English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News &
Editorials
For November 04/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2026/english.November04.26.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
As you have sent me into the world, so I
have sent them into the world
John 17/14-19: “I have given them your word, and the world has
hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to
the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to
protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do
not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you
have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their
sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.”
Titles For The English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related
News & Editorials published on November 03-04/2026
Whoever God has blessed let him extend his hand with humility and love to
the needy./Elias Bejjan/November 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
Lebanese Army Rejects Direct Coordination with Israel Before Withdrawal from
South
Yemen says Iranian, Hezbollah ‘general staff’ directing Houthi operations
US midterm elections: What is at stake for Lebanon?
Abducting ministers and attacking army: Has Hezbollah plotted armed takeover?
Top Iran general says 'plan for sustainable security' includes ending war in
Lebanon, Gaza
Israel asks that Lebanese Army deploy in areas where Hezbollah is present
Aoun intensifies efforts to keep Hezbollah out of potential Iran war, report
says
LF to boycott cabinet until explosives case referred to Judicial Council
Syria says foiled Hezbollah-linked plot to bomb oil refinery
South Lebanon: Shelling, strikes, and detonations
Salam and Qatari PM discuss diplomatic efforts
French judges probe war crimes complaint against Israeli army in Lebanon
Out of the gray: Lebanon still has 10 FATF requirements to meet
BDL suspends medical coverage at two hospitals for employees and beneficiaries
Women in the spotlight: What a study reveals about LBCI's sports coverage and
airtime
The Lebanese Cost of Iranian Arrogance/Hanna Saleh/Asharq Al Awsat/November
03/2026
Revoking the license of al-Qard al-Hassan Bank and closing its
branches/Israel-Alma/November 03/2027
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on November 03-04/2026
US midterm elections: The races to watch
Voters to decide control of Congress in major test of Trump's second term
US strikes Iranian islands as Trump talks up diplomatic progress
Qatar Says Remains ‘Hopeful’ of a US-Iran Deal
America’s response to Iran’s demands was not convincing, Iranian security chief
says
Israel shares intel with US claiming that Iran is preparing to use chemical
weapons: NYT
Iran, US still far apart on deal to end war as Qatar pushes mediation
As Iran strike looms, Israel weighs military and political scenarios
Israeli Opposition Bloc Gathers to See How to Oust Netanyahu
Bomb threat prompts checks on Israel-bound cruise ship in Greek port
Trump says US cutting $3.8 billion annual security assistance to Israel
Arab Parliament Reaffirms Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People
French Judges Probe War Crimes Complaint against Israeli Army in Lebanon
US intelligence sharing has fractured under Trump, officials say
Greenland parliament ratifies security deal agreed with Trump
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on November 03-04/2026
Qatar Glorifies Terrorism: Al-Jazeera's Propaganda Machine Celebrates
Hamas/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/November 02/2026
Saudi Arabia Is Keen on the Lives of the Yemeni People/Yousef Al-Dayni/Asharq Al
Awsat/November 03/2026
Iran Between the Samson Option and Makkah Agreement Diplomacy/Ahmad Mahmoud Ajaj/Asharq
Al Awsat/November 03/2026
Morocco's Bold Move Toward a Golden Future/Mohammed Said/Gatestone
Institute/November 03/2026
Islamophobia: How the West is Abandoning the Victims of Islam/Uzay Bulut/Ideological
Defence Institute/ICI/November 03/2026
Iran can end Houthi attacks – and it must/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya
English/03 November/2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets on November 03/2026
Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 03-04/2026 (Some of the News reports below are
translated from Arabic by AI)
Whoever God has blessed let him extend his hand with humility and love to
the needy.
Elias Bejjan/November 02/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/11/158763/
In this life where fortunes shift like the wind, some people succeed while
others stumble. It is not necessarily because the successful one is smarter, nor
because the one who stumbles is less capable, but because God distributes
talents, opportunities, and circumstances as He wills. He gives freely, and He
gives with a wisdom we do not always understand. Some people find doors opening
before them; others find them closing again and again; and still others are born
carrying in their body or soul a wound they cannot heal alone.
Here arises the moral, human, and faith-based duty: that the one whom fortune
has favored should extend a hand to the one whom it has not. This is not a favor
— it is a debt. The success we enjoy is not purely our own possession; it is a
trust from God, a free gift, and a responsibility. As the Lord Jesus said to His
disciples: “Freely you have received; freely give” (Matthew 10:8). These words
alone are enough to condemn every form of arrogance and every closing of the
heart.
Often the real test takes place within the same family. One member succeeds
financially or socially, another falters, and a third falls prey to an illness
that prevents him from relying on himself. Whether it is addiction or any other
physical, psychological, or mental disease, the sick person is a human being in
need, and the healthy are called to stand beside him, not to abandon him.
Illness is not a shame that deserves neglect, nor a weakness that justifies
forgetting. Whoever possesses health, money, and ability must become a support
for the one from whom illness has stripped independence and the dignity of
self-reliance. Abandoning the sick in their weakness is a betrayal of blood and
of conscience; standing by them is a human and faith duty that does not fall
away with the type or severity of the disease. Expectations of them must be
realistic, and they must be treated with mercy, patience, and respect — not with
judgment or superiority. As the Apostle Paul wrote: “Bear one another’s burdens,
and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).
Likewise, when one member of the family becomes wealthy while the others remain
in need, wealth is no justification for arrogance, distance, or forgetfulness.
Rather, it is a call to humility and love. Scripture repeatedly urges us in this
direction: “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need,
yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” (1 John
3:17). And again: “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone,
and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). A
person did not create himself, nor did he grant himself his intelligence or his
opportunities — so how can he look down on the one who was not given what he was
given?
Pride and arrogance do not come from God, but from the devil. Wealth that strips
a person of his humanity, humility, and compassion for others is empty wealth,
no matter how large the account. True wealth is the kind that keeps the hand
extended and the heart merciful. As the Lord Jesus warned: “Take care, and be on
your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the
abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). And He also said: “Do not lay up for
yourselves treasures on earth… but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven”
(Matthew 6:19-20).
One of the most dangerous things that can happen is when sons or daughters
succeed and then forget their parents. Parents are the root; they are the ones
who gave and continue to give. Honoring and caring for them in old age and
weakness is a duty that does not disappear with success or wealth. Whoever
abandons his father and mother after becoming rich abandons part of his own
humanity. Scripture reminds us: “Honor your father and mother (this is the first
commandment with a promise)” (Ephesians 6:2).
In the end, remember, you who have succeeded: the day the Lord takes back the
deposit of life, you will take nothing of the earth’s riches with you. You will
leave everything behind just as you left it the day you arrived. As Job the
righteous man said with profound honesty: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be
the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). No money, no position, no status will
accompany you — only the love you gave, the hand you extended, and the humility
you preserved.
So extend your hand today, while you are still able, before the day comes when
you can no longer do so. Helping is not a favor; it is a right of human
brotherhood, a duty of faith, and proof that the grace you received has not
corrupted your heart. As the Lord Jesus said on the day of judgment: “Truly, I
say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it
to me” (Matthew 25:40).
*The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
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
Lebanese Army Rejects Direct Coordination with Israel
Before Withdrawal from South
Beirut: Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al Awsat/November 03/2026
The Lebanese Army has rejected Israeli demands for direct military coordination
while Israeli forces continue to occupy Lebanese territory, fearing the move
could undermine negotiations and draw the military into domestic political
disputes. The army wants to preserve the trust it has built with communities in
South Lebanon, even as it cracks down on gunmen and weapons traffickers and
expands its deployment in areas outside Israeli control. Washington has conveyed
Israel’s demand for direct coordination between the two armies, which would
replace the existing US-mediated mechanism, the Military Coordination Group for
Lebanon (MCG4L). The group oversees implementation of the “framework agreement”,
coordination arrangements and assistance with military deployments, beginning in
designated pilot areas. Israel repeated its demand during the eighth round of
military-only talks in Tampa, Florida. President Joseph Aoun backs the army’s
refusal. Visitors to the president told Asharq Al-Awsat that he had personally
instructed the military not to establish direct contact with Israeli forces. “It
is still far too early to discuss such a step,” Aoun told his visitors. “Under
the current circumstances, direct communication is impossible while the Israeli
army continues to occupy our territory and attack it every day.”
Indirect coordination
Sources familiar with contacts between the army and Lebanon’s political
leadership explained that the military insists coordination with Israel remain
indirect, either through the US military or the United Nations, as under
previous UN-chaired tripartite and five-party committees. The army wants an
international witness to any discussions, particularly after what the sources
described as negative experiences with Israel. They cited Israel’s refusal to
acknowledge the Lebanese Army’s progress in implementing the first phase of the
government’s plan to bring weapons under exclusive state control south of the
Litani River before fighting resumed on March 2.
Political and domestic concerns
The army’s position also reflects Israel’s continued occupation of Lebanese
territory and its refusal to withdraw, halt attacks or offer political
concessions that could strengthen Beirut’s negotiating position, according to
the sources. They stressed that the military does not oppose negotiations and
has participated in US-mediated talks in Rome and the United States under the
framework agreement.But the army is determined to avoid becoming a target of
domestic political disputes over direct negotiations with Israel. “The military
wants to preserve its standing as a national institution trusted across
Lebanon’s political and sectarian divides,” the sources explained. They warned
that “direct coordination could expose the army to criticism whenever Israeli
forces carried out attacks or violations, weakening public confidence in the
institution.”“Such divisions could also obstruct its mission to implement
Cabinet decisions on bringing all weapons under state control and extending
government authority across Lebanese territory.”
US praise
The sources reported that the Lebanese Army had faced no opposition from
residents south of the Litani River while implementing the first phase of the
government’s weapons-control plan.
It collected 2.7 million weapons and pieces of ammunition without coordinating
with any domestic party, including Hezbollah, they noted. The army also pursued
and arrested gunmen, people who opened fire and those transporting weapons,
while maintaining local support. US Central Command praised its operations and
recognized the difficulties of working in heavily damaged areas, according to
the sources. These included clearing roads, restoring basic living conditions
and helping residents return to their villages, particularly in designated pilot
areas. The sources highlighted US military support for the army’s civil-military
operations, which have enabled it to carry out its mission without confrontation
with local communities.
Yemen says Iranian, Hezbollah ‘general staff’ directing
Houthi operations
Al Arabiya English/03 November/2026
Yemen’s internationally recognized government said Tuesday that 21 Iranian and
Hezbollah operatives are overseeing Houthi military operations, including
operational planning, command and control, and weapons development. Interior
Minister Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Ali Haidan said the group includes 14 members of
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and seven Hezbollah operatives deployed
across six Yemeni governorates. Haidan described the network as a “general
staff” directing operations on behalf of Tehran rather than a training mission.
According to the minister, the operatives specialize in ballistic missiles,
drones, surveillance, electronic warfare, communications, weapons smuggling and
military logistics. Their activities also include coordinating maritime attacks,
selecting commercial shipping targets, developing explosive-laden boats and
autonomous submarines, and training Houthi fighters in minelaying, siege tactics
and urban warfare. Haidan added that the network is led by a senior IRGC
commander operating in Yemen under diplomatic cover as an ambassador. He
described the commander as the “general supervisor of operations, strategic
adviser, and head of the joint operations room.”The Yemeni government warned
that Iran’s use of Yemen as a testing ground for weapons threatens regional
security, international shipping and energy supplies in the Red Sea. It also
accused the Houthis of using the Palestinian cause to draw Yemenis into a
conflict serving Iranian interests. “The war their sons are being dragged into
under the pretext of supporting Palestine is not their war, but a war with an
Iranian agenda and a price they must pay,” the minister said, addressing
residents of Houthi-controlled areas. The ministry called on the international
community to designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization, disrupt their
financing and weapons networks, and enforce UN Security Council Resolutions 2216
and 2624, which address the arms embargo.It said Yemeni security forces would
continue supporting military operations under Operation Dawn of Yemen, aimed at
restoring government control over state institutions and the capital, Sanaa.
US midterm elections: What is at stake for Lebanon?
LBCI/November 03/2026
U.S. midterm elections: Could their impact extend to Lebanon, particularly on
negotiations with Israel and the war with Iran? The elections could
significantly shape Washington's approach to the war with Iran. Congress is
currently controlled by Republicans. If Democrats gain control of both chambers,
the House of Representatives and the Senate, they could obstruct President
Donald Trump’s decisions related to the war, particularly its funding, and
increase pressure on his administration to de-escalate.However, this would not
automatically bring the war to an end, as the president retains broad military
powers and the authority to veto legislation. As for Israel, Congress could
reduce military aid, impose conditions on assistance, and exercise oversight
over arms sales. Within the Democratic Party, some lawmakers are calling for
restrictions on military support for Israel. However, this position does not
enjoy unanimous support, and any legislative changes could also face a veto from
Trump.
What about Lebanon?
Regarding negotiations with Israel, a Democratic victory could allow lawmakers
to pressure the U.S. administration through funding decisions and oversight.
Regardless of the election outcome, however, negotiations and Washington’s
position on an Israeli withdrawal and security arrangements in southern Lebanon
would remain largely in the hands of the White House. The impact could instead
be felt through U.S. support for the Lebanese army. Since 2006, Washington has
provided approximately $3 billion in assistance, including training, equipment,
and military aid. Congress can increase or reduce this assistance and impose
conditions on it. One example is a proposed legislative amendment currently
before Congress that would allocate approximately $1.2 billion over five years
to support the Lebanese army and security forces, on the condition that weapons
be brought under state control and Hezbollah be disarmed. What would happen to
this proposal if Republicans retain control of Congress or lose it to Democrats?
On the Hezbollah front, Congress could introduce new sanctions and tighten
oversight of financing networks, while the U.S. administration would be
responsible for enforcing those sanctions. Ultimately, the results of the U.S.
elections alone will not determine the future of war and peace in Lebanon and
the region. However, they could change the level of pressure on the White House
and, consequently, its room for maneuver and its decisions on these issues.
Abducting ministers and attacking army: Has Hezbollah
plotted armed takeover?
Naharnet/November 03/2026
Hezbollah held a “security meeting” in the southern suburbs of Beirut on the
night of October 21, hours prior to a cabinet session that was held the next
day, mapping out a scenario for action should the government approve referring
the Dahr al-Baidar explosives case to the Judicial Council, the Nidaa al-Watan
newspaper reported on Tuesday.. Quoting unnamed sources, the daily said
Hezbollah had concluded that the state had decided to proceed with a judicial
path that could begin by summoning several of the party's MPs and security
officials for interrogation. Hezbollah speculated that “these measures would
later expand to include the party's Secretary-General, Sheikh Naim Qassem,
potentially leading to his arrest. Viewing this as its military and political
demise, Hezbollah decided to flip the table, topple the government and impose a
military fait accompli on the ground,” the report claimed. “The party drafted a
plan to deploy its armed forces from Sidon to Beirut, across the eastern and
western Bekaa, and into Metn and Keserwan. The military mission was explicit:
kidnapping the ministers who would vote to refer the crime to the Judicial
Council from their homes or residences,” Nidaa al-Watan said. “The plan included
clear orders to target the Lebanese Army and security forces without hesitation
should they attempt to intercept Hezbollah elements,” it added. The same sources
explained that “Hezbollah found itself with only two options: accept its
inevitable demise via the government's decision, which would humiliate it before
its support base and the families of its martyrs; or attempt to turn the tables,
initiate an internal war against authorities, and try to fracture the Lebanese
Army. The latter option would prolong the party's survival and push the battle
into a new phase.”According to the report, Hezbollah calculated that the
exceptionally high cost of an internal war was still far lower than the cost of
facing the Judicial Council. “The party instructed its internal security
officials to prepare their personnel and pulled large numbers of fighters from
the Bekaa and the South into the southern suburbs of Beirut to ready the
mission. Hezbollah directly relayed its intentions and decision to Prime
Minister Nawaf Salam and relevant officials without relying on the "Big Brother"
(Speaker Nabih Berri), who had independently contacted Prime Minister Salam to
advise against disrupting civil peace,” the report added.
