English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News &
Editorials
For October 21/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2026/english.october21.26.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
I tell you, to all those who have, more will
be given; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken
away
Luke 19/11-28: “As they were listening to this, Jesus went on to
tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and because they supposed that
the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. So he said, ‘A nobleman went to a
distant country to get royal power for himself and then return. He summoned ten
of his slaves, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, “Do business with
these until I come back.” But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a
delegation after him, saying, “We do not want this man to rule over us. “When he
returned, having received royal power, he ordered these slaves, to whom he had
given the money, to be summoned so that he might find out what they had gained
by trading. The first came forward and said, “Lord, your pound has made ten more
pounds.” He said to him, “Well done, good slave! Because you have been
trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.” Then the second
came, saying, “Lord, your pound has made five pounds.” He said to him, “And you,
rule over five cities.” Then the other came, saying, “Lord, here is your pound.
I wrapped it up in a piece of cloth, for I was afraid of you, because you are a
harsh man; you take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow. “He
said to him, “I will judge you by your own words, you wicked slave! You knew,
did you, that I was a harsh man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what
I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money into the bank? Then when I
returned, I could have collected it with interest.” He said to the bystanders,
“Take the pound from him and give it to the one who has ten pounds.” (And they
said to him, “Lord, he has ten pounds!”)”I tell you, to all those who have, more
will be given; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be
taken away. But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over
them bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.” ’ After he had said
this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
Titles For The English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related
News & Editorials published on October 20-21/2026
The Necessity of Ending Lebanon’s “Battleground” Status and Recognizing
Israel/Elias Bejjani/October 20/2026
The Danger of Hardness of Heart, Death of Conscience, and Absence of Shame: When
the Light of God Goes Out in Man/Elias Bejjani/October 18/2026
US military hosts officials from Lebanon, Israel for three-day conference:
CENTCOM
Will Lebanon-Israel talks in Florida contain tensions before Israel's elections?
Israel accuses Lebanese Army of failing to clear south of Hezbollah weapons
Report: Hezbollah warned army and security forces against raiding Dahieh depots
Judicial warrants issued for two Hezbollah officials in explosives case
Tampa Presses for Disarmament and the Stick of Justice Pursues the "Explosives
Party"
Tampa Negotiations Discussed Implementation of Security Arrangements and
Expansion of Model Zones and to Resume Tomorrow: Israeli Withdrawal and Field
Guarantees Most Prominent Points of Disagreement
Tampa Meeting Ends Until Tomorrow.. Israel Insists on Staying in Security Zone
and Aoun-Salam Meeting Follows Developments in South
Closed Session in Security Council Tomorrow.. Will Diplomacy Succeed in Finding
Alternative to UNIFIL and Where Will Current Efforts Lead?
Two Arrest Warrants Against Officials in the "Party" in Explosives Case?
Katz Threatens Dahiyeh and Hints at Advancing Towards Nabatieh and Litani.. What
Did He Announce About the "Security Zone"?
European Union Moves to Increase Its Support for Lebanese Army.. Direct Message
of Support to Haykal
Washington Refuses to Revive UNIFIL: Resolution 1701 Is of the Past and Push
Towards Direct Communication
Lebanese Army Responds to Israeli Accusations.. Here's What It Revealed About
Kfara Facility and Targeted Truck
From the South to Dahiyeh.. Redeployment of "Party" Elements Raises Questions:
Security Precaution or Prelude to a New Internal Show of Force?
Israel: "The Party" Continues Its Armed Activity.. And We Hold the Lebanese Army
Responsible!
American Draft Proposes International Committee to Verify Hezbollah Disarmament
and Disagreements Over Its Powers
Report: Hezbollah earmarked $600M for aiding displaced, not $200M
Arab League chief tours south Lebanon, says Israeli attacks unacceptable
Two Israel strikes target Kfartebnit
UNIFIL: Mission continues operations as Security Council considers post-mission
options
President Aoun: Lebanese await return of Saudi visitors and resumption of Saudi
flights to Lebanon
Qatari electricity lifeline for Lebanon includes two power plants, LNG supply
deal: Reuters
Lebanon sees drop in fuel prices as gas prices rise
AMCD Urges Rubio: Condition U.S. Aid on Repeal of Lebanon’s 1955 Boycott Law
Against Israel
How Israel Can Turn Hezbollah’s Blunder Into Lasting Defeat/David Daoud/The
Dispatch/October 19, 2026
Lebanon revokes Iranian bank’s license amid US pressure over Hezbollah
financing/David Daoud/FDD's Long War Journal/October 20/2026
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on
October 20-21/2026
Barrack: US not leaving Middle East, but regional allies must take
greater responsibility
US VP Vance declines to endorse Netanyahu despite Trump’s backing
How does Israel choose its prime minister, and can Netanyahu win the October 27
election?
Hegseth's secret meeting with Netanyahu in Israel fuels fears of renewed war
with Iran
Iran says three tankers hit mines crossing Hormuz
NATO to send ‘additional assets’ to Black Sea after drone attacks
IIran rules out transferring enriched nuclear material abroad amid US tensions
UK to deploy fighter jets to help protect Saudi from Houthi attacks
Death toll from Houthi attack on Yemen training camp rises to 73
Saudi Arabia welcomes UN Security Council condemnation of Houthi attacks
Yemeni military says 200 Houthis ‘neutralized’ in 744 strikes over 24 hours
Pakistan's army chief expected in Tehran on Tuesday
Saudi says intercepted Houthi ballistic missile targeting Riyadh
UK police re-arrest two over suspected Iran-linked spying at RAF Fairford
US envoy Witkoff to meet Russians, Trump presses Kyiv to settle
Italy approves troops deployment, toughens penalties after clashes: PM
French PM vows 'massive' police deployment for new demonstrations Saturday
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on October 20-21/2026
Houthis have crossed several red lines: Why the West must confront them
now/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya English/20 October/2026
It’s Time for a Reset in U.S.-Israel Relations/Richard Goldberg/National
Review/October 20/2026
Pakistan-Taliban border clashes continue amid diplomatic efforts/Will Selber/FDD's
Long War Journal/October 20/2026
Riyadh has an obvious problem, but no obvious solution/Bridget
Toomey/LBC/October 20/2026
The French Republic Is Under Attack/Simone Rodan-Benzaquen/The Free
Press/October 20/2026
The Damage Weak Leaders Can Do To Their Own Countries/Nils A. Haug/Gatestone
Institute/October 20/2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets on October 20/2026
Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on October 20-21/2026
(Some of the News reports below are
translated from Arabic by AI)
The Necessity of Ending Lebanon’s
“Battleground” Status and Recognizing Israel
Elias Bejjani/October 20/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/01/151479/
As the saying goes, “Once the cause is known, wonder ceases.” The true tragedy
of Lebanon is not merely its security, economic, or social collapse, but the
suicidal persistence in remaining a perpetual “battleground” and a regional
“mailbox.” The core cause of this national disintegration lies in the absence of
faith among Lebanon’s ruling class: political leaders, party bosses turned
corporate oligarchs, hypocritical Arabists, leftists, and self-proclaimed
nationalists. They do not believe in the concept of the state, nor in Lebanon as
a sovereign entity with a distinct role and mission. More dangerously, they lack
the most basic standards of ethics and genuine patriotism.
The so-called “Resistance” in Lebanon was never a Lebanese project. It was a
façade for cross-border agendas that transformed the country into a hostage.
This tragic farce began in the late 1960s, when criminal and terrorist
Palestinian organizations violated Lebanese sovereignty under the banner of
“liberation.” They were assisted by the so-called “National Movement”—a
coalition of leftists, Arabists, Baathists, and ideologues who harbored
hostility toward Lebanon as a state, a message, and a beacon of freedom—thereby
tearing apart the national fabric.
This was followed by the barbaric Syrian Baathist occupation, which imposed its
tutelage under the same slogans and ushered in one of the darkest eras in
Lebanon’s modern history. Since 2005, the Iranian-backed, sectarian, and
reckless Hezbollah militia has tightened its grip on the Lebanese people,
turning the South, the Suburbs, the Bekaa, and other regions into weapons
depots, tunnel networks, and missile platforms serving the agenda of Tehran’s
mullahs.
The insistence on keeping Lebanon in a permanent state of war with Israel—at a
time when Arab states are negotiating, reconciling, and prioritizing their
national interests—has produced devastating consequences:
The reduction of the state to mere “geography” used for settling the scores of
others, led by Iran, Syria, and the local, regional, and international merchants
of the “Resistance” illusion.
The impossibility of building a stable economy or attracting investment in a
country held hostage by a trigger finger controlled by foreign powers, capable
of igniting a war of total destruction at any moment.
Lebanon’s transformation into a “terrorist island” outside international
legitimacy and the rule of law, depriving it of peace, sovereignty,
independence, and development.
The entrenchment of a culture of death and war that drives Lebanon’s finest
youth into exile, leaving the country to militias, mobs, and political
opportunists.
Transitioning Lebanon into a “normal state” through mutual recognition between
Lebanon and Israel is not an act of treason. On the contrary, it represents the
highest form of patriotism and political realism. The benefits are clear and
tangible:
Finalizing borders and dismantling the fabricated pretexts of the Shebaa Farms
and Kfarchouba Hills, long exploited as an evil & fake tags “Shirt of Uthman” to
justify the persistence of illegal weapons.
Securing safe investment in offshore gas and oil resources and opening the door
to economic, commercial, and tourism cooperation in a region moving toward “zero
problems.”
Ending the so-called “state of war,” thereby stripping all militias of any
claimed legitimacy and restoring exclusive sovereign decision-making to the
Lebanese Army.
Most importantly, halting Lebanon’s role as a “factory of death” and restoring
its historic function as a cultural and civilizational bridge between East and
West.
In conclusion, Lebanon’s recovery of its identity and sovereignty begins with
full border control, strict adherence to international resolutions—including the
latest ceasefire agreement—and the rejection of the false narrative that
“Lebanon must always be the last to sign a peace accord with Israel.” Today,
Lebanese citizens are called upon to break free from political herd mentality
and the worship of “Iscariot” leaders who feast on national humiliation and
Lebanese blood.
Liberating Lebanon from the grip of “Temple Traders” and the culture of
appeasing the strong while shifting loyalties for personal gain requires the
courage to speak a simple truth: we want a homeland, not a battleground; a
state, not a private farm; and a just peace that ends nearly six decades of
deception, false heroism, and revolutionary delusions. The solution lies in
mutual recognition between Lebanon and the State of Israel,Under the auspices of
the United Nations and the international community, Lebanon will return to being
"a land of message, creativity, freedoms and stars," not "a land of graves."
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/01/151479/
*The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website: https://eliasbejjaninews.com
The Danger of Hardness of Heart,
Death of Conscience, and Absence of Shame: When the Light of God Goes Out in Man
Elias Bejjani/October 18/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/10/158366/
Man Between the Light of Truth and the Darkness of Evil
The life we live, with all its details, turns and crossroads, is nothing but a
path whose features are determined by the choices we make, by the values we
believe in, and by the measure of God’s presence in our conscience and our
hearts. Man, whatever his status, however much money, power and influence he may
possess, remains accountable before God for his words and deeds, for the good he
has done, and the evil he has committed, for the truth he knew and then denied,
and for the duty he recognized and then evaded. We are destined to choose
between two ways: the way of righteousness, wisdom, and the fear of God, and the
way of straying, pride, hardness of heart, and death of conscience. The
difference between the two ways is not in outward appearances, nor in the
religious slogans a man raises, nor in the number of prayers he recites before
others, but in the reality of the heart, the sincerity of faith, the purity of
intention, the uprightness of conduct, and the extent of his respect for human
dignity and human rights. The man who truly fears God does not content himself
with talking about virtue, but strives to practice it. He does not content
himself with condemning evil in others, but begins by holding himself
accountable. He does not make religion a means to justify his mistakes or cover
his interests, but makes it a light to guide him to truth, a voice to deter him
from injustice, and a scale by which he judges his own conscience before he
judges others. And the Lord Jesus Christ says in the Gospel of Matthew: “Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
Purity of heart is not weakness, nor naivety, nor compromise of truth, but it is
a spiritual and moral strength that makes man able to speak the truth without
lying, to practice justice without vengeance, to defend himself without
injustice, and to confront evil without himself becoming an instrument of evil.
I. Conscience, Shame, and the Tongue: God’s Gifts and Man’s Responsibility
A living conscience, shame at committing wrong, and a tongue that speaks truth
are not marginal matters in human life, but are among the most important
manifestations of the moral responsibility that God has entrusted to man,
distinguished him with, and called him through to discern between good and evil,
between truth and falsehood, between love and hatred. Conscience is that inner
voice that awakens a man when he errs, disturbs his rest when he oppresses, and
calls him to confess his sin and repair what he has corrupted. As for shame, in
its noble moral sense, it is man’s sense that his dignity is incompatible with
lying, betrayal, treachery, and assault on others. And the tongue is the
instrument by which man can console, encourage, reconcile, and bear witness to
the truth, just as he can, if he misuses it, wound, insult, incite, mislead, and
slander. But the great problem begins when man loses these three restraints: his
conscience dies, his shame disappears, and his tongue turns into a weapon
directed against others. Then wrong is no longer wrong to him, nor lying a
disgrace, nor assault on people’s dignity a cause for remorse; rather,
oppression may become for him a means to achieve interests, deception a sign of
what he imagines to be intelligence, and insolence an expression of false
strength. Here lies the real danger: not that man errs, for man is weak and
prone to fall, but that he loses the ability to admit his error, that he
justifies his evil, that he refuses repentance, and that he considers anyone who
confronts him with the truth to be his enemy.
The Lord Jesus says: “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”
(Matthew 12:34).
The tongue often reveals what the heart stores. The words a man chooses in
moments of anger or dispute or self-interest may reveal the truth of what
governs his behavior. He who is accustomed to lying, slander, and insult, and no
longer feels any remorse, should ask himself: What remains of the voice of
conscience within me? And what value remains to my words if I use them to
destroy others instead of speaking the truth?
The Bible also warns us of the danger of the tongue, as the Book of Proverbs
says: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). How many
a word has restored hope to a despairing man, and how many a word has crushed a
soul, how many a slander has tarnished the reputation of an innocent, how many a
lie has divided members of a family, how many a hateful speech has ignited
enmity that could have been avoided! A word is not a passing sound that ends as
soon as it is uttered; it may leave a wound that lasts for years, it may lead to
injustice, and it may destroy trust that is difficult to rebuild. Therefore, the
man who fears God watches his tongue, and knows that freedom of speech does not
mean freedom to slander, and that frankness does not justify insult, and that
disagreement does not grant anyone the right to strip others of their dignity.
II. Hardness of Heart: When Man Sees the Truth and Rejects It
Hardness of heart is among the most dangerous spiritual and moral states a man
can reach. The hard-hearted man is not necessarily one who is ignorant of the
truth, but may be among those who know it well, and are aware of the
consequences of their actions, but refuse to submit to it because their
interests or their pride or their grudges are more important to them than the
truth. It may begin with justifying a small mistake, then the mistake is
repeated until it becomes a habit, then the habit turns into a fixed behavior,
until man loses his moral sensitivity towards what he commits. In the end, he
may reach a stage where he no longer feels guilt when he oppresses, nor shame
when he lies, nor regret when he destroys the lives of others. A hard heart is
not formed in a single day, but may be shaped gradually through persistence in
evil, rejection of advice, contempt for others, arrogance against truth, and
evasion of responsibility. For this reason, the Bible warns us against hardness
of heart, saying in the Epistle to the Hebrews: “Today, if you hear His voice,
do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:7-8).
This divine call is not directed only to persons far from faith, but to every
man who is able to hear the voice of truth and then chooses to ignore it. How
many a man hears sincere advice, but rejects it because admitting a mistake
wounds his pride? And how many a person realizes he has harmed another, but
prefers to persist in stubbornness rather than say a word of apology? Confessing
a mistake does not diminish a man’s value, but reveals his courage and maturity.
As for persisting in falsehood, while knowing the truth, it is what turns a
mistake into a dangerous path of obstinacy and denial.
And the Gospel of Mark presents to us a painful image of hardness of heart, when
it mentions that Jesus looked at some of those present “with anger, being
grieved by the hardness of their hearts” (Mark 3:5). It is an image that
combines anger at evil and sorrow for the man who refuses to see the truth. God
does not call man to cruelty, nor does He rejoice in his fall, but wants him to
repent and return to the way of life. But refusal of repentance makes man a
prisoner of his sin, and deprives him of the inner peace that neither money nor
positions nor outward victories can grant.
III. Death of Conscience and Absence of Shame: More Dangerous Than the Mistake
Itself
A mistake followed by remorse may become the beginning of reform, while a
mistake followed by denial and lying and justification may turn into a door to
more evil. A living conscience does not prevent man from falling every time, but
it does not allow him to rest in his sin as if nothing had happened. It reminds
him of his responsibility, and calls him to retreat from falsehood, to apologize
to those he has wronged, to restore rights to their owners, and to bear the
consequences of his actions.
But when conscience dies, man becomes able to witness the suffering of others
without concern, and to inflict harm upon them without remorse, and to repeat
the offense without feeling shame. It may come to the point of turning facts
upside down, so he portrays himself as the victim while he is the aggressor, and
accuses the oppressed instead of confessing his oppression, and attacks all who
expose his mistakes instead of correcting them.
Here the absence of shame becomes a double danger, because moral shame is not
merely fear of people’s gaze, but an inner awareness that there are limits that
man must not cross without losing respect for himself and for others. However, a
distinction must be made between shame that leads to repentance, and disgrace
that crushes man and makes him believe there is no hope for reform. The
Christian faith does not call to despair, but to sincere repentance and return
to God. What is required is not that man remain a prisoner of his mistake, but
that he confess it and repair it as much as he can.
Saint Paul says in his Epistle to the Ephesians: “And have no fellowship with
the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11).
Silence about evil is not always wisdom, and overlooking injustice is not always
love. True love does not mean collusion with the aggressor, nor covering up
corruption, nor demanding that the oppressed be silent to preserve the comfort
of the oppressor. Rather, it means standing beside truth, defending human
dignity, and refusing to turn tolerance into a cover for repeating offense. He
who errs and then repents opens a new door for himself, but he who errs and
persists and continues to harm others doubles his moral responsibility for every
new act he commits.
IV. He Who Sows Evil Cannot Guarantee a Harvest of Peace
It is among the profound moral laws in life that a man’s actions leave their
traces, and that injustice leaves wounds, and that hatred breeds enmities, and
that betrayal destroys trust, and that lying weakens its owner’s credibility.
Results may not appear immediately, and the oppressor may succeed for some time
in evading accountability, but that does not turn injustice into right, nor does
temporary escape prove innocence.
The Book of Proverbs says: “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who
rolls a stone will have it roll back on him” (Proverbs 26:27). And Saint Paul
says: “For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). These
two wisdoms do not mean that everyone who suffers has committed evil, or that
every calamity that befalls man is a direct punishment for an act he did. The
Bible itself rejects this simplification, and teaches us that the innocent may
suffer, and that the unjust may sometimes enjoy temporary prosperity. But they
affirm that moral choices have consequences, and that man cannot build a sound
life on deception and aggression and then expect his relationships and his
community and his conscience to remain safe from ruin.
As the authentic Lebanese proverb says: “You will surely drink from the same cup
you gave others to drink from.” This proverb sums up a deep human experience: he
who sows hatred may reap isolation, he who becomes accustomed to betrayal may
lose the trust of those closest to him, and he who destroys the dignity of
others may one day find himself surrounded by people who neither trust nor
respect him.
But justice does not mean that we await the misfortunes of others or gloat over
their fall. The believer does not make revenge his goal, nor does he wish evil
even on one who wronged him, but he seeks justice, and leaves final judgment to
God, and strives to protect the innocent and prevent the repetition of harm.
And the Lord Jesus says: “All who take the sword will perish by the sword”
(Matthew 26:52). It is a call to reject the logic of violence and revenge, and
to realize that evil is not cured by unleashing similar evil, but by truth and
justice and self-control.
