English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For September 01/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven
Luke 12/10-12: And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.’’

Titles For The English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 31-September 01/2026
Berri a greedy creature who is never satisfied/Elias Bejjani/September 01/2026
Who is Saint Simeon the Stylite, whose annual feast we commemorate today September 01?/Elias Bejjani/September 01/2026
Patriarch Al-Rahi and President Aoun Commit a Deadly Sin and Violate the Constitution by Falsely Deeming the Iranian, Terrorist Hezbollah a "Partner" and Its Formation the Result of Occupation/Elias Bejjani/August 31, 2026
Statement of Condemnation and Solidarity with Lebanese Sovereignist Writer and Director Youssef El Khoury/Elias Bejjani/August 29/2026
An English video link from Israel Rabbi Pesach Wolicki's youtube Platform/A detailed & in depth report on Ali Altaher Hill under the title: Israel Just SEIZED Hezbollah’s Secret Base & TRAPPED EVERYONE Inside
Will We Become Caretakers of a Homeland Whose Children Have Emigrated?/Father Tony Bou Assaf/Facebook/August 31, 2026
South Lebanon: Latest developments
Aoun from Greece: Framework deal must be implemented fully and bilaterally
Berri slams framework deal anew, warns against negotiating under fire
Israel says arms smuggling from Syria to Lebanon has decreased
Israel practicing 'gradual escalation' to seize Ali al-Taher
Three fronts, growing pressure: Israel shifts focus across the region
Report: Gadhafi shot al-Sadr twice in the chest
Same driver, different roads: Why driving habits change in Lebanon
Lebanese delegation begins three-day Dubai visit to boost government cooperation
Washington, Hezbollah, and Negotiations: A Test of Influence and Decision-Making/Najwa Abi Haidar/Al-Markazia/August 31, 2026
Hezbollah Threatens Oversight Force… and Prefers an Agreement Granting Israel “Freedom of Movement”!/Lara Yazbek/Al-Markazia/August 31, 2026
School starts soon in Lebanon but thousands still shelter in them during war
Interview with economist and Middle East analyst Nadim Shehadi

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 31-September 01/2026
Trump: We Will Respond to Iran's Attack... and We Will Deliver a Powerful Blow to Tehran / US President: Iran is a Failed State and Its Leadership is in Complete Chaos
Vance: Trump's Post About Kharg Message Towards Iran / US President Posted AI-Generated Video Showing Strikes on Iranian Island
Pezeshkian: Iran Still Seeks Negotiated Solution to End War with US / Iranian President Says Continued War Is Not in Anyone's Interest
US military denies Tehran's claim that an oil tanker struck two mines near the Strait of Hormuz Iran announced that an oil tanker caught fire near the Strait of Hormuz after striking two mines
Iran Confirms Two Killed in US Attack on Larak
Statement from the Makkah Agreement Meeting: Strengthening Defense Capabilities and Encouraging Peaceful Resolution of Crises / The three countries decided to establish a General Secretariat headquartered in Saudi Arabia, to be headed in the first phase by a Pakistani Secretary-General.
Turkish Foreign Minister: Formation of the Basic Structure of the "Mecca Defense Agreement" Begins / He Affirmed that the Participation of Other Countries in the Agreement is "Possible Under Our Conditions"
Trump says US will respond to Iran's attacks on US forces
Iran retaliates after first US strikes in a month
UAE says Iran drone attack 'dangerous escalation'
Netanyahu: Defeating Iran could lead to end of Hamas, Hezbollah
Defense deal: Israel's biggest security deal links air defenses with Greece
Syria signs agreement with UAE developer Arada for $7 billion real estate project
Trump was sending message to Iran with Kharg Island post: Vance
Nepal flood death toll rises to 939, missing drops to 3,925: Disaster authority

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 31-September 01/2026
Egypt's Dangerous Palestinian 'Unity' Project to Legitimize Terrorists/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/August 31, 2026
IRAN PLAYED THE HORMUZ CARD. THE CARD IS NO LONGER IN THE DECK/
Nadim Koteich/X p-latform/August 31/2026
Are Israel and Turkey heading for a military clash?/Prof. Eyal Zisser/israelhayom/August 31/2026
Will Eisenkot lead a different Israel?/Sam Mansi/Asharq Al-Awsat/August 31, 2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets on August 31/2026

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 31-September 01/2026
Berri a greedy creature who is never satisfied
Elias Bejjani/September 01/2026
Nabih Berri, a gutter man, embodies everything that is mafia-like, thuggish, Iranian, and hateful toward Lebanon, the state, the Constitution, and the Lebanese people. He is A greedy person who is never satisfied. May God relieve Lebanon from his depravity and obscenity.

Who is Saint Simeon the Stylite, whose annual feast we commemorate today September 01?
Elias Bejjani/September 01/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/146902/
The hallowed monk, Saint Simeon the Stylite, is considered one of the most prominent hermits to practice a singular form of asceticism in the history of both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, which commemorate his annual feast on different dates. The Orthodox Church, including the Eastern Catholic Churches such as the Maronite Church, celebrates his feast on the first of September each year. In contrast, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates his feast on the fifth of January each year.
Birthplace, Date of Birth, and Passing
Simeon the Stylite was born around the year 388 AD in the village of Sisan (or Sis), a dependency of the city of Antioch in northern Syria, a region now part of modern-day Turkey near the Syrian border. He was born into a humble family of shepherds. He departed from this world on the second day of September in the year 459 AD, after a lifetime of rigorous asceticism and devout worship.
The Dawn of His Monastic Journey
Simeon’s spiritual journey began at a tender age. At thirteen, he entered a monastery near his home. He was zealous in his spiritual disciplines, a fervor that troubled his fellow monks, as he would fast excessively and engage in prolonged prayers. Among the tales recounted from that period is one of him binding a rough rope of palm fiber around his body, which caused deep wounds. When the abbot discovered this, he asked Simeon to leave the monastery, believing his extreme practices were not suitable for the communal monastic life. Following his departure, Simeon turned to the solitary life of a hermit in the desert, spending a period in complete isolation. He then moved to a mountainous region where he bound himself with iron chains but abandoned this practice after a time at the request of a bishop.
Life Atop the Column
In the year 423 AD, Simeon made the decision for which he became profoundly famed: he resolved to live atop a column. He began with a short column and gradually had it built higher and higher. The final column he lived upon reached a height of approximately 15 meters. Life atop the column was an unfathomable physical and psychological trial. He was exposed to biting cold, scorching heat, wind, and rain, and he slept only for very brief periods. He rarely descended from the column, and when he did, he would return to it swiftly. Simeon remained on the column for nearly 37 years until his passing.
The Message of His Life Atop the Column
Simeon the Stylite’s life on the column was not merely an eccentric or irrational act. It was a message deeply rooted in the Christian faith. Through it, he sought to convey several profound truths:
Purification from Sin: He believed that living in such a state of harsh asceticism would help him cleanse himself of the sins of the flesh and attain a high level of spiritual purity.
Complete Devotion to Worship: Life on the column prevented any worldly distractions, allowing him to dedicate himself entirely to prayer and contemplation of his relationship with God. He saw himself as an “angel on earth.”
A Living Testimony to the World: In an age when faith faced challenges, Simeon’s life was a living testament to the power of unwavering faith and devotion. People came from every corner to witness him and listen to him, and they were profoundly moved by his self-sacrifice.
His Most Significant Sayings and Deeds
Simeon was not known for leaving behind extensive writings, yet his sayings and deeds were echoed by his disciples and visitors. Among the most notable attributed to him are:
Perpetual Prayer: He emphasized the importance of prayer without ceasing, considering it the only way to commune with God.
Preaching and Teaching: Despite living atop the column, he would preach to visitors and teach them the principles of the Christian faith. People sought him for spiritual counsel, and he answered them with patience and wisdom.
Reconciling Disputes: His fame reached distant lands, and princes and kings would ask him to resolve disputes between them, which shows that his influence was not limited to spiritual matters alone. He was regarded as a just spiritual arbiter.
*Miraculous Works: Numerous works of wonder are attributed to Simeon the Stylite, such as healing the sick, prophesying future events, and casting out evil spirits.
Is Saint Simeon the Stylite Canonized by the Catholic Church?
Yes, Saint Simeon the Stylite is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. He is considered a common saint among the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches.
Canonization Status: Saint Simeon the Stylite is revered as a saint by the Catholic Church, and his sainthood is referred to as “pre-congregation.” This means his holiness was recognized in the very early history of the Church, long before the establishment of the modern formal canonization process.
His Legacy, Commemoration & Historical Influence
Influence: Historical records and artifacts in Europe, particularly in Rome, show that Saint Simeon was widely honored in the West as well, underscoring his status as a great figure of faith who transcended the later schisms between the Churches. The life of Saint Simeon the Stylite was a beacon of inspiration for many. After his passing, a massive church was built around the column on which he lived, known as “the Church of Saint Simeon the Stylite,” which is considered one of the most important Christian archaeological sites in the world.
Few followed his specific path of asceticism, yet his life remains a symbol of absolute dedication and sacrifice for the sake of the Faith. Saint Simeon the Stylite is a living example that faith can compel a person to transcend physical and psychological limits to achieve a higher spiritual goal. He is a saint unlike any other, and for this reason, the Church continues to commemorate him and honor him to this very day.
The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website: https://eliasbejjaninews.com

Patriarch Al-Rahi and President Aoun Commit a Deadly Sin and Violate the Constitution by Falsely Deeming the Iranian, Terrorist Hezbollah a "Partner" and Its Formation the Result of Occupation
Elias Bejjani/August 31, 2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/08/157089/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRZ4e9sEe-o&t=230s
Yesterday, His Beatitude Patriarch Al-Rahi committed a glaring national mistake that violates the constitution and all legal and rights-based norms, in addition to a full-fledged deadly sin when he considered Hezbollah to be a partner in his sermon (the text of his remarks is at the bottom), where he stated: "What is required is to approach matters with wisdom and national responsibility, for the state is not built by defeating a partner, but by the gathering of all partners under its roof."
In the same falsifying context, President Joseph repeatedly says on every occasion and without occasion that Hezbollah was formed as a result of the occupation. Meanwhile, the truth—well known to him and to every Lebanese citizen—is that Hezbollah is an Iranian, terrorist, criminal, jihadist gang that manufactures and trades in all contraband. As its leaders themselves boast, they are an Iranian army in formation, ideology, funding, and reference.
The Patriarch and the President are required either to exercise their faith-based, national, and constitutional duties or resign, because Lebanon today faces a historic opportunity to rid itself of the Iranian occupation and its local gang. Therefore, official and ecclesiastical positions are important and must not be subservient, cowardly, personalized, or built on personal interests and benefits.. Enough of Lebanese leaders who are drowning in subservience, fear, personal benefits, and self-interests..

