English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News &
Editorials
For October 06/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2026/english.october06.26.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. ‘Woe to you who
are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 06/20-26/:"Jesus
looked up at his disciples and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is
the kingdom of God. ‘Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. ‘Blessed are you when people
hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of
the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is
great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. ‘But woe
to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. ‘Woe to you who are
full now, for you will be hungry. ‘Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will
mourn and weep. ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their
ancestors did to the false prophets."
Titles For The English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related
News & Editorials published on October 05-06/2026
The Media War Between the Corrupt Gebran Bassil
and the Terrorist Nawaf Al-Moussawi is a Staged Play and Mere Verbal Diarrhea
and Vomiting/Elias Bejjani/October 04/2026
On the 32nd anniversary of the passing of my dear friend Abu Ali - Nayef Mohd
Azzam/Elias Bejjani/X Platform/October 04/2026
The Maronite Bishops’ Sinful Statement is a Copy of Hezbollah’s Statements, the
Deviation of Joseph Aoun and the Iscariotism of Patriarch Al-Rahi/Elias Bejjani/October
03/2026
Video link and transcript of an extraordinary interview with writer and director
Youssef Y. El-Khoury
Netanyahu vows to keep striking Hezbollah to 'create opportunity for peace' with
Lebanon
Israeli forces preparing for 'harsh Lebanese winter'
Lebanon, Britain to hold joint military exercise starting Tuesday
UK and Lebanese troops launch joint military exercise PEGASUS CEDAR 2026
Khatib warns some are trying to sow discord among Shiites
Three years after October 7 attack, Israel steps up threats against Iran,
Lebanon and Gaza: The details
After Washington talks, Salam turns to three key files at home
Fadlallah says Hezbollah backs strengthening state role in south
Sami Gemayel: State must liberate Lebanon and Shiites from hegemony of Hezbollah
and Iran
Bou Saab after electoral law session: Atmosphere positive and there's complete
openness
'You are not alone', Salam tells southerners
Economy Minister receives EBRD delegation to discuss reforms and private sector
support
Hezbollah and the Salvation Army/Colonel Charbel Barakat/October 05/2026
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on
October 05-06/2026
Yemeni forces gain control of Bab Al-Mandab, Mokha in operation targeting
Houthis
At Oct 7 memorial, Netanyahu says will be no Hamas rule in Gaza
Israeli army says seized two suspects in south Syria
Syrian forces seize explosives and weapons tied to deadly ambush in Daraa
US warns foreign financial institutions not to do business with Iran
Iran president says talks with US ‘meaningless’: state media
US withdraws all bomber aircraft from UK airbase
As Iran war drives up gasoline prices in US, Trump blames Ukraine, Democrats
US warns foreign financial institutions not to do business with Iran
US approves over $2 bln in weapons sales to UAE, Kuwait, Egypt
Co-pilot planned FlyDubai attack before hired by airline, two Israeli officials
say
UK security adviser visited Israel in bid to keep Jerusalem consulate open,
sources say
MBS, US Senator Chris Murphy discuss regional developments
Yemeni government forces retake strategic Red Sea port of Mokha
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan to activate collective deterrence under Mecca
Alliance
Saudi Arabia to regularize status of Yemenis residing illegally in Kingdom
US envoy holds rare meeting with Sudan’s top general in push to seek end to
fighting
ISIS attack kills Iraqi policeman near Kirkuk
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on October 05-06/2026
I hate Israel… Yeeeeah/Nadim Koteich/X
Platform/October 05/2026
Gaza's 'Journalists': When Journalism Becomes a Weapon of Jihad/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone
Institute/October 05/2026
US charges engineer with supporting Houthis, Louisiana brothers and Florida man
with financing Hamas/Will Selber/FDD's Long War Journal/October 05/2026
Syria faces infrastructure sabotage, Islamic State activity amid utility
shortages/Seth J. Frantzman/FDD's Long War Journal/October 05/2026
Iran is running out of options as economy becomes its greatest vulnerability/Dr.
Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya English/05 October ,2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets on October 05/2026
Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on October 05-06/2026
The Media War Between the Corrupt
Gebran Bassil and the Terrorist Nawaf Al-Moussawi is a Staged Play and Mere
Verbal Diarrhea and Vomiting
Elias Bejjani/October 04/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/10/158068/
Gebran Bassil, none other than him, is the manufacture and
production of the terrorist Hezbollah from A to Z and from his very first
political appearance until today. He is also one of the thugs and riffraff of
the defunct barrel-bomb Assad regime, and a foster-child of its same corrupt and
corrupting school.
This “deformed” creature, in his practices, positions, alliances, and political,
national, and even faith-based approaches is: a hypocrite, a charlatan,
shameless with no shame, ungrateful, has no sense of decency, and is a corrupt
figure rightfully listed on the American OFAC sanctions list of corrupt
individuals.
The catastrophic and baffling calamity is truly that there are still deluded
Lebanese who belong to his party’s company, blasphemously and fraudulently
called the “Free Patriotic Movement,” which he inherited from his uncle Michel
Aoun, who failed in every test of Satan… And this movement is neither patriotic
nor free… As for Aoun the uncle, alive in body, he is dead in everything that is
patriotism, honesty, credibility, and history.
And as I pointed out a few days ago, the alleyway and gendarmerie-like media
spat between him and the debauched terrorist Nawaf Al-Moussawi is theatrical and
pre-agreed upon between Hezbollah and the son-in-law “Al-Zimak – i.e., the short
in stature” because his popularity is in a state of collapse, deterioration, and
almost complete exposure within Christian popular circles… He has no credit left
except for these cheap theatrical plays.
Hence, everything Al-Moussawi said about him is in fact true, and what he said
about the Iranian Party of Satan and about Al-Moussawi is also true, and each
one of them is exposing the other, but the false spat that is still ongoing is a
play to rescue the son-in-law’s popularity. He, his uncle, and all the leaders
and MPs who support them are merely deposits manufactured, polished, and
marketed by Hezbollah and 100% subordinate to its decrees, along with the
opportunist and charlatan MPs whom either Gebran expelled or who left Bassil’s
company hypocritically called a “party”.
In conclusion, and with a clear conscience, it can be said that Gebran and his
uncle, along with the deposits he has of MPs and leaders, as well as those who
left him or whom he expelled, all were and still are tools of Hezbollah, from
its own making, and Trojan horses in every sense of the term, Trojan horses
planted in the heart of the Christian community to serve the Iranian project.
In conclusion, the disgusting wailing and howling of Gebran Bassil and Nawaf Al-Moussawi
is mere agreed-upon verbal diarrhea and vomiting to rescue Gebran popularly,
after his true nature was exposed and Hezbollah’s Iranian occupation and
destructive project for Lebanon was exposed.
The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website:
https://eliasbejjaninews.com
On the 32nd anniversary of the passing of my
dear friend Abu Ali - Nayef Mohd Azzam
Elias Bejjani/X Platform/October 04/2026
"O tranquil soul, return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing to Him. Enter
among My servants and enter My Paradise."Holy Quran - Surah Al-Fajr 27-30
On the 32nd anniversary of the passing of my dear friend Abu Ali - Nayef Azzam,
It is true that he has been absent in body for 32 years, yet he remains present
and alive in every member of his noble family, a family for whom he dedicated
his life and sacrificed everything to make happy. Abu Ali, may God have mercy on
him, was the best of young men... cheerful, loving, honest, courageous, and a
man of unwavering morals and principles.
We shared the same school, the same workplace, and the same experience of living
abroad, and he was the best of friends and companions.
On this annual anniversary of his passing, I extend my warmest greetings and
sincerest condolences to his noble family and to dear Umm Ali, and I affirm once
again that he did not die, but lives on in you and among you, in his noble
legacy and his unforgettable memory.
May God have mercy on him and grant him a place in His spacious Paradise.
The Maronite Bishops’ Sinful Statement is a Copy of Hezbollah’s
Statements, the Deviation of Joseph Aoun and the Iscariotism of Patriarch Al-Rahi
Elias Bejjani/October 03/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/10/158051/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxkmClRDWqc
The Bkerke statement… a carbon copy of Hezbollah’s statements!
Whoever reads the erroneous and sinful statement of the Maronite bishops issued
yesterday (October 02, 2026) realizes that there are no longer any notable
differences between the statements, speeches and narratives of Hezbollah and the
approaches of Joseph Aoun and the statements of these bishops and the sermons of
Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi. Same vocabulary, same narrative, same obfuscation,
and same deliberate abandonment of the core issue which is the Christian
existence and the occupation of Lebanon by Hezbollah. The statement of the
Maronite bishops issued yesterday after their monthly meeting in Bkerke, chaired
by Patriarch Al-Rahi, is a scandal in every sense of the word, and a blatant
betrayal of Bkerke’s historic role as a fortress of sovereignty, freedom, and
Maronite existence.
First: Hezbollah’s narrative verbatim in the first clause
The statement begins with a clause that could be a statement issued by
Hezbollah’s media relations office:
“The members of the Council repeatedly denounce the continued Israeli
aggressions against the South and its people. And they call on the international
community to exert efforts for the return of the population to their land and to
support the ongoing negotiations and the process of restricting arms to the
state.”
What Israeli aggressions, Your Eminences?
Israel does not aggress. Israel is responding to Hezbollah’s occupation of
Lebanon and its refusal to implement the Framework Agreement, which clearly and
unequivocally stipulates the disarmament of Hezbollah and the cleansing of the
South, the Bekaa and all of Lebanon from its elements, warehouses and missiles
before any Israeli withdrawal. The use of the word “aggressions” is Hezbollah’s
vocabulary par excellence. Hezbollah, which occupies Lebanon, which refuses to
hand over its weapons, which humiliates the state daily and attacks its rulers
and institutions, and insists on keeping its occupational status above the
constitution and above the law. Why didn’t the statement mention the Framework
Agreement? Why this collusion of silence? Because mentioning the Framework
Agreement means naming the real criminal, who is Hezbollah, and it seems that
Bkerke has decided not to name the criminal, but to adopt its non-Lebanese
discourse. But more dangerous and more painful, the statement did not mention
the Christian villages and towns in the South! Their Eminences did not mention
that these villages are besieged, deprived of aid, their people humiliated at
the checkpoints of the army and Hezbollah, and that the aid convoys that reach
them are subjected to assault, insult and extortion by Hezbollah elements at the
internal crossings set up by the Shiite occupation in the heart of the homeland.
Where are you regarding your flock in Debel, Rmeish, Ain Ebel, Al-Qouzah, Deir
Mimas and others? Are these not Maronites? Is their blood not of your blood?
Second: Obfuscation of the functional massacre against the Maronites
The statement in its fifth clause talks about the Lebanese University and the
file of making contracted professors full-time and preserving balance. What
superficiality and what escapism!
The balance has collapsed in the entire state and not only in the university.
The Shiite duo has been systematically expelling Christians from public
administrations for years and seizing their positions by force of thuggery and
terrorism, positions which are supposed to be divided equally between Christians
and Muslims. And the current Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, a Sunni, completes the
mission and steals what remains of Christian positions for the benefit of
members of his own sect.
We did not uncover this matter; it was uncovered with numbers and documents by
Father Tony Khadra in documented television interviews, and by detailed reports
issued by the Labora Foundation which documents the functional extermination of
Christians in the state.
Where are the bishops regarding this existential file? They turned a blind eye
to it. They acted as if they live in Switzerland, not in Lebanon. As if they
represent a sectarian segment other than the Maronites. A complete, complicit,
shameful silence.
Third: A statement in harmony with those who protect Hezbollah
This flawed statement that abandons the Maronites is a collaborative statement,
indeed fully in harmony with the occupation. And the occupation here is
Hezbollah. It is also in harmony with the positions of the President of the
Republic, Joseph Aoun, who blatantly protects Hezbollah, refuses to implement
the Framework Agreement with Israel, and promotes the same false narrative with
which the bishops’ statement began: “Israeli aggressions”. This is extremely
dangerous. With this narrative you are keeping the occupation and wasting a
historic opportunity to liberate Lebanon. You are giving Hezbollah the Christian
cover it needs to remain, and to continue destroying Lebanon, isolating it,
killing it and displacing its youth. What remains of Bkerke under the
pontificate of Patriarch Al-Rahi, who publicly boasts that he does not read and
that his appetite for food has not changed and that he sleeps soundly 7-8 hours?
