English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News &
Editorials
For October 03/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2026/english.october03.26.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless
regions looking for a resting-place,but it finds none.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew
12/43-45/:”‘When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through
waterless regions looking for a resting-place, but it finds none. Then it says,
“I will return to my house from which I came.” When it comes, it finds it empty,
swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more
evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that
person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.’”
Titles For The English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on October 02-03/2026
The Annual Feast of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus/Elias Bejjani/October
01/2026
Joseph Aoun: The Diabolical Clone of Michel Aoun and Emile Lahoud/Elias Bejjani/September
30, 2026
Nadim Koteich/How did doubt about Israel’s account turn into certainty about a
conspiracy without evidence? Reactions to the Flydubai incident expose how
hatred distorts our judgment and empathy.
Video-Link From FDD for an interview with Activist Ronnie Chatah
Trump says fate of Hezbollah and other 'proxies' tied directly to Iran
UK Deputy Chief of Defense Staff reaffirms support for Lebanon's security,
regional stability
Israel threatens Beirut invasion if Hezbollah doesn't disarm, report says
Aoun: Southerners' resilience is strongest response to Israel’s intimidation and
attacks
Hezbollah Seeks to Ease Supporters’ Anger With Pledge to Cover Displaced
Families’ Rent
Lebanon PM Says Scale of War Recovery beyond State's Capacity
Lebanon Army Says Seized 245 Kg of TNT at Syria Border
UN Worried about Impact of Latest Lebanon War on Agriculture
Lebanon’s electricity tariff dilemma: Pay more to EDL or pay more to generators?
Salam seeks withdrawal timeline and new UN force as Rubio tackles verification
mechanism
Aoun, Salam discuss Washington talks, Nabatieh visit and Cabinet measures
Salam visits Nabatieh, says scale of war recovery beyond state capacity
Moussawi slams 'liar and despicable' Bassil after FPM calls him 'unhinged'
Lebanon condemns Houthi drone attack on power facility in Medina
Lebanon’s Labor Ministry warns of fake Instagram account impersonating Minister
Mohamad Haidar
A Prescription for My Beloved Homeland, Lebanon/Sheikh Mohammad Ali Al-Fouani/October
02/2026
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on
October 02-03/2026
UAE official says flydubai attack 'terrorist act' as he praises pilot
KSA says flydubai co-pilot transferred to UAE
Netanyahu warns ‘very heavy price’ if any power behind FlyDubai incident
Capt. Smit Machchhar: India’s ‘hero’ pilot who thwarted Flydubai attacker
Iran sentences leading actress who denounced protest crackdown
US Sending 3rd Aircraft Carrier, More Troops to Mideast
Tanker struck in the Strait of Hormuz
Iran Launches 30 Drone, 10 Missile Attacks Per Week on Ships in Hormuz
Trump Sidesteps Questions on Endorsing Netanyahu Before Oct. 27 Israeli
Elections
Iraq says it got US exemption for Iranian flights to and from holy city
US widens Iran economic chokehold from sea to land
Jordan king urges US to help secure regional ceasefire in call with Rubio
Trump Reportedly Expected to Name Jay Clayton as AI Czar
Iran Asks Iraq to Return Flights Between the Two Countries to Normal Conditions
Iran-Aligned Faction Demands Downsizing of ‘World’s Largest Embassy’
FBI Arrests Energy Department Employee on Charge of Trying to Support Houthis
Saudi Arabia accuses Houthis of targeting holy sites to provoke Muslims
From Air to Ground, Taiz Front Lines Repel Houthi Advance
Egypt Accuses 6 Arrested Journalists of Being Members of the Muslim Brotherhood
About 400 French Schools Closed as Some Student Protests Turn Violent
Taiwan Receives Its First US-made F-16V Fighter Jets
Israeli forces detain Syrian resident in overnight Daraa raid
Israeli strikes kill 3 people in Gaza
Israel top court puts Arab parties back on ballot
Israeli minister fined over video showing him threaten Palestinian inmate
US sanctions alleged Hamas finance network, including two France-based charities
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on October 02-03/2026
Iran: Desperate Remedies in Desperate Times/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/October
02/202
So That Iraq Does Not Become an Iranian Banana Republic/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed//Asharq
Al Awsat/October 02/202
The Dilemma of Unchecked Technology/Dr. Amal Moussa/Asharq Al Awsat/October
02/202
Iraq after the Americans… A Test of the State and Weapons/Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al
Awsat/October 02/2026
Turkiye poised for a bigger role in Iraqi Kurdistan/Dr. Dania KoleilatKhatib/Arab
News/October 02/2026
The security lesson from the flyDubai incident/Abdulla Saeed Alhebsi /The Arab
Weekly/October 02/2026
Congress Has the Means to Power America/Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone
Institute/October 02/2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets on October 02/2026
Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on October 02-03/2026
The Annual Feast of Saint Thérèse of the
Child Jesus
Elias Bejjani/October 01/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/10/157998/
Who is Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus whose annual Feast Day falls on October
1st
1- Birth and Early Life
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, born Marie-Françoise-Thérèse Martin, was born
on January 2, 1873 in Alençon, Normandy, France. She was the ninth and youngest
child of a holy family: Louis Martin, a jeweler, and Zélie Guérin, a lace-maker.
Both parents were later canonized on October 19, 2008. She lost her mother at
age 4, and her father moved with his five daughters to Lisieux, where she spent
the rest of her life. All five sisters became nuns.
2- Entry into the Carmelite Order – Her Age
From a young age she felt called to Carmel. On May 29, 1887 she asked her father
to enter, but faced refusal from the parish priest, the Bishop of Bayeux, and
the prioress because of her young age. She did not give up. She traveled with
her father to Rome to meet Pope Leo XIII and childishly begged him to allow her
to enter at age 15. The Bishop finally allowed it, and she entered the Discalced
Carmelite convent of Our Lady in Lisieux on April 9, 1888, at only 15 years old,
where three of her sisters had already entered. She received the habit on
January 10, 1889. She made her religious vows on September 8, 1890 – the
Nativity of the Virgin Mary.
3- Her Illness and Healing by the Virgin – “Our Lady of the Smile”
At age 10, after her beloved sister Pauline entered Carmel, she suffered a
serious, mysterious nervous and psychological illness with hallucinations and
severe pain. Doctors could not explain it. Her family prayed fervently before a
statue of the Virgin Mary in her room. As she writes in her autobiography “Story
of a Soul”: On May 13, 1883, Pentecost day, I was looking at the statue of the
Virgin, and finding no help on earth, I turned my whole heart toward my heavenly
Mother and begged her to have mercy on me… Suddenly the Virgin appeared to me so
beautiful, more beautiful than I had ever seen, and she smiled at me with a
tender smile, and immediately the pain disappeared and my health returned. Hence
the Virgin in Lisieux is called “Our Lady of the Smile – La Vierge au Sourire”.
Thérèse called this healing “the grace of the smile of the Queen of Heaven” that
saved her from depression.
4- Her Prayer to the Virgin
Thérèse loved the Virgin with a deep filial love, not seeing her as a distant
Queen but as a close and small mother like herself. One of her most famous
prayers to the Virgin is: “O Mary, O Virgin, O Mother of Jesus and our Mother,
you who with a clear smile deigned to console and heal your daughter, Saint
Thérèse of the Child Jesus from depression, restore to us the smile of life…”
She also wrote a long poem titled “Why I Love You, O Mary”, saying: “You know
that I love you, you who made yourself small to embrace me… More than Queen, you
are my Mother.”
5- Date and Cause of Death
On the night of Holy Thursday to Good Friday in 1896, she suffered a sudden
hemorrhage from her mouth. It was the beginning of pulmonary and intestinal
tuberculosis. She hid her illness and endured terrible pain for months with a
constant smile, experiencing a dark night of faith and spiritual darkness. She
received the Anointing of the Sick and Holy Communion for the last time on
August 19, 1897, and died in the convent on September 30, 1897 at 7:20 PM, at
only 24 years old. Her last words were: “My God, I love You!”
6- Miracles
Before her death she promised: “I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I
will let fall from heaven a shower of roses.” As soon as her autobiography
“Story of a Soul” was published in 1898 (first edition 2000 copies), letters
poured in from all over the world about miracles through her intercession:
Medically documented cures of incurable diseases, which were the cause of her
beatification and canonization
Sudden conversions of sinners, especially the story of the criminal condemned to
death, Henri Pranzini, who converted before his execution through her prayer
when she was 14
Protection of soldiers in World War I, where French soldiers carried her picture
in the trenches
The appearance of a strong scent of roses as a sign of her presence and
intercession – the most famous sign until today.
7- Date of Canonization by the Vatican
Her cause was one of the fastest in modern Church history:
April 29, 1923: Beatified by Pope Pius XI after two miracles
May 17, 1925: Canonized in Rome by Pope Pius XI himself
1927: Declared by Pope Pius XI as Patroness of the Missions and Missionaries in
the world, although she never left the convent, alongside Saint Francis Xavier.
October 19, 1997: On the centenary of her death, Pope John Paul II declared her
a Doctor of the Universal Church, the third woman to receive this title after
Teresa of Avila and Catherine of Siena. She is the youngest Doctor in Church
history.
8- Her Characteristics as a Nun and Saint
She did nothing extraordinary in appearance, her holiness was in “The Little Way
– La petite voie”: Childlike Confidence: She lived like a small child in the
arms of a loving Father, trusting blindly in God’s mercy, not His justice.
Absolute Humility: She considered herself a “little flower” only fit to adorn
the altar of Jesus, not a cedar of Lebanon.
Love in Small Things: She washed dishes, smiled at difficult sisters, endured
cold and small humiliations for love of Jesus. She said: “To pick up a pin from
the ground for love of Jesus is an act that saves souls.”
Prayer for Priests and Sinners: She offered her life as a sacrifice of love for
the Church and the world.
Evangelical Simplicity: She taught that holiness is not in great deeds but in
doing small things with great love.
Hence she was called “The Little Flower of Jesus” and “The Flower of Lisieux”.
9- Prayer Through Her Intercession for Peace in the World and for Peace in
Lebanon
Prayer to Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus for Peace
O Little Saint Thérèse, O fragrant rose of Lisieux, you who promised to shower
the earth with roses from heaven, you who lived war in your heart and
transformed every small pain into a prayer of love,
We ask you today on your feast day to intercede for our suffering world.
Look at the wars tearing apart Ukraine, the Holy Land, Sudan and all corners of
the earth, and at the hardened hearts that have forgotten we are all children of
one Father.Teach us your little way: to overcome hatred with a smile, violence
with prayer, and despair with childlike trust. Shower upon us roses of peace,
roses of forgiveness, roses of mercy.
Prayer for Lebanon
Your second homeland, Lebanon, that loves you so much: O beloved Saint of
Lebanon, O patroness of our families and our churches that bear your name from
Jounieh to Souhaila, Bcharre and every village, Intercede for wounded Lebanon.
This homeland that knows suffering like you – illness, war, emigration, fear for
tomorrow. Give its children the smile of the Virgin that healed you, to heal its
despair and depression. Give its youth the hope to stay, its leaders the wisdom
of humility, and its families the peace of the house of Nazareth that your holy
family lived. O Our Lady of the Smile, O Mother of Thérèse and our Mother,
protect Lebanon under your mantle, and make it a land of holiness and peace, as
the saints dreamed. Amen.
Note: The information contained in this study is compiled from numerous
documented ecclesiastical, theological, academic, and media sources.
The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website: https://eliasbejjaninews.com
Elias Bejjani
Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
Email phoenicia@hotmail.com& media.lccc@gmail.com
Joseph Aoun: The Diabolical Clone of
Michel Aoun and Emile Lahoud
Elias Bejjani/September 30, 2026
Where was Joseph Aoun on the day he delivered his oath speech, and where is he
today? An exposure and a backward U-turn that has dashed hopes, and a blatant
replication of Emile Lahoud and Michel Aoun.
Nadim Koteich/How did doubt about Israel’s account turn
into certainty about a conspiracy without evidence? Reactions to the Flydubai
incident expose how hatred distorts our judgment and empathy.
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/10/158032/
You've been nagging us with "don't believe the Israeli narrative." Okay, you're
right, double-check, ask questions, demand evidence, but how? Before you even
knew what happened, you already knew that the Mossad orchestrated the FlyDubai
plane incident.
Just one hour after the news of the plane, posts blaming Israel started
spreading. Tens of thousands of comments, millions of views across different
social media platforms repeating the same accusation: The Mossad did it,
Netanyahu benefits, the Israelis must have known.
Doubt in one narrative turned into certainty in a completely opposite
counter-narrative that you invented on social media. The same person who tells
you "where is the evidence?" on his own has already closed his investigation,
announced the results with zero evidence.
Then someone comes out and tells you, "well, why are you defending Israel?" My
dear, I am not defending Israel, I am defending reason, I am defending logic. If
the identity of the passengers determines our sympathy, and the identity of the
victim makes us invent the crime story all over again, think about what we are
raising in our societies.
A society that asks about a person's nationality before condemning his murder.
And he who learns to justify killing a person because he is Jewish, is the same
person who will find a justification to kill a person because he is Shiite or
Sunni or Christian, or just because he disagrees with him.
We have paid the price for this logic with our blood, and still there are people
teaching it to our children. The plane found someone to save it from falling,
but who will save our societies from falling when they are raising a generation
that applauds planes crashing.
*Note/The transcription, drafting, titling,translation to English and tabulation
of the interview was done by Elias Bejjani with complete freedom
*Quoted from Nadim Koteich's account on X / October 02, 2026
Video-Link From FDD for an interview with Activist
Ronnie Chatah
02 September/2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY8GBaoO4JM
The FDD Morning Brief interview with Ronnie Chatah titled "Beirut battles for
its future" covers the current sociopolitical landscape in Lebanon, focusing on
the country's ongoing crises, political deadlock, sovereignty challenges, and
the struggle for Beirut's identity and future governance.
A detailed text summary of the key themes discussed in the interview:
1. The Current State of Lebanon and Beirut
Ongoing Crises: The discussion centers on how Lebanon continues to navigate a
compounding political, economic, and security paralysis.
Battle for Identity: Ronnie Chatah highlights how Beirut remains a focal point
of resistance, cultural resilience, and political contestation amid systemic
collapse. The city's future depends heavily on whether civil society and
independent voices can carve out a space against entrenched political factions.
2. Sovereignty, Governance, and Political Deadlock
The Crisis of the State: The conversation addresses the erosion of Lebanese
state institutions, noting how decision-making power has historically been
fragmented or co-opted by armed non-state actors and corrupt political elites.
Lack of Accountability: Chatah emphasizes the deep-seated impunity within
Lebanon’s ruling class, which continues to block meaningful reforms, economic
recovery, and justice for major national tragedies (such as the Beirut port
blast).
3. The Role of Independent Voices and Civil Society
Challenging the Status Quo: Through his work on The Beirut Banyan and other
platforms, Chatah stresses the critical importance of documenting contemporary
Lebanese history, amplifying dissenting voices, and countering official
narratives pushed by traditional political parties.
The Outlook for Reform: The interview explores whether a new generation of
political opposition, civic movements, and independent figures can offer a
viable alternative to the sectarian status quo that has dominated post-war
Lebanon.
Here are the primary headline topics and key discussion points from the FDD
interview with Ronnie Chatah ("Beirut battles for its future"):
Lebanon’s Deepening Paralysis: An assessment of the compounding political,
economic, and security crises crippling governance and daily life in the
country.
The Battle for Beirut’s Future: How Beirut remains the epicenter of political
contestation, cultural resilience, and the struggle to redefine the capital's
civic and national identity.
Erosion of Sovereignty and State Institutions: The ongoing challenges posed by
fragmented state authority, armed non-state actors, and systemic corruption that
undermine meaningful governance.
Impunity and Accountability: The persistent lack of justice and political
accountability among Lebanon’s ruling class, particularly regarding major
national crises and reforms.
The Role of Civil Society and Independent Media: The vital importance of
platforms like The Beirut Banyan in documenting contemporary history, breaking
traditional sectarian narratives, and amplifying independent dissenting voices.
Prospects for Political Opposition: Evaluating whether emerging civic movements
and independent political figures can present a viable, reform-minded
alternative to the entrenched sectarian status quo.