Statement of Condemnation and Solidarity with Lebanese Sovereignist Writer and Director Youssef El Khoury
Elias Bejjani/August 29/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/08/157044/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=009wMFHGnf8
I, Elias Bejjani, in my own name and on behalf of the Lebanese in occupied Lebanon and the Diaspora who share my national and faith-based aspirations for a free, sovereign, independent, democratic Lebanon, liberated from the Iranian Jihadist occupation and from the domination of its Lebanese mercenary tools, condemn in the strongest terms the lawsuit filed by the Higher Islamic Shiite Council against the Lebanese sovereignist writer, director, and activist Youssef El Khoury, against the backdrop of his political views and national positions, which he expressed freely and responsibly within the framework of his natural and constitutional right to freedom of expression.
This lawsuit cannot be separated from the climate of intimidation that has prevailed in the Lebanese arena for decades, where religious, political, and judicial institutions are often used as tools of pressure to silence free and independent voices that refuse to submit to Iran’s project of domination over Lebanon and call for the restoration of the sovereignty of the state and for the exclusive possession of weapons by the Lebanese legitimate authorities.
The Higher Islamic Shiite Council was established to serve as a national reference concerned with the affairs of members of the Lebanese Shiite community and to defend their interests and rights within the framework of the Lebanese state. However, its non-Lebanese and Iranized positions and practices have led a broad segment of Lebanese, including many free members of the Shiite community, to regard it as a political institution completely aligned with Hezbollah’s choices and with the expansionist and terrorist agenda of the Iranian regime, rather than expressing the aspirations of free Lebanese Shiites who aspire to a free, sovereign, and independent state.
Turning political and intellectual disagreement into judicial prosecutions, and summoning public prosecution authorities and security agencies to confront an opinion, a position, or a historical interpretation, constitutes a serious violation of the principles of freedom, democracy, and pluralism upon which Lebanon was founded. Ideas are not confronted with lawsuits, opinions are not answered with intimidation, and intellectual debate is not settled in courtrooms.
Youssef El Khoury, this resounding voice in the wilderness of the Land of the Cedars, has exercised nothing more than his legitimate right to express his political opinion and his reading of historical events and their contemporary repercussions. Every citizen has the right to agree or disagree with him, to debate or criticize him, but no religious or political authority has the right to monopolize history, faith, or patriotism, or to impose upon the Lebanese a single interpretation of events and facts under threat of prosecution and intimidation.
Youssef El Khoury is a free Maronite committed to the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the scribes and Pharisees who asked Him to silence His disciples and the crowds: “If these were silent, the stones would cry out.”Luke 19:39–40,
What is most dangerous in this case is the continued use of the Lebanese judiciary in political and ideological battles targeting opponents of Hezbollah’s criminal project and of the disguised Iranian occupation of Lebanon. Instead of the judiciary being used to protect citizens, safeguard their rights, and hold accountable those responsible for the wars, destruction, corruption, and collapse that have afflicted the country, it is being employed to pursue sovereignist voices and free national voices.
Together with all the free and honorable Lebanese, I declare our full solidarity with Youssef El Khoury, and I consider that targeting him is an attack on every free Lebanese who refuses to submit to the logic of weapons and foreign tutelage, and on every person of opinion who calls for the establishment of a genuine sovereign and independent state that is subject to no foreign or militia influence.
I also affirm that defending Youssef El Khoury’s freedom is a defense of the freedom of all sovereignist Lebanese, and of their right to think, express themselves, criticize, and hold others accountable, without fear of intimidation, accusations of treason, or prosecution.
The Lebanon in which we believe is the Lebanon of freedom, pluralism, and democracy, not the Lebanon of intellectual repression and silencing of voices. It is the Lebanon of sovereignty and independence, and of the supremacy of the state over all external loyalties and axes.
Full solidarity with Youssef El Khoury.  And full condemnation of the attempts to silence free voices through lawsuits and intimidation, and through the exploitation of religious and judicial institutions to serve political agendas that have nothing to do with the interests of Lebanon and the Lebanese.

An English video link from Israel Rabbi Pesach Wolicki's youtube Platform/A detailed & in depth report on Ali Altaher Hill under the title: Israel Just SEIZED Hezbollah’s Secret Base & TRAPPED EVERYONE Inside
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrV9yzTQPTY
August 31/2026
Elias Bejjani/The sooner the Israeli Army takes over the Ali Al Taher the better. By the way, Hezbollah, the Iranian terrorist gang, is refusing to hand over the hill to the Lebanese army and apparently prefers that Israel takes it over no matter what the losses are.

Will We Become Caretakers of a Homeland Whose Children Have Emigrated?
Father Tony Bou Assaf/Facebook/August 31, 2026
(Translated from Arabic freely by Elias Bejjani)
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/08/157121/
Every day we go to the airport to bid farewell to one of our children. We are not bidding him farewell to university… nor to a temporary work trip… nor to a vacation. We are bidding him farewell to exile. We wave to him, swallow our tears, and say to him, “May God grant you success”… then we return home and find his room exactly as he left it, his bed neatly arranged, his pictures hanging on the walls, and his belongings waiting for a return that we do not know whether it will ever come.
And thus, house after house, village after village, family after family…
Lebanon is being emptied of its youth. So who will remain? For whom will the houses we built be? For whom will the livelihoods we struggled to gather be? For whom will the land be? For whom will the villages be? For whom will the schools and universities be? And for whom will our churches, our bells, and our squares be, when an entire generation of our children is outside the homeland?
Has our role become that of guarding the homes of those who have left? Have we become caretakers of a homeland whose children have emigrated?
We open their homes during the holidays, remove the dust from their rooms, water their trees, guard their livelihoods… and wait for them to return.
But what if they do not return?
Here lies the tragedy.
While our children are packing their suitcases, there are still those who are packing the Lebanese into categories:
A sect, a party, a region, a leader, a faction…
They are fighting over Lebanon,
while Lebanon itself is slipping away from between their hands.
O officials, listen carefully:
The young man who leaves today is not merely an emigrant. He is a doctor who did not treat us, an engineer who did not build our cities, a teacher who did not educate our children, and a family man who did not have his children on his own land.
He is the future of Lebanon that took off on that airplane.
Do not deceive yourselves.
The buildings may remain. The roads may remain. The banks, universities, hospitals, churches, and mosques may remain.
But a homeland without its youth turns into real estate… not into a homeland.
Enough divisions. Enough losing battles. Enough imaginary victories.
Enough turning every issue into a new occasion for accusations of treason, mobilization, and the stirring of sectarian passions.
There is only one battle worthy of our unity:
The battle to keep our children in Lebanon.
Because the most dangerous emigration is not the emigration of individuals… but the emigration of a generation. And when a generation emigrates, the state does not lose only employees, nor does the economy lose only workers…
The homeland loses its memory, its continuity, its voice, and its face.
We have delayed for far too long.
Ring the alarm bell!
For a day may come when we find no one left to bid farewell to at the airport… because everyone will already have departed.
And then nothing will remain for us except to close the doors, turn off the lights,
and sit as caretakers over the houses…
in a homeland that once belonged to us, and in which no one remains anymore...
The Theology of Existence

South Lebanon: Latest developments
Naharnet/August 31/2026 
Israeli artillery shelling targeted overnight into Monday the southern border towns of Houla, al-Mansouri and Bouyout al-Siyyed. Strikes on Sunday night hit Kfar Remman, al-Mansouri, Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh, Mayfadoun and Arnoun, while Israeli forces detonated houses in Arnoun and Yohmor.

Aoun from Greece: Framework deal must be implemented fully and bilaterally
Naharnet/August 31/2026 
President Joseph Aoun arrived Monday in Athens for an official visit to meet with his Greek counterpart, President Konstantinos Tasoulas, at the Presidential Mansion, in efforts to secure international backing to a framework agreement with Israel and an end to hostilities in south Lebanon. Speaking from Greece, President Aoun stated that the U.S.-sponsored framework deal should be implemented fully and bilaterally, rather than selectively or unilaterally. "The Lebanese people are tired of wars, and it is time for them to rest," Aoun told Tasoulas, arguing that "diplomacy is the best of solutions". Aoun thanked the Greek President for his support and urged him to help Lebanon implement the framework deal."The framework deal should be implemented in full by both sides, without selectivity," he said.

Berri slams framework deal anew, warns against negotiating under fire
Naharnet/August 31/2026 
Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday again lashed out at the framework agreement that was signed in June between Lebanon and Israel. “The current stage, with its existential risks, does not grant anyone the right to act on any of the sovereign titles under any pretext, whether a framework agreement or secret appendices or otherwise,” said Berri in an annual speech marking the anniversary of Imam Moussa al-Sadr’s disappearance.“After seven rounds of negotiations, the occupied area has expanded and Israel is continuing its war,” Berri noted. “We exercised our democratic right in rejecting the framework agreement and we maintain the same position, and we warned against negotiating with the Israeli enemy under fire,” the Speaker reminded. Stressing that the South is an integral part of Lebanon, Berri said the responsibility for “preserving it and its people and reconstruction is the state's responsibility.”He warned that Israel is “not going after Hezbollah and its weapons or the Amal Movement or the Shiite community,” but is rather seeking “strife.”“We categorically reject any questioning of the army's role as a national institution that is the protector and nurturer of the hopes and aspirations of the Lebanese people,” Berri added.
He also cautioned that “any call for partitioning or federalism” would be “inconsistent with the Taif Agreement, but rather an adventure that threatens the existence of Lebanon.”
“We affirm our commitment to the Taif Agreement and reject any other projects,” Berri added.

Israel says arms smuggling from Syria to Lebanon has decreased
Naharnet/August 31/2026 
An Israeli security source stated that Israel is monitoring the Syrian front, emphasizing that it "will not allow hostile forces to establish a presence on the border."
The source added that Israel is working to fortify its border defenses by "increasing the number of town protection units and arming them."He added that arms smuggling from Syria to Lebanon has decreased, noting that there are "movements along multiple routes to limit Turkish influence inside Syria."The source said that "security control on the Syrian front allows for focusing combat efforts on other fronts."He also explained that "the main mission in Syria is to thwart the emergence of terrorist threats."

Israel practicing 'gradual escalation' to seize Ali al-Taher
Naharnet/August 31/2026 
What is happening in south Lebanon is dangerous and no one can stop the advance of the Israeli military machine, a Lebanese official said.In remarks to the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper, the unnamed official described the situation as falling within the framework of a "gradual escalation," where Israel “has made the major decision to capture the Ali Taher hill and is deliberately encroaching on its surroundings, while military operations have continued unabated for 24 hours.”The official added: "We are facing a dangerous phase, and no one knows where things will lead, especially after Hezbollah's negative response and its refusal to hand over the tunnels to the Lebanese Army."

Three fronts, growing pressure: Israel shifts focus across the region
LBCI/August 31/2026
Israel’s security and political attention is increasingly divided across three fronts: southern Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.On the Lebanon front, Israeli security officials have acknowledged that operations at Ali al-Taher hill have reached a stalemate, with continued military activity failing to produce a decisive outcome while exhausting troops and complicating negotiations with Lebanon. Israel has also walked back earlier claims that members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were present at the site. However, Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon have not eased. Israeli sources say U.S. President Donald Trump has given Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu room to carry out preemptive military operations in both southern Lebanon and Gaza. Meanwhile, the West Bank has moved into sharper focus following violent attacks by extremist settlers on the town of Qusra. Israel is considering redeploying military units from Lebanon and Gaza to the West Bank, including the 98th Commando Division and the 162nd Armored Division. The developments come amid expectations of an unprecedented escalation in the West Bank, which has also emerged as an issue in Israel’s election campaign.
Despite Netanyahu’s rare characterization of settler violence as terrorism, assessments suggest his right-wing bloc is seeking political gains ahead of parliamentary elections in two months. Tensions have also emerged between Israel’s political and military leadership over the handling of settler violence, which has drawn international condemnation.Reports indicate that some attacks on Palestinian homes have taken place in full view of Israeli troops. Military commanders, in turn, have accused Netanyahu of seeking to escalate tensions for electoral reasons, pointing to his request for the military to prepare a plan for a scenario in which Palestinian security forces turn their weapons against Israeli troops in the West Bank.

