English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For May 04/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews21/english.may04.21.htm
 

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Bible Quotations For today
every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies
Second Letter to the Corinthians 04/05-15/:’For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture ‘I believed, and so I spoke’ we also believe, and so we speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 03- 04/2021

The LEBANON CRISIS of today/ Judge Charbel Helou/May 03/2021
Canada’s casinos are Hezbollah’s new crossing for money laundering
Health Ministry: 249 new Corona cases, 21 deaths
Report: French Minister 'Confines' His Lebanon Meetings to Aoun, Berri
Israel, Lebanon to return to maritime border talks on Tuesday
Aoun, Lebanese Team Meet before Resumption of Maritime Talks
President Aoun addresses financing card issue with PM Diab
Authorities Detain Two Suspected of Drug Smuggling to Saudi Arabia
Sunni Mufti Of Tripoli Malek Shaar: Lebanon Is Perfectly Capable Of Defending Its Borders Against Israel, It No Longer Needs Hizbullah; Iran Uses Hizbullah To Call The Shots In Lebanon/MEMRI/May 03/2021
Police Arrest Robbers Stealing Electricity Cables
Lebanon's central bank chief says French properties bought prior to becoming governor
Captagon laboratories distribution map between Lebanon and Syria… “death”, spread over large areas/Gladis Saab/SBI/May 03/2021
Lebanon needs a system that listens to people/Abduljalil Alsaeid/SBI/May 03/2021
Raymond Ibrahim on ‘Disarming Hezbollah’/Raymond Ibrahim/May 03/2021

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 03- 04/2021

Iran’s Khamenei’s representative in IRGC slams FM Zarif over leaked remarks
Blinken in UK as G7 Foreign Ministers Resume In-person Talks
Pentagon voices concern after latest attack on US interests in Iraq
US President Joe Biden lifts refugee admissions cap
EU Eyes Letting Fully Vaccinated Travelers into Bloc
Iran Denies US Prisoner Swap Reports
Syrian Court Accepts 3 Candidates to Run for President
Iran wants to use China to counter US - what are the implications?
Canada/Minister Garneau and Japan’s Foreign Minister Motegi expand Indo-Pacific cooperation

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 03- 04/2021

Mixed messages on Iran-US deals and 'prisoners' - analysis/Seth J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/May 03/2021
Article On Al-Jazeera Website: Ramadan, 'Month Of Jihad And Victories,' Is The Season Of Palestinian Armed Operations/MEMRI/May 03/2021
Zarif reveals true face of Iranian regime/Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/May 03, 2021
 

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 03- 04/2021

The LEBANON CRISIS of today
 Judge Charbel Helou/May 03/2021

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/98505/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%82%d8%a7%d8%b6%d9%8a-%d8%b4%d8%b1%d8%a8%d9%84-%d8%ad%d9%84%d9%88-%d9%85%d8%b5%d8%b7%d9%84%d8%ad-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d9%83%d8%b2%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%81/
It was never a matter of "Separate Crises"... that could be resolved or at least dealt with, only separately.It is not just about the monetary, financial, banking and economic "Aspects" of "Issues" that we are experiencing today.
It is not just about the governmental, parliamentary, judicial and administrative "Defects" and poor results that we are collecting today.
It is, and it has to be, all about How to Obtain an insightful Overview and a clear Vision of a Constitutional Path, that should aim for an extendable and rewarding "BUILDING UP System".
An Auto-Constructive (not auto-destructive) System, consisting of a clear and concise functional CONSTITUTION that target straightforward the roots of the three Branches (Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary) from the people, by the people, with the people, for the people. Most importantly, arming them with a really strong and solid "CHECKS and BAKANCES System", and start by get out of the slanting slogans that still place the "unshrunk patches" on a new piece of cloth.

Canada’s casinos are Hezbollah’s new crossing for money laundering
SBI/May 03/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/98501/%d8%ad%d8%b2%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%84%d9%87-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d9%83%d9%86%d8%af%d8%a7-%d8%ba%d8%b3%d9%84-%d8%a3%d9%85%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84-%d9%88%d8%aa%d9%87%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a8-%d9%85%d8%ae%d8%af/
Weapons and drugs exist wherever Hezbollah exist, whether in Lebanon or any country which it has managed to reach to.
Hezbollah’s corruption has degraded this time in Canada, as ‘Al-Arabiya’ has revealed that the Canadian federal government has designated a committee to investigate money laundering operations that take place through gambling in Vancouver casinos and drug trafficking. A network affiliated with the Iranian regime and Hezbollah militias are involved in these practices. The committee provided Al Arabiya with the investigation text, which was conducted last March. An officer has revealed Iran and Hezbollah’s involvement in the money laundering process. “We have seen their continuing affinity (the Iranian regime and Hezbollah network) with the Chinese networks that are active in illegal business in Canada,” said Calvin Chrustie, a former officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, referring to “phone calls” between the two parties. Chrustie continued, “If we observe the monitored calls and the recordings, we recognize that some of the calls have been received from a person officially known to have close ties to Hezbollah, which is affiliated to Iran and one of its proxies … and we will see gangs of Chinese origins and their networks receive security from Iranian networks.”He added, “I watched these criminal groups evolve, and most importantly, they are cooperating with each other, and there is convergence between these networks.” Former Canadian Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Chris Alexander said, “Investigations in these matters are dangerous and complex, but Canadian authorities are trying to address them and this is a complicated matter in dealing with Iran and its networks,” according to Al-Arabiya. It is noteworthy that Canada has placed the Lebanese Hezbollah on the terrorist list since 2002.

Health Ministry: 249 new Corona cases, 21 deaths
NNA/May 03/2021
The Ministry of Public Health announced, on Monday, the registration of 249 new Corona infections, thus bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 528,457. It also indicated that 21 deaths were recorded during the past 24 hours..

Report: French Minister 'Confines' His Lebanon Meetings to Aoun, Berri
Naharnet/May 03/2021
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is reportedly expected to limit his upcoming meetings in Lebanon with President Michel Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri, the Saudi Asharq el-Awsat newspaper reported on Monday. Le Drian, expected to arrive Wednesday in Beirut, has “confined” his meetings to Aoun and Berri without any intention to meet other parties concerned with the formation of the government “mainly PM-designate Saad Hariri,” reported the daily. Political sources in Lebanon concerned with forming the government, met the French move with “astonishment” and a “negative shock” in the absence of any French explanation to justify excluding the most important political components of Le Drian's meetings in Beirut, it added. “It is up to him (Hariri) alone to choose the appropriate time to make the change without observing what others (Aoun) want, not to defend himself, but more importantly to put things on the right track in parallel with Le Drian’s communications,” said the sources. They added that the stalled government formation can not be blamed on those who “support the French initiative by actions, not by words,” hinting at Hariri. Asharq el-Awsat “prominent” sources in Paris, said Le Drian is carrying “three important” files to address in Lebanon, and that the United States of America and Britain are preparing joint sanctions on “corrupt” parties in Lebanon that are also hampering the government formation.
 

Israel, Lebanon to return to maritime border talks on Tuesday

Jerusalem Post/May 03/2021

The talks will take place at the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) base in Naquora, near Rosh Hanikra, with US mediation, as they did in October and November of 2020. Israel and Lebanon plan to resume negotiations on their maritime border on Tuesday, after talks broke down last year. The talks will take place, with US mediation, at the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) base in Naquora, near Rosh Hanikra, as they did in October and November of 2020. Energy Ministry Director-General Udi Adiri will lead the Israeli delegation, which also includes high-level representatives of the Foreign Ministry and IDF. “The goal of the delegation in the meetings,” Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz’s spokesman said, “is to examine the possibility of reaching an agreement on setting the maritime border between the countries and to find a solution that will allow for the development of natural resources in the region for the welfare of residents of the region.” Jerusalem and Beirut entered negotiations in October for the first time in 30 years, holding four meetings before talks stopped. The border dispute is about a triangular area of the Mediterranean Sea that starts at the countries’ land border, and is 5-6 km. wide on average. The area constitutes about 2% of Israel’s economic waters. During last year’s negotiations, Lebanon upped its demand with a line extending much further south, increasing the disputed area from about 860 sq.km. to 2,300 sq.km.Two weeks ago, Lebanese Public Works and Transportation Minister Michel Najjar announced that the greater demands would be submitted to the UN, but Lebanese President Michel Aoun stopped the process. Israel drew its own map in response to Lebanon’s increased demands, claiming more than double the area of the Mediterranean Sea that is currently in dispute. The map was first published by The Jerusalem Post last week. The Energy Ministry only planned to use the map if Lebanon moves forward with submitting its new position to the UN.
 

