Israeli massive bombing operation of Ali Al-Taher in southern Lebanon (Thursday, September 11, 2026).
The Israeli army withdrew its forces from Ali Al-Taher Heights in southern Lebanon following a massive bombing operation, positioning occupation troops in rear lines in the Shaqif area, Israeli army radio reported on Friday.
The broadcaster said Israeli forces would seek to exercise fire control over the strategic heights and confront any attempt by Hezbollah to return to the area.
According to Israeli army radio, the operation to seize Ali Al-Taher Hill lasted three months and involved fierce resistance from Hezbollah fighters. It claimed Israeli forces offered the fighters the option of surrendering and raising a white flag, but they refused and continued fighting.
The Hebrew newspaper Maariv similarly reported that Israeli forces gave Hezbollah fighters on the hill a choice between surrender and death.
“Israeli army gave Hezbollah fighters stationed in Ali Al-Taher the choice between surrender and death. The fighters refused to surrender and engaged Israeli forces in clashes, some at point-blank range,” the Israeli daily’s Avi Ashkenazi wrote.
He likened Hezbollah fighters’ battle in Ali Al-Taher to the Battle of Karbala.
Channel 12 cited estimations within the Israeli army that Hezbollah fighters could have withdrawn and surrendered but chose to remain. It added that the occupation army said Hezbollah repeatedly sought to reinforce the entrenched fighters, evacuate the wounded and deliver supplies throughout the operation.
The massive Israeli bombardment of the Ali Al-Taher Heights on Thursday also triggered a 4.1-magnitude earthquake detected in southern Lebanon, according to the US Geological Survey. Lebanese reports said the strikes involved more than 1,000 tons of explosives.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that the explosions completely blocked the Al-Khardali road after falling rocks and debris made the route impassable. The road had already been restricted to military traffic, with army buses using it to travel toward Marjayoun and Hasbaya. The army was forced to use the Bekaa road as an alternative route after the latest debris blocked the passage.
Meanwhile, Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon continued at dawn, with Israeli forces detonating explosives on a hill in Baraashit and shelling Wadi Al-Hujayr. Israeli aircraft also raided Al-Mansouri amid a heavy demolition campaign, while the National News Agency reported that Israeli forces destroyed most of the town’s public school, leaving only a small section standing.
Sanaa now holds a command position on the Yemeni side of Bab al-Mandab, a corridor carrying global trade, energy supplies and some of the world’s most important subsea cables (Illustrated by Batoul Chamas for Al- Mayadeen English)
The Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) announced Friday that a large-scale operation launched earlier this month had expelled Saudi-backed formations from six districts across Taiz and Hodeidah governorates, culminating in the capture of the historic Red Sea port of al-Mokha and the advance to Dhubab and Mayyun Island, which sits at the narrowest point of the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
In a statement issued Thursday, YAF spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the operation, codenamed “And Allah Is Stronger in Might and More Severe in Punishment,” was launched September 3 and covered 5,400 square kilometers, striking seven military divisions comprising 38 brigades and downing nine Saudi aircraft.
The Saudi-backed government confirmed to AFP that the YAF had completed its takeover of the Bab al-Mandab area and Mayyun Island, while officials told Reuters that their own forces had withdrawn from the island.
The YAF released a statement on Friday detailing the operation they carried out on September 9 along Yemen's western coast, saying it was conducted along several fronts with the participation and support of the Yemeni people and their tribes.
What changed hands this week was a stretch of coastline that sits astride one of the world’s most important maritime choke points, a position that took a Saudi-Emirati coalition close to three years to build the first time around and that Sanaa has now retaken in a matter of days.
Why Bab al-Mandab, al-Mokha matter
Bab al-Mandab, Arabic for the Gate of Tears, connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, making it one of the world’s most critical maritime choke points. Roughly 10 to 15 percent of global maritime trade and millions of barrels of crude oil and fuel daily transit through this narrow channel toward the Suez Canal. Whoever commands the coastlines of Bab al-Mandab holds decisive leverage over the trade routes linking Asia, the Arab world, and Europe.
In the past few days, headlines were flooded with reports about the Yemeni city of al-Mokha as Sanaa reclaimed it from Saudi-backed forces.
The coastal city overlooks the significant Bab al-Mandab Strait, positioning yet another maritime chokehold as a major piece in the grand… pic.twitter.com/0kXBk7dpgH
Commanding those coastlines starts with commanding the port that sits closest to them. That is what makes al-Mokha, rather than any other point on Yemen’s western coast, the city worth fighting over.
Long before it was a military prize, al-Mokha was the reason the word “mocha” exists at all. From the 16th to the early 18th century, the port was the dominant hub of the world’s coffee trade, exporting beans grown in Yemen’s cooler highlands and carried down to the coast by caravan.
Located on Yemen’s southwestern coast, the city and port of al-Mokha sit roughly 75 kilometers north of the narrowest passage of Bab al-Mandab. Consolidating control over al-Mokha and the surrounding coastal districts gives Sanaa solid territorial depth along the western coast, extending its reach south from Hodeidah and removing what had been the principal base of forces aligned with the Saudi-backed government.
Territorial depth is only the first layer of what changed on September 10. The second is what that depth actually gives the YAF control of.
What control of al-Mokha means
Control of al-Mokha and the coastal districts around it grants the YAF immediate coastal radar oversight, launch positions, and monitoring vantage points over the shipping lanes running through Bab al-Mandab.
It strengthens the YAF’s ability to enforce its declared restrictions on Israeli-linked shipping and hostile vessels, and it tightens the pressure on the occupied port of Eilat by further constraining its already crippled southern maritime access.
What the YAF took control of on the ground was not empty coastline. Al-Mokha’s port was rehabilitated by the UAE, and its airport runway, along with military camps including Khalid Camp Base and Jabal al-Nar Camp, the command headquarters for forces on the western coast, had served for years as the operational backbone of a Saudi-Emirati-backed military presence.
Beyond the obvious: What else transits Bab al-Mandab
Oil tankers are the most visible traffic through Bab al-Mandab, but they are far from the only cargo that makes the strait matter. Beneath the surface, roughly 15 to 17 subsea fiber-optic cable systems carry a substantial share of the data traffic connecting Europe, East Africa, West Asia, and South Asia, making the strait a crucial node for global digital communications as much as for shipping.
Wheat, rice, sugar, and fertilizer move through this corridor alongside crude and LNG, a category of food security and agricultural trade that US officials have repeatedly flagged when assessing the risks of a Bab al-Mandab disruption.
As news broke of the YAF’s control over the coast overlooking Bab al-Mandab, the US national average diesel price crossed $6 a gallon for the first time in history, reaching roughly $6.06 on September 11. The rise came as markets absorbed a widening set of pressures, from the US war on Iran and the subsequent disruption of Gulf energy flows to tight inventories and refinery constraints, with Yemen’s advance compounding the sense that Washington now faces mounting risk at two chokepoints instead of one.
Bab al-Mandab, Hormuz together
With Bab al-Mandab now in the hands of Sanaa and the Strait of Hormuz under Tehran’s control, the Axis of Resistance gains more leverage in facing Western imperialist agendas in the region.
The two chokepoints do not hand Iran and Yemen a single, unified command over the flow of West Asian energy, but they give aligned forces complementary pressure points on both maritime gateways serving the Arabian Peninsula, at a moment when Saudi Arabia has increasingly rerouted its own crude exports through the Red Sea to avoid the risks at Hormuz.
Years to build, days to lose
The coastline Sanaa now holds took the Saudi-UAE coalition nearly three years to secure the first time, and it never captured the whole of it. Coalition-backed forces took Bab al-Mandab and Mayyun Island in October 2015, seven months after the Saudi-led aggression began.
Al-Mokha did not fall until January 2017, some 22 months later, in an operation known as “Golden Spear”, while coalition forces did not reach the outskirts of Hodeidah until June 2018, more than three years into the war, and the push stalled there after the Stockholm Agreement froze the front in December 2018. Sanaa retained Hodeidah and the northern Red Sea coast throughout.
The UAE turned al-Mokha into the principal base of Tareq Saleh’s “National Resistance Forces,” growing the force from an initial nucleus of roughly 3,000 fighters to about 20,000, while stationing its own officers there, paying salaries, supplying weapons and vehicles, and rehabilitating the port itself.
On Mayyun Island, construction on a military runway began in late 2016, was abandoned, then resumed years later. By 2021, satellite imagery showed a completed 1.85-kilometer runway with three hangars, and the UAE sought a 20-year lease over the island.
Saudi Arabia picked up much of the financing after the UAE’s drawdown, continuing to pay the “National Resistance Forces” and fund reconstruction projects in the area.
Why the collapse happened so fast
Until shortly before al-Mokha fell, reports from the western coast had pointed to government advances, not retreat, after a week of fighting that saw Saudi-backed forces briefly recapture some of the ground they had lost. Their lines then collapsed within hours on September 10.
Ansar Allah’s explanation for that collapse centers on command structure. Political Bureau member Hizam al-Assad told Al Mayadeen the entry of the YAF into the western coastal areas was widely welcomed by local residents and that the operation was an internal one aimed at restoring Yemeni sovereignty over Yemeni territory.
Retired Brigadier General Ali Abi Raad, a strategic military expert, told Al Mayadeen the coalition’s defeat was the product of a fundamentally divided force, describing the roughly 30,000 fighters aligned with Tareq Saleh, a member of the Saudi-backed presidential council, and the “Giants Brigades” as a patchwork of Salafist, jihadist, and mercenary elements with Arab and Western nationalities among them, and no single unified command.
The YAF, by contrast, is described as having built its campaign under one command structure over two full years since the start of its operations in solidarity with Gaza, developing domestically manufactured missiles and drones that gave it a decisive edge.
The “National Resistance Forces” and the “Giants Brigades” had been marketed for years as an elite, specially trained counterweight to the Yemeni Armed Forces, equipped and funded by Saudi Arabia. Whatever the precise mix of factors behind their sudden withdrawal, the result was a collapse that undid in days what had taken the coalition the better part of three years to build the first time around.
The Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) announced major military gains against Saudi-backed forces along Yemen’s western coast, revealing that a large-scale operation launched earlier this month resulted in the expulsion of Saudi-backed formations from six districts across Taiz and Hodeidah governorates and the capture, killing, and wounding of hundreds of their personnel.
In a statement issued on September 11, the YAF spokesperson, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said the operation, launched on September 3 and codenamed “And Allah Is Stronger in Might and More Severe in Punishment,” was carried out across multiple axes with extensive participation from Yemeni forces and local tribes.
The operation was launched following years of escalating attacks by Saudi-backed formations against residents, villages, and local communities along the western coast. Residents of the affected areas had repeatedly appealed to the Yemeni Armed Forces to intervene, prompting the military operation aimed at driving out enemy forces and preventing attempts to impose Saudi control over Yemeni territory, the Saree said in the statement.
#WATCH | Videos circulating on social media showed YAF driving down the tarmac of al-Mokha airport following the liberation of the coastal city.
The western Yemeni city, overlooking Bab al-Mandab, was captured by Yemeni forces on Thursday after Saudi-backed forces fled the city.… pic.twitter.com/Md9yXrcNGZ
The forces said the areas had subsequently become “secure and stable,” marking a significant territorial gain along Yemen’s western coast.
The statement also said Yemeni forces struck seven military divisions belonging to the Saudi-backed formations, which together comprised 38 military brigades.
Hundreds of personnel from those formations were killed, captured, or wounded during the operation, the Yemeni Armed Forces revealed.
The military also announced the liberation of several Yemeni detainees who had been held for years by Saudi-backed forces along the western coast, hailing their liberation as another major outcome of the offensive.
#WATCH | Footage circulating on social media captures the joy of Yemeni prisoners held by forces backed by the Saudi enemy along the country's West Coast, following the liberation of these areas by the Yemeni Armed Forces.#Yemen#SaudiArabia#AlMayadeenpic.twitter.com/6QeFeDKx2B
Saree said the YAF ground operation continued despite intensive Saudi air support provided to the formations targeted by the operation. “Despite the heavy air cover from the Saudi enemy in support of its forces, the enemy failed, by God’s grace, to influence the operation,” the statement said.
The Yemeni forces further reported that its air defenses carried out 32 operations to repel Saudi warplanes, resulting in the downing of nine aircraft.
The statement saluted Yemeni fighters and the people and tribes for their role in the operation, commending the “high level of awareness” demonstrated by the Yemeni public in confronting Saudi-backed media campaigns, enemy propaganda, and disinformation.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm that maritime navigation is safe for all companies except Saudi vessels that were previously subject to the announced ban,” the statement said.
The forces vowed to continue enforcing its broader deterrence policy, declaring that it would maintain the “blockade for blockade” equation, strike Saudi-backed military formations, and respond to escalation with escalation.
Concluding the statement, Saree reaffirmed the YAF’s commitment to the struggle for liberation, independence, and the restoration of national sovereignty, while praising the Yemeni people and tribes for their continued support.
“Long live Yemen, free, dignified, and independent,” he said, concluding with a declaration of victory for Yemen and “all the free people of the nation.”
Strategic Bab al-Mandab secured as Yemen emerges in triumph
Earlier today, the Yemeni Armed Forces advanced along Yemen’s western coast, reaching Dhubab and the area overlooking the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait after taking control of al-Mokha and other key Red Sea positions.
In the past few days, headlines were flooded with reports about the Yemeni city of al-Mokha as Sanaa reclaimed it from Saudi-backed forces.
The coastal city overlooks the significant Bab al-Mandab Strait, positioning yet another maritime chokehold as a major piece in the grand… pic.twitter.com/0kXBk7dpgH
The Saudi-backed government confirmed the YAF had taken control of Bab al-Mandab and strategic Mayyun Island, while Saudi-backed officials told Reuters that their forces had withdrawn from Perim Island.
The advance has also placed Saudi-backed forces on the Greater and Lesser Hanish Islands under siege, with sources saying more than 2,000 personnel were trapped there and appealing for food, water, rescue, and air support.
The YAF have additionally taken al-Khokha, Hays, and al-Wazi’iyah, while seizing key military positions around al-Mokha, including Khalid Camp Base and Jabal al-Nar Camp, the command headquarters for forces deployed along the western coast.
The rapid gains have been described by The Guardian as a “strategic disaster” for Washington and Riyadh, while Israeli Channel 14 called the capture of al-Mokha a strategic development with potentially far-reaching repercussions.
Yemenis hold posters of martyr leader Ali Khanenei next to giant Iranian flag asthey protest the US aggresion against Iran in Sanaa, March 6, 2026 (AP)
Iran has called for the immediate resumption of dialogue over Yemen, saying the country’s issues cannot be resolved through a continued blockade or military confrontation.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated Tehran’s position that Yemen’s independence, national sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected and that the “illegal and inhumane blockade” imposed on the country must end.
The ministry said security and stability in West Asia and the Red Sea region could not be achieved without respecting the legitimate rights and dignity of the Yemeni people.
The statement added that the current developments in Yemen must be understood in the context of events unfolding over more than a decade.
Iran urges dialogue as West Asia faces escalating aggression
It stressed that the Yemeni people, as heirs to a “brilliant civilization and history,” have the right to live in dignity, free from pressure, intimidation and an unjust blockade, with their national sovereignty and territorial integrity fully respected.
Iran also emphasized the need to consider the interests of the Islamic Ummah, particularly as West Asia faces “unprecedented aggression, oppression, and expansionism” by the Zionist entity, with the complicity of the United States.
Furthermore, the statement called for the immediate resumption of dialogue under the agreed-upon roadmap and urged the implementation of its provisions, adding that Tehran was prepared to offer “any good offices” to help advance the process.
US seeks Red Sea control while outsourcing regional security role
In a related development, a senior US official, speaking to Al Mayadeen, said Washington was focused on protecting its core national security interests, including freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, while enabling regional partners to take the lead in addressing regional security challenges.
“The United States is focused on protecting our core national security interests — such as ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea — while empowering our regional partners to take the lead in managing and resolving regional security challenges. We are in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen Government regarding regional stability,” the senior US official said in remarks to Al Mayadeen.
YAF take control of key areas, military sites in Mokha, west of Taiz
The Yemeni forces have taken control of key areas and military positions in the coastal district of al-Mokha, west of Taiz Governorate, Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent reported on Thursday.
In detail, our correspondent revealed that the Yemeni Armed Forces have taken control of Khalid Camp Base and Jabal al-Nar Camp, which serves as the command headquarters for military forces on the western coast.
This development comes as the YAF made advances in several areas, taking control of al-Wazi’iyah, al-Khokha, and Hays, before reaching the outskirts of the city of al-Mokha.
It is worth noting that the area of the districts of Hays and al-Khokha to the south of the coastal Hodeidah governorate on the Red Sea exceeds 1,050 square kilometers, local sources told Al Mayadeen.
The YAF advances come as the Saudi aggression across Yemen continues, with the aim of supporting and reinforcing Saudi military mobilizations on the ground.
Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent reported on Thursday that Saudi aircraft had carried out around 40 airstrikes over the previous several hours in the governorates of Taiz, Hodeidah, al-Jawf, and Marib.
Continued Saudi aggression warrants a response until it stops: Sanaa
The Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sanaa said on Thursday that continued Saudi aggression and violations of Yemen’s sovereignty warrant a response until the attacks stop.
In a statement, the Ministry said the Saudi regime’s continued airstrikes targeting Yemeni provinces and its violations of Yemen’s sovereignty necessitate a response until the aggression ends.
It asserted that the Yemeni Armed Forces are responsible for defending the country’s sovereignty, protecting its citizens, and responding to the sources of fire, adding that such actions are carried out in a manner that does not conflict with international law.
Saudi military build-up necessitated YAF response
The Ministry also said Saido Arabia’s recent military build-up on Yemeni territory has necessitated a Yemeni Armed Forces’ response.
It further accused Riyadh of using continued “wailing and outcry” to cover up ongoing crimes against the Yemeni people. It said the latest aggression included hundreds of airstrikes on several Yemeni provinces.
