English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News &
Editorials
For September 04/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2026/english.september04.26.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
Jesus said to them, ‘Where the corpse is, there the
vultures will gather
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 17/31-37: “On
that day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not come
down to take them away; and likewise anyone in the field must not turn
back.Remember Lot’s wife. Those who try to make their life secure will lose it,
but those who lose their life will keep it. I tell you, on that night there will
be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.There will be two women
grinding meal together; one will be taken and the other left.’Then they asked
him, ‘Where, Lord?’ He said to them, ‘Where the corpse is, there the vultures
will gather.”’
Titles For The English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News &
Editorials published on September 03-04/2026
Elias Bejjani/Video Link to My Interview on Al-Hawiya Youtube Platform
Tarek Mitri, an Enemy of Lebanon and the Lebanese, Still Living the Lie and
Charade of Nasserist and Arafatist “Resistance”/Elias Bejjani/September 02/2026
Is There a Disgraceful Intelligence Operation to Fabricate a Judicial Case
Against Director and Writer Youssef El Khoury?/Elias Bejjani/September 01/2026
Etienne Saqr – Abu Arz: Betrayals of the Left
Iran Warns US against Israeli Attack on South Lebanon Ridge Held by Hezbollah,
Sources Says
A Lebanese Man Held Prisoner in Israel Is Released and Handed Over to Lebanon
Lebanon Dismantles Security Network Linked to Hezbollah, Assad Remnants
Israel Announces Clearing of Hezbollah Tunnels in Ali al-Taher Heights, Southern
Lebanon
Israeli Army Announces Control of Ali al-Taher Heights; Netanyahu: It No Longer
Poses a Threat to Us
Strategic Heights and a Hezbollah Stronghold... Netanyahu: Ali Taher No Longer a
Threat to Israel... Believed to Contain Military Infrastructure
Explosions and Incursions in the South… Israeli Army Abducts 3 People
Foreign Minister Youssef Raji: I'm not attending work due to security warnings
Durel from Beirut: France's Commitment is Steadfast and the Partnership
Continues
Washington: Commitment to a Comprehensive Agreement Between Lebanon and Israel
On the concepts of "civil peace" and "sovereign principles" for the duo!
With the school year about to begin in Lebanon, where will displaced families
go?
US gives Lebanon back ancient Roman artifacts looted from Tyre
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on September 03-04/2026
Netanyahu Says Toppling Iran’s Regime ‘within Reach’
Iran buries victims of reported US wedding attack, fires on Kuwait
US Pressure on Iran Starting to Tell, as Sanctions and Blockade Bite
Pentagon Stops Using “Epic Rage” Name for Iran War / Operation Officially Ended
in May Despite Ongoing Fighting… Questions Raised About Classifying US
Casualties
Vance: Oil flow through Hormuz almost back to pre-war levels / He said Iran is
losing its ability to threaten shipping… and ruled out negotiations as long as
it targets commercial vessels
Trump: We Have Massive Ammunition Stockpiles, Far More Than What Could Be Used
Against Iran
US President: We Are Currently Producing Ammunition at Unprecedented Levels and
Are Prepared for Any Contingency
Vance: We Will Not Hold Talks with Iran Unless It Stops Targeting Ships
US Vice President: 15 Million Barrels of Oil Crossed the Strait of Hormuz
Yesterday / J.D. Vance Says the US Has Many Tools to Pressure the Iranian Regime
US Tightens Iran Blockade: US Military Diverts 87 Commercial Vessels, Disables
3, and Boards 2
Iran Media Says 6 Navy Personnel Killed in US Attacks
Contact with the outside world could become a crime: UN warns of Iran's
"anti-infiltration" bill... Prison sentences of up to 30 years
Life Sentence for “Barrel Bomb Mufti” in Syria
Syria begins destroying chemical weapons from the Assad era
US House Passes Bill to Crack Down on University Boycotts of Israel
Syria Says Begun Destroying Assad-Era Chemical Weapon Materials
Houthis Escalate Attacks Across Taiz, Yemen’s Western Coast
Palestinians Say Israeli Army Kills Two Teenagers in West Bank
Israeli Minister Presents Plan to Remove Gaza Population
Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials
from miscellaneous sources published
on September 03-04/2026
The Rule of the Machines/Tawfiq Alsaif/Asharq Al-Awsat/September 03/2026
The Sudanese Dialogue: When the Homeland Becomes the Compass/Osman Mirghani/Asharq
Al-Awsat/September 03/2026
Le Liban ou la mort clinique d’un État/Dr. Charles Chartouni/Ici Beyrouth/03
septembre
Lebanon or the Clinical Death of a State/Dr. Charles Chartouni/Ici Beyrouth/September
03/ 2026
Hamas Has No Intention of Disarming — So Why Is the US Still Negotiating?/Khaled
Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/September 03/2026
Nothing Spontaneous About Anti-Israel Protests/Robert Williams/Gatestone
Institute/September 03/2026
He Will Not Give Up/Ahmed Charai/Gatestone Institute/September 3, 2026
When intelligence serves, not replaces/Rafael Hernández de Santiago/Arab
News/September 03/2026
Across Europe, the far right is not being adequately challenged/Mohamed Chebaro/Arab
News/September 03/2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets on September 03/2026
Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on September 03-04/2026
Elias Bejjani/Video Link to My Interview on Al-Hawiya Youtube Platform
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/09/157173/
Elias Bejjani/Video Link to My Interview on Al-Hawiya Youtube Platform: An
In-Depth Critical Analysis and Exposure of the Positions of President Aoun,
Patriarch Al-Rahi, the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, Prime Minister Salam and
His Government, and the Rest of Lebanon’s Ruling Class Amid a Conspiracy Against
Sovereigntists and an Intelligence-Driven Narrative Criminalizing and
Prosecuting Anyone Who Says Hezbollah Is Iranian, an Enemy of the Shiites, and
Not a Resistance Movement—Aimed at Circumventing the Recent U.S. Law Declaring
Hezbollah an Iranian Organization, Beginning with the Judicial Pursuit of
Director Youssef El Khoury
Interview conducted by journalist Abdul Rahman Darnika for Al-Hawiya Website –
September 2, 2026
Tarek Mitri, an Enemy of Lebanon and
the Lebanese, Still Living the Lie and Charade of Nasserist and Arafatist
“Resistance”
Elias Bejjani/September 02/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/09/157154/
Tarek Mitri is an enemy of Lebanon. His loyalties, inclinations, positions,
and outdated culture are Palestinian, Iranian, and Nasserist in nature. He stood
with Arafat and the Palestinian militias, then shifted his stance toward the
Assad regime, and now clings to the Iranian camp and Hezbollah in Lebanon. He
remains stuck in the past and oblivious to the changes of the times.
He is still living the theatrical lie of “resistance” and “liberation,” and the
fantasy of throwing Israel into the sea. He is still the same man of Fouad
Siniora, and as a Lebanese, he has no real connection to Lebanon. Whoever
appointed him a minister should be held accountable. Indeed, this is an age of
misery, thugs, and mercenaries. What a cursed era.
Among the latest outrageous statements made by Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri,
he said with complete audacity and shamelessness (video link below):
“Hezbollah is Lebanese. If Iran supports it, that does not mean it ceases to be
Lebanese.”
https://x.com/waqa2e3/status/2094760046034874603/video/1
Is There a Disgraceful Intelligence
Operation to Fabricate a Judicial Case Against Director and Writer Youssef El
Khoury?
Elias Bejjani/September 01/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/09/157134/
It appears that major institutions may now need to enlist the world’s leading
research centers to decipher the mysteries of the security and judicial
mentality prevailing in Lebanon under the “Resistance Axis”!
While the country is suffering from crises that strike it from every grain of
soil to every collapsing lira, it seems that the primary concern of the
country’s “sovereign” institutions—judicial, security, intelligence, and media
alike—is to focus on the grand strategic mission of fabricating a judicial case
against writer, director, and political activist Youssef El Khoury!
Yes, dear Lebanese citizen, whether in the occupied homeland or throughout the
diaspora, you who have swallowed the myth of the so-called resistance, you are
expected not to care about the collapse of the banking sector, not to scrutinize
the explosion that devastated the capital, not to ask about the war in the
South, the Iranian weapons, or those who control the country’s destiny through
them, and all the rest. These are merely trivial details compared to the “great
crime” allegedly committed by Youssef El Khoury.
A few days ago, the “Higher Islamic Shiite Council,” which is wholly aligned
with the Iranian mullah regime, appeared through media leaks as though it had
suddenly awakened from a deep slumber to assume the role of a universal
prosecutor, announcing that it had “filed charges” against El Khoury.
And what exactly is the accusation? Smuggling the remaining uranium? Stealing
Jupiter’s galaxy? Not at all. The charge is that he allegedly offended the
historic event of Karbala, which Sheikh Naim Qassem and the other mouthpieces of
Hezbollah exploit and trade upon politically. It is as if the tragic martyrdom
of Imam Hussein nearly 1,400 years ago has become an exclusive organizational
sacred domain, immune from criticism or political scrutiny regarding its
exploitation. Otherwise, the judicial “demons” spring into action, issuing
summonses against anyone who dares expose the deception falsely marketed as
“resistance and liberation.”
As is customary for the hypocritical “resistance-axis” establishment whenever it
becomes politically and morally bankrupt, it has resorted to its paid
propagandists who flooded social media yesterday and today. Cheap smear
campaigns and blatant lies have been launched to tarnish El Khoury’s reputation,
waving accusations of treason and bribery without presenting a single piece of
evidence, as though they distribute certificates of patriotism in the cafés of
Beirut’s southern suburb.
But to no avail. Youssef El Khoury, a steadfast sovereignty advocate, has never
taken a bribe and has never been among those who chase after occupiers. He lived
through the era of Palestinian militias, endured the bitterness of the brutal
Syrian Baathist occupation, and today stands firmly against the Iranian
occupation and its local mercenaries. He is a man who never sold his pen and
never compromised his convictions. The accusations hurled by the mouthpieces of
the “Resistance Axis” are nothing more than badges of honor on the chest of a
man whose words frighten them.
A question to those in power: Are the state’s judicial and security institutions
still this blatantly subject to the dictates of the Resistance Axis? And do the
Prime Minister and the President of the Republic accept the continuation of
these farcical spectacles aimed at intimidating the free citizens of Lebanon?
In conclusion, let this system and its hypocritical jihadist and
mullah-controlled arms know that the era of intimidation and fearmongering is
gone for good. The truth about the Iranian project and its terrorism has been
exposed for all to see, and the myths of the so-called resistance no longer
deceive even an infant. The regime of the mullahs, together with its proxies and
propagandists, is heading toward inevitable decline. Meanwhile, the legacy of
free men—such as Youssef El Khoury—will remain shining, exposing their
hypocrisy, while the merchants of historical tragedies are consigned to the
dustbin of history, never to return.
Etienne Saqr – Abu Arz: Betrayals of the Left
September 03/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/09/157182/
A statement by the head of the Guardians of the Cedars Party – Lebanese
Nationalist Movement: “Hezbollah is Lebanese. I cannot confirm or deny that Iran
supports it, but this does not negate the fact that it is Lebanese, and that a
broad segment of the Lebanese people supports it… etc.” This statement, issued
by Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, a leading figure of the Lebanese left, is
not a trivial detail. Rather, it reveals the political mindset that continues to
treat Hezbollah as a purely internal Lebanese matter, ignoring its organic link
to the Iranian project in Lebanon and the region.
Here, we better understand the reasons behind Nawaf Salam’s government’s refusal
to resolve the issue of illegal weapons, its obstruction of the coordination
framework, the stalling of the Lebanese-Israeli negotiation process, the slow
pace of collecting weapons from Palestinian camps, and other political and
security issues that cannot tolerate ambiguity or compromise.
To refresh the memory of the Lebanese people, we remind them that the Lebanese
left, over the past fifty years, has stood alongside every foreign project that
violated Lebanon’s sovereignty, from the Palestinian invasion to the Syrian
occupation and the Iranian hegemony… providing them with political, media, and
military support, thus committing the crime of national treason and moral
depravity.
Finally, we say to the Deputy Prime Minister and his fellow leftists, both
inside and outside the government, that Lebanon, the nation and its people,
reject you because you do not deserve the honor of belonging to it.
We are at your service, Lebanon.
Iran Warns US against Israeli Attack on South Lebanon
Ridge Held by Hezbollah, Sources Says
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 03/2026
Iran has warned the United States that it would respond forcefully to an Israeli
offensive on a mountainous ridge in southern Lebanon where Iranian military
personnel are holed up alongside Hezbollah fighters, three officials briefed on
the message told Reuters.The message, delivered last month, highlights Iran's
continued direct involvement in the ground fighting in southern Lebanon and its
readiness to retaliate against Israeli attacks there as the regional war enters
its seventh month. Hezbollah is believed to have built an underground command
center and weapons stores within the Ali al-Taher ridge, which has a commanding
view of southeastern Lebanon, according to Lebanese security sources, and has
become one of the most contested pieces of ground in the Israel-Hezbollah
war.Hezbollah has said in public statements that it controls the hill and will
confront any Israeli advances. Its officials have referred to a "facility"
there, but have declined to provide details. The Israeli military has occupied
swathes of territory to Ali al-Taher's south and has identified the ridge as one
of its "primary operational focuses" in public statements. In its message to
Washington, Tehran threatened that any full-fledged Israeli offensive on the
ridge would be met with a large-scale Iranian attack, said the three
officials in the region, who spoke to Reuters on condition of
anonymity.Hezbollah declined to comment on whether Iranian forces were present
in Ali al-Taher. In response to Reuters questions about the message, or whether
the US had put pressure on Israel not to attack Ali al-Taher, a White House
official said, "this is not accurate." There was no immediate comment from
Iran's permanent mission in Geneva, the US Defense Department, or Oman's foreign
ministry. The Israeli military declined to comment.
IRGC FORCES HOLED UP, OFFICIALS SAY
Two regional officials, briefed by Tehran, said over a dozen members of the
Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, including at least two senior officers,
were with Hezbollah fighters. The third source, a foreign official with direct
knowledge of the message, said it was delivered around mid-August and that as a
result of US pressure, Israel had put off storming Ali al-Taher.Contacted by
Reuters, Hezbollah's media office neither confirmed nor denied Iran's message
but said it was a "natural conclusion" that such a warning would have been sent
about the ridge."Iran considers any Israeli move on the ground in southern
Lebanon, especially territorial expansion, a major violation of the Islamabad
Agreement," Hezbollah's media office said, referring to the June US-Iran
memorandum of understanding that included a Lebanon ceasefire.Iran fired
missiles towards Israel in early June in retaliation for attacks on Hezbollah on
the Lebanese capital's outskirts.
ISRAEL SEEKS TO BESIEGE HEZBOLLAH FIGHTERS
Despite a ceasefire announced in June, the Israeli military has said Hezbollah
is still operating around the ridge and twice over the last week launched
explosive drones towards Israeli troops near the ridge. In July, it said it had
launched an air strike on a Hezbollah fighter near an access shaft to the
underground site at Ali al-Taher and vowed not to allow Hezbollah to operate in
the area or pose a threat to Israeli soldiers.An Israeli military official,
speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters in June that Hezbollah
fighters were stuck underground without food or water. Israeli newspaper Maariv,
citing a military source, said on Thursday that the Israeli military assessed
there were no IRGC forces in Ali al-Taher and that some Hezbollah fighters had
died without food and water. The third official said Israel's military was
trying to smoke out Hezbollah and IRGC personnel by besieging them, shooting
down attempted drone deliveries of food and water to the ridge. "What we have
seen over the past month is Israeli pressure to besiege Ali al-Taher in order to
impose a reality within this facility that renders it uninhabitable. This
approach, and the absence of a large-scale attack, means that it is possible a
message was conveyed through several countries -- this is a natural conclusion,"
Hezbollah's media office told Reuters.
HEZBOLLAH THREATENS RETALIATION
A Lebanese source briefed by Hezbollah said the group's fighters can still
access their positions through the ridge's northern side. Reuters could not
independently confirm the military situation at Ali al-Taher, which Israel's
military has included in a self-declared security zone occupied by its troops
and off-limits to Lebanese. Despite Iran's warning, the Lebanese source and a
senior Lebanese security official said an Israeli military operation to capture
the ridge was still possible in the coming weeks. Hezbollah said any large-scale
attack on Ali al-Taher would mean a return to full-blown war, and could see
missiles landing on northern Israeli communities.
A Lebanese Man Held Prisoner in Israel Is Released and
Handed Over to Lebanon
Asharq Al Awsat/September 03/2026
A Lebanese man who had been held prisoner in Israel was released Thursday, the
first such handover since the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war six
months ago, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Lebanese officials
said.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that
Israel had agreed to release five Lebanese civilians detained by Israeli forces
in southern Lebanon after Lebanon provided assistance in searching for the
bodies of Lebanese Jewish leaders who were “abducted and murdered by terrorist
organizations” in the 1980s, during Lebanon’s civil war. The first released
prisoner, identified as Malek Ghazi, was handed over to the Lebanese army via
the Red Cross, a Lebanese security official said. A second official said they
were anticipating the release of another prisoner. They spoke on condition of
anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. Ghazi was handed
over to the ICRC at the border crossing in the coastal town of Naqoura on
Lebanon's southern frontier and was then transferred to a Lebanese army
intelligence office in the city of Tyre, Lebanon’s state-run National News
Agency reported. Netanyahu's statement said the five Lebanese captives after
interrogation were found not to be “members of a terrorist organization” or
“involved in terrorism.”Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam thanked the US and
its ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, for assisting in the release. “We will
continue working until all our prisoners are released, the fate of the missing
is revealed, and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory is
achieved,” he said in a statement. Dozens of Lebanese prisoners are believed to
be held in Israeli detention centers, including civilians as well as Hezbollah
militants captured during fighting in southern Lebanon. The circumstances of
Ghazi’s capture were not immediately clear, but one of the Lebanese officials
said he was a civilian. The prisoner release came as talks between Lebanese and
Israeli officials had appeared to reach an impasse. Lebanon and Israel in June
signed a US-mediated framework deal under which Israeli forces were to withdraw
from areas they are occupying in southern Lebanon in exchange for disarmament of
the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, but little progress has been
made in implementation on the ground.
