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

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2026/english.november13.26.htm

News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006 

Click On The Below Link To Join Elias Bejjaninews whatsapp group
https://chat.whatsapp.com/FPF0N7lE5S484LNaSm0MjW
اضغط على الرابط في أعلى للإنضمام لكروب Eliasbejjaninews whatsapp group

Elias Bejjani/Click on the below link to subscribe to my youtube channel
الياس بجاني/اضغط على الرابط في أسفل للإشتراك في موقعي ع اليوتيوب
https://www.youtube.com/@eliasbejjani8036

Bible Quotations For today
No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made
Mark 02/18-22: “John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, ‘Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’ Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding-guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. ‘No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.’

Titles For The English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 12-13/2026
Hopefully USA & Israel will attack Iran & topple its satanic regime/Elias Bejjani/November 12/2026
To Our Official, Partisan, Political Maronite Leaders and Clergymen: Who Is Your Role Model, the Traitor Muqaddam Salem or the Martyr Patriarch Daniel Al-Hadchiti?/With an article by Colonel Charbel Barakat recounting the story of Muqaddam Salem/Elias Bejjani/November 12/2026
Holy Lebanon in the Grip of Corruption and Occupation and the Heresies of Satan Berri's Calls for Dialogue/Elias Bejjani/November 10/2026
Abu Arz: Lebanon… A Word from History (10)
The South Under Fire – Video: Israeli Drone Explodes in Mifdoun
Source to Al Arabiya: Lebanon requests Syria to hand over two suspects in the killing of Al-Alwani
Investigations of Hezbollah detainees reveal question marks about their movements in the northern barrens
"Where Do Hezbollah’s Dollars Go?"… An Israeli Report Questions the Scale of Aid and Reveals a Gap Between Promises and Reality!
Iran Hints at a Preemptive War Involving Lebanon—Two Weeks Remain Before a Potential Confrontation!
Specialized Government Sessions: A Way to Evade Explosive Issues?
Ministry of Energy Wins a $100 Million Round
The State Confronts the "Coup-Plotting" Party’s Schemes with Statements: Such Hesitation Makes It Complicit in an Impending Catastrophe!
Interrogations of Detained Hezbollah Members Raise Questions Regarding Their Activities in the Northern Highlands
Iran Hints at a Preemptive War Involving Lebanon—Two Weeks Remain Before a Potential Confrontation!
Insights from local newspapers published on Thursday, November 12, 2026
Rifi: The "Yellow Party" is crumbling day by day; it is in its autumn.
Parliament Passes Four Laws; Berri Adjourns Legislative Session to a Later Date
Bilal Erdoğan Visits; Aoun Envisions a New Phase of Cooperation with Turkey
Fourth Day of the Ordinary Session of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops
Issa El-Khoury: Accumulated Trade Deficit Was a Fundamental Cause of Lebanon’s Financial Collapse
Lebanese Forces: Implementing—Not Debating—Decisions Reached Within State Institutions Is the Only Way to End the Suffering of the Lebanese People
The Story of the Betrayal of Muqaddam Salem of Bsharri and the Era of Shame/Colonel Charbel Barakat/June 07/2020
Is the goal for the Israelis to die laughing at us, thereby scoring a new "victory" for the Axis?/Abir Mroueh/Facebook / November 12, 2026
IMF says its staff in Lebanon to discuss banking restructuring strategy
To Disarm Hezbollah, Lebanon Need Only Enforce Its Own Laws/David Daoud/FDD-Policy Brief/November 13/2026

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 12-13/2026
Netanyahu and Eisenkot Face to Face for Two Hours... What Happened in the Security Meeting?
Eisenkot had accused Netanyahu, before the announcement of Thursday's meeting, of preventing him from obtaining the security briefing he had requested.
Heavy Conditions on Eisenkot's Table... What Do the Haredim Want in Exchange for a Coalition?
Lapid: No Government Without Difficult Concessions... But We Will Succeed in Forming It
Israel Bans Entry of French Radical Left Leader and Paris Condemns the Decision / Ban Also Includes Mathilde Panot, Head of the Parliamentary Bloc of " La France Insoumise"
Eisenkot Warns Netanyahu Against Military Adventure: "Do Not Take Dangerous Decisions Before Forming the New Government"
Trump Threatens Military Action Against Cuba: I Want to Settle the Cuba File Before I Leave Office
Trump Escalates Against Iran: Days of Agreement Are Over... We Control Its Money and Its Strait!
US President tasked his deputy to devote his full and comprehensive attention to the huge corruption and crimes occurring in Democratic-run cities and states
Trump Waves the Weapon of Time... and Tehran Waves the Nuclear Option
Iran's Leadership Experts Council Hints at Withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: "An Inevitable Necessity"
Iran Waves "Missile Surprises" at Washington and Tel Aviv.. New Strategic City and Threat Messages Beyond West Asia
Shooting in Several Locations Near the White House... Security Alert and Hunt for the Suspect
UN Security Council Renews Arms Ban and Sanctions on Individuals and Entities Linked to the Houthis and Condemns Houthi Attacks Against Saudi Arabia
Earthquake in an Iraqi Governorate.. Governor Resigns Amid Accusations of Oil Smuggling and Protecting Influential Figures
After Meeting Putin in the Kremlin... Witkoff and Kushner Head to Zelensky
US Mediation Collides with Russian Invasion Mentality

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 12-13/2026
AI is changing cybercrime: How to protect yourself/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/November 12/2026
Yemen’s Houthis: Iran’s proxy on the Red Sea/Noofal Gawad/Arab News/November 12/2026
As Iran-US talks falter, Gulf countries need to step up to save the day/Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/November 12/2026
After the American and Israeli Elections: Prejudgments That Do Not Change the Scene/Najwa Abi Haidar / Al-Markaziya / 12 November 2026
The American Elections.. Lessons in Democracy and Citizenship/Dr. Amer Halwani / Janoubia / 12 November 2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets on November 12/2026

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 12-13/2026 (Some of the News reports below are translated from Arabic by AI)
Hopefully USA & Israel will attack Iran & topple its satanic regime
Elias Bejjani/November 12/2026
The Jihadi Mullah Regime understands nothing but the language of force. Hopefully, Trump, the West, and the Arab world have grasped this reality and will work to bring it down, liberating the world from its evils

To Our Official, Partisan, Political Maronite Leaders and Clergymen: Who Is Your Role Model, the Traitor Muqaddam Salem or the Martyr Patriarch Daniel Al-Hadchiti?/With an article by Colonel Charbel Barakat recounting the story of Muqaddam Salem
Elias Bejjani/November 12/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/11/159189/
This Link  https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/11/87002/ to a very important historical incident, written by Colonel Charbel Barakat and published on our website on June 20, 2020, which we are republishing today. It demonstrates the faith, stubbornness, courage, culture, resistance, struggle, and history of the heroic Maronites.This incident is addressed to all current Maronite leadership, temporal, official, and religious in particular, and to all who echo their line in politics and in national, partisan, and ecclesiastical affairs, and also to all the rest of the political crews and the owners of party-companies and miserable agencies. We point out here that Lebanon, in lived reality, is an occupied country whose state is rogue, failed, and disintegrated, and the occupier and the destructive cancer is the Persian, mullah, sectarian, and terrorist Hezbollah. This gang-party is not part of the Lebanese fabric. It kidnaps and holds the noble Shiite community hostage, confiscates its decision by force, and therefore does not legitimately represent it, neither in Parliament nor in any other arena. It did not liberate the South; rather, it occupies it. It is not a resistance, but a gang whose members are Lebanese mercenaries according to all international standards… The leaders of this gang boast that they are soldiers in the army of Wilayat al-Faqih… And there are hundreds of Iranian positions and statements that confirm this truth.
Hence, every politician, or owner of a Maronite party-company in particular, who does not acknowledge these facts publicly and does not work seriously to confront them by all means to liberate Lebanon, is in practice and without the slightest doubt a clone of the traitor Muqaddam Salem.

Holy Lebanon in the Grip of Corruption and Occupation and the Heresies of Satan Berri's Calls for Dialogue
Elias Bejjani/November 10/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/11/159072/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9VRMbWQ5nc
Holy Lebanon's fate is controlled by clergymen who do not know God nor His teachings, by merchant-rulers of the filthy Trojan ilk, and by a political and partisan clique with no conscience, no integrity, and no sentiment, followers of Iscariot and the scribes and Pharisees, and by media outlets and journalists who are for the most part hired trumpets and cymbals skilled at nothing but hypocrisy, verbal bluster, and marketing for their masters. And more dangerous than all of that is the existence of an Iranian occupier, an enemy of its own environment, of Lebanon, and of humanity, who has turned Lebanon into one of the arenas for the wars of the insane mullahs.
And above all of this, the catastrophe of the Land of the Cedars lies in the debauchery, prostitution, and insolence of the king of corruption and the corrupt, Nabih Berri - Abu Mustafa - who was brought forth by the hatching machines of the Palestinian, Syrian, and Iranian occupations.
Imagine that this ungrateful man holds in his grip a parliament whose members are all castrated, and who were appointed through an electoral law tailored by the mullahs to fit the evil scheme of their jihadist, terrorist, and criminal Hezbollah, distributing seats to cowards, collaborators, and thugs.
Berri: King of Corruption and the Corrupt
Nabih Berri is not a Speaker of Parliament; he is the head of a fully integrated corruption system. He is the protector of shady deals, the godfather of quota-sharing, the engineer of obstructing the judiciary, the thief of the Council of the South's funds, the cover for smuggling, drugs, and illegal weapons, and the partner of the terrorist-Jihadist Iranian Hezbollah in plundering the state, bankrupting it, and starving its people.
He is the one who obstructed the investigation into the Beirut Port explosion, he is the one who protected criminals and murderers from justice, and he is the one who turned Parliament from a legislative institution into a farm for clientelism, bribery, and money laundering.
Berri is the last human barrier protecting Iran's mini-state in Lebanon. Without Berri, the system of illegal weapons would have fallen. Without Berri, Hezbollah would not have continued to control the decision of war and peace. Without Berri, Iran would not have continued to use Lebanon as fuel for its absurd wars.
The Holy Bible says: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence" (Matthew 23:25).
This is Berri exactly: an outside polished with speeches about dialogue and consensus, and an inside full of extortion, corruption, and collaboration.
The Holy Bible says: "No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24). And Berri chose money, chose Iran, and sold God, the homeland, and the people.
Berri's Satanic Call for Dialogue
This satanic Berri calls for dialogue... a dialogue to circumvent what remains of the state for the benefit of Iran's mini-state, and to foil the current international and regional opportunity carrying the project of peace and liberation.  It is a satanic call par excellence, because it is not a dialogue but a conspiracy. Dialogue with whom? With murderers? With thieves of the homeland? With those who carry weapons against the state? With those who refuse to surrender their weapons and implement international resolutions 1559, 1701, and 1680? True dialogue takes place between free equals under the ceiling of the Constitution and the law, not between executioner and victim, not between occupier and occupied, and not between a corrupt man and a hungry people.
Berri wants a dialogue that keeps the weapons, keeps the corruption, keeps the occupation, and keeps Lebanon hostage. He wants a dialogue that reproduces the same system with new names and old faces.
But we say to him and to his masters in Tehran: the era of poisoned dialogues is over. The era of bargaining at the expense of blood and dignity is over. No dialogue with weapons, no dialogue with corruption, no dialogue with occupation.
The Bible says: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2). And we will not conform to this corrupt age; we will reject it, expose it, and resist it.
The Importance of Peace with Israel: Closing the Lebanese Arena to Iran's Wars. Peace with Israel is not treason; it is salvation. It is not normalization with an enemy; it is the liberation of Lebanon from its real enemy: Iran. Lebanon has paid exorbitant prices for wars that were not its wars, and its sons have paid with their blood for the adventures of the mullahs in Gaza, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. How many villages were destroyed? How many young men were martyred? How many families were displaced? How many economies collapsed? All of this because Iran wanted to fight Israel from Lebanese territory, and with Lebanese blood.
Peace with Israel means closing the Lebanese arena permanently to Iran's wars. It means removing the pretext for illegal weapons. It means restoring the decision of war and peace to the state alone. It means opening the doors to economy, investment, and prosperity. It means Lebanon's return to its leading role regionally and internationally in the civilized world, after Iran and its party kidnapped it into the axis of evil and destruction.
On peace, the Lord Christ says: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matthew 5:9). And He also says: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27).
Whoever rejects peace is a son of war, a son of Satan, a son of destruction. And whoever stands as a barrier in the face of peace is Nabih Berri himself, Iran's faithful servant, the guard of Hezbollah's weapons, and the enemy of every free Lebanese who wants to live in dignity and security.
Berri stands as a barrier to peace because peace means his end. Peace means a strong state with no place for militias. Peace means an independent judiciary with no place for the corrupt. Peace means a free economy with no place for shady deals. Peace means a free people with no place for slaves. For this reason, the battle for peace is an existential battle: either a Lebanon of peace and life, or a Lebanon of Berri, Iran, and death.
A Final Word to the Puppet Rulers
To the puppet rulers without a single exception, to the owners of local and proxy party companies, and to the owners of mitres and robes, foremost among them our Maronite Patriach, the shepherd who has abandoned his flock, we say: You are devils, you are thugs, you are enemies of Lebanon and the Lebanese, and with you there is no salvation, no liberation, and no freedom, but catastrophes, destruction, and ruin, because he who lacks something cannot give it. Rest assured that the fire of hell and its worms await you, no matter how long the era of your prostitution lasts.
The Bible says: "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (Matthew 16:26). And you have gained money and positions, and lost your souls, your homeland, and your eternity.
*The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website: https://eliasbejjaninews.com

Abu Arz: Lebanon… A Word from History (10)
X (formerly Twitter) / November 12, 2026
The philosopher Zeno of Sidon, who lived during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, stands as one of the most prominent figures of the Epicurean school in the ancient world.
He served as the head of the Epicurean school in Athens, and the philosopher Philodemus studied under him. Furthermore, the Roman orator and philosopher Cicero mentioned him in his writings, praising his intellectual capabilities.
Thus, Sidon was not merely a city of trade and navigation; it was also a home to philosophers who contributed to enriching human thought.
Conclusion:
It is one of history’s ironies that our ancestors taught nations how to write and think, while our current rulers have yet to learn how to govern.
The former elevated the status of Lebanon through their intellect, whereas the latter are destroying what the ancestors built with their own hands.
#AtYourServiceLebanon (#Labbayk_Lebanon)
#Abu_Arz
References:
* Cicero, *De Natura Deorum* (On the Nature of the Gods), Book I.
* Diogenes Laertius, *Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers*, Book X.

The South Under Fire – Video: Israeli Drone Explodes in Mifdoun
Al-Markaziya / November 12, 2026
Artillery fire targeted the town of Al-Mansouri and the outskirts of the towns of Mifdoun and Hadatha, while an airstrike was carried out on the outskirts of the town of Houla, toward Wadi al-Salouqi. The Israeli army carried out a controlled explosion in the town of Kunin, in the Bint Jbeil District. A drone dropped two sound bombs in the vicinity of farmers near the outskirts of the town of Kfar Chouba, in the Arqoub region, while artillery fire targeted the outskirts of the town of Rashaf. Simultaneously, machine-gun fire was directed toward the town of Sarbin. An airstrike also targeted Kfar Tibnit. In the afternoon, the Israeli army conducted a large-scale explosion in the town of Zawtar al-Sharqiya, on the side facing the river. Earlier in the morning, Israeli artillery shelled the outskirts of the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, and at dawn, Israeli artillery also targeted the town of Al-Mansouri. Furthermore, an Israeli drone exploded in the airspace above the town of Mifdoun; debris from the drone fell into the garden of a private residence, with no reports of casualties.