Report: Gadhafi shot al-Sadr twice in the chest
Naharnet/August 31/2026
Iraqi researcher, historian, and media figure Hamid Abdullah has presented on his YouTube channel highly sensitive details about the alleged final hours of revered Lebanese Shiite cleric Imam Moussa al-Sadr and his companions in Libya in 1978, claiming the presence of documents related to the imam’s disappearance that are supposedly still in Iraq. The account of events is based primarily on information obtained by the then-Iraqi intelligence services from a Libyan security source with direct ties to Gadhafi's regime. According to Abdullah, the thread began with a former Libyan colonel and Baathist named Salim al-Hajani, who sought political asylum in Baghdad. He informed Iraqi intelligence that a high-ranking official in the Libyan external security apparatus, Mohammad Ahmad al-Adl, possessed crucial information about Gadhafi's regime. Consequently, a meeting was arranged between al-Adl and Iraqi officers at the Iraqi embassy in Tunis. According to the account, al-Adl then became an informant for Iraqi intelligence, providing them with various pieces of information, including details related to al-Sadr’s case. Abdullah states that al-Adl obtained these details from one of Gadhafi's personal female bodyguards. The background to the dispute, according to the narrative in the YouTube program, dates back to a period when Gadhafi's regime was providing financial support to several organizations in Lebanon during the civil war, including al-Sadr’s Amal Movement. At the same time, Gadhafi was seeking to disseminate and promote his "Green Book" outside of Libya. Copies of the book were sent to Lebanon, and al-Sadr read one of them. The narrative says that al-Sadr was not impressed by what he read. In a private conversation, he described the book as "ridiculous" and its author as a "lunatic." However, Libyan intelligence, which had “infiltrated the Amal Movement,” managed to record al-Sadr's conversation and deliver it to Gadhafi. On August 25, 1978, the imam arrived in Libya at the invitation of Libyan authorities. According to the account presented by Hamid Abdullah, Gadhafi requested a private meeting with al-Sadr on August 31 at Bab al-Aziziya, excluding his two companions, Sheikh Mohammad Yaacoub and journalist Abbas Badreddine. During the meeting, Gadhafi confronted his guest directly with what had been reported to him, asking if he had indeed described the "Green Book" as a ridiculous book. Al-Sadr did not back down or resort to flattery; rather, he “courageously declared his opinion, explaining that the book contained no theory or idea of ​​value.”Upon hearing al-Sadr's position, Gadhafi lost his temper and unleashed a torrent of harsh words at him, before going so far as to insult his religious turban and throw it to the ground. Gadhafi also accused al-Sadr of being an "Israeli" agent.Al-Sadr, however, remained calm and responded to Gadhafi by saying that his fate would be hellfire. At this point, Gadhafi became even angrier and ordered his guards to restrain him and take him away. Abdullah claims that the Libyan leader pursued them, summoned a man named Hosni al-Ahrari, drew his pistol, and fired two shots into al-Sadr's chest. He then handed the pistol to al-Ahrari and ordered him to kill Sheikh Mohammad Yaacoub and the journalist Abbas Badreddine, who had already been bound and taken to another location. Following the murders, Gadhafi and his inner circle faced the challenge of disposing of the bodies and concealing the evidence. Hosni al-Ahrari was ordered to transport the three bodies and bury them in the Bir al-Ghanam area, Hamid Abdullah claims.

Same driver, different roads: Why driving habits change in Lebanon
LBCI/August 31/2026
Lebanese drivers often appear far more disciplined when driving abroad than they do at home. The same driver who stops at red lights, respects speed limits, gives way to pedestrians and follows parking restrictions overseas may behave very differently after returning to Lebanon. The contrast raises a broader question: Why are traffic laws respected abroad but often disregarded at home? One key factor is accountability. In other countries, drivers know that violations can be caught on camera, fines are likely to be enforced and offenses could affect their driving records. In Lebanon, enforcement is often perceived as less consistent, while personal connections can sometimes be used to avoid penalties. But the consequences extend far beyond traffic violations. Poor road discipline and weak enforcement come at a high cost, contributing to hundreds of casualties, financial losses and mounting frustration on Lebanon’s roads.

Lebanese delegation begins three-day Dubai visit to boost government cooperation
LBCI/August 31/2026
A Lebanese official delegation began a three-day visit to Dubai on Monday as part of a program organized by the UAE Government Experience Exchange Office, aimed at drawing on Emirati expertise in public administration and strengthening cooperation between state institutions. The 24-member delegation is headed by Economy Minister Amer Bisat and Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence Kamal Shehadi. The first day includes meetings with Abdulla Nasser Lootah, assistant minister of Cabinet affairs for competitiveness and knowledge exchange; Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence Omar Al Olama; and Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani Al Zeyoudi, along with other UAE officials. The program also includes sessions on artificial intelligence, legislation, future planning, government services, eliminating bureaucracy and foreign trade.
The visit aims to help Lebanese institutions identify areas where they could benefit from UAE expertise and establish direct, long-term coordination with their Emirati counterparts, paving the way for broader government cooperation and potential state-to-state investment projects at a later stage.

Washington, Hezbollah, and Negotiations: A Test of Influence and Decision-Making
Najwa Abi Haidar/Al-Markazia/August 31, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
Al-Markazia - Information and leaks circulating about the possibility of American contact with Hezbollah are generating significant discussion in political circles. These discussions have included indications of potential meetings between American officials and figures within the party, coinciding with statements and positions that began with US President Donald Trump expressing this intention and continued with US envoy Tom Barrack, followed by clarifications from US Ambassador Michel Issa. While political circles close to Hezbollah are discussing various hypotheses regarding the nature of the American position, linking any potential contact to developments in the Lebanese and regional landscape, the official American stance has provided a clear framework for any dialogue or negotiation concerning Lebanon's future. The US Embassy in Beirut issued a statement from the US State Department spokesperson, who affirmed that the tripartite framework clearly stipulates that the Lebanese government is the sole legitimate entity authorized to negotiate Lebanon's future on behalf of the Lebanese people. He emphasized the United States' support for the Lebanese people and its desire for Lebanon to be a safe and sovereign country, asserting that achieving this requires the disarmament of Hezbollah. He quoted Ambassador Issa as affirming that Washington wants nothing more than for Hezbollah to surrender its weapons. However, the American position also carried a direct message to the party, as the spokesperson indicated that Hezbollah is, thus far, unwilling to engage in dialogue with the Lebanese state, the United States, or Israel, attributing this to its adherence to orders from Iran. This American stance comes amidst conflicting reports regarding the possibility of American communication channels with Hezbollah. While political circles close to the party told Al-Markazia that direct contact, if confirmed, would signal a shift in Washington's approach to the Lebanese authorities, they maintain that current circumstances preclude Hezbollah from entering into direct dialogue with the American side. She says that the party's convictions and its ties to Iran and its regional project have, thus far, prevented such communication, noting that party officials consider the timing inappropriate for taking such a step. According to these sources, any discussion of communication with the United States or Israel presupposes a set of conditions, most notably Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon to behind the internationally recognized borders as stipulated in the Armistice Agreement, a halt to attacks, bulldozing operations, and destruction, the release of prisoners, the return of displaced persons, and the commencement of reconstruction efforts. She indicates that the talk circulating about the possibility of communication with the party may be part of American pressure aimed at pushing the party to seize the initiative and abandon its ties to the Iranian project, paving the way for an understanding between Washington and the party, but through the Lebanese state. Between political leaks and diplomatic stances on one hand, and official American clarifications on the other, the fundamental question remains: Is there indeed an undeclared channel of communication between Washington and Hezbollah, or is the talk of communication merely a matter of messages and political pressure, pending the unfolding of Lebanese and regional developments?

Hezbollah Threatens Oversight Force… and Prefers an Agreement Granting Israel “Freedom of Movement”!
Lara Yazbek/Al-Markazia/August 31, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
Al-Markazia – In a speech delivered on Friday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem affirmed, “We are against the framework agreement and call for its annulment because it is illegitimate. The resistance will remain engaged in confrontation and will continue to bear arms. It opposes all aspects of the agreement, including the pilot zones, the verification mechanism, and all those who participate in it. What the resistance will accept is a return to the November 27, 2024 agreement and working within the framework of Resolution 1701, not within any other framework.” Sovereign political sources, speaking to Al-Markazia, focused on Qassem's stance, not only regarding his rejection of the framework agreement, which is now well-known, but also his rejection of its specific provisions, particularly the "verification mechanism and all those involved in it." While the Americans are currently working, in coordination with Lebanon and Israel, to form this monitoring force—which is essential for moving forward in the pilot areas—the sources say that Hezbollah, through its Secretary-General, appears to be threatening any country considering participating in the future force, implying that its personnel will not be safe in the south and will be targets for Hezbollah. This threatening stance will likely complicate the American task of forming the monitoring team, as it will make any country interested in participating, such as Italy or Britain, think twice before sending its personnel to Lebanon, given the perceived threat to their safety. The second noteworthy point in Qassem's remarks is his rejection of the framework agreement, while simultaneously demanding a return to the October 27, 2014 agreement. It's worth recalling that this agreement included a secret clause granting Israel the right to conduct military operations in Lebanon. Furthermore, after this agreement, Israeli aircraft and drones targeted and assassinated Hezbollah members, hunting them down one by one for months. Is this what Qassem wants to return to, and what he now finds acceptable, preferring this reality to responding to the framework agreement, the pilot zones, and gradually handing over his weapons to the Lebanese army in exchange for liberating the land and Israel's withdrawal from it?

School starts soon in Lebanon but thousands still shelter in them during war
Associated Press/August 31/2026
Eleven-year-old Fatima Khashab helps her mother tidy the small area where their family sleeps, in a row of makeshift living quarters in a school gymnasium. About 200 families are sheltering in the school in Lebanon's southern coastal city of Tyre. Most are from villages farther south that have been destroyed in the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah or are occupied by Israeli forces, like Fatima's hometown of Mansouri. The school year will start on Sept. 15, but thousands of displaced people still shelter in public schools. With negotiations between Israel and Lebanon — and between the U.S. and Iran — stalled, there is no political solution in sight that would allow them to go home. Education officials say they have a plan to reopen the schools while maintaining shelters for families with nowhere to go. But anxiety is high. "We don't know if we will be able to go back to our village or if the crisis will get even worse. Nobody except for God knows what's going to happen," said Fatima's mother, Randa al-Taki, 51. On top of that, she said, "Our children are deprived of school, and we don't know if they are going to learn this year or not."Lebanon has traditionally prided itself on its education system. Its economy relies on sending educated young people abroad to work. They send remittances and make investments back home.
That system is in danger of crumbling.
Since 2019, Lebanon has been battered by an economic collapse, the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Beirut port explosion and two wars. The current conflict has disrupted education for hundreds of thousands of children. "There's an estimated at least four years of learning loss now," said Nora Ingdal, Lebanon country director for Save the Children, which has set up learning spaces for displaced children. "A sixth grader is actually on the level of a second grader." At the height of the current conflict, half of Lebanon's public schools were used as shelters, disrupting education for more than 250,000 students, according to a report by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, a Qatar-based think tank. Nasser Yassin, the center's director in Beirut and a former Lebanese government minister who was in charge of the crisis response during the 2024 war, said the government should have used other places for shelters whenever possible, not schools. "We should not respond to a displacement crisis by creating a long-term education crisis," he said. The latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2, when the militant group fired rockets across the border two days after Israel and the U.S. launched a war on Iran.At the height of the war, some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon.
Since late June, a shaky truce has allowed most to return home. In Beirut, the displacement crisis is no longer visible the way it was early in the war, when tents lined the seaside corniche and families slept in their cars along main thoroughfares. But the Israeli military still occupies large swaths of southern Lebanon and has said it won't withdraw before Hezbollah is fully disarmed, a prospect that appears unlikely. Israeli troops have demolished houses in areas they control and launched strikes that they say target Hezbollah militants.
"Every day we see how they are demolishing our village with bulldozers, and they're either blowing up the houses or bombing them in front of our eyes, and we can't do anything," al-Taki said of Israel's military. She is unsure if their house is still standing. Lebanon's state news agency reported new airstrikes and shelling on their hometown over the weekend.
Around 350,000 people remain displaced, according to the U.N. humanitarian office. While most have rented apartments or moved in with relatives, some 21,000 still stay in collective shelters.Some have been displaced since the previous Israel-Hezbollah conflict, which erupted into full-scale war in September 2024. That's the case for Malak Abu Sari, 11, whose home was destroyed. Her family is staying in the school in Tyre. Fatima's family was displaced in 2024, too, but they were able to return home before fleeing in March, early in the current war, and again about a month ago after briefly going back. At the school, Fatima's family is surrounded by relatives and former neighbors. The familiar faces make them feel less alone. Humanitarian groups organize activities for the children. One woman brought her cockatiel when she fled, and children stop by to play with him.
But the families chafe at the lack of privacy. "We have a place to stay in the school, and thank God for that, but to be honest, we feel that we're suffocating between these tarps," al-Taki said. Before the war, the family made a living farming zaatar, a herb used in a popular Levantine spice mix. Her husband sold snacks from a tuk-tuk on beaches. Now they've missed the zaatar season, and there's no work. Fatima pines for her old life. She misses being in her own bed and not in a cramped room with tarps for walls. "I miss a lot of things," she said. "I want to go back to school and stay in our own house."Georgia Hachem, adviser to Lebanon's education minister, said around 80 schools are still serving as shelters, but many host a small number of families. In some cases, those schools will reopen for classes while part of the facility continues as a shelter. In other cases, families will be consolidated in a single location. In Beirut, the ministry will move displaced families to unused buildings.
"We have a solution for every single shelter, and no student will be left without a seat," Hachem said. The bigger issue, she said, is the 340 schools damaged in the war, with some 30 of them destroyed and no funds to repair them. Other schools are inaccessible in occupied areas. After the war began, the education ministry offered online classes to students whose schools closed, but families in shelters often have internet problems and limited resources, Ingdal said. "Maybe there's one device in the family and you have five kids who are going to learn," she said. Most students can return to school in person this year, Hachem said, but a handful of schools will remain online.