Another round of talks is expected to take place in Rome later this month.
“However difficult the negotiation process may seem, we will continue to
mobilize all necessary efforts to safeguard Lebanon’s rights and the interests
of the Lebanese people,” Salam's statement said. Hezbollah is not a party to the
Lebanon-Israel talks and has said it will not give up its weapons in any area
north of southern Lebanon's Litani river. Israeli officials, meanwhile, have
said they will not withdraw unless Hezbollah is disarmed throughout the country.
Lebanon Dismantles Security Network Linked to Hezbollah,
Assad Remnants
Beirut: Youssef Diab/Asharq Al-Awsat/September 03/2026
Lebanese authorities have foiled a plot threatening security in Lebanon and
Syria, dismantling a dangerous cross-border network linked to Hezbollah and
remnants of the former Syrian regime. Judicial and security sources told Asharq
Al-Awsat that five network members, three Syrians and two Lebanese, had been
arrested. The group brought fighters from Syria into Lebanon across the northern
border, moved them to Beirut’s southern suburbs and then sent them to a training
camp in the Baalbek-Hermel region. The detainees held both Lebanese and Syrian
citizenships, the sources said. The most prominent was Syrian Colonel Manaf Ali
Safi, who had been in charge of a security branch under the former Syrian
regime. Authorities seized weapons and ammunition from the network, including
hand grenades, machine guns, and sniper rifles. The arsenal raised fears about
what the group was preparing to do, particularly as investigators examine
whether its objectives went beyond military training.
Possible attack on the Bekaa
Preliminary investigations showed that the detainees admitted receiving training
from Hezbollah fighters and operatives led by a man known as “Hajj Alaa,”
according to the sources. The network was run by Major General Mohammed Jaber,
the former commander of the Desert Brigade in the Syrian army, the sources
revealed. Jaber is now in Moscow and is known to have been close to ousted
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The case poses a major security challenge for
Lebanon, given the network’s ability to move across the Lebanese-Syrian border
at a highly sensitive time in relations between Beirut and Damascus. The
detainees claimed the stated purpose of the training was to prepare for a
possible attack by Syria’s current forces on Lebanon’s Bekaa region, the
judicial and security sources said. Initial findings also pointed to a broader
network inside Syria involving more than 50 remnants of the former regime. They
arranged the transfer of fighters from Syria into Lebanon and monitored Syrian
forces’ movements inside Syria.
Sowing unrest and security chaos
Initial information also implicated three Hezbollah-linked individuals in
bringing in and training the fighters. Several other names remain under scrutiny
as investigators seek to establish their roles. The sources said the network’s
mission likely went beyond preparing to repel a possible Syrian incursion. They
said it may have sought to sow unrest and security chaos in Lebanon, carry out
assassinations and, most importantly, conduct operations in Syria’s coastal
region. That assessment was based on the weapons seized, including explosives,
military-grade machine guns, sniper rifles and hand grenades.
Bodyguard to Christian bloc leader arrested
In a significant development, the sources said a member of Lebanon’s State
Security agency who was part of the group had been arrested at dawn on Wednesday
after more than a week in hiding. The man worked as a bodyguard for the head of
a Christian parliamentary bloc.
He is the brother of one of the detainees and helped another person move and
conceal a cache of weapons hidden in Talbira, an Akkar town near the Syrian
border, the sources said. The town served as an assembly point for fighters
arriving from Syria before they were moved to Beirut’s southern suburbs. That
adds a more sensitive dimension to the case, pointing to organized routes for
moving people and weapons across the border. Lebanese security agencies are
working to uncover the network’s full structure and identify everyone involved,
particularly those suspected of handling financing, recruitment, transportation
and training. Investigators are also seeking to determine what operations the
group was preparing and whether it has other cells in Lebanon or Syria.
Israel Announces Clearing of Hezbollah Tunnels in Ali
al-Taher Heights, Southern Lebanon
Tel Aviv/Middle East/September 3, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
The Israeli army announced it has completed clearing underground infrastructure
belonging to Hezbollah in the Ali al-Taher Heights area of southern Lebanon,
noting that its forces are continuing to neutralize these facilities. The army
stated that the 36th Division recently cleared two underground tunnels in the
Ali al-Taher Heights area, located within what it described as the "security
zone," and achieved "operational control" over the area above and below ground.
It added that the forces cleared the area of Hezbollah operatives, some of
whom were killed, while others fled the area.
The IDF has completed clearing Hezbollah's underground infrastructure in the Ali
al-Taher Heights and is working to neutralize it. The 36th Division recently
cleared two underground tunnels in the Ali al-Taher Heights area, located within
the security zone. The forces achieved operational control over the Golan
Heights area. According to the Israeli army, operations to neutralize
underground infrastructure, after clearing it of Hezbollah operatives, are
ongoing. The army will redeploy defensively after the operation concludes, based
on a situation assessment. The army accused the operatives inside these
facilities of working to implement plans against Israel and its forces, noting
that the operations carried out in these areas in recent weeks have neutralized
the ability to launch attacks against Israelis and its forces from them. The
army stated that it found operations rooms, rooms for weapons, generators, and
living quarters within the underground infrastructure, in addition to shower
facilities and a kitchen. It explained that these facilities allowed Hezbollah
operatives to manage combat operations and remain inside for extended periods.
The army described these facilities as "strategic infrastructure" built over two
decades, and said they were planned and funded by the Iranian regime. The army
added that the army's assessment of the situation is based on the fact that the
underground infrastructure was built with the support and funding of Hezbollah.
The Israeli army confirmed that its forces are continuing to clear what it calls
the "security zone" in southern Lebanon, emphasizing that it will not allow
Hezbollah to carry out any attacks against it. It added that any attempt by
Hezbollah to conduct operations against its forces "will be met with force,"
while simultaneously reaffirming its commitment to the ceasefire agreement in
Lebanon.
Israeli Army Announces Control of Ali al-Taher Heights;
Netanyahu: It No Longer Poses a Threat to Us
Al-Markazia/September 3, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today, Thursday, that "the
Ali al-Taher Heights in southern Lebanon no longer pose a threat to us, and we
have eliminated a large number of militants." For its part, the Israeli army
announced the completion of what it described as the "clearing" of Hezbollah's
underground infrastructure in the Ali al-Taher Heights, confirming that its
forces are continuing to neutralize it. In this context, IDF Spokesperson Ella
Wawiya wrote on the X platform: "Recently, the 36th Division cleared two
underground tunnels in the Ali Taher Heights area, located within the security
zone. The forces established operational control over the area above and below
ground, clearing it of terrorists, some of whom were killed and others who fled
the area." She continued: "Activity to neutralize the underground infrastructure
cleared of terrorists is ongoing. Following the completion of this activity, the
IDF will redeploy defensively according to a situation assessment." She
concluded: "The terrorists who were inside this infrastructure carried out plots
against the State of Israel and IDF forces. As a result of the activity in these
tunnels over the past few weeks, the ability to carry out plots against Israeli
citizens and IDF forces from these tunnels has been neutralized." She added:
"Inside the underground infrastructure, operations rooms, weapons depots,
generator rooms, living quarters, shower facilities, and a kitchen were
discovered, enabling the terrorists to conduct combat operations and remain
there for extended periods. This is strategic infrastructure built over two
decades, funded and planned by the Iranian regime." She continued: "The IDF
continues to clear the security zone in southern Lebanon and will not allow
Hezbollah to advance its terrorist plots against it." She concluded: "Any
attempt by Hezbollah to carry out activity against IDF forces will be met with
force. The IDF remains committed to the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon."
https://x.com/CaptainElla1/status/2095566303587369429/video/1
An Israeli military official noted, "We did not find any Iranian advisors or
officers in the Ali Taher tunnels, and they are now free of Hezbollah fighters."
He added, "Hezbollah established the infrastructure in Ali Taher with funding
and planning from Iran."
Strategic Heights and a Hezbollah Stronghold... Netanyahu:
Ali Taher No Longer a Threat to Israel... Believed to Contain Military
Infrastructure
Riyadh: Al-Arabiya.net - Agencies/September 3, 2026 (Google translation from
Arabic)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the Israeli army
had "eliminated many militants" in the Ali Taher Heights, a strategic point in
southern Lebanon containing underground infrastructure believed to be used by
Hezbollah for military purposes. Netanyahu asserted that the heights "no longer
pose a threat" to Israel, after the Israeli army announced it had completed
operations to "clear two Hezbollah infrastructures" in the Ali Taher Heights,
indicating that its forces are currently working to neutralize them. The Israeli
army stated that these facilities were built over approximately 20 years and
that Iran funded and planned them. It added that the 36th Division had operated
in the area in recent weeks and, according to its account, had managed to
establish operational control over the heights, both above and below ground. The
Israeli military added that its forces "cleared the area of Hezbollah
operatives" who were stationed there, killing some and forcing others to flee,
according to The Jerusalem Post. Inside the underground facilities, Israeli
forces discovered command rooms, weapons depots, generators, living quarters,
toilets, and a kitchen. The military stated that this infrastructure allowed
Hezbollah operatives to remain underground for extended periods and conduct
combat operations from these locations. According to the Israeli military,
attacks against Israel and its forces were planned from these tunnels, and the
recent operations have neutralized the ability to launch further attacks from
these sites. The military explained that the tunnel neutralization operations
are ongoing, and that forces will redeploy after the mission is completed to
conduct defensive operations based on an assessment of the situation. According
to Israeli media reports, Hezbollah fighters, allied with Iran, had been
entrenched there for weeks, and clashes had occurred repeatedly in the area.
Lebanese security sources say that Hezbollah is believed to have established an
underground command center and weapons depots inside the Ali al-Taher hill,
which overlooks southeastern Lebanon and has become one of the main
battlegrounds in the conflict between Israel and the group, according to
Reuters. The Ali al-Taher heights, near Nabatieh, are considered a strategically
important location due to their elevated position overlooking large parts of the
region. They are a contested area in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah
and have been the focus of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon in recent
months.
For years, the area has served as a key operational and influence hub for
Hezbollah, making it a frequent flashpoint in the conflict with Israel. Despite
the ceasefire declared in June, the Israeli military said Hezbollah remained
active in the vicinity of the hill, launching explosive-laden drones twice in
the past week toward Israeli forces. In July, the Israeli military said it
carried out an airstrike on a Hezbollah fighter near an entrance to an
underground site on Ali Taher Hill, and vowed not to allow the group to operate
in the area or pose any threat to Israeli soldiers.
Explosions and Incursions in the South… Israeli Army Abducts 3 People
Al-Markazia/September 3, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
This morning, an Israeli force infiltrated the town of Halta – Hasbaya and
arrested three residents: Qassem Abdel-Aal, Hatem Abdel-Aal, and Zaal Ghassan
Abdel-Aal, after surrounding several houses and preventing residents from
leaving. Following the arrests, the force withdrew into Israeli territory. Since
the morning, Israeli forces have also carried out heavy explosions in the towns
of Qantara, Haddatha, Wadi Barashit, and Bani Hayyan. This afternoon, they
conducted a massive explosion in the town of Kfar Tebnit, the largest of its
kind in the town, which caused a deafening blast that reverberated throughout
southern Lebanon. The explosion resulted in thick plumes of smoke visible from
afar, amidst an atmosphere of tension and panic among the residents. While
Israeli artillery shelling targeted the town of Mansouri, an Israeli drone
dropped two stun grenades on the Azziyeh-Mansouri road. Simultaneously, Israeli
vehicles transported explosive-laden containers toward the town, and a Merkava
tank and a D9 bulldozer entered Mansouri. Israeli Merkava tanks also shelled the
remaining houses on the western outskirts of Houla in the Marjeyoun district,
while the Israeli army carried out a bombing operation inside Mansouri and
targeted Bani Hayyan with artillery fire. This afternoon, the Israeli army
detonated several houses, facilities, and infrastructure located between
Mansouri and Majdalzoun, using barrels containing highly effective materials
that caused widespread damage and destruction. In a related development, an
explosion occurred in Houla in southern Lebanon, coinciding with low-altitude
flights by warplanes over southern Lebanon. Also in this context, a drone
dropped explosives on the Ali Taher forest. The town of Mansouri was subjected
to Israeli artillery shelling, while Israeli aircraft carried out two airstrikes
targeting the Ali al-Taher hill on the outskirts of Nabatieh al-Fawqa. Two
airstrikes also targeted the Doha Kfar Remman area in southern Lebanon. Israeli
warplanes also launched an airstrike on the outskirts of the town of Zawtar al-Sharqiya
in the Nabatieh district. Furthermore, Israeli artillery fired five shells at
dawn today towards the Litani River – Khardali area, targeting the area west of
the town of Deir Mimas and east of Beaufort Castle. Israeli drones were also
observed flying over the Tyre area at dawn.
Foreign Minister Youssef Raji: I'm not attending work due to security warnings
Al-Markazia/September 3, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
In response to a question about his absence from the ministry and whether it was
related to any security warnings he had received, Foreign Minister Youssef Raji
confirmed that he had indeed received security warnings.
Durel from Beirut: France's Commitment is Steadfast and the
Partnership Continues
Central News Agency/September 3, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
The new French Ambassador, Patrick Durel, wrote on his X account: "It is my
pleasure and honor to have presented my credentials to President Joseph Aoun
today. I am fully aware of the honor bestowed upon me in representing France in
Lebanon. I am delighted to work, alongside the Lebanese people, to maintain and
further strengthen the vital ties that bind our two countries. My first meeting
was with the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Nabih Berri. The meeting addressed
strengthening the French-Lebanese partnership in the face of the challenges
Lebanon is experiencing, and the necessity of consolidating its sovereignty and
the stability of its institutions. With the Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaf Salam, we
discussed his government's priorities and the reforms necessary for Lebanon's
recovery. We also had a broad overview of cooperation between our two countries.
I reaffirmed to him France's unwavering commitment to standing by Lebanon."
Washington: Commitment to a Comprehensive Agreement Between Lebanon and Israel
Al-Markazia/September 3, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
US authorities clarified yesterday evening that "US Ambassadors to Lebanon,
Michel Issa, and to Israel, Mike Huckabee, met with Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss moving forward with the implementation of the
tripartite framework regarding Lebanon."
They indicated that "the United States affirms its commitment to the success of
the tripartite framework and to moving towards a comprehensive peace and
security agreement between Lebanon and Israel."
On the concepts of "civil peace" and "sovereign principles" for the duo!
Lara Yazbek/Al-Markazia/September 3, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called on the Lebanese to approach the war of
extermination waged by Israel from a national perspective, far removed from any
regional, partisan, sectarian, or religious considerations. He emphasized that
what Israel seeks is not Hezbollah, its weapons, the Amal Movement, or the
Shiite community, but rather to incite strife. He asserted that the target is
Lebanon itself, its unity, and its civil peace. This is a very beautiful and
positive statement, and a "responsible" stance taken by the head of the Amal
Movement on the anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr, according
to sovereign political sources speaking to Al-Markazia. However, it loses much
of its appeal upon deeper examination. The opponents of Hezbollah's wars,
particularly President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have
consistently maintained that the state must confront the dangers threatening its
citizens, including the Shia, and that its role is to protect them and decide
how to do so. However, it is the Shia duo who convince the Shia community that
the Lebanese people are against them, that there is no state in the country, and
that only weapons can protect them. Talk of national unity is also superficial,
but only for show. The duo wants everyone in Lebanon to unite on whatever it
decides and deems appropriate, whether it be war or peace, sending fighters to
neighboring countries, extending illegal communication networks in certain
areas, or rejecting the results of this investigation and accepting that one.
This is how unity is preserved in the duo's view. But if it requires them to
accommodate the majority of Lebanese who reject their approach and support other
options, then unity and civil peace become threatened. Ironically, it is
Hezbollah, with its weapons, that is threatening them! Berri also believes that
the current phase, with its existential risks to the South and to Lebanon as a
whole, does not give anyone the right to tamper with any sovereign matters under
any pretext, whether it be a "framework agreement," "secret annexes," or
anything else. He considers civil peace, national unity, and the Lebanese army
to be red lines that cannot be crossed or compromised under any circumstances.
However, the sources continue, the more accurate view is that no group, at any
time, is permitted to unilaterally make sovereign decisions, most importantly
the decision of war and peace, as Hezbollah has done over the past years.
Negotiating with the enemy or any other party and reaching agreements with them
is within the president's purview, provided that he subsequently informs the
government and parliament. As for the army, the "red line," the sources
conclude, Hezbollah should first trust it before Berri rejects its testing by
the Israelis.
With the school year about to begin in Lebanon, where
will displaced families go?
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/September 03/2026
About 21,000 displaced people continue to live in public schools as Education
Ministry works to consolidate shelters ahead of classes starting
Education minister says keeping schools functioning at all in southern Lebanon
under current conditions is ‘almost a miracle’
BEIRUT: Nine-year-old Abbas Sadraha sits at a discarded school desk in the
corridor of Ras Al-Nabaa Public School in Beirut and sighs.
“I wish I could go back to school,” he says.
He is already in a school building — but not as a pupil. He is one of thousands
of children displaced from their homes in southern Lebanon who have been living
with their families in public schools converted into temporary shelters.
His family fled their home in Arnoun Al-Shaqif, near the city of Nabatieh, on
March 3 when Hezbollah fired six rockets and Israel responded with heavy strikes
on villages in the south. Their displacement took them first toward Beirut’s
southern suburbs and later to a Lebanese University facility in the capital.