According to Nidaa Al-Watan, Salam contacted a senior official from a country
friendly to Lebanon, who “advised him against allowing Lebanon to erupt
internally” and “noted that the international community and the Arab Gulf are
currently preoccupied with the Iranian crisis and would not prioritize
Lebanon.”Consequently, Salam, in coordination with President Joseph Aoun,
decided to refer the case to the Military Court instead, the report added. They
however maintained their insistence on pursuing the investigation to uncover who
decided to defy the government and continue smuggling arms, regardless of
whether the weapons shipment was intended for domestic or foreign use. Following
these developments, Salam “reached out to the political parties represented in
the cabinet, requesting their understanding of the decision not to resort to the
Judicial Council. However, the Lebanese Forces party refused to comply and
boycotted the government,” Nidaa al-Watan said. Sources from the Lebanese Forces
meanwhile argued in remarks to the daily that “the state's capitulation to
Hezbollah's threats will only embolden the party to commit further violations
and threaten the state again.” They asserted that “striking with an iron fist
and actively confronting Hezbollah is the only path to restoring the state's
authority and the proper functioning of its institutions.”
Top Iran general says 'plan for sustainable security'
includes ending war in Lebanon, Gaza
Naharnet/November 03/2026
The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and Commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya
Central Headquarters, Ali Abdollahi, stated Tuesday that "a powerful Iran has
emerged as a fourth pole of power by controlling the Strait of Hormuz as a vital
energy artery and determining the rules of access to it." In a message marking
the "National Day of Fighting Global Arrogance," he noted that "the enemy's
material and non-material assets are within the crosshairs of the Iranian Armed
Forces."He emphasized that Iran's “plan for sustainable security” includes
"ending the war on all fronts, especially in Lebanon and Gaza,” in reference to
Tehran’s demands in the current negotiations with the United States. He added
that the demands also include "the complete lifting of sanctions, the release of
the Iranian people's frozen funds, and paying compensations for imposed
wars.”Moreover, the plan also includes "recognizing Iran's sovereignty over the
Strait of Hormuz, replacing the dilapidated American security umbrella with the
Hormuz mechanism, guaranteeing the non-repetition of aggression, and forming
self-reliant security arrangements in the West Asia region."
Israel asks that Lebanese Army deploy in areas where
Hezbollah is present
Naharnet/November 03/2026
Israel has sent a message to the Lebanese authorities via the United States,
requesting that the Lebanese Army "redeploy and establish checkpoints in areas
where Hezbollah elements are present," Israel’s public broadcaster reported
overnight. An Israeli security source attributed this measure to fears that the
group “might open a front with Israel in the event it resumes its campaign in
Iran." The report added that Israel "threatened the Lebanese government that if
Hezbollah joins the war, Israel's fighting in Lebanon will also resume."
Aoun intensifies efforts to keep Hezbollah out of potential Iran war, report
says
Naharnet/November 03/2026
President Joseph Aoun has intensified his contacts with domestic, Arab, and
international parties to prevent Hezbollah's intervention in a potential war
with Iran. A report published Tuesday in Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper said U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio had warned Aoun that Israel would expand its
attacks north of the Litani River if Hezbollah once again joined the conflict.
The warning prompted Aoun to contact Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri, urging Berri to caution Hezbollah. Berri assured him that
the group would not intervene this time.
LF to boycott cabinet until explosives case referred to Judicial Council
Naharnet/November 03/2026
The ministers of the Lebanese Forces will keep boycotting cabinet sessions until
the case of the Hezbollah explosives shipment gets referred to the Judicial
Council, the country’s top state security court, the pro-LF Nidaa al-Watan
newspaper reported on Tuesday. The four ministers of the LF had boycotted
Thursday’s session. “This decision comes after sensing intentional
procrastination in referring the Dahr al-Baidar explosives case to the Judicial
Council,” MTV reported last week. Sources told MTV that the current stance of
the LF ministers stems from “a clear crisis of priorities: they consider that
the security of Lebanese citizens in the explosives case and their social
security regarding the electricity file are two pivotal issues in which
continuous procrastination and stalling can no longer be accepted.”Nidaa al-Watan
reported on Tuesday that the government had decided not to currently refer the
file to the Judicial Council due to an alleged Hezbollah threat to stage a May
7-like military takeover of the country.
Syria says foiled Hezbollah-linked plot to bomb oil refinery
Al Arabiya English/03 November/2026
Syrian authorities said on Tuesday they had prevented a sabotage attempt against
an important refinery by figures linked to Lebanon’s Hezbollah group. The
announcement comes after a series of unclaimed attacks against oil and gas
pipelines across several regions in the country. The Iran-backed group has
denied similar allegations from Damascus in the past. Domestic intelligence and
security forces “foiled a terrorist plot by a cell affiliated with the Hezbollah
militia that was targeting the Homs refinery,” the security forces said in a
statement. They said they had arrested two members of the cell and seized
explosives intended for use in the attack. The Homs refinery, in central Syria,
is the only operational one in a country devastated by more than a decade of
civil war that ended in late 2024. Another refinery, on the coast at Banias, is
undergoing maintenance. Damascus has previously announced the dismantling of
cells linked to Hezbollah, which has denied the allegations each time. On
Sunday, Syrian news agency SANA reported a foiled plot against the refinery,
while in early October Damascus reported sabotage attacks first against an oil
pipeline and then a gas one. With AFP"
South Lebanon: Shelling, strikes, and detonations
Naharnet/November 03/2026
Israeli artillery shelled the outskirts of Mayfadoun, Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh, and
Baraashit on Tuesday, following an earlier strike on the outskirts of Kfartebnit.
Overnight into Tuesday, Israeli forces set homes ablaze in Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh,
Kfartebnit, and Arnoun, and carried out detonations in al-Qantara and Bani Hayan,
while artillery hit Wadi Zebqine, al-Mansouri, and Hadatha. Later in the day,
the Israeli military conducted a mock air raid over Akkar-Hermel, dropped flare
bombs on Bani Hayan, and fired machine guns toward al-Khiam.
Salam and Qatari PM discuss diplomatic efforts
Naharnet/November 03/2026
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has held phone talks with Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed
bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, during which they reviewed cooperative
relations between the two countries and ways to support and enhance them, as
well as the latest regional developments.
The two premiers particularly discussed the “ongoing diplomatic efforts and
joint coordination to de-escalate tensions and strengthen security and stability
in the region,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said. During the call, the Qatari
premier stressed Doha’s “support for all diplomatic efforts and endeavors aimed
at a solution that guarantees freedom of maritime navigation and paves the way
for reaching a comprehensive agreement that achieves sustainable peace in the
region.”He also reaffirmed “the State of Qatar's firm position in support of
Lebanon's stability and territorial integrity, as well as its continuous
standing alongside the brotherly Lebanese people,” the Qatari foreign ministry
said.
French judges probe war crimes complaint against Israeli
army in Lebanon
Agence France Presse/November 03/2026
France has opened a judicial investigation into a war crimes complaint over an
Israeli strike on a residential building in Lebanon in 2024, lawyer Clemence
Bectarte told AFP on Tuesday. French-Lebanese artist Ali Cherri, whose parents
were killed in the Beirut strike, filed the complaint as a civil party last
spring alongside the International Federation for Human Rights, Bectarte
explained. The crimes against humanity unit of the Paris Judicial Court has
appointed two investigating judges to the case, she added, hailing the move as
"a first".AFP has reached out to the Israeli military for comment. "For nearly
two years, I have been fighting... to ensure that the Israeli bombing that
killed my parents and five other civilians does not go unpunished," Cherri told
AFP of the November 2024 strike on the residential building in central Beirut.
"What happened to my parents is not an isolated case... I hope this
investigation will help break the impunity enjoyed by Israeli officials
responsible for attacks against civilians in Lebanon and Palestine," he added.
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, an ally of Palestinian militant group Hamas,
opened a front against Israel at the start of the war in the Palestinian
territory of Gaza after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. The
hostilities, which escalated into open war in September 2024, have left more
than 4,000 dead in Lebanon and forced more than a million people to flee.
Out of the gray: Lebanon still has 10 FATF requirements to meet
LBCI/November 03/2026
Lebanon has failed to secure its removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
gray list, despite making some progress in addressing deficiencies in its
financial system. The FATF, which holds three plenary meetings a year in
February, June and October, has kept Lebanon under increased monitoring since
October 2024. The reason: A number of shortcomings that Lebanon must address to
demonstrate that its financial system is capable of combating money laundering
and terrorist financing. Remaining on the gray list carries economic
consequences, including increased scrutiny of financial transfers, more
complicated banking relationships with foreign institutions, and an impact on
investor confidence. However, the latest report was not entirely negative. The
FATF acknowledged that Lebanon had taken positive steps, including issuing
instructions for the implementation of financial sanctions and providing
training to institutions on combating money laundering.
Despite this progress, Lebanon still has 10 outstanding requirements to meet.
The FATF is seeking the effective enforcement of existing laws, including
tangible investigations, prosecutions and convictions in money laundering cases.
It also wants Lebanon to identify the ultimate beneficial owners of companies,
as some businesses lack clear ownership structures and may be used to conceal
illicit activities. Other requirements include strengthening oversight of
non-financial institutions, tracking illicit funds, and monitoring the
cross-border movement of cash, gold and precious stones. The FATF is also
calling for stronger investigations into terrorist financing, greater
information-sharing with other countries and closer monitoring of high-risk
associations. Speaking to LBCI, economist Dr. Wassim Chahin said: "Lebanon is
unlikely to be blacklisted like Iran, North Korea and Myanmar, given its
different circumstances and the FATF's acknowledgment of its reform efforts and
cooperation." At the FATF's latest meeting in Paris, held from October 28 to 30,
four countries successfully exited the gray list: Bulgaria, Monaco, Côte
d'Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These countries could serve
as examples for Lebanon as it seeks to improve its financial classification. The
question now is whether Lebanon will manage to leave the gray list at the next
FATF meeting or whether the country will once again face the same outcome.
BDL suspends medical coverage at two hospitals for
employees and beneficiaries
LBCI/November 03/2026
The Banque du Liban (BDL) has instructed its employees and those covered by its
medical insurance scheme to suspend all medical approvals and coverage at Al-Rasoul
Al-Aazam Hospital and the Lebanese Medical Center (LMC), LBCI has learned. In
this regard, sources at BDL said it regularly issues circulars and warnings to
employees concerning entities and individuals listed on international sanctions
lists. The sources told LBCI that the measure falls within the bank's routine
administrative and oversight practices and carries no political implications or
other considerations of any kind.
"BDL does not take such considerations into account in its dealings with
employees. Rather, it strictly adheres to the laws and prohibitions that it
requires entities under its supervision to observe, and applies the same level
of rigor to its own employees," the sources said. They added that the bank is
committed to respecting the same rules it imposes on others, without exception
or discrimination.
Women in the spotlight: What a study reveals about LBCI's
sports coverage and airtime
LBCI/November 03/2026
A master's research study at the Lebanese University's Faculty of Information
examined LBCI's sports coverage during the 2024 Paris Olympics period, exploring
the numbers, the progress, and the stories behind them.
By Najwa Yassine
From shooting and taekwondo to swimming and table tennis, Lebanese female
athletes represented their country at the 2024 Paris Olympics, carrying their
country's hopes onto the international stage. But beyond their performances,
another question deserves attention: How much space do these women occupy on
Lebanese television screens?The answer may be more encouraging than expected. A
master's study conducted at the Lebanese University found that female athletes
received more average airtime than male athletes in a sample of LBCI sports news
coverage between June and August 2024. The findings challenged the researcher's
initial assumption that women would receive less media exposure, revealing signs
of progress in how their achievements are presented. The numbers tell a
different story. The study examined 30 sports news segments broadcast on LBCI
during a period that included the Paris Olympics. Of those segments, nine, or
30%, focused exclusively on female athletes, compared with six, or 20%,
dedicated to male athletes. Three segments featured both genders, while 12 were
classified as gender unspecified. Reports focusing exclusively on women lasted
an average of 102.2 seconds, compared with 88.3 seconds for men, a difference of
nearly 14 seconds. Women also appeared earlier in the news lineup. Female-only
reports had an average editorial position of 3.3, compared with 4.0 for
male-only reports. The research found that 12 segments featured medalists and 11
focused on finalists, suggesting that sporting achievements strongly influence
which athletes make the news. These figures do not represent all LBCI sports
coverage. They offer a snapshot of a specific period, when Olympic participation
brought additional attention to Lebanese athletes. Still, they challenge the
assumption that female athletes are always given less airtime or less prominent
placement.
What LBCI says about the progress
The numbers are only part of the story. Interviews with LBCI journalists and
editorial leadership helped explain the channel's approach. Georges Soueidi, an
LBCI Television presenter, radio host, and producer, said women's sports
coverage has increased in recent years, particularly as Lebanese athletes
deliver strong international performances. He pointed to the channel's coverage
of Olympic shooter Ray Bassil, taekwondo athlete Laetitia Aoun, and sprinter
Aziza Sbeity as examples of its growing attention to women's achievements.
Soueidi said LBCI supports women's sports and sees their growing visibility as
an important part of its coverage. He also acknowledged that men's sports,
particularly basketball, generally attract greater attention. Asked what could
improve women's visibility further, he suggested broadcasting more women's
competitions live instead of concentrating mainly on finals.
Lara Zalloum, LBCI's television news editor-in-chief, also recognized the
progress made compared with previous years. During her interview, she explained
that the channel did not have specific statistical indicators or a formal
long-term editorial policy dedicated to measuring female athletes'
representation. Her comments highlight an opportunity to build on the progress
already achieved by making women's sports coverage more consistent and
measurable.
Beyond the recognition: What female athletes have to say
For athletes, appearing on television can mean more than recognition.
Yara Haddad, a 2024 world champion in powerlifting, knows that success does not
automatically translate into financial support. Haddad acknowledged progress in
women's sports coverage but highlighted the challenges of securing sponsorships.
She noted that many athletes have to work alongside their training to cover the
costs of travel and participation in competitions.Her experience raises a
question: What happens when an athlete wins a title but still struggles to fund
her next competition? Other women interviewed included Daniella Fayyad, a
basketball player competing nationally and internationally; Ghina Chehwan, a
parkour athlete with international competition experience; and Khadija Omar, a
Tennis player ranked fourth by the Lebanese Tennis Federation. Their experiences
helped the research explore how media attention, public recognition and
sponsorship opportunities are connected.
Mona Yaacoub, an LBCI sports journalist, basketball commentator and
first-division basketball player, emphasized the importance of giving female
athletes opportunities to discuss their skills and achievements, rather than
presenting them as exceptions in the sporting world.
The interviews also highlighted the role of social media in helping athletes
reach audiences beyond traditional television coverage.
What's next for women's sports coverage?
The study's findings offer a positive picture of change.
In the LBCI sample, women received longer average airtime, earlier editorial
placement, and dedicated coverage of their achievements. Interviews with the
channel's journalists and editorial leadership also pointed to improvements over
recent years. Yet the research identified an important distinction between being
visible during a major competition and remaining visible throughout the year.The
Paris Olympics provided an opportunity to celebrate Lebanese women competing on
the world stage. The next opportunity is to tell their stories before the
competition begins, after it ends, and throughout the seasons in between.
Because for female athletes, the goal is not simply to make headlines when they
win. It is to remain part of the sporting conversation.
The Lebanese Cost of Iranian Arrogance
Hanna Saleh/Asharq Al Awsat/November 03/2026
Has the deadlock become absolute? Iranian arrogance is accelerating the pace of
a return to war. The United States is intensifying its transfers of military
assets to the region, and pending the arrival of a third aircraft carrier, the
number will rise to around 60,000. CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper is
presenting a comprehensive briefing on objectives and priorities in Washington,
following military discussions with the Israeli army command. Today, Tuesday,
November 3, coincides with the US midterm election day, meaning President Trump
will have fulfilled his promise that there would be no military strike against
Iran prior to the elections.
Iran has thwarted all mediation efforts, including Russian, Qatari, and
Pakistani initiatives, and offered a flawed interpretation of the objectives
behind the visit of the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement nations' delegation.
While mediators focused on prioritizing the nuclear file and reopening the
Strait of Hormuz without delay to pave the way for reciprocal steps, Washington
took a significant step forward with a message from JD Vance to Mohsen Rezaei, a
figure close to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and part of the military
decision-making apparatus.