Interview with economist and Middle East analyst Nadim Shehadi
**From Cosmopolitan Hub to War Economy: The Root Causes of Lebanon’s Decline
world Geostrategic/August 31/2026
In this interview with World Geostrategic Insights, economist and Middle East analyst Nadim Shehadi delivers an assessment of Lebanon’s deepening crisis and the harsh structural realities reshaping the nation.
Nadim Shehadi is an economist, academic, and globally recognized expert on Lebanon and the Middle East. He is the former Executive Director of the Lebanese American University (LAU) New York Headquarters and Academic Center, where he bridged academic and cultural dialogue between the U.S. and the Middle East. Previously he directed the Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies at Tufts University’s Fletcher School and the Centre for Lebanese Studies at St Antony’s College, Oxford, and served as an Associate Fellow at Chatham House in London, specializing in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region,
Q1 – The World Bank’s Summer 2026 Lebanon Economic Monitor recently projected a sharp 6.4% economic contraction for the country, erasing the brief 4.2% technical rebound seen in 2025. Given that the financial system remains severely impaired and sovereign debt is still unrestructured, what immediate fiscal steps can the Lebanese state take to survive this deepening recession?
A1 – There are no fiscal steps that can fix this if fixing it means anything like returning to previous levels. The economy is falling apart because of political and demographic factors that have transformed the country from a cosmopolitan hub to a war economy under siege. What can revive the country is the success of two tracks, one is the peace talks with Israel and the other an internal one where Hizballah will be dismantled and become part of the Lebanese consensus.
Lebanon is now the main battleground for a regional conflict, and over the past 20 years has been gradually taken over by Hezbollah, a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC. This is similar to the manner in which the IRGC and armed groups operate in Iraq and Yemen, except that in Lebanon, it is the front line in what they see as a confrontation with Israel and the United States. These economic and demographic repercussions are critical and heading towards continuous decline which could become irreversible.
The Lebanese economy was at its most prosperous when it was a liberal open economy and the refuge of skills, talents and capital from the region. This was after WII when the countries of the region were turning into socialist military dictatorships under Nasserism and Baathism. Levantine merchant families and the intellectual elite from Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and southern Turkey gradually moved to Beirut making it into the financial and cultural capital of the region with networks on a global scale. The living standards and the economy were then comparable to those of southern Europe like Spain, Portugal and Ireland.
That phase ended with the civil war. In 1990 a different model was emerging with the advent of Rafic Hariri after the civil war. There were three competing forces, one was Hariri who became Prime Minister and his Gulf Arab contacts, mainly Saudi, whose inspiration was pre-war Lebanon that he was trying to recreate. The other was Syrian control with American and French blessing and the third was the rise of Hizballah as an armed resistance force gradually infiltrating the country’s institutions. Nevertheless, the economy grew from $3bn to over $50bn just before the collapse.
Hariri was assassinated in 2005 after he showed signs of plotting with the French and Americans to get rid of Syrian influence. After Syrian withdrawal Hizballah gradually replaced the Syrian regime as the dominant force using tools like assassinations and a constant state of war as well as isolation from the Gulf states which were the main economic partners of the country. But still, the economy adjusted and the model became that of the Lebanese residing in Lebanon, but their main businesses were abroad. But they still banked with Lebanese banks. The economy was still growing due to these external factors but domestically the government deficit was growing faster due to isolation and wars until it all collapsed in 2019. This phase also ended after the financial collapse followed by the COVID pandemic, the port explosion and the recent wars. The main driver of the decline is a demographic outflow of skills and businesses which are no longer using the Lebanese banking system. and the businesses that are leaving are not anymore contributing to the economy by banking in Lebanon.
The government can use fiscal measures to adjust to the new level, but the country cannot be revived towards anything resembling any previous level without a political solution leading to the dismantling of Hizballah and the end of the state of war.
I will give you one indicator that can encapsulate the extent of the crisis: I recently inquired about what used to be a dynamic youth branch of a political movement in Lebanon. It is composed of what you might describe as the Yuppies of the country. I was told that out of a core membership of 82 people, only two now remain in Lebanon. The rest have emigrated and got jobs or created businesses abroad. The country revives during the holiday season when people like these return temporarily, but that movement may become permanent and this is only a sample.
Q2 – In your August 2026 article for Arab News, “Only the Lebanese people can make Hezbollah disarm,” you emphasized that the transformation must come through internal, cross-community debate rather than just formal political dialogue. In practical terms, how can the broader, diverse Lebanese public—especially within communities most impacted by continuous conflict—effectively mobilize to reclaim national sovereignty?
A2 – Yes, ultimately the solution has to be internal even if external factors are important and have great influence. Hizballah will disarm when, within the Shiite community, its main support base, there will be enough of a consensus to pressure it to dismantle its armed presence and join the Lebanese consensus.
This is due to both the strength and the weakness of the Lebanese political system which is built around the concept of communities whose identities are recognized and having a certain autonomy in managing their legal affairs. The system also recognizes external political links of these communities and is based on compromises between them. Occasionally the compromise breaks down or one group turns rogue and this causes crises. But the freedom of these communities and the recognition of their relative autonomies is one of the pillars of the system.
Hezbollah’s existence depends on the support of the Shiite community, and Hezbollah’s existence also depends on its control of the Shiite community. If there is a time when the Shiite community decides that Hezbollah is no longer necessary and it wants to cut its relations with the IRGC and Iran, then this will be the only way, and this is when it will fully join the Ta’if Agreement, which was set up in 1989. Now, this seems to be difficult to happen, but it’s happened before.
The Sunnis in Lebanon supported Nasserism and the PLO, and it was difficult to imagine that they would abandon that and join the consensus in Lebanon, but it did happen. It happened mainly after they had supported the presence of the PLO and its use of Lebanon as a base to attack Israel. It probably ended when this provoked an Israeli invasion and Arafat declared that Beirut was the Stalingrad of the Arabs. They said goodbye to the PLO in 1983 and never looked back. The system could have recovered then had the May 17 agreement with Israel following PLO withdrawal not been abrogated under Syrian pressure and Iranian intervention.
Q3 – In mid-2026, over 400 prominent public figures from Lebanon and the global diaspora launched the “A Call to Save Lebanon” initiative, demanding an end to external interference and a return to state-exclusive legitimate arms. Having lived and worked extensively in both London and New York, how do you evaluate the power of transnational movements to turn these statements into structural changes on the ground?
A3 – I personally do not really put a lot of importance on the diaspora.
The diaspora can have an economic influence, but it is also limited to sustaining the country under crisis. Some families who have lost all their savings rely on diaspora support to survive. I know that the Lebanese boast about the strength of the diaspora and its achievements. I however, consider the growth of the diaspora and its importance as a symptom of the crisis. It is not even a particularly Lebanese phenomenon or part of the country’s strength. The fact that Lebanese businesses and professionals flourish abroad is an indication that they can no longer do so in the country. The collapse of the banking sector also means that the country no longer has economic links with the businesses of the diaspora who used to bank in the country.
The growth of the diaspora is part of Lebanon’s weakness, and it is also part of a demographic change. If the trend continues it may become irreversible and Lebanon will lose the role it has had in the region. A new model will emerge and it is not certain that whatever comes next will be as viable or as sustainable as previous ones. There are many examples of irreversible economic decline caused by demographic factors. The cities of Alexandria in Egypt and Smyrna in Turkey were prosperous cosmopolitan hubs, the richest in the Mediterranean in the 19th century. They died when the rise of nationalism in the 20th century meant that they lost their demographic diversity and international connections. Beirut in a way replaced them and benefited from the very changes that destroyed them, the Lebanese system managed to gain from their losses and the losses of other cities like Aleppo, Mosul and Damascus. Alexandria also had Levantine Greeks, French and Italians who were all your neighbors if you had grown up in Beirut. The Lebanese model skipped the 20th century but it eventually caught up with it, Beirut was the last cosmopolitan hub in the region.
Q4 – With UNIFIL’s mandate ending in December 2026, Italy and France have proposed a streamlined multinational coalition to prevent a security vacuum. If the traditional UN mission is phased out, can the Lebanese Armed Forces realistically enforce UN Resolution 1701—which mandates that only the Lebanese army and peacekeepers hold weapons south of the Litani River—or will this transition invite further escalation?
A4 – We are beyond such temporary measures. UNIFIL has failed, and so has the Lebanese army in disarming Hezbollah, and any interim measures will fail if we do not resolve the issue of the arms of Hezbollah. Lebanon as a state cannot survive if an armed group outside its control and with allegiance to Iran has the power to decide about war or peace.
Hezbollah as a militia can drag Lebanon into wars without consulting anyone. After 2006, UNIFIL was supposed to supervise the disarming of Hezbollah below the Litani and to help implement UNSC resolution 1701. This obviously has failed, and there has to be an investigation as to how Hezbollah managed to create such an arsenal in South Lebanon where the army and UNIFIL were not able to prevent it or either did not seem to know or were complicit in it. This is a failure of the 1701-2006 resolution. Hizballah was part of the government when two agreements based on 1701 were reached: in 2006 and in 2024. Hizballah relied on the Lebanese government to reach these agreements and did not abide by them. Instead it used them to gain time and rearm and launch other wars.
Q5 – In late June 2026, a groundbreaking “Trilateral Framework” agreement was discussed between Israel, Lebanon, and the United States to establish pilot zones and coordinate phased military withdrawals. Historically, such agreements face massive implementation hurdles. Do you view this framework as a tangible step toward long-term border stability, or is it bound to remain meaningless without a broader regional settlement?
A5 – The main characteristic of the trilateral framework and the discussions between Lebanon and Israel under American auspices is precisely that they are under American auspices. US sponsorship of this and support for the Lebanese government and the pressure it puts on Israel are the main points and represent a sort of US protection. The temporary measures that are being implemented like the zones are temporary steps, and unless there is a radical solution, it can fail completely. This sort of western protection is one of the pillars of the Lebanese system and is part of the Ottoman legacy where the Sultan accepted that western powers protected certain minorities which also had a measure of autonomy. The Lebanese system is based on that rather than on the 20th century secular nationalist model.
The worst-case scenario would be for Lebanon to become insignificant, for Hezbollah to remain in control and the country to remain under siege and in a state of war forever. This will reach the irreversible situation which we spoke about before. Between 1989 and 2005, Lebanon was under Syrian hegemony with the blessing of the west, at the time it was part of the efforts to woo Syrian president Hafez al Assad to join the Gulf War coalition to oust Saddam Hussein from Iraq. In effect the US, in order to save one small country, Kuwait, from the grips of a neighboring Baath tyrant, had handed another small country (Lebanon) to another Baath party tyrant. I am only citing this example to illustrate how important western protection is for Lebanon and how without it the system is not viable. The major change in recent years has been the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria. Lebanon’s relative neutrality in the Arab-Israeli wars of 1956, 1967 and 1973 was only made possible by such protection.
So it is US sponsorship of the talks with Israel and support for the Lebanese government and the pressure it puts on Israel are the main points. The temporary measures that are being implemented like the zones are interim steps too, and unless there is a radical solution, it can fail completely. The greatest risk is that of changes in US policy.
Q6 – You have often described U.S. policy toward Iran as a cycle of choosing between military escalation and diplomatic capitulation. In 2026, amid the rising economic costs of countering Iranian regional proxies and the caution of Gulf allies, do you think Washington will be forced to seek a pragmatic, transactional deal with Tehran, or will it push for a decisive confrontation?
A6 – There is one single factor which has broken the cycle you are mentioning. It is the direct confrontation with Iran on Iranian soil. For 47 years, Iran had managed to fight the United States by proxy outside its own territory and chose the time and place where the United States was at its most vulnerable. This was in places like Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen and managed to make deals with the U.S.
Iran could also predict and manipulate the US through negotiations. For example the JCPOA gave Iran a licensee to build its proxy militias even further because one of the conditions of the JCPOA was that it would concentrate on the technical issues of the nuclear deal and that no mention would be made of any regional factors like the ballistic missiles or like the Iranian proxies. So Iran had a free hand to build up its proxy militias like Hezbollah and the Houthis and the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces. Also its intervention in Syria was tolerated and ignored.
This could have continued forever on and off, except that now this time, since February this year, the war has shifted to Iranian territory. So, Iran cannot any longer maintain the same war model forever. The model it had before was sustainable because there was almost no cost to it, on its territory or no attack on it. Now, it’s become the main target and it will have to find a sustainable solution. US policy now is to address its problems with Iran comprehensively including its proxies. Lebanon will, of course, be affected by the larger picture.
Q7 – In recent years, China and the expanded BRICS bloc have increased their diplomatic and economic footprint in the Middle East. Do you view this shifting influence as a viable alternative for regional stabilization, or does it simply complicate Lebanon’s alignment with traditional Western partners?
A7 – I personally do not believe that BRICS are an alternative, mainly because it is really about the US dollar being the global reserve currency. Most of the countries that are participating in BRICS and joining BRICS do not have the legal framework to resolve disputes. You wouldn’t go to a Russian court or a Chinese court to resolve a dispute. So, there will always be, until they have such a system, they won’t be able to replace the U.S. dollar. They can weaken it and the U.S. dollar can go into crisis, but it’s gone through a crisis before. I don’t think that we are at that point yet.
Q8 – Lebanon continues to host one of the highest per-capita refugee populations in the world, creating immense internal strain. Given the current regional volatility, do you see any realistic international framework that could facilitate a safe return or resettlement process, or has this become a permanent structural challenge for the Lebanese state?
A8 – Yes, this is a permanent structural challenge. Historically, such great or huge movements of population are not fully reversible. They are never fully reversible. And we’ve seen that, we’ve never seen it reverse.
This is a part of demographic change in the country, and part of a step into the unknown, especially if the outward migration and the brain drain continue in Lebanon. But Lebanon is not prepared to accept yet the idea that a large proportion of the refugees from Syria will never return to Syria. There has been major population movements in the last 25 years, not only in Lebanon and I believe that demographics are a major factor of change.
Q9 – You have written that the fundamental conflict in the Middle East is a “battle of ideas” between completely opposing worldviews—one militant and radical, and the other liberal and collaborative. How can academic institutions and international think tanks, like Chatham House, better bridge this analytical gap for Western policymakers who often misinterpret these underlying ideological currents?
A9 – The model of ideas is fundamentally a battle between two large visions of where the region should go. One is probably encapsulated in what Iran or the IRGC is doing with the aim of driving the U.S. out of the region and controlling the Gulf states and the oil and continuing a fight with Israel. So, that’s one vision. The other vision, which I would associate with the Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and Oman, is that of peace with Israel, and it’s a completely different vision than, and of course, alliance with the U.S. So, that’s what it is.
I don’t think the two visions are compatible or that there can be a rapprochement because of any actions by think tanks. I think the best thing the think tanks, the best service the think tanks can do, is highlight these two visions to help policy makers choose between the alliance. When policy makers have short term and narrow views and tactical views, that’s when the region, when the confrontation continues.
And this is what you’ve seen when policy makers could not make up their mind about Syria when the Syrian regime was allowed to destroy the country, when Iran managed to grow its militias because of the JCPOA. These were done for, because of tactical measures and a tactical vision of understanding of the area without an understanding of the larger picture which would allow them to choose which allies to work with. The think tanks were sometimes part of the short term vision.
As for Lebanon, I do believe that its model of coexistence is viable and should be an example for many countries in the region. It is difficult to get western policy makers to understand this and they have always favored the artificial stability that they think dictatorships can offer. That is how Syria was allowed to control Lebanon for over thirty years with tacit western approval.
**Nadim Shehadi – Economist and Middle East analyst.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 31-September 01/2026
Trump: We Will Respond to Iran's Attack... and We Will Deliver a Powerful Blow to Tehran / US President: Iran is a Failed State and Its Leadership is in Complete Chaos
Riyadh: Al-Arabiya.net and Agencies/August 31, 2026  (Google translation from Arabic)
US President Donald Trump said that the United States will respond to the Iranian attack that targeted US forces in Jordan, stressing that Washington will deliver a "powerful blow" to the Iranians. According to a Fox News journalist on Monday, Trump added that the United States intercepted all but one of the Iranian missiles launched by Tehran on Sunday, which "posed no threat." The US president also stated that "the Iranians are very keen to meet," but he expressed doubt that "they can be trusted to reach an agreement," adding that the current US sanctions imposed on the Iranian regime "are beginning to work very hard." In a separate post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump said that Iran has become a "failed state," arguing that it suffers from weak military capabilities and a severe economic decline. Trump added that Iranian authorities are unable to pay the salaries of soldiers and police officers, while inflation soars and the local currency loses value. The US president accused Tehran of suppressing protests and killing demonstrators, calling for those responsible to be held accountable. Trump also criticized what he called "fake news" and "lies" related to Iran. Trump tweeted: “Iran is officially a failed state. It is dead! It has no navy, no air force, and no currency worth its weight in gold. It does not pay its soldiers or police officers, inflation is at 300%, and its leadership is in total chaos and unable to properly represent the country.” He continued: “The only thing it has is ‘fake news’ from the U.S., a willingness to kill protesters (the death toll has now exceeded 100,000. They should be tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity!), and a knack for spreading ‘nonsense and lies.’” Late Sunday night, Trump had posted an AI-generated video he said showed Kharg Island, the center of Iranian oil, being reduced to rubble, just hours after the two countries exchanged fire for the first time since July. The renewed fighting on Sunday came after weeks in which the Trump administration intensified its efforts to punish Tehran and its trading partners with costly economic sanctions, moving away from military options.

