English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News &
Editorials
For September 05/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2026/english.september05.26.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
Parable Of The The Widow & The judge who neither feared
God nor had respect for people
Luke 18/01-08: “Jesus told them a parable about their need to
pray always and not to lose heart. He said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge
who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a
widow who kept coming to him and saying, “Grant me justice against my opponent.”
For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, “Though I have no fear of
God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will
grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.” ’And
the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant
justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in
helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when
the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’”
Titles For The English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News &
Editorials published on September 04-05/2026
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
Angela wrote: "A letter to our neighborhood that was bulldozed today."/Colonel
Charbel barakat/September 04/2026
Nadim Koteich’s Commentary on the Fall of Tel Ali al-Tahar
Video link & text to a detailed English report by Israeli Rabbi Pesach Wolicki
under the title: Israel Just Officially CONQUERED Hezbollah’s Secret Base “Ali
Al Taher ridges”/Detailed report on the Fall of the ridges & the release of 5
Lebanese captives by Israel
Video Link from DW News to an English report under the title: Lebanon’s border
Christians: Life under Israeli military restrictions/with Makram Rabah comments
on the status quo
Aoun thanks US for release of 4 people from Israel, vows to disarm Hezbollah
Hezbollah MP: Israel's control of Ali al-Taher not a disaster
Israeli report says 15 bodies found in Ali al-Taher, pro-Hezbollah daily says
only 2 killed
After Israel's announcement of its capture... What is the significance of Ali
Taher Hill?
Ali Al-Taher ridge emerges as flashpoint in Israel-Hezbollah war
Israel frees 4 more Lebanese prisoners in a deal tied to missing Jews from
Lebanon’s civil war
Israeli strikes kill three, injure 23 in south and east Lebanon
Israel defense minister hails capture of Ali al-Taher
Iran preparing coordinated attack with Hezbollah, proxies, Israeli report says
Report: Bassil bodyguard details how he handled explosives in Syria arms
smuggling case
US Embassy: We Continue to Facilitate Dialogue Between Lebanon and Israel in
Preparation for a New Round in Rome
Hezbollah Seeks Chaos in Syria to Divert Attention from its Border with
Lebanon!/Lara Yazbek/Al-Markazia/September 4, 2026
Aoun Signs General Amnesty Law… Al-Markazia Publishes Full Text
Durel from Diman: Reaffirming the Depth of the Historical Friendship Between
France and Lebanon
Hezbollah MP: We Doubt Israel's Control of Ali al-Taher Hill
Mufti Qabalan: The Authority is Failing, Malicious, and Seeking Revenge Against
More Than Half the Lebanese People
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on
September 04-05/2026
Trump says US may hit Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain soon
US sanctions Turkish bank Golden Global over alleged Iran links
US military turns off ad trackers on devices amid Middle East targeting reports
US lawmakers urged to drop provision to deepen defense ties with Israel
Police kill Palestinian in Jerusalem after attempted knife attack
Dammam customs officers seize 18,500 amphetamine pills
Arrest made after Saudi citizen stabbed in London’s Mayfair
Yemeni government forces push back against Houthi offensive in Taiz, Hodeidah
More than 120 killed in Yemen clashes since Thursday: sources
Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials
from miscellaneous sources published
on September 04-05/2026
Iran Was Losing. Then Washington Gave It Time. But What about the Kitchen
Table?
Pierre Rehov/Gatestone Institute/September 04/2026
Houthi Propaganda Laid the Groundwork for Military Escalation/Bridget
Toomey/Read in Real Clear World/September 04/2026
Syria Is Off the Terror List, but Washington Still Has Leverage/Ahmad Sharawi/The
Algemeiner/September 04/2026
How Gaza’s collapsing water system is deepening a public health emergency/Dalal
Awienat/Arab News/September 4, 2026
Pakistan can anchor Saudi Arabia and Turkiye in Asia/Dr. Sinem Cengiz/Arab
News/September 4, 2026
Trump is picking a needless fight over the Falklands/Luke Coffey/Arab
News/September 4, 2026
Rosh Hashanah and Saudi Arabia’s season of renewal/Rabbi Marc Schneier/Arab
News/September 4, 2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets on September 03/2026
Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on September 04-05/2026
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.
Angela wrote: "A letter to our neighborhood that was bulldozed today."
Colonel Charbel barakat/September 04/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/09/157193/
Angela (Malak), a daughter of Bint Jbeil living in Paris, expressed on her
Facebook page her feelings, emotions, and memories that vanished alongside the
house, the olive tree, and the fig tree in front of the yard. They vanished with
every detail carrying family memories—from the jar of thyme and the scent of
daqqa (spiced blend) to her small toy, old photographs, her father’s perfume,
and his unread books, which can neither be packed in a suitcase nor taken with
us regardless of the circumstances...
And we say: No to Qassem, or to anyone claiming to represent the people of Bint
Jbeil while leading them only into hell. No to whoever goes to negotiate with
his masters in Tehran (referring to MP Fadlallah) and returns empty-handed. No
to Mr. "Nabih," who has been seated for nearly forty years on the throne of the
Parliament, claiming that Kamel Bey El-Assad monopolized it from the Shia and
controlled their decision-making. Despite the fact that El-Assad shared this
position periodically with Sabri Hamadeh and was never given free rein as is the
case today, nor did he attempt to take the sect and its people to the
"slaughterhouse" for the sake of a few mercenaries claiming "sovereignty" and
proximity to Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet's family). Consequently, he allowed
himself to control people and their destinies, threatening to turn things upside
down and displacing neighbors from their homes, bringing upon the Shia nothing
but calamity, destruction, displacement, and death. At their head is the one who
claims to be a prominent scholar (Allamah) and a son of Mays al-Jabal,
threatening daily to restore Hammadi supremacy over Mount Lebanon and expel the
Maronites from their lands—yet today he is displaced, having failed to protect
either the land or the people. He and his fellow haters contented themselves
with calls to fight and mobilize in service of those who bought consciences and
loyalty, deceiving the entire sect, erasing conscience, blinding eyes, silencing
reason, burying wisdom, and destroying the notion of "Shia of Truth" that had
accompanied generations...
Incidentally, Israeli Prime Minister Mr. Netanyahu announced yesterday the fall
of the "Nabi Taher" (or "Ali al-Taher," as they like to call it) tunnel network,
which we noted in our last article had effectively fallen long ago. However, the
formal announcement of its end came today from the Israeli side, which has
apparently finished searching it and clearing out remaining pockets of
"resistance." Although the Israelis had not previously announced their entry or
the operation taking place there, no one knows what these trenches were hiding:
Is it true that they contain military site maps for all of Lebanon, or hidden
money and gold? Who lived in them? Is it true that Iranians were present inside?
Ghalibaf claimed two weeks ago, after the siege, that he spoke with the fighters
at this site, and we do not know if his claim was true. The "Party of Iran" was
not content with boasting and grandstanding; it continued to promise heroic acts
that it might speak of later, if any managed to emerge alive from beneath the
dirt they dug to bury the finest deceived and mobilized Shia youth—all so that
those exaggerating in Tehran or claiming empty heroism from their hideouts in
Lebanon can brag and repeat nonsense about "resistance and steadfastness."
The Iranian party has caused a catastrophe (Nakba) for the Shia that far exceeds
the tragedy of the Barmakids during the time of Harun al-Rashid, and surpasses
many times over the 1948 Nakba over which Arabs wept and continue to weep.
Despite the cinematic end of everyone who claimed leadership in the "Party of
the Weapon" and their associates at all levels, the hearts of Lebanese people
break for the ordinary citizen who lost everything with no hope of return.
Meanwhile, those who claim prominence in the devastated sect (since no true
leadership remains) continue trying to buy time, play with fire, and assume they
maintain control and room for maneuver. We know very well that all sites are
bound to fall. On the day the Shia plead to surrender their weapons, they will
sadly find no one listening to them; they rejected solutions, rejected logic,
rejected every opportunity offered to them, and insisted on winning by force,
believing they were the only ones who possessed it.
Regrettably, we say to our student Malak and to all innocent, oppressed friends
like her, as well as those with whom we shared ties of neighborhood and
affection: God is Forgiving and Merciful, and He will not allow this wave of
depravity—which led the Lebanese to the destruction of their homes—to continue.
Almighty God said: "And if they incline to peace, then incline to it also." Yet
Berri and other prominent figures continue to resist peace instead of seizing
the opportunity to impose it. Who has suffered more than this sect? The time has
come for it to rid itself of the hatred forced upon it for the sake of the
"Supreme Leader" (Vali-e Faqih) and his followers, and to hasten to seek peace
at any price and without conditions, at least to stop the destruction and
prevent further deterioration. With the fall of fortified positions and the
destruction of cities and villages, the opportunity is ripe for us to hasten to
stop this error and change the leadership team that knew nothing but programs of
death, destruction, and sowing hatred between souls—a path that has yielded no
benefit and never will, no matter how much time passes. Will the news of the
fall of the "Ali al-Taher" site mark the beginning of the end and an occasion to
restore the hill's true name, "Nabi Taher" (like all honored figures across the
Lebanese heights), which dates back to pre-Islamic and pre-Christian times? And
will circumstances allow Angela to return to Bint Jbeil to discover what remains
of the house and memories under a lasting peace that ensures reconstruction and
prosperity on both sides of the border, ending the enmity once and for all?
Nadim Koteich’s Commentary on the Fall of Tel Ali al-Tahar
September 04/2026/(Transcription and translation by Elias Bejjani)
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/09/157210/
They made our heads spin talking about Tel Ali al-Tahar, an underground city, a
command center, Hormuz, Lebanon is an Iranian red line, and in the end, it fell.
And here we discovered that what most resembles Tel Ali al-Tahar is Hezbollah
itself—just hot air, fillers, and botox as much as you want, on a strategic
level as much as you want. Before Tel Ali al-Tahar, there was the Bint Jbeil
battle; before the Bint Jbeil battle, it was the front-line border villages. It
is the same lie: blowing things out of proportion through language and
terminology. And the best part is that the Israelis also participated in hyping
up Tel Ali al-Tahar, magnifying the hill to manufacture a moment of victory that
suited their elections. In the end, Israel took the hill, and Hezbollah was left
with only the terminology, the anthems, and the podcasts. They refused to hand
it over to the Lebanese state with dignity, and in the end, they handed it over
to Israel against their dignity.
Video link & text to a detailed English report by
Israeli Rabbi Pesach Wolicki under the title: Israel Just Officially CONQUERED
Hezbollah’s Secret Base “Ali Al Taher ridges”/Detailed report on the Fall of the
ridges & the release of 5 Lebanese captives by Israel
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/09/157204/
September 04/2026
Note: Transcription, drafting, summarization, headings, and English translation
by Elias Bejjani with absolute freedom.ملاحظة/تفريغ وصياغة وتلخيص وعناوين وترجمة
للإنكليزية بواسطة الياس بجاني بحرية مطلقة
Introduction
Recent developments in southern Lebanon mark a significant shift in regional
security dynamics, highlighted by the Israeli military’s capture and clearing of
the strategic Ali Taher ridge. This report outlines the tactical achievements of
the operation, Iranian reactions and threat assessments, security
vulnerabilities regarding the movement of operatives, and a recent humanitarian
exchange involving detainees and historical remains.
Summary
1. Military Operations at the Ali Taher Ridge
Strategic Significance: The Ali Taher ridge, located approximately six miles
from the Israeli border, served as a major Hezbollah stronghold, command center,
and underground bunker network housing weapons, drone facilities, and a medical
center.
Operation Details: Initiated in June, the operation involved thousands of
Israeli troops surrounding the complex, ultimately trapping between 70 and 100
Hezbollah militants and Iranian Quds Force advisers. Current Status: The Israeli
military announced the successful clearing of the underground routes. Defense
Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Israeli forces will maintain a permanent
presence in the area to secure the northern border until Hezbollah is fully
disarmed.
2. Iranian Warnings and Escalation Assessment
Threats via Mediation: Through Omani channels, Iranian officials warned the
United States that an Israeli capture of the Ali Taher ridge constituted a “red
line,” threatening a forceful response. Israeli Intelligence Evaluation: Despite
official rhetoric from Tehran, senior Israeli defense officials assess that Iran
is unlikely to launch a direct, near-term military retaliation due to severe
internal pressures and fear of a broader regional conflict. However, vigilance
remains high regarding potential desperate measures stemming from Iran’s
deteriorating economic conditions.
3. Border Security and Infiltration Concerns
Identity Exploitation: US and regional intelligence sources are investigating
potential loopholes within Lebanese security apparatuses. Reports indicate that
the identities of deceased Lebanese citizens are reportedly being exploited to
issue falsified passports and documentation to incoming Iranian Revolutionary
Guard Corps (IRGC) operatives.
Scrutiny: Washington continues to monitor the General Security of Lebanon
regarding administrative complicity in facilitating the movement of operatives
through official land crossings and airports.
4. Detainee Release and Historical Exchanges
Civilian Releases: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
facilitated the transfer of five Lebanese civilian detainees released from
Israeli custody after interrogations confirmed they had no involvement in
terrorism.