Bkerke, which used to scream in the face of the Palestinian and Syrian occupier
and sanctified freedoms and values and protected Lebanon whose glory was given
to it, has today become repeating the statements of the terrorist and Persian
Hezbollah. Bkerke, which was a refuge for the oppressed, has today become
ignoring the oppression of its own Christian people in the South and in the
state administrations.
We say it frankly: This statement does not represent the free, sovereign and
faithful Maronites. This statement represents submission. It represents
surrender. It represents collusion. The bishops and Patriarch Al-Rahi should be
ashamed.
Video link and transcript of an extraordinary interview
with writer and director Youssef Y. El-Khoury
October 05/2026
Exposing the leftist and non-Lebanese Arafatist Tarek Mitri and with him
the barbaric and destructive left and the stupidity of Nasserist approaches of
Salam/The miserable fate of the South under Hezbollah and its statelet/The
differences between Netanyahu and the leaders and rulers of Lebanon/Said Akl and
his advice to Arabs regarding Palestine/The uniqueness and patriotism of Abbot
Charbel Kassis/Lessons from the Israelis' conduct during and after the attempted
plane hijacking/Reading of the guest's last two articles and the lawsuit filed
against him by the Islamic Shiite Council
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/10/158092/
Netanyahu vows to keep striking Hezbollah to 'create
opportunity for peace' with Lebanon
Agence France Presse/October 05/2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday vowed to keep striking
Hezbollah to "create an opportunity for peace” with Lebanon. Netanyahu added
that the Lebanese people, “for the most part, want peace” with Israel. The
Israeli premier voiced his remarks at a memorial event marking three years since
Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Since that attack, Israel has fought
wars on several fronts, including two wars against Iran-backed Hezbollah in
Lebanon.
Israeli forces preparing for 'harsh Lebanese winter'
Naharnet/October 05/2026
The occupying Israeli forces are preparing for the harsh winter days in southern
Lebanon, conducting exercises and improving key positions from which they will
be able to control observation and fire on possible targets deep in the area, an
Israeli report said, indicating that the Israeli army is not leaving the
so-called Yellow Zone anytime soon. “It is estimated that Hezbollah will
continue to try to penetrate the pockets in the Yellow Line and attempt to
strike IDF (Israeli army) fighters again,” Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper
reported. “In preparation for the winter months, the forces were prepared in
advance to ensure full operational readiness, and according to security sources,
after the buildings were equipped with generators, air conditioners, and
sanitation infrastructure in the summer, in preparation for the Lebanese winter,
the forces are staying in protected compounds inside the villages and not in the
open air, and the routes were prepared in advance,” the report said.
Lebanon, Britain to hold joint military exercise starting Tuesday
AFP/05 October /2026
Lebanon’s army will hold exercises with the British military this month, both
sides said on Monday, with the drills also to involve personnel and
representatives from countries including the United States and France. Britain
has been a key supporter of the cash-strapped Lebanese army and has provided
millions of dollars in assistance over the years, including helping train
Lebanese soldiers to secure the country’s land borders. The Lebanese army said
that the joint “Pegasus Cedar 2026” exercise would begin on Tuesday and aimed to
“bolster the capabilities of military units and raise the level of coordination
between the Lebanese army and friendly armies.” It said the exercise would
include “training on reconnaissance, raids and combat in built-up areas,” among
other activities. A British embassy statement said British soldiers based in
Cyprus would “join their Lebanese counterparts in the Air Assault Regiment in a
landmark military exercise aimed at strengthening bilateral defense ties and
enhancing operational readiness.”“Personnel from the armies of the United States
and Italy will also take part, with representatives from the armies of France,
Cyprus, Qatar, and Jordan joining as observers,” it added. The exercise, to be
held over three weeks, builds on a previous UK-Lebanon military training
exercise held in September 2023, the embassy statement added. Lebanese
authorities have called for increased support for the country’s under-resourced
army, which counts some 80,000 personnel and depends heavily on foreign aid. The
military faces enormous challenges in completing its deployment to south Lebanon
under a framework agreement reached in June between Israel and Lebanon that
involves the disarmament of militant group Hezbollah and the gradual withdrawal
of Israeli forces. Hezbollah drew the country into the Middle East war in March
by attacking Israel, which responded with massive airstrikes and a ground
invasion. While violence has dropped since June, Israel still carries out
attacks and demolitions, and its troops are occupying a self-declared “security
zone” running around 10 kilometers (six miles) inside Lebanon along the
border.The fighting followed another conflict that erupted in 2023 that led to
an all-out war the following year. Last month in Paris, Lebanese President
Joseph Aoun met his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and Jordan’s King
Abdullah II and discussed international support for the country’s military.
UK and Lebanese troops launch joint military exercise
PEGASUS CEDAR 2026
Naharnet/October 05/2026
British soldiers from the Support Company of the 4th Battalion of The Royal
Regiment of Scotland (SCOTS), based at Dhekelia Garrison Cyprus, have arrived in
Lebanon to join their Lebanese counterparts in the Air Assault Regiment in a
landmark military exercise aimed at strengthening bilateral defense ties and
enhancing operational readiness, the British embassy said on Monday. Exercise
“PEGASUS CEDAR 2026” will take place over a three-week period in October and
builds on the success of the largest UK-Lebanese military training exercise of
its kind held in September 2023. British and Lebanese troops will practice
tactical skills including mortar weapon systems, small unit tactics,
reconnaissance, helicopter drills and more. The exercise will test and enhance
the capability of both countries’ troops in a challenging environment. Personnel
from the armies of the United States and Italy will also take part, with
representatives from the armies of France, Cyprus, Qatar, and Jordan joining as
observers. The Royal Regiment of Scotland (SCOTS) is the senior line infantry
regiment and only Scottish line infantry of the British Army. King Charles III
is its Colonel-in-Chief.
British Ambassador to Lebanon Hamish Cowell, said: “Exercise PEGASUS CEDAR 2026
is a demonstration of the strong and enduring partnership between our two
countries. Building on the success of the 2023 exercise, the Support Company of
the 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, will train with their
Lebanese counterparts to hone skills and exchange military expertise.”“British
military training teams continue to work alongside all branches of the Lebanese
military – Army, Navy, and Air Force – to support them in their essential roles
and building the Lebanese Armed Forces’ (LAF) capabilities as the sole
legitimate defender of Lebanon. The UK remains a proud partner of the LAF,
providing equipment, training and infrastructure,” Cowell added. British Defense
Attaché, Lt. Col. Charles Smith, for his part said: “This exercise is not just
about tactics, it’s about building and demonstrating trust. The UK and Lebanon
share a vision for a secure and stable future, and PEGASUS CEDAR 2026 is a
testament to that partnership.” Commander of Support Company of the 4th
Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, Major Aidan Welch, said: “Our
soldiers are proud to train alongside the Lebanese Armed Forces. We have been
made to feel really welcome. Working together strengthens our collective
capabilities and enhances our readiness to meet shared challenges. We look
forward to building on this strong partnership and continuing our close
cooperation in the years ahead.”
Khatib warns some are trying to sow discord among Shiites
Naharnet/October 05/2026
The head of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council, Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, has
emphasized that "the unity of the Shite stance is sacred at this critical
stage," warning that "there are those who want to create division, incite
sensitivities, and stir up trouble among the sons of the sect by digging up the
unfortunate past." "There are those working today to dig up the past; why are
you digging up the past and reminding us of inter-Shiite fighting? Why remind us
of it after we worked for the unity of Lebanon?” asked Khatib in a speech in the
Baalbek town of Younine during a memorial ceremony. Addressing political rivals,
he added: “We could have taken your path and dealt with the United States,
submitting to it and to the Israeli enemy. However, we refused because we want
to work for the interest of Lebanon and the Lebanese, and for the survival of
Lebanon."He added: "The Shiites did not fight for sectarian causes; the Shiites
fought for national causes. Did you protect them from the Israeli enemy, and
what did you give to the Shiites? The reconstruction of the South was done at
the hands of the southerners, and development was carried out by the people of
Jabal Amel. If there was development as well, Speaker Nabih Berri did great work
in the Lebanese south, building schools, extending drinking water, and
rehabilitating roads, and were it not for Speaker Berri, none of this would have
been achieved." "Today, they are trying to reignite strife among our people --
between Amal Movement and Hezbollah,” Khatib lamented. He added: “At a time when
we’re facing an existential threat, we must maintain our unity, and without
Shiite unity, Lebanon will end. That is why they are focusing on us."Khatib also
stressed "the priority of solidarity and mutual assistance," pointing out that
"there are orphans, widows,and displaced people.""There are displaced people who
have no home -- their homes were destroyed -- and we do not rely on this State
to do anything … We want the Prime Minister's visit to south Lebanon to yield
actions for the displaced, for shelter, reconstruction, schools, and necessary
aid, but we see nothing but visits,” Khatib decried. “We are not negative toward
anyone, and we call on the State to come to the South and to our villages in the
Bekaa to help this community," he urged. He added: "This (ruling) authority is
not the authority of a single sect, nor is it the authority of a party or
faction. You are a Lebanese government that must deal with this sect on the
basis of citizenship, far from fanaticism, and not on the basis of external
orders."
Three years after October 7 attack, Israel steps up threats
against Iran, Lebanon and Gaza: The details
LBCI/October 05/2026
As Israel marks three years since the October 7 attack and the wars that
followed, it has stepped up its threats against Iran, Lebanon and Gaza. In Iran,
despite carrying out two attacks, Israel has not achieved its goals of ensuring
the fall of the government or eliminating its nuclear and ballistic missile
arsenals. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to threaten that the
Iranian government will soon be brought down. In Lebanon, Israeli security
officials have acknowledged that Hezbollah retains infrastructure and a number
of missiles and is rebuilding its capabilities, prompting the Israeli military
to prepare for a prolonged presence in southern Lebanon. In Gaza, three years
after the Hamas-led attack, Israel’s military intelligence chief said Israeli
forces had killed only 4,000 of the 6,000 Hamas members who took part in the
assault. Despite this, Netanyahu has continued to claim victory and issue
further threats. But Netanyahu and his government remain at odds with a
significant segment of the Israeli public.Netanyahu and others facing scrutiny
have rejected calls to establish an official commission of inquiry into the
events surrounding October 7, despite demands from many Israelis for such an
investigation. Some were also surprised that President Isaac Herzog did not take
a clear position on the issue in remarks marking the anniversary. As the war
enters another year, the Israeli military has drawn up plans for future
operations in Gaza and Lebanon, citing growing challenges as winter approaches
and preparations for a prolonged presence in those areas. Israeli military Chief
of Staff Eyal Zamir, meanwhile, acknowledged the military’s failure to defend
Israeli citizens. He also called for the establishment of a commission of
inquiry and said Israel’s enemies must not be allowed to rebuild their strength.
After Washington talks, Salam turns to three key files at home
LBCI/October 05/2026
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has been at the center of political activity in
Lebanon in recent days following his return from the United States, where he
attended meetings on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly and
held talks with U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Since
returning to Beirut, Salam has briefed President Joseph Aoun on his U.S. visit,
toured the southern city of Nabatieh and is set to meet Parliament Speaker Nabih
Berri on Monday. Sources told LBCI that the prime minister is pursuing three
main tracks. The first is strengthening the state’s presence in southern Lebanon
at the social, military and security levels. As part of that effort, Salam
traveled to Nabatieh and informed Berri that the government is determined to
improve public services in the south, while the Lebanese army is expected to
assume responsibility for military and security matters. According to the
sources, there are also plans to establish a crisis cell to address living
conditions more broadly, with one of its tasks being to examine the possibility
of suspending certain taxes. The second track centers on dialogue with
Hezbollah. According to sources close to Salam, the prime minister, following
similar efforts by Aoun, is seeking to open direct bilateral talks with
Hezbollah rather than convene a broader national dialogue. The discussions would
focus on Hezbollah’s weapons and the framework agreement. The question is
whether Salam can make progress on this front, whether his efforts are being
coordinated with Aoun and whether Berri could play a role in facilitating the
process. In this context, Salam’s remarks in an interview with NBN, in which he
said he does not want Lebanon to enter what he described as an “Oslo process,”
could be seen as a message to Hezbollah that he does not want negotiations
simply for the sake of negotiating. The third track involves efforts to
establish the verification mechanism stipulated in the framework agreement.