Vance: Trump's Post About Kharg Message Towards Iran / US President Posted AI-Generated Video Showing Strikes on Iranian Island
Washington: Agencies/August 31, 2026   (Google translation from Arabic)
US Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that President Donald Trump was sending a message to Iran through his social media post about the destruction of Kharg Island. Answering a question about Trump's post, Vance said, "The president likes to mix things up a bit on social media. He's a big fan of not announcing military operations through these channels, but I think he was sending a message to the Iranians." Trump's one-line post on Sunday was accompanied by an AI-generated video showing strikes on the Iranian island. A US official said on Monday that the military did not target Kharg Island in the previous night's raids. An Iranian official described Trump's post as "ridiculous." Kharg Island produced 90 percent of Iran's oil exports before the war with the United States and Israel that began on February 28. An attack on the island could disrupt Iran's energy trade on a large scale and place significant strain on the Iranian economy. Commenting on the first publicly acknowledged US military strikes since the end of July, a US official said that forces had targeted two Iranian missile launch sites on Larak Island.

Pezeshkian: Iran Still Seeks Negotiated Solution to End War with US / Iranian President Says Continued War Is Not in Anyone's Interest
Riyadh: Al-Arabiya.net and Agencies/August 31, 2026  (Google translation from Arabic)
The semi-official Tasnim News Agency quoted Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian as saying on Monday that Tehran is still seeking a negotiated solution to its dispute with the United States, following renewed clashes between the two countries. Pezeshkian told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, that the continuation of the war is not in anyone's interest and that dialogue and cooperation are the way to resolve the existing problems. He added, "We continue to strive for a path of agreement and understanding, and we believe that the continuation of the war is not in our interest nor in the interest of the region." He emphasized, "We believe that the solution to the existing problems lies in dialogue and cooperation, and all capabilities must be harnessed to prevent the spread of insecurity and conflict," according to a statement issued by the Iranian presidency.

US military denies Tehran's claim that an oil tanker struck two mines near the Strait of Hormuz Iran announced that an oil tanker caught fire near the Strait of Hormuz after striking two mines
Riyadh: Al-Arabiya.net and agencies / August 31, 2026
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) denied on Monday that any ships had struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran had claimed earlier that day. CENTCOM stated on its Twitter account that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that a supertanker, transiting the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz, struck two mines and came to a complete stop, asserting that this claim was false. CENTCOM confirmed that no ships had struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz. This is yet another attempt by the IRGC to intimidate commercial shipping in the region by spreading disinformation. Earlier on Monday, Iran announced that an oil tanker attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz caught fire after striking two naval mines, according to state media. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy stated in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency: "A few hours ago, a rogue supertanker attempting to pass through the illegal route south of the Strait of Hormuz caught fire after striking two naval mines, resulting in its complete shutdown." The IRGC said the tanker was attempting to illegally transit the waterway. It did not identify the vessel or provide information about its crew. The IRGC warned that other ships violating its security regulations would face the same fate, emphasizing that compliance with its regulations for passage through the Strait of Hormuz is mandatory.

Iran Confirms Two Killed in US Attack on Larak
London - Tehran/Middle East/August 31, 2026   (Google translation from Arabic)
Two people were killed and others wounded in the US attack that targeted Iran's Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday evening, according to the official IRNA news agency on Monday. The agency quoted the governor of the neighboring island of Qeshm, Hossein Amir Teymouri, as saying that "the attack on Larak Island late Sunday resulted in the martyrdom of two people and the wounding of others," adding that the wounded "are receiving medical care and treatment." Teymouri did not specify whether the dead and wounded were military personnel or civilians. The confirmation came after the Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), had reported in an initial, unofficial report that two people were killed and two wounded. The IRGC later refrained from announcing a specific toll in a subsequent statement, saying only that a number of its members and residents of the area were among the dead and wounded. The lack of a final count has fueled speculation about the extent of the casualties. Some Persian-language accounts on the X platform reported that more than 50 members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed or wounded, though this toll could not be confirmed by independent sources. Ali Gholahki, a journalist close to government circles, wrote that the number of casualties was one of the factors that prompted Tehran to carry out the retaliatory attack, without providing a specific figure. Israel's Channel 14 reported that dozens of IRGC members were killed and about 100 others wounded in the strike. US forces targeted two missile launch sites in Larak, in the first known US strike inside Iran since late July. US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that IRGC personnel were preparing to launch missiles carrying naval mines toward the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM described the strike as "limited and precise" against mine-laying forces that it said posed an "imminent threat" to the strait. Iran later retaliated by launching ballistic missiles toward two US bases in Jordan. The Jordanian Armed Forces announced that they intercepted eight missiles that entered the Kingdom's airspace.