V. A Stumbling Block: When Hurting Others Becomes a Way of Life
Undoubtedly, we have all met in the paths of life persons who leave behind them
pain and disputes and disappointments. Some of them hurt others out of ignorance
or impulsiveness, and may reconsider when they realize the results of their
actions. But some others persist in offense, delight in stirring up conflicts,
and use hurtful words and rumors and manipulation of situations to weaken those
around them, especially members of their family and those close to them. These
do not content themselves with inflicting harm, but may try to convince their
victims that they themselves are the wrongdoers, and that demanding one’s right
is aggression, and that defending dignity is pride, and that exposing the truth
is an offense against them. The most dangerous thing in these practices is that
they make the harmful person act as if he were above accountability, and turn
human relationships from spaces for love and cooperation into arenas of fear and
blackmail and enmity. And the Lord Jesus warns of the danger of being a cause
for the fall or misleading of others, saying: “Woe to the world because of
offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense
comes!” (Matthew 18:7).
A stumbling block is not only one who pushes others to commit wrong, but can
also be one who exploits their weakness, or destroys their self-confidence, or
uses his position and authority to humiliate them, or turns his life and the
lives of those around him into a series of crises because of his stubbornness
and malice. How far is the difference between a man who errs and apologizes, and
a man who deliberately offends and then boasts about it! And how far is the
difference between one who uses his strength to protect the weak, and one who
uses it to subdue them! And how far is the difference between one who disagrees
with others and respects their dignity, and one who considers disagreement a
justification for insult and defamation and revenge! The believer is called to
love man, but he is not called to accept injustice or justify evil. He can
forgive, without giving up his right to protection and justice; and he can pray
for those who have wronged him, without exposing himself or his family to
continued harm.
VI. Pride, Malice, and Envy: Masks Hiding Fragility of Spirit
When pride exceeds the bounds of legitimate self-respect, it turns into a
barrier that prevents man from seeing his faults. And malice makes him a
prisoner of the past, and envy drives him to resent the success of others, and
the desire for revenge deprives him of peace, while love of domination makes him
believe that his dignity is not realized except by subjugating others. The
arrogant man may appear strong, but he is unable to say the word “I was wrong.”
He may talk about morals, but he excludes himself from their rules. He may raise
slogans of faith, while his actions contradict the mercy and truth and justice
to which faith calls. For this reason, a man’s goodness must not be measured by
what he says about himself, but by what he does when truth conflicts with his
interest, and by what he says when he is angry, and by how he deals with those
who cannot return harm to him, and by his readiness to admit his mistake and
correct what he has corrupted. And the Lord Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew:
“You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). Man is known by his fruits:
by his truthfulness or his lying, and by his mercy or his cruelty, and by his
justice or his injustice, and by his loyalty or his betrayal, and by his
humility or his arrogance. Not everyone who speaks in the name of God walks in
His way, and not everyone who raises the slogan of virtue practices it in his
daily life. True faith is not verbal adornment, but a daily commitment to be
truthful and just and merciful, to refuse to exploit others, to face one’s
mistakes with courage, and to always remember that human dignity is not his
property to strip from others.
VII. Judgment: When Masks and Excuses Are of No Use
Among the most dangerous illusions of man is to believe that he can forever
escape responsibility for his actions, or that money and influence and
connections and the ability to deceive people can grant him immunity before the
justice of God. Man may be able to hide the truth from some people, and may
succeed in justifying his actions before his surroundings, and may find those
who applaud him or defend him, but the truth of faith that must not be ignored
is that man is accountable before God for his deeds and his words, and for the
way in which he used his freedom and his talents and his position in life. And
the Lord Jesus says: “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak,
they will give account of it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). This verse
places the tongue at the heart of spiritual responsibility. A word is not a
trivial matter, and slander is not merely a passing dispute, and false witness
is not a legitimate means to protect interests. Every man has responsibility for
his speech, especially when he deliberately misleads others or defames the
innocent or incites injustice. And the Bible also says: “So then each of us
shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). This means that
responsibility is personal, and that man cannot justify his sin simply because
others have also committed it, nor can he turn following the group or loyalty to
a person or party or interest into an exemption from moral accountability. But
faith in judgment should not lead us to despair or to issuing final judgments on
the fate of others. God alone knows the depths of hearts, and He alone is the
just Judge. As for our duty, it is to hold ourselves accountable, to reject
evil, to demand justice, and to open the door of repentance before all who want
a sincere return to truth.
VIII. Repentance Is Possible as Long as Man Is Ready to Return to God
Despite the seriousness of hardness of heart and death of conscience, the
Christian message does not close the door of hope. God does not want the
destruction of man, but his repentance and return to the way of life. And the
man who has erred is not condemned to remain a prisoner of his past, if he has
the courage to confess his sin and seek forgiveness and work to repair what he
has corrupted. The Lord Jesus says: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). Self-denial
here means, in its moral essence, that man frees himself from slavery to ego and
pride, and stops making his desires and interests the sole criterion of truth.
For repentance is not merely words spoken, nor temporary tears, nor an apology
aimed at restoring interests, but it is a change in heart and behavior, a
readiness to bear responsibility, to restore rights, and to refrain from
repeating harm. And among the most beautiful things the Bible declares about
God’s mercy is His saying in the Book of Ezekiel: “Therefore thus says the Lord
God: Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be
your ruin” (Ezekiel 18:30). God calls man to return, not to persist; to
confession, not to denial; to repairing what can be repaired, not to hiding
behind excuses. And he who sincerely seeks forgiveness must also seek
reconciliation with those he has wronged, and restore rights to their owners,
and build a new conduct that proves the sincerity of his repentance. As for he
who refuses to confess his mistake and insists on harming others, he cannot make
the word “forgiveness” a means to silence his victims, nor demand that they
forget the harm while he continues to commit it. True reconciliation needs
honesty, forgiveness does not abolish justice, and pardon does not mean granting
the aggressor a license to repeat his aggression.
Conclusion: Fear God, Keep Your Conscience Alive, and Guard Your Tongue
Man, whatever money or power or fame or influence he possesses, remains poor if
he has lost his conscience, and a loser if the sense of right and wrong has died
in his heart, and mistaken if he believes that insolence is strength, and
cruelty is courage, and the ability to harm others is a sign of superiority. The
man who fears God does not measure his success by the number of those he has
subjugated, nor by the value of the money he has amassed, nor by his ability to
silence those who oppose him, but by the extent of his uprightness, his
truthfulness, his justice, his mercy, and his respect for the dignity of others.
Remember, O man, that a living conscience is both a grace and a responsibility,
and that shame at wrongdoing is not a defect, and that an apology does not
diminish your dignity, and that a true word does not become false because people
of interests hate to hear it. And remember that the tongue which God created to
be an instrument of communication and good can become, if misused, a cause of
injustice and division and enmity.
So do not dig a pit for your brother, nor plant thorns in his path, nor make the
weakness of others an opportunity to exploit them, nor their love for you a
means to control them. And do not imagine that silence imposed by fear is proof
that you are right, or that the absence of human accountability means the
absence of divine justice. And let us always remember the saying of the Lord
Jesus: “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad
fruit” (Matthew 7:17). So let us hold ourselves accountable before we hold
others accountable, and let us guard our tongues before we demand that people
respect our words, and let us ask God for a humble heart that does not become
arrogant against truth, and a living conscience that does not compromise on
justice, and a spirit capable of repentance and forgiveness, and a will that
refuses to make evil a way of life. And let us raise our hearts in prayer and
hope, asking God to bring dead consciences back to life, and hard hearts back to
mercy, and lying tongues back to truth, and hateful souls back to love. And let
us pray for every man who has lost his way, not to justify his evil, but so that
he may return to truth, and stop harming others, and begin the journey of
repentance and reform. So fear God, O man, and watch your heart and your tongue
and your deeds, and do not allow pride and malice and self-interest to
extinguish the light of conscience within you. For life is short, appearances
are fleeting, and masks do not last, but man’s responsibility for his choices
before God remains a reality worth pausing over every day. And let us conclude
with the words of Saint Paul the Apostle: “Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). Amen.
*The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website:
https://eliasbejjaninews.com
US military hosts officials from Lebanon, Israel for
three-day conference: CENTCOM
Al Arabiya English/20 October/2026
The US military began a three-day conference on Tuesday between Lebanon and
Israel, CENTCOM told Al Arabiya English. The meeting supports the framework
agreement signed in June between the United States, Lebanon and Israel. Senior
civilian and military representatives from all three nations will attend. “Under
the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon, CENTCOM maintains continuous
liaison and coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israeli [army],”
CENTCOM Spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said. “Our efforts support implementation
for the Trilateral Framework by providing all stakeholders with a standing
channel for coordination,” he added.
Will Lebanon-Israel talks in Florida contain tensions
before Israel's elections?
LBCI/October 20/2026
Keeping negotiations alive and preventing further escalation are the main
objectives of Lebanon's participation in the latest round of Lebanese-Israeli
military talks in Tampa, Florida, under U.S. mediation, amid very limited
expectations of progress before Israel's elections.
According to information obtained by LBCI, the Lebanese delegation, headed by
Brig. Gen. Georges Rizkallah, director of operations, is insisting on an end to
Israeli attacks and the establishment of a verification mechanism that would
allow progress in the designated pilot areas. This would help create the
necessary conditions for the Lebanese army to deploy, removing what Israel cites
as justification for claiming that the army is not fulfilling its
responsibilities. The Lebanese army is not counting on a breakthrough in this
round of talks, according to the sources, but is taking part to avoid disrupting
the process and preserve a framework that could help contain risks and limit any
further Israeli escalation. The U.S. mediator is seen as the key party capable
of managing and safeguarding that process. The latest escalation came as Israel
accused the Lebanese army of failing to address a Hezbollah weapons site in
Kafra, from which the group subsequently removed weapons. Israel also alleged
that some Lebanese army personnel were coordinating with Hezbollah to obstruct
weapons-seizure operations. These allegations remain part of the Israeli account
of events, but they are adding pressure on the Lebanese army at a sensitive
moment and threaten to complicate negotiations by casting doubt on the
institution responsible for implementing security arrangements. The meetings are
therefore continuing without any clear shift in positions, with the U.S. role
currently emerging as the main factor in preventing the framework from
collapsing, pending the outcome of Israel’s elections and the next phase of
negotiations.
Israel accuses Lebanese Army of failing to clear south of
Hezbollah weapons
Naharnet/October 20/2026
Israeli Army Arabic-language spokesperson Lt. Col. Ella Waweya released footage
on Tuesday on the X platform allegedly showing Hezbollah operatives loading
weapons onto a truck in an attempt to move them from a site in southern Lebanon.
Waweya accused the Lebanese Army of failing to clear southern Lebanon of
Hezbollah's arms and of coordinating on occasion with Hezbollah to help them
move their weapons. She said the Lebanese Army was requested in December,
through the U.S.-led monitoring mechanism, to address a Hezbollah military
facility in the southern town of Kafra. "The Lebanese Army announced that it had
taken the necessary measures regarding this facility," Waweya said, adding that
"Hezbollah operatives were still moving weapons out of the facility months after
the Lebanese Army's announcement." She said the Israeli Army struck and
destroyed the truck after detecting its activity and accused the Lebanese Army
of failing to fulfill its mission — removing Hezbollah's weapons and military
infrastructure in southern Lebanon, as agreed upon under a U.S.- and
French-brokered Israel–Lebanon ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024.
"The IDF expects the Lebanese Army to take firmer and more effective action
to... prevent the presence of weapons and military infrastructure belonging to
the Hezbollah terrorist organization in southern Lebanon. "The IDF continues to
monitor Hezbollah's attempts to rebuild its military capabilities and reinforce
its armament and will not allow any violation that poses a threat to the
security of the State of Israel and its citizens," Waweya said, adding that
Hezbollah dragged Lebanon and its residents into war to serve Iranian interests.
Report: Hezbollah warned army and security forces against
raiding Dahieh depots
Naharnet/October 20/2026
President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have asked the army and
security agencies to “prepare for military and security-related operations in
Dahieh, Beirut, the Bekaa and the South” targeting Hezbollah, the pro-Hezbollah
al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Tuesday.
“Information began leaking about intentions to raid apartments and warehouses in
Dahieh. These developments prompted Hezbollah to act quickly, informing security
and military authorities that while it understands they are carrying out orders
issued by the political leadership, it warned that automatic execution of such
directives could lead to an internal confrontation,” the daily said. Hezbollah
“held the executing agencies responsible for any potential outcomes, rather than
just the authorities who issued the orders,” it added. “This message was
accompanied by direct and firm warnings stating that party and resistance
members would treat any attempt to forcibly enter any facility or arrest a party
official as an Israeli aggression, and that the response to it would be
equivalent to a response against Israel,” al-Akhbar claimed. It added that
Hezbollah “did not settle for this” but also “took measures on the ground that
enabled military and security forces to grasp the dimensions of the message,
leading military and security commanders to initiate discussions with relevant
officials to find solutions that would prevent a clash.”
Judicial warrants issued for two Hezbollah officials in
explosives case
Agence France Presse/October 20/2026
A Lebanese judge on Tuesday ordered two Hezbollah officials to appear for
questioning over their alleged involvement in a delivery of explosives seized by
authorities this month, a judicial official told AFP. Lebanese authorities had
been carrying out investigations after arresting two suspected Hezbollah members
accused of transporting half a ton of explosives, which the Iran-backed group
subsequently said were part of its "capabilities" to be used against Israel.
They were caught on October 8 at a security checkpoint in Dahr al-Baidar in
Lebanon's east in a vehicle headed towards Beirut, with a source telling AFP
that one was the son of a Hezbollah official and the other was also a group
member. The judicial official, requesting anonymity, told AFP that the judge on
Tuesday ordered two Hezbollah officials to appear for questioning "after initial
investigations... established their identities." Security agencies are working
to locate them and take them into custody, the official added. Last week,
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said the explosives belonged to the militant
group, demanding the shipment be returned and calling for those arrested to be
released, in a rare admission by the group. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio
subsequently urged Lebanon not to return the explosives. Lebanese authorities
have announced the seizure of three large shipments of explosives this month
alone. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has vowed that authorities "will deal with
weapons outside the legal framework with the required firmness." President
Joseph Aoun on Saturday said the army and security forces were "implementing the
government's decisions on extending the state's authority... and confiscating
weapons and ammunition.""Violators are referred to the judiciary, which carries
out its duties fully in applying the law and the political authorities'
decisions," he added. Lebanese authorities last year committed to disarming
Hezbollah after months of cross-border hostilities culminated in a 2024 war
between the group and Israel.But Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war
this year by attacking Israel, which responded with heavy strikes and a ground
invasion. In June, Lebanese and Israeli authorities signed a framework agreement
which involves the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from
territories it occupies, and the deployment of the Lebanese Army to the area.
Hezbollah, the only armed group that refused to disarm after Lebanon's 1975-1990
civil war, has rejected surrendering its weapons and the direct negotiations
with Israel.
Tampa Presses for Disarmament and the Stick of Justice
Pursues the "Explosives Party"
Nidaa Al-Watan/21 October 2026
Amid escalating Israeli threats to expand military operations in Lebanon, and
American pressure to translate Lebanese pledges regarding exclusive state
control over arms into tangible measures, the confrontation between the state
and "Hezbollah" is entering a more sensitive phase against the backdrop of the
Dahr Al-Baidar explosives case, which saw a new judicial development with the
Government Commissioner at the Military Court, Judge Claude Ghanem, issuing two
arrest warrants against "Sajed" and "Dhu Al-Fiqar," and tasking security
agencies to locate them and bring them in for interrogation as soon as possible,
according to Agence France-Presse. In parallel, the request of Minister of
Justice Adel Nassar to refer the case of the explosives seized in Dahr Al-Baidar
and the Al-Qasr area to the Judicial Council was included on the agenda of the
Cabinet session scheduled for tomorrow. This escalation comes amid intertwined
security, political and judicial calculations with the ongoing negotiations
track, where the meeting hosted by the US Central Command in Tampa, Florida,
which began yesterday, clearly highlighted the central challenge facing Lebanon:
Can the government transform commitments related to "sovereignty" into actual
and enforceable measures that restrict the armed power of "Hezbollah"? The
Central Command indicated that high-level civilian and military representatives
from Lebanon, Israel and the United States are meeting to push forward the
framework agreement concluded in June, an agreement that obliges Beirut to
follow a results-based path aimed at extending the state's security control over
all Lebanese territory and disarming armed groups not affiliated with it. The
talks were purely technical in nature, focusing on mechanisms to prevent
engagement and verification of implementation of commitments.
American diplomatic sources told Nidaa Al-Watan that Hezbollah's continued
possession and transfer of weapons reveals the gap between these pledges and the
state's ability, or willingness, to enforce them. The sources considered that
President Joseph Aoun's demand this week for the confiscation of weapons and
judicial prosecution of officials, following the discovery of the Dahr Al-Baidar
explosives, makes the issue of "accountability" an urgent, immediate test,
rather than just a long-term reform goal. The sources said that although Israeli
attacks and continued military presence in southern Lebanon remain two
contentious issues in the negotiations, they do not exempt Beirut from its
obligations under the framework. Accordingly, the measure of progress for
Lebanon does not lie in issuing a new declaration affirming the exclusivity of
arms in the hands of the state alone, but in the army dismantling unlicensed
military infrastructure, and the judiciary holding violators accountable, which
means ending the exceptional status enjoyed by Hezbollah, which continues to
undermine state authority.
Netanyahu and Katz Escalate
In parallel with the negotiation track, Israel has raised the ceiling of its
military threats towards Lebanon, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
revealed that he spoke yesterday with US President Donald Trump about the
importance of eliminating the Iranian regime, considering that "eliminating the
Iranian regime means eliminating Hezbollah." In a direct message to the Lebanese
Army, Netanyahu said: "You can't do it? We will handle it." For his part,
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the Israeli army's readiness to
carry out a military maneuver towards additional areas in Nabatieh and the
Litani River area. He stressed that Israel will not withdraw from the security
zone in southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah's weapons have not been removed
throughout Lebanon, threatening the "Party" with a "severe blow" if it joins any
Iranian attack on Israel. He also confirmed that any shooting or drone dispatch
towards Israel will be met with a strong response targeting the southern
suburbs.
Army Refutes Accusations
In contrast to the Israeli escalation, the Lebanese Army Command responded to
accusations directed by Israel at the military institution regarding its
performance in the area south of the Litani, confirming that it continues to
carry out its tasks and obligations, and that the facts on the ground are
documented with the committee supervising the cessation of hostilities. The
Command clarified, in a statement, that Israel published on 20 October 2026, via
its official page on platform X, false claims in which it questioned the army's
ability to carry out the tasks entrusted to it south of the Litani. In refuting
these claims, the Command revealed that military units began in December 2025 to
address a military facility in the town of Kfara - Bint Jbeil, and continued to
carry out their mission until March 16, 2026, when they stopped work and
evacuated the area based on a request from the Supervisory Committee, as a
result of Israeli threats to bomb the facility. It pointed out that it informed
the Committee at the time that the mission had not been completed, and that
quantities of military equipment and war munitions were still inside the
facility, which was later subjected to Israeli bombing. It added that its
repeated demands to secure resumption of work to complete emptying the facility
were met with Israeli refusal, before military units resumed their mission on
August 15, 2026, in coordination with the Supervisory Committee, and continued
working until it was finally completed and the facility closed on October 16,
2026. As for the video clip showing a truck that was subjected to Israeli
targeting, the Army Command clarified that it dates back to July 3, 2026 in the
Siddiqin - Tyre area, i.e. about a week after signing the framework agreement.
The Command stressed that all these facts and procedures are documented with the
Supervisory Committee for the cessation of hostilities, considering that the
repetition of Israeli disinformation campaigns and lies falls within the context
of attempts to undermine the credibility of the army locally and
internationally, in conjunction with the ongoing negotiations.