The Ministry also said Yemen “has not and will not pose a threat,” arguing that the country seeks to build relations based on mutual respect. It noted that Yemen was prepared to participate in a regional security system, particularly in protecting navigation, in partnership with coastal states.
The Ministry called on the international community to assess the course of events objectively and compel Saudi Arabia to stop targeting Yemen, violating its sovereignty, and tampering with its resources.
What you need to know
The accelerating developments follow the Yemeni Armed Forces’ announcement in July that the 2022 truce with Saudi Arabia had collapsed following Saudi Arabia’s aggression on Sanaa International Airport.
In response, the Yemeni forces targeted several Saudi economic facilities, including oil refineries operated by Aramco and Abha Airport.
They also imposed a maritime ban on vessels arriving in or departing from Saudi Arabia, as part of the “airport for airport and siege for siege” equation.
Recently, the Yemeni Armed Forces have been engaging in confrontations with Saudi-backed forces across several provinces, after launching preemptive strikes against their military mobilizations.
Ansar Allah fighters march during a rally of support for the Palestinians in Gaza Strip and against the US aggresionon Yemen outside Snaa January 22, 2044 (AP)
Sanaa’s Foreign Ministry says Yemen’s Armed Forces are tasked with defending national sovereignty and protecting citizens as Saudi aggression continues across several provinces.
The Yemeni forces have taken control of key areas and military positions in the coastal district of al-Mokha, west of Taiz Governorate, Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent reported.
In detail, our correspondent revealed that the Yemeni Armed Forces have taken control of Khalid Camp Base and Jabal al-Nar Camp, which serves as the command headquarters for military forces on the western coast
This development comes as the YAF made advances in several areas, capturing al-Wazi’iyah, al-Khokha, and Hays, before reaching the outskirts of the city of al-Mokha.
It is worth noting that the area of the districts of Hays and al-Khokha to the south of the coastal Hodeidah governorate on the Red Sea exceeds 1,050 square kilometers, local sources told Al Mayadeen.
The YAF advances come as the Saudi aggression across Yemen continues, with the aim of supporting and reinforcing Saudi military mobilizations on the ground.
Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent reported that Saudi aircraft had carried out around 40 airstrikes over the previous several hours in the governorates of Taiz, Hodeidah, al-Jawf, and Marib.
Continued Saudi aggression warrants a response until it stops: Sanaa
The Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sanaa said continued Saudi aggression and violations of Yemen’s sovereignty warrant a response until the attacks stop.
In a statement, the Ministry said the Saudi regime’s continued airstrikes targeting Yemeni provinces and its violations of Yemen’s sovereignty necessitate a response until the aggression ends.
It asserted that the Yemeni Armed Forces are responsible for defending the country’s sovereignty, protecting its citizens, and responding to the sources of fire, adding that such actions are carried out in a manner that does not conflict with international law.
Saudi military build-up necessitated YAF response
The Ministry also said the Saudi regime’s recent military build-up on Yemeni territory has necessitated a Yemeni Armed Forces’ response.
It further accused the Saudi regime of using continued “wailing and outcry” to cover up ongoing crimes against the Yemeni people. It said the latest aggression included hundreds of airstrikes on several Yemeni provinces.
The Ministry also said Yemen “has not and will not pose a threat,” arguing that the country seeks to build relations based on mutual respect. It noted that Yemen was prepared to participate in a regional security system, particularly in protecting navigation, in partnership with coastal states.
The Ministry called on the international community to assess the course of events objectively and compel the Saudi regime, as it put it, to stop targeting Yemen, violating its sovereignty, and tampering with its resources.
Saleh orders establishment of an alternative command center
Vice Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council Lieutenant General Tariq Saleh, meanwhile, instructed the Saudi-backed forces on the western coast to reorganize their ranks.
“We ordered the establishment of an alternative command center in a safe location to regroup the forces in consultation with the leadership of the Arab coalition and the Presidential Leadership Council,” he said.
What you need to know
The accelerating developments follow the Yemeni Armed Forces’ announcement in July that the 2022 truce with Saudi Arabia had collapsed following Saudi Arabia’s aggression on Sanaa International Airport.
In response, the Yemeni forces targeted several Saudi economic facilities, including oil refineries operated by Aramco and Abha Airport.
They also imposed a maritime ban on vessels arriving in or departing from Saudi Arabia, as part of the “airport for airport and siege for siege” equation.
Recently, the Yemeni Armed Forces have been engaging in confrontations with Saudi-backed forces across several provinces, after launching preemptive strikes against their military mobilizations.
Professor Mohammad Marandi n Al Mayadeen’sthe Grand Standoff: Iran and the World, September 8, 2026 (Screen)
Iran’s reported capture of a US unmanned underwater vessel in the Strait of Hormuz demonstrates the country’s growing electronic warfare capabilities and could mark a new and more intense phase of the war, Iranian academic and political analyst Dr. Mohammad Marandi revealed.
Speaking on Al Mayadeen’s The Grand Standoff: Iran and the World, Marandi described the seizure of the vessel as a “major achievement”, arguing that its capture intact showed Iran’s ability to penetrate highly advanced US technology and could use the equipment to further develop its own capabilities.
The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy announced on Tuesday that its forces captured a US unmanned underwater vehicle at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, in a “complex intelligence and military effort” carried out at dawn.
“The very fact that the Iranians were able to capture it intact shows that US technology is not as good as it is presented to us as being,” Marandi stressed.
“The Americans obviously were trying to better understand what was going on underneath the surface of the waters in the Strait of Hormuz. And the Iranians effectively discovered that and not only prevented it from happening, but they took the underground vessel and the underwater vessel.”
The importance of this, according to Marandi, “is not only that this will be able to help the Iranians develop their own technology further, but Iran can also share this with countries like China and Russia, who have very friendly relations with Iran.”
He further noted that the technology could also prove valuable to Iran’s partners, particularly China and Russia, by providing them with greater insight into US military systems.
Iran moving toward new phase of war
The Iranian academic said the capture was particularly significant because, in his assessment, Iran had used electronic warfare to take control of the unmanned underwater vessel.
He compared the development with Iran’s ability to capture US drones during the US occupation of Afghanistan, saying those operations had helped Tehran advance its drone program.
“One of the reasons why, or one element that helped Iran develop its drone program was its ability to safely and effectively hijack US drones that flew from Afghanistan to Iran during the US occupation in Afghanistan,” he said.
Marandi argued that the latest incident could similarly accelerate Iran’s underwater and electronic-warfare capabilities.
“This attempt to downplay the importance of what Iran has done is going to have no effect. And the United States’ escalation against Iran is also going to lead to very, very severe punishment on behalf of Iran. But this escalation is obviously linked to the fact that Iran has scored this huge achievement by capturing this underwater vehicle,” he stated.
Marandi also linked the reported capture to an increasingly dangerous escalation in the war.
“I think we are moving towards a major escalation and we are moving into a new phase of the war and possibly the final phase,” he emphasized, noting that it could be a very long one.
Iran’s capabilities remain partly unknown
According to Marandi, any further US escalation against Iran would trigger a forceful Iranian response. He said Tehran would become “relentless and unforgiving on the battlefield” if Washington continued its pressure.
Marandi maintained that Iran still had military capabilities that had not yet been publicly demonstrated.
“Obviously a lot of Iran’s capabilities will remain unknown until we find out when they’ve been deployed and when they’ve been used to the detriment of Iran’s enemies,” he said.
He pointed to previous Iranian missile attacks that had forced US naval vessels to move further away, arguing that Tehran had deliberately avoided sinking the ships at that stage.
‘Iran will sink US ships’
Marandi said Iran had instead sought to deter US forces by demonstrating that they were vulnerable.
“The Iranians first wanted to put fear into their hearts to make them back off,” he said, adding that if the conflict escalated further, “Iran will sink those ships.”
He argued that the reported underwater-vessel seizure reinforced his broader assessment that Iran had advanced capabilities across multiple areas of warfare.
“If the United States had an understanding of Iran’s missile capabilities that could sink naval ships, they would have been much more careful,” Marandi stressed. “And if they had any idea that Iran through electronic warfare could take their most advanced underground underwater unmanned submarine, they would have not used it in the first place.”
US has underestimated Iran
In Marandi’s view, Washington had repeatedly underestimated Iran’s military capacity throughout the war.
He recalled early US assessments that Iran would quickly exhaust its supply of missiles and drones, saying those assessments demonstrated a lack of understanding of Tehran’s capabilities.
“It clearly shows that they had no understanding of Iran’s capabilities and no real intelligence about the enormous capabilities that Iran had,” the Iranian professor stressed.
‘US will ultimately lose the war ‘
Marandi predicted that further surprises could emerge in the coming weeks and argued that the United States would ultimately lose the war.
“Ultimately this is a war that the United States is going to lose,” he said.
The top Iranian professor compared the US position to someone caught in quicksand, arguing that continued military pressure would deepen Washington’s difficulties rather than resolve them.
“Every day that the United States continues this war, it is like a person who’s fallen into quicksand: the more the Trump regime struggles, the more it sinks, and the more it sinks, the more desperate it becomes, and the process continues,” he said.
US regional presence faces challenge
Marandi told Al Mayadeen that Iran’s long-standing objective of ending the US military presence in West Asia was now becoming more achievable.
“The United States is going to lose its foothold in West Asia, and that is irreversible,” he said.
He argued that Tehran would no longer accept a US military presence in the region that could threaten Iran, adding that the conflict was not over.
‘This war is not over’
The top Iranian figure further stressed that Iran intended to impose such a high cost on the United States that future US presidents would be deterred from launching military action against Tehran.
“Iran is not finished with the United States. This war is not over, and therefore the devastation that Iran will be imposing on the United States and its proxies … have no doubt its proxies are facilitating this war and its proxies will pay a very, very heavy price, and if this continues for long, their proxies will pay the ultimate price, but in any case, Iran is determined to make sure that the United States is no longer a threat to Iran. It will destroy all their bases,” he stressed.
“It will impose a cost on the United States that is so heavy that no American president again will even think about aggression against Iran. Iran is determined to bring the threat from the United States to bring it to an end, to a permanent end, and that is something that will benefit everyone in the region. It will benefit Lebanon,” Marandi added.
Marandi also argued that such a shift would weaken “Israel”, which relies on US military power in the region, stressing that it will also “benefit Yemen. It will benefit Iraq. It will benefit everyone, and it will weaken the Israeli regime.”
Gulf states could face growing pressure
Marandi warned that continued escalation could have severe consequences for US-aligned governments in the Gulf, naming Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain.
He argued that these governments were particularly vulnerable because of their economic dependence on oil and gas and their close ties with Washington.
“These regimes are terribly vulnerable. They have nothing but oil and gas. They have huge deficits now, and businesses have left, and I think that the way things stand now, the pain is just beginning,” the top Iranian figure went on to say.
US influence in region weakening
Marandi argued that the United States is rapidly losing influence in West Asia, making it increasingly difficult for governments aligned with Washington to contain domestic discontent.
“The United States is rapidly declining in power, and its ability to maintain its hold over the region is declining,” he said, arguing that governments dependent on Washington would face growing pressure from populations angered by their governments’ cooperation with “Israel” and the United States.
He pointed to the ongoing destruction in Gaza and Lebanon, saying the policies of these governments were increasingly at odds with public sentiment across the region.
US understanding of the region shaped by ‘Israel’
Marandi also accused Washington of misreading regional developments, arguing that its understanding of West Asia is heavily shaped by “Israel and unpopular governments.”
“Its grasp of the region, its understanding of the region is also deeply problematic because its understanding of the region is largely influenced by the Israeli regime and unpopular regimes,” he said.
He argued that this disconnect was already producing consequences for US policy.
Iran rejects compromise
Marandi said Iran was unwilling to compromise over the implementation of the MOU, which he said must be fully honored.
“The MOU must be fully implemented,” he said, adding that Article 1 includes provisions concerning Lebanon and Gaza. He described an end to Israeli “death and destruction” in Gaza as among Iran’s preconditions.
Marandi argued that US pressure on Iran would not force Tehran to change course but would instead deepen the economic and political consequences of the war.
He warned that continued escalation could further destabilize governments allied with Washington, potentially creating repercussions well beyond the region.
“If these regimes become unstable, which I think is going to happen if this process continues, then I think that will be disastrous for the global economy,” he said.
“And then we are going to see a crash, an economic crash, which is global.”
Marandi warns of consequences for Netanyahu
Marandi also suggested that political considerations could be influencing the US approach to Iran, saying an assault on Tehran would carry a hefty political price.
He concluded with a warning directed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing remarks by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council chairman.
“The chair of the Supreme National Security Council has said, sooner or later, Iran will send Netanyahu to hell,” Marandi said.
He then argued that Netanyahu should be more concerned about his own future, saying he faces possible imprisonment and warning that he could potentially lose his life sooner than expected.
Member of Hezbollah politburo, Hajj Ghaleb Abu Zeinab, commented on the insolent remarks of the US ambassador to Lebanon, stressing that they are aimed at justifying the Israeli crimes against the innocent civilians in South Lebanon.
What follows is the full text of the statement of Abu Zeinab:
The US Ambassador to Lebanon made brazen statements today, speaking with a Zionist voice and attempting to justify the brutal, systematic killing committed by the Israeli enemy against peaceful Lebanese men, women, and children in their homes across southern villages and towns. With total insolence, he deliberately blames the victim for the crimes committed by the executioner.
It is ironic that this ambassador speaks of the interests of the people of the South, trying to sell them illusions of concern for their well-being and their return to their villages, towns, and livelihoods. In reality, the administration he represents covers up the systematic destruction of infrastructure taking place in the South, justifies the crimes of murder and occupation, and supplies the Israeli enemy with weapons and political support. It is a full partner, giving the green light to carry out aggression and terror in Lebanon and the region. Therefore, his statements represent nothing short of a detachment from reality and a hideous attempt to whitewash the aggression and cover it up with flimsy pretexts.
These statements expose once again the true nature of anti-humanitarian US conduct in Lebanon and across our Arab and Islamic nations. They lay bare its bloody arrogance and complete alignment with the butcher Netanyahu, making both two sides of the same coin and joint partners responsible for the blood of our people and children.
We are confident that our people fully understand who stands by them and who conspires against them. They are well aware that someone whose hands and face are stained with the blood of innocents—and who remains a full partner in the crimes and massacres committed by the Zionist enemy against Lebanon—can never be expected to bring any good.ource: Al-Manar English Website
Damage at US’ Ali Al-Salem air base after Iranian retaliatory strike (September 2026).
The US military and intelligence community are quietly considering a smaller US footprint in the Middle East after months of Iranian attacks exposed vulnerabilities at American bases and killed 18 US service members, the CNN reported on Tuesday.
The discussions include reducing troops and facilities across the region and potentially declining to rebuild some bases and assets severely damaged or destroyed by Iranian strikes, the CNN’s Katie Bo Lillis and Zachary Cohen reported, citing six sources.
Officials are also examining whether sensitive military and intelligence missions can be conducted without permanent US basing.
“But the recent fighting with Iran has laid bare deep vulnerabilities in the American infrastructure in the Middle East as many of those sites have become targets of repeated Iranian attacks in an unpopular war that has killed 18 American service members,” the report read.
In offices across the military and in the intelligence community, there have been recent quiet discussions about cutting the number of people and facilities typically stationed in the Middle East if the Trump administration succeeds in ending the Iran conflict, six sources say.… pic.twitter.com/646YGZZIEi
The scale of the damage has raised fresh concerns about the viability of Washington’s post-9/11 military infrastructure.
US installations in Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have been repeatedly targeted by Iranian missiles and drones, with US officials acknowledging significant damage.
“The damage has been substantial, US officials say: The CIA’s outpost in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for example, was effectively destroyed by an Iranian attack, according to one US official and a former intelligence officer. Although Pentagon officials have sought to downplay the impact, American military installations in Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have all been struck by Iranian drones and missiles, and sources say the damage has been significant,” according to the CNN.
Damage recorded at US base in Kuwait. Satellite imagery shows “destruction of two housing accommodations” at Ali Al Salem. https://t.co/zXe9QWOvAu
An Iranian strike reportedly effectively destroyed the CIA’s outpost in Riyadh, according to a US official and a former intelligence officer cited by CNN.
The military is also considering moving some installations underground to protect remaining forces from missile and drone attacks. “The vulnerabilities were always known, but the US never acted on it with urgency,” one US official told CNN.
The discussions come as roughly 50,000 US troops and major military assets, including two aircraft carriers and more than a dozen guided-missile destroyers, remain deployed across the Middle East.
Senior Pentagon officials are privately considering reducing the US military presence in several Gulf states and shifting more of the security burden onto regional partners, according to three sources cited by CNN.
Some officials are also weighing a model in which personnel and equipment remain in the US and are deployed to the region only for specific missions.
The possibility of a broader pullback has gained urgency as the Pentagon faces the cost of repairing heavily damaged installations.
At the same time, US forces remain exposed to further Iranian attacks, with Iran continuing to target American military positions in the region. The US Navy’s top admiral said last week that American personnel would not return to Bahrain, home of the 5th Fleet, “anytime soon.”
“We’re not getting back in there anytime soon,” Adm. Daryl Caudle said. “I just want to be completely honest with that.”
Car bursts into flame after an Israeli drone hit it in Kfar Rumman in southern Lebanon (September 6, 2026).
‘Israel’ launched a renewed wave of wide-scale airstrikes across southern Lebanon early Monday, hitting residential areas and towns across the Nabatieh region and commiting a massacre in the village of Kfar Rumman.
Israeli warplanes, carried out a series of airstrikes on Kfar Rumman, Arab Salim and Nabatieh Al-Fawqa, while an Israeli drone targeted an ambulance belonging to the Al-Risala Association, according to Al-Manar correspondent.
Lebanese Health Ministry said nine people were martyred and thirteen others were injured in the Israeli strike on Kfar Rumman, including paramedics, women and children.
