English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News &
Editorials
For September 08/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2026/english.september08.26.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
We refuse to practise cunning or to falsify God’s word;
but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of
everyone in the sight of God
Second Letter to the Corinthians 04/01-06/:”Therefore, since it
is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We
have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practise cunning
or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend
ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God. And even if our
gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god
of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing
the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we
do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as
your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of
darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Titles For The English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News &
Editorials published on September 07-08/2026
Elias Bejjani/Charles Chartouni the Bashirist is definitively the polar
opposite of Melhem Riachy. Hezbollah must be put on trial, not engaged in
dialogue
September 7, 2026
Lebanon's Martyrs Are Its Righteous Ones, Its Pride, Glory, and Dignity/Elias
Bejjani / September 06, 2016
Who is Saint Charbel of Edessa, Whose Feast the Church Celebrates Annually on
September 5, and Who is His Martyr Sister, Barabia?/Elias Bejjani/September
05/2025
Elias Bejjani/Video Link to My Interview on Al-Hawiya Youtube Platform
Lebanon’s death toll from Israeli aggression since March 2 reaches 4,381
Lebanese Health Ministry says Israeli attacks kill 27, injure 69 in Lebanon over
three days
Lebanon Says 12 Killed in Strikes as Israel Vows to 'Remove Threats'
Two Israeli soldiers wounded in clash with Hezbollah fighter
Israeli army says will continue to 'remove threats' from Hezbollah
Aoun warns that Israel's attacks undermine framework agreement and deescalation
efforts
Nassar says port blast indictment expected in October
Israel accuses Hezbollah of repeatedly violating ceasefire agreement
Residents live in constant anxiety as Israel escalates strikes on Nabatieh
region
What comes after UNIFIL? Lebanon weighs new options to monitor pilot zones
Israel plans demolition of Ali al-Taher hill as it expands operations in South
Lebanon
BDL governor Karim Souaid reveals the fate of deposits and gold
Israel targets car in Nabatieh, wages fresh airstrikes on Nabatieh al-Fawqa
Salam responds to Geagea regarding Rajji, financial reforms
Geagea urges state to 'take decisive action' if Hezbollah doesn't disarm
Israeli ‘Gray Line’ Plan Would See Withdrawal from Most Occupied Lebanese
Territory
Report: US tells Lebanon it's pressing Israel to keep situation under control
The Final Strategic Battleground: Jabal Al-Rihan and the Fate of Southern
Lebanon/Colonel Charbel Barakat/September 07/2026
After Ali al-Tahir/Makram Rabah/Alarabiya English/September 07/2026
La délégitimation/Dr. Charles Chartouni/Ici Beyrouth/Septmber 07/2026
Delegitimization/Dr. Charles Chartouni / Ici Beyrouth/September 07, 2026
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on September 07-08/2026
Iran Says to Announce New Restricted Zone in
the Gulf in the Coming Days
IAEA head urges Iran to reengage as western powers seek UN referral
US to turn diplomatic screws on Iran over nuclear non-compliance
Israel Vows War with PA in Case of Oct 7-Style Attack
Board of Peace's Mladenov Says Gaza, West Bank Escalation Makes Two-state
Solution 'Impossible'
Damascus has not commented on the understanding.
Syria arrests Assad-era general accused of deadly repression
Far-Right Triumph in Eastern Germany Leaves Migrants Questioning Their Future
Russia Announces the Closure of the German Consulate in St. Petersburg
Assad-era Syrian Reactor was Configured for Nuclear Weapons, IAEA Chief Says
UN envoy warns Houthi attacks risk wider conflict in Yemen
New Battlefronts in Yemen Leave Houthis in Disarray
Trump says Canada’s Bombardier cannot sell in US unless it builds there
Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials
from miscellaneous sources published
on September 07-08/2026
The Ongoing Genocide against
Christians’: The Extremist Persecution of Christians, May 2026/Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone
Institute/September 07/2026
Why Donald Trump’s trolling of Canada is the same old playbook of a businessman
flop/Rosie DiManno/Star ColumnistLtoronto Star/September 07/2026
Kidnapping a Thousand American Soldiers/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/September
07/2026
Trump, Putin and Exiting the War/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al Awsat/September
07/2026
Netanyahu Has Led Israel with Impossible Agendas/Nabil Amr/Asharq Al Awsat/September
07/2026
Syria and the Turkish-Israeli Tensions/Sam Menassa/Asharq Al Awsat/September
07/2026
US military-economic squeeze and Iran’s bid to outlast it/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al
Arabiya English/07 September ,2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets on September 07/2026
Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on September 07-08/2026
Elias Bejjani/Charles Chartouni the Bashirist is definitively the
polar opposite of Melhem Riachy. Hezbollah must be put on trial, not engaged in
dialogue
September 7, 2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/09/157277/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqgXXYCXIbU&t=386s
Introduction
This commentary addresses the sharp political dispute that recently erupted
between writer and thinker Dr. Charles Chartouni and former minister and current
parliament member Melhem Riachy. This disagreement reflects a profound clash of
viewpoints regarding how to approach Hezbollah: this terrorist, criminal,
Iranian, and mafia-like organization that constitutes a total occupation of the
Lebanese state’s decisions and resources, and has no ties to Lebanon other than
being a tool to implement the agendas of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and
Velayat-e Faqih. Complacency in floating the idea of dialogue with this armed
and criminal entity, or attempting to launder its dark history by integrating it
into the political arena on its own terms, represents a betrayal of sovereign
principles, normalization with terrorism and murder, and a denial of the
sacrifices of free martyrs such as Dr. Charles Chartouni, who stands as a model
of steadfastness and dignity.
Summary Table of Commentary Headings
Introduction of the Dispute
• Reference to Minister Melhem Riachy’s interview and his readiness for dialogue
with Hezbollah after disarming.
• Dr. Charles Chartouni’s sharp criticism of this proposal via the “X” platform.
• Riachy’s harsh and inappropriate response (“Shame on you”).
Dr. Charles Chartouni’s Journey
• A historical fighter, one of the founders of the “Lebanese Forces” and a
companion of Sheikh Bashir Gemayel, who worked with him holding ministerial
rank.
• A thinker, intellectual, and author in three languages, living in exile in
America out of fear for his life due to harassment by Hezbollah, which dominates
the judiciary in Lebanon.
• A model of integrity and steadfastness, who never received a salary nor
compromised his sovereign principles or his rejection of occupation.
Melhem Riachy’s Journey
• Review of his previous political and professional transitions (Albert
Mokheiber, El-Murr House, Michel Samaha, and Cedrus Bank).
• Critical questions regarding his background and his current and former
political positions compared to the authentic Lebanese Forces line.
Hezbollah’s Nature and Criminal Reality
• A non-Lebanese organization established by Iranian-Syrian will to serve as the
Supreme Leader’s army on the Mediterranean.
• A terrorist and criminal organization involved in the assassination of
leaders, politicians, deputies, thinkers, and journalists (foremost among them
Rafik Hariri), engaging globally in drug manufacturing, drug trade, and mafia
networks.
• A terrorist, Iranian, jihadist party that kidnaps the Shiite community, takes
them hostage, and enslaves them to serve the “Velayat-e Faqih” project.
Political Errors and Sins
• Considering calls for dialogue with Hezbollah or attempts to integrate it into
politics as a major national sin and cover-up for terrorism.
• Rejecting the flawed narrative that equates national martyrs with the martyrs
of the Iranian militia.
• Emphasizing that true sovereignty requires prosecuting the party as a
terrorist entity rather than holding dialogue with it.
Conclusion
• A tribute of appreciation and pride to Dr. Charles Chartouni for his
steadfastness along Bashir Gemayel’s path.
• An explicit call to Riachy to change his political rhetoric and apologize to
Dr. Chartouni for the offensive remarks directed at him.
It remains essential to emphasize that a true sovereign approach to Lebanon does
not recognize any negotiation or settlement with a terrorist Iranian militia
that caused the destruction of Lebanon and the displacement of its people, and
that symbols of thought and freedom like Dr. Charles Chartouni remain the living
conscience of the cause of free people.
Lebanon's Martyrs Are Its Righteous
Ones, Its Pride, Glory, and Dignity
Elias Bejjani / September 06, 2016
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/09/28625/
From the 2015 Archives
Today, we commemorate the memory of our righteous martyrs whose sacrifices and
witness have enabled us, despite all hardships and challenges, to continue
enjoying our freedom, preserving our dignity, and holding our heads high. They
are the grain of wheat that died so that it might bear much fruit, as our Lord
Jesus Christ said: "Very truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into
the earth and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it bears
much fruit" (John 12:24).
They are the leaven that continually nourishes the determination, courage,
conscience, spirit, and resolve of our people, inspiring them to continue the
journey of sacrifice, Calvary, crucifixion, and resurrection with faith,
bravery, devotion, and perseverance.
Lebanon, the Land of the Cedars, is a land of holiness, redemption, and mission.
It is the stronghold of martyrs and free people, and a refuge for every
oppressed and weary soul. Such has always been Lebanon, and such it shall remain
until the end of time. It is the duty of every Lebanese—morally, spiritually,
and patriotically—to bear witness to truth without fear, and to uphold the
banners of brotherhood, freedom, love, faith, generosity, and forgiveness.
Saint Paul writes in his Epistle to the Romans (8:31-32): "If God is for us, who
can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all,
how will He not also graciously give us all things with Him?"
He also teaches in his First Epistle to the Corinthians: "And now these three
remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians
13:13).
Indeed, God is with us and with Lebanon. Therefore, neither evil forces,
terrorism, extremism, fanaticism, nor those who seek to impose fear and
subjugation will ever succeed in breaking our spirit, imposing their dark will
upon us, or forcing us to abandon our freedom and dignity.
Thank you to every martyr who armed himself with love and, for its sake, offered
his life upon the altar of the Land of the Cedars so that Lebanon might remain
free, sovereign, and independent, and so that every Lebanese might continue to
live with dignity, pride, and liberty.
Thank you to the families of the martyrs whose faith and patriotism gave birth
to heroes and righteous men and women. Thank you to Lebanon's sacred soil that
nurtured these martyrs and embraced their remains. Thank you to Almighty God who
blessed Lebanon with such heroic sons and daughters.
To ensure that their sacrifices are never in vain, it is our sacred duty to
remain faithful to the cause for which they died—the cause of Lebanon, its
people, their freedoms, and their faith. Likewise, those who were abducted,
disappeared, or forcibly exiled remain living martyrs, and their fate is a trust
placed in our hands.They gave without measure. They gave generously and
selflessly to Lebanon. They offered everything they possessed without being
asked. They even gave their lives joyfully because they believed in the words of
Christ: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's
friends" (John 15:13).
They also believed that "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts
20:35). Therefore, they willingly and joyfully offered themselves upon the altar
of their homeland, preserving its existence, protecting its people, and
defending its freedoms.
Let us honor them as they honored us. Let us remain faithful custodians of the
sanctity of their sacrifice by safeguarding our cause, our homeland, our
dignity, and our faith.
Those who deny the sacrifices of the martyrs or betray the cause for which they
gave their lives deny truth itself and forfeit the honor of belonging to
Lebanon—the Lebanon of holiness, sacrifice, and freedom.
Every religious leader, politician, official, or citizen who betrays Lebanon,
its people, and its freedoms betrays the blood and sacrifices of the martyrs and
places himself in opposition to truth, justice, and history.
Likewise, whoever embraces submission instead of freedom, and betrayal instead
of loyalty, becomes morally complicit in the martyrdom of those heroes and in
the betrayal of the homeland and its sacred legacy.
Today, as we pray for the repose of the souls of Lebanon's righteous martyrs, we
must not forget the living martyrs among our forcibly disappeared compatriots
who languished in Syrian prisons. We must remain committed to uncovering their
fate and securing justice for them and their families.
And as we beseech God to grant eternal rest to our martyrs and welcome them into
His heavenly kingdom, we must also remember our compatriots who sought refuge in
Israel after the year 2000 and who continue to be denied the right to return to
their homeland because of policies of exclusion, intimidation, and political
vengeance.
These faithful Lebanese were deprived of the right to return to the land they
defended and for which they sacrificed so much. They chose to stand against
domination and coercion, and for that they continue to pay a heavy price.
In conclusion, nations whose sons and daughters are unwilling to sacrifice for
them are nations destined to disappear. Lebanon, rooted in history, faith, and
freedom, would not have survived were it not for the sacrifices of its martyrs
and the dedication of its honorable and patriotic citizens.
May God bless Lebanon, protect it, and shield its people from all evil.
O Martyr of Lebanon, rest in peace, for thanks to heroes like you, Lebanon shall
remain free. It shall neither kneel nor accept humiliation.
Let us pray with reverence for the souls of the martyrs of the Land of the
Cedars, asking God to grant them eternal rest among the saints and the
righteous, and to bless Lebanon with the grace to remain faithful to their
sacrifices and steadfast on the path of truth, freedom, and love.
Who is Saint Charbel of Edessa, Whose
Feast the Church Celebrates Annually on September 5, and Who is His Martyr
Sister, Barabia?
Elias Bejjani/September 05/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/09/157241/
Note: The information contained in this study is drawn from numerous documented
ecclesiastical, theological, research, and media references.
Introduction
On the Fith Of September the Church celebrates the annual feast of Saint Charbel
of Edessa—after whom Lebanon’s Saint Charbel Makhlouf was named—and honors his
martyr sister, Barabia.
It is worth mentioning that the name “Charbel” is closely associated with
Lebanon’s great saint, Charbel Makhlouf. However, Charbel of Edessa had the
historical precedence and priority in receiving the crown of Christian martyrdom
and defending the faith to death, becoming a milestone in the history of the
martyrs of the East.
Birthplace and Year of Birth
Birthplace: The city of Edessa (modern-day Şanlıurfa in southeastern Turkey),
which was an ancient Syriac Christian and cultural center.
Year of Birth: He was born in the second half of the 1st century AD and lived
and was martyred at the beginning of the 2nd century AD, specifically around the
year 105 AD.
Stages of His Life While a Pagan
Religious Position: Before his conversion, Charbel was the high priest of the
pagan temples and the chief of the priests in the city of Edessa.
Appearance and Role: He enjoyed a high social standing and broad authority.
During major feasts and celebrations, he would wear the finest robes and place a
golden crown on his head, directing the rituals of offering incense and
sacrifices to the pagan gods amidst the noise and official celebrations ordered
by the Roman Emperor Trajan.
The Turning Point: Conversion and Repentance
The credit for Charbel’s conversion goes to Saint Barsimaeus (whose name means
“Son of the Blind” in Syriac), who was the Bishop of Edessa at that time.
The Confrontation: In the midst of a massive pagan celebration presided over by
Charbel, Bishop Barsimaeus stepped forward courageously and confronted him,
saying: “May Christ, the Lord of heaven and earth, hold you accountable for all
those whom you mislead, deceive, and turn away from the true God.” He then began
to preach to him about the true faith in the one Creator and the futility of
bowing down to “worthless, created idols incapable of doing anything.”
Conversion: The words of Bishop Barsimaeus acted like magic on Charbel’s heart.
His inner sight was enlightened, and he abandoned his paganism, announcing his
repentance and faith in Christ. He was followed in this by his sister Barabia
and some of his close associates.
Monastic Services and Spiritual Struggle
After embracing Christianity, Charbel embarked on a path of repentance and deep
spiritual service:
Renouncing Vain Glory: He abandoned his high position, rejected pagan offerings,
and embraced a life of asceticism, prayers, and deep immersion in the teachings
of the Gospel.
Martyrdom and Evangelism: Charbel did not content himself with personal faith;
he professed it openly. He was accompanied in his new journey by his sister
Barabia, who dedicated her life to the Lord and shared with them the path of
suffering and martyrdom. Together, they became an example of Christian
steadfastness in the face of the harsh Roman persecutions ordered by Emperor
Trajan against anyone who refused to bow down to the idols.
Martyrdom
Due to his absolute refusal to return to idol worship and offer sacrifices to
the Roman gods in compliance with Emperor Trajan’s decrees, Charbel and his
sister Barabia were arrested.
Torments: They were subjected to various forms of cruelty and severe tortures to
break their faith, but they showed unmatched steadfastness.
End of the Struggle: Charbel and his sister Barabia received the crown of
martyrdom at the beginning of the 2nd century AD (specifically around 105 AD),
ending their lives by decapitation for the sake of Christ’s name, thus being
harvested into the registry of the early Church’s martyrs.
The Connection to Lebanon’s Saint Charbel of Edessa
Naming: Lebanon’s great saint (Charbel Makhlouf) was named after Saint Charbel
of Edessa as a blessing from his fragrant life, struggle, and heroism in the
faith.
Annual Feast: The Church celebrates the commemoration of the martyrdom of Saint
Charbel of Edessa and his sister Barabia on September 5 of every year.
A Prayer for Lebanon Through the Intercession of Saint Charbel of Edessa
O Lord God, You who granted Saint Charbel of Edessa the grace of steadfastness
unto blood and martyrdom for Your holy name, we place before Your heavenly
throne today our occupied, tortured, and oppressed homeland, Lebanon. Through
his intercession and the intercession of his pure and martyr sister, Barabia, we
ask You to guide its people, protect them, strengthen their faith and patience,
and restore the blessings of peace, stability, faith, and love to its holy land.
We ask You to wipe away its wounds, deliver it from the abomination of
occupation, terrorists, jihadists, and all crises, and plant true peace in the
hearts of its people. Through the intercession of Your martyr, restore the light
of hope to Lebanon, and anchor its citizens in faith and love, that it may
remain a land of martyrdom and faith. Amen.
Elias Bejjani/Video Link to My Interview on Al-Hawiya Youtube Platform
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/09/157173/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGWz35mW1Tw&t=101s
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
Lebanon’s death toll from Israeli aggression since March
2 reaches 4,381
LBCI/September 07/2026
Lebanon’s Public Health Ministry said the cumulative toll from Israeli attacks
since March 2 has reached 4,381 deaths and 12,402 injuries.The ministry said the
overall toll from the Israeli aggression since October 8, 2023, has risen to
8,948 deaths and 30,638 injuries.