Source to Al Arabiya: Lebanon requests Syria to hand over two suspects in the killing of Al-Alwani
Riyadh: AlArabiya.net and agencies – November 12, 2026
Lebanese authorities have identified two Syrian nationals suspected of involvement in the murder of a former Iraqi Member of Parliament in Beirut. According to a Lebanese judicial source who spoke to Al Arabiya/Al Hadath on Thursday, Lebanon has requested that Damascus arrest and extradite the two individuals. Ahmed Al-Alwani was found dead—having been strangled—in an apartment in the Lebanese capital on Monday evening. The judicial source stated that Lebanese security services were able to "identify two Syrian individuals involved in the crime, who have since fled to Syria." He added that "Lebanese authorities have requested that the Syrian side arrest these two individuals and hand them over" for questioning, noting that "the motives behind the crime have not yet been revealed." The source further informed Al Arabiya/Al Hadath that Lebanon will delay the release of Al-Alwani’s body to allow for additional forensic examinations. Preliminary investigations have pointed to the involvement of three individuals, one of whom—a Lebanese national—has already been taken into custody. According to a statement from his media office, Al-Alwani arrived in Beirut on November 5. The office added that the last communication he had with his team took place after he reached the apartment, having traveled there directly from the airport. On Tuesday, a Lebanese judicial source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Al-Alwani had been "lured into a carefully orchestrated trap," explaining that the perpetrators "rented an apartment for him in the Tariq El-Jdideh neighborhood, brought him there from the airport, and proceeded to kill him." Al-Alwani was sentenced to death in Iraq in 2014 for the killing of two soldiers, but he was released last year under a general amnesty law. Hailing from the prominent Albu Alwan tribe in Anbar Province, in western Iraq, Al-Alwani was a supporter of a 2013 protest movement against the government of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. His arrest fueled anger toward the al-Maliki administration, which many Sunnis accused of marginalizing them.

Investigations of Hezbollah detainees reveal question marks about their movements in the northern barrens
Southern/November 12, 2026
Judicial sources revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the ongoing investigations with the five detainees belonging to Hezbollah, who were arrested in the Batroun and Bsharri barrens, are moving towards the assumption that they were in the region to carry out a reconnaissance and field survey mission, contrary to what they testified during the investigations that they were on a tourist trip. According to the sources, the group was not moving alone, but was accompanied by other people from a distance, who followed its movements. What is most striking, according to the information, is that after the group was arrested, these people removed their phones from a room that contained the belongings of the detainees, which opens the door to additional questions about the nature of the mission and the parties that were following it.
Maps and trying to destroy evidence
The investigations gain additional importance in light of papers and maps found in the possession of the detainees, some of whom were said to have tried to tear up when an Internal Security Forces patrol approached them. The concerned authorities are working to analyze the seized items and determine the nature of the information they contain, and whether it is linked to a reconnaissance operation for specific targets or locations in the region. Although the detainees confirmed that they were on a tourist tour, this story does not seem sufficient, according to judicial sources, to dispel doubts, especially since one of them resides in the region, while the others come from the south and the Bekaa, which raises questions about the reasons for their meeting in that mountainous region and the nature of their movements there.
Investigations expand to uncover the mission and the entities accompanying it
Investigations are currently focused on determining the nature of the possible mission, the role of the people who were accompanying the group from afar, and the purpose of seizing the phones after the arrest of its members, in addition to the content of the seized maps and papers. This issue comes in light of the increasing security sensitivity witnessed in the northern regions, especially in light of fears of using mountainous and remote areas for security or logistical purposes outside the framework of legitimate institutions. Between the narrative of the tourist trip and the evidence being investigated, the basic question remains related to the truth of the mission that the group was carrying out, and whether the matter was limited to field reconnaissance or related to movements with broader security objectives, and these are issues that the ongoing investigations are supposed to reveal.

"Where Do Hezbollah’s Dollars Go?"… An Israeli Report Questions the Scale of Aid and Reveals a Gap Between Promises and Reality!
Janoubia / November 12, 2026
A report issued by the Israeli research center "Alma" has raised questions regarding the actual volume of financial aid that Hezbollah claims to be providing to those affected and displaced in Lebanon. The report casts doubt on whether the extensive media campaign accompanying the aid distribution aligns with the funds that truly reach the beneficiaries—especially given the financial challenges Hezbollah faces and the difficulties involved in transferring money into Lebanon.
"A Promise and a Commitment"… Aid in Specific Amounts
In its details, the report—authored by researchers Tal Beeri and Dvir Peeri—examines the "A Promise and a Commitment" (*Wa’d wa Iltizam*) campaign launched by Hezbollah to assist owners of damaged residential units. The initiative provides financial sums intended to compensate for the loss of household contents and to cover temporary housing costs, though it does not extend to actual reconstruction work. According to the report, Hezbollah announced on November 4 the commencement of the first phase of the campaign in the "Jabal Amel I" region, located south of the Litani River. Salman Harb, the media official for the region, explained that specialized committees had conducted a damage assessment and identified beneficiaries based on categories that include compensation for furniture, household contents, and shelter allowances. Hezbollah designated four centers for the distribution of payment vouchers: in the towns of Silaa (for the Bint Jbeil sector), Qana (for the Qana sector), Al-Abbasiya (for the coastal sector), and Ma’roub (for the Al-Hujair sector). According to the report, Harb noted that the campaign encompasses tens of thousands of residential units, while accusing official authorities of failing to address the plight of those affected.
$14,000 per residential unit… How is the aid distributed?
Regarding the announced financial figures, the report indicates that Ali Daamoush, head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, revealed details of the aid program on October 13. The program provides $14,000 for each eligible residential unit in Beirut and the Southern Suburb (Dahiyeh), and $12,000 for units in other regions. This amount is broken down into $8,000 to compensate for household contents, plus $6,000 for alternative housing in Beirut and the Southern Suburb—or $4,000 for other areas. Under the announced payment mechanism, the aid is to be disbursed in four installments over the course of one year; the first installment amounts to $3,500 for Beirut and the Southern Suburb, and $3,000 for all other regions. The program also covers those displaced from frontline villages in southern Lebanon who are unable to return to their homes, though individuals who possess an alternative place to live are excluded from the housing allowance. The campaign was launched in Beirut, the Southern Suburb, and parts of Mount Lebanon on October 26, and the distribution of vouchers has since expanded to other sectors—including the Nabatieh region—with the opening of a center in the town of Al-Sharqiya.
The "Alma" report: Is the media campaign larger than the actual funding? Offering an interpretation that diverges from the stated objectives, the "Alma" Center suggests that the campaign extends beyond financial and social concerns; it serves as a tool for media influence, designed to hold the state and government accountable for failing to meet the needs of those affected, while positioning the party as the primary provider of aid and housing support. Notably, the report acknowledges a lack of precise data regarding the actual volume of aid being distributed—specifically concerning the amounts received by individual beneficiaries or the total number of families reached. Despite the absence of documented figures, the researchers posit a discrepancy between the campaign’s extensive media presence and the actual funding allocated to it—a gap they attribute to the financial difficulties currently facing the party, as well as challenges related to transferring funds into Lebanon.
Rebuilding Military Capabilities or Supporting the Grassroots Base?
In this context, the report identifies two competing priorities for Hezbollah: first, allocating resources to rehabilitate its military capabilities; and second, reclaiming its position as a direct source of financial and social support for its grassroots base.
The researchers argue that the party is attempting to strike a balance between these two objectives by providing financial aid to those affected, while simultaneously running a broad media campaign to bolster its social standing and reaffirm its role within its core constituency. The Israeli report concludes that the scale of the media campaign does not necessarily reflect an equivalent volume of distributed funds, suggesting that the actual amounts provided may be lower than the image projected by the campaign. However, the Alma Center did not provide documented figures to substantiate an actual gap between the announced aid and the funds that reached the beneficiaries; thus, its estimates remain within the realm of Israeli interpretation and analysis regarding the nature and objectives of the campaign.

Iran Hints at a Preemptive War Involving Lebanon—Two Weeks Remain Before a Potential Confrontation!
Janoubia / November 12, 2026
Mehdi Mohammadi, an advisor to Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, has warned of an impending new military confrontation with the United States. He argued that Washington has no desire to end the war—particularly in Lebanon—and shows no readiness to make genuine concessions regarding Iran, such as unfreezing Iranian assets or lifting the blockade and sanctions. Mohammadi described the American response to Tehran’s seven-point proposal as "deceptive," asserting that Iran refuses to enter into direct negotiations without first securing concrete guarantees and concessions. Tehran fears that Washington might exploit such a dialogue to impose additional demands without offering anything in return.
Two Weeks for Trump… and a Military Strike Remains on the Table
Mohammadi suggested that negotiations are likely to fail, revealing that Washington has set a deadline of approximately two weeks, after which Trump will be forced to make a decisive move. He cautioned that the U.S. administration’s claims that the "military option" is off the table do not necessarily reflect its true intentions; there are preparations for a potential limited strike against Iranian facilities, while Tehran remains poised for a large-scale response that could ignite an all-out war.
Lebanon at the Heart of Iranian Calculations
Analyzing the current landscape, Mohammadi argued that the American stance on ending the war in Lebanon serves as a key indicator of a lack of genuine will to contain the escalation—all while Iran faces a complex web of political, military, and economic pressures. He warned of an American scenario involving the continuation of the blockade and sanctions, the fomenting of internal divisions, and the execution of intelligence operations and limited strikes targeting economic infrastructure—citing the fire at the South Pars facilities as an example. In response, he advocated for a broader confrontation strategy: one that goes beyond merely reacting to direct attacks, and instead utilizes military capabilities to increase the cost of the American blockade and pressure—potentially by targeting American interests and those of regional actors. He concluded by warning that the continuation of this trajectory could pave the way for a new assault on Iran during the winter, urging the fortification of the domestic front, the resolution of internal disputes, and the prevention of Washington from accumulating leverage in preparation for a new round of military conflict. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported—citing a Western official and military intelligence estimates—that Iran remains capable of producing approximately 50 ballistic missiles per month, roughly half of its pre-war production capacity, and that it has likely retained a stockpile of at least 1,700 ballistic missiles.

Specialized Government Sessions: A Way to Evade Explosive Issues?
Ministry of Energy Wins a $100 Million Round
Nidaa Al-Watan / November 13, 2026
The electricity dossier can no longer endure further stagnation, as the accumulation of outstanding dues and debts owed by public administrations and institutions has become a chronic flaw in the sector’s management. While efforts to find solutions continue to collide with political calculations, administrative hurdles, and intertwined interests, a legislative session of Parliament has provided Energy Minister Joe Sader with a political boost in his battle. Parliament approved an additional credit of 8,950 billion Lebanese pounds—equivalent to approximately $100 million—to settle a portion of the debts owed to Électricité du Liban (EDL) by various public administrations and institutions.
This decision does more than just address a segment of the debt; it serves as a litmus test for the state’s seriousness in rectifying internal institutional dysfunction, especially given that EDL has been forced to bear the consequences of official entities failing to meet their financial obligations. In securing this, Sader has won a round in a difficult confrontation—a victory rooted in his steadfast adherence to his established policies and his refusal to back down in the face of opposition. The battle will now shift to today’s Council of Ministers session, which is set to address the electricity file. Minister Sader will be in attendance, though the ministers affiliated with the Lebanese Forces (Youssef Rjei, Joe Issa El-Khoury, and Kamal Chehadeh) will be absent, boycotting the session in protest against the failure to refer the Dahr El-Baidar explosives case to the Judicial Council. Observers questioned the utility of holding specialized sessions at the expense of the Cabinet’s regular weekly meetings. They wondered whether this approach might be a way to "escape forward"—an attempt to sidestep urgent issues, most notably the Dahr el-Baidar explosives case, the movements of Hezbollah operatives in the highlands (jroud) of Batroun and Bsharri, and the file concerning UNIFIL.
The Cabinet approved an additional allocation of $20 million to fund solar energy project loans for individuals. It also referred a draft law—submitted via Decree 3988—to the Public Works and Transport Committee, proposing an additional budgetary allocation of 1,450.8 billion Lebanese pounds to provide subsidies for public transport drivers over a three-month period.
Political Sparring: Gemayel and Berri
The session was not without political friction. Sami Gemayel, leader of the Lebanese Kataeb Party, addressed Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, stating: "Enough—you, along with the President and the Prime Minister, are wasting time by asking Hezbollah for guarantees that it will not engage in a new 'support front' war. You have already received a direct response from the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf." Gemayel urged Berri to respond to these remarks, to which Berri replied: "We are free; we are free." The Lebanese Forces Respond to Berri’s Call for Dialogue
Regarding political stances, the Media Office of the Lebanese Forces responded to Speaker Nabih Berri’s call for bilateral dialogues, stating: "Re-proposing dialogue on issues that have already been settled within constitutional institutions only serves to further weaken the prestige of the state and its institutions. Moreover, the substance of such a dialogue would be no different from what the Lebanese people have already experienced and lived through—especially since the party in question consistently reaffirms its commitment to retaining its weapons, in clear defiance of the Constitution, government decisions, and the will of the majority of the Lebanese people." In a statement, the Media Office emphasized that "what is required is the extension of the state’s authority—through its own forces—across the entire Lebanese territory. Any talk of dialogue concerning decisions that have already been made is merely a persistent attempt to circumvent, undermine, and ultimately overturn those decisions."
Turkey’s Support for Sovereignty
Amidst ongoing political and diplomatic activity, attention has turned to the visit of Necmettin Bilal Erdoğan—son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan—to Lebanon. This visit carries significant social, humanitarian, and economic implications, offering a broader perspective on the nature of Turkey’s interest in Lebanon. In his first engagement, Erdoğan met with the President of the Republic, affirming Turkey’s support for the Lebanese authorities’ efforts to extend state sovereignty across the entire national territory through the country’s armed forces. He also held meetings with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri; the Grand Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, at Dar al-Fatwa; the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut, Bishop Elias Audi; Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri; Bahia Hariri, Vice President of the Future Movement; and Walid Jumblatt, former leader of the Progressive Socialist Party. Today, the city of Tripoli is preparing to welcome him as part of a tour that includes the city itself and the Akkar region—a visit that will feature official, religious, and public meetings, as well as tours of historical and archaeological landmarks.
Regarding development, the President of the Republic emphasized that the Akkar region—with its people, its plains, and its agricultural output—is vital to Lebanon and its economy. While receiving a delegation from the Union of Municipalities of the Akkar Plain, the President stressed that development projects for the region are underway, most notably the activation of the Martyr President René Moawad Airport in Qlaiaat, which is now firmly on track. Separately, Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam, while participating in the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference, emphasized that environmental restoration and the enhancement of climate change resilience must be an integral part of the reconstruction process—alongside achieving stability, restoring national sovereignty, and upholding international law.
Regarding their demands, members of the Beirut Fire Brigade escalated their protests, going so far as to forcibly enter the Beirut Municipality building. This action, a continuation of the protests that began last week, was in response to the persistent delay in addressing their grievances concerning medical care, hospitalization, and uniform allowances. The escalation coincided with a scheduled session of the Municipal Council—which was subsequently canceled—amidst the firefighters' objections to the fact that their demands had not been included on the meeting's agenda. Meanwhile, Minister of Interior and Municipalities Ahmed Al-Hajjar stressed the necessity of exerting every effort to resolve this issue, calling for coordination among the relevant authorities to devise practical solutions.