Aoun, Lebanese Team Meet before Resumption of Maritime Talks
Naharnet/May 03/2021
President Michel Aoun met at Baabda Palace the members of Lebanon’s delegation leading the indirect sea border talks with Israel, as the talks prepare to resume this week, the National News Agency reported on Monday.
NNA said the meeting was held in the presence of Army chief General Joseph Aoun. Months after they stalled, a U.S.-mediating team said the talks between Lebanon and Israel over their disputed maritime border are to resume on Tuesday. Resolving the border issue could pave the way for lucrative oil and gas deals on both sides, mainly for Lebanon’s devastated economy. The negotiations first began last in October and stopped a few weeks later. They were the first non-security talks between the two countries, which have no diplomatic relations and are technically in a state of war. Israel and Lebanon each claim about 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea. But in the second round of talks, the Lebanese delegation — a mix of army officers and experts — offered a new map that pushes for an additional 1,430 square kilometers (550 square miles) for Lebanon. The U.S. team, led by Ambassador John Desrocher, will arrive in Lebanon Monday ahead of the resumption of the talks on Tuesday. The U.S. State Department said the resumption would be a “positive step towards a long-awaited resolution.”The previous rounds of the U.S-mediated talks, hosted by the U.N., took place at a border post. Israel's Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz is leading the negotiations for the Israeli side.Earlier this month, Lebanon's outgoing public works minister, Michel Najjar, signed a decree extending Lebanon’s claim to include additional 1,430 square kilometers (550 square miles) at sea, though the decree still requires the president's signature. The Lebanese government resigned in August and is acting in a caretaker capacity. Efforts to form a new one have so far failed. Israel has already developed offshore natural gas rigs, producing enough for domestic consumption and export abroad. Officials in Lebanon, which is going through its worst economic crisis, hope its own oil and gas discoveries will help alleviate its troubles.

President Aoun addresses financing card issue with PM Diab
NNA/May 03/2021 
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, met with Prime Minister, Dr. Hassan Diab, this afternoon at the Presidential Palace, with whom he tackled the issue of the financing card which is being prepared to face current economic conditions.
World Press Freedom Day:
On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, the President tweeted:
"Greetings to the Lebanese media and those working in it, on the World Press Freedom Day. Media freedom, in essence and application, is at the core of Lebanon's mission, but all freedom is capped by truth, conscience and morals.
My call to the Lebanese media is to be a voice of truth and the sword of the straight word in the face of corruption and the deviation of values". ---[Presidency Information Office]

Authorities Detain Two Suspected of Drug Smuggling to Saudi Arabia
Associated Press/May 03/2021
Lebanese authorities have arrested two brothers suspected of smuggling drugs in pomegranate shipments to Saudi Arabia, leading the kingdom to ban Lebanese fruits and vegetables, the outgoing interior minister said Sunday.Mohamed Fahmi told local MTV television station during a tour to the Lebanon-Syria border that Interpol is also following a third suspect. He gave no further details, saying only that the case is still under investigation. In late April, Saudi Arabia announced it had seized over 5 million pills of the amphetamine Captagon hidden in a shipment of pomegranates coming from Lebanon. Fahmi said that 2,000 pomegranates out of about 80,000 in the shipment were filled with Captagon pills. "It is very difficult to find them without scanners," Fahmi said. Asked if the Hizbullah group is involved, Fahmi said that according to his security information, they were not. The United States had accused Hizbullah in the past of being involved in the drugs trade. The group strongly denies such charges. The ban by Saudi Arabia came as Lebanon is undergoing its worst economic crisis in its history. While Saudi Arabia has been a major supporter of Lebanon, the kingdom has also been locked in a regional struggle with Iran, the main ally of the powerful Lebanese group Hizbullah. Tension between the two regional powerhouses have often spilled into a deadlock in decision-making in Lebanese politics. Saudi Arabia is among the Gulf countries that imposed sanctions on Hizbullah. Lebanon's Farmers Union called on the kingdom to repeal its decision. It said the mistake of one person or a criminal gang should not be a reason to punish the Lebanese people.

Sunni Mufti Of Tripoli Malek Shaar: Lebanon Is Perfectly Capable Of Defending Its Borders Against Israel, It No Longer Needs Hizbullah; Iran Uses Hizbullah To Call The Shots In Lebanon
MEMRI/May 03/2021
Source: The Internet - "Radio Sawt Beirut International (Lebanon)"
Sunni Mufti of Tripoli and North Lebanon Sheikh Malek Shaar said that the Lebanese people have changed their opinion of Hizbullah, and that the Lebanese army is able to defend its borders against Israel. He made these remarks in an interview that aired on Sout Beirut International (Lebanon) on April 26, 2021. Sheikh Shaar said that the resistance has become a pretext for Hizbullah. He added that it is Iran that supplies Hizbullah with money and weapons, and therefore wants to call the shots. It sends Hizbullah to Yemen, Syria, and Bahrain in order to serve the interests of Iran, and it wants to take over the political decision making in Lebanon.
Malek Shaar: "The opinion of the Lebanese is different from what it was in the in the past. Why? Because [Hizbullah's] weapons, ideology, and money has been used for purposes other than the Palestinian cause. The Lebanese trusted [Hizbullah] when it was fighting Israel, even though I am convinced that Lebanon can be defended by its own army and security agencies. Lebanon is capable of defending itself."
Interviewer: "So in your opinion the resistance has become a pretext?"
Shaar: "They started with one thing and ended up with another. There is no doubt about it."
Interviewer: "What is their plan today?"
Shaar: "I believe that their existence is linked to the interests of Iran. Nasrallah has repeatedly stated that their weapons and money come from Iran. Those who provide the weapons and money want to call the shots. They have a certain agenda. Why did [Hizbullah] go to Yemen? Because it is part of the Iranian agenda. Why did [Hizbullah] go to Bahrain and to Syria? This is entirely clear.
"The [Iranians] wish to take over the political decision-making in Lebanon, and force Lebanon to surrender to their views."
Interviewer: "Hasn't Lebanon already submitted to this?"
Shaar: "No, and it never will."
 

Police Arrest Robbers Stealing Electricity Cables
Naharnet/May 03/2021

The Internal Security Forces on Monday arrested a gang of ten Syrians for stealing electricity cables and wires from the public network of the Electricity du Liban leading to extended power outages in the Mountainous areas of Chouf and Aley. The identity of the suspects was identified by the ISF as all Syrian nationals working in junkyard business, the Directorate said in a statement. An ISF patrol managed to arrest the suspects after closely monitoring them in the areas of Aley, Chouf and the Metn district. Large quantities of cables and electric wires were confiscated in their places of residence. The suspects confessed to have stolen the cables.