Salam’s talks with Rubio indicated that U.S. efforts on the issue are continuing
and that Jordan could play a key role in such a mechanism, although no final
decision has been reached. Salam has publicly called for a credible verification
mechanism to monitor implementation of the framework agreement. According to the
sources, the Lebanese side is also preparing a written proposal outlining
arrangements for the period following the end of UNIFIL’s mission. The proposal
is expected to be presented in the coming days to EU foreign policy chief Kaja
Kallas during her visit to Lebanon.
Fadlallah says Hezbollah backs strengthening state role in
south
Naharnet/October 05/2026
MP Hassan Fadlallah of Hezbollah on Monday described the relation between south
Lebanon and the Lebanese state as a “one-sided love,” noting that “the
historical demand of its people is for this State to be present and fulfill its
duties in protection and care.”
“This slogan was raised by Imam Sayyed Abdel Hussein Sharafeddine in 1949, and
Imam Sayyed Moussa al-Sadr used to demand it as well. We remained as such
generation after generation, and today the Duo -- Hezbollah and the Amal
Movement -- are demanding this state,” Fadlallah added. He explained that
“protection and care mean that the state prevents the enemy from attacking our
sovereignty, so that there is no violation in the air, sea, or land, no
shelling, no arrests, and no destruction.”“Had the state assumed this
responsibility, there would have been no resistance throughout the history of
the south, which arose even before Hezbollah," Fadlallah pointed out. He
emphasized that "the state is not a slogan, a speech, or ministerial statements.
The state is what protects sovereignty, defends the people and the land, equips
the army, and gives it the decision to confront Israeli aggression."
"We are in favor of strengthening the role of the state in the south and having
it assume its full responsibilities, but that begins with expelling the
occupation, stopping the aggression, and halting this bulldozing and destruction
in our villages,” Fadlallah added.
He noted that “the negotiation path taken by this ruling authority is the
highest political and military cost paid by Lebanon and paid by the south,
because the authority surrendered sovereignty and accepted that its army be
under the guardianship of others."
Fadlallah also considered that "the claims made by opponents of the resistance
that it caused the Israeli war on Lebanon ... are a simplification and
trivialization of the reality of the expansionist Israeli project and its
ambitions in Lebanon.”
“The resistance is a national necessity, and it cannot be waived, nor can any
infringement upon it be accepted in any shape or form,” he stressed. “It is a
resistance defending its country and its people. If we want any internal
approach to this issue, it begins first with the enemy's withdrawal, the return
of our people to their villages, and the start of reconstruction,” he added.
“After that, we will sit with officials and relevant parties to conduct an
internal dialogue to see what the best formula is: a national security strategy,
a national defense strategy, or any other formula they name," the legislator
went on to say.
He added that "holding onto the resistance is for the sake of Lebanon, the
south, and our people.”
Sami Gemayel: State must liberate Lebanon and Shiites from
hegemony of Hezbollah and Iran
Naharnet/October 05/2026
Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel noted Monday that Lebanon faces a “historic
opportunity” to build a sovereign, independent, and stable state, calling on the
state to move from decisions to execution, and not to miss the circumstances
available today, as this opportunity may not recur. “What is required today is
the decision to execute. The state has taken decisions in principle, and the
time has come to translate them, because the Lebanese want to live in freedom,
dignity and safety on their land, and for Lebanon to be a state, not an arena
for the conflicts of others,” Gemayel added. He stressed that “the problem is no
longer that of Hezbollah alone, after it became clear that their decision is
linked to Iran, while Lebanon and the Lebanese pay the price of using it as an
arena for its conflicts.”“The state today faces a clear choice: either to leave
Lebanon hostage to Iranian hegemony, or to assume its responsibility and
liberate Lebanon from this hegemony, as well as liberate the Shiites in Lebanon
from the hegemony practiced over them in the name of Hezbollah and Iran,”
Gemayel urged. He emphasized that “this liberation begins when the state takes
the initiative and proves its seriousness in implementing the decisions it has
taken,” stressing that “there is no longer any room today to manage this crisis
through dialogue or postponement.”“The Lebanese state must say clearly: The
command is mine, and my priority is my people,” Gemayel underlined. He added:
“After fifty years of wars, the Lebanese have the right to say enough, and to
direct all their attention toward the economy, youth, investment, and rebuilding
a safe and stable country.”“We will not accept half-measures or passing our
problems down to our children. Our goal is clear: for the Lebanese to live free,
with dignity and security on their land, and for this war to be Lebanon's last
war," Gemayel went on to say.
Bou Saab after electoral law session: Atmosphere positive and there's complete
openness
Naharnet/October 05/2026
The parliamentary subcommittee tasked with studying draft electoral laws held a
session in parliament on Monday, after Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab was accused
of calling for such a session to deviate attention from the “priority” of
resolving the issue of Hezbollah’s arms. "The session has concluded, contrary to
what was expected by some, especially after what we heard in the media and on
social platforms regarding attacks and criticisms over my call for this
subcommittee to convene and discuss the laws listed on the agenda, which relate
to the electoral law,” Bou Saab said after the session.
“Unfortunately, accusations were plentiful and some made personal attacks
against me and my family, and made claims about 'rabbits being pulled out,'” Bou
Saab lamented. Bou Saab explained: "After listening to the MPs, some of whom
were influenced by what they heard in the media, they asked: 'Why did you call
for this session? Did you receive a call from abroad? Why today?' I answered
that we are fulfilling our duties, and perhaps as MPs we forgot that these are
our obligations. We do not listen to phone calls, nor did anyone request us to
hold a meeting; rather, the bylaws of parliament mandate it."
He noted: "The current law has loopholes, and everyone in the meeting agreed
that there are gaps we want to address by passing an amendment to the law. Where
else are we going to discuss electoral proposals if not in this committee? Some
colleagues have submitted draft laws that align completely with the Taif
Agreement, including the (issue of creating a) Senate. The priority is to reach
an agreement among ourselves in the committee.” Noting that the atmosphere was
“positive,” Bou Saab added that “everyone agreed that dialogue and discussion
with this level of openness are necessary within parliament and among
ourselves.”“It became clear that there is complete openness, and we agree that
we will discuss these laws, which is what we will follow through on. We also
agreed that before the second session, we will collect all proposals related to
amending the current law and examine them," he added. For his part, Lebanese
Forces deputy chief MP George Adwan stated: "We support holding elections as
soon as possible, and we consider that there is an existing law under which
elections should be held as swiftly as possible.”He added: “This law requires
significant preparations. Our mission as a parliament is to urge the Ministry of
Interior to begin its preparations, and if parliament needs to focus on an
issue, it should focus on how to support the government. From this perspective,
our readiness to call on the government to hold parliamentary elections at the
earliest opportunity stands, and we will participate in any session on this
basis."
As for passing a new electoral law, Adwan said: “We cannot, from our
perspective, engage in discussions until after we resolve the weapons issue, as
it is linked to the future system.”“We will submit a draft law as soon as
possible to bring forward the election date, while simultaneously ensuring that
this current law remains actionable and implementable as quickly as possible,"
he went on to say.
'You are not alone', Salam tells southerners
Naharnet/October 05/2026
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has stressed that "the State cannot remain in a
waiting state.”
“We must head to the South and to all regions, and assume our responsibilities.
At the same time, we say every day: Israeli aggression must stop, the ceasefire
must be consolidated, Israel must withdraw, and we must work on releasing the
captives," said Salam in an interview on NBN television. As for securing
services for citizens in the South, he said: "God willing, when I return for the
fourth time to Nabatieh and Tyre, I want to confirm with my own eyes that water
has returned, electricity has returned, the contracts we launched are actually
being executed, schools are being restored, and our people are returning and
feeling safe.”“Certainly, people have the right to complain. What we are able to
provide is not enough given the scale of their needs, but these are our current
capabilities," the premier added. "Our primary guarantee is to rally around the
state, strengthen our internal unity, work to meet people's needs, secure the
Israeli withdrawal, restore our sovereignty, and extend the state's authority,"
Salam pointed out. Asked about dialogue with the other parties and officials,
the prime minister said: "Dialogue between me and everyone is not cut off. There
are things we agreed upon, and what is required today is to implement them.”
“National unity is embodied by implementing what we agreed on. We do not need to
start from scratch every time. What is required is for every party to commit to
what it pledged," Salam went on to say. He also expressed his belief that "no
one today is prepared to enter into a new adventure or a new war.”“We have all
suffered, and we bear the burdens together," he added. "I say to our people in
the South: You are not alone. The state is with you, by your side, and at your
service," Salam stated.
Economy Minister receives EBRD delegation to discuss
reforms and private sector support
LBCI/October 05/2026
Economy and Trade Minister Amer Bisat met Monday with a delegation from the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), including the bank’s
new regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Hashem Abd El Hakim.Abd El
Hakim was accompanied by Policy Director Dimitri Gvindadze and Beirut office
head Alessandro Vittadini.The talks focused on ways the EBRD can support
Lebanon’s public sector and modernize governance to help advance the reform
process. Discussions also covered lending to the private sector and support for
industry, renewable energy, and small and medium-sized enterprises.
Hezbollah and the Salvation Army
Colonel Charbel Barakat/October 05/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/10/158087/
When the United Nations Security Council issued Resolution 181 in 1947 regarding
the partition of Palestine between its Arab and Jewish inhabitants, the northern
areas from Acre and its surroundings up to the Lebanese border in the north and
the Finger of Galilee in the east—which was inhabited by an Arab-majority
population consisting of Druze, Christian, and certain Sunni villages, including
Bedouin settlements—were among the Arab regions included in the partition under
the international resolution. Later, by a decision of the Arab League, what was
called the 'Salvation Army' emerged. It was led by Fawzi al-Qawuqji, a Syrian
officer, and consisted of a group of Arab volunteers numbering around 7,000. It
initially attempted to attack Jewish villages in the region to 'liberate' them,
but it clashed with the determination of these communities to stand firm. Soon
thereafter, due to incompetence and disarray, it came up with a thousand excuses
to withdraw from battle and retreat toward Lebanon. Consequently, the Lebanese
army was forced at the time to enter Al-Malikiyya, hold its ground, and halt the
collapse on the northern front, preventing armed Jewish organizations from
entering Lebanon and preserving the border until all Arab countries agreed to
the ceasefire lines and the subsequent armistice—naturally, after the Salvation
Army had dispersed.
The Shift in the South and Regional Dynamics
What could the Druze, Bedouins, and certain Christian villages in the area do
when they stood firm in their villages, only to see that the Arab forces called
the 'Salvation Army' saved no one but themselves and hurried to flee the
battlefield, except negotiate with the Israelis to remain in their homes and
subsequently coordinate to join the Jewish state? Today, after the army of the
Iranian Velayat-e Faqih attempted to fight Israel through rhetorical
mobilization—especially religious and sectarian—by preparing the ground, digging
trenches and tunnels, and gathering weapons and equipment in storage facilities
between or beneath houses, stripping the state of its responsibility to enforce
security and stability across the entire country (not just in the southern
border regions), and doing so under the watchful eye of international forces
that had come to help Lebanon preserve its borders and prevent violations from
any side, here is that same Iranian party now seeking to displace the population
by instigating war and summoning the Defense Army to occupy the land, empty it
of its inhabitants, and turn it perhaps into new settlement areas that may fill
up with Jewish settlements in the future, much like what happened in the Galilee
previously. Does Hezbollah's role today differ from the role of the Salvation
Army in the past? And will we witness a new wave of Jewish settlement in
southern Lebanon after Lebanese Shia have managed to expand into other Lebanese
regions—which some of their clerics claim were Shia regions prior to the
Kisrawan massacre during the Mamluk era?