Statement from the Makkah Agreement Meeting: Strengthening Defense Capabilities and Encouraging Peaceful Resolution of Crises / The three countries decided to establish a General Secretariat headquartered in Saudi Arabia, to be headed in the first phase by a Pakistani Secretary-General.
Riyadh: Al-Arabiya.net/August 31, 2026   (Google translation from Arabic)
A joint statement issued by the Strategic Political and Defense Committee of the Makkah Agreement for Joint Defense affirmed that Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey will work through joint initiatives to strengthen their defense capabilities and the cohesion of their armed forces through "robust cooperation in the field of defense industries and the development of joint production and technologies."
The final statement issued by the meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee of the Makkah Agreement for Joint Defense, held in Istanbul—the first such meeting since the establishment of the Makkah Agreement—reaffirmed the three countries' commitment to working together within the framework of the Makkah Agreement to achieve lasting peace and stability in their region. To this end, the three countries will continue to support efforts aimed at de-escalation and restraint, thereby encouraging the peaceful resolution of crises, stemming from their commitment to fulfilling their regional responsibilities. In a related context, the three countries agreed to take further steps to institutionalize their cooperation within the framework of the Makkah Agreement. They decided to establish a General Secretariat in Saudi Arabia to support the work of the three countries under the agreement. The Secretariat will initially be headed by a Secretary-General from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for a three-year term. The statement issued after the meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee of the Makkah Agreement indicated that institutionalizing the details of the agreement strengthens their solidarity, ensures the credibility and effectiveness of collective deterrence and defense, and contributes to regional and cooperative security efforts aimed at achieving a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace. The statement emphasized that the institutional and serious implementation of the Makkah Agreement will enable the three countries to make fundamental contributions to regional peace and stability.

Turkish Foreign Minister: Formation of the Basic Structure of the "Mecca Defense Agreement" Begins / He Affirmed that the Participation of Other Countries in the Agreement is "Possible Under Our Conditions"
Riyadh: Al-Arabiya.net / August 31, 2026  (Google translation from Arabic)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan revealed the commencement of the formation of the basic structure of the Mecca Defense Agreement, indicating that the agreement complements NATO, while simultaneously denying that it is directed against any specific country. The Mecca Agreement Meeting Statement: Strengthening Defense Capabilities and Encouraging Peaceful Resolution of Crises. In a related context, Fidan emphasized that the Mecca Agreement is a historic step, noting that the countries of the region need to act together to establish peace. He mentioned that the three countries that joined the agreement are working on a roadmap for other countries to join the Mecca Agreement, stating: "The agreement was founded on the principle of the possibility of other countries joining." Regarding the opportunities to join the Mecca Agreement, which is based on the principle of defense, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan clarified that the participation of other countries in the Mecca Agreement is "possible under our conditions." In parallel, Hakan Fidan announced that the countries of the "Mecca Agreement" have taken steps to establish a practical security architecture in the region. The meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee, established under the Makkah Agreement for Joint Defense, concluded in Istanbul. The meeting addressed international security issues, deepening cooperation in defense industries, and discussed the committee's ongoing talks, as well as strengthening counterterrorism efforts

Trump says US will respond to Iran's attacks on US forces
Agence France Presse/August 31/2026
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States will hit back against Iranian attacks on U.S. targets in the Middle East, as the war flared after a prolonged pause, according to Fox News."We're going to hit them hard," Trump said, according to a Fox News reporter who said he talked to Trump briefly."There will be a response," Trump said after Iranian attacks which were themselves a response to American strikes on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran retaliates after first US strikes in a month
Associated Press/August 31/2026
Iran attacked U.S. military targets in the Middle East on Monday in retaliation for the first American strikes on its territory in a month, in a fresh flare-up of the war that has engulfed the region. Tehran's powerful Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said they had responded to Sunday's American attack by striking two U.S. air bases with ballistic missiles in Washington-allied Jordan, causing "heavy damage".Jordan's army said it had intercepted eight missiles, without stating their origin. Tehran also claimed it targeted U.S. military personnel at an air base in the United Arab Emirates and shot down a U.S. drone over the Strait of Hormuz. The flurry of attacks came after the United States said Sunday it had attacked Iranian rocket launchers on the small island of Larak in the strategic shipping lane. Washington said its attacks were aimed at preventing Iran from placing more sea mines in the strait, days after the U.S. announced it had completed clearing explosives from the waterway. "US forces took limited, precise action against IRGC minelaying forces posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz," the U.S. military's Central Command wrote on X.
Iran's Guards said the U.S. strikes resulted in "casualties" and that their subsequent attack on Jordan was "in response to the US-Zionist aerial aggression".The Iranian foreign ministry condemned the U.S. attacks on Larak and justified the Jordan strikes as "legitimate defense".
"We are not seeking war, but we will deliver a decisive response to the aggressors," added Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in a statement quoted by state TV. Pezeshkian was speaking before travelling to Kyrgyzstan for a summit of a bloc that seeks to counter influence from the West, along with Russia's President Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping. The exchange of fire between the United States and Iran came shortly after their war hit its six-month mark, and at a time when hostilities had been subsiding. In recent weeks, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has prioritized "economic warfare" over military strikes.Tehran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic sea lane through which one-fifth of the world's oil passed before the U.S. and Israel triggered the war with strikes on Iran on February 28. "Last week, CENTCOM completed clearing sea mines from the strait's international shipping routes," said Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command. "US forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway," he said.
Unpopular war
Diplomatic efforts, spearheaded by mediators including Pakistan and Qatar, have tried for months to bring an end to the war. While a ceasefire was agreed in April and a memorandum of understanding towards a final peace deal was signed in June, no agreement has been forthcoming, and Washington has since declared "economic warfare" against Tehran. A U.S. naval counterblockade of Iranian ports is squeezing petrol supplies in Iran during a shortfall in domestic production. The April ceasefire put an end to the most intense fighting, but sporadic attacks -- mainly around the Strait of Hormuz -- have dimmed prospects for a final peace agreement. The last U.S. strike on Iran before Sunday came on July 29 in response to "an attempted surprise attack on US forces" in the region, the U.S. military said. Earlier in July, CENTCOM attacked Iran for 13 consecutive nights. Throughout the war, Iran has fought back by striking U.S. facilities and allies in the Gulf region, hitting targets in Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, among others. Its closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused pain around the world in the form of price hikes and shortages of fertilizer and energy. Both main crude oil contracts rose at least two percent on Monday.The war is also deeply unpopular with the U.S. public, with midterm elections looming in November that could overturn Republican control of Congress. In a statement on Friday, U.S. Senator Jack Reed criticized Trump over the war. "Six months later, not a single objective has been achieved," said Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. "Indeed, he has weakened our position in the Middle East and the world significantly."

UAE says Iran drone attack 'dangerous escalation'
Agence France Presse/August 31/2026
The United Arab Emirates on Monday condemned an Iranian drone attack intercepted over its territorial waters, calling it a "dangerous escalation". The foreign ministry said in a statement on X that it "strongly condemned the hostile Iranian attack on the country involving a drone that was intercepted by air defense systems over UAE territorial waters", adding that the UAE reserved the "full and legitimate right to respond".

Netanyahu: Defeating Iran could lead to end of Hamas, Hezbollah
Naharnet/August 31/2026
Victory over Iran could bring about the elimination of Hamas and Hezbollah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday night. “It is clear that if this regime is defeated, the path to the final elimination of Hamas and the elimination of Hezbollah is not far off, and we will complete it,” Netanyahu told Channel 14. Netanyahu said Israel still had unfinished business in the War of Redemption, which began with the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023. He also pointed to dangers beyond the Iranian-backed organizations. “There are missions to complete, and there are also new threats,” he said. Netanyahu then turned to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, saying that the Turkish leader “does not like us and does not like me. We are in an environment that is still challenging. The job needs to be finished.”He went on to say that Israel’s existence is at stake in the Oct. 27 election, warning that if his challengers form a government, they would withdraw the Israeli army from “security zones” established during the war in Gaza, Syria and Lebanon. A coalition government led by Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot would “leave Lebanon, Gaza and Syria, and establish a Palestinian state,” the premier warned.

Defense deal: Israel's biggest security deal links air defenses with Greece
LBCI/August 31/2026
Israel and Greece have signed the largest security deal in Israel’s history, dubbed “Achilles’ Shield,” providing Athens with a multilayered air defense system worth more than 3 billion euros. The deal includes three Israeli-made defense systems: David’s Sling and SPYDER, produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and the Barak system, manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries.For Israel, the significance of the agreement extends beyond the commercial value of the deal, particularly in the field of air defense. The arrangement is designed to create a shared aerial picture between Israel and Greece, and potentially Cyprus, through an integrated network of sensors, radars and command centers capable of detecting, identifying and tracking activity across the region’s skies. The system is also expected to strengthen Israel and its regional partners against a range of threats, including ballistic missiles, aerial attacks and drones, while helping counter what Israeli officials describe as Turkey’s growing military activity in the region. The agreement comes as Israel’s security and military establishments continue to hold meetings and prepare for the possibility of further escalation with Iran.
The Israeli military has raised its readiness to its highest levels for both defensive and offensive operations and has warned that it would respond to any Iranian attack. The preparations come amid heightened tensions following a reported U.S. strike on Iran’s Larak Island, with Israeli officials concerned about the possibility of an Iranian response.

Syria signs agreement with UAE developer Arada for $7 billion real estate project
LBCI/August 31/2026
UAE developer Arada signed an agreement with the Syrian Sovereign Fund on Monday to build a real estate project valued at $7 billion, the Syrian state news agency reported. The project, which will be Arada's first in Syria, will include residential ⁠complexes and health, education and entertainment facilities, the agency said. The deal with Arada, which is backed by Gulf royals, comes as Syria seeks warmer ties with the UAE, which has moved more slowly than other Gulf countries in expanding ties with the new Syrian ⁠government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Reuters

Trump was sending message to Iran with Kharg Island post: Vance
LBCI/August 31/2026
U.S. President Donald Trump was sending a message to Iran with his social media post about Iran's energy hub of Kharg Island being blown to smithereens, Vice President JD Vance said on Monday. "The president likes to switch it up on social media a little bit. He ⁠would be the first to say he doesn't make announcements about military actions on social media, but I think that he's sending a message to the Iranians," Vance said when asked about Trump's post. Trump's one-line social media post on Sunday was accompanied by an AI-generated video clip. A U.S. official said on ⁠Monday the military had not targeted Kharg Island in overnight strikes. An Iranian official dismissed Trump's post as "laughable."Reuters

Nepal flood death toll rises to 939, missing drops to 3,925: Disaster authority
LBCI/August 31/2026
Devastating floods near the border with China have killed at least 939 people in Nepal, while the number of missing in the country dropped to 3,925, its disaster authority said Monday, six days after the disaster.Chinese state media earlier confirmed 16 dead and 546 people missing in Tibet, taking the overall toll to 955 dead and 4,471 missing. AFP