After the ceasefire agreement in June, and with only four families still living
at the facility, electricity and water supplies were cut, forcing Abbas and his
family to leave and once again search for somewhere to shelter. His mother, Daad,
said keeping her two children in education was now her priority. “Our home in
Arnoun Al-Shaqif was bulldozed by the Israelis,” she said. “I don’t want my
children to lose a year of education on top of everything they have already
suffered because of the war.”She said she might now be forced to risk returning
with them to Nabatieh so they are close to their old school.
The children completed the previous academic year through online learning, with
Daad paying for the internet connection herself. “I can’t afford that anymore,”
she said.
Her husband works as a painter but has been unable to find employment in Beirut.
“He doesn’t know anyone here,” Daad said. “He feels like a stranger and is
depressed. He spends his days sleeping and cursing the circumstances that left
us homeless.”
The family of four currently occupies a corner of a classroom divided by
curtains into a makeshift living space shared by three families and their
belongings. Families in classrooms on each floor share a single bathroom and a
refrigerator placed in the corridor.
“There is no taste to food anymore and no comfort in sleep,” Daad said. “We are
people of the south. Our homes used to be full of supplies and we would help
anyone in need. Today, we cannot find anyone to stand by us.”She said her family
was affiliated with neither Hezbollah nor the Amal Movement. “We feel
abandoned,” she added. “Nobody asks about us. We borrow $10 just to survive
below even the minimum.”
The fragile ceasefire agreement in June prompted thousands of displaced people
to leave the tents and shelters in which they were living in places such as
Sidon, Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Tripoli and Akkar. Those whose homes remained
intact were able to return but about 350,000 people are still displaced,
according to reports, including residents of villages on the front lines of the
fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that were destroyed, and communities that
continue to face Israeli strikes, incursions or gunfire.
About 21,000 displaced people continue to live in public schools the Lebanese
state converted into shelters seven months ago. With the new academic year due
to start this month, the Ministry of Education is trying to balance the
requirements of displaced families with the need to return classrooms to pupils.
Families in several shelters have started to pack their belongings for yet
another move as authorities consolidate the remaining displaced population into
a smaller number of designated centers. Layal Al-Fata, the director of a public
school in Beirut, told Arab News that the number of displaced families living at
her school had fallen from 77 to 22. Those who remain will be transferred to
another nearby school designated as a shelter, she said, allowing other schools
that have been used as shelters to be repaired and prepared for the return of
students.
But clearing classrooms is only one of the challenges the ministry faces. It
must also find ways to educate students from the 340 schools that have been
damaged to varying degrees during the war, and arrange alternatives for children
whose schools are still inaccessible or located near villages that continue to
be affected by tensions arising from the conflict.
Open-source reports suggest that more than 100 schools were destroyed or
severely damaged. For many low-income, displaced families, public schools
provided the cheapest — and in some cases only — option for shelter.
Wissam Atwi, who was displaced with his daughters and mother from the southern
town of Shaqra, said the family spent nine days sleeping on the roadside before
finding shelter in a Beirut school. “We don’t know anyone in Beirut who could
take us in,” he said.
Atwi was visiting public schools in an attempt to register his daughters for the
coming academic year. Having exhausted his savings, he said he could no longer
afford their education, even within the public system. He was also struggling to
keep another daughter enrolled in an engineering program at the Lebanese
University, despite its relatively low fees.
“No one is helping me. No one has called me,” Atwi said. “I am not affiliated
with Hezbollah or Amal. I am Shiite and my own community is not checking on me.
That is the truth. We have been abandoned.” Atwi said that when his home in
Shaqra was damaged during a previous conflict, he paid for the repairs himself
but received compensation for only about 15 percent of the cost. “This time, no
one has even said they are prepared to compensate us — or help us stay alive,”
he added. At Al-Basta Public School in Beirut, the silence in the classrooms is
broken by young children playing in the schoolyard as their families pack for
another relocation. Women move between classrooms and the courtyard carrying
bags of belongings and household items, uncertain where they will go next.
Rima Karami, the minister of education and higher education, acknowledged that
the start of the academic year was likely to be challenging.
“The launch of the new school year may not be complete and it will be difficult,
but we will be able to restore regularity and return our children to their
classrooms,” she said.
The ministry was faced with needs that far exceed the available funding, she
added, describing the ability of Lebanon’s education system to continue to
function at all under current conditions as “almost a miracle.”Karami said:
“There are teachers who have already taught and whom we have still not been able
to pay. I do not want to make commitments to any teacher before I am able to pay
their salary and give them their rights.”She also warned that there could be
delays in securing all necessary educational materials.
“There is no education professional anywhere in the world doing what educators
in Lebanon are doing under these circumstances,” Karami said.
She praised Education Ministry staff and regional education officials in
southern Lebanon and Nabatieh, and said their work demonstrated extraordinary
commitment despite the difficulties.
The ministry decided to merge some struggling public schools and secondary
schools as part of a broader reform plan designed to reduce expenditure and
waste while improving the allocation of human and financial resources. These
measures are in line with Finance Ministry requirements, and recommendations
from donors and the World Bank, amid concerns that the cost of public education
in some cases had risen above that of the private sector.
But the effects of years of crisis, displacement and conflict are already clear
among the children of Lebanon. An assessment by the Arab Center for Research and
Policy Studies warned of a “lost generation” whose education had been severely
disrupted.
Its report found that reading and writing levels among some sixth-grade pupils
was equivalent to only about 4.5 years of schooling. More than half of
first-grade pupils lacked basic math skills, and eight out of 10 sixth-grade
students had not mastered division.
It also found that more than half of displaced children were not enrolled in
primary education and 60 percent of displaced adolescents were not attending
high school. Seven in 10 children showed symptoms associated with anxiety, and
six in 10 displayed symptoms linked to depression. Children have borne a
particularly heavy burden as a result of the conflict. During the first month of
the latest escalation alone about 400,000 children were among about 1 million
people forced from their homes and places that once offered them their greatest
sense of security.
US gives Lebanon back ancient Roman artifacts looted from
Tyre
AFP/September 3, 2026
Among the artifacts are decorative lead sarcophagus fragments to Lebanon, which
are typical of Tyre's ancient workshops
The FBI confirmed the artifacts were stolen through illicit excavations around
Tyre and exported unlawfully
BEIRUT: The US is handing back to Lebanon ancient Roman-era decorative lead
sarcophagus fragments that were looted from the southern city of Tyre and
recovered after an FBI investigation, the US Embassy in Lebanon said on
Thursday.
The recovery “reflects the strong US-Lebanon partnership in the fight against
illicit trafficking of cultural property,” the embassy said. Lebanese Culture
Minister Ghassan Salame said: “The fragments bear distinctive artistic,
decorative and technical characteristics typical of workshops that produced lead
sarcophagi in Tyre, which were among the city’s active and prolific workshops in
antiquity.”The FBI said the antiquities “were stolen from illicit excavations in
or around Tyre and were exported outside of Lebanon’s borders. The trade in
looted antiquities is widespread in the Middle East. New York, one of the
world’s art capitals, is home to many wealthy collectors, galleries, and auction
houses.In December 2017, three ancient artifacts were returned to Lebanon,
including a Greek bull’s head valued at $1.2 million that had been exhibited at
the Met Gala. Tyre was “exceptionally rich in archaeological heritage” but had
suffered severe destruction recently from Israeli airstrikes, Salame said.
UNESCO, the UN cultural agency, added Tyre to its World Heritage in Danger list
in July. The first archaeological excavations in Lebanon were carried out by
French philosopher Ernest Renan in the 1860s. He found a floor mosaic at Qabr
Hiram near Tyre, which was the first work of art from Lebanon to be shipped to
France. In 1932 the Louvre in Paris acquired a preserved lead sarcophagus with
an elaborate decoration based on architectural elements framing sphinxes and
Gorgons. Lead sarcophagi have survived in considerable numbers and are found in
both eastern and western parts of the Roman Empire.
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on September 03-04/2026
Netanyahu Says Toppling Iran’s Regime ‘within Reach’
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 03/2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday voiced confidence that
Iran's regime could soon fall, saying it was weaker than ever as the United
States resumed attacks.
"This regime is currently teetering. It is weaker than ever. It is fighting for
its survival," Netanyahu said at an event with Israeli military leaders. I am
convinced that we can remove this threat once and for all -- that is, to
overthrow this regime. That is the central task that still lies ahead of us, but
it is close. It is not impossible. It is within reach," he said.
Netanyahu, after decades of describing Iran's cleric-run state as an existential
threat, in late February launched a joint attack on Iran with the United States,
although President Donald Trump abruptly called a ceasefire in April. he United
States has imposed more economic pressure and resumed strikes this week, leading
Iran to fire back at the Gulf, Jordan and in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region
-- but not Israel. If they're not attacking us, it is not by chance. They attack
everyone, but not us," Netanyahu said. They know our power -- the strength of
our arms -- and our determination." etanyahu's remarks come ahead of October 27
general elections in which some polls show him trailing and as opposition
leaders accuse him of failing on Iran.
Iran buries victims of reported US wedding attack, fires
on Kuwait
Arab News/September 03/2026
Iranian mourners held funerals for victims of a US airstrike that reportedly
struck a wedding
Iran retaliated by launching missiles and drones at a US base in Kuwait
DUBAI: Iranian mourners carried caskets on Thursday at a funeral for victims of
a US airstrike said to have struck a wedding party, and Tehran launched missiles
and drones overnight at a US base in Kuwait, after the war’s biggest escalation
in more than a month.
Mourners assembled in the late afternoon outside the village of Kuhestak in
Sirik County, along a stretch of the coast of the Strait of Hormuz that was hit
by heavy US airstrikes late on Tuesday. Iranian officials say four people died
and nearly 70 were wounded by a strike that hit a home during a wedding. State
TV reported on Thursday that a fifth person, a 22-year-old woman, had since
died in hospital. The US military said it was aware of the Iranian reports
but that it “never targets civilians.”“This is the body of Martyr
Amir-Mohammad Karimi, a 4-year-old child who war martyred in an attack on the
country’s south by the criminal American regime,” a reporter from Iran’s Mehr
news agency said in footage filmed in front of a pickup truck carrying a
flag-draped coffin beneath a canopy of palm fronds. In other footage of the
funeral, mourners threw petals into the air as doleful music played from a
loudspeaker. A casket was carried past a row of soldiers standing at attention
with rifles. “If it was a military location, it wouldn’t be so painful. This
was a wedding ceremony, but they turned people’s joy into mourning,” the
semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted a local man as saying.
Heavy bombardments
Washington launched the airstrikes on Tuesday, hitting what it said were
military targets along the coast in retaliation for Iranian attacks on shipping
in the Strait of Hormuz. The sudden escalation of the Iran war has caused a
surge in oil prices to levels unseen since July. Price rose for a fourth
straight day on Thursday, taking Brent crude futures over $96 a barrel. Iran
reported 18 dead in the last US assault, including the four killed at the
wedding. It responded on Wednesday to the US strikes with attacks on US bases
in Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, and carried out further attacks
early on Thursday, saying it was targeting another US base, in Kuwait.
Kuwait’s military said its air defenses had intercepted missiles and drones. But
following that, the war’s biggest flareup since July appeared to subside, with
no more major attacks from either side reported as the day wore on.
The month of August was largely quiet in the Gulf after US President Donald
Trump abruptly halted two weeks of intensive airstrikes in July, having been
warned by his military that Washington was running low on munitions. Trump has
yet to achieve the aims he set out when he launched Operation Epic Fury in
February: to end Iran’s nuclear program, halt its ability to attack its
neighbors and create conditions for Iranians to topple their leadership. Iran’s
economy has suffered severely from a US blockade. But its clerical rulers remain
in power and aim to emerge from the war stronger than before, demanding the
lifting of sanctions and hoping to collect fees from ships that use the strait,
which carried a fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the war.
US Pressure on Iran Starting to Tell, as Sanctions and
Blockade Bite
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 03/2026
A US campaign to throttle Iran's economy by blockading its oil exports and
stopping sanctions evasion is growing increasingly difficult to withstand, three
senior Iranian sources said. Washington has in recent weeks sought to ratchet up
the economic pressure on Tehran, in an effort to extract concessions in any
future negotiation that six months of conflict have so far failed to secure.
Although Iran's clerical rulers managed to bypass sanctions for decades, the
latest US moves have left them in a far more sensitive position, with few
remaining channels to secure foreign currency or buy goods, the sources said. In
particular, the effort to stop Iran accessing international financing networks
in other countries it has long used to keep its economy functioning poses a real
and urgent threat, the sources said. Any sign the economic campaign may break a
months-long deadlock in the conflict will likely cheer US planners, though Iran
has also warned it could respond to the pressure with military escalation,
raising the stakes at a key moment.
PETROL STOCKS LOW AS CURRENCY COLLAPSES
The war has erupted back into open fighting this week, with US attacks along
Iran's Gulf coast prompting retaliatory Iranian strikes at Arab states. Neither
side has signaled yet it is ready to make the concessions demanded by the
other, leaving the war in a costly stalemate - though one that may be
shifting. While more energy is flowing to international markets through the
Strait of Hormuz despite Iranian efforts to continue disrupting the seaway, the
US blockade of Iranian oil exports has entirely cut off Tehran's main source of
revenue.
Adding to Iran's problems, the economy was already deep in crisis before the
conflict, with a cratering currency and spiraling inflation, while months of
bombing have run up a massive bill to rebuild damaged industry and
infrastructure. Meanwhile, the country's financial squeeze is itself biting into
Tehran's efforts to get around the sanctions regime, leaving less cash to pay
the high premiums required to skirt sanctions illicitly, the sources said.
The rial has fallen to record lows over recent days and one senior source said
Iran only has another two months' supply of gasoline, which has to be imported
despite domestic oil production because of limited refining capacity. Iran's
rulers are keenly aware of the potential risks of an economic meltdown and the
possibility of it reigniting the nationwide mass protests it put down in
January by killing thousands of demonstrators. "They are under very, very
severe economic pressure. They're losing control of the Straits. It's really a
question of if they choose to negotiate and I think they'll have to," said Ali
Ansari, modern history professor at St Andrews University in Scotland. The war
is also entering a new phase, with each side trying to influence each other's
politics. Iran hopes the threat of inflation will deter the US administration
before midterm elections in November, while Washington aims to push Iranians to
revolt, a senior Iranian official said.
BLOCKADE AND SECONDARY SANCTIONS SQUEEZING TEHRAN
The latest US measures expanded secondary sanctions that target countries doing
business with Iran in a bid to stop it clearing dollar transactions needed for
both oil sales and to finance crucial imports of goods and raw materials. That
effort is making Iran's existing sanctions evasion networks - front companies,
unregistered tankers and smuggling - too expensive to use, the three senior
sources said. Iranian crude loadings have fallen this month to about 260,000
barrels a day, from about 1.7 million a year earlier, according to data from
commodity analytics firm Kpler, with only a trickle still moving off terminals
for distribution by truck, train or smaller boats over the Caspian Sea. Tehran
says it still has tens of millions of barrels stored in tankers outside the
blockade zone that it can sell, but the new sanctions mean intermediaries are
stepping back or demanding more money, one of the officials said.
Total trade has fallen between 25% and 35%, with imports hit harder than
exports, President Masoud Pezeshkian has said, one of several top officials
warning in recent weeks about Iran's rapidly deteriorating situation. US
pressure and Iran's own attacks have meanwhile disrupted one of the main
conduits for Iranian trade - the United Arab Emirates, which said on August 19
that all commercial exchange and financial dealings with Tehran were halted
until further notice. “If those channels stay closed, a supplier wants cash, a
deal is routed through another country and a shipment arrives later and dearer,”
said an Iranian trader in Tehran who deals in imported goods. The currency has
collapsed in value from around 1 million rials to the dollar a year ago to over
2.2 million rials now. The internal impact is very painful. Official figures put
12-month average inflation at 69.9% with food, beverages and tobacco prices
rising at nearly twice that rate. Official unemployment rose to 9.1% in the
spring, while the number of those in work fell by about 450,000 from a year
earlier amid a wider fall in labor force participation. Even for those still in
work, the average monthly salary of around $125 a month comes nowhere near
meeting basic household spending requirements that come to around $450 a month
according to official data. "We are getting poorer every day," said Mahnaz, a
34-year-old private-sector employee in Tehran who asked that her family name not
be used.
Pentagon Stops Using “Epic Rage” Name for Iran War / Operation Officially Ended
in May Despite Ongoing Fighting… Questions Raised About Classifying US
Casualties
Middle East / September 3, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
CBS News reported that the Pentagon has instructed the military to stop using
the name “Operation Epic Rage” to refer to ongoing US operations against Iran,
even though the Department of Defense says the operation officially ended on May
5, three months before the directive was issued. The network cited an Air Force
email dated August 7, which included instructions to use the broader phrase
“Overseas Operations in the US Central Command Area of Responsibility” instead
of the operation’s name. CBS quoted military officials as saying the directive
was not limited to the Air Force but was circulated to other branches of the
Department of Defense and was issued by the Office of Central Public Affairs
under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The Pentagon told CBS that Operation
Epic Wrath concluded on May 5, and that subsequent operations included freedom
of navigation missions and strikes aimed at reducing threats posed by the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to commercial shipping, Gulf states,
and U.S. forces. On the same day, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that
the operation was over and that Washington had transitioned to Operation
Freedom, proposed by General Higseth as a maritime defense mission to protect
navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the end of the so-called Epic
Wrath did not end the war. U.S. and Iranian forces continued to exchange
sporadic strikes, and in July, President Donald Trump notified Congress of the
resumption of military action against Iran after the ceasefire collapsed. CBS
also noted that designating May 5 as the official end date of the operation
raised questions about how U.S. casualties were being classified. In July, the
Pentagon included four service members killed in Jordan and Iraq among the
casualties of Epic Wrath, even though the operation had ended two months
earlier. They were later moved to a new category called “Overseas Operations,”
which reduced the number of recorded fatalities from 18 to 14. Pentagon
spokesman Sean Parnell attributed the change at the time to a “temporary data
glitch.” According to CBS, the Defense Department’s system still lists five
wounded in June and one service member killed in July as part of “Epic Wrath,”
without explaining why or including the operation’s end date in the casualty
records.