Lebanon's central bank chief says French properties bought prior to becoming governor
NNA/Reuters/May 03/2021
Lebanon's central bank chief said on Monday his properties in France were all acquired prior to him being appointed governor. Riad Salameh made his comments to Reuters in response to news that a non-profit organisation Sherpa and a group of lawyers had filed a legal complaint to France's financial prosecutor against him over alleged corruption and money laundering. Salameh said he had declared his source of wealth and shown documents "on many occasions" before that prove he was worth ê23 million in 1993, prior to his appointment. ---

Captagon laboratories distribution map between Lebanon and Syria… “death”, spread over large areas
Gladis Saab/SBI/May 03/2021
At least 50 Captagon production plants are distributed between Lebanon, Syria, the most prominent of which is in the northern Bekaa regions, especially Brital and Hermel, while the others are distributed in Qusayr (which includes the largest number) and Qalamoun, especially in the town of Falita, the main road that connects Qalamoun to the Lebanese territories and to Arsal in particular, and the town of Assal al-Ward, the Syrian Center for Hussein Dagou Factories, which was the most heated area during the fierce battles between the regime on the one hand and the opposition factions, first, and then with the terrorist organizations, as they form the most prominent corridor that starts from Ras al-Harf in the Bekaa Valley, passing through the Mabhas region and from there to the town of Toufail, Assal al-Ward .. in addition to the factories that started production in Daraa, according to a source that follows up the smuggling operations, whether it was in the context of “Captagon” or weapons and other materials that provide funding, which began to dry up after the sanctions that affected the Syrian regime according to “Caesar Law” and institutions affiliated with Iran.
An official in the Syrian opposition told Voice of Beirut International that the Syrian regime resorted to creating a smuggling route between it and Lebanon, in cooperation with Hezbollah, to smuggle weapons and drugs in the first place that secures funding for their military system from equipment to the salaries of the elements and their families, and this shows the size of the financial crisis that they live, by taking risks in terms of detecting smuggled shipments, so that they may be able to pass one of the dozens that they export …
Therefore, the agricultural lands between the two countries, especially in the western Qalamoun region, which has become fertile ground for the cultivation of hashish and narcotic substances of all kinds, are considered under the supervision of “Hezbollah” and in cooperation with the Fourth Division led by Maher Al-Assad.The source continues that weapons take a large part of the smuggling process back and forth, as most of these weapons that are transferred to Syria were previously smuggled into Lebanon to protect them from bombing, and here it is necessary to review these crossings, which are divided into 4 main crossings or roads: The first is a military one that was paved by “Hezbollah” for more than a year, it starts from the Lebanese town of Hermel to the town of Nizari in the countryside to reach the most fortified place in Al-Qusayr, where weapons are stored in their warehouses, to be subsequently determined for its transfer destination when necessary and it is protected by Iranian militias through several points . As for the second road, it starts from the town of Labweh, passing through the hills of the town of Arsal, to the Syrian town of Qara in Western Qalamoun. The third crossing, it is at the point separating the Syrian-Lebanese border in a mountainous area in the Ras al-Harf area that was paved to reach Ain al-Jouza area and then the village of al-Toufail (which is administratively affiliated with the Lebanese state) to Rankous in the western countryside of Damascus, and its target is the town of “Al-Qatifah”, which is considered The main center for storing smuggled weapons and contraband.
Regarding the fourth crossing, which is the longest among the aforementioned, it is used by the Iranian and Lebanese militias in order to secure smuggled materials into the Syrian interior. It was adopted recently to avoid targeting smuggled cargoes by the “Israeli Air Force”.
Here, the source identifies the most important activities carried out by “Hezbollah” at the Lebanese-Syrian border, the most prominent of which is the purchase of large agricultural areas in several areas, including Ain Al-Jouza through a number of brokers, where these lands are transferred to become suitable for drug cultivation and the construction of “Captagon” laboratories by Hassan Duqo and his partners “Thus, the region becomes a huge center for these pills production, and they are considered very safe, especially since the area is of a mountainous nature full of caves.
The source points out that there is a very active aspect within the party’s plan, which is equal to the importance of the materials mentioned previously, and it has not been significantly highlighted, it is related to chemical waste plants that extend from Asasl AL-Award – Rankos – Qalamoun, which were previously lands cultivated with thousands of fruit trees. This matter was raised. In the past, however, no result was reached, which led to a complete change in the features of the region.
The “Wadi Hanna” area, which is about 2 km from the Lebanese-Syrian border, has its share of chemical weapons, where a tunnel and a warehouse for these weapons were dug , that reaches the inside of the Lebanese mountains and is called Sahlat AL-may area.

Lebanon needs a system that listens to people
Abduljalil Alsaeid/SBI/May 03/2021
“Lebanon needs a system that gives everyone, regardless of their identity or place of birth, the opportunity to listen to them,” with these words Sheik Bahaa Hariri stated the citizens’ reality, who are suffering from the situation the country is going through. If this desired system in Lebanon is the best hope for all the Lebanese, to start solving the economic hurdles, especially that there aren’t any indicators for forming a government, then building new and better country for the future generations, requires politicians who are ready to prioritize the country’s interests over theirs. They also need to keep Lebanon away and independent of Iran’s negotiations with the West. Between the Eastern alliance project, which is proposed by Gebran Bassil, and the bankrupt and Iranian occupation project, another project emerges were all Lebanese should listen to. It is a partnership project with the 2030 vision that introduces Lebanon and the Arabs into globalization through moderation, peace, stability and human development. Lebanon’s choice is obvious in resisting the Iranian occupation and adhering to the Arab strategic integration with the Gulf countries. Strategic integration with Arab countries that have global economic and political presence is the best response to Gebran Bassil’s Iranian project, for an alliance of minorities titled ‘Levantine Alliance’, which is the code name of the “Iranian Crescent”. Even if the “Impedance axis” and the “minorities alliance” were camouflaged by pushing Jordan and Palestine into it, it is an alliance for wasting time in order to plunge Lebanon again into the obsession of the Iranian ruling party in Lebanon. How did the Aouni covenant served the Lebanese? especially that the economic results are catastrophic, and the living conditions are getting worse every day, and the country is witnessing an unprecedented chaos.
Gebran Bassil’s defense of ‘Hezbollah militia’ and its sabotage internal and external project, enlightens his Presidential tendencies and dreams, with the support of Hassan Nasrallah and Iran, in order to destroy what has been left from Lebanon. If the general mood in Lebanon today is not subject to the concepts of dealing with Iran as a partner, but rather considering it an occupier seeking the state’s failure, then the Lebanese have the choice to refuse recycling the wastes of the Aounist era.

Raymond Ibrahim on ‘Disarming Hezbollah’
Raymond Ibrahim/May 03/2021
https://youtu.be/s8d37KcYZwY
https://www.raymondibrahim.com/2021/05/03/video-raymond-ibrahim-on-disarming-hezbollah/

I recently appeared in a brief documentary video by Church Militant titled “Disarming Hezbollah.” The transcript follows the video below:
TRANSCRIPT
Lebanon is spiraling into collapse, and the prime minister [Saad al-Hariri] asked Pope Francis Thursday, local time, for help. Hariri asked the pope to visit the beleaguered country, but Francis told the Sunni Muslim he could only do so after a new government is formed to handle the crisis.
Catholic-Maronite cardinal Bechara al-Rahi is allied with the prime minister against both the Christian president and the president’s Shia terrorist allies. Shia-Hezbollah is a major political force with its own militia, which is said to be larger than the Lebanese army.
Islam scholar Raymond Ibrahim: “Hezbollah, of course, the Iranian proxy that’s there — are its interests in Lebanon, or are its interests and loyalty in Iran to wage war against Israel? That’s the real question. I personally believe the latter.”
Cardinal Rahi is harnessing the popular civilian movement against the government to demand Hezbollah disarm its militia as part of the reforms.
Ibrahim: “He’s been coming off robustly against Hezbollah, which is usually not common for that area and for political reasons because Hezbollah portrays itself as a defender of Lebanon and whatnot. But he [Rahi] sees through it, and other people see through it.”
Hezbollah began solely as an Iranian-backed militia group in the 1980s to fight against the Israelis. After gaining major political power in the early 2000s, Hezbollah ramped up assassinations and terrorist attacks in both Lebanon and other nations.
Cdl. Rahi: “We support understanding between countries instead of wars. We support peace conferences between countries instead of wars. Wars are vile and it is the people who suffer their consequences.”
Cardinal Rahi is accusing Hezbollah of wanting to start a war with Israel. Rahi favors Lebanese neutrality over spreading Islamist wars.
Cdl. Rahi: “But here, in Lebanon, it is not the government who handles this issue — [it’s] a certain party, Hezbollah, of course. Who is talking war and peace with Israel? The Lebanese State? Who calls the shots? Isn’t it Hezbollah?”
Lebanon was formed after the First World War with the idea Christians, Sunnis and Shias could share power in peace. Peace cannot last, however, when one party — known terrorists — have all the guns.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 03- 04/2021