Lebanese Health Ministry says Israeli attacks kill 27, injure 69 in Lebanon over
three days
LBCI/September 07/2026
Lebanon's Public Health Ministry said Israeli attacks over the past three days
have killed at least 27 people and wounded 69 others, including children, women
and medical personnel.
The ministry said the toll remains preliminary.
Lebanon Says 12 Killed in Strikes as Israel Vows to
'Remove Threats'
Asharq Al Awsat/September 07/2026
Israel conducted a wave of airstrikes in south Lebanon, killing 12 people
including women and children according to the Lebanese health ministry on
Monday, in an intensification of violence after a weeks-long lull. Israel's
military vowed to continue targeting Hezbollah after the overnight strikes.
Eleven people, including two children and four women, died in one attack on a
building in Kfar Rumman that killed 11 people, the ministry said. A separate
attack in the same town killed a rescuer and wounded another, the ministry said.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency had previously reported two wounded
rescuers.
The strikes, which came despite a ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed
Hezbollah, follow separate raids a day earlier that left 11 dead. Israel has
been intensifying strikes in the southern Nabatieh area after saying on Thursday
that it had seized the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge from Hezbollah, a claim the
Iran-backed group has not commented on. The Israeli military in a statement said
it had struck Hezbollah "infrastructure sites" across southern Lebanon after the
launch of two explosive drones towards its troops, as well as "several
terrorists" it said were transferring weapons. The army said it "will continue
to operate to remove threats while remaining committed to the ceasefire
agreement". Fighting in Lebanon, which erupted in March after Hezbollah targeted
Israel in support of Iran, had decreased since a June memorandum of
understanding between Washington and Tehran on the wider Middle East war and an
Israel-Lebanon framework agreement later that month. On Monday, Israel's foreign
ministry accused Hezbollah of "repeated drone attacks" and "attempting to
rebuild its military capabilities in southern Lebanon". The ministry said
Hezbollah had violated the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel that
includes disarmament of the group. The rescuer who was killed was just 18 years
old, according to his civil defense organization, which is affiliated with the
Amal movement, a political ally of Hezbollah. An AFP photographer saw the
building that was hit in Kfar Rumman had been destroyed, with school books and
remnants of furniture strewn across the rubble. Rescue teams were searching the
debris on Monday morning for other victims.Villagers had returned home following
the June truce after being displaced by the war. "Since we returned here, we've
lived in fear," Fouad Chakaron told AFP. He insisted the targeted building was
inhabited by "peaceful people with no connection to anyone".Neighbours fled
after the strike, which also damaged nearby buildings, AFP's photographer said.
The NNA later reported additional strikes on the Nabatieh area.
- 'I couldn't believe it' -
Israel issued no warning to Kfar Rumman before the strikes but released an
evacuation order ahead of a separate attack in nearby Deir Zahrani.The Israeli
military said in an Arabic-language message that it was targeting a "Hezbollah
terrorist facility", warning that those who remained in the area were at risk.
"They called me at 2 am and told me to get out of the house because it is being
targeted," resident Abbas Toufeili told AFP, referring to the Israeli army."I
said that's impossible, why is my house being targeted? There's nothing in it. I
couldn't believe it."He said he took his wife, children and elderly mother
outside in their pyjamas and they stood on the street watching their house be
destroyed. On Sunday, Israeli strikes killed seven people. Attacks on Friday
killed four. The Israeli army has said it is responding to Hezbollah's launch of
two drones towards its soldiers inside Lebanon, but did not specify whether any
of its troops were wounded.Hezbollah has not claimed any attack since June 20.
Israeli airstrikes and a ground invasion of Lebanon have killed more than 4,300
people since March, Beirut says.Israeli forces are operating inside a
self-declared "security zone" around 10 kilometres (six miles) deep inside
Lebanon along the border.On Sunday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged
Washington and the international community to help stop Israeli attacks.
Two Israeli soldiers wounded in clash with Hezbollah
fighter
Naharnet/September 07, 2026
The Israeli army said Monday that two of its soldiers were lightly wounded in a
face-to-face clash with a Hezbollah fighter during search operations in the al-Shakif
area of south Lebanon. “A Hezbollah terrorist inside a building opened fire on
the forces” and “the forces immediately returned fire, killing the terrorist,”
the Israeli army said. “During the engagement, two IDF (Israeli army) soldiers
sustained minor injuries and were evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment.
Their families have been notified,” it added. It said that shortly afterward,
the forces fired shells at the fighter's hiding place, killing him. In addition,
the Israeli army attacked additional Hezbollah “weapons depots, headquarters,
and infrastructure in the area.”The Israeli army will not allow Hezbollah to
“harm the citizens of the State of Israel and its forces, will continue to work
to eliminate threats, and will remain committed to the ceasefire agreement,” it
added.
Israeli army says will continue to 'remove threats' from
Hezbollah
Agence France Presse/September 07, 2026
Israel’s military said Monday it was committed to the ceasefire but would
continue to "remove threats" from Hezbollah, after Lebanese state media reported
overnight strikes killed 11 people. The military said it had struck Hezbollah
"infrastructure sites" across southern Lebanon in response to the launch of two
explosive drones towards its troops, as well as "several terrorists" it said
were transferring weapons."The claim that several uninvolved individuals were
harmed as a result of the strikes is being reviewed," it said, adding that the
military "will continue to operate to remove threats while remaining committed
to the ceasefire agreement."
Aoun warns that Israel's attacks undermine framework
agreement and deescalation efforts
Naharnet/September 07, 2026
President Joseph Aoun declared Monday that "Israel's repeated attacks, the
killing of innocents, including children and women, the destruction and burning
of homes, and the bulldozing of property are condemned, rejected, and
unjustified crimes.”
“These actions target the framework agreement and undermine all efforts to halt
the escalation in the South and the region as a whole," warned Aoun in a meeting
with French Justice Minister Gérard Darmanin in the presence of Lebanese Justice
Minister Adel Nassar.
He affirmed that "Lebanon supports the renewal of the mandate of the U.N. force
in the South, and we are working with (French) President (Emmanuel) Macron to
facilitate this renewal." He also welcomed "the French and Italian initiative to
form a European force to fill the void left by UNIFIL's withdrawal.""My visit to
Paris next week will be to participate, alongside President Macron, in the
opening of the preparatory meeting for the international conference to support
the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces, and to discuss the issue of the
international force in the South," Aoun added.
Nassar says port blast indictment expected in October
Naharnet/September 07, 2026
Justice Minister Adel Nassar announced Monday that Beirut port blast
investigator Judge Tarek Bitar has concluded his investigations and referred the
file to the Public Prosecutor's Office for its review, paving the way for the
indictment. “We expect this stage to be completed during or towards the end of
October, a crucial step towards uncovering the truth and achieving justice in
one of the most painful cases for the Lebanese people," Nassar wrote on X. He
added: "The independence of the judiciary and respect for legal procedures are
the guarantees for reaching the truth and holding those responsible
accountable."The massive explosion on August 4, 2020 killed more than 220
people, injured more than 6,500 and laid waste to swathes of the capital.
Lebanese authorities have said the explosion was triggered by a fire in a
warehouse where tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer had been stored haphazardly
for years, despite repeated warnings to senior officials.
Israel accuses Hezbollah of repeatedly violating ceasefire
agreement
Agence France Presse/September 07, 2026
Israel on Monday accused Hezbollah of repeatedly violating a ceasefire agreement
in recent days, as Lebanese state media reported 11 killed in overnight Israeli
strikes in a southern village. "Repeated drone attacks. Weapons storage. Terror
infrastructure. Command centers embedded in civilian areas. Hezbollah continues
attempting to rebuild its military capabilities in southern Lebanon. These
violations will not be accepted," Israel's foreign ministry wrote on X.
Residents live in constant anxiety as Israel escalates strikes on Nabatieh
region
Associated Press/September 07, 2026
Israel's air force carried out two airstrikes early Monday on a southern
Lebanese village, killing at least 11 people and wounding others, including
women, children and medics, Lebanon's Health Ministry said. Monday's strikes
came amid a new round of escalation between Israel and Hezbollah despite a truce
reached more than two months ago. The strikes also came days after Israel's
military said it is in "operational control" of the strategic Ali Taher hill
that overlooks several villages as well as main roads leading to the city of
Nabatieh. The Health Ministry said one of the strikes hit a building, killing
nine people including a child and two women. It added that 11 people were also
wounded, including four children and two women. The ministry said that another
strike on a car in the village killed a paramedic with the Lebanese Islamic
Risala Scout Association and wounded two others. "We have been living in
constant anxiety amid shelling on the outskirts," said Kfar Rumman resident
Fouad Chakaron as he stood in front of the destroyed building. "Now they struck
the heart of the town."Another resident, Saleh Medlej, pointed to the destroyed
building and said this was home to families with children. "Are there missiles
here?" he asked in reference to the building where the families lived. "I will
not leave this place," Medlej said, vowing to stay in his hometown despite the
airstrikes and shelling. Earlier Monday, Israel's military issued an evacuation
warning for a home in the village of Deir al-Zahrani and shortly afterward a
building was struck. There was no word on casualties. On Sunday, Israeli strikes
killed at least seven people in southern Lebanon and leveled an empty hospital.
A U.S.-brokered truce between Israel and Hezbollah has been repeatedly violated
with Israel carrying out airstrikes in Lebanon and Hezbollah firing drones at
Israeli troops without claiming responsibility. Lebanon and Israel in June
signed a U.S.-mediated framework deal under which Israeli forces were to
withdraw from southern Lebanon in exchange for the disarmament of Hezbollah, but
little progress has been made in its implementation.
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.
What comes after UNIFIL? Lebanon weighs new options to
monitor pilot zones
LBCI/September 07, 2026
Lebanon has not abandoned its efforts to expand the pilot zones outlined in the
framework agreement, despite the challenges surrounding the initiative’s
success. President Joseph Aoun and the Lebanese negotiating team are pushing in
this direction, backing their position with progress on the detainee issue
following talks held by U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa. The talks also
addressed the expansion of the pilot zones. In this context, LBCI has learned of
four proposals concerning a mechanism to verify the proper implementation of the
pilot zones, particularly regarding the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the
Litani River. Three proposals were put forward by Lebanon, while the fourth came
from Washington. The first proposal calls for repealing U.N. Security Council
Resolution 2790, which ends UNIFIL’s mandate at the end of the year, and
replacing it with a new resolution allowing the international force to remain
south of the Litani River.The second proposal calls for establishing a European
force in coordination with the European Union to deploy in the area, with the
question of whether it would operate under the EU or U.N. flag still under
discussion. The third proposal calls for the Lebanese government to sign
memorandums of understanding with one or more countries, allowing their forces
to deploy in Lebanon at the formal request of the Lebanese government. This
would make the deployment a sovereign Lebanese decision. The fourth proposal,
according to the information, is American. It calls for the United States to
lead the verification mechanism without deploying U.S. personnel on the ground.
Instead, Lebanon and Israel would agree on a force to carry out the verification
mission and submit reports to the U.S. According to the information, Israel has
approved only Azerbaijan among the countries under consideration.
These proposals show that discussions are no longer focused solely on the fate
of UNIFIL but have shifted toward finding an alternative or modified formula
that would ensure a field presence capable of verifying the implementation of
commitments south of the Litani River.
Whether through extending UNIFIL’s role, establishing a European force, or
deploying troops from other countries through bilateral agreements, the main
challenge remains finding a formula acceptable to both Lebanon and Israel,
backed by the international community and capable of effectively carrying out
the verification mission on the ground.
Israel plans demolition of Ali al-Taher hill as it expands operations in South
Lebanon
LBCI/September 07, 2026
Israel is seeking to deepen its control over highlands and hills in South
Lebanon while expanding its attacks beyond what it calls the Yellow Line. Its
military operations have intensified around Ali al-Taher hill, which Israel is
planning to demolish within days, a military official was quoted as saying. The
official claimed that resolving the issue surrounding the hill could help
advance the diplomatic track with Lebanon. Attention is also focused on the Ali
al-Taher heights and Beaufort Castle, where the Israeli army is preparing to
carry out what it described as a cautious and precise engineering operation. The
operation, reportedly being conducted under strict directives from the Northern
Command, is expected to take several days. Beyond the Ali al-Taher hills, the
report said Israel's security establishment has identified Nabatieh and its
surrounding area as a new strategic target, with the army expanding its attacks
there. Israel claims the operations are in response to Hezbollah violations of
the ceasefire, including alleged attacks on its troops with drones. As Tel Aviv
continues to expand its military operations, it is conditioning any further
withdrawal on reaching a political agreement with the Lebanese government. The
position comes hours after reports emerged that Israel was considering
withdrawing to what it describes as a "gray zone" inside Lebanon, indicating
that the scope and terms of any future withdrawal remain under discussion.
BDL governor Karim Souaid reveals the fate of deposits and gold
LBCI/September 07, 2026
The Banque du Liban (BDL) governor Karim Souaid said he does not expect the
country’s financial gap law to be enacted within the next six to eight months,
as outstanding comments on the draft continue to prevent Lebanese authorities
and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from reaching a final agreement on its
wording. Speaking to CNN Economic, Souaid said the draft law left the government
at the end of 2025 and has since received comments from the Central Bank, as
well as “strong comments” from the IMF. He said work is underway to unify
positions and expressed hope that an agreed version would be referred to
Parliament by the end of September. However, based on the pace at which laws are
passed in Lebanon, he said he did not expect the legislation to be enacted
before six to eight months. On deposits, Souaid said the BDL’s current
obligations toward banks and depositors amount to about $79.5 billion and could
decline to around $79 billion by the end of the year. Cumulative payments to
depositors under Circulars 158 and 166 have reached about $6.1 billion, he said.
Souaid also rejected the idea of selling Lebanon’s gold reserves without a
clearly defined framework, saying he was generally opposed to such a move. He
said the issue should only be considered if the BDL faced an obligation it could
not meet and there was an urgent need to make payments to depositors. “Gold is
not allocated to state projects, nor to pay on behalf of the state or banks,”
Souaid said.Regarding the level of foreign reserves that the BDL should not fall
below, Souaid said it was impossible to set a fixed “red line” given the ongoing
crisis and war. He said the Central Bank’s reported foreign assets of about $12
billion do not represent funds freely available to the bank, noting that the
figure includes mandatory reserves deposited by commercial banks as well as
Lebanese government deposits.Souaid said the Lebanese lira is currently stable,
rather than being subject to a fixed exchange rate, and that maintaining this
stability depends on demand for the local currency. He said the Lebanese state
collects nearly $6 billion annually in taxes in Lebanese lira, creating demand
for the currency and helping maintain monetary stability. On Lebanon’s inclusion
on the European Union’s list of high-risk countries, Souaid said leaving
monitoring lists is not solely a political or legal issue but also presents a
regulatory challenge.
Israel targets car in Nabatieh, wages fresh airstrikes on
Nabatieh al-Fawqa
Naharnet/September 07, 2026
Israeli warplanes on Monday carried out a fresh wave of strikes on the southern
town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, after Israeli strikes in the Nabatieh region killed
18 people over the past 36 hours. An Israeli drone also targeted a car in the
city of Nabatieh as an Israeli Apache helicopter fired machine guns on the
southern town of Arnoun.
Salam responds to Geagea regarding Rajji, financial reforms
Naharnet/September 07, 2026
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has responded to criticism from Lebanese Forces
leader Samir Geagea as to perceived sidelining of Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji
by saying that “the constitution stipulates that the Council of Ministers is the
one that sets the government’s general policy in all fields, including foreign
policy, while each minister is responsible for managing the affairs of their
ministry and implementing this policy within their powers.”“Hence, the foreign
policy of the Lebanese state is not the policy of a person or ministry in
isolation from the government,” Salam noted.
“The formation of official delegations and the participation of ministers in
foreign visits are determined according to the nature and schedule of each
visit” and “I am in constant coordination and cooperation with His Excellency
Minister Raji in everything related to foreign policy,” the premier pointed out.
He added: “In this context, and as the Foreign Minister knows, he is scheduled
to accompany me to the meetings of the next session of the United Nations
General Assembly, as required by the nature of the mission and the meetings
expected during it.”“I also asked him to participate with me later in the
meeting that I will hold with the U.S. Secretary of State in Washington,” Salam
said. As to financial reforms, Salam noted that in less than a year of its work,
the government has completed the preparation of three basic reform projects in
this field, which are laws related to banking secrecy, banking reform, and what
is known as the financial gap.He also reassured that the government is in almost
daily contact with the International Monetary Fund to speed up reaching an
agreement, noting that “there is no procrastination, procrastination or delay on
our part.”In a speech commemorating the “Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance,”
Geagea had criticized the government’s “slow pace of work” particularly
concerning “the necessary financial laws, especially those related to recovering
deposits, restoring confidence, and relaunching the banking sector.”
“The current government is certainly not responsible for the paralysis of the
banking sector, but it is also abnormal that more than a year and a half has
passed since its formation, and confusion still reigns, with depositors still
waiting for a clear answer about the fate of their funds, while the economy and
the banking sector pay the price of this delay daily,” Geagea noted. As for
Rajji, he said: “Who can explain to us what kind of state with functioning
institutions is this where the president or prime minister do not take the
foreign minister with them on their foreign visits, the very minister
responsible for all matters related to foreign relations?”