Historical Parallels and the Future of Lebanese Shia
Some say that the role of the Iranians—adherents of the mullahs' theory and the
Jurist's Army—does not differ from the role of Abu Muslim al-Khurasani, who
organized Persian, Afghan, and other Shu'ubi fighters to overthrow the Umayyad
regime and re-occupy the Levant, thereby seizing control of the entire region
under the banner of Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah, which was to avenge the Ahl al-Bayt
against the Umayyads who had managed to stop the counter-revolutions with
oppression and violence. This regime may aim for the exact same result: seizing
the energy wealth possessed by Gulf countries, giving it the power to control
the destiny of the peoples of the world and not just the region's inhabitants.
Hence the violent conflict led by the Revolutionary Guard, the hollow slogans
behind which it hides, and its refusal to back down despite the daily losses it
incurs. They use Israel as an excuse to implement their plans, just as their
excuse was once to defend the Ahl al-Bayt. But what about the role of southern
Shia? Will they become mere pawns between Iran's interests and control over
oil-rich lands on one hand, and Israel's resilience against it on the other? The
coming days will show more and more the extent to which the Iranians comprehend
the developments of the situation and how it reflects on the Shia population in
Lebanon, upon whom absolute loyalty to the orders of the Wali al-Faqih has been
continuously imposed through intimidation and enticement. Official Lebanese
state arenas were left to the Istez (Berri) group to dismantle the state's
institutional framework and plunder it, while the Revolutionary Guard—through
sectarian mobilization starting from schools (especially Al-Mahdi schools that
graduate fighters) down to social services, ranging from hospitals and medical
care to illegal trade exempt from taxes and duties, then illicit substances, and
finally taking the place of banks in issuing loans—has shattered the financial
system, crippled traditional banks, and tightened its grip on the sect with
greater intensity and clarity. It has deprived Shia—who were originally open to
the rest of society—of communication with fellow Lebanese and Arab neighbors,
clothing them in that arrogant haughtiness that characterized Persians in
imperial eras, which alienates everyone from them, along with that narrow-minded
fanaticism for everything issued by the Wali al-Faqih. Meanwhile, the Shia
community was once considered the most open, vibrant, and energetic,
representing the rich Lebanese civilization throughout its long history since
the days of their Phoenician ancestors, always striving toward progress and
creative work inside the country and in the diaspora. Shia and Lebanon lose land
and its people every day; they lose a state built with hard work and
determination, and they lose homogenous relations among various Lebanese groups
that once reached the highest degree of openness among the peoples and
inhabitants of the Middle East, almost becoming an exemplary model. But after
Arafat's revolution and its allies from the remnants of the Warsaw Pact states
and their attempt to turn Lebanon into an alternative homeland, followed by
waves of Sunni and Shia religious fanaticism and their disputes—thus constantly
using Israel as a cover for the true motives behind all conflicts—here they are,
left without a homeland and without land, lamenting the South just as their Arab
neighbors lamented Palestine the day they rejected solutions and refused to
understand their Jewish cousins. Will we witness the final annexation of the
areas currently controlled by the IDF, just as the Haganah seized the Galilee
region because of the failed wars of the Salvation Army? And will
Hezbollah—which claims to defend Lebanese Shia and wants to pray in Jerusalem—be
the cause of permanently losing the land and preventing negotiations between
neighbors to establish peace that could restore it and prevent future population
displacement? These are inevitable questions to ask the day we see a leader of
the Revolutionary Guard—gasping for his final breaths in Tehran—claiming to
perform ablution on the Litani River in southern Lebanon as a prelude to praying
in Jerusalem, despite all the losses suffered not only by southern Shia, but
also by the mullahs' regime and peoples in Iran!
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on October 05-06/2026
Yemeni forces gain control of Bab Al-Mandab, Mokha
in operation targeting Houthis
Arab News/October 5, 2026
DUBAI: Yemeni government forces have seized control of the strategic Bab Al-Mandab
strait as well as the city of Mokha in a military operation targeting Houthi
personnel and capabilities, their spokesperson said on Monday.The spokesperson
said the Giants Brigades and Nation’s Shield Forces had taken control of the
area as part of the operation, named “Dawn of Yemen”. Government forces also
claim to have taken control of Dhu Bab airport and secured control over the road
linking Dhu Bab with Mokha, the spokesperson said. Hundreds of Houthi fighters
who were surrounded in Dhu Bab had been called on to surrender, while some
fighters fled by boat, the spokesperson said.The operation remains ongoing to
achieve its operational objectives, the spokesperson added.Forces seized the
strategic Red Sea port city following fierce clashes and with air support,
Yemen’s state news agency reported, citing a military source.The source said the
Nation’s Shield Forces, the Giants Brigades and the Tihama brigades took control
of the city as part of a major government offensive launched over the weekend to
retake Houthi-held territory.
'Operation Dawn of Yemen'
Yemen's President Rashad Al Alimi declared a a large-scale operation called
"Dawn of Yemen" to target Houthi capabilities. The President of the Leadership
Council said the operation is to restore state institutions, liberate Sana’a,
and end the coup. "With the will of our people, the bravery of our forces, and
the support of our brothers, Yemen will move toward a new dawn" vowed Al-Alimi
on Monday. The Yemeni Armed Forces said earlier this morning that they launched
new strikes against areas under Houthi control to seize state institutions from
Houthi control and put an end to the group's coup. “Our armed forces continue
their military operations across various combat axes and fronts according to
approved plans. Our armed forces executed 1,122 targets on Houthi militia
infastructure across the Saada, Al-Jawf and Taiz,” said spokesperson for Yemeni
Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Majed Abdullah Al-Nuzaili in a post on X. “According to
field reports, these operations resulted in neutralizing 1,747 militia elements
and destroying or disabling 364 military vehicles, equipment, and supply
transport units,” he said.Houthi militias have been surrounded in Bab al Mandab
and on Mayun island, as government forces continue to advance northward along
the western coast and towards the city of Mokha according to Al Arabiya.On
Sunday, Al-Alimi announced the launch of military operations to recapture the
country’s remaining territories under Houthi control. “Today we are embarking on
a decisive phase in the history of our nation,” Al-Alimi said, adding that the
state had made “great sacrifices” in choosing the path of peace. Al-Alimi said
the operations were aimed at restoring security, rights and dignity to citizens
in areas controlled by the Houthis, stressing that those citizens were not
targets of the military operations. The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen
also vowed to continue providing operational support to Yemeni forces until the
country’s state institutions are restored and the threat posed by the Houthi
militia is eliminated.
At Oct 7 memorial, Netanyahu says will be no Hamas rule in
Gaza
AFP/October 5, 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed there would be no Hamas rule in
Gaza.
His remarks came during a state ceremony at the Mount Herzl military cemetery
for the October 7 attack victims. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on
Monday vowed there would be no Hamas rule in Gaza as he attended a memorial
event marking three years since the militant group’s October 7, 2023 attack.
Monday is a national day of remembrance for the deadliest day in Israel’s
history, with flags lowered to half-mast on public buildings from 6:29 am, the
time the attack began. Speaking during a state ceremony at the Mount Herzl
military cemetery in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said “we have achieved enormous
accomplishments, but there are still missions ahead of us, and we intend to
complete them”. “There will be no Hamas rule in Gaza,” he added, vowing to
continue targeting anyone who was involved in the attack or who held
hostages.The Hamas-led attack resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, according
to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Militants also dragged 251
hostages into Gaza, 44 of them already dead. In response, Israel launched a
massive military offensive that has killed more than 74,200 people in Gaza,
according to the territory’s health ministry, which is under Hamas authority and
whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations. Since a ceasefire
was declared last October, Israeli forces have killed more than 1,440 people in
Gaza, according to the ministry. Plans for Gaza’s post-war governance have begun
to take shape, but the issue remains largely unresolved in practice. Since
Hamas’s October 2023 attack, Israel has fought wars on several fronts, including
against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. During his speech on Monday, Netanyahu
also vowed to keep striking Hezbollah to “create an opportunity for peace with a
country whose people, for the most part, want peace with us”. Netanyahu also hit
out at the clerical leadership in Iran, where Israel and the United States
launched a joint attack on February 28, triggering the Middle East war. “We will
not allow the ayatollah regime in Tehran to threaten our existence,” Netanyahu
said, adding the Iranian leadership was “weaker than it has been since its
establishment”.
Israeli army says seized two suspects in south Syria
AFP/October 5, 2026
JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said on Monday it seized two people it said were
approaching an army outpost in an area of southern Syria it has occupied since
the overthrow of president Bashar Assad. “A short while ago, IDF soldiers
identified two suspects riding a motorcycle toward an IDF post in the Security
Zone in southern Syria. Following an identification, the soldiers opened a
suspect apprehension procedure and apprehended the two suspects,” the army said
in a statement. “No IDF injuries were reported,” it added. The incident came
hours after the Israeli military killed an assailant near an army post in the
so-called “security zone” in southern Syria in the night between Sunday and
Monday. After Ahmed Al-Sharaa came to power in Damascus in late 2024, when his
rebel coalition overthrew Assad, Israel launched hundreds of strikes against
Syria. The IDF also carried out incursions into the south of the country and
deployed troops in the UN-monitored buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian
forces on the Golan Heights. Israeli officials have repeatedly stated their
intention to maintain troops in the “security zone,” while Israeli leaders have
said they want swathes of southern Syria to become a demilitarised zone.
Syrian forces seize explosives and weapons tied to deadly ambush in Daraa
Arab News/October 5, 2026
LONDON: Syrian forces seized weapons, ammunition and explosives during a raid in
the southern province of Daraa reportedly targeting a cell accused of killing
three security personnel in an ambush last month. Internal Security Forces said
on Monday that they recovered the materials from the home of Mohsen Al-Haimed,
whom they identified as the leader of the cell accused of carrying out the
attack in the town of Al-Sanamayn. They found improvised explosive devices that
officials said were being prepared for use, quantities of C4 explosives and
equipment used to make explosives, as well as weapons and ammunition, according
to an Interior Ministry statement. Authorities said the operation was part of an
ongoing campaign to uncover weapons caches and detain people suspected of
sabotage and other security offenses. A cell led by Al-Haimed is accused of
ambushing a security patrol that was conducting an operation to arrest a wanted
man in Al-Sanamayn on Sept. 17. Three members of the security forces were killed
and others were wounded, authorities said. While large-scale fighting has eased
across much of Syria, attacks on security and military personnel have continued,
often in smaller, asymmetric operations. Those attacks have included roadside
bombings, the use of improvised explosive devices, bus bombings, assassinations
and ambushes. Official statements and media reports have linked many of the
attacks to Daesh cells. Responsibility for others remains unclear, with
officials and observers citing the possible involvement of groups connected to
remnants of the regime of the former president, Bashar Assad, which fell in
December 2024 in the face of an opposition offensive after almost 14 years of
civil war. Daesh has urged its members to fight Syria’s new government, which is
led by the interim president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, who in late 2025 joined a US-led
international coalition against the group.
US warns foreign financial institutions not to do business
with Iran
Arab News/October 5, 2026
WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday warned foreign financial institutions
that if they conducted any business with Iran or its banking sector they could
be sanctioned by Washington. “Foreign financial institutions continuing to
transact with sanctioned Iranian financial institutions could be targeted at any
time without advance notification and should take immediate action to terminate
such activity and relationships,” the US Treasury said in an “alert” statement.
The United States launched its war against Iran in late February, killing the
country’s leadership and demanding it cease any nuclear-related activities. The
war has plunged the Middle East into violence, with Tehran’s retaliatory action
targeting Washington’s Gulf allies and sending global energy and fertilizer
prices skyrocketing after it virtually shut a key trading route. Since late
August, Washington has stepped up its campaign to economically isolate Tehran,
warning its allies that they would be hit by secondary sanctions if they
continued to conduct transactions with the country’s government. The US Treasury
has also announced a slew of new sanctions as part of that push, targeting
Iran’s financial, crypocurrency, rail, automotive and manufacturing sectors. It
has also taken action against two banks — one in the United Arab Emirates and
another in Turkiye — over their alleged aid to the authorities in Tehran. In
Monday’s statement, the Treasury said Iran’s government operated so-called
“shadow banking” channels to circumvent US sanctions, and that foreign financial
institutions should aim to identify and avoid any such activities.