Vance: Oil flow through Hormuz almost back to pre-war
levels / He said Iran is losing its ability to threaten shipping… and ruled out
negotiations as long as it targets commercial vessels
Washington/Middle East/September 3, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
US Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday that oil flow through the Strait of
Hormuz has “almost” returned to pre-war levels, and asserted that Iran’s ability
to threaten commercial shipping and use the strait as leverage is diminishing.
Vance told reporters at the White House, “If we go back three months, how much
oil and gas was passing through the Strait under the Iranian threats? Virtually
nothing. Now, it’s almost back to where it was before the conflict.” He
explained that about 15 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait of
Hormuz on Wednesday, despite the ongoing attacks, and asserted that the United
States remains the only country capable of ensuring the continued flow of energy
to global markets. Vance attributed the rise in gasoline prices to the Iranian
attacks on commercial vessels, saying, “The fundamental fact is that the reason
gasoline prices are high right now is because the Iranians are shooting at
commercial shipping.” He accused Tehran of continuing to target ships despite
previous pledges to cease the attacks. Speaking about Iran’s ability to control
the Strait, Vance said, “I think they are losing that capability day by day.” He
added, “I think they also realize that their control over the Strait of Hormuz
is effectively over, and that the value of that card is diminishing.” Tehran had
announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz after the outbreak of hostilities
last February, while Washington says its forces have expanded their operations
to protect navigation and escort commercial vessels through the waterway. Vance
ruled out resuming talks with Iran as long as attacks on shipping continue. He
said, "The president has been very clear: we are not talking to them, and we
will not talk to them unless they stop firing on commercial vessels." Vance
addressed Tehran directly, saying, "My advice to the Iranians is to stop acting
recklessly and to stop firing on commercial shipping."
Trump: We Have Massive Ammunition Stockpiles, Far More Than
What Could Be Used Against Iran
US President: We Are Currently Producing Ammunition at Unprecedented Levels and
Are Prepared for Any Contingency
Riyadh: Al-Arabiya.net and Agencies / September 3, 2026 (Google translation from
Arabic)
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States is keeping
large quantities of ammunition for itself instead of selling it to others,
noting that his country is currently producing ammunition at unprecedented
levels and possesses "massive" stockpiles far exceeding what could be used in a
war with Iran. In a post on the Truth Social platform, Trump added that some are
refusing to provide accurate reports about the US military operation against
Iran, considering that some reports do not reflect the truth of what happened.
Regarding Ukraine, Trump said that former US President Joe Biden provided Kyiv
with far more ammunition than the United States used in a war with Iran, adding
that Europe will pay for the ammunition that Washington provided to Ukraine. The
US president also confirmed that ammunition sales to allies would resume soon,
noting that the United States was prepared for any contingency thanks to a
significant increase in ammunition production and military stockpiles. Trump
wrote on Truth Social: “To the traitors who refuse to provide accurate reports
on our military operation in Iran, we have massive quantities of medium and
high-quality munitions, far more than we could possibly use in this war, or in
any other war (which is highly unlikely!) that might break out. In addition, we
are producing munitions at unprecedented levels. We are stockpiling them and
preparing for any contingency. We are keeping them for ourselves, the USA,
instead of selling them to others, but sales to allies will resume soon. We
would also like to inform you that the Biden administration gave Ukraine far
more munitions, completely free of charge, than we used in Iran. Hundreds of
billions of dollars were given to Ukraine and NATO for free, money that Europe
should have paid if asked, but we will be demanding it back, albeit a little
late!”
Vance: We Will Not Hold Talks with Iran Unless It Stops
Targeting Ships
US Vice President Says Oil Flow Through the Strait of Hormuz Has Returned
"Almost" to Pre-War Levels
Riyadh: Al-Arabiya.net and Agencies/September 3, 2026 (Google translation from
Arabic)
US Vice President J.D. Vance said on Thursday that Washington will not hold
talks with Iran unless it stops firing on ships attempting to cross the Strait
of Hormuz, stressing that Tehran must halt these attacks. Speaking to reporters
at the White House about Washington's options regarding Iran, Vance said that
"all options are on the table" in response to a question about arming the
Iranian opposition, but he declined to provide further details. He also affirmed
that the United States has "many tools to pressure the Iranian regime," adding
that Washington does not target Iranian civilians "at all," and accusing the
Iranian Revolutionary Guard of targeting civilians. The US Vice President
revealed that China is "prepared to cooperate in isolating Iran economically,"
emphasizing that economic and military pressure on Tehran will remain in place.
Vance also confirmed that oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz has "almost"
returned to pre-war levels, before Tehran closed the vital energy supply route.
He noted that approximately 15 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait
of Hormuz yesterday, indicating the waterway's continued importance for global
trade and energy supplies. He added, "If we go back three months, how much oil
and gas was passing through the strait under the Iranian threats? Virtually
nothing. Now, it's almost back to where it was before the conflict began" last
February. In another development, the US Vice President revealed that the United
States is investigating an airstrike that targeted a wedding in southern Iran,
killing four people. Tehran blamed Washington for the attack, but the Vice
President expressed skepticism about Tehran's account, saying, "I know we are
investigating it... What I will say is that Iranian state media has not been a
reliable source of information about what is happening in this conflict, so I am
very skeptical about it." On February 28, the Middle East conflict erupted with
attacks launched by the United States and Israel against Iran, which retaliated
by launching strikes against countries in the region and closing the Strait of
Hormuz, a vital waterway for energy supplies. Diplomatic efforts led to a
ceasefire in April, followed in June by the signing of a memorandum of
understanding to hold peace talks, but these subsequently collapsed. Last month,
the US Treasury Department announced a new round of sanctions aimed at
"strangling" the Iranian economy, while the US Air Force resumed its airstrikes
against Iran on Sunday.
US Vice President: 15 Million Barrels of Oil Crossed the
Strait of Hormuz Yesterday / J.D. Vance Says the US Has Many Tools to Pressure
the Iranian Regime
Riyadh - Al Arabiya / September 3, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
US Vice President J.D. Vance said that approximately 15 million barrels of oil
crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday. In remarks on Thursday, Vance added
that the United States has many tools to pressure the Iranian regime,
continuing, "We will not negotiate with Iran until it stops targeting commercial
vessels, and the economic and military pressure will remain." Preliminary
shipping data on Thursday showed that six cargo ships crossed the Strait of
Hormuz on Wednesday, down from 11 the previous day and significantly lower than
the 10-day average of about 13. Kpler data as of 04:05 GMT indicated that two
supertankers were among the transiting vessels. The number of ships transiting
the waterway may fluctuate, as some vessels switch off their transponders while
at sea. US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that US forces control the
Strait of Hormuz and facilitated the passage of 28 ships on Tuesday of this
week. Trump added on his Truth Social platform: "Now that it is under US
control, should we rename the Strait of Hormuz the Trump Strait??? Just like
America itself, it will be more exciting than ever!"
US Tightens Iran Blockade: US Military Diverts 87 Commercial Vessels,
Disables 3, and Boards 2
Riyadh: Al-Arabiya.net/September 3, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Thursday evening that the US military
has diverted 87 commercial vessels, disabled 3, and boarded 2 since the
reimposition of the blockade on Iran last July until September 3. CENTCOM added
that US forces disabled 3 vessels and boarded 2 to ensure their compliance with
blockade procedures. CENTCOM stated that the US Navy continues to "strictly
enforce" the US blockade on Iran, at a time when the region is witnessing a
significant military escalation between Washington and Tehran. The United States
and Iran announced two ceasefire agreements, in April and June, aimed at
restoring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz as a step towards
ending the nearly six-month-long conflict, but both quickly collapsed. The
United States reinstated a blockade of Iranian ports and imposed restrictions on
the movement of its ships on July 13 after the collapse of an agreement to end
the war between them, in an effort to deprive Tehran of oil sales, which
represent the country's main source of hard currency.
Iran Media Says 6 Navy Personnel Killed in US Attacks
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 03/2026
Iran's Tasnim news agency on Thursday said six members of the Iranian army's
naval forces were killed by US attacks during renewed fighting this week. The
six died during a wave of US attacks on Tuesday, the report said, without
specifying where they were killed. During the criminal attacks carried out by
the US terrorist army two nights ago on September 1 on the south of the country,
six members of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Navy were martyred," it said,
AFP reported. At least 19 Iranians were killed on Tuesday and Wednesday,
official media have said, during extensive US bombardment across Iran. even
people were killed in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, and four members
of the Revolutionary Guard died in Kermanshah province, Iranian media said. hree
paramilitaries were killed on Lavan island in the Gulf and another died in Fars
province, they said. ranian officials and media also blamed the attacks for the
deaths of four people at a wedding party in Hormozgan province. t wasn't
immediately clear if the six naval personnel were among the seven already
reported dead in Khuzestan.
Contact with the outside world could become a crime: UN warns of
Iran's "anti-infiltration" bill... Prison sentences of up to 30 years
Al-Arabiya.net - Masoud Al-Fak / September 3, 2026 (Google translation
from Arabic)
UN experts on Thursday called on Iran to immediately abandon a draft law that
would criminalize any contact between Iranian citizens and foreign individuals
or entities, warning that the bill could lead to a serious tightening of
restrictions on fundamental freedoms and isolate Iranians from the international
community. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran said the
draft law, which is still being prepared and has not yet been finalized, raised
"grave concerns" for them, noting that its proposed provisions could impose
broad restrictions on communication and cooperation between Iranians and
individuals or entities inside and outside Iran. The draft law stipulates a ban
on activities and contacts with natural and legal persons, whether Iranian or
foreign, if such activities or contacts are deemed harmful to Iran's
independence, national unity, religious teachings, or national sovereignty. The
drafters of the bill say its aim is to protect Iran’s independence, territorial
integrity, national unity, and cultural identity. UN experts have warned that
contact with foreign countries, international media, educational institutions,
human rights defenders, and civil society organizations could subject
individuals to prosecution as serious security offenses. Under the proposed
legislation, journalists, academics, activists, and others could face prison
sentences of up to 30 years simply for communicating with foreign institutions
or entities. The fact-finding mission stated that the broad and vague language
of the bill could lead to Iranians being required to disclose and record all
forms of contact with citizens of other countries or foreign entities, including
scientific, cultural, and media collaborations.
The mission added that the scope of the bill could include publishing books and
research, exchanging information, academic and scientific cooperation, contact
with foreign media, participation in international conferences and training
courses, as well as certain artistic and cultural activities and commercial and
financial transactions. The head of the Independent International Fact-Finding
Mission on Iran, Sara Hussein, said the mission was "deeply shocked" by the
attempt to criminalize broad communication between Iranians and the outside
world, arguing that such an approach could impose unprecedented restrictions on
Iranians' ability to communicate and cooperate with the international community.
The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Mai Sato,
echoed the mission's position and also called for the bill's withdrawal. Sato
noted that Iran passed a law last year criminalizing certain forms of
communication with foreign media, the exchange of information, and the use of
satellite communication equipment, imposing harsh penalties that can, in some
cases, include the death penalty. She argued that the new bill takes the same
logic a step further by expanding the scope of restrictions on communication
with the outside world. Sato emphasized that communication between the Iranian
people and the outside world "should not be subject to censorship by
intelligence agencies." In contrast, Abbas Gholrou, head of the Iranian
parliament's Foreign Relations Committee, defended the bill, telling the Mehr
News Agency that its aim was to protect Iranian citizens from foreign
interference and that there was no cause for concern. He argued that the
criticism leveled against it stemmed from a lack of understanding of its content
and objectives. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran was
established in November 2022 to investigate human rights violations related to
the protests that erupted following the death of Mahsa Amini while in the
custody of the morality police. Its mandate was later extended and its scope
broadened to include serious human rights violations and crimes under
international law.
Life Sentence for “Barrel Bomb Mufti” in Syria
Damascus: Asharq Al-Awsat/September 3, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
The Syrian judiciary issued a life sentence in absentia on Monday against former
Grand Mufti of the Republic, Ahmed Badreddin Hassoun, after convicting him of
several crimes, including inciting sectarian strife and abusing his position
during the rule of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, in addition to inciting
violence and justifying murder. Hassoun, the tenth figure associated with the
former regime to be convicted by the Syrian judiciary under the transitional
authorities, held the position of Grand Mufti of the Republic for more than 16
years. He was known for his close ties to Assad and his frequent appearances
alongside him at religious events. Hassoun is known as the “Barrel Bomb Mufti”
because of his justifications and support for the brutal repression with which
the regime met the protests in 2011, including the regime’s use of barrel bombs
against areas of Syria. The session, held on Monday, was chaired by Judge Fakhr
al-Din al-Aryan, and was attended by a number of members of the National
Commission for Transitional Justice, and representatives of international legal
and humanitarian organizations. The first session of Hassoun's trial was held on
June 25, and he was charged with several offenses; The most prominent of these,
according to the official Syrian news agency SANA, is his exploitation of his
position as Grand Mufti of the Republic for his personal interests and the
establishment of extensive relationships outside the framework of the official
relationship with the head of the ousted regime, Bashar al-Assad, and with the
Director of the General Intelligence Directorate, Ali Mamlouk, senior army
officers, and leaders of the sectarian militias that were fighting in Syria,
urging elements and officers of the defunct regime’s army to support the regime
in confronting its opponents, and making media statements that included
incitement against civilians in the rebellious areas and refugees fleeing the
regime’s brutality, especially in eastern Aleppo and Idlib, as well as a request
from the regime’s army to destroy these areas, and public support, in his
official and symbolic capacity as Grand Mufti of the Republic, for officers and
figures involved in war crimes; Among them are Issam Zahreddine and Qassem
Soleimani, in addition to his support for the Russian and Iranian interventions
in Syria, despite the violations committed by those forces and militias against
the Syrians. Hassoun's trial comes as a continuation of the series of judicial
sessions held within the framework of transitional justice to hold accountable
those involved in committing crimes against the Syrian people during the era of
the ousted regime. The Fourth Criminal Court had ruled, last Tuesday, to execute
the defendant Wassim al-Assad and confiscate his movable and immovable assets,
after convicting him of crimes against humanity and war crimes. It also issued,
on August 11, a death sentence in absentia against the defendant Atef Najib, and
in absentia against Bashar al-Assad, Maher al-Assad and five other fugitives.
For their conviction on charges of murder, torture, deprivation of liberty,
crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
Syria begins destroying chemical weapons from the Assad era
New York: Asharq Al-Awsat/September 3, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
Syria informed the UN Security Council on Thursday that it had begun the process
of destroying chemical materials dating back to the era of ousted President
Bashar al-Assad. Damascus's UN representative, Ibrahim Alabi, said, "This is the
first destruction operation since our liberation from the previous regime." He
added, according to Agence France-Presse, "It is also the first of its kind to
destroy chemical materials on Syrian soil in more than a decade." He continued,
"Our goal is to protect the Syrian people so that these weapons do not fall into
the wrong hands," considering that Syria is also providing, through this,
"protection for the world and the region... Every site that is secured, and
every munition that is identified, removes the danger not only from Syria, but
from the entire world." In August 2013, the Syrian army was accused of using
chemical weapons in areas controlled by opposition factions, killing more than
1,400 people, according to US intelligence agencies and human rights
organizations. A UN report indicated compelling evidence of the use of sarin
gas. While the conflict was at its peak, the Syrian government under Assad
denied any involvement in such attacks but agreed to surrender its chemical
weapons arsenal to avoid US strikes. In 2021, the Hague-based Organization for
the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) took the unprecedented step of
stripping Syria of its voting rights after concluding that the Syrian air force
had used sarin and chlorine gas against civilians. However, the new authorities
in Damascus pledged to cooperate with the OPCW to destroy the chemical weapons
that the former president had long been accused of using during the conflict. In
July, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons announced that it
had reinstated Syria's full membership rights, citing a "fundamental change in
circumstances" since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in late 2014, and "concrete
measures" taken to dismantle the arsenal of prohibited materials.
US House Passes Bill to Crack Down on University Boycotts
of Israel
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 03/2026
The US House of Representatives passed legislation on Thursday to block federal
aid for universities that boycott Israel, the latest Republican-backed
pro-Israel measure amid growing Democratic criticism of the Israeli government
over the war in Gaza. The Republican-majority chamber voted 237-169 in favor of
the "Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act," which would have to pass the
Senate in order to become law. The war in Gaza has devastated much of the
Palestinian enclave since Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people during an
attack on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli tallies. Israeli attacks
since then have killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza
health ministry. The conflict sparked protests and calls for boycotts at many US
campuses. In response, Republican President Donald Trump targeted colleges and
universities with probes and federal funding suspension threats. The
administration and many Republicans in Congress allege that the protesters were
antisemitic and supported extremism. Protesters deny this, saying advocacy for
Palestinian rights and objections to the devastation in Gaza should not be
equated with antisemitism or support for extremism.
Thursday's House vote was mostly along party lines, with just two Republicans
voting nay and 33 Democrats voting in favor. S Representative Jerrold Nadler, a
New York Democrat, said in a statement before the vote that he opposed the
global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement but would vote no
because he supported Americans' right to free expression. It is the only way to
ensure speech I do agree with is equally protected," Nadler said. he BDS
movement seeks to isolate Israel over its treatment of Palestinians. The bill's
sponsors said it was not intended to hinder academic speech or debate, but to
prevent the targeting of Israel and Judaism."It simply says that if your
university takes federal taxpayer dollars, it can't discriminate against
academic partnerships or investments with one country," US Representative Josh
Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat, said in a speech urging support.
