LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
September 01/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands
Acts of the Apostles 17/16-20./22-24.30-34/:”While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and also in the market-place every day with those who happened to be there. Also some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers debated with him. Some said, ‘What does this babbler want to say?’ Others said, ‘He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign divinities.’ (This was because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) So they took him and brought him to the Areopagus and asked him, ‘May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? It sounds rather strange to us, so we would like to know what it means.’ Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, ‘Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, “To an unknown god.” What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.’When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some scoffed; but others said, ‘We will hear you again about this.’ At that point Paul left them. But some of them joined him and became believers, including Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on September 01/2019
Nasrallah Says Response to Israel Not Limited to Shebaa Farms, Denies Presence of Missile Factories
Hizbullah Hands Drones to Army, Its TV Says were Likely Flown from Israeli Boats
Israel Fires Flare Bombs Near Border, Explosions Heard in Arqoub
Raad: Hizbullah Seeks No War with Israel
Report: Discrepancy in Lebanon over Response to Israeli Breach
US Blacklists Iran Oil Tanker Heading to Lebanese Waters
Hizbullah Official Says Group to Respond Deep inside Israel
Jarrah patronizes an ecotourism day in Ehden: We must show and market all our beautiful landmarks
Hariri: 'August 31' a day for the Lebanese to rally around justice for Imam alSadr and his two companions
UNIFIL, Army team inspect location of Israeli bombs explosion
Bassil receives a support call from his German counterpart: Israel should return to 'tranquility equation' under Resolution #1701
Lebanon is in the eye of the storm in the latest round of Iran-Israeli clashes
Aoun commemorating the absence of Imam Sadr and his two companions: His teachings and approach constitute a 'national pillar'
President Aoun's address marking the 'Greater Lebanon' Centennial celebrations
Berri marks 41 years since the absence of Imam alSadr and his companions, vows to continue honoring the Imam's teachings in defense of the nation and its unity

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 01/2019
At least five dead, 21 casualties in Texas shooting
One dead, nine wounded in knife attack near French city of Lyon
Woman tosses Molotov cocktail into a US citizenship office in Florida
Netanyahu Tells Macron 'Wrong Time' for Talks with Iran
Netanyahu to Macron: Those who Harbor Aggression Won't be Spared
Iran Official Tweets at Trump after Apparent Rocket Failure
Air Strikes Stop in Syria's Idlib after Truce Announced
US Treasury Sanctions 4 People for Funding Hamas
UAE Air Raids Raise Tensions with Yemen Govt.
Venezuela says it has proof of anti-Maduro plot in Colombia
Crowds gather in UK cities to protest Johnson’s Brexit plans
Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan stable after prison stabbing

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 01/2019
Lebanon is in the eye of the storm in the latest round of Iran-Israeli clashes/Raghida Dergham/The National/Aug 31, 2019
Aoun commemorating the absence of Imam Sadr and his two companions: His teachings and approach constitute a 'national pillar'/NNA/Saturday 31 August 2019
President Aoun's address marking the 'Greater Lebanon' Centennial celebrations/NNA/Saturday 31 August 2019
Berri marks 41 years since the absence of Imam alSadr and his companions, vows to continue honoring the Imam's teachings in defense of the nation and its unity/NNA/Saturday 31 August 2019
A Rosy Picture from Taif/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/August 31/2019
Trump’s Trade-War Retreat Only Buys a Little Time/Mark Gongloff/Bloomberg/August 31/2019
Trump and the Deceiving of Mullahs/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/August 31/2019
Analysis/First Drone War Pulls Israel’s Conflict With Iran Out of the Shadows/Amos Harel/Haaretz/August 31/2019

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on September 01/2019
Nasrallah Says Response to Israel Not Limited to Shebaa Farms, Denies Presence of Missile Factories
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/Naharnet/August 31/2019
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Saturday his movement's response to a recent Israeli drone attack on the group's southern Beirut subrubs stronghold had been "decided." "The need for a response is decided," he said during a televised speech marking the beginning of Ashoura commemorations, adding it was about "establishing the rules of engagement and... the logic of protection for the country." Israel "must pay a price," he said. Sunday's attack in Lebanon came just hours after Israel launched strikes in neighboring Syria to prevent what it said was an impending Iranian drone attack on Israeli territory. Hizbullah said two of its fighters were killed in those strikes and Nasrallah vowed retaliation. In his Saturday speech, Nasrallah vowed to retaliate "at all costs" and target Israeli drones, which often operate in Lebanese airspace. "The response will be open... from Lebanon," he said, "in the Shebaa Farms or anywhere on the border."The timing and scale of Hezbollah's response, he added, was in the hands of field commanders. In 2015 and 2016, Hizbullah targeted Israeli military vehicles in the disputed Shebaa Farms area along the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire line in revenge for Israeli strikes on its fighters in Syria.  In a rare incident on Wednesday, the Lebanese Army opened fire on Israeli drones that had violated Lebanon's southern airspace, forcing the aircraft to return back across the border. Netanyahu had on Tuesday warned Nasrallah to "be careful" with his words and actions. Nasrallah meanwhile categorically denied in his Saturday speech Israeli claims about his group having factories to produce precision-guided missiles in Lebanon, saying such "lies" were an attempt to justify Israeli attacks against the country. Nasrallah said his group possessed precision-guided missiles but not the factories to produce them. "We do not have factories to produce precision-guided missiles in Lebanon," he said. Israeli media reported early this week that the Israeli drones had targeted a facility housing a "planetary mixer," a large industrial machine that is critical to making missiles. Israel's prime minister accused Iran and Hizbullah of racing to build a missile-production program in Lebanon, vowing to destroy the ambitious project and issuing a stern warning to his enemies to "be careful."Nasrallah said Netanyahu was looking for pretexts to hit Lebanon. He said it is Hizbullah's "right" to have such factories, "but we have nothing of the sort."

Hizbullah Hands Drones to Army, Its TV Says were Likely Flown from Israeli Boats
Associated Press/Naharnet/August 31/2019
Hizbullah's al-Manar television said Friday that two drones used in the suspected Israeli attack in Beirut's southern suburbs were flown from Israeli gunboats off the Lebanese coast. Al-Manar's report came five days after an alleged Israeli drone crashed in a Hizbullah stronghold while another exploded and crashed nearby.The TV also reported that Hizbullah handed over the drones to the Lebanese Army after conducting its investigation. Hizbullah had said its explosive experts found that one drone was laden with highly explosive materials, suggesting the aerial vehicles were designed to carry out attacks. One drone was initially thought to be a reconnaissance drone. Israeli media reported early this week that the Israeli drones had targeted a Hizbullah facility housing a "planetary mixer," a large industrial machine that is critical to making missiles.

Israel Fires Flare Bombs Near Border, Explosions Heard in Arqoub
Naharnet/August 31/2019
Israel hurled at dawn on Saturday more than 30 flare bombs near the Lebanese border mainly over the towns of Ghajar, Shebaa and Kfar Shuba heights, the National News Agency reported. NNA also said that Israel fired heavy machine guns near al-Semmaqah, al-Alam, and al-Marsad. Locals also reported hearing a series of 12 explosions in the villages of al-Arqoub originating from the occupied Shebaa Farms, according to NNA. Tension with Israel escalated recently after an Israeli drone on Sunday crashed in a Hizbullah bastion south of Beirut and a second exploded in the air.
Hizbullah and the army pointed the finger at Israel.

Raad: Hizbullah Seeks No War with Israel
Naharnet/August 31/2019
Head of Hizbullah's Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad said Saturday that Hizbullah “seeks no war with Israel,” but aims to make it respect the rules of engagement drawn up in 2006 after the end of the conflict between the two, the National News Agency reported on Saturday.
“Do not be afraid of war, we do not want war, we do not tend to ignite war, but we are keen to dismantle the rules of engagement that preserve our security and stability and prevent the enemy from prolonged aggression against us,” said Raad at a festival in Iqlim al-Tuffah in Nabatieh. “We face major challenges and we are in the midst of a fierce and sharp confrontation with our enemy who does not hesitate to threaten our permanent security and stability. The enemy is trying to modify the rules of engagement,” he said. “We are now facing a challenge to return this enemy to discipline and to imprison him in the deterrent equation that we have captured him in throughout the past period,” added Raad.

Report: Discrepancy in Lebanon over Response to Israeli Breach
Naharnet/August 31/2019
The Israeli attack in the southern suburbs of Beirut highlighted a “split” between the government and Hizbullah over ways to respond to the breach, the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported on Saturday. The government seeks to address the issue diplomatically through the UN Security Council statement condemning Israel’s breach, while Hizbullah threatens to retaliate, said the daily. However, according to information obtained by the newspaper, “Hizbulah is unlikely to respond soon as long as the hostile army (Israel) is on alert,” in northern Israel over fears of a reprisal attack from Hizbullah. A government source told Asharq al-Awsat, the only point of convergence between the government and Hizbullah is that the two drones have “violated the sovereignty” of Lebanon, but the ways to address it are different. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had contacted Prime Minister Saad Hariri “stressing the need to avoid any escalation and to work with all parties concerned to prevent any form of deterioration.” Hariri, for his part, told Pompeo that Israeli activities caused danger to the stability and that they need to stop. Hariri called Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, calling on Moscow to help calm the situation, after the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement warning of any deterioration in the Middle East. The source pointed out that “although President Michel Aoun considered the Israeli violation as a declaration of war", this did not prompt him to demand a military response. He summoned the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Lebanon, saying the attack was “serious and violates UN Resolution 1701.” He also called on the international organization to play its role in deterring Israel. The UN Security Council issued a statement and warned that "violations of the cessation of hostilities could lead to a new conflict that none of the parties or the region can afford." It "condemns all violations of the Blue Line" between Lebanon and Israel, "both by air and ground, and strongly calls upon all parties to respect the cessation of hostilities," said the statement.