Geagea urges state to 'take decisive action' if Hezbollah
doesn't disarm
Naharnet/September 07, 2026
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has noted that “the dawn of sovereignty has
undoubtedly broken” in Lebanon, vowing that the LF and its allies “will not
allow anyone to obstruct its emergence, whether through bullying the state and
the free, sovereign Lebanese, or through appeasement, procrastination, stalling,
and patchwork solutions.” The state should be “sovereign over its land and its
decisions,” stressed Geagea in an annual speech commemorating the “Martyrs of
the Lebanese Resistance.”“We want a state that is resolute, decisive, and
governs. We reject a statelet (Hezbollah) that brings calamities upon itself,
embroils itself and Lebanon in the wars of others, and defends Iran at the
expense of Lebanon and the Lebanese people,” Geagea emphasized. The LF leader
also categorically rejected “the continuation of the deep state, because this
deep state takes from the state for the benefit of the statelet, the mafias, and
the corrupt.”“The deep state is not merely another state above the state; it is
a state that resides in the shadow of the state, using its institutions when
needed and circumventing them when its interests conflict with them. Meanwhile,
the statelet does not always need to abolish the state; rather, it uses the deep
state to render the state slow, incapable, and shackled,” Geagea explained. He
warned that “the deep state in our country is what aborts radical changes,”
noting that “the deep state is a network of interests and benefits within
security, military, and judicial institutions and agencies.”
“It belongs to the era of Syrian and now Iranian tutelage, and it controls the
levers of power and administration. Progress toward a truly functioning state
will be impossible without dismantling and purging the deep state and rebuilding
institutions and authorities on new foundations,” Geagea added.
Referring to Hezbollah’s weapons and the latest two Israeli wars on Lebanon, the
LF leader said “Lebanon has its own constitution and international resolutions.
We have repeatedly called for their implementation before it is too late. It has
been too late once, twice, but not a third time.”“We can curse Israel as much as
you like, but this will not stop aggression, nor will it rebuild a single
destroyed house in the South,” Geagea noted.
“Let those who curse the oppressors tell us: What are we actually doing now,
besides empty rhetoric filled with curses, fabricated heroics and false claims?
After the fall of Ali Taher, instead of handing it over to the Lebanese Army,
some claimed it was empty, insignificant, and merely a stable,” the LF leader
added. “But now, what are we doing to stop the current war, and by extension,
the series of wars we have been subjected to for decades? None of them have an
answer other than cursing the oppressors, and then cursing the oppressors, and
then cursing the oppressors again,” Geagea lamented.
Geagea continued, addressing the Lebanese people: "The option taken by the
President of the Republic with the framework agreement is the only available
opportunity to stop the current war, and more importantly, to stop the series of
recurring wars on our southern borders.”
“But despite the importance of the framework agreement, there is a crucial
point: ... the dismantling of the military and security wings operating outside
the state, whether Lebanese or Palestinian, and foremost among them, the wings
of Hezbollah," Geagea stressed.
He added: “All the rhetoric we hear daily from some quarters about how we
shouldn't submit to U.S. and Israeli conditions regarding weapons is misleading.
Collecting illegal weapons is primarily a Lebanese demand, secondarily a
collective Arab demand, and thirdly a near-universal international demand -- not
merely a U.S. or Israeli one.”"Let someone tell me: how can we confront Israel
or any of our existing problems, whether strategic or economic, if we are at
odds with the entire Arab world and the overwhelming majority of the
international community, and if we don't fulfill the demands of the majority of
Lebanese and respect their will? What kind of Lebanon is there without all of
these people?" Geagea wondered. He emphasized: "We cannot afford to waste any
more time. We have already wasted nearly a year and a half, and what has been
the result? More wars, more deaths, more devastation, and more destruction. So
what are we waiting for? According to all the analyses issued by reliable
sources on the strategic landscape -- Lebanese, Arab, and international -- we
face even more difficult days ahead if we don't act.”“Either Hezbollah will
clearly and boldly, without procrastination or prevarication, dissolve its
military and security wings, or the Lebanese state must take decisive action,”
Geagea urged.“If Hezbollah can afford to waste time and opportunities until it
reaches a new war that will wipe out the remaining citizens of the South and
what remains of the Lebanese people's resources, hopes, and aspirations, then
the Lebanese state cannot afford to do so,” the LF leader warned.
Israeli ‘Gray Line’ Plan Would See Withdrawal from Most
Occupied Lebanese Territory
Tel Aviv: Nazir Magally/September 07, 2026
An Israeli plan has emerged for a withdrawal from most occupied Lebanese
territory, with troops remaining two to four kilometers inside Lebanon along
what has been dubbed the “gray line,” replacing the currently occupied “yellow
line.”
The plan comes after the Israeli military announced it had established
operational control over the Ali al-Taher ridge in South Lebanon and begun
destroying an underground tunnel complex built by Hezbollah. Israeli officials
are now speaking of “sensitive days” ahead on the northern front that could send
the region down one of two sharply different paths: Hezbollah, and possibly
Iran, could retaliate and reignite the war, or they could absorb the blow,
allowing the Israeli military to withdraw from the ridge and the “yellow line”
and establish a new security belt along the “gray line.”Under that scenario,
Israel would retain control of Lebanese territory extending two to four
kilometers from the international border. Israeli military sources cited by
public broadcaster Kan 11 said that after establishing “operational control” and
clearing tunnels and other underground infrastructure on the Ali al-Taher ridge,
the military was preparing to reduce and redeploy its forces, pulling back to a
new “security belt” closer to the Israeli-Lebanese border.
‘Gray line’
According to Kan 11, Israeli security officials have held discussions in recent
days on establishing a new security zone closer to the border from which the
military would protect Israeli border communities. Under the proposal, Israeli
forces would withdraw from the current “yellow line,” which encompasses a
broader security zone and in some areas extends north of the Litani River,
including Beaufort Castle and the Ali al-Taher ridge. Troops would instead
deploy closer to the border. Israeli military positions would remain inside
Lebanese territory and could serve as staging points for operations deeper into
Lebanon if Hezbollah activity were detected. The military is expected to ask the
Israeli government to capitalize on the new situation by reaching a political
agreement with Beirut that would establish understandings on Hezbollah’s
disarmament. Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem has said the group would
hand its weapons only to the Lebanese state as part of practical steps
demonstrating an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, insisting there
could be no disarmament without a withdrawal. Israel is setting specific
conditions, including that the Lebanese Army take control of evacuated areas and
commit to preventing Hezbollah from returning to its positions in the south.
Israel also wants an agreed mechanism allowing it to monitor the process and
intervene militarily to prevent Hezbollah’s return if the Lebanese Army fails to
do so. Kan 11 reported that the plan remains incomplete and has not yet been
approved by Israel’s political leadership. Questions remain, particularly over
transferring control to the Lebanese Army and negotiations between the two
countries, but the plan envisages a substantial reduction in Israeli forces
inside Lebanon.
Report: US tells Lebanon it's pressing Israel to keep
situation under control
Naharnet/September 07/2026
In an effort to contain the current escalation in the Nabatieh region, contacts
took place between Lebanon and the U.S., during which Washington informed the
Lebanese state that it is “doing everything in its power to keep the situation
under control and prevent it from sliding into a full-blown war,” the Nidaa al-Watan
newspaper said on Monday. The daily also learned that Baabda Palace is expected
to be informed this week by the American side of the date for the Rome
negotiations, which Washington insists on resuming, especially after “the
success of U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa in persuading Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu to release a number of captives, which gives positive
indications of the possibility of continuing the negotiation process.” The
Health Ministry announced Monday afternoon that 27 people have been killed and
69 others wounded in Israeli attacks on south Lebanon over the past three days.
The majority of the casualties were recorded in the Nabatieh region. Israel has
accused Hezbollah of launching several drones at its forces in recent days
The Final Strategic Battleground: Jabal Al-Rihan and the
Fate of Southern Lebanon
Colonel Charbel Barakat/September 07/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/09/157297/
The strategic landscape of Southern Lebanon has shifted dramatically following
the fall of the Nabi Tahir Heights east of Nabatieh. Overseeing the Litani River
at Al-Khardali, these heights command a sweeping, uninterrupted line of sight
from Marjayoun, Al-Khiam, and Metula in the east, all the way to Mount Hermon (Jabal
El-Sheikh) and Hasbaya. To the north and west, they look onto the fringes of the
Southern Beqaa—including Yohmor, Sohmor, and Al-Delafi—and mark the gateway to
Jabal Al-Rihan.
Jabal Al-Rihan represents the ultimate strategic nexus connecting the Beqaa, the
Chouf, and the Southern coast. Stretching from the El-Jarmag plain near Al-Khardali
up through key villages such as Aichiyeh, Sojod, Aramta, Mlikh, and Kfar Houne,
the region is sparsely populated but geographically formidable. On its western
ridge, villages like Jbaa, Jarjou, and Arabsalim form a natural barrier
overlooking Iqlim Al-Tuffah, East Sidon, and Zahrani. North of the Jbour Pond,
it meets the heights of Jezzine at Tomat Niha and Jabal Safi.
Because of its unique topography, Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps (IRGC) transformed Jabal Al-Rihan into a fortress-like rear military base.
The high elevation provides clear visual and operational dominance extending all
the way into the Israeli Galilee and border districts, making it an ideal
staging ground for long-range rocket launches, drone deployments, and direct
surveillance.
Over decades, Hezbollah constructed an extensive network of subterranean
tunnels, weapons depots, and concealed launch pads throughout the mountain's
terrain, allowing fighters to launch rocket salvos toward northern Israel while
remaining insulated from aerial bombardment. The group treated this zone as an
absolute red line, enforcing a complete blackout even against the Lebanese Armed
Forces (LAF). The strictness of this control was made clear on August 28, 2008,
when Hezbollah shot down a Lebanese Army helicopter over Sojod, killing Captain
Pilot Samer Hanna for entering airspace the group deemed off-limits to state
sovereignty.
This dense network of subterranean fortifications explains Israel's insistence
that any agreement regarding Hezbollah's disarmament must encompass all of
Lebanon, not just the area south of the Litani River. So long as Jabal Al-Rihan
remains heavily fortified and stockpiled, it retains the capacity to disrupt
stability across northern Israel. Tehran, recognizing the site's importance as a
primary front in its regional deterrence posture, continues to deploy IRGC
officers to maintain direct operational control, actively preventing Hezbollah
from entering into independent negotiations to surrender these positions to the
Lebanese state.
Analyzing these military dynamics requires looking beyond basic statements
issued by official channels. Much of the domestic media landscape merely echoes
claims from the group or state institutions, often lacking the specialized
military background needed to evaluate geographic realities on the ground.
Understanding where the conflict is heading requires examining how control over
key terrain like Jabal Al-Rihan dictates future military options for both sides.
The prolonged military presence in these regions carries severe domestic
consequences. Even if current military operations pause, launching new
mobilization campaigns under the banner of resistance risks prolonging the
displacement of local residents, stalling reconstruction, and leaving Southern
Lebanon in a state of perpetual conflict.
Israel may temporarily adjust its pace to allow diplomatic pressure to build,
but it is unlikely to tolerate a heavily armed actor rebuilding infrastructure
along its border indefinitely. Should state authorities fail to assert control
over their territory, direct military action to dismantle these networks remains
a high probability.
For Lebanon to achieve lasting stability, the state must establish a complete
monopoly on arms, enforce national sovereignty across all its territory, and
engage constructively with the broader international community. Restoring normal
life, rebuilding communities, and securing long-term economic recovery depend
entirely on breaking the cycle of conflict and establishing effective governance
across the country.
After Ali al-Tahir
Makram Rabah/Alarabiya English/September 07/2026
The fall of Ali al-Tahir, a presumably strategic Hezbollah stronghold, will not
end the war. It will make the next phase more dangerous, because Hezbollah has
learned how to dig deeper without learning how to think smarter. Its problem is
no longer simply the loss of a position. It is the mentality that makes another
tunnel the answer to every political, military and existential failure. For
Hezbollah, the tunnel is more than a military installation. It is a way of
understanding the world: Everything outside is hostile, every criticism is
treason, and every development must be forced into a narrative whose conclusion
was decided in advance. The movement does not assess whether its strategy
protects Lebanon. It asks whether Lebanon can continue absorbing the
consequences of that strategy. This is why a destroyed village can become
evidence of steadfastness, a dead commander proof of sacrifice, and a lost hill
the opening chapter of another legend. Reality is never allowed to invalidate
the project. It is simply edited until defeat can be presented as endurance.
Meanwhile, the people who paid for this endurance are expected to applaud. Ali
al-Tahir exposes the bankruptcy of this thinking. Underground fortifications may
delay an advancing army but they cannot repair an organization’s intelligence
failures, replace a coherent strategy or change the balance of power. A tunnel
can conceal a weapon. It cannot make that weapon useful to a society whose
homes, institutions and economy are being consumed by its supposed protection.
There is an even more damning dimension to Ali al-Tahir. Hezbollah preferred to
see the position stormed and ultimately taken by the Israeli army rather than
hand it over to the Lebanese Army. That choice reveals more than any speech
about the movement’s understanding of sovereignty. A position under Hezbollah’s
control is considered “Lebanese,” even when the Lebanese state has no authority
over it; yet transferring that same position peacefully to the Lebanese Army is
treated as surrender. Hezbollah would rather lose territory to Israel through
battle than relinquish its monopoly over that territory to the state it claims
to defend. This is the tunnel mentality in its purest political form. The
Lebanese Army is not viewed as the natural custodian of Lebanese territory but
as a competitor to Hezbollah’s armed autonomy. Israel may be the declared enemy,
but the Lebanese state remains the institution Hezbollah cannot afford to allow
to succeed. For if the Army can deploy, protect the border and exercise
sovereignty, the question inevitably follows: What exactly is Hezbollah’s army
still for? The pager attacks and the killing of Hassan Nasrallah should have
forced a fundamental reassessment of the entire security doctrine. Instead, the
response has been to preserve the doctrine and demand more faith from its
victims. Hezbollah behaves as though Israel must keep fighting the last war,
with the same weaknesses and the same limits. An enemy capable of adapting is
confronted by an organization that treats reconsideration as a betrayal of its
dead. The distinction matters because Hezbollah increasingly treats the
continuation of combat as its own justification. What is the objective? What
achievable outcome would allow the Lebanese to rebuild their lives? These
questions have no place in a system that confuses its survival with Lebanon’s
survival. As long as a fighter remains underground, the leadership can insist
that the project remains alive.
But the next tunnel means the next battlefield. The loss of Ali al-Tahir will
increase the pressure to carry the confrontation elsewhere, exposing Jezzine,
Jabal al-Rihan and the Bekaa to a widening war. The frontline moves; the
displaced Lebanese find themselves running again. This is the consequence of a
movement that responds to military collapse by relocating the same failed
logic.The danger extends to communities that never accepted Hezbollah’s
authority or volunteered their towns for Iran’s wars. For the tunnel mentality,
however, consent is irrelevant. Territory is useful because it can conceal
fighters, store weapons or prolong confrontation. The people living above it
become an inconvenience to be managed, then an audience to be instructed in the
virtues of sacrifice. That sacrifice serves a purpose, but it is not Lebanon’s
recovery. It buys time for Iran. The central deception of Hezbollah’s
relationship with its public was the promise that Iranian power would protect
them. The reality is the reverse: Lebanon is expected to bleed so that Iran
retains something with which to bargain. The patron keeps its options. The
Lebanese bury theirs. Waiting for American mid-term elections or a different
Israeli government is another expression of this refusal to understand the
world. Political analysis becomes wishful thinking: Somebody elsewhere will lose
an election, encounter an economic crisis or negotiate an arrangement that
rescues the project. Until then, the Lebanese must remain available for
destruction. This is not strategic patience. It is paralysis financed with other
people’s lives.
Nor does recognizing this bankruptcy absolve Israel of responsibility for its
actions. An expanding Israeli occupation is not a solution to Lebanon’s crisis.
It is one of the dangers Hezbollah’s refusals to change makes more difficult to
confront. The armed movement needs occupation to justify its weapons; Israel
invokes those weapons to prolong its presence. Lebanon remains trapped between
them.Breaking this cycle requires the Lebanese state to recover decisions over
war, peace and weapons, and to negotiate from the interests of its citizens
rather than the requirements of Iran. This cannot remain a promise postponed
until Hezbollah decides that the regional circumstances are suitable. After Ali
al-Tahir, the question is not where Hezbollah will dig next. It is whether
Lebanon will finally refuse to follow it underground.
La délégitimation
Dr. Charles Chartouni/Ici Beyrouth/Septmber 07/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/09/157294/
La défaite du Hezbollah est doublement révélatrice: elle scelle une nouvelle
fois la fin d’une supercherie qui n’a que trop duré, celle de l’invincibilité du
mouvement terroriste; elle met également fin à une autre imposture autrement
plus grave, celle de la légitimité d’un État dysfonctionnel qui s’interdit toute
action souveraine. Le mouvement terroriste s’impose par la force, la mainmise
sur l’administration étatique et en puisant au grimoire idéologique d’une
politique de subversion en acte. Cet État se dissimule derrière des subterfuges
qui révèlent ses incohérences structurelles et son incapacité à traduire sa
constitutionnalité en actes de souveraineté.
Nous faisons face à des dilemmes, des apories et des impasses qui remettent en
question la viabilité d’un État en posture d’auto-invalidation. Cela arrive
alors que le mouvement putschiste se poursuit, vise intentionnellement la paix
civile et s’inscrit dans une politique de subversion régionale menée par le
régime iranien. La défaite non assumée se vit dans le déni et la poursuite d’une
politique de sabotage systématique qui avance tous azimuts et sans aucun
scrupule. Il s’agit en fait de la répudiation de l’hypothétique récit national,
de l’ethos et des institutions d’une démocratie libérale en fin de parcours.
Loin de toute complaisance, cette analyse ne fait que prendre acte de l’échec et
de l’impossibilité de recomposer un État en état d’abdication intentionnelle.
La décomposition de fait des institutions n’est plus à démontrer. Leur
constitutionnalité est entièrement battue en brèche. Elle nous renvoie
brutalement aux politiques de puissance régionale, ainsi qu'à la politique de
domination chiite. Elle rappelle aussi les turpitudes d’une oligarchie qui s’est
accommodée de son pouvoir discrétionnaire absolu, de l’absence de comptabilité
et de la normalisation de la délinquance sous toutes ses formes. Le pays n’est
plus en mesure de s’adapter à des hérésies de tous ordres alors que l’eau prend
de tous les côtés. Les déficits immunitaires évoluent dans tous les sens et les
institutions ne sont que des faux semblants.