Iran president says talks with US ‘meaningless’: state
media
AFP/October 5, 2026
TEHRAN: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that negotiations with
the United States were “meaningless” and only resulted in renewed American
attacks, state media reported.“So far, they have attacked us three times after
talks, and this shows that they are not seeking dialogue; rather, their goal is
to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Pezeshkian was quoted as saying by
the state news agency IRNA. “With an enemy that every day resorts to
assassination, sanctions, pressure and threats, and that breaks its commitments,
negotiations are meaningless.”
US withdraws all bomber aircraft from UK airbase
AFP/October 5, 2026
WASHINGTON: The United States confirmed that it had withdrawn all B-1 bombers
from the British airbase of RAF Fairford, reportedly due to “new threats,” with
Britain’s government insisting on Monday the site is safe. Police were called to
the base in southwest England on September 27 after a local farmer reported a
group of men with several vans engaged in “suspicious” activity. The scare
prompted a counter-terrorism probe and forced evacuations at 85 homes near the
airbase, which was used by the United States to launch strikes on Iran.
Investigators did not find any explosives in the vans, but “a quantity of petrol
was recovered,” according to counter-terrorism police. A statement from a
Pentagon official on Sunday said “we can acknowledge now that all US bombers
that were deployed to RAF Fairford have re-deployed to their home stations in
the United States.”The statement noted that “operational security precluded us
from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time.”US Secretary
of State Marco Rubio on Monday expressed “confidence in the security of all of
our bases.” US facilities “theoretically could be threatened at any moment, and
that’s why there’s so much security built around them,” Rubio said, adding that
Washington had worked with London on the investigation and “they couldn’t be
more cooperative.” An unidentified US official told CNN that the bombers were
moved after “an unspecified new threat,” with the source calling the latest
threat a “real world incident.” It was unusual to move the bombers back to their
home stations instead of deploying them to another base in the region, the
official reportedly said. Two US officials told the New York Times that the
bombers were moved after commanders received new threats about an Iran-backed
plot against the base. One American official said the new information was part
of the same threat warnings that surfaced three weeks ago, but the situation
became urgent in the past 24 hours, the Times reported. Asked whether the base
was safe, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s official spokesman said: “Yes.” “We
have tried and tested approaches to defend our bases around the country and
throughout the world,” he told reporters.
- Heightened security -
Speculation about the motives behind the incident ranged from terror threat to
fuel theft, as energy prices in the UK hit record highs this week. Burnham has
said there were “strong indications that Iran played a part” in the incident, a
charge rejected by Tehran. Six London-based Britons arrested in the September
incident, including a UK-Iranian dual national, all men in their mid-20s, were
released on bail, drawing rebuke from Washington. “I wouldn’t have done that,”
US President Donald Trump told reporters, while Rubio alleged a “foreign actor”
was involved. Iran’s embassy in London said it “categorically rejects and
strongly condemns” speculation that Tehran was involved. Adding to the mystery,
British media reported that officers were alerted to the incident by one of the
initial suspects, but police have not commented on the reports. Security at the
base had reportedly been heightened recently. Britain gave Washington permission
in March to use Fairford for “specific defensive operations into Iran,” and US
bombers and other planes have since been seen taking off and landing at the
base. Fairford is the only airbase on Britain’s mainland used for this purpose.
The incident came after a farmer living in the village of Whelford, near the
airbase, called the police after seeing three vans blocking a road and a group
of masked men fleeing the scene. Aerial footage of the vans showed they appeared
to contain barrels, and at least one was marked with a fake logo and phone
number, giving the false impression that it was owned by a legitimate diesel
delivery firm.
As Iran war drives up gasoline prices in US, Trump blames Ukraine, Democrats
Reuters/05 October/2026
US President Donald Trump, under pressure from rising energy prices fueled by
the war in Iran, on Monday tried to shift the blame for high gasoline prices to
the Democrats and Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries.“What’s driving up
Gasoline is no longer the Strait of Hormuz, because Record Numbers of Barrels
are coming out now on an almost daily basis, but the word, “Refineries,” where
Russia’s are being blown up by Ukraine, and where ours are being closed up, in
Blue States, like California, by the Dumocrats,” Trump said in a Truth Social
post. Energy prices have spiked since Iran cut off access to the Strait of
Hormuz, a waterway that normally carries one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies.
Ukraine’s attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure have driven up prices as
well, particularly diesel fuel.
US warns foreign financial institutions not to do business
with Iran
AFP/06 October ,2026
The US on Monday warned foreign financial institutions that if they conducted
any business with Iran or its banking sector they could be sanctioned by
Washington. “Foreign financial institutions continuing to transact with
sanctioned Iranian financial institutions could be targeted at any time without
advance notification and should take immediate action to terminate such activity
and relationships,” the US Treasury said in an “alert” statement. The United
States launched its war against Iran in late February, killing the country’s
leadership and demanding it cease any nuclear-related activities.
The war has plunged the Middle East into violence, with Tehran’s retaliatory
action targeting Washington’s Gulf allies and sending global energy and
fertilizer prices skyrocketing after it virtually shut a key trading route.
Since late August, Washington has stepped up its campaign to economically
isolate Tehran, warning its allies that they would be hit by secondary sanctions
if they continued to conduct transactions with the country’s government. The US
Treasury has also announced a slew of new sanctions as part of that push,
targeting Iran’s financial, cryptocurrency, rail, automotive and manufacturing
sectors. It has also taken action against two banks -- one in the United Arab
Emirates and another in Turkey -- over their alleged aid to the authorities in
Tehran. In Monday’s statement, the Treasury said Iran’s government operated
so-called “shadow banking” channels to circumvent US sanctions, and that foreign
financial institutions should aim to identify and avoid any such activities.
US approves over $2 bln in weapons sales to UAE, Kuwait, Egypt
Al Arabiya English/05 October/2026
The US State Department said Monday that it had approved more than $2 billion in
weapons sales to countries in the Middle East. In the first potential weapons
sale, the State Department approved a $1.04 billion deal for the United Arab
Emirates to purchase 10,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II (APKWS-II)
guidance sections and related equipment. Washington also approved a $400 million
deal for Kuwait to purchase Patriot missile repair and return services. Egypt
was approved to purchase Javelin missile systems for $832 million.The three
proposed sales have a combined value of approximately $2.27 billion.
Co-pilot planned FlyDubai attack before hired by airline, two Israeli officials
say
Reuters/October 5, 2026
JERUSALEM: The FlyDubai co-pilot who stabbed his captain in an alleged attempt
to crash the plane last week told UAE interrogators he planned the attack before
being hired by the airline, according to two Israeli officials with knowledge of
the probe. A third source briefed on the UAE probe said the co-pilot, an Omani
national, had planned to crash Wednesday's flight into Ben Gurion airport near
Tel Aviv. He had also operated a flight to Tel Aviv earlier this year and
intended to hijack and crash the plane then, but opted not to, the source added.
It was not immediately clear why the co-pilot changed his mind on that previous
flight, although the co-pilot is thought to have known someone onboard, the
source said. All of the sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the
investigation. UAE and Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to a
request for comment, nor did flydubai.
The co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073, which was bound for Israel from Dubai
last Wednesday, attacked the pilot with an emergency crash axe, the United Arab
Emirates prosecutor general has said, calling the incident a "terrorist attack".
Two sources have said the co-pilot is an Omani national named Hamam al-Hammami.
Israeli officials have not named the co-pilot but have said he is from Oman. UAE
authorities and flydubai have not publicly disclosed the co-pilot's identity.
Reuters has not been able to independently reach al-Hammami, who is in UAE
custody, for comment. The UAE has not announced any formal charges against him
and it is not known if he has appointed legal counsel. Oman has not commented
on the incident. The two Israeli officials said the co-pilot told interrogators
that he had applied for a job at Dubai state-owned flydubai after searching for
airlines that fly to Tel Aviv. The third source said that Israel was being
continuously updated about the investigation from the UAE. Disaster on board
flight FZ1073 was averted after passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot. The
pilot, Indian national Smit Machchhar, survived the attack and has been hailed
as a hero for managing to open the cockpit door. The plane was carrying more
than 170 passengers and crew, most of them Israeli. A reserve flydubai pilot
travelling on the flight took control of the aircraft and landed it at a
regional airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was detained
by Saudi authorities and later transferred to the UAE on Thursday. Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said pilots who are citizens of countries that
Israel does not have diplomatic relations with, like Oman, are not permitted to
operate flights to Israel. It is not clear how the co-pilot came to be assigned
to the flight to Tel Aviv, and Netanyahu has since ordered a review of foreign
airlines flying to Israel. A multi-agency Australian counterterrorism unit is
investigating links to Australia of the co-pilot, who was once enrolled at RMIT
University in Melbourne, Victoria. A fourth source said that the co-pilot
studied there around a decade ago.
UK security adviser visited Israel in bid to keep Jerusalem
consulate open, sources say
Reuters/05 October/2026
Britain’s top national security official quietly visited Israel last week in a
bid to prevent the closure of his country’s consulate in East Jerusalem which
was ordered by Israel after London announced sanctions on Israeli settlements,
three sources said. National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, whose visit has
not been disclosed by Britain’s government, held talks with Israeli officials
but failed to reach an agreement to keep the consulate open, said the sources,
who spoke on condition of anonymity. Israel on September 8 ordered Britain to
close the East Jerusalem consulate within 30 days and remove its diplomats from
the city, after Britain said it would ban goods made in Israeli settlements in
the occupied West Bank.France and Canada joined in the sanctions. Israel has not
taken action against them. Israel-UK relations increasingly strained. The
incident highlighted growing frustration among Israel’s longtime allies over its
settlements in the occupied West Bank, viewed by much of the world as illegal
under international law. Israel disputes this. The 30-day deadline for Britain
to close the consulate runs out on Thursday. Two of the sources said talks were
still ongoing, and while an agreement to keep it open was possible, it is
unlikely one would be struck by the Thursday deadline. Asked about Powell’s
visit and talks with London over the consulate, a spokesperson for Israeli
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told Reuters that it would close on Thursday, as
announced. A UK government spokesperson had no immediate comment.In announcing
the sanctions, Britain said that Israel’s actions were undermining the
possibility of a two-state solution — the idea of a Palestinian state
co-existing peacefully alongside Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
government openly rejects the idea of Palestinian statehood. Britain cited
Israeli government-backed plans to expand settlements and rising settler attacks
targeting Palestinians in the West Bank. The British sanctions are to take
effect next year. The British consulate, in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of
East Jerusalem, handles the country’s relations with Palestinians in the city as
well as in the West Bank and Gaza. It also provides consular services to
Palestinians. Israel’s foreign minister has said that Britain’s decision to
impose sanctions was “morally distorted,” accusing Britain’s ruling Labour party
of being hostile towards the country, and of interfering in Israel’s upcoming
general election on October 27. The British sanctions announcement, and Israel’s
response, marked a new low in the relationship between the once steadfast
allies. Britain has repeatedly criticized Israel over its actions in the war in
Gaza and over Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians.
MBS, US Senator Chris Murphy discuss regional developments
Al Arabiya English/05 October/2026
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met US Senator Chris Murphy in Riyadh on
Monday, where they discussed bilateral relations as well as regional and
international developments, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. During the
meeting, the two sides reviewed the longstanding ties between Saudi Arabia and
the United States and exchanged views on issues of mutual interest, according to
SPA. Murphy, a Democratic senator from Connecticut, serves on the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee. The meeting comes
amid heightened tensions across the Middle East, including renewed fighting in
Yemen and threats to maritime security in key regional waterways. Saudi Arabia
has in recent days reiterated its support for Yemen’s internationally recognized
government after its forces launched a new military campaign aimed at retaking
territory controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi militia. Riyadh has also vowed to
respond to Houthi attacks targeting the Kingdom while continuing to support
diplomatic efforts to reduce regional tensions. The meeting was attended by
Saudi Ambassador to the US Princess Reema bint Bandar, Foreign Minister Prince
Faisal bin Farhan and National Security Adviser Musaad al-Aiban, SPA said.