The message was a serious attempt to test the possibility of a breakthrough
through direct talks starting with the nuclear file, setting aside the
incentives of the "Memorandum of Understanding and the seven conditions."
However, Tehran was quick to reject discussing the nuclear file and refuse
direct talks, through statements by Rezaei and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas
Araghchi, dismissing the American attempt to find common ground for
negotiations. Consequently, this positions Tehran to bear the responsibility for
a return to war.
Vance’s message may be a final opportunity to avert war, mirroring an American
approach utilized in major historical crises. Among these was the meeting
between James Baker and Tariq Aziz on January 9, 1991, when Aziz refused to
accept a letter from President George Bush to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein due
to the conditions it contained. It was said at the time that the letter was
written specifically to be rejected, and the war followed shortly after,
breaking out just one week later.
Today's message culminates an American effort to avert war, anchored on
preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Trump has repeatedly highlighted
concerns that a nuclear Iran poses a threat to the region, international
security, and the US itself. Consequently, the Iranian regime's possession of a
nuclear weapon has become unacceptable, alongside the requirement to restrict
the permissible range of its ballistic missiles. Furthermore, relinquishing its
regional proxies is considered non-negotiable, as is ending piracy in the
Straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb.
Alongside the message and the continuation of the tightened naval blockade,
talks of war have moved forward. Washington wants to carry out intensive,
destructive strikes that may not be limited to targeting nuclear and ballistic
sites. Meanwhile, Tehran wants a prolonged, expanding conflict, with its theater
spanning the reach of Iranian missiles.
Attention was drawn to Tehran's announcement that the "hidden" Supreme Leader
met with senior military commanders to urge them to "confront any level of
threats with an immediate, effective response and without geographical
restrictions(!!)." This is a militia-style approach that antagonizes humanity,
and its danger is doubled because the person who declared it is the number one
man in the Iranian regime!
Iran’s alarming threat to transform the entire region into a theater of military
operations is highly dangerous, fueled by the illusion that a costly war can
save its political regime. This hazardous trajectory is further exacerbated by
statements attributed to Supreme Leader Mojtaba, who reaffirmed that the "unity
of the arenas is a decisive factor with a strategic impact on shaping a new
political and security order in West Asia."
Yet West Asia is no jungle. It is a collection of Arab countries and peoples
spanning the Eastern Mediterranean and the eastern Red Sea - nations that have
rejected the Iranian model to build their own futures, and now stand on the
verge of turning the page on the militias Tehran created to cement its control.
Ultimately, these propositions signal Iran's absolute inability to learn from
the post-Sinwar disaster era. They ignore the strategic shift it brought about
in Syria, the fracturing of Iranian proxies across Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen, and
the total collapse of the era when Tehran could boast of ruling four Arab
capitals.
The impending war poses major challenges for Lebanon, which has been broken by a
horrific defeat caused by the Israeli-Iranian war on its soil. It would be
highly dangerous to ignore the fact that Hezbollah, which is part of the Iranian
Revolutionary Guard, will not hesitate to drag Lebanon into a new "support" war.
Hezbollah was created for precisely such a moment, and it will give no heed to
the people's pain, the catastrophe in the South, and the defeat of Lebanon.
Despite recognizing its own helplessness and knowing the outcome will only bring
further death and occupation, the group will not hesitate to gamble with
people's lives. This is driven on one hand by a desire to appease its handlers,
and on the other by a bet that the war will secure a formula derived from the
Iranian interpretation of the Memorandum of Understanding: the continuous
coexistence of weapons and occupation, along with the subsequent strangling of
any efforts to establish a capable state.
It is impossible to ignore the drawbacks of the authorities’ delay in executing
their historic disarmament decisions, alongside their wait-and-see approach to
translating the "Framework Agreement" into reality. This comes despite the
absolute clarity of the core equation upon which the agreement was built: land
in exchange for weapons.
A policy of postponement is a dangerous recipe; the state cannot escape
executing its required mission to disarm and dismantle the illegal structures
that have entrenched Iranian influence, a necessary step to mitigate the
repercussions of the impending war. Initiating the dismantling of Hezbollah's
pockets of influence within certain institutions, which have reportedly enabled
it to transfer funds and partially rebuild some of its capabilities, is
essential. Such steps are necessary to address judicial rulings regarding the
group's explosives shipment, at the very least to disrupt aspects of its pattern
of defiance and extortion.
Revoking the license of al-Qard al-Hassan Bank and closing
its branches
Israel-Alma/November 03/2027
In October 2026, Lebanon's central bank revoked the local operating license of
Bank Saderat Iran (بنك صادرات ايران), one of Iran's largest and
longest-established banks, which has operated in Lebanon since 1962. Central
Bank Governor Karim Souaid (كريم سعيد) confirmed the decision on October 15,
explaining that it was intended to protect Lebanon's banking system from
sanctions risks and preserve its ties to the international financial system.
Souaid also linked the move to Lebanon's efforts to exit the Financial Action
Task Force (FATF) gray list and curb illicit financial activity.
Bank Saderat has a history of U.S. sanctions for facilitating terrorist
financing. In 2006, the U.S. Treasury Department cut the bank off from the U.S.
financial system, and in 2007, designated it for supporting terrorism. According
to the U.S. Treasury Department, between 2001 and 2006, Bank Saderat transferred
$50 million from the Central Bank of Iran through its London subsidiary to its
Beirut branch for Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Bank Saderat's operations in Lebanon have contracted significantly over the
years amid sanctions, exclusion from the clearing system, and the loss of local
and international banking ties. The bank currently has five branches: three in
Beirut, in the neighborhoods of Verdun (فردان), Ghobeiry (الغبيري), and Burj al-Barajneh
(برج البراجنة); one in Baalbek, and one in Sidon.
The decision to revoke the license drew opposition from the Deputy Chairman of
the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, Sheikh Ali al-Khatib (الشيخ علي الخطيب). On
October 29, after meeting with a delegation from Bank Saderat's management, al-Khatib
called for the decision to be reversed, claiming that it represented
capitulation to American dictates and warning of harm to employees and
customers. He also called for the ban on Iranian civilian flights to Lebanon to
be lifted.
The revocation of Bank Saderat's license in Lebanon comes 20 years late, at a
time when its operations and financial influence are limited. Concrete evidence
of the Lebanese state's willingness to act against the active and influential
financial network associated with Hezbollah should take the form of revoking the
license of al-Qard al-Hassan Bank and closing its branches. The institution
received its operating license as a "charitable association" from the Lebanese
Ministry of Interior in 1987.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on November 02-03/2026
(Some of the News reports below are
translated from Arabic by AI)
US midterm elections: The races to watch
AFP/November 03/2026
Americans voted Tuesday in midterm elections to decide whether President Donald
Trump’s Republicans retain control of Congress or spend the final two years of
his term confronting Democratic majorities. High living costs, the war with Iran
and Trump’s poor approval ratings have helped Democrats expand the electoral
map, with unusually tight contests even in Republican strongholds.But polling
errors, redrawn districts and record campaign spending make the outcome
uncertain.
The arithmetic
Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority. Democrats need a net gain of four
seats to take the upper chamber of Congress, as a 50-50 tie would leave
Republicans in charge through Vice President JD Vance’s tie-breaking vote. All
435 seats in the House of Representatives are contested. It is currently made up
of 218 Republicans and one Republican-aligned independent, 214 Democrats, and
two vacancies. Democrats need at least 218 seats in the lower chamber to clinch
a majority in the new session.
Senate: Eight battlegrounds
North Carolina: The state’s Democratic ex-governor Roy Cooper faces Republican
operative Michael Whatley in a bid to flip the seat being vacated by retiring
Senator Thom Tillis, a vocal Republican Trump critic. Strong polling for Cooper
prompted both parties to shift some spending elsewhere, but the outcome is key
for Democrats. Texas: Democrat James Talarico, a Christian progressive, faces
Trump-backed state Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose controversies have helped
turn a longtime Republican stronghold into a closely watched contest. Paxton
retains a loyal conservative following and enormous outside financial support.
Ohio: Former Democratic senator Sherrod Brown seeks a comeback against
Republican Jon Husted, who was appointed to replace Vance when he became vice
president. Among the country’s most expensive races, it’s also a test of whether
economic discontent can shift a state that has moved sharply rightward. Maine:
Republican Susan Collins faces former state Senate leader Troy Jackson. She has
repeatedly survived difficult elections in a state that votes Democratic for
president. Alaska: Former Democratic congresswoman Mary Peltola challenges
Republican Daniel Sullivan. Her strong standing among voters has made another
Trump-voting state unexpectedly competitive. Iowa: Republican congresswoman
Ashley Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek compete for retiring Republican Senator
Joni Ernst’s seat, while soaring agricultural and energy costs are prominent
issues. Kansas: Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton is challenging Republican Roger
Marshall in a state that has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932. Tight
polling has prompted Trump to campaign for Marshall. Michigan: An important
Republican pickup opportunity pits former congressman Mike Rogers against
progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed to fill the seat of retiring Democratic
Senator Gary Peters.
House: Watch the suburbs
New York’s 17th district: Republican Mike Lawler faces Democrat Cait Conley in a
Hudson Valley seat won by Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential
election.Nebraska’s 2nd: Republican Don Bacon’s retirement leaves a competitive
Omaha-area seat contested by Republican Brinker Harding and Democrat Denise
Powell. Pennsylvania: Republican incumbents Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan and
Scott Perry face closely watched Democratic challenges. Nearby New Jersey’s 7th
district, where Rebecca Bennett challenges Republican Tom Kean Jr, is also in
play. Virginia’s 2nd: Democrat Elaine Luria seeks to reclaim the coastal seat
she lost to Republican Jennifer Kiggans in 2022. Iowa: Three Republican-held
districts in the state’s east and center could provide an early indication of
whether Democrats are making broad gains.
Signs of a wave?
For an indication of the scale of any Democratic advance, watch two
Republican-held House districts in Virginia: the 1st, where Shannon Taylor
challenges Robert Wittman, and the 5th, where former congressman Tom Perriello
wants to unseat John McGuire. A Democratic gain in Kentucky’s Republican-leaning
6th district, or unexpected defeats for Republicans in Florida’s 13th and
Wisconsin’s 1st, would likewise signal a particularly broad electoral swing.
Conversely, Democrats face dangers of their own in redrawn districts, including
Alabama’s 2nd, where Shomari Figures is defending his seat, and Texas’s 34th,
where Vicente Gonzalez faces Republican Eric Flores.
Voters to decide control of Congress in major test of Trump's second term
Associated Press/November 03/2027
Election Day is here. Voters nationwide will decide control of the U.S. House
and Senate. Democrats must flip four seats in the Senate and three seats in the
House to wrest control of the chambers from Republicans. Control of Congress
would give Democrats a way to push back against President Donald Trump's agenda
during the final two years of his term. The battle for control is playing out
mostly in states and districts Trump previously won by wide margins. All eyes
are on Senate contests in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas,
while House battlegrounds are scattered across the country. Democrats have homed
in on Trump's poor approval rating, public dissatisfaction with the war in Iran
and affordability concerns. Republicans have focused on social issues, while
Trump has made himself the central character of the midterms.
The Latest:
The nation's longest Senate winning streak is at stake in Kansas
Sen. Roger Marshall is trying to fend off an unusually strong challenge from
Democratic megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton in a race that's generated a Kansas
record for spending on advertising.
A Democrat hasn't won a Senate race in the state in 94 years. But Marshall is
seeking a second term at a moment of deep frustration with Trump's handling of
the economy, and Hamilton made affordability a key issue while positioning
himself as a moderate who could work with Republican colleagues in
Washington.Hamilton is the founder and senior pastor of the Kansas City-area
Church of the Resurrection. With 25,000 members, it's the nation's largest
United Methodist congregation.
DeSantis urges Trump, Republicans not to 'gaslight' voters
In a Monday interview with commentator Stephen A. Smith, Republican Florida Gov.
Ron DeSantis said Trump originally promised not to start new wars in the Middle
East, but is currently in an "open-ended" conflict in Iran, which has driven up
fuel prices. DeSantis said some Republicans have tried to blame former President
Joe Biden for the higher prices, but he urged them to be honest.
"Gas is higher and it hurts people, working-class people," he said. "And it's
higher because of this conflict. That's just a fact. If you can't admit that to
voters, then you're gaslighting them and they're not going to listen to you on
other things." DeSantis unsuccessfully competed with Trump for the 2024
presidential nomination and could run again in 2028.
Sen. Susan Collins tries to keep her seat while fending off Troy Jackson
Collins is running for her sixth term on a pledge to continue serving Maine as
one of the few remaining moderates in the Senate. The Republican faces a
challenge from Democrat Troy Jackson, who entered the race late. Jackson has
tried to paint Collins as too close to Trump, while Collins has touted her
willingness to break from the rest of the Republican Party on key votes.
Collins is the only Republican senator from New England, and she has triumphed
in previous tough elections. This time, Democrats focused on unseating her from
the beginning, but the party's June primary winner, Graham Platner, withdrew
from the race after facing sexual assault allegations that he denied. Jackson
became the new nominee after winning a special nominating convention in late
July.
Justice Department dispatches 1,000 election monitors to the polls
The Justice Department announced early Tuesday that it is sending roughly 1,000
federal election monitors to all 50 states to observe Election Day voting.
Many are expected in populated areas that tend to vote for Democrats. They
include past hot spots for election tensions, like Detroit, Philadelphia and
Georgia's Fulton County.
The monitoring program isn't new, but it has faced criticism from voting rights
groups concerned about federal interference and voter intimidation.
The NAACP sued after the department said it would include law enforcement
officers in the program, but a judge ruled against the group overnight, arguing
the government had made it clear that monitors would be in plainclothes, would
not carry firearms and wouldn't have the power to make arrests at poll sites.
The Justice Department has said its monitors will observe and will not interfere
with voting.
House races playing out deep in Trump country
Republicans are mostly on defense in the battle for control of the U.S. House.
Most of the top battlegrounds are districts Trump won in 2024, sometimes by a
lot.
Republicans and allied groups pulled spending from several House races in
October, shifting, for example, away from GOP incumbents in Iowa and New Jersey.
At Trump's urging, Republicans in states including Texas and Florida tried to
give themselves a boost with early redistricting, but that may turn out to be a
flop.
Democrats are defending a handful of seats in Trump country as well, and there
are pockets of potential GOP upside around the country.
The AP has a detailed rundown of the House districts in play and the fight for
the House majority.
Senate control up for grabs in states Trump carried
Control of the Senate hangs in the balance in a way few could have foreseen.
Originally, Democrats believed they only had a narrow path to the majority, and
their plan required flipping seats in Alaska, Ohio, Maine and North Carolina.
However, the map has shifted, and Democrats believe they have a shot at Texas,
Kansas and Iowa as well. Many of these are states Trump won by double-digit
margins two years ago.
Democrats need to play defense as well. Although they're expected to hold
Georgia, they also need to lock down Michigan and Minnesota.
In Maine, a voter feels 'the weight of the world'
In Falmouth, Maine, 60-year-old Susan Myers said she's optimistic that Senate
candidate Troy Jackson can take advantage of anti-Trump sentiment and defeat
longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins. She's also aware of how recent elections
have gone for diehard Democrats like herself.
"I'm hopeful. I feel like there's been so much disappointment these last few
election cycles that I don't want to get my hopes up," she said. Myers voted
early at Falmouth Town Hall and was picking up an absentee ballot for her
daughter. She said so much national attention on Maine this election has been
overwhelming. The Senate race is one of this year's most competitive and could
decide which party controls the chamber. "It feels a little bit like we have the
weight of the world on our shoulders," Myers said.