La politique de domination chiite poursuit son cours et le soi-disant nouveau
pouvoir exécutif ne fait que se plier à ses injonctions. Les nominations
administratives, la complicité du pouvoir judiciaire, l’infiltration de l’armée,
le blocage des réformes financières, le contrôle de l’appareil sécuritaire, le
non-respect des engagements amplement attesté dans la non-implémentation des
stipulations de la trêve, les louvoiements autour de la mise en œuvre de
l’accord-cadre, les luttes sournoises d’influence, la servilité du parlement,
les politiques de noyautage de la société civile, le climat de délinquance
généralisée et la prévalence d’un État-policier géré par des criminels en
costume ne peuvent justifier sous aucun rapport les politiques attentistes, de
complicité avérée et le complot du silence qui relie toutes les ailes de
l’oligarchie régnante sous la régence de la politique chiite de domination.
La défaite du Hezbollah devrait poser des lignes de partage entre un passé qui
n’a que trop duré et un avenir qui ne verra jamais le jour au cas où cet état de
complicité va perdurer. Le Liban ne peut plus s’adapter aux contraintes de la
politique de domination chiite, et il est déjà impératif de trancher les
questions de souveraineté, de paix avec Israël, de réforme des institutions et
de la gouvernance publique. Les équivoques à cet égard ont trop duré et ont
largement desservi les desseins d’une politique de domination déclarée. La
guerre avec Israël a mis à nu les non-dits d’une scène politique libanaise
dépourvue de toute consistance et de toute dignité tant juridique que morale, et
il est crucial d’aborder ces questions de manière frontale.
La politique des ambiguïtés orchestrée par des oligarques de tout acabit n’aura
de cesse que lorsque l’abord des questions cruciales se fera à l’air libre. Nous
avons été menés par le bout du nez par des politiques de puissance qui se sont
emparées de nos vies, de nos droits, de nos biens, de nos institutions, de nos
libertés et de notre territoire national pour nous asservir. Elles ont ainsi
cassé toutes nos velléités de résistance et nous ont entraînées dans des guerres
idéologiques, de religion et de conquêtes impériales. Au-delà des intrications
géostratégiques des cycles de violence en cours, il faudrait s’interroger sur
l’avenir d’un pays et d’un État dans un état d’apesanteur prolongé. Or, cet état
de péremption devrait prendre fin.
L'incohérence du pouvoir exécutif, la faiblesse des mécanismes constitutionnels,
les fractures de la géopolitique libanaise, la médiocrité du débat politique, la
bassesse des politiques et la prédominance de la culture oligarchique sont
autant d'obstacles à une démarche réformiste de fond. Ils font inévitablement
appel à des choix politiques et des dynamiques alternatives devenus impératifs.
Alors, que le choc frontal des politiques de puissance régionales évolue de
manière asymptotique et s'empare de la fragilité structurelle d'un système
étatique en éclats. La gravité des enjeux, l'impéritie de la classe politique et
la brutalité de la scène politique moyen-orientale nous laissent perplexes.
Delegitimization
Dr. Charles Chartouni / Ici Beyrouth/September 07, 2026
(Translated verbatim from French by the GPT)
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/09/157294/
The defeat of Hezbollah is revealing in two ways. First, it once again seals the
end of a deception that has lasted far too long: the myth of the terrorist
movement’s invincibility. Second, it puts an end to another and far more serious
imposture: the legitimacy of a dysfunctional state that forbids itself from
exercising any sovereign action. The terrorist movement imposes itself through
force, by controlling state institutions and by drawing upon an ideological
doctrine rooted in active subversion. The state, meanwhile, hides behind
pretexts and artifices that expose its structural contradictions and its
inability to translate constitutional legitimacy into acts of sovereignty.
We are confronted with dilemmas, paradoxes, and dead ends that call into
question the viability of a state engaged in a process of self-nullification.
This occurs while the insurgent movement continues its course, deliberately
targeting civil peace and operating within a broader regional policy of
subversion led by the Iranian regime. Its unacknowledged defeat is experienced
through denial and through the continuation of a policy of systematic sabotage
advancing in every direction and without restraint. In reality, this amounts to
a repudiation of the very notion of a national narrative, as well as of the
ethos and institutions of a liberal democracy that has reached the end of its
trajectory. Without any complacency, this analysis merely acknowledges the
failure and the impossibility of rebuilding a state that has deliberately
abdicated its responsibilities.
The actual disintegration of state institutions no longer needs to be
demonstrated. Their constitutional legitimacy has been completely undermined.
This harsh reality brings us back to regional power politics and to the policy
of Shiite domination. It also recalls the misconduct of an oligarchy that has
become accustomed to absolute discretionary power, the absence of
accountability, and the normalization of delinquency in all its forms. The
country is no longer capable of adapting to every conceivable aberration while
it is taking on water from all sides. Institutional immune deficiencies are
spreading in every direction, and the institutions themselves have become mere
facades.
The policy of Shiite domination continues unabated, while the so-called new
executive authority does little more than submit to its dictates. Administrative
appointments, judicial complicity, the infiltration of the army, the obstruction
of financial reforms, control over the security apparatus, the failure to honor
commitments as evidenced by the non-implementation of the ceasefire provisions,
evasions surrounding the implementation of the framework agreement, covert
influence struggles, parliamentary servility, efforts to infiltrate civil
society, the climate of generalized lawlessness, and the prevalence of a police
state managed by criminals in suits—none of these realities can justify policies
of passivity, proven complicity, and the conspiracy of silence that binds
together all wings of the ruling oligarchy under the regency of Shiite
domination.
The defeat of Hezbollah should establish a clear dividing line between a past
that has lasted far too long and a future that will never emerge if this state
of complicity continues. Lebanon can no longer adapt itself to the constraints
imposed by Shiite domination, and it has become imperative to resolve the issues
of sovereignty, peace with Israel, institutional reform, and public governance.
Ambiguity on these matters has persisted for far too long and has greatly served
the objectives of an openly declared policy of domination. The war with Israel
exposed the unspoken realities of a Lebanese political scene devoid of both
substance and dignity, whether legal or moral, and it is crucial to address
these issues directly and openly.
The politics of ambiguity orchestrated by oligarchs of every kind will not cease
until these critical issues are confronted in broad daylight. We have been led
by the nose by power politics that seized our lives, our rights, our property,
our institutions, our freedoms, and our national territory in order to subjugate
us. In doing so, they shattered every inclination toward resistance and dragged
us into ideological wars, religious conflicts, and imperial ambitions. Beyond
the geostrategic entanglements of the current cycles of violence, we must
question the future of a country and a state suspended in a prolonged condition
of weightlessness and uncertainty. This state of obsolescence, however, must
come to an end.
The inconsistency of the executive authority, the weakness of constitutional
mechanisms, the fractures within Lebanese geopolitics, the mediocrity of
political debate, the pettiness of political conduct, and the predominance of
oligarchic culture all constitute obstacles to meaningful reform. They
inevitably call for alternative political choices and dynamics that have become
imperative. This is occurring as the direct confrontation between regional power
policies continues to intensify, exploiting the structural fragility of a
shattered state system. The gravity of the challenges, the incompetence of the
political class, and the brutality of the Middle Eastern political landscape
leave us deeply troubled and perplexed.
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on September 07-08/2026
Iran Says to Announce New Restricted Zone in the
Gulf in the Coming Days
Asharq Al Awsat/September 07/2026
Iran said it will announce a new restricted zone in the Gulf in the coming days,
along with maps of a new shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, as a
weekend exchange of strikes on shipping sent oil prices higher on Monday. The
new restricted zone will begin from where the US blockade of Iran begins and
extend into areas of the Gulf, Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran's Supreme
National Security Council, said on Sunday in an interview with state TV. Few
details were provided on the plan, but Rezaei said any ship entering the new
zone would be added to a sanctions list, reported Reuters. In addition, maps
detailing passage routes for the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy conduit
largely closed to tanker traffic, would also be approved soon, Rezaei said. "The
maps of a new international corridor which lies in Iranian and Omani waters and
in which Iran will have management have been agreed and should be signed in the
coming days," he said. "We will only commit to the Strait of Hormuz being open
when they (the Americans) stop the sabotage, threats and attacks on Iran,"
Rezaei added. Six months after US-Israeli strikes on Iran sparked the war, the
conflict appears to be at a stalemate. A preliminary ceasefire accord reached
in June has unraveled, and little progress has been made in diplomatic efforts
to get the peace process back on track. After a pause in military action for
much of August, tit-for-tat strikes have resumed. US forces struck three Iranian
oil tankers on Saturday, US Central Command said, including one off Kharg
Island, Iran's key oil export hub, following attacks by Iran's Revolutionary
Guard Corps on US warships in the region. Tehran has shown it retains the
capability to attack US interests in neighboring countries and to shut down oil
flows through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global oil
supplies flowed prior to the conflict. An average of 10 commodity ships
transited the Strait per day in the past 10 days, the lowest since May,
according to shipping data on Monday. That helped oil prices extend last week's
big gains, with Brent crude up 0.8% above $97 a barrel.
SANCTIONS, OIL BLOCKADE SQUEEZE ECONOMY
Iran has said it will step up efforts to tackle problems created by US
sanctions that are crippling its economy. However, the US campaign to throttle
Iran's economy by blockading its oil exports and stopping sanctions evasion is
growing increasingly difficult to withstand, three senior Iranian sources have
said. Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Sunday that the
US should understand that the rules of the game have changed "before it is too
late". "From now on, any attack against Iran’s interests and security will
receive a faster, heavier and more painful response,” he said in a speech
published on his Telegram channel. Qalibaf said that alongside the military
front, Iran’s main battle was now over production and people’s livelihoods. He
cited sharp currency fluctuations, inflation, unemployment and market management
as major challenges, adding Iranians could tolerate hardship but not
mismanagement or inaction and expected the government to act quickly.
Iran's Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh said Tehran planned to respond to US
economic pressure with reforms and rejected the notion that sanctions would
cause it to change course, according to state media on Sunday. “They speak of
economic pressure and isolation, of breaking off financial ties and they think
that by pressuring the economy of a country they can change the decisions of
its people,” Madanizadeh said. “I have to clarify one point: The responsibility
of reforming Iran’s economy is with its government and people, not with the US
Treasury."
KHARG ISLAND HIT 550 TIMES IN PRIOR MONTHS, IRAN SAYS
Iran is the third-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries and exported 90% of its crude via its Kharg Island export
hub before the war. Flows have been disrupted since a US blockade of Iranian oil
exports began in mid-April. US Central Command said on X that as of Sunday it
had redirected 92 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two to ensure
strict compliance with its blockade. On August 31, US President Donald Trump
issued a one-line social media post accompanied by an AI-generated video
depicting Kharg Island being "blown to smithereens." Iranian authorities have
vowed a strong response if Kharg is attacked. In an interview aired on state TV
on Sunday, Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said the island had been hit
around 550 times in previous months but continued to operate. Iran's blockade of
the Strait of Hormuz has pushed up fuel prices, weighing on Trump's popularity
as his Republican Party heads into elections in November when control of
Congress is at stake. However, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said oil was
getting through the waterway. "Our transits through the Strait are averaging
over 9 million barrels a day now, and with the access pipelines that go around
the strait, we're probably two-thirds or more of pre-conflict flows. So Iranians
are still causing trouble, but the United States Navy is winning that battle,"
he told CNN.
IAEA head urges Iran to reengage as western powers seek UN
referral
Asharq Al Awsat/September 07/2026
IAEA head Rafael Grossi on Monday said giving the UN nuclear agency access to
key nuclear facilities in Iran would have “positive repercussions” for Iran as a
draft resolution seen by AFP proposes referring Tehran to the UN Security
Council. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not had access to key
nuclear facilities in Iran since Israel, joined by the United States, launched a
12-day conflict in June 2025 that included strikes on nuclear sites.Nuclear
facilities have also been hit in the latest war, which erupted on February 28,
and the IAEA has repeatedly urged access.“The best, shortest way for a positive
outcome is for Iran to engage with us,” Grossi told a press conference after
opening the quarterly meeting of the IAEA board of governors.A resolution
drafted by the United States, Britain, France and Germany expected to be
submitted and voted on this week seeks to refer Iran to the UN Security Council
for failing to comply with its nuclear reporting obligations. The draft, seen by
AFP, asks Grossi to “submit this resolution to all members of the agency and to
the Security Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations.”Asked
whether such a referral was the right course of action, Grossi said that “my job
with Iran continues, irrespective of the resolution.” “If Iran engages with us
in a serious dialogue, if we can start getting access... I can guarantee to you
that this will have very, very positive repercussions,” he said. Prior to the
June 2025 strikes, the IAEA calculated that Iran possessed approximately 440
kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, which is close to the 90 percent
needed to make a bomb and well above the 3.67-percent limit set by a 2015
now-defunct agreement with Iran. Since June 2025, the fate of this stockpile has
remained uncertain.In a statement ahead of the meeting on Monday, Grossi called
the lack of contact with Iran “regrettable.”“These issues are not going to
disappear until we address them, until we have the necessary access, until we
can return,” he said.Iran’s mission to the UN on X called the draft resolution a
“new desperate action” that would bring “no benefit.” In June, the board
approved a western resolution demanding that Iran immediately provide
information and give access to its uranium stockpile and production facilities.
Read more: US to turn diplomatic screws on Iran over nuclear non-compliance
US to turn diplomatic screws on Iran over nuclear
non-compliance
Bloomberg/07 September ,2026
The US is increasing diplomatic pressure on Iran by proposing that Tehran be
referred to the United Nations Security Council over its stonewalling of nuclear
inspectors, who have been unable to verify the location of the country’s
stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium.
The maneuver is expected to unfold this week at the International Atomic Energy
Agency’s board of governors meeting in Vienna. Iran has blocked the UN watchdog
from reviewing Iran’s uranium inventory for 15 months, since the start of
Israeli airstrikes in June 2025.
The US resolution demands that Iran “urgently remedy its non-compliance” and
allow checks to ensure “the non-diversion of nuclear material,” according to a
copy of the two-page document seen by Bloomberg News. The last time Washington
referred Iran’s atomic file to the UN, Israel started strikes against the
nation’s nuclear facilities within 24 hours, triggering a 12-day war. The start
of the current conflict on Feb. 28 came a day after the IAEA reported the
observation of renewed activity near bombed sites. US President Donald Trump has
repeatedly said the ongoing military campaign is aimed at preventing Iran
developing a nuclear weapon. The conflict is mired in stalemate, with less known
about Iran’s nuclear capabilities than before the mid-2025 attacks. Trump said
last week the US is contemplating fresh strikes against deeply-buried nuclear
facilities.“We may hit Pickaxe very soon,” Trump told reporters on Sept. 4,
referring to a heavily fortified mountain site just south of Iran’s main uranium
enrichment facility in Natanz. “We know everybody that’s moving at Pickaxe,”
Trump said. “If anything goes bad we hit them.”The IAEA hasn’t been able verify
Iranian activities at the site, located in the Zagros Mountains 220 km (140
miles) south of Tehran. Inspectors have also been blocked from returning to
damaged plants in Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz, where Iran’s 440.9 kilograms (972
pounds) and 8,599.6 kilograms of lower enriched material was last seen.
“The agency’s lack of information about this nuclear material and access to
facilities to verify it is a matter of proliferation concern,” IAEA Director
General Rafael Mariano Grossi reported to diplomats last week, adding that Iran
needs to allow inspectors back in “with the utmost urgency.” While historically
a Security Council referral could result in economic sanctions, or the
authorization of military force, China and Russia are unlikely to support new
action against Tehran. They’ve repeatedly criticized Washington’s campaign and
contested the legality of UN sanctions snapped back on Iran last year. The
IAEA’s board of governors convenes for its weeklong meeting over Iran and other
regional issues on Monday. It’s the first for new US Ambassador Preston Wells
Griffith III, a White House special assistant during Trump’s first term. The US
resolution, which is backed by European nations on the IAEA board, also
“stresses its support for a diplomatic solution” while encouraging “all parties
to constructively engage in diplomacy.”
Israel Vows War with PA in Case of Oct 7-Style Attack
Asharq Al Awsat/September 07/2026
Israel on Monday threatened a "full-scale war" against the Palestinian Authority
if it prepared an attack against Israeli forces or settlements similar to the
one launched by Hamas from Gaza on October 7, 2023. The remarks from Defense
Minister Israel Katz came after a stabbing attack in the northern occupied West
Bank, with the Israeli military saying it had shot and killed the Palestinian
assailant. Violence has surged in the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967,
after Hamas's October 2023 attack sparked the war in Gaza. Recent months have
seen soaring attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, often with little
or no legal consequence. "If... the Palestinian Authority's security mechanisms
and related bodies initiate, or we know with certainty that they are about to
initiate, a terror attack in the style of October 7 against Israeli forces and
Jewish settlements -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have instructed
the army to prepare for the opening of a full-scale war," Katz said in a
statement from his office. Katz said the military campaign would target the
"senior leadership and mechanisms" of the Palestinian Authority, which is based
in the West Bank city of Ramallah, as well as "all terror infrastructure" in the
territory.
He said it would include "targeted killings of senior figures" and the
"evacuation of residents from the cities and villages from which terror activity
is carried out", with a permanent Israeli military presence in those areas.
Katz said the operation would emulate the so-called "security zones" in which
the Israeli military currently operates in Gaza and southern Lebanon. On Monday,
the Israeli military said it shot and killed a Palestinian assailant who had
stabbed an Israeli settler in the northern occupied West Bank.
Israel's Magen David Adom emergency services said a man in his 20s had been
taken to hospital in a moderate to serious condition with multiple stab wounds.
