nation-state and liberal democracy?
The Brotherhood's motto is: "Allah is our objective, the Qur'an is our
constitution, the Prophet is our leader, jihad is our way, and death for the
sake of Allah is our loftiest aspiration." This is not merely a mobilizing
formula intended to stir religious emotions. It is a gateway to understanding an
integrated system of ideas about power, society, and the world. Al-Banna placed
"Mastery of the World" at the end of his point-by-point vision for an Islamic
revival. It would require the reform of the individual, the family, society, the
government and the state, with the broader pursuit of restoring the Caliphate.
The real question is not whether the Brotherhood accepts the ballot box as a
means of reaching power, but whether it accepts the constraints imposed by the
constitution, the peaceful transfer of power, judicial independence, freedom of
religion and expression, and full equality in citizenship even when these
principles conflict with its ideological convictions — or whether it seeks to
set about changing them to promote its vision of how it believes the world ought
to be.
What follows when a project moves from slogans to legislation and governance?
What does the implementation of Sharia mean in a state whose citizens differ in
religion and belief? What place does a woman occupy in a system in which rights
and roles are determined based on binding religious interpretations? How are
Jews, Christians and other non-Muslims viewed and treated, and how is a citizen
who rejects political Islam or calls for the separation of religion and state
regarded? What role does the concept of jihad occupy in the Brotherhood's
thought and the justification of violence?
The difference between rhetoric that reassures the public of moderation on one
side, and an ideology that defines the organization's ultimate objectives on the
other, may not become clear until the demands of democratic governance come into
conflict with the requirements of the ideological project.
The question every voter should confront is not merely, "What does the Muslim
Brotherhood promise to do if you elect it?" It is also: "What do the
Brotherhood's texts say about the state it wants to build and the rights it
regards as inviolable?"
Hassan al-Banna's six epistles, along with Sayyid Qutb's two books, are
essential to understand the Brotherhood's its conceptions of the state, society,
divine sovereignty, jihad, and relations with non-Muslims, and how it moved from
religious preaching to pursuing the imposition of an all-encompassing political
project.
In the Brotherhood's Fifth Conference Epistle of 1939, al-Banna presented his
view of Islam as an all-encompassing, comprehensive whole that is not limited to
faith and worship but extends to every aspect of life:
"Thus, the Brotherhood connected themselves with the Book of Allah, drew
inspiration and guidance from it, and became convinced that Islam is this
all-encompassing, comprehensive meaning; that it must exercise authority over
every aspect of life; that all aspects of life must be imbued with it and
governed by its rulings; and that they must conform to its principles and
teachings and derive from them, so long as the nation wishes to be genuinely
Muslim."
In the Twenty Principles for Understanding Islam, he states:
"Islam is a comprehensive system that encompasses all aspects of life. It is a
state and a homeland, or a government and a nation. It is morality and strength,
or mercy and justice. It is culture and law, or knowledge and the judiciary. It
is material life, or earning and wealth. It is jihad and a call, or an army and
an idea, just as it is a sincere creed and sound worship in equal measure."
We are not talking merely about a group that merely engages in religious
activities or calls on people to adhere to their faith. We are talking about an
organization that, according to its founder's own texts, believes that Islam
should exercise total authority over every aspect of life, and that all these
aspects should be subject to its teachings, principles and rulings.
Consequently, the Brotherhood's project does not stop at gaining power through
elections. It encompasses the nature of the state it seeks to establish, the
rules to which it wants society to be subjected, and the extent to which it is
prepared to accept a civil state founded on equal citizenship, freedom of
belief, political pluralism, and the independence of institutions from the
authority of a religious organization.
The Muslim Brotherhood's emblem features two crossed swords, a Qur'an, and the
word "Wa-a'iddu" ("And prepare"), which refers to verse 60 of Surah Al-Anfal:
"And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war by
which you may terrify the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them
whom you do not know [but] whom Allah knows. And whatever you spend in the cause
of Allah will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged."
— (Quran,8:60, Sahih International Translation)
They mean it.
Mohamed Saad Khiralla is a political commentator on Middle East Affairs and
Islamist Movements. He is currently a Research Fellow at the Ideological Defense
Institute (IDI).