Latinos form a crucial bloc of swing voters
Latinos helped return Trump to the White House in 2024. Now they're poised to
play an outsized role in the midterms. The path to a U.S. House majority runs
through heavily Latino districts in states such as Arizona, California,
Colorado, Florida and Texas. The front-line Senate race in Texas likewise could
hinge on Latinos. About 6 in 10 Hispanic adults disapprove of Trump's handling
of the presidency, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public
Affairs Research poll from October. About 7 in 10 disapprove of his performance
on the economy. One key factor will be how effective Democrats have been at
making the case for themselves. Will disaffected Trump supporters vote for
Democrats, or just sit out the midterms? In Michigan's Senate race, history and
control of the chamber are on the line
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is seeking to become the first Muslim elected to the
U.S. Senate. Republican Mike Rogers wants to be the first member of his party to
win a Michigan Senate race in more than three decades. The contest to replace
retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is among a handful that could determine
which party controls the Senate. Although Michigan Democrats have been
successful in recent midterm elections, Trump carried the battleground state in
two of his three campaigns. That divided political landscape helped set the
stage for one of the most bitter and contentious Senate races of the cycle. El-Sayed
has accused Rogers of being a "puppet" for Trump. Rogers has accused El-Sayed of
having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, while Trump has falsely called the
Democrat a "jihadist." Progressives are hoping an El-Sayed victory will signal
their agenda can resonate in a battleground state ahead of the next presidential
election.
Millions of Americans will be voting in new congressional districts
Mid-decade redistricting shook up the House map ahead of the midterms, changing
the boundaries of around one-third of congressional districts. The AP analyzed
each district's 2024 presidential vote margin before and after redistricting and
found that while many individual districts saw dramatic shifts in partisanship
and demographic makeup, the national U.S. House map did not shift significantly
toward either party. Learn more about how redistricting shaped the 2026 midterm
elections and see how your district boundaries changed in this map.
Midterm results will chart the course of Trump's final two years
Trump is staring down twin threats from Capitol Hill for his last two years as
president if his party loses at least one chamber in Tuesday's midterms:
investigations and impeachment.
Democratic lawmakers are eager to exercise oversight, with senior officials long
telegraphing how they would go after an administration they believe has escaped
accountability for policies, personal profits and abuses of power. The majority
party controls gavels on powerful House committees, which come with larger staff
budgets and more expansive resources, including subpoena powers.
Less certain are prospects for impeaching Trump, although House Democratic
leaders will almost certainly come under pressure from their left flank to do
so. Rather than Trump, who was impeached twice during his first term but
acquitted by the Senate both times, Democrats may instead try to impeach Cabinet
officials. If Republicans lose the Senate, Trump's ability to push his judicial
and executive branch nominees through to confirmation will also be severely
weakened.
Races for Senate, governor in Iowa are open for the first time since 1968
Iowa's top of the ticket is up for grabs after Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and
Sen. Joni Ernst opted out of reelection bids. Republicans control state
government and comprise the entirety of Iowa's federal delegation. But the
openings have given Democrats opportunities to win over voters who may want a
new direction amid high grocery and gas prices, manufacturing job losses, a
crippled agricultural economy and growing cancer rates.
In the governor's race, Rob Sand, the state auditor and only Democrat in
statewide elected office, faces Republican Zach Lahn, a political newcomer who
stunned even members of his own party when he won the primary over a
Trump-endorsed congressman.
Democrat Josh Turek and Republican Ashley Hinson are competing for a U.S. Senate
seat. Hinson, a congresswoman endorsed by Trump, has tried to assure voters she
will push back when his policies are wrong for Iowa. Turek, a state lawmaker,
was endorsed by Barack Obama, the last Democrat seeking federal office to win
Iowa before Trump won the last three presidential elections.
Judge blocks Trump administration from sending lists of alleged noncitizen
voters
A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration must stop sending voter
lists of alleged noncitizens to election officials, as it has done in California
and Washington state, while urging the states to set aside those ballots. U.S.
District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, D.C., said in her decision late
Monday that more voter data transmissions would likely confuse voters and
election officials at a time when election resources need to be focused on
administering the midterms.
States and voting rights groups have pushed back on the administration's claims
and said the lists are riddled with errors. The decision is one in a string of
court losses for the administration in its efforts to expand federal authority
over elections, which are run by the states.
Southwest flooding forces the Navajo Nation to change some Election Day voting
plans
The Navajo Election Administration says it has altered five polling locations —
two in Arizona and three in New Mexico. The tribe's reservation surrounds the
Four Corners Monument, where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado meet. The
area has seen major flooding since October, with rivers overflowing their banks
and some residents having to evacuate.
The tribe says it has more than 298,000 members.
GOP loses immigration advantage
Trump roared back to power due to the Biden administration's border troubles. He
cut illegal crossings of the border, which were already plummeting, to close to
zero.
That's when the trouble started.
The president turned to the trickier task of deporting people in the U.S.
illegally from the interior. Soon the main image of illegal immigration wasn't
desperate people crossing the border, but mothers screaming as they were torn
from their children, or masked federal agents chasing people — sometimes
citizens — through streets. Trump openly bemoaned how the U.S. didn't get enough
migrants from Scandinavian countries and only accepted white South Africans into
the country as refugees. And then two citizen protesters were shot and killed by
immigration agents during the administration's raids on Minneapolis. Now the GOP
fears it will especially lose ground in immigrant-rich areas running from New
Jersey to Florida to Texas. And polls show more voters oppose Trump on
immigration than support him.
Democrats are hopeful — but not optimistic — in South Carolina
Lindsey Graham's sudden death left South Carolina Republicans scrambling to pick
a new nominee in a special primary, which his sister, Darline Graham, ultimately
won.
The switch-up left the state's Democrats with renewed hope they could break a
20-year drought on winning a statewide race. But even some of Democratic nominee
Annie Andrews' supporters acknowledge their state might not yet be ready to go
blue, despite Democrats' advances in neighboring North Carolina and Georgia.
South Carolina has consistently backed Trump, who endorsed Graham, urged her to
run and has stumped twice for her in the state. Graham and Andrews have
portrayed each other as ill-prepared for the role.
Latest views on Trump from AP-NORC polling
Trump might not be on the ballot, but Americans are very unhappy with his
performance so far in his second term. Only about one-third of U.S. adults, 35%,
approve of how Trump is handling the presidency, according to AP-NORC polling
from October. Trump's approval tends to stay within a fairly narrow range, but
the most recent measure is below where his overall approval stood shortly after
he started his second term, when 42% of U.S. adults approved of how he was
handling the presidency. He's seen modest declines in approval among Republicans
and independents. About 70% of Republicans approve of how Trump is handling the
presidency, down from 82% at the start of his term. Trump's current approval
rating is slightly below where it stood in October 2018.
Voters are frustrated by inflation and appear ready to penalize Republicans
Over the past two elections, voters turned out against Democrats because of high
inflation.
But Trump's promise to bring down prices has failed. Inflation is running at
3.7% annually, up from 3% when the president's second term started. Trump's
tariffs pushed up inflation last year, and his decision to start a war with Iran
has caused higher oil, gasoline and diesel prices.
As a result, consumer sentiment is lower than it has been during recent
recessions. And the unemployment rate is still a healthy 4.2%. The voter anger
over inflation makes it harder for Republicans who campaigned on low prices to
defend their House and Senate majorities.
The Georgia governor's race pits a billionaire against a potentially historic
figure
Republican nominee Rick Jackson is a billionaire businessman making his first
bid for public office.
Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms is the former Atlanta mayor and would be
Georgia's first Black governor. Nationally, no Black woman has been elected
governor of any state.
The winner will succeed Republican Brian Kemp, a two-term governor who by law
could not run again. Republicans have won every Georgia governor's election
since 2002.
Jackson initially pledged to govern "like Trump, but with a Southern tone." He's
since loosened that embrace and emphasized his personal biography as a former
foster care teenager who became a healthcare magnate. He's said his childhood
struggles make him ideal to represent 11 million Georgians. And he's spent
nearly $200 million of his own money trying to prove it.
Bottoms disputes Jackson's self-made everyman narrative, saying he's trying to
buy the office to be a Trump lackey.
Polls have opened on the East Coast
In-person Election Day voting has begun. Polls are open in a handful of East
Coast states, including Connecticut, Maine, New York, New Jersey, and parts of
Kentucky and Indiana. At 6:30 a.m. ET, polls in Ohio, North Carolina and West
Virginia will open. Polls in 14 more states will open at 7 a.m. Polls will be
open in every state, plus Washington, D.C., by noon ET.
Trump's economic approval has taken a hit with Republicans
Americans are broadly frustrated with Trump over the economy and other
pocketbook issues, according to AP-NORC polling. About one-quarter of U.S.
adults approve of how Trump is handling the economy, down from about 4 in 10 in
the months after he started his second term. The decline is particularly notable
among Republicans, only about half of whom approve of Trump's economic approach
right now. That's down from 78% in March 2025. Trump has similarly low ratings
on his handling of the cost of living. Only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults approve of
him on this issue, while about 8 in 10 disapprove. That includes roughly 6 in 10
Republicans who disapprove of Trump on costs.
The poll showed about 8 in 10 voters say the economy or the cost of living are
among their top issues for the election.
Democrat Roy Cooper looks to flip a Republican-held Senate seat in North
Carolina
Cooper, a former governor, was hailed from the start as Democrats' top Senate
recruit.
Republicans countered with Michael Whatley, Trump's handpicked Republican Party
chair whom the president urged to run for the seat.
The winner will succeed Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who announced his
retirement and became an outspoken Trump critic. The race became a testing
ground for the two parties' fight over how to frame the economy and Republicans'
sweeping tax-and-budget law that Trump called the "one big, beautiful
bill."Cooper avoided personal criticisms of Trump but hammered Whatley and
Republicans on inflation. Whatley cheered GOP tax cuts on tips, overtime and
Social Security.
Republicans have dominated Senate elections in North Carolina for the last
half-century. But Cooper has never lost an election, starting as a state senator
before winning four terms as attorney general and two terms as governor. A
handful of House Republicans face headwinds in seats Harris carried in '24
Those congressmembers are trying to hold onto their seats in districts Democrat
Kamala Harris carried in 2024. There were just three such Republicans until
redistricting complicated the picture: Don Bacon, who is retiring in Nebraska's
2nd District, and Mike Lawler in New York's 17th and Brian Fitzpatrick in
Pennsylvania's 1st District — both of whom are running in contested races this
year. After redistricting battles touched off by Trump, who sought to pick up
more seats for his party, the number of Republicans in Democrat-leaning seats
climbed.
Four seats in California represented by Republicans became more favorable for
Democrats. In one of them, Rep. Kevin Kiley said he was leaving the GOP and
would serve as an independent.
And another seat currently represented by a Republican in Utah became Democratic
leaning after legal wrangling following redistricting there. Midterm elections
coming to a close as voters pass judgment on Trump's second term. Voters
struggling with high prices and angry over an unpopular war with Iran will
decide whether to drastically shift power in Washington in midterm elections
Tuesday that will serve as a referendum on President Donald Trump 's second
term.
Democrats were cautiously optimistic about their prospects as they watched
Republicans spend the campaign's final stretch pumping tens of millions of
dollars into states and districts that Trump won handily just two years ago.
They are betting that discontent over Trump's failure to deliver on his promise
to tackle rising costs, and perceptions that he has been more focused on gilding
the nation's capital than their pain at the pump, will depress Republican
turnout and drive their own voters to the polls. Republicans held out hope that
their overwhelming money advantage would help stem the tide, but they were
bracing to lose control of the U.S. House and fighting to hang onto the U.S.
Senate — an outcome that seemed unlikely earlier this year, given a map widely
seen as favoring the party.
Still, the margins are tight in both chambers and just one or two seats could
tip the balance. Democrats need a net gain of four seats in the Senate to win
the majority, an uphill climb because many of the most competitive races are in
historically red states. In the House, they only need three.
US strikes Iranian islands as Trump talks up diplomatic
progress
Agence France Presse/November 03/2026
The United States launched limited strikes on an Iranian island in the Strait of
Hormuz on Tuesday, U.S. media reported, hours after President Donald Trump
signaled diplomatic progress with Tehran. The strikes, first reported by The
Wall Street Journal, hit Qeshm Island, where Iranian state media reported five
explosions in rapid succession. Unnamed U.S. officials cited by the Journal and
other outlets described the attacks as defensive in nature, while the paper said
it was just the latest of several undeclared strikes. It said they had not been
publicly announced to avoid the impression Washington intended to resume major
combat operations. U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to an AFP
request for comment. The U.S., alongside Israel, launched the war with a massive
wave of surprise strikes on Iran in late February, but it has not achieved its
war aims and the conflict has been stalemated for months. On Monday, a day
before voters were predicted to hand his Republican party a drubbing in midterm
elections in part over dissatisfaction with the war and the inflation it has
brought, Trump said a deal with Iran "could happen". "Iran wants a settlement,
as soon as possible," Trump posted on his Truth Social Platform. Iranian Foreign
Minister Abbas Araghchi, meanwhile, said indirect talks were taking place.
"Given the sensitivity and gravity of the current situation, consultations and
deliberations are very intensive," Araghchi told state media. On Tuesday,
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has been Tehran's chief negotiator in talks with
the U.S., said that while Iran was ready for war it had given Washington a
"rational response"."The ball is now in America's court to prevent war."Oil
prices had plunged by more than seven percent on Monday on optimism over a
possible end to the eight-month-old conflict.
Reopen the strait
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said both he and Trump were optimistic about
securing an agreement. "We've certainly made some progress. We'll see if we can
make some more," Vance told reporters on Monday. China also called for a return
to diplomacy, while Iran's security chief discussed the conflict with Russian
President Vladimir Putin. Last week, the Axios news outlet reported that Vance
had sent a letter to Iranian national security chief Mohsen Rezaei about
possible new talks, marking the highest-level move in months. Iran's First Vice
President Mohammad Reza Aref said the messages received from Washington were "an
acknowledgement of our victory."A senior Iranian official said that Tehran was
ready to reopen Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas supplies, within two
days but only if Washington agreed to its long-standing list of demands. In
September, Iran proposed a seven-day plan to reopen the strait, with demands
including ending the war on all fronts, unfreezing Iranian assets, lifting oil
sanctions and ending its counter-blockade of Iranian ports."The possibility of
implementing this plan in two days is another indication of Iran's good-faith
approach," Tehran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told reporters at
a briefing.
'No compromises' -
China held meetings with Iranian and Saudi officials in Beijing on Monday.
Beijing supports Tehran in "safeguarding its own sovereignty and security,"
Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Ali Bagheri, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme
National Security Council, according to a Chinese statement. In an interview
with Al Jazeera released on Sunday, Foreign Minister Araghchi said Washington
must accept a new route agreed between Iran and Oman for transiting the strait.
He said Washington must also remove sanctions imposed recently and reduce U.S.
troop numbers in the region. Trump has kept up his threats against Tehran,
saying on Sunday that the United States may have to give Iran "the hammer" at
some unspecified time. On Saturday, the U.S. leader said he still had to "take
care" of one or two targets including so-called Pickaxe Mountain in central
Iran, a suspected nuclear site which Tehran denies is such a facility. Iranian
officials have repeatedly warned of wide-ranging retaliation if the U.S. resumes
the war. Authorities in Tehran installed a huge banner in the heart of the
capital, AFP journalists said on Tuesday. Over a photo of the U.S. president, it
reads: "We will kill Trump".
Qatar Says Remains ‘Hopeful’ of a US-Iran Deal
Asharq Al Awsat/November 03/2026
Qatar said on Tuesday it remained hopeful that an interim deal could be reached
between the United States and Iran as both sides review proposals put forward by
mediators including Doha. In recent days, diplomatic
efforts have been underway to prevent renewed fighting after the United States
threatened major new strikes -- though US President Donald Trump signaled
diplomatic progress with Iran. Early on Tuesday, US media reported that
Washington had launched limited strikes on an Iranian island in the Strait of
Hormuz as Iranian media reported five explosions in quick succession. "Both
parties remain committed to the negotiation process; as we mentioned, we are
facilitating the real-time exchange of proposals between them," foreign ministry
spokesman Majed Al Ansari told reporters. Both sides "are currently reviewing
the ideas and proposals we have presented," he added. "We remain hopeful that
there is still a chance for a deal to take place," he said, adding Doha was
working "towards an interim deal". On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas
Araghchi said that "very intensive" talks were underway with the United States
via mediators.That same day Qatari negotiators returned to Doha after a meeting
in Tehran that lasted more than three hours, Al Ansari said. He warned that any
escalation could complicate the talks. The US and
Israel increased their threats towards Iran in the run-up to the midterms and
last week's general elections in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
failed to secure a majority.