The aerial attacks were accompanied by heavy Israeli artillery shelling targeting the outskirts of Nabatieh, Kfar Rumman, Jabal Al-Rafie and Al-Dabsha height, our correspondent reported.
The renewed assault follows a series of Israeli attacks on the Nabatieh region, including an airstrike on the city on Sunday evening that left Al-Manar TV reporter Ali Shbeib with minor injuries.
مشاهد من الاع.تداء الأخير على مدينة النبطية _ شارع محمود فقيه _ داخل موقف فخر الدين .. pic.twitter.com/EUGgL7EF3w
The latest attacks come amid a broader intensification of Israeli military aggression across southern Lebanon, especially in Nabatieh region, with residential areas and civilian infrastructure repeatedly coming under fire.
The Yemeni Armed Forces are fully prepared to respond to escalation with escalation, a senior Yemeni military source stated, warning that Sanaa maintains multiple strategic options should Saudi Arabia choose to enter an all-out war.
Speaking to Al Mayadeen, the source said the Yemeni Armed Forces possess an integrated and highly efficient weapons system capable of dealing with different forms of warfare and military engagements.
The senior military source stressed that the Yemeni Armed Forces would confront any escalation with a proportional escalation, adding that their options remain open and varied should Saudi Arabia decide to engage in a comprehensive war.
Reiterating that all Saudi-affiliated mobilizations are considered legitimate military targets, the source said recent Yemeni strikes have focused on the leadership of these forces.
The targets, the source said, are selected according to precise intelligence and carefully assessed operational information and data.
According to the source, the Yemeni strikes against Saudi-affiliated commanders have succeeded in thwarting a major portion of their preparations for a ground battle.
Additionally, Sanaa renewed its call to those who have allied with external forces against their own people to abandon their positions and return to the fold of their homeland.
The source particularly addressed those who had “mortgaged their lives,” betrayed their country, and stood against their people.
YAF strike Saudi military chiefs
The Yemeni Military Media released footage on Sunday of a major operation targeting a meeting of several Saudi military leaders with a ballistic missile.
The Yemeni Armed Forces also announced the downing of a Saudi Wing Loong II armed reconnaissance drone while it was carrying out hostile missions on Sunday morning.
According to spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the drone was shot down northwest of Maqbanah district in the Taiz governorate using an appropriate weapon without specifying it.
The Yemeni Armed Forces had previously carried out several military operations as part of their decision to ban maritime navigation to Saudi Arabia and establish the “blockade for blockade” equation, which was adopted following broad popular support expressed during mass Friday demonstrations in Sanaa and several other provinces.
Battle no longer defensive, shifted to preemptive action: Yemen
Earlier on August 26, Sanaa government Defense Minister Major General Mohammed al-Atifi and Chief of the General Staff Major General Youssef al-Madani announced that Yemen’s military operations have moved beyond defensive measures and entered a phase of preemptive offensives.
The two officials said the tighter the noose Yemen’s enemies attempt to place around the country, the broader its military options grow and the faster it develops advanced capabilities.
On August 24, the Yemeni Armed Forces announced that they struck the Saudi oil tanker Amzan in the northern Red Sea off Yanbu with a ballistic missile, sparking a fire on the vessel and prompting other ships in the area to flee. Spokesperson Yahya Saree said the strike is part of enforcing Sanaa’s maritime ban and blockade against Saudi Arabia.
Saree revealed that the Yemeni Armed Forces also struck a Saudi military convoy in al-Ubra and al-Wadi’a, destroying over ten trucks loaded with weapons, and hit Saudi forces in al-Kanais, killing and injuring dozens, including officers and commanders, and destroying several weapons depots.
Lebanese MP Ali Ammar, Member of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc, in a local ceremony in Beirut’s Dahiyeh (September 6, 2026),
Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar said the language of resistance remains the only effective means of confronting the Israeli enemy, stressing that the group remains committed to its path despite mounting political, regional and international pressures.
“The language of resistance is the only language that is effective against the Israeli enemy amid major transformations in the region and the world that continue to affect Lebanon,” MP Ammar said, during a memorial ceremony for martyr Jaafar Mohammad Diab Al-Harakeh in Beirut’s southern suburb (Dahiyeh).
At least four people were martyred and twenty others were injured as Israeli warplanes unleashed widespread assault across Nabatieh in southern Lebanon.
The strikes hit Nabatieh Al-Fawqa and Nabatieh Al-Tahta, as well as Arab Salim and Kfar Rumman.
The member of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc, meanwhile, warned that Lebanon is facing a “complex and multifaceted crisis encompassing political, economic, social and existential challenges.”
MP Ammar also criticized Lebanese powers that oppose the resistance while placing their hopes in the United States, arguing that past experience had demonstrated the failure of such a strategy.
He called for greater solidarity and national unity in confronting the challenges facing Lebanon.
“We need to recognize the gravity of the current situation and the challenges confronting us,” Ammar said, stressing the need for unity rather than reliance on external powers.
Exploiting academic institutions as a cover, between 2017 – 2021 the German government surreptitiously funnelled millions into a highly discriminatory project facilitating expansion of Zionist settlements in the occupied West Bank. Under its auspices, public money and knowledge production were committed to an inherently unlawful, immoral enterprise in flagrant breach of Berlin’s international legal obligations, and domestic restrictions on academic research efforts. The unknown scandal is just one component of how, in plain sight, Germany covertly assists Zionist settlement expansion and Palestine’s total erasure.
These are the shocking findings of a collaborative investigationby a triumvirate of German student Palestine solidarity organisations, including Not In Our Name, Academic Opposition, and Academic Boycott Campaign Germany. Their report is a groundbreaking effort, critically examining German state-sponsored water research in conjunction with Zionist entity academic institutions. It’s a silent conspiracy vast in scope, involving multiple state and quasi-state entities in Berlin and Tel Aviv financing academic research in seemingly innocuous fields, which directly abets Zionist ethnic cleansing and land seizure throughout Palestine.
The investigation focuses on a single project to emerge from the dark alliance between German and Israeli academia, known as MedWater. For four years, Berlin funded a consortium coordinated by the Technical University of Berlin, alongside Göttingen and Würzburg universities, to the tune of €1,818,348. Their successfully fulfilled objective was to develop a tool modelling the impact of adding or removing water wells. That feature was defined in direct conjunction with Israel’s water authorities, the tool transferred to Tel Aviv’s national water company.
Zionists eye an ancient water reservoir in the West Bank’s Jordan Valley
Specifically, the tool identifies ideal areas for construction of new wells, in a territory where Palestinian water sources are systematically demolished, and Palestinians are refused permits to drill new ones. Known as the Western Mountain Aquifer, it’s the largest and most productive groundwater body shared between Israel and the occupied West Bank. Palestinians were completely absent from working sessions convened in Jerusalem related to MedWater, and there is no apparent way in which Palestinians will, or even can, benefit from the effort in any way.
This is despite the consortium openly stating in submissions to German state ministries their tool sought to advance the UN’s sixth Sustainable Development Goal: “By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.” The completed MedWater system was unveiled in October 2020, at a Berlin conference. Its public demonstration included calculating the impact of adding four new wells to the West Bank’s Hebron Governorate. Only Zionist settlers could realise that vision on-the-ground, of which the consortium was well-aware.
Even more damningly, at the project’s end the tool was contracted to Israel’s national water company Mekorot, which manages wells in Zionist settlements throughout the West Bank. By contrast, the Palestinian Water Authority, initially named as a MedWater partner, was not provided a subcontract and is not publicly listed among its beneficiaries today. Unreported at the time, and tacitly concealed from view ever since, it’s just one way Germany has been unaccountably supporting a genocidal Zionist enterprise begun back in 1967.
‘Near Impossible’
In its July 2024 Advisory Opinion, the International Court of Justice ruled unambiguously all states are obliged “to distinguish, in their dealings with Israel, between Israeli territory and the territory occupied since 1967, and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining that situation.” A decade earlier, Berlin seemingly enshrined a codified commitment to this principle in its dealings with Zionist entity academic institutions. Under the Territorial Clause, Germany won’t fund, and Tel Aviv won’t solicit, research projects outside the entity’s pre-1967 borders – theoretically.
However, when asked how Mekorot’s MedWater contract was remotely compatible with the Clause, Berlin’s ministry of research argued its terms merely limit where research partners may be headquartered. As Mekorot is based in Tel Aviv, there was in fact no legal, regulatory or apparent ethical impediment to the project’s German government funding, despite the company’s well-documented criminal conduct in the West Bank since 1982. Then, Zionist Occupation Forces handed management of all local water infrastructure it controlled in the territory to Mekorot.
The Territorial Clause is evidently replete with gaping loopholes, which have been shamelessly exploited to provide arm’s length German state sponsorship to completely illegal Zionist settlement expansion all along. Strikingly, this ambiguity is in itself in contravention of the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion. The Court specifically honed in on the Zionist entity’s life-threatening restriction of Palestinian water access within the Occupied Territories, as inconsistent with Tel Aviv’s obligations under international law. This may explain why MedWater, while formally undisguised, remained effectively secret for so long.
To get to the bottom of the project, investigators drew on a diverse corpus of information. This included MedWater reports filed with Germany’s research ministry – some not intended for public view, and released in redacted form – presentation materials from numerous project conferences throughout its development, since-memoryholed websites, and peer-reviewed publications by German and Israeli participants. No mainstream outlet has hitherto reported not merely on MedWater, but any illegal German state investment in academic research projects expediting Zionist settlement expansion.
An initiative to better manage water resources may seem benign, anywhere in the world. But MedWater was born in a context of methodical, longstanding Zionist denial of Palestinian access to water, and a segregationist legal apparatus directly assisting Jewish settlement, particularly in regard to vital natural resources. In August 1967, two months after the West Bank’s occupation began, Zionist Occupation Forces issued Military Order 92, seizing total control of water resources in territory they illegally controlled.
Three months later, Military Order 158 further prohibited Palestinians throughout the West Bank from constructing new water installations and/or associated infrastructure, without first securing a permit from the ZOF. Amnesty Internationaljudges suchpermissions “near impossible to obtain.” Deliberately intended to deprive Palestinians of water, Zionists are of course not subject to equivalent constraints. Meanwhile, Mekorot has over the past four-and-a-half decades deliberately sabotaged Palestinian wells while tapping occupied West Bank springs to supply the entity, and illegal settlers, with water.
This in itself produces an apartheid in daily water consumption. Zionists, including settlers, use an average of 247 litres of water a day per person – three times that of Palestinians in the West Bank, at 82.4 litres. Palestinian water consumption collapses to just 26 litres per capita on average daily, in communities unconnected to the territory’s water grid. Such consumption is comparable to active disaster zones. Mekorot also routinely shuts off supply to Palestinian communities when reserves run low, such as during summer.
‘European DNA’
The Zionist strategy is gruesomely simple – neutralise Palestinian control over the West Bank’s water resources and progressively diminish their access, creating an environment in which the territory is literally uninhabitable and they’re forced to leave. Research jointly published by the UN and Germany’s federal institute for geosciences and natural resources indicates 212 million cubic metres of water flows from the West Bank to Israel annually. The report also records how since 1967, Palestinians “have not been authorised to drill a single well” locally.
All along, discriminatory laws and ratcheting settler land grabs have increasingly deprived Palestinians of access to other basic fundamentals of existence too. An ever-expanding network of ZOF checkpoints and roadblocks, combined with prejudicial, arbitrary restrictions on movement, vandalism and demolition of farming machinery, greenhouses, and roads, and savage Occupation Force and settler violence makes it progressively dangerous if not impossible for farmers to tend crops or rear livestock. Palestine’s agricultural industry is all but decimated, with Zionistsliterally harvesting the pestilential spoils.
ZOF soldiers lurk behind a Jewish settler hurling stones at Palestinians gathering for olive harvest season, West Bank, October 2025
That these genocidal machinations have persisted untrammelled over decades is a testament to the total impunity with which Israel is permitted to act by its international proxy sponsors – Germany being a particularly perverse example. Proudly, it is the only country to make public remembrance of its criminal past the cornerstone of its collective national identity. But Berlin’s much-vaunted “memory culture” invariably entails atoning for historic sins by encouraging and undergirding comparable contemporary crimes, as long as they’re committed by the Zionist entity.
WaterMed is a minor fragment within a much wider, unspoken framework of German state-supported repression and erasure of Palestinians, sustained via little-known partnerships and joint research efforts with Zionist entity-based universities and institutions. A new initiative, Academic Complicity, exposes how dozens of German higher education facilities have over many years conducted deeply dubious projects large and small one way or another justifying and aiding neverending settlement expansion. One might hope this would trigger accountability and consequences for Berlin, given her unambiguous domestic and international legal obligations.
However, the bonds between Germany and the Zionist entity are so deep and cohering, they transcend trivial considerations of law, or ethicality. In October 2025, former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo made a number of highly revealing disclosures on how his personal and professional experience has convinced him “Germans are committed to Israel.” After all, “our DNA is much closer to the European DNA than the American one,” as “most of the Jews who settled in Israel came from Europe…not North America”:
“European history is part of our identity in terms of family connections, culture, even politics. Europe’s borders resulting from wars were constantly shifting and Europeans wandered throughout the continent, settling in one place before moving on to the next. In that sense, and in terms of depth, discourse, and history, this is all very familiar to us, and is something that manifests itself in every interaction I have with German partners.”
Washington’s allies built their prosperity around the promise of US protection. The cost of that promise is becoming harder to bear.
Photo Credit: The Cradle
Suleyman Karan After graduating from Galatasaray High School, he completed his higher education at Istanbul University, Faculty of Political Sciences. He worked as the Editor-in-Chief of Pazar Postası and Posta Daily. He worked as the Editor-in-Chief of Hürriyet BusinessWeek and Platin magazines, and also as the Editorial Coordinator of Yurt Daily. He is an economics writer at Gazeteduvar.
The Israeli-US war against the Islamic Republic of Iran is developing into a conflict in which the aggressors’ calculations have failed, and Washington’s allies are suffering serious economic losses. The failure of a “superpower” to secure victory over a regional power suggests that the global balance cannot simply return to what it was before the war.
Another implication is that the rules of the global economy, trade, and finance cannot be dictated by western powers alone. The Strait of Hormuz crisis offers a stark illustration of how hegemony can become trapped in a narrow passage.
Across Europe and Asia, Washington’s allies are confronting crises for which they were poorly prepared, particularly in energy supplies. The damage also extends to countries outside the US alliance system, whose factories, farms, and households depend on the same trade routes.
Europe pays another war bill
The crisis and blockade in the Strait of Hormuz have driven up energy costs, forcing the EU to lower its economic growth forecasts for 2026 and creating intense cost pressures across the continent. This new burden follows the energy disruption and public spending commitments associated with the Ukraine war.
The sudden surge in energy costs has raised expenses across industrial production and transportation. The interruption of traffic through the strait has exposed Europe to a serious risk of jet fuel and other refined fuel shortages. Higher energy bills and increased business expenses are squeezing household purchasing power and damaging consumer confidence.
European governments have introduced tax cuts and direct support packages, although their responses differ. The blockade has created a shared energy and supply chain shock, but its effects depend on each country’s industrial structure, import dependence, and capacity to absorb higher costs.
The European Commission’s May forecast lowered projected EU growth to 1.1 percent and eurozone growth to 0.9 percent. The World Bank’s June assessment likewise cut the global growth outlook, while the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) July update raised its forecast for global inflation.
The figures come from different institutions and forecast rounds, but point to the same pressure: more expensive energy is weakening growth and complicating efforts to bring inflation down.
Growth weakens as energy costs rise
Region / indicator
Previous forecast or comparison
2026 forecast
Basis and date
EU growth
1.4%
1.1%
European Commission, May; energy shock weakens activity
Eurozone growth
1.2%
0.9%
European Commission, May; revised down from its autumn forecast
Brent crude, annual average
2025 annual average
$94 per barrel
World Bank, June; 36% above 2025, assuming the worst disruption eased in July
Global headline inflation
4.1% in 2025
4.7%
IMF, July; forecast annual rate, not a current monthly reading
Germany, Europe’s largest economy, faces renewed pressure on manufacturing. The chemical, automotive, and heavy industrial sectors are vulnerable to high energy costs. More expensive crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) feed into production costs, while disruption to Gulf supplies threatens the delivery of petrochemical feedstocks, packaging materials, and other industrial inputs.
France obtains about 70 percent of its electricity from 57 operable nuclear reactors, providing some protection against the shock. Its transportation sector and household spending remain exposed, however. Most cars, commercial vehicles, and ships still rely on petroleum fuels, and higher freight costs feed into the prices of finished goods, from food to furniture.
The threat of a jet fuel shortage is among aviation’s most serious concerns. Airlines have faced higher costs and flight reductions, even where physical fuel supplies have remained available. In May, the EU energy commissioner warned of longer-term supply risks, while saying there was no immediate shortage.
Paris has faced pressure to shield consumers, but fiscal constraints have limited its response. The French finance minister argued against broad tax reductions and favored temporary, targeted assistance. Yet the political problem remains as households expect protection while the government is trying to contain its deficit.
Italy, already burdened by high public debt, faces a similar dilemma. Supporting households and businesses costs money at a time when borrowing is becoming more expensive. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has pressed for greater flexibility in EU fiscal rules, bringing the clash between energy relief and budget discipline into the open.
Britain’s island exposure
The blockade and the Iran war have delivered a twin shock to the UK economy through energy and trade. Although the UK obtains substantial oil and gas supplies domestically and from Norway, its costs remain tied to international markets. Buying from a different producer does not insulate a country from a global price increase.
London’s concern is the risk of renewed inflation alongside weak growth. The latest available ONS figures put annual consumer price inflation at 2.9 percent in July, up from 2.6 percent in June. Food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation stood at 1.3 percent. The increase in headline inflation adds to pressure on households already facing high living costs.
The Bank of England’s July policy statement warned that inflation was expected to rise “as the effects of higher energy prices continue to pass through.” Bringing it under control risks putting further pressure on an already weak economy.