Iran’s Khamenei’s representative in IRGC slams FM Zarif over leaked remarks
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/04 May ,2021
Iran’s foreign minister’s criticism of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its late commander Qassem Soleimani in a leaked interview is an “unforgettable injustice,” the supreme leader’s representative in the IRGC said on Monday. In the leaked interview, aired last week by the London-based Iran International TV station, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif complained about having little influence over foreign policy compared with the IRGC and Soleimani. Soleimani headed the Quds Force, the overseas arm of the IRGC, and was considered the most powerful figure in Iran after the supreme leader. He was killed in a US airstrike in Iraq in January 2020. Zarif’s leaked comments caused an uproar among the political class in Iran, where criticism of the IRGC and Soleimani is a red line. The foreign minister has been under pressure from political rivals since the leak. Abdollah Haji Sadeghi, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative in the IRGC, described Zarif’s leaked remarks as “false accusations” against Soleimani and the IRGC, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency. “We tolerate these injustices, but we will never forget [them],” Sadeghi said. He suggested there were “electoral motives” behind Zarif’s comments. “Unfortunately, there are electoral motives behind … degrading great human beings, and some seek to magnify themselves by degrading other human beings.” Iran is due to hold presidential elections on June 18, and although Zarif has said he will not run for president, some “reformists” have suggested him as a possible candidate. Through his “baseless and false” comments, Zarif did a disservice to not only Soleimani, but to all Iranian “martyrs” and their families, Sadeghi said. On Sunday, Khamenei described Zarif’s comments as “surprising and unfortunate,” and accused him of echoing US talking points. Responding to Zarif’s complaints about lack of authority, Khamenei said a foreign ministry’s job is to implement policies set out by superior bodies and officials. “Nowhere in the world does the foreign ministry determine foreign policy,” he added. Zarif took to Instagram shortly after Khamenei’s speech, apologizing for displeasing the supreme leader. “I am very sorry that some of my personal views... have upset the noble supreme leader,” he wrote.
Zarif had said last week his “honest” comments in the recording were mischaracterized as personal criticism.

Blinken in UK as G7 Foreign Ministers Resume In-person Talks
Agence France Presse/May 03/2021
Britain this week hosts the first face-to-face meeting of G7 foreign ministers in two years, joined by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as world powers tackle pandemic recovery plus growing tensions with Russia and China. The Covid-secure gathering in London will prepare the ground for a G7 summit in southwest England next month, which will mark Joe Biden's inaugural visit to Europe as US president. Both events will also be joined by Indian leaders. Many of the G7 nations have rallied to India's aid as the world's most populous democracy confronts a terrifying surge of coronavirus cases, although the pandemic is ebbing elsewhere in the West thanks to mass vaccination drives. After its Brexit withdrawal from the European Union, Britain is reorienting its foreign policy towards the Asia-Pacific region, and British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will also play host this week to ministers from Australia, South Korea and the ASEAN bloc. In the face of Russian "lies and propaganda" over Ukraine and other fronts, Raab said he wants the G7 "to come together with a rapid rebuttal mechanism" against disinformation. Blinken is en route to Ukraine this week pledging "unwavering" US support after Russian troops had massed on its border. In bilateral talks Monday before the G7 ministers sit down to a working dinner, Raab and Blinken will discuss Afghanistan, China, Iran and trade, according to the British Foreign Office. Like Russia, China also stands accused by Western intelligence of unleashing trolls on social media, and of using foreign-language arms of its state media to channel an aggressive line on issues such as the plight of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. On China, the US expects the G7 "to discuss how we can work closely with our allies and partners to address our collective challenges from a position of strength", senior State Department official Erica Barks-Ruggles told reporters.
Anger over aid cuts
More generally, Raab said, "we'll be taking action to ensure fair access to vaccines around the world, setting global girls' education targets, agreeing ambitious action on climate change and developing new measures to prevent famine". However, Britain is facing an outcry from campaigners after slashing its aid budget, with United Nations agencies including the children's arm UNICEF warning of a devastating impact for millions of people around the world. But like others in the G7, Britain says it must cope with budget pressures brought on by enormous spending to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, even as the group promises funding towards equitable vaccine access for poorer countries. The G7 groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, plus the EU. In addition to the Asia-Pacific guests, South Africa will attend this week and June's summit. The last in-person meeting of foreign ministers from the world's leading economic powers took place in the seaside resort of Dinard, northwest France, in April 2019. When the G7 ministers reconvene for formal talks on Tuesday and Wednesday, they will have an on-site testing facility and Perspex screens to separate them in meetings, and Britain has enforced limits on the size of each delegation. "The meetings will be a demonstration of how to conduct diplomatic business safely and successfully as we recover from the pandemic," the Foreign Office said. Britain is also gearing up to host the UN's next climate change summit, COP 26, in Glasgow in November.
"The pandemic and the climate crisis are the latest reminders that we are bound together in a global community," Barks-Ruggles said, after Biden restored the United States to global climate talks on replacing former president Donald Trump. "Our history of shared values with our G7 partners will be a firm base as we work to meet these global challenges," the US official added.

Pentagon voices concern after latest attack on US interests in Iraq
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/03 May ,2021
The Pentagon voiced concern over the continued attacks on Iraqi bases hosting US troops and contractors, the Defense Department’s spokesman said Monday. But the US will respond once it is determined who was behind the attack and if it is deemed necessary, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters. Kirby defended the deterrence methods being used by US forces in Iraq, a place where Iran-backed militias have carried out rocket attacks against or near areas with US forces. “That you get occasional attacks doesn’t mean that all deterrence measures aren’t working. I mean, obviously, you want zero,” Kirby said. He also noted that there was no credible attribution to determine those responsible for Monday’s attack. Earlier Monday, at least three rockets hit Balad Air Base in Baghdad. US officials said no American troops or anti-ISIS Coalition troops were stationed there - but private US contractors are. Kirby reiterated that no injuries or casualties were reported. It was the second attack in as many days on a base that houses US troops. The Pentagon official also stressed that the US was in Iraq at the government's invitation to fight ISIS.

US President Joe Biden lifts refugee admissions cap
Reuters/04 May ,2021
US President Joe Biden said on Monday he has resurrected a plan to raise refugee admissions this year to 62,500 after drawing a wave of criticism from supporters for initially keeping the refugee cap at a historically low level. A Democrat, Biden formally reversed himself just two weeks after his administration announced it would keep the cap at the 15,000 level set by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, an immigration hawk. In a statement, Biden said his action “erases the historically low number set by the previous administration of 15,000, which did not reflect America’s values as a nation that welcomes and supports refugees.”“It is important to take this action today to remove any lingering doubt in the minds of refugees around the world who have suffered so much, and who are anxiously waiting for their new lives to begin,” he said. Soon after taking office in January, Biden pledged to ramp up the program but then surprised allies when he opted to stick with the lower cap out of concern over bad optics, given the rising number of migrants crossing the US southern border with Mexico, US officials have said. Biden’s flip-flopping drew the ire of refugee advocates and some Democratic lawmakers. Trump steadily slashed the size of the refugee program during his term in office, and Biden officials say the cuts have made quickly raising admissions more difficult. But the refugee program is distinct from the asylum system for migrants. Refugees come from all over the world, many fleeing conflict. They undergo extensive vetting while still overseas to be cleared for entry to the US, unlike migrants who arrive at a US border and then request asylum. Biden said it was doubtful the US would be able to welcome a total of 62,500 refugees by the end of the current fiscal year on Sept. 30, or reach a goal of 125,000 admissions next year. “The sad truth is that we will not achieve 62,500 admissions this year. We are working quickly to undo the damage of the last four years. It will take some time, but that work is already under way,” he said. A White House official said Biden now wanted to raise the cap regardless of capacity limitations to “send a very clear message that refugee processing is a critical part of America’s place in the world,” acknowledging the initial lower announcement “did not send the right message.”Delays in Biden’s decision making on the issue led to hundreds of canceled flights for refugees already cleared to travel to the US, often after years of waiting, refugee groups said

EU Eyes Letting Fully Vaccinated Travelers into Bloc
Agence France Presse/May 03/2021
The European Union's executive on Monday proposed that travellers who are fully vaccinated with EU-approved jabs be able once again to enter the bloc, if they come from countries keeping Covid-19 at bay. "The Commission proposes to allow entry to the EU for non-essential reasons not only for all persons coming from countries with a good epidemiological situation but also all people who have received the last recommended dose of an EU-authorised vaccine," the European Commission said.