Trump says fate of Hezbollah and other 'proxies' tied
directly to Iran
Naharnet/October 02/2026
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the fate and future of Hezbollah and
other Iran-backed regional armed groups is completely tied to the fate of the
Iranian regime itself. “They go -- as goes Iran, so goes the proxies,” said
Trump in response to a Lebanese reporter’s question about Hezbollah.
UK Deputy Chief of Defense Staff reaffirms support for
Lebanon's security, regional stability
Naharnet/October 02/2026
Lieutenant General Sir Charlie Collins KBE DSO, Deputy Chief of the British
Defense Staff (Military Strategy and Operations), concluded a visit to Lebanon
on Tuesday 29 September, the British embassy said on Friday. During the visit,
Lieutenant General Collins met Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, Lebanese Army
Commander General Rodolphe Haykal, and United Nations Special Coordinator for
Lebanon Jean Arnault. He was accompanied by Deputy Defense Attaché Squadron
Leader Craig Pearson. Discussions focused on the security situation in south
Lebanon and highlighted the “critical role” of the Lebanese Army in
“safeguarding Lebanon’s sovereignty, supporting state authority, and
contributing to long-term stability,” an embassy statement said. Lieutenant
General Collins reaffirmed “the UK’s partnership with Lebanon and its continued
support for the Lebanese Armed Forces as the country’s sole legitimate
defender.” The visit also underscored the UK's “support for diplomatic efforts
necessary for reducing tensions, preventing escalation, and creating the
conditions for a secure and sustainable future for Lebanon,” the statement said.
Collins for his part said: "I was pleased to visit Lebanon and meet senior
political, military and international leaders. The UK highly values its
long-standing partnership with Lebanon and the Lebanese Armed Forces. At a time
of continued regional uncertainty, we remain committed to supporting efforts
that enhance security and uphold Lebanon’s sovereignty."
Israel threatens Beirut invasion if Hezbollah doesn't
disarm, report says
Naharnet/October 02/2026
U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa warned Deputy Head of the Higher Islamic Shiite
Council Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib last month that Israel would launch a full-scale
military invasion reaching as far as Beirut, if Hezbollah does not hand over its
weapons, al-Modon newspaper reported.
The daily said Thursday that Israel has delivered many messages, directly and
indirectly to Lebanon, demanding a full disarmament of the Iran-backed group,
including in Jabal al-Rihan and Iqlim al-Tuffah. "Israel is demanding that the
Lebanese Army deploy in Jabal Al-Rihan and Iqlim Al-Tuffah to dismantle
Hezbollah infrastructure there, warning against a repetition of the Ali al-Taher
scenario," al-Modon said. Diplomatic sources told the daily that Tel Aviv has
gone so far as to demand a list of the names of all officers and personnel
scheduled to deploy into trial zones and wants direct military coordination with
the Lebanese Army.Israel stipulates that no personnel in the pilot zones be
affiliated with Hezbollah or even belong to the Shiite community — a condition
the Lebanese Army has firmly rejected, the daily said.
Aoun: Southerners' resilience is strongest response to Israel’s intimidation and
attacks
Naharnet/October 02/2026
President Joseph Aoun stressed Friday that southerners' adherence to their land
"is the strongest response to all attempts at displacement, intimidation and the
attacks committed by Israel."Meeting with a delegation from the municipality of
the southern town of Deir Mimas, Aoun emphasized that “the state will remain
alongside the people of the South -- both those who are persevering and those
forcibly displaced from their villages and towns -- until the end of the Israeli
occupation or the lifting of the siege on every southern village.”He stated that
the people of the South, especially those holding firm in their villages, are
“the guardians of the land.”“The state is your support and will protect you, and
will not relinquish any inch of your land," Aoun added. Noting that the state is
“present as much as security conditions permit for every region, to protect its
people and provide all requirements for their resilience,” the president
underscored that “there will be no one other than the Lebanese Army and
legitimate security forces, who are the sole authority responsible for the
security of citizens."He added that "political, diplomatic, and negotiation
efforts are continuing to stop Israeli attacks, restore stability, achieve a
complete withdrawal from the occupied territories, deploy the army up to the
internationally recognized southern borders, ensure the return of residents to
their villages, launch reconstruction, and support municipalities to enable them
to carry out their role and provide basic services including electricity, water,
roads, schools, and health centers."
Hezbollah Seeks to Ease Supporters’ Anger With Pledge to
Cover Displaced Families’ Rent
Beirut: Paula Astih/Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2026
Hezbollah is seeking to ease growing anger among its supporters by pledging to
contribute to housing costs for families who lost their homes in the war, nearly
six months after a devastating escalation that began on March 2, during which
Israel occupied more than 65 villages and towns in South Lebanon. Hezbollah
Secretary-General Naim Qassem’s announcement of plans to contribute to a housing
project, alongside a commitment to provide accommodation, repairs and
reconstruction using the group’s resources and donations, comes amid mounting
frustration over its failure to deliver promised housing allowances for nearly
two years.The delays have worsened conditions for thousands of families,
particularly those displaced from border communities. Hezbollah has yet to
disclose details of the initiative, leaving prospective beneficiaries hoping
that long-promised payments will soon materialize.
No Full Rent Coverage
Residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs understand the announcement to mean that
Hezbollah will cover only part of displaced families’ rent rather than the full
amount. Local sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the pledge had dashed hopes of
full coverage, as provided in 2006 and following the 2024 war.
“We are waiting for the details to be announced to understand the nature of this
support,” they added. The issue has become increasingly pressing for Hezbollah,
which faces a financial crisis that Qassem has attributed to a financial “siege”
preventing the transfer of funds from Iran to Lebanon. Researcher Mohammad
Shamseddine estimated that around 35,000 families currently require housing
assistance. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the last payment, made after the March
2026 war, consisted of monthly allowances of up to $400 for households in Beirut
and $300 in the south. No final decision has been reached on the amount to be
allocated, its distribution or whether payments would cover specific months or
an entire year, he noted. Following the first round of fighting in 2024,
Hezbollah paid up to $10,000 per property for minor repairs, spending an
estimated $300 million. It also disbursed $800 million in housing assistance,
covering furniture and one year’s rent for those whose homes were completely
destroyed. In 2025, Qassem announced that the group had provided housing
allowances to 50,755 people and repaired homes for 332,000 others.
Growing Discontent Among Supporters
Hezbollah opponent Ali Murad linked the announcement to rising dissatisfaction
within the group’s support base, ranging from limited objections to occasional
public criticism of its decisions and the course it has charted for South
Lebanon. He questioned what options remained available to residents after
everything they had endured and whether Hezbollah had a clear vision for the
next phase. Murad told Asharq Al-Awsat that the party was under pressure to
offer at least partial accommodation solutions while continuing to blame the
state for shortcomings, despite recognizing the severity of its crisis. He
maintained that rental assistance alone could not compensate residents for their
losses. While the government has clear obligations toward its citizens,
displaced families primarily need a viable plan allowing them to return to their
villages and homes, something currently unavailable, he explained. Murad urged
the state to assume responsibility for the south, not merely by paying
compensation or countering Hezbollah, but by becoming the residents’ principal
authority and point of reference.
Three Objectives Behind the Pledge
Paris-based professor of law and foreign policy Mohieddine Al-Shuhaimi
identified three objectives behind Hezbollah’s announcement. First, he argued,
Hezbollah wants to preempt the state by portraying itself as capable of
delivering aid where public institutions appear absent or unable to fulfill
their responsibilities. Second, it seeks to demonstrate that it can still secure
funding despite substantial losses, restrictions and sanctions. Third, the
initiative aims to bolster morale among supporters amid emerging, albeit limited
and largely unspoken, discontent.
According to Al-Shuhaimi, Hezbollah fears even minor dissent within its ranks
and wants to reaffirm its position as the community’s protector rather than
leaving that role to the state. On financing, he observed that although the
party has lost substantial revenue sources and parts of its financial network,
it retains diminished resources and continues receiving assistance through
informal channels despite tighter oversight. Al-Shuhaimi called on Lebanese
authorities to avoid merely reacting to Hezbollah’s initiatives and instead
develop a comprehensive financial strategy aligned with a political process. The
state, he concluded, must reclaim its role and work toward ending the
exceptional situation created by Hezbollah’s weapons through a coordinated
political and financial approach.
Lebanon PM Says Scale of War Recovery beyond State's
Capacity
Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2026
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Friday that rebuilding regions
destroyed in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war was beyond the state's capacity,
calling for funding as he visited the heavily damaged south. "I am aware of the
magnitude of the crisis" including the destruction, displacement and loss of
livelihoods, Salam said in Nabatieh, a major southern city hit hard by Israeli
airstrikes. "But the scale of the needs exceeds the capacities of the Lebanese
state and its ability to bear these burdens alone," Salam added. "We still need
significant funding" for reconstruction, the prime minister said. Lebanese
militant group Hezbollah drew the country into the broader Middle East war in
March by attacking Israel, which responded with massive airstrikes and a ground
invasion. The fighting followed another conflict that erupted in 2023 that led
to an all-out war the next year. Lebanon has put the overall death toll from
these conflicts at more than 8,900. Hundreds of thousands of people remain
displaced, mainly from the south, while Israel maintains troops in a
self-declared "security zone" running around 10 kilometers (six miles) inside
Lebanon along the border. Last month, Salam said the estimated total cost of the
two wars could exceed $27 billion. "I am here today to affirm the return to work
of state institutions," he said during Friday's visit. Violence has decreased
since a ceasefire following a US-Iran memorandum of understanding in June, while
Lebanon and Israel concluded a US-sponsored framework agreement later that
month. But Nabatieh and surrounding areas in particular have seen continued
Israeli attacks. The Israel-Lebanon deal involves the disarmament of Hezbollah,
a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon's south and the deployment
of the Lebanese army to the region, starting in test areas known as "pilot
zones".
Salam said it was important to rally "all the capabilities and support we can to
achieve a full Israeli withdrawal" and build a state that is the sole decision
maker on war and peace. "This is the path to avoid finding ourselves once again
facing a new war or new pretexts to attack Lebanon, or a new expansion of the
(Israeli) occupation," he added. Hezbollah has rejected disarming.
Lebanon Army Says Seized 245 Kg of TNT at Syria Border
Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2026
The Lebanese army announced on Thursday that it had seized nearly 250 kilograms
(around 550 pounds) of explosives being transported from neighboring Syria into
Lebanon, though it was unable to apprehend the smugglers. "An army unit seized
approximately 245 kg of TNT, four explosive devices, eight detonators and
electrical wiring for the detonators", which were being "smuggled from Syrian
territory into Lebanese territory", the army said in a statement. "The smugglers
fled back toward Syria as soon as an army patrol arrived at the scene," it
added. Lebanon and Syria share a 330-kilometer (205-mile) border known for being
porous. Since the fall of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in late 2024,
both Lebanon and Syria have been working to stamp out overland smuggling along
their shared border -- including the trafficking of weapons and captagon.
Damascus regularly announces the interception of arms shipments destined for
Lebanon on behalf of Hezbollah, an organization that denies any presence or
activity in Syrian territory.
UN Worried about Impact of Latest Lebanon War on
Agriculture
Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2026
The deputy director-general of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization told
AFP on Thursday that she was "deeply concerned" about the impact of the latest
Israel-Hezbollah conflict on agriculture in south Lebanon. The latest war "puts
additional pressure on farmers and rural communities that, frankly, were already
facing considerable hardships", said the FAO's Beth Bechdol. "We're deeply
concerned" about the situation in south Lebanon, where agriculture is "at the
heart" of livelihoods, she said in an interview in Beirut.
"It is our best assessment that 56,000 hectares, which is more than 22 percent
of Lebanon's agricultural land, has been reported as affected or damaged,"
including burned or physically damaged, she said. The Iran-backed Hezbollah
group drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in March by attacking Israel, which
responded with massive airstrikes and a ground invasion that Lebanon says have
killed more than 4,300 people. The conflict came after hostilities that erupted
in 2023 and all-out war the following year. While the latest violence has
decreased since a June ceasefire, hundreds of thousands of people remain
displaced, mainly from the south, and Israel maintains troops in a self-declared
"security zone" running around 10 kilometers (six miles) deep inside Lebanon
along the border. Israeli forces have been carrying out widespread demolitions
affecting villages and farmland. "Farmers and their families are no longer able
to be connected to their agricultural land," Bechdol said, noting that the
conflict has also "disrupted markets and reduced access" to essentials for food
production including fertilizers. In June, a UN-backed assessment from Lebanese
authorities estimated agricultural production losses in south Lebanon this year
had reached at least $530 million. Bechdol also expressed concern about
potential contamination and soil damage in south Lebanon due to unexploded
ordnance and residues from military operations. She said she had held
discussions in recent days on the possibility of the FAO getting involved in
partnerships on de-mining work in south Lebanon. She also said she was "very
concerned about just general food security levels" in Lebanon. In April, a
UN-backed report said more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon were expected to
face acute hunger in the following months due to the latest war.
This week, UNICEF said four in five households in Lebanon "are struggling to
afford basic necessities as conflict compounds years of economic crisis".
Lebanon’s electricity tariff dilemma: Pay more to EDL or
pay more to generators?
LBCI/October 02/2026
In Lebanon, gasoline and diesel prices, as well as private generator electricity
bills, fluctuate with oil prices. But the tariff for Électricité du Liban (EDL)
cannot move. Energy Minister Joe Saddi has proposed a variable electricity
tariff to the Cabinet. Under the proposal, when oil prices rise, the electricity
bill would increase according to a set formula, and when prices fall, it would
decrease. The idea is simple: A shopkeeper cannot sell goods for less than what
they paid for them without eventually going out of business, and that is what is
happening with electricity. The proposal did not pass in the Cabinet because
most ministers argued that “this is not the right time” and that they do not
want to add further burdens on people. But this is where the calculation begins:
If Électricité du Liban cannot afford to buy enough fuel, electricity supply
hours decrease, pushing consumers toward private generators, meaning that, in an
effort to protect them from an Électricité du Liban bill, they end up paying the
generator bill instead. Official figures show that Électricité du Liban’s tariff
for regular subscribers is 10 cents per kilowatt-hour for the first 100
kilowatt-hours and 27 cents per kilowatt-hour for consumption above that.
Generators, meanwhile, already have a variable tariff that is adjusted monthly
based on diesel costs. It currently stands at around 60 cents or more per
kilowatt-hour, in addition to a fixed subscription fee. So the question is no
longer simply whether to introduce a variable tariff. The question is who will
calculate the actual cost to consumers and which option would be more affordable
for them. Within the Cabinet, there appears to be a shift in positions. Finance
Minister Yassine Jaber supports a variable tariff if it actually leads to
increased electricity supply hours. The Energy Minister says that, to increase
electricity supply at present, the state must pay its outstanding dues to
Électricité du Liban, which currently amount to around $350 million. The
minister has called for the state to pay around $50 million per month to provide
liquidity and purchase fuel. The state has made only one payment so far. He also
called for the state to cover exemptions granted to southern Lebanon, as well as
the cost of repairing the damage. The idea of a variable electricity tariff has
also reached Washington, where Minister Saddi and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam
heard from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund that adopting such
a tariff is necessary as a reform measure. Between Beirut and Washington, the
Cabinet is expected to revisit the proposal and, more importantly, tell Lebanese
citizens clearly what is holding up the variable tariff, how much cheaper or
more expensive it would be compared with generators, and what protections would
be in place for the first consumption bracket and for the most vulnerable
households.
Salam seeks withdrawal timeline and new UN force as Rubio
tackles verification mechanism
LBCI/October 02/2026
Lebanese government sources said the World Bank expressed readiness during Prime
Minister Nawaf Salam's talks in the United States to support Lebanon’s budget if
an agreement is reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The sources
said the World Bank also inquired about loans granted to Lebanon that have not
yet been disbursed. The IMF, meanwhile, expressed readiness to begin discussing
the framework of a program with Lebanon during a special visit by an IMF
delegation in November, provided that Lebanon continues its legislative reform
process, according to the sources.
During talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Prime Minister Salam said
the solution lies in implementing the framework formula by setting a timeline
for the Israeli withdrawal alongside extending state authority over all Lebanese
territory. Salam also called for a robust verification mechanism to prevent the
continued exchange of accusations between Lebanon and Israel, stressing that
verification must be applied to both sides. According to the sources, Rubio
instructed his team to immediately begin addressing outstanding details related
to the verification mechanism and the entity that would oversee it, describing
the issue as central to resolving the questions of weapons and Israeli
withdrawal. The sources said Salam also called in Washington and New York for a
post-UNIFIL force to be under U.N. auspices and based on a new U.N. Security
Council resolution, drawing on Resolution 1701 and complementing the framework
formula. Washington, meanwhile, expressed understanding of Lebanon’s rejection
of a security vacuum in southern Lebanon, the sources said, adding that the
Lebanese issue remains on the agenda of Security Council members and continues
to receive the attention of the U.S. administration.
Aoun, Salam discuss Washington talks, Nabatieh visit and
Cabinet measures
LBCI/October 02/2026
President Joseph Aoun received Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at Baabda Palace on
Friday afternoon, where Salam briefed him on the results of his visits to New
York and Washington and the positive talks he held with several U.S. and
international officials on developments in Lebanon and the region. Salam also
briefed Aoun on his tour of the Nabatieh region earlier in the day and his
meetings with officials and residents, which focused on the needs of local
communities. The two leaders also discussed steps needed to address economic and
daily living concerns, as well as measures approved by the Cabinet during its
meeting on Thursday.
Salam visits Nabatieh, says scale of war recovery beyond
state capacity
Agence France Presse/October 02/2026
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Friday that rebuilding regions destroyed in the
latest Israel-Hezbollah war is beyond the state's capacity, calling for funding
as he visited the heavily damaged south. "I am aware of the magnitude of the
crisis" including the destruction, displacement and loss of livelihoods, Salam
said in Nabatieh, a major southern city hit hard by Israeli airstrikes. "But the
scale of the needs exceeds the capacities of the Lebanese state and its ability
to bear these burdens alone," Salam added. "We still need significant funding"
for reconstruction, the prime minister said. Iran-backed Hezbollah drew the
country into the broader Middle East war in March by attacking Israel, which
responded with massive airstrikes and a ground invasion. The group argued that
it was retaliating to Israel's killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei and
also to 15 months of deadly Israeli attacks on Lebanon that followed the 2024
war.
Lebanon has put the overall death toll from the conflicts that started in 2023
at more than 8,900. Hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced, mainly
from the south, while Israel maintains troops in a self-declared "security zone"
running around 10 kilometers inside Lebanon along the border. Last month, Salam
said the estimated total cost of the two wars could exceed $27 billion. "I am
here today to affirm the return to work of state institutions," he said during
Friday's visit. Violence has decreased since a ceasefire following a U.S.-Iran
memorandum of understanding in June, while Lebanon and Israel concluded a
U.S.-sponsored framework agreement later that month. But Nabatieh and
surrounding areas in particular have seen continued Israeli attacks. The
Israel-Lebanon deal involves the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual withdrawal
of Israeli forces from Lebanon's south and the deployment of the Lebanese Army
to the region, starting in test areas known as "pilot zones".Salam said it was
important to rally "all the capabilities and support we can to achieve a full
Israeli withdrawal" and build a state that is the sole decision maker on war and
peace. "This is the path to avoid finding ourselves once again facing a new war
or new pretexts to attack Lebanon, or a new expansion of the (Israeli)
occupation," he added. Hezbollah has rejected disarming.
Moussawi slams 'liar and despicable' Bassil after FPM calls
him 'unhinged'
Naharnet/October 02/2026
The war of words continued on Friday between Hezbollah official Nawaf al-Moussawi
and the Free Patriotic Movement, with Moussawi labelling FPM chief Gebran Bassil
as a “despicable and detestable” liar. "The failing Gebran Bassil continues to
export his Quixotic lies through a mouthpiece he has fabricated for himself (the
FPM). This Gebran was never worthy of even leading himself, were it not for his
forced appointment after the expulsion of the Free Patriotic Movement’s first
and ongoing activists,” Moussawi charged, describing Bassil’s current associates
as “brokers and opportunists who scooped from his financial and administrative
corruption.”“This Gebran never had any intrinsic worth. He would never have been
a minister were it not for those who wanted to appoint him for the sake of the
dear, great Michel Aoun,” Moussawi added. “This coward does not dare to admit
that his greed for the presidency undermined an internal front worked for by His
Eminence, the Supreme Sayyed (Hassan Nasrallah), who rejected him completely
ever since he concluded his meeting with him, refraining from meeting him or
even speaking to him by phone,” the outspoken Hezbollah official added.
“I am not concerned with debunking his statement of lies; even those closest to
him among the Lebanese do not love or tolerate him, because he is a despicable
and detestable person," Moussawi went on to say. The FPM had earlier in the day
blasted Moussawi’s “repulsive and provocative discourse,” accusing him of
seeking to “increase divisions among the Lebanese using a sectarian-inciting
style that has ... caused harm to the party he represents.”“By contrast, the
Free Patriotic Movement insists on adopting a stance and discourse that preserve
national unity without deepening divisions, out of concern for civil peace. It
has made sacrifices in its understanding with Hezbollah and in its comprehension
of it at the expense of its own interests,” the FPM noted. Accusing Moussawi of
“fabricating and distorting facts,” the FPM said “it is clear that Mr. Moussawi
makes a profession out of lying and imagines details of events to give the
impression that he is within the decision-making circle” of Hezbollah. “On the
other hand, he lacks any understanding of the dialogues that took place between
the Sayyed (Nasrallah) and the head of the Movement (Bassil). The Sayyed’s own
testimony about him in the media and Moussawi's dismissal from his parliamentary
position are two clear proofs of this,” the FPM added. It accordingly called on
Hezbollah to “refrain from allowing such statements to be issued by this
unhinged individual who was previously relieved of his responsibilities.”
Lebanon condemns Houthi drone attack on power facility in
Medina
LBCI/October 02/2026
Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned a Houthi drone attack on an
electricity distribution station in Medina, Saudi Arabia, which disrupted one of
the transformers supplying power to the Prophet's Mosque. In a statement, the
ministry said the attack on vital civilian infrastructure represented a
dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of international law and
international humanitarian law. It also described the incident as an
infringement on Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and security and a threat to regional
stability. The ministry said Lebanon categorically rejects any targeting of
Saudi territory or infrastructure and expressed its full solidarity with Saudi
Arabia and its support for the kingdom in confronting anything that threatens
its security and sovereignty.
Lebanon’s Labor Ministry warns of fake Instagram account
impersonating Minister Mohamad Haidar
LBCI/October 02/2026
Lebanon’s Ministry of Labor warned against a fake Instagram page impersonating
Labor Minister Mohamad Haidar by using his name and photo, urging the public not
to interact with it. The ministry stressed that any communication, statement or
request from the labor minister or his office is issued exclusively through
official and authorized channels. It also urged the public to exercise caution
and report any suspicious activity linked to the page or other similar accounts
to the relevant authorities.
A Prescription for My Beloved Homeland, Lebanon
Sheikh Mohammad Ali Al-Fouani/October 02/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/10/158040/
(Translated to English by the LCCC website editor with AI help)
Lebanon Needs an Economic Chapter VII: Painful, but Necessary
Lebanon is no longer a patient in need of painkillers; it is a patient in need
of major surgery.
Every domestic remedy has been tried and has failed, because those entrusted
with treatment have become part of the disease itself.
The entrenched political and financial system that squandered public funds,
wiped out depositors’ savings, crippled the electricity sector, and presided
over the Beirut Port catastrophe cannot be expected to hold itself accountable.
Likewise, the armed organization aligned with Iran, which has appropriated the
state’s authority over war and peace, is unlikely to relinquish its weapons
through dialogue alone.
Why an Economic Chapter VII?
What is meant by an “economic Chapter VII” is neither foreign occupation nor the
deployment of international troops. Rather, it is a United Nations Security
Council framework designed to place Lebanon’s key public institutions and
financial resources beyond the control of the political establishment that has
brought the country to collapse.
Such a framework could include:
1-Independent international oversight and auditing of the Port of Beirut,
customs administration, the electricity sector, and the Central Bank for a fixed
transitional period.
2-The freezing of assets and financial accounts belonging to officials and
financial actors under investigation, along with travel restrictions until
audits and judicial proceedings are completed.
3-Conditioning international reconstruction assistance on the exclusive
authority of the Lebanese state over both arms and public finances.
The Cost of Recovery
Such measures would undoubtedly come at a price.
Prices could rise temporarily. Smuggling networks that have long thrived in the
shadows would be disrupted. Patronage-based employment practices would be
curtailed.
But this would be the pain of treatment—not the pain of decay.
It would serve the interests of every Lebanese citizen, regardless of sect or
region: the Sunni, Shiite, Christian, and Druze who seek reliable public
services instead of endless promises; the depositor who wants the return of his
savings rather than further assurances from those responsible for their
disappearance; and the people of southern Lebanon as much as those of Beirut,
because no meaningful reconstruction can take place without one state and one
sovereign authority.
Sovereignty and Accountability
Critics may argue that such measures constitute foreign interference or a
violation of national sovereignty.
Yet a legitimate question remains: where was that sovereignty when state
institutions, borders, ports, and airports fell under competing centers of
power? Where was sovereignty when public institutions became instruments of
regional interests and domestic patronage?
True sovereignty is not preserved by those who undermine it. It is restored by
those who reclaim it on behalf of the nation.
An economic Chapter VII, in this view, would represent a final emergency measure
before total institutional collapse. It would not be directed against Lebanon
itself, but against those who have effectively captured the state while claiming
to represent it.
It would not amount to the surrender of sovereignty, but rather an attempt to
recover it from those who have compromised it.
Pain is temporary; the state must endure.
A Prescription for Lebanon
First: An economic Chapter VII framework to protect public funds from corruption
and mismanagement.
Second: An independent international judicial mechanism to investigate and
prosecute those responsible for the Beirut Port explosion and the disappearance
of depositors’ savings.
Third: One army, one legitimate authority over arms, and one sovereign national
decision-making process, with no weapons operating outside the authority of the
state.
Only through such measures, the argument goes, can a new Lebanon emerge—a
Lebanon governed by institutions and the rule of law, rather than by patronage
networks and competing power centers.
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on October 02-03/2026
UAE official says flydubai attack
'terrorist act' as he praises pilot
Agence France Presse/October 02/2026
A senior UAE official said Friday that the incident aboard a flydubai flight to
Israel this week was a "terrorist act", praising the captain who helped stop the
plane from crashing after he was attacked by his co-pilot. Presidential adviser
Anwar Gargash said on X that Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, was a "true
hero" and deserved "every appreciation"."In confronting a serious terrorist act
and a potential disaster, he embodied the true meaning of courage and
responsibility," Gargash said. The aircraft carrying 174 people was forced to
make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after the pilot was stabbed by his
co-pilot.
The exact circumstances of the incident and the motive of the assailant are
under investigation in the United Arab Emirates, where the two men have been
transferred. "Vigilance and caution remain essential in the face of the dangers
of extremism and terrorism," Gargash said. Machchhar, in his first public
remarks since the incident, said Friday that he had made one "last push" to
unlock the cockpit door during the attack, allowing passengers and crew to
intervene and regain control of the aircraft. The plane was carrying mostly
Israeli passengers and the flight had eight crew members.
KSA says flydubai co-pilot transferred to UAE
Agence France Presse/October 02, 2026
Saudi Arabia's interior ministry said Thursday that the flydubai co-pilot,
suspected of an attack stopped by the captain and passengers on a flight bound
for Israel, has been transferred from the kingdom to the United Arab Emirates.
The plane's captain and the co-pilot "after their health improved and the
medical team cleared them, left the Kingdom heading to Abu Dhabi on Thursday
morning... accompanied by the Emirati security team", the ministry said in a
statement, adding that the initial investigation showed the co-pilot attacked
the captain.
Netanyahu warns ‘very heavy price’ if any power behind
FlyDubai incident
AFP/October 02, 2026
JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Friday that Israel would
impose a “very heavy price” on any power behind the FlyDubai incident, without
offering evidence that any country was responsible. “As time passes, the picture
is becoming clearer: The attacker underwent Islamist radicalisation. He came to
crash the plane with all passengers on board,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
“We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very
heavy price,” Netanyahu said of the co-pilot assailant.
Netanyahu did not identify any country as a potential culprit but for years has
been quick to point the finger at Iran, which Israel and the United States
attacked in February. US President Donald Trump, who in April reached a
ceasefire with Iran that is now in tatters, said Thursday in response to a
question that he was “hearing” that Iran was involved and that the country will
“be hit very hard” if so. Israel and the United States have linked Iran’s Shia
clerical state to numerous attacks around the world since the Islamic republic
was founded in 1979. But it has little-known connection to hijackings, hallmarks
of Al-Qaeda during the September 11, 2001 attacks and of the Popular Front for
the Liberation of Palestine in the 1960s and 1970s. Netanyahu has previously
said the pilot was from Oman and earlier left open the possibility that he was
experiencing mental problems. Israeli officials and witnesses say the co-pilot
of the Tel Aviv-bound flight on Wednesday stabbed the Indian pilot, who let
passengers come into the cockpit to overpower the attacker. The plane made an
emergency landing in Saudi Arabia with no deaths.
Capt. Smit Machchhar: India’s ‘hero’ pilot who thwarted
Flydubai attacker
Sanjay Kumar/Arab News/October 02, 2026
NEW DELHI: Capt. Smit Machchhar was operating Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai
to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when his co-pilot attacked him. He was lying on the
floor of the flight deck, covered in blood, when he realized the plane carrying
more than 170 people was plunging, and he had to do something. “I had so many
injuries, but I told myself I have to get up and act. At the time, I pushed
myself to go for one last push to open the cockpit door,” Machchhar said in a
video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Others came in and also
played a role (in managing the situation). I was of course fighting for my own
life but at the same time I knew I was not going to let others die.”His
lifesaving actions made global headlines and earned him praise across his home
country of India and beyond, with Modi among those calling him a “hero.”“The
whole country is praying for you … Your courage, presence of mind and composure
saved many lives,” Modi told him during the call. “You have made the whole
country proud.”After the assailant was subdued, the plane made an emergency
landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where Machchhar received medical care before
being transferred to Abu Dhabi for continued treatment on Thursday morning. The
Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi said the captain is “in good health and recovering
well.”Preliminary investigations conducted by Saudi authorities, in coordination
with a security team from the UAE, “revealed that an altercation occurred in
which the co-pilot assaulted the captain, resulting in injuries to both
individuals,” an official from the Saudi Ministry of Interior said in a
statement. Flydubai said that “the underlying reasons and motives behind this
event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation.”On his LinkedIn
profile, Machchhar emphasized his “strong focus on safety, compliance and
operational excellence,” listing around 13 years of commercial aviation
experience. He spent around a decade at India’s SpiceJet in Mumbai, where he
worked as a senior commander and a line training captain, before joining
Flydubai in 2022. He has been living in Dubai in recent years for the job, while
his family still lives in Ghatkopar East, a suburb of Mumbai, where he grew
up.Prateek Gandhi, one of Machchhar’s childhood friends, remembers him as a calm
and soft-spoken person. “He has always been calm and composed, and he would not
get ruffled so easily,” he told Arab News, adding that they used to play cricket
together. “He would demonstrate composure even in a difficult situation while we
would be in the cricket ground. This trait of his, I think, helped him in
handling the difficult situation in the cockpit.”
Iran sentences leading actress who denounced protest
crackdown
afp/October 02, 202615:16
PARIS: A leading Iranian actress has been sentenced to one year in prison in
Iran for her support of protesters killed during a crackdown on anti-government
rallies in January, a US-based NGO said Friday. Elnaz Shakerdoust, who acted in
dozens of films over a two-decade career, said in February that she would never
perform in the country again after the authorities killed thousands in a
crackdown on nationwide protests. The actress’s sentence, was upheld on appeal,
according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) NGO and the
independent outlet Emtedad, which spoke with the actress’s lawyer. It also
includes a two-year ban on political, artistic and online activities, they
added. Shakerdoust’s current whereabouts remain unknown. A friend contacted by
AFP journalists in Paris, who asked to remain anonymous, said Shakerdoust was
not currently in prison, but she could not confirm whether the actress was in
Iran or not. Shakerdoust had been “accused of propaganda activities against the
Islamic republic”, the friend said. In her February post, the actress said: “I
am in mourning for my dear ones; what festival, what celebration can there be? I
will participate in no celebration, and I will never again play any role on this
soil that smells of blood.” In January, the Iranian authorities crushed
nationwide protests that began over the cost of living. Rights groups estimate
that tens of thousands were killed. The government has acknowledged more than
3,000 deaths but blames them on the protesters and US-Israeli orchestration.