Higher oil prices have also increased the pressure on aviation. Major hubs such as Heathrow and Gatwick depend on reliable fuel supplies, leaving them exposed to prolonged disruption in the Gulf. The UK government’s published guidance said airlines were not experiencing a jet fuel shortage when it issued its assessment, while contingency measures sought to reduce the risk of last-minute cancellations.
As an island country, Britain is heavily dependent on maritime transportation for consumer goods and industrial inputs. Where Asia–Europe services avoid the Red Sea and sail around the Cape of Good Hope, longer journeys add freight costs and delay deliveries. These diversions compound the Hormuz shock, although they concern a separate passage and do not provide an escape route for vessels trapped inside the Persian Gulf.
Britain’s military commitments create additional demands. London and Paris have led multinational planning for a mission to protect navigation through Hormuz once conditions permit. Protecting trade routes requires ships, personnel, and sustained funding, adding to the obligations of a state already trying to reconcile defense spending with pressure on public services.
Asia bears the supply shock
That is the situation in the west. In the east, the dependence on Gulf energy is even more direct. East and South Asia are among the regions most exposed to the crisis, and hopes that diplomacy would quickly restore normal traffic have repeatedly run ahead of events.
The effective closure of the strait has struck at a supply route serving the industrial centers of Asia. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that 84 percent of the crude oil and condensate, and 83 percent of the LNG, passing through Hormuz in 2024 went to Asian markets.
China, India, Japan, and South Korea are major buyers, although they enter the crisis with different reserves, domestic energy resources, and options for replacing interrupted supplies. Their exposure cannot be measured by import volumes alone. The ability to pay for alternatives and move them to consumers also matters.
Indian farmers face a mounting bill
India imports about 60 percent of its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) needs, with Gulf cargoes central to that supply. The disruption has created price pressure from cooking gas cylinders to industrial fuel. According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), India’s LPG import bill for March–August was approximately $4.7 billion, including an estimated $1.1 billion in additional crisis-related costs.
Total LPG imports fell 49 percent in March compared with the average of the corresponding month in the previous two years. The US share of imports rose to 32 percent in April, replacing part of the lost Gulf supply. The six-month cost estimate combines reported trade data with estimates for later months.
New Delhi also turned back toward Russian oil as Gulf supplies became less reliable. Energy security has forced India to weigh western pressure against the immediate needs of its refineries, businesses, and households.
Fertilizer has delivered another blow. The World Bank’s April commodity forecast projected a 60 percent rise in urea prices for 2026. In a country where agriculture supports a large share of the population, costlier fertilizer and disrupted feedstock supplies increase pressure before the planting season and raise the cost of shielding farmers.
Agriculture, livestock, forestry, and fishing grew by 3.6 percent in April–June 2026, down from 4.4 percent a year earlier.
While rainfall, harvest conditions, and domestic demand also shape agricultural growth, disrupted supplies and higher fertilizer costs add to farmers’ difficulties. Shielding them from those costs through subsidies puts further strain on the government’s budget.
CREA estimates India’s net additional fossil fuel cost at $14.4 billion, equivalent to 0.38 percent of GDP. An additional bill of that size draws resources away from other spending, even before the wider costs of interrupted production are counted.
In April, the Reserve Bank of India expected growth of 6.9 percent in 2026–27, against an estimated 7.6 percent in the preceding financial year. The projected slowdown leaves New Delhi facing weaker momentum while it tries to contain the cost of supporting consumers and producers.
Dependence carries a freight premium
High dependence on Gulf oil has made insurance another source of pressure. Early in the conflict, reported war-risk premiums rose from about 0.25 percent of a vessel’s value to 1–1.5 percent, a four- to sixfold increase. Rates have fluctuated with the fighting and ceasefires rather than remaining at one fixed crisis level.
Replacing Gulf cargoes with supplies from more distant producers increases shipping distances, fuel consumption, and demand for tankers. Rerouting around Africa can avoid the Red Sea, but neither the Cape nor Suez bypasses Hormuz for cargo still inside the Persian Gulf. Export pipelines leading to terminals outside the strait offer a limited alternative.
Uneven exposure across East Asia
Country
Oil exposure before the disruption
Main economic pressure
Available cushion or response
Japan
About 93% of crude imports passed through Hormuz in 2025
Higher import costs and pressure on household purchasing power
Oil reserves, supplier diversification, and investment in alternative routes
South Korea
About 70% of crude imports pass through Hormuz
Petrochemical feedstock shortages and industrial cost increases
Alternative cargoes, public support, and greater use of other power sources
China
IEA estimated Hormuz-linked crude supplies at more than 5.2 million barrels a day in 2025
Costlier imports and disruption to refinery supplies
Large inventories, domestic energy production, and access to alternative suppliers
Japan entered the crisis with an aging population, labor shortages, a very large public debt burden, and the legacy of decades of weak demand and deflation. The Hormuz shock has added an external, supply-side increase in costs at a time when inflation has already replaced deflation as an immediate policy concern.
For a country obtaining more than 90 percent of its crude imports through this route before the war, the disruption directly raises the cost of key production inputs and threatens purchasing power. A weak yen compounds the problem as importers must find more yen to pay bills denominated in dollars, even before any increase in the dollar price of oil.
To address inflationary pressures, the Bank of Japan raised its policy rate by 25 basis points in June, bringing it to one percent. The increase extended its tightening cycle, raising borrowing costs as households and businesses were also confronting more expensive imports.
Japan and the US subsequently launched a rare joint currency intervention to prop up the yen, but the relief was short-lived. The currency resumed its slide as higher US interest rates continued to favor the dollar.
Alarm bells continue to ring across the Japanese economy. A further rate increase was under discussion ahead of the September meeting, while Tokyo has sought to diversify oil supplies and support routes that bypass Hormuz. The need for alternatives has become more urgent, even though building them will take time.
South Korean industry cuts back
South Korea obtains about 70 percent of its oil and 20 percent of its LNG from West Asia. The crisis has therefore struck directly at manufacturing and chemicals, where energy and petroleum-derived feedstocks are essential to production.
Petrochemicals, plastics, and other energy-intensive industries face higher costs and pressure to reduce capacity. Naphtha shortages are especially serious because the material is used to make products that feed into automotive manufacturing, electronics, packaging, and construction. A shortage at this stage can spread through industries far removed from oil extraction.
The government has sought to cushion the shock through public support and measures to secure supplies. In late March, it proposed a 26.2 trillion won supplementary budget to assist households and businesses. Such intervention shifts part of the immediate burden to the public finances, even when it prevents larger losses elsewhere.
Southeast Asia’s energy paradox
Southeast Asian industry also depends on Gulf crude oil, LNG, and petrochemical inputs. Higher energy costs and interrupted supplies place factories and employment at risk across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), although the severity varies substantially between countries and industries.
The Philippines faces an additional exposure through approximately 2.4 million Filipinos working in West Asia. Their safety, employment, and ability to send money home are all vulnerable to a prolonged conflict.
Malaysia and Indonesia, two major Southeast Asian economies, face an energy paradox. Both produce oil and gas and can benefit from higher commodity prices, yet domestic production does not eliminate dependence on imported fuels, international prices, or costly consumer subsidies.
Both governments have maintained subsidized fuel prices while introducing purchase limits. Higher export earnings can provide a cushion, but the cost of protecting households rises too. The balance depends on the fuels each country produces, imports, and subsidizes. Gains for an exporter or a state energy company can coexist with growing pressure on the households and industries buying its fuel.
The Gulf’s protection bargain comes under fire
Then there is West Asia itself, where the war began. The US-Israeli assault on Iran in late February and the subsequent disruption of Hormuz have exposed Washington’s Gulf allies to crises on several fronts. Attacks on energy facilities and civilian infrastructure have brought the economic consequences of war directly into states that host US military forces.
Forecasts have deteriorated sharply, but the damage is uneven. The IMF’s April projections put Qatar’s contraction at 8.6 percent, Kuwait’s at 0.6 percent, and Bahrain’s at 0.5 percent. The disruption has continued well beyond those April forecasts.
Qatar faces particularly severe damage to its LNG-dependent economy. By late August, Oxford Economics was warning of a contraction approaching 30 percent, given damage at Ras Laffan. The deterioration since the spring outlook reflects the scale of the damage to facilities on which Qatar’s export earnings depend.
Kuwait’s lack of a maritime outlet outside Hormuz leaves its exports acutely exposed. Bahrain, already heavily indebted, faces additional financing pressure; its credit default swap prices had risen almost 40 percent by late August. The cost of insuring government debt offers another measure of the uncertainty now surrounding the region.
Riyadh cushions its losses, Dubai loses ground
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have more scope to soften the shock, although neither has escaped it. The IMF’s April forecast still projected 3.1 percent growth for each, despite cutting Saudi Arabia’s outlook by 1.4 percentage points and the UAE’s by 1.9 points. Their alternative export routes provide some protection, but leave much of the wider economy exposed.
Saudi Arabia’s East–West Pipeline has allowed it to export some oil through the Red Sea, bypassing Hormuz. Higher oil prices have also partly offset lower volumes. The kingdom’s experience shows why damage to production and changes in revenue do not always move together.
Even so, the economic losses are substantial. Saudi oil activity fell 24.7 percent in the second quarter, while overall GDP contracted 4.8 percent year on year. Its budget deficit was approximately $9.1 billion, despite the benefit of higher petroleum revenues.
The UAE, particularly Dubai and Abu Dhabi, has suffered through its role as a global logistics, tourism, and financial center. According to JPMorgan estimates reported in late August, Dubai property sales had fallen 70–80 percent, while UAE stocks were down around 14 percent during the conflict.
Regional airspace closures initially forced major airlines to suspend or sharply reduce operations. Emirates reported restoring 96 percent of its global network by 4 May. Reopening routes nevertheless leaves airlines exposed to higher fuel costs and renewed security interruptions.
Abu Dhabi has also used the Habshan–Fujairah Pipeline to maintain some oil exports through the Gulf of Oman. Like the Saudi route, it provides a valuable outlet, but cannot replace every shipment or restore the confidence on which the wider economy depends.
The cost reaches the household
The crisis extends beyond oil revenues and financial markets into everyday life. The vulnerability of desalination plants is especially serious in states where drinking water depends overwhelmingly on energy-intensive coastal facilities. An attack on a plant, its power supply, or its distribution network threatens an essential service with few immediate substitutes.
Supply chain interruptions also raise the cost of importing food and other necessities. Even where government intervention or existing stocks prevent shortages, replacing cargoes and maintaining supplies carries an additional expense. Those costs must be absorbed by importers, households, or the state.
Repairing the damage across Iran and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf could cost $34–58 billion, according to Rystad Energy’s April assessment. Beyond oil and gas facilities, the bill extends to factories, power stations, and the desalination plants on which much of the region depends for drinking water.
Arms spending presses on development
The Hormuz blockade and damage to oil facilities, water systems, and civilian infrastructure are forcing Washington’s Gulf allies to reassess their security arrangements. Hosting US forces has not insulated them from the war’s economic consequences, while repairing essential infrastructure creates obligations that will outlast any ceasefire.
Defense spending now competes with reconstruction, public support, and long-term development. Infrastructure investment has not stopped: Gulf states are also accelerating plans for ports and pipelines that reduce dependence on Hormuz. But the need to finance alternative routes is itself part of the price of the war.
Billions that could improve public services and living standards risk being absorbed by arms purchases and the repair of what has been destroyed. The longer this continues, the more Washington’s allies will be required to spend simply to preserve the security and prosperity that their alliance was supposed to guarantee.
Israeli intelligence recruits through money, ideology, coercion, and years of calculated grooming – only to discard its agents once their usefulness expires.
Photo Credit: The Cradle
Israel’s intelligence community is closely associated with advanced technology, secretive agencies, and the rivalries that intensified after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Behind this apparatus, however, agent recruitment remains a patient human enterprise, built on vulnerability, access, and dependence on an Israeli handler.
In its early years, Israeli intelligence relied heavily on Jewish operatives for both routine and sensitive missions. As its reach expanded into hostile environments, more collection work was entrusted to recruited agents inside Arab and Palestinian societies, while Jewish operatives continued to provide logistical and operational support abroad.
Technological expansion later shifted the balance, with Israel investing heavily in cyber capabilities, signals intelligence, artificial intelligence (AI), and advanced surveillance.
Daniel Gold, head of the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development and one of the architects of Iron Dome, embodies this technological turn. Yet the failures surrounding Operation Al-Aqsa Flood renewed scrutiny of Israel’s dependence on technology and the erosion of human intelligence inside Gaza.
Possessing a source, however, is only one part of intelligence work. Information must reach the right officials and be assessed outside the assumptions already shaping their judgment. In both 1973 and 2023, Israel had obtained warnings but failed to interpret or act on them in time.
Former Israeli national security advisor Yaakov Amidror makes the same point in his Hebrew-language book “Intelligence: Theory and Practice.” The difficulty of developing human collection capabilities, he writes, pushed services toward electronic and technological means, but they eventually recognized that modern systems could not compensate for the absence of human sources.
Amidror spent 36 years in the Israeli military, serving as head of the Research Department in Military Intelligence, intelligence chief of Northern Command, commander of the military colleges, and military secretary to the defense minister. He later chaired Israel’s National Security Council. His account divides agent recruitment into three broad methods:
1. Sending an operative from the home country
An operative dispatched from the home country can be trained and briefed before deployment. His loyalty is considered more dependable, and handlers can assess the information on his return without the same fear that he has inflated it for money or personal protection.
His weakness is precisely that he comes from outside. He must build a credible identity, avoid attracting attention, and keep enough distance from local society to protect his cover. Those restrictions often leave him reporting what he can see or hear rather than obtaining original documents, physical evidence, or access to the target’s inner circle.
2. Recruiting an agent inside the target country
A local recruit already belongs to the social environment being penetrated. If positioned in the armed forces, security services, government, business, or a resistance organization, he can enter sensitive spaces without appearing out of place. His handler can direct him toward particular offices, people, or facilities, allowing him to obtain maps, photographs, files, and other original material.
For the recruiting service, however, a local agent’s loyalty remains open to doubt. He may embellish reports to prove his worth or increase his payment. He cannot readily change his home, occupation, or daily routine at his handler’s request without drawing suspicion, leaving him useful but constrained.
Amidror regards ideological or religious conviction as the strongest basis for recruiting an agent inside the target country. Israeli literature celebrates Mossad’s record in Arab states and Shin Bet’s penetration of Palestinian organizations, but also concedes the labor involved. A handler must master the recruit’s language and culture, understand his pressures and ambitions, and invest the time needed to turn vulnerability into dependence.
3. Building a local identity for a trained operative
The third method sends a trained operative into the target country under a manufactured local identity. In theory, this combines the discipline of a home-country officer with the access of a native recruit. Israeli intelligence history treats such deep-cover operations as capable of producing exceptional results.
Exposure carries a heavier price. If extraction fails, the operative may be executed, held for an exchange, or denied even the return of his body. Israel’s most famous example is Eli Cohen, the Mossad operative who penetrated the Syrian political and military elite before his arrest and execution in Damascus in 1965.
Contact without fingerprints
Israeli doctrine also distinguishes among methods of contact. Some agents remain in place and transmit information through codes, concealed communications, postal channels, or periodic meetings with a handler inside the same country. Each contact is designed to appear ordinary, but repetition creates patterns that counterintelligence can detect.
High-value agents may be taken to Israel via several other countries to conceal their destination. Once there, they can face polygraph examinations, intensive debriefing, professional training, and further measures intended to deepen their involvement.
Emergency channels are kept for information that cannot wait. Many networks are nevertheless uncovered through weak communications, reused methods, duplicated contacts, logistical mistakes, or chance. The tradecraft may be patient, but it remains vulnerable to routine human error.
Frequency itself depends on the value and sensitivity of the source. A low-level agent may transmit limited observations through an indirect channel, while a source carrying urgent military information may be instructed to break routine and use an emergency line. Every exception protects the information at the cost of exposing another fragment of the network.
The hierarchy of betrayal
Israeli literature ranks agents by both access and function. A well-placed agent occupies a sensitive post and helps the recruiting service understand, disrupt, or pre-empt the adversary’s plans. A mobile agent lacks such access but can be moved or tasked to observe a recent development.
A “research agent” may pose as a merchant, traveler, or professional and collect military information, weapons movements, personnel deployments, or assessments of morale. Such work may fall short of strategic penetration, but it can be valuable in preparing an operation, mapping a network, or supporting a military campaign.
An “insider” draws on a broad web of relationships. He may never handle the most sensitive material himself, yet can reach people who do, collect documents indirectly, and shift into new fields when his handler’s priorities change. His value lies in the network around him as much as in his formal position.
These categories are neither fixed nor mutually exclusive. A trader who begins by observing movements can become an intermediary to a more valuable source; an employee with modest access can be encouraged to seek promotion or transfer. Recruitment therefore continues after the first agreement, with handlers repeatedly trying to reposition the agent closer to the information they want.
A decade spent cultivating cover
A Turkish counterintelligence operation announced in February 2026 revealed the years Israel can devote to cultivating an agent. Turkish authorities alleged that Mehmet Budak Derya and Veysel Kerimoglu supplied Mossad with information for more than a decade. Derya, a mining engineer who entered the marble trade, was said to have met Israeli handlers in several European countries under shifting code names.
According to Turkish reporting, the pair used commercial activity to build ties across the region, collect information on Palestinians critical of Israel, and enter the drone-component trade. A legitimate business can provide travel, money, contacts, and a pretext for approaching targets while concealing the intelligence operation behind it.
Commercial cover can also become a burden. The agent may appear prosperous while his business, travel, and capital remain tied to the service directing him. Years of cultivation can bring influence and access, but also bind the recruit to a life that may collapse once his handlers withdraw their protection.
A service may improve the recruit’s financial position, establish a credible business front, and wait for his social standing to grow. What appears to be ordinary professional advancement may therefore conceal an intelligence operation years in the making.