Praising the soldiers who killed the assailant, Netanyahu vowed: "No terrorist
can hide.""We will continue to eliminate terrorists, hunt down those who
dispatch them, and destroy the terrorist infrastructure in Judea and Samaria,"
he said in a statement, using the Biblical term for the West Bank. In response
to the attack, Palestinian movement Hamas called to "escalate the resistance and
engage with the enemy soldiers and settler gangs".Hamas's attack on Israel
resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on
official Israeli figures. Fighters also took 251 hostages, 44 of them already
dead, into Gaza. Israel responded with a massive offensive in Gaza that has
killed at least 73,651 people, according to the Palestinian territory's health
ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered
reliable by the United Nations.
Board of Peace's Mladenov Says Gaza, West Bank Escalation Makes Two-state
Solution 'Impossible'
Asharq Al Awsat/September 07/2026
A top official within the US-backed Board of Peace said on Monday that a failure
to move forward in Gaza paired with rising violence in the West Bank are making
a two-state solution "impossible". Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative
for Gaza under the US-backed "Board of Peace" tasked with implementing an
October ceasefire plan, was speaking at the Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi."I would say
that if Gaza continues the way it is now, or does not move into implementing...
the plan that we have under the comprehensive plan, the two-state solution will
become practically impossible," he said. "Because, with everything that is
happening in the West Bank, and with more than 50 percent of Gaza now under the
control of the Israeli army and less than 50 percent under the control of Hamas,
there is no credible pathway forward to a political resolution of the conflict,"
he added. A roadmap agreed by Hamas on July 30 said that the decommissioning of
weapons would be supervised by the International Stabilization Force, the
nascent unit that aims to deploy to Gaza if the situation calms. It is led by US
Major General Jasper Jeffers. Hamas had pledged to hand over its weapons to a
new Palestinian governing body, an arrangement that brought skepticism from
Netanyahu but which Trump hailed as a breakthrough. The West Bank has also seen
a surge in violence since the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip following
Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, AFP reported. More than 500,000
Israelis live in illegal settlements in the Palestinian territory, home to some
three million Palestinians. "The only way that we can build back to that is if
we have transitional governance, if we have decommissioning of weapons, if we
have withdrawal in Gaza," he said. On Sunday, Jared Kushner, US President Donald
Trump's son-in-law and a US envoy, told a press briefing in Kyiv that the
upcoming Israeli elections were making Israeli leaders "a little irrational" on
Gaza."We agree with them on the end state," Kushner said, referring to Israel.
"They just have a crazy election and that makes them a little irrational in
certain regards but we're very determined and we're working through these
things." "You can't go in if there's guns," he said, adding: "we're now starting
to understand the scope of the militarisation of Gaza. It is beyond your
comprehension. And so demilitarising it is not going to be easy."
Damascus has not commented on the understanding.
RUDAW English/September
07/2026
https://rudaw.net/english/categories/syria/1079177
Jamal said interior ministry officials told the delegation they
would study the possibility of allowing the YPJ to join as a special mission
unit before making a final decision. She added that the YPJ had not encountered
any obstacles to the proposal so far, noting that such a unit would be the first
of its kind in Syria. The proposed force would be deployed in cities across
northeast Syria (Rojava), she said.Mazloum Abdi late last month announced the
dissolution of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), days after declaring that the
process of integrating the military, security and administrative institutions of
Rojava into the Syrian state had been completed. The YPJ is the women's branch
of the People's Protection Units (YPG), which formed the backbone of the SDF.
The integration process is the outcome of a January agreement between the SDF
and Syria's interim government following weeks of clashes. The deal was mediated
by the United States and France and endorsed by several regional countries,
including Turkey. Following Abdi's announcement, Syrian interim President Ahmed
al-Sharaa appointed the former SDF commander as a presidential envoy. Abdi said
in a recent interview that he has yet to officially begin his work. The YPJ had
around 3,500 fighters when it joined the SDF in the January clashes, but its
ranks have since fallen to around 1,500, according to Jamal. She said some
fighters had been transferred to state-affiliated internal security forces
"voluntarily and following our approval," while others chose to work in civilian
institutions in Rojava or return to civilian life.The YPJ played a prominent
role in the US-backed campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS), which lost its
last territorial stronghold in Syria in 2019. The force also fought Turkey and
Ankara-backed Syrian groups before the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government, as
well as forces affiliated with the new Syrian authorities during clashes in
January. Jamal said 979 YPJ members were killed in all conflicts. She also said
six YPJ members remain in captivity. Three were captured during clashes with
Turkey and its Syrian proxies in Afrin in 2018, while Cicek Kobane was detained
in Gire Spi (Tal Abyad) in 2019 and later sentenced to life imprisonment in
Turkey. Two others were captured during clashes with Turkey-backed Syrian forces
in Manbij weeks before the fall of Assad.
Syria arrests Assad-era general accused of deadly
repression
Al Arabiya English/07 September ,2026
Syrian authorities on Monday said they had arrested a former general accused of
involvement in the bloody repression of protests in 2011 that sparked the
country’s civil war and the 1982 Hama massacre.In a statement, security forces
said they “arrested former Major General Mohammed Ali Durgham, a prominent
officer in the military establishment during the era of the former regime” of
Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in 2024. They accused him of “issuing direct
orders to his units to fire on unarmed demonstrators in the Damascus
countryside” after anti-Assad protests had erupted in 2011.
Durgham was a field commander in the army’s feared Fourth Division, commanded by
al-Assad’s brother Maher al-Assad, between 2009 and 2013. Human Rights Watch in
2011 quoted a Syrian army defector who said that Durgham was one of the generals
who “ordered the troops to shoot at protesters when his unit was deployed to
areas in and just outside of Damascus.”He has been under European Union
sanctions since 2012.Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown turned the nationwide movement
into a 13-year-long civil war that killed more than half a million
people.Authorities said Durgham had started “as a squad commander in the Defense
Brigades during the events in Hama Governorate in 1982.”On February 2, 1982,
amid an information blackout, al-Assad’s father and then-Syrian president Hafez
al-Assad launched a brutal crackdown in the central Syrian city of Hama against
an armed Muslim Brotherhood revolt. Survivors who witnessed extrajudicial
executions told AFP that the authorities spared no one, with government forces
killing men, women and children. The death toll of the 27 days of violence has
never been formally established, though estimates usually range from 10,000 to
40,000, with some going higher still. Since Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow in
December 2024, Syria’s new authorities have arrested dozens of former security
officials, and trials began in April. In August, Syria sentenced Bashar
al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad and five other security officials to death
in absentia for atrocities committed during the civil war, the first such ruling
under the new authorities. The former president fled Syria as his government was
falling and is believed to be living in Russia. With AFP
Far-Right Triumph in Eastern Germany Leaves Migrants
Questioning Their Future
Asharq Al Awsat/September 07/2026
Mamad Mohamad watched with mixed emotions as the far-right Alternative for
Germany (AfD) swept to a historic victory on Sunday evening in the eastern state
of Saxony-Anhalt. A member of the Greens, the 46-year-old is set to become one
of the first lawmakers with an immigrant background to enter the state
parliament, alongside Mustafa Groener of the Left (Die Linke) party. For Mohamad,
who arrived in Germany from Syria as a 16-year-old Yazidi Kurd in 1996, it was a
milestone that should have been a moment of celebration. Instead, he described
it as a "poisoned victory"."My heart was split," Mohamad said, recalling the
first projections that showed the AfD outperforming expectations while
Chancellor Friedrich Merz's governing conservatives slumped to a historic low.
'CULTURALLY ALIEN'
The AfD has long campaigned for tighter immigration and asylum policies,
arguing that Germany has lost control of its borders and that migration is
putting heavy pressure on public services, security and social cohesion.
According to its election manifesto, an AfD-led Saxony-Anhalt would launch a
state-level campaign to deport rejected asylum seekers. The party also proposes
encouraging businesses to adopt artificial intelligence and automation rather
than rely on skilled migration from what it describes as "culturally alien"
backgrounds.
The AfD rejects accusations that its rhetoric contributes to a hostile climate
for migrants, insisting it opposes only illegal and uncontrolled migration.
"Everyone is warmly welcome who contributes positively to our society, who
wants to work here, who is qualified, who pays taxes, and who abides by the
law," AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said on Monday.
PACKED BAGS
The mood in Mohamad's family was somber on Monday. His daughter, he said, was
reluctant to attend school, one of several criticized by the AfD over projects
that examine threats to democracy. Though anxiety is running high in many
immigrant communities, the result has prompted unease rather than surprise, said
Undra Dressler, managing director of the State Network of Migrant Organizations
in Saxony-Anhalt. People with migrant backgrounds have long faced discrimination
and structural barriers in access to work, education, healthcare and public
services, Dressler said. "All of this is our reality," she told Reuters.
Sunday's result nevertheless marks a turning point, she said. "There are many
people in our communities who say: 'We've already packed our bags and have
concrete plans, and we'll be leaving soon,' or, in some cases, have already
left."Pascal Begrich, managing director of democracy advocacy group Miteinander,
said he did not expect a large-scale exodus, partly because of economic
realities, but agreed that many migrants but also employers were reassessing
their future in Saxony-Anhalt. "There are companies asking themselves whether
they really want to locate here and whether they can ensure their workers will
be safe," Begrich told Reuters.
CONSTITUTIONAL LIMITS
Mohamad said he feared the political shift could make it harder to attract
newcomers to a state already grappling with demographic decline."Skilled workers
and families will look elsewhere," he said. Despite concerns about the state's
political direction, both Dressler and Begrich stressed that any future
government would remain bound by Germany's constitutional order and protections
for minorities."Every government is bound by this," Dressler said. "And the 15
other federal states have a duty to monitor this and, if necessary, to
intervene."
Russia Announces the Closure of the German Consulate in St.
Petersburg
Asharq Al Awsat/September 07/2026
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that the German consulate in St.
Petersburg will have to close, a tit-for-tat move that reflected the simmering
tensions between the two countries. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the German
consulate must stop operations by Sept. 18, following an earlier move by Moscow
to close German cultural centers on its territory.The ministry said the closure
was in retaliation for Germany’s decision Wednesday to close both the Russian
consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural center in the German capital,
Berlin.Germany blamed Russia for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle
Airport on Aug. 4, when an explosives-laden drone was found near a Ukrainian
plane.The airport is a major international freight hub used for providing
support to Ukraine. The drone was later defused. Moscow has denied involvement.
Assad-era Syrian Reactor was Configured for Nuclear
Weapons, IAEA Chief Says
Asharq Al Awsat/September 07/2026
The Assad-era government in Syria was constructing a nuclear reactor that was
configured to produce fissile material for possible use in nuclear weapons, the
head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Monday. The
“configuration” and the “technical features” of the nuclear reactor under
construction in Syria during the leadership of ousted former President Bashar
Assad were “very efficient in the production of fissile material that could be
directly used for the fabrication of nuclear weapons,” IAEA director general
Rafael Grossi said. “Of course, that was never declared, that was always denied,
so, and again, intentions cannot be judged, but that was a very serious
proliferation concern that we had, and this has been difficult work,” he told
reporters on the first day of a regular meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors,
in Vienna. Syria was believed to have operated an extensive undeclared nuclear
program under Assad that included a nuclear reactor built by North Korea in
eastern Deir Ezzor province. Following Assad’s ouster, the new government agreed
to give IAEA inspectors access to suspected former nuclear sites. During a visit
to Syria in August, IAEA inspectors confirmed that “the cooling infrastructure
which has now been uncovered is consistent with that of a nuclear reactor.”
Grossi and a team of senior inspectors also visited a previously undeclared site
in the country. Syria notified the agency of the site’s existence in a July 17
letter and invited the IAEA “to cooperate with the Syrian authorities in the
inspection and verification of the site and of any nuclear material to be
potentially found.”The IAEA said in its confidential report circulated to member
states last Tuesday and seen by The Associated Press that this new site
contained “natural uranium metal in the form of fuel rods with cladding.” The
agency verified the material and confirmed “the presence of around 73 tonnes of
natural uranium metal.”Grossi said when the inspectors visited the site in
August they had to “tear down walls” and go through “very difficult and narrow
passages” to reach the nuclear material that had been hidden. The site had
“boxes scattered all over the place,” he said.
Grossi said that “the important thing is that this material now is under
safeguards” of the IAEA, adding that agency inspectors had managed to install
cameras at the location, The AP reported. Asked if the nuclear material will
remain in Syria or be removed, Grossi said that this is “a matter that the
Syrian government will have to decide.” He added: “We are not requesting them to
do this or to do that. For us what’s important is that we know all the time
where this (material) is until the last gram.”Logan Mintz, a director for
nuclear materials security at the Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative,
said that natural uranium metal is not directly usable for a nuclear weapon but
it could be “diverted to a covert weapons program that further processes it into
plutonium for a nuclear weapon.”She said that once deemed safe to move, the
material could be “transported in certified containers” to a third country that
can “safely and securely disposition it into a more chemically stable and more
widely used form” for possible use in nuclear power plants. “As with any
transport of nuclear material, this movement would require robust security from
theft or sabotage,” she said.
UN envoy warns Houthi attacks risk wider conflict in Yemen
Al Arabiya English/07 September ,2026
The UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, warned on Monday that recent
attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militia across several frontlines had
triggered increasingly intense clashes, threatening to further expand the
conflict and undermine efforts toward a political settlement. In a statement,
Grundberg described the escalation as “extremely alarming” and expressed concern
over reports of civilian casualties, displacement and damage to civilian
infrastructure. “Yemen has already endured more than a decade of conflict, and a
return to sustained large-scale fighting will carry grave consequences for
civilians and make an already difficult path toward a political settlement even
harder,” he said.Grundberg called on all parties to cease hostilities, exercise
maximum restraint and use existing channels, including the UN’s Military
Coordination Committee, to prevent further escalation. He also urged the parties
to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and protect
civilians and civilian infrastructure. The envoy said he would continue engaging
directly with the parties to contain the escalation and preserve space for
dialogue, while calling on regional and international actors to use their
influence to support a return to political negotiations.The warning comes amid
intensified fighting across several Yemeni frontlines, including Taiz and the
western coast, where government forces and the Houthis have reported clashes and
military operations in recent days.
New Battlefronts in Yemen Leave Houthis in Disarray
Asharq Al Awsat/September 07/2026
The Yemeni army and the National Resistance made progress on the ground on
Monday across fronts in the Taiz, al-Bayda, and al-Jawf governorates, amid
successive collapses and retreats among the Houthis. Al-Jawf is witnessing
tribal mobilization in support of government forces following their field
advances. Yemeni army media announced that government forces secured a tactical
breakthrough on the al-Bayda front, successfully liberating the Hayd al-Khazzan
and al-Falhan areas up to the al-Nasifa region. The development allows the
forces an advantage to sever Houthi supply lines between the central and
southern governorates.The advance coincided with the establishment of control
over all hills and plateaus overlooking the al-Zaher district. The director of
media for the al-Bayda governorate, Aref Al-Amari, confirmed that the armed
forces have tightened their control over the strategic highlands overlooking al-Zaher.
He noted that forces are currently combing al-Nasifa in preparation for an
advance toward the Dhi Naem area, a development that strengthens the position of
government forces in the governorate. Spokesman for the Yemeni armed forces
Colonel Maeen al-Nuzaili said the forces are achieving progress and victories on
the al-Jawf and al-Bayda fronts as part of operations "aimed at restoring state
institutions and ending the Houthi coup."He called on the group's operatives to
abandon their positions with their light weapons to save their lives. On the
western front, the Joint Forces managed to secure a vital artery in al-Kadha
connecting Taiz city to the western coast, following the defeat of Houthis
stationed in the controlling highlands. Government forces targeted massive
Houthi military reinforcements west of Taiz city, leaving heavy losses in lives
and equipment.
Comprising more than 21 military vehicles, they were heading to support the al-Barh
and Maqbanah fronts. Meanwhile, tribes were mobilizing in al-Jawf to support the
armed forces against the Houthis. According to local sources, the tribes moved
toward the al-Yatma district.
Trump says Canada’s Bombardier cannot sell in US unless it
builds there
Reuters/07 September ,2026
President Donald Trump said on Monday that Canada-based airplane maker
Bombardier would no longer be allowed to sell in the United States unless it
started manufacturing in the country. “NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED
STATES! Their products aren’t good enough!” Trump said in a post on Truth
Social. “If they want our Market, they must build here, and stop treating
America like a “piggybank,” he said. Bombardier did not immediately respond to a
request for comment. Canada and the United States have been locked in a trade
dispute. In January, Trump said the US was decertifying Bombardier Global
Express business jets and threatened 50 percent import tariffs on all aircraft
made in Canada until the country’s regulator certified a number of planes
produced by US rival Gulfstream.Neither occurred, but the following month Canada
certified several Gulfstream planes.
The Latest LCCC analysis & editorials from
miscellaneous sources published
on September 07-08/2026
ريموند إبراهيم من
موسسة كايتستون: قائمة موثقة لحوادث ووقائع إضطهاد المسيحيين خلال شهر أيار لسنة
2026
The Ongoing Genocide against Christians’: The Extremist Persecution of
Christians, May 2026
by Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/September 07/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/09/157286/
On April 8 the family received a WhatsApp call from a Muslim
man identifying himself as Sohail Riaz, based in Dubai. He claimed Jia was in
his custody and warned them against pursuing the case. Masih said Riaz had
contacted her through social media and “groomed her for sexual exploitation
under the guise of marriage.” — Morning Star News, May 7, 2026, Pakistan.
The terrorists set fire to the church, parish buildings, and countless homes.
Archbishop Antonio Juliasse described it as “a terrifying scene, houses and
infrastructure destroyed, a historic parish reduced to rubble.” Captured
Christians were also “forced to listen to the jihadists’ proclamations of
hatred.” Over the last nine years, more than 300 Christians have been killed,
continued the archbishop, adding, “most of them with their throats slit,” and
“at least 117 churches and chapels destroyed, 23 of them in 2025 alone. —
lanuovabq.it, May 2, 2026, Mozambique.