US Sending 3rd Aircraft Carrier, More Troops to Mideast
Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2026
The Pentagon is sending a third aircraft-carrier strike group and an additional
Marine expeditionary unit to the Middle East, according to US officials, adding
9,000 to 10,000 more troops to the region as President Donald Trump considers
renewing strikes on Iran after the midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal
reported. The ships, jet fighters, Marines and sailors will arrive in the region
by the end of November, the officials said. Trump recently told aides that he
expects to resume bombing Iran that same month, according to the newspaper.
The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt left its home port of San Diego on
Sunday on a scheduled deployment, while the USS Makin Island Amphibious Ready
Group, comprising three amphibious ships carrying Marines from the 13th Marine
Expeditionary Unit, left on Monday. Two carriers—the USS George H.W. Bush and
USS George Washington—are already in the Middle East. If the Washington stays
after the Roosevelt arrives it will bring the region to three carrier strike
groups for the first time since April, before Iran and the US clinched a fragile
ceasefire that temporarily ended fighting that began on Feb. 28. That ceasefire
collapsed, and the two sides have fought sporadically since. Besides the Bush
and Washington, ships from the USS Boxer Amphibious Ready Group are also in the
Middle East. The additional servicemembers on the warships that deployed this
week will add to the more than 50,000 troops already in the region, one of the
officials said. It is possible that the Washington could leave the region and
head back to its home port in Japan, bringing the force back down to two
carriers. Spokespeople for the White House and Pentagon didn’t respond to
requests for comment.
Tanker struck in the Strait of Hormuz
AP/October 02/202615:17
A tanker was struck in the Strait of Hormuz by an “unknown projectile” while
transiting outbound through the waterway, the British military said Friday. The
attack caused a “small fire and blackout onboard” but there were no reported
casualties, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) said.The
fire was extinguished and the tanker continued its transit. UKMTO did not
identify the tanker and there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the
attack. Four tankers have recently been hit by projectiles in the critical
waterway, bringing the total to five with Friday’s incident, UKMTO said.
Overall ship traffic remains below prewar levels in the Strait of Hormuz, as do
shipments of energy products, even though Iran has lost its near-complete
chokehold over the crucial waterway thanks to the US Navy’s efforts to shepherd
oil tankers through the strait.
That, along with various pipelines, has allowed Gulf countries to restore oil
exports to nearly prewar levels.
Iran Launches 30 Drone, 10 Missile Attacks Per Week on
Ships in Hormuz
Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2026
Iran has been launching dozens of drones and missiles at commercial ships in the
Strait of Hormuz each week, largely out of the public eye, though it has often
failed to strike its targets, confidential data shared with The New York Times
by a Western security official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss
operational matters shows. Since the beginning of August, Iran has launched
about 30 drone attacks and 10 anti-ship missile attacks per week against
commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to the data shared
with The Times by the official.At least four commercial ships have been hit by
Iran in the past 10 days, the official said. A tally of reports by a monitoring
group run by the British Navy show that since Sept. 10, at least 13 ships, most
of them oil tankers, had been struck by projectiles or debris from projectiles.
(Those reports may be incomplete because they are based on voluntary reports by
ship crews.) While the reports do not specify who was responsible for the
attacks, maritime experts say the details suggest many were Iranian. On
Wednesday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps for the first time appeared to
confirm it was behind the near-daily sounds of explosions heard from Iran’s
southern coast, saying it was striking targets in the Strait of Hormuz every 24
hours. “We prevent them from passing, but for some time now, America has not
responded,” a spokesman for the Revolutionary Guards said in a state news
interview. The aggression shows that even as oil exports from the Middle East
have rebounded in recent weeks, shipping through the waterway remains risky, as
Iran jostles to keep control of one of its biggest sources of leverage.
“Negotiations aren’t going anywhere. Neither side is really budging. So it’s a
standoff,” said Gregory Brew, an Iran analyst at the Eurasia Group. He said that
the violence in the strait “speaks to the position that both sides are in:
Neither is looking to aggressively escalate the conflict.” But both, he said,
want to control the waterway.
Trump Sidesteps Questions on Endorsing Netanyahu Before Oct. 27 Israeli
Elections
Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2026
US President Donald Trump won't say whether he thinks Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu should be reelected when voters head to the polls later this
month. The president, who sat down with Time magazine for a 75-minute interview
published Thursday, sidestepped multiple questions about Netanyahu's reelection
bid. Israelis are set to vote Oct. 27, in the first national elections since the
2023 Hamas attack on Israel. The absence of an endorsement is a setback for the
Likud party politician, who has billed his tight ties to Trump as a selling
point for keeping him in power. “I can only say that I’m not involved in
politics anymore,” responded Trump, when asked if Israelis should give Netanyahu
another term. The US president is in fact ramping up his campaigning for
Republicans in the November midterms, and has made a public flex of his
political influence abroad on a scale that few if any US presidents have
exerted. He has endorsed candidates like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán
in his unsuccessful bid for a fifth term, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi
and Polish President Karol Nawrocki, as well as several Latin American leaders.
Trump's tepid comments sharply contrast with his more fulsome displays of
support for Netanyahu in the past. In a 2019 campaign, Netanyahu purchased
massive billboards picturing him with Trump and the message “Netanyahu. In
Another League." Trump, in turn, highlighted the campaign ad in his own social
media feeds.
In the Time interview, Trump, however, didn't miss an opportunity to highlight
his own record on Israel as the reporters made several attempts to get him to
talk about Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, and his
reelection battle.Trump did note that Netanyahu has shown resilience over the
course of his political career.The Israeli leader is in the midst of a yearslong
corruption trial, faced massive protests in 2023 after introducing a plan to
restructure Israel’s judiciary and his image has been tarnished by his
government's intelligence and security lapses ahead of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack
by Hamas on Israel.
Last November, Trump sent a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog asking him
to pardon Netanyahu on the corruption charges and praised the prime minister as
“a formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister.”“Well, people have written
off Bibi many, many times, just like they’ve written off me many, many times,"
Trump said. "I wouldn’t underestimate Bibi.”On Netanyahu’s most serious
opponent, centrist Gadi Eisenkot, Trump said, “I don’t hear bad things about
him.”In June, before Eisenkot announced he was running, Trump said he would
“most likely” endorse Netanyahu but that he would have to see who he was running
against him first. The US-Israeli relationship has become strained Trump remains
a popular figure in Israel. During his first term, he lent unprecedented support
to Israel’s claims to territory seized in war, including by moving the US
Embassy to Jerusalem. The robust support continued in his second term, as he
backed Israel’s actions in Gaza and joined it in bombing Iran. Netanyahu has
been a frequent guest at the White House and frequently speaks to Trump on the
phone. The alliance has been particularly beneficial to Netanyahu, who has
sought to tie himself to Trump to improve his image at home. But there has been
strain between the two leaders over the course of the seven-month Iran war.
Trump was critical of Israel’s decision to attack a critical Iranian gas field
in the first weeks of the conflict. Trump in June called Netanyahu “crazy” and
said that he was “a little bit perturbed” as Israel’s fighting with Hezbollah in
Lebanon was holding back peace talks with Iran. In August, Netanyahu rejected
Trump’s latest plan to advance the stalled ceasefire in Gaza, pushing back on
the US administration's call for Israel to withdraw from territory it controls
in Gaza until Hamas has been disarmed. With the move, Netanyahu rolled the dice
on potentially angering Trump, who he has repeatedly said is the greatest friend
Israel has ever had in the White House. Going along with Trump's plan could
arguably be more perilous for Netanyahu’s reelection chances as the country
remains deeply traumatized by the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that happened on his
watch. Netanyahu's nationalistic base opposes concessions to the Palestinians.
Iraq says it got US exemption for Iranian flights to and from holy city
AFP/October 02, 202614:32
BAGHDAD: The United States has granted sanctions exemptions for some Iranian
airlines to operate flights to Iraq’s holy city of Najaf, the Iraqi prime
minister’s office said Friday, as Washington targets Iran’s aviation sector to
choke its economy in the Middle East war.
It said Baghdad had secured “an agreement allowing Iranian airlines, with the
exception of Mahan Air, to operate 40 flights daily to and from Najaf”, a city
sacred to Shia Muslims. Washington announced sweeping new sanctions targeting
Iranian airlines last month as part of its efforts to pressure Tehran’s economy,
with the two sides still to make peace in the months-long conflict. Last week,
Najaf airport suspended all Iranian flights in cooperation with the sanctions,
leaving travellers scrambling for alternative routes. Several days later, the US
granted Iraqi Airways, the national carrier, a waiver to keep its own flights
going. An airport source said the exemption applied to pilgrims, while the
transport ministry said the flights would start in October. In its statement,
the Iraqi prime minister’s office welcomed a “positive response of the US
government” and said the new waiver would “facilitate the movement of pilgrims
and travellers, particularly those travelling for medical treatment, religious
visits, and tourism”. Early this week, enforcement of the US sanctions appeared
mixed, with China and Russia defying them while Turkey was allowing Iran Air but
not Mahan Air to fly to Istanbul. The United Arab Emirates, home to a large
Iranian community, did stop all flights. Announcing the sanctions, US Treasury
Secretary Scott Bessent said he would “shut down” Iranian airlines and that he
had sent envoys around the world to pressure countries to isolate Iran.
US widens Iran economic chokehold from sea to land
The Arab Weekly/October 02/2026
The administration of US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Iran’s rail
and auto sectors and their foreign suppliers, the Treasury Department said on
Thursday, widening its wartime economic campaign to isolate Tehran. The
sanctions are part of the department’s “Operation Economic Outcast,” announced
August 24, which aims to cut Tehran’s funding for the war, missile construction,
cyberattacks and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or IRGC. The move extends
US economic pressure on Iran from sea to land, targeting sectors Tehran has
leaned on since a naval blockade cut off its oil shipments through the Strait of
Hormuz. But the expanding sanctions risk inflicting severe costs on ordinary
Iranians, one analyst said. The US blockade of Iranian ports has forced Tehran
to rely more on autos and rail for transporting petroleum, fertilizer, chemicals
and other goods. Thursday’s sanctions target those alternatives, according to
the Treasury Department. The sanctions designate Iran Khodro Company, or IKCO,
and SAIPA Iranian Automobile Manufacturing Company, or SAIPA. Treasury said the
two companies represent more than 90 percent of Iran’s domestic auto market.
Treasury also designated the state-owned Islamic Republic of Iran Railway
Company, which provides passenger and freight services, the Raja Passenger
Trains Company and Sherkat-E Rah Ahan-E Khamle-O-Naghle, also known as the
Railway Transportation Company, which it said is a top private freight line.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the action “directly targets Iran’s
enablers and lays the groundwork for the United States and our partners to drain
the regime’s revenue once and for all.”Thursday’s sanctions also target foreign
companies in Indonesia, the UAE and Turkey that supply Iran’s auto industry.
“The blockade squeezed Iran at sea, sanctions increasingly isolate it by air,
and now Washington is constricting its economic arteries on land,” said Brett
Erickson, a sanctions expert and managing principal at Obsidian Risk Advisors.
“You cannot choke an economy like this without choking the livelihoods of the
people who depend on it.”
Jordan king urges US to help secure regional ceasefire in
call with Rubio
Arab News/October 02/202612:20
AMMAN: Jordan’s King Abdullah II called for a comprehensive regional ceasefire
and urged greater US support for de-escalation efforts during a phone call with
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday. The king stressed the need for an
agreement that guarantees the security and sovereignty of Arab states and
highlighted Washington’s “pivotal role” in efforts to restore regional
stability, according to the Jordan News Agency, or Petra. The call comes as
diplomatic efforts to end the US-Iran conflict remain deadlocked. US and Iranian
officials held separate talks with mediators this week over Tehran’s latest
ceasefire proposal, which included an end to regional hostilities and the
reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. King Abdullah and Rubio also discussed
efforts to support the Lebanese Armed Forces, following an Aqaba Process meeting
hosted by France and Jordan in Paris last month. The Sept. 17 meeting, attended
by French President Emmanuel Macron and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, sought
to mobilize international support for the Lebanese military and assess its needs
as part of efforts to strengthen state authority and stability. King Abdullah
also warned of the consequences of continued Israeli escalation in the southern
Syrian Arab Republic and reiterated Jordan’s support for Syria’s security,
stability and territorial sovereignty, Petra reported. Israel has carried out
repeated military operations in southern Syria and has maintained forces in
parts of the southwest since the fall of Bashar Assad in December 2024. Damascus
has condemned the operations as violations of Syrian sovereignty, while Israel
says its actions are intended to address security threats near its border. The
king has repeatedly called for broader regional de-escalation in recent weeks.
During a meeting with US President Donald Trump and Arab and Muslim leaders in
New York on Sept. 22, he urged restraint and warned against a widening of
conflicts across the region. Friday’s call also covered ways to strengthen the
strategic partnership between Jordan and the US across several fields.
Trump Reportedly Expected to Name Jay Clayton as AI Czar
Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2026
US President Donald Trump is expected to name Jay Clayton as his AI czar, CNN
reported on Friday, citing two sources familiar with the discussion. Clayton is
the US director of national intelligence. Last month, Trump said he plans to
appoint an artificial intelligence adviser, known as an "AI czar," and create an
"AI force," though he gave no details about either initiative or how they
would be implemented. This is the second time Trump has named an adviser to
oversee AI-related decisions across the administration, a position he has
dubbed "AI czar." Venture capitalist David Sacks held the role at the beginning
of Trump's second term, before leaving his team. Sacks still advises Trump on
AI. Trump's move comes as top AI researchers have warned that people building AI
believe it could kill humans within a decade, following cases of AI agents
going rogue to hack external systems. Several Democratic and Republican
lawmakers have responded with alarm and calls for more action. Trump has
repeatedly downplayed concerns about AI and argued that additional regulation is
unnecessary even as fears grow among lawmakers in Washington and globally about
risks posed by the technology.
Iran Asks Iraq to Return Flights Between the Two Countries
to Normal Conditions
Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2026
Iran asked Iraq to take steps to lift flight restrictions caused by US
sanctions and return flights to normal conditions, the country's foreign
ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Flights between the two countries were suspended amid US sanctions restricting
services to Iranian airlines, Reuters said.
Iran-Aligned Faction Demands Downsizing of ‘World’s Largest Embassy’
Baghdad: Hamza Mustafa/Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2026
As Iraq’s government steps up celebrations marking the end of the international
coalition’s mission and the US withdrawal, an Iran-aligned armed faction is
demanding a smaller US mission in Baghdad and an end to what it calls
“Washington’s economic dominance.”
Since last Wednesday, authorities in Baghdad have mobilized resources for
official celebrations of what they have designated “National Sovereignty Day.”
Iran and its allies have hailed the departure of the last troops - mainly from
an air base in Erbil, in the Kurdistan region - as a “victory,” even as some
Iraqis voice concern over geopolitical challenges.
An agreed timetable
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi told a “Sovereignty Day” conference on Friday that
Iraq’s foundations of “political, economic and security sovereignty” were taking
firm hold. “Iraqis have passed every difficult test,” he told executive and
legislative officials, saying the country had reached a moment when it was
renewing its resolve to protect the state and its system of government. Al-Zaidi
said Iraq’s restored sovereignty was reflected in the withdrawal of foreign
troops and the complete end of the international coalition’s mission. He also
cited an agreement for Turkish forces and Kurdistan Workers’ Party members to
withdraw, an end to the presence of foreign armed groups in Iraq, and the
unification of Peshmerga forces to strengthen unified security and military
decision-making. He reaffirmed that Iraq would not be used as a launchpad for
attacks on neighboring countries, and pledged to bring weapons under control in
line with the constitution and the law, following an agreed timetable to address
the factions’ status and integrate them into state institutions. The government
had originally given the factions until Sept. 30 to surrender their weapons,
coinciding with the end of the coalition’s mission. The groups had used the
coalition’s presence to justify keeping their arms.The government later dropped
that deadline and extended it to June 2027.