America’s response to Iran’s demands was not convincing,
Iranian security chief says
Reuters/03 November/2026
The US response to Iran’s demands was not convincing, Iran’s security chief
Mohsen Rezaei said in a post on X on Tuesday, adding that Washington “must fully
and explicitly address Iran’s seven conditions.”“Only in this case will the
Strait of Hormuz be reopened,” Rezaei said on X.
The two sides are trying to reach a deal to resume negotiations and reopen the
Strait of Hormuz.
Israel shares intel with US claiming that Iran is preparing to use chemical
weapons: NYT
Al Arabiya English/03 November/2026
Israel has shared intelligence with the US, purporting that Iran is preparing to
use chemical weapons against its adversaries, the New York Times reported on
Tuesday, citing US and regional officials. But US officials are divided over the
Israeli intelligence, with some in the Trump administration questioning the
credibility of the claims and Israel’s motives, according to the report.The
intelligence has raised concerns among some American officials, while others
remain skeptical about whether Tehran is preparing to deploy chemical weapons.
According to the report, some US officials have drawn comparisons to the flawed
intelligence assessments about weapons of mass destruction that preceded the
2003 US invasion of Iraq. The allegations have also fueled suspicions among some
administration officials that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be
seeking to persuade President Donald Trump to resume large-scale military
operations against Iran.The intelligence dispute comes as Washington weighs the
risks of further escalation with Iran, with any potential military response
carrying significant consequences for regional security. The differing
assessments underscore the challenges facing US policymakers as they seek to
distinguish credible intelligence warnings from claims that could influence
decisions about military action.
Iran, US still far apart on deal to end war as Qatar pushes
mediation
Reuters/03 November/2026
Iran and the United States are still far from a deal to end their war, a senior
Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday, while mediator Qatar stepped up
efforts to bridge differences and avert a renewed escalation after the US
midterm elections. Overnight, the United States carried out “defensive” strikes
on Iran’s Qeshm island targeting surface-to-air missiles used against US assets,
a US official said. Another official said the strikes appeared limited and did
not signal a return to major combat operations. US President Donald Trump on
Tuesday renewed threats of possible military action, telling Fox News Channel:
“I’m not looking to ... kill lots of people. If we have to, we’ll have to.”Qatar
has intensified mediation efforts amid fears the conflict launched by the United
States and Israel in February could flare up again after Tuesday’s midterms.
“Mediators are working hard to narrow gaps between Tehran and Washington,” the
senior Iranian official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Qatari
mediators travelled to Tehran on Monday night for talks on a version of a draft
US-Iran deal discussed over the past eight days. “Tehran’s conditions must be
met if the US wants Hormuz reopened,” the Iranian official cautioned, referring
to Iranian demands including waiving oil sanctions, ending the US naval blockade
and releasing frozen Iranian funds. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme
National Security Council, later said the US response to Iranian demands “was
not convincing”, adding that Washington “must fully and explicitly address
Iran’s seven conditions and act upon them.”“Only in this case will the Strait of
Hormuz be reopened,” he wrote on X.
‘We cannot lose hope’
On Monday, Trump raised doubts about whether he would follow through on a
threatened resumption of military strikes against Iran and said a deal with
Tehran could happen. Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said
both the United States and Iran were reviewing proposals put forward by
mediators. While the Qatari team that travelled to Tehran had returned to Doha,
talks were continuing. “There are intensive joint regional efforts underway to
avoid escalation,” he told a news briefing, adding that Qatar remained hopeful a
deal could still be reached to pave the way for future negotiations.“If there
were no glimmer of hope, there would be no negotiations.. and as a mediator, we
cannot lose hope,” he said. An official briefed on the talks said feedback from
Washington and Tehran was expected within the next 36 hours. A senior Iranian
official told Reuters later on Tuesday that there is no deadline for exchanging
messages with Washington through mediators or reviewing responses.
‘Forceful response’
The senior Iranian official said Tehran would not accept Washington’s “excessive
demands” and that nuclear talks could begin only after Iran’s conditions were
met. Tehran would respond forcefully, in the region and beyond, to US strikes,
the official added. Oil prices rose about 1.3 percent, having dropped more than
7 percent the previous day on hopes diplomacy was progressing. Iran’s IRGC
claimed they downed a US MQ-9 drone and two Lucas drones in the skies near the
Strait of Hormuz. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said the ball was in
Washington’s court after Tehran had delivered what he described as a “strong and
rational response.” “The enemy seeks to force the Iranian nation into submission
through threats and military action, but they are sorely mistaken; Iran will not
submit,” Qalibaf said. He added that Tehran’s response to any US miscalculation
would be unpredictable and unconstrained by geography.
The head of Iran’s armed forces general staff, Ali Abdollahi, said Iran’s
military was updating target lists that included US and Israeli assets and would
respond immediately to any threat. Since Mojtaba Khamenei ordered the armed
forces last week to respond immediately and without “geographic limits” to any
enemy threat, Iranian officials and media have increasingly raised the prospect
of striking bases beyond the region used to launch attacks on Iran. Hardline
newspaper Kayhan said on Tuesday that US facilities in Britain, Italy, Greece,
Romania, Albania and Cyprus could be targeted in the event of renewed war.
Iranian-Saudi talks
Alongside indirect exchanges between Tehran and Washington, regional powers are
pursuing diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation. The conflict has also
widened, with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis stepping up attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that talks with Saudi
Arabia were continuing to seek new regional security arrangements that would
exclude foreign military involvement. Last week, senior officials from Saudi
Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan met Iranian counterparts in Tehran, the first such
high-level contacts since August.
As Iran strike looms, Israel weighs military and political
scenarios
LBCI/November 03/2026
Will the United States really strike Iran by Thursday, or at the latest, by the
end of this week?
This is what Israeli security and military officials are predicting, describing
a strike as inevitable. They also said Israel would launch an attack without
Washington if it becomes convinced that Tehran is preparing a preemptive strike
against Israel. Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced that it had prepared a
new list of targets in Iran. It also redeployed part of its forces from the West
Bank to the northern front with Lebanon, amid concerns that Hezbollah could join
the conflict. Israeli military units also conducted intensive exercises
simulating various scenarios on the Lebanese and Syrian fronts. All this is
unfolding as attention turns to the Israeli president's residence, where
President Isaac Herzog is scheduled to begin meeting with representatives of
political parties at 5 p.m. Wednesday to hear which candidate they nominate to
form the next government. Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his
opposition to forming any government that relies on Arab parties. While saying
he remained open to a broad national unity government, the Change Bloc, led by
Gadi Eisenkot, said it would not join a unity government with Netanyahu. The
bloc stressed that its members agree on forming a Zionist government based on
the four principles previously outlined by Eisenkot. A government backed by Arab
parties could increase its support in the Knesset from 48 to 67 seats, through
external support from the Joint List, while the United Arab List could either
support the government from outside or join the coalition. These are among the
possible scenarios for forming the next government. Another round of
consultations has also not been ruled out if several parties take unexpected
positions in favor of one political camp over the other.
Israeli Opposition Bloc Gathers to See How to Oust
Netanyahu
Asharq Al Awsat/November 03/2026
The Israeli opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot gathered on Tuesday for the
first time since elections as they strategize how to oust Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, with divisions on whether to ally with Arab lawmakers.
Opposition party heads gathered in Herzliya, the tech industry hub north of Tel
Aviv where former military chief Eisenkot lives, a week after the election
produced an inconclusive result. Yair Lapid, a centrist former prime minister
who headed the opposition in the outgoing parliament, said as he entered that
Netanyahu was backing an "extreme and dangerous attempt to invalidate the
elections". "What we need to do now is go and form a government, because the
conduct of recent days is just a reminder that we must remove Netanyahu and his
people from the Prime Minister's Office," Lapid told reporters. "They have
already caused enough damage to the State of Israel and to the people of
Israel," he said. Netanyahu and his allies have repeatedly alleged major fraud
or malfeasance by Arab-majority parties which made historic gains last week,
winning 19 seats in the 120-member parliament on the back of anger over the
hard-right government's rhetoric towards Arab citizens of Israel. No side won a
majority. Eisenkot's diverse opposition bloc won 48 seats while Netanyahu's camp
secured 53, of which 27 are from his Likud party. The Arab parties could bring
Eisenkot to a majority but the opposition is divided on whether to ally with
them, and Arab politicians did not join the talks in Herzliya. Despite their
diverging views on various issues, including the role of Arab lawmakers, all the
party leaders in Eisenkot's bloc have said they would back him to form the next
government. Public opinion polls conducted before the election showed that
Jewish Israeli opposition supporters are divided over including Arab parties in
government while right-wing Israelis are adamantly opposed.
'Political reality'
Yousef Jabareen, the head of the largest Arab-majority party in the next
parliament, told AFP that the opposition needed to accept "political reality"
and team up to remove Netanyahu. Arab-Israelis are
descendants of Palestinians who remained after Israel's creation in 1948 and
account for around 20 percent of the population today. On the campaign trail,
most of the main Jewish opposition parties rejected partnering with the
Arab-majority lists citing a lack of common values, particularly around security
and national identity. The notable exception was Yair Golan, head of the
left-wing party The Democrats, who said it was racist to exclude working with
the Arab minority. Netanyahu spent the campaign
painting Arab parties as untrustworthy and stoking fears of a Palestinian state.
Avigdor Liberman, a right-wing member of Eisenkot's bloc who heads the Yisrael
Beiteinu party, on Tuesday stressed that another election must be avoided but
said that the Arab lists should not be included in the government. "Given the
political situation that has emerged, there is enough room to maneuver, and with
proper navigation it is possible to quickly establish a functioning and stable
government without Raam and the Joint List," he wrote on X, referring to the two
Arab-majority lists. On Monday, Netanyahu called for a "broad national
government" without the Arab parties and said that as his Likud was the largest
single party, he should lead the next coalition. No
opposition leader has voiced any openness to a unity government with Netanyahu,
Israel's longest-serving prime minister, pointing to his divisiveness, the
corruption charges against him and his failure to prevent the October 7, 2023
attack by Hamas. "We seek to establish a broad government with our partners and
with any party that wishes to join and does not support terrorism," Netanyahu
said in a Telegram post. He ruled out a coalition with Arab-majority lists,
alleging that the parties "support terrorism and deny the existence of the
Jewish state". Leaders of Arab-Israeli parties have unanimously condemned the
October 7 attack by Hamas without describing the Palestinian movement as a
terror group. Although the leader of the Raam party has recognized Israel as a
"Jewish state", other leaders have rejected that definition.
Bomb threat prompts checks on Israel-bound cruise ship
in Greek port
LBCI/Reuters/November 03/2026
A bomb threat to an Israel-bound cruise ship prompted a security operation at
the Greek island port of Syros on Tuesday after an unknown person claimed an
explosive device had been attached to its hull, Greek authorities said. The
Panama-flagged Crown Iris was due to sail to Haifa carrying 940 passengers and
597 crew members when the threat was received. Coast guard personnel assisted by
an explosives detection dog and a private diver searched the vessel, while a
special coast guard unit was deployed to the scene. Initial checks found no
explosive device. Coast guard specialists are expected to arrive at 9.30 p.m.
(1930 GMT) to carry out further inspections before the ship can resume its voyage.At
least seven flights in Europe received bomb threats on Tuesday, causing
disruption at airports although no devices were discovered.
Trump says US cutting $3.8 billion annual security
assistance to Israel
Associated Press/November 03/2026
President Donald Trump says the U.S. will stop providing $4 billion in aid each
year to Israel in 2027 but will sell arms to its closest ally in the Middle
East. The Republican president told Fox News Channel during a phone call on
Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had approached him about
the idea and that they have been talking about it for a couple years. Trump says
Israel doesn't need the aid and it's a lot of money for the U.S. to spend. But
Trump also says that U.S. aid to Israel has become a Democratic talking point
for candidates such as Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
"You can consider it barter. You can consider military aid or cash," Trump said.
"Look, we give them $4 billion of things and money, and they don't need it. And
I was approached by Bibi Netanyahu, and we've been talking about it for a couple
of years because it's a lot of money."There was no immediate comment from
Netanyahu's office.
Arab Parliament Reaffirms Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People
Asharq Al Awsat/November 03/2026
The Arab Parliament affirmed that the rights of the Palestinian people are
inalienable and cannot be erased by the passage of time. Foremost among these
rights are self-determination and the establishment of an independent
Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its
capital. It stressed that these rights must be upheld in accordance with the
two-state solution, relevant international resolutions, and the Arab Peace
Initiative, in a manner that ensures a just and comprehensive peace. In a
statement issued on Monday to mark the 109th anniversary of the Balfour
Declaration, the Arab Parliament described the declaration as a historic crime
against the Palestinian people, whose devastating consequences continue to this
day. It noted that these repercussions are reflected in the ongoing crimes
committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinians and its persistent
violations across the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in the Gaza
Strip, Jerusalem, and the West Bank. These include killings, forced
displacement, starvation, and genocide, all in flagrant violation of
international law, norms, and conventions. The Arab Parliament condemned these
continued crimes and violations, calling on the international community to
assume its responsibilities and take decisive measures to stop them and hold
those responsible accountable.
French Judges Probe War Crimes Complaint against Israeli Army in Lebanon
Asharq Al Awsat/November 03/2026
France has opened a judicial investigation into a war crimes complaint over an
Israeli strike on a residential building in Lebanon, a lawyer told AFP on
Tuesday. French-Lebanese artist Ali Cherri, whose
parents were killed in the Beirut strike in 2024, filed the complaint as a civil
party this year with the International Federation for Human Rights, Cherri's
lawyer Clemence Bectarte explained. The crimes against
humanity unit of the Paris Judicial Court has appointed two investigating judges
to the case, she added, hailing the move as "a first".
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, an ally of Palestinian militants Hamas,
opened a front against neighboring Israel at the start of the Gaza war after
Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. The
hostilities, which escalated into open war in September 2024, have left more
than 4,000 dead in Lebanon and forced more than a million people to flee.
Seven civilians, including Cherri's father and mother, aged 87 and 77,
were killed in the bombing of their 12-storey apartment building in central
Beirut on November 26, 2024, according to the complaint seen by AFP. Three
floors were destroyed. The strike occurred "just a few
hours before the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah came into
effect," the complaint stated, citing detailed research by Amnesty International
and Forensic Architecture into the incident. AFP has
reached out to the Israeli military for comment.Cherri told AFP he had taken
legal action "for the dignity of all civilian victims".
"For nearly two years, I have been fighting... to ensure that the Israeli
bombing that killed my parents and five other civilians does not go unpunished,"
he said. "What happened to my parents is not an
isolated case... I hope this investigation will help break the impunity enjoyed
by Israeli officials responsible for attacks against civilians in Lebanon and
Palestine," he added.
Several investigations underway -
While the judicial investigation marks a first over alleged war crimes by
Israeli forces in Lebanon, other cases are pending.
French-Lebanese man Mohamad H., represented by lawyer Emmanuel Daoud, has sought
action after losing his mother, sister, and two nephews in strikes on the
southern city of Tyre during the night of April 16-17.In another case, a French
entrepreneur born in Lebanon has accused the Israeli army of uprooting
600-century-old olive trees belonging to his family in a village in southern
Lebanon. France's National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's
Office (PNAT), which handles war crimes, has opened an investigation into
allegations of torture and war crimes related to the Israeli forces'
interception of humanitarian flotillas bound for Gaza in 2025 and 2026.
The PNAT also asked a Paris judge to open a war crimes investigation into
the deaths of two French children in an Israeli bombing in Gaza in October 2023,
while ruling out charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, according to
sources close to the case.
US intelligence sharing has fractured under Trump,
officials say
Reuters/03 November/2026
US intelligence sharing on Iran and other global threats with Congress and
across the federal government has slowed and, in some cases, temporarily stopped
during President Donald Trump’s second term, according to eight current and
former officials and people briefed on the matter.