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22959/muslim-brotherhood-plans-for-you
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.
Ruined State Imperialism
Amb. Alberto M. Fernandez/MEMRI/November 01/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/11/158751/
It was the great economist Adam Smith who remarked, in answer to a statement
that American Independence will ruin the British Empire, that "be assured, my
young friend, that there is a great deal of ruin in a nation." The British
Empire would, of course, reach its apogee long after America achieved its
independence in 1783.
Empires have come and gone and yet in this 21st century, we have an interesting
phenomenon: "ruined" states – by many social, economic and political measures –
that while being in a state of internal catastrophe, including hunger and
famine, not only endure but are so ordered and directed as to be able to project
real power on the international stage despite their ruined condition.
Three obvious candidates come to mind: Cuba, North Korea, and Yemen. North Korea
is a nuclear power. Houthi-ruled Yemen has a fearsome missile capacity and not
only repeatedly strikes its larger and wealthier neighbor Saudi Arabia, but has
been able to absorb retaliation from both the United States and Israel. Cuba is
a hungry and destitute economic basket case and yet is able to project power
through both its intelligence service and through an informal global network of
proxies, activists, and propagandists.
All three are examples of ideological regimes triumphing over a nation. These
regimes are, in narrow ways, quite efficient and capable, but the wellbeing of
the people is not the primary concern. These countries have essentially allowed
their own populations, most of them, to go to hell and yet fierce repression
keeps the regime in place while scarce resources are channeled to maximizing
their external power. Yemen and Cuba could not survive without foreign help,
either in the form of international assistance or remittances.[1] North Korea
experienced a famine that may have claimed millions of lives and yet a decade
later, it had nuclear weapons, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and a large
chemical weapons cache.[2]
All three are ramshackle, destitute powers and yet powers they are, able to
threaten neighbors and influence policy decisions by larger, richer powers. The
Russia-Ukraine War has been a windfall for the regime of Kim Jong Un, as the
arms factories and soldiers of the regime have secured it billions in hard
currency, food, and advanced technology. One estimate is that North Korean
factories now provide up to 40 percent of Russia's artillery consumption.[3]
The game is a cynical, high-stakes one and yet can be wildly successful. Having
been propped up by the Soviet Union for more than two decades, Cuba was then
able to latch on to the wealth of Venezuela, one of the world's largest oil
exporters, for a further quarter century until the American snatching of
Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro in January 2026 cut off the gravy train. Cuba
is conservatively estimated to have secured about $63.8 billion from Venezuela
under Hugo Chavez and Maduro, most of it in the form of petroleum that was
resold on the international market.[4]
While the Houthis have been, and continue to be, propped up by Iran, they have
also diversified and have gone into the smuggling and terrorist supporting
business in the Horn of Africa.[5] Unverified rumors – vehemently denied by
Saudi Arabia – say that the Kingdom essentially bribed the Houthis to stay out
of the war until recently, paying "protection money" in the form of cash support
for Houthi salaries. The story being that this was a result of Omani mediation
between the two sides.[6] If this was ever actually true, it is no longer the
case since the Houthis decided to reignite their war with Saudi Arabia in early
October 2026.
Although all three cases seem like successes, they tend to be unstable. The
Houthis were able to take power initially because of infighting with the ruling
regime in Yemen. Cuba benefited from allies coming to power in a wealthy country
(other Cuban allies like Nicaragua or Bolivia didn't have much cash to give).
North Korea has benefited from Russia's inability to triumph over Ukraine in
that long and bloody war. Circumstances could have gone another way and future
changes could find them destitute. That is what has now happened to the Cuban
regime this year.[7] But cynicism, single-minded ruthlessness and aggressive
predatory action taken at the right moment have prolonged the life and the power
of all three regimes. One hopes that their good fortune will finally be running
out.