[A]uthorities completely demolished the Holy Mother of God Cathedral (the main
Armenian Apostolic cathedral) and St. Hakob Church in Stepanakert, Artsakh
(Nagorno-Karabakh). Satellite imagery has confirmed both Christian sites were
razed to the ground, leaving only paved or cleared ground. The cathedral,
consecrated only in 2019, had been the city’s primary place of worship. The
demolition followed the 2023 Azerbaijani military takeover that forced more than
120,000 Armenian Christians to flee. — christianophobie.fr, May 5, 2026,
Azerbaijan
Police and intelligence reports estimated more than 5,000 Muslims participated
in the rioting, arson, and church attacks. Nearly 400 were initially arrested,
but most, later, received bail, acquittal, or discharge. Of 336 suspects
charged, only one remains in prison. — morningstarnews.org, May 22, 2026,
Pakistan.
“How many more churches must be desecrated before the nation fully grasps the
gravity of these acts? For when a statue of Christ or the Virgin Mary is broken,
when a consecrated place is deliberately vandalized, it is not merely stone,
wood, or glass that is being attacked. It is a memory, a faith, and a
civilization that some seem intent on trampling.” — Tribune Chrétienne, May 26,
2026, France.
According to a May 5 report, Azerbaijani authorities completely demolished the
Holy Mother of God Cathedral (the main Armenian Apostolic cathedral) and St.
Hakob Church in Stepanakert, Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Satellite imagery has
confirmed both Christian sites were razed to the ground, leaving only paved or
cleared ground. Pictured: A 2019 photograph of the Holy Mother of God Cathedral
in Stepanakert, Artsakh. (Photo by Nathan868/Wikimedia Commons)
The following are among the murders and abuses Muslims inflicted on Christians
throughout the month of May 2026.
Muslim Slaughter of Christians
Nigeria
On May 3, “Muslim Fulani gunmen killed five Christians in a fresh attack on Fan
village,” resident Bot James reported. The victims were ambushed returning home
from their businesses. Fulani assailants in the same county also killed two
Christians in Kassa village on April 27 and four Christians — while injuring
five others — in Hurum village on April 19.
On May 8, Muslim Fulani gunmen killed 13 Christians in a pre-dawn attack on the
community of Ngbra Zongo in Plateau State. “The attack has left dozens of other
Christians injured, hundreds of others displaced,” a spokesperson for the
community related. Three pregnant women were among the dead.
One resident, Lawrence Zongo, noted that the gunmen “moved from one house to
another attacking the Christian victims in their homes.” The same area has seen
repeated assaults on Christian communities. On April 26 in the Rim area, Fulani
militia killed pastor Ayuba Choji, his wife, and two children. Church leaders
referred to them “martyrs whose lives were claimed by the ongoing genocide
against Christians in Nigeria.”
According to a May 20 report, a Christian mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun,
was beheaded after Islamic terrorists attacked two secondary schools in Oyo
State and kidnapped dozens of teachers and students. A video of the slaughter
was later released. The coordinated assault targeted schools in predominantly
Christian communities, with an estimated 39 pupils and seven teachers abducted.
On May 23, gunmen attacked an overnight prayer vigil at a church in Elerin
village, Kwara State, killing three Christians and kidnapping 15 others. The
assailants opened fire on worshippers before abducting members of the
congregation and fleeing into nearby bushland.
On May 31, Fulani Muslim gunmen attacked the predominantly Christian village of
Gwomjang in Plateau State, killing eight Christians—four men and four women—and
wounding at least 15. The assault began in the evening, shortly after church
services had ended, as residents were returning home. According to eyewitnesses,
the attackers opened fire on civilians, then fled.
Democratic Republic of Congo
On May 13, Muslim militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamic
rebel group affiliated with ISIS, attacked Christians in Biakato, killing 21,
and burning homes. A survivor recalled:
“The rebels came during the night and started tying people. Then they began
killing many Christians who were crying to Jesus Christ. I had hidden myself
under the bed. After that, I started hearing loud pangas (large knives) on
Christian bodies and the cries of many people crying for help.”
On May 19, the same terrorist group killed at least 17 Christians in Mambasa
villages, as the region was also grappling with a fierce Ebola outbreak,
compounding the humanitarian crisis.
On May 30, the same Islamic terror group killed at least seven more Christians
in an overnight attack on the Ngadi neighborhood of Beni. The victims were
prevented from escaping, then executed. One survivor recalled,
“They woke us up and, with an Islamic shout—’Allahu Akbar’—the shooting started,
and people began to be slaughtered like animals. In the midst of the chaos, I
managed to escape the camp. … We are Pygmies. We do not know anything about
politics, but they are killing us.”
Kenya
According to a May 1 report, armed Muslim Somali herders stormed Kwa Kamari in
Mwingi North, Kitui County, killing seven Christian farmers and burning their
homes. One person was left in critical condition. A witness recalled: “It was
noise at first, men chanting in Arabic, then gunshots, then shouting, then
people running.”
A community farmer said: “These people are driving us from our own homes and
farms. They kill mercilessly, leaving families turning to prayer, not knowing
their fate.”
According to a May 5 report, Somali terrorists, as they moved through grazing
routes along local farmland, randomly shot and killed 14-year-old Christian
James Mutemi. “No parent should go through this,” a church leader said. The
boy’s mother said: “He was my only hope. Since my husband passed away last year,
he was the one I was looking up to. He was my firstborn. Now I am left with only
one child, and I don’t know how I will move forward. Please remember us in
prayer.”
The report adds:“While Kenya is a predominantly Christian country, they often
face persecution in the east, where Somali Muslims are intolerant of those who
profess faith in Christ.”
Pakistan
According to a May 27 report, Silas, an 18-year-old Christian, succumbed to
gunshot wounds a few days after Muslim men opened fire on him and another
Christian youth. Pastor Imran Amanat condemned the killing, warning, “Christians
in Pakistan continue to live in fear. Violence, harassment, and discrimination
against minorities must not be ignored.”
Community members described the shooting as “another painful example of the
insecurity faced by Christians” and criticized what they saw as an inadequate
response from authorities.
Ukraine
According to a May 23 report, the day after Easter Sunday (Orthodox calendar) a
Christian was attacked “by two other men of another faith,” after greeting those
around him with the traditional Easter proclamation, “Christ is risen!”
According to one report, the greeting “provoked the anger of a 19-year-old
visitor of a different faith.” An argument followed, during which the man
“decided to kill his Christian adversary” by repeatedly stabbing him in the neck
and abdomen. The attackers fled only after “assuring that their adversary was no
longer alive.” The victim survived the assault—barely. Prosecutors requested,
and the court ordered, that the two suspects be held in pretrial detention
without the possibility of bail. If convicted, they face life imprisonment. A
pixelated image of the two bearded suspects suggests possible Middle Eastern
and/or Chechnyan origins.
Afghanistan
According to a May 1 report:
“Being known as a Christian in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan brings lethal
danger… The Taliban reportedly searched door to door and through smartphones,
hunting for any signs of Christian conversion…. In reality, there are still
believers. But they live completely underground… [Christian worship] survives in
silence and fear….. Even in Western countries, the struggle does not fully end…
When other Afghans realize someone is not Muslim, reactions can change
instantly… Many never fully feel safe, even after reaching the West. Being an
Afghan Christian is not just a religious identity. It is a condition of constant
caution… Even outside Afghanistan, the fear does not disappear.”
Pakistan: The Muslim Abduction, Rape, and Forced Conversion of Christian Girls
On May 6, a court rejected the official government birth record of Sonia Tariq,
a Christian girl who was abducted as a minor, pressured to convert to Islam, and
forced into marriage. Although Sonia claimed she was 20, had converted
voluntarily, and did not wish to return to her Christian family, Supreme Court
attorney, Saqib Jillani, said those statements were made under duress, and that
Sonia was only 13 when she began working at a Lahore beauty parlor, where she
was pressured to embrace Islam. After she disappeared on Nov. 7, 2024, her
father initially reported her missing. “A few days later,” said Jillani, “Nadeem
named Sonia’s Muslim co-worker, Ayesha Akram, her father Akram Barkat and
another person, Zulfiqar Dogar, accusing them of abducting her for sexual
exploitation under the guise of Islamic conversion and marriage.” Sonia’s father
said police repeatedly refused to help recover her:
“They kept telling me that she had converted to Islam and married of her own
free will. They did not show us any evidence of her marriage but kept pressuring
me to stop searching for her. It is quite clear that she is under their
influence and pressure, which is why she insists on staying with them.”
According to a May 11 report, another Christian girl, 16-year-old Jia Liaqat,
disappeared from her family home in Punjab while her parents were working in a
Muslim landowner’s fields. “We immediately filed a First Information Report
(FIR) regarding Jia’s abduction with the Burewala Police Station the same day,”
her father Liaqat Masih of the Anglican Church of Pakistan, said, “but the
police did not make any effort to trace her whereabouts.” On April 8 the family
received a WhatsApp call from a Muslim man identifying himself as Sohail Riaz,
based in Dubai. He claimed Jia was in his custody and warned them against
pursuing the case. Masih said Riaz had contacted her through social media and
“groomed her for sexual exploitation under the guise of marriage.”
Police later informed the family that she had been converted to Islam and
entered into an online Nikah (Islamic marriage) with Riaz on April 15. After the
family complained about police inaction, the officers grew hostile. On May 4 Jia
appeared before a magistrate without her family present and stated she was an
adult who had converted to Islam and married Riaz of her own free will. The
suspects were released. “There’s no justice for the poor in our country,
especially for those belonging to minority communities,” Masih said:
“My daughter is a minor and cannot legally marry, but neither the police nor the
court felt the need to verify her age. Every day we worry about what will happen
to her if we cannot rescue her from the custody of her abductors.”
On May 12, “a married Muslim abducted a 14-year-old [Christian] girl… forcibly
converted her to Islam and married her, exploiting her medical and mental health
vulnerabilities to sexually abuse.” Nisha Bibi’s father, Abbas Masih of a local
Brethren church, said CCTV showed her leaving with a middle-aged man later
identified as 41-year-old married Muslim Arshad Habib, who already had three
wives and children from those marriages. “My daughter’s medical condition made
her an easy target,” Masih said. Police later presented documents claiming Nisha
had converted to Islam and married Habib three days later. “We were shocked to
see an alleged conversion certificate and marriage documents presented as proof
that my daughter willingly converted and married the accused,” Masih said.
“These documents appear to have been fabricated to shield him from criminal
prosecution.” The family’s lawyer, Zunara Patrick, said a purported magistrate
statement claimed that the 14-year-old Nisha was actually 18, had converted and
married voluntarily, and sought protection from her family. Patrick rejected it
as fraudulent:
“These actions indicate a deliberate pattern of targeting vulnerable young women
for sexual exploitation. In this case, the accused appears to have used
religious conversion and marriage as a cover to avoid prosecution.”
Muslim Attacks on Converts to Christianity
Somalia
On May 28, four Muslim relatives severely beat a 22-year-old Somali Christian
woman, Sofia Ahmed, for leaving Islam and embracing Christianity. Sofia was
attacked at her home after her uncle repeatedly questioned her about her faith.
When he returned with three other male relatives and again demanded to know if
she had converted to Christianity, Ahmed said, “I kept quiet,” at which point
they immediately jumped her. According to the report:
“The relatives beat her with sticks and struck her nose with a sharp object… The
attack drew the attention of neighbors who came in large numbers, seized the
assailants and called police. Officers arrived and arrested the four men, but
Ahmed’s Muslim parents intervened and persuaded police to release them…”
According to a local Christian leader, “Family members later advocated for the
release of the suspects, believing the actions were justified because of Ahmed’s
decision to leave Islam and embrace Christianity.” Sofia underwent two surgeries
and, last reported, was still hospitalized.
Uganda
On May 2, Muslim in-laws of a recent convert to Christianity lured him to their
home and beat him unconscious. Ochora Awali, a 28-year-old father of one, was
last reported as still receiving hospital treatment for serious head injuries.
Awali converted to Christianity on December 31 during a prayer gathering. After
his conversion, his wife left with their child to live with her parents. On May
2 his brother-in-law, Werikhe Aramanzan, called claiming the child was
critically ill. “He pretended to be crying on the phone so that I could believe
the situation was serious,” Awali said. The concerned father rushed to the home
with his church pastor. Upon arrival the in-laws told him to enter alone: “They
started asking me why I left Islam and joined Christianity. They accused me of
bringing shame to the family and spoiling their daughter.” Before he could fully
respond, several relatives attacked him. “One jumped on me and started boxing
me, while others entered with sticks and beat me badly,” Awali said. The beating
left him unconscious. The pastor fled for help. When Awali regained
consciousness, he was in a clinic, crying in pain, unsure who had brought him
there or where his friend was.
A May 21 report disclosed that two Christian converts were finally released
after spending nearly two years in prison “following their decision to leave
Islam and embrace Christianity.” Their imprisonment had begun after relatives
and other members of the Muslim community falsely connected them to a criminal
case in order to punish them for abandoning Islam. Their case highlights how
imprisonment, legal harassment, and pressure from families and local communities
can be used against those who embrace Christianity. Rather than abandoning their
new faith, the converts remained steadfast throughout their incarceration.
Muslim Attacks on Christian Churches
Mozambique
On April 30, jihadists affiliated with the Islamic State torched the historic
Catholic church of St. Louis of Montfort in Meza. The terrorists set fire to the
church, parish buildings, and countless homes. Archbishop Antonio Juliasse
described it as “a terrifying scene, houses and infrastructure destroyed, a
historic parish reduced to rubble.” Captured Christians were also “forced to
listen to the jihadists’ proclamations of hatred.” Over the last nine years,
more than 300 Christians have been killed, continued the archbishop, adding,
“most of them with their throats slit,” and “at least 117 churches and chapels
destroyed, 23 of them in 2025 alone.
Nigeria
According to a May 20 report, armed Fulani herders ransacked and partially
burned the Catholic Church of Saint James the Greater in Adu, Taraba State. They
“attacked the church, causing significant damage: broken windows, vandalized
parish buildings, and the priest’s residence was damaged.” The assault was
described as “precise and coordinated,” matching a security warning issued four
days earlier.
Syria
According to a May 13 statement from the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo,
a potential disaster was narrowly averted in the Muslim majority nation, when a
suspicious object fell from a hearse transporting the body of a parishioner to
St. Ephrem the Syrian Cathedral for a funeral. What fell was described as “a
small, strange object, wrapped in a black bag and securely sealed with clear
tape.” After the hearse arrived, police and security forces were summoned,
closed the road, and called in a bomb squad, suspecting it “might be an
explosive device.”
Indonesia
According to a May 4 report, the Toraja Church congregation in Sungai Keledang
was blocked from constructing a house of worship despite completing all
administrative and technical requirements in 2025, including recommendations
from the Interfaith Harmony Forum and the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Local
government withheld the building permit due to opposition from local community
groups, who held banners that read, “We, all Muslims, strongly reject the
establishment of a church/prayer house or any activities in our neighborhood.”
Rev. Hendra Kusuma of the National Alliance for Freedom of Religion and Belief
said: “If every church that meets the requirements is denied a permit due to
pressure from rejection, how long will the church receive its rights and
justice?”
Pastor Meliasni Panggalo said: “Our services are held outdoors, next to, under
the pastorate. The congregation desperately needs a permanent church building so
that worship services are not disturbed by the weather.”
On Sunday, May 24, Muslims again disrupted Christian worship when members of the
Islamic Jihad Front (FJI) and other local Muslims forced a Christian church to
halt its Sunday service in Yogyakarta. The mob entered the church, shouted
“Allahu Akbar,” and threatened worshippers, while police just looked on,
prompting the congregation to flee. One Muslim member of the mob warned,
“If the police weren’t there, you wouldn’t be standing here forever. If the
police leave you for more than 24 hours, I will burn this church down.”
A church member recalled, “Suddenly, they entered the building, wearing FJI
T-shirts and jackets. They forced us to stop the service. There were many
children and elderly people in the church, and the atmosphere was very tense.”
According to a May 15 report, construction of the Indonesian Pentecostal Church
(GPI) in Tanjung Senang Village, Bandar Lampung, Indonesia, has been blocked for
22 years since plans began in 2004, when the building under construction was
torched. No one was ever arrested.
Azerbaijan
According to a May 5 report, authorities completely demolished the Holy Mother
of God Cathedral (the main Armenian Apostolic cathedral) and St. Hakob Church in
Stepanakert, Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Satellite imagery has confirmed both
Christian sites were razed to the ground, leaving only paved or cleared ground.
The cathedral, consecrated only in 2019, had been the city’s primary place of
worship. The demolition followed the 2023 Azerbaijani military takeover that
forced more than 120,000 Armenian Christians to flee. Armenian sources described
it as part of a deliberate campaign to erase Christian Armenian spiritual
presence and historical memory from the region.
Pakistan
A May 22 report noted that police, despite a Supreme Court order on March 31 to
do so, as well as vast video and photo evidence, failed to arrest most suspects
in Muslim mob attacks on dozens of churches and Christian homes in Jaranwala,
Punjab, on August 16, 2023. The violence erupted after two Christians were
accused of desecrating the Koran and insulting Islam’s prophet—allegations a
court later ruled were fabricated after a personal dispute. Rev. Khalid Mukhtar,
whose parish house was destroyed, said: “Despite providing police with video and
photographic evidence identifying many of those involved, there has been no
meaningful progress in arrests. We have met senior police officials several
times since the ruling, but their assurances have not translated into concrete
action.”
Police and intelligence reports estimated more than 5,000 Muslims participated
in the rioting, arson, and church attacks. Nearly 400 were initially arrested,
but most later received bail, acquittal, or discharge. Of 336 suspects charged,
only one remains in prison.