Confidence-Building Measures: The release serves as a reciprocal diplomatic step
corresponding with ongoing progress in locating and repatriating the remains of
12 Lebanese Jews who were kidnapped and murdered in the 1980s.
Conclusion
The capture of the Ali Taher ridge establishes a hardened security zone for
Israel in southern Lebanon, severely disrupting Hezbollah’s tactical
infrastructure and isolating embedded operatives. While Iranian officials have
issued strong rhetorical warnings, practical military escalation remains
constrained by Tehran’s internal vulnerabilities. Simultaneously, ongoing
localized exchanges—such as the release of civilian detainees tied to the search
for historical missing persons—reflect complex, incremental diplomatic
engagements running parallel to active military operations.
Video Link from DW News to an English report under the
title: Lebanon’s border Christians: Life under Israeli military
restrictions/with Makram Rabah comments on the status quo
04 September/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/09/157228/
Just a few kilometers from the Israeli border lies the Lebanese Christian town
of Debel - inside what Israel calls a “yellow zone," an Israeli self-declared
security zone which stretches from Israel's northern border some 10 kilometers
into southern Lebanon. Other nearby towns, predominantly Shiite, have been
evacuated and partially or entirely destroyed by the Israeli military. But Debel
is one of three Christian towns in southern Lebanon where residents have
maintained a presence. DW reporter Mohamad Chreyteh spoke with residents about
life under Israeli military rule
00:00 Debel, a Christian town in the Israeli-declared “yellow zone”
00:30 Travelling with an aid convoy from Beirut to southern Lebanon
01:09 Returning residents describe difficult journeys for medical care
02:30 Debel residents reject both Hezbollah and Israeli rule
04:15 Border Christians disappointed with Lebanese state
05:11 Makram Raba, lecturer of history at the American University of Beirut
talks to DW
05:30 Strategic significance of Christian villages inside or near the yellow
zone
07:16 Who exercises sovereignty in the yellow zone?
08:35 Hezbollah's impact in the area
09:07 Will the Lebanese army confront Hezbollah?
10:05 How are Iran's Revolutionary Guards involved?
Aoun thanks US for release of 4 people from Israel, vows
to disarm Hezbollah
Agence France Presse/Associated Press
President Joseph Aoun thanked the "United States under the leadership of
President Donald Trump" in a statement Friday after the Red Cross transferred to
Lebanon four more people detained by Israel, a day after a first person was
freed. Aoun in a statement expressed his gratitude "for all the efforts exerted,
particularly by the United States under the leadership of President Donald
Trump, and by international bodies, especially the International Committee of
the Red Cross". "This first step reaffirms the strength of the firm Lebanese
position," he added, stressing the necessity of completing the steps outlined in
the framework agreement with Israel, which would pave the way for the "full
restoration of Lebanese sovereignty, without giving up an inch of our land or a
single one of our people."Lebanon began direct talks with Israel in April. Aoun
vowed to continue the struggle to fully achieve national goals and demands — so
that all Lebanese may live with dignity in a free nation where no arms exist
except those of its legitimate forces, and no sovereignty over its citizens
exists except that of its protecting, guaranteeing, capable, and just state.
Hezbollah MP: Israel's control of Ali al-Taher not a disaster
Naharnet/September 4, 2026
MP Ihab Hamadeh of Hezbollah noted Friday that "there is still ambiguity
surrounding the reality of Israel's control over the Ali al-Taher hill," in the
first comment from the Iran-backed group regarding Israel’s overnight
announcement. "How can the Israeli enemy claim to control the Ali al-Taher hill
when it continues to bombard and raid it relentlessly, knowing that it controls
it from the air or by surrounding it geographically from all sides, without its
forces being able to enter the facility or gain control of it on the ground,"
Hamadeh told Russia’s Sputnik radio. "Israel has not released any images
confirming its capture of Ali al-Taher or the logistical weapons it mentioned,
while also claiming to have killed large numbers of fighters and caused others
to flee,” the MP added. He argued that "Israel is trying to portray Ali al-Taher
Hill as Hezbollah's last stronghold so that (Israeli PM Benjamin) Netanyahu can
exploit it as an election card.”“However, like any other location or hill in
southern Lebanon, it has its own sacred, existential value. Israeli control of
it is not a disaster in military terms, nor is it the end of the road,
especially since the resistance put up an epic stand in Ali al-Taher," Hamadeh
added.
Israeli report says 15 bodies found in Ali al-Taher,
pro-Hezbollah daily says only 2 killed
Naharnet/September 4, 2026
Fifteen bodies were found by the Israeli army in the tunnels of the Ali al-Taher
ridge, an Israeli military source told the Maariv newspaper on Friday, hours
after Israel announced that it had taken “operational control” of the area and
its tunnels. Israel's military said overnight that troops had cleared Hezbollah
fighters from two underground routes, killing some while others fled. It said
operations were ongoing. An Israeli official meanwhile said that no Iranians
were found in the tunnels. The pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper meanwhile said
that “what lies beneath the Ali al-Taher hill is not a single facility whose
capture could be considered control over the entire infrastructure there, as the
enemy claims, nor is it a cave with a defined entrance and exit.”“According to
available information, beneath the hill is a network of interconnected
facilities ... Therefore, the enemy's access to one of these facilities, or even
several, does not necessarily guarantee access to the others,” the daily
added.“During the war, the facilities on the hill housed personnel, commanders,
computers, and weapons. At that time, the resistance was anticipating the
Israeli offensive that had reached the outskirts of Ali al-Taher, with the
possibility of it extending towards the city of Nabatieh. There, the attack was
decisively repelled. Reports indicate that ‘an entire squadron of enemy soldiers
was hit during the confrontation, with casualties among its ranks,’" al-Akhbar
said.“The confrontations did not end there, however, as they were followed by
repeated infiltration attempts and clashes on the hill. In all these
confrontations, information indicates that the enemy's losses far outweighed the
sacrifices made by the resistance in Ali al-Taher,” the newspaper added. “Israel
claims to have killed dozens of resistance fighters in the area. However,
according to al-Akhbar's sources, only two were martyred, while dozens of
Israeli soldiers were killed or wounded,” al-Akhbar said.
After Israel's announcement of its capture... What is
the significance of Ali Taher Hill?
Al-Markazia/September 4, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
Ali Taher Hill in southern Lebanon has recently been making headlines,
particularly after the Israeli army announced its capture of the hill. Named
after a Shiite cleric whose shrine sits atop it, the hill was one of the most
contested areas in Israel's war on Lebanon, waged to target the Iranian-backed
Hezbollah. It held strategic and symbolic importance in the conflict. While the
hill range itself is not large, its commanding view of southern Lebanon, and
what Hezbollah is believed to have constructed within and beneath its territory,
have placed it at the heart of the conflict with Israel.
Where is it located?
Ali Taher Hill is located approximately 15 kilometers from the Israeli border
and offers a panoramic view of a vast area of southeastern Lebanon. Israel
controlled the hill during its 22-year occupation of southern Lebanon, which
ended in 2000. After the current war erupted on March 2, Israeli forces advanced
deep into southern Lebanon and seized key hilltops, including the historic
Beaufort Castle (Qalaat al-Shaqif) on the road to Ali al-Taher. Last June, the
Israeli military described the hill as one of its "key operational focal points"
and included it on a map of an expanded buffer zone it unilaterally declared,
where its forces are deployed. The hill effectively became a dividing line
between the Israeli-occupied Lebanese territory in the south and the towns to
the north, such as Nabatieh, which have been heavily bombarded by Israeli
airstrikes.
Why is it strategically important?
Lebanese security sources told Reuters last July that Hezbollah was believed to
have built an underground command center and weapons depots inside the hill
itself. According to analysts, the hill, situated 600 meters above sea level,
gives Hezbollah the ability to launch short-range missiles and drones toward
northern Israel.The Ali al-Taher hill also connects the border areas in southern
Lebanon with the mountainous Iqlim al-Tuffah region to the north, which has long
served as a major logistical and operational base for Hezbollah. The Israeli Air
Force has conducted intensive airstrikes on the hill in recent months. Last
June, an Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told
Reuters that Hezbollah fighters were trapped underground without food or water.
The Times of Israel, citing a military investigation, reported on June 20 that
an Israeli soldier was killed and 13 others were wounded during operations to
seize a key Hezbollah facility underground on the hill. Hezbollah stated that
Israel had attempted to advance, but that its fighters remained in complete
control of the area and were fully prepared to repel any Israeli attempt to
advance or infiltrate. In July, the Israeli military said it would “not allow
Hezbollah terrorists to emerge from their underground terrorist infrastructure,
carry out activities in the area, or pose a threat” to Israeli soldiers.
What is the political significance?
Ali Taher Hill is located near Zawtar al-Gharbiya, a town from which Israeli
forces withdrew in July as part of a US-brokered roadmap for a phased Israeli
withdrawal from southern Lebanon in exchange for the Lebanese army disarming
Hezbollah. However, with Hezbollah refusing to disarm and Israel declaring it
would not withdraw until this occurred, the plan stalled. With Israeli elections
scheduled for October, control of Ali Taher Hill could be a prize Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is seeking. “Before the elections, Israel needs
a major victory in an area that has always been considered a Hezbollah
stronghold,” said Andrea Tenenti, a strategic communications expert and former
spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). However,
retired Lebanese military analyst Hassan Jouni believes Israel might prefer a
slow siege to avoid casualties among its forces. Jouni told Reuters that Israel
is hesitant to launch an attack on Ali Taher Hill for fear of casualties,
especially at this sensitive time before the elections. But the Israeli army
announced it had captured Ali Taher Hill, and Netanyahu said the area "no longer
poses a threat to Israel."There has been no confirmation from the Lebanese side,
and Hezbollah has not yet commented.
Ali Al-Taher ridge emerges as flashpoint in
Israel-Hezbollah war
Reuters/September 4, 2026
A Shi’ite Muslim scholar whose shrine sits at its summit, has become one of the
most contested pieces of ground in the Israel-Hezbollah war. The cluster of
hills is not especially large. But what it overlooks in southern Lebanon — and
what Hezbollah is suspected to have built beneath it — thrust it to the center
of the fight between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group.
Where is it?
Located about 15 km (10 miles) from the Israeli border, the Ali Al-Taher ridge
has a commanding view of a broad sweep of southeastern Lebanon. Israel held it
during a 22-year occupation of south Lebanon that ended in 2000. After the
current war erupted on March 2, Israeli troops pushed deep into southern Lebanon
and seized key hilltops, including the historic Beaufort Castle on the route to
Ali Al-Taher. In June, Israel’s military described the ridge as one of its
“primary operational focuses,” and included it in a map of an expanded,
self-declared buffer zone where its troops are operating. The ridge has
effectively become a dividing point between a swathe of Lebanese territory
occupied by Israeli troops to the south, and towns to the north that Israel’s
air force has bombed heavily, including Nabatieh.
Why is it strategic?
Hezbollah is believed to have built an underground command center and weapons
stores within the ridge itself, Lebanese security sources told Reuters in July.
At 600 meters above sea level, it granted Hezbollah an advantage in launching
short-range missiles and drones towards northern Israel, according to analysts.
Ali Al-Taher also connects border areas in southern Lebanon to the hilly Iqlim
al-Tuffah region further north, which has long served as a key logistical and
operational base for Hezbollah, the Lebanese security sources said. The Israeli
air force has struck the ridge heavily in recent months. In June, an Israeli
military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that
Hezbollah fighters were stuck underground without food or water. The Times of
Israel, citing a military probe, said on June 20 that one Israeli soldier was
killed and 13 wounded during operations to capture a major underground Hezbollah
facility beneath the ridge. Hezbollah has said that Israel has sought to advance
but that its fighters still had “full control over the area and are at complete
readiness to confront any attempt by the enemy forces to advance or
infiltrate.”In July, the Israeli military said it would “not allow Hezbollah
terrorists to emerge from the underground terrorist infrastructure and operate
in the area or pose a threat” to Israeli soldiers.
What is the political significance?
Ali Al-Taher lies near Zawtar Al Gharbiyeh, a town from which Israeli troops
withdrew in July as part of a US-brokered roadmap that would see Israeli troops
gradually withdraw from southern Lebanon as Lebanese troops disarm Hezbollah.
But with Hezbollah refusing to give up its weapons — and Israel saying it won’t
withdraw until the group disarms — that plan has ground to a halt. As Israeli
elections planned for October draw closer, capturing Ali Al-Taher could be an
attractive prize for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
“Before the elections, Israel needs a big win in an area that has always been
seen as a Hezbollah stronghold,” said Andrea Tenenti, a strategic communications
expert and former spokesperson for the UN force in Lebanon, UNIFIL.Still, it may
prefer a slow siege to avoid Israeli troop casualties, said Hassan Jouni, a
Lebanese analyst and retired army general. “Israel is hesitant to storm Ali Al-Taher
for fear of casualties, especially at this sensitive moment before elections,”
Jouni told Reuters. The deadlock in Lebanon mirrors the wider Middle East
standoff — negotiations between the United States and Iran remain stalled, with
no breakthrough in sight.