The Latest LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 31-September 01/2026
Egypt's Dangerous Palestinian 'Unity' Project to Legitimize Terrorists
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/August 31, 2026
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22831/egypt-palestinian-unity-terrorists
The real question, however, is: Unity with whom, and against whom?
Why is Hamas being treated as a legitimate political organization rather than a terrorist group that needs to be disarmed, dismantled, and removed from power?
Egypt, a key ally of the United States, should be asking these questions. Instead, Cairo appears to be doing exactly the opposite.
The Trump Administration and the Board of Peace might make clear to Cairo that Hamas cannot be both a terrorist organization that needs to surrender its weapons and a political partner invited to negotiate the future of the Palestinians. One approach eliminates Hamas. The other rehabilitates it.
Even more alarming are reports of a possible electoral alliance involving former Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan's Democratic Reform Current, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other factions such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – all terrorist groups that do not recognize Israel's right to exist.
What possible role should these terrorist organizations have in Palestinian elections or a future Palestinian government?
If Egypt welcomes the designation of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, why is it simultaneously trying to give Hamas – which emerged from the same organization – renewed political legitimacy?
The Trump Administration would do itself a great service to tell Cairo that Palestinian reconciliation cannot include organizations that retain weapons, embrace terrorism, and seek the destruction of Israel. There is no need to unify the Palestinian ranks around Hamas. There is a need immediately to remove Hamas from those ranks.
Egypt should be using its considerable influence not to persuade Fatah to reconcile with Hamas, but to pressure Hamas and other terrorist groups to surrender their weapons and permanently leave the Palestinian political arena. A politically rehabilitated Hamas, still armed and still committed to its Islamist ideology, will only strengthen the very ideological current that the Egyptian government has spent more than a decade trying to suppress.
Egypt should be using its considerable influence not to persuade Fatah to reconcile with Hamas, but to pressure Hamas and other terrorist groups to surrender their weapons and permanently leave the Palestinian political arena. A politically rehabilitated Hamas, still armed and still committed to its Islamist ideology, will only strengthen the very ideological current that the Egyptian government has spent more than a decade trying to suppress.
Egypt is reportedly preparing to host another round of talks between the Palestinian factions, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's ruling Fatah faction and the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group.
The stated goal sounds appealing: achieving Palestinian "national unity."
The real question, however, is: Unity with whom, and against whom?
Nearly three years after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel, why is anyone still talking about bringing Hamas back into the Palestinian political system? Why is Hamas being treated as a legitimate political organization rather than a terrorist group that needs to be disarmed, dismantled, and removed from power?
Egypt, a key ally of the United States, should be asking these questions. Instead, Cairo appears to be doing exactly the opposite.
According to an "informed source" quoted by the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the Egyptians are preparing for a broad "Palestinian-Palestinian dialogue" that could even be attended by Abbas. The unnamed source said that Egypt wants a comprehensive dialogue including all Palestinian factions, especially Fatah and Hamas.
The same source explained that Cairo is attempting to maintain a "delicate balance" between Hamas on the one hand and the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Fatah on the other, on the grounds that bringing together all the factions would prevent any one group from obstructing future arrangements.
That is precisely the problem.
Why should Egypt be maintaining a "balance" between Hamas and anyone?
Hamas is not just another Palestinian political faction with which Fatah happens to have disagreements. It is the terrorist group that staged a violent coup against the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority in 2007, seizing full control of the Gaza Strip. It is the terrorist group responsible for the October 7 atrocities against thousands of Israelis and foreign nationals. It continues to maintain its weapons and military infrastructure and has not abandoned its jihadist ideology or its long-standing goal of eliminating Israel.
The appropriate policy toward Hamas should therefore not be reconciliation. It should be disarmament.
Egypt is a member of the Board of Peace, whose mission includes ensuring the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip in order to prevent another October 7-style attack against Israel.
How can Egypt supposedly support the disarmament and marginalization of Hamas while simultaneously working to reintegrate the terrorist group into Palestinian politics?
These are contradictory policies. Egypt might wish to preserve its importance as a supposedly indispensable mediator between the Palestinians the Israelis, or perhaps it imagines that it might someday control a Palestinian process, or, because Hamas continues to retain weapons and fighters, that it would be prudent not to write off the terrorist group.The Trump Administration and the Board of Peace might make it clear to Cairo that Hamas cannot be both a terrorist organization that needs to surrender its weapons and a political partner invited to negotiate the future of the Palestinians. One approach eliminates Hamas. The other rehabilitates it.
There should be no confusion about which approach is needed after October 7.
Reports about the Egyptian initiative are even more disturbing because the discussions appear connected to the upcoming Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) elections, scheduled for November 28, 2026.
A report in the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar notes that Egypt has intensified meetings with Palestinian factions in preparation for an extended dialogue and seeking understandings that could lead to a unified Palestinian Authority and elections. Egypt had reportedly planned to host a Fatah-Hamas meeting last week to discuss arrangements for the elections, although the meeting was canceled at the last minute for reasons that are still unknown.
Even more alarming are reports of a possible electoral alliance involving former Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan's Democratic Reform Current, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other factions such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – all terrorist groups that do not recognize Israel's right to exist. According to Al-Akhbar, the Egyptians suggest that such an understanding could contribute to establishing a unified political authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. If this proposition is true, the situation is even more unacceptable. What possible role should these terrorist organizations have in Palestinian elections or a future Palestinian government?
Egypt and the rest of the international community should have learned this lesson 20 years ago. In the 2006 elections for PLC, Hamas ran under the banner of "Change and Reform." Allowing Hamas to participate did not transform the terrorist group into a peaceful democratic movement. It simply unleashed, supported and legitimized a terrorist one.
The result was Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip, years of terrorism and warfare, and eventually the October 7 massacre. Repeating this experiment after what we now know would be even more reckless.
There is another odd dimension to Egypt's approach. Hamas emerged from the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist organization outlawed by the government of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The Muslim Brotherhood regards Sisi's government as an enemy. Egypt has spent years confronting Islamist terrorism and extremist organizations, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, that threaten its national security.
In January 2026, the United States designated the Egyptian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. Egypt welcomed the decision, saying the Muslim Brotherhood's ideology posed a regional and international security threat. If Egypt welcomes the designation of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, why is it simultaneously trying to give Hamas – which emerged from the same organization – renewed political legitimacy?
Egypt should be especially concerned about any attempt to rehabilitate Hamas. A stronger Hamas would not only threaten Israel. Islamist organizations inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood's ideology have long posed challenges to Egypt itself. Harakat Sawa'd Misr, for instance, is an Egyptian terrorist organization that emerged after the military overthrew President Mohamed Morsi in 2013. The organization carried out a series of attacks against Egyptian police, security officials, and government targets. Egypt has also battled a long and bloody jihadist insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula.
Additionally, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, which later pledged allegiance to ISIS and became ISIS-Sinai Province, carried out countless attacks against Egyptian military and security forces.
Reports over the years have also pointed to contacts and transactional cooperation between Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip and jihadists in Sinai, including weapons trafficking, training, and logistical assistance.
This situation makes Cairo's current approach toward Hamas all the more puzzling. Egypt, of all countries, after enduring the Muslim Brotherhood's "Arab Spring" takeover in 2011, knows better than most countries that Islamist organizations do not become moderate just because they participate in elections, join political institutions, or sit at negotiating tables.
The Trump Administration would do itself a great service to tell Cairo that Palestinian reconciliation cannot include organizations that retain weapons, embrace terrorism, and seek the destruction of Israel. There is no need to unify the Palestinian ranks around Hamas. There is a need immediately to remove Hamas from those ranks.
Egypt should be using its considerable influence not to persuade Fatah to reconcile with Hamas, but to pressure Hamas and other terrorist groups to surrender their weapons and permanently leave the Palestinian political arena. A politically rehabilitated Hamas, still armed and still committed to its Islamist ideology, will only strengthen the very ideological current that the Egyptian government has spent more than a decade trying to suppress.
Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
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© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

IRAN PLAYED THE HORMUZ CARD. THE CARD IS NO LONGER IN THE DECK.
Nadim Koteich/X p-latform/August 31/2026
Gulf oil, which reached close to zero through Hormuz, is back toward half of pre-war Hormuz volumes and two-thirds of pre-war regional volumes, while Iranian crude is locked in.
This is the story in barrels.
Pre-war, the strait was Iran’s loaded weapon: about 20 million barrels a day of crude and products, roughly a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil, had to pass a 21-mile choke point Tehran could threaten. That was the design. Close the gate. Make everyone else bleed. Keep your own oil moving.
Then the war started. And the design broke.
THE PATH
Late February 2026: the card is played
Iran treats Hormuz as a switch. Flip it off. The world’s main oil artery seizes up.
Early March: close to zero through the gate
Visible oil through the strait collapses to about 0.5 million b/d. That is a ~98% drop. Non-Iranian cargoes fall to roughly 0.4 million b/d. For everyone except Tehran, Hormuz is effectively shut. Total Gulf crude and products leaving the whole region sink to a trough of 5–6 million b/d, about one-quarter of pre-war regional flows. This is the high-water mark of Iran’s plan: we export, you don’t.
March–April: the plan works for Iran, and only Iran
Tehran still pushes ~1.2–1.9 million b/d of its own crude. Neighbors are trapped inside the Gulf or scrambling to pipelines. The Hormuz card, as designed in Iran’s mind, is live.
Mid-April to mid-June: the first reversal
The United States blockades Iranian ports. Iran’s seaborne crude caves in. May loadings fall toward a trickle. The weapon starts pointing backward: the country that closed the gate can no longer use the gate.
17 June: a crack in the wall
A short window opens. U.S. and Iran agreed on a memorandum of understanding, and Washington lifted the naval blockade of Iranian ports. Stranded tankers flee. Iran also surges. For a few weeks the old pattern flickers back. It does not last.
July: the card snaps
The blockade returns, 26 days after the MOU. Iran overplayed its hand. 25 June, Ever Lovely hit on the Omani route; U.S. blames Iran; Iran does not claim it. 27 June, U.S. strikes Iranian coastal sites; fighting resumes 10 days after the MoU. 7 July, Three tankers hit near Oman, oil waiver revoked, 80-plus U.S. strikes, and Trump says the deal is “over.” 8–11 July, Iran hits U.S. positions in the Gulf, then claims the strait is closed.
13 July, U.S. blockade of Iranian ports returns, 26 days after the MOU.
Iranian crude stops getting out. Kharg, the terminal that handled ~90% of Iran’s normal crude, is bottled inside the Gulf. Jask and Chabahar sit east of the strait, but they are still Iranian ports. Geography does not beat a blockade. August Iranian loadings fall to about 0.25 million b/d.
Late August: the new map
While Iran is stuck, the rest of the Gulf is not.
Oil (crude+products) transits through Hormuz itself: 8–10 million b/d — about 40–50% of the pre-war 20 million Hormuz stream.
Crude only through the strait, per traders: 6–8 million b/d — about 40–50% of pre-war Hormuz crude.
Total crude and products leaving the whole region (strait plus pipelines, Fujairah, Yanbu, Ceyhan, shuttles): 15–16 million b/d.
That is two-thirds of pre-war regional exports, and roughly triple the March trough of 5–6 million.
It is still 7–8 million b/d short of the old world. Not victory laps. Not normal. But no longer a hostage situation.
The United States does not own the waterway. It does decide, for now, who exits. The upper hand has shifted.
WHAT THAT MEANS
Iran wanted a switch that turned their oil on and everyone else’s oil off.
What it has now is the opposite.
The Hormuz card was supposed to do one specific thing: make the world choose between Iranian terms and an oil shock. The world found a third option. Route around the threat. Escort what you can. Block the player who closed the gate. Live with a half-open strait instead of a closed one.