France
On May 4, vandals decapitated a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the infant
Jesus in Poleymieux-au-Mont-d’Or, near Lyon. The heads of both figures were
smashed, removed, and found at the base of the monument. Mayor Corinne Cardona
condemned the attack as “absolutely scandalous and appalling.” Local residents
also reacted with shock and anger over the desecration.
On May 25, intruders vandalized the Church of Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens in Mérens,
damaging statues, scattering liturgical objects across the floor, and breaking
at least one stained-glass window. The church remains an active place of
Catholic worship, regularly used for baptisms, marriages, funerals, and Mass.
Discussing the daily desecration of churches in France, the Tribune Chrétienne
asked: “How many more churches must be desecrated before the nation fully grasps
the gravity of these acts? For when a statue of Christ or the Virgin Mary is
broken, when a consecrated place is deliberately vandalized, it is not merely
stone, wood, or glass that is being attacked. It is a memory, a faith, and a
civilization that some seem intent on trampling.”
Italy
According to a May 11 report, “Following similar incidents in Frosinone –
involving a statue of the Virgin Mary and one of Padre Pio – in another town in
Lazio, two Christian statues located in oratories were found decapitated in
mid-April. CCTV footage implicates a woman, her head covered with a hood,
wearing glasses.”
Raymond Ibrahim, author of Defenders of the West, Sword and Scimitar, Crucified
Again, and The Al Qaeda Reader, is the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at
the Gatestone Institute and the Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East
Forum.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22835/the-ongoing-genocide-against-christians
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.
About This Series
While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of Christians by
extremists is growing. The report posits that such persecution is not random but
rather systematic, and takes place irrespective of language, ethnicity, or
location. It includes incidents that take place during, or are reported on, any
given month.
Why Donald Trump’s trolling of Canada is the same old
playbook of a businessman flop
Rosie DiManno/Star ColumnistLtoronto Star/September 07/2026
You’d think that someone whose grandfather pioneered the family fortune by
opening a restaurant-cum-brothel in the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush
might have a little more historical and sentimental regard for Canada.
But the grandson of Friedrich Trump — a 16-year-old barber’s apprentice when he
emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1885 — has no mush or respect for
the nation he endlessly ridicules on Truth Social and in press conference snark,
when he’s not coveting/threatening Canada as a 51st state.
Or maybe President Donald Trump is still festering over losing his bid to build
and operate a casino complex in Niagara Falls, Ont., in the late ’90s. On that
occasion, the then hotel and casino mogul — despite four bankruptcy filings
involving properties in his Atlantic City and New York holdings, which threw
thousands of employees out of work — accused the consultant retained by the
Ontario government who ran the selection process of bias against him, demanding
that person be sacked while fomenting falsehoods about conflict-of-interest.
Rather like continuing to assert the utterly baseless claim that he won the 2020
election.
It’s the Trump playbook, of course, lies and deflection wrapped up in revenge.
That grumbling followed an earlier bid that Trump had withdrawn to manage the
proposed riverside casino in Windsor, awarded to Caesar’s Entertainment. Trump
had envisioned a gambling emporium with a Canadian theme — “more rustic, not
glitzy” — unlike his gilded Trump Taj Mahal.
At the time, Trump had recently bounced back from a fall from hotshot grace,
digging himself out of a $5 billion debt from his toes-up businesses, largely by
mastering the art of refinancing via junk bonds, unloading assets and
transferring debt onto creditors and shareholders. That allowed him to avoid
declaring personal bankruptcy.
Now he unloads on us.
I’m looking at a press release — “The Four Times Donald Trump Has Declared
Bankruptcy” — put out in 2016 that itemized Trump’s hotel and entertainment
failures. It came from the campaign of one Marco Rubio, then a rival for the
Republican presidential nomination and now Trump’s loyalist Secretary of State.
Decades later, it’s the same modus operandi that Trump has deployed in his
punitive one-trick-pony tariff trade war with Canada — a 50 per cent levy on
imported goods ranging from hockey sticks to agricultural products following
collapse of 11th hour negotiations. Which triggered an avowal of retaliatory
tariffs from Prime Minister Mark Carney, scheduled to come into effect this
week.
Trump believes himself an economics genius rather than a businessman flop, and
greater fiscal mastermind than the guy who used to be governor of the Bank of
England. As his popularity plunges to historic lows in the U.S. — what I
fervently hope heralds the beginning of the end of the abomination that is MAGA,
with 866 days left in his miserable second occupation of the White House — Trump
has been exposed as a president who starts but can’t win or finish wars, who’s
poured fuel on a catastrophic cost-of-living crisis, whose second term has seen
the U.S. take on more debt than at any time outside of a recession or a war,
who’s cozied up to the worst dictators on Earth. And whose staggering narcissism
has him obsessively slapping his face and name on everything from a newly
commissioned class of battleships to a newly minted $1 coin. Because, as he
correctly observed: “Nobody will do it after I’m gone.”
The world after Trump beckons. Already he’s well past his Trumpian peak, a
sooner than expected lame-duck phase of shrinking global influence and the
retreat of Pax Americana. But what Canada shouldn’t do is be hysterically vexed
into more hand-wringing and hurt feelings. That is precisely the provoking
intention of all this insulting argy-bargy coming out of the Trump
administration, the trolling X-posts, “Lake America”, the baiting from
“Secretary of War” Pete
Hegseth, the scornful jokes from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. It is all an
extension of normalizing the unhinged bonkers of Trump 2.0. They thrive on
needling and taking the piss out of Canada.
I don’t believe in turning the other cheek. I’d like to punch Hegseth in the
nose. But I wince when, from a posture of the wounded, we bemoan decency lost
and venom spewed by Trump’s cabinet cadre. It is belittling to us. We try to get
serious by reminding that Canadian troops lost their lives alongside Americans
in Afghanistan. Except we’re dealing with a manifestly un-serious regime of
bullies and scoundrels and incompetents. Umbrage cracks them up.
Carney got it just about right in his eye-roll response a few days ago to the
trash-posting and dissing. “Stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying
to be tough.”
The prime minister elicited praise and a rare standing ovation for his
extraordinary speech in Davos early this year, wherein Carney candidly stated
that the traditional rules-based international order was over, urging
middle-power countries to unite in building strategic autonomy because
superpowers were ransacking global integration and turning tools such as tariffs
into cudgels of coercion. “Let me be direct: We are in the midst of a rupture,
not a transition.” And the old order wasn’t coming back
After covering all three of Trump’s presidential campaigns — in disbelief when
he beat Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2016, exhaling in relief when he lost to Joe
Biden in 2020, dismayed when voters re-elected the convicted felon in 2024 — I
would counter that the “rupture” arose from the inexplicable rapture surrounding
Trump. Rapture in its biblical meaning, as interpreted by evangelicals, when
both the living and the dead will ascend to heaven at the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ.
Spellbound by a villainous huckster preaching American hegemony resurrected.
I blame American voters more than I blame the diabolism of Donald J. Trump.
**Rosie DiManno is a Toronto-based columnist covering sports and current affairs
for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @rdimanno.
Kidnapping a Thousand American Soldiers!
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/September 07/2026
In a recently surfaced video, Mohsen Rezaei speaks about Iran kidnapping one
thousand American soldiers and bargaining over them. While the video is
authentic, the statement is old, dating back to 2015. Today, Rezaei serves as
the right-hand man to the new Supreme Leader and holds the position of Secretary
of the Supreme National Security Council. Does Iran still view war through this
same mindset? The confrontation has been ongoing for a year, yet they have been
unable to arrest anyone or destroy a single battleship, and American casualties
are the lowest in the history of its wars.Iran's enemy is its inflated sense of
power, which makes notions such as continuing an asymmetrical war, closing
straits, choking the global economy, and bombing neighbors appear to be great
plans. The arrogance of power led Napoleon and Hitler to invade Russia, only to
face defeat. While such a sense of superiority might be justified for major
powers, it appears peculiar in mid-tier, economically frail countries. This very
sentiment causes them to indulge in unrealistic illusions for consecutive
decades, only to lose their entire first-tier leadership and most of their
military capabilities in the very first confrontation.
The Iranian leadership's perceptions that it is capable of defeating a
superpower with such ease are peculiar; has the military leadership misled the
political authorities in Iran? The developments following the war indicate that
their understanding of the world does not differ much from the delusions of a
megalomaniac, much like Saddam Hussein in the 1980s and 1990s. Their perceptions
of the balance of war do not align with their actual capabilities when
confronting two fierce adversaries: the US and Israel. For years, their previous
statements consistently converged on two conclusions: first, that "America will
not dare to attack us," and second, "if it does, it will be defeated."An
associate close to Saddam Hussein recounted that during a poolside barbecue at
Saddam's palace following the invasion of Kuwait, he asked him why he had not
taken precautions. He stated: "Saddam responded mockingly: 'You know they can
see us with their satellites and know that we are here together by the pool
grilling meat? They are capable of reaching us, but they do not dare to target
me.'"
Because successive US administrations refrained from entering a war with Iran,
despite the attacks carried out or orchestrated by the Revolutionary Guard
against American citizens and interests around the world, an impression emerged
among both clerical and military leaders that Iran was immune to any attack due
to its growing military capabilities.
Tehran's condescending perceptions toward the US may differ from their view of
the much smaller Israeli power. They have always been anxious about the prospect
of a war with Israel, which largely explains their persistence in executing
their military nuclear program - viewing it, in their imagination, as the
ultimate weapon that will protect them from it.During the stage prior to
acquiring the Iranian nuclear bomb, they established a vast belt in the region
to protect them from Israel, spanning Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Yemen, and
Iraq. Leaders of Hezbollah frequently echoed this erroneous conviction,
asserting that these proxy camps were sufficient to defend Iran should Israel
dare to launch an attack and that Israel would be destroyed. Superiority,
hegemony, success, and national pride were all embodied in a single project:
building a massive military force until it became an Iranian obsession. This
power began directing the regime's policies and incentivizing it toward further
defiance, proving that "power deludes its possessor into believing they are
capable of anything.""Military superiority" led Tehran to harbor the illusion
that it was capable of controlling, expanding, imposing political hegemony, and
altering or maintaining regimes. The reverberations of Iran's growing power
reached across the globe, as it became the primary supplier of lethal drones to
a major superpower like Russia in its war in Ukraine. It constructed 30
underground missile cities, produced tens of thousands of drones each month,
surpassing American factories, carved mountains for nuclear laboratories, and
dug hundreds of kilometers of underground tunnels to conceal ballistic missiles.
Furthermore, it began boasting of its missile product families: "Fateh,Qiam,Shahab,Qadr,"
and "Sejjil."
Tehran reached a stage of thinking where "if you have a hammer, it is tempting
to treat everything around you as nails."A distorted intellectual delusion was
exposed during the war, along with the weakness of Iran's defensive capabilities
and the failure of its strategies to close the straits and strangle global
markets. Iran now recognizes that it is not a match for the US and Israel.
Today, Iran's airspace is breached and its defenses are eroded, leaving it
incapable of inflicting harm except on its neighbors who are less inclined and
equipped for war. Nonetheless, Iran has not yet altered its behavior or
narrative; instead, it has humbly begun to label mere endurance as a victory.
While it is true that the survival of the regime constitutes a victory for it,
the outcomes of two brief rounds of war have been devastating. These results
include the elimination of its first-tier political and military leadership, the
massive destruction of its offensive capabilities, and an unprecedented,
stifling siege. Can Iranian leaders think more realistically after all of this?
Precedents indicate that ideological regimes do not follow the survival
instincts known to conventional states; rather, they rarely learn from
experience, and preserving their image becomes their primary concern, leading
them to become more defiant.
Trump, Putin and Exiting the War
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al Awsat/September 07/2026
War in the field is vastly different from war on paper. Brilliance in planning
does not grant immunity from surprises. Experience dictates that while a ruler
knows when he goes to war, he does not know when he will return from it. The
return is determined by the condition of the enemy or adversary, its capacity
for endurance and resistance, and its weaponry and morale. A war begins with the
desire to bring the enemy to its knees, but if it drags on, it transforms into
an attempt to convince them to accept defeat, or at least a portion of it.
Hubris is a common trait among both nations and individuals, reflecting an
explicit tendency to overestimate one's own power and a propensity to
underestimate the adversary or diminish the significance of their assets.
Consequently, wars are often fraught with surprises. While one can go to war
alone, returning in the same manner is impossible unless a knockout blow is
achieved - an outcome that is either impossible or exceedingly rare. A single
drone can suffice to shatter the illusion of victory or dominance.
The questions are numerous. Does Iran want to exit the war, and can it do so
without being able to claim a victory? Whom does it need to confront this
"economic asphyxiation" - China, Russia, or both? Does it want to keep the
embers burning to allow the Strait of Hormuz to cast its vote in the US midterm
elections? Does Donald Trump need Vladimir Putin to achieve a victory or
near-victory in the current war with Iran? Most likely, he needs at least a lack
of obstruction if cooperation proves unattainable. Reports have indicated that
Russia assisted Iran in restoring part of its military arsenal using a secure
corridor - the Caspian Sea - which is a closed sea where Western interventions
have no leverage. This same safe passage could help Iran circumvent the policy
of "economic ostracization" waged against it by the US administration.
To tighten the policy of economic asphyxiation on Iran, Trump requires the
cooperation of two key players: China and Russia. It is not in China's habit to
engage in adventures that exact heavy costs on its economy and the global
economy. Furthermore, it is not embroiled in a military conflict from which it
needs to extricate itself, unlike Russia. Does Trump dream of a deal with his
"friend" Putin, and can he help him emerge from the Ukrainian quagmire so that
the Tsar responds by helping him facilitate the twisting of Iran's arm?
Amid the intensifying "tanker war" in and around the Strait of Hormuz, Trump
dispatched his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to Moscow and Kyiv in a
renewed bid to seek peace there. Putin did not hesitate to offer welcoming
gestures, most notably halting the bombardment of Kyiv for three days,
ostensibly awaiting the departure of Witkoff and Kushner. Exhibiting his
characteristic ingenuity, the Russian president kicked off the meeting by
praising the US president and his dedication to pursuing peace between Russia
and Ukraine. However, the master of the Kremlin is merely feigning flexibility
without offering any fundamental concession that would allow for actual progress
toward ending the conflict.
Does Putin need Trump? Everything in the current landscape suggests that he
does. For the fifth consecutive year, the Russian army has been fighting on
Ukrainian soil. While it has seized vast parts of its targeted territories, it
has failed to compel Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cede any portion of Ukrainian land.
When the Russian army invaded Ukrainian territory on February 24, 2022, many
mistakenly believed that Putin would not have embarked on such an adventure
unless he was certain of a swift victory. An impression prevailed that the
Russian president had necessarily made meticulous calculations, particularly
since Washington had dispatched CIA Director William Burns to warn him of the
consequences of any invasion. Some believed that the imbalance of power in favor
of the Russian military would compel the authorities in Kyiv to swallow the
bitter pill of seeking a ceasefire as a prelude to accepting the victor's terms.
However, this did not happen, and the West decided to penalize Putin for
bringing border-altering wars back to Europe.
In the fifth year of the war, Putin finds no option before him other than to
refine the destruction of Ukraine's infrastructure - a bloody, daily process of
devastation. In response, Ukraine retaliates by targeting power stations deep
within Russian territory, after its development of drone warfare enabled it to
inflict a wound on Russia's prestige within its own borders. It is a dangerous
game and a frightening cycle: Putin dispatches his missiles, punishing
facilities and individuals, only for Zelenskyy to appear, launching his drones
to shake the Tsar's confidence that victory is near.
Does Putin need Trump? It is clear that he does, and the reasons are numerous.
Over the past five years, Russia has lost more than one million people,
including dead, wounded, and missing. This has been accompanied by severe
sanctions imposed on Russia by the West. The casualties, the sanctions, and the
continuation of the war are all factors that have led to a certain decline in
Putin's popularity. They have also damaged Russia's image and suggested that its
presence in the superpower club is no longer justified except by its possession
of a massive nuclear arsenal.
Following his return to the White House, Trump provided notable favors to his
friend residing in the Kremlin. He did not include the defense of Ukraine among
his top priorities. Rather than addressing the gravity of changing borders in
Europe, he spoke instead of the costs of supporting Ukraine. He attempted to
compel Zelenskyy to bow to Putin's will and intentionally insulted him before
the cameras. Trump's gifts to Putin, however, did not force Ukraine to accept
the Russian solution. Europe managed to keep Zelenskyy standing in the face of
the Russian storm, albeit with diminished capabilities.
Have the combatants in the Strait of Hormuz and Ukraine grown weary? And can
Trump formulate a deal in Kyiv that helps him impose a deal near the Strait? In
the quest for answers, patience remains the best advisor.
Netanyahu Has Led Israel with Impossible Agendas
Nabil Amr/Asharq Al Awsat/September 07/2026
Netanyahu's gifts are not to be denied, and the clearest evidence of them is
that he has remained Israel's top leader longer than any of his predecessors
among the founders and the historic figures.Those gifts have been concentrated
on managing his own leadership within Israeli politics, drawing on the vacuums
that opened and widened with the passing of the great men, who left behind no
leaders qualified to govern after them. Those once called the "generation of
princes" - the children of Likud's founding generation - faded away, unable to
withstand Netanyahu's talents and capacities. When a vacuum takes hold after the
great men are gone, opportunities open for someone gifted in power, politics,
and oratory, as Netanyahu is. That is what happened.
The great men who established the state and built its institutions did not
achieve what they achieved merely by virtue of their personal qualifications,
but because decisive international powers founded their state. What set apart
the Zionist founders was that they knew how to make use of favorable
international factors, at a time when those who confronted them did not match
their competence.
The generation of the great men, among them Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, and Menachem
Begin, and one may add Moshe Dayan, their military icon, recorded real
achievements in their own names: founding the state, winning its wars, building
and developing its capacities. At the core of their achievements lies the
important beginnings of normalization, accomplished by Begin, who thereby
delivered a prelude to the wish of the founder Ben-Gurion, whose greatest hope
was to see Israel as an ordinary country among the states of the Middle East.