Israel frees 4 more Lebanese prisoners in a deal tied to
missing Jews from Lebanon’s civil war
AP/September 4, 2026
TYRE, Lebanon: Four prisoners from Lebanon held in Israel were released and
handed over to Lebanese authorities via the International Committee of the Red
Cross Friday as part of a deal between the two countries. In return, Lebanon
agreed to search for the bodies of Jewish Lebanese citizens who went missing
during the country’s civil war decades ago. 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. A total of
five detainees were released under the current deal, all civilians.
The first Lebanese prisoner, identified as Malek Ghazi, was released to the
International Committee of the Red Cross and then to the Lebanese army on
Thursday. Associated Press journalists waiting at a checkpoint south of the city
of Tyre in southern Lebanon saw a convoy of ICRC vehicles heading toward the
Naqoura border crossing Friday morning and later return. The convoy then entered
a Lebanese army barracks in Tyre. Mahmoud Ayash, the brother of prisoner Hussein
Ayash from the village of Harouf, who was waiting there, said his brother had
been detained for about three months and had called from the border crossing in
Naqoura to say that he had been released and was with the ICRC. “I hope all our
prisoners in Israeli prisons will be released and for all Lebanese citizens to
be liberated,” he said. Ahmed Atwe, also waiting at the checkpoint, said his
relative, Mohammed Juheir, was a fisherman from the border town of Naqoura who
was captured at sea by Israeli forces a year ago, when a ceasefire agreement was
in place.
The ICRC said in a statement that the remaining prisoners had been transferred
to it on Friday. The organization called for its teams to be granted access to
the remaining prisoners, noting that it has not had access to detainees held in
Israel since October 2023. “Many families in Lebanon are still waiting for
answers about the fate of loved ones who may be detained, deceased or otherwise
unaccounted for,” it said. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said in a statement Thursday that Israel 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. Officials said the prisoner release came as a result of US
mediation and as a result of ongoing negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun thanked the “United States under the leadership
of President Donald Trump” in a statement Friday. Other thorny issues remain to
be resolved. Lebanon and Israel, which do not have diplomatic relations, entered
into rare direct negotiations after the outbreak of the latest war between
Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on March 2.
Hezbollah fired missiles over the border, two days after the US and Iran
attacked Iran. Israel launched aerial bombardment and a ground invasion of
Lebanon and is now occupying a large swath of the south. 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. 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. Another round of talks is expected to take place in Rome later this
month.
Israeli strikes kill three, injure 23 in south and east
Lebanon
AFP/Reuters/September 4, 2026
BEIRUT: Israeli strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon late on Friday killed at
least three people and injured 23, the Lebanese health ministry and Israeli
military said. The ministry said strikes hit five locations in the southern Tyr
and Nabatieh regions and the Bekaa region in the east. The Israeli military
said it struck southern Lebanon after Hezbollah launched a drone attack toward
Israeli soldiers. The wounded included medics, in addition to women and
children, the ministry said. Hezbollah did not immediately respond to a
request for comment. Since March 2, Israeli strikes have killed more than 4,300
people in Lebanon.
Israel defense minister hails capture of Ali al-Taher
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/September 4, 2026
Israel's defense minister on Friday hailed the capture of a strategic highland
from Hezbollah as solidifying Israel's "security zone" in Lebanon and vowed that
troops would not leave it. "The capture of the Ali al-Taher ridge marks the
completion of the phase of securing control in the security zone in southern
Lebanon," Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.Israel's military
said on Thursday it had taken "operational control" of the strategic Ali al-Taher
ridge area in southern Lebanon, the site of sporadic clashes between Israeli
forces and Hezbollah militants in recent weeks. It's where Hezbollah is believed
to have an extensive underground military facility.The military said troops had
cleared Hezbollah fighters from two underground routes, killing some while
others fled. It said operations were ongoing. There was no immediate comment
from Hezbollah. The Ali al-Taher hill overlooks several villages as well as main
roads leading to the city of Nabatieh. Losing control of it would disrupt
Hezbollah’s presence and supply lines in the area.
Iran preparing coordinated attack with Hezbollah, proxies,
Israeli report says
Naharnet/September 4, 2026
Iran is planning "a dangerous scenario" after it drew lessons from October 7, an
Israeli media report said.The report published in Maarif said Iran is preparing
a coordinated attack on several fronts at the same time, including Iran,
Hezbollah, Hamas, Yemen's Houthis, and Iraqi militias.According to the report,
senior Iranian officials have recently held talks with commanders in Hezbollah,
Houthis, and Iraqi militias. "At the same time, there were joint exercises,
closer operational and humanitarian ties, and increased coordination of
political and military decisions between the components of the axis," Maariv
said.
Report: Bassil bodyguard details how he handled explosives
in Syria arms smuggling case
Naharnet/September 4, 2026
A bodyguard of Free Patriotic Movement chief Gebran Bassil is also a State
Security member and the brother of a detainee in the case of the
Hezbollah-linked ring that allegedly planned attacks against the forces of
Syria's new government, MTV reported on Friday.
In his confessions, the bodyguard revealed extensive details about how he
handled the explosives that were hidden in a grove in Akkar, the TV network
said. “The detainee confessed that after the network was exposed and the first
arrests began, he rushed to move the bombs and explosives that had been hidden
inside the 11 rooms in Akkar and in houses there. He disposed of them by
throwing them directly into the waters of the Nahr al-Kabir River on the
Lebanese-Syrian border, in an attempt to conceal the criminal evidence and
facilitate the escape of those involved before the security forces raided and
arrested him,” MTV added. Meanwhile, the five detainees -- two Lebanese and
three Syrians explained “the full extent of Hezbollah's involvement in
supporting and managing this network,” the TV network said, adding that “the
confessions recorded in the investigation reports confirmed that Hezbollah
operatives provided complete financial and logistical support to the individuals
arriving from the Syrian coast, with the aim of subjecting them to training
courses on detonating explosives and preparing drones at a special camp in the
Bekaa Valley.”According to the detainees' reported confessions, the support
provided took the following forms: “Hezbollah members allocated monthly salaries
and financial aid to each trainee, ranging from $300 to $500. They also provided
them with shelter in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Sources also told MTV that
an association affiliated with Hezbollah handled the direct financial and
logistical needs of these groups.” Investigations also revealed that
communication between Hezbollah members and the network was conducted via a
phone network using foreign numbers originating from the southern suburbs.This
prompted the judiciary to expand the investigation to identify the Hezbollah
members facilitating the network's operations, MTV said.
US Embassy: We Continue to Facilitate Dialogue Between
Lebanon and Israel in Preparation for a New Round in Rome
Central News Agency/September 4, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
The US Embassy in Beirut announced that US-led mediation between the Lebanese
and Israeli governments has resulted in initial steps, including Israel's
release of detainees and assistance to Lebanon in recovering missing remains,
following direct bilateral talks hosted by the Italian capital, Rome, last
August.In a tweet on Thursday evening, the embassy stated, "In 2006, Hezbollah
devastated southern Lebanon in an attempt to kidnap Israelis and hold their
remains to exchange for prisoners. As a result of US-led mediation between two
legitimate governments, Israel is releasing detainees, and Lebanon is assisting
Israel in recovering the missing remains of Lebanese Jews." The embassy added
that in the last round of talks in Rome in August, Israel and Lebanon held
direct bilateral discussions on important civilian issues for both sides.
Ambassador Michel Issa and Ambassador Michael D. Huckabee finalized the release
of the detainees during Issa's visit to Israel. She commended the Israeli and
Lebanese governments "for demonstrating goodwill through these initial steps"
and expressed hope that this would pave the way for broader discussions on other
civilian issues. She concluded, "We continue to facilitate dialogue between
Israel and Lebanon on a daily basis and look forward to the next round of talks
in Rome. We remain committed to the full implementation of the tripartite
framework."
Hezbollah Seeks Chaos in Syria to Divert Attention from its Border with Lebanon!
Lara Yazbek/Al-Markazia/September 4, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
Al-Markazia - Lebanon arrested a network of five people, including Syrians, one
of whom is a former intelligence officer, on suspicion of planning attacks
against government forces in the Syrian coastal region, a Lebanese judicial
source told AFP on Wednesday. The source explained that the network included
"two Lebanese and three Syrians, one of whom is a former colonel" in
intelligence, and that "machine guns, hand grenades, sniper rifles, and
explosives" were seized from them. The source added that the network was run by
"a former major general in the Syrian army, residing in Moscow and close to
ousted President Bashar al-Assad." The network members received "military
training" in eastern Lebanon from "fighters from Hezbollah," which was a key
ally of Assad. The source indicated that "information obtained from the initial
investigation suggests they were planning to carry out operations against
government forces on the Syrian coast," a region with an Alawite majority that
witnessed sectarian violence in March 2025. As usual, Hezbollah was quick to
deny any connection to the network. In a statement, it asserted that "Hezbollah
has no connection, direct or indirect, to any such cell or group, and that the
allegations and accusations against it are completely baseless." However,
according to sovereign political sources speaking to Al-Markazia, the party's
history of interfering in the affairs of other countries, particularly Arab and
Gulf states, makes it difficult to believe its innocence of the accusations
leveled against it. According to sources, what exacerbates suspicions
surrounding the party is its feeling that the noose is tightening around it from
all sides, particularly from the Lebanese-Syrian border, which has served for
years as its lifeline for money, weapons, equipment, and ammunition. Today, the
sources continue, the new Syrian administration, in cooperation with Lebanese
security agencies, is exerting all its influence to close this vital artery for
the party, which has already begun to feel the effects of this stranglehold.
While the same applies to Lebanese facilities that are gradually slipping from
Hezbollah's control, the sources say that the party has begun searching for
alternative ways to alleviate its suffering. In this context, its
Secretary-General, Sheikh Naim Qassem, has extended an olive branch to the new
regime in Damascus. But if this method does not work - and it will certainly not
lead to opening arms channels for the party again - then the party is apparently
preparing a “Plan B”, which is based on stirring up chaos in Syria and
destabilizing the foundations of the new regime, in order to distract its focus
on the border with Lebanon or perhaps bring it down because it is troublesome to
the party and the Iranian axis, the sources conclude.
Aoun Signs General Amnesty Law… Al-Markazia Publishes
Full Text
Al-Markazia/September 4, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
President Joseph Aoun signed the General Amnesty Law. Following this, Prime
Minister Nawaf Salam contacted the President, expressing his appreciation for
the signing of the amnesty law, which the Lebanese people had long awaited. In
this context, Prime Minister Salam instructed the relevant departments at the
Prime Minister's office to publish the law today in a special edition of the
Official Gazette. Al-Markazia publishes the full text of the law.
Durel from Diman: Reaffirming the Depth of the Historical
Friendship Between France and Lebanon
Al-Markazia/September 4, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
Al-Markazia - Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi received
French Ambassador to Lebanon Patrick Durel at the patriarchal residence in Diman.
Ambassador Durel was accompanied by his wife, Nassira, and the embassy's
political advisor, Raphael. At the beginning of the meeting, Ambassador Durel
thanked Patriarch al-Rahi for the warm welcome, noting that this was his first
visit to His Beatitude at the patriarchal residence, having previously met in
the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron. Durel also spoke of his prior
knowledge of Lebanon and the region, particularly during his time working in
Syria, during which he frequently visited Lebanon, expressing his appreciation
for the country's unique historical and humanitarian significance.
After inquiring about Patriarch al-Rahi's health, the meeting addressed the deep
historical ties between Lebanon and France, the friendship between the two
peoples, and especially the historical bonds between France and the Maronites.
The importance of continued cooperation and support for Lebanese institutions
was also discussed. For his part, Patriarch Rai welcomed Ambassador Durel,
wishing him success in his diplomatic mission and expressing his appreciation
for Lebanese-French relations and for France's concern for Lebanon and its
people. The meeting concluded in a friendly atmosphere that reflected the
strength of the historical relationship between Lebanon and France.
Hezbollah MP: We Doubt Israel's Control of Ali al-Taher
Hill
Al-Markazia/September 4, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
MP Ihab Hamadeh, a member of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, asserted that
"there is still ambiguity surrounding the reality of Israel's control over Ali
al-Taher Hill." In an interview with Sputnik Radio, Hamadeh said, "How can the
Israeli enemy claim control of Ali al-Taher Hill when it continues to bombard
and raid it relentlessly, knowing that it controls it from the air or by
surrounding it geographically from all sides, without its forces being able to
enter the facility or gain control of it on the ground?" He added, "Israel has
not published any images confirming its capture of Ali al-Taher or the
logistical weapons it mentioned, while also claiming to have killed large
numbers of fighters and caused others to flee. How could this happen when it
maintains a tight siege from the air and on the ground?" Hamadeh believes that
"Israel is trying to portray Ali al-Taher Hill as Hezbollah's last stronghold so
that Netanyahu can exploit it as an election card, but..." Like any other site
or hill in southern Lebanon, it holds sacred existential value, and Israeli
control over it is not a disaster in military terms, nor is it the end of the
road, especially since the resistance put up a legendary stand at Ali al-Taher.
However, there are now red lines to determine the Israeli course of action.
Hamadeh believes that "the framework agreement signed by the Palestinian
Authority enabled Israel to seize this territory and annex a portion of Lebanese
land, which is what Netanyahu had already announced." Regarding the release of
the prisoners, Hamadeh said, "By Netanyahu's own admission, these released
prisoners have no connection or affiliation with Hezbollah. Therefore, their
capture was an act of aggression and a war crime for which Israel should have
been held accountable."