Syria Says Begun Destroying Assad-Era Chemical Weapon
Materials
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 03/2026
Syria has begun the process of destroying chemical weapon materials identified
by an international watchdog, the country's UN envoy said Thursday, signaling a
major step forward since the 2024 ouster of autocratic leader Bashar al-Assad.
"This is the very first destruction process since we have been liberated from
the previous regime," Ibrahim Olabi told the Security Council. "It's also the
first of its kind to destroy chemical materials on Syrian territory for over a
decade."In 2021, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
took the unprecedented step of stripping Syria of its voting rights after
finding its air force had used nerve agent sarin and chlorine gas on its own
people.But since Assad's overthrow, the new authorities in Damascus have vowed
to cooperate with the OPCW to destroy the chemical weapons the former president
was repeatedly accused of using during Syria's 13-year civil war. "We aim at
protecting the Syrian people so that such weapons will not fall into the wrong
hands," Olabi said Thursday. He added that his country was "also protecting the
world and the region through such work. Every site that is secured, every
ammunition that is identified, does not merely remove a danger to Syria, but the
entire world."
Houthis Escalate Attacks Across Taiz, Yemen’s Western Coast
Asharq Al-Awsat/September 03/2026
The Iran-backed Houthi group stepped up military operations on several fronts
west of Yemen’s Taiz governorate and along the Red Sea coast on Thursday.
Houthis fired more than 12 ballistic missiles at rural areas in Taiz and
Hodeidah governorates as fierce clashes erupted with government forces and the
National Resistance in Maqbanah, al-Kadha, al-Tuwair and Ghabari. Military
sources said the fighting began in the early hours of Thursday when the Houthis
launched a broad assault on government and National Resistance positions across
several sectors. The attack developed into direct clashes and artillery
exchanges that lasted for hours. The group fired hundreds of artillery and
mortar rounds during the assault and deployed drones in combat operations, the
sources said. The fighting spread to hills overlooking the al-Aqma area in Mawza
district, where brigades affiliated with the National Resistance are stationed.
The Houthis seized several positions during the opening hours of the attack
before government forces, fighters from Taiz and the National Resistance
launched a counterattack and recaptured a number of them, according to military
sources. The sources said the ballistic missiles had no effect on government
forces’ battlefield operations. Most of the Houthi missile strikes targeted
areas around vital facilities and civilian and military supply routes, causing
panic among residents. Government forces suffered deaths and injuries, while the
Houthis also sustained casualties, the sources said, without providing figures
for either side. Four Houthi fighters were reportedly captured. Reports from the
Joint Operations Room said air-defense systems and military formations on the
Red Sea coast were “maintaining a high level of vigilance in confronting these
repeated missile threats, which have become the group’s most prominent means of
trying to offset its successive battlefield losses.”The reports said the attacks
were also intended to send a message linked to regional developments around the
Red Sea shipping corridor and strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The missile
attacks coincided with an attempted infiltration and ground assault by Houthi
fighters against government positions in al-Kadha, west of Taiz.
Three drones downed
Government forces said they shot down three Houthi drones flying over
subdistricts in Jabal Habashi district as fighting continued on fronts west of
Taiz. Military sources said the drones were intercepted as the group continued
using unmanned aircraft to attack government and National Resistance positions.
Clashes persisted in several sectors as forces deployed reinforcements to combat
positions.The ground escalation coincided with a new wave of Houthi missile
strikes on the Red Sea coast. The group fired more than 12 ballistic missiles
toward several areas east and north of the city of Mokha, as well as areas in
Hodeidah’s Khokha district. Local sources said the missiles were launched from
Houthi-held positions in Ibb governorate and from al-Hawban and Sharab, east and
north of Taiz. One missile caused a fire on the northern outskirts of Mokha. The
National Resistance’s military media office said the Houthis fired eight
ballistic missiles toward rural areas around Mokha, while a ninth landed south
of Khokha district. Local sources said three more missiles were launched shortly
afterward.
Red Sea coast targeted
The missile strikes coincided with fighting on the Maqbanah and al-Kadha fronts
west of Taiz, while air defenses operated by the “Taiz Military Axis” responded
to drones launched by the group during the assault. The escalation came hours
after the Houthis targeted residential areas, the vicinity of camps for
displaced people and front-line positions in Taiz, where fighting has
intensified steadily since August. Government forces and the National Resistance
have continued to repel Houthi attacks across western Taiz and the Red Sea coast
as the group persists in using ballistic missiles, drones and artillery. The
simultaneous broad ground assault and missile strikes point to an expansion of
the Houthi escalation in the region, which has seen repeated attacks on military
positions and areas near residential communities and civilian facilities.
Government forces in Marib and al-Dhale governorates carried out strikes on
Wednesday targeting Houthi positions, gatherings and vehicles, and released
footage of the operations.
Palestinians Say Israeli Army Kills Two Teenagers in
West Bank
Asharq Al Awsat/September 03/2026
The Israeli army killed two teenagers in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday
night, the Palestinian health ministry said, while the army said it opened fire
during a "violent riot". Omar Mohammad Naji al-Nassan,
19, and Khalil Rasem Khalil Shahada, 16, were shot dead by the Israeli army in
the village of Al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah in the central West Bank, the
ministry said. Amin Abu Alia, the head of the Al-Mughayyir
village council, told AFP "Israeli settlers... tried to steal sheep from two
homes" in the village, and that following a confrontation, "the Israeli army
imposed a siege on the village before raiding its center".He said the Israeli
forces placed snipers inside buildings, who "opened live fire on residents who
tried to confront the settlers".The Israeli army meanwhile said it had "secured
the entrance" to the village "in order to facilitate the return of livestock
belonging to Israeli civilians that had been found in the area of the village".
"During the forces' activity in the area, a violent riot broke out, during which
terrorists hurled cinder blocks and stones at the forces," the army said.
"The forces responded by firing at key instigators in order to remove the
threat," it said, adding that the management of the incident was under review.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that the two teenagers were critically
wounded by live fire during clashes, Nassan in the neck and Shahada in the back,
and were transferred to two hospitals in Ramallah, where doctors pronounced them
dead. AFP footage filmed inside the Ramallah medical
center showed mourners gathering around one of the bodies shrouded in a
Palestinian flag. The mourners carried the remains outside the hospital and
chanted "with our souls and our blood, we will sacrifice ourselves for you,
martyr. We were created to live in freedom." The West Bank, occupied by Israel
since 1967, has seen a surge in violence since the outbreak of war in the Gaza
Strip following Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Attacks by settlers
on Palestinians have increased and become almost daily. At least 1,105
Palestinians, including a number of militants, have been killed by fire from
Israeli soldiers or settlers, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian
official figures.At least 48 Israelis, both civilians and security forces, have
been killed in the West Bank in attacks carried out by Palestinians or during
clashes with Israeli forces, according to Israeli official figures.
Israeli Minister Presents Plan to Remove Gaza Population
Asharq Al Awsat/September 03/2026
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir set out a plan on
Thursday to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and send them abroad.
Speaking in the run-up to close-fought Israeli elections, he said the plan aimed
to see the departure of 250,000 Palestinians from Gaza in the first year,
followed by the rest of the roughly two million residents over the following six
years. "It's realistic," said Ben Gvir, claiming that there were countries who
were "ready" to take in Gazans, without naming which ones.Forced displacement of
civilians in occupied territory is considered a war crime under the Geneva
Conventions.
The Latest LCCC analysis & editorials from
miscellaneous sources published
on September 03-04/2026
The Rule of the Machines
Tawfiq Alsaif/Asharq Al-Awsat/September 03/2026
In 2002, David Blunkett, the former British home secretary, proposed a bill
requiring citizens to carry a personal identity card bearing their names,
photographs, and home address. Britain is one of 11 countries that do not
require their citizens to carry identification inside the country. The minister
said at the time that the law was not only a security necessity, but was aimed
primarily at providing a reliable database for social and economic planning. The
bill provoked fierce controversy, and Parliament passed it in 2006 after
substantial amendments had been made to it. But opposition continued, until the
government backed down and decided to abolish it in 2010.The main reason for the
widespread opposition to that law was people's fear of the power that database
managers would have over the details of their lives. This debate took place when
the spread of the internet was still somewhat limited. There is no doubt that
this concern has become more credible in our own time. The companies that own
internet networks or operate social media platforms, as well as governments,
know in detail the lives of each of us: our friends, our health and living
conditions, our hobbies, the kind of clothes we buy, the countries we travel to,
the books we read, and dozens of other details that would never occur to you.
Hence the saying that the wars to come will be waged from behind screens rather
than aboard tanks and aircraft.
Some readers may recall the controversy sparked by the US government's decision
to ban the social media platform TikTok in 2020, after information emerged
alleging that a significant segment of US military personnel, government
employees, and their families were using an application operated by a Chinese
company, leaving the military exposed to Chinese intelligence. The US
government's concern about this application stems from its understanding of
social platforms' ability to penetrate the personal lives of their users and
those around them, even if they try to keep such information confidential.
At this point, some readers may have begun to wonder: are we talking about
Michel Foucault's (1926-1984) vision of the place of human beings in the modern
world?
In fact, I asked myself the same question after reading a statement last week by
former Microsoft president Bill Gates, warning of an imminent danger in the form
of uncontrolled artificial intelligence. Two points in his statement caught my
attention: his warning about children becoming completely absorbed in artificial
intelligence platforms and the data they provide, and the possibility of its
being used by untrustworthy, and perhaps criminal, parties to control others,
control their lives, or blackmail them.
Foucault's vision revolves around the relationship between knowledge and power,
and the effect that the kinds of knowledge an individual acquires through his
life experience have on his orientations and choices. He believes that the
dominant powers in today's world are not interested in punishment or the harsh
control of individuals. Rather, they exercise soft control, in which individuals
participate of their own free will, and some may even find it appealing, even
though it ultimately places their choices and wills in the hands of others. Did
Jean-Jacques Rousseau not express his astonishment at the human being of this
age who "walked on his own feet into the prison of the law"?
The dominant powers control individuals' lives through the meticulous
organization of society, an organization that determines each individual's place
within the social and economic order and instills in him enough knowledge to
make this placement comfortable and acceptable.
Contemporary man, according to this view, is merely a number in the vast records
stored in computer systems, not Zayd, Ahmad, or Abdullah. What do they care
about your name or your father's name? You are simply a consumer of certain
goods or a producer of others. What matters is what you do, not your existence
in itself. What matters is that you accept the place that has been designated as
suitable for you and see it as a blessing that should not be denied or replaced
by imagined alternatives. Does it not seem that we are living under the rule of
the machines, or something close to it?
The Sudanese Dialogue: When the Homeland Becomes the Compass
Osman Mirghani/Asharq Al-Awsat/September 03/2026
No two people differ over the fact that Sudan is living through a harsh ordeal
imposed by the war, its consequences, and the interventions in it, or that the
Sudanese citizen is paying the heaviest price today. Anyone walking the streets
of Khartoum's three cities sees the enormous scale of the destruction and feels
the severity of people's suffering- while feeling at the same time how firmly
they hold to the hope that the country will recover and regain its health.
Out of the heart of this suffering comes the initiative of the dialogue
preparatory committee: an initiative whose purpose is to prepare and facilitate
the Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue rather than monopolize it, and whose task is to
bring the parties together on the way to a comprehensive national consensus.
Since it began its work this week, the committee has affirmed its openness to
everyone, having obtained the guarantees required from the state to facilitate
the convening of the dialogue and to protect the participants and their safety.
In its statement and its public remarks, the committee stressed that it is not
imposing a ready-made agenda on those attending, but working to bridge the gap
between the parties through meetings and consultations, so as to arrive at an
agenda they agree upon. Nor does the committee carry predetermined outcomes to
dictate to anyone; the participants determine their own outcomes, by consensus.
And although the aim is specifically a dialogue convened inside Sudan, the state
will not be the body calling for it, nor the body that sets its agenda or its
outcomes. Its role is confined to providing the logistical support and the
legal, political, and security guarantees necessary for it to convene in a safe
environment. These guarantees have been given legal form through decrees
recorded in the official gazette, affording protection to those taking part in
the dialogue and to anyone wishing to express an opinion from outside its hall.
The dialogue that is needed is not merely a conference or a political meeting.
It is a national process resting on the genuine participation of the various
political, civil, and community components, and seeking consensus and the
gathering together of what has been scattered. Any regional or international
support should likewise assist the Sudanese dialogue rather than substitute for
Sudanese decision-making.
What is striking is the scale of the response to the initiative- from the
various forces, from the Sudanese street, and on social media, as well as the
regional and international interest. The African Union Commission's swift
welcome of the initiative, as a dialogue run from inside Sudan and by a
committee of its own people, has given this course an important push,
particularly with its affirmation of the principles of inclusiveness and of
Sudanese ownership and leadership.
But some voices have criticized this position, going so far as to hold that
supporting a dialogue in the country's capital amounts to supporting Sudan's
partition. Here it is legitimate to ask: how can supporting dialogue in
Khartoum, the country's capital, be an entry point to partitioning Sudan? Is
holding the dialogue in the capital of the state not an affirmation of its unity
and its sovereignty? And conversely, does keeping the capital out of this
course, even indirectly, not carry the risk of entrenching the reality of
parallel authorities and the notions of partition? The initiative, in essence,
seeks to gather Sudanese around a single table to raise their country's issues
and its troubles, beneath a ceiling of clear national fundamentals that protect
its sovereignty and its unity.
There are also those who say the dialogue cannot begin before the war stops, and
that there is no sense in sitting at a political table while the fighting
continues. But making a halt to the war a precondition may in practice mean
disabling the political track and leaving the country hostage to military
operations and to foreign interventions, while citizens' suffering worsens. It
is more useful to see the dialogue as one of the tracks that can help stop the
war than as an outcome to be waited for before any dialogue begins.
The war did not arise from nothing. It was preceded by disputes, wrangling, and
struggles of exclusion that paralyzed the transitional period and charged the
atmosphere, until the brandishing of war rose louder than the voice of reason.
Agreement among the political, civil, and community forces on a road map out of
the crisis, and on arrangements leading in the end to elections and civilian
rule, can therefore create the environment needed to end the war. And amid a
deep crisis of trust, the dialogue need not begin with the most contentious
issues. It can begin with what unites Sudanese, in order to build confidence,
and then move to the thornier files with deliberation and patience. The
consultations should also include women, young people, the displaced, refugees,
and Sudanese abroad, so as to reflect the reality of Sudanese diversity. The
deeper significance of the initiative is that the dialogue should take place in
the embrace of the homeland rather than in the hotels of foreign capitals, and
that Sudanese should hear one another amid their country's suffering rather than
from behind walls of distance. The longer the war lasts, the greater the need
for Sudanese to recover the reins of their own decision. Sudan does not need
political wrangling at this moment. It needs Sudanese sitting together to talk
about its future. If stopping the war is the urgent objective, then building
consensus is the road to it; and if what is required is that this be the last of
Sudan's wars, that must begin with a comprehensive Sudanese dialogue that
imposes no tutelage on anyone and places the interest of the homeland above the
interests of the disputants. Perhaps the most important step toward ending the
war is that Sudanese should find, at last, a table with room at its edges for
everyone.
Le Liban ou la mort clinique d’un État
Dr. Charles Chartouni/Ici Beyrouth/03 septembre
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/09/157171/
Les équivoques de l’État libanais croissent de manière exponentielle, les
hérésies constitutionnelles sont érigées en norme, la vie constitutionnelle a
perdu toute prégnance et son influence s'est évaporée. Les oligarques en
disposent afin de dissimuler leur mainmise. Ce rapport galvaudé aux institutions
a atteint des proportions qui les ont discréditées. La notion d’État de droit
est battue en brèche, la vie constitutionnelle a perdu sa consistance, et son
incidence sur les enjeux politiques a été réduite à néant.
La constitutionnalité de la vie politique n’est qu’un faux semblant dûment
instrumentalisé par la politique de domination chiite. Les institutions n’ont
d’autre rôle que d’entériner le jeu alterné des politiques de puissance et de
leurs simulations. Le caractère décharné de la vie institutionnelle nous renvoie
doublement à la mort du narratif hypothétiquement national, ainsi qu’à la
débilitation des institutions et de leurs instrumentalisations dans le cadre de
luttes meurtrières entre des ennemis en conflits ouverts. Les liens d'unité de
citoyenneté et de civilité ont été supplantés par des scénarios d'ensauvagement
et de guerre civile institutionnalisée. Le discours politique en milieu chiite
témoigne non pas d'une radicalisation mais plutôt de la mort de toute civilité
dans les rapports humains et politiques. Nous avons affaire à une violence
foncièrement anthropologique qui avance au ras d'un argumentaire politico-religieux.
La signature de l’accord-cadre entre les États libanais et israéliens aurait pu
constituer un tournant dans la vie des deux pays qui ont dû subir les
conséquences des extraterritorialités mutantes d’une république libanaise en
état de crise endémique. Ceci a valu au Liban des cycles de violence répétés sur
des décennies, ainsi que la destruction de son territoire, la transformation du
pays en terrain de conflits par procuration, et la désintégration emboîtée de
l'État et d’une société civile composite. Alors que les institutions étatiques
ont été reléguées au statut de simulacres institutionnels sans aucune emprise
sur les dynamiques d’érosion qui se sont étalées sur des décennies.
La marginalisation des institutions étatiques était corollaire à leur
destruction ainsi qu’à leur instrumentalisation par des acteurs qui s’inscrivent
sur un continuum où les politiques de subversion se succèdent de manière
ininterrompue et indifférenciée entre l’intérieur et l’extérieur. Les bornes
subverties ne sont que les deux faces d’une même réalité. Le pouvoir exécutif,
dont le discours inaugural du nouveau président élu après une vacance prolongée,
et celui du programme gouvernemental élaboré par une coalition large et
nominalement indépendante, a failli traduire des déclarations de principe en
politiques solidement articulées et mises en forme.