And while these three miserable, nightmarish regimes may seem to be unique
cases, cautionary tales, we should not think that they are that unusual. These
are extreme cases but other countries – long used to power and wealth – could
wind up in similar situations. One thinks of Russia or of Iran, both of which
have some very real power to do mischief on the international stage (and are
blessed with oil wealth) but that are also showing signs of great internal
strain. And lest we in the West get too arrogant, Western nations like France
and the United Kingdom, very wealthy democratic countries, nuclear powers, and
UN Security Council members, heavy hitters on the international stage, are also
showing the stress of maintaining their power as economic and governance crises
hollow them out from within.[8] It is hard to keep states supplied with both
guns and healthcare these days.[9]
Adam Smith was right; there is indeed a lot of ruin in a nation. Something that
Americans need to keep in mind as they see decline and crisis elsewhere. We are
not immune from imperial overreach and ruin is only a series of very bad
decisions away from arriving at the doorstep of the strongest nations.
*Amb. Alberto M. Fernandez is Vice President of MEMRI.
[1] Merip.org/2026/09/remittances-at-risk-sanctions-war-and-informal-finance-in-yemen,
September 16, 2026.
[2] Hrnk.org/documentations/is-there-a-famine-in-north-korea/, June 17, 2025.
[3] Atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/north-korea-may-be-the-biggest-winner-of-russias-war-in-ukraine/,
October 23, 2026.
[4] Cibercuba.com/noticias/2026-03-19-u1-e208574-s27061-nid323520-63-mil-millones-dolares-gigantesco-flujo-dinero,
March 18, 2026.
[5] Gnet-research.org/2025/05/14/cash-flow-breaking-down-the-houthis-multibillion-dollar-financial-networks/,
May 14, 2025.
[6] Israelhayom.com/2026/03/29/saudi-payments-houthi-war-entry-irgc-yemen/,
March 29, 2026.
[7] Theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/12/post-revolutionary-cuba-society-religion/689018/,
October 26, 2026.
[8] Washingtonexaminer.com/in_focus/4780162/uk-keeps-calm-carries-on-toward-french-style-disaster/?srsltid=AYCX9vIym2sXfk4VQyU7snDUvQ_DOgdlsBxrZJpXQeYO7dwK6xGQuMDz,
October 29, 2026.
[9] Brookings.edu/articles/europes-difficult-trade-off-between-military-and-welfare-spending-the-italian-case/,
September 2, 2025.
Donald Trump’s moment of reckoning: Appeasing Iran’s
regime or luring it to its downfall
Raghida Dergham/Al Arabiya English/01 November/2026
US Vice President JD Vance’s letter to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s
Supreme National Security Council, encapsulates President Donald Trump’s
approaching dilemma with the Islamic Republic of Iran: American willingness to
work with Tehran’s rulers, provided they offer something on the nuclear file,
meets Iranian insistence on guarantees before concessions. Beyond exchanging
letters lies the question of who controls time and can turn the other’s need for
calm, or escalation, into strategic gain. Between appeasement and coercion,
Trump’s room for maneuver narrows whenever Tehran assumes he needs an agreement
more than it does. Meanwhile, regional countries are accelerating efforts to
secure a diplomatic way out and avert renewed major American and Israeli
military operations, fearing Iranian retaliation and Tehran’s threat to destroy
them.
Iran’s particular fondness for Vance, given his reservations about military
involvement, may open doors closed to others. It is not enough, however, to
change Tehran’s calculations. From Iran’s perspective, trust requires more than
an inducement from the American vice president: guarantees concerning the
regime’s fate and what follows its first nuclear concession. The fundamental
question is whether decision-makers will modify a nuclear doctrine they have
made a pillar of regime survival and regional standing, rather than merely a
bargaining chip.
Hence the significance of any potential understanding on removing enriched
uranium from Iran. Such a step could give Trump an achievement to present to
Americans and open a diplomatic path beyond postponing war. Willingness to
discuss it does not establish Iranian consent. If Tehran demands its guarantees
before addressing the nuclear file, it asks Washington to pay for an agreement
before knowing whether one is achievable. Negotiations then return to circling
around their own entry conditions.
Vance’s letter allows two readings. It is a serious inducement, offering
Tehran’s rulers an opportunity to work with an administration willing to reach
an understanding. Should it encounter Iranian conditions it cannot accommodate,
it could also become the basis for declaring diplomatic alternatives exhausted.
The letter was not necessarily drafted to derail negotiations, but its fate
could make it the last opportunity before major military operations resume. The
difference depends on what Tehran can offer and the minimum Trump accepts as an
achievement.
Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish efforts under the Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement
derive their strategic importance from potentially providing an Islamic umbrella
for Iranian flexibility. The delegation visiting Tehran offers an opportunity to
persuade the regime that relaxing some conditions could fit within regional
understandings granting it a place, rather than appear as a unilateral response
to American coercion. These countries can facilitate diplomacy. They cannot make
Iran’s nuclear decision or guarantee commitments its rulers refuse.
The deeper dilemma is that including Iran in regional arrangements requires its
acceptance of partnership itself. Regional states offer Tehran a place alongside
them, while Iran’s rulers act as though entitled to shape and lead the region.
No stable arrangement can emerge if Tehran considers equality with its neighbors
a diminution of its standing. Nuclear intransigence thus becomes part of a
larger struggle over the next regional order: mutual commitments, or recognition
of Iranian influence while Tehran retains the means to impose it?
Remarks a few days ago by Tom Barrack, US ambassador to Turkey and special
presidential envoy for Syria and Iraq, illuminate the American approach to this
dilemma. His key phrase was nearing “an agreement on a process.” He spoke of a
timeout, allowing the region to find its own pace, and new understandings and
alignments. He explicitly ruled out an immediate comprehensive solution. The
immediate ambition, therefore, is managing the conflict and ending hostile
military activity, leaving its roots for later. A considerable political
distance separates de-escalation from resolving the causes of war. More
revealing is Barrack’s assertion that America cannot solve everything and the
region must take responsibility for itself. Regional countries certainly have
both an interest and a right in shaping their future. Assigning them
responsibility for the next phase, however, raises Washington’s responsibility
for what brought them there. Reshaping regional understandings may offer the
administration an exit, while transferring the burdens of a war these countries
did not choose and requiring them to settle the consequences of decisions taken
in Washington and Tehran.
The debate shifts from American hesitation to the purpose of granting time. If a
reprieve produces Iranian commitments and protects countries exposed to
retaliation, it can build a sustainable understanding. If it merely lowers
tensions while Iran retains its instruments of pressure, it postpones
confrontation and redistributes its costs. The administration must clarify what
it expects from regional states, its commitments to them, and how asking them to
assume responsibility will avoid absolving America of its own.
We do not know whether Trump faces two coherent camps within his administration,
but their differing approaches deserve attention. One tendency, represented to
varying degrees by Vance and Barrack and echoed by the president’s son Donald
Trump Jr., seeks greater opportunities to avoid renewed war and room for
regional action. Figures such as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of
War Pete Hegseth and perhaps the president’s son-in-law and mediator Jared
Kushner emphasize an outcome Trump can present as better than former President
Barack Obama’s agreement. Demanding tangible results does not automatically make
someone a war advocate, nor does opposing war imply accepting any agreement.
Barrack himself stresses the seriousness of military action while promising
every effort over two or three weeks toward the next steps, not closure. In his
conception, this is time for diplomacy, not an announced strike date. It also
reveals the gap between expecting a swift nuclear achievement and gradually
untangling complexities. Trump will decide how long he can tolerate that gap,
particularly if he concludes Tehran is using negotiations to drain him
politically.
The Revolutionary Guard’s wager on weakening Trump in the midterms through
pressure and denying him a nuclear achievement could backfire. If he concludes
the aim is his political downfall, he may shift from seeking an agreement with
the regime to gradually weakening it, potentially threatening its survival.
Escalation after the election would then become more plausible. Its timing
remains contingent on his decision and diplomacy’s prospects, as the question
moves beyond whether agreement is possible to the consequences of failure.
The danger is making regional security hostage to each side’s assessment of its
ability to bring down the other. Decisive military action, if Trump chooses it,
would not relieve him of defining its political objective or protecting allies.
Another diplomatic opportunity requires identifying what would change, lest an
American opening become an Iranian opportunity to consolidate the gains of
intransigence. Washington needs a strategy connecting war to its aftermath and
de-escalation to guarantees that make it viable.
An understanding may therefore become almost impossible if regional countries
remain expected to accept Iran’s conditions while Washington merely manages
escalation. The diplomatic initiative deserves a chance, but success requires an
Iranian decision to show flexibility and American responsibility for results.