The occupation spends its assets
Israeli intelligence may invest considerable time and resources in an agent while he remains useful. This treatment rarely survives the loss of his access or operational value. To his handlers, the collaborator remains an expendable intelligence asset.
There have been exceptions. In Operation Diamond, Iraqi pilot Munir Redfa flew an MiG-21 to Israel on 16 August 1966 after Mossad arranged the extraction of members of his family. Israel obtained one of the Soviet Union’s most advanced aircraft, studied it, and later shared it with the US. The aircraft was subsequently numbered 007.
Such treatment generally follows the value or danger of the mission and may form part of the recruitment bargain itself. Better pay and protection can also be extended to agents who perform unusually important tasks or who convert to Judaism. The secrecy surrounding these cases makes any credible percentage impossible to establish.
Redfa received exceptional protection because Israel wanted the aircraft intact and needed his cooperation. Moving his family was part of the deal. Better treatment may also be extended to agents who undertake unusually important or dangerous missions, but few remain so valuable once their work is over.
The broader record is harsher. When Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in May 2000, its proxy South Lebanon Army (SLA) collapsed, and thousands of its members and relatives crossed the border amid scenes of panic.
Former commander Antoine Lahad later accused Israel of abandoning the force it had armed, financed, and trained. Their experience remains one of the clearest warnings to those who wager their fate on occupation promises.
Palestinian collaborators who fled to Israel have likewise faced displacement, isolation, and uncertain legal and economic lives. The same pattern now shadows Israel-backed armed groups in Gaza, whose utility depends on the occupation’s immediate military needs rather than any lasting obligation to the men it recruits.
An agent who tries to walk away may discover that retirement is not an option. His handler can threaten to expose him, demand further work, or press him to recruit a more valuable replacement. Every payment, meeting, and assignment becomes another means of control.
Despite Israel’s technological reach, its human intelligence operations still depend on patient recruitment, money, ideology, coercion, and personal vulnerability. Once an agent has exhausted his usefulness, the occupation has little incentive to protect him.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps announced that its Aerospace Force and Navy have carried out attacks on US warships and vessels in response to American attacks on Iranian oil tankers and a naval blockade of Iran.
The IRGC Aerospace Force said it targeted, with several ballistic missiles, a US aircraft carrier and a destroyer that had harassed Iranian ships and participated in the naval blockade.
“The two warships, after sustaining damage and fearing another attack, were forced to flee the area of engagement,” the force said.
It added that the enemy, which had for years “roamed the region with false pride and hollow claims,” is now forced to officially acknowledge that two US Navy warships had come under attack.
“CENTCOM’s acknowledgment confirming this operation is living evidence of the enemy’s strategic defeat and proof of the offensive power of the IRGC,” the statement said.
The IRGC Aerospace Force warned that if hostile and aggressive actions continue, “the US regime must expect devastating responses from the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Meanwhile, the IRGC Navy said in a statement on Saturday night that the US “terrorist and aggressor army”, in a brutal act carried out “out of desperation” over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, had attacked three oil tankers belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran earlier that morning, causing damage.
The IRGC Navy said its forces subsequently targeted three oil tankers traveling along an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz as well as three vessels affiliated with the US in other areas.
The IRGC Navy issued a “firm warning” to all vessels present in the Persian Gulf and near the Strait of Hormuz, urging them not to fall for deception by the US military and to avoid any suspicious movement aimed at passing through unauthorized waterways.
“Otherwise, you will be targeted,” the statement warned.
Also, the spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of Iran warned the US military that if its acts of “mischief, insecurity and harassment of Iranian ships” and the naval blockade of Iran continue, the Iranian Armed Forces will deliver “more severe strikes than before” against US military vessels in the region.
An Iranian oil tanker came under a missile attack by US forces six nautical miles off Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf on Saturday morning.
Several explosions were heard from the direction of the Persian Gulf in the vicinity of Kharg Island hours ago.
According to a Tasnim correspondent on Kharg Island, a small Iranian oil tanker was targeted by a US military missile attack six nautical miles from the island on Saturday morning.
The tanker, which was in the anchorage area off Kharg Island, was hit by four projectiles fired by US forces.
Local sources said, fortunately, the incident caused no casualties and that the tanker’s crew members were in the process of evacuating the vessel.
Relevant authorities are investigating the extent of the damage and the precise circumstances surrounding the incident. Further details will be released later.
by Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio – Gospa News founder and director
FIRST POSTED ON GOSPA NEWS AT 7,28 AM GMT + 2 (Italy) -UPDATED AT 9,42 PM GMT + 2
A US-made AGM-84H cruise missile among the wreckage after American strike on a wedding
A US-made AGM-84H SLAM-ER cruise missile has been identified among the wreckage following the American strike on a wedding ceremony in Sirik, southern Iran, late Tuesday, adding further evidence of the US military’s role in the attack that killed and wounded civilians.
Weapons analyst Trevor Ball identified the remnants as belonging to the SLAM-ER, a precision-guided, air-launched cruise missile manufactured by Boeing, according OsintWarfare which posted on X the first video of wreckage and was quoted by Al Mayaeedn English Lebanese TV.
Boeing describes the SLAM-ER as being the most accurate air-launched munition in the US Navy’s arsenal;
Enlargement of the piece of a U.S. AGM-84H SLAM-ER among the wreckage in the wedding massacre in Sirik posted on X by @OsintWarfare
Trevor Ball, a former US Army explosive ordnance disposal technician who now works as a weapons technical analyst for Armament Research Services, was among the experts asked by Reuters to examine the photographs and video.
“The damage seen appears to be from a munition which detonated on contact with the roof, or just above the roof,”he said, adding it was apparently a direct hit.
The strike in the small town of Kuhestak on Tuesday killed five people and injured at least 70 others.
The Exclusive Video of the Wreckage
VIDEO LEGEND:
1st footage – The US-made AGM-84H SLAM-ER cruise missile has among the wreckage following the American strike on the wedding cerimony
2nd footage – Children’s slippers lie scattered in the aftermath of the US aggression at a wedding in Sirik, where civilians, including children, were killed and dozens more were injured. Footage from the scene shows slippers belonging to women and children amid the destruction.
After this initial analysis, both Iranian and international sources tried to identify the weapon, with some ballistics experts even launching the bizarre hypothesis that it was a ricochet shot, a hypothesis considered unlikely by most, however.
Fabio is investigative journalist since 1991. Now geopolitics, intelligence, military, SARS-Cov-2 manmade, NWO expert and Director-founder of Gospa News: a Christian Information Journal.
His articles were published on many international media and website as SouthFront, Reseau International, Sputnik Italia, United Nation Association Westminster, Global Research, Kolozeg and more…
Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio, born on 24/2/1967 in Borgosesia, started working as a reporter when he was only 19 years old in the alpine area of Valsesia, Piedmont, his birth region in Italy. After studying literature and history at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, he became director of the local newspaper Notizia Oggi Vercelli and specialized in judicial reporting.
For about 15 years he is a correspondent from Northern Italy for the Italian newspapers Libero and Il Giornale, also writing important revelations on the Ustica massacre, a report on Freemasonry and organized crime.
With independent investigations, he collaborates with Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza in important investigations that conclude with the arrest of Camorra entrepreneurs or corrupt politicians.
In July 2018 he found the counter-information web media Gospa News focused on geopolitics, terrorism, Middle East, and military intelligence.
In 2020 published the book, in Italian only, WUHAN-GATES – The New World Order Plot on SARS-Cov-2 manmade focused on the cycle of investigations Wuhan-Gates
His investigations was quoted also by The Gateway Pundit, Tasnim and others
He worked for many years for the magazine Art & Wine as an art critic and curator.
VT Condemns the ETHNIC CLEANSING OF PALESTINIANS by USA/Israel
$280+ BILLION US TAXPAYER DOLLARS INVESTED since 1948 in US/Israeli Ethnic Cleansing and Occupation Operation 150B direct “aid” and $ 130B in “Offense” contracts Source: Embassy of Israel, Washington, D.C. and US Department of State.
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Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu talks to US President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Israeli analyst Ran Adelist said it was “interesting to see how the United States and the Israeli occupation entity, despite being tens of thousands of kilometers apart, are today undergoing similar processes in their internal conflicts,” with political and social disputes forming the backdrop and “just one step away” from escalating into violence.
In an article published in Maariv, Adelist added, “Relations between the United States and ‘Israel’ are intertwined across a variety of fields, to the point that, despite the difference in scale, it is unclear which side influences the other, even as both need to preserve their operational independence. In particular, it is unclear which of the two will prevail internally in the struggle between democracy and dictatorship.”
“On the surface, because of the quantitative disparity, no comparison can be made. But in reality, Israel is a miniature version of America, and Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu share a personal, national, and social agenda that is anything but democratic. The prevailing claim is that we are dealing with two democracies, one the largest in the world and the other the only one in the Middle East. That is not true. They are conditional democracies. The condition is that the deep messianic, sectarian, economic, and nationalist currents do not fall into the hands of dictatorial leaders and a mindless public that blindly follows them—and that is precisely what has happened to both,” the Zionist analyst continued.
Activists hold signs during a protest near the White House as U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, D.C., on July 28, 2026. (Photo by Mehmet Eser/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“In fact, the United States and Israel have never truly been democracies,” he wrote. “The United States acted after World War II as an emerging empire, while Israel, after the ‘War of Liberation,’ acted as a ‘state’ under siege, requiring the suppression of the hostile Arab sector. Thus, until Trump and Netanyahu came along and exposed the truth, we were dealing with a conditional democracy. What is ours is ours, and what is yours is ours as well. At the same time, in both countries, intractable identity problems came to the surface involving sectors that are not merely different but in conflict with one another, and both fell into constitutional crises with similar characteristics.”
Adelist drew a sharp contrast between Trump and Netanyahu while arguing that, despite their differences, both leaders share a highly personalized approach to power and political survival.
“There are no two people more different from each other than Trump and Bibi,” he wrote, describing Trump as a “childish megalomaniac” and “pathological narcissist” who clings to fragments of reality and frequently veers into embarrassing territory despite efforts by his aides to prepare him for public appearances.
Adelist portrayed Netanyahu as similarly focused above all on his political survival. He argued that, while Netanyahu remains “razor-sharp” when it comes to preserving his position, he treats everything else as secondary.
The analyst also pointed to what he described as a parallel media environment surrounding the two leaders. He cited the Israeli Channel 14 and Fox in the United States, accusing both outlets of promoting “wild conspiracy theories” and broadly defending their respective leaders.
According to Adelist, Trump and Netanyahu operate within political “bubbles” that filter out information that challenges their worldview. “When something bad happens,” he wrote, “it is, for both of them, collateral damage.”
Adelist argued that the concentration of political power around both leaders has also shaped their handling of foreign and security policy. In his view, when leaders exercise near-total control domestically, they are likely to approach international affairs with the same highly personalized style of decision-making.
He described this as “a surefire recipe for losing on every external front,” arguing that domestic political protection can allow leaders to absorb military and diplomatic setbacks without facing immediate political consequences.
The Zionist analyst cited what he characterized as the war in Iran under Trump and the conflicts in Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza, as well as more recently Turkey, under Netanyahu. He argued that both leaders can continue pursuing policies that bring them closer to catastrophe because of the political protection they retain at home.
He concluded that the two so-called leaders’ eventual decline could follow a similarly short trajectory, describing the parallels between their political fortunes as “striking.”
Mouners carry a coffin duringa mass funeral for people killed when U.S missile struk a home wherea weddind was being heldin Kuhestak, Southern Iran, Tursday, Sept. 3, 2026 (Razief Poudat/SNA via AP)
A four-year-old child was among four people laid to rest in the southern Iranian city of Kuhestak on Thursday, as grieving families and residents gathered to bid farewell to loved ones killed in a US attack on the area.
The funeral ceremonies in Kuhestak, in Sirik County of Hormozgan Province, began at 4 pm from a street at the city’s entrance, with mourners walking together toward the city’s Martyrs’ Cemetery, where the victims were laid to rest.
Families mourn victims of US massacre
The authorities identified the four victims as four-year-old Amirali Karimi, 16-year-old Mohammad Mollahi, 43-year-old Kolthoum Mollahi Nezhadnia, and 50-year-old Zarkhatoun Taheri.
According to the announced figures, the US aggression left 68 people injured, several of whom remain under medical treatment.
The funeral brought together the victims’ relatives, military and civilian officials, and large numbers of residents from across Hormozgan Province. The four victims were buried at the Martyrs’ Cemetery in Kuhestak.
Larijani condemns killing of women and children
Speaking about the attack, Head of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council Sheikh Amoli Larijani said, “The crime in Sirik and the killing of unarmed women and children embody the savage nature and deceptive self of the United States, and expose the falsehood and audacity of those who trade in human rights.”
Larijani added that “The war crime in Sirik proved that what they call civilization is nothing but savagery that has been embellished and beautified,” and said, “The shame of this massacre will forever weigh heavily on the shoulders of all those who committed and supported it.”
Iran reports mounting toll from attacks
Meanwhile, Iranian Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour announced the latest figures for those killed and wounded in the recent attacks targeting Iran.
He said 61 of those injured were women and 44 were under the age of 18, while the list of those killed included two women and one child.
“Behind every number is a human being and a family,” Kermanpour said, a reminder that the casualty figures represent lives lost, families shattered, and communities left to mourn in the aftermath of the attacks.
A night meant to celebrate love turned into one of the darkest and most painful nights in Sirik when a US missile struck a wedding celebration, killing five people and injuring 63 others, including women and children.
MP Hasan Ezzeddine, Member of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc (image from archive)
“Loyalty to Resistance” parliamentary bloc issued on Thursday a statement after its periodic meeting, stressing that the bets of the Lebanese authorities on making concessions in the context of the “Framework Agreement” have fallen.
What follows is the full text of the statement:
The Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc held its periodic meeting with all its members in attendance, and issued the following statement:
The United States continues to escalate its aggression against the region, especially against the Islamic Republic of Iran, through bombing and destruction. Meanwhile, the Zionist enemy continues to escalate its crimes against South Lebanon: bulldozing, demolition, uprooting trees, and stealing water — amid complete international silence, full American complicity, and official Lebanese neglect of even the minimum responsibility to defend the country and its people.
As for our people in Palestine, especially in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, they are subjected to an organized and escalating savage aggression. The West Bank is now at the heart of an expanding settlement onslaught, while Al-Aqsa Mosque is not spared from the frenzied attacks by the enemy’s leaders.
Amid all of this, our people and the people of the Resistance, from Palestine to Lebanon, embody a model of steadfastness and patience. In their legendary march of resilience before the enemy, they rely on God, believe in their cause, and are determined to confront. They are fully confident that victory will ultimately be their ally.
None of these major and dangerous developments could ever obscure the 48th anniversary of the enforced disappearance of the Imam of the nation and the Resistance, His Eminence Imam Sayyed Musa al-Sadr and his two companions. Rather, it has made the memory burn brighter, because all of what is happening in terms of aggression and occupation is precisely what Imam al-Sadr warned against and called to resist.
At its periodic meeting, the Loyalty Bloc paused before this occasion and once again expressed its condemnation and denunciation of the injustice inflicted upon our people, our homeland, and our cause, when the tyrant Gaddafi and his criminal regime committed the crime of the enforced disappearance of Imam Sayyed Musa al-Sadr and his two brothers, Sheikh Mohammad Yaacoub and journalist Abbas Badreddine. It was never hidden from anyone that the goal of that crime was to silence the voice defending our human right to reject injustice, to resist the enemy, and to live in security, sovereignty, and dignity — in a sovereign, liberated, proud, and protected homeland, and in a region where the honorable stand with Palestine, its people, and its just and legitimate cause of liberation.
The Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc renews its pledge to Imam al-Sadr, who laid the foundations and pillars of the approach of resistance to the Zionist enemy: that his sons in Hezbollah and the Amal Movement remain steadfast in upholding the path of resistance to defend the homeland and its people and to liberate its land, and they will never hesitate to make sacrifices, no matter how great, for this cause.
In light of the developments, the Bloc recorded the following:
1- The bet of the Lebanese authority has failed and its illusions have vanished after the failure of its concessionary option in the shameful and ominous “framework agreement” — illegal and unconstitutional — with the enemy. It has become clear that the enemy is using it as cover to continue the crime of annihilation against everything related to life in the occupied areas, and to continue its attacks on the southern villages. This authority no longer has any pretext to continue down this destructive path for the state and the homeland, except to please the American administration. Its justificatory rhetoric has been worn out and convinces no one. Instead of persisting in stubbornness and denial of reality, it must abandon this approach that deepens the national crisis and entrenches the occupation and its criminal practices. 2- The Bloc affirms that the absence of the political authority from shouldering its national responsibilities in confronting the Zionist aggression against Lebanon and its consequences, and its “clinical death” toward its people on living issues — especially regarding the affairs of the displaced and the suffering of those affected, and its disavowal of its known obligations — has led to a worsening electricity crisis, the spread of corruption and favoritism in appointments, the absence of oversight over rising prices, and leaving the citizen in daily suffering with no one to hold accountable.
3- The Bloc affirms that hostility toward Israel is a charter-based stance enshrined in the Taif Agreement, and a body of legal texts that have accumulated since the establishment of the Zionist entity and its ongoing daily crimes against our people and its occupation of our land. The insistence of the President of the Republic on his repeated statement about seeking to end the state of hostility with Israel is a deliberate disregard of the Charter, the laws, and the pains of our people. Hostility toward Israel is a condition imposed by the enemy’s continued occupation of others’ lands by force, and by its inherent racist and exclusionary nature. No one, whatever their position, will be able to abolish it or strike it from the Charter, the law, and from the culture of the Lebanese and the authenticity of their national belonging.
4- The Bloc strongly condemns the renewed American aggression and economic siege on the Islamic Republic, and the targeting of civilians. It affirms Iran’s legitimate right to self-defense and to confront aggression by appropriate means, and it salutes the heroism of the Iranian Armed Forces and Iranian national solidarity in defeating the objectives of arrogance and hegemonic bullying.