Iran Denies US Prisoner Swap Reports
Agence France Presse/May 03/2021
Iran on Monday denied media reports suggesting a prisoner swap deal had been reached with the United States, in parallel with nuclear talks involving the two arch-rivals. "The reports from informed sources are not confirmed, as it was said in the past," foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a news conference. But he added that "there are always plans and ideas to be pursued", without elaborating. His comments came after outlets including Iranian state television on Sunday quoted an "informed" source saying that Tehran and Washington would swap prisoners. "Under pressure from the (US) Congress and the need for immediate results" in the nuclear file, "the Americans agreed to pay $7 million and release four Iranians... in exchange for four American spies," the source reportedly said. A senior White House official had also denied the report on Sunday. "There is no agreement to release these four Americans," White House chief of staff Ron Klain said on CBS's "Face the Nation". "We're working very hard to get them released. So far there is no agreement to bring these four Americans home," he said. Iran's state broadcaster also reported that British-Iranian dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Radcliffe, who has been held in the country since 2016, would be freed -- but British officials played down that report. The reports came as Iran takes part in talks with world powers over reviving the 2015 deal over its nuclear programme. On Saturday, negotiators meeting in the Austrian capital Vienna expressed "cautious and growing optimism" for a solution. The agreement, which curbs Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, has been on life support since then-US president Donald Trump withdrew in 2018. Khatibzadeh said Monday that the issue of prisoners "has and always will be a humanitarian one, and figures on Iran's agenda, regardless of any negotiations". Iran and the United States have had no diplomatic relations since 1980, and tensions between the two countries worsened during Trump's tenure. But the two countries have released each others' citizens in the past, most recently in June 2020, when the US freed Iranian scientist Majid Teheri as Tehran set free US Navy veteran Michael White.

Syrian Court Accepts 3 Candidates to Run for President
Associated Press/May 03/2021
Syria's Supreme Constitutional Court has accepted three applications out of 51 for candidacy for this month's presidential elections in the war-torn country, state media reported Monday.The largely symbolic election is certain to be won by President Bashar Assad, who was chosen along with two other men, Abdullah Salloum Abdullah and Mahmoud Ahmad Marie, to run. Some 51 candidates, including seven women, had applied to be candidates. The Parliament later referred the names to the constitutional court. The presidential vote, Syria's second since civil war broke out in 2011, is scheduled to be held on May 26. Syrians abroad will vote on May 20. Mohamad Jihad Lahham, the president of the Supreme Constitutional Court, said the court accepted the three candidates and rejected the rest because they did not meet the constitutional and legal requirements. Lahham said that those whose candidacies have been rejected have the right to appeal before the court within three days. Assad won nearly 90% of the votes in the 2014 elections and is widely expected to win a fourth seven-year term. He has held power since 2000, when he took over after the death of his father, who ran the country for 30 years. Syria began allowing multi-candidate voting in the 2014 elections. Competition with Assad was symbolic and seen by opposition and Western countries as a sham designed to give the incumbent president the veneer of legitimacy. The international community is unlikely to recognize the legitimacy of the upcoming elections. According to the U.N. resolution for a political resolution of the conflict in Syria, a new constitution is supposed to be drafted and approved in a public referendum before U.N.-monitored presidential elections are to take place. But little progress has been made on the drafting committee and Assad continues to have the backing of Russia and Iran. In March, the Biden administration said it will not recognize the result of Syria's presidential election unless the voting is free, fair, supervised by the United Nations and represents all of Syrian society. Syria has been in the throes of civil war since 2011, when Arab Spring-inspired protests against the Assad family rule turned into an armed insurgence in response to a brutal military crackdown.

Iran wants to use China to counter US - what are the implications?

Jerusalem Post/May 03/2021

This shift to the east is a topic that has been discussed openly in Iran for years, including in its leading media.
Iran has been increasing ties to China in recent years, impressively securing a 25-year cooperation agreement with Beijing. The details of the deal are still obscure, but Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei tweeted about the importance of China on Sunday. The point of his message should not be lost on the region. Iran is signaling that it can balance the US role in the region through work with Russia and China. Russia is a known quantity, but China’s emerging role has far-reaching consequences. “The Islamic Revolution removed Iran from being under the control of the US,” the Ayatollah wrote. “That is why you see them becoming angry when Iran establishes political and economic ties with China, Russia and its other neighbors.” Iran usually depicts the US as an arrogant power that it is resisting. But this message is interesting because it juxtaposes Iran’s desire for a deal with the US with the power of China, specifically mentioned before Russia in the message. This shift to the East is a topic that has been discussed openly in Iran for years, including in its leading media. There is no consensus on the shift to the East because some fear China will get an outsized role and that Iran’s desire to get out from US sanctions will lead it into a subservient position with Beijing. That is an important issue because Iran’s whole narrative of its “revolution” has generally been that it is a “third way” between the East and the West and that it is self-sufficient. Iran’s leaders secretly know the country’s economy is in shambles and its army is weak. It thrives on projecting power using other means, such as feeding off the chaos and weakness in Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon. Overall, however, Iran is more a nuisance on the world stage than a global actor. Were it not for things such as the nuclear program and its constant threats to the US, Israel and other American partners, it would be viewed as a second-rate power. That Iran is hinting at its ability to lever China against the US has ramifications for the region. Other countries in the region, such as Israel and the UAE, have amicable relations with China, and Beijing sees stability as important.
That means China’s view is not necessarily Iran’s view of the region. Beijing doesn’t necessarily want to empower “resistance” in the same way. China is likely happy to see the US role reduced, but even Beijing doesn’t want the US to melt away and leave insecurity and global trade routes under threat without the power of the US Navy present. In some ways, China’s rise has been aided by the global hegemony the US carved out after the end of the Cold War. China’s Belt and Road Initiative is predicated on stability. What might that mean for Iran’s overall behavior? Tehran may want to show the US that it can go elsewhere, for instance, to China. But it also knows its antagonistic behavior and use of asymmetric force is not welcomed in Beijing the way the US has tended to run to put out crises caused by Iran. An Iran that is increasingly anchored in China may seek a more cautious and pragmatic regional role, if only because when it comes to Beijing, there is no need for Tehran to bluster and threaten because it will achieve nothing through threats. Beijing is also studying what it can gain from Tehran. Iran is a large and important country of strategic value. It has vast human resources and can serve as a trade nexus. But it needs investment in rail and other infrastructure. Unseating the US by working with Tehran can only go so far because the next step for China is to make its Iran investment pay off. When China reaches that stage, there will be many questions in Tehran about whether they made the right choice to shift to the East and how their behavior may change.