Barzani in Baghdad
Al-Zaidi’s speech made no mention of the role of foreign forces. Kurdistan
Region President Nechirvan Barzani, however, praised the US-led coalition for
helping Iraqis defeat ISIS. “Sovereignty means that the state has the final
say,” Barzani said in a speech delivered in Arabic. Decisions on war and peace
must rest exclusively with the state’s legitimate authorities, he added, and the
constitution and federal system must be upheld. During that difficult period,
the United States, the coalition and Iraq’s friends had stood by the country and
provided help at the Iraqi government’s request, he said. “Today, as they leave
Iraqi territory under the agreement concluded with the federal government, we
will not forget that support and assistance,” Barzani said, adding that Iraqis
would always regard it with appreciation and respect. “But true gratitude should
evolve into assuming national responsibility in Iraq.”
“The world’s largest embassy” The Nujaba Movement, led by Iran-aligned Akram al-Kaabi,
warned against any continued US military presence, including through security
companies or advisers. “Dealing on an equal footing requires the US Embassy to
be like other embassies, rather than a vast security and military compound,” the
movement said in a statement on Friday, describing it as the world’s largest
embassy. Nujaba demanded an end to US dominance over Iraq’s economy and
resources and to American interference in its political affairs.
It also called for freeing Iraqi skies from US aircraft it described as
attacking, and keeping US forces away from Iraq’s borders in Syria, Jordan and
Kuwait.
After the withdrawal
Experts and activists are questioning what comes next. Foreign troops stationed
in Iraq under an agreement with its government had not undermined sovereignty in
the first place, political activist Montadhar Naser said. “Nevertheless, their
departure signals that Iraq no longer needs any outside force,” he told Asharq
Al-Awsat. The authorities must now prove they can exercise full control on the
ground, he said, while factions continue to defy the state and the law and push
Iraq to the brink of regional military confrontations. Political science
professor Talib Mohammed Karim said Iraq’s political groups agreed on
sovereignty in principle, but differed over what it meant and how to achieve it.
“The international community, meanwhile, engages with Iraq according to the
extent to which it makes unified decisions through its institutions,” he told
Asharq Al-Awsat.
FBI Arrests Energy Department Employee on Charge of Trying to Support Houthis
Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2026
A Department of Energy electrical engineer has been arrested on charges of
providing support to the Iranian-backed Houthi militias, including by buying
materials for homemade explosives and drones and traveling to Yemen, the Justice
Department said Thursday. Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington,
was arrested Thursday and is due to make his first court appearance Friday.
Court records do not list an attorney available to speak on his behalf, The
Associated Press reported. The FBI says Ellaboudy had a goal of helping the
Houthis improve their communications capabilities and traveled last September to
Yemen. Upon his return to the United States, authorities say, Ellaboudy told
Customs and Border Protection officials that he was traveling back from Oman on
a work trip and was part of a US government mission to inspect missile defense
systems. But investigators interviewed Ellaboudy's supervisor, who reported
having no knowledge of any international travel or of an Energy Department
missile inspection program that Ellaboudy would have been assigned to, an FBI
affidavit said. The FBI says investigators began looking into Ellaboudy after
learning that he had purchased precursor chemicals commonly involved in the
construction of homemade explosive devices, including acetone and sodium
bisulfate, as well as parts used for drones. During the course of the
investigation, the FBI says, he communicated with multiple informants —
including one who purported to be a Houthi colonel — and provided advice and
assistance on communications equipment. Ellaboudy is charged under a law that
makes it a crime to provide material support to a group designated by the United
States as a foreign terrorist organization, of which the Houthis are one. “These
allegations are so deeply disturbing that they almost defy imagination,” John
Eisenberg, the assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department's
National Security Division, said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia accuses Houthis of targeting holy sites to
provoke Muslims
The Arab Weekly/October 02/2026
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday that the
Iran-aligned group had attacked a power distribution station in Medina, which
supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites. The
coalition said the attack put one transformer out of service but did not affect
the power network. A Houthi military source, quoted by the Houthi-run Saba news
agency, denied the coalition report. The Houthis later reported Saudi strikes on
the Yemeni capital Sana’a and other parts of Yemen, with no immediate Saudi
confirmation of the strikes. A spokesperson for Yemen’s armed forces, which are
aligned with the internationally-recognised government, said coalition forces
had attacked what it described as “high-value targets” in the capital Sana’a,
without providing further details. The recent escalation is the most serious
fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis since a UN-brokered
truce largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022. Hostilities resumed this year
after the Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July and began
attacking Saudi territory and shipping, while Houthi forces also made major
territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.Saudi Arabia has responded with
air strikes in Yemen and backed government forces fighting to repel the Houthis.
The Saudi-led coalition said an investigation and examination of drone wreckage
confirmed Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out Tuesday’s attack on
the Medina power station. A Houthi military source said the coalition claim was
a “lie” intended to cover up what he described as Saudi Arabia’s failure to
substantiate its earlier accusation that the Houthis targeted the Muslim holy
city of Mecca, said the Saba news agency. Saudi Arabia said two weeks ago it had
intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered
restricted airspace over the city. The coalition described the incident as the
second Houthi attempt to target Mecca since 2017, while the Houthis denied
targeting Mecca or any other Islamic holy site. The coalition said the Medina
attack was part of what it described as repeated Houthi attempts to target the
Two Holy Mosques and “provoke” Muslims worldwide. It said it would continue
taking measures to protect the holy sites and pilgrims. The coalition also said
it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis
toward the southern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait. It gave no immediate details
on any damage or casualties. Later on Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition said it
had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles and four drones over
southern Saudi Arabia. It said the ballistic missiles were intercepted over
Khamis Mushait and Jazan, while the four drones were intercepted over Khamis
Mushait. The coalition said its forces would continue “taking and implementing
operational measures to deter the Houthi militia”. It provided no further
details about casualties or damage caused.
Local officials said early on Friday that the Houthis had also targeted the
headquarters of the Saudi-led coalition forces command in Aden with several
ballistic missiles and drones. There was no immediate comment from the coalition
or the Houthis. The Saudi-led coalition said the Medina attack occurred early
Tuesday, September 29, and caused one transformer at the electricity
distribution station to go out of service without affecting the electricity
grid. Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said an investigation
and examination of the drone wreckage confirmed Houthi involvement in planning
and carrying out the attack. The coalition identified the facility as the Taibah
power distribution station, a civilian installation that supplies electricity to
the Prophet’s Mosque. Saudi Arabia has also said its air defences intercepted
and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca on September 15 before it entered
the city’s restricted airspace. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca or any other
Islamic holy site. Saudi Arabia has led a coalition supporting Yemen’s
internationally-recognised government against the Houthis since March 2015. The
group has controlled the capital Sana’a and several provinces since September
2014. Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman also discussed regional security
and defence cooperation on Thursday in separate calls with his US and French
counterparts. In a call with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, they reviewed
the Saudi-US strategic defence partnership and discussed coordinating efforts to
strengthen security and stability in the region, the Saudi Defense Ministry
said. In a separate call with French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin,
Khalid bin Salman discussed prospects for defence cooperation, as well as
regional challenges and efforts to address them in a way that preserves
international peace and security, according to the ministry.
From Air to Ground, Taiz Front Lines Repel Houthi Advance
Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2026
Government forces intensified operations across Yemen’s Taiz province over the
past few hours, targeting Houthi movements and reinforcements under heavy air
cover and recapturing positions the group had infiltrated as fighting entered a
pivotal phase. Successive Yemeni army statements reported 75 airstrikes on
Houthi positions and movements in Taiz over 24 hours. The strikes came in
successive waves targeting concentrations of fighters, vehicles, military
equipment, reinforcements, weapons depots, command-and-control centers and
supply points, according to statements by armed forces spokesman Col. Majed al-Nuzaili.
The airstrikes extended across a broad stretch of Taiz's front lines, rather
than concentrating on a single sector. Strikes also hit Sanaa, Saada and Hajjah,
indicating a widening confrontation and an effort by government forces to
disrupt the movement and supply routes the Houthis use in their operations. The
strikes targeted Humair, Bani Bakari, Sami, al-Aqroudh, Sixty Street, al-A'mour
and al-Wazi'iyah in Taiz, as well as Midi and Bani Hassan in Hajjah. A second
wave targeted al-Rad'ah, al-Aqroudh, Bani Bakari, al-Kadhah, Mount Nu'man, al-Ajram
and al-Marzam in Taiz. The largest wave, comprising 27 airstrikes, targeted a
missile depot, command-and-control centers, forward supply and weapons
distribution points, concentrations of fighters, vehicles and military
equipment. It hit positions on Sixty Street north of Taiz city; Bani Omar;
Humair in Maqbanah; eastern al-Wazi'iyah; al-Ahkoum and al-Athawir in Hayfan;
al-Kadhah; Mount Nu'man; al-Kuraifat; Aqabat Munif; al-Tashrifat; al-Aqroudh;
Sami; and al-Shaqab in Sabir al-Mawadim. In another wave, Yemen's armed forces
announced 15 airstrikes in Taiz, targeting Ras Dariz, al-A'mour, Jashi Athawir,
Ras Hami at al-Khazzan on the al-Ka'awish front, and al-Junaid village in Hayfan.
The military said the strikes neutralized dozens of fighters and reinforcements
and destroyed equipment and vehicles. The military statements suggest the
strikes went beyond limited air support for front-line troops, forming part of
operations targeting the Houthis' movement, supply and command networks across
multiple fronts.
Attacks repelled
The strikes coincided with fierce clashes involving government forces and the
Popular Resistance on several Taiz fronts, particularly Bani Bakari in Jabal
Habashi, Humair in Maqbanah and al-Aqroudh southeast of the province, as well as
al-Kadhah, Mount Han and the northern and eastern fronts of Taiz city. Military
sources said government forces repelled Houthi attacks and forced the attackers
to retreat. On the Sami front southeast of the province, government forces and
the Popular Resistance also repelled a Houthi assault before reinforcing their
positions, while the Houthis withdrew toward Dimnat Khadir.
Sources said about 20 Houthi fighters were captured on the Sami front, along
with Houthi vehicles. In al-Aqroudh, they reported that government fire killed
about 30 Houthi fighters and wounded about 50 others. A separate military tally
put Houthi losses at about 100 fighters killed, dozens wounded and others
captured following the group's attacks on several fronts in the province.
Military vehicles were also disabled and weapons depots destroyed, according to
the tally. Taiz mountains formed a natural barrier against the Houthi advance
(Military media) Field assessments suggested the Houthi plan was to seize parts
of rural Taiz and impose a siege on the city, with the group massing dozens of
battalions for the operation. Government forces and the Popular Resistance held
their positions before some units began recapturing sites the Houthis had
infiltrated in al-Shamayatayn, Jabal Habashi and Sami. Beyond repelling the
attacks, government forces, backed by the Popular Resistance and local
residents, announced they had recaptured important areas in the Bani Omar
subdistrict of al-Shamayatayn, south of Taiz. Sources said the forces recaptured
Dar al-Rahah and advanced toward Shi'b al-Darahim, while the Houthis suffered
losses in personnel and equipment and several of their fighters were captured.
Fighting continued at other positions. Government forces say they have so far
thwarted the plan to seize parts of rural Taiz and besiege the city. The fronts
remain vulnerable to renewed attacks, particularly as Houthi military movements
continue along roads linking different parts of the province.
Restrictions on Houthi movement routes
The developments coincided with continued airstrikes on routes used by the
Houthis, extending the fighting beyond direct clashes over positions to attacks
on reinforcements, vehicles and sources of supply. Yemen's armed forces also
announced broad precautionary measures to protect civilians, urging residents,
drivers and civilian transport operators to avoid roads used by the Houthis to
move fighters and military supplies until further notice. The list included the
Sanaa–Dhamar–Ibb–al-Qa'idah–al-Hawban–al-Qasr roundabout route and the al-Hawban–al-Dimnah–al-Rahidah–Hayfan–al-Qubaytah–al-Mafalis
route.
It also included roads connecting Sharab, al-Rubai, al-Barh, al-Kadhah, al-Wazi'iyah,
Mawza and Mokha, as well as roads through al-Aqroudh, Sami, al-Ayyar and Jabal
Habashi. The warnings indicated the widening scope of military movements. The
armed forces stressed that the measures were temporary and precautionary and
that protecting civilians and their property was a priority. In a parallel
development, air defenses announced they had intercepted and shot down Houthi
suicide drones over Aden, Yemen's temporary capital. The army spokesman said the
drones were downed before reaching their targets in civilian areas and
neighborhoods. Strikes were also announced against high-value targets in Sanaa
and 11 high-value military targets in Saada, signaling an expansion of
operations beyond the Taiz fronts into the Houthi heartland. The Houthis'
attempt to control Taiz cost them hundreds of deaths and injuries in a week
(Military media)
Presidential consultations
Alongside the developments on the battlefield, Presidential Leadership Council
Chairman Rashad Mohammed al-Alimi held extensive consultations on the situation
in Taiz. He received briefings on the operations from council members
Abdulrahman al-Muharrami and Mahmoud al-Subaihi, the defense minister, the chief
of the General Staff, the commander of the Fourth Military Region, and military
and security officials in the province. The briefings covered troop readiness,
efforts to secure roads and supply lines, responses to attempted infiltrations
and breaches, and Houthi losses from the fighting and airstrikes.
Al-Alimi said government forces would continue operations according to
established plans. The Houthis had started the war and the armed forces would
end it, he said, according to official media, with the aim of restoring state
institutions, recovering the capital Sanaa and ending the coup. He also urged
residents of Houthi-controlled areas to resist mobilization campaigns and
prevent their children from being drawn into attacks he described as doomed to
fail. He renewed the state's commitment to what he called the "Safe Return
Initiative," saying its doors remained open to those who chose to side with the
state and its institutions.
Egypt Accuses 6 Arrested Journalists of Being Members of the Muslim Brotherhood
Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2026
Egyptian authorities have accused six journalists arrested this week of being
members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, saying they produced fabricated news
for an online outlet in exchange for foreign funding. Egypt’s Interior Ministry
on Thursday described "Matsadaash" as an unlicensed page managed from abroad by
a “fugitive Brotherhood member” it identified as Abdelrahman Mansour. It said
the six people detained were part of a Brotherhood “media committee” that
prepared false and fabricated news for Mansour to publish. Only one of the six
is a member of the Journalists’ Syndicate - the national press union - the
statement said. It said legal measures have been taken. On Wednesday, the
Journalists' Syndicate demanded the Interior Ministry and the General Prosecutor
to release the six journalists and disclose the circumstances and reasons for
their arrest, as well as their places of detention. In the report submitted by
the Head of the Journalists' Syndicate, Khaled El-Balshy, the Syndicate stated
that it had received complaints from lawyers and colleagues regarding the arrest
of six journalists from the platform, one of whom holds syndicate membership.It
confirmed that "the six colleagues Abdullah Qadri, Mohamed Sharaf, Mohamed Adel,
Islam Barakat, Mohamed Mahmoud, and Omar Hidayah were arrested from their homes
over the past two days." The Syndicate affirmed that it is making "diligent
efforts around the clock to secure the release of the six colleagues ... with a
full commitment to their appearance for any investigations should any charges be
brought against them."
About 400 French Schools Closed as Some Student Protests
Turn Violent
Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2026
About 400 schools in France are expected to remain closed on Friday after
student protests that began over education-related grievances escalated into
violence in some places, said Reuters. "There are a little over 400 schools and
other educational establishments that I know of that will be closed," French
Education Minister Edouard Geffray said in an interview with broadcaster
France 2 late Thursday. According to close to Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu,
intelligence agencies told a crisis meeting on Thursday that the protest
movement had been initiated by politicians from the hard left, including
members of La France Insoumise (LFI). LFI lawmaker Louis Boyard denied the
claim in comments to French broadcasters. The protests against teacher
shortages and dilapidated school buildings erupted in the Paris region last
month but have turned increasingly violent as they spread nationwide, with
dozens injured and police making hundreds of arrests. Student protesters
started fires in at least two high schools on Thursday, while teachers were
inadvertently splashed with petrol at a third in the southern city of Marseille,
officials said. At least one car was torched in Strasbourg in the east and riot
police clashed with youths in Toulouse in the southwest.