Mufti Qabalan: The Authority is Failing, Malicious, and
Seeking Revenge Against More Than Half the Lebanese People
Al-Markazia/September 4, 2026 (Google translation from Arabic)
The distinguished Jaafari Mufti, Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan, delivered the Friday
sermon at the Imam Hussein Mosque in Burj al-Barajneh, in which he stated that
"the political situation in the country today is extremely complex, because the
current authority is consumed by a complex of hatred and revenge against more
than half the Lebanese people. It treats the South, the southern suburbs of
Beirut, and the Bekaa Valley as if they were hostile territories. Consequently,
it is pursuing policies of siege, surveillance, intelligence gathering, and
various ambushes that affect more than half of Lebanon's territory and more than
half of its population, simply because this executive authority is burdened by
its obligations and subservience to Washington and its allies through a project
that undermines the very core of national and foundational interests." Mufti
Qabalan addressed the executive authority, saying: "The role of the state is not
to protect banking cartels, contractors of power, security deals, Zionist media
dens, and to undermine civil peace and transform the state into an agent of
American interests. Rather, its role is contingent upon the country's
capabilities, interests, sovereignty, the security of its people, its markets,
and its resources." His diverse contributions and what is needed to rescue this
country from the most dangerous crisis affecting the conditions of the nation's
existence and its ability to survive." He added: "The nation is its citizens,
and the people of the South, at this moment, are the nation that exposes the
falsehood, failure, and downfall of the authority. The state's loss in the South
is a loss for the authority and its very existence, because authority, by
national standards, is about sovereignty, national services, rescue, relief, and
defense, not about profiteering, plundering, brokerage, and personal companies.
What this authority is doing is the very essence of profiteering, failure, and
national fragmentation." He continued: "Yes, Lebanon is built on national
justice, solidarity, sovereignty, and development, not on hostility towards the
South, the southern suburbs, and the Bekaa Valley, striking at national bonds
and the Lebanese family, granting security to the Zionists, and turning the
state into a farm of arbitrary decisions." He addressed "this authority,"
saying: "Empty slogans are useless; we've had enough of them for decades. A
state that shirks its responsibilities on the southern fronts is not a state;
we've experienced that firsthand. An authority that mortgages its political,
security, and sovereign decisions to Washington and others is illegitimate; it
becomes an enemy of its own country and people. An authority that promotes the
idea that the state is the country's guarantor while preventing the army from
defending the south of its homeland needs a functioning state first. The current
state operates in accordance with commitments that contradict the very essence
of the concept of a state. What we have today is a failed, lazy authority,
alienated from its country and its people, working in favor of the framework
agreement that sold out and surrendered security and sovereignty to terrorist
Tel Aviv."Mufti Qabalan asserted that "the region is deeply divided today, the
Middle East is exposed to radical transformations, and the regional lobby
subservient to Washington is bleeding under the pressure of its own defeat. The
image of terrorist Israel is part of Washington's qualitative defeat. The nature
of the entire region is changing dramatically, and the interests of Arabs and
Muslims lie with Iran, not with America." In conclusion, Mufti Qabalan stressed
that "Lebanon cannot be outside the sovereign regional interests that strongly
conflict with the interests of Washington and Tel Aviv in the region."
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on September 04-05/2026
Trump says US may hit Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain soon
Reuters./Associated Press/September 4, 2026
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that the United
States may hit Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain very soon. Pickaxe Mountain, located near
Iran’s heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, is a heavily
fortified site that hosts two deeply buried tunnel complexes. Trump said that
the Iran war was “small potatoes” for the United States, a day after Vice
President JD Vance said he wouldn’t describe the conflict as a war. “A lot of
people don’t call it a war. I call it a military conflict because it’s small
potatoes for us. It’s not a big thing. We did Venezuela, and we did this,” Trump
told reporters when asked about Vance’s comments. In July the US changed its
official Defense Casualty Analysis System to reclassify soldiers killed or
wounded in “war” to “Overseas Operations.”Confronted by an intransigent Iranian
government that has refused to back down in the face of a massive military
campaign, US President Donald Trump has settled on a dual-prong approach that
combines economic pressure with the potential of a devastating escalation in
force. Over the course of the war, Trump has repeatedly reported progress in
negotiations or called off threats of military action at the last moment when
global markets have become jittery. The president wants to avoid both a return
to the full-throttle bombardment of Iran and making any accommodations to Tehran
on the Strait of Hormuz, said Aaron David Miller of the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace. “The White House doesn’t want a massive war, and they don’t
want to be seen as offering massive concessions,” Miller said. “The tack they
are taking avoids both of those things.”
US sanctions Turkish bank Golden Global over alleged Iran links
Arab News/September 4, 2026
WASHINGTON: The US Treasury Department on Friday imposed sanctions on a Turkish
bank over its alleged ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC),
as Washington pushes to economically isolate Tehran six months into their war.
The latest action targets Golden Global Bank and its subsidiaries, which the US
Treasury said “facilitated tens of millions of dollars’ worth of transactions”
for the IRGC. They were also said to have provided Tehran with “key
correspondent banking access that allows it to move its funds
internationally.”The bank denied the accusations, saying it “has not concluded
any banking transactions that could substantiate” the claims by the US
government. The institution, which describes itself as “the first investment
bank in Turkiye that observes the principles of interest-free banking in all its
operations,” said it respects “all applicable local and international banking
regulations, practices and compliance requirements.” Last week, Washington took
a step towards cutting a major Egyptian bank’s United Arab Emirates operations
from the US financial system. “Financial institutions continue to find out the
hard way that we are serious about Operation Economic Outcast,” said US Treasury
Secretary Scott Bessent in a statement. “While we hope no more banks will need
to be sanctioned, that ultimately depends on how quickly the international
community comes to its senses and ceases support of the murderous Iranian
regime,” he added. Bessent had said Tuesday that Washington would likely
announce a bank sanction this week and one next week, as it tries to choke off
Tehran economically. He was speaking on the sidelines of a Group of 20 finance
leaders’ gathering in Asheville, North Carolina, where he also sought to rally
support from partners to put pressure on Iran. Iran has been at war since late
February, when the United States and Israel launched a surprise bombing campaign
that killed the Islamic republic’s supreme leader. Bessent recently vowed that
the United States was declaring an “economic D-Day” on Iran, and warned of harsh
consequences for countries that do not join the campaign.
US military turns off ad trackers on devices
amid Middle East targeting reports
Reuters/September 4, 2026
WASHINGTON: US military officials say they have disabled advertising trackers on
a range of phones and computers, according to letters released on Friday by US
Senator Ron Wyden and statements given to Reuters, a development that follows
reports that commercially available location data had been used to target
American forces in the Middle East. The Air Force told Wyden it disabled the
advertising identifiers on computers and mobile phones two months ago. US
Special Operations Command said in a separate letter that it had “recently”
disabled them on its Windows devices. The Army told Reuters that advertising IDs
tied to mobile devices had been disabled since earlier this year. Wyden, an
Oregon Democrat, has pressed the Pentagon on the issue for months. The
disclosures highlight a growing national security concern: that location
data collected by the advertising industry and sold by data brokers — companies
that collate and resell personal data — can be used to track and target military
personnel deployed to war zones. The Air Force and Special Operations
Command declined further comment. Similar letters from the Army and Navy to
Wyden said they disabled advertising IDs on military devices but gave no
indication of when the restrictions were imposed. The Army said in a statement
that advertising IDs had been blocked on Windows computers “since before 2021”
but that Android and Apple mobile devices had only had it disabled by default
“since at least February 2026.”Messages seeking comment from the Navy went
unreturned. The effort to reduce the location data generated by smartphones
comes as military officials weigh increasingly strict restrictions on phone use
overall. In July, Reuters reported that some deployed personnel in the Middle
East could be ordered to surrender their phones amid concerns that mobile videos
they were posting to the Internet were helping Iran target American bases in the
region. Wyden and US Representative Pat Harrigan, a North Carolina Republican,
sent a letter to the Pentagon on Friday asking for an investigation into
whether the military had properly countered the dangers of the location data
trade. The letter included the updates from the various service branches on
their efforts to disable advertising IDs on military devices. Wyden said in a
statement that it was clear that the military’s efforts “have not been effective
at neutralizing this threat.” Harrigan said that US enemies “should not be able
to pull out a credit card and buy information that helps them track American
troops.”The Pentagon said in an email it would respond to the lawmakers
directly. Mobile advertising IDs, often abbreviated MAID, are unique identifiers
tied to specific devices that can be used to track a person’s activity across
mobile apps and pinpoint their physical location. Zach Edwards, co-founder of
privacy ad tech company Decryptads, said that efforts to disable MAID on
military-operated devices were “definitely a positive thing.”
The restrictions “will essentially ensure their location isn’t being included in
bulk data sales being done by numerous vendors,” although he cautioned that
personnel might still be tracked through apps in other more complicated ways,
for example by triangulating technical device details with network data or
location information.
US lawmakers urged to drop provision to deepen defense
ties with Israel
Reuters/September 4, 2026
WASHINGTON: Dozens of civil rights and advocacy groups are urging Congress to
scrap a defense bill provision that would deepen US-Israeli military technology
ties at a time of growing US skepticism toward the longtime ally. The provision
would deepen cooperation between the US and Israeli defense sectors by
accelerating joint military technology development and other partnerships. The
bill passed the House of Representatives in July and awaits Senate action. The
provision of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, known as Section 219,
seeks to set up frameworks for joint ventures, licensing agreements and US-based
co-production partnerships with the Israeli industry.
FAST FACT
The provision of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, known as Section
219, seeks to set up frameworks for joint ventures, licensing agreements and
US-based co-production partnerships with the Israeli industry. In Thursday’s
letter addressed to leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees,
56 groups said deeper integration with Israel’s defense sector would be
“exceptionally dangerous” and urged lawmakers to remove the provision. The
groups include Amnesty International USA and the civil rights network National
Lawyers Guild as well as Arab and Jewish advocacy groups.
“At a time in which American interests are increasingly diverging from those of
Israel, and American public opinion is turning increasingly against
unconditional support to Israel, creating new points of influence for Israel in
the US defense-technology ecosystem is exceptionally dangerous,” said the
letter, which has not been previously reported. Israel is one of Washington’s
closest allies in the Middle East, and the two countries cooperate extensively
on defense and intelligence issues. Supporters say deeper ties could help speed
military innovation and technology development.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a May interview with CBS
that he hoped to wean Israel off US military support within a decade. In a June
letter to a US congressman he wrote that the time has come for Israel “to move
from aid recipient to partner.”Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen said that it
was not in US national interests to deepen such cooperation with the Netanyahu
government. “This provision ... threatens to compromise sensitive technologies
and, based on our prior experience, risks giving the government of Israel the
ability to interfere in US defense decisions,” Van Hollen said. US public
support for Israel has fallen since the Gaza war began in 2023, particularly
among Democrats. A June Quinnipiac University poll found 48 percent of voters
and 66 percent of Democrats believe the United States is too supportive of
Israel, up from 16 percent and 20 percent when the question was first asked in
2017. Support for Israel among Democratic voters has plummeted, candidates
critical of Israel are winning Democratic primaries and even moderate lawmakers
are increasingly willing to challenge decades of US support for Israel. The
militant Hamas group, in an October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, killed nearly
1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals and took hundreds hostage. More than 73,000
Palestinians have since been killed in Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza,
according to Gaza health officials. The letter criticizes Israel for its
potential violations of international humanitarian law in its war in Gaza and
rising settler violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
It says such developments should prevent any discussion of deepening military
ties. A memorandum of understanding that provides $3.8 billion annual US
military aid to Israel is approaching its expiration date in 2028 and
conversations are under way on how Washington’s assistance to Israel would
evolve beyond that date. Some members of Congress have already tried to strip
the provision from the fiscal 2027 NDAA. Republican Representative Thomas Massie
of Kentucky and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California introduced an
amendment to block it, but it did not make it into the House version of the
bill. Once the House and Senate write their versions of the NDAA, members of
the two chambers work out a compromise version of the bill, which must pass both
chambers — typically near the end of the calendar year — before it can be sent
to the White House for President Donald Trump to sign into law or veto.
Police kill Palestinian in Jerusalem after attempted knife
attack
AFP/September 4, 2026
JERUSALEM: Israeli police said Friday they had killed a Palestinian after he
attempted to attack officers with a knife in central Jerusalem, ahead of a major
Jewish holiday. Security forces “neutralized a terrorist who had attempted to
attack them with a knife, and his death was pronounced at the scene”, police
said in a statement. The incident took place overnight near Damascus Gate, which
leads into Jerusalem’s Old City, the police said, adding that the dead man was a
33-year-old from Jerusalem. The Palestinian news agency Wafa also reported the
death, saying police had set up a military cordon around Damascus Gate and the
Old City. Ahead of the Jewish New Year on September 11, prayers are being held
every night at the Western Wall, a holy site for Jews that borders the Old City.