US Blacklists Iran Oil Tanker Heading to Lebanese Waters
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 31/2019
The United States on Friday blacklisted the Iranian oil tanker Adrian Darya following repeated warnings over its valuable oil cargo. Previously known as Grace 1, the ship has been bouncing around the Mediterranean after being held for six weeks by Gibraltar on suspicion its cargo was bound for Syria. Despite Washington's efforts to keep it detained, it was released by the British territory and its every move is being followed with intense speculation.The US Department of Treasury on Friday said the vessel is "blocked property" under an anti-terrorist order, and "anyone providing support to the Adrian Darya 1 risks being sanctioned". The ship's captain, Akhilesh Kumar, was also blacklisted under the order, which generally prohibits dealings with blocked property by US persons. Lebanon had earlier dismissed Turkish claims that it would receive the ship, which has a cargo of 2.1 million barrels worth around $140 million. While Iran has denied selling the oil to its Damascus ally, experts said the likely scenario was for a ship-to-ship transfer, with a Syrian port as the final destination. Maritime traffic monitors had shown that the Adrian Darya's latest listed destinations, which are not necessarily the next approved port of call, were in Turkey. After tracking sites showed Mersin as its destination, it then switched to Iskenderun, prompting a reaction from Turkey's foreign minister Friday. "This tanker is not heading actually to Iskenderun (in Turkey), this tanker is heading to Lebanon," Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a visit to Oslo.
Lebanon swiftly dismissed the scenario, stressing that it never buys crude oil because it simply does not have refineries.
No refinery in Lebanon
"The energy ministry does not buy crude oil from any country and Lebanon does not own a crude oil refinery," Energy Minister Nada Boustani said in a statement. She added that Lebanon had not received any docking request from the tanker. "There is also no request for the Adrian Darya 1 oil tanker to enter Lebanon," Boustani said. According to maritime traffic monitoring websites, the huge tanker is currently just west of the island nation of Cyprus. Iran said Monday it had "sold the oil" aboard the tanker and that the owner will decide the destination. It did not identify the buyer or say whether the oil had been sold before or after the tanker's detention in the Strait of Gibraltar, on Spain's southern tip. The ship was seized by Gibraltar police and British special forces on July 4 and held on suspicion of shipping oil to Syria in breach of European Union sanctions. But Iran denied the charge and said it could not name the actual destination due to United States "economic terrorism" and its sanctions on Iran's oil sales. In July, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps impounded a British-flagged tanker in strategic Gulf waters. Britain called it a tit-for-tat move but Tehran denied any connection. A court in the British territory ordered the tanker's release on August 15, despite a last-minute legal bid by the United States to have it detained.
- 'Aimlessly moseying' --
The Adrian Darya 1 set sail for the eastern Mediterranean three days after it was released. According to maritime traffic monitoring websites, the huge tanker has changed direction multiple times, following no apparent logic. The specialised TankerTrackers social media account noted Friday after the vessel listed Iskenderun as its destination that little could be read into it. "Consider this just a record update rather than anything substantial. We believe a transfer is still a few days away. Turkey will not import this oil," it said. It earlier described it as "aimlessly moseying around the Med". Tensions between arch-enemies Iran and the US have soared ever since Washington stepped up its campaign of "maximum pressure" against Tehran and reimposed sanctions after leaving the landmark 2015 nuclear deal last year. Syria, which has ports on the Mediterranean, is also under a raft of US and European sanctions over its eight-year-old conflict. Russia, which together with Iran, is Damascus's key ally in the conflict announced Friday that a ceasefire would come into force in the northwestern region of Idlib.

Hizbullah Official Says Group to Respond Deep inside Israel
Naharnet/August 31/2019
A Hizbullah official said Friday that his group’s anticipated retaliation against Israel will take place deep inside Israel. “The stance of Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has pushed the Zionist enemy to live in a state of extreme terror, panic and caution, to an extent that it has started hiding behind dummies in its military vehicles,” ex-MP Mohammed Yaghi, who is Nasrallah’s executive aide, said. He was referring to Nasrallah’s announcement on Sunday that Hizbullah will retaliate to the death of two Hizbullah members in an Israeli airstrike in Syria and to an Israeli drone explosion over Hizbullah’s stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs. "I say to the Israeli army along the border, from tonight be ready and wait for us," Nasrallah said. "What happened yesterday will not pass." Addressing Israeli residents, Nasrallah added: "Do not rest, do not be reassured, and do not bet for a single moment that Hizbullah will allow... aggression of this kind."But Yaghi hinted Friday that the response will not be on the border but rather deep inside Israel. “Our decision is to strike this enemy, which has launched a direct attack on us, on a normal house in (Syria’s) Aqraba and in Beirut’s southern suburbs (through a drone explosion). This is not a mere threat but a real action after which the enemy will learn not to commit new follies,” Yaghi said. “We have prepared equipment, weapons and personnel to confront the enemy and the resistance is today much stronger than the pre-2006 aggression era. We will let the enemy taste the bitterness and it will regret its deed and aggression very much. They struck deep inside and we will respond deep inside and we will have another response for their drones,” Yaghi added. One drone came down and another exploded early Sunday in the southern Beirut suburb of Mouawad, damaging a Hizbullah media center and lightly injuring three people who were in the building. Nasrallah vowed in a pre-scheduled speech on Sunday evening to "do everything" to thwart Israeli drone attacks in Lebanon, threatening to down any unmanned aircraft that violates Lebanon’s airspace. He also pledged to retaliate from Lebanon against the Israeli airstrike that killed two Hizbullah members in Syria.

Jarrah patronizes an ecotourism day in Ehden: We must show and market all our beautiful landmarks
NNA/Saturday 31 August 2019
Information Minister Jamal al-Jarrah patronized Saturday a long eco-tourism day in Ehden, organized by "Upndownbeirut" Website for the first time in Lebanon, in cooperation with the Rene Mouawad Foundation and in partnership with Mist Hotel & Spa Ehden.
In his word during the event, Jarrah thanked all those who contributed to this beautiful, environmental initiative that helps to shed light on the country's remarkable beauty, good climate, warm hospitality and special landmarks, while stressing that this should be a trend followed by all Lebanese in marketing the favorable facets of Lebanon, instead of continuously dwelling on its obstacles. "It is true that we have some problems, but we have much more beauty. Ehden is an area that must be visited by all Lebanese and it is an area known for its warm hospitality," he added.
"As a Minister of Information, I wanted to be with you today to show all Lebanese media, ambassadors and all our participants, that we must reveal and market all that is beautiful in our country, and that we have touristic areas and good people," Jarrah went on. "We must always look at the full half of the cup, not always at the issues of public waste and problems," he asserted. It is to note that several diplomats took part in this long eco-tourism day, namely the Ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria, Nigeria, Belgium, Cuba, Argentine, Bangladesh, Indonesia and a senior representative of the Moroccan Embassy, alongside many media officials and prominent figures from the area of Zgharta and Ehden. Independence Movement Head, MP Michel Mouawad, in turn, expressed a word of welcome to the attending guests in Ehden, the pride of the North. Afterwards, all participants visited the Horsh Ehden Nature Reserve, where Minister Jarrah, MP Mouawad, the honorable ambassadors and Miss Lebanon each planted a cedar tree in their name, which they promised to come back and visit every year.

Hariri: 'August 31' a day for the Lebanese to rally around justice for Imam alSadr and his two companions
NNA/Saturday 31 August 2019
In commemoration of the absented Imam Moussa al-Sadr, Prime Minister Saad Hariri tweeted Saturday saying: "August 31 of every year is a day for the Lebanese to gather around justice for the case of Imam Moussa al-Sadr and his two companions...All solidarity on this day with House Speaker Nabih Berri and the family and crowd of Imam al-Sadr!"

UNIFIL, Army team inspect location of Israeli bombs explosion
NNA/Saturday 31 August 2019
A delegation from UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces inspected Saturday the location of the bombs fired by the Israeli enemy forces today over the border line extending from the town of al-Ghajar, far-reaching Shebaa and Kfarshouba hilltops, particularly the Indian contingent's site which suffered several bullets, NNA correspondent in Hasbaya reported.

Bassil receives a support call from his German counterpart: Israel should return to 'tranquility equation' under Resolution #1701
NNA/Saturday 31 August 2019
Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Minister Gebran Bassil received a call Saturday from German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, in which the latter expressed his country's keen concern and endeavor to maintain stability in Lebanon and prevent any escalation of tension in the country.
He also voiced Germany's readiness to work with all parties to ensure that this is achieved. Bassil, in turn, expressed Lebanon's appreciation for Germany's efforts in this regard, asserting that Lebanon wants stability because its economic and social interests and prevailing conditions cannot bear any escalation. However, he stressed that Israel is the one attacking Lebanon and has gone from 150 air, sea and land violations a month to 250 breaches.Bassil added: "What happened was an attack by drones in the heart of the southern suburb of Beirut, a very dangerous precedent that Lebanon cannot accept, and a new kind of violation that threatens the lives and properties of the Lebanese at every moment, if acknowledged and not stopped." Consequently, he stressed that "Israel must return to the equation of tranquility existing since 2006, under the rooftop of UN Resolution #1701," affirming that "Lebanon will not tolerate any deviation from this equation."