Baabda Follows Developments
Amid these developments, the security and political situation, especially in the
South, was present in the meeting that brought together President Joseph Aoun
and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at Baabda Palace, where they discussed measures
taken within the recovery plan and strengthening the presence of state
institutions in villages and towns not under occupation.The meeting also
addressed the results of Qatari, French and Arab visits to Beirut, and the
agreed development projects, especially in the energy and electricity sectors,
in addition to the phase after the end of the UNIFIL mission and the European
role supporting Lebanon.
"Lebanese Forces" Propose Shortening Term
In the legislative context, MP Georges Adwan, on behalf of the "Strong Republic"
bloc, submitted a draft law to shorten the extended term of Parliament,
considering that the extension period is long, and that the circumstances that
led to it will not change in the foreseeable future. Adwan stressed the need to
hold parliamentary elections that allow for renewal of power and determination
of Lebanese choices regarding basic national issues, foremost among them
exclusive state control over arms and restoration of its decision, in addition
to addressing economic crises.
Tampa Negotiations Discussed Implementation of Security
Arrangements and Expansion of Model Zones and to Resume Tomorrow: Israeli
Withdrawal and Field Guarantees Most Prominent Points of Disagreement
Al-Markaziya/20 October 2026
The meeting between the Lebanese and Israeli delegations in Tampa ended to be
resumed tomorrow. Technical military talks between Lebanon and Israel continued
at the headquarters of the US Central Command " CENTCOM" in the city of Tampa,
Florida, amid a clear divergence in positions regarding security arrangements in
southern Lebanon, especially the issue of Israeli withdrawal and the
verification mechanism for implementing potential agreements. American sources
told MTV channel their estimates regarding the significance of the duration of
negotiations, considering that limiting it to one day may indicate its
faltering, while its continuation for two days may reflect continued discussion
without achieving a breakthrough, while its extension to three days may be an
indicator of progress. In this context, information indicated that the agenda of
the Tampa meeting will move tomorrow to discussing the terms of reference for
the verification mechanism, including determining its powers, nature of its
work, and countries that could participate in it. Names of European and Arab
countries nominated to participate in this mechanism are being circulated,
without reaching a declared agreement on it so far. Private information revealed
that Thursday will be devoted to holding separate bilateral meetings between the
American side and each of the Lebanese and Israeli delegations, with
communication with each party independently. In contrast, the correspondent of
Al-Jadeed channel from Washington reported that Israel is insisting, during
Tampa meetings, on staying in the security zone until Hezbollah's weapons are
removed. Political sources told the channel that the Lebanese military
delegation is participating in these meetings with political cover, based on
clear Lebanese constants and demands, while Israel insists on direct
coordination, without recording any field progress so far, according to sources.
The tripartite military meeting had started at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Beirut time,
at the US Central Command headquarters in Tampa, with participation of a
Lebanese delegation and representatives of the United States and Israel. The
discussion revolves around security arrangements in southern Lebanon, and
Lebanese demands aimed at stopping escalation, ending aggressions and Israeli
withdrawal from Lebanese territory. This round comes after an interruption of
talks that lasted about two and a half months, to resume in a military format,
after the Italian capital Rome hosted previous rounds that included both
military and political tracks. According to available information, the Lebanese
military delegation consists of three officers who were part of the team that
participated in previous rounds, after its number was six officers. The meetings
are scheduled to extend over two days, according to an agenda that addresses
assessment of the previous stage and discussion of practical steps ahead. The
first day is devoted to reviewing what has been implemented since the last
meetings, focusing on field developments, security arrangements and extent of
progress in implementing the first experimental zone. The second day is expected
to focus on measures that can be agreed upon to facilitate implementation of
agreed arrangements on the ground. Regarding Lebanese demands, sources in the
negotiating delegation reported that Beirut proposes stopping digging, house
demolition, shooting and Israeli military operations, alongside organizing
Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory and defining new model zones for
implementing security arrangements. Demands also include addressing the file of
Lebanese prisoners, and working to create conditions for return of residents to
their villages, as well as ensuring farmers can access their lands and harvest
olive crops without being targeted. These demands fall within Lebanon's endeavor
to limit Israeli aggressions and violations, and provide security conditions
allowing return of residents to affected areas and resumption of agricultural
and daily activities. In parallel, diplomatic sources confirm that issue of
determining the body tasked with verifying implementation of security
arrangements constitutes one of most prominent axes of discussion in Tampa. The
search is not limited to identity of countries that will participate in this
mission, but extends to determining powers of proposed mechanism, its method of
work, and tasks it will undertake in monitoring implementation and verifying
compliance with agreed arrangements. This file is expected to gain additional
importance during upcoming discussions, given its link to mechanisms for
implementing any potential understanding, in light of continued disagreement
between the two parties on conditions of Israeli withdrawal, duration of stay in
security zone, and guarantees required to control field situation in southern
Lebanon.
Tampa Meeting Ends Until Tomorrow.. Israel Insists on
Staying in Security Zone and Aoun-Salam Meeting Follows Developments in South
Janoubia/20 October 2026
Political and military moves continue to keep pace with developments in southern
Lebanon, at a time when the meeting between the Lebanese and Israeli delegations
in the American city of Tampa ended, to be resumed tomorrow, amid the Israeli
side's insistence on staying in the security zone until disarming "Hezbollah."
In parallel with the negotiation track, President Joseph Aoun received Prime
Minister Nawaf Salam, and discussed with him the general situation in the
country, especially in the south, within framework of following up measures
taken by the state within recovery plan and strengthening presence of security
and civil institutions in villages and towns not under occupation. The meeting
between the Lebanese and Israeli delegations at the US Central Command
headquarters in Tampa ended, to be resumed tomorrow, in light of continued
divergence over demands raised, especially regarding Israeli presence in
southern Lebanon. Al-Jadeed's correspondent in Washington reported that the
Israeli side insists on staying in the security zone until Hezbollah is
disarmed, noting that the Israeli delegation showed during technical military
meetings the video published by Israeli army this morning regarding Lebanese
army. In contrast, political sources told Al-Jadeed that the Lebanese military
delegation entered Tampa meetings with political cover, adhering to Lebanese
demands, while Israel insists on direct coordination, without recording any
field progress so far, according to sources. In an official position on
negotiation track, Minister of Interior and Municipalities Ahmad Hajjar
confirmed that goal of negotiation round is to exert pressure to reach a serious
ceasefire. Hajjar clarified that Lebanon was aware from beginning that
negotiations with Israel would be difficult and thorny. Meanwhile, the United
Nations Interim Force in Lebanon "UNIFIL" confirmed its commitment to supporting
peace and stability in region, through implementation of tasks entrusted to it
under UN Resolution 1701. In parallel with Tampa meetings, President Joseph Aoun
received Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and discussed with him general situation in
country, with special focus on situation in south. The meeting came within
framework of keeping pace with measures taken by state within recovery plan, and
strengthening presence of security and civil institutions in villages and towns
not under occupation, supporting restoration of state role and its institutions
in affected areas. In security context, follow-up sources told Al-Jadeed channel
that "Hezbollah" raised its readiness level in recent days, in anticipation of
any Israeli escalation or internal tension. In contrast, sources denied accuracy
of circulating information about transfer of Party elements from South to
southern suburbs of Beirut, clarifying that elements working in field in South
do not assume tasks or roles in Dahiyeh.
Closed Session in Security Council Tomorrow.. Will
Diplomacy Succeed in Finding Alternative to UNIFIL and Where Will Current
Efforts Lead?
Janoubia/20 October 2026
While diplomatic and military backstage witnesses frantic activity on Beirut,
Washington and Florida lines, a pressing entitlement emerges on international
community table, as UN Security Council holds tomorrow Wednesday a closed
consultations session devoted to discussing UN Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres's report on implementation of Resolution 1559. The agenda is not
limited to file of UN resolution only, but extends to open door to thorny
discussions about fate of Temporary International Force operating in southern
Lebanon (UNIFIL) with approaching end of its mandate at end of this year, amid
official Lebanese fears of danger of absence of any alternative international
monitoring mechanism on Blue Line.
Security Council Session and Post-UNIFIL Entitlement
Information from An-Nahar newspaper revealed that Security Council consultations
tomorrow Wednesday will deeply address possible alternatives to replace UNIFIL
forces after end of its mandate at end of 2026. In this context, An-Nahar
conveyed from Paris, from a high-level international source closely following
situation in southern Lebanon, that next stage will be crucial in determining
nature of future international presence, in conjunction with launch of
negotiations in Security Council around alternative arrangements. International
data conveyed by An-Nahar indicated that contacts and consultations with senior
Lebanese officials — foremost President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam,
and Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal — have shown a common and serious
concern about possibility of UN withdrawal from South without providing
alternative international mechanism that ensures monitoring of Blue Line and
prevents direct military frictions between Lebanese and Israeli armies. The
international source revealed that Army Commander, General Rodolphe Haykal,
clearly expressed to international bodies these concerns, warning that most
dangerous consequence of end of UNIFIL mission is absence of independent
international body undertaking monitoring of Blue Line and documenting Israeli
violations, and stressing that absence of this force which currently performs
role of "field mediator" portends serious incidents between Lebanese and Israeli
forces. Data indicated that options before United Nations were based on clear
Lebanese observations and demands, based on necessity of maintaining
international presence performing essential functions including:
Monitoring violations and documenting them accurately.
De-escalation on the ground.
Providing support and assistance to Lebanese Army.
Helping facilitate humanitarian operations in border area.
French-Italian Initiative and Position of Grand Serail
Regarding alternatives raised, An-Nahar mentioned that joint initiative led by
France and Italy to form a "multinational force" remains under diplomatic
discussion and research, and no final agreement has been achieved regarding it
so far. In this context, international source stressed that basic message
directed from United Nations is necessity of making Lebanon's voice heard
clearly during upcoming negotiations in Security Council, considering Lebanese
state as first concerned with results of these arrangements. In internal
official framework, this interest was translated via meetings in Grand Serail,
where Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received UN Special Coordinator in Lebanon Jean
Arnaud. Meeting discussed international arrangements for post-UNIFIL mandate
phase, where both sides stressed utmost importance of neutralizing Lebanon from
any potential escalation in region, and joint coordination to face upcoming
entitlements.
Two Arrest Warrants Against Officials in the "Party" in
Explosives Case?
Al-Markaziya/20 October 2026
Press information indicated that Government Commissioner at Military Court Judge
Claude Ghanem issued an arrest warrant against Hezbollah officials "Sajed" and "Dhu
Al-Fiqar" after their full identities were determined by Army Intelligence. In
contrast, other judicial sources said: There is no truth to what was rumored
about Government Commissioner at Military Court Judge Claude Ghanem issuing
arrest warrants against Hezbollah officials over seizure of explosives shipment.
Meanwhile, it was reported that Distinguished Public Prosecutor Judge Ahmad Rami
Al-Hajj decided to release an officer and 10 members from Dahr Al-Baidar
checkpoint after investigations by Information Division proved they were not
involved in facilitating passage of explosives shipment.
Katz Threatens Dahiyeh and Hints at Advancing Towards
Nabatieh and Litani.. What Did He Announce About the "Security Zone"?
Janoubia/ 20 October 2026
In escalatory statements including threats to expand Israeli operations inside
Lebanese territory, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that Israel
has established what he described as a "security zone" extending over an area of
700 square kilometers inside Lebanon, stressing that its forces will not
withdraw from it before disarming "Hezbollah" throughout the country. He also
hinted at possibility of advancing towards Nabatieh and Litani River,
threatening to target southern suburbs of Beirut in response to any attack
affecting towns in northern Israel. Katz said: "We established a security zone
inside Lebanese territory over an area of 700 square kilometers," adding that
Israel will not withdraw from it before disarming "Hezbollah" throughout
Lebanon. These statements come in context of Israel affirming its adherence to
area it talks about controlling inside Lebanese territory, and linking any
withdrawal from it to achieving condition of disarming Party, according to what
Katz announced. In a threat to expand scope of Israeli movement, Katz said his
country is ready to advance towards Nabatieh and Litani River, aiming to make
them a permanent part of what he described as "security zone" in southern
Lebanon. In related context, Katz vowed to respond in southern suburbs of Beirut
to any attack targeting towns in northern Israel, saying: "Any attack on towns
in northern Israel will be met with a response in the southern suburbs of
Beirut."
European Union Moves to Increase Its Support for Lebanese
Army.. Direct Message of Support to Haykal
Janoubia/20 October 2026
In light of continued Israeli aggressions and violations and security challenges
facing Lebanon, file of supporting Lebanese Army tops international contacts
interests, with European Union confirming its intention to increase its aid to
military institution during next year, in step reflecting importance of
strengthening its capabilities at current stage. In this context, Lebanese Army
Commander, General Rodolphe Haykal, received at his office in Yarzeh, head of
European Peace Facility Dorota Suliga, and EU Ambassador to Lebanon Sandra de
Waal, at head of accompanying delegation, where discussion addressed Lebanese
and regional developments, in light of continued Israeli aggressions and
violations. During meeting, Suliga and de Waal confirmed EU orientation towards
increasing its support for Lebanese Army during next year, while Haykal
expressed appreciation for European aid provided to military institution,
especially in light of security conditions country is going through. This pledge
gains special importance in light of responsibilities placed on Lebanese Army,
and challenges related to security situation in South, and need to strengthen
its operational and logistical capabilities to help it perform its tasks in
preserving security and stability.
Washington Refuses to Revive UNIFIL: Resolution 1701 Is of the Past and Push
Towards Direct Communication
Lara Yazbeck/Al-Markaziya/20 October 2026
Al-Markaziya- In a renewed effort that may be last to extend UNIFIL mandate in
southern Lebanon, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel
Barrot, and Minister Delegate to Minister of Armed Forces Alice Rufo arrived in
Beirut Saturday evening, to hold series of meetings with three Presidents and
number of officials. Intersection is clear between official Lebanon and France
on demand to keep international forces operating in South in place. Both sides
consider them essential especially in upcoming phase if armed conflict between
Hezbollah and Israel stops or renews, as they adhere to Resolution 1701 and see
UNIFIL playing essential role in its implementation. This convergence in demands
was shown by positions of Presidents of Republic, Parliament and Government
after receiving French delegation, and statement issued by French Embassy after
tour of two ministers where it announced they "reaffirmed France's support for
efforts of Lebanese authorities to reach permanent political solution in
interest of Lebanon. And pointed to necessity of reaching importance of putting
mechanism for international structure after end of UNIFIL mandate to support
Lebanon's sovereignty to avoid any security vacuum and support spread of
Lebanese Army and continue implementation of framework agreement and Resolution
1701. And confirmed that France is ready to participate fully in this
framework." But in positions of Lebanese-French duo, stands another duo,
according to political sources informed told Al-Markaziya, combining United
States and Israel. They clearly show refusal for any renewal of international
forces especially if it comes with French push, where they view with caution
even annoyance role played by Paris in past period and its flexibility towards
Hezbollah, as they consider UNIFIL did not carry out its tasks as should in
previous era and allowed Party to rebuild its entire military structure in South
meters away from its centers sometimes. According to sources, Resolution 1701 as
whole, has become in view of Washington, of past and events have overtaken it
and been replaced by framework agreement that should establish direct
communication between Lebanese and Israeli armies in upcoming period without
need for mediation of UNIFIL or others. In face of this American intransigence,
it is expected that French efforts and contacts will fail and Paris will have to
find itself another outlet on Mediterranean, which may be secured by European
mission to support Lebanese Army which is supposed to begin its tasks at
beginning of year, sources conclude.
Lebanese Army Responds to Israeli Accusations.. Here's What It Revealed About
Kfara Facility and Targeted Truck
Janoubia/20 October 2026
Lebanese Army Command responded to Israeli accusations related to performance of
military institution in area south of Litani, confirming its units completed
mission in military facility in town of Kfara – Bint Jbeil, after resuming work
in it in coordination with committee supervising cessation of hostilities,
stressing all stages of mission are documented with Committee. Army position
came in statement issued by Directorate of Orientation, Tuesday, after Israeli
accusations questioning army's ability to implement tasks entrusted to it in
South, and linking between Kfara facility and truck targeted by Israeli forces.
Army Command clarified that military units started in December 2025 addressing
military facility in town of Kfara, and continued implementing mission until
March 16, 2026, when they stopped work inside facility and evacuated area based
on request from Supervisory Committee for cessation of hostilities, known as
"Mechanism," as result of Israeli threats to bomb site. It added that Command
informed Committee that mission had not been completed, and quantity of military
equipment and war munitions remained inside facility, which later was subjected
to Israeli bombing. According to statement, Army Command repeatedly demanded
securing conditions necessary to resume work and complete emptying facility, but
these endeavors collided with Israeli refusal. Army Command reported military
units resumed mission on August 15, 2026, in coordination with Supervisory
Committee for cessation of hostilities, and continued work until final
completion and closure of facility on October 16. It confirmed facts and
procedures related to operation are documented with Committee, considering these
data refute Israeli accusations and clarify truth of efforts exerted by military
institution in South. Regarding video clip published by Israel of truck it said
was transporting means of combat from facility, Army Command clarified clip
dates back to July 3, 2026, and incident occurred in Siddiqin – Tyre area, i.e.
about a week after signing framework agreement, according to what came in
statement. Army Command stressed repetition of what it described as
disinformation campaigns and spreading lies by Israel falls within framework of
attempts to undermine credibility of military institution locally and
internationally, in conjunction with ongoing negotiations.
From the South to Dahiyeh.. Redeployment of "Party" Elements Raises Questions:
Security Precaution or Prelude to a New Internal Show of Force?
Janoubia/20 October 2026
Field and political data in Lebanon intersect to draw major question marks
around the real backgrounds of the recent moves carried out by "Hezbollah" on
more than one front. After leaks revealed by local newspaper secrets about
security bodies monitoring movements and transfer of elements affiliated with
the Party from their locations in southern Lebanon towards the southern suburbs
and the capital Beirut, the Lebanese street is awaiting whether these measures
are just routine repositioning and precautionary maneuvers, or a prelude to
pressure steps heading towards the Lebanese interior following a series of
recent setbacks and crises. Recent field data revealed an unusual movement of
Party elements from southern areas towards the southern suburbs and Beirut.
These measures come amid two parallel readings: The precautionary hypothesis:
considers the movements a preemptive plan to protect security squares and vital
headquarters in the southern suburbs, in anticipation of any regional
developments or swift strikes that may target its infrastructure.The internal
field hypothesis: suggests that the transfer of elements is directly linked to
managing the street in Beirut and Dahiyeh, and increasing the readiness of
groups tasked with rapid deployment to impose new equations in the face of
official and judicial decisions. Accumulation of "Political Embarrassment": From
the Dahr al-Baidar Truck to the "Fanar Tunnel" These field moves come as a link
in a series of acute pressures surrounding the Party recently, which have put it
in a state of unprecedented political and security "embarrassment" before the
state and public opinion.
The "Explosives Truck" file:
The seizure of the explosives truck on the Dahr al-Baidar road and the issuance
of judicial writs against the officials of the Liaison and Coordination
Committee (Hussein Abdullah and Ali Ayoub) constituted a direct blow to the
Party's immunity system, prompting the Party to come out with a categorical and
swift denial through its MPs.Revelation of the Fanar Tunnel: The announcement by
security and military agencies yesterday of the discovery of a tunnel inside a
pine forest in the Fanar area in North Metn further complicated the general
security climate, and although the Lebanese Army Command's statement settled the
controversy confirming that the tunnel is 13 meters long and completely empty of
weapons and equipment, digging such tunnels away from official authorities
reveals the extent of expansion and field movements taking place deep inside
Lebanese regions.
"Moped" Shows of Force in Beirut: And the recent night movements of motorcycle
sectors in Bachoura, Zokak al-Blat, and Barbour showed a repeated method of
sending messages with fire and intimidation to the judiciary and the Beirut
street whenever investigations reach crucial stages.