The Trump administration must define its objectives and how it will protect
allies if diplomacy falters or war resumes. Asking them to address the
consequences is insufficient while the decision to escalate remains Washington’s
and the decision to retaliate against them remains Tehran’s. Regional states
cannot simultaneously guarantee a settlement and become the scapegoats for its
failure.
After the midterms... Trump freezes out public concerns
and focuses on a “personal” Iranian achievement
Laura Yamin/Al-Markazia / November 01/ 2026
Al-Markazia – The Wall Street Journal reported, citing American officials, that
the commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Brad Cooper, briefed President
Donald Trump, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff Dan Caine on potential plans for a new attack on Iran. The newspaper said
the briefing took place on Thursday in a rare move, coinciding with Washington’s
consideration of resuming large-scale military operations against Tehran.
Shortly beforehand, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy warned of possible plans by
President Donald Trump’s administration to resume military operations against
Iran after the midterm elections scheduled for 3 November, describing the plan
as “crazy.” Murphy said in a post on X that some members of Congress had been
briefed on the military plan. Earlier reports in The Wall Street Journal stated
that Washington had informed several countries to prepare for the possibility of
a “short and intensive” military campaign against Iran after the
elections.According to the reports, the United States and Israel are preparing
for the possibility of carrying out a new round of military operations aimed at
weakening Iranian capabilities and pushing Tehran back to the negotiating table.
In addition, American diplomats revealed that a new round of potential strikes
on Iran could last several days. The United States informed its regional allies
that a new round of military operations could last several days, according to
the Associated Press. It noted that regional officials are preparing for Iranian
retaliatory responses that could lead to a longer conflict. Axios reported on
Wednesday that Washington and Tel Aviv are preparing for the possibility of a
week of major strikes on Iran after the elections if diplomacy fails.There are
growing indicators that the military option is advancing in Washington.
According to diplomatic sources speaking to Al-Markazia, the American
president—regardless of the results of the midterm elections on Tuesday—is
insisting on the need to settle the “Iranian file” during his current term.
Whether the Republicans lose or win the contest, what matters most to Trump is
that he will afterwards have free hands and greater ability to act and take
decisions without measuring their results or repercussions “in terms of public
opinion.” His primary concern will therefore become how to leave an achievement
linked to his own name as an American president. The best achievement he aspires
to is the elimination of Iran’s nuclear program and the end of its expansionist
projects in the region that destabilize the Middle East and the world.
Accordingly, if he can reach this goal through diplomacy—which the Qatari
mediator is currently advancing once again—he will do so. But if it becomes
necessary to resort to force again, he will use it as well. It appears that his
preparations are ready for both scenarios, with a noticeable rise in the stock
of the second option, the sources conclude.
Selected Face Book & X tweets
on November 01/2026
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
https://x.com/DocumentIsrael/status/1744345335554531641/video/1
This makes me sad. Every cell in my body, since I became an adult, has been
pushing to fix the Arabs and Muslims from within: We cannot hate life. We cannot
celebrate death. We cannot value the afterlife more than this life. It’s against
human instinct. The reward of the afterlife comes only when you strive to live
happy and spread happiness. There is no reward in the afterlife for loving
death. God almighty doesn’t need humans to defend him or die for him. He’s
capable of taking the lives of those who defy him, if he wishes to. We’re not
the instruments of divine punishment against other humans.
These ideas must be discussed and the Islamist culture must be changed. https://x.com/DocumentIsrael/status/1744345335554531641/video/1
Alberto Miguel Fernandez
It is amazing how a Lebanese state whose president and army chief are still
ostensibly Christians actually allows Christians to be harassed, marginalized
and even persecuted by others (especially by the pro-Hezbollah element that
strangles the country).
Political Pen
Al-Amil: Stopping Us From Building Means Telling Us to Leave
Father Najib Al-Amil, the parish priest of the town of Rmeish, appeared in a
video speaking about the residents' steadfast attachment to their land, saying:
"We want to remain steadfast in our homes and on our land. We stand with our
state, but our state must look out for us. If we rebuild our homes, it means we
intend to stay here, and if they prevent us, it means they are telling us to
leave."