Lebanon is in the eye of the storm in the latest round of Iran-Israeli clashes
Raghida Dergham/The National/Aug 31, 2019
راغدة درغام: لبنان في عين العاصفة من خلال جولة المواجهة الأخيرة بين إيران وإسرائيل
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/78043/%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%ba%d8%af%d8%a9-%d8%af%d8%b1%d8%ba%d8%a7%d9%85-%d8%a5%d9%8a%d9%82%d8%a7%d8%b9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%88%d8%a7%d8%ac%d9%87%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%b3%d9%83%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7/
The situation has crossed a dangerous threshold after two Israeli drones crashed in south Beirut last week
The recent shift in the rules of engagement between Israel and Iran indicates that keeping military skirmishes under control can no longer be achieved using the same subtle means as before, as is becoming evident in proxy wars in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria. Over the past several weeks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stepped up operations against Tehran-linked targets, attacking Iranian positions in Syria, rocket-manufacturing facilities run by Hezbollah in Lebanon, and camps belonging to the Iran-backed Popular Mobilisation Forces in Iraq.
The previous theory that mutual deterrence could contain such attacks without having to go to war can no longer be guaranteed. On the Iranian side, the instructions of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are being carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, led by Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who oversees Iran’s proxy wars. Yet the duel between Mr Netanyahu and Mr Soleimani might not evolve into a military confrontation beyond the scope of its current boundaries.
Under the assumptions that come with this scenario, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah will not carry out his threats and will content himself and his supporters with a limited response to Israeli attacks, coupled with reassurances to Israel on the issue of rocket production in Lebanon. But if Iran’s leaders decide the time has come to respond in force to Israeli assaults on their assets in the region, Hezbollah might respond in a way that could trigger an Israeli war on Lebanon.
According to informed sources, the final decision will be made following a crucial meeting of the IRGC, attended by Hezbollah and the PMF, possibly in Beirut. The meeting could also decide on a response to not just Israeli but also US measures, as Washington has stepped up its economic sanctions, this time targeting new Lebanese and Iranian entities.
On the American side, Washington will also host an important meeting next week on Iran following the G7 summit in Biarritz, where France once again proved its policy is more about theatrics than seriousness. French President Emmanuel Macron put forward an initiative to bring together US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, but failed to account for the necessary delicate conditions for the two leaders to meet, with the whole gambit backfiring against Mr Macron as soon as his joint speech with Mr Trump was over. As for inviting Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to Biarritz, that was foolhardy, based on the reactions from Mr Trump and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to what amounted to a stunt. EU nations are struggling to maintain coherence in their Iranian policies, caught between the interests of their companies and banks, and their ongoing accord with Iran and its chief envoy.
The EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has put forward the bloc’s conditions for US-Iranian talks, saying Brussels supports negotiations, providing that the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 countries is preserved. This is an astonishing intervention that also betrays both naivety and bias. Indeed, Washington wants to renegotiate the nuclear deal while Tehran refuses any talks without the lifting sanctions first, and it is unwise for the EU to place conditions, especially ones that favour one side in any such negotiations.
Mr Macron wants to resurrect the P5+1, the group of countries that negotiated and concluded the nuclear deal, and reach an agreement that would allow Iran to sell its oil under strict international monitoring as an alternative to the Instex special purpose vehicle. Mr Trump responded by saying this was possible if Iran agreed to change its behaviour in the Middle East, in addition to meeting demands related to its nuclear and missile programmes. However, Iran has rejected these demands and Mr Rouhani, after first implying he was open to meeting Mr Macron without conditions, then insisted on talks being conditional on sanctions being lifted.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has left everyone holding their breath, after declaring on Sunday that he alone will decide where, when and how he will respond to the Israeli drone incursion. In other words, he holds the decision of war and peace in Lebanon
It begs the question: why do European nations not object, or even tacitly consent to, Tehran’s creation and operation of irregular armies in sovereign countries such as Lebanon and Iraq? Under the nuclear deal, Europe gave its blessing to Iran’s military intervention in Syria, after agreeing to Tehran’s conditions of excluding its regional excursions from the negotiations and to invalidating previous UN Security Council resolutions prohibiting Iran from doing just that. European inconsistency becomes even more apparent when it comes to safe navigation across the Strait of Hormuz. Europe is calling for protecting the freedom of navigation there while objecting to US leadership of a maritime taskforce designed to do just that, to avoid provoking Iran.
If such incoherence in policy persists, it will do the utmost damage to any effort to reach a US-Iranian accord. Instead, European countries should encourage Iran’s leaders to adjust their behaviour and refrain from making threats that could escalate the situation further. In Iraq, Iran continues to block the efforts of prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi to integrate the PMF into the armed forces, dismantle its checkpoints and cut off their links to political entities under a one-month ultimatum. Tehran is preventing the Iraqi government from taking control of its security and political decision-making and insists on using the PMF to sabotage Iraq and threaten US interests.
In Lebanon, the situation has crossed a dangerous threshold after two Israeli drones crashed into Beirut’s southern suburb last week. Mr Nasrallah threatened to retaliate and Israel has mobilised in anticipation. The Israeli army recently accused Iran of stepping up its efforts to pass precision rocket-manufacturing capabilities to Hezbollah on Lebanese territory, instead of transferring fully assembled rockets.
The Hezbollah chief has left everyone holding their breath, after declaring on Sunday that he alone will decide where, when and how he will respond to the Israeli drone incursion. In other words, he holds the decision of war and peace in Lebanon. Lebanese President Michel Aoun has described Israel's actions as a "declaration of war" and on Wednesday, Lebanese soldiers opened fire on Israeli drones circling near a military camp on the border.
Lebanon today is threatened not just by Iran and Israel but also the US. Washington has made clear its intention to step up sanctions on Iran, Hezbollah and every organisation providing them with political, financial or security cover. Washington has also signalled that if Hezbollah attacks Israel, the Trump administration would fully support an Israeli response and would hold Lebanon’s government responsible for the escalation.
Ultimately, Lebanon is in the eye of the storm. Mr Netanyahu has made it clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Israel will not refrain from taking firm measures to stop Iran’s projects in the region. Mr Putin has tried to dissuade him from crossing red lines but will not stand against Israel as this would be against Russian interests. For all these reasons, Lebanon must carefully assess the situation and not recklessly rush into a confrontation.

Aoun commemorating the absence of Imam Sadr and his two companions: His teachings and approach constitute a 'national pillar'
NNA/Saturday 31 August 2019
Marking 41 years since their absence, President of the Republic Michel Aoun paid tribute Saturday to Al-Imam Moussa al-Sadr and his two companions, Sheikh Mohammed Yaaqoub and Journalist Abbas Badreddine, considering the Imam's teachings and approach as a "national pillar".
He added that whenever the Lebanese rally around these teachings, regardless of their different affiliations and sects, this constitutes a strong proof of the power that lies in their unity. The President recalled the Imam's support for righteousness and upholding of institutions that safeguard the homeland, and his affirmation of the message of coexistence "without which there can be no sovereign and independent Lebanon." "There can be no way out of the crises that have for long plagued the Lebanese except through practicing true tolerance and having a unified stance," Aoun asserted in line with the Imam's teachings. He concluded by stressing that "the Lebanese national arena is in dire need to render al-Sadr's commemoration as an opportunity to rally around together in confronting any factor that would undermine or encroach on the pillars set by the absented Imam, and to work for the sake of preserving our nation's strength and sustainability and the right of our children to a decent living and social justice."

President Aoun's address marking the 'Greater Lebanon' Centennial celebrations
NNA/Saturday 31 August 2019
Below is His Excellency, the President of the Lebanese Republic General Michel Aoun's address at the launching of the Centennial celebrations of the Greater Lebanon - Baabda, September 1, 2019:
"My fellow Lebanese, I address you today to announce the beginning of the commemoration of the centenary of the Proclamation of the State of Greater Lebanon, which occurred on the 1st of September 1920, in preparation of the kickoff of the celebrations organized on this occasion as of the 1st of January 2020 and till the end of the year.
Why these celebrations? Because this event meant at that time a precious international recognition of the emerging Lebanese entity, and the nucleus for the establishment of Lebanon in its present borders, as a free sovereign nation, for which our ancestors paid enormous sacrifices and suffering.
Amid the events and turmoil that our country went through during the past decades, remembering our history with all its sparkles and suffering is imperative because peoples who forget their history repeat their mistakes, marginalize their role and jeopardize their future.
From 1516 through 1918, four centuries and two years during which Mount Lebanon lived under Ottoman occupation. Despite being distinguished by a kind of autonomy, its people suffered a lot, its political format fluctuated between the Emirate, the twin Qaymaqamat and the Mutassarrifate, and its area and extension changed according to the political circumstances, while the rest of the Lebanese regions remained totally stripped from it, under direct Ottoman rule and divided between the Empire' regions.
All the attempts of liberation from the Ottoman yoke were countered by violence, killing and stoking sectarian strife. The first Maani Emir was murdered by poison for trying to stop the levy and resist the direct Ottoman influence over his Emirate. The second Maani Emir was killed while confronting the Ottomans, and the third Maani Emir was executed for being considered a threat to the Empire in light of the expansion, renaissance and prosperity of the Emirate. The Shehabi Emir was exiled to Malta and with him the Lebanese Emirate and the autonomy came to an end.
Mount-Lebanon became under direct Ottoman rule, confessional seditions were at their peak, along with fueling sensitivities and instigating to strike the unity of the Lebanese after they were united behind their Emirs during the Emirate era.
Indeed, each era was wrapped up with bloodshed and confessional infighting, paving the way to a new political format which was defined and executed by the overlapping interests of the great powers and the Ottoman Empire.
The State terror practiced by the Ottomans against the Lebanese, especially during World War I, caused hundreds of thousands of victims between famine, conscription and forced labor, without omitting the gallows through which they wanted to annihilate the spirit of emancipation and rebellion.
In addition to all that, all the emerging administrative and security organizations and institutions put in place by the Mutassarifate regime were struck after Jamal Pasha revoked them and dismissed Mutassarif Ohannes Pasha.
With the end of that war, the defeat of the Ottomans and the entry of Lebanon under French influence, a new chapter of our history began, with which we reached the Greater Lebanon in 1920 then Independence.
There is no doubt that Mount-Lebanon constituted the very foundation upon which the State of Greater Lebanon rose; in fact, it was the heart that reassembled the whole body after having recovered the regions that were stripped from it.
The Greater Lebanon started to emerge through the administrative, judicial, financial and security institutions and organizations which were put in place by the French authorities to pave the way for the proclamation of the State. Institutions were the sole guarantor of the nation, and the pillars upon which rest the foundations of the strong and potent State.
Today, as we begin to commemorate the proclamation of the Greater Lebanon - for which a Higher committee has been established, charged with the task of organizing it -, I stress the need to grant all the relevant activities a paramount attention in view of giving our young generations a historical and patriotic culture.Teach them the history of Lebanon. After all, our nation does not give in to occupation or trusteeship, and it is no coincidence that Lebanon, exiguous geographical area, is - amid a wide pluralistic region in terms of peoples, customs and history - a beacon of democracy, a platform for free thinking, a field for the interaction of cultures and a hub for creativity. Teach them how confessionalism is a destructive disease used by the enemies of the nation every time they wish to strike it. Through it, they gain access to our society and fragment it; our people thus become fuel for internal struggle which leaves behind, time after time, wounds and scars that cannot be healed easily. Unfortunately, the confessional practices were entrenched in the blood of the Lebanese, the veins of the institutions and the mode of governance; and we have not yet reached a stage of internal understanding and awareness where the law is the guarantor of everybody's rights equally, with competency as the criterion.
This is the ideal occasion to declare, as President of the Republic, my faith in the need to shift from the prevailing confessional system to the secular modern State where belonging is, in the first place, to the nation and not the confessional leaders.
Teach our young generations that national unity preserves the nation, its sovereignty, its security and its prosperity. We must all learn the lessons of the cruel war when the children of the same nation fought for years, each party thinking it was capable of triumphing over the other, marginalizing it, or pushing it into subordination. The dawn of solution and peace only broke when the logic of unity and coexistence prevailed over the strife of division and fragmentation. Let them learn as well that the survival of nations lies in the persistence of their sovereignty. We say it to the whole world that Lebanon is a peace-loving country that does not seek war, but its people never backed off, and never will, before any attempt to attack the country's sovereignty or undermine its dignity and territorial integrity.
The blatant Israeli assault on our sovereignty, which took place a few days ago, and the unified rejecting and condemning position by the Lebanese while affirming their legitimate right to defend their country, may be the most eloquent proof of our commitment to the constants that preserve the entity and rights of States.
Lebanon is not a permissible land for anyone, and we would not have come to this centennial celebration had we not proven to everyone that we are capable of forcing the mightiest armies out of our land, preserving our independence and our civilizational vocation.
Teach the new generations that institutions are the cornerstone and immunity of the strong State; if they are gnawed by corruption, what shall we rest upon? This is the great battle we are waging today, the battle of fighting corruption. Although some may think that we are incapable of achieving it or may push to hamper it, let our youth keep their hope in the future, let them not abandon their nation while it is in ruins due to the collapse of the institutions under the weight of corruption. I say it in confidence: the signs of change and victory in this battle have begun to loom on the horizon.
Teach them that Lebanon is Great, not by its area and geography, but rather by its civilization and values, Great by its role and vocation, and they have to strive hard to keep it Great. We want the Greater Lebanon to remain - for another hundred years, a thousand years - the country of radiance, freedoms, interaction of civilizations, democracy, creativity and diversity, and the land of faith and heritage. Finally, teach them that Lebanon, no matter how circumstances fluctuate, shall remain too big to be swallowed and too small to be divided.
Long live Lebanon!"