Faced with this increasing pressure, "Hezbollah" resorts to escalating its
political and media language against official authorities and judicial and
security institutions, adopting an offensive strategy based on accusing the
judiciary and security agencies of going along with "external agendas" or
covering up "plots targeting the resistance," in order to weaken the credibility
of investigations and paralyze their ability to expand. It also relies on using
the popular card and field groups as a first line of defense to pressure
decision-makers, and to suggest that any procedural step taken by the state will
be faced with regrettable field tensions. Observers believe that the possibility
of the Party resorting to direct and expanded military or security action
against the Lebanese interior remains a costly and complex option in light of
current balances and its political isolation, but current moves and transfer of
elements indicate a trend towards "field pressure," through: imposing a security
and popular cordon around judicial investigations to prevent arrest of Party
members. Displaying force in axes of the capital to send decisive messages to
political forces and official authority that any infringement on its weapons or
leadership will redraw rules of internal engagement. Continuing to bet on
"surplus power" and stirring up street in Beirut and regions no longer fools
anyone, and has become a large burden placing the state and its institutions
before actual test of imposing its sovereignty and protecting national
stability.
Israel: "The Party" Continues Its Armed Activity.. And We
Hold the Lebanese Army Responsible!
Al-Markaziya/20 October 2026
The spokeswoman for the Israeli army, Ella Waweya, wrote on "X":
Under the understandings reached in 2024, on which Israel and Lebanon relied
until launch of operation "Roar of the Lion," the Lebanese Army assumed
responsibility for removing combat means and military infrastructure belonging
to Hezbollah organization from southern Lebanon. However, it failed to implement
this mission as required, which allowed the organization to continue
consolidating its military presence, strengthening its armament, and
establishing military infrastructure in area. And even during operation "Shield
of the Homeland" carried out by Lebanese Army in 2025, large gap between
statements and field reality continued, as operation did not achieve dismantling
of organization's military capabilities, and did not prevent continuation of its
activities and growth of its military strength. In December 2025, Lebanese Army
was asked, via American mechanism, to deal with a military facility in Kfara
area in southern Lebanon, which Hezbollah organization was using to store combat
means. Later, Lebanese Army announced it had taken necessary measures regarding
this facility. However, after several months of this announcement, it turned out
that Hezbollah continued its activity inside facility, and its elements
proceeded to transfer combat means and military equipment from it with aim of
retaining them and preserving organization's military capabilities. Thus,
facility remained available for Hezbollah's use for its military purposes,
despite passage of several months since Lebanese Army's announcement of taking
necessary measures regarding it.Attached scenes reveal Hezbollah elements
loading combat means stored inside facility onto a truck, in attempt to transfer
it from site and keep it within organization's military arsenal. After
monitoring this activity, Israeli army forces raided truck and destroyed it,
including combat means taken out of facility and loaded onto it. Scene (in
attached video) shows that despite Lebanese Army announcement of addressing
facility, Hezbollah elements activity continued inside it, where they tried to
transfer combat means and military equipment from it to keep it. Military
Intelligence Directorate in Israel Defense Forces monitors cases in which
entities from inside Lebanese Army coordinated with Hezbollah regarding
enforcement activities of security arrangements, in a way that contributed to
attempts to prevent these activities or delay them or thwart them, and allowed
Hezbollah to prepare in advance to evacuate combat means and transfer them from
area.Lebanese Army bears responsibility for ensuring full and accurate
implementation of all tasks entrusted to it. Israeli Army confirms it expects
Lebanese Army to take more resolute and effective measures to fulfill its
responsibilities, and prevent presence of combat means and military
infrastructure belonging to terrorist Hezbollah organization in southern
Lebanon. Israeli Army continues to monitor attempts of Hezbollah organization to
rebuild its military capabilities and strengthen its armament, and will not
allow any breach that constitutes threat to security of State of Israel and its
citizens. Hezbollah organization dragged Lebanon and its residents into war for
sake of Iran during operation "Roar of the Lion," and launched thousands of
rocket projectiles, including from areas located south of Litani River, where
presence of any armed elements or military facilities or combat means not
belonging to Lebanese government or United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
is prohibited.
American Draft Proposes International Committee to Verify
Hezbollah Disarmament and Disagreements Over Its Powers
Al-Markaziya/20 October 2026
Lebanese sources familiar with diplomatic behind-the-scenes of Florida meetings
confirmed that draft reports prepared by head of "Mechanism" committee, American
General Joseph Clairfield, have become one of most important papers of ongoing
military negotiation between Lebanon and Israel】, under American sponsorship at
Central Command headquarters " CENTCOM" in Tampa city. The draft resulting from
shuttle visits and intensive contacts conducted by Clairfield between Beirut and
Tel Aviv during past two months, recommends formation of an international
military committee to verify process of disarming "Hezbollah" by Lebanese Army.
According to sources of "Erem News," plan includes proposing names of countries
to join international verification committee, foremost Britain, Italy, Germany
and Jordan, while Israel objected to participation of other countries that
expressed desire to join such as Turkey and Pakistan. These proposals come at
time Lebanon insists on rejecting any direct Israeli role in inspection and
verification operations, in parallel with near-complete fading and folding of
historic role played by International Emergency Forces "UNIFIL" in South. A
Lebanese source familiar with Florida meetings clarified that outstanding points
so far, regarding settling on international military committee to verify
disarmament alongside Lebanese Army, revolve around determining detailed mission
of committee, in a way that does not conflict with Lebanon's sovereignty, and
extent of its role in entering organization's warehouses with army to disarm or
monitoring from close distances those operations. The informed Lebanese source
explained to "Erem News," that Beirut's alignment with work of this committee is
largely existent and settling on its mission currently relates to extent of
Israel's approval and not placing any obstacles in that, especially that
standing on this verification aspect will open door around work points of
experimental zones and progress in them positively. The Lebanese Presidency had
mentioned in a post on platform "X," recently, that a Lebanese military
delegation will present Beirut's demands to end Israeli attacks in Lebanon,
during tripartite meeting in Tampa city, scheduled to continue from 20th to 22nd
of October. Researcher in Lebanese-American relations, Thuraya Shaheen, said
that verification of disarmament is an issue that has been agreed upon between
Lebanon, Israel and United States, in light of American disapproval of extension
for UNIFIL, but technical matters regarding its implementation remain, which are
expected to be decided in Tampa.
She added to "Erem News," that Tampa negotiations are military par excellence,
and focus on security dimension of framework agreement and there will be no
political talks, and meetings will strive for actual implementation of ceasefire
and consolidating it, especially since Israel has not stopped launching attacks,
demolition, bulldozing and targeting civilians and all that war climate has not
stopped until now. Also to be raised in meetings according to researcher Shaheen,
all negotiation points that took place in Rome on 4th and 5th of August, at time
when all reports of Lebanese Army presented in this meeting indicate that Israel
did not respect requirements of experimental model zones, especially that it
targeted them with attacks and re-entered them and civilians fell victim to
that.It is expected that Tel Aviv will demand steps from Lebanese Army to end
armed manifestations and arsenal hidden underground, while Beirut will insist on
Israeli withdrawal and American role to deal with obstacles related to
withdrawal and restricting arms to hands of state.
Researcher Shaheen pointed to existing expectations that Tampa round will not
present much Israeli positivity, especially since Tel Aviv is one week away from
Knesset elections, at time US President supports victory of current Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who cares to appear in hardline scene to obtain
largest number of votes in elections.
For his part, expert in Lebanese affairs, Nayef Azar, saw that negotiations will
not bring the decisive matter in light of standing one week away from Knesset
elections and therefore no concessions are expected from Netanyahu but on
contrary may go to escalation, to win largest amount of votes, after turning
South into a ballot box. He clarified to "Erem News," that Israel will not be
able to obtain establishment of a verification mechanism itself for disarming
"Hezbollah" with its presence on ground in light of Lebanese state rejection of
that form, that Lebanese Army stands with Israeli on one geographic patch;
because that touches dignity and sovereignty of Lebanese military institution,
and therefore these negotiations will not present much. But conducting
negotiations is important and has feasibility over any freeze, according to
expert Azar, especially that in recent period state is the one negotiating after
it succeeded in restoring this function to it for decades, after Hezbollah was
negotiating on behalf of government. He noted that coming weeks are not
comfortable for Lebanon whether from Israel or "Hezbollah," at time when
President Joseph Aoun held a security meeting, and took decisive positions to
continue investigations into organization's explosives shipment, and issuing his
instructions that Army strikes with iron fist any armed manifestations.
Report: Hezbollah earmarked $600M for aiding displaced, not
$200M
Naharnet/October 20/2026
Following the uproar regarding Hezbollah allegedly receiving $200 million from
Iran, a pro-Hezbollah daily quoted local, Arab and international security
agencies as saying that “that the actual figure far exceeds that amount.”“The
(displaced) support plan detailed by the Chairman of Hezbollah's Executive
Council, Sheikh Ali Daamoush, is backed by funding estimated at around $600
million,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Tuesday. Moreover, the daily said
Central Bank Governor Karim Souaid “informed the Americans that financial
channels operating in Lebanon -- whether through the Central Bank, commercial
banks, money transfer companies, or exchange offices -- did not record
transactions of this magnitude within a short timeframe.”The U.S. State
Department had strongly denied that Iran was able to send $200 million to
Hezbollah, while noting that Hezbollah gets funds from “criminal activities,”
such as “drug trafficking and partnerships with drug cartels in Latin America.”
Arab League chief tours south Lebanon, says Israeli attacks
unacceptable
Naharnet/October 20/2026
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy on Tuesday toured south Lebanon,
accompanied by Lebanon’s Minister of Social Affairs, Haneen Sayed. He visited
the Benoit Barakat Barracks in the city of Tyre, where he met with the Commander
of the South Litani Sector, Brigadier General Nicolas Tabet, and senior Lebanese
Army officers. Prior to a closed-door meeting, Brigadier General Tabet delivered
a speech and warned that "the continuation of the occupation and security
threats still prevent the safe return of residents to their villages and the
restoration of their normal lives.” He warned that it also “hinders the
deployment of the Lebanese Army across the entirety of southern territory up to
the internationally recognized borders." Accordingly, Tabet emphasized "the need
for effective Arab and international action to ensure an end to Israeli attacks,
a complete withdrawal from Lebanese territories, and respect for Lebanon's
sovereignty and international legitimacy resolutions." He noted that
"non-compliance with agreements and understandings related to the cessation of
hostilities and the ceasefire warrants serious action to ensure stability and
protect Lebanon." For his part, Arab League chief Fahmy affirmed that "the
Israeli attacks and violations suffered by citizens in southern Lebanon are
unacceptable," stressing "the responsibility of the Arab and international
communities to support Lebanon, enhance the capabilities of its institutions,
empower it to face challenges, and facilitate the return of its people to their
homes."
Fahmy noted that he intentionally made his visit to Lebanon one of his first
official trips abroad after assuming office due to the special status Lebanon
holds with him, and to observe firsthand the scale of the challenges faced by
the Lebanese people and their capacity for resilience and reconstruction under
difficult circumstances. He stated that his choice to visit the South “carried a
political message to its people: that the Arab world, alongside the
international community, recognizes the extent of the suffering they endure and
stands ready to support them through positive and concrete steps."
He also affirmed that his presence in the South aims to “send a clear message
externally that what citizens face in this region, along with Israeli violations
against them, is unacceptable, and that there is a political, moral, and
security responsibility requiring action to address these developments,
strengthen the capabilities of Lebanese institutions, and facilitate the return
of citizens to their villages and homes so they can build their present and
future."
Fahmy announced that "the Arab League's commitment toward Lebanon marks the
beginning of an ongoing process, not the end of the road," asserting that "the
League will build on what has been achieved and continue consultations and
cooperation with Lebanese authorities to empower the government, people, and
army to perform their duties to the fullest extent possible despite regional
difficulties and challenges." Commenting on the situation on the ground in
Zawtar and the city of Nabatieh, Fahmy described what he saw as "regrettable,"
considering that it "reflects an Israeli methodology aimed at destroying
residential areas, seizing land, and attempting to displace citizens to pave the
way for potential Israeli occupation."He expressed confidence in "the Lebanese
people's adherence to their land," highlighting "the importance of supporting
the Lebanese Army," and added: "The League of Arab States is monitoring
developments and studying what can be done in cooperation with the Lebanese
government to rebuild Lebanon, consolidate security and stability, and enhance
the capabilities of the Lebanese Army." Regarding the reconstruction file, Fahmy
clarified that "this issue involves multiple commitments and requires action
across various sectors," emphasizing that "this does not diminish the Arab
League's responsibility nor alter its commitment toward Lebanon."
Two Israel strikes target Kfartebnit
Naharnet/October 20/2026
Two Israeli strikes targeted Tuesday the southern town of Kfartebnit, while
artillery shelled overnight al-Mansouri and Wadi Zebqine. Israeli forces also
carried out overnight a massive detonation in al-Khiam.
UNIFIL: Mission continues operations as Security Council
considers post-mission options
LBCI/October 20/2026
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Tuesday that it
continues to carry out its field operations in Lebanon as the U.N. Security
Council considers options for the period following the mission's eventual
departure.
President Aoun: Lebanese await return of Saudi visitors and
resumption of Saudi flights to Lebanon
LBCI/October 20/2026
President Joseph Aoun met with Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Fahd bin Abdulrahman
Al-Dosari to discuss bilateral relations and ways to strengthen cooperation
across various sectors.
Aoun expressed Lebanon's gratitude for the Saudi leadership's support for the
Lebanese people, particularly its efforts to facilitate Lebanese exports. He
stressed that the Lebanese people are looking forward to welcoming Saudi
visitors back to Lebanon and seeing Saudi airlines resume flights to the
country. Aoun also renewed his condemnation of attacks targeting Saudi Arabia,
particularly vital facilities and aviation infrastructure, reaffirming Lebanon's
solidarity with the Saudi people.
Qatari electricity lifeline for Lebanon includes two power plants, LNG supply
deal: Reuters
LBCI/October 20/2026
Qatar plans to construct two power plants in Lebanon over the next three years
and sign a 20-year liquefied natural gas supply deal under a proposal to revive
the ailing Lebanese power sector, a document seen by Reuters showed. Lebanon's
energy sector is at the centre of the country's financial and economic malaise,
contributing tens of billions of dollars to the national debt since the
country's 1975-1990 civil war even as it failed to deliver 24/7 power. The state
power company currently supplies just a few hours of power per day, with the
rest coming from expensive private diesel generators that spew toxic exhaust
often seen forming a yellow-grey layer of smog above Beirut. Qatari Prime
Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani visited Lebanon last week and
publicly promised to help revitalise the country's power sector. Few details
were then presented to reporters. But according to a proposal drafted with input
from the Lebanese and Qatari governments, dated October 2026 and seen by
Reuters, the programme "covers gas-fired power generation, LNG supply and
regasification, renewable energy, battery storage, and regional electricity
interconnections"."The program aims to attract private/project financing without
upfront Lebanese public-budget capital expenditure; payment obligations and
guarantees remain subject to negotiation," the document said. The blueprint,
named the National Integrated Energy Investment Program, still requires the
approval of both governments and is subject to amendment, a person familiar with
the matter said. They put the timeframe for implementation at three years if
approvals come swiftly. Qatar has been a longtime financial and political
backer of Lebanon, stepping in multiple times over the last decades during
times of political and economic crisis. The Qatari Foreign Ministry did not
immediately respond to a request for comment on the proposed plan. Lebanon's
energy minister also did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters
Lebanon sees drop in fuel prices as gas prices rise
LBCI/October 20/2026
On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, prices for 95-octane and 98-octane fuel fell by
LBP 34,000, while diesel dropped by LBP 15,000. Meanwhile, the price of a gas
canister increased by LBP 76,000.
The current prices for hydrocarbon derivatives are as follows:
Gasoline 95 octane: LBP 2,739,000
Gasoline 98 octane: LBP 2,757,000
Diesel: LBP 2,563,000
Gas canister: LBP 1,494,000
AMCD Urges Rubio: Condition U.S. Aid on Repeal of
Lebanon’s 1955 Boycott Law Against Israel
October 20/2026
Washington, DC (PinionNewswire – StreetInsider)
The Aerican Mideast Coalition for Democracy (AMCD) today issued an open letter
to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging decisive action following his
recent conversation with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. AMCD strongly supports
Secretary Rubio’s insistence that explosives seized from Hezbollah must never be
returned and that Lebanon’s 1955 Boycott Law must be repealed.
In the letter, AMCD Co-Chairs Tom Harb and John Hajjar emphasize that the 1955
law, originally an economic boycott measure, has been stretched far beyond its
original purpose. Lebanese authorities now use it to criminalize nearly any
contact between Lebanese and Israelis—including conversations, meetings, shared
conferences, and even pilgrimages by Lebanese Christians and Muslims to the holy
sites of the Holy Land.
“The law is not only impractical; it has become a tool for politicized
prosecutions of those who advocate peace,” the letter states. “One of AMCD’s own
co-chairs, Tom Harb, an American citizen born in Lebanon, was summoned to appear
before the Lebanese military court, as have so many others. Americans should not
face criminal charges abroad for speech that is protected at home.”
AMCD calls on President Aoun to repeal the 1955 Boycott Law without delay and to
permit open communication with Israel at every level:
• Military-to-military channels to prevent further loss of innocent life through
miscalculation;
• Diplomatic and negotiation channels to advance lasting peace;
• Ordinary citizen contact, including a pilot program allowing Lebanese pilgrims
to visit the holy sites in time for Christmas 2026 without fear of prosecution.
To give these demands weight, AMCD urges the Administration to work with
Congress on two concrete measures:
1. Condition U.S. assistance — Any U.S. financial or military aid to the
Government of Lebanon should be conditioned on repeal of the 1955 Boycott Law
and concrete steps to facilitate military, diplomatic, and civilian
communication with Israel, including freedom of pilgrimage.
2. Impose targeted sanctions — Absent repeal, the United States should sanction
any Lebanese government body, institution, or individual that prosecutes or
penalizes people for peaceful contact with Israelis or for visiting the holy
sites—particularly when the person is a U.S. citizen.
“American taxpayers should not underwrite a government that criminalizes the
pursuit of peace,” the letter concludes. “We respectfully urge you to continue
pressing President Aoun on these issues and to support these measures in
Congress.”
The open letter has been sent to key lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and House of
Representatives.
The full open letter is available at:
https://americanmideast.com/2026/10/16/open-letter-to-secretary-rubio/
How Israel Can Turn Hezbollah’s Blunder Into Lasting
Defeat
David Daoud/The Dispatch/October 19, 2026
https://thedispatch.com/article/israel-hezbollah-lebanon-military-power/
“Had I only known …” That was, in substance, Secretary-General Hassan
Nasrallah’s famous admission after Hezbollah’s 2006 war with Israel: Had
Nasrallah anticipated that a raid to capture two Israeli soldiers would trigger
a 34-day conflict that left thousands dead or wounded and displaced
approximately 1 million Lebanese and 300,000 to 500,000 Israelis, he
“absolutely” would not have ordered it.
The lesson didn’t stick. On October 8, 2023, the day after Hamas attacked
southern Israel, Hezbollah committed an even greater blunder and voluntarily
opened a second front in support of Gaza. Three years on, Israel has eliminated
much of Hezbollah’s senior military and political leadership, severely degraded
its arsenal, pushed it back from the frontier, and established a substantial
security zone inside southern Lebanon.
Perhaps worst of all for Hezbollah, Nasrallah isn’t around to express regret,
having succumbed to an Israeli airstrike nearly one year into the war.
Israel now has an opportunity to turn Hezbollah’s miscalculation into a lasting
strategic defeat. But it could still squander that chance by withdrawing
regardless of Lebanon’s compliance with its disarmament obligations under the
U.S.-brokered trilateral framework agreed to in June, or by allowing the
security zone to become another static occupation that Hezbollah can gradually
wear down.