The holiday period, which lasts three weeks, has seen violent incidents in the
past. In September last year two Palestinians opened fire at a bus station in
east Jerusalem, killing six people and wounding about 20 others.
Dammam customs officers seize 18,500 amphetamine pills
SPA/September 4, 2026
RIYADH: Customs officials at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam thwarted
an attempt to smuggle 18,549 amphetamine pills concealed inside a parcel. Zakat,
Tax and Customs Authority spokesperson Hamoud Al-Harbi said that inspectors
uncovered the narcotics during routine clearance procedures using advanced
security detection systems and canine units.Following the seizure, the authority
coordinated with the General Directorate of Narcotics Control to track down the
intended recipients within the Kingdom, resulting in the arrest of four
suspects. Al-Harbi said that the authority was committed to tightening border
security and countering illicit smuggling across all entry ports and was working
closely with the Ministry of Interior and other security forces. It urged the
public to support anti-smuggling efforts by reporting violations via the
confidential security hotline 1910, email 1910@zatca.gov.sa, or international
number 009661910. Financial rewards are paid for confirmed tipoffs.
Arrest made after Saudi citizen stabbed in London’s
Mayfair
Arab News/September 4, 2026
LONDON: A suspect has been arrested after a Saudi citizen was stabbed in an
attempted robbery in London’s Mayfair area on Thursday, with the victim now in a
stable condition, police said. “We received a report of a stabbing incident in
Berkeley Square in the Mayfair area at 21:38 on Thursday, September 3,“ police
said. The Metropolitan Police said officers arrived at the scene accompanied by
London Ambulance Service crews, where they found a man in his forties suffering
from stab wounds. He received first aid at the scene before being transferred to
the hospital, where he remains under treatment; his injuries have been described
as not life-threatening. They confirmed a 58-year-old man was arrested at the
scene on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm, possession of an offensive
weapon, and attempted robbery. He too was taken to the hospital — where he
remains under treatment — after sustaining minor injuries. In a statement on X,
the Saudi Embassy in London said it was coordinating with the relevant British
authorities and ensuring the citizen received the necessary care and support. It
said it was monitoring his health until his safe discharge from hospital.
The embassy added that it was following up with British security services on the
circumstances of the incident and stressed the need to expedite the
investigation, establish the full details and hold the perpetrator accountable
in accordance with the law. It also emphasized the importance of taking
necessary measures to enhance the safety of citizens and visitors in public
areas. The embassy urged Saudi citizens in the UK to exercise caution and
vigilance and avoid carrying valuable possessions in public places. For
emergencies, it said, Saudi citizens can contact the Saudi Affairs hotline at
+44 77995 19495.
Yemeni government forces push back against
Houthi offensive in Taiz, Hodeidah
Saeed Al-Batati/Arab News/September 4, 2026
AL-MUKALLA: Heavy fighting continued in Yemen’s Hodeidah and Taiz provinces on
Friday as government forces battled Houthi assaults and sought to retake
positions seized by the militia a day earlier. The clashes came as the
internationally recognized government dispatched military reinforcements to
support troops fighting the Houthis in the two provinces. The government-aligned
National Resistance said its forces engaged in heavy clashes with the Houthis in
southern Hodeidah province, western Yemen, but did not report any territorial
gains. It released footage showing flashes of light as its forces exchanged fire
with the Houthis in what appeared to be overnight fighting. In Taiz, Yemeni army
troops on Friday recaptured a hilltop position in Jabal Habashi, west of the
city, that had fallen to the Houthis on Thursday. Government troops were also
engaged in fierce clashes with the militia in Maqbanah and Al-Kadaha, west of
Taiz, the army said in a statement. The fighting followed what officials
described as the heaviest Houthi offensives in years. Early on Thursday, the
Houthis launched simultaneous ground attacks against government forces in
southern Hodeidah and three districts west of Taiz, seizing several positions in
Taiz’s Jabal Habashi district. Hours before the offensive, the Houthis heavily
shelled government positions in the two provinces with dozens of artillery
rounds and fired at least 12 missiles, as well as drones, in an apparent attempt
to disrupt defenses and pave the way for their forces to advance. Thursday’s
offensive was the largest since April 2022, when a UN-brokered truce between the
Houthis and the Yemeni government led to a significant reduction in hostilities.
Official media reports said at least 50 Houthis, including two field commanders,
had been killed or wounded in clashes over the previous 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Rashad Al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council,
vowed on Thursday night that the government would deliver a “decisive” response
to the Houthi escalation. He said the Houthis had failed to make significant
gains on the ground and that government forces were now better prepared and more
experienced in confronting their attacks. The official SABA news agency quoted
Al-Alimi as making the remarks after speaking by phone with local military
commanders.
Yemeni government officials and military experts said the Houthis had focused
their latest attacks on areas west of Taiz city in an apparent attempt to sever
its connection with the Red Sea port of Mokha. Such an advance could bring
Houthi forces closer to Mokha, which has itself come under intense drone and
missile attacks, and ultimately closer to the strategic Bab Al-Mandab Strait.
Yaseen Saeed Noman, a prominent Yemeni politician and the country’s ambassador
to the UK, called for the Houthi offensive in Taiz to be defeated. He attributed
the escalation to an attempt by the militia to divert attention from growing
public resentment over repression, hunger, the failure to pay public-sector
salaries and deteriorating basic services in areas under its control. “There is
no option but for the Houthis to be broken and defeated in western Taiz, and for
Maqbanah to become a ‘graveyard’ for their malicious war project,” Noman said on
Facebook, referring to Taiz’s Maqbanah district. Noman described the Houthis as
Iran’s last active proxy force in the region, arguing that Hezbollah in Lebanon
had been weakened while Iran-backed militias in Iraq were coming under
increasing pressure from the Iraqi state. He said Tehran was seeking to preserve
its leverage over the Bab Al-Mandab Strait through the Houthis. “Iran has
nothing left but the Houthis to employ in the bloody game that they have agreed
to play against the Yemenis, without caring about the disasters that this
immoral game will bring to Yemen and its future,” Noman said.
More than 120 killed in Yemen clashes since Thursday: sources
AFP/September 4, 2026
Casualties include 24 government forces on the Red Sea coast and 15 in Taiz. At
least 42 Houthi militants have been killed according to medical sources. Clashes
between Yemen’s Houthi rebels and government forces have killed 120 combatants
since Thursday, according to a tally of figures from two military officials and
medical sources in rebel-held territory. A military official on the Red Sea
coast reported 24 of his men killed, while another in the inland Taiz area said
15 had been killed there. At least 42 Houthi militants were also killed,
according to medical sources in areas under their control. Deadly clashes
erupted in Yemen on Thursday, after Houthi forces began a ground assault
accompanied by rocket and drone attacks near coastal areas in the Red Sea and
around the Taiz region. Military government sources told AFP the rebels were
attempting to cut off the key port city of Mokha, under fire for weeks, from
other government areas, and advance towards areas bordering the strategic Bab
al-Mandab strait. Yemen, embroiled in more than a decade of civil conflict, in
July became the latest country to be drawn into the Middle East war as the
Houthis upended a 2022 truce with the government.
The Latest LCCC analysis & editorials from
miscellaneous sources published
on September 04-05/2026
Iran Was Losing. Then Washington Gave It Time. But What about the Kitchen
Table?
Pierre Rehov/Gatestone Institute/September 04/2026
Trump's biggest objectives at the moment concern not only Iran, Russia and
China, but also how to help his party retain control of the House of
Representatives and Senate. Most important is to remind voters not of his
accomplishments, but to return to what got him elected in the first place: focus
on them. He will need to tell Americans, whose wages have not kept up with
inflation, what, in the most practical terms, he will do to help.
Voters possess a healthy, survival-dose of self-interest. They do not need to
hear about Trump's many accomplishments, as praiseworthy as they are. They need
to hear from Trump what he will do for them. The cost of food, housing,
electricity and gasoline — combined with subversive foreign propaganda to induce
a fear of artificial intelligence and data centers — are all too real. It is
hard to be impressed even by a spectacular and extremely necessary campaign
against Iran if you are one of the 271,000 people whose jobs were cut by the
administration, or one of the the 180,000 who were laid off by Big Tech. Too
many voters are understandably terrified. They are looking toward anyone who
will address their immediate concerns. Every morning, Trump needs to repeat
"Kitchen Table" a hundred times.
Yes, Trump needs to win in Iran, continue his crucial reshoring, expand his
economic boom even further to the middle class and the disadvantaged, and keep
Russia, China and North Korea in line. To have a historic final two years of his
term, however, Trump will need to reassure voters about their future, not his
past. President Donald Trump's biggest objectives at the moment concern not only
Iran, Russia and China, but also how to help his party retain control of the
House of Representatives and Senate. Most important is to remind voters not of
his accomplishments, but to return to what got him elected in the first place:
focus on them. He will need to tell Americans, whose wages have not kept up with
inflation, what, in the most practical terms, he will do to help. Pictured:
Trump answers questions from reporters during a Cabinet meeting on July 31, 2026
in Camp David, Maryland. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Military superiority rarely decides wars against regimes that measure victory by
survival. The Islamic Republic of Iran, since its Islamic Revolution in 1979,
has been refining this distinction.
By the first week of April, Iran was losing. Its naval fleet was on the seabed,
its aircraft grounded, and American and Israeli aircraft were operating in
Iranian skies unopposed. Washington then began granting extensions. Five months
later, the Iranian regime is still setting conditions rather than receiving
them.
Operation Epic Fury opened on February 28 with strikes that killed Supreme
Leader Ali Khamenei, and with a video address in which US President Donald J.
Trump told the Iranian people that their hour of their freedom was at hand and
that their government would be theirs to take. Six weeks earlier, during the
January uprising in which regime security forces killed tens of thousands of its
own citizens -- estimates range from 32,000 to 100,000 -- Trump had urged the
Iran's population to keep protesting and promised that "help is on its way." The
objectives assigned to the US military were narrower: destroy Iran's ballistic
missile and drone capabilities, destroy its navy, destroy its defense industrial
base. By the White House's own accounting, more than 13,000 targets were struck
in 38 days.
Tehran's answer was maritime. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, mined it,
boarded merchant vessels and made the shipping chokepoint its one remaining
instrument of pressure. Washington replied with ultimatums. On March 22, Trump
gave Iran 48 hours to reopen the strait or lose its power stations. The deadline
slipped five days, then ten more, to April 6, when he described a four-hour plan
to demolish every bridge and every power plant in the country. On April 7, hours
before that deadline expired, Trump warned that a whole civilization would die
that night, then suspended the attack for two weeks after calls from Pakistan's
prime minister and army chief, calling a ten-point Iranian proposal a workable
basis for negotiation.
Three postponements in 16 days amount to a strategy. Military campaigns do not
resume at the point where they were interrupted, and surprise cannot be put into
storage. What Iran's regime learned was that American resolve carried a price
negotiated in public. Confirmation came within hours. On the day Trump was
promising annihilation, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) halted
two Qatari gas tankers that a Pakistani-brokered arrangement had cleared for
transit in the Strait of Hormuz.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had telephoned days earlier to counsel
against any ceasefire at that stage. Direct talks in Islamabad collapsed after
21 hours on April 12, and Washington began blockading Iranian ports the next
day, which is not the conduct of a government confident its truce is holding.
The mediation architecture compounded the problem. Pakistan carried the American
proposals and brokered the April pause. Egypt and Turkey pressed a phased
framework. Qatar and Oman took the maritime file. Their effect was to guarantee
Tehran an interlocutor other than the United States, and to ensure every
American ultimatum arrived with a third party counseling restraint. Iran built
its regional network so that pressure applied to Tehran could be exported
elsewhere, and diplomacy that leaves the network standing preserves the system
the war was meant to dismantle.
The Islamabad Memorandum, signed June 17, measures the distance traveled in 14
articles. Article 2 commits both parties to refraining from interfering in each
other's internal affairs, retiring Trump's February 28 encouragement to
revolution. Article 6 commits Washington and regional partners to a
reconstruction plan for Iran worth at least $300 billion. Article 7 commits the
US to terminate all sanctions, including UN Security Council and IAEA
resolutions. Article 9 freezes Iran's nuclear program at its current status quo
and bars Washington from new sanctions or additional deployments. Article 8
obtains in exchange a reaffirmation that Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons,
and an agreement to discuss uranium enrichment later.
Ballistic missiles appear nowhere in that text. Neither Hezbollah nor Hamas nor
the Houthis are mentioned at any point. The objectives that justified the war to
the American public survived in the military ledger and evaporated from the
diplomatic one. IAEA inspectors have been unable to account for Iran's enriched
uranium since June 2025, and the agency's director believes much of the 440
kilograms enriched to 60% remains buried at Isfahan.
The asymmetry is structural. Tehran has never needed to defeat the United States
on a battlefield. The regime needs only to survive long enough for American
objectives to become negotiable. When the regime fears imminent consequences,
its appetite for diplomacy grows; when the danger recedes, diplomacy becomes the
instrument for obtaining what its military cannot. By stopping when it did,
Washington also demonstrated that Hormuz could be converted into American
restraint.