Berri marks 41 years since the absence of Imam alSadr and his companions, vows to continue honoring the Imam's teachings in defense of the nation and its unity
NNA/Saturday 31 August 2019
Marking the 41st commemoration of the absence of Imam Moussa al-Sadr and his two companions, House Speaker Nabih Berri delivered an address this evening during a popular and official ceremony organized by Amal Movement in the Southern city of Nabatiyeh.
Berri paid tribute to the absented Imam and his valued teachings, vowing to always pursue his march of defending the homeland and its unity and national reconciliation.
Addressing the crowd of political officials, diplomats, prominent figures, Palestinian delegations and family members and supporters of the absented Imam, the House Speaker confirmed pursuing all efforts "to free the Imam and his comrades from the detention centers of Libya and the borders of conspiracy," stressing that "there are no words in our vocabulary other than their liberation."
"I affirm my commitment as Amal Movement Chief and within the Parliament Presidency, and I share this commitment with the Lebanese State," he said, noting that "rallying around this cause demonstrates Lebanon's adherence to this priority."
Berri refused "any cooperation with Libya, until this issue is clarified."
The House Speaker praised the Lebanese judiciary for its efforts in this regard, reiterating his call on the government and state apparatuses to "work relentlessly to follow up on this issue in Libya," pointing out that "the judicial investigator in Lebanon has issued arrest warrants in absentia against Saif al-Islam and nine others, to be transferred to the Interpol."
Moving on to recent developments in wake of the Israeli violations against Lebanon, the House Speaker said: "Our battle with Israel is a continuation of the battle of the Hussein," adding, "We meet here in Nabatiyeh, in a field of al-Jihad, where one of the confrontations with the Zionist enemy began..."
"Amal Movement, similar to the resistance axis, has verified that there is no American war on Iran, and that negotiations with Tehran occur through French channels. Hence, Israel was only left with Lebanon's arena to adjust the balance of power, and accordingly breached the clash rules existing since August 14, 2006," Berri went on.
He denounced "the Israeli attack against the Beirut suburb region" while praising the "national unity which has emerged in face of this aggression," calling on Amal Movement to "maintain a state of alert to show the enemy that every inch of Lebanon is a resistance constituent."
Berri reiterated herein that the "army, people and resistance" is a tri-partite equation that unites the Lebanese.
He also revealed that "negotiations have existed since five years, in the presence of the United Nations, to demarcate the land and sea borders, but the Israelis try to evade them each time."
Touching on the many challenges facing the Lebanese society, Berri referred to the dangerous threat of "captagon and heroin" drugs used to target the system of values and ethics in Lebanon, hinting at the enemy's contribution to this issue. He, thus, called for social awareness and resistance to ward off these dangers, and urged the state to shoulder its responsibility in putting an end to drug traffickers.
Over the prevailing economic conditions, Berri said: "We must declare an economic emergency to implement what was agreed upon in Baabda, under the President of the Republic, and also to implement the laws passed, which have exceeded fifty laws, that meet the Lebanese citizens' needs."
"It is necessary to implement the Taef Agreement in its full content, because it renders us on the verge of a civil state, away from sectarianism," he added, pointing as well to "the need to establish a Senate."
At the political level, Berri reminded that the "Liberation and Development Bloc" has submitted a new vote law for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
On the regional scene, the House Speaker stressed that "Palestine remains the main issue, followed by the tragedy of Yemen", calling for "adopting the language of dialogue to resolve it and to prevent divisions."
He expressed optimism towards "the signals issued by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and similarly Iran, towards the attempts to end this war."
Over the situation in Syria, Berri said: "It is still exposed to conspiracies targeting its unity." He added, "Lebanon is concerned with what is happening in Syria and vice versa," declaring that "we are with Syria and the unity of its people, and we are against the siege on the Republic of Iran for the past 40 years, due to its principle stance in support of Palestine."
Berri hoped that "Egypt would generalize its perspective on the Nile waters, and to triumph over terrorism," while hoping that "our brethrens in Sudan would celebrate the implementation of the recent agreement," and that "Tunisia would be a model in its constitutional mandate."
The House Speaker concluded his speech by paying special tribute to the people of Tyre and its province with regards to the by-elections, calling on supporters to vote for Hezbollah's candidate, Hassan Ezzedine, in said elections.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 01/2019
At least five dead, 21 casualties in Texas shooting
AFP/Sunday, 1 September 2019
At least five people have been killed in a mass shooting that left 21 victims, police in the US state of Texas said. “We have at least 21 victims, 21 shooting victims and at least five deceased at this point in time,” a public affairs officer for Odessa police told reporters. Midland Mayor Jerry Morales told Fox News that three police officers were among those shot, but they were expected to survive. At least one gunman in the US state of Texas has shot multiple victims and hijacked a mail truck, police said on Saturday, with media reporting at least one fatality. “A subject (possibly 2) is currently driving around Odessa shooting at random people. At this time there are multiple gunshot victims,” police in the western Texas city said on their Facebook page after the country’s latest mass shooting. They added that “the suspect just hijacked a US mail carrier truck” and urged people to stay off the road and use extreme caution.
Midland police, in a Facebook post minutes before the Odessa statement, said “we believe there are two shooters in two separate vehicles,” one of which is a United States Postal Service van. The Times quoted Midland Mayor Jerry Morales as saying one suspect was in custody.“I’m not sure if he is alive,” Morales added.

One dead, nine wounded in knife attack near French city of Lyon
AFP, Lyon/Saturday, 31 August 2019
A 19-year-old man was killed and another nine wounded, three seriously, on Saturday in a knife attack near the French city of Lyon, a regional official and emergency services said. Two men, one armed with a knife and the other with a skewer, carried out the attack in Villeurbanne, a Lyon suburb, in southeastern France, the official said, without giving further details on the motive for the stabbing. One of the men had been arrested by police but the second was on the run. The attack took place close to a metro station. An AFP journalist at the scene witnessed a body being taken away in an ambulance and traces of blood on the ground. The national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office had been informed but had not taken charge of the case at this stage. Last May, a parcel bomb in front of a baker’s shop in central Lyon left 14 people slightly injured. The perpetrator, a young radicalised Algerian, who was arrested three days later, pledged allegiance to the ISIS, according to his confession. Lyon, France’s third city, until then had remained untouched by the wave of terror attacks that has killed 251 people in France since 2015.

Woman tosses Molotov cocktail into a US citizenship office in Florida
The Associated Press, Washington/Saturday, 31 August 2019
A woman tossed a lit Molotov cocktail into the lobby of a US Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Oakland Park, Florida.No one was reported injured, according to a report of the incident sent to Trump administration officials and viewed by The Associated Press. The woman walked into the office on Friday afternoon and hurled a bottle filled with gasoline and a lit fuse. The fuse disconnected from the bottle and did not ignite, according to the report. Law enforcement officials believe the woman intended to cause harm but the incident wasn’t related to other ones where Homeland Security agencies were targeted. Ken Cuccinelli, acting director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, which handles legal immigration, said in a tweet that the incident was “another example of the use of violence in place of debate by those who oppose the proper application of our immigration laws.”Security officers handcuffed the woman who threw the device and she was taken into custody by Federal Protective Service officers who arrested her. The report did not list her name or what criminal charges she faced. No one was injured, though one person reported feeling ill from the smell of gasoline, and the offices were closed. The incident comes amid federal investigators’ growing concerns about attacks on immigration agencies during a time of heightened emotion and scrutiny as Trump tries to move ahead with major changes on his signature issue and energize his base of supporters by delivering on campaign promises. Cuccinelli, who backs Trump’s hardline immigration policies, has presided over recent policy changes that have drawn criticism from immigrant advocates. One major change could deny green cards to many migrants who use Medicaid, food stamps, housing vouchers or other forms of public assistance.
Cuccinelli also defended changes to a long-standing agreement that governs how children cared for in government custody and how long they can be detained. About two weeks ago in San Antonio, at least one vehicle pulled up to a building that houses offices for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and a gunman fired shots through a window, FBI officials said. No one was injured. Another building used by ICE was also fired on.

Netanyahu Tells Macron 'Wrong Time' for Talks with Iran
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 31/2019
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday to avoid any rapprochement with Iran, amid European efforts to rescue the embattled 2015 nuclear deal, his office said.
"It is precisely the wrong time to talk with Iran", Netanyahu told Macron in a phone call initiated by the French leader, according to a statement from the Israeli premier's office. Macron has spearheaded attempts to overcome a standoff between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart President Hassan Rouhani. The French president announced with Trump at the G7 summit in Biarritz on Monday that a face-to-face meeting between the adversaries could take place within weeks. Tensions have soared between Tehran and Washington since the U.S. last year unilaterally pulled out of the landmark nuclear accord between Iran and world powers and reimposed biting sanctions. Netanyahu said in his call with Macron that Iran was stepping up its aggression in the region, his office said. On Thursday, the Israeli army had accused Iran of collaborating with Lebanon's Hizbullah to assemble precision-guided missiles that could cause "massive" human casualties in Israel.