Are Israel and Turkey heading for a military clash?
Prof. Eyal Zisser/israelhayom/August 31/2026
The strike in Syria and the public exchange of threats mark an unprecedented escalation in tensions with Ankara. Since the Oct. 7 massacre, Erdogan has cast aside the restraints of the past. Now, as Turkey sets its sights on Syria and Israel's gas reserves, a military flare-up, potentially triggered by miscalculation or misunderstanding, is no longer an unthinkable scenario. The Israeli airstrike in Syria two weeks ago, aimed at preventing the deployment of Turkish forces at the Abu al-Duhur airbase in the country's north, along with the public broadsides and even threats exchanged by the leaders of Turkey and Israel since then, mark an unprecedented escalation in the confrontation between the two countries. That confrontation has steadily intensified since the Oct. 7 massacre, fueled and inflamed with appalling irresponsibility by Turkey's leaders.
Could this confrontation, diplomatic, media-driven and even economic, deteriorate into a military conflict between Israel and Turkey? Logic and common sense say no. But in the Middle East, emotion, wounded pride or messianic conviction often set the tone.
The problem is that relations have virtually nowhere left to fall. Moreover, many of the restraints and barriers that for years prevented the deterioration and escalation of ties between the two countries have gradually eroded. A military confrontation can therefore no longer be ruled out, particularly one sparked by a miscalculation, events spiraling out of control or one side misunderstanding the other's actions.
The two countries have traveled a long road over the past eight decades. Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel, doing so in 1949, and in the late 1950s it joined Israel, Ethiopia and Iran in the secret "Periphery Alliance," intended to counter the threat posed to those countries by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser.
Relations underwent a breakthrough in the 1990s, a period marked by diplomatic, economic and even security cooperation. Media reports at the time claimed that Israel helped Turkey capture Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdish insurgency that Ankara regarded as a terrorist organization.
All that changed after Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to power in 2003. At first, it seemed little more than a minor setback. Many believed the Turkish military would intervene and remove him from power. In any case, Erdogan was widely regarded as a pragmatist who would be careful not to damage relations with Israel, from which Turkey had much to gain.
But Turkey underwent a profound transformation under Erdogan: from a Western, modern and secular society into one rooted deeply in its past, in Islam and tradition; from a society looking toward Europe and seeking integration with it into one that sees its place and future in the Arab and Muslim world, and even seeks to lead that world.
It is therefore hardly surprising that Israel became an obstacle to much of what Erdogan seeks to achieve, as well as a convenient punching bag through which he could win support and legitimacy at home and abroad.
In fact, from the moment Erdogan took power in Turkey, we witnessed a continuous deterioration in relations, sometimes rapid and sometimes gradual. Each time, we told ourselves there was still a limit to how far relations could sink, that shared interests created a floor beneath which Erdogan would hesitate to go. We said so, and we were proven wrong.
Then came the Oct. 7 massacre. The masks came off in Ankara, relations suffered a profound rupture and almost complete estrangement followed. Even so, geographical distance and the absence of a shared border helped contain the confrontation. Now, however, Turkey is drawing ever closer to Israel.
First, in the Mediterranean, where Turkey has long cast an eye toward the region's gas fields. And now in Syria as well, where Ankara is seeking to exploit Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's dependence on Turkey. Turkey wants to resolve the Kurdish issue in Syria, which it views as a strategic threat, while using Syria as a bridge into the heart of the Arab world. Israel, however, stands in its way.
Meanwhile, the US administration, traditionally the "responsible adult" in the room, is losing interest in the quarrel between Turkey and Israel. Some within it are even encouraging Erdogan.
Both sides benefit from their noisy public disputes. Until now, however, they have been careful not to move from words to deeds, because doing so would run counter to every rational calculation and national interest. But the path we are now on leads toward an increasingly difficult-to-avoid collision. One can only hope that someone applies the brakes before it is too late.
***Eyal Zisser is a lecturer in the Middle East History Department at Tel Aviv University.

Will Eisenkot lead a different Israel?
Sam Mansi/Asharq Al-Awsat/August 31, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
The Israeli elections scheduled for next October 27 are of exceptional importance. Not only might it turn the page on Benjamin Netanyahu's long history; Rather, it is taking place in the midst of transformations extending from Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria to the American-Iranian war and its regional repercussions. Gadi Eisenkot emerges in these elections as a serious competitor to Netanyahu, which makes the bet on them go beyond the identity of the next prime minister to the possibility of changing the destructive Israeli approach, even if it does not lead to a fundamental shift in its policies. Eisenkot draws his strength from his personal and military biography. He is a Mizrahi Jew from a Moroccan family, and not from the Ashkenazi elite that has historically dominated state institutions. He rose through the ranks of the army until he assumed the chief of staff between 2015 and 2019. The killing of his son Gal in the Gaza War, and then two of his nephews, also strengthened his image as a leader who paid the price of the war personally, in contrast to a political class that Israeli sectors accuse of sending others to the fronts and protecting their interests.
Eisenkot presents himself as an honest politician, which is reflected in the name of his party, “Yaşar,” meaning “straight.” This image gives him an advantage over Netanyahu, who is burdened with corruption trials and the repercussions of failure to prevent the October 7 attack. Recent polls have shown that he is ahead of him in his suitability to head the government, and placed his party in first or second place. But his most important source of strength may be his position on the Haredim. After years of war and its losses, resentment mounted over religious institute students being exempted from military service and funding their institutions from public money, while others and their children were sent to combat. Eisenkot calls for reducing aid to religious parties, and linking rights and funding to sharing in shouldering state burdens, describing the establishment of an exemption for Torah students as legislation to evade conscription. Increasing numbers of Israelis have come to see the dominance of religious parties and the privileges of the Haredim as a threat to the future of Israel, greater than the threat posed by the Arabs. The issue has gone beyond the traditional dispute over religion and state, to become a threat to society, the economy, the army, and the principle of equality in blood, taxes, and duties. The decisive challenge remains securing 61 seats, and for this Eisenkot needs a coalition that includes the list of Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid, Avigdor Lieberman’s party, the Democrats, and perhaps a small right-wing list. It is a mathematically possible coalition, but its parties differ on religion, state, the Palestinian issue, and the relationship with the Arab parties. If the bloc remains below a majority, it can attract dissidents from Likud or the right, involve the United Arab List led by Mansour Abbas, rely on its support from abroad, or form a minority government if the Arab parties refrain from toppling it. But Bennett and Lieberman have reservations about Arab partnership, while Eisenkot prefers a government with a “Zionist majority.” Therefore, it is a real opportunity, but it is not decided. Regionally, Eisenkot's victory will not usher in a new era of peace for Israel. He is the architect of the "Dahiya Doctrine," which advocates the use of disproportionate force for deterrence, currently rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state, and adopts hardline stances toward Gaza, Hezbollah, and Iran. Therefore, the change will likely be more in the approach to decision-making than a fundamental shift in security doctrine.
Nevertheless, his victory could transform Israel from a government dominated by Netanyahu's political survival and the demands of the religious and settler right wing to one more institutionalized and capable of combining strength with compromise. This could have varying repercussions on regional issues. In Gaza and the West Bank, a radical transformation is not expected, given his hardline security stance. However, the exclusion of Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich's parties from the government could curtail annexation, settlement expansion, and displacement, and restore coordination with Arab states and the United States. This does not signify a resolution to the Palestinian issue, but it could shift it from the ideological confrontational approach of the extreme right to one of security containment and phased compromises. The most obvious anticipated shift may be with Syria and regional relations. Instead of treating Syria as an open arena for strikes and dismantling, Eisenkot sees its relative stability as an opportunity for security arrangements that prevent the entrenchment of forces hostile to Israel and pave the way for de-escalation. In Lebanon, he will not be less militarily assertive, but he may prefer ending operations with security agreements rather than continuing and exploiting the war. He will also continue to deter Iran, but with closer coordination with Washington and regional states. Eisenkot will not lead a “new Israel” in its relations with the Palestinians and the region; rather, an Israel less beholden to extremists, more amenable to negotiation, and more willing to translate military power into political arrangements. This is an important change, but it does not, on its own, constitute a comprehensive strategic shift. Regional transformations began with Israel’s response to the “Al-Aqsa flood,” and hopefully, the anticipated political transformation within Israel will mark the end of this phase.

Selected Face Book & X tweets on August 31/2026
ME24 - Middle East 24
Broken Promises? Damascus says no to female fighters in its army.
Syria's military leadership rejected integrating the all-female Kurdish YPJ into its armed forces, pushing instead to disarm them and shift fighters into civilian role

Nicole Sadighi
For decades, the Islamic Republic has built its identity around “Death to Israel.”
It funds terrorist proxies to attack Israel. It threatens Israel. It calls for Israel’s destruction. It has spent billions turning Iran into a missile base in pursuit of that obsession.
And yet tonight, as the regime launches ballistic missiles in retaliation across the region, specifically at two U.S. bases in Jordan after the U.S. struck Iranian launchers on Larak Island, notice who it is conspicuously avoiding in this latest exchange:
Israel.
Why?
Because beneath all the revolutionary slogans and chest-beating, the regime understands one thing perfectly well: Israel has established deterrence. Tehran’s rulers know that attacking Israel directly comes with a price they may not be prepared to pay. That is the anatomy of a bully. They threaten, intimidate and terrorize where they believe they can get away with it and become remarkably cautious when facing an adversary they know will hit back.
The Islamic Republic isn’t fearless. It is calculating. And increasingly, it is afraid.
The Iranian people have paid the price for this regime’s wars, proxies and ideological obsessions for far too long. The enmity between Iran and Israel is not ancient. It is the manufactured political project of the Islamic Republic regime ruling it. Iran deserves freedom. The Middle East deserves an Iran at peace with its neighbors. And may Iranians and Israelis once again celebrate living together in peace.

עמיחי שיקלי - Amichai Chikli
A strong Israel-Greece-Cyprus alliance is the right answer to Erdogan’s Islamist, neo-Ottoman aggression. Today this alliance grew stronger. Israel and Greece signed a historic $3.6 billion Achilles Shield defense deal. Turkey has occupied northern Cyprus since 1974, threatened Greece with war for decades, and seeks to impose its Blue Homeland doctrine at the expense of Greece, Cyprus, and regional stability. That same dictatorial regime has become the new command and control center of the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas. It arms and backs jihadist forces in Syria that in a short time carried out horrific massacres against minority populations. Erdogan keeps fanning violence, strife and chaos across the region in pursuit of his delusional neo-Ottoman ambitions. Our trilateral alliance is built on moral values and shared strategic interests: to defend our sovereignty, our maritime rights, and the stability of a region threatened by the Islamist regime in Ankara. We have neither fear nor awe of jihadist dictators. As you have surely noticed.

Benjamin Weinthal
report exposes intact Iranian bunker that may hide regime's ongoing nuclear work.
The Institute for Science and International Security says 'The facility does not appear to have been targeted in the military actions of either 2025 or 2026'
With comments from @JasonMBrodsky @WhiteHouse @iaeaorg . My latest
@FNCGlobalNews

Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו
The security agreement signed today with Greece, one of the largest in the state's history, is a direct continuation of the Eastern Mediterranean alliance we forged a decade ago with Greece and Cyprus. It serves as further proof of the immense capabilities of Israel's defense and technology industries. This move reflects Israel's strength, the confidence in our defense exports, and the bolstering of our regional alliances.

Tom Harb
Those brave Lebanese Army officers told Washington the truth:
In another word to actually do their job, the head of the Lebanese Army and the Military Council must be replaced. Until then, the IDF is their security.

Open Source Intel
NEW: Kan: Israeli officials are increasingly dissatisfied with the Lebanese army’s handling of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. A senior U.S. official says Lebanese army officers have told Washington they currently oppose an Israeli withdrawal, fearing Hezbollah would

Morgan Ortagus
Iran’s regime understands one thing: pressure. Enforcing sanctions will starve this regime of the lifeline of funds that would allow it to rebuild and continue threatening the region.
The pressure must continue.