Canada/Minister Garneau and Japan’s Foreign Minister Motegi expand Indo-Pacific cooperation
May 3, 2021 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today met with Motegi Toshimitsu, Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, on the margins of the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers’ Meeting, in London, United Kingdom.
The two ministers underlined the long-standing relationship of their countries, which is underpinned by a rich history of cooperation and a shared desire to promote greater peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. They highlighted the many shared values, including support for the rules-based international order and the commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region, as expressed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Japan’s then-prime minister, Abe Shinzo, in April 2019 and reaffirmed by Prime Minister Trudeau and Japan’s current prime minister, Suga Yoshihide, in February 2021.
Building on the leaders’ shared vision, the ministers agreed on six areas of bilateral cooperation that will benefit both countries and advance common interests in the Indo-Pacific region. These six areas are the rule of law, security cooperation, energy security, health, trade promotion, and the environment and climate change.
The two ministers underscored the importance of promoting peace and security in the region, including countering North Korea’s maritime sanctions evasion. Minister Garneau emphasized Canada’s commitment to regional security, noting that he and the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, recently announced the renewal of Operation NEON, Canada’s contribution to a coordinated multinational effort to support the implementation of United Nations Security Council sanctions imposed against North Korea.
The ministers exchanged views on other ongoing priorities, including relations with China, the military coup in Myanmar, cooperation on international trade, closer Canada-Japan collaboration on climate change, and the upcoming Tokyo Olympic & Paralympic Games. Minister Garneau also expressed gratitude for Japan’s endorsement of the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State relations.
Finally, the two ministers expressed enthusiasm for working together bilaterally and multilateral forums, including through the G7, to uphold shared values, promote economic cooperation and trade, and defend a rules-based.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 03- 04/2021

Mixed messages on Iran-US deals and 'prisoners' - analysis
Seth J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/May 03/2021
It would appear rumors about a rapid return to a deal and US appeasement of Iran’s regime may not be on the cards as quickly as some have predicted. Reports on Sunday that a “prisoner deal” was in the works in which Iran would free several hostages in exchange for some $7 billion in “frozen assets” were retracted later in the day and Iran continued to say that the discussions were on the table but that it was unclear why sources had leaked news of the deal on Sunday. What was the point and what was achieved?
It was Iranian state media that had said that four Americans “accused of spying” would be exchanged for four Iranians held in the US and that Iran would get a massive amount of money which it says are frozen Iranian oil funds. The US government later denied that an agreement has been reached.
Iran then said it couldn’t be confirmed and Iranian media on Monday said the “prisoner” issue was still on the agenda. Iran foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh noted that the $7 billion must be released anyway as part of any discussions with the US. Iran demands this money back as well as other frozen assets.
The rumors of the deal set off controversy in the US among those who oppose the Biden administration going soft on Iran. The sense was that the US negotiators were giving away the store. It conjured up memories of 2016 reports that indicated the US had flown pallets of cash to Iran. That $400 million was ostensibly in exchange for four people. It took place in January 2016 but was not revealed until August. In fact, the US provided an additional $1.3 billion, allegedly “interest” that was owed Iran. Iran is a stickler for details. From Tehran’s point of view it is their money. An AP report noted “In the 1970s, Iran paid the US $400 million for military equipment that was never delivered because the government was overthrown, and diplomatic relations ruptured. After the nuclear deal, the US and Iran announced they had settled the matter, with the US agreeing to pay the $400 million principal along with about $1.3 billion in interest.” Considering the stagflation of the 1970s and early 1980s where money doubled every seven years in some savings accounts, the US made a decent deal on this interest payment. Others argue that the US was fleeced and Obama’s administration sent Iran masses of money that ended up in the hands of the IRGC and terrorists.
It’s difficult to square the circle on the two narratives regarding Iran and these cash sums. On the one side the critics see the Biden administration of rushing to do another deal with Iran. They point to Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley and his reputation for being soft on Iran’s regime. These narratives also see other veterans of the Obama administration as guiding a plan to quickly re-enter a deal with Iran. John Kerry, the climate czar, has not helped things because his name came up on a leaked recording by Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.
On the other hand Iran says that it is driving a tough bargain in Vienna. It wants US sanctions lifted and it wants its frozen assets back. It says that Zarif has been sent around the Middle East on a “Ramadan” tour, to Oman, to meet with the Iranian-backed Houthis, to Qatar, Iraq and other places. But there is no connection between Zarif’s trip and the Vienna discussions, Iran says. Meanwhile Zarif is in trouble at home for the leaked tape.
Iran says the US is “mission oriented” in Vienna. Iran says “we now have two original texts on both the nuclear issue and sanctions.” Khatibzadeh stated that when the texts reach the writing stage, they need to be careful and accurate, adding: "We move forward based on accuracy…. We are not in a hurry, but we will not allow the talks to erode within the framework of the [Iran Deal] Commission. What is important is that in the deal "neither one word more nor one word" should be implemented less. This is an issue that we raised in the Joint Commission.”
That makes it seem that any rumors about a quick deal should be downplayed. So who has an interest then in leaking details about “prisoner” exchanges and pallets of cash. On the one hand, it can be those in Iran seeking to test the deal, a kind of trial balloon. It can yet more undermining of Iran negotiating team by whoever has leaked the Zarif tapes. It also plays into the hands of those in the US who oppose the deal because the appearance of billions in exchange for detainees is grotesque. Iran pretends to arrest people, including academics, on the pretense of “spying” to hold them hostage. It has been doing this method of holding hostages since the 1980s and exchanging them for things because Iran senses western countries are weak. It doesn’t hold any Russians or Chinese in this method. Iran is a transparently mafia-like regime.
It would appear rumors about a rapid return to a deal and US appeasement of Iran’s regime may not be on the cards as quickly as some have foretold. This is because the regime senses its power and thinks that it can play hardball but there are only so many concessions it can wring out of Malley’s team.
While there are some in the US who seem to have an Iran centric world, including those who want a US policy that is basically allied with Iran, the fact is that the regime in Iran is in no hurry to ally with them. In the old days, Iran would sing stories about “moderates” and trot out Zarif at various functions in New York and DC to toast the diplomats in the West. But Zarif is now running around the Middle East, with anger at home. Iran used to mobilize its public relations departments, linked with US talking points from groups in America that support Iran, as it tried to sell the deal, claiming that absence of a deal would mean “war” and that the deal would prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb. But today Iran doesn’t even bother with this propaganda.
In the lead up to the first Iran deal there were at least 811 op-eds written in various major and regional newspapers and media in the US to persuade the US it had to do this deal. Where are the op-eds today? Iran has fundamentally shifted from wasting its time selling itself to western audiences, feigning that it is some kind of liberal exotic regime with its own interpretation of gay rights that only denies the Holocaust from time to time, to just ignoring the West. The days of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaking at Columbia University and taking questions are apparently over. While some in DC policy circles are obsessed with Iran, either for or against it, to the point where they talk about “helping the Sunnis” or push myths like “working with Turkey against Iran,” Iran has less use for these cleavages. Iran’s lack of interest in the West and willingness to drive a harder bargain may, in the end, make the deal more complex. This of course comes in the wake of US meetings with Israeli officials and a desire by the Biden administration to listen more to what. Israel and other US partners and allies have to say.