Netanyahu to Macron: Those who Harbor Aggression Won't be Spared
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 31/2019
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday told French President Emmanuel Macron that "those who provide shelter for aggression and arming" will not be spared, in an apparent reference to Lebanon and Israel’s claims that Iran and Hizbullah are building missile production facilities on Lebanese soil. In a phone call initiated by the French leader, Netanyahu said that Iran was stepping up its aggression in the region, the Israeli PM’s office said. On Thursday, the Israeli army had accused Iran of collaborating with Hizbullah to assemble precision-guided missiles that could cause "massive" human casualties in Israel. Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus told journalists in a conference call on Thursday that Tehran and the Lebanese movement plan to convert "stupid rockets into precision-guided missiles." The allegations come after Hizbullah -- with which Israel has fought several wars -- accused Israel of carrying out a drone attack Sunday on its stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Israel's military did not confirm whether it was behind the weekend attack, which saw one drone explode and another crash without detonating. The UK's Times newspaper has claimed that the drones fell near Iranian installations manufacturing a fuel used in precision missiles.

Iran Official Tweets at Trump after Apparent Rocket Failure
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 31/2019
An Iranian official published an image Saturday of a satellite after an apparent rocket explosion at the space center meant to launch it, tweeting at President Donald Trump after the American leader shared online what appeared to be a surveillance photo of the aftermath. The tweet from Iran's Information and Communications Technology Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, including a selfie of him in front of the Nahid-1, comes as Tehran has yet to acknowledge Thursday's explosion at the Imam Khomeini Space Center.
While specifics about the incident remain unclear, it marked the third failure involving a launch at the center, which has raised suspicions of sabotage in Iran's space program. The U.S. has criticized the initiative as a way for Tehran to advance its ballistic missiles.
Trump directly acknowledged those suspicions in his tweet Friday and denied any U.S. involvement. "The United States of America was not involved in the catastrophic accident during final launch preparations for the Safir SLV Launch at Semnan Launch Site One in Iran," Trump wrote, identifying the rocket used. "I wish Iran best wishes and good luck in determining what happened at Site One."Jahromi, a rising politician in Iran's Shiite theocracy, responded to Trump in his tweet early Saturday. "Me & Nahid I right now, Good Morning Donald Trump!" he wrote in English.
Later, Jahromi accompanied local journalists at the Tehran-based space research center, showing them the satellite. "I have no idea about the Semnan space center and the defense minister, who is in charge, should make a comment on this," Jahromi said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. He did not elaborate. The Semnan launching center is in a province neighboring the capital city, Tehran. Commercially available satellite images by Planet Labs Inc. and Maxar Technologies showed a black plume of smoke rising above a launch pad Thursday, with what appeared to be the charred remains of a rocket and its launch stand. In previous days, satellite images had shown officials there repainted the launch pad blue. The photo released Friday by Trump appeared to be a once-classified surveillance photo from American intelligence agencies. Analysts said the black rectangle in the photo's upper-left-hand corner likely covered up the photo's classification. Trump as president can declassify material. The image showed damaged vehicles around the launch pad, as well as damage done to the rocket's launcher. It also clearly showed a large phrase written in Farsi on the pad: "National Product, National Power."Jahromi told The Associated Press in July that Tehran planned three satellite launches this year, two for satellites that do remote-sensing work and another that handles communications. The Nahid-1 is reportedly the telecommunication satellite. Nahid in Farsi means "Venus." The satellite, which had Iran's first foldable solar panels, was supposed to be in a low orbit around the Earth for some two-and-a-half months. The semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Jahromi on Aug. 13 as saying that the Nahid-1 was ready to be delivered to Iran's Defense Ministry, signaling a launch date for the satellite likely loomed. Iran's National Week of Government, during which Tehran often inaugurates new projects, began Aug. 24.The apparent failed rocket launch comes after two failed satellite launches of the Payam and Doosti in January and February. A separate fire at the Imam Khomeini Space Center in February also killed three researchers, authorities said at the time. Over the past decade, Iran has sent several short-lived satellites into orbit and in 2013 launched a monkey into space. The U.S. alleges such satellite launches defy a U.N. Security Council resolution calling on Iran to undertake no activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. Iran, which long has said it does not seek nuclear weapons, maintains its satellite launches and rocket tests do not have a military component. Tehran also says it hasn't violated the U.N. resolution as it only "called upon" Tehran not to conduct such tests.
The tests have taken on new importance to the U.S. amid the maximalist approach to Iran taken by President Donald Trump's administration. Tensions have been high between the countries since Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from Iran's nuclear deal over a year ago and imposed sanctions, including on Iran's oil industry. Iran recently has begun to break the accord itself while trying to push Europe to help it sell oil abroad.

Air Strikes Stop in Syria's Idlib after Truce Announced
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 31/2019
Air strikes on Syria's northwestern Idlib region stopped on Saturday after a Russian-backed ceasefire went into effect following four months of deadly bombardment, a war monitor said. "There are no warplanes in the sky and air strikes have stopped" said Rami Abdul Rahman, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Clashes between regime loyalists and insurgents on the edges of the anti-government bastion have also ceased after a unilateral ceasefire by Syrian regime forces went into effect at 6:00 am (0300 GMT), he said. Artillery and rocket attacks continued however despite the deal, he added. Syrian regime ally Russia on Friday announced that Damascus government forces would observe a new ceasefire from Saturday morning in Idlib. It said the truce aimed "to stabilise the situation" in Idlib, one of the last holdout of opposition to forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
It is the latest Russian-led effort to avert what the United Nations has described as one of the worst humanitarian "nightmares" in Syria's eight-year conflict
The Idlib region is home to some three million people.
Most of Idlib province and parts of neighbouring Aleppo and Latakia provinces are controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist group led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate. Russia-backed regime forces have been pressing an offensive against the region despite a deal with rebel backer Turkey in September last year to protect the area. Stepped up bombardment by Damascus and Moscow since the end of April has displaced 400,000, the UN says, and killed more than 950 civilians, according to the Observatory. Earlier this month, Damascus scrapped a similar agreement only three days after it went into effect, accusing rebels and jihadists of targeting a Russian air base. Assad, who now controls around 60 percent of the country, has vowed to reclaim the rest, including Idlib. The Syrian conflict has killed more than 370,000 people and driven millions from their homes since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.

US Treasury Sanctions 4 People for Funding Hamas
Washington - Heba El Koudsy/Asharq Al Awsat/Saturday, 31 August, 2019 The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has blacklisted four people for their affiliation with Iran. They facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars between Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and Hamas’s operational arm, the Izz-Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, to carry out terrorist attacks originating from the Gaza Strip, it said. “OFAC designated Muhammad Sarur, Kamal Abdelrahman Aref Awad, Fawaz Mahmud Ali Nasser, and Muhammad Kamal al-Ayy for providing financial, material, technological support, financial or other services to, or in support of, Hamas,” the Treasury announced. It pointed out that the financial facilitators are based in Lebanon and Gaza and are critical intermediaries between the Iranian regime and the Izz-Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades and end users in the West Bank. In partnership with the Sultanate of Oman, the Treasury sanctioned the four individuals under the virtue of a US executive order, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.
Sarur, a Beirut, Lebanon-based Hamas and Hezbollah-linked financial operative, is in charge of transferring tens of millions of dollars per year from the IRGC-Quds Force (QF) to the Izz-Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, it said. “Overall, in the past four years, the IRGC-QF transferred over $200 million dollars to the Izz-Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades.”Awad, for his part, provides financial, material, technological support, financial or other services to or in support of Hamas, the Treasury noted. In early 2018, Awad, a Gaza-based Hamas financial associate, coordinated with the same Gaza-based Hamas financial facilitator, leveraged by Sarur, to provide hundreds of thousands of dollars in deposits for Hamas. As of early 2016, Hamas senior official Salih al-Aruri relied on Awad for detailed information regarding Hamas prisoners and payments to them, it said in a statement. “Fawaz Muhmud Ali Nasser (Nasser) and Ayy provide financial, material, technological support, financial or other services to or in support of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad,” the statement read. “Hamas’s continued violent campaign against innocent civilians and Israel is to the great detriment of the people in Gaza,” said Sigal Mandelker, Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. “This Administration will not falter to hold Hamas and its Iranian leaders accountable for their violence.”“The Treasury will continue to disrupt terrorist networks by targeting those who generate funds to carry out the Iranian regime’s violent agenda,” Mandelker added.
Hamas was designated by the Department of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in October 1997 and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in October 2001. It was also listed as a Specially Designated Terrorist (SDT) in January 1995 in the annex to an executive order, which targets terrorists who threaten to disrupt the Middle East peace process.

UAE Air Raids Raise Tensions with Yemen Govt.
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 31/2019
The United Arab Emirates has confirmed it launched air strikes on Yemen's interim capital Aden, after furious accusations from the internationally recognized government which has lost control of the city to UAE-backed separatists. In the face of charges it targeted Yemeni government troops, Abu Dhabi said it acted in self-defense against "terrorist militias" threatening the Saudi-led military coalition against Huthi rebels in which the UAE is a key partner. The UAE's foreign ministry issued a statement late Thursday, hours after the separatists regained control of Aden, forcing government troops who had entered the southern port city a day earlier to withdraw. Air strikes on Wednesday and Thursday that reportedly left dozens dead hit "armed groups affiliated with terrorist organisations", Abu Dhabi said, in a reference to Islamists it believes make up part of Yemeni government forces. The operation "was based on confirmed field intelligence that the militias prepared to target the coalition forces -- a development which required a preemptive operation to avert any military threat", it added. The accusations risk straining an already complex conflict in Yemen, which is being fought on two main fronts -- a battle for control of Aden and the south, and the Saudi-led coalition's campaign against the Huthis in the north. In further violence in the port city on Friday, a suicide bombing killed three separatist fighters, while a separatist military chief survived a roadside bomb that wounded five of his guards, security sources said. Blaming the attacks on al-Qaida, the security sources said separatist forces made several arrests, adding that they aimed to dismantle jihadist "sleeper cells."But residents have reported arrests of soldiers loyal to the internationally recognized government. On August 1, separate attacks in Aden by jihadists and Huthi rebels killed 49 people, mostly separatist fighters from the Southern Transitional Council. The STC accused the government of complicity in the attacks, sparking a showdown between the two sides. The intensifying conflict between Abu Dhabi and the government undermines the coalition, and poses a headache for regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia, which is focused on fighting the Huthis who are aligned with Riyadh's arch foe Iran. The air strikes came in a see-sawing battle between the government and southern separatists who have tussled for control of Aden and the neighboring provinces Abyan and Shabwa over the past three weeks.
- Saudis as peacemakers? -
Yemen's government on Thursday accused the UAE of mounting the air strikes in support of the separatists, in an assault it said killed 40 combatants and wounded 70 civilians. The UAE, which has a zero tolerance policy towards Islamists, believes that part of Yemen's army is made up of militants from Al-Islah, a party considered close to the Islamic Brotherhood. The allegation was backed by its Yemeni ally, the head of the STC, Aidarus al-Zubaidi, who aims to regain independence for South Yemen, which was forcibly unified with the north in 1990.  At a press conference in Aden on Thursday, he said that among fighters captured during the retaking of the city were "internationally wanted terrorists". However, Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi redoubled his allegations against the UAE, accusing it late Thursday of having planned, financed and coordinated attacks on state institutions and military positions in Aden. The Yemeni head of state, who is in exile in the Saudi capital, called on Riyadh to "intervene to halt the blatant interference of the United Arab Emirates, in support of the militias, and air raids against the armed forces of Yemen". The UAE's minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, on Friday urged all sides to go back to the negotiating table under a Saudi proposal for talks in Jeddah.
Yemen's government has said the STC must first withdraw from its positions. "The Saudi initiative is the way out of this crisis," Gargash said on Twitter. The coalition intervened in Yemen's war in 2015 in support of the government after the Huthis swept south from their northern stronghold to seize the capital Sanaa and much of Yemen -- the Arab world's poorest nation.The strategic port city of Aden has since then served as the government's interim capital. Fighting over the past four years has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and sparked what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. "The situation is very fragile. Families are again trapped in their homes by fighting, unable to secure food and reach medical care," the UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, Lise Grande, said of the recent battle for the south. The UN Security Council on Thursday voiced concern over the clashes, including what it called a "violent attempt to take over state institutions."It urged all parties to "show restraint and to preserve Yemen's territorial integrity."