Iran has been preparing for an extended and decisive phase of the war with the United States, Professor Mohammad Marandi said Tuesday, arguing that Tehran anticipated the escalation and has positioned its military and strategic capabilities accordingly.
Speaking to Al Mayadeen on The Great Standoff: Iran and the World, Marandi said Iran had undertaken extensive preparations in recent weeks, including preparations concerning the Strait of Hormuz.
“The Strait of Hormuz is extensively mined, and the United States cannot remove those or dismantle the mines”, Marandi said, adding that the mines had been prepared as part of Iran’s broader military posture.
“The mines in the Strait of Hormuz are very much prepared, and anyone who wants to try to see if they’re non-existent, they can do so and pay the price”, he said.
Marandi argued that Iran had been preparing for “an extensive war, a long war, and a decisive war”, while warning that countries in the region aligned with Washington could face serious consequences as the conflict develops.
US using regional airspace in attacks on Iran
According to Marandi, the United States is extensively using the airspace of regional countries to conduct operations against Iran, with Saudi airspace among those being used.
He also stated that a US strike had hit a wedding celebration in Sirik, saying further information was expected to emerge. Marandi later said that two Iranians had been confirmed martyred in the attack, assigning direct responsibility to both Washington and the regional governments supporting it.
The United States, he asserted, would be unable to eliminate Iran’s military capabilities, pointing to the country’s extensive underground military infrastructure and the dispersal of its assets.
“Iran’s military capabilities are underground”, he said. “They’re spread out. Iran has decoys, tens of thousands of decoys planted across the country”. Iran also moves its surface-based assets regularly, making it difficult for the United States to establish a precise picture of its military capabilities, he said.
Iran has ‘the advantage’, Marandi says
Marandi said the United States had “fallen into the Iranian trap” by entering into a direct military confrontation with Tehran, arguing that Iran holds several advantages at this stage of the war.
He pointed to the timing of the confrontation, including the approaching US midterm elections, as well as favorable conditions inside Iran. “The Americans have basically fallen into the Iranian trap because a military war now between Iran and the Trump regime. Iran has the advantage for a host of reasons,” he said.
Marandi also argued that Iran had spent the past six months moving decoys and military assets in an effort to complicate US targeting efforts. “Iran constantly moves around its decoys. It constantly moves around its own assets that are on the surface. It’s very confusing for the Americans”, he said.
He stated further that the United States was less capable militarily than it portrays itself to be, saying, “They are not nearly as capable as they present themselves to be in Hollywood movies”.
Depressing US air defense stocks
Regarding Washington’s military capabilities, Marandi said the United States and Jordan had expended a significant number of surface-to-air missiles during recent Iranian missile strikes on US bases in Jordan.
According to his assessment, approximately 100 surface-to-air missiles were used by the United States and Jordan during the strikes “the night before last”. He said Iran was using older missiles to encourage the expenditure of US air-defense interceptors while reserving more advanced missiles for attacks against selected targets.
“It is believed that within a short period of time, if this war is sustained, that the United States will effectively run out of missiles”, Marandi said.
He drew a parallel with Ukraine, arguing that US military stocks were already under pressure and that Washington was increasingly unable to provide Kiev with additional air-defense systems. “The shortages are real, and the shortages are growing as we speak,” he said.
Marandi predicted heavy fighting in the coming days, describing the current period as a potentially decisive phase in the confrontation between Iran and the United States.
Where did US' air defense shield go? Following emergency transfers to West Asia, US Patriot missile stockpiles in Europe have dropped past a critical threshold.
An AP report reveals that out of 2,330 available Patriot interceptors, around 1,500 were consumed in the war on Iran. pic.twitter.com/lZOL0XHoVo
He specifically named Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, accusing their governments of assisting the United States in its aggression against Iran.
“These regimes which, as we speak, are assisting the United States in carrying out airstrikes, they will be severely punished,” he said.
Marandi added that Iran could target US assets in those countries and assets linked to the US economy if Washington escalates its campaign against Iran’s infrastructure or economy. “I think that, again, like I said months ago, the very existence of these regimes is now a question”, he said.
Threats from the Trump administration, he said, would not alter Iran’s position, saying the Iranian leadership and armed forces remained committed to continuing the fight. “The Iranians are not going to back down at all”, Marandi said.
Iran has upgraded military capabilities
Marandi also revealed that Iran’s armed forces have introduced new weapons systems that have yet to be publicly unveiled. “The Iranian armed forces, whether it’s the regular army or the revolutionary guards, they have new weapon systems that they have not unveiled yet”, he said.
According to Marandi, Iran has used the past six months of US attacks to identify weaknesses and improve its military capabilities, including its missile and drone systems.
“Iran has learned a lot from the assaults carried out by the United States on the country over the last six months,” he said. “And it is using that wealth of knowledge to upgrade its weapon systems and to be more capable in defending the country against US aggression.”
He said Iran’s military-industrial and research and development capabilities are largely located underground and suggested that Tehran is also drawing on the capabilities of friendly countries. Marandi pointed to the reported downing of a US drone as evidence that Iran’s military capabilities have improved.
“So this downing of a US drone is just an indication that while Iran has downed many drones in the past, but it is an indication that Iran’s enhanced capabilities are going to make things more difficult for the United States in the coming days and weeks”, he said.
Iran’s military posture has shifted to offensive
Marandi urged supporters of the resistance not to be concerned about the escalation, arguing that Iran has prepared militarily, psychologically and materially for the coming phase. “The Iranian armed forces have escalation dominance. They are very well entrenched”, he said, adding that Iranian soldiers have high morale and that the country is prepared for what he described as decisive days and weeks ahead.
He also said Iran was not intimidated by threats issued by US President Donald Trump, arguing that Tehran had already begun retaliatory operations despite warnings from Washington. “The Iranian retaliation will be heavy-handed. It is heavy-handed. It will be even more heavy-handed”, Marandi said, stressing that Iran’s military posture had shifted from defensive to offensive following the appointment of General Mohsen Rezaei as chair of the Supreme National Security Council.
“With the appointment of the new chair of the Supreme National Security Council, General Mohsen Rezaei, it is clear that a decision has been made at the highest level,” Marandi said.
He further attributed the strategic shift to a decision by Sayyed Ali Khamenei, saying Iran would remain on the offensive in the coming battle. “And so, just as we saw the night before last, the Iranians hit the United States very hard in response to its assault. Iran is going to hit even harder in the coming hours”, he said.
Concluding his statement, Professor Marandi warned that Iran was closely monitoring the actions of regional governments supporting the United States and argued that those governments could no longer claim neutrality. “None of these countries can pretend that they are neutral”, he said. “All of them have blood on their hands, the regimes, whether it’s Jordan or the regimes that neighbor Iran”.
Speaking on Monday’s episode of Al Mayadeen’s The Grand Standoff: Iran and the World, Professor Mohammad Marandi said messages conveyed by the United States through Oman, Qatar, and Pakistan have failed to meet Iran’s expectations.
Missile strike by the Islamic Republic of Iran (image from archive).
Iran retaliated for the US aggression on its soil by targeting US bases across Kuwait, Bahrain and UAE in operations carried out on Wednesday by both the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
The (IRGC) said its forces have struck the command compound and living quarters of the US commander at Kuwait’s Ali Al-Salem Air Base, setting fire to a drone hangar and deployment ramp and destroying a number of drones.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the IRGC’s Public Relations Department said the operation was carried out in response to a US attack on civilians in Iran.
The retaliation came after US forces turned a wedding in Sirik, southern Iran, into a mourning ceremony by bombing a residential house, it said.
Nearly 70 civilians were affected in the attack, with five people, including a child, martyred.
“In response to this crime, at dawn today, the brave fighters of the IRGC Ground Force, simultaneously with attacks on US bases in Jordan, Bahrain and Erbil, carried out a combined missile-and-drone strike on the command center and living quarters of the US commander at Ali Al-Salem base,” the statement said.
The IRGC added that the attack killed a number of US personnel and was followed by strikes on a drone hangar and the ramp used to deploy drones involved in attacks against Iran. It said several drones were destroyed and the hangar was set ablaze.
Iran’s IRGC says targeted 5 US bases across the region:
– Camp Titin & Prince Hassan Base (Jordan): ballistic attack. – Erbil Bases (Iraq): Combined missile/drone – Ali Al Salem (Kuwait): HQs & drone ramps hit. – US Naval Base (Bahrain): Casualties & destroyed aircraft reported. pic.twitter.com/HZlCFW6wJA
Addressing the Kuwaiti people, the IRGC said, “You know well about our affection and affinity with you. What pains and concerns us is the occupation of Islamic lands by the child-killing and terrorist US military.”
The statement added that the attacks were intended to help “cleanse the pure land and generous homeland of Kuwait from the presence of American infidels.”
The IRGC expressed hope for “the destruction of US domination and the Zionist regime and the freedom and independence of the noble people of Kuwait from the occupying aggressors.”
Iranian Army Retaliation
For its part, the Iranian Army announced a fresh wave of drone attacks against US military bases in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, saying dozens of ‘Arash’ loitering munitions targeted radar systems and US troop positions in response to attacks on innocent Iranian civilians.
The Army said the attacks were carried out from the early hours of Wednesday as the 30th stage of Operation Thunderbolt.
“Dozens of the Army’s loitering munitions targeted radar systems and the locations of US forces at the Al Dhafra and Al Minhad bases in the UAE,” the Army said in a statement.
The Iranian Army says it has launched drone attacks on US bases in Bahrain and the UAE in response to the latest US aggression including its attack on a wedding in southern Iran.https://t.co/DBauABVfdhpic.twitter.com/aJ9TdjmIKV
It added that radar installations and gathering points of US forces at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain were once again subjected to heavy attacks by Arash loitering munitions.
The Army described Al Dhafra as one of the “important operational centers” of the US in the region, saying the base is used for air operations, reconnaissance, surveillance and support missions.
The statement stressed that the Army’s response to US attacks on civilians would continue.
“The enemy’s attack on residential areas and its targeting of a wedding ceremony is a clear instance of a war crime and exposes the evil nature of ‘American human rights,’” the Army said.
The Iranian retaliation followed a fresh series of US acts of aggression, which hit the counties of Chabahar and Konarak in Sistan and Baluchestan, among other areas.
The terrorist US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed in a statement that it launched airstrikes in retaliation for what it termed attempts by Iran’s IRGC to deploy sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz and a missile barrage directed at a US military base in Jordan – a claim rejected by Iran’s military sources.
This latest flare-up comes just days after the US conducted strikes on the Iranian island of Larak in the Strait of Hormuz, which Washington claimed was aimed at preventing Tehran from planting mines.
In response, Iran launched missile and drone attacks targeting US forces stationed in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
The Iranian Armed Forces launched a massive response to the US aggression on the Islamic Republic on Tuesday, firing a large number of ballistic missiles on US Marines barracks in Jordan, killing a large number of American soldiers.
IRGC issued a statement affirming that the attack came in response to the US massacre against the civilians in Sirik area, stressing that the Iranian response will continue.
What follows is the full text of the IRGC statement:
The terrorist and defeated American army, incapable of direct confrontation with the fighters of Islam, launched a brutal attack on a residential home in Sirik that was hosting the wedding ceremony of two pure young people, turning it into a scene of bloodshed. By causing the martyrdom and injury of nearly fifty of our beloved people, it rekindled the memory of the atrocities committed at the Minab school and the Lamerd stadium.
In this criminal attack, the child-killing American regime has once again revealed the depth of its hatred and enmity toward the Iranian people through the martyrdom of several individuals, including a child.
In response to this brutal act, the brave fighters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force, in the second wave of Operation ‘Punishing the Aggressor’ under the sacred code ‘O Messenger of Allah (PBUH)’, launched a dense ballistic missile attack on the U.S. Marines’ barracks in Jordan, known as ‘Camp Titin’ located on the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. This resulted in the death of a large number of American forces and the destruction of several key facilities and enemy attack helicopters.
The retaliatory operation by the forces of Islam continues.”
IRGC had announced shooting down the 50th advanced MQ-9 drone belonging to the attacking U.S. military using a modern air and space defense system.
Posted on September 1, 2026 by uprootedpalestinians
لا يحسم أي وسيط في المفاوضات الأميركية – الإيرانية وجهة الأمور بصورة واضحة. ميزان التفاؤل والتشاؤم بات رهن حسابات من نوع مختلف. والتعب الذي يبدو واضحاً على جميع المتحاربين، ينعكس قلة حماسة في الحديث عن عودة الحرب.
لا يحسم أي وسيط في المفاوضات الأميركية – الإيرانية وجهة الأمور بصورة واضحة. ميزان التفاؤل والتشاؤم بات رهن حسابات من نوع مختلف. والتعب الذي يبدو واضحاً على جميع المتحاربين، ينعكس قلة حماسة في الحديث عن عودة الحرب. حتى بنيامين نتنياهو، لا يملك ما يحفّز أحداً على مشاركته جنونه الدموي. وفي الأثناء، تتحوّل لعبة «عضّ الأصابع» بين واشنطن وطهران إلى معضلة من شأنها أن تستمر طويلاً ما لم يحصل خرق كبير في المحاولة القطرية الجادّة التي يُعمل عليها الآن.
في حسابات الكلفة، كل العالم بات على يقين بأن الولايات المتحدة غير قادرة على الذهاب بعيداً في مغامرات عسكرية كبيرة. لكنّ الجميع يقول إن دونالد ترامب، لن يقدر على تقديم تنازلات تتيح إحياء مذكّرة التفاهم مع إيران من دون تعديلات. وهو يعلم مُسبقاً، أن طهران، وإن كانت تضرّرت كثيراً بفعل الحرب، وتتضرّر بفعل الحصار القائم، إلا أنها لا تجد نفسها مضطرة إلى العودة إلى اتفاق من دون تحصيل ضمانات من نوع مختلف، وجبي المزيد من الأثمان.
وسط كل الضجيج، بات الجميع يتصرف على أساس أن هناك عناصر أساسية قد تكون مدخل أي حلّ أو تعثّر. وهي المتصلة بالانتخابات المُرتقبة في إسرائيل (نهاية تشرين الأول المقبل) وفي الولايات المتحدة (مطلع تشرين الثاني المقبل)، علماً أن نتائج هذه الانتخابات، تحتاج بدورها إلى شهور حتى تتحوّل إلى وقائع يُبنى عليها في المرحلة المقبلة. ذلك أن إدارة الرئيس الأميركي، قد لا تنتظر موعد منتصف كانون الثاني المقبل، حيث يجري تثبيت نتائج الانتخابات النصفية، وقد تكون محتاجة إلى حل سريع للأزمة الناجمة عن تعثّر الاتفاق مع إيران.
أمّا في كيان العدو، فإن التقديرات حيال نتائج الانتخابات المقبلة، تفتح الباب أمام احتمال بروز صعوبة في تشكّل ائتلاف قوي يقدر على إقامة حكومة مستقرة، علماً أن الخلافات التي تعصف باليمين الذي يقوده نتنياهو، تشير إلى احتمال أن يلجأ في اللحظة الصعبة إلى طرح فكرة حكومة وحدة وطنية، وهو لن ينجح في فرضها من دون برنامج عمل جديد. وهنا مربط الفرس، ذلك أن التنافس يقوم حالياً ليس على من يفوز بعدد المقاعد الأكبر، بل حول أي برنامج عمل مختلف عن القائم منذ 3 سنوات، حيث تحوّلت إسرائيل إلى كتلة من نار تحرق كل شيء من حولها. وهو مسار لا يمكن لأي دولة في العالم أن تستمر فيه، حتى ولو كان كل أهلها على موقف واحد، علماً أن خصوم نتنياهو، يعملون على جذب الكتل التي تعاني من أزمة جدّية نتيجة التحوّلات في المزاج العام العالمي تجاه إسرائيل. وكل الحديث عن أن كيان الاحتلال يمكنه أن يعمل بمعزل عمّا يجري في العالم، لا معنى له في حالة كيان لا يمكن له الاستمرار من دون رعاية غربية.
في أميركا، يعيش العالم على تسريبات وتصريحات ترامب وفريقه بأن استراتيجيتهما لن تتأثّر بنتائج الانتخابات النصفية، لكنّ الأمور ليست على هذا النحو. فهناك تيار قوي في أميركا يريد دفع الإدارة إلى تسويات كبرى، كما أن الإدارة نفسها لم تعد تضمن نتائج مناسبة من أي مغامرات جديدة.
هل يتحمّل العام المزيد من الاحتقان بسبب تعطّل إمدادات الطاقة، وهل ينجو لبنان من جنون إسرائيلي جديد؟
وإذا كان الإعلام يغرق في تغطية تصريحات عن السيطرة الكاملة على مضيق هرمز وعلى موجة العقوبات ضد إيران وخلافها من الدعايات، فإن أهل منطقة الخليج العربي أولاً، وجماعة الأسواق المالية من جهة ثانية، والحكومات المتأثّرة بأزمة الطاقة من جهة ثالثة، كل هؤلاء يعرفون أن حقيقة الوضع لا تبشّر بالخير، وأن تراجع إمدادات الطاقة كبير جداً، وأن أميركا ليست مسيطرة على حركة التجارة في المضيق، وأن النتائج الأصعب، سوف تظهر تباعاً في الخريف المقبل، ولن يكون بمقدور أحد تجاهل ذلك، وأن العقوبات على إيران استعراضية أكثر منها حقيقية. ما يعني دفع الأمور صوب خيارات حاسمة: إمّا حرب واسعة وقاسية ومجنونة، وإمّا تسوية تجبر الكل على النزول عن الشجرة، والذهاب نحو تطبيع يقود إلى متغيّرات، ستظهر نتائجها تباعاً، وأهمّها سيكون في إسرائيل.