Netanyahu inherited everything these men did. If his era is judged by what he
has actually accomplished, there is nothing in the record that qualifies him for
the description of a historic leader. In the few months that may prove to be his
last in power, Netanyahu has found no achievements to convince Israelis.
Everything he has actually brought about falls on the negative side of the
ledger. These are samples of what he has done.
In his era, Israel carried out a war of extermination that placed the state in
the dock of accusation and condemnation and placed him personally under pursuit
as a war criminal.
In his era, one-man rule took root in Israel, after it had prided itself on a
civilized, modern, democratic governance that it counted the only such
governance in the desert of the Middle East. In his era, he led a
counter-revolution against the judiciary in order to escape punishment, even to
the point of abolishing its authority and hollowing out its powers.
In his era, Israel sustained the greatest human and economic losses in wars on
several fronts, not one of which it has been able to settle - and will not be
able to.
In his era, he was charged with the gravest dereliction ever attributed to an
Israeli prime minister, over what happened on October 7, 2023, and with blocking
the formation of a state commission of inquiry into it, out of his certainty
that he would be condemned.
In his era, he courted the Haredim and bent the state and all its institutions
to their interests - they who abstain from military service at a time when the
army needs the manpower it lacks because of his multi-front wars. In his era,
American popular and institutional support for Israel declined, after the
decisions and policies of the great power, particularly on Middle Eastern
affairs, had been hostage to it - formulated and taken in Tel Aviv before
Washington.
In his era, production fell, reverse emigration grew, and war spending reached
its highest rates since the state was born - and the bleeding continues, with no
one knowing how or when it will stop.All of the above has been said in
assessments of Netanyahu's era by Israeli Zionist writers, scholars, and
politicians, allowing an officer once outside Israeli political life to beat him
in the polls: Gadi Eisenkot. The most important thing Netanyahu has done - and
the thing the Israeli public has begun to notice, save for the right-wing forces
invested in him ideologically and by interest - is that he has misled Israel
with impossible agendas: mastery of the Middle East, while he cannot control the
smallest patch of ground among the many theaters of his wars; and the marketing
of his nostalgia for a Greater Israel, and his pursuit of it, which would
require seizing a hundred times the country's present area from neighboring
states. Finally, had Netanyahu's achievements matched what Israel actually needs
- lasting security, firm stability, and membership in the club of ordinary
states in the Middle East, as Ben-Gurion dreamed - he would have been recorded
in memory and in the books as a historic leader equal to the state's founders,
perhaps their superior. But instead, and this is the sum of his era, he is
tilting at windmills to escape the guillotine of the judiciary and win a new
term. And if he wins it, by virtue of the vacuums spreading through the state,
then Israel's losses because of him will be the gravest in its history.
Syria and the Turkish-Israeli Tensions
Sam Menassa/Asharq Al Awsat/September 07/2026
The Turkish-Israeli tension is no longer merely a reflection of the disagreement
over Gaza or of the political enmity between Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Developments in Syria and Lebanon
reveal that the relationship has moved to a deeper level of competition over
shaping the balance of power in the Middle East after the US-Iran war and the
decline in Tehran's ability to play its former regional role. So will Türkiye
become Israel's principal regional competitor? Or will the rivalry remain
governed by a ceiling that prevents direct confrontation?
The question came to the fore after the Israeli strike on the Abu al-Duhur air
base in northern Syria, following a visit there by a Turkish delegation. Israel
justified the strike on the grounds that the base could be used to station
Turkish forces, while Damascus denied this, and Ankara accused Netanyahu of
pursuing an expansionist policy that threatens the region's stability. The
incident showed that the competition is approaching the point of military
friction that could lead to wider escalation if either side misjudges the
other's intentions.
Syria is at the center of this competition because the two sides proceed from
opposing visions of its future. Ankara wants a unified and stable Syria with a
central government close to it, one that controls its borders and prevents the
emergence of an independent or semi-independent Kurdish entity. It also sees the
rebuilding of the army and the economy as an opportunity to expand its
influence, facilitate the return of refugees, and consolidate its position as
the most influential power in the new Syria.
Israel, by contrast, is concerned about the emergence of a strong Syrian state
or a Turkish military presence close to its borders. It wants to preserve its
freedom of action in the air and prevent the emergence of capabilities that
would restrict its freedom of movement. It therefore tends to favor keeping
Syria militarily weak and subject to security arrangements that limit its
sovereignty, particularly in the south. The disagreement thus extends beyond any
particular military base to the very nature of the Syrian state itself: Türkiye
wants to rebuild it, while Israel wants to constrain it.
The competition extends to Gaza, where Türkiye uses its defense of the
Palestinians to strengthen its standing in the Arab and Islamic worlds, while
Israel regards these ties as a threat. Lebanon has also entered the equation,
with Ankara seeking to expand its political and security role and signaling its
readiness to participate in security arrangements that would replace UNIFIL
forces in the south. These contacts do not amount to a rapprochement,
particularly after the rivalry between the two sides in Syria, but they point to
an intersection of interests driven by a shared interest in curbing Israeli
moves. Israel sees any Turkish presence in the Lebanese arena as an extension of
Ankara's influence and an attempt to restrict its own freedom of military
action, adding a new front to the tension.
In the eastern Mediterranean, the dispute is tied to gas, maritime boundaries,
and Israel's alliance with Greece and Cyprus, which Türkiye regards as an
attempt to encircle it and isolate it from energy projects. Its military
dimension has also been reinforced by an Israeli-Greek deal worth about three
billion euros to establish a multilayered air and missile defense network,
deepening the strategic partnership and fueling Ankara's concerns.
Iran's retreat does not end the struggle for influence. Instead, it may
gradually shift its center toward Turkish-Israeli competition. But Türkiye is
not another Iran. It is a NATO member with a large economy, a strong military,
and extensive relations with the West and the Arab states. It also builds its
influence through political, military, and economic presence, rather than
through the model of armed groups alone.
Israel therefore finds it difficult to use against Türkiye the instruments it
relied on against Iran and its allies, given that Türkiye is a state closely
tied to the West and deeply interconnected with it economically and in security
terms. Nor will Washington readily allow two of its allies to slide into war,
which helps explain the creation of deconfliction channels in Syria. These
channels do not indicate that the tension is receding. Rather, they show that
the possibility of friction has become real and requires permanent mechanisms to
contain it.
The better outcome, therefore, would be a balance that prevents either side from
monopolizing leadership of the region. The coming Israeli elections may affect
the level of escalation. Netanyahu's continuation in office would make an
approach based on force more likely, while new leadership might allow for more
realistic security arrangements, without ending the structural contradiction of
interests.
A direct war is unlikely. Economic interests, relations with the West, and the
fear of attrition all impose limits on escalation. The likeliest outcome is a
continuing relationship that combines political enmity, regional competition,
and the security coordination necessary to prevent an explosion. The question,
then, is not whether Türkiye and Israel will go to war, but what kind of
regional order each seeks to build. Türkiye seeks a stable neighborhood led by
central states tied to it; Israel seeks a weak neighborhood on its borders, one
that guarantees its superiority and freedom of movement. Between the two
projects, Syria remains the most important test, while Lebanon opens an
additional arena that may make managing the competition considerably more
difficult.
US military-economic squeeze and Iran’s bid to outlast it
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya English/07 September ,2026
To understand where this more-than-six-month-old conflict is headed, it is
essential to examine the strategies both the United States and Iran are pursuing
today. What began as a sharp military confrontation has settled into a contest
of endurance, leverage, and domestic political will. The outcome will likely
turn less on dramatic battlefield breakthroughs than on which side first feels
unbearable pressure at home. When the conflict erupted, American strategy leaned
heavily on military force. Over time, as developments have made clear, that
approach has broadened. The US strategy is no longer purely military or purely
economic; it has become both. Washington now combines sustained economic
pressure with calibrated, limited military action – a dual strategy designed to
raise the costs of resistance for Tehran while avoiding the risks of full-scale
war.
The economic component aims to make it extremely difficult for the Iranian
government to function, fund its priorities, or sell oil. It includes a naval
blockade of Iranian ports, secondary sanctions that punish third parties dealing
with Iran, and measures that further isolate the country’s financial system.
Recent actions have targeted entities and networks facilitating Iranian trade,
tightening the noose around remaining revenue streams. The Iranian currency has
felt the strain acutely. On the free market it has traded near record lows,
around 2.2 million to 2.3 million rials to the dollar, reflecting deep economic
distress and the cumulative effect of blocked oil exports and financial
isolation. These pressures are working in the sense that they are visibly
eroding the regime’s resources and raising the price of continued defiance.
Alongside the economic campaign runs a restrained but persistent military
effort. It is not a full-scale invasion or occupation. Instead, it consists of
targeted strikes on Iranian launchers, military infrastructure near the Strait
of Hormuz, and, more recently, Iranian oil tankers linked to revenue networks.
The purpose is to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten shipping while signaling
that the costs of holding the strait closed – or of charging fees for passage –
will keep rising. The strategic goal is to bring Tehran to the point where it
calculates that compromise is preferable: reopening the Strait of Hormuz without
fees, accepting arrangements that restore free navigation, and reaching an
understanding on the nuclear issue. In short, the dual strategy seeks to make
the status quo of restricted trade and intermittent strikes more painful for
Iran than a negotiated settlement would be.
Iran’s strategy of endurance and counter-pressure
Iran’s response draws on decades of experience under sanctions and regional
conflict. The core of its approach is to outlast. From Tehran’s perspective, the
current pressure is temporary – tied in significant measure to the Trump
administration and the electoral calendar, including the approaching November
contests for Congress and the Senate. Iranian leaders appear to believe that if
they can weather the next couple of years, political conditions in the United
States may shift, reducing the intensity of the campaign against them. They
point to their survival of earlier rounds of United Nations sanctions and the
eight-year Iran-Iraq war as evidence that the system can endure severe hardship.
In this view, a few more years of difficulty is a manageable price for retaining
long-term control over the Strait of Hormuz and the revenues that control can
generate.
At the same time, Iran is not purely passive. A parallel element of its strategy
is to maintain pressure on the United States by keeping oil and gas prices
elevated. By restricting full, unfettered passage through the Strait unless its
own oil can move freely – or by creating enough uncertainty that shipping
remains constrained – Tehran seeks to impose economic and political costs on
American consumers and the administration. High energy prices generate domestic
dissatisfaction that, Iranian strategists hope, will eventually force Washington
to soften its position. The result is a contest in which each side tries to make
the other’s domestic political environment the decisive battlefield.
A contest of wills likely to persist
These strategies are not perfectly symmetric, yet they interact in a way that
favors prolongation rather than rapid resolution. The United States applies dual
pressure – economic strangulation plus selective military action – hoping to
compel Iranian concessions on the strait and nuclear matters. Iran bets on
endurance rooted in historical experience while using the strait itself as a
lever to keep energy prices high and American domestic pressure mounting.
Neither side appears ready to abandon its core objectives. The United States
will not accept permanent Iranian control or fees that alter the character of an
international waterway; Iran will not easily surrender the leverage it has
gained over that waterway.Because both strategies rely on time and domestic
tolerance, the most probable near-term path is continuation of the present
equilibrium. Shipping may move under escort or through alternate corridors at
higher cost and risk. Strikes and counter-strikes may flare and subside.
Economic hardship in Iran will deepen, while energy prices and political
friction in the United States will remain elevated. The status quo can persist
until the domestic political costs for one side become high enough to force
compromise. That threshold has not yet been reached.
Looking ahead
Studying the strategies now in use is therefore more than an academic exercise;
it offers the clearest available indication of direction. The United States has
settled on a dual military-and-economic campaign intended to make resistance
unsustainable for Tehran. Iran relies on a proven capacity to absorb punishment
while keeping energy markets tight enough to generate counter-pressure in
Washington. Until one government concludes that the domestic price of holding
firm exceeds the price of yielding, the confrontation is likely to grind on.
Selected Face Book & X tweets
on September 07/2026
Kurdische Gemeinde Deutschland
https://x.com/KGDOnline/status/2096686603875877242/video/1
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar delivered a video message on the occasion
of the second Kurdish-Jewish Conference in London, which was shown before the
start of the second panel.
Thank you very much, Israel is the only state in the Middle East that openly and
consistently supports the right to self-determination of the Kurdish people. We
appreciate this solidarity.
Anthony Khouri
@LOrientLeJour
What baseness. What a moral and journalistic bankruptcy.
One must measure what it means to choose to put the word “martyrs” in quotation
marks when it comes to the martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance…
Quotation marks are not innocent. They are neither a journalistic nuance nor a
semantic precaution. They express doubt, negation, almost contempt toward those
who gave their lives so that Lebanon might endure!
One can contest a cause. One can fight an ideology. One can criticize a party,
its leaders, and its political choices. But when a newspaper goes so far as to
relativize, through a mere typographical sign, the sacrifice of those who died
in a war where all of Lebanon was at stake, it is no longer doing journalism… it
is rewriting memory.
And what irony when this comes from L’Orient Le Jour.
A newspaper long associated with freedom, culture, thought, intellectual rigor,
and the defense of Lebanon. A newspaper that saw itself as a beacon of light.
The martyrs of the Lebanese Forces do not need L’OLJ’s permission to be martyrs!
They do not need quotation marks. They have names, families, graves, a history,
and a people who remember.
And above all, they gave their lives for a Lebanon that, even today, still
exists.
So yes, it is time to say it plainly! This is no longer the Orient speaking
here. It is something else. From L’Orient Le Jour to “L’Iran Le Jour,” sometimes
there is only an editorial line between them. The response to this baseness must
be simple… the boycott.
No funding. No subscriptions. No legitimacy granted to those who choose to
insult the memory of our dead.
We do not ask a newspaper to share our convictions. We ask it only to respect
our memory.
And even that seems today to have become too difficult…
@LOrientLeJour
Gérald DARMANIN
I am beginning today a trip to Lebanon to develop our judicial cooperation
and support our brother country in its judicial reform projects in the difficult
context that we know. It follows the work undertaken by the President of the
French Republic to support and assist Lebanon.Judicial cooperation between
France and Lebanon is essential, particularly in the fight against economic and
financial delinquency and the fight against terrorism. It also extends to civil
matters and the training of legal professionals. To this end, several working
meetings will be held with my Lebanese counterpart and friend Adel NASSAR
following his two trips to Paris. During this trip, I will also meet with the
President of the Lebanese Republic, Mr. Joseph AOUN, the Prime Minister Mr.
Nawaf SALAM, and the President of the Parliament Mr. Nabih BERRI. I will also
exchange with members of Lebanese civil society and French and Lebanese lawyers
practicing in Lebanon, who daily bring to life the old and deep friendship that
binds our two countries.
Fadi Aldahouk
The problem in Suwayda isn’t simply that “governance is absent” and that “gangs
filled the void”. The Syrian government tried to impose its authority by force
last July, and that intervention ended in a massacre that killed 1,342 members
of the Druze community.
The UN Commission of Inquiry report leaves very little room for repackaging what
happened as some kind of local security breakdown. The first wave of violence
started when Internal Security forces and the Syrian army entered the villages
and then Suwayda city, alongside tribal fighters affiliated with them. The
Commission documented killings, attacks on civilians, arbitrary arrests and
abductions, torture, looting, sexual and gender-based violence including rape,
sectarian humiliation, and attacks on religious sites.
So no, the government wasn’t absent. Its presence was a disaster. Using what
happened afterward as proof that the original problem was the absence of the
government simply turns the whole chain of cause and effect upside down.
And the Amman roadmap Ambassador Barrack is now invoking wasn’t just about
“reintegrating” Suwayda. It called for the return of displaced people, restoring
security, accountability, reconstruction, and rebuilding trust. The Commission
documented 35 predominantly Druze villages where homes were almost completely
looted and burned, and their residents still haven’t returned since July. So how
exactly is Suwayda supposed to be pushed toward “reintegration” when one of the
clearest commitments in that roadmap- getting people back to their villages-
still hasn’t been carried out?
The way Barrack uses Atef Hunaidi’s case to recast the whole crisis as
“intracommunal violence” is especially opportunistic. Inside Suwayda, the
criticism of Hunaidi wasn’t simply about him having a “different political
opinion”. Hunaidi isn’t a political or religious leader. He’s basically an
ordinary man from a family whose distant ancestor was known as a pasha. A big
part of the anger toward him was that he never took a clear position on the
massacre, and many accused him of hiding in Daraa while it was happening, which
means the same area from which armed groups came into Druze villages, looted
homes and then burned them.
So presenting the whole thing as someone being persecuted simply for holding a
“different political opinion” strips away the context that made Hunaidi’s
position so provocative to many inside Suwayda. And with Hunaidi himself still
giving no public account of what happened, the only direct version we have is
the National Guard’s. It says it escorted him to the nearest point controlled by
Damascus forces.
If the goal really was to silence Hunaidi and make him disappear, taking him to
the front line and effectively sending him into Damascus controlled territory
would be a pretty stupid way to do it. That’s exactly where every media outlet
that chose to ignore or whitewash the fact that hardline jihadist groups stormed
Suwayda and committed horrific abuses would be ready to put him on air.None of
that puts the way he was treated beyond criticism. But it does make Barrack’s
attempt to turn the episode into proof that “gangs are turning on their own”
look like a convenient political simplification of a far more complicated
incident and a useful way to redefine the crisis.Barrack talks about the Druze
and their “noble and ancient history” but maybe the authorities he wants back in
Suwayda were more honest about how they actually see that history. In July,
fighters from the new authorities stood with their boots on a portrait of Sultan
al-Atrash at the entrance to Suwayda — the leader of the Great Syrian Revolt
against the French Mandate and one of the defining figures of modern Syrian
nationalism.
Sometimes, the way an authority treats a community’s symbols tells you far more
about the place it has in mind for that community than all the talk about
citizenship, tolerance and “reintegration”