Venezuela says it has proof of anti-Maduro plot in Colombia
The Associated Press/Sunday, 1 September 2019
The Venezuelan government presented evidence Saturday of what it called paramilitary training camps in neighboring Colombia to plot violent attacks to undermine President Nicolás Maduro. Communications Minister Jorge Rodríguez appeared on state television to accuse Colombian President Iván Duque of doing nothing to stop the aggression against Venezuela – or even supporting it. Rodríguez showed satellite images and coordinates that he said prove the existence of three paramilitary camps along the border inside Colombia. They are used to train 200 armed men, he said, at times directly addressing Duque. “If you brought this kind of evidence to Venezuela, we would act immediately,” Rodríguez said. “We are sure you won’t do anything, because you are complicit with these terrorists.”There was no immediate reaction from Duque. The accusation comes amid mounting tensions between the two South American nations as Colombia’s government backs a campaign by Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó to oust Maduro’s socialist government. The tensions spiked Thursday when the former chief negotiator for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia announced in a video that he would take up arms, alleging the Colombian government has failed to uphold a 2016 peace accord and accusing it of standing by as hundreds of social leaders have been slain in rural areas where the rebels long dominated. Duque, who quickly reached out to Guaidó, has accused Venezuela’s government of harboring Colombian guerrillas. For both leaders, the video was further proof that the rebels – designated by the US a terrorist group – are plotting attacks from Venezuelan soil. “We’re not witnessing the birth of a new guerrilla army, but rather the criminal threats of a band of narco-terrorists who have the protection and support of Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship,” Duque said in a televised address.

Crowds gather in UK cities to protest Johnson’s Brexit plans
The Associated Press, London/Saturday, 31 August 2019
Crowds are gathering in London and other major British cities to protest Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s suspension of Parliament for part of the period before the Brexit deadline in two months. Protesters gathered near 10 Downing Street in central London and in Belfast, York and others cities to show determination to block a “no deal” Brexit. The crowds were galvanized by Johnson’s decision to shutter Parliament for several weeks when a debate about Brexit plans had been expected. In London, they chanted: “Boris Johnson, shame on you.”His plan is also being opposed by some in Parliament who plan to introduce legislation this week to try to prevent a disorderly departure from the European Union. Johnson’s shutdown of Parliament is also being challenged in three separate court cases.

Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan stable after prison stabbing
The Associated Press, Sacramento/Saturday, 31 August 2019
Sirhan Sirhan, imprisoned for more than 50 years for the 1968 assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, was hospitalized Friday after being stabbed by a fellow inmate at a San Diego prison. A statement from the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said the stabbing occurred Friday afternoon at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego. “Officers responded quickly, and found an inmate with stab wound injuries. He was transported to an outside hospital for medical care, and is currently in stable condition,” the statement said. The statement did not name Sirhan, but a government source with direct knowledge confirmed to The Associated Press that he was the victim. The source spoke under condition of anonymity, citing prison privacy regulations. The stabbing was first reported by TMZ. Corrections officials reported that the alleged attacker has been identified and has been segregated from the rest of the prison population pending an investigation. Sirhan, 75, was convicted of shooting Kennedy shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, immediately after the New York senator had declared victory in the previous day’s California Democratic presidential primary. Kennedy had just finished delivering his victory speech to cheering supporters at Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel when he decided to walk through the hotel kitchen. He had stopped to shake hands with a busboy who had delivered food to his room the day before when he was shot in the head. He died the next day. Sirhan was originally sentenced to death. But when California briefly outlawed capital punishment, his sentence was reduced to life in prison. He has been denied parole several times. Five bystanders were wounded during the shooting. In the chaos, Los Angeles Rams football great Rosey Grier, Olympic champion Rafer Johnson and others wrestled the murder weapon away. Over the years, Sirhan has claimed to have no recollection of the shooting or his initial confession. As a high-profile prisoner, Sirhan had once been kept in a protective housing unit at Corcoran State Prison in Northern California. After he told authorities several years ago that he would prefer being housed with the general prison population, he was moved to the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 01/2019
A Rosy Picture from Taif
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/August 31/2019
When Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz declared that “We will never return to the post-1979 era”, many who are not familiar with Saudi Arabia, I reckon, did not recognize fully what those words meant.
Well, between the autumn of 1977 and the autumn of 1978 I lived and worked in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province; which I loved and loved its people. Then, between early and mid-1979 I lived in the Kingdom’s Western Province, and had a similarly beautiful experience. That period was popularly described as ‘the boom period’.
Later on, I joined Asharq Al-Awsat, from where I have been able, for three and half decades, to follow the developments within the Saudi society, and interact with friends, journalists, businesspeople and decision makers connected - one way or another - with Saudi Arabia. However, I have to admit that throughout, which is now called ‘the Revival period,’ I was following developments there from a distance; geographically speaking!
My long-distance interaction ended in 2013, when I visited Riyadh for the first time since late 1977. The following year I visited Jeddah and Al-Madinah; and since then, I made more visits, the latest being to Taif and Jeddah two weeks ago.
I shall not comment on the ‘the Revival period’, firstly because I did not live through and experience its effects directly; secondly, because I know that Saudi citizens have enough maturity and awareness to make them more qualified to analyze its social phenomena and cultural influences in a political atmosphere poisoned by Iran’s ‘Khomeini revolution’.
Indeed, any talk about the extremism, distortion, aggression, subversion of coexistence and threat to good neighborliness this ‘revolution’ caused is redundant. The atmosphere created by ‘Khomeinism’ was bound to provoke a reaction of similar kind but opposite direction, within a period of redrawing political priorities in the Middle East, and the world at large.
The Middle East was going through the repercussions of the Camp David Accords and Lebanon’s war, while the Muslim world was living the attrition of the Soviets’ ‘Red Army’ in Afghanistan. As for the global scene, the wider world was witnessing how America’s Reaganism and Europe’s Thatcherism were working hand in hand to stifle, and eventually, bring down the USSR.
Surely, it is impossible to hold one side responsible for a global crisis, but the negative outcome soon began to appear, culminating in the attacks of September 11, 2001. At this juncture, a new equation in the new unipolar world order emerged; and after a conquest here and a sectarian conflict there, postulates collapsed, considerations changed, alliances cracked, and the fragility of ideological alternatives became clear for all to see.
Shock treatment after the fall of the USSR has consumed itself, while the religious alternative that enjoyed the ascendancy at the expense of Communism has reached the end of the road as ultra-nationalists and racist populists are finding their voices against the creeping wave of globalization. Even countries built by immigrants have become anti-immigration.
The Arab world has been changing too. ‘Political Islam’ has found itself in a similar fate to nationalism, liberalism, socialism and military rule, before it. Arab youth have discovered that overcoming challenges is never achieved through promises, daydreams, and making religion a refuge for the desperate instead of recognizing it a source of guidance and enlightenment that encourage reason and constructive thought.
Political realism now requires appreciating the vital need for development, diversification of economic resources, and benefitting from foreign experiences in building institutions. No less important, is being aware that it is now impossible live on an isolated ‘cultural island’ when the whole world has become a ‘global village’.
In Saudi Arabia, as well as many Arab and Muslim countries, there are rich human, material and cultural capabilities; ones ripe for investment, in a world that we must comprehend and successfully meet its challenges. This investment is the road back to the pre-1979 normalcy.
Recently, upon my return from Taif, where I enjoyed attending ‘The Taif Season’ and its various events, I had a feeling that cemented what I had felt in my last visit to Riyadh, and what I saw in the city and province of Al-Madinah, including Al-Ula.
With every meeting and discussion, there was a deep sense of optimism, self-confidence, and belief in the ability to achieve anything.
Young men and women, working in various events, were almost all university post-graduates. One of the volunteer drivers that took me around the venues was an engineer. The ‘Rose Village’ looked like a beehive; where young men and young women were busy explaining to the visitors everything they would want to know about roses, scents, types, perfume blends, etc. Shows were impressive and colorful; and the high attendance – of both sexes – was a testimony to the healthy social interaction and strong belief in the future.
Visiting ‘The Crown Prince’s Camel Festival’, I was impressed with the guide at the paintings’ gallery. The confident and knowledgeable young lady, who took me on a tour inside the gallery, holds university degrees from the US. As impressive, was my main guide; a young man whose infectious enthusiasm would give any visitor the impression that the whole event was his. He was explaining with pride how heritage and traditions were merging futuristic technology. I was thrilled to know that a data bank for every camel in the Kingdom has been prepared. This is made possible by planting a microchip in the camel’s neck documenting all its history, physical, ownership, and other details; which would transform what has been a lifestyle feature in Arabia into a fully-fledged industry, as well as sport that is now popular in Australia and Central Asia.
I was not surprised by what I saw in Souq Okaz, the resurrected pre-Islamic old meeting place, emporium and agora. Still, impressive were the ‘reproduction’ sets, literary plays, shows, goods and crafts displayed in the Souq as well as the wings of 11 participating Arab countries. Here too, huge crowds were attracted every evening; although the epitome for me was meeting the Director General of the Taif Season, whose office was at the Souq. The energetic young lady’s first words when she welcomed me into her office were “Welcome, Mr. Eyad, but please, if possible I would appreciate your criticism first…!”
Not far from Taif, I paid Jeddah a one-day visit. There I met dear friends and colleagues, and took a ride in the car of a dear friend, driven by her. It was nothing short of normal, with self-confidence and normalcy all over.
Indeed, everything I saw and heard during my six-day visit reminded me of what I had heard in Dubai more than 15 years ago.
That day, when asked by a colleague about the risks of rapid opening up, a UAE official replied: “My brother; we only fear God and fear itself. We shall never stop our opening up and development just because of our concern about possible problems. All transgressions are dealt with under the rule of law, but we shall never allow fear to tie us down!”
This is the wonderful positive attitude I felt in Taif.
It is the most beautiful and fragrant rose I brought back with me.