The State Confronts the "Coup-Plotting" Party’s Schemes with Statements: Such Hesitation Makes It Complicit in an Impending Catastrophe!
Lara Yazbek / Al-Markazia / November 12, 2026
Al-Markazia – From Antalya—where he arrived to lead the Lebanese delegation to the Climate Change Conference (COP31)—Prime Minister Nawaf Salam held consultations yesterday with Minister of Interior and Municipalities Ahmed Al-Hajjar, Minister of Justice Adel Nassar, Public Prosecutor Ahmed Rami Al-Hajj, and Director General of the Internal Security Forces Major General Raed Abdullah. The discussions concerned the group of young men recently arrested between the highlands of Bsharri and Batroun—an incident that raises serious suspicions regarding the nature of their activities and fuels deep concern. Prime Minister Salam emphasized that "the era of impunity and cover-ups is over," reiterating that "the investigations now underway will be bound by nothing but the rule of law."
On Tuesday, it was reported—via a statement from his media office—that the Public Prosecutor is overseeing the preliminary investigations being conducted by the Information Branch into the five "Hezbollah" operatives arrested in the highlands of Batroun. It appears, therefore, that the party is now active in the North. In the possession of these five individuals were maps and lists detailing sniper rifles and other weaponry; the documents seized—or what remained of them after the suspects attempted to tear them up—contained the names of various villages in the Koura and Batroun districts. While the party has claimed that the explosives shipment discovered at Dahr el-Baidar was intended for use against the Israeli enemy, what can be said of their suspicious, militarily-oriented movements—carried out under the cover of darkness—in the highlands between Batroun and Bsharri? According to sovereignist political sources, this question is not directed at "the Party" (Hezbollah)—from which no convincing, realistic, or logical answers can be expected. Its objectives are clear to everyone except those who choose to remain blind: namely, to orchestrate security operations within Lebanon to exert control and regain the upper hand, now that the Party has lost its capacity to confront Israel. Instead, this question is directed at the Lebanese state and those in power, who, to this day, have responded to Hezbollah with nothing more than statements and rhetoric. Emboldened by the absence of any meaningful action or accountability—as evidenced by the Dahr el-Baidar case, which remains unresolved, has not been referred to the Judicial Council, and has resulted in no actual detentions—the Party will continue its pivot toward the domestic front. It will persist until it succeeds in its scheme—whether through a coup, an explosion, a targeted attack, an assassination, or some other security operation. By then, it will be too late; those in power, who appeased the Party rather than acting firmly against it, will bear the responsibility for their conduct and the catastrophic repercussions for Lebanon’s political landscape, sovereignty, and internal security.

Interrogations of Detained Hezbollah Members Raise Questions Regarding Their Activities in the Northern Highlands
Janoubia / November 12, 2026
Judicial sources revealed to the newspaper *Asharq Al-Awsat* that the ongoing interrogations of five detained individuals affiliated with Hezbollah—arrested in the highlands of Batroun and Bsharri—point toward the hypothesis that they were in the area to conduct reconnaissance and field surveys. This contradicts their claims during questioning that they were merely on a sightseeing trip. According to sources, the group was not acting alone; rather, they were being monitored remotely by other individuals who tracked their movements. Most notably, information suggests that following the group’s arrest, these individuals managed to retrieve the group’s mobile phones from a room where the detainees' belongings were being held—a detail that raises further questions regarding the nature of their mission and the parties overseeing it. The investigation has gained added significance following the discovery of documents and maps in the detainees' possession; it is reported that they attempted to tear some of these items when an Internal Security Forces patrol approached. Relevant authorities are currently analyzing the seized materials to determine the nature of the information they contain and whether they relate to the reconnaissance of specific targets or locations in the area. Although the detainees claim they were on a sightseeing trip, judicial sources indicate that this explanation is insufficient to dispel suspicions—especially given that one of the individuals resides in the area, while the others hail from the South and the Bekaa region. This raises questions as to why they gathered in this mountainous area and the true nature of their activities there. The investigation is currently focused on identifying the potential mission, the role of those who were monitoring the group from afar, the motive behind the retrieval of the mobile phones after the arrests, and the content of the seized maps and documents. This case unfolds against a backdrop of heightened security sensitivity in the northern regions, particularly amid concerns that mountainous and remote areas could be exploited for security or logistical purposes outside the purview of legitimate state institutions. Between the account of a tourist trip and the evidence currently under investigation, the fundamental question remains: what was the true nature of the mission the group was carrying out? Was it limited to field reconnaissance, or was it linked to activities with broader security-related objectives? These are matters that the ongoing investigations are expected to clarify.

Iran Hints at a Preemptive War Involving Lebanon—Two Weeks Remain Before a Potential Confrontation!
Janoubia / November 12, 2026
Mehdi Mohammadi, an advisor to Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, has warned of an impending new military confrontation with the United States. He argued that Washington has no desire to end the war—particularly in Lebanon—and shows no readiness to offer genuine concessions regarding Iran, such as unfreezing assets or lifting the blockade and sanctions. Mohammadi described the American response to Tehran’s seven-point proposal as "deceptive," asserting that Iran refuses to enter into direct negotiations without first securing concrete guarantees and concessions. Tehran fears that Washington might exploit such a dialogue to impose additional demands without offering anything in return. Mohammadi suggested that the negotiations are likely to fail, revealing that Washington has set a deadline of approximately two weeks, after which Trump will be forced to make a decisive move. He cautioned that the U.S. administration’s claims that the "military option" is off the table do not necessarily reflect its true intentions; there are indications of preparations for a potential limited strike against Iranian facilities—a scenario to which Tehran is prepared to respond with a broad counter-strike that could ignite an all-out war. In his assessment of the situation, Mohammadi noted that the U.S. stance on ending the war in Lebanon serves as a key indicator of a lack of genuine will to contain the escalation, at a time when Iran is facing a complex web of political, military, and economic pressures. He warned of an American scenario involving the continuation of the blockade and sanctions, the fomenting of internal divisions, the execution of intelligence operations, and the carrying out of limited strikes targeting economic infrastructure—citing the fire at the South Pars facilities as an example. In response, he called for a broader confrontation strategy; one that goes beyond merely retaliating against direct attacks, and instead utilizes military capabilities to increase the cost of the American blockade and pressure—potentially by targeting American interests and regional actors. He concluded by warning that the continuation of this trajectory could pave the way for a new attack on Iran during the winter, urging the fortification of the domestic front, the resolution of internal disputes, and the prevention of Washington from accumulating leverage in preparation for a new round of military conflict. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported, citing a Western official and military intelligence estimates, that Iran remains capable of producing approximately 50 ballistic missiles per month—roughly half of its pre-war production capacity—and that it has likely retained a stockpile of at least 1,700 ballistic missiles.

Insights from local newspapers published on Thursday, November 12, 2026
Janoubia/November 12, 2026
An-Nahar
The preparations to welcome the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan—particularly in Tripoli and the North—are noteworthy. They are being closely monitored and assessed, especially by the embassies of Arab nations concerned with Lebanese affairs, with a particular focus on the situation of the Sunni community in Lebanon.
Fake social media accounts are actively circulating rumors and news stories as part of political battles, often at the expense of the truth.
Sources within Hezbollah indicate that nothing has changed to warrant a resumption of communication between Baabda (the Presidential Palace) and Haret Hreik (Hezbollah’s stronghold). The party perceives the authorities as remaining committed to a path that has resulted in nothing but further destruction and occupation.
While Lebanese security agencies had been offering assurances regarding the stability of the security situation—following various inquiries from Arab and foreign ambassadors, as well as institutions and airlines, in the wake of scattered incidents in Beirut—the murder of former Iraqi MP Ahmed al-Alwani has heightened concerns. Attention is now focused on the progress of the investigation and whether the perpetrators will be apprehended and brought to justice.
It has recently been observed that Hezbollah is once again resorting to local fundraising; members affiliated with the group have been seen in the streets of Beirut’s southern suburbs carrying collection boxes—a sign that the organization may be facing a shortage of liquid funds. Al-Joumhouria
A European investment bank has projected a 5% contraction in the Lebanese economy by the end of this year, with a further 4% contraction expected next year, citing a lack of security and political stability, as well as a failure to implement reforms.
It has been learned that a meeting between a security official and a European ambassador went beyond security developments; it directly addressed the preparations required for the period following the conclusion of a foreign mission in Lebanon.
Diplomatic circles suggest that the renewed commitment from a major capital to support the Lebanese Armed Forces carries added significance, as the value of this support will be measured by how effectively it is translated into practical capabilities.
Al-Liwaa
A high-ranking official has received information from a major world capital suggesting that when negotiations resume, they may take a turn marked by positive surprises—specifically regarding an Israeli withdrawal.
A senior labor union leader is insisting on a wage adjustment in the private sector, proposing that the new minimum wage be no less than $750 per month.
Recent de-escalations in the standoff between Washington and Tehran have helped avert the prospect of a new border conflict in southern Lebanon.
Nidaa Al-Watan
Visitors returning from a Western capital closely involved in Lebanese affairs report a pessimistic outlook regarding the situation in southern Lebanon. Decision-makers in that capital have asked: "Who will fill the vacuum once UNIFIL departs? This is an unprecedented situation—the likes of which has not been seen since 1978." Iraqi sources reveal to "Nidaa Al-Watan" that certain Iraqi factions are seeking to obstruct the repatriation of the remains of former MP Dr. Ahmed Al-Alwani to Iraq following the conclusion of investigations. They fear that his funeral procession could ignite widespread protests among the Iraqi Sunni community.
Well-informed sources also disclose to "Nidaa Al-Watan" that the "Shiite duo" (the Amal Movement and Hezbollah) has reacted with deep displeasure to the news that Lebanese Consul Ibrahim Sharara has been removed from his post in the United States. Circles within the "duo" fear that this move could result in the Shiite community losing this consular position, should Washington refuse to appoint another Shiite figure to succeed Sharara.

Rifi: The "Yellow Party" is crumbling day by day; it is in its autumn.
Al-Markaziya / November 12, 2026
In a statement, Lebanese MP Major General Ashraf Rifi remarked that "reports circulating regarding the arrest of five individuals suspected of links to Hezbollah raise serious security concerns, and necessitate the full exposure of the plot—from the mastermind down to the operative." He asked: "What was this cell preparing? What was the plot? Who was the target? Who issued the orders? Were we facing assassinations or bombings that would drag Lebanon back to an era of political terrorism?" He added: "We trust that the Army Intelligence, the Information Branch, and all Lebanese security agencies—with their expertise and equipment—are capable of uncovering the secrets of this case and all its circumstances. Hasn't Hezbollah learned yet? Has it not grasped the shifts taking place in Lebanon and the surrounding region? Has it not learned any lessons from the disasters brought about by its own choices?" He concluded: "The 'yellow party' is crumbling day by day; it is, in every sense of the word, in its autumn. What, then, does this leave for our shared existence? There can be no secure, shared life with those who cling to the logic of crime and terrorism, and there is no future for this approach in Lebanon."

Parliament Passes Four Laws; Berri Adjourns Legislative Session to a Later Date
Al-Markaziya / November 12, 2026
During its evening legislative session, the Parliament passed a number of laws and legislative proposals. Speaker Nabih Berri subsequently adjourned the session before the full agenda could be completed, noting that a new session would be held soon. The legislation approved by the Parliament included:
Declaration of Cross-Border Cash Transport: Approval of an urgent bill—submitted via Decree No. 889—to amend Article 5 of Urgent Law No. 42 (enacted on November 24, 2015) regarding the declaration of cash transported across borders.
Modifications and Occupancy for Building Permit Beneficiaries: Approval of a legislative proposal—following amendments—to authorize modifications and occupancy for beneficiaries of building permits issued to displaced persons.
Orders of Physicians: Approval of a law to amend Article 44 of Law No. 313 (enacted on April 6, 2001), which concerns the establishment of two Orders of Physicians in Lebanon.
Age of Criminal Responsibility: Approval of a bill—submitted via Decree No. 2549 and subsequently amended—to adjust the minimum age of criminal responsibility. Following the completion of these items, Speaker Berri adjourned the session, indicating that another legislative session would be convened in the near future.

Bilal Erdoğan Visits; Aoun Envisions a New Phase of Cooperation with Turkey
Al-Markaziya / November 12, 2026
Bilal Erdoğan—son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and head of the Turkish "Foundation for the Dissemination of Knowledge" (İlim Yayma Cemiyeti)—arrived this Thursday morning at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut. He was received in the VIP lounge by Samer Haddara, representing Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri.
Baabda: In his first stop, Erdoğan met with the President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, in the presence of the Turkish Ambassador to Lebanon, Murat Lütem. During the meeting, President Aoun emphasized that Lebanon attaches special importance to its relationship with the Republic of Turkey, with which it shares deep historical, humanitarian, and cultural ties. "We look forward to strengthening and developing these relations across political, economic, and cultural spheres, in a manner that serves the interests of both the Lebanese and Turkish peoples and bolsters the bonds of friendship and cooperation between them," he stated. Recalling the discussions he held with President Erdoğan during his official visit to Ankara, President Aoun affirmed that "Lebanon aspires for Lebanese-Turkish relations to enter a new phase of cooperation and partnership—particularly in the areas of investment, reconstruction, trade, tourism, and infrastructure." He further highlighted "the role Turkey can play in supporting the stability of Lebanon and the region, underscoring the importance of cooperation and coordination between the two nations to address shared challenges." President Aoun conveyed his regards to President Erdoğan and thanked him for the support provided to Lebanon. He emphasized Lebanon’s commitment to continuing to work with him to strengthen bilateral relations and to open broader horizons for cooperation between the two countries, within a framework of mutual respect for their respective interests. For his part, Mr. Erdoğan expressed his pleasure at visiting Lebanon, acknowledging the civilizational, cultural, and educational value it represents. He outlined the educational, cultural, and intellectual activities carried out by the association he heads, and expressed a desire to cooperate with Lebanese educational bodies, universities, and cultural institutions. Furthermore, he affirmed that his country supports the efforts of the Lebanese authorities to extend the state’s sovereignty over its entire territory through its armed forces.