Yemeni government forces retake strategic Red Sea port of Mokha
Al Arabiya English/05 October ,2026
Yemeni government forces have seized control of the strategic Red Sea port city
of Mokha from the Iran-backed Houthi militia following fierce clashes and with
air support, Yemen’s state news agency reported on Monday, citing a military
source. The source said the Nation’s Shield Forces, the Giants Brigades and the
Tihama brigades took control of the city as part of a major government offensive
launched over the weekend to retake Houthi-held territory. The capture of Mokha
represents a significant gain for the internationally recognized government
because of the city’s proximity to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s
most important maritime chokepoints connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of
Aden. The Houthis seized Mokha during an offensive along Yemen’s western coast
last month, strengthening their ability to threaten shipping around Bab
al-Mandeb. The capture follows a series of rapid advances by pro-government
forces on Monday. The Yemeni military earlier said the Nation’s Shield Forces
and Giants Brigades had retaken the Bab al-Mandeb area and Dhubab district,
seized Dhubab airport and cut the road connecting Dhubab with Mokha. The
Saudi-led coalition is providing air support for the offensive. Coalition
spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said on Monday that 100 fighter jets were
supporting Yemeni forces and that hundreds of Houthi targets had been destroyed.
The advances are part of the newly launched “Dawn of Yemen” operation, which
aims to restore government control over territory held by the Houthis and comes
amid a sharp escalation in Yemen’s long-running conflict. Yemen’s Presidential
Leadership Council chief Rashad al-Alimi announced the start of the broader
military campaign on Sunday, saying he had ordered government forces to begin
operations to retake the remaining territory under Houthi control and restore
state authority. Al-Alimi said the government had exhausted opportunities for
de-escalation and had moved “from the stage of preparation to the stage of
action to restore the state.” Yemen’s armed forces subsequently announced what
they described as a “battle of liberation,” calling on Houthi fighters to lay
down their weapons and saying the campaign would continue until state
institutions and sovereignty were restored. Government forces have also
announced a “strategic offensive” targeting the Houthi-held capital Sanaa,
indicating that the campaign is unfolding on several fronts rather than being
confined to Yemen’s Red Sea coast.The renewed fighting follows major Houthi
territorial gains in September, when the militia swept through parts of western
Yemen and captured Mokha and other strategically important territory near Bab
al-Mandeb.
Control of the area has taken on added international significance because of
repeated Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The Bab al-Mandeb is a crucial route for vessels traveling between the Indian
Ocean and the Suez Canal, making security around Mokha and the strait important
to global trade and energy flows.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan to activate collective deterrence under Mecca
Alliance
Al Arabiya English/05 October/2026
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agreed on Monday to activate collective
deterrence against attacks targeting the Kingdom and move immediately to
implement their joint defense commitments, including preparations to rapidly
deploy agreed forces and military capabilities in Saudi Arabia. The decision was
announced in a joint statement following an emergency meeting of the Mecca
Defense Alliance’s Strategic Political and Defense Committee in Riyadh to
discuss security developments and threats facing the Kingdom. The committee
agreed to move “immediately to the practical implementation” of the alliance’s
collective defense commitments and take the necessary steps to provide agreed
forces and military capabilities and rapidly deploy them in Saudi Arabia. The
measures will be carried out under agreed arrangements and in accordance with
the national laws of the three countries, with the aim of strengthening military
readiness, integration and their collective ability to confront threats, the
statement said. The three countries stressed that the security of each member
was an “inseparable part” of their collective security and said translating the
Mecca Defense Alliance into practical measures would strengthen deterrence and
demonstrate their determination to defend their security, sovereignty and
territorial integrity. Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said
following the meeting that the three countries stood “as one” in confronting
attacks targeting Saudi Arabia and the Islamic holy sites. He said the alliance
would activate collective deterrence against the attacks and “all those behind
them” within the framework of the Mecca Defense Alliance. In their joint
statement, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan strongly condemned attempts to
target Mecca and Medina as well as continued attacks on Saudi cities and
civilian and economic facilities, stressing their rejection of any attack or
threat to the Kingdom’s security and territorial integrity. Turkey and Pakistan
also praised the readiness of the Saudi armed forces and what they described as
their professionalism and effectiveness in confronting threats and protecting
the Kingdom. The meeting comes amid a sharp escalation involving Yemen’s
Iran-backed Houthi militia, who Saudi authorities say has carried out a series
of missile and drone attacks against the Kingdom, including attempts to target
Mecca and Medina. The Saudi-led coalition has vowed to take measures to deter
further Houthi attacks and has pledged continued support for Yemen’s
internationally recognized government and armed forces in their newly launched
campaign to retake Houthi-held territory and restore state institutions. Yemeni
government forces have reported significant advances since the campaign was
announced on Sunday, including the recapture of the strategic Red Sea port city
of Mokha following fierce clashes and with air support.The escalation has also
raised concerns over maritime security, particularly around the Bab al-Mandeb
Strait, a vital shipping route connecting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
As part of efforts to further institutionalize the Mecca Defense Alliance,
Monday’s committee meeting also appointed retired Pakistani Lt. Gen. Nauman
Mahmood as the alliance’s first secretary-general for a three-year term.
The three countries said the appointment would contribute to developing the
alliance and advancing its objectives.
Saudi Arabia to regularize status of Yemenis residing illegally in Kingdom
Al Arabiya English/05 October ,2026
Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry said on Monday it would begin procedures to
regularize the status of Yemeni nationals residing illegally in the Kingdom,
following a directive from King Salman. The move came in response to a request
from Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s internationally recognized Presidential
Leadership Council, according to a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency
(SPA). The ministry said the initiative would apply to all Yemeni nationals who
are in Saudi Arabia through irregular means and was part of the Kingdom’s
continued support for the Yemeni people.Yemenis seeking to benefit from the
initiative will be required to hold a valid Yemeni passport, the ministry said.
The date on which the regularization process will begin, along with the rules
and requirements governing it, will be announced through the official accounts
of Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Passports and other relevant
authorities.
The Interior Ministry said it was coordinating the process with the foreign and
human resources ministries as well as the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence
Authority. The announcement comes as Saudi Arabia has stepped up its support for
Yemen’s internationally recognized government amid a renewed military campaign
against the Iran-backed Houthi militia. Al-Alimi on Sunday announced the start
of military operations aimed at retaking Houthi-held territory and restoring
state authority across Yemen, saying his government had exhausted opportunities
for de-escalation.
Saudi Arabia has pledged to continue supporting the Yemeni government and its
armed forces during the campaign. Riyadh also announced last week a new grant
worth more than 224 million riyals ($60 million) to support the Yemeni
government’s budget and help stabilize its finances.
US envoy holds rare meeting with Sudan’s top general in push to seek end to
fighting
The Associated Press/06 October/2026
A US envoy met over the weekend with Sudan’s top general as the Trump
administration pushes for diplomatic efforts to end a war that has created what
many describe as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Massad Boulos,
President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, met
Saturday with Sudanese Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan at a luncheon hosted by Egyptian
President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on the sidelines of the mid-year coordination
meeting of the African Union, according to a social media post. “These efforts
aim to enable Sudan to restore its security and stability, embark on
reconstruction and development, and, through an inclusive Sudanese-owned and
Sudanese-led national dialogue, transition toward a civilian-led government,”
Boulos wrote on X. The rare meeting between Boulos and Burhan comes as the US,
Egypt and other intermediaries seek to renew pressure on the warring parties in
Sudan to negotiate an end to the fighting that has killed at least 59,000
people, displaced some 13 million and pushed many parts of the African nation
into famine. It also took place less than two weeks after Sudanese Foreign
Minister Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim accused the US of denying a visa for
Burhan to attend the high-level week of the UN General Assembly last month in
New York, saying it was a betrayal of Washington’s host country obligations. The
State Department declined to comment at the time, citing visa privacy laws. The
war in Sudan, which has entered its fourth year, has been overshadowed over the
past year by the conflicts in the Middle East. The African country first plunged
into chaos in April 2023 when a power struggle between the military and the
powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces exploded into open fighting in the
capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country.
Although repeated attempts at peace talks in recent months have failed to end
the war, Boulos and other Trump administration officials have said they believe
there is still a chance for a regional agreement to secure an immediate
humanitarian truce, including certain withdrawals and the establishment of safe
humanitarian corridors. “The United States stands ready to support all efforts
leading to a comprehensive dialogue among the Sudanese political forces, leading
to a preliminary road map of the future of the Sudan,” Boulos said in his post.
ISIS attack kills Iraqi policeman near Kirkuk
Reuters/05 October/2026
At least one Iraqi federal policeman was killed and four others wounded on
Monday when ISIS militants attacked a federal police site southwest of the
oil-rich city of Kirkuk, two security sources told Reuters. The attackers used
semi-automatic machine guns and sniper fire against the federal police regiment
stationed near Hawija, about 70 km (43 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, the sources
said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. But security and army
sources said ISIS militants, who are still active in the area, were involved in
the attack. The attack is the first reported assault by ISIS militants on Iraqi
security forces since US forces completed their withdrawal from Iraq on
September 30, ending the military mission in the country. The United States had
led a coalition that supported Iraqi forces in the fight against ISIS, including
efforts to prevent the militant group from regrouping.
Washington said it would continue to provide targeted training and intelligence
support after the withdrawal, while Iraqi forces would take full responsibility
for the country’s security and for suppressing ISIS remnants.Despite the defeat
of ISIS’ self-declared caliphate nearly a decade ago, the group retains sleeper
cells in Iraq, Iraqi security officials told Reuters ahead of the US withdrawal.
The withdrawal had raised concerns that a security vacuum could provide an
opening for ISIS to regain strength, with some officials warning that Iraqi
forces would now have to contain the group without the coalition’s military
presence.
The Latest LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on October 05-06/2026
I hate Israel… Yeeeeah!!!
Nadim Koteich/X Platform/October 05/2026
It is staggering to see the scale of the conspiratorial mindset, saturated with
hatred of Jews, that fills both traditional and digital media spaces, including
those close to us, directly or indirectly. Faced with this decline, we need an
emergency media plan that rebuilds our media reality, our vision, and our
strategy, with no flattery, no embarrassment, no falsification, no coddling, and
no illusions. The ease with which people cast doubt on terrorist incidents and
invent conspiracies around them, as happened with the Flydubai incident, when a
terrorist co-pilot nearly brought down a plane flying between Dubai and Tel
Aviv, once again reveals a pathological need among broad sections of our
intellectuals, pundits and journalists, to solicit certificates of patriotism
and authenticity by indulging in gratuitous mobilization against anything
Israeli or Jewish. Those who do this find psychological, political, and
ideological comfort in it. It allows them to preserve the image of the victim
exclusively for themselves, and the image of the perpetrator exclusively for the
other. They imagine that, by doing so, they absolve themselves of enormous
responsibilities. This kind of one-upmanship, this casual, routine hatred, has
become the most valuable currency in the marketplace of laundering reputations,
positions, and status: hate Israel, then do whatever you want to your country,
your people, and everyone else, and enjoy the conferences, the invitations, the
warm welcomes, the applause and fanfare, the awards and the praise. The
dominance of conspiracy thinking tells us that we are facing a profound and
dangerous intellectual failure: an inability to see the world clearly, to
distinguish the real causes of its crises, and a descent into a general
condition of denial and disorientation. This intellectual paralysis is the
product of a distorted model of governance and administration, built on
monopolizing the economy, politics, public life, and culture, and on confining
political debate within boundaries so narrow that little remains except
directing public anger toward an external enemy — most often Israel. For
decades, this cheap excuse has spared governments and elites the demands of
domestic accountability. But it has also planted in our societies a distorted
understanding of ourselves, of the other, and of our relationship with both. It
almost goes without saying that no emergency media plan will work unless we find
the courage to turn our backs on the imaginary enemy and look into the
mirror.Our first battle is not with Israel. It is with a mindset that taught us
to hate abroad everything we are incapable of fixing at home.We need to stop
renting the image of the victim, and find the courage to hold ourselves
accountable.
Yemen and the battle for the state
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/October 05/2026
The Houthis surged toward the Bab Al-Mandab Strait after bleeding Yemen,
exhausting Yemenis and unsettling the neighborhood. More than one opportunity
for reconciliation within the embrace of the state was offered to them but they
insisted on residing atop the rubble of its institutions, placing their regional
program before their country’s interest. They left Yemen’s legitimate
authorities no option but comprehensive action against them, which is what
President Rashad Al-Alimi announced on Sunday.The decision to begin military
operations “to recover what remains of the republic’s territory and extend the
authority of the state” came after the opportunities for de-escalation had been
exhausted, as Al-Alimi made clear. The Houthis met the opportunities for peace
with further escalation and more attacks on Yemenis, on neighboring states and
on international waterways.