Trump’s Trade-War Retreat Only Buys a Little Time
Mark Gongloff/Bloomberg/August 31/2019
President Donald Trump says trade wars are good and easy to win, but his most effective tactic so far seems to be retreat.
Just 11 days after threatening new tariffs on $300 billion worth of Chinese imports, Trump said he would delay import taxes on toys, electronics, and other holiday-gift-type stuff until mid-December. Stocks rewarded him by recovering some of the losses he inflicted 11 days ago. This is ostensibly a reprieve for American consumers (and, incidentally, puts the lie to Trump’s claim China bears the full brunt of tariffs). But America’s retailers aren’t exactly giddy with relief, writes Sarah Halzack. Yes, their Christmas season will not be completely Grinched. But plenty of Chinese stuff is still subject to duties. And the uncertainty Trump creates with his trade-war “strategy” – as steady as an army of grenade-toting squirrels on roller skates – is bad for business.
Meanwhile, the trade war’s economic damage spreads. Singapore, as plugged into global trade as any nation, gutted its GDP forecast for the year. Dan Moss chalks this up not only to short-term trade pain but also to the growing fragility of Asia’s export-based growth model. Such anxieties still hang over global trade, truce or no.
It probably doesn’t hurt Trump that China is a bit distracted by massive and growing protests in Hong Kong, which escalated even more today. It seems only a matter of time before Xi Jinping cracks down; Trump finds out he’s massing troops nearby. Weirdly, unlike the Tiananmen Square protests of 30 years ago, which riveted American viewers, the Hong Kong protests aren’t getting much airtime, notes Tyler Cowen. The same goes for the fairly large protests in Moscow against Vladimir Putin’s regime. What has happened to America that it no longer cheers on freedom movements?
Maybe it will take even more escalation. Those Moscow protests are limited so far, but the more Putin violently cracks down on them, the more he fuels unrest, writes Leonid Bershidsky.
The trade war is driving down interest rates, with no bottom in sight; for $15 trillion of the world’s debt, yields are already negative. This makes life hard for central bankers, who have little room to cut rates to stimulate economies. If only fiscal policymakers would help out! Incoming ECB chief Christine Lagarde, for example, sure wishes infamously stingy Germany would spend more, writes Ferdinando Giugliano. And Angela Merkel today did hint she might open the government purse strings a bit.
Brian Chappatta writes we need much more government profligacy if we’re to pull interest rates back through the looking glass. Infrastructure spending, especially, gooses economies and rates much differently than, say, tax cuts, by boosting future productivity. And with rates this low, there’s rarely been a better time to borrow and spend.
Far too late, some Republicans are starting to wake up to the need to act on climate change. Better late than never, of course; but the solutions they’ve proposed so far aren’t enough, writes Bloomberg’s editorial board. One relatively simple fix, which should have bipartisan support, is a carbon tax.
Trump and other Republicans might argue we can’t fight climate change and China – the world’s biggest carbon polluter – at the same time. But Hal Brands argues the Cold War showed we can compete with a great power while also cooperating with it in some cases, particularly when those cases involve the, uh, survival of the species.
The reunion of CBS Corp. and Viacom Inc. comes not a moment too soon, writes Tara Lachapelle. In fact, the damage done by their long separation means they’re probably not done cutting deals.
Energy-company CEOs and analysts complain the stock market is dumb for not valuing their companies more highly. Liam Denning suggests the “dumb money” is onto something.

Trump and the Deceiving of Mullahs
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/August 31/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/78045/amir-taheri-trump-and-the-deceiving-of-mullahs-%d8%a3%d9%85%d9%8a%d8%b1-%d8%b7%d8%a7%d9%87%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d8%aa%d8%b1%d9%85%d8%a8-%d9%88%d8%ae%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%b9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%84/
For a few hours last weekend, political circles in Tehran were seized with speculative fever regarding a possible meeting between US President Donald Trump and the Islamic Republic’s President Hassan Rouhani. Trump had announced in Biarritz, where the G7’s farcical summit was held, that he would be prepared to meet the Iranian mullah and believed that could happen soon. For his part, Rouhani went on TV to declare readiness to meet “anyone”, with no ifs and buts.
One “reformist” analyst phoned me in the middle of night Paris time to “inform” me that, with help from Trump, his faction was about to win a deceive victory over the “hardline” faction led by Supreme Guide Ali Khamenei.
In his narrative, Rouhani would meet Trump in September when both are to attend the United Nations’ General Assembly in New York. They would establish a “roadmap” leading to an agreement incorporating the Obama “nuke deal” plus additional demands by Trump. That, in turn, would lead to a lifting of US sanctions, saving the Iranian economy from a meltdown.
The “miracle” would coincide with the next general election in Iran and a secure landslide victory for “reformists”. That, in turn, would enable them to press for Khamenei’s retirement and replacement by Rouhani, while Muhammad-Javad Zarif, the “heroic” Foreign Minister, throws his hat, since he has no turban, into the ring for the presidency. With Khamenei and his “Russophile” faction eliminated, the “New York Boys” would put Iran on a new trajectory as the United States’ key partner in the Middle East.
What was remarkable in that narrative was how stale it was?
Weeks after the mullahs seized power, the Carter administration in Washington identified Mehdi Bazargan, Khomeini’s first Prime Minister, as “the man with whom we can work.”
After he was kicked out attention was turned to more ephemeral figures such as Ayatollah Muhammad Beheshti, Abol-Hasaan Banisadr and Sadeq Ghotbzadeh who were supposed to lead Iran out of its revolutionary phase into normality, whatever that meant.
With Ayatollah Khomeini, supposedly too old to last long, these were the men who would shape Iran’s Thermidor, emerging from the reign of terror. Fariba Adelkhah, then a young researcher in Paris and later an ardent apologist for the Islamic Republic even wrote a book bearing the title “Iranian Thermidor”. (She is now a hostage in Tehran held by the very men she had so passionately defended in the French media.)
Over the years, we heard similar analyses from the Rafsanjani faction in the 1980s, the Muhammad Khatami circle in the1990, and the Larijani brothers in 2004. Both President George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair told me at different times that they had identified “men with whom we can work” in Tehran and that the key to success was getting rid of Khamenei and his “hardliners.”
At one point, the Reagan administration saw Rafsanjani, a wily mullah-cum-businessman, as the Iranian version of Deng Xiaoping. Tony Blair, no doubt under Jack Straw’s influence, saw Khatami, a middling mullah and a wannabe intellectual, as the “Iranian Gorbachev”.
As early as 2004, both the British and the French saw Rouhani as the man capable of delivering what Rafsanjani and Khatami had promised but failed to deliver. The horse on which John Kerry put his bet was Muhammad-Javad Zarif whose team of “New York Boys” provided Rouhani with a “liberal” varnish.
Western analysts and their imitators inside Iran missed two crucial points.
The first was that, like most revolutionary regimes, the Khomeinist outfit had no mechanism for reform in the direction desired by the Iranian middle classes and the Western powers. Thus, even if its leaders tried to introduce reforms they would be doomed to failure. Lenin tried that in the 1920s with his New Economic Policy (NEP) that, instead of liberalizing the Soviet system, produced Josef Stalin. Mao Zedong’s reform project, known as “The 100 Flowers” morphed into the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, millions of deaths and further hardening of the Communist regime. Khomeini himself attempted a similar move with his 8-Points reform Project in 1981 leading to mass executions in 1988. In the Islamic Republic, the number of executions and political prisoners has always risen under “reformist” presidents such as Khatami and Rouhani.
The second point Western powers ignore is that Iranians today are divided into two broad camps, obviously with subdivisions within each camp. One camp consists of those, perhaps even a majority today, who are disillusioned with the Islamic Revolution and seek ways of closing its chapter as soon as possible. The idea of “change within the regime” appeals to some among them but has never offered a credible political platform from which to attempt a seizure of power within the regime.
In the second camp, we find all those who, for different reasons, are still committed to the Khomeinist Revolution. In that camp the “hardliners” have been and, I believe remain, in a majority. Thus, whether we like it or not, it is Khamenei, and not Rafsanjani, Khatami or Rouhani, who set the tune in the Islamic Republic. In fact, each time Western powers made a deal with the Islamic Republic it was ultimately with Khomeini and, after him, Khamenei. It was Khomeini who drunk the “poison chalice” by ending the war with Iraq, not Rafsanjani who played “strongman” at the time.
The Obama “nuke deal” started with negotiations that Khamenei ordered before Rouhani became president. The result, the CJPOA (Barjam in Persian), was adopted after Khamenei gave his tacit consent.
Thus if Trump, or anyone else, wish to make a deal with the present regime in Tehran, the man they should talk to is Khamenei, not Rouhani, an actor playing the president. On Tuesday, that fact was demonstrated by Khamenei ordering Rouhani to eat humble pie and publicly recant on his boast about a summit with Trump.
The “hardline vs. moderate” comedy played in Tehran reminds me of the French Opera Buffa in which two seductive girls adopt opposite profiles. “No-no-Nanette” always says no to admirers but she ends up in bed with all of them. In contrast, “Yes-yes Yolanda” offers tantalizing “yes” but never goes the whole way. In the end, we find out that the two are, in fact, just one creature in two disguises, a witch bent on doing mischief.
Trump has been warned!