This video comes after a local resident built a room, which the Rmeish police
station ordered to be demolished. To avoid any clash between the resident and
the police station and to ensure the issue does not escalate, especially given
the Israeli occupation of the town and the deployment of Israeli army forces,
Father Najib Al-Amil expressed his hope to postpone dealing with the matter
until appropriate conditions are met, in order to prevent any friction. However,
the judge in Saida, who communicated with Father Al-Amil, considered his words
to imply a threat against her, and on this basis, she insisted on summoning him
for interrogation.
Gadi Eisenkot - גדי איזנקוט@gadi_eisenkot
Good week.
A few things from me to you, my Israeli brothers and sisters, ahead of the
coming days:
The vote count has concluded and the elections are over. No matter how you look
at the numbers, a majority of Israeli citizens, by a margin of more than half a
million votes, voted against the government of October 7 and the evasion, and
for change—a majority among all Israeli citizens, and a majority among the
serving Zionist public.
I defined these elections over the past year as the most fateful in Israel's
history, and their results are clear, even though there are those working to
cast doubt on them. I promised to reconnect Israel and put an end to the culture
of lies that Netanyahu led and that tore us apart from within. I promised that
under my leadership, Side A will not defeat Side B, that the era of "us" and
"them" is over. In light of these promises, I will continue to act in the coming
weeks as well.
At the same time, I intend to act to realize the clear parliamentary majority
immediately, for the benefit of all Israeli citizens. To act to establish a
state commission of inquiry, advance mandatory service for all, and take
immediate action to expand and strengthen the scope of those serving in the IDF,
with appropriate compensation and recognition for those who serve, repeal the
constitutional coup laws, and more. Don't let anyone mislead you: In the State
of Israel, it is the Knesset that gives confidence to the government, not the
other way around.
During the election campaign, I set a goal to form a Zionist, state-like
government with as broad a national consensus as possible that will bring
healing and fundamental change in the direction Israel is heading.
I consistently set forth 4 principles that will strengthen Israel, for every
partnership:
1. Recognition of Israel as a Jewish, democratic, liberal, and egalitarian
state.
2. Commitment to the values of the Declaration of Independence.
3. Mandatory service for all Israeli citizens—military, national, and
civilian.
4. Recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization and the obligation to
destroy its military-political power in the Gaza Strip.
Based on these principles, I intend to form a broad Zionist and state-like
government as much as possible. To that end, I will act in coordination with my
partners and work to expand the partnership, in order to realize the will of the
voters and immediately improve the internal and international situation of the
State of Israel.
Every Knesset member who is willing to sign on to these principles is a
potential partner on the path to establishing a new and better government for
Israel. The door of the government we will form will be open to every public
representative who accepts these principles and is ready to rise to the
occasion.
It is clear that the high turnout rates, as well as the challenges at hand,
require a supreme effort to avoid additional elections and entry into another
prolonged political crisis in any way. On 27.10, the public had its say, and the
decision on the composition of Israel's next government belongs to the Israeli
citizens alone, without interference or manipulation—that's how it should be.
Now it is incumbent upon us, the people's representatives, to do everything to
translate the will of the people.
The failure of October 7 and the ensuing security, internal, economic, and
international reality demand bold decisions and as soon as possible. I will act
in every way to bring about as broad a national consensus as possible so that we
can begin the repair and rehabilitation.
In closing, the war against our enemies is not over. The war's objectives have
not been achieved. Until the government is formed, I will back military moves
only if there are direct and immediate threats against Israel that cannot wait
until the government's swearing-in.
We will not deceive ourselves. We face weeks that are packed, complex, and rife
with spin and lies.
I intend to act with courage and with great commitment to the voter and the
state in order to realize his will—quietly and creatively.
We will do and we will succeed, for all of us and for the State of Israel. I
commit to it.
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Which part is untrue, Shadi?
Islamic beliefs oppose homosexuality and Muslims are not Libertarians like you
imagine them. Even Palestine they think is a non-negotiable divine duty, and you
think they’ll vote for gay marriage?