Fourth Day of the Ordinary Session of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops
Al-Markaziya / November 12, 2026
The Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon continued the proceedings of its 59th ordinary session, held at the Patriarchal See in Bkerke, under the theme: "Towards a Renewed Church in Times of Crisis." The fourth day began with a prayer according to the Armenian Catholic rite, followed by a transition to the third and final segment of the session’s theme, titled "A Church Bearing Witness to Love." Father Dr. Tanios Khalil provided a general theological and pastoral introduction, addressing the dimensions of the Church’s witness to love amidst current crises and challenges, and its calling to embody this love through service to humanity and society. Subsequently, the Patriarchs, Bishops, and Council members divided into working groups, employing the methodology of "conversation in the Spirit" to reflect and engage in dialogue on ways to manifest Christian love within the life and mission of the Church, and to strengthen its presence and service to people and society. These sessions concluded with the presentation of the groups' findings, which were then discussed by the plenary assembly. Furthermore, in light of the Council’s concern for the difficult conditions faced by Christian border villages in southern Lebanon, the Council elected Bishop Elias Nassar to head a special committee—established during the current session—tasked with monitoring the situation in these villages and supporting their inhabitants. The committee is tasked with addressing the security, humanitarian, social, and living challenges faced by the residents of these villages. It works to secure the necessary support to bolster the resilience of the local population on their land and to facilitate the safe and dignified return of displaced persons to their hometowns. Furthermore, the committee monitors these issues and coordinates with the Lebanese State, the Holy See, international institutions, and various relief and humanitarian organizations. The objective is to mobilize efforts, harmonize initiatives and aid, and respond to urgent needs—all with the aim of upholding the dignity of the villagers and strengthening their presence and rootedness in their land. In the context of the ongoing Synodal Process, the Council has approved the formation of a special committee to oversee this process for the period from 2026 to 2028. Chaired by His Excellency Bishop Mounir Khairallah, the committee will include representatives from the various Catholic Churches in Lebanon, comprising clergy, consecrated men and women, and laypeople. During the first half of 2027, the committee will oversee the initial phase of the Synodal Process across Catholic dioceses in Lebanon, in coordination with the relevant ecclesiastical authorities. In the second half of the same year, it will prepare a comprehensive theological and pastoral report on behalf of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon. This report will then be submitted—on behalf of the Catholic Church in Lebanon—to the General Secretariat of the Synod in Rome and to the General Secretariat of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs of the East. During the second part of the day, the Council members continued their discussions on various ecclesiastical, administrative, and organizational matters—specifically those concerning the Council’s episcopal commissions. The mandates of several chairpersons and vice-chairpersons were renewed, and new heads were elected for other commissions, all with the aim of strengthening their work and enhancing their mission. Furthermore, the Council elected Father Joseph Keyrouz as the General Chaplain of the Confraternities Association in Lebanon, succeeding Father Johnny Al-Hasbani, OLM (Antonine Order). The fourth day concluded with the understanding that the Council will resume its proceedings tomorrow, Friday, November 13, 2026. This will mark the end of the 59th Ordinary Session, with the final statement—outlining the key positions, decisions, and recommendations reached during the session—to be read at 1:30 PM.

Issa El-Khoury: Accumulated Trade Deficit Was a Fundamental Cause of Lebanon’s Financial Collapse
Al-Markaziya / November 12, 2026
Minister of Industry Joe Issa El-Khoury announced that the Minister of Energy will participate in tomorrow’s Cabinet session to present the electricity plan he has been working on. Meanwhile, ministers affiliated with the "Lebanese Forces" will continue their boycott of Cabinet sessions until the case concerning the explosives found at Dahr El-Baidar is referred to the Judicial Council. In an interview with MTV, Issa El-Khoury stated that the accumulated trade deficit is a fundamental cause of the crises Lebanon has endured, both financially and economically. He explained that the country had been recording an annual trade deficit averaging between $15 billion and $16 billion, noting that the accumulation of this deficit was a primary factor contributing to the worsening of crises and the financial collapse witnessed in Lebanon.

Lebanese Forces: Implementing—Not Debating—Decisions Reached Within State Institutions Is the Only Way to End the Suffering of the Lebanese People
Al-Markaziya / November 12, 2026
The Media Department of the "Lebanese Forces" issued the following statement:
It has become clear that some wish to turn back the clock in Lebanon—an outcome that will not come to pass. The overwhelming majority of the Lebanese people want time to move forward, toward the future, and to finally close the chapter on Lebanon serving as a mere "arena" for external conflicts. There are those today attempting to freeze time, resisting the implementation of the Constitution’s sovereign provisions and obstructing government decisions that would establish the state’s exclusive control over arms. Some seek to keep Lebanon as one of the "arenas" for the "Axis of Resistance," despite the tragedies that have befallen the Lebanese people—particularly those in the South—as a result of this axis’s policies and destructive agendas. Others are attempting to revive an old, yet recurring, refrain: "dialogue"—as if the government had not already issued formal decisions on August 5 and 7, 2025, and March 2, 2026. Reopening a dialogue on issues already settled within constitutional institutions only serves to further weaken the authority of the state and its institutions. Moreover, such a dialogue would offer nothing new beyond what the Lebanese people have already experienced; the party in question continues to reaffirm—at every turn—its commitment to retaining its weapons, in clear defiance of the Constitution, government directives, and the will of the vast majority of the Lebanese people. For a long time—ever since the adoption of the National Accord Document 36 years ago—the objective has been for the state, through its own institutions, to extend its authority over the entirety of Lebanese territory. This is a non-negotiable, indisputable requirement. Any talk of "dialogue" regarding decisions already taken is merely a calculated attempt to circumvent, undermine, and ultimately nullify them. The requirement is clear and brooks no delay: the immediate implementation of these decisions.The Lebanese people have suffered enough—enduring death, displacement, destruction, ruin, and a series of assassinations that began with the killing of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri and claimed the lives of numerous leaders of the "Independence Uprising," all because they dared to openly champion Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence. It is no longer acceptable, by any standard, for the country to remain trapped in the same cycle of failure and suffering. While certain global powers—most notably Washington—issue statements in support of Lebanon’s sovereignty, this support aligns with a long-standing Lebanese demand: to end Lebanon’s status as a mere "arena" for external conflicts, to close this theater of war, and to pave the way for a genuine state—one that restores the nation’s standing, upholds the dignity of its citizens, and secures the conditions necessary for them to remain on their own land.What is urgently required today is to stop waiting for external developments or tethering Lebanon’s fate to the trajectories of foreign powers; such waiting only serves to prolong the suffering of the Lebanese people. Those who believe they can turn back the clock to a bygone era, or keep Lebanon held hostage to the calculations and agendas of regional or international axes, are profoundly mistaken. Everyone is called upon to rally around the state—rather than undermining its image and authority by reopening discussions or invoking other pretexts used to evade implementation. Instead, the focus must be on ensuring the immediate execution of the state’s decisions, without selectivity or compromise. Implementing what has been ratified within constitutional institutions—rather than debating it—is the only path to ending the suffering of the Lebanese people, restoring the state’s sovereignty and autonomy, and setting Lebanon on the track toward the future.

The Story of the Betrayal of Muqaddam Salem of Bsharri and the Era of Shame
Colonel Charbel Barakat/June 07/2020
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/11/87002/
In the history of the Mamluks and their wars, Ibn al-Zahir, the secretary of the Mamluk Sultan Qalawun who conquered Tripoli, recounts that in the year 1282, Sultan Qalawun decided to prepare a campaign against Tripoli. He gathered around one hundred thousand of his soldiers and descended upon the Baalbek region in preparation for the attack.
Then he disguised himself and, accompanied by two of his aides dressed as "Coptic monks," paid a visit to the Holy Valley, where the Maronite monks there received them for a week and extended to them the duty of hospitality.
This stay was enough for the Sultan himself to study the mountain paths and passages leading to Tripoli. And when he found that his forces would be unable to cross those mountain passes if the inhabitants of the region decided to defend them, he tried to get close to Muqaddam Salem, the Muqaddam of Bsharri. After the "Coptic monks" discussed matters of religion with him, they moved on to politics and tried to win him over and convince him that they would try to recommend him to the Sultan to rule all of Mount Lebanon if he agreed not to confront the numerous and well-prepared Mamluk forces ready to take control of the region. Why be on the losing side, instead of being among the Sultan's subjects and striking with his sword, thus benefiting from his power and securing your control over the entire mountain?
The mouse played in Salem's mind, and he thought that an agreement with Qalawun would cost him nothing but not fighting, and let Tripoli fall — what do we care — especially since his scouts had told him about the large numbers of the Mamluk army encamped around Baalbek.
Salem did not consult anyone among his people, nor did he ask Patriarch Daniel, who was then residing in the Batroun region, about the proposed agreement, as he had decided to control the entire mountain without dispute and to monopolize rule over the Maronites.
Hence his answer was to accept the "monks'" proposal and await the Sultan's instructions.
The Sultan, who had toured the region and seen with his own eyes the multitude of men and the richness of the region in agricultural production and its self-sufficiency, and at the same time the cohesion of its villages and their organization, and the difficulty of the passes around them in which armies could not maneuver, which made defending them easy, especially for those who knew their roads and secrets — therefore hastened to pay an advance gift consisting of a few bags of yellow metal to Muqaddam Salem, and decided to exploit his presence as much as possible before he changed his mind.
Salem placed some of his close associates at the mountain approaches and removed anyone who might object to the operation, and convinced them that there was an agreement ensuring the entry of some Egyptian merchants into the region with the protection groups accompanying them. When these arrived, they seized control of the mountain approaches and gave the signal for the bulk of the army to advance, and then, upon the arrival of these forces, they immediately began occupying the fortified places and entering the villages and towns and emptying them of men.
Salem's claims of an agreement with the Sultan were of no use, because the Mamluk army had entered the heart of the region, which made the inhabitants, who could not resist due to the lack of leadership and a known defense plan, flee toward the Batroun region.
When this news reached Patriarch Daniel al-Hadchiti, he himself set out toward the Jebbeh region where resistance was taking place as best as possible, without planning or leadership.
He headed immediately to Al-Hosn Castle and decided to defend it and prevent the attackers from completing their control of the region. There, the people began to join the resistance of their shepherd, and morale gradually returned, and the small villages began to fight valiantly in defense as long as the shepherd was steadfast in the castle. And thus, for forty days, Qalawun and his mighty army could not capture the castle nor advance toward the rest of the villages hanging in those mountains and defying every brutal occupier.
And once again deceit returned to work. This time the Sultan himself requested to meet the Patriarch and guaranteed him safety for every soul and every village, asking for a cessation of fighting in exchange for the return of the inhabitants to their villages and security to the region without conditions, except that the Patriarch come and personally sign the agreement document with him.
The Patriarch was not stupid, but he was not a lover of fighting and violence. He had come only to contribute to the salvation of his flock when the civil shepherd betrayed it and exposed it to displacement and humiliation.
But on the other hand, he considered that the Sultan's word could not be a trick, and that if he gave his word he must honor it, for the talk about Saladin and the Ayyubids who ruled after him and their keeping of agreements to the day and hour was known throughout the country.
Hence, to prevent further bloodshed, the Patriarch decided to order a halt to the fighting and headed himself outside the castle to meet the Sultan. But no sooner had he arrived at the Sultan's tent than he was arrested, chained, and led before the eyes of the soldiers, where he was tortured and killed. Here the Mamluk historian says: "There appeared in the vicinity of Tripoli a giant patriarch named Daniel from the village of Hadchit, one of the mountain strongholds. He gathered around him the whole of the people of the mountains and valleys — those of the shadows — and imposed his bravery upon Tripoli and its prince and all the Franks, as well as the neighboring countries. Taking the village of Al-Hadath as his fortified castle, lofty in his pride, where no one could get to him, despite our continuous military campaigns against him.
Our soldiers were unable to seize Tripoli except after they eliminated the resistance of their allies, the mountain people, followers of the Patriarch. Then our sweeping armies marched in early 1282 upon the land of Jebbeh. The Patriarch himself led the defenders, and stopped our armies before Ehden for 40 days. And we were unable to take it except after we seized him by trickery, under the pretext of negotiation. And his capture was a great conquest, greater than the opening of a fortress or a castle and even an entire country, and God spared us his evil."
So if the Mamluk historian, who was the secretary of Sultan Qalawun, considers Patriarch Daniel and his capture by trickery and killing more important than the occupation of Tripoli, what does history say about Salem?
Salem fell with the bags of gold for which he sold his honor and his region, and the Mamluks vented all their hatred upon its people. He did not gain rule over Mount Lebanon, nor even rule over Bsharri, because it and its region were emptied of inhabitants. His mention remained a black mark in Maronite history, but they did not sleep on this injustice. They sharpened their sword and decided to avenge their honor and the memory of their Patriarch. Then came the two battles of Jisr al-Fidar and Jisr al-Madfoun a few years later, in which the Mamluks and their mercenary aides tasted the swords of these mountaineers and their dash and the valor of their leaders, so they left them alone from that date onward. And no one among them dared again to head toward those fortified strongholds.
Today history repeats itself, and every renegade who seeks strength, once from the army of Khosrow and another time from the army of Qalawun, thrusts himself upon us. If we do not produce another Salem, the Maronite Patriarch or any other patriarch will not be forced to lead the nation himself.
But the Salems these days are many, and God has not blessed us with a Daniel. Will this people, from all its regions, this time be led by determination for freedom and adherence to unity of purpose, and not give opportunity to traitors and the many temptations surrounding them to sell dignity, so that we will have the courage to point to the disease and insist on demanding its removal until it falls, and all the traitors with it?

Is the goal for the Israelis to die laughing at us, thereby scoring a new "victory" for the Axis?
Abir Mroueh/Facebook / November 12, 2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/11/159198/
In all honesty, is there no one wise or alert speaking on behalf of Hezbollah?! Can Naim Qassem’s statements that the resistance prevented the Israelis from reaching Sidon, or the party's media claims that the people of the South will resist with boiling oil and stones, be classified as logical speeches reflecting wise leadership and responsible media?!?! Quite simply, such talk is a mockery of the minds of the people of the South and all Lebanese. Respect the people's suffering and losses, and at the very least, stop this farce of irresponsible statements—unless the goal is for the Israelis to die laughing at us, thereby scoring a new "victory" for the Axis.
***Between those who support the Army Commander's remarks and those who oppose them, and between those who back the stances of Lebanon’s expelled consul and those who are against them... there is one single truth: how will the Lebanese citizen—and specifically the Southerner—survive, feed their children, keep them warm, and carry on amid all this helplessness?! And there is one single unknown: what is our fate in this game of giants and amidst all these shifting dynamics, simply because some decided to become part of the game?

IMF says its staff in Lebanon to discuss banking restructuring strategy
Arab News/November 12/2026
WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund has begun a staff mission to discuss the country’s strategy for restructuring the banking sector, IMF spokeswoman Julie Kozack said on Thursday, declining to say whether a preliminary agreement was imminent. Kozack told reporters that the IMF’s staff mission in Beirut was under way as ⁠part of a ⁠close discussion with Lebanese authorities to underpin a comprehensive reform program to restore financial stability and support an economic recovery. She said IMF staff would ⁠communicate at the end of the mission with any relevant updates. Lebanese media quoted Lebanese Finance Minister Yassine Jaber telling reporters this week that the IMF mission would continue through Friday, adding his hope that a preliminary agreement could be reached this week. IMF Managing Director ⁠Kristalina ⁠Georgieva last month said there were “intense” discussions under way on support for Lebanon reflecting significant progress toward a loan program. “We have made significant progress toward the program. We have still a bit more work to do together, and I’m confident we will be successful,” she said at the time.