The June framework lasted three weeks. After Iranian drones struck merchant
ships in Hormuz, Trump on July 8, declared the MOU finished, called Iranian
officials "scum," and ordered new strikes. Tehran suspended its own commitments
10 days later. By mid-July, Washington was reimposing the blockade and floating
the idea of US tolls on the strait, while Iran informed ships transiting the
strait must follow routes that it defined.
August clarified America's options. Iran's Supreme National Security Council now
conditions the reopening of Hormuz on an end to American military operations
against Iran and its allies, the lifting of the US blockade, the withdrawal of
American forces from the region, the release of frozen assets, sanctions relief,
and compensation for war damage.
Trump said on August 9 that Washington is low-keying it and only
"semi-negotiating," apparently content to let Iranian inflation accomplish what
bombing did not. He answered the reparations claim the next day with one of his
own, instructing his negotiators to demand payment for Americans killed by
Iranian roadside bombs and for protesters the regime has killed over 47 years,
and citing Iran's nuclear weapons program as the reason the war began, two
months after signing a document that froze that program in place. Tehran had
meanwhile replaced the secretary of its security council with Mohsen Rezaei, who
led the IRGC through the Iran-Iraq War and advises the new supreme leader,
Mojtaba Khamenei.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent announced a total economic
siege on Iran, including secondary sanctions — sanctioning not only Iran but
also countries that do business with it. Iran's population is already suffering
from an inflation rate of 87%, and reports have disclosed that lines for
gasoline last all night. Bessent added that the US knows where Iran's leaders'
secret bank accounts are in the British Virgin Islands, as well as their $100
million homes.
A domestic reckoning might be on the way. Trump's brand had rested on the
proposition, backed up by action, that American threats would be believed.
Trump's biggest objectives at the moment concern not only Iran, Russia and
China, but also how to help his party retain control of the House of
Representatives and Senate. Most important is to remind voters not of his
accomplishments, but to return to what got him elected in the first place: focus
on them. He will need to tell Americans, whose wages have not kept up with
inflation, what, in the most practical terms, he will do to help.Voters possess
a healthy, survival-dose of self-interest. They do not need to hear about
Trump's many accomplishments, as praiseworthy as they are. They need to hear
from Trump what he will do for them. The cost of food, housing, electricity and
gasoline — combined with subversive foreign propaganda to induce a fear of
artificial intelligence and data centers — are all too real. It is hard to be
impressed even by a spectacular and extremely necessary campaign against Iran if
you are one of the 271,000 people whose jobs were cut by the administration, or
one of the 180,000 who were laid off by Big Tech. Too many voters are
understandably terrified. They are looking to anyone who will address their
immediate concerns. Every morning, Trump needs to repeat "Kitchen Table" a
hundred times.
Yes, Trump needs to win in Iran, continue his crucial reshoring, expand his
economic boom even further to the middle class and the disadvantaged, and keep
Russia, China and North Korea in line. To have a historic final two years of his
term, however, Trump will need to reassure voters about their future, not his
past.
*Pierre Rehov, who holds a law degree from Paris-Assas, is a French reporter,
novelist and documentary filmmaker. He is the author of six novels, including
"Beyond Red Lines", "The Third Testament" and "Red Eden", translated from
French. His latest essay on the aftermath of the October 7 massacre " 7 octobre
- La riposte " became a bestseller in France. As a filmmaker, he has produced
and directed 17 documentaries, many photographed at high risk in Middle Eastern
war zones, and focusing on terrorism, media bias, and the persecution of
Christians. His latest documentary, "Pogrom(s)" highlights the context of
ancient Jew hatred within Muslim civilization as the main force behind the
October 7 massacre.
© 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.
Houthi Propaganda Laid the Groundwork for Military Escalation
Bridget Toomey/Read in Real Clear World/September 04/2026
Houthis rebels are threatening Yemenis with a return to civil war, the Red Sea
with resumed instability, and Saudi Arabia with attacks on its energy
infrastructure and shipping. The Iran-backed terror group views escalation as a
means to achieve expanded influence in Yemen and Iran’s goal of increasing
economic pressure on the United States. However, the Houthi propaganda system is
firing on all cylinders to spin their involvement in the current conflicts —
both domestic and regional — as an effort to free Yemenis from so-called Saudi
oppression.
The West could do more not only to counter these narratives, but to block the
organizations spreading them. In particular, al-Masirah, the Houthis’ primary
television channel, which amplifies its propaganda in English and Arabic, has a
presence in the West that supports its operations. As an arm of a
U.S.-designated terror group, American partners cannot permit the organization
to operate from their territory.
The Houthi propaganda machine is not new, and neither is its animosity to
Riyadh. Saudi Arabia led the international coalition to counter the Houthis
during the Yemeni civil war sparked by the Houthi seizure of Sanaa, the
country’s capital, in September 2014. The Houthis blame Saudi Arabia for a
claimed $57 billion in economic losses that the country suffered during the
civil war. Al-Masirah shared narratives of “US-Saudi aggression” engaged in
“economic warfare” against the country. The plight of Yemenis is
undeniable—nearly half of the population faces severe food insecurity according
to the United Nations. However, the Houthis exploit the suffering for their
propaganda while ignoring their role in the civil war, ensuing economic
collapse, and interference with international aid.
In early July, the Houthis, along with their partners in Iran, developed a
scheme to escalate their narrative of Saudi oppression. The Islamic Republic
sent a plane to pick up the Houthi delegation to slain Supreme Leader Ali
Khamenei’s funeral on July 3. Riyadh struck Sanaa International Airport to
prevent the return flight on July 13 which forced the plane to land at a
different Houthi-controlled airport. Al-Masirah described Riyadh’s strike as
part of a “policy of collective punishment,” despite Riyadh conducting the
strike at the request of Yemen’s internationally recognized government who
claimed the operation.
That plane turned out to be carrying Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
advisors as well as missile and drone components—exactly the reason that Riyadh
and Yemen’s government do not allow direct Tehran-Sanaa flights. The Yemeni
government had provided the Houthis with options to return their delegation
directly from Tehran on Yemen’s national carrier or through third countries
which would have prevented Iranian weapons or advisors. The Houthis rejected
these options demonstrating that their real goal is unfettered access to their
partners in Tehran.
Riyadh’s prevention of the Tehran-Sanaa flight kicked off the Houthi propaganda
campaign “a siege for a siege” on July 20. The Houthis announced a complete
maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia supposedly in response to Riyadh’s so-called
“siege” of Yemen. The group attacked Saudi vessels transporting oil through the
Red Sea and energy infrastructure. The narrative attempts to tell
Yemenis—frustrated with the deteriorating economic situation—that the Houthis,
not the Saudis or the government, are their protectors. Simultaneously, it
separates Houthi aggression from Iran’s regional campaign for both international
and domestic audiences. In reality, the Houthis hope to pressure Saudi Arabia
into concessions in Yemen while giving Iran additional leverage over
international energy markets.
Now, the Houthis are relying on their narrative to justify aggression at home.
In early August, the group launched the most serious attacks on Yemeni forces
across the country since a UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely brought civil war
fighting to an end. Instead of acknowledging that the Iran-backed group is
restarting conflict in Yemen, they claim to be targeting “Saudi aggressive
mobilizations” and “Saudi enemy troop concentrations” in Yemen. Al-Masirah
coverage focuses on “the Saudi enemy” and its programs echo Houthi claims that
the group is targeting Saudi military assets.
Colonel Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaili, the Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman, described
the recent fighting as “repeated Houthi terrorist attacks targeting civilians”
as well as “sites belonging to the Yemeni Armed Forces.”
The West can do more to prevent the group from having a narrative win by
countering the infrastructure that enables its spread. Al-Masirah had an
incorporated business in London for a decade and broadcasts on a French
satellite, Eutelsat. The United Kingdom was reportedly investigating al-Masirah’s
presence in early 2026, and it should release any findings on what Houthi
affiliates were doing in London and prohibit Houthi-affiliated offices.
Likewise, the French should remove al-Masirah from their satellites. The
European Union and UK have not designated the Houthis as a terrorist
organization and doing so would force governments to prohibit the group from
operating in their territory. Washington can speed up action against al-Masirah’s
presence abroad by sanctioning the organization.
Houthi propaganda is not accessory to their kinetic activity. It is a necessary
tool in the Iran-backed terror group’s fight against the west and American
partners in the region. Washington should treat its propaganda arms as such: a
core element of the Houthi organization.
Bridget Toomey is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies, focusing on Iranian proxies, specifically Iraqi militias and the
Houthis.
Syria Is Off the Terror List, but Washington Still Has
Leverage
Ahmad Sharawi/The Algemeiner/September 04/2026
US President Donald Trump has fulfilled the promise he made to Syrian President
Ahmad al-Sharaa in May 2025, to give Syrians “a chance at greatness.” At the end
of August of this year, Trump lifted the last major US designation and sanctions
regime on Damascus, declaring that Syria is no longer a state sponsor of
terrorism (SST). With the removal of the state sponsor of terrorism designation,
Washington also delisted Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist rebel group
that Sharaa led before becoming Syria’s president. HTS grew out of Jabhat al-Nusra,
which had served as Al-Qaeda’s official affiliate in Syria before breaking ties
with the terrorist organization in 2016.
The SST designation was not imposed on Syria’s current leadership but on the
former Assad regime in 1979, under Bashar al-Assad’s father, Hafez al-Assad. It
was later reinforced in response to Syria’s backing of Hezbollah and other
Iranian proxies. Until its removal, Syria had been among the longest-standing
countries on the list, alongside Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, and North Korea. The
designation restricted arms sales and foreign assistance and exposed Syria to
terrorism-related lawsuits in US courts.
The Trump administration had already dismantled several other restrictions on
Syria. In December 2025, Congress repealed the Caesar Act sanctions targeting
the former Assad regime and its enablers, and rescinded Sharaa’s designation as
a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
The SST delisting provides Syria’s new leadership with greater opportunities to
attract investment and rebuild a war-torn country that requires at least $216
billion in reconstruction funding, according to the World Bank. Syrian officials
had previously described the SST designation as the “last milestone” that needed
to be removed to unlock American investment. The designation had deterred
American companies, as well as foreign governments and firms, that were wary of
the legal and financial risks associated with investing in Syria.
The current Syrian government differs substantially from the Assad regime on the
issues that originally led Washington to designate Syria as an SST in 1979.
Damascus no longer supports Palestinian armed factions in Syria or elsewhere,
nor does it sponsor or support Hezbollah. In fact, Syrian authorities have
repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to interdict weapons shipments destined
for Hezbollah that transit through Syrian territory, a departure from the Assad
regime, which helped establish and sustain the weapons corridor through Syria
into Lebanon.
The Syrian government also joined the anti-Islamic State (ISIS) coalition in
November 2025 and has since arrested more than 200 ISIS operatives, seized
weapons, and disrupted plots across Syrian territory.
Although the delisting has already been finalized, the decision still carries
risks because it was implemented without explicit conditions or adding
additional leverage over Damascus. On several fronts, there is still a gap
between what Washington expects from Syria’s new government and what Damascus
has delivered. While Syria continues to interdict weapons shipments destined for
Hezbollah, financial entities linked to the Iran-backed group continue to have a
presence in Syria. Many of these companies were established during the civil war
under the Assad regime. The new Syrian government has yet to crack down
meaningfully on these networks, which has allowed them to continue generating
revenue for Hezbollah and assisting the movement of funds and other financial
support that could help the group rebuild and regenerate.
In June, the US Treasury Department sanctioned a Syria-based company for
providing material support to Hezbollah. The company was owned and operated by
an official tied to the Assad regime’s apparatus. Although he later fled to the
United Arab Emirates, the company reportedly continued operating in Syria. Its
continuation is a testament to the limited regulatory capacity and enforcement
bandwidth of the new Syrian government, particularly in counterterrorism
financing and anti-money laundering.
There are other reasons for Washington to remain concerned. A recent report by
the UN Security Council’s monitoring team indicated that ISIS and Al-Qaeda
members have infiltrated the “newly formed Syrian armed forces, particularly at
mid-level ranks.” According to the same report, approximately “50-70 Hurras
al-Din [al-Qaeda’s former affiliate in Syria] members” joined the Syrian
military, in part because of “less stringent vetting procedures.” What makes
this more troubling is the continued failure of Syria’s security apparatus to
adequately vet recruits for terrorist ties, especially following the December
2025 Palmyra attack, in which a member of Syria’s General Security Service
killed two American service members and an interpreter.Adding to these vetting
failures is Damascus’s decision to integrate US and UN formally designated
foreign jihadist factions into the Syrian military. These include the Uzbek-led
Katibat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad and the Uyghur-led Turkistan Islamic Party, whose
leader, Abdul Haq al-Turkistani, is still a member of Al-Qaeda’s Shura Council.
The SST designation was intended to punish a government that supported
international terrorism, and the current leadership in Damascus has
substantially changed many of the policies that originally justified that
designation. Washington should therefore use the remaining benefits of
engagement and normalization as leverage to deal with the persistent
shortcomings. Counterterrorism vetting should be a central condition for deeper
security engagement with Damascus. If the United States seeks to expand
cooperation with Syria’s security apparatus, that engagement should be
conditioned on Damascus removing members of designated terrorist organizations
from the security services and establishing more rigorous procedures for
screening recruits.