This is a preview: In June 2023, the all-Muslim Hamtramck City (MI) Council
unanimously passed a "flag neutrality" resolution banning the display of
religious, ethnic, racial, political, or sexual-orientation flags—most notably
the LGBTQ+ Pride flag—on city-owned property.
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Globalism is more endorsed by the Left, except labor unions. It undermines
nation-states. Democracy requires a social contract with defined borders and a
nation-state; the constitution governs how it works and who’s accountable for
its health. Globalism views the world in class terms, so a left-wing person in
France sees himself as part of one global nation with left-wingers in America,
both opposing right-wingers in their countries.
Nationalism on the Right works differently: a French right-wing aligns with the
French left-wing against America’s right and left. Globalization has upended
nation-state thinking even on the Right, which has started behaving like the
Left by endorsing globalism and seeing the Right as a cross-national alliance
against the global Left. The Right has also begun viewing the “strong man” ruler
as the best way to force the Left back to its senses. The assault on Western
democracy comes from both the Left and the Right—more so from the Left, which
sees democracy as a Western construct, hates it, and is infatuated with
everything Third World instead. The Left sides with immigrants due to its love
of the Third World and ambition to make the West one. The Right opposes
immigrants (not all, only Third World ones who refuse to assimilate) because of
its bias toward the West and nationalism versus the rest.
In reality, immigration is a boon to the West if regulated to match Western
economies’ needs. It must not be open to all based on empathy (Left) or closed
to all based on nationalism (Right).
Democracy—the rule of the majority and meritocracy unconditioned by ethnic
inclusivity and diversity—remains the best system of government. It delivers the
strongest economic growth and prosperity even if it concentrates wealth and does
not guarantee redistribution. Never mind Mark’s antisemitism below. The Left
hates Isrsel because it is one of the unique Western democracy successes in the
middle of a Third World Jungle. The Left want to see it annihilated as part of
eradicating its own establishment. This forces Israel electorate to shift Right
and to feel more affiliation with Western Right than Left.
Also, when you read people like Mark, they always complain of the Right and try
to vilify it by calling it Far Right. On the Left? Nothing is far and everyone
is sane and victim (usually of capitalism greed and racist Islamophobia). This
post is not policy or patriotism, it is politics, spite and tribalism.
Amjad Taha أمجد طه
https://x.com/amjadt25/status/2116805744276447561/video/1
Muslim Brotherhood Islamist jihadists are a cancer in every society, from Africa
to Europe. Who is destroying France today? Islamists. Who will destroy London
tomorrow? The Muslim Brotherhood. Who is killing Christians in Africa?
Jihadists. Who carried out the October 7 massacre
Tom Harb
A Priest Summoned for Defending His Village , Lebanon's Justice Has Two
Standards.
- Father Najib Al-Amil, the parish priest of Rmeish, has been summoned for
questioning by Judge Najat Abu Shakra in Saida. His "offense"?
He questioned why one of his parishioners was being called in over a
modification to a room in his own home, in a Christian village, and in that
conversation he mentioned Israel.
For that, a priest who stayed with his people through war, siege and hunger is
now ordered to travel to Saida on a road that passes through areas under
Hezbollah influence, a real danger for a clergyman from the border villages.
Compare this zeal with the silence elsewhere:
🔹 The killers ( Hezbollah) of Elias Hasrouni in Ain Ebel have never been
brought before a judge.
🔹 The crimes committed by Hezbollah against civilians in South Lebanon go
unprosecuted.
🔹 Yet Archbishop Moussa El-Hage was stopped and investigated for bringing money
and medicine from relatives in Israel to needy Lebanese families ( by Abbas
Ibrahim).
When a priest is treated like a criminal while armed terrorist militias act
freely in coordination of Lebanese Army & internal security, the message to the
Christians of the South is clear: stay silent, or be punished.
This selective justice blocks any path toward peace and normalization with
Israel, and it intimidates southern communities who simply want to coordinate
their own safety until Hezbollah is disarmed.
We call on U.S. lawmakers to consider Global Magnitsky sanctions against
judicial officials who use the courts to intimidate Christians and shield
Hezbollah, and we urge the U.S. State Department to review their eligibility for
visas to the United States.