Mis à part les contradictions de fait qui prévalent au sein du gouvernement et
les articulations idéologiques et stratégiques qui en découlent. Ces
contradictions creusent davantage la crise institutionnelle et attestent la
réalité d'une décomposition en cours. La mort du méta-récit national et
l'effondrement des institutions font écho au coup d'État chiite qui avance sur
les décombres du pays et d'une démocratie libérale et consensuelle. Les
déclarations de principe du pouvoir exécutif servent en effet de couverture à
une colonisation de fait des institutions de l'État pratiquée par la politique
de domination chiite à double détente. Nous n'avons plus affaire aux mêmes
données anthropologiques qu'auparavant et il faudrait en prendre acte. Les deux
stratégies de subversion se font écho et rendent compte des dynamiques en cours.
D’où la faillite de la trêve négociée, le caractère mensonger des rapports
générés par le commandement de l’armée, et la nature fallacieuse de ses
manœuvres, suivis par la démarche indéfiniment dilatoire de l’accord-cadre qui
finira par être vidé de son contenu au train où vont les choses. Les pétitions
de principe et les vœux mensongers finiront par vider cette opportunité de sa
substance, comme c’est déjà le cas. La diplomatie libanaise est piégée par un
pouvoir politique timoré, complice, et dont l’ambiguïté laisse profiler la crise
pérenne de l’État. Or, la pratique galvaudée des faux semblants à l’œuvre sur la
scène domestique tourne à la catastrophe lorsqu’il s’agit de faire face à une
guerre régionale et à ses instrumentalisations.
La reconstruction du pays passe inévitablement par le rétablissement d’une
matrice juridique et le règne de la loi constitutionnelle. Les institutions ne
sont pas des accessoires dont on se sert au gré des intérêts changeants ou des
impératifs d’une politique de domination, comme il s’avère au travers d’une
relecture de la scène politique. Le concept d’État de droit est vide et se
rapporte aux turpitudes d’une vie politique scandée par des coups d’État et des
retournements causés par les rythmes saccadés des politiques de domination en
alternance.
L’instrumentalisation de la justice, la prévalence de l’arbitraire politique, la
vénalité de l’administration publique et la clientélisation des droits sont les
indicateurs de la mort clinique. Le Liban est désormais une fiction juridique,
comme ne cessent de le prouver la mort effective de sa souveraineté et la
transformation de ses territoires en théâtres opérationnels pour des querelles
de puissance ou de criminalisation de la vie politique. L’inconsistance de notre
politique étrangère est le revers de notre inconsistance étatique, comme
l’exprime si bien l’adage diplomatique français “on a la politique extérieure de
sa politique intérieure”. L’ébruitement de la vie politique, ainsi que la
diplomatie des voyages improvisés et le positionnement à travers les axes
mutants d’une région en pleine convulsion, sont symptomatiques d’une entropie
qui ne cesse de gagner du terrain et d’une absence de repères.
Les manœuvres dilatoires ne peuvent pas se prolonger indéfiniment si l’on veut
une solution concrète à des enjeux réels. La non-finalisation de l’accord-cadre
finira par sceller la désagrégation du pays. En réalité, le Hezbollah et la
politique de domination chiite dans ses multiples composantes ne sont que les
métonymies d’une politique de subversion iranienne à l’œuvre. La tentative
ultime de sauvetage tentée par la politique de puissance iranienne finira par
tourner court dès lors que l’enrayage de la dynamique de contrôle impériale est
désormais irréversible, quelles que soient les conjectures.
La “ruse de la raison” (List der Vernunft) suggère que cette lame de fond se
réinventera à travers les trappes d’une malédiction, où un impérialisme en cache
un autre, et une dictature en dissimule une autre. L’ensauvagement des relations
entre des soi-disant États de la région se rapporte aux rapports de force
mutants, à la fragilité des États et à la violence originaire à laquelle se
rattache la notion politique dans cette partie du monde. La matrice islamique
n’est là que pour fournir des étayages scripturaux à une violence ontologique.
Le malheur est celui de confier à la diplomatie la tâche ingrate de résoudre la
question de l’impossibilité d’État dans notre pays. Il s'agit également de la
violence originaire à partir de laquelle se définit la trame du politique dans
cette région du monde. Les rivalités interislamiques réémergent et les
repositionnements sur les nouveaux échiquiers stratégiques sont en plein
mouvement et se traduiront par des modifications au sein de la scène politique
libanaise.
https://icibeyrouth.com/articles/1341885/le-liban-ou-la-mort-clinique-dun-etat
Lebanon or the Clinical Death of a State
Dr. Charles Chartouni/Ici Beyrouth/September 03/ 2026
(Translation from French by ChatGPT)
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/09/157171/
The ambiguities surrounding the Lebanese state are growing exponentially,
constitutional heresies have been elevated to the status of norms, and
constitutional life has lost all substance and influence. Oligarchs have
exploited this situation to conceal their grip on power. This distorted
relationship with institutions has reached proportions that have discredited
them. The concept of the rule of law is being undermined, constitutional life
has lost its consistency, and its impact on political affairs has been reduced
to nothing.
The constitutional character of political life is nothing more than a façade
that has been fully instrumentalized by the policy of Shiite domination.
Institutions serve no purpose other than endorsing the alternating play of power
politics and their simulations. The hollowed-out nature of institutional life
reflects both the death of the supposedly national narrative and the weakening
of institutions, which have been manipulated within the framework of deadly
struggles between enemies engaged in open conflict. The bonds of citizenship,
civility, and unity have been replaced by scenarios of brutality and
institutionalized civil war. Political discourse within the Shiite community
does not merely reflect radicalization; rather, it reveals the death of all
civility in human and political relations. We are confronted with a
fundamentally anthropological violence advancing beneath a politico-religious
argument.
The signing of the framework agreement between the Lebanese and Israeli states
could have marked a turning point in the lives of two countries that have long
suffered the consequences of the shifting extraterritorial dynamics of a
Lebanese Republic trapped in chronic crisis. This has subjected Lebanon to
repeated cycles of violence over decades, the destruction of its territory, its
transformation into a battlefield for proxy wars, and the intertwined
disintegration of both the state and a diverse civil society. Meanwhile, state
institutions have been reduced to mere institutional simulacra, devoid of any
influence over the erosion that has unfolded for decades.
The marginalization of state institutions has gone hand in hand with their
destruction and instrumentalization by actors operating within a continuum of
subversive policies that move seamlessly between domestic and external spheres.
The subverted boundaries are merely two sides of the same reality. The executive
authority—whose inaugural speech by the newly elected president after a
prolonged vacancy, along with the governmental program developed by a broad and
nominally independent coalition, appeared capable of translating declarations of
principle into coherent and structured policies—ultimately failed to do so.
Apart from the factual contradictions prevailing within the government and the
ideological and strategic implications that flow from them, these contradictions
deepen the institutional crisis and confirm the reality of ongoing
disintegration. The death of the national meta-narrative and the collapse of
institutions echo the Shiite coup advancing over the ruins of the country and of
a liberal, consensual democracy. The executive branch’s declarations of
principle effectively serve as a cover for the de facto colonization of state
institutions by a two-tiered policy of Shiite domination. We are no longer
dealing with the same anthropological realities as before, and this must be
acknowledged. The two strategies of subversion mirror one another and explain
the dynamics currently unfolding.
Hence the failure of the negotiated truce, the misleading nature of reports
generated by the army command, the deceptive character of its maneuvers, and the
endlessly dilatory approach surrounding the framework agreement, which risks
being emptied of its substance if current trends continue. Declarations of
intent and deceptive wishes will strip this opportunity of its essence, as is
already happening. Lebanese diplomacy is trapped by a political authority that
is timid, complicit, and whose ambiguity points to the persistence of the
state’s chronic crisis. The practice of political make-believe that prevails
domestically turns into a catastrophe when confronted with a regional war and
its various manipulations.
The reconstruction of the country inevitably requires the restoration of a legal
framework and the supremacy of constitutional law. Institutions are not
accessories to be used according to shifting interests or the requirements of
domination, as a reading of the political scene clearly demonstrates. The
concept of the rule of law has become empty, associated with the excesses of a
political life punctuated by coups and reversals driven by alternating cycles of
domination.
The instrumentalization of justice, the prevalence of political arbitrariness,
the corruption of public administration, and the clientelization of rights are
all indicators of clinical death. Lebanon has become a legal fiction, as
demonstrated by the effective death of its sovereignty and the transformation of
its territories into operational theaters for power struggles and the
criminalization of political life. The inconsistency of our foreign policy is
merely the reflection of our state’s inconsistency, as expressed in the French
diplomatic adage: “A country’s foreign policy reflects its domestic policy.” The
noise and confusion of political life, the diplomacy of improvised travel, and
positioning through shifting regional axes are all symptoms of growing entropy
and the absence of clear direction.
Delaying tactics cannot continue indefinitely if concrete solutions are to be
found for real issues. The failure to finalize the framework agreement will
ultimately seal the country’s disintegration. In reality, Hezbollah and the
policy of Shiite domination in its various forms are merely manifestations of an
ongoing Iranian policy of subversion. The final rescue attempt undertaken by
Iranian power politics will ultimately fail, because the process of halting its
imperial dynamic has become irreversible, regardless of circumstances.
The “cunning of reason” (List der Vernunft) suggests that this powerful
undercurrent will reinvent itself through the traps of a curse in which one
imperialism conceals another, and one dictatorship hides another. The
brutalization of relations among the region’s so-called states is linked to
shifting balances of power, the fragility of states, and the primordial violence
that underlies politics in this part of the world. The Islamic matrix merely
provides scriptural support for an ontological violence.
The tragedy lies in entrusting diplomacy with the thankless task of resolving
the problem of state impossibility in our country. It also stems from the
primordial violence that defines the very fabric of politics in this region of
the world. Inter-Islamic rivalries are reemerging, and repositioning on new
strategic chessboards is underway, developments that will inevitably reshape the
Lebanese political scene.
Hamas Has No Intention of Disarming — So Why Is the US
Still Negotiating?
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/September 03/2026
Hamas official Osama Hamdan recently said, "No one said that we will hand over
our weapons." According to Hamdan, the word "hand over" was never part of the
agreement his terrorist group reached with the mediators. Instead, Hamdan said,
the agreed framework calls for the "containment and storage" of Hamas's heavy
weapons. He added that this would be carried out by the Palestinian Committee
for the Administration of Gaza and the Palestinian "resistance factions."
Hamas... is talking about keeping its weapons.
When [senior Hamas official Ghazi] Hamad's interviewer asked him, "Does that
mean the annihilation of Israel?," Hamad responded, "Yes, of course."
Hamas cannot have it both ways. It cannot demand an end to Israel's military
presence in Gaza while simultaneously insisting on retaining the weapons that it
has used — and clearly plans to use again — to attack Israel. The victims of
Hamas's weapons have a say in the matter too. The question is not who gets to
decide what happens to Hamas's weapons. The question is why Hamas should be
allowed to keep them at all.
Hamas is essentially saying: First give us political power and remove Israelis
forces from the Gaza Strip. Afterward, we may discuss what happens to our
weapons.
Hamas's laying down its weapons and relinquishing its political and military
control over the Gaza Strip must be unconditional. Hamas is a terrorist
organization that launched the October 7, 2023 invasion and massacre. It is not
a sovereign state entitled to negotiate the terms of its own disarmament.
Trump's 20-Point Gaza Peace Plan calls for the "demilitarization" of the Gaza
Strip and the "decommissioning" of weapons. Point 13 states:
"Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza,
directly, indirectly, or in any form. All military, terror, and offensive
infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be
destroyed and not rebuilt. There will be a process of demilitarization of Gaza
under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing
weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning, and
supported by an internationally funded buy back and reintegration program all
verified by the independent monitors."
Yet somehow, nearly three years after October 7, the discussion has apparently
moved from demilitarization and decommissioning to "containment" and "storage."
Who will guarantee that Hamas terrorists will not simply take them out of
storage when they decide that the time has come to resume their jihad (holy war)
against Israel?
Would the new Palestinian Committee for the Administration of Gaza really be
capable of preventing Hamas and other terrorist groups from accessing these
weapons? Would foreign troops... be expected to stand guard over weapons
belonging to terrorist organizations and prevent them from storming the
warehouses?
Was al-Qaeda ever asked to "contain" its weapons? Was ISIS ever asked to "store"
its weapons? Terrorist organizations are supposed to be disarmed. Their weapons
are supposed to be confiscated and destroyed. There is no legitimate reason for
Hamas or any other Palestinian terrorist faction to possess weapons either in
the Gaza Strip or in any other territory. Palestinians do not need rockets,
explosive drones and anti-tank missiles to build a better future. They need
economic development and accountable institutions.
Why are the United States and other mediators talking to Hamas about elections
when the organization has not even agreed to genuine disarmament?
Time is on Hamas's side, or so its leaders might calculate. US presidents come
and go. Administrations change. International attention shifts. Why surrender
weapons today if Hamas can simply wait and see who occupies the White House
tomorrow?
Allowing Hamas-affiliated candidates to participate in Palestinian elections
while it retains its weapons would create the absurd situation of a terrorist
organization being permitted to transform its military power into political
power — a perfect recipe for legitimizing Hamas.
So why is Washington still negotiating the terms? Striking deals with Islamist
terrorist organizations is not a substitute for enforcing their disarmament.
Agreements that allow terrorists to keep their weapons are not worth the paper
on which they are written.
Hamas must be eliminated as a political and military entity. Its weapons must be
confiscated or destroyed, not "stored", "contained," or hidden. Until that
happens, Hamas remains armed, Iran remains influential, and the threat of
another October 7 massacre — or more — remains in the works. Hamas official
Osama Hamdan said, "No one said that we will hand over our weapons." According
to Hamdan, the word "hand over" was never part of the agreement his terrorist
group reached with the mediators. Instead, Hamdan said, the agreed framework
calls for the "containment and storage" of Hamas's heavy weapons. Hamas's laying
down its weapons and relinquishing its political and military control over the
Gaza Strip must be unconditional. Hamas is a terrorist organization that
launched the October 7, 2023 invasion and massacre. It is not a sovereign state
entitled to negotiate the terms of its own disarmament. Hamas, like its
long-time benefactor Iran, has once again made its position unmistakably clear:
It has no intention of surrendering its weapons, abandoning its armed
"resistance" against Israel, or relinquishing control over the Gaza Strip.
If anyone in Washington or elsewhere still believes that Hamas has agreed to
disarm under the Gaza peace plan presented by US President Donald J. Trump and
his Board of Peace, they should listen carefully to what Hamas officials
themselves are saying.
Two recent interviews with senior Hamas officials leave little room for doubt.
Hamas official Osama Hamdan said, "No one said that we will hand over our
weapons." According to Hamdan, the word "hand over" was never part of the
agreement his terrorist group reached with the mediators. Instead, Hamdan said,
the agreed framework calls for the "containment and storage" of Hamas's heavy
weapons. He added that this would be carried out by the Palestinian Committee
for the Administration of Gaza and the Palestinian "resistance factions."
Most revealingly, Hamdan declared: "Not a single bullet will leave the Gaza
Strip according to this agreement [with the Board of Peace representatives]." He
also insisted that no weapons would be handed over to a non-Palestinian party
and that "the weapons will remain in the hands of the Palestinians."
Hamas is not talking about disarmament. It is talking about keeping its weapons.
This discussion is not actually about semantics. It goes to the heart of whether
Hamas is prepared to abandon terrorism and, in particular, its decades-old goal
of destroying Israel.
Hamas's position was reinforced by Khaled Qaddoumi, the terrorist organization's
representative in Iran. In an interview published by Iran's Islamic Republic
News Agency, Qaddoumi made clear that Hamas regards weapons as essential to its
struggle against Israel. He rejected the idea that the question of weapons
should even be discussed before Israel's military presence in the Gaza Strip
ends. "The question of weapons, whether heavy or light, has nothing to do with
Israel," Qaddoumi said. "Only the Palestinians will decide on it."
Qaddoumi's claim that the weapons "have nothing to do with Israel" is
particularly revealing. Hamas's weapons are not being stockpiled to fight
Canada, Australia, or some other distant country. They are weapons that Hamas
has used, and openly intends to use, against Israel. As senior Hamas official
Ghazi Hamad vowed soon after the group's October 7, 2023 invasion of Israel:
"The Al-Aqsa Flood [Palestinian name for the October 7 attack] is just the first
time And there will be a second, third and fourth. We must teach Israel a lesson
and we will do this again and again..."
When Hamad's interviewer asked him, "Does that mean the annihilation of
Israel?," Hamad responded, "Yes, of course."
Rockets, anti-tank missiles, explosives, and firearms are not abstract
"Palestinian internal matters." They are the very weapons with which Hamas has
attacked Israeli civilians and soldiers. Qaddoumi's formulation is also a
reminder of the fundamental problem with the current approach to Hamas. The
terrorist group wants the international community to recognize its political
claims while treating its military arsenal as an internal Palestinian issue.
Hamas cannot have it both ways. It cannot demand an end to Israel's military
presence in Gaza while simultaneously insisting on retaining the weapons that it
has used — and clearly plans to use again — to attack Israel. The victims of
Hamas's weapons have a say in the matter too. The question is not who gets to
decide what happens to Hamas's weapons. The question is why Hamas should be
allowed to keep them at all.
Qaddoumi argued that a Palestinian political framework and a new Palestinian
government must first be established. Only afterward, he said, could
Palestinians decide whether their weapons should be collected. This is exactly
the opposite of disarmament. Hamas is essentially saying: First give us
political power and remove Israelis forces from the Gaza Strip. Afterward, we
may discuss what happens to our weapons.