To Disarm Hezbollah, Lebanon Need Only Enforce Its Own Laws
David Daoud/FDD-Policy Brief/November 13/2026
Hezbollah is testing whether Lebanese sovereignty is a slogan or has any real meaning.
Last month, Lebanese authorities seized a Hezbollah explosives shipment at Dahr al-Baidar, a mountain pass that connects Beirut with the Bekaa Valley. The government’s subsequent enforcement actions have stalled amid procedural obstacles raised by Hezbollah and its allies.
This prompted the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Japan on November 5 to call for a swift, independent judicial process free from political interference.
But Lebanon does not need more diplomatic prodding or new legal initiatives. Its existing laws already provide sufficient grounds to restrict Hezbollah’s military activities. The Lebanese government now needs to enforce them over the group’s objections.
Lebanese Law Provides No ‘Resistance’ Exemption
Hezbollah has demanded that Lebanese authorities return the weapons seized at Dahr al-Baidar, arguing they are lawful “resistance” materiel because they were intended for use against Israel. But Lebanese law recognizes no independent Hezbollah right to wage war. The 1989 Taif Agreement ending Lebanon’s civil war called for all Lebanese and foreign militias to disarm and disband. Article 65 of the constitution vests decisions of war and peace in the government alone. On March 2, Beirut put that principle into practice by banning Hezbollah’s military and security activities and ordering it to surrender its arsenal.
Lebanon’s international commitments reinforce the same rule. UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701 require militia disarmament and exclusive state control over the armed forces. Under the June 26 Framework Agreement reached with Israel and the United States, Beirut again committed to disarming nonstate armed groups, dismantling their military infrastructure, and asserting state control over Lebanese territory.
Lebanon’s 1959 Weapons and Ammunition Law separately restricts the acts sustaining Hezbollah’s arsenal by penalizing unlicensed possession or transport of explosives. It therefore governs unauthorized weapons movements inside Lebanon, while Resolution 1701 also requires Lebanon to prevent cross-border weapons smuggling.
Hezbollah Won’t Take ‘No Resistance’ for an Answer
Lebanon’s military judiciary has charged 13 people over the Dahr al-Baidar shipment. Two remain detained, and 11 are at large. Hussein al-Abdallah, who directs Hezbollah’s Liaison and Coordination Committee and handles contacts with state agencies, has reportedly pressed security and military officials to recover the weapons and halt the prosecutions, so far unsuccessfully. On November 5, al-Abdallah and a Hezbollah delegation urged Lebanon’s chief prosecutor, Ahmad Rami al-Hajj, to avoid convictions they said would cripple the “resistance.”
Hezbollah has also sought to reverse the March 2 cabinet ban, conditioning renewed dialogue with President Joseph Aoun on its rescission. Aoun rejected that demand, conveyed through Hassan Choucair, director of Lebanon’s General Security agency.
Rather than relent, Hezbollah is turning to the courts, where lawyers sympathetic to Hezbollah are challenging the ban. Maen al-Assaad, a lawyer who has publicly defended Hezbollah’s weapons and represents six at-large defendants, won a postponement of their questioning until November 17, after citing a separate lawsuit challenging the cabinet ban among his objections.
That lawsuit, reportedly filed by May Khansa, another attorney with a history of pro-Hezbollah legal efforts, asks the Council of State, Lebanon’s highest administrative court, to strike down the decision altogether. If Khansa succeeds, the ban would be erased retroactively, undoing the government’s blanket prohibition on Hezbollah’s military activities and allowing challenges to enforcement actions and charges based on it.
U.S. Must Help Lebanon Help Itself
As a preliminary measure, Washington should continue insisting that Lebanon retain the weapons seized from Hezbollah. It should additionally urge Lebanese investigators to follow the current case up the chain — from the individuals who moved the explosives to anyone who ordered, financed, organized, protected, or facilitated the shipment — and bring those responsible to trial, with meaningful punishments for those convicted.
Washington should also consider using targeted sanctions to facilitate this and future prosecutions of individuals involved in smuggling weapons for Hezbollah. That should include examining whether the conduct of Khansa, al-Assaad, and similar activist lawyers exceeds mere representation of their clients and crosses the line into knowingly helping Hezbollah evade disarmament or obstructing its enforcement.
*David Daoud is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) focused on Israel, Hezbollah, and Lebanon affairs. For more analysis from David, please subscribe HERE. Follow David on X @DavidADaoud. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 12-13/2026 (Some of the News reports below are translated from Arabic by AI)
Netanyahu and Eisenkot Face to Face for Two Hours... What Happened in the Security Meeting?
Nidaa Al-Watan / 12 November 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Thursday with Yashar party leader and Knesset member Gadi Eisenkot, in a meeting devoted to briefing him on political and security developments, in the presence of the Prime Minister's Military Secretary. The meeting, held at Netanyahu's office, came after repeated demands from Eisenkot to receive security briefings, which he had previously accused the Prime Minister of refusing to provide, alongside his calls for caution in taking security decisions, amid the Israeli government's continued caretaker status.
The meeting coincides with reports of renewed tension between Netanyahu and Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, over the possibility of resuming military operations against Iran. Eisenkot had approached the Israeli government's Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, on Wednesday, asking for her intervention to ensure he receives periodic security briefings from Netanyahu on current threats. The Yashar party leader explained that these briefings are necessary "to ensure effective oversight, maintain a sound national decision-making process, and protect security interests." Under Israeli law, the Prime Minister is required to provide a security briefing to the opposition leader at least once a month. Eisenkot had demanded these briefings amid the absence of a formally appointed new opposition leader to succeed Yair Lapid, as negotiations to form the governing coalition continue. These developments come amid the political deadlock that followed the 27 October elections, as no new government has yet been formed, while Netanyahu continues to head the caretaker government until an alternative government is formed. Israeli President Isaac Herzog had tasked Eisenkot with forming the next government, giving him a 28-day deadline starting Sunday, with the possibility of requesting an additional 14-day extension. In contrast, Netanyahu's office defended the Prime Minister's security decisions in a statement issued Wednesday, affirming that all government decisions "were based exclusively on security considerations, and in full coordination with the security establishment."

Eisenkot had accused Netanyahu, before the announcement of Thursday's meeting, of preventing him from obtaining the security briefing he had requested.
Heavy Conditions on Eisenkot's Table... What Do the Haredim Want in Exchange for a Coalition?
Nidaa Al-Watan / 12 November 2026
Israeli journalist Amit Segal revealed that rabbis of the Haredi party "Agudat Yisrael" held a meeting at the home of the son of the leader of the Hasidic sect in Slonim, to discuss their conditions in the framework of negotiations with parties in Gadi Eisenkot's camp. According to Segal, the rabbis set out a series of demands, most notably postponing military service for anyone who devotes themselves to studying the Torah, and obtaining signed written pledges to pass a law exempting yeshiva students from conscription. They also demanded the enactment of what is known as the "Override Clause," legislation that would allow the Knesset, under specific conditions, to override certain Supreme Court decisions.

Lapid: No Government Without Difficult Concessions... But We Will Succeed in Forming It
Nidaa Al-Watan / 12 November 2026
Israeli Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid expressed confidence in the possibility of forming a new government in Israel, affirming that achieving this may take some time and require painful concessions. Lapid said: "A government will be formed. It may take time, but a good, values-based government will be formed, worthy of the Israeli people. It would be madness for that not to happen." He added that "the basic truth is that there are no perfect governments, no perfect coalition agreements, and nothing perfect in life," stressing that no government can be formed without making difficult concessions. He continued: "Most likely, we will not be able to implement all our goals and fulfill all our promises during the next six months, but the government will be formed."

Israel Bans Entry of French Radical Left Leader and Paris Condemns the Decision / Ban Also Includes Mathilde Panot, Head of the Parliamentary Bloc of " La France Insoumise"
AFP / 12 November 2026
Israel announced Thursday that it had decided to ban the entry of French radical left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, accusing him of working to "harm" it, days after he pledged that if elected, French ships would accompany activists seeking to bring aid into the besieged Gaza Strip. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement that " Israel will respond firmly to those seeking to harm it, and will not allow individuals who work against Israel and incite against its citizens to enter the country." French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot condemned the decision as "demagogic," considering it "issued by a government that has intensified its violations of international law." In his first comment via radio station "France Info," Mélenchon said he was "banned from entering lands I never asked to enter in the first place." He added: "I regret that the Israeli government is pursuing me in this way."
Mélenchon has emerged for years as one of the most critical French politicians of Israel, accusing its officials of committing "genocide" in Gaza, which the Hebrew state rejects. He also condemned in a speech he delivered Saturday the "gradual annexation" of areas occupied by Israel in Palestinian territories, Lebanon, and Syria. He said: "We do not accept the gradual annexation of the West Bank, nor of southern Lebanon, nor of the Golan Heights. We will work to organize real mobilization against the expansion of atrocities against besieged and persecuted Christian communities in Palestine and Lebanon."Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said the ban also includes Mathilde Panot, head of the parliamentary bloc of the " La France Insoumise" party led by Mélenchon. Panot said via the X platform: "I'm still looking for the bad news" in the Israeli decision, and attached a Palestinian flag to her post. The MP added: "Message to the Israeli authorities: Free Palestine!"
To justify its decision, the Israeli ministry said Panot and Mélenchon "made statements promoting false accusations of crimes attributed to Israel." The ministry also faults Mélenchon for calling for "French ships to accompany illegal flotillas heading to Gaza." On Saturday, Mélenchon said that if elected, France "will act directly to support the Palestinians" in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. He added: "If necessary, French ships, like Italian and Spanish ships, will accompany flotillas of citizens moving to affirm the rights of peoples."The announcement came a day after France confirmed that it had refused last week the entry of Yossi Dagan, head of the regional council of Israeli settlements in the northern occupied West Bank. Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip since Hamas took control of it in 2007, and tightened its measures since the outbreak of the war following Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. A series of civilian naval flotillas sought to break the Israeli blockade and deliver aid to the Strip, but the Hebrew state intercepted them at sea earlier this year. Activists who were part of one of those flotillas accused Israeli authorities of subjecting them to physical and sexual violations during their detention before deportation, accusations denied by the Israeli government. Israel had previously banned the entry of a number of left-wing British lawmakers, including Jeremy Corbyn, after London imposed sanctions on settlement products.

Eisenkot Warns Netanyahu Against Military Adventure: "Do Not Take Dangerous Decisions Before Forming the New Government"
Janoubia / 12 November 2026
Yashar party leader and Prime Minister-designate Gadi Eisenkot sent a warning message to outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling on him to exercise restraint and refrain from launching military operations that are not based on a direct and imminent security threat, warning against taking dangerous strategic decisions before forming a new government enjoying the Knesset's confidence. Eisenkot stressed that the current phase requires national responsibility and caution in managing security files, considering that activating the security apparatus without an immediate, unavoidable danger could negatively affect Israeli democracy, and undermine citizens' trust in state institutions and decision-making mechanisms. He also warned against placing security leaders before constitutional and institutional dilemmas, as a result of ambiguity about the powers and decisions required of them, calling for leaving the security apparatus to perform its tasks away from political wrangling. In a parallel move, Eisenkot sent a message to the government's Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, asking her to intervene to obtain the latest security data related to files on Netanyahu's agenda, to ensure effective oversight, sound government decisions, and protection of Israeli security interests. Eisenkot justified his move by the absence of an opposition leader for legal reasons, and in his capacity as the person tasked with forming the new government, pointing to the need to ensure the transitional phase is not exploited to take security decisions that could have serious repercussions. Copies of the two letters were sent to Netanyahu, Yair Lapid, and a number of security and legal officials, in an indication of growing fears inside Israel of major military and security decisions being taken amid the transitional political phase.

Trump Threatens Military Action Against Cuba: I Want to Settle the Cuba File Before I Leave Office
Nidaa Al-Watan / 13 November 2026
US President Donald Trump announced that he may consider the option of military action against Cuba, including implementing a military campaign lasting a week. Trump added, in a striking statement about the future of US dealings with Havana: "I want to settle the Cuba file before I leave office."

Trump Escalates Against Iran: Days of Agreement Are Over... We Control Its Money and Its Strait!
Janoubia / 12 November 2026
In statements reflecting a new escalation in the US position toward Tehran, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington no longer needs to reach an agreement with Iran, affirming that the United States now holds wide leverage, including money and the strait, in reference to what he described as control over hundreds of billions of dollars and over a vital strait. In detail, Trump said, in a post via his platform "Truth Social," that the United States does not need an agreement with Iran, adding that "those days are long gone," and that Washington now controls Tehran's money, estimated at hundreds of billions of dollars, in addition to controlling the strait. In another context, Trump announced that he asked his Vice President JD Vance to focus his attention on what he described as corruption and crimes in cities and states run by Democrats, considering that states such as Minnesota, California, and Illinois suffer from mismanagement and corruption, and pointing to theft operations worth billions of dollars monthly. On the military level, the US Central Command " CENTCOM" denied circulating reports about its commander Admiral Brad Cooper informing Israel to prepare for an imminent joint military strike. This denial comes at a time of growing speculation about the nature of US and Israeli moves toward Iran, amid the need to distinguish between military preparations and the possibility of an actual decision to carry out military action. Trump's statements reflect a US orientation to show that Washington possesses wide economic and strategic leverage, in an attempt to strengthen its position toward Tehran, and convey a message that the US administration does not see itself compelled to offer concessions in order to reach an agreement. In contrast, diplomatic efforts remain present in the scene, in parallel with continued political and economic pressures, keeping the possibilities of understanding and escalation open, amid anticipation of what the confrontation between the two sides will lead to. Trump: We Control the Strait of Hormuz and Do Not Need an Agreement with Iran

US President tasked his deputy to devote his full and comprehensive attention to the huge corruption and crimes occurring in Democratic-run cities and states
Washington: (AFP) / 12 November 2026
US President Donald Trump confirmed today, Thursday, that the United States does not need to conclude an agreement with Iran, while pointing to his country's obtaining hundreds of billions of dollars of Iranian money and control over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said, in a post on his platform "Truth Social": We do not need an agreement with Iran, those days are long gone. We have their money, in hundreds of billions of dollars, and we have their strait! Domestically, Trump said he "asked his Vice President JD Vance to devote his full and comprehensive attention to the huge corruption and crimes occurring in cities and states under Democratic administration across the United States." He added: Blue states, such as Minnesota, California, Illinois, and many others, are poorly managed and constitute catastrophic models of corruption. Billions of dollars are stolen monthly, and we can quickly balance the budget by stopping this widespread criminal activity. Corruption runs in the blood of the Democratic Party leadership! Trump's directive comes at a time when he is moving away from the diplomatic path with Tehran, after Vance was one of the key figures in the negotiations that led to a 14-point memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran last June. The memorandum had opened a 60-day window for negotiations aimed at reaching a final agreement to end the war in the Middle East, but the deadline expired without reaching an agreement.

