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Latest Developments

Lebanon Tells Iran to Abide by Diplomatic Norms: Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi had rejected “foreign interference” following criticism from Iranian Ambassador Mojtaba Amani over evolving plans that may lead to the disarmament of Tehran’s Hezbollah proxy. Amani, who was wounded during Israel’s “exploding pager” operation in September 2024, called the initiative “a clear conspiracy against nations.” Raggi responded that Lebanon “reject[s] any foreign interference in our internal affairs. We support positive neutrality, mutual respect for sovereignty, and shared Arab interests.”
Aoun Says State Monopoly Arms ‘Fundamental’ to Peace: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on April 20 that a state monopoly on bearing arms, which would necessarily preclude Hezbollah from operating, is a “sensitive, delicate issue” but one “that is fundamental to preserving civil peace.” The Lebanese army announced on April 20 that it had thwarted a rocket attack against Israel — the first such publicized intervention since the November 2024 ceasefire between the two countries.
Congressman Meets With Syrian Transitional President: The interim government in Syria — which, like its Lebanese neighbor, is also facing Iranian proxies operating on its territory — has cracked down on Hezbollah terrorists who backed the deposed regime of former President Bashar al-Assad. Following a meeting in Damascus with interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, U.S. Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) said the Syrian leader had told him that “under the right conditions,” Damascus would be prepared to join the “Abraham Accords” bloc of Arab states that have normalized relations with Israel. Mills said that he presented Sharaa with a list of conditions the new Syrian government must fulfill for the United States to lift sanctions, including the destruction of chemical weapons left over from the Assad regime.

On April 23, 2025, Jordan has outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, its most prominent opposition group, following the discovery of members’ involvement in a sabotage plot aimed at Jordanian authorities.

Interior Minister Mazin Fraya declared a complete ban on the group’s activities, stating that anyone promoting its ideology would face legal consequences.[1]

On April 16, 2025, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Grand Mufti of Libya, Sheikh Sadiq Al-Ghariani, condemned Arab countries like Egypt, Morocco, and the UAE for welcoming Israeli soldiers on leave for Passover as tourists, in a video posted on X. In the video, Al-Ghariani called on Muslims in Egypt and Morocco to kill Israeli soldiers vacationing in these countries during the holiday. He claimed that Israeli soldiers are “blood-shedding murderers” and not civilian tourists.

In-depth: From Beirut’s razed downtown to reconstructing its southern suburbs, war in Lebanon has long served as a pretext for elite-led urban transformation.

Lebanon, reeling from a war that inflicted an estimated $5.1 billion in economic losses, now faces the daunting task of reconstruction.

Syria’s government has spent the past few months putting much diplomatic energy into strengthening its relationships with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members.

The leadership in Damascus sees the oil- and gas-rich Gulf Arab states as extremely important to Syria’s future. The high-profile visits paid by President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar since early January are evidence of this.