Former officials and outside experts said the disruptions risk leaving
policymakers with an incomplete picture of threats facing the country, echoing
intelligence failures exposed after the Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaeda attacks. The
slowdown comes as the administration weighs whether to resume strikes on Iran
after the midterm elections on Tuesday. The problems emerged during Tulsi
Gabbard’s tenure as director of national intelligence, amid deep tensions
between her office and the CIA. While those tensions have subsided since her
resignation in June, problems stemming from the clash persist, according to two
US officials familiar with the matter. The CIA last year stopped co-authoring
assessments with the National Intelligence Council (NIC), an analytical group
within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the officials
said, reducing the number of reports that pull together the intelligence
community’s views for decision-makers on subjects including Iran. One US
intelligence official said the CIA has begun engaging as co-authors on some of
the group’s assessments in recent months.Lawmakers and their staffs also briefly
stopped receiving intelligence reports from Gabbard’s office in the days after
the US military intervention in Iran in June 2025 and again after the capture of
former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January 2026, according to two
people familiar with the matter. Gabbard’s team had accused lawmakers of leaking
to the press. The disruption in intelligence sharing has not been previously
reported. CIA spokesperson Liz Lyons said the CIA “participates fully” in the
process of providing intelligence assessments through the Presidential Daily
Brief, which is led by ODNI, and through the NIC. Now, some former officials are
working on a bipartisan basis at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution to
draw up plans to rebuild the intelligence community in the next administration,
four former US officials said. “All of these things are adding up in a really
complex world where policymakers need to have a more sophisticated, nuanced, and
integrated view of the world, and they are getting less,” said Beth Sanner, a
former deputy director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term.
Turf wars and reduced cooperation
The problems inside the intelligence community started last year amid
significant cuts to national security agencies, including the ODNI and the CIA,
as Trump moved to remove or sideline officials he viewed as disloyal. Some
analysts who remain at the intelligence agencies are now careful to not write
assessments at odds with the White House’s views for fear of political
retaliation, two former officials and a current US official said. The officials
did not say which topics the analysts were avoiding. “Analysts still do the
work, but this White House has made them irrelevant because the president treats
unwelcome information as disloyalty,” said Julia Curlee, a former CIA analyst
who said she was fired from the Trump National Security Council last year for
being transgender.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
The situation was worsened by what officials described as one of the biggest
turf wars in three decades between two of the most important agencies: the CIA
and the ODNI, which was formed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. Reuters
earlier detailed the dispute between the agencies. The infighting between the
agencies — triggered when Gabbard’s office revoked the security clearances of
current and former intelligence officials a year ago — reached the point where
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles had to intervene several times to defuse
tensions, three former officials said. The National Intelligence Council, which
for decades has been a key resource for officials and lawmakers making foreign
policy decisions, lost its main author when the CIA stopped writing into the
assessments last year. The assessments are meant to consolidate the views of the
nation’s 18 intelligence agencies, and the council relied heavily on the CIA for
analysis on topics like Iran and Russia. While the CIA continued sharing
intelligence with the NIC and working with it on some reports, its analysts
focused on their own assessments. Since the move, the intelligence council,
which was also hit by staff cuts, has slowed production of its assessments, two
people familiar with the matter said. None have focused on the war in Iran, five
current and former officials said. In response to a request for comment, an ODNI
official said the group has maintained assessment levels close to “historic
trendlines.”“While Tulsi did not utilize the NIC, DNI Clayton has proven to be a
good steward of the IC and recognizes the value of the NIC,” said a US official,
referring to Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton.
New barriers
Some former intelligence officials worry that new barriers are appearing between
agencies. “The problem is that by taking actions which have the effect of
hollowing out institutions where there’s actual intelligence community
coordination on things, you’re creating little lily pads, and then everybody can
pick their own lily pad to listen to,” said Morgan Muir, the former deputy
director of national intelligence in the Biden administration who also briefed
President George W. Bush. Gabbard’s office also stopped briefing Congress on
election threats in 2025, according to two people familiar with the matter and a
former US official. Clayton, who became director of national intelligence in
August, has resumed congressional briefings on election threats, officials said.
“Director Clayton remains committed to ensuring that ODNI and the intelligence
community have the resources they need to continue informing key US government
decision-makers and keeping Americans safe,” ODNI said in a statement to
Reuters. In another clash between agencies, the FBI late last year stopped
sharing some intelligence with the National Counterterrorism Center for several
weeks after the center’s then-head, Joe Kent, and his staff tried to investigate
the shooting of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, two former officials
said. FBI leaders told Kent they believed NCTC was overstepping its authority.
The FBI did not respond to a request for comment.
Greenland parliament ratifies security deal agreed with Trump
Reuters/03 November/2026
Greenland’s parliament on Tuesday ratified the Arctic island’s security
agreement struck earlier this year with US President Donald Trump, although some
opposition party members questioned the deal’s economic value. The United
States, Denmark and Greenland in September signed the agreement, aimed at ending
tensions after Trump’s repeated threats to take control of the strategically
located and mineral-rich island, a self-governing Danish territory. The deal
expands the US military’s role in Greenland, paving the way for two new military
bases and Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense system, while reaffirming Danish
sovereignty and Greenlanders’ right to self-determination. A majority of
lawmakers had already signaled support for the deal in a first debate last
month. Tuesday’s vote was 16 in favor and none against, with 7 abstentions. The
White House in January said Trump was discussing options for acquiring
Greenland, including potential use of the US military, alarming governments in
Europe and triggering intense diplomatic efforts to calm the situation.
Greenlandic Foreign Minister Mute Egede said on Tuesday that ratification of the
deal was an important step for the island. “We must accept that peace and
stability are no longer something we can take for granted,” Egede told lawmakers
in Nuuk shortly before the vote. Opposition party Naleraq, the most prominent
political voice for Greenland’s independence, questioned the deal’s economic
value during the debate. “We are looking for a better agreement that we can
benefit from when we become an independent state. But no economic benefit has
been gained from the agreement,” Naleraq chair Pele Broberg said. The Danish
parliament is due to give the bill a first reading on November 11, followed by a
second reading and a vote on November 19. The executive agreement will enter
into force once Denmark and Greenland have ratified it, and does not require
approval from the US Senate.
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on November 03-04/2026
Qatar Glorifies Terrorism: Al-Jazeera's Propaganda Machine
Celebrates Hamas
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/November 02/2026
The Hamas officials featured in Al-Jazeera's footage are portrayed as military
leaders, strategists, and figures worthy of admiration.
The program included footage of meetings inside Gaza's underground tunnel
network, discussions about terror attacks, and documents that purportedly shed
light on the preparations for the October 7 massacre.
Among the most disturbing revelations was an operational order attributed to
Deif and dated October 5, 2023. According to the network's presentation, the
document specified that the invasion of Israel would begin at 6:30 a.m. on
October 7.
What exactly was Al-Jazeera trying to communicate to its Arabic-speaking
audience? The message is clear: These are your heroes – men who planned and
carried out the massacre of Jews on October 7 and whose declared objective is
the destruction of Israel.
This is not journalism exposing terrorism; it is a platform for glorifying it.
Al-Jazeera could have used the material to examine how Hamas transformed Gaza
into a military base, diverted resources into tunnels and weapons production,
and prepared an assault in which they murdered approximately 1,200 people in
Israel and abducted 251 others.
Instead, Al-Jazeera chose to turn the architects of the massacre into celebrated
military figures.... These were, however, the leaders of an Iran-backed Islamist
terrorist organization whose October 7 assault included the deliberate
mass-murder of civilians, rape, torture, and hostage-taking.
Qatar has hosted senior Hamas leaders for years [and] has also served as a
diplomatic base for purportedly "neutral" negotiations involving the terrorist
organization.
The US Congressional Research Service, which notes that Hamas is an offshoot of
the Muslim Brotherhood, has also documented Qatar's engagement with the
organization...
Al-Jazeera English presents itself as a major international news organization,
competing for credibility among Western viewers.
Al-Jazeera Arabic, meanwhile, operates in a political and cultural environment
in which the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas enjoy considerable support among
segments of the public.
American universities, policymakers, and media organizations should ask whether
foreign government funding creates conflicts of interest and delectable
opportunities for political influence.
Qatar cannot simultaneously present itself as a trusted Western partner and
avoid serious questions about its relationships with Hamas and the Muslim
Brotherhood.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the current Emir of Qatar, and his family, who
provide a media platform for Hamas's leaders to glorify the October 7 massacre,
should not be allowed to hide behind the claim that they are merely reporting
the news.
How did Al-Jazeera obtain recordings of Hamas's most sensitive military
meetings, internal secret discussions, and operational documents? Who handed
them to the network? When did this transfer take place? Did Hamas provide the
material as part of a propaganda campaign? Did Al-Jazeera or Qatar have advance
knowledge of the October 7 massacre?
Qatar's state-owned Al-Jazeera television network has once again demonstrated
why its Arabic-language news coverage deserves particularly close scrutiny.
Al-Jazeera has broadcast previously unseen footage, recordings, and documents
showing senior Hamas military commanders preparing for the October 7, 2023
massacre in Israel. Instead of using this material to
expose the criminal nature of Hamas's activities, Al-Jazeera has presented it as
an exclusive glimpse into the lives of the organization's senior commanders. The
Hamas officials featured in Al-Jazeera's footage are portrayed as military
leaders, strategists, and figures worthy of admiration.
The question is not merely why Al-Jazeera chose to broadcast its "exclusive"
material. It is also how the network obtained it, who provided it, and how long
it had possessed it before deciding to make it public.
On October 30, Al-Jazeera's investigative program, "What is Hidden is Greater,"
aired previously unseen recordings of Mohammed Deif, the former commander of
Hamas's military wing, and other senior Hamas officials. The program included
footage of meetings inside Gaza's underground tunnel network, discussions about
terror attacks, and documents that purportedly shed light on the preparations
for the October 7 massacre.
Among the most disturbing revelations was an operational order attributed to
Deif and dated October 5, 2023. According to the network's presentation, the
document specified that the invasion of Israel would begin at 6:30 a.m. on
October 7. Another document reportedly recorded a decision by Hamas's military
leadership in February 2023 to begin preparations for the attack.
The footage and documents provide another reminder that October 7 was not a
spontaneous outburst of anger or an improvised act of "resistance." It was a
carefully prepared military operation, planned months in advance by Hamas's
senior leadership.
Another recording shows Izz al-Din al-Haddad, a senior Hamas commander, reading
Deif's operational order. Haddad subsequently rose through the organization's
military hierarchy and was killed by Israel in Gaza City in May 2026.
Another recording shows Deif meeting with senior commanders, including Marwan
Issa, Mohammed Sinwar, Ahmed Ghandour, and other members of Hamas's military
leadership. A separate photograph shows Deif surrounded by senior commanders
inside a tunnel complex.
All the commanders identified in that photograph have since been killed by
Israel. The Al-Jazeera broadcast also included a
recording of a telephone conversation between Deif and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar
after the May 2021 ceasefire with Israel. Sinwar, the mastermind of the October
7 massacre, is seen becoming emotional while congratulating Deif over what Hamas
considered a "victory" against Israel.
The presentation raises another important question: What exactly was Al-Jazeera
trying to communicate to its Arabic-speaking audience? The message is clear:
These are your heroes – men who planned and carried out the massacre of Jews on
October 7 and whose declared objective is the destruction of Israel.
This is not journalism exposing terrorism; it is a platform for glorifying it.
Al-Jazeera could have used the material to examine how Hamas transformed Gaza
into a military base, diverted resources into tunnels and weapons production,
and prepared an assault in which they murdered approximately 1,200 people in
Israel and abducted 251 others.
Instead, Al-Jazeera chose to turn the architects of the massacre into celebrated
military figures. The images of commanders gathering underground, discussing
operations and examining military plans create the impression of a conventional
army's general staff. These were, however, the leaders of an Iran-backed
Islamist terrorist organization whose October 7 assault included the deliberate
mass-murder of civilians, rape, torture, and hostage-taking.
Al-Jazeera is not an ordinary international broadcaster operating
independently of its political environment. The network is based in Doha and is
funded by the Qatari government. Although Al-Jazeera describes itself as an
independent media organization, the relationship between the network and its
principal state patron deserves scrutiny, particularly when its coverage
concerns organizations with which Qatar maintains political relationships.
Qatar has hosted senior Hamas leaders for years, including Khaled Mashaal,
Khalil al-Hayya, Ghazi Hamad, and Ismail Haniyeh. Doha has also served as a
diplomatic base for purportedly "neutral" negotiations involving the terrorist
organization.
The US Congressional Research Service, which notes that Hamas is an offshoot of
the Muslim Brotherhood, has also documented Qatar's engagement with the
organization and the presence of senior Hamas leaders in Doha.
Hamas itself identified the Muslim Brotherhood as its parent movement in its
1988 charter, describing itself as the Palestinian branch of the Brotherhood.
This relationship is especially relevant because Al-Jazeera has frequently
provided Hamas leaders with a prominent platform to communicate their positions
to Arab audiences. Its coverage of Hamas leaders and commanders, their
statements and their military activities should be examined in this broader
context.
There is also a significant difference in the way Al-Jazeera reaches its
audiences. Al-Jazeera English presents itself as a major international news
organization, competing for credibility among Western viewers.
Al-Jazeera Arabic, meanwhile, operates in a political and cultural environment
in which the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas enjoy considerable support among
segments of the public. Its coverage should be judged not just by the
information it broadcasts but also by the voices it chooses to amplify, the
language it uses and the distinction it makes – or fails to make – between
terrorism and legitimate political activity.
The most important unanswered questions concern the source of the newly released
material. How did Al-Jazeera obtain recordings of Hamas's most sensitive
military meetings, internal secret discussions, and operational documents? Who
handed them to the network? When did this transfer take place? Did Hamas provide
the material as part of a propaganda campaign? Did Al-Jazeera or Qatar have
advance knowledge of the October 7 massacre? Several
Arab governments have had serious confrontations with Al-Jazeera. Egypt banned
the network in 2013, while Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain
blocked its website during the 2017 Gulf crisis. Jordan closed its Amman bureau
that year. These actions were part of wider political disputes involving Qatar,
which has been accused by the Arab countries of supporting the Muslim
Brotherhood and terrorism, promoting regional instability, and interfering in
various countries' domestic affairs. Western
governments should pay attention to the concerns that have repeatedly been
raised about the political role of Qatar and its Al-Jazeera network.
The United States, in particular, should examine the extent of Qatari funding
and influence in American institutions, universities, media, and public life.
American universities, policymakers, and media organizations should ask whether
foreign government funding creates conflicts of interest and delectable
opportunities for political influence.
Qatar cannot simultaneously present itself as a trusted Western partner and
avoid serious questions about its relationships with Hamas and the Muslim
Brotherhood.
Al-Jazeera's latest broadcast has brought these contradictions back into the
spotlight. The United States and other Western governments should demand
answers.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the current Emir of Qatar, and his family, who
provide a media platform for Hamas's leaders to glorify the October 7 massacre,
should not be allowed to hide behind the claim that they are merely reporting
the news.
*Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
*Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22964/qatar-terrorism-al-jazeera-propaganda
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.
Saudi Arabia Is Keen on the Lives of the Yemeni People
Yousef Al-Dayni/Asharq Al Awsat/November 03/2026
With every reckless attack by the terrorist Houthi militia, the question
resurfaces: why does Saudi Arabia remain patient with these militias, despite
the vast disparity in the balance of power between one of the most powerful
countries in the region and a militia that masks itself in the guise of a state
and politics, yet practices the methods of rogue organizations?
This question assumes that military victory is measured by the scale of the
strikes, and that the stronger country is required to exhaust its power whenever
it is provoked by sub-state entities. However, the experiences of past decades
have proven that militias are not eradicated by retaliatory strikes alone, but
also by defeating their project and ideology and drying up the pretexts upon
which they feed. For quite often, force unleashed out of a motive of revenge or
reflex grants its opponent what it failed to seize on its own: "victimhood."
Saudi Arabia refuses the path of revenge out of choice and capability, not
helplessness, drawing on 300 years of experience in dealing with challenges.