Trump Waves the Weapon of Time... and Tehran Waves the Nuclear Option
Nidaa Al-Watan / 13 November 2026
US President Donald Trump's announcement yesterday that his country no longer needs an agreement with Iran, and his directing his Vice President JD Vance to focus on domestic files instead of engaging in negotiations with Tehran, signaled a shift in the White House's approach to confronting the Iranian regime. After eight months since the outbreak of the war, an American strategy is taking shape based on prolonging economic and military attrition, without sliding into a broad confrontation or concluding a settlement that imposes on Washington concessions it does not want to offer. Thus, the status quo turns from a deadlock into a calculated choice, through which Trump bets on extracting what could not be achieved by war and negotiations, through accumulating pressures and weakening the regime. This approach is based on weighing three options. Resuming major military operations portends expanding the war regionally, and imposes political and economic burdens, especially after the Republican losses in the midterm elections. As for reaching an agreement, it may require easing pressures on Tehran in exchange for pledges that do not guarantee dismantling the sources of its threat. And between the cost of war and the price of settlement, keeping the status quo appears the most suitable option for Trump's calculations, as it allows continuing sanctions, naval blockade, and military pressure, without giving the Iranian regime a chance to catch its breath or dragging Washington into an open war.
The bet rests on the time factor, hoping that this will gradually lead to undermining Tehran's economic and military capabilities and weakening funding for its regional arms, leading to forcing it to accept American conditions. However, this equation assumes the possibility of keeping Iranian escalation under control, an assumption that the continued attacks on oil tankers and commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz cast doubt on, amid continued Iranian threats to navigation security in this strategic corridor, portending an expansion of the confrontation and exposing global energy supplies to further disruptions, while US forces launch limited strikes in response to Iranian attacks. The escalation was not limited to navigation, as the Iranian Leadership Experts Council demanded studying withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and reviewing the defense doctrine. Although the demand does not amount to a formal decision, it reveals a trend toward expanding Iranian pressure tools. Here emerges the loophole in the attrition strategy: instead of pushing the regime to retreat, pressures may drive it to raise the cost of confrontation by threatening energy and navigation security and waving nuclear escalation, putting Trump before two choices: broad war or offering concessions to contain the explosion. The calculations are further complicated by divergences within Israel over the Iranian file, amid a sensitive political transition. Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, tasked with forming the government, received a two-hour security briefing from caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after a dispute over the government's powers to take major military decisions. Eisenkot warned against using force in the absence of a direct and urgent threat, while Defense Minister Israel Katz stressed that the government does not need opposition approval to carry out military operations, affirming his agreement with Netanyahu and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir on Iran. The debate reflects fear that resuming Israeli strikes could undermine the balance Washington seeks to maintain between pressure and avoiding a new war. Regionally, Saudi Arabia faces a Houthi terrorist escalation targeting its security and vital facilities, expanding the scope of threats linked to the Iranian axis. The Houthis claimed to have carried out attacks on the "East-West" oil pipeline, the Yanbu facility, and Saudi military sites, without Riyadh confirming this. To confront these attacks, Riyadh is intensifying its efforts to push the European Union to designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization, while some European capitals are hesitant for fear of closing communication channels and undermining chances of a Yemeni settlement, according to Reuters. The repercussions of the confrontation with the Iranian regime are not limited to battlefields, but extend to Europe, where the conviction of two Iranians in Britain shed light on the activities of Tehran-linked apparatuses outside its borders. The British judiciary convicted Mostafa Sepahvand and Farhad Javadi Manesh of spying on opposition journalists at the " Iran International" channel, and the first was also convicted of planning a violent attack. According to British authorities, one of them received directions from the "Revolutionary Guard" or from intermediaries for Iranian intelligence, in a case indicating growing fears of Tehran pursuing its opponents and threatening the security of the countries hosting them.

Iran's Leadership Experts Council Hints at Withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: "An Inevitable Necessity"
Janoubia / 12 November 2026
In a striking development on the Iranian nuclear file, the Leadership Experts Council in Iran called for studying withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, considering this step has become "an inevitable necessity" and "a popular and national demand," amid escalating internal debate over the future of the nuclear program, following military strikes that targeted Iranian nuclear facilities during the recent confrontations. In a statement issued today, Thursday, the Council stressed the need to review the country's defense doctrine, and to work on achieving what it described as "the necessary deterrence," in parallel with the call to establish a special headquarters for the "war economy," with the participation of various authorities and under the supervision of the Leadership institution, aimed at strengthening both the domestic and defense fronts.
This call comes at a time of growing debate inside Tehran over the future of the Iranian nuclear program, particularly after military strikes hit nuclear facilities during the recent confrontations, amid mounting demands from a number of parliament members for the necessity of withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Withdrawal is not yet an executive decision
Despite the political and institutional weight enjoyed by the Leadership Experts Council, the statement does not represent an executive decision to withdraw from the Treaty, as the authority to decide any change in the nuclear orientation or to take a withdrawal decision remains in the hands of the Supreme Leader and the Supreme National Security Council, at a time when the Iranian government still affirms its commitment to the Treaty so far. In this context, Article Ten of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty grants any state party the right to withdraw from it, if it considers that extraordinary events have occurred and threatened its supreme interests, provided that all states parties to the Treaty and the UN Security Council are notified three months before the withdrawal decision takes effect, with a statement of the events that the state considered threatening to its supreme interests.

Iran Waves "Missile Surprises" at Washington and Tel Aviv.. New Strategic City and Threat Messages Beyond West Asia
Janoubia / 12 November 2026
In a new military message to the United States and Israel, Iran raised the ceiling of its threats, affirming the readiness of its forces to carry out what it described as "new surprises" in any upcoming confrontation, coinciding with the unveiling of a new strategic missile city, amid warnings that any new American war could expand the scope of Iranian targets to include military bases participating in the attack, from West Asia all the way to Europe. In the latest Iranian positions, Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary, General Mohsen Rezaei, confirmed today, Thursday, that the missile industry has become one of the most important deterrence tools in his country, considering that the unveiling of the new missile city reflects the level of military readiness of the Aerospace Force. Rezaei said the unveiling of the missile city represents "a prominent manifestation and source of pride" in the readiness of the Aerospace Force, stressing that Iranian forces are "on high alert to sacrifice and innovate new surprises in the confrontation arena with the American-Zionist enemy." He added that the missile industry has become one of the fundamental pillars for protecting Iran's independence and security, in confirmation of the role that missile capabilities occupy within the Iranian deterrence and defense strategy. Rezaei's statements come a day after warnings he issued during a special interview with Al Mayadeen channel, on Wednesday, in which he confirmed that any new American war on Iran will put military bases participating in the attack within the circle of Iranian targets, whether in the West Asia region or reaching Europe. These statements reflect an Iranian orientation toward expanding the scope of military threats linked to any potential confrontation, by waving the targeting of the military infrastructure that could be used to carry out attacks against Iranian territory. In the same context, the Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Ali Abdollahi, confirmed that the impact of advanced Iranian missiles on the battlefield "will surprise the enemies," stressing the high level of combat readiness of the Armed Forces.
Abdollahi's statements came during a field tour he conducted accompanied by the commander of the Aerospace Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Brigadier General Majid Mousavi, during which a new strategic missile city belonging to the Force was unveiled. During the tour, the Chief of Staff reviewed the latest achievements of the Aerospace Force, and its level of tactical and combat readiness, as well as its missile capabilities, coinciding with the unveiling of what Tehran described as a "new surprise" during the visit. These positions fall within a series of Iranian military statements focusing on highlighting missile capabilities and raising the level of readiness in anticipation of any new confrontation with the United States and Israel. Between unveiling strategic missile facilities and waving the targeting of military bases outside the region's borders, Tehran seeks to affirm its ability to expand the scope of retaliation if attacked, at a time when these statements remain part of mutual deterrence messages amid continued regional tension.

Shooting in Several Locations Near the White House... Security Alert and Hunt for the Suspect
Janoubia / 12 November 2026
The US capital Washington witnessed a shooting incident targeting several locations in the Logan Circle neighborhood northwest of the city, resulting in injuries to four people, at a distance of about 1.6 kilometers from the White House, which necessitated a wide security alert and closure of a number of roads, while police continue search operations for the suspect who is still at large. In detail, the Associated Press quoted police as saying that its officers responded to reports of shooting in several locations in the neighborhood, on Thursday morning, near the intersection of 15th Street and P Street NW in Washington. Following the incident, authorities urged residents and passersby to stay away from the area, coinciding with the closure of a number of surrounding streets and imposing restrictions on movement, while nearby schools were placed in precautionary lockdown in anticipation of any security developments. Regarding the suspect, police have not yet revealed his identity or provided an official confirmed description of him, while initial reports indicated continued search operations for him, amid conflicting information about his movements after the shooting, including reports that spoke of him being inside an apartment and his intention to set random fires. The multiplicity of locations that witnessed shooting prompted authorities to deal with the incident as an active shooter incident, with strict security measures taken to prevent additional injuries. In a related context, federal agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, participated in assisting the capital's police in dealing with the incident, pursuing the suspect, and uncovering its circumstances. Authorities have not yet announced the identities of the injured or the nature of their injuries, nor have the motives behind the shooting become clear, or whether the attacker targeted specific individuals or whether the assault occurred randomly. The incident gains additional security importance given its occurrence in the Logan Circle neighborhood, one of the vital neighborhoods in northwest Washington, and at a close distance from the White House and a number of government institutions, amid continued security alert and anticipation of what investigations will reveal.

UN Security Council Renews Arms Ban and Sanctions on Individuals and Entities Linked to the Houthis and Condemns Houthi Attacks Against Saudi Arabia
Al Arabiya.net: Awsan Salem / 12 November 2026
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted, on Thursday evening, Resolution 2837, which extends sanctions on Yemen and condemns the Houthi escalation and their naval and cross-border attacks, including against Saudi Arabia and threatening commercial navigation. The resolution, presented by the United Kingdom, demanded the Houthis immediately and unconditionally stop their military escalation and attacks, including those targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, commercial airports, and international maritime navigation. The Council renewed, under the resolution, until 14 November 2027, the measures imposed under Resolution 2140 issued in 2014, related to freezing financial assets and travel bans on individuals and entities listed on the sanctions list. The Council also extended until 15 December 2027 the mandate of the Yemen Panel of Experts, and requested the UN Secretary-General to increase the number of its members to six, to include experts specialized in maritime security to monitor and report on related issues. The resolution called on member states to intensify efforts to combat smuggling of weapons and their components via land and sea routes, and to strengthen information exchange to ensure implementation of the arms embargo to Yemen. The UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Sarah MacIntosh, said that the unanimous adoption of the resolution reflects the Security Council's determination to take decisive measures regarding what she described as the "reckless attacks" carried out by the Houthis inside Yemen and against Saudi Arabia and across the region. She added that the resolution strengthens implementation of the arms embargo and ensures the sanctions regime keeps pace with the evolving threats posed by the group, including its reliance on dual-use components and chemical precursors to support its capabilities to manufacture weapons locally and carry out attacks threatening regional stability. In their interventions after the vote, Security Council members condemned the Houthis' detention of UN staff, non-governmental organizations, civil society, and diplomatic missions, demanding their immediate and unconditional release. They also expressed their condemnation of the tragic death of a staff member of the UN Human Rights Office during his arbitrary detention by Houthi authorities, following the death of another staff member of the World Food Programme during his detention by the group last year. The resolution affirmed that there is no military solution to the conflict in Yemen, stressing that the only viable path to ending it is dialogue and reconciliation between the parties, including the government, the Houthis, political parties, key regional powers, women, youth, and civil society. The Security Council also stressed the necessity of facilitating humanitarian aid access and facilitating the flow of commercial imports to Yemen.

Earthquake in an Iraqi Governorate.. Governor Resigns Amid Accusations of Oil Smuggling and Protecting Influential Figures
Janoubia / 12 November 2026
Repercussions of the oil smuggling file in the Jurf al-Nasr area of Babylon Governorate continue, with Governor Ali al-Turki announcing his resignation from his position against the backdrop of the case, which sparked wide controversy following the leak of an intelligence report that spoke of suspicions of organized operations to smuggle petroleum derivatives, via sites near pipeline routes, amid accusations of influential parties providing protection for these activities. Al-Turki said, in a press statement: "I submitted my resignation from my position because of the oil smuggling file in Jurf al-Nasr," in a step that came coinciding with escalating governmental and parliamentary moves to verify the circulating information and uncover the involved parties, if smuggling operations are proven to exist. These developments come amid escalating official attention to the case, after circulation of a 19-page technical intelligence report, which included information, satellite images, and geographical coordinates of sites suspected of being linked to oil smuggling activities in Jurf al-Nasr, believed to have continued during the period from 2021 to 2026. According to what was stated in the report, the suspected smuggling operations included encroachment on oil pipelines, and the use of large tankers with a capacity of up to 36,000 liters each, in addition to monitoring facilities believed to have been used to collect and store oil, including underground sites covered by iron structures.The report indicated monitoring repeated movements of oil tankers in a number of sites, noting the recording of 21 tankers in one site during October 2022. It also spoke of possible routes for transporting petroleum derivatives toward the capital Baghdad and other areas, warning of possible economic repercussions and losses that may affect the Iraqi oil sector, if those activities are confirmed and continue. Regarding the parties suspected of being behind the smuggling operations, the report indicated that the suspicious sites are located within an area under the control and protection of an armed faction, without naming it directly. Media reports also circulated accusations of influential factions being linked to these activities, but these accusations have not been proven judicially so far, and are still awaiting the results of official investigations.
In contrast, Babylon Governor Ali al-Turki denied the existence of oil smuggling operations at the site that sparked controversy, during a field tour he conducted in Jurf al-Nasr accompanied by media, yesterday. Al-Turki explained that the coordinates that were circulated lead to an old fuel station known as "Al-Madina Al-Munawara," used to supply Federal Police and Popular Mobilization Forces vehicles with fuel, considering that the circulating accusations represent targeting of the area and the security forces present in it.
At the governmental level, the office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces directed the formation of an investigative committee headed by military and security officials, with membership of representatives from the Federal Police, the Popular Mobilization Authority, the Integrity Commission, and the Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency, to verify information related to suspicions of smuggling petroleum derivatives in the area. The formation of the committee comes within official efforts to verify the accuracy of information in the intelligence report, and determine the nature of the indicated sites, and uncover any possible encroachments on oil pipelines and facilities. In parallel with the government investigation, the House of Representatives moved toward forming a temporary parliamentary committee to investigate the file, and to ascertain the truth of the information in the report, and determine the parties responsible for any possible encroachments on oil wealth. Questions now focus on the accuracy of information related to encroachment on pipelines, the nature of facilities the report referred to, the size of potential financial losses, as well as the parties that may have provided protection or facilitated tanker movement, if smuggling operations are proven. Between the governor's denial, and what the intelligence report included, and the accelerated governmental and parliamentary moves, the Jurf al-Nasr file remains open to several possibilities, awaiting investigation results that are supposed to settle the truth of what happened, and reveal responsibilities away from mutual accusations.

After Meeting Putin in the Kremlin... Witkoff and Kushner Head to Zelensky
Nidaa Al-Watan / 12 November 2026
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner left the Kremlin, on Thursday afternoon, after talks they held with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which dealt with ways to end the war in Ukraine, according to what an AFP correspondent reported. Witkoff and Kushner are scheduled to head directly to the Irish capital Dublin, to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is participating in a European summit hosted by the city.