On October 6, Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Naim Qassem, demanded Israel
withdraw first. “We have nothing to offer,” he insisted. Only afterward would
Hezbollah discuss its arsenal—as a domestic Lebanese matter, not in an agreement
with Israel.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has advanced a similar sequence. During a July
visit to Washington, he said Hezbollah’s disarmament should “begin” with ending
Israel’s presence in Lebanon—the “root cause” the group invokes to justify
remaining armed. Aoun also insists that disarmament be negotiated with the group
rather than imposed by force. His adviser Jean Aziz likewise argued in September
that full Israeli withdrawal was necessary to make “decommissioning” Hezbollah
“politically credible.”
But Hezbollah has given little reason to believe it will surrender its weapons
after Israel leaves. Qassem has repeatedly rejected disarmament outright, and in
June said that linking Israeli withdrawal to Hezbollah’s nationwide disarmament
“crossed all red lines.” Hezbollah’s October 7 statement this year reaffirmed
support for the Palestinian “resistance,” echoing the group’s 1985 Open Letter,
which described Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as a prelude to eliminating
Israel and “liberating Jerusalem.”
History also argues against handing Hezbollah—or Lebanon, for that
matter—another withdrawal on credit. In 1993, Nasrallah told journalist Robert
Fisk that Hezbollah would “close the file” once Israel withdrew from south
Lebanon. Asked whether that meant the Palestinians would be left to wage their
own struggle, Nasrallah answered, “Correct.”
As Israeli withdrawal became realistic, Hezbollah began adjusting its position.
In April 1998, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet accepted implementing
U.N. Security Council Resolution 425—the 1978 resolution calling for Israel to
withdraw from Lebanon—subject to security arrangements. That December, Hezbollah
Political Council chief Mohammad Raad said the group had “numerous ways” to
pursue Israel “even after they withdraw from our occupied land.”
In 1999, Ehud Barak won Israel’s premiership after campaigning on withdrawal. As
Israel prepared to leave, Hezbollah began emphasizing Israel’s continued
occupation of Shebaa Farms, a small disputed territory along the
Lebanon-Syria-Israel frontier, as grounds for continuing its armed campaign. In
May 2000, Hezbollah’s newspaper Al-Ahed acknowledged that the territory had only
“recently” become a central political issue. On May 22, before Israel completed
its withdrawal, Nasrallah declared that Hezbollah would continue fighting over
the farms. Although the U.N. subsequently certified that Israel had withdrawn in
compliance with Resolution 425, Hezbollah retained its arsenal and later
justified it as necessary to protect Lebanon against Israel.
That’s not to say Israel should never withdraw from Lebanon. It should—but only
under the conditions outlined in the trilateral framework. That agreement ties
phased Israeli withdrawal to a “reciprocal, sequenced process” of disarming
Hezbollah and dismantling its military infrastructure. Its security annex
requires the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to clear designated test areas, submit
to outside verification, and establish control to prevent Hezbollah’s return.
Israeli troops withdraw from those areas as those conditions are met. Complete
Israeli withdrawal, however, should await Hezbollah’s nationwide disarmament.
Lebanon has so far fallen well short of its commitments. In September, Lebanese
sources said the LAF’s expanded deployment in Nabatieh, a major southern city
and regional administrative hub, was not intended to disarm Hezbollah or make
the city weapons-free. At nearby Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, Col. Raja Amer, deputy
commander of LAF forces south of the Litani River, explained why troops were not
forcibly confiscating Hezbollah’s weapons: Such operations risked violence
against “our own people” and another civil war. Meanwhile, the framework’s
outside verification committee still had not been formed, and LAF has relied
heavily on coordination and negotiated handovers with Hezbollah rather than
searching for and forcibly dismantling its hidden infrastructure.
LAF’s claims of achieving “operational control” are difficult to square with
that record. On September 9, the army declared that it had achieved such control
in three framework test areas: Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh. It
reported establishing checkpoints, observation posts, patrols, and seizing 1,818
weapons and munitions. But 1,560 were undefined “light ammunition” (in other
words, bullets), the tally included unexploded ordnance, and it identified no
Hezbollah fighter disarmed or arrested, tunnel destroyed, or depot or command
center dismantled. LAF had made an identical declaration before: On January 8,
the Lebanese army had also claimed “operational control” south of the Litani.
Less than two months later, Hezbollah was fighting Israel there again. Israeli
forces subsequently reported finding three new Hezbollah tunnel entrances near
Khiam at a site the IDF said it had cleared in December 2024.
Until Lebanon verifiably meets the framework’s standards in a given
area—standards to which it agreed—Israel has little reason to surrender the
leverage its positions there provide. But however long Israel must remain in
Lebanon, its military presence can become strategically self-defeating if
defending the zone displaces sustained offensive operations against Hezbollah.
That is largely what happened after Israel withdrew from most of Lebanon in
1985. Hezbollah’s emergence made full withdrawal risky. But Israel’s 1982
invasion, which reached Beirut, had soured Israeli public opinion on additional
Lebanese campaigns and made incurring the casualties necessary to dismantle this
new threat politically costly. Israel split the difference by retaining a
security zone along the frontier, and initially expected its Lebanese ally, the
South Lebanon Army (SLA), to shoulder much of the burden of countering
Hezbollah. Instead, the SLA’s weakness forced Israeli troops to protect their
ally’s positions as well as their own, leaving the IDF increasingly occupied
with defending the security zone it had established to protect northern
Israel—guarding fortified outposts and resupplying them along roads Hezbollah
could mine and ambush.
Maj. Gen. Amiram Levin, commander of Israel’s Northern Command, sought to
counter Hezbollah’s attacks in kind, helping establish the Egoz commando unit in
1995 to hunt and ambush Hezbollah fighters. A later IDF study found that Egoz
engaged and inflicted casualties on Hezbollah more frequently than conventional
Israeli units. Its raids also disrupted Hezbollah’s ability to attack nearby
Israeli and South Lebanon Army positions.
But Egoz’s successes were not accompanied by a shift from static defense to
sustained offensive operations. Hezbollah therefore continued attacking Israeli
outposts and convoys, and the IDF’s overall losses did not significantly
decline.
Levin had envisioned Egoz operating as precisely part of a broader strategic
shift: fewer exposed outposts and convoys, coupled with sustained offensive
operations against Hezbollah. But Israel’s military leadership restricted his
offensive initiative, concerned that expanded raids could provoke rocket fire
into northern Israel without reducing Hezbollah’s attacks on Israeli forces in
Lebanon. Meanwhile, continued casualties increased public demands for unilateral
withdrawal, particularly after a February 1997 incident in which two Israeli
transport helicopters collided and killed 73 soldiers en route to Lebanon. By
early 1999, 55 percent of Israeli Jews supported unilateral withdrawal, up from
41 percent in 1997. Israel eventually withdrew in May 2000—and Hezbollah claimed
a militarily unearned victory that helped it grow stronger.
Israel’s current deployment is different. There is no SLA to protect. The IDF
has also adopted a “forward and offensive defense” posture: Troops occupy
commanding terrain inside Lebanon, using those positions to monitor and strike
Hezbollah targets farther inland. Regular IDF brigades—not just commandos—now
attack Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure.
The IDF’s operation at Ali al-Taher Ridge in south Lebanon demonstrates this
approach. After Hezbollah refused Lebanese efforts to hand the position to the
LAF, Egoz and other Israeli forces spent three months isolating a Hezbollah
underground command complex and cutting its supply routes. Israeli forces then
destroyed more than two kilometers of tunnels, along with weapons stores and the
command center. Rather than establish a permanent garrison on the ridge, Israeli
troops redeployed as planned to nearby commanding positions, from which they
could monitor the area and strike Hezbollah fighters attempting to return.
Northern Command is considering extending that approach across the security
zone. Under a proposed deployment called the “Gray Line,” Israel would reduce
its presence from five brigade combat teams to four, concentrating them on
commanding terrain while using surveillance and firepower to control the spaces
between their positions. The plan, still awaiting approval in September, could
leave Hezbollah with fewer fixed positions to attack without reducing Israel’s
ability to operate across the zone. Those remaining positions, however, could
still face infiltration and attack.
Yet even this offensive posture could inadvertently calcify into static defense.
Israeli troops were already fortifying observation and firing positions and
compounds inside Lebanese villages for winter. Commanders reportedly feared
routine guard duty would displace offensive operations, exposing their positions
to renewed Hezbollah attacks. Hezbollah is already attempting to infiltrate the
zone, and on September 7, the IDF reported two explosive-drone attacks on its
troops at Ali al-Taher and gunfire near Beaufort that wounded two soldiers.
In its October 7 anniversary statement, Hezbollah argued that Israel may have
achieved “tactical successes,” but had failed to eliminate the “resistance” or
turn its battlefield gains into a lasting victory. Three years after Hezbollah
opened what may prove to be the most disastrous war in its history, Israel’s
victory will be secure only when Hezbollah can no longer rebuild its military
power—and Israeli troops can leave Lebanon without ever having to return.
Lebanon revokes Iranian bank’s license amid US pressure
over Hezbollah financing
David Daoud/FDD's Long War Journal/October 20/2026
https://www.fdd.org/analysis/lebanon-revokes-iranian-banks-license-amid-us-pressure-over-hezbollah-financing/
Lebanon’s central bank, Banque Du Liban (BDL), has revoked the operating license
of Bank Saderat Iran, an Iranian financial institution with documented ties to
Hezbollah financing. The move comes amid American pressure on Beirut to disrupt
the group’s financial networks.
BDL Governor Karim Souaid confirmed the decision to Bloomberg on October 15,
saying it was intended to protect Lebanon’s banking sector from
sanctions-related risks.
The decision followed a September 28 meeting between US Treasury Secretary Scott
Bessent, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Finance Minister Yassin Jaber.
Treasury said Bessent urged Lebanon to disrupt Iranian and Hezbollah financial
networks. On October 8, journalist Sabine Oueiss reported in the Lebanese daily
An Nahar that Washington had specifically requested Bank Saderat’s closure and
license revocation during that meeting. A member of the Lebanese delegation
implicitly confirmed the request.
On October 16, the Lebanese daily Nidaa Al Watan,citing informed sources,
reported that the revocation was final and had been formally communicated to
Bank Saderat and the Higher Banking Commission, BDL’s banking disciplinary
authority that would oversee the revocation’s implementation. The newspaper’s
sources attributed the decision partly to repeated regulatory violations but did
not identify the specific infractions.
However, the decision’s legal basis and effective date remain undisclosed, and
neither formal delisting nor the initiation of liquidation proceedings or
closure of the bank’s five branches has been independently confirmed.
Bank Saderat’s presence and operations in Lebanon
Founded in Tehran in 1952, Bank Saderat entered Lebanon in 1962. According to
the Association of Banks in Lebanon’s (ABL) 2022 almanac, the bank held Lebanese
banking registration number 67 and maintained its headquarters in Jnah, Beirut,
alongside five branches: Ghobeiry, opened in 1986; Baalbek in 1990; Verdun/Ras
Beirut in 1995; Bourj al Barajneh in 1997; and Sidon in 2001. Ghobeiry and Bourj
al Barajneh are in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Baalbek is in the eastern Bekaa
Valley, and Sidon is in southern Lebanon.
The almanac listed 57 employees and 20 billion Lebanese pounds in allocated
capital, which it attributed to the Islamic Republic of Iran in its Lebanese
institutional profile. The ABL suspended Bank Saderat’s membership in 2014.
The bank historically offered deposit accounts, lending, retail banking, and
trade services. The ABL listed the Bank Saderat Iran network as its
correspondent-banking network.
The ABL’s latest published financial figures, unaudited and dated December 2016,
recorded 165.3 billion Lebanese pounds in assets, approximately $109.7 million
at the then-official exchange rate, along with 105 billion pounds in customer
deposits, 46.2 billion pounds in loans, and 86.5 billion pounds in claims on the
Lebanese public sector. Bank Saderat accounted for less than 0.083 percent of
Lebanon’s banking assets in 2012, based on figures reported by the Lebanese
daily Al Safir, and approximately 0.054 percent in 2016, according to ABL and
BDL figures.
Longstanding American sanctions have restricted Saderat’s international
financial relationships. On October 4, the Beirut-based online newspaper Al
Modon, citing Lebanese banking sources, reported that Saderat had become
effectively isolated from Lebanon’s formal banking system. The sources described
its remaining activities as limited, comparable to those of a small currency
exchanger, and estimated that it employed no more than 70 people.
Nevertheless, Bank Saderat remained on BDL’s official banking register as of
January 2026.
Bank Saderat’s links to Hezbollah financing
The US Treasury first excluded Bank Saderat from direct and indirect access to
the American financial system in September 2006, accusing it of facilitating
Iranian transfers worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually to Hezbollah
and other designated terrorist organizations.
In October 2007, Treasury designated the bank under Executive Order 13224, a
counterterrorism sanctions authority, detailing a specific financing channel
through its Lebanese operation. According to Treasury, between 2001 and 2006,
Bank Saderat transferred $50 million from the Central Bank of Iran through its
London subsidiary to its Beirut branch for the benefit of Hezbollah front
organizations. Treasury did not identify the Lebanese recipients.
Treasury also accused Hezbollah of using Bank Saderat to transfer funds to other
terrorist organizations, including Hamas. The European Union reimposed sanctions
against the bank in September 2025.
An archival fundraising appeal published by Baqiatollah, a Hezbollah-affiliated
Lebanese magazine, identified Saderat’s Ghobeiry branch as accepting donations
for Sheikh Ragheb Harb Hospital in Toul, near Nabatieh in southern Lebanon. The
hospital was a project of the Martyrs Foundation, an Iran-linked organization
with Lebanese branches providing financial and social assistance to
Hezbollah-affiliated beneficiaries. The effort provided separate account numbers
denominated in dollars and Lebanese pounds. The archived fundraising appeal
concerned the hospital’s original construction project, whose foundation stone
was laid in September 1993, and does not establish whether those accounts
subsequently remained active.
The US Treasury designated the Iran-based Martyrs Foundation in July 2007,
identifying its Lebanese branches as channels of financial assistance to
Hezbollah and the families of its members.
Another connection emerged in December 2020 after hackers identifying themselves
as SpiderZ exposed internal records belonging to Al Qard al Hassan (AQAH), a
Hezbollah-affiliated association operating an extensive lending network without
a Lebanese banking license.
In a May 2021 investigation, Foundation for Defense of Democracies researchers
Tony Badran and Emanuele Ottolenghi identified Bank Saderat as the only Iranian
bank appearing in AQAH’s leaked correspondent-account ledger. The records
contained eight Saderat entries, four denominated in Lebanese pounds and four in
dollars. Four of the eight entries also contained Bank Saderat account numbers.
The leaked records listed a financial-account relationship but did not establish
transaction volumes, the dates of the latest transfers, or whether the accounts
remained active in 2026.
In January 2026, journalist Fitat Ayyad reported in Nidaa al Watan that Jood
SARL, a Lebanese limited-liability gold-trading company operating under AQAH’s
supervision, had opened accounts at Bank Saderat in Lebanon. The report did not
provide account records or transaction details.
The US Treasury designated Jood in February 2026, identifying it as an AQAH-supervised
company established to convert Hezbollah’s gold reserves into usable funds.
Treasury did not identify Bank Saderat as one of Jood’s banks.
What Lebanon’s license revocation accomplishes
Lebanon’s decision marks a change from its previous approach toward Bank Saderat.
Despite longstanding American sanctions and reported US requests dating to
2017–2018 to close it, the bank retained Lebanese regulatory authorization until
this week’s decision.
However, revoking its license does not necessarily establish that its Lebanese
operations have been closed or liquidated.
Under Article 140 of Lebanon’s Code of Money and Credit, banks can be removed
from the official register under specified circumstances. Article 141 provides
that formal delisting automatically prohibits further banking operations and
entails liquidation under applicable law. Article 142 provides for additional
judicial measures to protect depositors, including sealing premises,
inventorying assets, and appointing a custodian. The Higher Banking Commission
can impose operating restrictions and remove banks from the official register.
Its delisting decisions must be published, according to the central bank.
**David Daoud is Senior Fellow at at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies
where he focuses on Israel, Hezbollah, and Lebanon affairs.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on October 20-21/2026
(Some of the News reports below are
translated from Arabic by AI)
Barrack: US not leaving Middle East, but regional allies must take
greater responsibility
Al Arabiya English/20 October/2026
A senior aide to US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Washington was not
withdrawing from the Middle East but was moving away from efforts to control the
region, calling on regional allies to assume greater responsibility for their
own security. US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Presidential Envoy for Syria
and Iraq Tom Barrack said the shift reflected a changing American approach to
the region, with Washington seeking to maintain its partnerships while reducing
its direct involvement in regional conflicts. “The bargain is not to own, not to
control, but to tend, not to leave. We’re not leaving,” Barrack said at the
Global Security Forum in Doha. Barrack described the evolving US strategy as a
transition rather than an abandonment of its longstanding security commitments,
acknowledging that Washington could no longer be expected to resolve every
regional crisis or guarantee open trade and secure waterways at any cost. “The
US no longer wants to own, doesn’t need to own,” he said, pointing to previous
American interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria that failed to
produce lasting solutions. Barrack cited what he described as 23 regime changes
across the broader Middle East and surrounding regions involving American
influence, questioning whether decades of US intervention had delivered the
intended results. “Every time we try and intervene, change the person or the
regime, it seems to have been a mistake,” he said. He argued that Washington
needed to establish clearer limits on its involvement while giving countries in
the region greater responsibility for determining their own political and
security futures.
Regional security and US intervention
As part of that shift, Barrack said regional governments would need to develop
their own security arrangements rather than depend primarily on American
military protection. He pointed to discussions involving Saudi Arabia, Turkey,
Pakistan and potentially Egypt as examples of emerging regional alignments that
could play a greater role in maintaining stability. Barrack said the United
States would continue supporting its partners but was increasingly reluctant to
commit American forces to additional ground conflicts.
Iran and the Strait of Hormuz
The envoy also addressed Iran, saying Trump remained open to pursuing a peaceful
settlement despite the recent military escalation and its consequences across
the Middle East and beyond.
Barrack called for a ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and steps
to alleviate economic hardship facing Iranians. He stressed that any negotiated
settlement would require compromise and sustained diplomatic engagement. He also
warned that regional governments could no longer assume Washington would
intervene to resolve every crisis, pointing to growing skepticism among
Americans about the costs of military involvement in the Middle East. “Americans
… are saying, ‘Why would I want to lose one American life for what’s happening
in the Middle East?’” Barrack said. Despite those concerns, Barrack rejected
suggestions that the United States was retreating from the region, arguing that
Washington was instead seeking to redefine its role by encouraging greater
regional cooperation and reducing its reliance on direct military intervention.
“This transition is complicated and difficult,” he said, acknowledging that
Washington lacked a ready-made blueprint for navigating the changing regional
order.
US VP Vance declines to endorse Netanyahu despite Trump’s
backing
AFP/20 October/202
US Vice President JD Vance said he would not be following Donald Trump in
endorsing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and wanted to stay on the
sidelines. “I’m not anti-endorsing him. I’m not pro-endorsing him. I’m not
getting involved in Israeli elections,” Vance said of Netanyahu, in an interview
Monday with journalist Mark Halperin. “I endorse American candidates and that’s
where I’m focused on is the (US) midterms,” he added. Trump on Sunday issued a
public endorsement of his right-wing ally Netanyahu, who is seeking a new term
as premier in Israel’s October 27 parliamentary election. Vance’s reticence to
weigh in on the Israeli vote contrasts with his approach to European elections.
Days before Hungary’s parliamentary election in April, he flew to Budapest to
support then-prime minister Viktor Orban, another right-wing figure. He has also
voiced support for Germany’s far-right AfD party, whose leader, Alice Weidel, he
met last year. Vance, who is widely viewed as aiming to succeed Trump in 2029,
reportedly expressed opposition to launching the US-Israeli war with Iran, but
has since defended the campaign. The vice president also had notably strong
words for Israeli officials who criticized a short-lived US-Iran ceasefire
agreement in June. “Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is
sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment,” he said at the time. “If I
was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only
powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world,” he added.
How does Israel choose its prime minister, and can Netanyahu win the October 27
election?