Article On Al-Jazeera Website: Ramadan, 'Month Of Jihad And Victories,' Is The Season Of Palestinian Armed Operations
MEMRI/May 03/2021
One of the articles published on the website of the Qatari Al-Jazeera network on the occasion of Ramadan is headlined "How the Palestinian Resistance Turned Ramadan into the Season of Attacks and Victories." Written by 'Adnan Abu 'Amer, a Palestinian Political Science lecturer at Al-Ummah University in Gaza, the article notes that, throughout Muslim history, Ramadan has always been the month of jihad and victory, and that the Palestinian terror organizations "take advantage of the spiritual atmosphere" during this month, and of the heritage of the Muslims battles and victories that took place during this month throughout Muslim history, to step up their jihad against Israeli targets.[1]
Abu 'Amer lists a long line of deadly attacks by the Palestinian terror organizations – against both soldiers and civilians, including suicide bombings – that were deliberately carried out during Ramadan due to the month's special character. He also mentions the Israel-Gaza war of July 2014, which likewise coincided with Ramadan, and which he says serves as a model for resistance groups to this day because it included "the most prominent acts of heroism by the resistance in the history of Palestine and the conflict with the occupation." He adds that the Israeli security apparatuses are aware that, on Ramadan, the Palestinian organizations are especially motivated to carry out attacks and therefore prepare for it in advance.
'Adnan Abu 'Amer (Source: Safa.news)
The following are translated excerpts from his article.[2]
"The Palestinian resistance takes advantage of the spiritual atmosphere in the month of Ramadan to raise the morale of its members and step up their activity, a fact that Israel's security and military apparatuses take into account each year as this month approaches. The history of the Palestinian resistance shows that it has often chosen to carry out its harsh operations and attacks against the Israeli occupation in the month of Ramadan, thanks to the [special] tactical and ritual role of this month, exemplified by famous battles in Islamic history. Below I will use a question-and-answer format to review the most prominent attacks carried out by the Palestinian resistance in the recent months and the losses they inflicted on the occupation, [and explain] why [the resistance] deliberately chose to carry out these armed attacks during Ramadan…
"What Ramadan victories are etched in the Palestinian memory?
"The Palestinian [custom] of mobilizing for operations and intensifying them in the month of Ramadan is inspired by [Islamic] history, which is replete with wars and conquests that took place during this month, because the Muslims clearly made special efforts to carry out attacks then. Prominent among these attacks were the Battle of Badr,[3] the conquest of Mecca,[4] the conquest of Andalusia,[5] the Battle of Tours,[6] the Battle of 'Ain Jalut,[7] and the October/Ramadan War [between Israel and the Arabs in 1973]. All these [battles] are a source of inspiration for the Palestinian resistance.
"Every year, at the beginning of Ramadan, the military branches of the Palestinian resistance factions stress that this is a [special] month, in which the jihad fighters pray during the daytime and defend their Palestinian homeland during the night. It is a month marked by outstanding Muslim victories, and the month during which the resistance carried out [its] most impressive wars of heroism and sacrifice.
"Does the resistance regard Ramadan as an opportunity to intensify its activity?
"It is the custom of the resistance to step up its activity during Ramadan, and the Israeli security apparatuses have always made a point of warning that Ramadan is a month of warfare and resistance operations. The Ramadan atmosphere increases the readiness for sacrifice, due to its religious and psychological effect, which is automatically felt by the resistance fighters. Consequently, Ramadan always sees an increase in the resistance against the occupation…
"What [targets] do the Ramadan operations of the resistance focus on?
"The Israeli security apparatuses make a point of warning that the resistance factions take advantage of Ramadan [to increase their activity], and that the list of operations reflects a diverse range of targets, belonging to the [Israeli] army and settlers, in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as inside Israel. In the recent years, the calendar of the resistance has been full of operations carried out during Ramadan, including stabbings, car-ramming attacks, shootings and bombings, which cost the lives of many Israeli soldiers and settlers.
"What attacks are on the roster of Ramadan attacks carried out by the resistance?
"Brevity does not allow listing all the armed attacks carried out by the Palestinian resistance in the recent years and decades, but the following are some of the most prominent of them:
-- In Ramadan in 2017, three Palestinians… members of the Jabarin family of the city of Umm Al-Fahm inside occupied Palestine, attacked the Israeli security forces in Al-Aqsa and killed two [Border Police officers].[8]
-- The same year [on June 16], three Palestinians from Ramallah… carried out a double shooting and stabbing attack in Jerusalem against the occupation soldiers, in which one soldier was killed and several were wounded.
-- In 2016 the resistance carried out ten self-sacrifice shooting and stabbing attacks, killing six Israelis and wounding 15 others. The most important [of these attacks was carried out on June 8 by] two cousins from [the village of] Yatta in the West Bank, Muhammad and Khalil Mukhamara, who entered the Sarona compound near Israel's Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, opened fire on settlers and killed four of them, while wounding 40.[9]
-- On [June 19], 2015 there was an attack near the settlement of Dolev not far from Ramallah, in which fire was opened on a settlers' car at point-blank range, killing one settler and wounding another. The same year on Ramadan, a Palestinian from Hebron carried out a stabbing attack against two Israeli policemen near Nablus Gate in occupied Jerusalem,[10] and on [August 31,] 2010 two members of the resistance opened fire on a settlers' vehicle in Hebron, killing four.
-- In [September 29–October 16,] 2004 the resistance waged the Days of Rage campaign in northers Gaza for 17 days, during which it initiated many clashes [with the Israeli forces and carried out many] raids on settlements, ambushes and rocket [attacks], forcing the occupation to withdraw without realizing its goals. [Also] on Ramadan that year, [on October 18], two [Palestinians], sacrificing their souls for Islam… carried out a high-quality attack near the Sufa [border] crossing south of Gaza, in which six occupation soldiers were wounded to varying degrees.
--On [November 15,] 2002 [three] members of the resistance… carried out an attack against the settlers of Kiryat Arba near Hebron, killing 12 soldiers and settlers and wounding 18… The same year [on November 21], a martyr… from Hebron detonated his explosive vest on Mexico Street in Jerusalem, killing 12 Israelis and wounding 47.[11]
--Ramadan 2001 saw many resistance operations. [On December 2] a martyr… from Nablus bombed a bus in Haifa, killing 16 Israelis and wounding 55 others. When his friend brought him his iftar meal [before the attack], he declined, saying, 'I will break the fast in Paradise tonight.'
--Also in 2001 during Ramadan, martyrs… carried out a double operation against an Israeli army position in Jerusalem, killing 11 Israelis and wounding 190 others.[12] Two resistance [fighters]… stormed the Elei Sinai settlement north of Gaza, killed an Israeli nuclear scientist and wounded five others.[13]
--In 1993 a unit… ambushed two Israeli patrols near the martyrs' cemetery east of Jabalia, killing three soldiers and wounding four.[14]
"To what extent was the 2014 Gaza War a model for the resistance in Ramadan?
"The resistance responded to Israel's 'Strong Cliff' aggression with a campaign… that [involved] many surprises: it carried out operations across the border, captured several occupation soldiers, killed 70 soldiers and settlers and wounded 2,500 others, and fired its rockets at the cities of Haifa, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in what it called the 'Ramadan 10 Operation.' In Ramadan 2014, the Palestinian resistance waged an ongoing war against the Israeli occupation forces that lasted over 50 days, during which several high-quality military operations were carried out… Israel's war against Gaza in Ramadan 2014… saw the most notable heroic deeds carried out by the resistance in the [entire] history of Palestine and of the conflict with the occupation. The resistance [fighters] were in a complex mental state. They were fasting underground [in their tunnels], living on their last rations of food and water, yet they were calm… They spent 21 days underground, surrounded, in one of the tunnels, without any supplies or contact [with the outside world]. They discovered a spring inside the tunnel in which they slaked their thirst, [but] throughout this period, they became accustomed to starting and breaking their fast with a meal of only two dates.
"How does the Israeli occupation prepare for Ramadan?
"Every year, when Ramadan approaches, the Israeli security apparatuses and the occupation army start to tighten procedures and try to prevent the resistance from carrying out operations by increasing the arrests and deploying additional forces on the main roads. But the result is that the resistance maintains the [regular] pace of its operations or even increases it. The occupation forces and security apparatuses regard Ramadan every year as the season in which the resistance increases its motivation to carry out attacks against Israelis. This is because Ramadan is the month of jihad and victories in Islamic history, and there is apparently greater readiness for self-sacrifice during this month, which increases the Israelis' security concerns."
[1] On Ramadan as the month of jihad, victories and martyrdom across the Arab and Islamic world. See the following MEMRI reports:
Special Dispatch No. 8096 - Egyptian Clerics, Articles: Ramadan Is The Month Of Jihad And Victories - 05/30/19;
Special Dispatch No. 6933 - Jihad And Martyrdom In Palestinian Authority Schoolbooks - 05/21/17;
Special Dispatch No. 6468 - One Day Prior To Tel Aviv Terror Attack, Article On Hamas Website Calls On Muslims To Wage Jihad - 'The Pinnacle Of Islam' - During Ramadan, 'The Month Of Jihad' - 06/09/16;
Special Dispatch No. 6091 - Hamas, Islamic Jihad Websites: Attacks During Ramadan Have Special Flavor Of Sacrifice, Jihad And Victory - 07/02/15;
Special Dispatch No. 6089 - Taliban Online Magazine Celebrates Ramadan As Month Of Jihad And Victory, Calls On Muslims To Fulfill Their Ramadan Duty By Donating Money For Jihad - 07/01/15;
Special Dispatch No. 6085 - Ramadan – The Month Of Spirituality, Devotion, Jihad And Martyrdom - 06/29/15
[2] Aljazeera.net, April 16, 2021.
[3] The Battle of Badr took place between the Prophet Muhammad's forces and the Meccan forces during Ramadan in 624 CE.
[4] According to Islamic sources, the conquest of Mecca took place during Ramadan in the eighth year after the Hijra (December 629–January 630).
[5] According to some sources, the conquest of Andalusia began with a raid on the town of Tarifa on the Spanish coast by a Muslim force under the leadership of the Berber commander Tarif bin Malik, during Ramadan in 710 CE.
[6] Fought during Ramadan in 732, this was an important battle during the Umayyad invasion of Gaul.
[7] This battle was fought between the Mamluks of Egypt and the Mongol Empire during Ramadan in 1260, in the southeastern Galilee.
[8] This attack actually took place on July 14, 2017, one month after the end of Ramadan.
[9] The victims of this attack were four Israelis dining at a restaurant in Tel Aviv's popular Sarona Market area.
[10] Apparently refers to an attack that took place on June 21, 2015.
[11] This attack, perpetrated by a suicide bomber on a crowded bus, actually killed 11 people, three of them children.
[12] The attack, carried out on December 1 by two suicide bombers, targeted passersby on the Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall in central Jerusalem. Shortly afterwards a car bomb exploded on a nearby street.
[13] On December 2, 2001, an Israeli was killed when Palestinian gunmen opened fire on his car on the road near the northern Gaza settlement of Elei Sinai. The victim, Prof. Baruch Singer, was a scientist at Nahal Sorek nuclear research site.
[14] Unclear what this refers to. Perhaps to two separate attacks perpetrated March 20 in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in which two Israeli soldiers were killed.