وإذا كان محمد بن سلمان يقود أكبر عملية «تحوّط» في تاريخ بلاده ربطاً بنتائج الحرب، فإن دولة مثل الإمارات العربية لا تعرف أن تستقر على خيار، وهي تقترب من التورّط في أمور قد تنعكس دماراً كبيراً على مستقبلها السياسي والاقتصادي والأمني، بينما يقف الآخرون في مربّع الانتظار، والعاقل منهم، يتسلّح بالصمت، بينما الغبي منهم، يُخرِج رغباته وترّهاته على شكل تقديرات سياسية، كما هو حال أركان سلطة الوصاية عندنا من جوزيف عون ونواف سلام إلى القوى الأخرى التي ترفع لواء إخراج فكرة المقاومة وقدراتها من لبنان بصورة نهائية.
وبمعزل عما يعتقده أركان هذه السلطة حيال مستقبل المفاوضات مع العدو، فإن الأميركيين أنفسهم، الذين يفضّلون مسار واشنطن، ويريدون إبعاد لبنان عن مسار المفاوضات مع إيران، صاروا يتحدّثون بلغة مختلفة، لكنهم يقولون في كل الأوقات، إنهم لا يقدرون على ممارسة الضغط على إسرائيل قبل انتهاء الانتخابات فيها، ما يدفع إلى الاعتقاد بقوة، أن لعبة المماطلة، من قبل إسرائيل أولاً، والولايات المتحدة ثانياً، سوف تعطّل أي نتائج لمسار واشنطن، وبالتالي فإن الحيلة الوحيدة بيدهم، هي إعادة رمي المسؤولية على حزب الله، وهو ما يتولاه عون وسلام وبقية جوقة الوصاية.
وكأنّ هؤلاء يعتقدون بأنهم في حال رفعوا مستوى التهويل والضغط، سوف يدفعون المقاومة إلى التنازل عن مواقفها، وهو ما حرص الأمين العام لحزب الله الشيخ نعيم قاسم على تكراره في خطبه الأخيرة، علماً أنه كان يجدر بفريق الوصاية التعامل بطريقة مختلفة مع قرار المقاومة عدم الدخول في مواجهة تكسر الهدوء النسبي القائم حالياً، رغم أنه يوجد ألف سبب وسبب لأن تستأنف المقاومة عملياتها العسكرية ضد قوات الاحتلال وأن تقود برنامجاً داخلياً يهدف إلى إسقاط هذا الحكم المجنون.
وإذا كان الجميع مضطراً إلى أن ينتظر نتائج انتخابات تشارين، سواء في كيان الاحتلال أو في الولايات المتحدة، فإن ذلك لا يعفي هذه السلطة المريضة، من تحمّل المسؤولية عن أحوال الناس، وها قد مرّت سنتان إلا بضعة أشهر على وجود هذه السلطة من رئاسة وحكومة، فيما تنهار البلاد ومؤسساتها يوماً بعد يوم، ولم يبقَ منها واقفاً على قدم واحدة، سوى الجيش، الذي لا يتوقّف عملاء أميركا وإسرائيل عن التحريض ضده، من أجل دفعه إلى مواجهة لا يريدها ولا يقدر عليها، وهو العارف بأن نتيجتها الوحيدة، هي إغراق لبنان في متاهة حرب أهلية جديدة!
Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei calls for greater solidarity among Muslim nations, urging their leaders to recognize shared threats and strengthen cooperation in defense of the Islamic world.
The Zionists and Americans are enemies of all Muslims around the world, the leader of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic of Iran, Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei said, stressing that the lesson missing today is the need to confront enemies and defend ourselves and one another.
In a message marking Unity Week, Sayyed Khamenei called on Muslims to reflect deeply on the developments unfolding around them, saying that what happened to the Palestinians would not have occurred had Muslims stood united.
“We must deeply reflect on what is happening around us; had Muslims stood united, what happened to the Palestinians would not have occurred,” he emphasized.
He also urged the rulers of Islamic countries, particularly those in West Asia and the Gulf, to accurately identify the enemies’ plans and cooperate on the path of righteousness.
Islamic unity as a bulwark against division
Iran’s leader stressed that unity is a fundamental prerequisite for confronting the enemies of the Islamic Ummah and the Islamic message, warning against those who sow division among Muslims.
“Those who sow division among Muslims are aiding the enemies,” he stressed.
He noted that the Islamic message has endured difficult circumstances from the early days of Islam to the present, emphasizing that Muslims have played significant roles throughout history. The Iranian leader added that “we are witnessing with our own eyes” the prospects for Muslims’ victory over their enemies.
Sayyed Khomeini’s call for unity and Iran’s role
Sayyed Khamenei recalled the origins of the call for Islamic unity, noting that the late Iranian leader Imam Khomeini began advocating for unity while in exile. He said Imam Khomeini’s launch of “Islamic Unity Week” had angered the enemies of Islam.
Sayyed Khamenei concluded by stressing that Iran has consistently sought to unite the Islamic nation, pledging, “As a servant of the people, I will not allow any divisions among the members of the nation.”
His message was delivered during the closing session of the International Islamic Unity Conference, hosted by the Islamic Republic of Iran for its 40th edition. The conference was held this year under the theme “Islamic Unity in the Thought of the Martyred Imam,” with around 600 participants from inside and outside Iran representing 40 countries, including Iraq, Pakistan, Türkiye, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and the Gulf states.
The conference was held amid the ongoing war on Iran, with speakers emphasizing Islamic solidarity, cooperation, sovereignty, and the need for greater coordination among Muslim countries in the face of regional and global challenges.
The most damaging intelligence failures are often understood only after an operation collapses, a network disappears, or years of trust are exposed as an enemy asset.
Photo Credit: The Cradle
Every resistance movement has sensitive files it cannot open to the public. Palestinian and Lebanese archives are filled with accounts of agents, failed operations, and breaches whose full circumstances may never be disclosed. Other secrets died with the people who carried them, leaving black boxes scattered across Syria, Iraq, and beyond.
Some details are withheld to spare organizations embarrassment, while others could compromise methods, expose surviving networks, or show the enemy how a breach was uncovered. Public disclosure also risks turning an isolated case of collaboration into evidence of wider decay within the resistance.
Secrets the resistance cannot publish
Facing fewer restraints, retired Israeli officials publish memoirs, former operatives brief journalists, and the details of old assassinations become material for books and television. Former Mossad director Yossi Cohen’s 2025 memoir, “The Sword of Freedom,” is one recent example. Ronen Bergman’s “Rise and Kill First” drew on roughly a thousand interviews and thousands of documents to reconstruct Israel’s long assassination campaign.
Personal ambition, political rivalry, and institutional score-settling shape these accounts as much as the historical record. One former Mossad chief reportedly supplied analysts and writers with extensive details of past operations to settle political scores with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with some of that material finding its way into Bergman’s book. Israel’s freedom to publish also reflects a deeper confidence that its enemies may learn the method yet still lack the reach to answer it.
Other books in this field have a more overtly propagandistic purpose. Some appear designed to lead the resistance toward a particular version of events and close a sensitive file before the full picture emerges, especially when the operation is recent.
Yet these accounts can still yield useful fragments. The index to Bergman’s book, for example, names Noam Erez as the Israeli operational official responsible for Imad Mughniyeh’s assassination. Elsewhere, it claims that Yahya Ayyash met Hezbollah leaders in Marj al-Zuhur, despite Ayyash never having been among the Palestinians deported there in 1992.
Such discrepancies may result from poor sourcing or deliberate misdirection, but either way they show why Israeli accounts must be read for what they reveal inadvertently as much as for what they claim outright.
The resistance therefore needs its own record, even if names and countries must be withheld, to understand what each penetration changed, how it survived, and which defensive measures worked. Such protection and prevention belong to the practice of resistance as surely as the operations conducted in public view.
Recruitment without a handler
Israel’s recruitment methods have changed over more than eight decades. Agents were cultivated before the occupation of Palestine, but the communications revolution of the past thirty years has widened the number of possible entry points.
A recruiter no longer needs repeated face-to-face meetings. Financial distress, private correspondence, medical records, travel histories, and intimate relationships can be mapped from a distance before the target realizes that an approach has begun.
Recent wars have added harsher forms of coercion. In Gaza, Israel has sought to turn entire families into local auxiliaries by tying survival, aid, or permission to remain in place to cooperation. In September 2025, The Cradle reported that members of the Dughmush and Bakr families were killed after rejecting approaches from the Shin Bet.
Arabic reporting, citing the EuroMed Human Rights Monitor and family representatives, described offers of money, weapons, and protection in return for forming armed groups modeled on Yasser Abu Shabab’s militia.
Marwan Bakr, the family’s ‘mukhtar,’ said the occupation army offered to let them remain in exchange for cooperation, but they refused: “We will not be tools in the hands of those who kill us.” Nizar Doghmush, head of his family council, likewise believed that “death is easier than the stigma of betrayal.” These individual positions form the nucleus of collective steadfastness, but every refusal has a price.
The approaches to the two families form part of Israel’s wider effort to construct armed Palestinian alternatives to Hamas and place aid routes under their control. Its proxy strategy in Gaza turns existing clan disputes, criminal networks, and political rivalries into instruments of occupation. Elsewhere, the same logic allows Tel Aviv to encourage a local killing without exposing the outside hand that selected the target.
In Iran, access was pursued through a different route. On 26 June 2025, an X account identifying itself as Mossad Farsi advertised a telemedicine service for Iranians through WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal.
The post offered Persian-speaking specialists in cardiology, diabetes, infectious disease, oncology, gynecology, and psychology, and advised prospective users to connect through a VPN. Israeli media treated the service as a Mossad initiative, although the agency declined to confirm the account when asked by Israel Hayom.
A screenshot of the Israeli advertisement for Iranians posted on X at the time.
Whether the account was officially run by Mossad matters less than the opening it created. A medical consultation can yield names, locations, family ties, health records, personal vulnerabilities, and a private line of communication.
The offer also served Israeli propaganda by presenting an enemy intelligence service as more attentive to Iranian citizens than their own government, while quietly probing loyalties and building access.
Scholarships, exchange programs, professional conferences, cafes, and diaspora associations can serve the same purpose. Students in sensitive technical fields are especially valuable because recruitment abroad is harder to detect once they return home. The method need not begin with an explicit request to spy. Access is built gradually through favors, status, travel opportunities, and proximity to people with money or influence.
Protocols written after the breach
Speaking to The Cradle, a Lebanese security source describes the problem bluntly:
“Someone recruited abroad is far more difficult to detect. The resistance therefore has strict protocols. For example, entering the embassies of certain countries, or even passing through those countries in transit, is sufficient grounds for suspension or dismissal.”
The source adds:
“If a cadre travels without permission, even to a country that is neither hostile nor suspicious, the minimum decision is to suspend that person for years. That is enough time for the handler to lose any hope of benefiting from the cadre if he has been recruited.”
Not every organization adopted such rules early enough. A Palestinian source points to the abduction of a mid-ranking cadre in an Asian country. Local authorities freed him before he was killed, but not before he surrendered the information he held. The source reveals:
“As a result of this incident, a decision was taken to prevent even those who had resigned from their duties from traveling until three years after the date of resignation. During this period, the direct superior must ensure that all relevant arrangements are changed immediately if any cadre travels or suddenly disappears.”
Beyond money, blackmail, or ideology, some captured agents have described a need to feel important, a desire for foreign citizenship, or the attraction of access to influential people. Recruitment often succeeds when an intelligence service identifies the private story a target wants to believe about himself, long before it assigns him a mission.
The scale of the danger is visible in Lebanon, where the Internal Security Forces and Hezbollah have repeatedly uncovered Israeli networks spanning sects and nationalities. In 2022, authorities announced the dismantling of what was described as the largest Israeli spy network discovered in the country.
Iran’s arrests after the June 2025 war likewise showed how recruitment can spread across logistics, transport, communications, and ordinary civilian work rather than remain confined to officials with obvious access.
Medical travel creates a particularly difficult exposure because patients and relatives must surrender documents, diagnoses, contact details, and travel plans to hospitals, charities, insurers, visa offices, and intermediaries.
Although most of those bodies are legitimate, a hostile service needs to compromise only one link in the chain to identify a vulnerable person or begin an approach that appears unrelated to politics. The danger grows when urgent treatment abroad leaves the patient dependent on whoever can accelerate an appointment, secure a visa, or cover the bill.
The 2024 Israeli war on Lebanon and Israel’s 2025 attack on Iran exposed security failures that public rhetoric could no longer cover. A resistance movement can compensate for weaknesses while the enemy remains uncertain about its capabilities.
Once Israel has mapped both, speeches carry little weight. By then, the battlefield has already been shaped by what was surrendered behind the lines.
When one agent ruins an operation
The most destructive agent does more than pass names or coordinates. Advance warning can allow Israel to abort an operation, redirect a target, or let the plan proceed far enough to turn it into a trap. The result is not measured only in casualties. A failed operation can provoke paralysis, internal accusations, and years of fear among cadres who no longer know which part of the chain was compromised.
Israeli officials and aligned journalists claim in their own defense that for many years they had no significant agent within Hamas’s senior military leadership. This, they say, is why Operation Al-Aqsa Flood proceeded without warning from “golden information” or a “high-level agent.”
Israel’s search for such sources is as old as the organizations it targeted. From the first operations of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), agents reached positions of consequence and, according to Palestinian accounts, sometimes entered command rooms.
Egypt and Syria faced the same effort. The conflicting literature surrounding the October 1973 war still shows how difficult it can be to separate a genuine human source from an ignored warning, a political cover story, or retrospective mythmaking.
Hamas may still have been penetrated despite Israel’s failure to obtain strategic warning. The Cradlehas documented a case involving access to the movement before Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, while the surprise achieved on 7 October suggests that any source was too low, excluded from the operation, or unable to transmit what mattered. Israel’s later success in Lebanon and Iran only sharpens the contrast.
Resistance sources in Lebanon and Palestine attribute several failed or compromised operations to internal breaches, including the 2005 Ghajar operation and the first Zikim naval assault in 2014. The Zikim raid itself is established, and footage later showed Qassam fighters reaching an Israeli military position. The claim that an agent sabotaged its first phase, however, is not supported by a public record and should remain attributed to the source.
Similar caution is needed over a source’s claim that more than 30 attempts to retaliate for the 2008 assassination of Mughniyeh were disrupted, and over accounts of an agent known only as ‘N.N.’ who allegedly remained inside a Gaza armed wing for 25 years.
Another Palestinian account involves a former female prisoner who had been sent on a bombing mission more than 15 years before her release. Days before she left prison, she says, Israel assassinated the commander who had dispatched her.
His killing ensured that the two could never compare what they knew or identify the suspected agent between them. Whether by design or consequence, the episode reflects a familiar intelligence method in which the only people capable of assembling the full picture are prevented from meeting.
A retired security source offers a more verifiable pattern from the occupied West Bank. Between 2017 and 2019, he says, Israel allowed a developing armed structure to expand while monitoring meetings abroad.
Arrests came only after members returned to their cities and the financing and weapons-transfer chains had been exposed. “One rotten tomato can spoil many others,” the source says.
At the time, the Israelis allowed the structure to develop and monitored every meeting held abroad. They waited until everyone returned to and settled in their cities, then waited further until the financing and weapons-transfer cells still operating inside the territories were exposed, before carrying out a major arrest operation.
The same source concludes:
“A shock of this kind causes organizational paralysis and mutual recriminations, and an organization cannot recover from it easily or quickly. It also creates frustration and fear among cadres on the ground, a reality that may take years of effort or a generational change to overcome. A masterstroke is worth a thousand ordinary blows. This explains why the West Bank did not rise up in the opening days of Al-Aqsa Flood and has not done so to this day.”
An Israeli penetration can survive the arrest of the agent who enabled it, leaving commanders to question compromised plans, exposed routes, and even one another. By then, the occupation has already planted suspicion where trust once held the organization together.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem delivers a speech during the central Prophetic festival marking the birth of Prophet Mohammad and Islamic Unity Week in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanon, on August 28, 2026.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said Friday that the group had broken the “Greater Israel” project and would remain steadfast, declaring: “We will hold our heads high and will not surrender.”
Sheikh Qassem made the remarks during a central religious festival organized by Hezbollah at the Ashoura Square in Beirut’s southern suburbs (Dahiyeh) to mark the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (Al-Mawlid Al-Nabawi) and his grandson, Imam Jaafar Al-Sadiq, as well as Islamic Unity Week.
His Eminence said an aggressive US-Israeli project seeks to control and fragment the region and is being confronted by Iran and resistance forces. “The adversaries had left no opportunity for aggression but had failed and would continue to fail to achieve their objectives.”
“The major sacrifices made in Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, and Iraq had halted the Zionist-American project targeting the region. We have sacrificed much and will not lose. Loss comes when we surrender and hand them everything with our own hands,” His Eminence declared.
Sheikh Qassem: We broke the “Greater Israel” project, preventing it from reaching Beirut and stripping Lebanon of its strength; today, "Israel" dares not establish a settlement in the south or draw borders beyond occupied territory for fear of the resistance and its supporters pic.twitter.com/cWpmjEQAyq
Sheikh Qassem said the Lebanese authorities had chosen a course that did not honor Lebanon by abandoning the November 27, 2024, agreement and entering direct negotiations with the enemy. “Honorable people, resistance fighters, those who had sacrificed, and their supporters from all sects rejected the authorities’ concessions. Who authorized you to surrender Greater Israe?”
His Eminence said the Lebanese authorities’ negotiations had not stopped the war but had instead legitimized it, describing them as “a humiliating surrender to the enemy with nothing in return.”
“You are paying the price for the country in negotiations to remain on your thrones and appease America, which is complicit with Israel.”
The Hezbollah secretary general stressed that the group did not want war, pointing to its acceptance of and commitment to the November 27, 2024, agreement. What is happening today, he said, “is not a mutual war but a defined Israeli aggression that ebbs and flows,” adding that it would not have eased without the 1701 of understanding.
Sheikh Qassem affirmed the Israeli occupation’s project was “Greater Israel,” citing developments in Syria as evidence. He stressed that Hezbollah would remain in the field and reject the projects being proposed.
Hezbollah’s Sheikh Qassem: – Lebanon’s authorities dishonored Lebanon by abandoning the Nov. 27, 2024 agreement and entering direct talks with Israel.