Why should the surrender of weapons be conditional on anything?
Hamas's laying down its weapons and relinquishing its political and military
control over the Gaza Strip must be unconditional. Hamas is a terrorist
organization that launched the October 7, 2023 invasion and massacre. It is not
a sovereign state entitled to negotiate the terms of its own disarmament.
Trump's 20-Point Gaza Peace Plan calls for the "demilitarization" of the Gaza
Strip and the "decommissioning" of weapons. Point 13 states:
"Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza,
directly, indirectly, or in any form. All military, terror, and offensive
infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be
destroyed and not rebuilt. There will be a process of demilitarization of Gaza
under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing
weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning, and
supported by an internationally funded buy back and reintegration program all
verified by the independent monitors."
Yet somehow, nearly three years after October 7, the discussion has apparently
moved from demilitarization and decommissioning to "containment" and "storage."
Can someone on the Board of Peace explain what "containment" means? Does it mean
Hamas will hide its weapons in closets or under terrorists' beds? Does it mean
the weapons can be displayed in public only after dark?
Also, what exactly does "storage" mean? "Storage" for what purpose? Are Hamas's
weapons being stored so they can be used at some future date to murder more
Israelis and launch more October 7-style massacres?
Where should these weapons be stored? In warehouses? In tunnels? In facilities
controlled by the new Palestinian administration? Who will guarantee that Hamas
terrorists will not simply take them out of storage when they decide that the
time has come to resume their jihad (holy war) against Israel? Would the new
Palestinian Committee for the Administration of Gaza really be capable of
preventing Hamas and other terrorist groups from accessing these weapons? Would
foreign troops, whether from Uganda, Morocco, or elsewhere, be expected to stand
guard over weapons belonging to terrorist organizations and prevent them from
storming the warehouses?
The entire concept is difficult to take seriously. Was al-Qaeda ever asked to
"contain" its weapons? Was ISIS ever asked to "store" its weapons? Terrorist
organizations are supposed to be disarmed. Their weapons are supposed to be
confiscated and destroyed. There is no legitimate reason for Hamas or any other
Palestinian terrorist faction to possess weapons either in the Gaza Strip or in
any other territory.
Palestinians do not need rockets, explosive drones and anti-tank missiles to
build a better future. They need economic development and accountable
institutions.
Weapons have brought catastrophe after catastrophe to Palestinians and the Arab
world. They helped turn Jordan and Lebanon into battlefields and rubble. Heavily
armed Palestinian factions confronted the Jordanian army, culminating in the
1970-71 "Black September" conflict, prompting King Hussein's forces to reassert
their authority over the Jordanian state. In Lebanon, Palestinian organizations
ignited the country's descent into civil war in 1975, while subsequently
becoming deeply intertwined with Lebanon's government, its internal conflicts
and its confrontation with Israel. The Gaza Strip should not be given another
opportunity to repeat this history. Hamas's statements also expose another
important problem: the group's strategic relationship with the Iranian regime.
Qaddoumi openly portrayed Iran and Hamas as sharing a common enemy and a common
destiny. "Today, we in Palestine and Iran have much in common, and we have come
to understand that we have the same enemy," he said. He went on to praise Iran's
regime for providing "strong strategic support" to Palestinian "resistance
movements."
Hamas has long been part of Iran's regional network of armed groups. Qaddoumi's
comments are a reminder that the issue of Hamas's weapons cannot be separated
from Iran's strategy of using armed proxies to wage war against Israel and the
United States.
The Iranian regime has perfected the strategy of buying time, delaying,
negotiating, and exploiting diplomatic processes while preserving its military
capabilities and those of its proxies. Hamas appears to be following the same
playbook.
Hamas, like its benefactors in Iran, may well believe that its best strategy is
to drag out negotiations for as long as possible, at least until Trump is no
longer president and someone more accommodating might take his place. Time is on
Hamas's side, or so its leaders might calculate. US presidents come and go.
Administrations change. International attention shifts. Why surrender weapons
today if Hamas can simply wait and see who occupies the White House tomorrow?
This strategy may also explain why Hamas is so interested in the Palestinian
parliamentary elections, scheduled for November 28, 2026. Why are the United
States and other mediators talking to Hamas about elections when the
organization has not even agreed to genuine disarmament?
Allowing Hamas-affiliated candidates to participate in Palestinian elections
while it retains its weapons would create the absurd situation of a terrorist
organization being permitted to transform its military power into political
power — a perfect recipe for legitimizing Hamas.
The United States and its allies should not allow themselves to be trapped by
Hamas's terminology.
Hamdan's declaration that "not a single bullet" will leave the Gaza Strip should
be enough to settle the matter. Hamas is telling the world exactly what it
intends to do: keep its weapons. Qaddoumi is saying essentially the same thing
while openly celebrating Hamas's strategic alliance with Iran.
So why is Washington still negotiating the terms? Striking deals with Islamist
terrorist organizations is not a substitute for enforcing their disarmament.
Agreements that allow terrorists to keep their weapons are not worth the paper
on which they are written.
There is only one viable solution for the Gaza Strip: Hamas must be eliminated
as a political and military entity. Its weapons must be confiscated or
destroyed, not "stored", "contained," or hidden. Until that happens, Hamas
remains armed, Iran remains influential, and the threat of another October 7
massacre — or more — remains in the works.
*Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
*Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.
Nothing Spontaneous About Anti-Israel Protests
Robert Williams/Gatestone Institute/September 03/2026
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22819/anti-israel-protests
"Today's anti-Western influence networks are global, coordinated, top-down,
well-funded and sanitised. Viewed graphically, they resemble a series of
concentric circles. At their centre sit hostile state actors (Iran, China,
Russia, Qatar), terrorist organisations (Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Qaeda), and
extremist religious-political movements (Muslim Brotherhood). Around them
operate charities, campaign groups, protest movements and advocacy organisations
that can provide legitimacy, amplify propaganda and serve as vectors of
transmission for extremist agendas to society more broadly. Some of these groups
are directly funded by hostile actors, or in turn, divert publicly raised
donations back to them." — From the NGO Monitor report "Imported Influence,"
July 8, 2026.
In the UK, the same six organizations – Stop the War Coalition, Friends of Al-Aqsa,
the Muslim Association of Britain, the Palestinian Forum in Britain, the
Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament – were
involved in 32 out of the 40 protests mapped by NGO Monitor.
"Many of these groups are overtly linked to Hamas and other terrorist actors. It
is time to see these demonstrations as a significant destabilizing threat and
for governments to investigate these networks." — Anne Herzberg, legal advisor
to NGO Monitor, speaking at the UK House of Lords, July 8, 2026.
"[T]he response too often appears to be more security funding, barriers and
police protection, rather than addressing the root causes of this hate and
violence." — From the NGO Monitor report "Imported Influence," July 8, 2026.
Why is the British government arresting more than 30 British citizens on average
each day, including mothers and pensioners, for mostly harmless social media
posts, while activists with links to terrorist groups working against those very
societies are left free to unleash their worst?
Since the beginning of the pro-Hamas protests, which began as their October 7,
2023 atrocities in Israel were still unfolding, the media has been driving the
notion that these are spontaneous, grassroots protests. According to a new
explosive report by the acclaimed international organization NGO Monitor: Dream
on. Since the beginning of the pro-Hamas protests, which began as their October
7, 2023 atrocities in Israel were still unfolding, the media has been driving
the notion that these are spontaneous, grassroots protests. According to a new
explosive report by the acclaimed international organization NGO Monitor: Dream
on. "As thousands of Hamas invaders murdered, raped and kidnapped men, women and
children across southern Israel on 7 October 2023, mass anti-Israel
demonstrations began appearing on the streets of London, New York and other
Western cities. Despite their being thousands of miles apart and spread across
the globe, marchers carried the same professionally printed signs and shouted
the same slogans and chants....
"The protests have been widely portrayed in the media as grassroots and
spontaneous. In reality, they are professionally organised and are part of a
well-funded, coordinated global advocacy network."
Much of the world nevertheless bought into this highly orchestrated show. Who is
behind it? A dizzying number of actors, all invested in fatally destabilizing
the West, destroying Israel and denigrating Jews. According to NGO Monitor:
"Today's anti-Western influence networks are global, coordinated, top-down,
well-funded and sanitised. Viewed graphically, they resemble a series of
concentric circles. At their centre sit hostile state actors (Iran, China,
Russia, Qatar), terrorist organisations (Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Qaeda), and
extremist religious-political movements (Muslim Brotherhood). Around them
operate charities, campaign groups, protest movements and advocacy organisations
that can provide legitimacy, amplify propaganda and serve as vectors of
transmission for extremist agendas to society more broadly. Some of these groups
are directly funded by hostile actors, or in turn, divert publicly raised
donations back to them."
In its investigative report, NGO Monitor focuses on how this industry of
organized hatred operates in the UK "mapping... 40 major anti-Israel protests...
and campaigns in the United Kingdom between October 2023 and May 2026, and the
organisations and individuals identified as recurring actors within protest
coordination, advocacy, funding and related activity."
So, what did NGO Monitor find?
"Those responsible for the UK demonstrations are a core group of professionally
organised NGOs, some even household names in the UK, which are part of a
sophisticated, internationally connected and funded ecosystem. This ecosystem,
while self-proclaiming the noble aims of peace, human rights and
humanitarianism, also launders extremist narratives into UK mainstream politics,
media, academia and public life."
In the UK, the same six organizations – Stop the War Coalition, Friends of Al-Aqsa,
the Muslim Association of Britain, the Palestinian Forum in Britain, the
Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament – were
involved in 32 out of the 40 protests mapped by NGO Monitor.
At least four of those organizations – the Muslim Association of Britain, the
Palestinian Forum for Britain, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and the
Friends of al-Aqsa (FOA) – have links to Hamas or the Muslim Brotherhood, a fact
that has been known since at least October 2023.
"Members of the FOA leadership have longstanding overlap with figures associated
with Muslim Brotherhood-linked networks in the UK. FOA founder Ismail Patel has
participated in events alongside Muslim Brotherhood-linked figures and has been
pictured with Ismail Haniyeh, the late political leader of Hamas.... In 2009,
Patel delivered a speech in which he rejected the designation of Hamas as a
terrorist organisation..."
Supporting Hamas, a proscribed terrorist organization in the UK, could lead to
up to 14 years in prison. It's been three years of pro-Hamas agitation, and yet
those protests continue to be allowed. So much for equality before the law.
Several other British organizations and institutions are heavily involved in the
protest ecosystem, among them: Amnesty International, Palestinian Youth
Movement, Islamic Human Rights Commission, CAGE International, Oxfam GB,
University College London, Students for Justice in Palestine, Islamic Relief,
CODEPINK, and Doctors Without Borders:
"Many receive foreign funding, and some solicit financial support via
cryptocurrency. Several are directly involved in targeting youth to groom them
in anti-Israel activism. Some have connections to extremist actors or proscribed
terrorist organisations, and are involved in violence in the UK."
Palestinian Youth Movement Britain (PYM) -- to mention one example -- is an
offshoot of its main organization which primarily operates in the US and Canada,
where it has "established a significant professional activist and campus-based
infrastructure."
"PYM has 'close ties with the Popular Front [for the Liberation of Palestine]
and its affiliates, as well as with the SJP [Students for Justice in Palestine]
organisation linked to Hamas'. In 2019, a French court decision citing
intelligence reporting similarly described PYM as 'affiliated with' the PFLP'..."
Amnesty International -- another example -- "has played an increasingly active
role in protests, activist capacity-building and legal initiatives targeting UK
government policy toward Israel," notes NGO Monitor, adding that Amnesty has
been brainwashing 16–24-year-olds, effectively training them, since 2019, to
become radical activists:
"It is a 'fully funded training course for 16- to 24-year-olds, which helps
young people develop their campaigning skills .... [regarding] the Occupied
Palestinian Territory [the programme] trained hundreds of young people in
protest rights, media engagement and campaign strategy'. In reporting to the
Charity Commission, Amnesty stated that Rise Up 'supported activists who were
disciplined by their universities for legitimate campaigning. This included
connecting some students who had been arrested with legal support.'"
In 2024, Amnesty boasted about the "impact" of its Rise Up campaigns:
"Our student-led campaigns secured major wins: Queen's University Belfast has
agreed to divest from companies operating in the illegal Israeli settlements,
and several student unions have committed to stock Palestinian produce in their
stores. Following our intervention, two universities have also dropped
disciplinary action against student activists."
"The anti-Israel protests that exploded across the Western world on October 7
are presented as grassroots appeals for Palestinian human rights," said NGO
Monitor's legal advisor, Anne Herzberg, to Britain's House of Lords.
"In reality, and as our new report documents, they are organized by a globally
connected and financed network of NGOs aimed at promoting IRGC propaganda,
Islamist and anti-Western narratives, and Israel eliminationism. Many of these
groups are overtly linked to Hamas and other terrorist actors. It is time to see
these demonstrations as a significant destabilizing threat and for governments
to investigate these networks."
For the past nearly three years, Jews everywhere have borne the brunt of the
deep polarization and violence brought by these protests celebrating Hamas.
The NGO Monitor report concluded:
"As the protests and associated campaigns continue, and society becomes more
polarised, British Jews are facing rising intimidation, exclusion, threats,
stabbings, shootings and arson attacks. Communities live with fear, while the
response too often appears to be more security funding, barriers and police
protection, rather than addressing the root causes of this hate and
violence."The exceptional report, however, leaves the reader with more troubling
questions than it answers: Why has such organized, unbridled hatred of one
minority group – Jews – and the world's only Jewish state been allowed to fester
and wreak its destabilizing and polarizing damage on Western societies? Why are
governments across the West, whose intelligence services cannot possibly plead
ignorance about what and who are behind these protests, not protecting their
citizens instead of letting these criminal elements import anarchy? Why is the
British government arresting more than 30 British citizens on average each day,
including mothers and pensioners, for mostly harmless social media posts, while
activists with links to terrorist groups working against those very societies
are left free to unleash their worst? What interests, in short, are British
authorities pursuing when they continue to allow, for years, an international
cohort of terror supporters to operate freely on British soil?
**Robert Williams is based in the United States.
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.
He Will Not Give Up
Ahmed Charai/Gatestone Institute/September 3, 2026
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22834/he-will-not-give-up
[Jared Kushner] then... told me something simple: he would not give up.
There was no drama in the words. They were an expression of conviction—the
promise of a man who believes that the next generation deserves a different
future.
For him, a method has value only if it produces results—if it brings people
closer to peace, dignity and a better life. This is why World Herald Tribune
chose to present Jared Kushner with the Abraham Shield Award 2026.
He did not invent the connection between commerce and peace. His innovation was
to place economic cooperation, human exchange and shared prosperity at the
center of the diplomatic architecture—not to postpone them until after a final
political settlement.
He understood that trade is not merely the movement of goods and capital.... A
contract requires reliability. Investment requires confidence in a shared
future. A joint enterprise turns a distant stranger into a partner whose success
becomes connected to one's own.
Over time, these relationships move beyond companies. They reach communities,
universities, families and future generations.
At first, this approach...was dismissed as "transactional," as though
transactions were inherently unworthy. But there is dignity in two people freely
choosing to build something together. There is moral value in creating
opportunity where ideology has produced only sacrifice....— not only among
diplomats, but among entrepreneurs, students, families and young people who can
experience its benefits directly.
The world has changed since 2017, and so has our understanding of peace. We now
see more clearly that peace cannot survive on signatures alone....It must
improve lives. It must give people a personal stake in one another's stability
and success.
The responsibility now belongs to the leaders of the region.
They must decide whether they will remain captive to slogans that have failed
their people or choose security, dignity and prosperity.
He will not give up. Neither should we.
In Jared Kushner's vision, peace would not remain an agreement signed by
governments and protected by protocol. It would become a lived relationship
sustained by flights, investment, technology, tourism, education and personal
encounters. Pictured: US President Donald Trump listens to Kushner speak during
the inaugural meeting of the "Board of Peace" in Washington, DC, on February 19,
2026. (Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
I went to present Jared Kushner with the Abraham Shield Award 2026 because of
what he had achieved. I left thinking even more deeply about who he is.
We spoke for nearly an hour. There was no ceremony in his manner, no distance
and none of the self-importance that so often accompanies power. He was relaxed,
warm and remarkably down-to-earth.
He asked questions—not the questions of someone waiting for his turn to speak,
but those of a man genuinely seeking to learn. He listened carefully. He tested
ideas. He wanted to understand.
What struck me most was his humility.
Here was a man who had sat with presidents, kings and prime ministers; who had
been entrusted with one of the most intractable conflicts of modern history; and
whose work had helped alter the political landscape of the Middle East. Yet he
carried none of the weight of his résumé. He seemed far more interested in the
work still ahead than in the credit already earned. Then he told me something
simple: he would not give up.
There was no drama in the words. They were an expression of conviction—the
promise of a man who believes that the next generation deserves a different
future. Those words remained with me. Behind them lies a disarming optimism: a
belief that history is not a prison and that the failures of one generation do
not have to become the inheritance of the next. Jared believes that young people
across the Middle East deserve more than the old vocabulary of grievance,
suspicion and war. They deserve the opportunity to meet, build, trade and
prosper—and, through shared success, to discover one another as human beings.
I also came to understand something essential about both the man and his method:
Jared is not a prisoner of Republican or Democratic orthodoxy.
He listens to both, but belongs intellectually to neither. He refuses to allow
inherited doctrines to place artificial barriers in front of necessary
initiatives. His first question is not, "What is our side supposed to believe?"
It is a more demanding one: "What does reality require—and what can actually
work?"