King Abdulaziz - may God bless his soul - expressed this approach by saying: "I
never initiate aggression against anyone; rather, I remain patient, and extend
my patience toward whoever initiates hostility against me, countering with
goodwill as long as there is room for it. But when no room for patience remains,
I strike my blow, and it is the decisive one."This idea has been discussed by
many thinkers and writers, and the numbers support it. According to a RAND
Corporation study on how terrorist groups end (2008), which analyzed 268 armed
groups and terrorist organizations between 1968 and 2006, 43 percent of them
ended due to integration into the political process, and 40 percent through
policing and intelligence efforts, while the percentage of groups eliminated by
military force did not exceed 7 percent. In other words, victory was mostly the
outcome of a combination of deterrence, politics, and security, rather than
military eradication alone.
The Houthi militia represents a grave danger due to its subordination to a
project outside Yemen's borders and its donning of the guise of a political
player, all while hijacking Yemen, its resources, and its institutions. It
practices eradication internally within Yemen, forcibly mobilizes the population
in areas under its control, and targets Saudi Arabia under the impression that
raising the cost will bring it back to the dialogue table, despite possessing no
project for Yemen other than war and suffering. Today, it besieges the city of
Taiz, a war crime and a humanitarian catastrophe that has prompted international
appeals, including a plea from the Pope in the Vatican.
The militia bets on luring the Coalition into comprehensive strikes to portray
itself as a victim and grant itself a false sense of victimhood to cover up its
failures and crimes. Therefore, it thrusts innocent people into the
confrontation, shields itself with civilians, sets up missile launchpads among
residential homes, recruits children, and turns civilian facilities into weapons
depots. These behaviors do not reflect strength, but rather a gamble on
restricting the state's ability to respond.
Following the events of September 11, the United States provided a clear example
of the cost of excessive power when used out of a motive of revenge and
restoring its image. The shock transformed into an open-war doctrine, the cost
of which was estimated at around eight trillion dollars, along with more than
900,000 deaths from direct violence, including around 387,000 civilians, and 38
million displaced persons. In Iraq, the dissolution of the army and the de-Baathification
of state institutions led to a vacuum that contributed to the emergence of ISIS
and militias loyal to Tehran. After 20 years in Afghanistan, the Taliban
returned to Kabul following a dramatic American withdrawal.
Israel has adopted the same mentality of revenge, where its 1982 invasion of
Lebanon to uproot the Palestine Liberation Organization paved the way for the
birth of Hezbollah. Similarly, pressure on Gaza and the West Bank has failed to
eliminate Hamas, while the war following October 7, 2023, has resulted in a toll
exceeding 72,000 dead, unprecedented international isolation, no clear vision
for the day after, and the survival of Hamas as an organization and an ideology.
The Kingdom has never viewed Yemen as a battlefield, but rather as strategic
depth, a neighbor, and a shared destiny. Some two million Yemenis reside on its
territory, living and working with dignity among their people. It has provided
around $27.7 billion to liberated areas, ranging from financial deposits to
hospitals, roads, and electricity. Furthermore, it has hosted the legitimate
Yemeni government for ten years and repeatedly opened the door to a settlement
for the Houthis, out of concern for the lives of Yemenis and to avoid granting
the militia a sense of victimhood to exploit.
However, the patience of states has limits. When the militia goes too far in
targeting regional security and navigation, a decisive resolution becomes a
necessity. Here appears the vast difference between the logic of an ancient
state and the recklessness of a terrorist militia: the state resolves and does
not seek revenge, and it strikes those who threaten its security with an iron
fist to protect Yemenis and their legitimacy until they reclaim their state.
This is the difference between a surplus of power that produces devastation and
a rationalization of power that wishes for Yemen to rise again, not to be
erased. In short: power that is not guided by wisdom creates its own enemies,
whereas power that is governed by values, the ethics of neighborliness, and
consideration of consequences will inevitably create peace... even if it is
delayed.
Iran Between the Samson Option and Makkah Agreement
Diplomacy
Ahmad Mahmoud Ajaj/Asharq Al Awsat/November 03/2026
There is a saying in politics: it is easy to start a war, but difficult to end
it. This is precisely the trap that Israel and the United States fell into
during their war against Iran. US President Donald Trump considered himself
victorious, the (new) leaders of Iran claimed they had won, while Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu linked victory to the collapse of the Iranian
regime.
Despite these contradictions, there is an undeniable fact that the war is on
track to completely alter the map of the entire Middle East. Post-war Iran is no
longer the same as it was before; its militias have become less effective, and
this shift has forced it to transition from the theory of forward defense to
direct attack. With the adoption of the attack theory, the war between Israel
and Iran has become a direct conflict and an existential battle in which
surrender or retreat is impossible. With Trump in power and Netanyahu remaining
in government following the Israeli elections, escalation has become inevitable
as long as the parties to the conflict do not back down or compromise.
This stubbornness closes the door to diplomacy and triggers escalation, driven
by the conviction that the opposing side will back down. Under this belief, war
becomes inevitable, opening up the entire region to major transformations.
There are indicators of these changes at both the regional and international
levels. Regionally, there is a conviction among regional countries, which have
no stake in this confrontation that will take place on their soil, that they
will suffer major damage. This is because they were not contemplating
confrontation in the first place, bear no hostility, and harbor no such
ambitions; rather, the bulk of their focus is on developing their infrastructure
and strengthening neighborly relations with Iran.
Since they face Iranian strikes aimed at confusing the United States,
threatening the regional economy, and consequently the global one, regional
countries have begun mapping out a new reality for the area. This strategy aims
to construct a formidable wall against any attacks targeting them, while
simultaneously activating diplomacy and mediation to alleviate the severity of
the destructive war.
This approach is embodied in alliances, some of which were formed before the war
and others after it. The pre-war Abraham Accords have been further strengthened,
with their parties increasingly convinced that their choice was correct. On the
other hand, the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement has emerged, through which the
signatories (Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye) have pledged to defend the
territory of any country subjected to aggression. There are also expectations
that Egypt, and perhaps other Islamic nations, may join the agreement.
The purpose of these alliances is not offensive but defensive, sending a clear
message to the aggressor that it will not be able to isolate any single country,
but will instead face alliances of nations possessing significant military,
diplomatic, and economic weight. In this way, the aggressor will be forced to
reconsider its calculations and expectations, even if it is deeply ideological.
There is no doubt that Iran, despite its discretion, views these developments as
a real threat after losing its militias. Through the course of events, it now
faces two options: surrender, which it rejects entirely, or the Samson option of
confrontation: tearing down the temple upon everyone. This Samson-like logic is
madness because it will inflict major damage on the countries of the region,
while completely destroying Iran in return. The reason is that regional
countries, through their new alliances, have become alert to this, enhanced
their defensive capabilities, and prepared sufficiently for confrontation if it
is imposed upon them. To make Iran think rationally, the visit of the delegation
from the Makkah Agreement countries to Tehran took place to give diplomacy a
window to pull Iran back from a position of self-destruction and destroying the
region. Guided by rationality, the Makkah Agreement countries sought to assist
Iran in its negotiations with the US, find a way out, and obstruct Netanyahu's
plans - which aim, like Iran's, to dominate the region - as they seek to create
military balances that guarantee everyone lives in peace.
It appears from the voices coming out of Iran that the leadership has not yet
understood this sincere diplomatic push. Instead, it may be betting on China and
Russia in this fateful battle, at a time when China is pleased with any
reduction in America's dominance over energy and corridors, but does not desire
an indirect war with the US that harms its trade and damages its credibility
with its Arab allies.
Russia is providing limited assistance to Iran as part of a barter strategy with
Trump, which appears successful given his favorable shift toward Moscow, the
lifting of oil sanctions, and mineral extraction agreements in Alaska. This
tactical alignment provides Russian President Vladimir Putin with diplomatic
leverage to balance relations between the US and China, thereby avoiding
strategic dependence on either power. The international equation is taking shape
based on the conviction that China is not seeking to replace the US in the
region, but rather intends to leverage the American role to boost its trade
while expanding commercial and potentially future military alliances with
regional countries. For its part, Russia recognizes the difficulty of returning
to the region and is consequently focusing on concluding the war in Ukraine
through a settlement that satisfies most of its demands, harboring the hope of
engaging with the US to revitalize its industries, commerce, and economy.
Iran's leaders are aware of these transformations and are undoubtedly attempting
to avoid their pitfalls. However, they are constrained by ideology and the
conviction that making a concession will only lead to further concessions, and
that America's guarantees cannot be trusted; consequently, their inevitable
option remains distinctively Samson-like. The countries of the Makkah Agreement
recognize the harms of this option, and for this reason, the Tehran meeting was
a final opportunity to bring some reason to Iran.
Morocco's Bold Move Toward a Golden Future
Mohammed Said/Gatestone Institute/November 03/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/11/158795/
In a culture where taking sides is the rule, as in the Middle East, painting
anything or anyone in a bad light –and especially demonizing them -- is the
easiest, go-to thing to do.
In the Arab states, the stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict consists
mainly of not recognizing the existence of the Jewish state. This rejection is
accomplished by refusing to have diplomatic relations with Israel, flights to
Israel or other means of trying to reinforce Israel's invisibility.
Despite these endeavors, Israel concretely exists, backed up by economic,
military technological, financial, and cultural power.
Ironically, some of these countries that make a point of "ignoring" Israel are
also those actively seeking to get closer to that dazzling American ally by
purchasing advanced weapons and other Israeli inventions.
Regarding their beloved Palestinian "brothers," for instance, not one Arab or
Muslim country -- most of which had gladly taken in thousands of refugees from
Iraq, Syria and other conflicts -- would accept a Palestinian from Gaza. They
were right. Everywhere Palestinians have been welcomed, all that followed was
trouble: in Tunisia, Jordan, Kuwait and Lebanon. Israel is just the last country
in a very long list. In spite of the Hamas War, generally Morocco's achievement
has remained wonderful and undeniable. The benefits and accomplishments gained
in the Abraham Accords have proven irrevocable.
Morocco – fortunately for its people and the entire Middle East – chose the
positive, constructive path ahead. Ever since the mutually beneficial
normalization of the Abraham Accords in 2020, the alliance between Morocco and
Israel has been rapidly developing -- in diplomatic relations, economic
relations, and defense. In addition, full embassy relations, investments and
defense cooperation seem signs of a clear move towards cementing relations.
Ever since the mutually beneficial normalization of the Abraham Accords in 2020,
the alliance between Morocco and Israel has been rapidly developing -- in
diplomatic relations, economic relations, and defense. In addition, full embassy
relations, investments and defense cooperation seem signs of a clear move
towards cementing relations. While Morocco and Israel deepened their
relationship, however, some neighboring countries in the Middle East and North
Africa (MENA) region, as well as other parties such as NGOs and activists in the
region, appear to be observing these developments with concern, if not alarm.
For traditional allies of the Palestinian cause, Morocco's deepening ties with
Israel appear as a destabilizing fracture in the region's "solidarity." At the
same time, rivals for supremacy in the region have apparently been viewing this
strengthening alliance with suspicion over the balance of power in the region.
It is no surprise that Morocco has been looked on poorly by leaders who seem to
desire a more prominent role in shaping events.
In a culture where taking sides is the rule, as in the Middle East, painting
anything or anyone in a bad light –and especially demonizing them -- is the
easiest, go-to thing to do. Since 2020, MENA's different political and activist
communities have given Morocco the side-eye for daring to cross a "red line".
Many of those other MENA countries, however -- at least the ones that claim not
to approve of Morocco's ties with Israel; not those that wish to see Israel
eliminated -- do not seem to be doing anything much different.
In the Arab states, the stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict consists
mainly of not recognizing the existence of the Jewish state. This rejection is
accomplished by refusing to have diplomatic relations with Israel, flights to
Israel or other means of trying to reinforce Israel's invisibility.
Despite these endeavors, Israel concretely exists, backed up by economic,
military technological, financial, and cultural power.
Ironically, some of these countries that make a point of "ignoring" Israel are
also those actively seeking to get closer to that dazzling American ally by
purchasing advanced weapons and other Israeli inventions.
One of the leaders in the region strong enough to break free of this adolescent
mentality was Morocco's farsighted leader, King Mohammed VI. In his October 9,
2026 address to Parliament, he rooted national pride in a "sense of belonging to
this nation" rather than the clichéd -- and basically non-existent -- pan-Arab
conformity. Regarding their beloved Palestinian "brothers," for instance, not
one Arab or Muslim country -- most of which had gladly taken in thousands of
refugees from Iraq, Syria and other conflicts -- would accept a Palestinian from
Gaza. They were right. Everywhere Palestinians have been welcomed, all that
followed was trouble: in Tunisia, Jordan, Kuwait and Lebanon. Israel is just the
last country in a very long list.
Morocco's gradual transformation toward independent thinking and forward-looking
policies is the fruit of a long-term effort and patience, and what led to
Morocco "crossing the Rubicon" in the historic step it took signing the Abraham
Accords with Israel. Observers might wonder what Morocco offered for the
benefits and privileges it gained from these agreements. Although silent,
Morocco's work to pave the way for this event had been proceeding for a while.
Ensuring the security of the Jewish community in Morocco is a measure that
Morocco's authorities have been overseeing for some time. Three years ago, on
the way to Marrakech, all of us could hear a woman talking openly on the phone
about how she was looking forward to being with family on the Sabbath. Later, in
one of Rabat's neighborhoods, you could see Hasidic Jews in their religious
clothes walking down the street. In this safe environment -- apparently safer
than London or Paris! -- Jews can enjoy their religion in peace. Morocco offers
the Jewish community freedoms lacking in most of the MENA countries and, it
seems, some countries in the West.
Despite these diplomatic advances, there is, unfortunately, still a degree of
domestic tension from protests led by opposition parties, such as the Moroccan
Front for Supporting Palestine and various Islamist movements. These
demonstrations, though, usually take place in the context of recent elections.
In spite of the Hamas War, generally Morocco's achievement has remained
wonderful and undeniable. The benefits and accomplishments gained in the Abraham
Accords have proven irrevocable.
What sparked the MENA public opinion's outrage was Morocco's decision to change
its stance without prior consultation. Instead, Morocco – fortunately for its
people and the entire Middle East – chose the positive, constructive path ahead.
*Mohammed Said is an Arab Muslim currently covering the Middle East.
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.
Islamophobia: How the West is Abandoning the Victims of
Islam
Uzay Bulut/Ideological Defence Institute/ICI/November 03/2026
https://idicenter.org/article/islamophobia-how-the-west-is-abandoning-the-victims-of-islam
Trick question: What in the world could be so powerful that it could prevent a
Western liberal from wanting to help free a black slave? The answer:
Islamophobia! That’s the notion that because Arabs and Muslims form minorities
in the West, any criticism of their behavior, past practices, or even current
beliefs is a divisive bias, a prejudice that should not be uttered. Muslims, and
Islam, therefore, should fall under the protective umbrella of “no criticism."
Yet, extending this ideological Teflon to regions where Islam is dominant, and
surely not the oppressed minority, is a betrayal of many oppressed racial and
religious minorities across the globe, especially in Africa today where
jihadists, acting on Islamic principles, are violating, kidnapping or murdering
black people in several countries. These include Somalia, Sudan, Nigeria, Libya,
Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Central African Republic (CAR), Niger, Congo DR
(DRC), Ethiopia, Cameroon, Mozambique, and Chad.
“Islamophobia” grants immunity from criticism to jihadists, presumably to
protect Muslim communities in the West from prejudice. Doing so is a direct
contradiction of the ideals of Western civilization and its history of coming to
the aid of besieged minorities. It is a betrayal of exactly the sort of
oppressed peoples that Western liberals have always claimed they wished to help.
The word “Islamophobia” is a perverse inversion of the plain meaning of
“phobia”—an irrational fear. But wanting to address extraordinarily abusive and
destructive beliefs and behaviors (stoning adulterers, murdering gays, burning
infidels alive) to which a religious-based ideology leads is surely not
irrational or cowardly. It is irrational, not to mention cowardly, not to
address these horrors. Yet the term is now so powerful that it successfully
threatens those who dare speak up, not only with being shamed as “racist,” but
also with actual violence. “Islamophobia” is being used widely in the media as
well as in political circles to block all discussion of the negative
consequences of a specific religious ideology.