Analysis/First Drone War Pulls Israel’s Conflict With Iran Out of the Shadows
عاموس هاريل/هآرتس: حرب الدرون تُظهر للعلن الصراع الإسرائيلي-الإيراني
Amos Harel/Haaretz/August 31/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/78051/%d8%b9%d8%a7%d9%85%d9%88%d8%b3-%d9%87%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%84-%d9%87%d8%a2%d8%b1%d8%aa%d8%b3-%d8%ad%d8%b1%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%af%d8%b1%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%aa%d9%8f%d8%b8%d9%87%d8%b1-%d9%84%d9%84%d8%b9/
A battle over optics also being waged: Nasrallah paints Beirut targets as marginal, while Israel makes effort to expose the Hezbollah precision-missile project ■ What happened to Israel’s promise on China?
“You can go to sleep. The reaction isn’t going to happen today,” Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah was quoted in the Lebanese press as saying the other day in remarks before what was referred to as a “closed forum” of clerics. “We are never hasty.
For the Quneitra events,” he also said on Wednesday, referring to the assassinations of Hezbollah operative Jihad Mughniyah and an Iranian general in January of 2015, he added, “it took us 10 days to respond.”
It is unlikely that the Israel Defense Forces took these words literally. The Northern Command’s high alert for a possible attack is still in effect and the military patrols along the borders with Lebanon and Syria have been reduced, with the aim of limiting the number of possible targets for Hezbollah.
Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi is familiar with the situation from up close. He was GOC Northern Command during the Winter Sun alert, at the time of the “Quneitra events” to which Nasrallah referred. Following those events, Hezbollah responded to the assassinations of Mughniyah and the Iranian general by launching anti-tank missiles, which killed a company commander and a soldier from the Givati Brigade on the slopes of Har Dov.
We can hope that the appropriate conclusions have been drawn and that this time the command, which was also burned in the incident as the Nurit army post in Western Galilee in 2004, has seen to ensuring that forces not directly subordinate to the divisions along the border are taking the necessary precautions.
The assumption still stands: There will be a response. Nasrallah, as he sees it, must send a return signal. He established this from the moment he declared that Israel had attacked in Lebanon (and in Beirut, no less) – for the first time, demonstratively from the air – and violated a truce in effect for 13 years, since the end of the Second Lebanon War.
The Military Intelligence Directorate does not believe that the region is heading toward a war. Their assessment, also based on statements by Nasrallah and his deputy, Naim Qassem, is that Hezbollah is looking for a measured response – measure for measure – that will go down in the history books but will not lead to an escalation of the tensions.
In the background, there is also an open account with another key player, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. On the night between Saturday and Sunday there were two attacks.
The action in Beirut was preceded by an air force strike on a Revolutionary Guards cell, south of Damascus. The two activists who were killed in the strike, former Hezbollah men, were on a mission ordered by Soleimani on their way to launching explosive drones at the border with Israel in the Golan Heights.
Alongside the shooting, there is also a battle over the narrative. Nasrallah, in his speech, emphasized the hit on his people in Syria and tried to depict the attack in Beirut as a hit on a marginal asset, out of unclear considerations on Israel’s part. Israel, since Thursday, has been taking the opposite tack. For the first time the IDF revealed extensive details about Hezbollah’s “precision project” being aided by Iran.
It is part of an effort to upgrade the precision of some of the rockets in the organization’s hands, so that they may be able to strike within approximately 10 meters of a given target. The Iranians and their partners in Lebanon have tried to achieve this by means of attempts to smuggle weapons, most of which have been thwarted, and recently by setting up production lines on Lebanese territory.
It is an IDF assessment that Hezbollah possesses several dozen rockets with a high degree of precision capability. Many others were hit during the smuggling attempts, production sites have been exposed and evacuated and on Saturday evening an essential element at a new production site was also hit, shortly before it was to be transferred to a secure site underground.
This is the message Israel is trying to send: Nasrallah has built a secret combat system with the Iranians, right under the noses of the inhabitants of Lebanon and its government. In his insistence on carrying out this project, he is endangering all Lebanese.
The sequence of incidents in the north, including at least two attacks attributed to Israel against Shi’ite militias in Iraq, has brought the shadow war that has been going on for years between Jerusalem and Tehran out of the twilight and into relatively explicit daylight.
However, what happens next will also be influenced by a larger strategic move currently afoot, the attempts to renew negotiations between the United States and Iran concerning the nuclear agreement.
Both Nasrallah and Solemeini are constrained by broader strategic considerations. It is hard to believe that Iran wants a war with Israel when on the horizon there appears to be a real chance of renewing direct talks with Washington. For its part, Russia too has a clear interest in reining in the escalation because it might endanger the stability of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria.
As for Hezbollah, it appears that the balance of deterrence with Israel since 2006 remains in effect. Both sides are aware of the potential for mutual destruction that would befall them in a third Lebanon war, in which it is doubtful whether there would be any strategic benefit from their perspective. Hezbollah is wary of Israel’s intelligence and airborne superiority, which is demonstrated so frequently in the north. Israel is aware of the unprecedented danger to the Israeli home front posed by Hezbollah rockets.
Benjamin Netanyahu, in his capacity as minister of defense, is responsible for thwarting dangers developing along the border, ranging from drone attacks launched from Syria to striking the essential element of a Hezbollah rocket production line in Syria.
As prime minister, he is up to his ears trying to figure out the intentions of his pal, American President Donald Trump. The Iranians are perceiving an opportunity to hold a summit between Trump and President Hassan Rouhani as a realistic option, and this in the short term. This scenario is arousing deep pessimism among those close to the prime minister.
What has been described this week as the first drone war, following the actions in Beirut and near Damascus, has gone beyond the confines of a shadow war, and has also been referred to as the campaign between the wars.
Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin and Brig. Gen. (res.) Assaf Orion of the Institute for National Security Studies wrote this week that “the guiding principle of the ‘campaign between the wars’ is to avoid an escalation and to manage operations below the threshold of a war, in order to reduce the enemy’s sense of urgency to embark an escalatory response: spacing of the attack operations in order to enable the enemy’s system to cool off and taking care to maintain a low public profile, which will leave the enemy, who has come under attack, space for denial and reduce the political and public constraints that would compel a response.”
According to them, “The attack in Syria was given extensive coverage in Israel, ostensibly in order to justify an initiated lethal attack on the target and thwart a terror attack. This justification explains the laconic and dry coverage but not the prime minister’s televised declaration in the Golan Heights, with the chief of staff at his side and his back to Syria. And indeed, Nasrallah related to this as boasting. Taunting tweets from the IDF Spokesman directed against Soleimani exceed what is required.”
Yadlin and Orion note that in his speech Nasrallah said his organization would not reconcile itself anymore to the presence of Israeli unmanned aircraft in the skies of Lebanon and would act to bring them down. They see increasing tension between Israel and the United States.
“The campaign between the wars operations are causing two kinds of tensions: Possible tensions vis-à-vis President Trump concerning the issue of the Iranian nuclear project, which could see Israeli’s activity as a deliberate disruption of his efforts to advance negotiations.
Alongside that, there is the tension that has already erupted, according to reports, between Israel and the American security establishment, especially CENTCOM, in light of the risk they see in Israeli actions to their forces in the region and to relations with the government of Iraq.”
It’s not that the Iranians’ situation is any better. Two former military intelligence officers, Brig. Gen. (res.) Dr. Shimon Shapira and Lt. Col. (res.) Michael Segal wrote in a publication of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs this week that the many strikes at Iranian targets around the Middle East have led “let to sharp internal discussion within Iran concerning the continuing lack of success – especially on the important front against Israel– in establishing attack capabilities and a significant military traction along its border.
This, in contrast to the Iranian successes in managing the campaign against Saudi Arabia from Yemenite territory and the repeated attacks on strategic targets in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.”
According to the officers, “Iran feels that Israel is changing and expanding the boundaries of the campaign it is conducting against it and against its allies in the region and even getting closer to its borders, against the background of the attacks in Iraq and the concern that Israel will be a part of a maritime police force in the Persian Gulf.
Thus far Iran has succeeded in managing the campaign against Israel and its regional rivals far from its borders. Now it has to make adjustments to its nationals security policy in light of the way the campaign is drawing closer.”
America’s Israel-China issue
There is another cloud that continues to hover over relations between Israel and the United States, which has to do with the economic and technological relations between Israel and China. As Haaretz has been reporting in the past year, Washington is applying increasing pressure on Jerusalem to take measures to limit its deals with China, especially in any area that has security implications or touches upon advanced technology, which the Americans view as a risk to their national security.
Channel 13 News reported last month that Netanyahu had promised American National Security Advisor John Bolton that Israel would stand by its previous commitment and at long last establish a mechanism to examine foreign investments before the September 17 election. A Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (known by its acronym CFIUS) already exists and is supposed to oversee large investments, especially from China, and thwart attempts at hostile takeovers of firms involved in sensitive areas. However, in the Middle East, as Yitzhak Rabin once remarked, there are no sacred dates. And in the meantime, there are no signs that the promise to Bolton will be implemented on time.
Assaf Orion, who has been following this affair in recent years, sees a major crisis ahead. He finds parallels between the current disagreement and two previous crises with the Americans at the start of the previous decade, surrounding the Falcon spy plane deal with China and another surrounding the upgrade of the Harpy drone. In the past, too, he told Haaretz, Israel’s prime ministers and senior defense ministry personnel believed that good working relations with the president of the United States and the Pentagon would help resolve crises, because in their view Israel did not betray the Americans’ trust.
“In actuality, it emerged at that time that in the encounter between a superpower and its junior partner, it is more important how the superpower sees the disagreement. The sense that it is something that can be resolved quietly was proven wrong.” In both cases, Israel had to pull out of the Chinese deals and the American administration saw to the dismissal and boycott of high-ranking Israelis who were involved in them.
Orion said that “in 2017 Israel and China established an inclusive partnership for technological innovation. The economic echelons here didn’t see any problem with it. The security echelons have difficulty influencing the way things go and the prime minister believes he can solve every problem thanks to his close relations with the president and his influence on Congress.
The United States and China are competing on leading in innovation in areas like artificial intelligence, robotics and autonomous weapons and the Americans see this as an issue of the first order for their national security. This doesn’t end with the disagreement over the contract with a Chinese firm to built the Haifa port, or in their opposition to Israel installing 5G cellular networks by means of the Chinese Huawei company. They will object across the board to our cooperation with China in areas of innovation – and the crisis can be expected to worsen.”