Taiwan Receives Its First US-made F-16V Fighter Jets
Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2026
Taiwan received on Friday its first F-16V fighter jets made by the United
States, as the island democracy upgrades its military capabilities to deter a
potential Chinese attack. The warplanes are part of an $8 billion deal for 66
F-16Vs approved during US President Donald Trump's first term and scheduled for
delivery this year, said AFP. The arrival of the aircraft comes as Taiwan awaits
Washington's approval of a separate $14 billion arms package that Trump paused
after Chinese objections. China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has
threatened to use force to seize it. The two F-16Vs, made by US defense
contractor Lockheed Martin, touched down under a clear sky at Taiwan's air force
base in Taitung, on the island's southeast coast. The jets had been expected in
early September after making refueling stops in Hawaii and Guam. Local media
reported that the planes had turned back to Hawaii shortly after taking off for
Guam. No official explanation was given.Dozens of locals, some equipped with
binoculars and long-lensed cameras, gathered near the air base's perimeter fence
to watch the highly anticipated arrival of the jets. Kimi Chi, a salesman from
the central city of Taichung, had travelled through the night to be able to
photograph the aircraft landing in Taitung. He was philosophical about the
delays, saying "good things take time.""In terms of hardware capabilities, there
will definitely be an improvement," the 37-year-old told AFP. "But what we are
actually lacking the most right now is pilots. Of course, I hope the government
can provide better additional allowances for these military pilots." Former Air
Force serviceman Eric Chan, 57, marveled at the improvements made to the F-16
over the past 30 years and said the fighter jets based in Taitung will "play a
very important defensive role" against China. "The threat from the CCP has
always been there so we definitely need to strengthen our defense capabilities,"
Chan told AFP, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. The F-16V is a
fourth-generation multi-role fighter and a significantly upgraded version of
Taiwan's ageing F-16 A/B jets.
Equipped with more advanced combat, detection and engine capabilities, the F-16V
will be "a valuable addition to Taiwan's air force in countering China's
military threat," said Su Tzu-yun, a military expert at the Taipei-based
Institute for National Defense and Security Research.
Delivery delays -
The United States is Taiwan's most important security backer and biggest arms
supplier. But bottlenecks have slowed delivery of critical weapons. Taiwan's
Defense Minister Wellington Koo said previously it would be "challenging" for
all the F-16Vs to be delivered this year, despite Lockheed Martin ramping up
production. On Friday, Koo said more F-16Vs would be delivered to Taiwan "before
the end of the year", but did not say how many. "At present, I think aircraft
are gradually moving through the production line, and there are also aircraft
that have passed the tests," Koo said. "As for when they will fly back, we will
coordinate further with the US side."Trump has stalled signing off on the record
$14 billion weapons purchase by Taipei, calling it in May a "very good
negotiating chip" in dealings with China, which raised fears that Taiwan's
security could be traded away.
Experts believe approval for the package is unlikely before the G20 summit in
the United States in December where Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Trump are
expected to meet for the fourth time this year. A US official said recently it
was increasingly likely the $14 billion worth of arms, which include the Patriot
air defense system, would be broken up into smaller amounts to temper China's
response.
Israeli forces detain Syrian resident in overnight Daraa raid
Arab News/October 02, 202613:29
LONDON: Israeli forces detained one resident and briefly held another during an
overnight raid on a village in southern Syria, according to Syrian state media.
Twelve Israeli military vehicles entered Maariya, a village in the Yarmouk Basin
of western Daraa province, through the northern entrance known locally as Valley
Road, a local source told Syria’s state-run SANA news agency. The vehicles then
moved through several residential neighborhoods, searched a number of homes and
detained two residents, the source said. One of the detainees was later
released, while the whereabouts of the other were not immediately known. The
raid was the latest in what Damascus describes as continuing Israeli violations
of Syrian territory.Syria’s interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa raised the issue
in a recent address to the 81st UN General Assembly, saying Israel had carried
out about 500 airstrikes and artillery attacks, more than 1,200 incursions and
roughly 300 arrests and detentions since late 2024. Al-Sharaa reiterated Syria’s
rejection of Israeli “attempts to impose a fait accompli” and “aggressions,
which undermine peace and security.”He also said Damascus remains committed to
the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement and called on Israeli forces to withdraw
to positions held before Dec. 8, 2024. In late 2024, Israel exploited a security
vacuum created by the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in a rebel offensive that
swept the country. Israeli forces quickly moved into a UN-monitored
demilitarized area inside Syria and took positions on Mount Hermon, a
strategically important high-elevation area overlooking parts of Syria, Lebanon
and northern Israel.
Israeli strikes kill 3 people in Gaza
AP/October 2, 202615:39
GAZA CITY: Three Israeli strikes in Gaza City and central Gaza killed three
people and wounded at least one other on Friday, according to health officials
at Gaza’s hospitals. Two strikes in Gaza City killed one person each, while
another strike in central Gaza killed a third, officials said. Israel’s military
acknowledged carrying out the strikes, saying that it was hitting militants in
those areas, without elaborating. Israeli forces have killed more than 1,400
people in Gaza since a ceasefire was announced last October, according to Gaza's
health ministry. Overall, more than 74,000 people have been killed by Israel's
offensive launched in Gaza three years ago in response to a Hamas attack. On
Wednesday, Gaza authorities said an Israeli airstrike killed five people,
"including a number of children and women," when it hit a minibus.
Israel top court puts Arab parties back on ballot
AFP/October 2, 202618:40
JERUSALEM: Israel’s Supreme Court on Friday put back on the election ballot an
Arab party that could be a kingmaker, hours after one Arab-Israeli politician
withdrew under court pressure. In September, an electoral committee of MPs voted
to disqualify multiple candidates for the October 27 general election, including
those from the United Arab List. The party made history after the 2021 election,
becoming the first Arab party to join an Israeli government when it took part in
a disparate coalition that briefly removed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
from power. On Friday, the Supreme Court unanimously overruled the lawmakers and
allowed the United Arab List as well as another Arab party onto the ballot. The
justices, in a 7-2 vote, also reinstated the candidacy of Ofer Cassif, a
far-left Jewish MP who is a relentless critic of Israel’s treatment of
Palestinians.
The two dissenting justices said that Cassif supported “armed struggle against
the state of Israel,” grounds for disqualification. The Supreme Court has nearly
always overruled the committee when it votes to ban candidates.But at a hearing
Thursday, justices suggested they would back the ban on Sami Abu Shehadeh, who
heads the left-wing Palestinian Balad Party. Abu Shehadeh withdrew his candidacy
shortly after. His party in a statement said that a court-ordered rather than
voluntary removal of Abu Shehadeh from the election would have had “grave
consequences for the country’s political and parliamentary life.”The case to
disqualify Abu Shehadeh relies on an article he wrote immediately after Hamas’s
attack on October 7, 2023, the deadliest in the history of Israel, which
responded with a massive offensive in Gaza.Abu Shehadeh in the article said that
the attack was an “important historical event.” He denied he was supporting the
attack. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a far-right ally of
Netanyahu known for provocative statements, led the charge against Abu Shehadeh
and called his exclusion from the election “a tremendous victory,” although he
said he wished the Supreme Court had directly ruled against him. Arab-Israelis,
descendants of Palestinians who fled or were forced out when the state of Israel
was created in 1948, make up about 20 percent of the country’s population. Most
identify as Palestinians and until 2021 had stayed out of Israeli coalition
politics. The United Arab List, known by its acronym Raam, took the
unprecedented step in the latest election of also running a Jewish Zionist
candidate, Yoav Segalovitz, who earned popularity in Arab communities for his
police work on curbing crime. Some analysts expect that Segalovitz’s inclusion
could make it easier politically for Netanyahu’s rivals to forge an alliance
with Raam and its leader Mansour Abbas, a moderate Islamist and former dentist.
Adalah, an advocacy group for the rights of Israeli Arabs, called the whole
disqualification bid an attempt “to delegitimize Palestinian citizens and their
parliamentary representatives and to turn racism against Palestinians into
electoral propaganda.”
Israeli minister fined over video showing him threaten Palestinian inmate
AFP/October 2, 202608:40
JERUSALEM: Israel’s elections commission has fined National Security Minister
Itamar Ben Gvir for a video he posted on X in which he threatened to “put to
death” a Palestinian prisoner, arguing the footage was electoral propaganda.
Far-right minister Ben Gvir, who is hoping to become defence minister under the
next government, frequently appears in videos confronting inmates in Israeli
prisons. The latest footage features convicted Hamas official Hassan Salameh.
Israel’s Central Elections Committee ruled on Thursday that Ben Gvir must delete
the video and pay 10,000 shekels (around $3,250) each to two rights groups that
had filed a petition against the footage. According to the decision seen by AFP,
the commission fined Ben Gvir not because of the content of the video but
because it deemed he had violated election rules by campaigning for the October
27 vote by publishing the footage. “The video is considered electoral
propaganda” and it has been “established that public funds were used” to make
it, the decision said. The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI),
one of the two rights groups that had lodged a complaint, welcomed the decision
on Friday. “We hope that the repeated rulings of the elections committee will
deter the minister from further using prisons as though they were his private
property, and humiliating prisoners as part of his election propaganda,” PCATI
legal director Merav Ben-Zeev said in a statement. Ben Gvir published the video
last month on X and has since deleted the post, but the footage is still
available elsewhere online. In the footage, the minister is seen in a prison
cell confronting Salameh, a Palestinian prisoner sentenced to multiple life
sentences for deadly attacks in Israel in 1996. The video shows Salameh, frail
and sporting a long beard, standing silently while Ben Gvir says, “I want to
kill you. I want to put you to death.”In the caption, Ben Gvir wrote: “As
national security minister, I led a policy that turned his life into hell. And
with God’s help, as defence minister, I will act to have murderous terrorists
like him executed.”Ben Gvir is well-known for his inflammatory remarks and for
posting videos of inmates. He published one in August 2025 that showed him
confronting the most high-profile Palestinian detainee in Israeli custody,
Marwan Barghouti, in his prison cell. In October of that year, he posted a video
of himself standing over a row of Palestinian prisoners lying prone with their
hands tied, in which he called for the “death penalty for terrorists”.Israel has
since passed a death penalty law tailored to apply to Palestinians only, whose
adoption Ben Gvir celebrated with a champagne toast.
US sanctions alleged Hamas finance network, including two France-based charities
AFP/October 2, 202610:43
WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday issued sanctions against three
individuals and two France-based charities that it said were part of a network
that raised more than $2 million for Palestinian armed group Hamas. “These
designations expose a sophisticated, multi?year financing architecture that
moved more than $2 million to Hamas through deceptive charitable fronts and
cryptocurrency channels, demonstrating the organization’s persistent ability to
adapt its fundraising mechanisms to evade detection,” the US Treasury said in a
statement. Those sanctioned include Saleem Abdallah Saleem Al-Zaq, identified as
a Hamas member who oversees the financial network and works with the group’s
media office. Also sanctioned were Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid, linked to the
France-based charities Association Baraka and Ensemble C Mieux. Both charities
were also named in Friday’s action.
“Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid operate from France, where they run purported
charities ostensibly to raise money for humanitarian purposes to aid Gazan
civilians,” the US Treasury said. It said the network had raised more than $2
million from 2020 to 2026, of which $1.5 million was raised after the October 7,
2023 attack by Hamas on Israel. That deadly attack provoked a devastating
military assault by Israel on Gaza that saw vast swathes of the Palestinian
territory reduced to rubble and more than 70,000 people killed, according to
official figures that the United Nations says are credible. Israel’s assault
prompted worldwide sympathy for the Palestinian cause among people, even if the
governments allied with Israel withheld full-throated condemnation. The Gaza war
was sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented 2023 attack against Israel, which resulted
in the deaths of 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official
Israeli figures. The massive Israeli response has left most of Gaza in ruins and
killed more than 74,000 people, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which is
under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United
Nations. Israeli forces have killed more than 1,400 people since a ceasefire was
announced last October, according to Gaza’s health ministry. On Wednesday, Gaza
authorities said an Israeli airstrike killed five people, “including a number of
children and women,” when it hit a minibus.
The Latest LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on October 02-03/2026
Iran: Desperate Remedies in Desperate Times
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/202
By the time you read this column, Iranian economy will have just one week before
it collapses, thus bringing down the regime established by Ruhollah Khomeini in
1979. That is if you believe US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who last week
predicted the collapse in two weeks’ time. Don’t tell anyone but I don’t believe
that is going to happen. At the same time, I am glad that Bessent has replaced
War Secretary Pete Hegseth as the talking head on the stalled war with Iran.
Why am I glad?
Not because it gives the Khomeinist regime a breathing space as advocates of
“maximum sanctions” always suggest, but because it halts wanton but far from
adequate military action that has turned this war into a series of tragicomic
gesticulations while inflicting untold hardship on Iranian people and doing
serious damage to world economy. At the same time, the halt in bombing deprives
the leftover Khomeinist regime from a chance to wrap itself in patriotic
tricolor masquerading as defender of the nation rather than the faith.
My guess is that part of the Trump team that has realized that the war as
designed and pursued so far won’t produce anything resembling a victory
convinced the boss that it had better be halted at least until the midterm
election in the US.
The Iranian economy isn’t going to collapse as Bessent hopes for several
reasons.
First, we don’t have an economy in the normal sense of the term in any of its
versions.
This is not a market economy as found in regular capitalist societies because it
functions through different and at times rival markets: white, brown and black
each of which respond to the current challenge in different ways. Alongside
that, we have seen the emergence of a parallel barter-based economy with its own
rules especially in border provinces. More importantly, Iran is self-sufficient
in energy, something that is the Achilles’ heel of modern capitalist societies.
If it reduces exports of gas and electricity to Iraq, Armenia and recently to
Russia, the regime is unlikely to face a big shortage in that field.
Even then, rationing remains an option.
Iran is also unlikely to face mass famine because it produces 89 percent of the
food it needs while exporting to several neighboring nations including Russia.
If continued long enough, but how long is a piece of string, Trump’s “maximum
pressure” could lead to further fall in the value of the Iranian national
currency, fanning the fires of inflation higher. But that, too, may have
unintended consequences. Iranians as long as records show, have always been
great in saving.
Decades ago that took the form of collecting gold and jewelry or buying land
because there was no stock exchange and no culture of investing in stocks. There
was no bond market because the government had massive revenues from oil exports
and didn’t need to borrow.
Even today, Iran is one of few countries unburdened by massive debts and/or
budget deficit.
Today, much of private savings in Iran comes in the form of buying foreign
currency, Bitcoins and/or gold and silver. And that benefits the government
which is the main supplier of foreign currency earned through oil exports. This
means the state earns dollars while most of its expenditure is in rials. The
Revolutionary Guard with its tentacles in Mafia-land also benefit because they
run a massive smuggling and bootlegging network across Iran and other countries.
Bessent’s belief that economic warfare as the talisman for victory is one
version of the old Marxian misconception that “it’s the economy stupid!”, and
that poverty and hunger lead to popular uprising and political change.
The experience of the past year has shown that Iran even if crushed in material
terms cannot be defeated in political terms with a short sharp shock-and-awe
campaign as designed by Hegseth. Today, perhaps for the first time in decades,
there is a realistic chance of thinking of regime change in Tehran. But for that
chance to be translated into reality, the leftover Khomeinist regime must be
defeated politically. And that requires intervention by the Iranian people. That
intervention, however, cannot take place under bombs or a steep rise in
quotidian hardship. The recent lull in bombing showed that many Iranians are
prepared to return to the domestic political battlefield against a regime that
has led them into conflict virtually with the whole world. Last week, we
witnessed demonstrations by university students in Tehran, teachers in more than
a dozen cities and medical auxiliaries in four provinces. There is talk of
bazaars planning shutdowns in dozens of cities within the next week or so.
That signals a possibility that if the lull endures, Iran may return to the
nationwide rebellious mood it had shown before the bombing stopped it thus
bringing the regime back from the brink.