The Houthis, who became embroiled in certain events following the outbreak of
the Al-Aqsa Flood, are now paying the price of their rush toward Bab Al-Mandab
in order to link it with the Strait of Hormuz in an attempt to strangle the
global economy. They are paying the price of harassing their neighbors and of
joining the war of straits and sea lanes. The Houthis were unable to offer any
convincing model inside Yemen. The ordinary Yemeni felt he was living on the
embers of illusions. No reconciliation and no development. The absence of even a
minimal acceptance of the other. They treated anyone who differed as though he
were an enemy and regarded every piece of advice with suspicion. Instead of
drawing strength from people’s sympathy, they chose to lean on the arsenal.
Poverty doubled, services declined and fear prevailed. In the areas under their
control, the Houthis showed no serious knowledge of the realities of Yemen’s
composition. They chose a policy of subjugation and of breaking the will of the
people. The Houthis met opportunities for peace with more attacks on Yemenis,
neighboring states and international waterways
Externally, the Houthis showed no respect for international rules and norms.
They imagined that a militia could break the balance of power by relying on a
regional program that kept pumping slogans of extremism into their veins. They
imagined they could address their neighbors with missiles and drones. They
misread their neighbors’ adoption of a policy of patience and wisdom and their
wager on the group turning back from its adventurist course. Yemen cannot allow
its fate to be held hostage by a group that has deepened Yemeni divisions. And
the region’s states cannot accept a group of this ilk controlling a vital
waterway such as Bab Al-Mandab. And if the world does not concede to Iran the
right to control the Strait of Hormuz, how could it accept placing Bab Al-Mandab
in the custody of the Houthis? Every attempt to draw the Houthis into the
language of serious dialogue has failed. It was established conclusively that
they hold a position hostile to the very idea of a state with room for them and
for others. Their dictionary has no place for the idea of the state and its
institutions. They appeared as people commissioned for a mission larger than
Yemen — a mission that exported fire and imported fire. Yemen does not need more
adventures. It needs a dose of stability: legitimate security institutions and a
government that gathers up the Yemeni fragments and relaunches hope.
Yemen cannot be left an open wound in the custody of warmongers who multiply the
suffering of Yemenis. What Al-Alimi announced is the battle to recover the
state. Yemen cannot be left an open wound in the custody of warmongers who
multiply the suffering of Yemenis, which is already great. The battle for the
state is a new page in Yemen’s life. The suffering has been long and so too the
waiting. Yemen has the right to leave the regional game and return to Yemen. It
has the right to dress its wounds, of which there are many. And Al-Alimi was
clear that the battle for the state is a battle of truth and justice, not a
battle of vengeance or subjugation. Al-Alimi stressed that the mission “is not
only to recover the land but to return the state to it,” affirming that the new
phase aims at returning weapons to “their natural place under the authority of
the law.” In this, he echoed the concerns of the other countries reached by the
aftershocks of the “flood,” which is nearing its third anniversary. The file of
the factions and of confining their weapons to the hands of the state is open
from Gaza to Iraq, by way of Lebanon, after they loaded their countries with
more than they could bear and their regional roles exploded in their faces and
those of their maps. The flood struck the region and then rebounded on the
so-called Axis of Resistance. The Middle East cannot bear to go on being a
region booby-trapped with militias, wars, floods and occupations. Nor can the
world.
Gaza's 'Journalists': When Journalism Becomes a Weapon
of Jihad
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/October 05/2026
How many of those described as "journalists" were also members of Hamas or
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)?
The question has become particularly urgent after the release by the Israel
Defense Forces of a database identifying 170 Palestinians killed during the war
whom the IDF says were also members of Hamas, PIJ, or other terrorist
organizations.
According to the IDF database the people identified as terrorist operatives
were... affiliated with international news organizations, including Reuters, AP,
CNN, BBC, AFP, Le Monde, and Anadolu Agency, and Al-Jazeera.
Did these organizations know that some of their Gaza-based employees,
freelancers, or contributors were members of Hamas or PIJ? Did they conduct
background checks? Did Hamas or PIJ influence their reporting? Did the positions
of these journalists within Hamas or PIJ give them access to information that
was then presented to international audiences as independent journalism?
Most importantly, how many people whose deaths were cited as evidence of
Israel's alleged campaign against journalists were actually participating in the
war?
[T]oo often, the word "journalist" has been treated as if it were synonymous
with "neutral". It is not. Add to that now the word for "pilot".
The international media cannot demand that Israel be held accountable for every
journalist killed in the Gaza Strip while at the same time refusing to
investigate if any were members of the terrorist organizations fighting Israel.
The world has been told to trust Gaza's "journalists." The evidence now demands
that the world start asking: journalists for whom?
What we have seen in the Gaza Strip over the past three years is "journalism
Jihad" in the service of "holy war."
The international media has repeatedly presented the deaths of Palestinian
journalists in the Gaza Strip as evidence that Israel is deliberately targeting
journalists. Yet the IDF recently released a database identifying 170
Palestinians killed during the war whom it says were also members of Hamas,
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or other terrorist organizations, including their
military identification numbers, ranks and unit affiliations. Pictured: The late
Anas al-Sharif (R), a "journalist" that Al-Jazeera claimed it employed and who
served as commander of a Hamas rocket-launch squad, smiles for a selfie with
senior Hamas officials, including the late Hamas leader Yahiya Sinwar (2nd from
left). Photo by Anas al-Sharif.
For nearly three years, the international media has repeatedly presented the
deaths of Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip as evidence that Israel is
deliberately targeting journalists in an effort to prevent the world from seeing
what is happening there.
This accusation deserves serious investigation. So does another question that
has received considerably less attention: How many of those described as
"journalists" were also members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)?
The question has become particularly urgent after the release by the Israel
Defense Forces of a database identifying 170 Palestinians killed during the war
whom the IDF says were also members of Hamas, PIJ, or other terrorist
organizations.
According to the IDF, the database contains military identification numbers,
ranks, unit affiliations, photographs, and other information about the alleged
journalists.
The IDF also found that a number of those identified had participated in the
Hamas-led October 7, 2023 invasion of Israel.
These figures do not establish that every Palestinian journalist in the Gaza
Strip is or was a terrorist. There are Palestinian journalists who have
genuinely worked as journalists; these legitimate reporters covering a war
deserve praise, as well as the protections afforded to journalists under
international law.
Nevertheless, 170 fake journalists cannot simply be dismissed.
There is an even more important reason why the allegations deserve scrutiny. In
a number of instances, the evidence of complicity in terrorism did not originate
with Israel. It came from Hamas and PIJ themselves.
Investigations have found occurrences in which terrorist organizations publicly
identified people who had been described internationally as journalists as
members of their military wings.
Ahmed Abu Eisha, for instance, had been identified as a journalist for Palestine
Today. After his death, PIJ's military wing identified him as a commander and
operative in its Central Information Unit.
Another, Mohammed Nasser Abu Huwaidi, had been described as a journalist for the
newspaper Al-Istiqlal. PIJ later identified him as having served in its
"military media unit." The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), after
determining that he had participated in combat, removed him from its database.
Yaqoub Anan al-Bursh had been identified as a journalist and executive director
of Namaa Radio. He was also later named by Hamas's military wing as a member of
one of its battalions and a "military media commentator."
Maysara Salah, associated with Quds News Network, was similarly authenticated by
Hamas-affiliated media as a member of its military media apparatus who had
fought in a Hamas battalion.
These cases are significant because they cannot just be shrugged off as an
Israeli attempt to discredit Palestinian journalists. The terrorist
organizations themselves claimed those individuals as members.
This issue has even affected organizations that have spent years documenting the
deaths of journalists in the Gaza Strip.
CPJ has acknowledged that combatants should not be classified as journalists.
After reviewing evidence concerning people killed in the Gaza Strip, CPJ removed
even more names from its database after determining that some had been members
of Hamas or PIJ and had participated in combat.
CPJ has condemned the "misrepresentation of combatants as journalists or media
workers," noting that such practices endanger genuine journalists — an important
admission.
A person does not automatically become a civilian just because he or she carries
a camera, works for a news organization or wears a press vest. Journalists are
protected as civilians as long as they do not directly participate in
hostilities or terror attacks. If someone works as a reporter but simultaneously
serves as a sniper, commander, military intelligence officer or member of a
terrorist organization's military apparatus, his second identity cannot be
erased by calling him or her a journalist.
This raises uncomfortable questions about the coverage of the Gaza war.
According to the IDF database, the people identified as terrorist operatives
were associated with a remarkably broad range of media organizations as well as
individuals reportedly associated with international news organizations,
including Reuters, AP, CNN, BBC, AFP, Le Monde, and Anadolu Agency, and
Al-Jazeera. This list does not prove that those international organizations
knowingly employed terrorists.
Yet it does create an obvious journalistic obligation: Investigate.
Did these organizations know that some of their Gaza-based employees,
freelancers, or contributors were members of Hamas or PIJ? Did they conduct
background checks? Did Hamas or PIJ influence their reporting? Did the positions
of these journalists within Hamas or PIJ give them access to information that
was then presented to international audiences as independent journalism?
Most importantly, how many people whose deaths were cited as evidence of
Israel's alleged campaign against journalists were actually participating in the
war?
Many foreign journalists and media outlets have relied heavily on Palestinian
journalists and media workers inside the Gaza Strip for photographs, videos,
eyewitness accounts, casualty information and descriptions of Israeli military
operations. When the world's media depend on local sources to tell the story of
a war, those sources must be subjected to the same scrutiny as sources anywhere
else.
Instead, too often, the word "journalist" has been treated as if it were
synonymous with "neutral". It is not. Add to that now the word for "pilot".
Another disturbing dimension to this issue is that if Hamas or PIJ deliberately
allowed members of their military organizations to work under journalistic
identities, that would present more than a problem of inaccurate reporting. It
would be part of a broader information strategy in which the boundaries between
fighter, propagandist and journalist become deliberately blurred.
It would also, as CJP pointed out, put genuine Palestinian journalists at risk.
When combatants operate under journalistic cover, it damages the credibility of
legitimate Palestinian reporters, causes Israeli forces to be suspicious of
people carrying cameras or working for media organizations, and mistakenly kill
or harm them.
The international media cannot demand that Israel be held accountable for every
journalist killed in the Gaza Strip while at the same time refusing to
investigate if any were members of the terrorist organizations fighting Israel.
The world has been told to trust Gaza's "journalists." The evidence now demands
that the world start asking: journalists for whom?
What we have seen in the Gaza Strip over the past three years is "journalism
Jihad" in the service of "holy war."
*Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East. His work is made
possible through the generous donation of a couple who wish to remain anonymous.
Gatestone is most grateful.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22900/gaza-journalists
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.
US charges engineer with supporting Houthis, Louisiana
brothers and Florida man with financing Hamas
Will Selber/FDD's Long War Journal/October 05/2026
Federal authorities in September charged defendants in three cases alleging
support for the Houthis and Hamas. The cases accuse a Department of Energy
engineer of attempting to aid the Houthis and two Louisiana brothers and a
Florida beauty-store owner of financing Hamas, including through donations
presented as humanitarian relief.
On September 30, federal prosecutors charged Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, a DOE
employee, with attempting to provide material support to Ansar Allah, the
Iranian-backed terrorist group in Yemen known as the Houthis; the FBI arrested
him the following day.
“As alleged, a U.S. government employee traveled overseas and used his
specialized expertise in an attempt to aid the Houthis, a designated Foreign
Terrorist Organization backed by Iran,” said Assistant Attorney General for
National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Additionally, Ellaboudy acquired materials
for the construction of explosive material and drones capable of delivering
these explosives.”
Ellaboudy, 51, a resident of Richland, Washington, works as an electrical
engineer at the DOE’s Hanford Site. He previously worked for the Army Corps of
Engineers and served in the United States Navy.
