Orientul Mijlociu

This news round on Syria covers several critical developments. In Latakia, an Israeli airstrike targeted a weapons depot, causing injuries and triggering explosions, as tensions escalate following Hamas’s October 7 attacks. In Idlib, Russian airstrikes killed 10 people, as opposition-held areas continue to suffer from both Russian and Syrian regime bombardment, with rumors of a rebel offensive looming. Meanwhile, the families of French nationals who joined IS are urging the UN to pressure France for their repatriation. Additionally, the French company Lafarge faces trial for financing terrorism in Syria, amidst allegations of complicity in crimes against humanity. Lastly, Syrian refugees in Lebanon, displaced by Israeli bombings, are facing harsh conditions and forced relocations by Lebanese authorities, as the humanitarian crisis deepens.

• Iranian leaders view the Arab states of the Persian Gulf as pivotal to their efforts to deter Israel from attacking key targets in Iran.
• Iran is pressuring the Gulf states to deny Israel access to their airspace for any retaliatory strike on Iran.
• Iranian officials display no hesitation to threaten the Gulf states with strikes by Tehran or its regional allies if they help Israel or the United States.
• Attacks on Gulf energy installations would significantly expand the regional war and rattle the global economy.

One of the issues on which consensus should be created and can be treated at world level is that terrorism in all its forms should be firmly rejected. However this needs honesty and sincerity. Problems arise if some bigger powers insist on condemning terror attacks made by others but at the same time justify the use of terror by themselves on a large scale.

Each new week brings new calamities for people in the countries neighboring Israel, as its leaders try to bomb their way to the promised land of an ever-expanding Greater Israel.

In Gaza, Israel appears to be launching its “Generals’ Plan” to drive the most devastated and traumatized 2.2 million people in the world into the southern half of their open-air prison. Under this plan, Israel would hand the northern half over to greedy developers and settlers who, after decades of U.S. encouragement, have become a dominant force in Israeli politics and society. The redoubled slaughter of those who cannot move or refuse to move south has already begun.

Israel’s dystopian weapons industry poses a threat to humanity, with the Hezbollah pager attacks setting a dangerous precedent, says Richard Silverstein.

Israel specialises in weapons of mass destruction.

In the 1990s, Israel pioneered the use of armed drones in warfare and was the first to use exploding cell phones in assassinations. Thirty years later, Israel was among the first to use satellite-operated, AI-guided, autonomous weapons, to assassinate an Iranian nuclear scientist.

As Israel’s war on Lebanon escalates, hundreds of Syrian refugees are seeking shelter on Beirut’s beaches, facing dire living conditions and uncertainty

As the sun sets over Beirut’s Ramlet El-Bayda beach, the sands that once drew sunbathers and families now host a different crowd: the displaced.

Terror organization: Kata’ib Hezbollah

Status: Operative

Role: Burhanov, who has been linked to multiple attacks in Central Asia, reportedly studied at Al-Mustafa University in Iran—a known recruitment hub for Tehran-backed militant groups. This university, operating under the Islamic Propaganda Bureau of the Qom Seminary, has branches in nearly 60 countries and serves as Iran’s primary instrument for spreading Shi’ism internationally.

The United States imposed sanctions on Wednesday against a Hezbollah financing network and three individuals who generate revenue for Hezbollah by trafficking illicit narcotics. As hostilities escalate in south Lebanon, the sanctions indicate renewed efforts from the Biden administration to “expose and disrupt the illicit schemes that underpin Hizballah’s ability to continue its violent attacks.”

Caught between Hamas-supporting population and strategic partnerships with US and Israel, Jordanian King Abdullah to try to bring weight to bear this week in DC, says expert

On Sunday, Jordan’s official news agency Al Mamlaka published a video filmed inside a Jordanian Air Force aircraft that was dropping medical supplies to field hospitals inside the Gaza Strip. On board the flight was a special guest: King Abdullah, decked in military gear.

Iran’s supreme leader has warned Israel that its assassination of Hezbollah’s veteran leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, will “not go unavenged”, as fears of a spiralling conflict in the Middle East grow.