Zarif reveals true face of Iranian regime
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/May 03, 2021
The London-based Persian-language satellite news channel Iran International last week released an audio recording of an interview conducted in March by Saeed Laylaz, an Iranian economic researcher close to the government, with Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. The three-hour recording contained extremely sensitive information, most of which supported what was already known, given that the source of the information is a senior Iranian government official who is, theoretically, the architect of Iranian diplomacy.
Regardless of who was behind the leaked recording and the objectives behind its release — whether it was intended to polish the image of the so-called moderate faction in Iran and highlight the massive pressures it faces from the hard-line fundamentalist, so-called “revolutionary” faction, or an attempt by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to undermine President Hassan Rouhani’s government for wholly domestic reasons — the damage has been done, with its impact going far beyond what anybody could have imagined. In response to the leak, Iran’s judiciary has banned 15 individuals from traveling. Meanwhile, Rouhani has appointed Ali Rabiei to head the Center for Strategic Studies after Hesamodin Ashna, an adviser to the president, resigned following allegations he was behind the leak.
In the audio recording, Zarif acknowledged several important and controversial issues that we in the region have long been aware of and have often raised. The most important of these came in Zarif’s explicit acknowledgement that the regime’s IRGC had indeed triggered the crisis in Yemen. This came in Zarif recalling a personal 2013 discussion with the late commander of the IRGC’s elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, which centered on the problems Iran was facing in the region. In the interview, Zarif said: “I told Qassem Soleimani that we have three areas in the region on which we disagree with Saudi Arabia, and we should find some resolutions to them. These are Bahrain, Iraq and Syria. The late Soleimani said that Yemen is also among these areas. Of course, the Yemeni conflict hadn’t been triggered yet at that time.”
This information confirms that Iran’s regime was planning even then to trigger the Yemeni crisis with the aim of harming Saudi Arabia and targeting its regional interests. It also confirms that the Houthi militia is an Iranian regime proxy, implementing its agenda in Yemen by attacking the Kingdom with Iranian-made weapons.
This was corroborated by recent remarks made by former top IRGC leader and current presidential candidate Rostam Ghasemi. He acknowledged in a televised interview with Russia’s state RT channel that the IRGC provided weapons to the Houthis at the start of the Yemen war and trained some of its fighters in manufacturing weapons. Ghasemi confirmed that: “For the time being, there are a few IRGC advisers in Yemen,” with his comments sparking tensions between himself and Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The other point confirmed by the audio recording is that the IRGC controls and steers Iranian diplomacy and that the military establishment uses the pleasant, innocuous diplomatic facade provided by Zarif to serve Iran’s expansionist project, which is run and overseen by the Quds Force.
All these revelations confirm that dealing with the Iranian diplomatic apparatus is a waste of time and effort.
Zarif plainly acknowledges that, for Iran’s regime, diplomacy has become a soft power tool to support its military objectives, rather than the military establishment being a last-resort tool of diplomacy. “In the Islamic Republic, the battlefield rules,” Zarif confirmed. He added: “Diplomacy has been sacrificed for the sake of the battlefield, instead of the military battlefield serving diplomacy.” This statement confirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ structure and objectives are primarily concerned with military and security issues.
All these revelations confirm that dealing with the Iranian diplomatic apparatus is a waste of time and effort. The most realistic and appropriate approach to negotiations with Iran is to hold them with the entities that control the country’s decision-making process, at the head of which come Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the “revolutionary” establishment.
This does not mean that the government opposes the policies of the IRGC on principle, but rather that it might disagree with the approach and tools used by the more powerful military apparatus. For example, in the leaked audio recording, Zarif objects to the use of civilian planes run by the state-owned Iran Air airline to transfer weapons, equipment and militants to Syria, suggesting that these should instead have been transported using jets operated by Mahan Air (although this is one of the IRGC’s economic institutions). In other words, Zarif does not mind using civilian passenger planes for military purposes; he simply wants to specify which airline’s jets are used.
The final revelation, which has caused controversy around the world, was Zarif’s acknowledgement that former US Secretary of State John Kerry had told him supposedly top-secret information on the number of military operations carried out by Israel against Iranian-armed groups in Syria. On this subject, Zarif said: “It means not being able to say how many people were killed in Syria. It was Kerry who informed me that Israel had attacked us 200 times in Syria.”
Following this revelation, several Republicans called on Kerry to immediately resign from his current position within the Biden administration. In a brief interview last week, Sen. Dan Sullivan said Biden’s climate envoy should step down, while Sen. Ted Cruz said that Kerry had repeatedly met with Zarif during Donald Trump’s presidency, despite the Logan Act, and did not reveal what they had discussed during these encounters.
Another senior Republican, Sen. Tom Cotton, a member of the Senate intelligence committee, called the revelations from the Zarif interview “alarming,” adding: “I would like to have a chance to question Secretary Kerry about this in a closed-door hearing.” Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Republican foreign policy leaders in Congress also called for Kerry to be questioned.
After the issue sparked huge controversy, Kerry denied the allegations in a Twitter post, describing them as unequivocally false.
It is worth noting that suspicions surrounding the close relationship between Kerry and the leadership of the so-called Islamic Republic are nothing new. It was Kerry who reportedly advised the regime to wait until the US presidential election season at the end of 2020 to renew its push to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. To conclude, regardless of the reasons for the leaking of Zarif’s interview, it has once again exposed many points that reveal the true evil nature of the ruling regime in Tehran and its regional objectives, as well as how the country is really run, despite all the cosmetic embellishments the regime uses in its efforts to deceive the world.
• Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is President of the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah). Twitter: @mohalsulami