According to court documents, between November 2024 and February 2025, several
companies reported that Ellaboudy had purchased chemicals and components
commonly used to manufacture explosives, along with drone parts, and had them
shipped to his home. The FBI later learned from his DOE supervisor that
Ellaboudy had taken sick leave after exposure to concentrated nitric acid, which
he said he was using to make amateur rocket propellant.
According to federal authorities and the criminal complaint, by April 2025, an
FBI informant had reportedly been introduced to Ellaboudy. In subsequent
conversations with informants, he discussed drones, praised Houthi attacks on
shipping, and expressed an interest in traveling to Yemen. In September 2025,
Ellaboudy reportedly traveled through Oman into Yemen using an official US
passport. After returning, he told an informant that he had tried to reach Sanaa
to establish contact with Houthi leader Abdul Malik al Houthi or his associates
but had been unable to reach the city.
In May 2026, an FBI informant posing as a shipping intermediary introduced
Ellaboudy by telephone to another informant posing as a Houthi colonel.
Ellaboudy allegedly spent the next few months testing and preparing equipment,
then helping load it for what he believed would be shipment to the Houthis for a
mobile communications station. Investigators allege that he used his DOE
workstation to research communications equipment.
Ellaboudy faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Separately, on September 11, the Department of Justice charged Abdel Adhami and
his brother Omar with financing Hamas through an alleged fundraising network
involving Saleem Alzaq, a Gaza resident prosecutors say is a Hamas member who
solicited donations online. The brothers were arrested in mid-September in
Louisiana, and details of the case were reported on October 1 after court
filings were unsealed. Both men are charged with providing material support to a
terrorist organization, conspiracy to provide material support, conspiracy to
commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to court documents, in March 2023, the New York Police Department
began investigating Saleem Alzaq’s purported Gaza relief fundraising network
after observing Hamas propaganda on his social media accounts. Abdel’s first
known contact with Alzaq via Snapchat occurred in June 2023. Between October and
November 2023, Abdel allegedly sent money and solicited support after the
October 7 attacks. He reportedly told his brother to use “bread” as a codeword
for Hamas and explained that donations supported fighters as well as civilians.
In June 2024, Israel’s National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing informed the
FBI that Alzaq was a Hamas member and battalion deputy in the Shujaiyya
Brigade’s media office. In April 2025, it provided further information
identifying him as with Hamas’s Khalid Bin al-Walid Brigade, Ammar bin Yasir
Platoon. In September 2024, an undercover NYPD officer contacted Alzaq through
Facebook, then moved the conversation to WhatsApp. In March 2025, Alzaq referred
the undercover officer to Abdel for assistance in sending donations. Abdel
allegedly discussed payment methods and hinted at activities in Gaza beyond
humanitarian aid that he would not explain by telephone.
In September 2025, US Customs and Border Protection seized Abdel’s phone for
examination after he returned from an overseas trip. Abdel had told authorities
that he was traveling with his family to Ramallah to build a house in the nearby
village of Surda.
From December 2025 to January 2026, Abdel and Alzaq continued communicating with
undercover officers. Alzaq explained that donations could be processed through
Abdel’s store as if they were purchases and allegedly confirmed that funds
reached Hamas. Abdel allegedly described his support as “Jihad by money.”From
2023 to 2026, Abdel allegedly funneled more than $83,000 to Hamas while his
brother allegedly sent $6,000.
“Our intelligence analysts uncovered this international finance network and
built the case that exposed more than $2 million being funneled to Hamas,” NYPD
Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement.
Abdel and Alzaq’s case also appears connected to a separate Florida prosecution
of Raed Yousef, 56, who was also charged in Florida in September with funding
Hamas through a purported humanitarian organization in France. Yousef’s
indictment alleges that a co-conspirator in Louisiana recruited him to donate
and told him that contributions reached Hamas members as well as civilians.
A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Florida indicted Yousef on
September 15 on 19 felony counts, including conspiracy and attempt to provide
material support to Hamas, providing funds to a specially designated terrorist,
international money laundering, and passport fraud. Prosecutors say he sent
“more than $45,000” to the French group “via PayPal … knowing the funds were
intended for” Hamas, and that he was “arrested after landing in Tampa” following
“more than a month-long stint in the Middle East.”
*Will Selber is a retired US CENTCOM foreign area officer with over 4 years in
Iraq and Afghanistan. He is the owner of Grumpy Combat Veteran on Substack.
Syria faces infrastructure sabotage, Islamic State activity
amid utility shortages
Seth J. Frantzman/FDD's Long War Journal/October 05/2026
On October 2, the Syrian Petroleum Company said it restored a gas pipeline near
Deir Ezzor after the line had been sabotaged. “The company said on Telegram that
crews replaced an 18-meter section of the 16-inch-diameter pipeline before
restoring service and resuming gas transmission,” the Syrian Arab News Agency
(SANA) reported. The restoration of the line comes as Syria faces security
threats from the Islamic State, as well as threats to its energy grid in the
form of sabotage and accidents.
The restoration of the Jbessa gas pipeline came three days after an explosion at
a different gas line near the Tishreen Thermal Power Plant near Damascus. The
Jbessa line near al Shoula in Deir Ezzor Governorate was damaged on September 28
by an explosive device. On October 1, Syria also began repairing the line near
Damascus.
“Technical teams have started repressurizing the Arab Gas Pipeline between Adra
and Deir Ali, paving the way for the Deir Ali plant to return to service in
stages, the [Ministry of Energy] said. The pipeline and surrounding area will
remain under technical monitoring during the restart,” SANA added.
Syria’s Energy Minister Mohammad al Bashir told state media that Civil Defense
teams worked to bring the damage under control. They were also investigating
what caused the explosion. “Authorities have not yet established whether the
incident resulted from a technical malfunction, a deliberate attack or sabotage,
al-Bashir said,” SANA noted.
The shutdown of plants near Damascus caused a reduction in electricity
generation. Syrian authorities appeared to work quickly to address both
incidents and restore service. The work comes amid a number of reports in Syria
about energy and other crises. For instance, North Press Agency in eastern Syria
said on October 1 that Daraa in southern Syria faced a water crisis. On
September 27, the outlet noted there were electricity shortages in Qamishli in
eastern Syria, and it published two articles between September 28 and 30 on high
fuel prices in the country.
While Syria grapples with energy challenges at home, it is improving its trade
networks with Iraq, including enabling gasoline shipments to Iraq. “The first
batch of 57 trucks began moving Thursday through the al-Tanf border crossing,
Ahmed Qubbaji, the company’s deputy chief executive for transportation and
storage, told SANA. The arrangement is intended to help secure supplies for Iraq
amid disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” SANA reported on
September 27. This is one of several Syria-Iraq energy trade initiatives over
the past several months. The countries are also working to restore a pipeline
running from the Syrian port of Baniyas to Kirkuk in Iraq. Iraq is also
exporting oil from Basra through Syria due to the Iran conflict.
Syria has also busted several Islamic State cells in the last two weeks. On
September 28, North Press reported that Syria’s Internal Security Forces said
they had dismantled an Islamic State cell that had been involved in activity in
Raqqa, Aleppo, Idlib, and Homs. Authorities arrested four leaders of the cell,
along with other members. In another incident, the Internal Security Forces
clashed with alleged Islamic State members in Al Sanamayn, south of Damascus, in
mid-September. This comes as Syria also thwarted a Hezbollah plot in southern
Syria near the border with Jordan and Israel.
**Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a
contributor to FDD’s Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East
correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7
War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).
Iran is running out of options as economy becomes its
greatest vulnerability
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya English/05 October ,2026
The war between Iran and the United States has settled into a tense stalemate.
Major military exchanges have largely subsided, yet neither side has achieved a
decisive victory or forced meaningful concessions from the other. History shows
that such deadlocks, when both parties’ demands run deep and appear
irreconcilable, typically break when one side’s situation grows desperate enough
that survival itself requires abandoning maximalist positions. Washington’s core
demands remain uncompromising: comprehensive transparency on Iran’s nuclear
program, effective handover or verifiable neutralization of nuclear materials
and enrichment capabilities, and lasting limits that prevent any path to a
weapon. Tehran’s list is equally expansive and fundamentally different.
Iranian officials have sought reparations or compensation for wartime damage,
the release of frozen assets, an end to the U.S. naval blockade and oil
sanctions, relief that would restore export revenues, and a reduction or
withdrawal of American forces and influence from the region. The two agendas do
not overlap enough for an easy midpoint. Talks mediated by regional players have
repeatedly stalled because neither government appears willing to make the first
substantial concession.
The side under greatest domestic strain
In prolonged stalemates of this kind, the side facing the more acute domestic
crisis usually blinks first. That side is increasingly Iran. The scale and speed
of the economic deterioration inside the country have few modern precedents.
On Iran’s free market, the rial has plunged to roughly 2.7 million per US dollar
– a historic low. The currency has lost more than half its value over the past
year and has been setting fresh records almost daily in recent weeks. Official
rates lag far behind street prices, creating a yawning gap that further erodes
confidence. Oil, the government’s primary source of hard currency, has been
strangled by the US naval blockade. For the first time since the 1979
revolution, Iran reportedly loaded no crude at its export terminals in a recent
month. Floating stockpiles outside the Gulf are dwindling and will soon be
exhausted. Without reliable oil revenue, imports of essential goods become
prohibitively expensive, and foreign-exchange reserves come under relentless
pressure.
Human cost of a collapsing currency
The human impact is immediate and severe. Purchasing power has collapsed. A
salary that might have covered basic needs a year ago now buys a fraction of the
same goods. High inflation – reported in the range of 70 to 90 percent – has
driven up the cost of food, medicine, and rent. Unemployment has risen as
factories struggle with scarce inputs and energy rationing. Ordinary Iranians,
including public-sector workers such as teachers and nurses, have publicly
described salaries that no longer support their families. Many are turning to
dollars, gold, or other hard assets simply to preserve what little value their
savings retain. By comparison, the economic pressures felt in the United States
remain manageable. Higher energy prices and the costs of sustained military
operations register in polls and at the pump, yet they do not approach the
systemic collapse of living standards underway in Iran. American households are
not watching their currency lose value by the day or facing widespread inability
to afford staples.
Rare official acknowledgment of crisis
Even figures inside the Iranian system who rarely voice public alarm have begun
to speak candidly. Mohsen Rezaei, the powerful secretary of the Supreme National
Security Council, recently described the current circumstances as among the most
difficult periods the country has faced. His comments, delivered at a high-level
meeting on economic stabilization, represent a rare official acknowledgment of
the depth of the crisis after more than seven months of conflict and intensified
sanctions.
Iran’s economy is deteriorating at an unprecedented rate, and the daily
free-fall of the rial is the clearest public signal. The government and the
hardline factions that dominate security policy now confront a narrowing set of
choices. They can continue to hold firm on maximalist demands – nuclear
concessions refused, blockade lifted only on their terms, regional influence
preserved – and risk a sharp escalation of social unrest. When people can no
longer feed their families or maintain basic dignity, the capacity of even a
highly repressive system to contain discontent shrinks. Nationwide protests have
already occurred in recent years; another wave under far harsher economic
conditions could prove more difficult to suppress.
Two paths, both costly for Iran
The alternative is to concede ground, accept a deal that falls short of the
narrative of resistance and victory cultivated throughout the conflict, and
absorb the political cost of appearing to yield to American pressure. That would
amount to a significant political defeat within the government’s own
storytelling about the war. Yet survival of the system itself may eventually
outweigh the desire to claim triumph. Stalemates end when one side’s margin for
error disappears. Iran’s margin is shrinking every day the rial sets a new low
and oil revenues remain near zero. The hardliners still control the instruments
of power, but the economic reality confronting ordinary citizens is becoming
harder to ignore or paper over with ideology. Whether the leadership chooses to
cling to maximalist positions until domestic pressures force a rupture, or
begins the process of recalibrating its demands before that rupture arrives,
will determine the next phase of this conflict. For the moment, Iran looks
increasingly like the side with fewer viable options left.
Selected Face Book & X tweets
on October
05/2026
Alberto Miguel Fernandez
The Algerians, Tunisians, Libyans and Egyptians in living memory
all expelled or "encouraged" the departure of tens of thousands of Christians
and Jews that had lived in North Africa for decades if not for centuries.