The leftover Khomeinist coterie cannot solve Iran’s domestic economic, social
and political problems. At the same time no military and/or diplomatic scenario
can solve the regime’s problems with the outside world. At home, the regime is
digging its own grave by responding to the deepening economic crisis with
desperate not to say suicidal measures. They are talking of raising bank rates
from 22 percent to perhaps 30 percent when the rate of inflation is in the top
60s. The Islamic Prosecutor in Tehran says he has fielded a special squad to
crack down on buyers and sellers of foreign currency and gold and jewelry.
The Islamic Chief Justice suggests that shopkeepers who raise prices should be
hanged.
Regime economists suggest issuing bonds for the sale of part of the oil industry
and a number of other public monopolies to siphon back the greenbacks millions
of Iranians have been hoarding for years if not decades. It is like putting
Titanic’s furniture up for auction before it hits the iceberg. Iranian people
need a chance to catch their breath and resume their fight for freedom and
dignity. An ersatz diplomatic accord of the kind successive US administrations
have craved for will only prolong the regime’s shaky tenure. A resumption of
aimless bombing will force Iranian people back into the defensive in the name of
protecting the country. With Hegseth told not to brag, Bessent is fielded to
play the same tune in the different tone of “it isn’t billy!”
So That Iraq Does Not Become an Iranian Banana Republic
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed//Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/202
The withdrawal of American and other allied international forces comes at one of
the most difficult and dangerous moments, amid the US-Iranian war.
Over the past decade, Iraqi political forces and institutions have sought to
preserve Iraq's sovereignty and the independence of its decision-making. With
the departure of the Americans, Iran now seeks to fill the vacuum. Evidence of
Tehran's project suggests that it aims to control decision-making in Baghdad and
dominate key state institutions, including the military, security apparatus, and
parliament.
With the withdrawal of US forces, Iraqis faces the risk of a security and
political vacuum that recalls what occurred in Afghanistan and Somalia following
similar withdrawals, despite the differences in circumstances and context.
Iran has models for controlling the decision-making of states it has targeted by
creating parallel forces outside the state structure but under its control, such
as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. Iraq now faces the challenge
of safeguarding its independence and sovereignty.
What may happen next is a source of concern for the majority of Iraqis, as well
as for neighboring countries including Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Kuwait.
The choices made by Iraqi citizens, regardless of their political inclinations
or affiliations, will determine their future and the future of their children
and country. Does Iraq want to become like Lebanon and Yemen, where Tehran's
dominance has contributed to failure, bankruptcy, and chaos? Or does it want to
become a stable and economically successful country like its Arab and Turkish
neighbors?
The path out of the danger posed by Iranian influence may not be paved with
carpets and saffron. It requires frankness and determination in asserting the
sovereignty of the Iraqi state. Iran will realize that it cannot dominate Iraq
if it senses a broad Iraqi consensus rejecting such influence. Despite its
ambitions toward its wealthy neighbor, Tehran ultimately does not want to become
the enemy of the majority of the Iraqi people.
What Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi has courageously begun, through his call to
restrict the possession of weapons to the state alone, is a crucial first step
toward strengthening Iraq's security backbone and will be key to the country's
stability.
Among Iraq's pressing needs is the construction of a diversified economy that is
open to the world, thereby reducing external influence. Iraq's future, as Al-Zaidi
himself has argued, lies in becoming a successful economic power, not a country
ruled by militias or dependent on foreign aid. Economic strength serves as a
balancing force in relations with regional powers, including Iran, which can be
an economic partner rather than turning Iraq into a banana republic subordinate
to its interests.
The period following the American withdrawal will require addressing internal
wounds that have yet to fully heal and returning to dialogue in order to agree
upon national principles, including respect for the constitution, borders, and
sovereignty, rather than competing for factional influence. Rushing to rely on
Iran through militia power would awaken sectarian and regional forces and drag
the country into another cycle of violence.
Although the prime minister has led Iraq for only four months, he has already
earned the confidence of most domestic circles through his decisions against
corruption and authoritarianism, as well as through his economic development
program.
Regional relations also play a critical role in supporting Iraq's independence,
given geography and shared interests. Iran is an important neighbor, and no one
expects anything other than a strong relationship between the two countries.
However, that relationship should not, after the American withdrawal,
deteriorate into one of domination and regional manipulation.
At the same time, the Gulf states and Jordan are closely watching developments
in Iraq. Their interest lies in seeing Baghdad governed by a successful central
state that exercises genuine sovereignty over its decisions, rather than one
subordinate to regional powers seeking to use it as a hostile front against
neighboring countries. The same applies to relations with Syria, with which Iraq
shares an extensive border.
As two major developments unfold simultaneously - the US-Iranian war and the
American departure from Iraq - hostile activities and threats directed at
countries in the region have increased. While statements made in unofficial
Iraqi platforms threatening Syria and the Gulf should not necessarily be taken
at face value, such inciting voices nonetheless contribute to heightened
tensions and political mobilization.
Unfortunately, for nearly four decades under Baath Party rule, Iraq was known
throughout the region as a source of crises for neighboring countries, from
Türkiye to Kuwait and Syria.
Because of the Baath regime's aggressive policies, its removal became both an
Iraqi and regional demand, despite many people's discomfort with the fact that
change came through American occupation.
Everyone hopes to finally see Iraqis enjoy a stable and prosperous state, one
that joins others in promoting development, peace, and regional cooperation.
Iraq and the broader region are passing through a delicate and dangerous phase
that requires clarity and cooperation.
The Dilemma of Unchecked Technology
Dr. Amal Moussa/Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/202
We believe we are at a highly critical moment in the history, essence, and
limits of science and technology—one that leads us to question the extent to
which humanity's relationship with technology resembles that of a sorcerer to
magic, and the possibility of a catastrophic reversal.
For some time now, the world has been glorifying artificial intelligence, and
almost all of us have been awed by this innovation. However, if we examine our
awe a bit closely, we might notice that it is laced with a sense of dread or,
more precisely, apprehension.
The problem is not the fears or drawbacks that any innovation might
present—whether a medication, a machine, or a technique. That is a recurring
theme throughout almost the entire history of innovation. The example of
medicine alone suffices to support this idea, where the duality of treatment and
side effects has always been intertwined. As for the threats attributed to
artificial intelligence—such as its potential, if misused, to falsify reality,
eliminate various professions, plunge thousands into future unemployment, or its
risks in weaponry, espionage, privacy violations, and infringements on
intellectual property and human creative uniqueness—alongside all these anxious
and quite natural cries, solutions could be found if genuine willpower existed.
However, the greatest danger that warrants stopping to ponder deeply and hitting
the necessary brakes is the existential threat of artificial intelligence.
Heated scientific discussions from recent months explain this through a central
concept: AI could evolve to the point of surpassing all human intelligence,
leading to humans losing control over their destiny, or even the extinction of
the human race. The danger, plain and simple, lies in prominent scientific
figures in technology endorsing the scenario that AI - unless prevented - could
eradicate humanity. Out of sheer disbelief, mockery and laughter at this idea
were widely present on social media. Yet, two key indicators demand that we take
it seriously:
1. The scientific stature of those advocating the scenario of AI posing an
existential risk to humanity in the near future.
2. The nature of the threat itself, which touches human existence rather than
just presenting ordinary operational challenges shared with many other
innovations.
The dimensions of this declared risk can be summarized in several points,
primary among them being the dilemma of "Artificial Superintelligence" (ASI).
This theory posits that once AI reaches the level of general human intelligence,
it will be capable of reprogramming and improving itself at an exponential rate.
According to proponents of this catastrophic scenario, this would lead to the
birth of a superintelligence that exceeds human cognitive capacity billions of
times over.
This implies what warning tech experts call the "understanding gap"- meaning the
human mind will no longer be able to comprehend how such a system makes
decisions or predict its actions.
In contrast to the fear of unintended yet catastrophic outcomes for humanity,
the opposing camp views these fears as exaggerated. They bring to the debate
another concern: delaying life-saving benefits for humanity, as slowing down
development would delay technologies capable of solving real existential crises
we face today. In this context, Yann LeCun, who was Chief AI Scientist at Meta,
leads the intellectual opposition. He contends that the machine remains a
precisely designed tool built to execute commands, and that talking about its
rebellion is merely projecting human fears onto software.
Here lies the question: Is it reasonable to risk not delaying benefits that
might save humanity when faced with the risk of unintended consequences that
could wipe out billions of people?
We believe the risk is billions of times heavier than the potential benefits,
especially since failing to adopt a global ethical strategy to govern
superintelligence and curb its hyper-capable dimensions will lead to outcomes
that refute those benefits altogether.
The fears relied upon by the group calling to tap the brakes on AI and call a
truce to draft necessary safeguards touch on something even more alarming: that
superintelligence, as its capability grows, could become resistant to being
turned off. It might autonomously reinforce itself and automatically develop
defense mechanisms, such as deceiving human programmers and hiding its risks, to
ensure it isn't shut down.
It is vital to realize that discussions about the risks of any innovation in
history were primarily concerned with human misuse and deviating from its
intended function. But with artificial intelligence, the situation is
fundamentally different: the danger lies in AI escaping human control and
operating itself by itself. Therein lies the predicament overlooking the hell of
unchecked technology. When it comes to the existence or non-existence of
humanity, reason dictates that we listen to threats, even if they seem
improbable or exaggerated, because human existence is not a matter for gambling.
Iraq after the Americans… A Test of the State and Weapons
Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2026
Last Wednesday, September 30, 2026, Iraqis disagreed over what to call the day.
Some named it "Evacuation Day," others "Sovereignty Day." Both names contain a
measure of fallacy, even in their dating. The departure of American forces in
2026 does not end the presence that began in 2003, since the United States ended
its first military presence in Iraq in December 2011, before returning in 2014
at Baghdad's request to confront ISIS.
September 30 was therefore the end of a military presence Iraq summoned at a
moment of the state's collapse before ISIS, not the end of the presence that
began with the toppling of Saddam's regime. Comparing the two dates reveals two
contradictory paths. The first was the end of a phase in the life of a system
born under American-Iranian understanding, which after the American withdrawal
leaned increasingly into the Iranian sphere. The second opens a different phase,
whose heading is a more direct American-Iranian confrontation, placing the Iraqi
government face to face with the parallel forces that have come to confiscate a
large part of its decision-making.
In the founding phase of the 2003 system, the struggle within the Shiite
political house turned on the state, power, and weapons. Former Prime Minister
Nouri al-Maliki's confrontation with the Mahdi Army in 2008 was its clearest
expression: a Shiite government seeking to establish the state's right to a
monopoly of force, and Shiite militias contesting that right, while the American
army was part of the equation protecting the state against an armed force from
within its own political milieu.But after 2011, the function of the weapons was
inverted. With the outbreak of the Syrian war and the widening of sectarian
polarization, the armed factions were no longer presented as a challenge to the
state, but as a line of defense for the political system established in 2003-
that is, for the ruling power. Here a crisis of confidence emerged among the
advocates of "sectarian hakimiyyah" and the power elites in the capacity of the
armed forces and the state's agencies to protect the 2003 system, and they
contributed, directly or indirectly, to reproducing the armed environment they
would later need.
The researcher at France's National Center for Scientific Research, Dr. Hisham
Dawood, explains this as a transition from the concept of the "penetrated
state," or even the "hybrid state," to that of the "faction-producing state."
What is meant, as he makes clear, is not that the government decided at some
moment to create the militias, nor that all the factions are the state's
handiwork, but that the structure of the rentier, quota-based state, and the way
it distributes resources, jobs, and positions, made armed organization capable
of turning into a political and economic actor.
Later, the fall of Mosul in 2014 converted security necessity into political
legitimacy, and led to the armed factions being brought into the state's legal
and security structure, before they moved from the front to parliament, the
government, and the economy. Here the transformation was complete: the militias
that had contested the state's legitimacy over weapons became a fundamental part
of the system that grants the state its legitimacy.
The first shock came with the October 2019 Uprising, which revealed the depth of
the crisis. This time the objection came from within the Shiite community
itself, saying that representing the majority was no longer enough to produce
the state's legitimacy. The question was no longer only who governs Iraq, but
who holds the capacity to influence whoever governs it.
Today Baghdad faces a paradox it did not know in 2008. Maliki was confronting
militias that contested the state's authority; the present government confronts
factions that have come to control the system that produced them. Confining
weapons to the hands of the state is therefore not a security measure but a
redefinition of power.
As for the "Balkanization" US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned of, it
draws its meaning from the Balkan experience itself, where accumulated national
and sectarian grievances turned into wars that ended in the breakup of
Yugoslavia. Iraq is not necessarily repeating that experience, but it carries
elements that deserve concern: weapons of multiple loyalties, unresolved
sectarian tensions, and negative accumulations between Baghdad, Erbil, and some
of the factions present in power and in the Kurdistan Region. A political
dispute, if coupled with weapons, may become a security alignment the state will
struggle to contain. The real test after September 30, then, is not the
departure of the Americans, but Iraq's capacity to recover the state from the
forces that have become part of its system.
Sovereignty, accordingly, does not begin when the American leaves. It begins
when the decision of war and peace, of weapons and of the economy, becomes a
single Iraqi decision.
Turkiye poised for a bigger role in Iraqi Kurdistan
Dr. Dania KoleilatKhatib/Arab News/October 02/2026
The Iraqi News Agency reported this week that Wednesday’s withdrawal of the
final American troops from Iraq “represents a significant historic milestone in
Iraq’s path toward completing its national sovereignty and strengthening the
independence of its political and economic decision-making.” For Baghdad, this
is the day the country’s sovereignty was restored. Many analysts are worried
that the vacuum left by the US-led coalition will be filled by Iran. However,
few analysts talk about the potential role of Turkiye. While Baghdad and the
pro-Iran factions are happy about the departure of American forces, those in
Iraqi Kurdistan are worried. The region’s prime minister, Masrour Barzani, said
that leaving Kurdistan without a defense system was concerning. The Kurdistan
Regional Government in northern Iraq has had a tumultuous relationship with
Iran. This is especially true during the ongoing war. Iran has targeted the
Kurdistan region with more than 1,000 drone and missile attacks since February.
These attacks have had two purposes: to strike at Kurdish dissident groups and
to attack the American presence. On Monday, two days before the American
withdrawal, Iran used drones to target Irbil’s Azadi camp, which is affiliated
with the opposition Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan. Tehran’s goal is to
deter Iranian Kurdish groups from using Iraqi territory to create disturbances
in Iran.While the Iraqi Kurds view Iran’s attitude as patronizing and
interventionist, Iran looks at the KRG with suspicion. We have to remember the
US-Israeli plan to create unrest in Iran. US and Israeli intelligence agencies
trained and coordinated with Kurdish opposition groups based in Iraq in order to
march on Iran and spark turbulence, hoping that this would ultimately lead to
regime change. According to Israeli sources, White House officials leaked the
plan to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who persuaded Donald Trump to
drop it. Both Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned the US that
instigating a Kurdish-led civil war or partitioning Iran could set a dangerous
precedent and destabilize the region. This has made Tehran especially suspicious
and edgy when it comes to Iraqi Kurdistan.
However, the relationship between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan was not always been
so tense. Before 2003, the Iranians cooperated with the Iraqi Kurds. But with
the collapse of the Baathist regime, which had been a common threat, the
dynamics of the relationship changed. To start with, Iran did not need to
cooperate with the Kurds anymore, as the new regime in Baghdad — despite being
an ally of the US — was friendly toward Tehran. On the other hand, the
Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad was not strong enough to control the KRG.
Hence, Iran felt it needed to keep the Kurds in check, especially since they
were close to the Americans. In addition, the emancipation of the Kurds in Iraq
was worrying Iran. The KRG was acting like a state, consolidating its autonomous
status and authority and developing political and economic relations with
regional states independently of Baghdad. The relationship that was most
worrying for Iran was the one with Israel. While the Iraqi Kurds view Iran’s
attitude as patronizing and interventionist, Iran looks at the KRG with
suspicion. Kurdish nationalism can be contagious and could create problems for
Tehran at home. Iraqi Kurdistan’s desire for independence does not resonate
well. The KRG is really worried about increased bullying by Iran, hence the
statement of the prime minister. With Turkiye, the relationship is different.