While every other religion can be discussed and criticized with no fear, the
term “Islamophobia” has been created by Islamic propagandists—and adopted by the
radical left—to silence any criticism of things Islamic. It is no coincidence
that those who want to block criticism of the Islamic ideology are the same ones
who ignore or are even supportive of the crimes Muslims commit across the world.
The main ruse: The political left and Islamic propagandists present
“Islamophobia” as a form of racism, but Islam is not a race. Islam is a
religious ideology to which people of all races and ethnicities adhere. As
author Sam Harris notes:
Unlike a person’s race or skin color or country of origin, beliefs can be argued
for, and criticized, and changed. And the truth is, we don’t respect people’s
beliefs just because they hold them. Beliefs must earn respect. And there is a
good reason for this: beliefs are claims about reality and about how human
beings should live within it, so they necessarily lead to behaviors, and to
values, and laws, and institutions that affect the lives of everyone, whether
they share these beliefs or not. Beliefs end marriages and start wars.
It is not an expression of hatred to notice that specific Islamic ideas, in
particular, beliefs about martyrdom, and jihad, and blasphemy, and apostasy,
inspire terrible acts of violence. And it’s not an expression of phobia, that
is, irrational fear, to notice that violent religious fanatics don’t make good
neighbors.
Avoiding criticism of Islamic ideology is a direct betrayal of the victims of
jihad and an empowering of perpetrators of human rights abuses across the world,
from Africa, to Asia, Europe, and elsewhere.
The violent ideas of Islamic jihad have led to persecutions, discrimination, and
massacres against non-Muslims and ex-Muslims since the advent of Islam in the
seventh century.
A brief list of some of the victims and some of the practices of Islamic
tyranny:
In Asia today approximately 1,000 Hindu and Christian girls in Pakistan are
annually stolen from their families by Muslim men. Once abducted, these girls
are subject to a continuous barrage of violence that includes forced conversion
to Islam, forced marriage, and rape. Most are forced to live with their captors,
never to see their families again.
In Africa, violence against Christians is reaching alarming new levels as
jihadist insurgents destabilize the region. It is most extreme in Nigeria, which
has become a killing field of defenseless Christians. Many observers call the
jihadi violence against Nigerians “a silent genocide.” Reliable sources show
that tens of thousands of Christians have been massacred by Islamic terrorists
from Fulani, Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and others.
These jihadists conduct raids on Christian communities, killing, maiming,
raping, and kidnapping for ransom or sexual slavery. Such violence also includes
loss of property and destruction of farmlands. Christians are especially
affected and are being dispossessed of their land and means of livelihood.
Christians are also murdered by jihadists in the Congo (DRC), Mozambique,
Burkina Faso, Niger, Somalia, Cameroon, Sudan, Ethiopia, Mali, Libya, and the
Central African Republic (CAR), amongst other African nations.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), an Islamic group called the Allied
Democratic Forces (ADF), which has pledged allegiance to ISIS (Islamic State),
is attacking and killing Christians, particularly in the eastern part of the
country. They are being ruthlessly murdered, abducted, and raped, reports the
European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ). ADF terrorists kidnap Christian
women, rape them, and forcibly marry them to keep the women as “trophies.”
Because of the violence in this region, many Christians have been forced to
leave their homes in order to seek refuge. According to Eale Bosela, the
regional director for the Association for Christian Theological Education in
Africa, “[t]he Eastern Congo has become a theater of violent extremism” and
“[p]eople are being massacred like animals.”
Black Jihad slaves: Meanwhile, blacks have been and continue to be enslaved by
Muslims. According to the organization “Walk Free,” contemporary reports of
slavery exist in Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad, and Sudan, where people, often
from minority ethnic groups, are born into slavery and bought, traded, and sold.
In Mauritania, Niger, and Mali, widespread ethnic or caste-based discrimination
manifests in descent-based slavery. Mauritania, for instance, continues to have
one of the highest rates of slavery (32 people in every thousand). It is a
racist slavery: The slaves are blacks including the Haratine and
Afro-Mauritanian communities. The enslavers are Mauritania’s Arabic-speaking
Arab-Berber elite which dominates the country’s government and economy.
Despite some legal reforms, the practice of Wahaya (put in the bedroom)
continues in majority-Muslim northern Nigeria and Niger, where girls born into
slavery are sold as a “fifth wife” and subjected to domestic and sexual
servitude.
In Europe, critics of Islam are murdered by Muslims. Westerners should easily
recall that the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satiric magazine, were the
target of terrorist attacks that shook France in January 2015, claiming the
lives of 17 people who were murdered by two Algerian Muslim brothers for
printing cartoons of Islam’s prophet Muhammad.
Many also recall that Samuel Paty, a 47-year-old French history and geography
teacher, was beheaded by a Chechen Muslim near his secondary school on October
16, 2020. Paty had used the Charlie Hebdo magazine as part of an ethics class to
discuss free speech laws in France, where blasphemy is legal and cartoons
mocking religious figures have a long history. In 2023, a French literature
teacher, Dominique Bernard, was murdered in northern France by a young Muslim,
known only as “Mohammed M.” Blasphemy is legal in France, but it is a crime
punishable by death, according to Islamic Sharia law.
Meanwhile, Islamic supremacists have been violently targeting Jews living in
Western nations as well. The years 2025 and 2026 marked the deadliest period for
antisemitic violence in Western countries in over three decades, notes a report
by Tel Aviv University. According to the report, data for Australia in 2025 is
particularly alarming. Alongside a high number of violent attacks, including the
Hanukkah massacre near Sydney in which 15 Jews were murdered, the total number
of antisemitic incidents increased from 1,727 in 2024 to 1,750 in 2025.
One open expression of murderous Jew-hatred was particularly chilling. During a
conversation with Israeli content creator Max Veifer on the app Chatruletka last
February, nurses Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh said they would harm
Israeli patients (Abu Lebdeh: “I won’t treat them, I’ll kill them”) and (Nadir:
“You have no idea how many Israeli s*** dogs came to this hospital, and I sent
them to hell.”) When Veifer asked what would happen if “just Jewish people” come
for treatment, Nadir appeared to have disconnected the call.
Meanwhile, Islamic organizations in the West have as a main goal the stifling
and criminalization of free expression regarding the teachings and crimes of
Islam—and they are winning.
However, charging people with “Islamophobia,” a fake, invented “offense” can
only obscure and lead to more Islamic crimes.
While the victims of Islam are murdered, raped, or forcibly displaced,
Westerners whose most cherished Judeo-Christian tradition is to stand up for the
suffering victims will not even be able to discuss the motives of the
perpetrators of the most heinous acts. They are being forbidden to inquire and
gain an understanding of what it is that makes millions of Muslims—from Africa
to Pakistan, from Gaza to France, Britian, Canada, Australia, and
elsewhere—commit violent crimes against those who are not Muslim, or who do not
follow the Islamic law.
Finally, the case of the Yazidis is particularly poignant: During their
occupation of Sinjar, Iraq, in 2014, ISIS terrorists murdered thousands of
Yazidis either by execution or through deliberate dehydration and starvation.
There are videos of Yazidi girls in cages, soaked in kerosene and burned alive
for refusing to convert to Islam. Thousands more Yazidi children and women were
kidnapped, raped, and turned into sex slaves. Over a decade later, more than
2,500 abducted Yazidi women and children remain missing, according to the Free
Yezidi Foundation.
“Islamophobia” has become so powerful in Western minds, that former Yazidi sex
slaves of ISIS, who have been waiting to be rescued since the 2014 genocide,
must take a back seat to the religious sensitivities of Muslims who threaten us
all with violence when criticized. Silence reduces Westerners to the historical
state of “dhimmitude”—the condition of non-Muslims throughout history who have
been subjugated to Islamic domination, whose minds and words are controlled by
their Islamic masters.
If the right to criticize Islamic ideology and jihad is lost, freedom itself
will eventually be lost, too. And that is why, Muslims, and their radical
leftist allies are pushing so aggressively for outlawing “Islamophobia.”
Iran can end Houthi attacks – and it must
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya English/03 November/2026
The Houthis have crossed multiple red lines. Their campaign of missile and drone
attacks has killed civilians, struck critical infrastructure, deepened Yemen’s
suffering, and destabilized a region already under severe strain. These actions
constitute war crimes, violations of international humanitarian law, and direct
threats to freedom of navigation and regional security. Iran, their closest
strategic partner and principal external sponsor, possesses the leverage to halt
this aggression and has a clear interest in doing so.Houthi forces have
repeatedly targeted civilian and economic infrastructure in Saudi Arabia,
including airports such as Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, where
strikes caused multiple civilian deaths and injuries, as well as oil facilities,
pipelines, and ports. Attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and around
the Bab al-Mandeb Strait have disrupted global trade, sunk or damaged vessels,
and killed crew members. Inside Yemen, Houthi operations and territorial
advances have prolonged and intensified the country’s long-running conflict,
compounding one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises through disrupted aid,
destroyed infrastructure, and civilian casualties.These patterns –
indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks on civilians and civilian objects,
interference with humanitarian access, and assaults on international shipping –
violate core principles of international law, including the Geneva Conventions
and customary rules governing armed conflict and the high seas. The cumulative
effect has been to drag Yemen deeper into instability while exporting violence
across borders and sea lanes that carry a significant share of global commerce.
Iran possesses clear ability to halt campaign
Iran without doubt can stop the Houthis and must do so. The relationship between
Tehran and the Houthis is not peripheral; it is deep, operational, and
multi-layered. United Nations sanctions monitors and expert panels have
documented how Iran’s IRGC, particularly the Quds Force, along with Hezbollah
and other Axis of Resistance partners, transformed the Houthis from a localized
armed group into a force capable of deploying ballistic missiles, cruise
missiles, and sophisticated drones. This involved transfers of weapons systems
and components, technical training (including outside Yemen using false
documentation), and financial support on an unprecedented scale. Weapons and
dual-use items recovered in seizures have repeatedly shown Iranian design
signatures, production marks, or supply-chain links. Financial channels,
including oil-related arrangements that generate revenue for the group, have
further sustained Houthi operations. More recently, reporting has indicated that
Iranian support extends to real-time operational assistance. According to
accounts based on intelligence from anti-Houthi sources, Iran has provided
targeting information, intelligence, training, and tactical guidance that
enabled more precise and potent attacks on targets. The two sides share
ideological affinity within the broader “Axis of Resistance,” political
alignment against common adversaries, military integration through advisors and
technology transfer, and financial interdependence. This closeness gives Iran
substantial leverage: it can restrict weapons flows, withhold intelligence and
technical support, and apply political pressure through the channels that
sustain the Houthis’ advanced capabilities. Iran is not a passive observer; it
is the Houthis’ most important external supporter. Without continued Iranian
material, technical, and operational backing, the group’s ability to project
power far beyond Yemen’s borders would be severely constrained.
Restraint aligns with Iran’s own interests
Iran must exercise that leverage for reasons of its own national interest.
First, further regional instability does not serve Tehran. Iran’s economy is
already under extreme pressure – marked by very high inflation, a sharply
depreciated currency, disrupted oil exports, rising unemployment, and widespread
hardship for ordinary citizens. Prolonged or expanded conflict risks additional
sanctions pressure, higher insurance and trade costs, and domestic unrest as
economic pain intensifies. Second, continued Houthi aggression against Saudi
Arabia and broader shipping lanes increases the likelihood that regional states
will further isolate Iran, cutting remaining commercial and diplomatic
ties.Third, escalation draws greater US military attention and resources into
the theater and raises the probability of intensified Israeli involvement.
Direct or indirect confrontation with the United States and Israel would impose
far higher costs on Iran than the benefits of proxy pressure. In short, allowing
the Houthis free rein risks compounding Iran’s economic distress, diplomatic
isolation, and security exposure. In conclusion, the path forward is clear. Iran
has the relationships, the supply chains, the advisory presence, and the
strategic influence to compel a halt to Houthi attacks on civilian targets,
critical infrastructure, and international shipping. Doing so would reduce the
humanitarian toll in Yemen, ease pressure on regional energy and trade routes,
and protect Iran’s own interests from further self-inflicted damage. Continuing
to enable or tolerate the current trajectory serves neither regional stability
nor Iran’s long-term position. By choosing restraint and using its decisive
influence, Tehran can demonstrate that it prioritizes stability over endless
escalation. Tehran can stop the Houthis. It must.
Selected Face Book & X tweets
on November 03/2026
Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek
Right now Egypt is deciding the fate of a man whose only crime is
refusing to abandon Jesus. Said Abdelrazek is in 10th
of Ramadan Prison with a heart stent while proper care is denied.
He was tortured in a crucifixion position. The group he is accused of leading
does not exist. Send the emails now: https://t.co/aa17tEGYmB
@EgyptianPPO Release him today.
Connie Lee
https://x.com/AveryDaye/status/2117308713132310737/video/1
I spent 40 months in Afghanistan in the Army watching what Sharia does to women.
Women have NO voice (not even allowed to be HEARD singing), not allowed to vote,
get brutally BEATEN for being out and about with no male escort, sold as wives
to old ass men as children as young as 8. I saw ALL this up close. Every day.
You can scroll my page and see multiple women reaching out from inside those
countries sharing their stories. DO NOT listen to these dip shits saying that
couldn't happen here! Look at pictures of Afghanistan from the 1960s and 70s.
They had freedoms and women were even able to work. You know what happened? They
allowed a Marxist government to take over and did not fight tooth and nail to
protect their country or their women. PICK UP A BOOK. Not Tik Tok. Educate
yourselves through people who have lived it.
Anybody pushing this jihadist bullsh*t here gets zero benefit of the doubt from
me. Your vote COUNTS here, get out and vote. 🇺🇸And for the love of our
country, our freedom and our future, VOTE RED! https://x.com/AveryDaye/status/2117308713132310737/video/1
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
My closing argument for Michigan’s U.S. Senate election tomorrow:
The Arab and Muslim worlds lag the West and need reform and modernization. Arab
and Muslim immigrants benefit the West with talent and culture, and should use
Western knowledge to improve their ancestral homelands. Abdul El-Sayed does the
opposite. Instead of lifting the Third World, he seeks to Third-World the West.
He hides behind white guilt and its daughter, Islamophobia, advances a backward
agenda through entryism: winning elections, then remaking America in the image
of the weird hybrid of Islamism and socialism (CAIR and DSA). I am an American
who is a proud Arab. Arabs and Muslims should assimilate, become patriotic, run
for office and serve in government. To further American interests, they can help
modernize the countries they fled, not recreate them in America. Tomorrow,
reject Abdul. Elect @MikeRogersForMI
.If you're non-partisan, like me, you're doing the right thing. If you're a
Democrat, choose country over party.
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
This is what Sharia Law looks like.
In Libya, the Fatwa House banned buying, selling, or wearing Nike products due
to the brand's ties to Greek mythology: The brand name is that of ancient Greek
goddess of victory, Nike's Swoosh logo is modeled after the wings of this
polytheistic deity. Promoting or displaying these pagan symbols is therefore
classified as religiously impermissible. Also, Nike
sponsors a Jewish organization that brings Jews and Arabs together to foster
peace (imagine, the horror!)
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Qatar's International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), founded by the late
Muslim Brotherhood's Qaradawi who once issued a fatwa to kill US troops in Iraq
and Afghanistan, held a conference in (NATO member) Turkey, bringing together
250 Muslim Brotherhood leaders representing 32 countries. The closing statement
(see link) called for "forming unity committees in Islamic countries and Muslim
communities in non-Muslim countries, to bring perspectives closer together and
coordinate the efforts of groups and institutions."Do you understand now why
Qatar, Turkey and their sponsorship of the Muslim Brotherhood ideology --
especially among Muslims in the US and the West -- undermines Western nations
and their governments? They weaponize Muslim communities in the West and make
them Trojan Horses, obstructing assimilation, and threatening national security
and domestic peace.
This Islamist model is identical to that of Iran's proxy militias in Lebanon,
Iraq and Yemen, and the Iranian agitation of the Shia in Bahrain, Kuwait and
Saudi Arabia against their countries and their national governments. They start
organizing politically, and might one day switch to tent cities and riots on
campus (American model), organized mob riots (France model) or armed militias
(Gaza and Lebanon models). Wajahat Ali already threatened Americans with
consequences if Abdul failed to be elected to the Senate.