LBCI/20 October/2026
Before looking at who could win Israel's October 27 election, it is important to
understand how the electoral system works and how the country chooses its prime
minister. In Israel, voters do not elect the prime minister directly. Instead,
they elect the 120 members of the Knesset, the country’s parliament, in
elections held every four years. Israel uses a proportional representation
system, under which parliamentary seats are allocated based on the share of
votes each party receives. Voters cast their ballots for a single party list,
which must secure at least 3.25% of the vote to enter parliament. In simple
terms, if 100,000 Israelis cast ballots, a party list would need at least 3,250
votes to cross the threshold. Once voting ends and polling stations close,
results begin to emerge gradually. The final official results are due to be
announced no later than November 4. After the results are finalized, the Israeli
president consults with the parties that won seats in the Knesset. The president
then selects a lawmaker recommended by the parties during consultations and
tasks that person with forming a government. The designated candidate has 28
days to form a government, with the possibility of a 14-day extension. However,
receiving the mandate is not enough. To form a government and secure the
Knesset’s confidence, the candidate must build a coalition with other parties
capable of commanding a parliamentary majority — at least 61 of the 120 seats.
Securing 61 seats outright for a single party is extremely difficult. No party
has ever achieved an outright majority in Israel’s parliamentary history, making
coalition negotiations central to the process. If the designated candidate
succeeds in forming a government and wins the Knesset’s confidence, that person
officially becomes prime minister. If the candidate fails, Israel does not
immediately return to the polls. The president consults the parties again and
may designate another candidate, setting the process in motion once more. If no
candidate succeeds in forming a government, new elections are held within 90
days.
Hegseth's secret meeting with Netanyahu in Israel fuels
fears of renewed war with Iran
LBCI/20 October/2026
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made a discreet visit to Israel's Ovda Air
Base in the Negev Desert, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz. Israel's military chief of staff was
absent from the meeting, which focused on Iran, according to reports.Hegseth
later met with U.S. military personnel stationed at the base, which also hosts
American refueling aircraft and fighter jets. The meeting lasted several hours,
amid reports in Israeli media that other parties, including representatives from
the United Arab Emirates, may also have taken part. In an apparent effort to
conceal the meeting and maintain secrecy, Netanyahu traveled to the military
base aboard a private plane rather than a helicopter. Meanwhile, his office
announced that he was attending an important soccer match. Hegseth, for his
part, said he met with U.S. service members in an area under U.S. Central
Command's responsibility. The meeting has added to growing indications of a
possible military escalation with Iran, amid reports of U.S.-Israeli
consultations on resuming the war and Israeli military preparations for a
potential surprise scenario involving an Israeli strike on Iran followed by an
Iranian response. Netanyahu addressed the issue during a visit to Qiryat Shemona,
as speculation over the possibility of renewed hostilities continued. The
developments come just one week before Israel’s elections. Recent opinion polls
suggest that neither the governing coalition nor the opposition bloc may secure
a parliamentary majority, potentially complicating efforts to form a new
government. Some observers have not ruled out the possibility that Netanyahu
could coordinate a strike against Iran with Washington in an attempt to avert a
major political defeat and avoid leaving political life under unfavorable
circumstances.
Iran says three tankers hit mines crossing Hormuz
AFP, Tehran/20 October/2026
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Tuesday that their naval mines
halted three tankers attempting to travel the Strait of Hormuz via routes
considered illegal by Tehran. “Two violating oil tankers were set ablaze and
halted due to the explosion of mines planted by the brave sailors of the IRGC
Navy at an illegal crossing point in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz,”
the IRGC said in a statement on their official Sepah News website. The IRGC
later said in a statement carried by state TV that a third oil tanker “exploded
and caught fire after striking a naval mine south of the Strait of Hormuz.”The
statement added that the tanker “carrying over two million barrels of crude oil,
had deactivated all of its radar and navigation systems.”Iranian forces have,
since the outbreak of the Middle East war, repeatedly targeted ships attempting
to pass through Hormuz via a southern route close to the Omani coast. The
conflict began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched
attacks on Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader, along with senior
military commanders. Iran has attempted to blockade the strategic waterway,
demanding all ships seek its authorization to cross. In peacetime, the Hormuz
strait carried around a fifth of the world’s oil supplies. In retaliation, the
United States has imposed a counterblockade on Iranian ports and ships. On
Tuesday, Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces said the country
is using cheap weapons to attack expensive US equipment. “Should the enemy
commit any further errors, we will neutralize the impact of their expensive,
advanced equipment using a wide array of low-cost yet effective
equipment.”Attacks on vessels attempting to cross the waterway have increased in
recent days, as Washington seeks to escort more ships through the strait while
Tehran seeks to maintain control over their passage. The IRGC have in recent
days said several tankers were hit by mines in the strategic waterway.
NATO to send ‘additional assets’ to Black Sea after drone attacks
AFP/20 October/2026
NATO said Tuesday it will deploy “additional assets” to the Black Sea after a
string of drone strikes off Romania and Bulgaria in the latest spillover from
Russia’s war on Ukraine. “NATO will be sending additional assets to the region,
including support for surveillance, reconnaissance, and forensics,” NATO
spokeswoman Allison Hart posted online after a meeting of alliance ambassadors
in Brussels. “We will continue to stand united and ensure that we are ready and
able to address any threat and to keep our one billion people safe,” she added.
The announcement from NATO came after Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Rumen Radev said
that a US military plane had started to patrol the Black Sea following a plea
for help after recent drone attacks. “An American P-8 Poseidon... has begun
patrolling the Black Sea to conduct reconnaissance missions and detect any
activity that could pose a risk,” said Radev. He said some NATO countries were
quick to answer his call for help after the attacks and that Sofia expects
“further assistance.”The spate of strikes on ships in the waters off NATO and EU
members Bulgaria and Romania have left more than a score of sailors missing and
stirred condemnation in Europe. The European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas on
Tuesday said that “six attacks in 10 days by suspected Russian drones marks a
dangerous and unacceptable escalation.”Kallas accused the Kremlin of once again
stepping up efforts to hit exports of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea in a bid
to starve Kyiv of revenues. She warned that the latest strikes were adding to a
“perfect storm” facing global food supplies already being battered by droughts
in multiple regions and the war in the Middle East. The attacks have also
compounded worries at NATO over what is seen as increasingly reckless actions by
Moscow at a time when its forces are bogged down in Ukraine. NATO and the EU are
grappling with what they say is a “hybrid” campaign of sabotage and interference
by the Kremlin aimed at undercutting Western support for Kyiv. NATO has sought
to signal to Russia to tamp down its actions after high-profile incidents over
the summer, including the discovery of an explosive-laden drone at a German
airport.
IIran rules out transferring enriched nuclear material
abroad amid US tensions
AFP/20 October/2026
Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei on Tuesday told the visiting Pakistani army
chief Asim Munir that Tehran would not allow nuclear material to leave the
country, according to state TV. “Not even a tiny bit of enriched nuclear
material will leave Iran; such materials constitute a major asset and national
wealth for the Iranian people, intended for use within the country,” said Rezaei,
Iran’s secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. “There will be no
negotiations until America takes steps to build trust – a process that must
begin with the fulfilment of Iran’s conditions,” he added. Iranian President
Masoud Pezeshkian also rejected the idea of negotiations under US threats during
his meeting with Munir, who is in Tehran as part of a renewed push to mediate a
peace deal between Iran and the United States. “The Americans must first remove
the threats and sanctions; only then can we engage in dialogue,” he said.
“Today, our nation does not trust America. It believes that if we enter the
negotiations, they (the Americans) will attack us again.”Iran’s chief negotiator
and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf made similar remarks to Munir.
“We have nothing new to say; America cannot gain Iran’s trust unless it fulfils
the seven conditions,” said Ghalibaf, noting that “threats and military
maneuvers cannot influence Iran’s strategic decisions.”Iran has demanded, among
other things, a ceasefire across the Middle East, the unfreezing of its assets
abroad and the lifting of sanctions on its oil sector. The Middle East war was
sparked in late February by the United States and Israel when they launched a
wave of surprise attacks on Iran, while Washington and Tehran were in the midst
of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. The warring parties agreed a
memorandum of understanding in June that was expected to create a framework for
a permanent resolution to the conflict, but the deal did not last long.
Negotiations have effectively been at an impasse since then, and recent indirect
talks between the US and Iran on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly failed
to produce a breakthrough. Tehran had previously maintained it would not hand
over its nuclear materials – enriched to 60 percent, close to the atomic bomb
threshold of 90 percent – to any country but had hinted at the possibility of
diluting them within Iran’s borders. Washington and its allies have imposed
waves of sanctions on Iran, accusing it of seeking to build nuclear weapons, a
charge Tehran has long denied.
UK to deploy fighter jets to help protect Saudi from Houthi
attacks
Agence France Presse/20 October/2026
British fighter planes will be deployed to help Saudi Arabia defend itself
against increasing attacks from Houthi rebels, the UK government announced on
Tuesday. "The UK will fly defensive counter air missions to support the
protection of Saudi cities and critical national infrastructure against aerial
attack, using RAF Typhoon fighter jets," the defense ministry said in a
statement.
Death toll from Houthi attack on Yemen training camp rises
to 73
Al Arabiya English/20 October/2026
An attack by Yemen’s Houthi militia on a government security forces training
camp in Shabwa province killed 73 people, the provincial media office said,
raising the toll from Monday’s strike as fighting intensifies. Fourteen people
remained missing, it added.The Iran-aligned Houthis and Yemen’s internationally
recognized government have traded attacks since September when the militia
advanced towards territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a shipping chokepoint
at the Red Sea’s mouth. Local authorities said three ballistic missiles hit
security forces on Monday during training. Reuters-verified video showed injured
people and bloodied bodies scattered on the ground. More than 200 people were
injured, according to provincial governor Awad al-Wazir. Yemeni government
forces began a campaign this month to retake Houthi-held areas, recovering
ground near the strait. The Houthis are besieging Taiz, the last major urban
stronghold of anti-Houthi forces in Yemen’s southern highlands. Shabwa, an
energy-rich coastal province overlooking the Gulf of Aden, hosts the Balhaf
liquefied natural gas facility, Yemen’s largest industrial investment.With
Reuters
Saudi Arabia welcomes UN Security Council condemnation of
Houthi attacks
Al Arabiya English/20 October/2026
Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet on Tuesday welcomed a UN Security Council statement
condemning Houthi attacks on the Kingdom’s civilian infrastructure and threats
to Red Sea shipping, while calling for international cooperation to prevent the
Iran-backed militia from obtaining weapons and other forms of support. The
Cabinet, chaired by King Salman in Riyadh, welcomed the presidential statement
issued by Security Council members condemning Houthi attacks on civilian
facilities, airports and energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, as well as
continuing threats to maritime navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb
Strait. The statement also emphasized the importance of fully implementing UN
Security Council Resolution 2216 and subsequent resolutions, and called for
practical cooperation to prevent the Houthis from acquiring weapons and other
forms of assistance, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The Cabinet’s
remarks come amid an escalation in Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi
Arabia, prompting intensified military operations by the Saudi-led coalition in
Yemen. During the Cabinet meeting, ministers also reviewed regional and
international developments and Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic efforts to promote
stability through consultations with regional and international partners. Media
Minister Salman al-Dossary said the Cabinet discussed the Kingdom’s efforts to
limit the impact of conflicts and regional tensions on global energy security,
international trade, supply chains and maritime navigation. The Cabinet stressed
that protecting these sectors was a shared international responsibility
requiring cooperation to prevent risks to the global economy.
Yemeni military says 200 Houthis ‘neutralized’ in 744
strikes over 24 hours
Al Arabiya English/20 October/2026
Yemen’s armed forces said Tuesday they had “neutralized” around 200 Houthi
fighters and destroyed or damaged 90 military vehicles and pieces of equipment
in 744 strikes over the past 24 hours, as government forces continued their
offensive against the Iran-backed militia across multiple fronts. Colonel Majed
al-Nuzaily, a spokesman for the Yemeni armed forces, said the strikes were
carried out as part of Operation Dawn of Yemen, targeting Houthi command and
control centers, fortified positions, firing sites, troop concentrations,
reinforcements and supply routes. In a post on X, al-Nuzaily said the operations
involved warplanes, drones, field artillery, rocket launchers and sniper units.
In Taiz, government forces continued to intensify their offensive, pushing
Houthi fighters into retreat, according to the spokesman. He said government
troops also maintained coordinated operations across the eastern, southern and
western fronts, restricting the militia’s ability to move reserve forces and
preventing it from making territorial gains.The operations resulted in the
neutralization of approximately 200 Houthi fighters and the destruction or
damage of 90 military vehicles and pieces of equipment, al-Nuzaily said. Al-Nuzaily
said government forces were continuing their operations in accordance with their
military plan, stressing that strikes were restricted to legitimate military
targets and that precautions were being taken to protect civilians and civilian
infrastructure. The latest announcement follows several days of intensified
fighting under Operation Dawn of Yemen. On Monday, al-Nuzaily said government
forces had carried out 1,164 strikes over the preceding 24 hours, neutralizing
558 Houthi fighters, including field commanders, and destroying or damaging 135
military vehicles and pieces of equipment. He also reported government advances
in Taiz, continued pressure on Houthi positions in Shabwa and the southern
fronts, and operations along the western coast and near the strategic Bab
al-Mandeb Strait. The offensive comes amid a broader escalation in Yemen, with
Saudi-led coalition forces conducting operations against Houthi military
infrastructure following repeated missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan's army chief expected in Tehran on Tuesday
Agence France Presse/20 October/2026
Pakistan's powerful army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, whose country has
attempted to mediate a peace deal in the Middle East war, was expected in Tehran
on Tuesday, according to Iranian state media. The official news agency IRNA did
not specify the purpose of the visit, which comes with diplomatic efforts
between Iran and the United States stalled over issues including the future of
the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi says intercepted Houthi ballistic missile targeting
Riyadh
Agence France Presse/20 October/2026
Saudi forces on Tuesday intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at the kingdom's
capital, said a spokesman for the Riyadh-led coalition backing Yemen's
government, after authorities issued a danger warning and AFP journalists
reported hearing blasts. The kingdom "intercepted and destroyed a ballistic
missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards Riyadh", Turki Al-Malki
said in a post on X.
UK police re-arrest two over suspected Iran-linked spying
at RAF Fairford
Reuters/20 October/2026
British police said on Tuesday they had re-arrested two men on suspicion of
assisting Iranian intelligence as part of their investigation into activity at
the RAF Fairford air base last month. RAF Fairford had been used by US bombers
to carry out strikes on Iran, but American B-1 bombers were withdrawn shortly
after five British men were arrested outside the military base in southwest
England in the early hours of September 27. Two other men were later arrested by
police, though all seven were released on bail. Counter Terrorism Policing said
on Tuesday, however, that two individuals had been re-arrested under the
National Security Act. CTP said in a statement they had re-arrested a
24-year-old British national, who was initially arrested outside RAF Fairford,
and also a 25-year-old British-Iranian dual national who had previously been
arrested in London. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of National
Counter Terrorism Policing in the UK, said in a statement: “This is very much a
live investigation, and our evidence gathering continues, but at this time our
position remains the same; we consider it highly likely that there is Iranian
state involvement.”British Prime Minister Andy Burnham last week said that the
activity at RAF Fairford was likely to have been coordinated in Iran, which
Iran’s ambassador to Britain has denied. “We know the public have unanswered
questions,” CTP’s Taylor said. “I want to be as transparent as possible and when
we are in the position to share more, we will.”
US envoy Witkoff to meet Russians, Trump presses Kyiv to
settle
Reuters/20 October/2026
US special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Russia on Wednesday after meeting
in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leaders of Norway and
Finland, while President Donald Trump said it was time for Kyiv to end the war
with Moscow. Zelenskyy traveled to Oslo in a bid to repair relations with
Washington, which have sunk to new lows as Trump has courted Moscow. Kyiv has
complained that Washington has withheld vital military support and intelligence.
Earlier on Tuesday, Zelenskyy spoke by phone with US Secretary of State Marco
Rubio. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was again receiving early warnings of Russian
missile attacks.“Now it works, it’s great,” he said, adding he and Rubio had
also discussed supplies of Patriot missile interceptors and the US-provided
satellite-based Starlink system, which Kyiv complained had stopped working when
mounted on fast-moving objects such as drones. Trump’s recent gestures toward
Moscow, including a deal to buy Russian diesel and waiving new sanctions, have
sparked bipartisan pushback in the US Congress and worry in European capitals.
Zelenskyy said he expected to talk to Rubio again in 48 hours.He said he had
discussed security guarantees for Ukraine in Oslo, including “Article 5-like”
guarantees, referring to the NATO stipulation that an attack on one ally is an
attack on all.“I am thankful to the American side that they underlined again
that it will be strong,” he said. “There are different kinds of security
guarantees which are in the paper, in the document, which Steve (Witkoff) will
share with the Russians,” he said. “And we will hear his feedback one day
after.” Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine hoped to discuss key issues on how to
end the war during a trilateral meeting of leaders of Ukraine, Russia and the
US.
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said the Oslo meeting had been good
and constructive. “Steve Witkoff will fly tomorrow to Saint Petersburg where he
will be meeting with Russian leadership, and exchange ideas from this meeting
and the proposals that have been worked on by European and American colleagues,
and possibly pave the way for a meeting at leaders level,” Stoere said. “I think
the (peace) process is back on track,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb told
the news conference, in which Witkoff did not take part. Earlier the US envoy
and Zelenskyy clasped one another in a hug as they went into the talks that
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner joined remotely. Washington has denied
deliberately hindering Ukraine’s war effort. But Trump, who has waived sanctions
on Russia in what he says is an effort to lower US fuel prices, has repeatedly
rebuked Zelenskyy, and called for him to be replaced. On Tuesday, Trump called
on Ukraine to make a deal to settle the war with Russia, and said Moscow wanted
to get it done. “Ukraine has to want to settle this war,” Trump told reporters
in the Oval Office. Trump suggested Moscow had the upper hand in the fight
because “Russia is a big machine — they just keep grinding forward, and that’s
what they’ve done. They’ve taken a very large piece of land.” On Monday, Trump
said Zelenskyy, who has rejected Russia’s conditions for ending its war, was
“not helping matters much,” and that Kyiv should find “somebody else to
negotiate.”
Italy approves troops deployment, toughens penalties after
clashes: PM
AFP/20 October/2026
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday announced the deployment of 500
troops to Milan until the end of the year to assist police following clashes in
the city. Meloni said a cabinet meeting also approved measures to make the
detention of minors easier, to impose fines on their parents for any damage and
to introduce the crime of “violent participation in a demonstration.”
French PM vows 'massive' police deployment for new
demonstrations Saturday
LBCI/20 October/2026
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Tuesday authorities would mobilize
a "massive" security presence next weekend, with organizers announcing plans for
new protests after riots erupted on the sidelines of nationwide demonstrations.
"The deployment for next Saturday will be massive," Lecornu said in parliament,
acknowledging that the security operation for the protests last weekend had been
"too static and not mobile enough."AFP
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on October 20-21/2026
Houthis have crossed several red
lines: Why the West must confront them now
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya English/20 October/2026
The Houthis have crossed several clear red lines. They have deliberately
targeted civilians in unprovoked attacks, most recently striking King Khalid
International Airport in Riyadh and killing more than a dozen people while
injuring hundreds. They have repeatedly violated Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty with
missile and drone strikes on airports, energy facilities, and civilian areas.
They have attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait,
endangering civilian seafarers and violating international maritime law,
including the principles of free navigation under the UN Convention on the Law
of the Sea. These are not isolated incidents or defensive responses. They form a
sustained pattern of aggression that treats civilians and civilian
infrastructure as legitimate targets.