This is not an absence of conviction. On the contrary, it takes conviction to
resist the comfort of a ready-made political answer. His independence enables
him to see possibilities that partisan reflexes often conceal. It also explains
how he could challenge decades of diplomatic convention without becoming
doctrinaire about his own alternative.
For him, a method has value only if it produces results—if it brings people
closer to peace, dignity and a better life. This is why World Herald Tribune
chose to present Jared Kushner with the Abraham Shield Award 2026.
The award does not recognize one agreement, one photograph or one moment at the
White House. It honors a body of work pursued with extraordinary consistency
from 2017 until today. Through political transitions, wars, personal attacks and
repeated declarations that peace was dead, Jared remained committed to one
essential idea: the peoples of the Middle East are not condemned to permanent
conflict.
His achievement began with an act of intellectual courage.
For decades, much of Washington's foreign-policy establishment approached peace
through doctrine. Negotiations began with final borders, historical claims,
ideological formulas and comprehensive political settlements. Economic
cooperation was treated as secondary—a benefit that might follow once every
political disagreement had been resolved.
To speak of transactions or common interests was sometimes regarded as
intellectually unsophisticated, even morally suspect, as though practical
benefit somehow diminished the dignity of peace.
Kushner challenged that assumption.
He did not invent the connection between commerce and peace. His innovation was
to place economic cooperation, human exchange and shared prosperity at the
center of the diplomatic architecture—not to postpone them until after a final
political settlement.
He understood that trade is not merely the movement of goods and capital.
Business creates habits of trust. A contract requires reliability. Investment
requires confidence in a shared future. A joint enterprise turns a distant
stranger into a partner whose success becomes connected to one's own. Over time,
these relationships move beyond companies. They reach communities, universities,
families and future generations. Common interests can become shared
achievements, and shared achievements can produce human understanding.
This was more than a negotiating technique. It represented a different way of
constructing peace. In Kushner's vision, peace would not remain an agreement
signed by governments and protected by protocol. It would become a lived
relationship sustained by flights, investment, technology, tourism, education
and personal encounters.
Prosperity would not simply be the reward for peace. It would become one of
peace's foundations. At first, this approach shocked many observers. It was
dismissed as "transactional," as though transactions were inherently unworthy.
But there is dignity in two people freely choosing to build something together.
There is moral value in creating opportunity where ideology has produced only
sacrifice. And there is wisdom in giving peace a constituency—not only among
diplomats, but among entrepreneurs, students, families and young people who can
experience its benefits directly.
The approach worked.
The Abraham Accords changed what the region believed was possible. They
demonstrated that Arab nations and Israel could move beyond inherited paralysis
and build open relationships based on recognition, security, opportunity and
mutual respect. They replaced an abstract promise of eventual reconciliation
with the concrete experience of cooperation.
The world has changed since 2017, and so has our understanding of peace. We now
see more clearly that peace cannot survive on signatures alone. It must create
movement, opportunity and hope. It must improve lives. It must give people a
personal stake in one another's stability and success. This is the
transformation Jared Kushner helped set in motion.
The Abraham Shield Award 2026 therefore recognizes more than a diplomatic
achievement. It honors persistence: the patience to carry an unconventional idea
through ridicule and resistance; the discipline to translate vision into
detailed agreements; and the courage to continue when violence tempted the world
to abandon the possibility of coexistence.
But no individual can deliver peace alone, and Jared has never claimed to be a
savior.
He has done his part—and more. He opened a door that conventional diplomacy had
left closed. He built a framework and demonstrated that another future was
possible.
The responsibility now belongs to the leaders of the region.
They must place the interests of their countries above their personal or
political calculations. They must decide whether they will remain captive to
slogans that have failed their people or choose security, dignity and
prosperity. They cannot ask one American envoy, one administration or one set of
agreements to substitute for their own courage. Peace requires partners willing
to defend it, expand it and translate it into everyday life.
This is especially true after the tragedy of October 7 and the devastating war
that followed.
In such a time, pessimism can masquerade as realism. It is easy to declare that
hatred has won, that trust has become impossible and that those who tried to
build bridges were naïve. It is much harder to insist that the answer to
catastrophe cannot be the permanent surrender of the future.
Jared refuses that surrender.
Perhaps the source of his resilience lies partly in the personal history that
shaped him. His family knew persecution, survival, hardship and rebuilding. As a
young man, he found himself carrying responsibilities that would have
overwhelmed many people twice his age.
Life taught him early that circumstances can change without warning, that public
judgment can be merciless and that a family name can become a burden before it
becomes a legacy.
He did not allow that chapter to define the limits of his life. He worked. He
built. He endured.
I believe the experience gave him something more valuable than hardness: an
instinct for renewal. That may help explain why he looks at the Middle East
differently.
Where others see peoples permanently imprisoned by the past, he sees societies
capable of beginning again. Where others see an immovable wall, he searches for
the first door. Where others speak only of managing conflict, he continues to
imagine peace.
During our meeting, I sensed that this cause now transcends politics for him. It
is not merely a chapter from his years in government. It has become personal—a
passion grounded in the conviction that another generation must not be
sacrificed to the failures of those that came before it. That is the man we
wanted the Abraham Shield Award 2026 to recognize.
Not a man without critics. Not a man claiming perfection. And not a man asking
to be celebrated as the solitary author of history. Rather, a builder who
challenged an exhausted orthodoxy; a negotiator who understood the human power
of shared prosperity; and an optimist who, after every setback, returns to the
work. A shield is an ancient symbol of protection. The Abraham Shield represents
the defense of a fragile but revolutionary idea: that the children of Abraham
can secure their future not through endless confrontation, but through courage,
common purpose and peace. In presenting the Abraham Shield Award 2026 to Jared
Kushner, we honor what he has already built.
We also recognize the promise he continues to keep.
He will not give up. Neither should we.
Ahmed Charai is the Chairman and CEO of World Herald Tribune, Inc., and the
publisher of the Jerusalem Strategic Tribune, TV Abraham, and Radio Abraham. He
serves on the boards of several prominent institutions, including the Atlantic
Council, the Center for the National Interest, the Foreign Policy Research
Institute, and the International Crisis Group. He is also an International
Councilor and a member of the Advisory Board at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies.
**This article was originally published in the Jerusalem Strategic Tribune. It
is reprinted here by the kind permission of the author.
© 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.
When intelligence serves, not replaces
Rafael Hernández de Santiago/Arab News/September 03/2026
There is a sentence circulating quietly, almost like a whisper of resistance in
an age of acceleration: “I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so I can create
art and write — not for AI to do my art and writing so I can do the laundry and
dishes.”
It is attributed to the writer and gaming enthusiast Joanna Maaejeweka, but it
could belong to anyone who senses that something subtle, yet profound, is being
inverted in our technological age. This inversion is not merely practical — it
is philosophical.
For centuries, humanity has defined progress as the gradual liberation of time.
From the first mechanical loom to the modern washing machine, technology
promised to relieve us of repetitive, physically demanding tasks so that we
could ascend toward higher forms of expression: art, thought, contemplation, and
meaning. In this narrative, machines serve the body so that the soul may be
free. Yet today, we are witnessing a paradox. Artificial intelligence, the most
advanced tool humanity has ever created, is increasingly positioned not to
liberate human creativity, but to replace it. Meanwhile, humans are still
entangled in the mundane: answering emails, managing logistics, and yes, still
washing dishes. The question is not whether AI can create. It clearly can. The
question is whether it should — at least in the domains that define our
humanity.
As Aristotle once wrote: “The aim of art is to represent not the outward
appearance of things, but their inward significance.” Can a machine, trained on
vast datasets and patterns, truly access that inward significance? Or does it
merely simulate it with increasing sophistication? The distinction matters
because art is not just output — it is an act of being. In this sense, the rise
of AI-generated creativity risks introducing what might be called a
“displacement of meaning.” If machines produce our poetry, compose our music,
and write our stories, what becomes of the human need to express, to struggle,
and to transform experience into narrative? Creativity is not simply a product;
it is a process through which individuals understand themselves and their place
in the world.
Friedrich Nietzsche warned that “he who has a why to live can bear almost any
how.” Creativity has long been one of those “whys.” It gives shape to suffering,
direction to joy, and coherence to memory. To outsource it entirely would not
just be efficient — it would be existentially costly.
This is why the seemingly mundane quote about laundry and dishes resonates so
deeply. It is not about chores; it is about priorities. It is about reclaiming a
hierarchy in which technology serves human flourishing, rather than redefining
it. There is, however, a counterargument worth considering. Some argue that
AI-generated art democratizes creativity, allowing those without technical
skills to express ideas. Others see it as an evolution, much like photography
once challenged painting. These arguments are not without merit. Technology has
always reshaped artistic expression, and resistance alone is rarely a viable
path.
But there is a difference between augmentation and substitution. When the camera
was invented, it did not eliminate the painter’s need to see — it changed how
seeing could be expressed. When digital tools emerged, they expanded the
palette, but the artist remained at the center. The current trajectory of AI,
however, risks removing the artist from the equation altogether, reducing
creativity to a prompt and a result.
In doing so, we risk creating a world where humans become curators of
machine-generated meaning rather than creators of their own. Hannah Arendt,
reflecting on the nature of human activity, distinguished between labor, work,
and action. Labor sustains life, work creates the world, and action gives it
meaning. If AI takes over “work” in the creative sense, and humans remain
confined to labor, the balance Arendt described begins to collapse. We may find
ourselves technologically advanced, yet existentially diminished.This is not an
argument against AI. It is an argument for its proper place. AI should excel at
what humans find draining: repetitive tasks, complex calculations, and
logistical coordination. It should optimize systems, enhance decision-making,
and yes, perhaps even help us clean our homes more efficiently. In doing so, it
can fulfill its highest promise: to give us back time.
Time, however, is only valuable if it is used well. The real challenge,
therefore, is not technological but ethical. It is about designing systems,
policies, and cultural norms that prioritize human dignity and creativity. It is
about asking not just, “What can AI do?” but, “What should humans remain
responsible for?”In the end, the future of AI will not be decided solely by
engineers or algorithms, but by choices — individual and collective — about what
we value. Do we want a world where machines write our stories while we attend to
chores? Or one where machines handle the chores so we can write our stories?
The distinction may seem trivial, but it carries within it a vision of humanity.
And that, in the end, is the true measure of technology: not what it can do, but
what it allows us to become.
• Rafael Hernandez de Santiago, viscount of Espes, is a Spanish national
residing in Saudi Arabia.
Across Europe, the far right is not being adequately
challenged
Mohamed Chebaro/Arab News/September 03/2026
This weekend could witness the most consequential state election in Germany
since the Second World War. This election could also be the EU’s most dangerous
brush with the far right’s rise to power, forming a serious threat to the future
of democracy, liberalism and the rule of law across the bloc.
Saxony-Anhalt may be a small eastern German state, but its upcoming election
could herald the rise to power of an extremist right-wing party for the first
time since 1930, when the Nazi Party of Adolf Hitler started its long march to
power with 18 percent of the national vote.
Ahead of Sunday’s election, the far-right Alternative for Germany party has
promised voters an economic boom through an array of policies that economists
have deemed disastrous. These policies rest on deporting immigrants and
reversing the renewable energy transition across the state. Voters have been
promised uncosted gimmick policies, such as extensive new social benefits —
including baby bonuses to encourage German couples to conceive — while being
told there will be no new taxes and no new debt. Economists warn that deterring
foreign workers through xenophobic rhetoric will only accelerate a skilled labor
shortage in a state whose population is already diminishing and aging.
Alternative for Germany has polled at over 40 percent, harnessing widespread
discontent with the federal government. It is set to be the largest party and
could rule alone if the other parties do not improve their numbers come polling
day. The conservative Christian Democratic Union, which has been the dominant
party in the state since reunification in 1990, trails far behind, with support
ranging between 23 percent and 26 percent.
Despite the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution’s
classification of Alternative for Germany as a “confirmed right-wing extremist”
organization, other parties are struggling to capture any reasonable chunk of
the vote. The Left Party is polling at 13 percent and the center-left Social
Democratic Party stands at between 6 percent and 7 percent.
But Germany’s predicament is not unique. Everywhere in Europe, the picture is
getting gloomier. In France, parties from the right, the left and the center are
grappling to find a candidate that could save the republic in the face of the
continued rise of Marine Le Pen and her far-right National Rally party. She is
seen as the favorite to win next year’s presidential election. In Britain,
Reform UK and now the even more extreme Restore Britain continue to breathe down
the necks of the ruling Labour Party and the opposition Conservative, Liberal
Democrat and Green parties. Politicians seem to be sleepwalking toward the rise
of the ultra-right being a fait accompli.
In all three of these major European powers, leaders need a new political,
economic and social approach if they hope to stay relevant. The far-right
alternatives would bring more uncertainty and potentially chaos that could bring
their democratic systems into question for good. But all is not lost and a lot
can still be done by the traditional parties to preserve democracy, liberty and
the rule of law by defending their countries against the rise of groups that
have a misguided ethno-nationalist, xenophobic design for society and state.
Influence from across the Atlantic, via the presidency of Donald Trump and its
populist rhetoric, has weighed heavy across Europe. The US’ December 2025
National Security Strategy made no secret of its support for so-called patriotic
forces across Europe in the face of the continent’s “stark prospect of
civilizational erasure.”
Election interference campaigns run through an unpoliced digital realm have also
helped fuel and exacerbate discontent. In Saxony-Anhalt, Alternative for
Germany’s rise in the polls has been due to its capitalization on the widespread
dissatisfaction many people in the state feel regarding developments in Germany.
Many jobs disappeared in the years following reunification, particularly in the
lignite mining and chemical industries. The demographic challenges are also a
factor, as the state had Germany’s oldest population in 2024.
Though Saxony-Anhalt’s foreign population remains comparatively small, many
people oppose further immigration, as the number of people without German
citizenship who live in the state has more than doubled since 2015.
At stake for Germany, like elsewhere, is whether the right-wing extremist
parties will seek to reshape the constitutional order if they take power.
Despite the region’s history of radical politics from the time of the
Reformation, Alternative for Germany’s radical agenda for Saxony-Anhalt would be
hard to implement, let alone spread to the rest of the country and ensure that
other states fall in line with the far-right script. We are not there yet.
Whatever the outcome on Sunday, Alternative for Germany’s sustained lead in
national polls is frightening and should send a shiver down the spine of the
mainstream parties. Germany’s postwar politics has been founded on consensus,
compromise and unity to suppress extreme nationalism and deny it the platform to
govern or gain traction. Today, one in every four German voters currently backs
a party that has tabled a plan for “mass remigration.”The tool of noncooperation
with the rising extremist party will not be enough. Just exposing such parties
in Germany, France or the UK to the practical realities of governing and
expecting them to fail is no longer a strategy to combat the populist promises.
Mainstream parties ought to abandon their fractious politics and digest the fact
that the enemies of democracy are at the gate. They must sharpen their tools to
try and avert the adversities that lie ahead. In Germany, France and the UK,
public opinion is further poisoned by disinformation, aided and abetted by the
Kremlin and Silicon Valley. The mainstream parties ought to tell voters that, at
such times, they ought to assume responsibility and vote with their heads, not
their guts. They should be persuaded that only through hope and boldness can
nations overcome economic stagnation and the anxiety that accompanies it. This
is a colossal ask but it is not impossible when faced with the alarming prospect
of populism’s rise to power.
* Mohamed Chebaro is a British-Lebanese journalist with more than 25 years of
experience covering war, terrorism, defense, current affairs, and diplomacy.
Selected Face Book & X tweets
on September 03/2026
National Post
The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has sided with a Muslim former
teaching assistant who was fired after publicly denouncing “desecration by the
Jews.” Ayman Elkasrawy was awarded $7,000 for injury to “dignity, feelings
Christian Emergency Alliance
Egypt: A Christian convert is in grave trouble. Jailed for his faith, Said
Abdelrazek’s body is failing inside prison. Said has been beaten, starved and
denied medicine. In just days - on Sept. 6 - he faces fabricated terrorism
charges. The presiding judge is known for issuing death sentences. Speak up;
pray; contact your representative; share this story. Free Said.
Harrison Faulkner
https://x.com/Harry__Faulkner/status/2095225307846373738/video/1
Two more Canadian churches have been set on fire in the last week.
The historic Saint-Simon Catholic Church in New Brunswick was burned to the
ground. Police have arrested and charged a 68-year-old Gilles Mollet with arson.
The Alliance Church in Vernon, B.C. was set on fire two days ago.
More than 70 churches have been burned or vandalized since the 2021 Kamloops
claim.
Canadian churches are under attack.
Ben Mulroney
https://x.com/BenMulroney/status/2095252022840930475/video/1
Olivia Chow is refusing to commit to the first debate of the mayoral race. Could
it have anything to do with the fact that the topic is: the safety of Jewish
Torontonians? This city requires and demands and deserves a mayor unafraid to
tackle this vital topic. Reach out to her campaign and tell her that if she
wants to lead the entire city, she needs to address issues like this in the
arena.
Michael Cooper, MP
https://x.com/MichaelCooperMP/status/2095184057319444952/video/1
CARNEY SCREWED CANADA FOR BEIJING
He SOLD OUT our security to a brutal dictatorship with a SECRET police deal.
Dr Walid Phares reposted
https://x.com/LaraMounif/status/2095465920097292609/video/1
Former foreign policy adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, Dr. Walid Phares:
“A project known as the ‘Marco Rubio Project’ will soon be launched in Lebanon.
It will involve U.S. forces training as many Lebanese Army brigades as possible,
whose commanders will maintain direct contact with the U.S. Special Operations
Command.”
@WalidPhares
Full episode
https://youtu.be/icvwB1MjsG0?si=WpKw4yDEekzFhk4X
Charles Elias Chartouni
Let’s be clear we want peace with Israel and you want war, it’s the starting
point of the conversation. We cannot have both, let’s part ways, we cannot stay
on the crossroads for ever.