Washington should also press Damascus to hold accountable members of the
security forces and affiliated factions responsible for atrocities committed
against Alawite civilians on the Syrian coast and Druze civilians in Suwayda.
The presence of extremists and inadequately vetted fighters within the security
services increases the risk that such abuses will recur. Washington should also
press Damascus to dismantle Hezbollah’s remaining financial infrastructure
inside Syria with the same determination that it has demonstrated in
interdicting weapons shipments destined for the group.
**Ahmad Sharawi is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies focused on Iranian intervention in Arab affairs and the Levant.
How Gaza’s collapsing water system is deepening a public health emergency
Dalal Awienat/Arab News/September 4, 2026
DUBAI: Gaza’s water system is being pushed toward collapse, turning an already
severe shortage into a deepening public health emergency as damaged desalination
plants, wells and sewage networks leave civilians without sufficient access to
safe water.Humanitarian agencies say repeated strikes on water infrastructure,
combined with restrictions on essential supplies and difficulties reaching
damaged facilities, have made large parts of Gaza dependent on water trucks and
emergency humanitarian deliveries rather than a functioning public network. Most
recently, water facilities in Sheikh Radwan and Deir Al-Balah were damaged or
destroyed in late August, including a UNICEF-supported well and desalination
facility that served more than 4,000 people. The destruction adds to damage
accumulated throughout the conflict. The UN reported in June 2024 that 67
percent of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure had been damaged or
destroyed, including 76 municipal desalination plants and 194 water-production
wells. UNICEF currently supports around 16 small-scale desalination plants and
48 rehabilitated wells, but shortages remain particularly severe in densely
populated areas, including Gaza City and Khan Younis.According to Medecins Sans
Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders, 90 percent of Gaza’s population is
experiencing medium to high water insecurity. Munyah Al-Raeeini, deputy water,
sanitation and hygiene coordinator for MSF, told Arab News that people have
access to an average of just 4.5 liters of drinking water per person each day.
“This remains well below the humanitarian minimum benchmark of 21 liters per
person per day required to meet basic needs including drinking, cooking, hygiene
and other essential household needs,” she said. “This is no longer simply a
water shortage. Gaza is facing the consequences of the collapse of both its
water and sanitation systems. “Large parts of the population rely on water
trucking and emergency humanitarian support rather than a functioning public
water network.”Damage to desalination facilities, boreholes, generators and
distribution systems has directly reduced the amount of safe water
available.Even facilities that remain operational are increasingly difficult to
maintain because spare parts, treatment chemicals, lubricants and engine oil are
heavily restricted, Al-Raeeini said. “MSF teams have been forced to repurpose
and salvage components simply to keep reverse-osmosis systems operating,” she
added. UNICEF spokesperson Louise Wateridge told Arab News that around 70
percent of Gaza’s water, sanitation and hygiene facilities are currently
damaged. With much of the network no longer functioning, water trucks have
become the main source of drinking water for about 74 percent of households.
But the system remains inadequate.Wateridge said 63 percent of people cannot
access even 6 liters of drinking water a day.
Before Oct. 7, 2023, she said, Gaza residents had access to approximately 80 to
85 liters per person per day. The consequences extend far beyond thirst.“Safe
water is essential to life itself,” Wateridge said. “When children are forced to
consume contaminated or untreated water over an extended period, it triggers a
cycle of illness, malnutrition and developmental delays.”Humanitarian agencies
warn that even if a full ceasefire allowed water facilities to return to maximum
capacity, some of the damage already inflicted on Gaza’s children could be
long-lasting. Children are particularly vulnerable because they consume more
water relative to their body weight than adults and have less-developed immune
systems. “Drinking untreated water over an extended period can cause long-term
physical, cognitive and immune-system damage in children,” Wateridge said.
“Microbial contamination leads to chronic diarrhea and stunting and wasting that
stop the body from absorbing food. “This causes permanent reductions in height
and weight and can result in developmental delays.”The crisis is also placing
additional strain on Gaza’s devastated healthcare system. Hospitals require
reliable supplies of clean water for drinking, sanitation, sterilization and
infection control. Without them, medical facilities face greater risks of
disease outbreaks precisely when their capacity to treat patients has been
severely reduced. “In Gaza this is acute: families don’t have enough water to
drink, cook, wash and prevent disease spreading,” Wateridge said. “Inadequate
water and sanitation are a core driver of infectious-disease risk in healthcare
settings, on top of a hospital system that is only half partially
functional.”Large-scale damage to wastewater infrastructure has compounded the
problem. Limited sewage management, accumulating waste and damaged sanitation
networks have created conditions in which water sources can become contaminated
and infectious diseases spread more easily. MSF said a significant proportion of
illnesses recorded among patients were associated with conditions worsened by
the lack of clean water and adequate sanitation.
According to Al-Raeeini, 46 percent of reported illnesses were acute respiratory
infections, 31 percent were skin diseases and 21 percent were acute watery
diarrhea. “Many of the illnesses MSF treats are entirely preventable,” she said.
“However, patients often recover in clinics only to return to overcrowded
shelters where exposure to contaminated environments continues, leading to
repeated illness.”Water scarcity becomes a public health emergency when
communities no longer have enough safe water to maintain hydration, sanitation
and hygiene, causing disease transmission to rise while putting additional
pressure on health services.
MSF says Gaza has already crossed that threshold.
The sanitation system is in similarly critical condition.
UNICEF said all six wastewater treatment plants have ceased operating, while
about 70 percent of sewage pumping stations are out of service. An estimated
154,600 cubic meters of untreated wastewater is being discharged into the
environment every day. The resulting contamination threatens groundwater, living
areas and already overcrowded displacement sites. Conditions are particularly
severe in northern Gaza, including Gaza City and North Gaza, as well as parts of
the south where displacement and access restrictions have disrupted water
sources and trucking routes.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees told Arab News that
communities close to restricted-access areas and around the so-called Yellow
Line face especially acute difficulties. Humanitarian workers can struggle to
reach infrastructure requiring repair, while water trucks can face severe
constraints reaching displaced communities.Despite the damage, many civilians
continue to rely on groundwater wells and tanker deliveries for access to safe
water. “In many areas, water is pumped from functioning wells or desalination
plants and transported by tanker to water points and storage tanks close to
displaced communities,” UNRWA said. But such arrangements are intended as
emergency measures, not as a substitute for a functioning municipal water
system. “Even when water is available at the source, delivering sufficient
quantities of safe water to communities remains extremely difficult,” the agency
said. “The current emergency system is therefore highly fragile and cannot
replace the restoration of Gaza’s water infrastructure.”The scale of destruction
means that many facilities now require extensive rehabilitation or complete
replacement rather than routine repairs, driving up both the cost and complexity
of recovery.Aid organizations also say restrictions on the entry of equipment
and supplies are making it increasingly difficult to keep remaining systems
functioning. MSF said that since Jan. 1, 2026, its requests for the entry of
supplies had been denied, including requests for engine oil required for
groundwater extraction and water trucking.The organization reported on Aug. 12
that restrictions on engine oil and spare parts were affecting generators,
ambulances, water pumps and water trucks.The shortage therefore risks becoming
self-reinforcing: damaged infrastructure reduces water availability, while
restrictions on equipment and fuel make it harder to repair facilities or
deliver emergency supplies to compensate.Humanitarian agencies say the crisis
cannot be resolved through tanker deliveries alone. Restoring desalination
plants, wells, pumping stations and sewage systems will require sustained
humanitarian access, reliable supplies of equipment and treatment materials, and
major reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed or damaged during the conflict.
But even restoration of the physical network will not immediately reverse the
consequences. For children who have endured prolonged malnutrition, repeated
infections and contaminated water, some effects could persist well beyond the
end of the fighting.
Gaza’s water crisis is therefore no longer simply about how many liters can be
delivered each day. It is increasingly about whether the destruction of the
systems that sustain basic life will leave a health and developmental legacy
extending years — perhaps generations — beyond the war.
UNICEF and MSF warn that Gaza's water system is on the brink of collapse, with
inadequate access and severe contamination posing significant risks to
children's health and development. The report highlights the urgent need for
humanitarian intervention as water availability falls drastically below minimum
standards. UNICEF and MSF warn that Gaza's water system is on the brink of
collapse, with inadequate access and severe contamination posing significant
risks to children's health and development. The report highlights the urgent
need for humanitarian intervention as water availability falls drastically below
minimum standards.
Pakistan can anchor Saudi Arabia and Turkiye in Asia
Dr. Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/September 4, 2026
After attending the first institutional meeting of the Makkah Joint Defense
Agreement in Istanbul, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar traveled to Bishkek
aboard the same plane as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Defense
Minister Yasar Guler to attend a critical summit. Their destination was a
meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, in which Pakistan sits as a
full member and Turkiye and Saudi Arabia are increasingly signaling that they
want a larger role. The symbolism in the photos taken both aboard the plane and
at the summit was hard to ignore. In Istanbul, the Turkish, Saudi and Pakistani
foreign ministers agreed to establish a permanent secretariat in Saudi Arabia,
with Pakistan initially providing the secretary-general. Setting aside the
Makkah Agreement’s defense and political dimensions, what could it offer its
member states in terms of deepening their engagement with, and pivot toward,
Asian organizations? As a Makkah pact member, Pakistan can serve as a gateway
for Turkiye and Saudi Arabia into Asian multilateralism. Islamabad is a full
member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and a participant in Association
of Southeast Asian Nations mechanisms, meaning it can use its position to build
consensus around greater support for Turkish and Saudi participation.As a Makkah
pact member, Pakistan can serve as a gateway for Turkiye and Saudi Arabia into
Asian multilateralism
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who attended the Bishkek summit, called
the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation a “rising star” and an “indispensable
element of a multipolar order.” He said Turkiye wants to deepen its relationship
with the grouping and would even consider full membership, while stressing that
this does not mean abandoning the West. Turkiye currently holds dialogue partner
status.
Turkiye has accelerated its engagement with Asian organizations over the past
few years. In July, it also became an ASEAN dialogue partner — the first country
from the Middle East to do so. Turkiye’s elevation from sectoral partner to
dialogue partner reflects its “Asia Anew Initiative,” a strategy launched in
2019 to deepen and anchor the country in the Asia-Pacific. By increasingly
building a network across Asia, Turkiye was able to break ASEAN’s long-standing
pause on welcoming new dialogue partners.
While Turkiye is moving deeper into Asian institutions, Saudi Arabia is also
looking to diversify and strengthen its strategic partnerships. Over the past
few years, the Kingdom has also pivoted toward Asian organizations. Although
Riyadh is not yet an ASEAN dialogue partner, it has developed institutional ties
with the bloc through the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council relationship and signed
its Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in 2023. Saudi Arabia hosted the first
ASEAN-GCC summit in 2023, when the two institutions agreed to improve trade and
supply chains. The same year, the Kingdom agreed to join the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation as a dialogue partner. Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi
Arabia are also members of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, which focuses on six
major areas of cooperation, including connectivity. Turkiye has described this
dialogue as a bridge between ASEAN and the GCC, making it a potentially
important platform. Both Saudi Arabia and Turkiye see cooperation with Asia as
being significant for their connectivity projects
Both Saudi Arabia and Turkiye see cooperation with Asia as being significant for
their connectivity projects. They, along with Pakistan, are partners in China’s
high-profile Belt and Road Initiative. Pakistan plays a strategic role in this
initiative, offering Ankara and Riyadh a bridge toward China and Central Asia,
with Gwadar Port being the key maritime link. Pakistan and China this year
agreed to develop Gwadar as a regional connectivity hub.
Turkiye and Saudi Arabia have the potential to contribute to Asia’s connectivity
by helping connect it with the Middle East and beyond. A strong role for these
countries in Asian institutions could therefore broaden regional cooperation and
create new opportunities for economic integration and connectivity. Pakistan’s
participation in the Makkah pact is significant for Asian states, particularly
China. Pakistan is one of China’s closest strategic partners and Beijing has
extensive economic and infrastructure interests in the country. It is also one
of China’s closest defense partners and a major recipient of Chinese arms.
From this perspective, Pakistan’s close ties with Turkiye and Saudi Arabia could
bring another dimension to these countries’ relations with China in the
long-term. Islamabad’s membership of the Makkah pact brings a strong South Asian
dimension and means it can function as a gateway for Turkiye and Saudi Arabia,
bringing other Asian countries more toward cooperation. The Makkah pact has
already changed the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East and South Asia. It
brings together three states that are each embedded in different institutions.
Turkiye is a key member of NATO, while expanding its engagement with the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and ASEAN. Saudi Arabia plays a leading role
in the GCC and the wider Arab/Gulf system. And Pakistan sits within South Asian
and Asian institutions, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and has
a long-standing partnership with ASEAN.
The Makkah Agreement could therefore become a mechanism through which these
three countries bring their respective institutional relationships into closer
contact with Asian partners.
*Dr. Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes in Turkiye’s
relations with the Middle East. X: @SinemCngz
Trump is picking a needless fight over the Falklands
Luke Coffey/Arab News/September 4, 2026
Another crisis is brewing in the transatlantic relationship, this time between
the US and the UK over the status of the Falkland Islands. The Falklands are one
of 14 British Overseas Territories and are located in the South Atlantic, about
500 km off the coast of South America. Britain has long claimed sovereignty over
the islands, based on historical precedent and, more importantly, the fact that
their roughly 3,600 inhabitants overwhelmingly want to remain British.