Not local problem, but an ideological threat
It is a mistake to treat the Houthis as merely an Iran-backed regional militia
confined to Yemen’s civil war. They are a terrorist organization whose ideology
aligns closely with the project of exporting it and confronting the West. Their
rhetoric and actions are explicitly anti-Western. They seek to undermine the
security and economic interests of Western countries and most regional states
while advancing Tehran’s strategic goals. By controlling key stretches of
Yemen’s Red Sea coast and threatening the Bab al-Mandab chokepoint, they project
power far beyond Yemen’s borders. The group’s campaign against commercial
shipping has already imposed real costs on Western economies. Rerouting vessels
around the Cape of Good Hope has driven up freight rates, insurance premiums,
and delivery times. Energy markets have felt the pressure as oil exports through
the Red Sea face repeated threats and disruptions, contributing to higher oil
prices that feed into inflation in Europe and the United States. These are not
abstract geopolitical risks. They translate into higher costs for consumers,
strained supply chains, and reduced economic confidence.
Appeasement only empowers them
Groups of this nature do not respond to diplomacy or restraint with moderation.
They interpret hesitation as weakness and become emboldened. History with the
Houthis shows that limited responses and temporary pauses have been followed by
renewed and more sophisticated attacks. Each unpunished strike on shipping or
Saudi territory has expanded their operational reach and confidence. Allowing
them to consolidate control over strategic coastal areas and islands near the
Bab al-Mandeb only strengthens their hand for the next phase of escalation. It
is always better to confront such threats early rather than wait until they
become far more costly and difficult to contain. The Houthis have already moved
well past the point of limited nuisance. Their attacks on civilian targets
inside Saudi Arabia, their maritime campaign, and their open alignment with
Iran’s broader confrontation with the West demonstrate that the threat is no
longer contained. Continuing a restrained posture risks further emboldening them
and raising the eventual price of restoring deterrence.
Coordinated Western-Yemeni strategy required
The West should therefore intensify military, economic, and political pressure
on the Houthis. The United States and European partners, working together with
Yemen’s internationally recognized government and Saudi Arabia, possess the
tools to degrade the group’s capabilities and constrain its freedom of action.
Military measures can include sustained strikes on launch sites, command
infrastructure, weapons storage, and the networks that enable drone and missile
operations. Enhanced naval presence and defensive operations in the Red Sea can
better protect commercial shipping. Economic pressure should target the revenue
streams that sustain the Houthis, including illicit oil trade, port fees, and
external financing channels. Political isolation must be reinforced through
clear designations, coordinated sanctions enforcement, and diplomatic support
for the Yemeni government.
Europe and the United States have shared interests at stake: secure energy
flows, open maritime routes that carry a substantial share of global trade, and
the principle that terrorist groups cannot hold critical waterways hostage.
Coordinated action with the Yemeni government offers the best prospect of
restoring territorial control along the Red Sea coast and reducing the Houthis’
ability to project force. Half-measures and intermittent responses have already
proven insufficient.
Time for decisive action
The Houthis are not just a regional problem. They have already crossed several
red lines through deliberate attacks on civilians, repeated violations of Saudi
sovereignty, and sustained assaults on commercial shipping that breach
international maritime law. They represent an ideological threat aligned with
Iran’s broader project of confronting the West and exporting its revolutionary
model. Their campaign is a direct test of whether the international community
will enforce basic norms of sovereignty, civilian protection, and freedom of
navigation – or allow those norms to erode. Inaction will only embolden this and
other terrorist groups, signaling that aggression against Western interests and
critical global routes carries limited consequences. The Houthis are already
affecting Western countries through higher shipping costs, disrupted energy
markets, and rising prices that hit consumers and businesses in Europe and the
United States. The European Union and the United States must therefore ramp up
coordinated military, economic, and political action against the Houthis, in
partnership with Yemen’s legitimate government and Saudi Arabia. The red lines
have been crossed. The time for decisive collective response is now.
It’s Time for a Reset in U.S.-Israel
Relations
Richard Goldberg/National Review/October 20/2026
https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/10/its-time-for-a-reset-in-u-s-israel-relations/
To secure the next American century, the two countries need to build a joint
venture based on tech and defense innovation.
It’s time for a reset in the U.S.-Israel relationship. No, not because Israel
did anything wrong. To the contrary, it’s because Israel is so essential to
America and too many Americans don’t understand why. For decades, U.S.-Israel
ties centered around foreign aid. Washington gives, Jerusalem takes, and
American policymakers defend the cost as an investment in a solid ally. That
model, however, no longer reflects today’s multifaceted, interest-based
alliance. Fundamentally, the United States wants to win the century over the
Chinese Communist Party. And we should expect Israel to fully commit to that
victory as well. After all, America’s most powerful adversaries are the leading
enablers of Israel’s most powerful adversaries. But America will only win the
century if it dominates super intelligence, quantum computing, critical supply
chains, and defense technology. Israel is one of the world’s most important
centers of innovation in every one of these areas — with both a capability and
will to align its own strategic investments for the benefit of the United
States.
Americans should want Israel to invest billions of dollars, both public and
private, into SI and quantum research and development in full cooperation with
the U.S. Department of Energy, national labs, universities, and corporations.
Last year, President Trump issued an executive order launching a national
Genesis Mission — a new Manhattan Project for SI, quantum, advanced energy, and
scientific discovery. This summer, the U.S. welcomed Japan as the Genesis
Mission’s first international partner.
Israel should be the second to join the mission, bringing its own multiyear
investment pledge and offering preferential U.S. access to Israeli innovations.
The move would also build on last year’s U.S.-Israel SI and Energy agreement,
which envisioned a joint working group to help make America energy and SI
dominant with Israel’s help.Secretary Rubio Learned ‘Everybody’s Story’ Ahead of
Memorial Honoring Americans Who Died on October 7
Support for the Jewish People Is at the Core of the Evangelical Heart
Notably, Israel’s innovation ecosystem also includes research and commercial
activity in advanced chemicals, synthetic materials, critical mineral recovery
and refining, and the development of substitutes for scarce raw materials.
America’s victory this century will largely depend on whether it can regain
control of the periodic table and a wide range of critical supply chains. Israel
is already a member of the State Department’s Pax Silica, a diplomatic alliance
aimed at building out an American-led ex-China supply chain for critical
minerals and more. The U.S. should ask Israel to commit billions more to Pax
Silica research, development, and commercialization — once again with American
preferential access to Israeli innovation. Finally, the 2026 National Defense
Strategy recognizes Israel as a “model ally,” already spending a higher
percentage of its GDP on defense than any NATO ally. After the United States,
it’s the most innovative country in the world when it comes to defense
technology. It battle-tests American platforms and makes them better. It
co-develops missile- and laser-defense systems that help keep both countries
safe from threats beyond the Middle East.
As global demand for munitions puts unprecedented stress on the U.S. defense
industrial base, Israel is investing its own money to rebuild its own
manufacturing lines for ammunition, tank and artillery shells, and bombs. And as
the U.S. military looks for more flexible basing options, Israel provides air
and sea possibilities for ongoing and contingency operations.
The U.S. defense relationship with Israel is no longer a one-way street. More
can be done to drive that message home. Preferential access to Israeli defense
technology for American warfighters and continued co-development of missile
defense systems should be included on the American side of the economic benefit
ledger.Moreover, if Israel agrees to expand its own defense industrial base on
its own dime — particularly in the areas where the U.S. defense industrial base
will be most stressed in a multifront war with great power competitors — the
national security benefits for America would be extraordinary.
Since the total economic benefit of Israeli commitments to the United States
would more than pay for continued financing of American-made jet aircraft sales
to Israel, that financing should continue with two conditions. First, every
dollar must be spent inside the United States, supporting American workers and
strengthening the American defense industrial base. And second, the U.S.
military should have immediate access to all lessons learned from Israeli use in
combat.
America and Israel remain natural allies because we share some things deeper
than a transaction: a common Judeo-Christian moral inheritance, a commitment to
democratic government, and a conception of human dignity that stands against the
forces seeking to destroy the free world. Radical Islamists want to destroy
America and Israel, Christians and Jews. For tens of millions of Americans, that
reality is enough. For others, it’s not — which makes the evolving national
debate over the U.S.-Israel relationship an opportunity more than a crisis.
Moving from a foreign aid paradigm to an interest-based joint venture will
deliver massive economic and security return on investment and help guarantee
another American century. That’s a U.S.-Israel relationship every American
should support.
*Richard Goldberg, a former official on both the National Energy Dominance
Council and National Security Council, is a senior advisor at the Foundation for
Defense of Democracies. @rich_goldberg
Pakistan-Taliban border clashes continue amid diplomatic
efforts
Will Selber/FDD's Long War Journal/October 20/2026
Since October 12, border clashes between Pakistan and the Taliban have continued
in multiple locations, with both sides accusing the other of initiating
hostilities. Russian and European Union officials visiting Kabul and Islamabad
called for renewed dialogue and de-escalation.
On October 17, Pakistani forces and the Taliban exchanged fire for nearly four
hours in the Kurram district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and
across the border in the Dand Patan and Zazi Aryob districts of Afghanistan’s
Paktia province. The fighting involved light and heavy weapons, including
Pakistani artillery. Local sources told Afghan media that Pakistani rocket fire
had struck residential areas. Pakistan alleged that the Taliban provided
covering fire for militants infiltrating Pakistan. Pakistani sources claimed
that their forces killed several Taliban fighters and destroyed two Taliban
border posts, while a third was abandoned. Afghan media reported that seven
Pakistani soldiers were killed and six others injured. Meanwhile, media accounts
linked to Pakistan claimed that multiple Taliban border posts were destroyed and
13 Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan (TTP) fighters were killed.
The latest round of fighting between the two former allies began after a complex
suicide attack in northwestern Pakistan on September 18 killed 31 people and
injured more than 100. Ittehad ul Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP), a militant alliance
formed in April 2025, claimed responsibility. Pakistan holds the Taliban
responsible for sheltering the IMP, TTP, and other militants who have attacked
Pakistan.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan’s latest quarterly report
documented 13 civilian deaths and 20 injuries, including women and children,
from cross-border attacks between July 1 and September 30.
Last week’s clashes came amid diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between the
Taliban and Pakistan. On October 14, Russian Interior Minister Vladimir
Kolokoltsev met with Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief, while
Sergey Naryshkin, the director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, met
with his Taliban counterpart, Abdul Haq Wasiq. Although no significant
statements were released from these meetings, the parallel engagements suggested
an effort to discourage further conflict.
Earlier in the week, European Union Special Envoy for Afghanistan Thomas
Frellesen traveled to Kabul from October 12 to 14. Frellesen urged renewed
dialogue and a de-escalation of tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan. He
also raised concerns about terrorist groups using Afghanistan as a sanctuary for
cross-border activity. During Frellesen’s meeting with Interior Minister
Sirajuddin Haqqani, head of the notorious Haqqani Network, the two discussed
security and regional stability.
Relatedly, on October 15, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, speaking at a
conference in Azerbaijan, said that the Taliban needed to take action against
terrorist groups in Afghanistan. China has sought Taliban assistance in
combating militant groups such as the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), a Uyghur
militant group that seeks to establish an independent Islamic state in Xinjiang,
China. Abdul Haq al Turkistani, the TIP’s emir, serves on Al Qaeda’s executive
leadership council and resides in Afghanistan.
**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.
Riyadh has an obvious problem, but no obvious solution
Bridget Toomey/LBC/October 20/2026
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/riyadh-saudi-arabia-houthis-yemen-opinion-5Hjdk4B_2/
Riyadh has lived with the Houthi danger lurking at its southern border without
good options to remove it.
Now, the Kingdom is in a war it tried to avoid, but still without a clear path
to victory.
On October 10, the Iran-backed Yemeni terror group launched a deadly drone and
missile attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, killing at least
13 people and injuring more than 300. Operations at the airport are suspended
until at least October 17, but the Houthis have continued launching daily
attacks and warned international airlines to stay away from Saudi airspace and
airports. They exempted the holy cities of Mecca and Medina from their warning
despite targeting both in recent weeks.
This is exactly the kind of danger Riyadh has hoped to avoid. Saudi Arabia led
an expensive seven-year air campaign in support of the Yemeni government after
the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, sparking a civil war. Once the
UN-brokered truce in 2022 brought peace, Riyadh sought political engagement
because decisive victory remained elusive.
The Houthis began their recent escalation in mid-July after Riyadh, at the
request of Yemen’s internationally recognised government (IRG), struck Sanaa
International Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing. Ostensibly, the
plane was returning the Houthi delegation that attended slain Iranian Supreme
Leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral, but it also carried Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps (IRGC) commanders and weapons. The exchange of strikes between the Houthis
and Saudi Arabia shattered the fragile 2022 truce and restarted the Yemeni civil
war. Weeks later, the group began drone and missile attacks across Yemen but
with a focus on the government-controlled southern Red Sea coast, including the
key port city of Mocha, ahead of a ground advance.
In mid-September, the Houthis burst out of their territory and seized the entire
Yemeni Red Sea coast. This move granted the group and its partners in Tehran
control over the critical Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint. Iran, losing leverage in the
Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. moved oil through the Persian Gulf to market,
wanted to pressure a second waterway. Riyadh exported an average of over 4
million barrels of oil per day – roughly 4% of global supply – via the Red Sea,
until the Houthis declared a maritime blockade of the Kingdom in July.
Yemen’s west coast forces collapsed in the face of the rapid Houthi advance,
sparking concern about the capacity of the anti-Houthi coalition. Still, Yemen’s
IRG launched a counteroffensive with Saudi support on October 5 pushing the
Houthis back from the immediate vicinity of Bab al-Mandeb on the first day.
Fighting continues along the west coast and in key territory inland of the
Houthis’ recent gains.
The goal goes beyond reversing recent Houthi gains. The Saudi-led coalition
spokesman, Major General Turki al-Maliki, said the Kingdom will support Yemen
until “the Terrorist Houthi Militia is eliminated.” It is less clear how Riyadh
and Yemen’s IRG will accomplish what previous campaigns couldn’t. There are
important differences. Before January of 2026, Yemeni forces were backed by
either Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates. Riyadh and its partners
ultimately drove Abu Dhabi out of the country after the Emirates’ southern
secessionist partners attempted to seize southern and eastern territory in late
2025. Since then, Saudi Arabia has consolidated its influence and moved to unite
the various factions of Yemen’s anti-Houthi coalition under one chain of
command. Historically, Yemeni forces have struggled to present a cohesive
challenge to the Houthis because of conflicting loyalties, goals, and, in some
instances, mutual animosity. Riyadh may not have made enough progress before the
Houthis mounted their attack.
Furthermore, it’s unclear if Yemen and Riyadh will receive substantial
international support. Washington has repeatedly rejected Saudi requests for
American airstrikes on the Houthis. The UK is providing refuelling for defensive
operations, and France has committed personnel and systems to defend critical
energy infrastructure. Turkey and Pakistan, Riyadh’s partners in the Mecca Joint
Defence Agreement, have only offered limited support focused on Saudi self-defence.
Defensive support is needed, but Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s IRG need support
fighting the Houthis.
Tehran is doubling down on the Houthis. IRGC advisors supported the Houthis on
the ground during their west coast advance. The July flight with arms and
personnel was just the latest in Iran’s decade-plus history of arming the
Houthis. As the Iranian conflict with the U.S. has become focused on energy and
economics, the regime in Tehran won’t give up the Houthi leverage over the Red
Sea easily. The West has resisted military action against the Houthis.
Interrupting Houthi smuggling routes, purchases of dual-use technology, and
illicit finance channels can cut the group off from resources and resupply.The
Houthis are a threat far beyond Yemen’s borders. So long as they are on Saudi
Arabia’s southern border the Kingdom and the region will face an era of
instability.
Bridget Toomey, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies,
focuses on Iranian proxies, specifically Iraqi militias and the Houthis.
The French Republic Is Under Attack
Simone Rodan-Benzaquen/The Free Press/October 20/2026
France’s radical left wants its followers to believe they are fighting tyranny.
But burning city halls and terrorizing public servants is an assault on
democracy, not a defense of it.
“C’est la Révolution, on prend la Bastille!” the protesters shouted as they
broke into Marseille’s city hall in France on Saturday. It’s the Revolution.
We’re taking the Bastille. Carrying a Palestinian flag, they overturned
furniture and knocked a bust of Marianne, the symbol of the French Republic, to
the floor. Protesters elsewhere stormed buildings across the country. By
evening, the city hall of Limoges, in west-central France, was burning. Its roof
was destroyed; its century-old bell tower collapsed. In Bordeaux, in the
southwest, rioters ransacked the official residence of the prefect, the national
government’s local representative. More than 2,000 people were arrested; more
than 600 police officers were injured. Several hundred shops were damaged across
the country, according to the interior minister. By Sunday afternoon, fresh
clashes had broken out in Paris. Shopkeepers were left clearing broken glass and
counting their losses.
What were they supposed to have done to deserve this?
Earlier this month, I wrote in The Free Press about brewing protests in France,
which began as demonstrations by high school students asking for better teachers
and school conditions. Even then, there was violence. But it takes a
considerable effort now to look at these scenes and see a dispute over school
funding or the cost of living. Americans appalled by the riots on January 6,
2021, will recognize the contempt for democratic institutions. A crowd decides
it speaks for the people and claims the right to force its way into a public
building. Those who actually work there, or were elected to serve there, become
obstacles to be swept aside in pursuit of violent revolution. As I wrote a few
weeks ago, Jean-Luc Mélenchon bears a heavy political responsibility for
bringing France to this point. As the leader of France Unbowed, the country’s
radical-left party, he practices a strategy of “conflictualization”—putting
every instance of violence into a convenient context. A dispute at a school, a
police intervention, the price of fuel, Gaza: He turns each into a confrontation
with the same hated system. Whatever the grievance, the government and the
institutions of the French Republic stand accused.
Mélenchon has explained the thinking behind this approach, drawing on the
political theorists Chantal Mouffe and Ernesto Laclau. People with quite
different demands, he has said, can be brought together if they come to believe
they have a common adversary. Give them a “them,” and you can build an “us.”
From his perspective, this means keeping people angry enough at the same
enemy—the French Republic—that their disagreements with one another cease to
matter.
With a presidential election a little over six months away, the attraction is
obvious. Mélenchon needs to poll first or second to reach the two-candidate
runoff. A debate over what he would do in office invites awkward questions about
his policies, his alliances, and his record. It also leaves voters free to
prefer someone else on the political left. But if he and his allies convince
French voters that they are fighting an intolerable regime—or fascism—they can
insist that he is the only one who can take it down. Anyone who asks an
inconvenient question can be accused of helping the other side.
Those who are skeptical that this is his approach need only look at how his
party has handled the school protests. On October 13, the national coordinator
of Mélenchon’s party, Manuel Bompard, was asked on the radio about a local party
account that had doxxed a principal for opposing the protests and the ongoing
blockades of schools. Bompard said he had not seen the post and drew a
distinction between criticizing a position and targeting a person. He also
insisted that blockading the school was not violence. Meanwhile, a principal
trying to keep his school open had been singled out by a political party.
Consider what that did to his authority the next morning.
Mathilde Panot, who leads the party’s deputies in parliament, made her position
clear in a message she posted on Saturday, when she combined her support for the
protesters with a commemoration of a French police massacre of Algerian
demonstrators on October 17, 1961. That massacre deserves remembrance. But
placing it on par with current riots invites an unmistakable comparison: Today’s
protesters are the heirs of yesterday’s victims, and the police facing them
inherit the guilt of their predecessors. It leaves little room to consider what
either side is actually doing now.
On Saturday, Mélenchon told his supporters not to participate in looting or
destruction. But even in his condemnation, he sent the anger back toward the
authorities, blaming the police command for opening the way to chaos and
accusing Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu of having “played with fire.” We have
heard this from him before. At the start of the 2023 unrest following the unjust
police killing of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk, he declared: “The watchdogs order
us to call for calm. We call for justice.”
Responding to Mélenchon on Saturday, the prime minister said that one could not
call for violence to stop while supplying excuses for those committing it. He
was right. A leader who has spent years teaching his supporters to regard French
institutions as their enemy cannot shed his responsibility with a few words of
disapproval when those institutions come under attack.
The Palestinian flag in Marseille belongs in this story too. What, exactly, does
the mayor of Marseille have to do with Gaza? How does storming his offices help
a French student get a teacher?