US Mediation Collides with Russian Invasion Mentality
Nidaa Al-Watan / 12 November 2026
From Abu Dhabi to Moscow, US efforts to end the Russian-Ukrainian war are intensifying, but the distance between negotiations and peace remains vast. Talks by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow yesterday, after Abu Dhabi negotiations, revealed the Kremlin's insistence on extracting political recognition for gains it failed to achieve by force, and using the war to reshape the European security system. Abu Dhabi talks on Tuesday and Wednesday tried to bring positions closer on occupied territories, security guarantees, and ceasefire. Despite initial understanding on a broad prisoner exchange and discussion of security and humanitarian arrangements, no fundamental breakthrough was achieved. Kyiv refuses to recognize Russian annexation of its lands, while Moscow insists on consolidating its territorial gains and restricting Ukrainian defense capabilities. The Kremlin meeting carried negotiating progress without dispelling disagreements. Witkoff announced progress with Putin, and agreement on a new round of trilateral negotiations with European participation. But that was not accompanied by Russian concessions, as Putin renewed his adherence to annexing the four Ukrainian regions, including lands his army does not control, and rejected deployment of foreign forces to guarantee peace or establishment of buffer and demilitarized zones. His flexibility was limited to proposing a humanitarian truce in Kostiantynivka, similar to the Oleshky experience. Following Moscow talks, Witkoff and Kushner headed to Dublin to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on their results, amid his refusal to cede lands in Donbas and his adherence to security guarantees. The limits of US mediation emerge in Moscow's insistence on extracting recognition of its territorial gains without providing guarantees to Kyiv, which portends a settlement that consecrates Ukrainian losses in exchange for fragile peace. Putin's intransigence reflects his bet on diplomatic gains he failed to achieve on the battlefield. Russian ambitions do not stop at Ukraine, as Moscow expanded the scope of discussion to include the European security system, reviving its demands to reduce NATO deployment eastward and restrict the defense options of the continent's countries. Thus, Putin tries to move negotiations from ending the war to reconsidering European security balances, giving Russia influence over its neighbors' strategic options. Witkoff's announcement of European participation gains political importance, after representatives of Britain, France, Germany, and Italy in Abu Dhabi were limited to side consultations. But direct participation does not settle the European role, as the lesson remains the ability of capitals to influence the settlement, not merely being informed of Washington-Moscow understandings. The importance of the Dublin European summit emerges in crystallizing a unified position that protects the independence of European security decision-making.
Calculations become more complicated with the "Starshield" crisis. Zelensky announced systematic restrictions imposed on the military space communications of SpaceX company, hindering connection of interceptor drones when exceeding a certain speed, reducing their ability to intercept Russian jet drones. The repercussions go beyond the military field to the relationship between Washington and Kyiv, revealing risks of dependence on technology managed by a private American company. Despite ambiguity of reasons for restrictions and identity of those responsible for them, their coincidence with negotiations with Russia raises questions about the possibility of their turning into a pressure card on Ukraine.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 12-13/2026 /(Some of the News reports below are tran
AI is changing cybercrime: How to protect yourself
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/November 12/2026
Artificial intelligence has changed the nature of cybercrime. Criminals now use it to create more convincing scams, impersonate real people and target ordinary individuals on a larger scale.
Warnings from international law enforcement agencies show that these attacks are becoming more common and harder to spot. What once required technical skill is now available to many more people, making everyday users increasingly vulnerable to hacking attempts, identity theft and financial fraud. AI tools allow scammers to produce polished messages, realistic voices and fabricated videos that look and sound authentic. A short clip of someone’s voice pulled from social media or an old phone call can be turned into a convincing clone. A few public videos of a person’s face can be used to generate a deepfake that appears on a live call.In addition, emails and chat messages can be written in a natural style that matches the way a real colleague or relative would write, without the spelling mistakes or awkward phrasing that once served as warning signs. These methods appear in several common schemes. One frequent approach is the voice cloning of family members or workplace superiors. A scammer makes a voice call and claims there is an urgent problem — someone is in trouble and needs money right away or a confidential company transaction must be completed immediately. Because the voice sounds familiar, people often act before they have time to check.
Urgency is almost always part of the script because pressure reduces the chance that someone will pause and verify. Similar techniques are used in video calls. A person may join what looks like a normal meeting with a boss or colleagues, only to discover later that every face and voice on the screen was artificially generated. Instructions given during the call lead the victim to transfer funds or share sensitive information. Another common tactic involves carefully written messages that appear to come from a trusted source. These can instruct an employee to move money or reveal login details.
The same technology also powers longer-running scams that build trust over time, such as fake investment opportunities promoted with fabricated celebrity videos or romance schemes that use realistic online profiles and ongoing conversations.
In some cases, scammers even impersonate officials or create fake websites that look official in order to collect personal details from people who think they are reporting a problem or recovering lost funds. Be especially careful with unexpected video calls that ask for confidential actions. End the call and confirm the request another way.The common thread is the removal of traditional clues. Perfect language, familiar voices and realistic faces no longer guarantee that a request is genuine. Urgency is almost always part of the script because pressure reduces the chance that someone will pause and verify.
Protecting yourself does not require advanced technical knowledge. It rests on a few consistent habits. For example, agree with close family members on a private code word or phrase that only you know. If a call arrives claiming to be from a relative in crisis, ask for the code. A real family member will know it; a clone will not.
Treat any unexpected request for money or sensitive information with caution, no matter how convincing it sounds. Always verify through a second, independent channel — call the person back on a number you already have, check through a known work system or speak face to face where possible.Be especially careful with unexpected video calls that ask for confidential actions. End the call and confirm the request another way. Limit the amount of clear voice and video material you post publicly because those samples make cloning easier.
Also use strong, unique passwords for important accounts and enable multifactor authentication wherever it is offered. Prefer authenticator apps or security keys over codes sent by text message when you have the choice. Keep your devices and software updated so that basic security protections remain current. Furthermore, monitor bank and credit card accounts regularly and set up alerts for unusual activity. If something looks wrong, contact the institution quickly. Share these practices with relatives and friends who may be less familiar with the risks. Many successful attacks rely on isolation and the victim’s reluctance to discuss what happened. Finally, when a scam does occur, report it to the appropriate authorities. Even if no money was lost, the information helps investigators track patterns and warn others.
The technology will continue to improve but the strongest defense remains human judgment: slow down when money or personal data is involved, verify independently and refuse to act solely on the basis of a voice, face or message that arrives under pressure. These simple steps still stop the majority of attempts. In the end, the rise of AI in cybercrime does not mean ordinary people are powerless. While the tools available to scammers continue to grow more sophisticated, the most effective protections remain practical and within reach of anyone.
Building the habit of verification, protecting personal information and talking openly about these risks with those around us creates a stronger defense than any single technical fix. Awareness is critical. By staying cautious, questioning urgency and confirming requests through trusted channels, individuals everywhere can sharply reduce their exposure. The digital environment will keep changing but careful everyday decisions can offer the most reliable shield against deception.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. X: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Yemen’s Houthis: Iran’s proxy on the Red Sea
Noofal Gawad/Arab News/November 12/2026
The Houthi militia speaks for only a sliver of Yemen. It reflects neither the country’s political diversity nor its social diversity and it is far removed from the will of the Yemeni people. Most Yemenis reject a project they see as tied entirely to Iran’s regional agenda.
At its core, the militia’s system is openly racist. It claims a divine right to rule and casts aside republican values, democracy and equal citizenship. In their place, it promotes dynastic and ethnic privilege, justified by claimed descent from the Prophet’s family and the Hashemites, a model that mirrors the clerical regime in Tehran. Aware that this project could never win popular support through politics, the militia turned to Iran to impose it by force. Tehran, for its part, saw in the Houthis a ready-made instrument for its destabilizing ambitions in the region.
The militia has relied on violence ever since. It continues to wage war on Yemen’s land and people, targeting above all those who refuse to bow to its rule. Taiz, a civilian city, has lived under siege for 12 years, enduring destruction and hunger. The situation has deteriorated to the point that chemical substances have been used in the Al-Shaqab area of Taiz governorate.
Tehran, for its part, saw in the Houthis a ready-made instrument for its destabilizing ambitions in the region. Iran’s control over the Houthis cannot be dismissed. According to confirmed information from a diplomatic source close to the Iranian regime, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps holds the reins of the Houthis’ military, security, political and economic affairs, leaving only limited room for internal politics. Commanders from the IRGC, the Quds Force, Hezbollah and Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces oversee the militia’s military, security, logistics and finances. Officials directly control the missile and drone units and no projectile is fired without approval from IRGC and Quds Force personnel stationed in Houthi-held areas. Events on the ground show a relationship of dependence, not a conventional alliance. The international community should therefore treat it as a regional security issue, not an internal Yemeni dispute. International reports also point to the presence of Hezbollah-linked operatives and experts in Houthi-controlled territory, led by Abdul Reza Shahlaei, the IRGC’s representative there. All of this shows how deeply Iran uses its military ties with the Houthis to harm not only Yemenis but also the security and stability of Saudi Arabia.Yemen’s natural place is within the Arab and Gulf sphere, not alongside Iran’s clerics. Yet the militia has tied itself firmly to Tehran. The Houthis are not Iran’s partners. Like Hezbollah and the Popular Mobilization Forces, they are a proxy of the IRGC and the Quds Force, carrying out the tasks assigned to them under Iran’s expansionist plan for the region. Yemen’s strategic value is clear. It overlooks the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, one of the world’s most important trade routes, as well as the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. It shares borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia, a regional heavyweight politically, economically and religiously. Yemen cannot be secure or prosperous without strong, stable ties with its Gulf neighbors, with Saudi Arabia first among them.
The Houthis are handing Bab Al-Mandab to Tehran on a silver platter and ordinary Yemenis are paying the price. That explains Tehran’s interest. Iran already wields influence over the Strait of Hormuz. An armed group loyal to it near Bab Al-Mandab gives it a second chokepoint and more leverage over global trade and energy security. Any threat to Red Sea shipping reaches far beyond Yemen, unsettling oil markets, maritime traffic and a host of international interests. Iran can thus pile pressure on its rivals without fighting from its own soil. This is exactly what it is doing now, in plain sight. The strait is only part of the picture. Yemen’s location allows Iran to use the Houthis to threaten Saudi Arabia’s borders, economic facilities and oil export routes. Events in 2026 have made this plain. As shipping through Hormuz was disrupted, the Kingdom’s Red Sea export route grew in importance and, with it, the exposure of ships and facilities along that route to Houthi threats and attacks. Iran’s pressure now extends from the Gulf to the Red Sea through a network of allied armed groups, with the Houthis its most obedient proxy. The result is that Yemen, once part of the Arab world’s strategic depth, is becoming a battleground for Iran’s interests. The Houthis are handing Bab Al-Mandab to Tehran on a silver platter and ordinary Yemenis are paying the price.
Yemen has seen many attempts at peace: the National Dialogue Conference, then talks in Geneva and Kuwait. UN-sponsored negotiations in Kuwait between April and August 2016 collapsed without a deal because Tehran withheld its approval. In 2014, the group signed the Peace and National Partnership Agreement, only to tear it up and seize state institutions by force. The pattern repeats itself: the Houthis join political talks but keep their weapons to impose facts on the ground, always with an eye on Iran. Yemenis, especially in Taiz, have paid dearly. Saudi Arabia has faced missile and drone attacks on its territory, including King Khalid International Airport and the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. Shipping in the Red Sea remains under constant threat.
In my view, studies that play down the prospect of a military solution overestimate the group’s staying power. This is especially true given that it shows no real willingness to make peace, accept the Yemeni state or join a political partnership free of the gun within a Yemen committed to its Arab identity and to good relations with its neighbors, not to hostility toward them. History shows that states can defeat extremist groups, though by different means. Sri Lanka, with international backing, crushed the Tamil Tigers in 2009. Angola ended the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola insurgency in 2002. Peru broke the hold of the Communist Party of Peru in 1992. Daesh was defeated in Iraq. The Houthi militia belongs among such terrorist groups.
Supporting the Yemeni state and its institutions, while protecting civilians, is therefore essential to ending the Houthi threat to Yemen, the region and international shipping, and above all to halting Iran’s destabilizing strategy against its neighbors.
*Noofal Gawad is a Yemeni diplomat and Director of the Office of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs.

As Iran-US talks falter, Gulf countries need to step up to save the day
Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/November 12/2026
The US-Iran talks are faltering again as the gap between the two countries’ positions widens. While American negotiators are sounding optimistic and showing considerable flexibility, Tehran is doubling down on its seven conditions and demanding the US deliver its concessions first.
One reason for the impasse is the internal power struggle underway in Tehran, where the protagonists vying for power are fearful of appearing to give concessions, lest they be accused of being soft on the US, Iran’s archenemy. What makes matters worse this time is that Iran is trying to take advantage of the changing political fortunes of its two main antagonists, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. Tehran sees this as a sound strategy to maximize its demands while biding its time until a more cohesive leadership emerges at home. In the past, when there was such a stalemate, military action inevitably resumed to try to move things along. Given this real possibility, participants raised questions earlier this week at the annual Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate whether Gulf Cooperation Council countries have a proactive “grand strategy” to deal with the conflict, instead of merely mediating and waiting for a favorable outcome to come about. GCC states are among those most affected by the conflict, yet it has been difficult for them to affect its course
It is a legitimate question because GCC states are among those most affected by the conflict, yet it has been difficult for them to affect its course. There are at least two reasons for this hesitation. The region has been on unfamiliar territory since the war started in February. Unlike in the past, the US started the war without consulting or coordinating with its GCC partners and against their repeated advice to give diplomacy a chance.
Then we have to factor in that this war has no rules. Iran has deliberately used attacks against civilian targets in the Gulf and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as instruments of warfare, in total disregard for international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and international humanitarian law. Iran’s more than 8,000 attacks have intentionally inflicted damage on GCC countries, which are major providers of energy, fertilizers and petrochemicals to the world. This destruction was intended to put pressure on the US but its effects have been largely felt by the rest of the world in terms of energy and food shortages, high prices and an economic slowdown that affects poor countries the most.
In this new and lawless environment, GCC countries have prioritized diplomacy to protect their people and their livelihoods and establish some rules to allow for the resumption of freedom of navigation and trade to ease pressure on the world economy.
While they have prioritized diplomacy, the GCC countries have developed a more comprehensive approach that is based on a mix of diplomacy, defense and deterrence, plus, in this case, preserving economic development goals at home and for the rest of the world. You can call them “the four Ds” for short. First, diplomacy has taken different shapes. At the UN, GCC countries tabled the draft for UN Security Council Resolution 2817 in March, condemning Iran’s attacks and stressing the principles of the sanctity of civilians and freedom of navigation. China and Russia abstained, allowing the resolution to pass, but they vetoed a subsequent draft resolution, also prepared by GCC states, dedicated to freedom of navigation. Further efforts are underway to enable effective collective action under the UN umbrella. Mediation is part of this track, supporting efforts by Qatar and the Makkah alliance countries. Diplomacy is also at work on restoring the nuclear nonproliferation regime and strengthening the International Atomic Energy Agency’s role in monitoring compliance, as well on restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. While they have prioritized diplomacy, the GCC countries have developed a more comprehensive approach based on ‘the four Ds’
Second, the GCC’s conventional defenses have proven quite robust but work is underway to provide more protection against drones and low-flying missiles, the current main source of threat.
Maritime security has been beefed up by the establishment in July of the Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance, a new group based in Saudi Arabia whose purpose is to protect freedom of navigation, secure international trade routes and safeguard energy supply lines across the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Its Saudi commander and his deputy from Pakistan have been appointed and its activities have already started. GCC countries also play an active role in the Bahrain-based, 47-country Combined Maritime Forces but more work needs to be done to strengthen its mandate and defense capabilities to help safeguard freedom of navigation in the Gulf and through the Strait of Hormuz.
Third, to strengthen deterrence, the GCC in 2019 established the Unified Military Command to coordinate its military services and provide cohesion and sharpen its efficiency. This week, a forward command was set up in Kuwait. In addition to the GCC Mutual Defense Agreement of 2000, collective defense was considerably enhanced by the signing of the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, which has now been ratified by the three signatory countries.Deterrence is further strengthened by security partnerships with the US and other permanent members of the UNSC, among others.Fourth, the development priority means strengthening resilience and economic growth at home and abroad, while resuming the GCC countries’ historical role in providing the world with energy and offering economic assistance to countries and communities in need during the current economic slowdown. Resilience means increased connectivity within the region and intraregionally by building new roads, pipelines, ports and other means to overcome challenges to freedom of navigation. Sharing prosperity with countries near and far has been one of the enduring goals of the GCC countries, as they believe that shared interests can contribute to peace and stability.These four elements have been articulated before, such as in the 2024 GCC Vision for Regional Security, but the current conflict has made them more imperative.
Since the war started eight months ago, the GCC countries have deferred to the Iran-US talks as the primary path toward ending the conflict, while offering help from the sides. However, with the US-Iran talks now in abeyance and the threat of war again looming, it is urgent for the GCC countries to play a more active role, collectively and individually, to safeguard these four priorities and prevent a return to war.
*Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the GCC assistant secretary-general for political affairs and negotiation. The views expressed here are personal and do not necessarily represent those of the GCC. X: @abuhamad1