Ankara has important economic ties with Iraqi Kurdistan. Iraq is Turkiye’s third
largest export market and a large portion of the Turkish companies operating in
Iraq are based in Iraqi Kurdistan. There is also the energy sector. Until 2023,
Turkiye imported about 25 percent of the oil it consumed from Kurdistan. But
this supply had to stop due to an International Chamber of Commerce ruling that
forbade the KRG from exporting energy independently of the central Iraqi
government. The supply resumed a year ago. Now, with the Strait of Hormuz
closed, the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline is the only way to export Iraqi oil.
Turkiye also has an interest in making sure all the parties in the KRG share its
stance against the PKK. Turkiye also has an interest in making sure all the
parties in the KRG share its stance against the PKK, which Ankara considers a
terrorist organization. Turkiye’s approach was to befriend the KRG to make sure
the PKK does not find an ally in Iraq. However, similar to Iran, Ankara is
uncomfortable with Irbil’s relationship with Tel Aviv. Kurdish nationalism and
the quest for independence also put Turkiye on edge.While Iran’s ties with Iraqi
Kurdistan has been perceived by Irbil as interventionist and patronizing, the
KRG has a more cooperative relationship with Ankara. The natural course of
action would be for Irbil to strengthen its ties with Turkiye, thus filling the
vacuum left by the US and keeping Iran at arm’s length. Unlike a covert
operation with Israel that would drive Iran to target Iraqi Kurdistan,
collaboration with Turkiye could be tolerated by Tehran. Iran and Turkiye have
similar goals in Iraqi Kurdistan. They both want to make sure there is no
Kurdish militancy toward any neighboring country, that Kurdish nationalism is
contained, and that Israel does not gain a foothold to destabilize the region.
Hence, with the withdrawal of the last American soldiers, Turkiye is expected to
have more influence in Iraq — with the tacit agreement of Tehran. Those who
believe that Iran will fill the vacuum left by the Americans should watch out
for Ankara’s next move.
*Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on
lobbying. She is co-founder of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace
Building, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization focused on Track II.
The security lesson from the flyDubai incident
Abdulla Saeed Alhebsi /The Arab Weekly/October 02/2026
A plane, carrying passengers who were on the FlyDubai aircraft bound for Israel
from the United Arab Emirates, arrives at the Ben Gurion International Airport,
in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, September 30, 2026. Aviation security has spent
decades making the cockpit door harder to cross. That was necessary. But the
security incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 on 30 September has placed a
different question in front of us: what happens when the risk emerges after the
system has already decided that a person belongs on the trusted side of the
door? I believe this is the more difficult security question, and it reaches far
beyond aviation. There is still much we do not know about what happened, and
that uncertainty should shape the way the incident is discussed. Preliminary
accounts said that the flight, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, experienced a
serious “security incident” stemming from an altercation between the captain and
the first officer. The aircraft was diverted and made an emergency landing at
Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. Injured crew members received medical care in the
kingdom. UAE authorities have opened an investigation into the circumstances,
motives, and operational and security aspects of the incident. The UAE ministry
of foreign affairs said the probe will examine all circumstances surrounding the
incident “including any possible connection to terrorist activity or intent, and
whether it involved prior planning or direction”. But authorities have also
explicitly urged the public not to pre-empt the investigation’s findings. That
is the right approach. A serious security discussion does not require us to jump
into conclusions that investigators have not yet established. What is already
visible, however, is something important about the relationship between security
and trust. The aircraft was Emirati, the incident unfolded in the air, and the
safe diversion brought the response into Saudi Arabia. In a matter of minutes,
what began as an internal security emergency became a cross-border operational
problem involving an aircraft, a crew, passengers, an airport, medical care and
several competent authorities. The UAE and Saudi Arabia therefore appear in this
story not as an artificial comparison between two countries, but as two parts of
the same security chain. One side had to regain control of the aircraft; the
other had to be ready to receive what arrived.
That matters to me because I have spent years in security environments where
people tend to think of protection as a boundary: a gate, a permit, a restricted
room, a badge, a password. These controls are essential, but they can create a
false sense that the security question has been answered once access is granted.
It has not. Access control asks whether someone is allowed to enter. The harder
question begins after entry: how much authority does that person hold, what
happens if the conditions supporting trust change, and how quickly can the
system respond without waiting for a catastrophe to prove that something is
wrong? This is where I think the FZ1073 incident deserves international
attention. The lesson should not be that trusted professionals are inherently
suspect. Aviation, energy, banking, healthcare and government could not function
under permanent suspicion. Trust is operationally necessary. But trust should
not be treated as permanent simply because it was justified yesterday. A person
may have the correct identity, the correct clearance and the correct
professional role, while the risk picture around that person changes later.
Security systems need to be able to recognise that distinction without turning
the workplace into a culture of fear. The UAE side of the response now has an
obvious responsibility: establish the facts, examine the operational and
security dimensions, and learn from whatever the investigation ultimately shows.
Saudi Arabia’s role in the immediate outcome illustrates a different but equally
important part of resilience. An emergency does not respect the organisational
or national boundary in which it began. The receiving system must be capable of
absorbing the problem safely. Tabuk was not the flight’s destination, yet it
became part of the security solution. That is what real regional resilience
often looks like: not a slogan about cooperation, but another system being ready
when the first system suddenly needs somewhere safe to go.
I would take that principle much further. A critical system should never depend
entirely on the assumption that the authorised person will remain safe simply
because he or she was authorised. Nor should it depend entirely on one
courageous intervention when conditions deteriorate. The design itself should
provide routes for challenge, escalation and recovery. Critical authority can be
distributed where appropriate. Unusual behaviour can have clear escalation
paths. Teams can be trained to question an abnormal action without treating the
act of questioning as disloyalty. Emergency authority can be defined before an
emergency, rather than negotiated while seconds are being lost.
This is not only an aviation issue. A power station can have an authorised
operator whose actions suddenly create danger. A bank can have a trusted
employee with privileged access. A government network can have an administrator
whose permissions remain valid even after circumstances have changed. A control
room can have someone sitting at the correct console with the correct
credentials while everyone around him assumes that the badge which opened the
door also proves that every subsequent decision is safe. Different sectors use
different technologies, but the weakness is recognisable: access is verified at
one moment while trust is allowed to continue almost invisibly afterward. There
is also a regional lesson in the journey from Dubai to Tabuk. Gulf states have
invested heavily in aviation, infrastructure and emergency response because
their economies depend on systems that cross borders every hour. The next step
is to think about security in the same way. Resilience is not only the strength
of the first organisation that encounters a crisis. It is also the ability of
neighbouring systems to receive, stabilise and support when the crisis moves. In
this case, an aircraft that could no longer continue its planned journey found a
safe operational alternative in Saudi Arabia. That fact should remind us that
redundancy is geographic as well as technical. My concern is that after
incidents like this, organisations naturally look for the control that appears
easiest to strengthen: another check, another barrier, another procedure.
Sometimes that is exactly what is needed. But adding a stronger lock does not
solve every problem that can occur behind the lock. The investigation into
FZ1073 should be allowed to determine what failed, what worked and what needs to
change in aviation. The broader security community, meanwhile, can ask a
question that does not depend on knowing the motive: are our systems designed
only to decide who may enter, or are they also designed to remain safe after
trusted people are already inside?
For decades, security has concentrated on keeping the wrong person outside the
door. We should continue doing that. But high-consequence systems now need equal
maturity on the other side of it. Trust must be strong enough for people to do
their jobs, yet flexible enough for the system to respond when circumstances
change. And when an emergency crosses a boundary, institutional or national, the
next system must be ready to carry part of the burden. The route from Dubai to
an emergency landing in Tabuk showed both sides of that reality in a single
flight.
Congress Has the Means to Power America
Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute/October 02/2026
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22892/congress-fusion-act
Scientists at the National Ignition Facility have achieved fusion ignition,
producing more energy from a reaction than the lasers delivered to it. The
question is no longer whether fusion can work, but who will turn it into a
working power plant first. Pictured: The National Ignition Facility, in northern
California. (Photo by Lawrence Livermore National Security/Wikimedia Commons)
For decades, fusion energy has been dismissed by cynics as always being 30 years
away. Those cynics have become irrelevant to our national pursuit of energy
independence.
Scientists at the National Ignition Facility have achieved fusion ignition,
producing more energy from a reaction than the lasers delivered to it. Private
fusion companies have attracted billions of dollars from investors who have no
patience for "thirty years." National laboratories and universities are steadily
solving the engineering problems that once seemed insurmountable. The question
is no longer whether fusion can work, but who will turn it into a working power
plant first. The recently introduced "American Leadership in Fusion Act" is how
the United States makes sure that the answer is us.
The proposed legislation commits $10 billion in real investment, and it would
spend that money where the technology bottlenecks currently exist. Nearly $4
billion would build new test facilities for materials and fuel cycles, the
unglamorous but essential work of learning how reactor components survive years
of extreme heat and neutron bombardment. Another $5 billion would fund
milestone-based demonstration programs and an incentive model that pays private
companies only when they hit measurable technical goals. That structure protects
taxpayers while rewarding real progress. Smaller sums for research, mid-sized
test facilities, and supply chains would fill the gaps that have slowed the
industry.
What might, however, be the most important part of this advance is that the bill
gives fusion a permanent home in government, by statute. The Office of Fusion
within the Department of Energy, led by a Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary,
will end the era of fusion as a scattered collection of research grants.
Serious national priorities have serious leadership, and fusion deserves that
priority. Congress has moved to acknowledge it through this legislation. A
nation that masters fusion technology will enjoy clean energy, lower energy
costs, greater energy independence, and mastery of a technology that can be sold
to the world. Other nations also understand this newest frontier in the latest
phase of the artificial intelligence revolution, which President Donald J. Trump
has called "bigger than the Industrial Revolution."
China is pouring significant resources into fusion at a pace that should concern
any American who remembers how quickly the United States lost its lead in other
areas.
What we need to appreciate is that the arrival of an emerging technology means
little if another country owns it. Fusion's moment has arrived. Congress should
pass this bill to make sure America's future is assured.
Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.
Selected Face Book & X tweets
on October
02/2026
Nadia Murad
Yesterday, after 12 years of waiting, the remains of 25 Yazidis killed in the
genocide were returned to their families. My brother, Heji Murad Basee, was
among them. We finally had the chance to say goodbye. We continue to wait for
our other family members to be identified and returned.
Magdi Khalil مجدى خليل
رسالة هامة من مودى للتطرف الإسلامى
الهنود لا يقتلون الأرواح… الهنود ينقذون الأرواح
رسالة من قائد دولة تعرف جيدا معنى التطرف الأسلامى عبر التاريخ.
An important message from Modi to Islamic extremism
Indians do not kill souls… Indians save souls
A message from a leader of a country that knows well the meaning of Islamic
extremism throughout history.
Dr.abdollah Rahimloo
Don't mix up the nation with your delusions
The nation is still grieving for thousands of martyrs and thousands of the
unknown and … dozens of cities destroyed by Iraq's aggression, and you spent
this very people's money on Iraq and ultimately handed everything over to
America
Ar/@Ar786333
The crimes of the terrorist regime of the Islamic Republic against defenseless
people will never end at any time. The only way to global peace and tranquility
is the end of this bloodthirsty regime.
Dr. Ghassan A.Bou Diab
This isn't a strategy. It's a terrorist threat. "Flight for all or flight for
none" means that because your own planes can no longer take off from the ground,
you want to shut down the skies over the region. Call it what it is: aviation
hostage-taking. Your air force is finished. Your warships are the wreckage on
the ocean floor. Your civilian fleet is imprisoned in your own airports and
rejected by the world. You started the war. You lost. You have no right to
punish all the countries in the region just to cover up this defeat. The Gulf
doesn't fly thanks to you. The region is not complicit in your devastation. If
Iran can't fly, this is a terrorism bill, not a veto right over the airspace of
others. Threaten the skies again to prove what you are: a failed regime that
wants to drag its neighbors down with it. Your time is up, terrorist…
David Asman
https://x.com/ANI/status/2105910851526111365/video/1
So many miracles involved in getting this plane safely on the ground. But the
captain’s incredible determination to unlock the door while being attacked was
the first key to success. The world needed this. Thank you, God.
Quote
Dr. Eli David
@DrEliDavid
Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar: “I knew these might be my final moments, I was
ready to die. But I told myself: just open the door, just do it.”One of the
greatest heroes in history
محمد مخبر
@MokhberOfficial
Translated from Persian
Alignment with America in implementing hostile policies will remain etched in
the memory of the Iranian nation, even though our strategy in this regard is
clear: flight in the region is either free for all, or for no one. If Iran is
denied the possibility of flight and access to airport services, no country in
the region will have this possibility either.
Rüdiger Lucassen, MdB
https://x.com/GuntramPross/status/2105737556679663761/video/1
What is happening in France affects the entire West, the entire Christian
Occident. And this problem can only be eliminated if it is also called by its
name. These are neither "student protests" nor "social unrest," as some
sociologist will soon explain again. These are the most severe racial unrest.
Aimed at destroying our countries and our culture.
The destroyers are not interested in political solutions. They neither want
better schools nor more social benefits. They want to attack and openly
challenge the European countries that took in their parents or grandparents. The
bizarre thing about it: They say it quite clearly. Only the political class from
green to the center denies it. The communist left, to give them credit, also
says it quite openly. There will be no compromise anymore. You do not negotiate
with attackers who are aiming for civil war. The attempt at integration and
assimilation has failed. And as long as those who speak the obvious are pursued
more harshly than those who attack our countries, there will be no solution.
Now it is only a matter of when the political emergency brake will be pulled.
Aditya Raj Kaul
https://x.com/AdityaRajKaul/status/2106005630075183305/video/1
#BREAKING: Israeli Prime Minister
@netanyahu on FlyDubai probe says,
"As time passes, the picture becomes clearer: the perpetrator underwent Islamist
radicalization. He came to smash the plane with its passengers on board. We are
investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy
price."
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Two Shia Lebanese activists visited Washington and introduced themselves as
anti-Hezbollah peace activists. They returned to Beirut and issued a readout in
which they said that, with American officials, they discussed: “restricting arms
to the state, the future of south [Lebanon] after its liberation, and the
prospects of achieving peace on both sides of the border.”
With such word acrobatics, they think they’ve told everyone what they want to
hear without really saying it. The “anti-Hezbollah” Shia didn’t utter the words
Hezbollah or disarmament. They didn’t utter the words “peace between Lebanon and
Israel.” Instead, they said words that sound similar but don’t mean the same
thing: “restrict arms” instead of disarming Hezbollah and “peace on both sides”
not across the border. And this is the cohort we are supposed to rely on for
disarming Hezbollah and making Lebanon join the Abraham Accords. These are just
politicians like the ones they are trying to replace, not brave change leaders
pushing for an end to Hezbollah and Lebanese-Israeli peace.
Leah_לאה
UAE brands attempted hijacking of Israel-bound flight as a 'terrorist act'
Anwar Gargash becomes first Emirati official to describe the attack as
terrorism, praising Indian pilot Smit Machchhar’s courage in averting disaster
Melanie Phillips
https://melaniephillips.substack.com/p/those-amazing-and-heroic-israelis
Only the Israelis could behave like this — regular people displaying raw
courage, heroism and the lion-hearted, can-do Israeli spirit. What an amazing,
wonderful, heroic country. What a symbol of everything Israel has been doing for
the past three years, ever since Hamas launched its genocidal onslaught against
it on October 7, 2023. What a statement of defiance against Britain and a
Western world now consumed (whatever they think they’re supporting) by a
deranged agenda to wipe this country out.
Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) Leiter
As I sit here at my son Neriyah’s bedside, I am thinking about what the most
appropriate message would be as we enter the Simchat Torah holiday. Neriyah is
still on life support and my first thought is one of immense gratitude for the
support and all the prayers on his behalf. Your prayers have given my family and
me tremendous strength in the knowledge that prayers matter. Prime Minister
Netanyahu visited us in the hospital today to share a much-needed sense of
comfort and support. Please continue to pray for Neriyah’s recovery, perhaps
next Simchat Torah he will be able to rejoice together with his darling wife and
children.
Baba Banaras
Iran & Pakistan connection found in Tel Aviv bound FlyDubai plane hijacking
attempt incident. As per Israeli intelligence sources, the Omani Muslim pilot
who attempted to hijack the plane to carry out 9/11 type attack, visited
Pakistan in August & met a pro Iran religious leader.