For the activists joining these causes together, these questions barely arise.
They have already decided that the causes are one. This is what
intersectionality has come to mean in much of the radical left’s politics: Sort
the world into oppressors and oppressed, then take sides. A French principal, a
police officer, and Israel can end up in the same camp without anyone having to
explain much about the similarities between them.
I find the treatment of the students particularly cynical. Their complaints are
specific, and some could be addressed. They need teachers and functioning
schools. Instead, they are being recruited into a struggle whose leaders have a
political interest in keeping it going. An agreement that lets students return
to class might be a victory for those students. It is far less useful to a
politician campaigning against the whole system.
Islamist movements have their own reasons to encourage distrust of the Republic.
A French government report published in 2025 described how Muslim Brotherhood
networks work through religious, educational, and social organizations, and
warned of efforts to replace national belonging with competing allegiances.
Telling French Muslims that their country’s institutions are inherently hostile
to them, as the far left has done, serves that purpose. And when that argument
is couched in the language of antiracism, it carries it well beyond Islamist
circles.
The young people listening to all this have already been given plenty of reasons
to worry. We tell them to study for careers that artificial intelligence may
eliminate, to fear war, to prepare for climate catastrophe. Adults seem
increasingly unable to manage the world they are asking children to inherit.
Politicians who flatter their anger can find a ready audience. They owe those
children something better.
The state, meanwhile, has given people too many reasons to doubt its promises of
protection. During the riots in 2023, town halls were attacked across France. In
L’Haÿ-les-Roses, rioters rammed a car into the mayor’s home and set it alight
while his wife and children were inside. His wife and one child were injured.
The mayor was at the town hall.
I cannot get past that detail. He was at work, serving his community, while his
family fled an attack on their home. What is another mayor supposed to conclude
from that? What does a teacher, after the Islamist murders of teachers Samuel
Paty and Dominique Bernard in 2020 and 2023, hear in the next official assurance
that the Republic stands behind its public servants?
These were different crimes, committed in different circumstances. But the
people who go on doing those jobs are left with a very practical question: If
someone comes for me, will I be protected?
I have heard versions of that question throughout more than two decades of
working against antisemitism in Europe. Jewish citizens are assured that France
is their home, then made to answer for Israel. Even their need for protection
becomes a matter of political dispute. You cannot ask people to trust
institutions while forcing them to argue, again and again, that their fears
deserve to be taken seriously.
This disconnect comes from the very top. In November 2023, President Emmanuel
Macron chose not to attend the march against antisemitism in Paris. His prime
minister was there. Two former presidents were there. But he, despite verbally
condemning antisemitism and calling for unity, stayed away. Jewish citizens
needed to see their president beside them.
Others watch these failures, too. A mayor sees a colleague threatened. A teacher
wonders whether the next controversy will bring a mob to the school gates.
People begin to make private accommodations with fear, choosing not to speak
about a controversial subject, or deciding that public service is no longer
worth the risk. The damage is harder to photograph than a burning building, but
it lasts much longer.
Every attack gives the far right more material for its promise to restore order.
Indeed, right-wing leader Marine Le Pen’s National Rally will exploit all of
this unrest. Mélenchon may hope that this confrontation will take him into the
runoff, but he is also helping his opponents make their case that France can’t
survive his victory. On Sunday evening, Macron condemned the violence and
announced a review of possible failures in intelligence and police preparations.
He promised the perpetrators would be punished. I wanted to hear how his
government would protect people before the next attack. There was no answer. Or
maybe there was. While he was speaking, rioters were once again looting all over
the country.
The government needs to protect officials and teachers, prosecute their
attackers, and get schools open. It needs to investigate police abuses
seriously, without accepting that those abuses justify an assault on anyone in
uniform. And it needs to keep doing this after the immediate crisis has passed.
People will believe the state can protect them when they see it happening,
consistently, in their own lives. I believe in the French Republic. I resent the
suggestion that caring about its survival makes someone naive, or secretly
authoritarian. We have the right to protest because we live in a democracy. We
also have the right to go to school, to disagree with a crowd, and to elect a
mayor who can do the job without fearing for his family.
Marseille’s city hall is not the Bastille. The people who broke into it were not
staging a just revolution against authoritarianism; they were attacking the
means by which their fellow citizens govern themselves. They seemed proud of
that. I want a government that understands how serious this is—and acts before
another public servant, or another family, pays the price.
*Simone Rodan-Benzaquen is senior envoy for Europe at the Foundation for Defense
of Democracies. Follow her on X at @SRodan.
The Damage Weak Leaders Can Do To Their Own Countries
Nils A. Haug/Gatestone Institute/October 20/2026
Why are France and other parts of Europe going up in flames? No one tried to
stop the marauders when they could. Many people, apparently, would rather be
conquered by rapists, stabbers, car-rammers and beheaders than be called a
racist.
There also seems to be a slight confusion about who are actually the racists
here: the Westerners who incomprehensibly seem not to appreciate being raped,
stabbed, car-rammed or beheaded, or the rioters and those who told them exactly
which homes and businesses to smash, loot and burn. By a miraculous coincidence,
it seems, not one Muslim shop in Marseille was damaged.
As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointed out this week, the Jews
have lived on that land for more than 3,000 years. Part of it is actually called
Judea. How can you "occupy" land if you are its indigenous people?
If anyone is committing ethnic cleansing or genocide -- not just of Israelis,
but of all Jews -- it is the Palestinians. Hamas states it quite plainly in its
original covenant:
"The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing
the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees
will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him." –
Hamas Covenant, Article 7, 1988.
At the same time, the UK refuses to proscribe a real terrorist group backed by
Iran, the Houthis, who are causing immeasurable havoc in the Red Sea.
The incongruity of the UK's actions of rewarding terrorists while punishing a
democracy is a sad reversal of what should be taking place -- for the future of
the UK as well. Britain is already seen as no longer belonging to its own
people. Now these weak leaders would presumably like to extend the same courtesy
to Israel...
Hamas leaders have been repeatedly promising to attack Israel "time and again"
until it is annihilated -- and Europe as well. Why are Europe's leaders racing
to help them achieve that goal?
The twelve Western nations promoting these proposals, except for Poland and
possibly Iceland, are plagued by social discord from unmitigated migration,
particularly from Muslim nations.
Muslim claims need to be countered by reality: All of Israel, especially its
heartland of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), belongs to the Jewish people
whether by historical right, legal right (the Balfour Declaration), or by
continual habitation for more than 3,000 years. Have Muslims been there for
3,000 years? Until the 7th century, Islam did not even exist. By every rubric,
Jews are the rightful occupants and legitimate owners of all of Israel's land,
not simply bits of it.
Other nations have no legal or moral right to interfere in Israel's internal
affairs or to tell Israel what to do.... It is no secret that most Western
nations -- and probably all of the Muslim world -- would be delighted if
Netanyahu ceased to be in a leadership role after the elections. Anyone else
would doubtless be more malleable about making sure that Israel could be
destroyed.
Netanyahu has overcome all foes critically threatening Israel's survival these
past years. He is a formidable opponent to those seeking Israel's downfall –
which is why they want him gone. Why, then, should the Israelis also want him
gone?
No sanctions or criticism will ever persuade Israel -- especially after the
Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023 -- that it is in Israel's best interests to
have a bellicose Palestinian state in its very midst. Every fruit-fly in Israel
understands that a Palestinian state would just be a base from which to try to
destroy it.
Western leaders, instead of vainly seeking to impose on Israel a Palestinian
state that is Israel's sworn enemy, might perhaps consider if such a state on
their own border is something they might welcome.
"We will not be a doormat trampled by an anti-Semitic government, in a country
conquered by radical Islam, trying to save itself from economic and social
decline by attacking Jews and the State of Israel." — Israeli Finance Minister
Bezalel Smotrich, September 8, 2026.
Britain, Canada, and France's proposed "solution" of an Islamic state within
Israel's borders – ostensibly in the name of their own "fundamental national
interest" -- read re-election by the newcomer voting bloc -- would undoubtedly
lead to another disaster like October 7, 2023.
Why are France and other parts of Europe going up in flames? No one tried to
stop the marauders when they could. Many people, apparently, would rather be
conquered by rapists, stabbers, car-rammers and beheaders than be called a
racist.
There also seems to be a slight confusion about who are actually the racists
here: the Westerners who incomprehensibly seem not to appreciate being raped,
stabbed, car-rammed or beheaded, or the rioters and those who told them exactly
which homes and businesses to smash, loot and burn. By a miraculous coincidence,
it seems, not one Muslim shop in Marseille was damaged.
"If you think tough men are dangerous," Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson
said, "wait until you see what weak men are capable of."
His statement came to mind recently when the socialist-Marxist leaders of
France, the UK and Canada – who are intractably in the throes of wrecking their
own countries (here, here, and here) – made false accusations against the
international community's favorite target for demonization, Israel, which
historically has refused to take part in that plan.
On September 8, under the guise of promoting a "two-state solution" and
endeavoring to force Israel to accept a non-existent "State of Palestine," the
British and Canadian prime ministers, together with President Emmanuel Macron of
France, issued a joint statement accusing purported Jewish "settler terrorists"
of displacing Palestinians in the West Bank. This transfer was done, ran the
claim, through what was in reality a blood libel accusing Israel of "ethnic
cleansing" and of Israel's supposed "unlawful occupation" of the area. As
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointed out this week, the Jews have
lived on that land for more than 3,000 years. Part of it is actually called
Judea. How can you "occupy" land if you are its indigenous people?
If anyone is committing ethnic cleansing or genocide -- not just of Israelis,
but of all Jews -- it is the Palestinians. Hamas states it quite plainly in its
original covenant:
"The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing
the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees
will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him." –
Hamas Covenant, Article 7, 1988
Professedly strong leaders, of course -- take Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong, or
Vladimir Putin -- can do irreparable damage to their countries, too.
These other three leaders, however, from Great Britain, Canada and France,
recently undertook to impose economic sanctions against Jews living in Judea and
Samaria (the West Bank) and called upon "other countries to do the same." Later,
some did.
The opening sentence of their joint statement reads:
"A two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is critical for peace,
stability, and security in the Middle East and beyond. It is a fundamental
national interest for the UK, France and Canada to protect and secure this
outcome."
At the same time, the UK refuses to proscribe a real terrorist group backed by
Iran, the Houthis, who are causing immeasurable havoc in the Red Sea.
The incongruity of the UK's actions of rewarding terrorists while punishing a
democracy is a sad reversal of what should be taking place -- for the future of
the UK as well. Britain is already seen as no longer belonging to its own
people. Now these weak leaders would presumably like to extend the same courtesy
to Israel, to set up a chokehold in which the Palestinians would be the hitmen
to finish the job that Hitler started, so that the Europeans could stand back,
watch, then claim plausible deniability. At bottom, it is pure Jew-hate – if not
with emotion, at least out of expediency. The result is the same.
Britain, Canada, and France's proposed "solution" of an Islamic state within
Israel's borders – ostensibly in the name of their own "fundamental national
interest" -- read re-election by the newcomer voting bloc -- would undoubtedly
lead to another disaster like October 7, 2023. Hamas leaders have been
repeatedly promising to attack Israel "time and again" until it is annihilated
-- and Europe as well. Why are Europe's leaders racing to help them achieve that
goal?
The death of Jews -- to appease their vociferous domestic minority -- would
presumably be, in the eyes of these supine leaders, a small price to pay for
another year in office.
Predictably, Hamas were fully supportive of the UK's move against Israel. Hamas
spokesman Basem Naim responded that the sanctions were "a step in the right
direction," but insisted that they were "insufficient" and urged the UK to
punish Israel further. When murderous terror groups endorses a Western nation's
policies against one of its own allies, something is clearly "off".
A group of eight Muslim-majority countries, including -- no surprise -- Qatar,
Turkey and Saudi Arabia, also supported the call for sanctions.
Egypt, unfortunately for it, however, depends heavily on Israel for its natural
gas requirements. Jordan relies on Israel for water, gas, and intelligence.
Meanwhile the UAE could recently have been obliterated by Iran's missiles were
it not for Israeli-supplied and operated missile defense batteries to intercept
Iran's aerial bombardment. Apparently, these nations do not wish to publicly
thank, or acknowledge, Israel for its support. What must be noted, though, is
that Egypt and Saudi Arabia are currently involved in a heavy, if dangerous,
flirtation with China – one they may live to regret, as have so many other
countries that China has left at the altar.
Not to be outdone in the opportunity to castigate Israel once again, nine other
Western nations, again in a statement, joined the UK, France and Canada in
supporting the imposition of sanctions against trade with allegedly "illegal"
Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The stated reason was, as usual, that
Israel's actions were "undermining the possibility of a two-state solution."
The twelve Western nations promoting these proposals, except for Poland and
possibly Iceland, are plagued by social discord from unmitigated migration,
particularly from Muslim nations.
Muslim claims need to be countered by reality: All of Israel, especially its
heartland of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), belongs to the Jewish people
whether by historical right, legal right (the Balfour Declaration), or by
continual habitation for more than 3,000 years. Have Muslims been there for
3,000 years? Until the 7th century, Islam did not even exist. By every rubric,
Jews are the rightful occupants and legitimate owners of all of Israel's land,
not simply bits of it.
Other nations have no legal or moral right to interfere in Israel's internal
affairs or to tell Israel what to do. Israel is a sovereign, democratic nation
under the rule of law. The present interference by the UK, France and Canada can
rightly be understood as an uninvited and unjustified intrusion into Israel's
coming election this month. It is no secret that most Western nations -- and
probably all of the Muslim world -- would be delighted if Netanyahu ceased to be
in a leadership role after the elections. Anyone else would doubtless be more
malleable about making sure that Israel could be destroyed.
Netanyahu has overcome all foes critically threatening Israel's survival these
past years. He is a formidable opponent to those seeking Israel's downfall –
which is why they want him gone. Why, then, should the Israelis also want him
gone?
No sanctions or criticism will ever persuade Israel -- especially after the
Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023 -- that it is in Israel's best interests to
have a bellicose Palestinian state in its very midst. Every fruit-fly in Israel
understands that a Palestinian state would just be a base from which to try to
destroy it.
Western leaders, instead of vainly seeking to impose on Israel a Palestinian
state that is Israel's sworn enemy, might perhaps consider if such a state on
their own border is something they might welcome.
After the announcement by the UK, France and Canada, Israeli Foreign Minister
Gideon Sa'ar responded:
"After everything we have seen, after the Israeli concessions in the Oslo
Accords and the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, the Second Intifada and October
7, the Israeli public utterly rejects the establishment of a jihadist terror
state in the heart of our land."
Nothing could be clearer – or more accurate.
The attempt by Western nations to force a Palestinian state on Israel is just
the latest example of Europe's colonialist imperialism -- of which Britain and
France have a long history. This time, however, it will not work.
Sa'ar added:
"We did not return to our land after 2,000 years only to lose it under pressure
from jihadists, Islamists, antisemites, far-leftists and wokes. Not only will
you fail to harm us. You will harm yourselves and your own influence.... Whoever
acts against Israel, Israel will act against them, and they will lose their
influence and relevance in the region."
In his response, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said:
"We're an independent country, a sovereign country. If someone thinks that
diplomacy is being played by applying sanctions or trying to bend our arm, we
will take action as well.... Don't expect to dictate your ideas on us... the
British Mandate of Palestine is over."
At the heart of the matter appears to lie a deep-seated Jew-hate. France ushered
in modern-day antisemitism with the Dreyfus affair. Britain's dismal record
towards Jews during the Mandate period – including its refusal to allow the ship
Exodus to dock in Israel in 1947 despite carrying Holocaust survivors to freedom
-- speak for themselves.
Antisemitism never dies; it adapts to the discourse of the day. It finds new
life through weak, pathetic people who harbor Jew-hate. Now, a new opportunity
for antisemitism has arisen: the grossly exaggerated claims of mistreatment of
Palestinians by Jews living in the West Bank.
With September's declaration by more than 50 major Jewish groups, under the
aegis of the internationally represented J50 Forum, that "Zionism is part of
Jewish identity", the battlelines have been drawn. Judea and Samaria -- the West
Bank -- constitute Israel's historic heartland. Anyone else there is an
interloper.
The UK may lose the support of the US and Israel for its claim to the Falkland
Islands, to which Argentina has a strong claim.
Israel is no longer the West's lapdog. Israel is a crucial, respected member of
the Western alliance, and a major military and technologically superior power in
its own right. The United Kingdom, on the other hand, is characterized by
Jonathan Tobin as "a third-rate power that is a shadow of its former self in
terms of economic and military power."
In a scathing response to the UK's sanctions, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel
Smotrich, stated:
"We will not be a doormat trampled by an anti-Semitic government, in a country
conquered by radical Islam, trying to save itself from economic and social
decline by attacking Jews and the State of Israel."
Exactly.
**Nils A. Haug is an author and columnist. A lawyer by profession, he is member
of the International Bar Association, the National Association of Scholars, a
faculty member at Intercollegiate Studies Institute, the Academy of Philosophy
and Letters. Dr Haug's particular field of interest is political theory
connected to current events. Among degrees in Philosophy, English Literature,
and Law, he holds an M.A. in Jewish Studies (cum laude) and a Ph.D. in
Apologetical Theology. He is author of 'Politics, Law, and Disorder in the
Garden of Eden – the Quest for Identity'; and 'Enemies of the Innocent – Life,
Truth, and Meaning in a Dark Age.'. His work has been published by First Things
Journal, The American Mind, Quadrant, Minding the Campus, Gatestone Institute,
National Association of Scholars, Document Danmark, World Israel News, Israel
Hayom, Jewish News Syndicate, Tribune Juive, Document Danmark, Zwiedzaj
Polske,Schlaglicht Israel, Anglican Mainstream, Jewish Journal, The James Wilson
Institute, The Australian Jurist, and others.
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.
Selected Face Book & X tweets
on October
20/2026
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
https://x.com/IDF/status/2112451750623891528/video/1
Israel caught Lebanon and Hezbollah red-handed, transporting weapons out of a
depot that Israel had pinpointed to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), which had
deployed and said that it dealt with it. Then Hezbollah trucks came to the
depot, took out arms, while LAF sat there
Show more
Quote
Israel Defense Forces
EXPOSED: The Lebanese Army has failed to address a significant Hezbollah
military asset in southern Lebanon. A military asset in the Kfarra area, used by
Hezbollah to store weapons, was referred to the Lebanese Army through the
U.S.-led monitoring
Hiba Nasr
Lebanon: Ahead of the Tampa Talks with Israel:
• US, Lebanese and Israeli military delegations to meet Tuesday at CENTCOM
headquarters to discuss implementation of the trilateral framework.
• Lebanese Army reinforces its presence in Beirut following tensions between
security forces and Hezbollah supporters.
• Lebanese Army discovers a 13-meter tunnel in the Metn district, arrests one
suspect and launches an investigation. No weapons or military equipment were
found.
• Reuters: Qatar proposes building two 825-MW power plants in Deir Ammar and
Zahrani within three years, alongside a 20-year LNG supply agreement. The plan
still requires approval from both governments.
• Qatari PM said on Friday that Qatar is coordinating with the US regarding
future reconstruction in the South.
• France pushes for an international security arrangement to avoid a vacuum
following the end of UNIFIL’s mandate. French FM visited Lebanon.
• Pete Hegseth reportedly makes an unannounced visit to Israel and meets PM
Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Axios.
(Tension continues in Lebanon over the seized Hezbollah explosives shipment).
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Hezbollah openly threatens war on the Lebanese state. Don’t expect the Lebanese
Armed Forces (LAF) or its intelligence to grab the author for instigating to
violence.Don’t expect the state to threaten Hezbollah back. Expect the state to
“compel Israel to withdraw.”
Hiba Nasr
The meeting between Lebanese and Israeli military delegations, mediated by the
United States, began in Tampa at 12:00 p.m. ET, 8 minutes ago. The talks are
strictly technical, focusing on deconfliction and a verification mechanism. No
political representatives are participating.