Argentina, meanwhile, claims the islands as its own and regards Britain as an
occupying power. The US has traditionally sympathized with the British, even
providing crucial support to the UK after Argentina invaded and occupied the
islands for 74 days in 1982. President Donald Trump has now said that his
administration is reviewing America’s position, following earlier reports about
Washington’s frustration over Britain’s perceived lack of support during the war
against Iran. The timing is puzzling. There is already enough tension in the
transatlantic community over the US interest in Greenland and the trade dispute
with the EU. Injecting another unnecessary crisis into an already fraught
relationship makes little sense, especially when the transatlantic community
needs unity and cohesion.
History makes a compelling case for the UK position
ore importantly, it is difficult to understand the claim that the UK has failed
to provide meaningful assistance during US military operations against Iran.
Britain has allowed the US to use its bases and overseas territories in support
of the recent Iran operations. For example, Gibraltar hosted a US nuclear
submarine visit during the conflict. At the time it was thought that this was
done to signal a message to Tehran. The US has also long used British bases in
Cyprus for intelligence gathering. Most importantly, the US was allowed to use
Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to conduct bombing runs into Iran.
The UK has also allowed the US to use RAF Fairford for operations connected to
Iran. British forces have played an important role across the region defending
countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, and Jordan against
Iranian missiles and drones.
The American use of British bases is particularly significant because military
cooperation has been one of the foundations of the US-UK special relationship
for generations. During his famous 1946 “Iron Curtain” speech in Fulton,
Missouri, Winston Churchill described the close military links that should
underpin the relationship between the two countries, including the use of each
other’s military bases around the globe. Therefore, it seems particularly
hypocritical for the Trump administration to rely on British bases and overseas
territories during its military operations against Iran, while simultaneously
questioning British control over another overseas territory in the South
Atlantic.
History also makes a compelling case for the British position.
The US should support the wishes of the islanders
The first recorded siting of the Falkland Islands was made by an English sailor
in 1690. At the time, the islands were uninhabited, and there is no historical
or archaeological evidence that an indigenous population had previously lived
there. Britain made its first formal claim to the islands in 1765 and maintained
settlements there sporadically during the following decades. In 1833, a British
force arrived and removed an Argentine military penal colony that established
itself on one of the Falkland’s 776 islands. Even though the soldiers were
expelled, civilians were allowed to remain — and most did. The islands have been
under continuous British administration since 1833, with the exception of 74
days in 1982 during the war. But however interesting the historical claims might
be, the history is secondary to the wishes of the people who actually live on
the islands. In 2013, Falkland islanders held a referendum on their status.
Turnout was 92 percent, and 99.8 percent voted to remain a British Overseas
Territory. Only three people voted against. The referendum was overseen by
international observers, even from Latin America, and was considered free and
fair.
What matters most is not the opinion in London, Washington or Buenos Aires, but
the opinion in Stanley, the territory’s capital. For as long as the Falkland
islanders want to remain British their wishes should be respected.
The Falkland Islands are also a very emotive political issue in the UK. Support
for the islanders’ right to remain British stretches across almost the entire
British political spectrum. Picking a fight with London over the islands would
therefore needlessly create a crisis with one of America’s closest allies.
Even viewed narrowly through the lens of American interests, changing the US
position makes little sense. There is also a straightforward strategic argument
for maintaining the status quo. The Trump administration has proposed stability
and security in the western hemisphere. British control over the islands does
just that. With the British presence, there is no immediate threat of armed
conflict due to the UK’s military presence on the islands deterring Argentine
aggression. There is also no civil unrest or oppressed population there
demanding political change. If Argentina gained control, this would not be the
case.
The US was founded on the principle that people should have a say in how they
are governed. Applying that principle to the Falkland Islands is a no-brainer.
If the islanders want to remain British, Washington should respect their
decision.
At a moment when the US needs dependable allies, picking an unnecessary fight
with the UK over the Falklands would accomplish nothing. America should support
the wishes of the islanders and recognize British control of the territory. This
is the best way to maintain stability in the South Atlantic and the western
hemisphere.Now is not the time to create a problem where none exists.
**Luke Coffey is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. X: @LukeDCoffey
Rosh Hashanah and Saudi Arabia’s season of renewal
Rabbi Marc Schneier/Arab News/September 4, 2026
At sundown on Sept. 11, Jewish families around the world will gather to welcome
Rosh Hashanah by dipping apples in honey and praying for a sweet new year. Yet
sweetness is only part of the meaning of this sacred season.
Rosh Hashanah is more than the Jewish new year. It marks the anniversary of the
creation of the world and begins the Ten Days of Repentance, which culminate
with Yom Kippur. During the holiday, we sound the shofar, a ram’s horn whose
piercing call urges us to examine our actions and return to God. Maimonides
taught that the shofar calls upon those who are spiritually asleep to awaken,
search their ways and remember their Creator. As I prepare to welcome the Jewish
year 5787, I am also thinking about the new beginning taking shape in Saudi
Arabia.
The Kingdom has entered the third and final phase of Vision 2030. What Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman set in motion a decade ago has become a national
transformation encompassing the economy, culture, infrastructure and daily life.
The crown prince has emphasized that the most important investment made under
Vision 2030 has been, and will continue to be, the investment in Saudi citizens.
Saudi Arabia is embracing the future while remaining grounded in its Islamic
faith, Arab heritage and national character
This is where Rosh Hashanah and Vision 2030 converge. The Jewish new year
teaches that renewal does not require us to abandon who we are. It calls upon us
to draw from the deepest sources of our identity as we build what comes next.
Vision 2030 reflects that same principle on a national scale: Saudi Arabia is
embracing the future while remaining firmly grounded in its Islamic faith, Arab
heritage and national character.
The most important measure of this transformation may not be a statistic or a
new skyline. It may be the confidence with which the Kingdom is opening itself
to the world while remaining true to itself. The economic results are
substantial. By the end of 2025, non-oil activities accounted for 55 percent of
real gross domestic product, while 93 percent of Vision 2030’s performance
indicators had met their annual targets or were close to doing so. Yet, as a
rabbi who has devoted his life to Muslim-Jewish relations, I am equally
encouraged by the Kingdom’s growing commitment to cultural exchange,
interreligious dialogue and peaceful coexistence. Openness need not come at the
expense of identity and tradition need not stand in the way of progress. Global
Harmony 2, an initiative of the Vision 2030 Quality of Life Program, last year
celebrated 14 cultures represented among the Kingdom’s residents. It presented
cultural diversity as a source of social harmony and human connection.
Meanwhile, the King Abdulaziz Center for Cultural Communication’s partnership
with the UN Alliance of Civilizations provides for joint efforts to combat hate
speech, safeguard religious sites and promote shared human values.
These initiatives express an important truth: coexistence cannot depend solely
upon occasional meetings or ceremonial declarations. It must be cultivated
through institutions, strengthened through education and carried into the lives
of ordinary people.
I have said this everywhere — in Riyadh, Doha, Manama and Baku — interreligious
dialogue succeeds only when no one is asked to leave their faith at the door.
Its purpose is not to make a Muslim less Muslim or a Jew less Jewish. Its
purpose is to call Muslims and Jews to the highest teachings of their respective
faiths: honoring human dignity, loving the stranger and pursuing peace. After
more than 20 years of building relationships across the Muslim world, I am
convinced that strong religious identity and genuine openness are not opposing
forces. The stronger we are in our faith, the more confidently we can encounter
the faith of another. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan recently
described dialogue among followers of different religions as a “strategic
necessity” and a fundamental pillar of a just and lasting peace. His words are
especially timely as alliances across the region are being reshaped.
Interreligious dialogue is not an ornament placed beside diplomacy. It is part
of diplomacy because agreements among governments endure when they are supported
by understanding among peoples. As Rosh Hashanah approaches, I congratulate the
crown prince on the extraordinary progress of Vision 2030 and the spirit of
possibility it has inspired. The Kingdom is demonstrating that openness need not
come at the expense of identity and that tradition need not stand in the way of
progress.On Rosh Hashanah, we do not pray merely to receive another year. We
pray that we may become worthy of it. My prayer for 5787 is that it brings
sweetness to the Jewish people, continued blessing to the Saudi people and
deeper understanding among all the children of Abraham. The future belongs to
those who renew without forgetting who they are.
Rabbi Marc Schneier is president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and
the founding senior rabbi of The Hampton Synagogue. He is a noted adviser to
many Gulf states.
**Rabbi Marc Schneier is President of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding
and a noted adviser to many Gulf states.
Selected Face Book & X tweets on September
03/2026
charles 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.
Tom Harb
IDF finished the job the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL failed to do for decades
dismantling Hezbollah’s Iranian-built terror tunnels so Lebanese civilians are
no longer held hostage by them.
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1282205750593489
A prerequisite for creating a modern state is for citizens to be able to hold
their leaders accountable when they fail. Hezbollah launched war on Israel in
October 2023. Since then, the lives of Lebanon's Shia have turned into hell,
still turning to the worse.
Yesterday, Israel subdued Hezbollah and took Ali Taher Hill, after having taken
Beaufort Hill, both north of Litanti River inside Lebanon. Israel now maintains
a depopulated security zone that keeps half a million Lebanese Shia displaced.
Now if you are a Lebanese Shia, watch the posted video and ask yourself: Should
you continue to support the very same Hezbollah that promised you that Israel
cannot enter, cannot create a security zone, and cannot maintain it? All of what
Hezbollah chief Nasrallah said turned out to be false. How long will you
continue believing the false prophecies of Islamic Iran and its militia leaders?
Lebanon's Shia, priding themselves for a powerful Hezbollah and insisting that
its arms are the guarantee of their security, have in fact been the only victims
of the war. All other Lebanese -- Sunni, Druze, Christian -- live in their
homes, safe, without maintaining an armed militia.
It's time for the Shia to start thinking of a different direction. The one that
Iran and Hezbollah promised them has clearly taken them to hell, still is.
Saw this and could not but interrupt my work for it
Hussain Abdul-Hussain/Face Book/September 04?2026
Saw this and could not but interrupt my work for it. This post makes an amazing
argument, that the Quran confuses two Mary characters, one was Miriam daughter
of Amiram the sister of Moses and Aaron, a prophetess in the Old Testament, and
the second was Mary the mother of Jesus. 1,400 years separated between the two,
yet the Quran thinks they were one and the same. But here's another thing, there
is a striking resemblance between Nave/Joshua Ben Nun and Jesus Christ. First,
the name, Joshua and Jesus are etymological identical and mean rescue (usually
imagined as rain that revives a dead earth). Second, both men entered Jerusalem
triumphantly, leading the Jews to salvation, the first physically and the second
spiritually. But Joshua is even more interesting (and less studied). His
father's name is Nun, but Hellenized as Nave. The father is not an important
character since Joshua succeeded the leader Moses as his apprentice (not
biological succession, just like Jesus's leadership was not biological). Nun was
unlikely the name of the father but an epithet given to Joshua. Nun means fish,
the sign of life after death and the symbol of Jesus until 324 CE, when
Constantine changed it to the cross. Nun also means successor in a lineage. So
Jesus Nun was the Messiah who succeeded Moses and conquered Jerusalem to
proclaim the Kingdom of God. But how was Nun Hellenized into Nave? The most
probable answer is that Nun was not Hellenized. The name Nave, in Semitic, is
Nabi or Nabu (deity of wisdom that foretells the future, now means prophet).
Whoever described Joshua, described him as a prophet. Mind you both Judaism and
Islam reject the notion of God's fatherhood.
As the Jews were saved from Egypt (and the desert) and Joshua led them to
Jerusalem, they were saved. The story of the Messiah was thus concluded. This
was the earlier version of the savior. In the later version, the one in the New
Testament, Jesus again conquered Jerusalem and death and saved the Israelites,
except that this story was accepted by only one faction of the Israelites. These
were two similar, almost identical, stories that the Quran recorded as one and
the same, while sticking with the Jewish instruction that the Messiah would be
human, not divine or son of God.
Another substantiating evidence is that the Quran could not tell the difference
between the Jews who stuck with the Old Testament (Prophet Joshua finished
Moses's plan to save the Jews, then the Jews were still waiting for a Messiah)
and the Jews who switched to the New Testament (Jesus was son of God and savior
who came the first time and will come back at the end of time as the Messiah).
Like the Quran bungled the two Mary's (Miriam Amram and Mary Mother of Jesus),
the Quran also confused the two sets of Jews, said "the Jews said that Ezra was
the son of God" and also the Nazarenes (Christians) said "the Messiah was the
son of God." Jews don't say anyone is the son of God. Also, the name Ezra is
etymologically identical to the Arabic name of Mary that also means rescuer or
savior.
Bottom line is, the Quran was written at a time the difference between Jews and
Jews-turned-Christians was not yet as pronounced and there must have been many
sects that were in between the two faiths and this is how non-Jews, who
neighbored the Jews, saw the growing schism between the two from outside, not
very clear or pronounced and couldn't tell much the difference between them.