After the American and Israeli Elections: Prejudgments That Do Not Change the Scene
Najwa Abi Haidar / Al-Markaziya / 12 November 2026
(Translated by AI from Arabic)
Al-Markaziya - The results of the American midterm elections and the Israeli elections are no longer just a passing electoral station, but have become rich material for recalculating political and strategic accounts that go beyond the borders of Washington and Tel Aviv, and whose repercussions extend to the region's files, foremost among them the confrontation with Iran. The Republicans' loss of the majority in both houses of Congress, in parallel with Benjamin Netanyahu's faltering in securing a parliamentary majority allowing him to form the government, gave the resistance axis an extra dose of optimism, and pushed Tehran to harden its conditions, while US President Donald Trump finds himself before a new political scene, forcing him to re-evaluate his options and calculations.
Western diplomatic circles tell "Al-Markaziya" that the battle for the 2028 American presidency has practically begun from now, with the Democratic Party seeking to invest the midterm election results and employ them in the upcoming confrontation with Trump and the Republicans. But midterm elections often come with results in favor of the opposition party, while Democrats from today are trying to amplify domestic files, particularly rising prices and cost of living, and turn them into winning cards in their political battle. And they call for not rushing to anticipate the 2028 elections, considering that two years still separate the United States from the presidential entitlement, a period sufficient for Trump to try to turn the equation and regain the initiative, especially since midterm election results do not necessarily mean a prejudgment on the fate of his administration or the Republicans' chances of returning to the majority.
In this context, Trump's recent statements on Iran acquire connotations beyond political threat, as they appear as a decisive message to Tehran: either go to a settlement according to American conditions, or face the option of war and destruction of the Iranian nuclear program. Between these two options, questions remain open about how Trump will employ the transitional phase before the new Congress takes over its powers on 3 January next, and whether he will benefit from the two months separating from that date to settle his regional options, noting that the gap in options is widening between his Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Here the circles stop at the rise in optimism among the resistance axis, which read in the Republicans' retreat in Congress and Netanyahu's faltering in securing the 61-seat majority, an indicator of the shaking of the political cover on which Washington and Tel Aviv relied in managing the confrontation with Iran and its allies. These developments pushed Tehran to adhere to its conditions and the seven points it presented to Washington to settle the crisis, without showing readiness to retreat from them, benefiting from the new political climate and the impression that Trump and Netanyahu are facing simultaneous domestic challenges.
However, the most prominent question remains in Tel Aviv: Does Eisenkot constitute a shift in Israeli policy, or will the difference be limited to the identity of the prime minister and the style of managing files? And will he be more responsive to Trump than Netanyahu, who showed an ability to keep pace with the American administration, even though their relationship was not without divergences?
Western diplomatic circles do not see that changing persons in Israel necessarily means changing policies, pointing out that security and foreign plans remain governed by a basic constant titled "Israel's security above all considerations." From this standpoint, it does not seem that the transfer of power, if achieved, will automatically lead to a review of the Israeli approach toward Iran or Lebanon or the region in general. Will Eisenkot be the more suitable partner for Trump in the new phase, or is Netanyahu, despite his electoral setback, still the option most in harmony with Washington's calculations, and does the change of the equation in the ballot boxes necessarily mean that the policies governing the region will change with it?

The American Elections.. Lessons in Democracy and Citizenship
Dr. Amer Halwani / Janoubia / 12 November 2026
(Translated by AI from Arabic)
In the results of the recent American elections there is much worth pausing at, far from calculations of profit and loss between parties. They reveal an important aspect of the development of Western democracies and their ability to open up and absorb religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity, despite the contradictions and setbacks in their path. It is true that these democracies are not ideal, and that they often deal with double standards, particularly in their foreign policies, and witness manifestations of racism and bigotry. But fairness requires acknowledging what they possess of vitality, flexibility, and self-correction mechanisms that allow them to develop and overcome their stumbles.
Rotation of Power... The Essence of Democracy and Its Vitality
And how striking it is that parties remain in a constant race, in which results sometimes converge until the last moments, so that one party wins today to lose tomorrow, and another retreats to return to power in later elections! There is no permanent victory and no eternal defeat, and no guaranteed power for anyone. And most importantly, the voter remains the judge, and rotation of power remains a natural right, not an existential battle. It is not a passing matter that the United States elected Barack Obama, son of an African father, president for two consecutive terms, and that New York, one of the most important capitals of finance and culture in the world, elected Zohran Mamdani, the Muslim born in Africa and of Indian origin, as its mayor. Then the recent midterm elections come to witness the arrival of figures from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds to positions of responsibility, including Abdul Rahman Al-Sayed, the American Muslim of Egyptian origin, who became the first Muslim elected to membership in the US Senate. This phenomenon is not limited to the United States; in Canada, Australia, and many European countries, sons of immigrants and minorities assume ministerial, parliamentary, and leadership positions, in embodiment of the concept of citizenship that does not make ethnic origin or religious affiliation an obstacle to reaching the highest positions of responsibility.
The Paradox of Countries That Do Not Grant Their Children Similar Opportunities
And the painful paradox is that many of the countries from which these people originate do not provide similar opportunities to those coming to them. In some of them, a person may spend his entire life, and his children and grandchildren may be born on its land, without dreaming of obtaining its nationality, let alone participating in governing it?
But these exceptional opportunities also impose exceptional responsibilities. Those who reach positions of governance in the countries that embraced them or embraced their families must be loyal to them, and place their supreme interests and the interests of all their citizens above any other consideration. Voters' trust is not merely a tribute to diversity, but a national mandate and a moral and political responsibility. And this loyalty does not require disavowal of roots or abandonment of culture and beliefs. Pride in origins does not contradict loyalty to the homeland, as long as the constitution, the law, and the national interest are the reference in exercising public responsibility.
Between Pride in Roots and Rejection of a Culture of Hatred
In this context, it pains me greatly to see some immigrants who found in their migration countries security, freedom, and job opportunities, and benefited from their health and educational services, then raise their children on hatred for them and hatred of their societies. And what denial is more severe than a person enjoying the rights and freedoms of a country, then planting in the souls of his children hostility toward it? And what injustice to these children that they grow up hating the homeland in which they were born or raised, and which will be their homeland and their future? What is required is not turning a blind eye to these countries' mistakes or silence about policies we consider unjust, or social practices we disagree with. Objection, criticism, and demanding reform are at the heart of responsible citizenship. But how different it is to raise our children to think freely and demand justice, than to bequeath them hatred and resentment. There is no doubt that some extreme right-wingers in these societies express their anger, indeed sometimes their hatred, toward the arrival of persons who differ from them in religion or origin to positions of power. But these voices, however loud their noise, do not sum up their entire societies. And the election of these different people is proof that the voters who gave them their trust did not make difference of origins and beliefs an obstacle to their choice. So we do not confront bigotry with similar bigotry, nor do we triumph over hatred by becoming its opposite image.
Difference as Bridges for Convergence, Not Reasons for Exclusion
Rather, these officials, with what they carry of diverse cultures and experiences, can be bridges for convergence between peoples and civilizations, and contribute to dispelling stereotypes and prejudgments. How many distances between humans were created by illusions more than by geography! And they have the right, under the freedoms guaranteed by these democracies, to hold on to their beliefs and defend them, and to seek to convince others of their ideas through dialogue and peaceful means. But freedom of belief does not mean the right to impose belief, and pride in identity does not justify excluding other identities. And here is the essence of the matter: The greatest loyalty these people can offer to the countries that brought them to positions of responsibility is to safeguard the values that made this access possible. It is unacceptable for a person to benefit from freedom then seek to restrict it, or to benefit from tolerance then reject it for others, or to reach power thanks to equality then work to undermine it.
And this responsibility does not concern immigrants and sons of minorities alone, but everyone who assumes public authority. Democracy is not merely a means to reach power, but a commitment to protecting the rights of others, including those who differ with us.
A Democracy Lesson for Arab Countries
And perhaps in these experiences there is a lesson for our countries as well: That the strength of homelands is not measured by their wealth alone, but by their ability to embrace the human being and grant him a fair opportunity to be a partner in its present and future. And this is not a call to glorify Western democracies or ignore their flaws, but to acknowledge their achievements and benefit from their experience, while retaining the right to criticize them and hold them accountable. True democracy is not content with opening the doors of power to the different, but ensures that these doors remain open after they arrive.In the end, it is not loyalty at all for a person to throw a stone into the well from which he drank and from which his family drank, and perhaps without it he would not have been able to achieve his dreams and ambitions. Rather, the truest expression of loyalty is to preserve the purity of its water, and to leave it open to quench the thirst of coming generations, whatever their origins, colors, and religions.

Selected Face Book & X tweets on November 12/2026
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
When you read these lines, do you get a sense that the Christian author is self-hating? Christians are elite, arrogant and fascists, while the Shias (and Palestinians) are rural poor, downtrodden, and, therefore, rightfully revolutionaries. The lines suggest that Lebanon’s Christians (and by extension imperial America and Israel) started the oppression and that Shia and Palestinians, rurally pure and uncorrupted by the decadent cosmopolitan city, reacted with a revolution.
This Christian self-hate was imported from American’s “white guilt,” that our success would have been impossible without abusing the losers. The losers have no agency, and we need to apologize to them and pet them and give them the keys. If they kills us, we deserve it because we brought on ourselves. This is the thinking that is Thirdworlding — mainly Islamizing — the West and many Westerners.The lines: AUB was a microcosm of Lebanon, its students and faculty reflecting not only every political trend but also the country's deepening divisions: the rural poor and the cosmopolitan elite, the arrogant Christians and the downtrodden Shias, the far-left revolutionaries and the far-right fascists.

Andrés Cuevas@ancuevasm
At Golgotha, it was not just three crosses that were raised. There, the fate of humanity was decided.
The Passion of Christ was neither an isolated event nor just another death.
It was the fulfillment of the Scriptures and the sacrifice through which God showed how far his love for humanity goes. From the anguished prayer in Gethsemane, Judas’s betrayal, the trial before the authorities, the scourging, the crowning with thorns, and the journey to Calvary, each stage brings us closer to the mystery of redemption. Christian tradition traces this journey through the 14 stations of the Way of the Cross, allowing us to contemplate and reflect on each moment of his self-giving.
Until we reach Golgotha. Three crosses. Three men. Two condemned men and, between them, the Son of God. One of the thieves mocks him. The other acknowledges his guilt and finds in Christ a hope that seemed impossible: "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Lk 23:43).
Even in the final moment, mercy remains open to humanity.
The cross was not a defeat for Christ. It was the voluntary sacrifice through which he conquered sin and opened the path of salvation for us.

Rabbi Menachem Margolin@MargolinRabbi
My Personal Impressions of a Leader: Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi
For many years I have brought leaders to Auschwitz. I have stood in that terrible place with hundreds of presidents, ministers and parliamentarians. This week I want to share something more personal.
I spent many hours with Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and Princess Yasmine Pahlavi: at the press conference, side by side at dinner, and during the long walk through Auschwitz and Birkenau. From the first moment it was clear that he had not come for public relations, nor simply to fulfil an obligation. He came to learn and to understand. He asked about the details. He asked good questions. So did Princess Yasmine. I was deeply impressed by the man: his charisma, his wisdom and his clarity of speech. He is a strategist who thinks far ahead, a leader devoted to his people, and a brave man who takes real personal risks every single day. Above all, I was moved by his determination and by how much he cares. He believes that the great majority of Iranians want peace, brotherhood and reconciliation between peoples. I have met many leaders in my life, but few with such greatness of spirit. Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi is a great leader, with the vision, the moral courage and the dignity of a true statesman. There is a rare nobility of soul in him. He treats every person, whatever their rank, with the same respect. He is a man of great talent: he speaks with clarity and precision, he sees far ahead, and he understands both the history of his nation and the realities of today's world. His determination is unshakable. For decades he has carried the cause of a free Iran, at great personal risk, without ever losing hope or bending his principles. And above all, his heart belongs to his people. Everything he does comes from his deep care for them: for their suffering, their courage and their right to live in freedom and dignity. And for all his stature, I saw humility and modesty, in him and in his wife. More than once I saw tears in his eyes. He is a man of deep feeling, who cares about every human being. I hope with all my heart that the Iranian people will soon have such a leader.

Hiba Nasr@HibaNasr
A U.S. official, responding to comments by Lebanese Armed Forces Commander General Rodolphe Haykal: “Rhetoric that misidentifies Lebanon’s problems does nothing to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty, now or in the future. Lebanon continues to face a choice between living under the influence of an Iranian proxy and taking steps to which it has already agreed in order to reclaim its future.”Meanwhile, President Joseph Aoun expressed his support for General Haykal today, stating:
“No one can claim to uphold sovereignty and love their country while criticizing the army and security forces working to maintain security and stability and extend state authority”.

Gadi Eisenkot - גדי איזנקוט@gadi_eisenkot
Israel faces a challenging and volatile security reality.
In recent weeks, deeply troubling reports have emerged about the intrusion of extraneous considerations into the holy of holies: Israel’s security.
This evening, I addressed outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding his security and national responsibilities at this time.
From the letter: "I demand that you: At this sensitive time, you are called upon to act with national responsibility. Exercise restraint and caution against dangerous moves that can wait until a new government that has won the Knesset’s confidence is sworn in. Do not desecrate the public’s trust in the institutions of government and the decision-making process.
Deploying the security forces without a direct and immediate threat that brooks no delay could have devastating consequences for Israeli democracy and citizens’ trust in the institutions of government.
Do not place the heads of the security agencies in a difficult constitutional conflict or leave them in doubt about what is required of them and what the right course of action is. Allow them to uphold, without doubt, the sacred duty entrusted to them."