– The talks failed to stop the war and instead legitimized it, amounting to a humiliating surrender with nothing in return pic.twitter.com/dHNau8sfbk
“We broke the ‘Greater Israel’ project and prevented it from reaching Beirut and stripping Lebanon of its strength so that the enemy could not take control and settlements could begin,” he said.
His Eminence added that “Israel” now dared not establish a settlement in southern Lebanon because the area remained unstable in the presence of the resistance. He also asserted that the Israeli occupation forces were afraid to draw borders beyond the territory it had occupied because it feared the resistance, its people, and those standing with it.
Sheikh Qassem said Hezbollah was “in a state of confrontation” and would remain steadfast, accepting only the implementation of the October 27, 2024, agreement under the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
“We oppose the framework agreement and call for its rejection,” he said, describing it as illegitimate, unlawful, and humiliating, and saying it undermined Lebanese sovereignty and failed to restore rights.
Sheikh Qassem said that those who possessed such resistance, such as young people and a people willing to sacrifice for their country, could not be defeated.
“Israel cannot achieve gains in the presence of the resistance, its people, the honorable, the martyrs, and the sacrifices. We are Karbala-inspired in achieving our goals.”
“The sacrifices of our people are immense, and we will work together for their dignity, continue social assistance, and support reconstruction and restoration,” Qassem said. “We will hold our heads high and will not surrender. Let them do whatever they want.”
#Hezbollah Sec. Gen. Sheikh Naim Qassem, speaking at the central prophetic festival in #Beirut: – Islamic unity must strengthen Muslims and promote cooperation among states and peoples -Islamic unity is needed to confront #US and Israeli projects aimed at fragmenting our region pic.twitter.com/ahKzI34sHy
Addressing Islamic unity, Qassem said the unity sought was one that would strengthen Muslims and foster integration and cooperation among them, particularly among states and peoples.
He said Islamic unity was intended to free the nation from dependency and subjugation, confront sectarian, religious, and political divisions, and counter US and Israeli projects aimed at fragmenting the region. Unity, he said, meant turning toward the nation’s real enemy and moving beyond internal conflicts.
Sheikh Qassem said Islamic unity had two outcomes: first, remaining united to prevent strife and extend that unity to the national and humanitarian levels; and second, uniting around the central cause of Palestine, which he said represented the future of the entire region.
“It is time for our region to become secure through understanding among its states and to put an end to arrogance,” he said.
On the anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Mous Sadr, Qassem said the imam had been “an icon, a leader, a role model, and a man of great vision,” adding that he had disappeared because he represented justice and humanity.
Sheikh Qassem affirmed that Hezbollah would continue along the path of “the Imam of the Resistance,” Sayyed Mous Sadr, and that of Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, whom he described as the “Master of the Nation’s Martyrs.”
Iran will ultimately outlast the United States in the ongoing six-month war, according to Professor Mohammad Marandi, who described the sanctions imposed on Tehran as unprecedented in human history. Former Pentagon Senior Security Policy Analyst Michael Maloof, meanwhile, characterized the conflict as the most catastrophic outcome of a longstanding US policy shaped by flawed Israeli intelligence.
On Al Mayadeen‘s The Great Standoff: Iran and the World, Marandi stated that “The United States has been engaged in a type of warfare for well over a year now, since the 12-Day War, or a bit before that”, noting that “this war in particular, the Ramadan War, it has been ongoing for six months”.
Marandi said the current phase of the war is siege warfare, which he emphasized is a war crime. “Instead of bombing the Minab school and slaughtering 168 little girls, or instead of bombing the sports complex in Lomert and killing large numbers of teenage girls who are practicing volleyball, they’re targeting all teenagers and all elementary school children across the country through siege warfare”, he said.
Iran has outlasted US in previous phases and will do so again
Marandi stated that current sanctions are unprecedented in their severity. “These sanctions today are sanctions that have never existed, the likes of which have never existed in human history,” Marandi said. “But the Iranians continue to remain steadfast, and they will punish the aggressor”.
He argued that Iran has consistently outlasted the United States in previous phases of the war, citing the 40-day war, the siege warfare period, and the 13 days of fighting after the United States undermined a memorandum of understanding. “Each phase was an attempt by one side to overcome the other, to outlast the other,” he said. “And so far, we’ve seen that both during the 40 days, siege warfare, the 13 days, it was the Iranians who outlasted the United States”.
For 40 days, the central question of the #US war on Iran was simple: Who could outlast the other?
Marandi acknowledged that the current siege warfare will harm Iranians and make life more difficult, but maintained that Iran will prevail. “The Iranians know that this is a war for survival,” he said, adding that “the Iranians have a resilience, along with its partners and allies across the axis of resistance, that is, to be very blunt, unique in the world that we live in today.”
Chance of renewed war significant, substantial: Marandi
Regarding the possibility of renewed military war, Marandi said the chances are “significant and substantial.” He said Iran has warned the United States that if it tries to crush the Iranian economy and if regional governments cooperate, “the Iranian response will be swift and decisive,” which he said would include the use of Iran’s military capabilities.
He noted that the United States may also launch a strike on Iran, and that renewed war could occur after the elections. “But we are in such a situation,” he said.
Marandi also addressed the link between the war in Ukraine and the war in West Asia, stating that Russia and Iran have benefited from each other’s resistance to the United States and Europe. “The Russians benefit enormously from the fact that Iran has defeated the United States,” he said. “And the Iranians have benefited enormously from the fact that the Russians have severely weakened the United States and the Europeans as well.”
War reveals limitations of US power and flawed Israeli intelligence
For his part, former Pentagon Senior Security Policy Analyst Michael Maloof offered a broader critique of US policy, describing the war as “the most tragic and volatile consequence so far to date” of what he said was a longstanding US approach to West Asia.
“Every time the United States has followed the intelligence of the Israelis, and it’s turned out to be wrong,” Maloof said, adding, “And so consequently, this is just the latest iteration. It’s the most catastrophic so far.”
He said the war has revealed the limitations of US power. “It has shown that a country such as Iran, which is far less capable militarily, can stand up to a superpower, and did so successfully, to the point that it’s at a stalemate,” he said. “Economically, it has withstood years and years of sanctions. It has withstood them.”
Iran has learned to live with sanctions, reshaping Middle East dynamics
Maloof argued that Iran, like Russia and China, has learned to live with sanctions and reduce its reliance on the US dollar. “They’ve learned to no longer rely solely upon the US dollar,” he said. “They have learned ways now to get out under the dependency on the dollar and its weaponization.”
“As a consequence, it has shown the world that a power such as Iran can stand up to a superpower,” Maloof said. “And I think this has created a whole new perspective and outlook now throughout the Middle East, even with the GCC countries on new security arrangements.”
He said Gulf Arab countries are now having to reevaluate whether they want US bases to remain, noting that those bases, which were meant to be a deterrent, “turned out to be a detriment to the United States in particular, and to those countries, because they were involved in a preemptive strike on Iran.” He added that “the Middle East of old is no longer going to return to what it was.”
US military readiness diminishing, Trump leadership criticized
Maloof was critical of US President Donald Trump’s leadership, describing his statements as “bluster”. “He likes to paint a good picture when it’s all falling apart,” Maloof said. “And he’s not to be believed. He lies. He even lies to the American people.”
Regarding the US military posture, Maloof said readiness is suffering. “As each day goes by, it is diminishing, and it’s diminishing tremendously, especially in this climate in the Middle East,” he said. He also noted that the United States is “critically short on the ability to rearm” and cannot keep its naval flotilla in place indefinitely without replacement.
Maloof said he does not believe a military approach can succeed. “I don’t see that anything would be worthwhile pursuing a military approach, once again, knowing that it has failed once,” he said. “And there is a limitation on everything across the board.”
War on Iran part of struggle between unipolar, multipolar world orders
Maloof also addressed the broader geopolitical context, describing the war as part of a larger struggle between a US-led unipolar world order and a rising multipolar order. “Trump is seeing the rise of this,” Maloof said. “The sanctions that he’s trying to impose and get everybody else involved, including China, isn’t going to work because they’ve been sanctioned to death.”
He said the multipolar world order is now developing its own financial system, which Trump views as a threat to the dollar and the Western financial system overall. “This is what he’s really fighting against,” Maloof said. “And Iran is just an instrument of that fight, even though he uses nuclear weapons as an excuse.”
Maloof said the wars in Ukraine and Iran are becoming intertwined. “It all has to do with sanctions and with hegemony and with influence in order to challenge the rise of the multipolar world order,” he said. “And Trump realizes now that he cannot stop it.”
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejects Lebanon’s negotiations with the Israeli occupation, opposes the Framework Agreement, and reaffirms resistance.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem rejected the Lebanese authorities’ decision to enter direct negotiations with the Israeli occupation, arguing that the talks had failed to stop the war and amounted to concessions that yielded nothing for Lebanon.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Beirut’s southern suburb, Sheikh Qassem also addressed Islamic unity, the Palestinian cause and the American-Israeli project seeking to control and fragment the region.
On Islamic unity and support for Palestine
Islamic unity, according to Sheikh Qassem, requires turning toward the nation’s true enemy while overcoming internal divisions. Such unity should also extend to national and humanitarian solidarity, he added.
Palestine remains the central cause around which Arabs and Muslims should unite, the Hezbollah chief stressed, describing it as an Islamic, national, Arab, and humanitarian cause rather than a sectarian one.
He urged Arab and Islamic states and their peoples not to remain spectators as enemies enter the region while their fellow peoples suffer.
The speech also recalled Imam Sayyed Musa Al-Sadr, who was kidnapped and disappeared on August 31 along with his two companions. Sheikh Qassem highlighted Al-Sadr’s early warnings about the Zionist entity and his focus on southern Lebanon, recalling his words: “Lebanon cannot smile while its South is suffering and in pain.”
Tribute was also paid to the martyred Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, whom Sheikh Qassem said had repeatedly highlighted Al-Sadr’s qualities and championed Islamic unity. He pledged to continue along the path of both figures.
Sheikh Qassem warns of US-Israeli plans for the region
A broader American-Israeli project aimed at controlling and fragmenting the region was also a central theme of the speech. Iran and Resistance forces, Sheikh Qassem maintained, are confronting this project.
Washington, he argued, is laying the groundwork for “Greater Israel,” taking advantage of its military capabilities and what he characterized as prevailing submission in the region.
The sacrifices made in Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, and Iraq have halted the project, according to Sheikh Qassem, who insisted that the resistance has not been defeated despite the scale of the losses.
“We have made great sacrifices, and we will not lose. Loss comes when we surrender and hand everything over to them with our own hands, allowing them to take everything,” he said.
Developments in Syria were cited as further evidence of the “Greater Israel” project. Resistance forces, he declared, will remain in the field and reject attempts to impose such projects on the region.
Rather than stopping the war, he argued, the negotiations have granted legitimacy to the fighting without securing anything in return for Lebanon.
“The Lebanese authorities’ negotiations did not stop the war; rather, they granted it legitimacy and amounted to a humiliating surrender to the enemy without receiving anything in return,” he said.
Sheikh Qassem directly challenged Lebanese officials over their authority to make concessions affecting the country’s sovereignty, accusing them of placing Lebanon’s interests at risk to remain in power and satisfy the United States, which he said is complicit with the Israeli occupation.
“Who authorized you to relinquish sovereignty?” Sheikh Qassem asked.
At the same time, he rejected claims that Hezbollah seeks war, pointing to its acceptance of the October 27, 2024 Agreement and its commitment to the deal.
The current situation, he argued, is not a mutual war but continued Israeli aggression that periodically escalates and subsides. Sheikh Qassem attributed the easing of the fighting to Iran and the memorandum of understanding.
Sheikh Qassem opposes Framework Agreement
Implementation of the October 27, 2024 Agreement within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 remains acceptable to Hezbollah, Sheikh Qassem said, while any alternative arrangement is rejected.
“We are in a state of confrontation and will remain steadfast. We accept the implementation of the 27 October 2024 Agreement under the framework of Resolution 1701, and nothing else,” he said.
The Framework Agreement should be annulled, he declared, describing it as illegitimate, unlawful and humiliating while arguing that it undermines Lebanese sovereignty and fails to restore rights.
Negotiations, Sheikh Qassem added, cannot be presented as an alternative to resistance while fighting continues.
“Negotiations are taking place under war and grant legitimacy to the war,” he said.
10hResistance, he maintained, has prevented the “Greater Israel” project from reaching Beirut and stripping Lebanon of its strength. The Israeli occupation, he added, also does not dare establish a settlement in southern Lebanon or redraw borders beyond occupied territory because of the resistance.
Concluding his speech, Sheikh Qassem reaffirmed that Hezbollah and its supporters would remain steadfast, while pledging continued assistance, reconstruction and restoration for communities affected by the war.
“We will remain proud and hold our heads high. We will not surrender, and let them do whatever they want.”
Special Coverage | Iranian Government: Diplomacy and Defense Are Inseparable, and We Will Confront US Sanctions | … تغطية خاصة | الحكومة الإيرانية: الدبلوماسية والدفاع لا ينفصلان وسنتصدى للعقوبات الأميركية | …https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JsEhBekKAk
Iranian Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Major General Mohsen Rezaei speaks in an exclusive interview with Al-Manar TV (August 27, 2026).
Iranian Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Major General Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran views Lebanon’s security as an integral part of the security of the entire West Asian region, calling for an end to wars and military operations in Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria and stressing that continued tension in one arena has political, economic, and security repercussions across the region.
In an exclusive interview with Al-Manar TV on Thursday evening, Major General Rezaei discussed developments in the confrontation in Lebanon and the wider region. He paid tribute to the Lebanese people across all sects and segments of society, commemorated the martyrs of Lebanon and Hezbollah, and praised Lebanese unity in confronting “Israel.” He also expressed particular appreciation for Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem, saying he had successfully led the resistance during the current phase, and for Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, praising his role in Lebanon’s political arena.
Major General Rezaei said Iran’s conditions for any understanding with the United States include an end to the war across the various arenas of West Asia, particularly Lebanon, the withdrawal of “Israel” from Lebanese territory it has seized, an end to the war in the Gaza Strip, and a halt to Israeli attacks on Syria. He said the region had become “an interconnected chain,” in which any deterioration in one country’s security raises investment costs and undermines development prospects elsewhere.
He described Iran’s relationship with Lebanon as “historic and deeply rooted,” pointing to ties forged centuries ago between scholars from Jabal Amel and Iran, and said Tehran would continue supporting Lebanon with all the capabilities at its disposal.
On the military situation, Rezaei said “Israel” was no longer capable of advancing toward Beirut or its southern suburbs, citing the losses Hezbollah had inflicted on “Israel” over the past three or four months, as well as the full impact of the “Iranian threat.” He said the southern suburbs and Beirut constituted a “red line” for Iran, stressing that Tehran was monitoring developments “with the utmost seriousness” and that “Israel” would ultimately be forced to withdraw from the Lebanese territory it had entered.
Rezaei attributed this assessment to the fact that “Lebanon’s terrain is resistant to control and occupation.” He argued that controlling Lebanese territory and besieging the resistance forces operating there was not possible, comparing the situation with Gaza, where he said “Israel,” despite its blockade, had failed to achieve its objectives decisively.
On Syria, Rezaei ruled out the possibility of Damascus entering the confrontation in Lebanon, saying the Syrian government faced multiple challenges. He pointed to continued Israeli attacks on Damascus and its surrounding areas as having diminished the prospects for such an alignment, and said the Syrian government had reached the conclusion that “Israel has trampled on all agreements.”
Rezaei also stressed that Iran does not interfere in Hezbollah’s military structure or battlefield decisions, saying the group now has military cadres capable of managing its affairs and making its own decisions, particularly with the emergence of two new generations of young leaders.
Iran Faces the United States and “Israel”
Rezaei issued a series of firm positions on the United States and “Israel,” saying Iran does not seek war but is preparing for a new phase should the confrontation resume, stressing that any future war would be “different” from previous ones.
He said Iran had approached the various stages of the war incrementally, initially refraining from targeting US bases in Gulf states before subsequently expanding the scope of its responses to include US sites and bases in other countries. He said this gradual approach was intended to increasingly take humanitarian considerations into account, ensure that Iran’s victories had supporters across the region and the world, and give those victories a higher degree of legitimacy.
Rezaei said the shift by the United States toward economic pressure reflected, in his view, the limited effectiveness of military force alone, warning that Tehran would respond to any economic escalation with countermeasures targeting US economic interests in the region.
Strait of Hormuz
On the Strait of Hormuz, Rezaei linked its full reopening to Washington’s implementation of Iranian conditions, foremost among them working to end the wars in West Asia, particularly in Lebanon and Gaza. He said Iran had prepared a list of conditions to present to the Americans and had, for the time being, allowed a temporary and limited corridor for ships to pass through the center of the strait, with the future of maritime traffic to depend on developments in understandings with Washington.
He stressed that the Hormuz issue could not be separated from the broader regional conflict, saying the United States must “prove its seriousness” in implementing the required commitments before any new trust could be established, amid a “deep chasm of mistrust” between the two sides.
Rezaei also addressed relations with Türkiye, emphasizing the depth of trade ties between the two countries and ruling out the possibility of Ankara imposing economic pressure on Tehran. He recalled Türkiye’s role as a trade corridor for Iran during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.
Rezaei also issued a direct threat against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying: “We will send him to hell, and we will prove that his grave mistakes have brought the end of the Israeli entity closer.” He said a “great and sacred anger” was building across the Muslim world against the entity, which he said would one day emerge and translate into action, adding that “it will be different from before.”
Islamic Unity and Lebanon’s Reconstruction
Concluding the interview, Rezaei said Iran supports any project aimed at Islamic unity, provided it is “inclusive” and gives the region’s principal states an equal role. He said Iran and Egypt should be founding members of any comprehensive framework, rather than merely two states joining arrangements prepared in advance.
Rezaei also conveyed his greetings to the Lebanese people, saying they were “present deep in our hearts” and that the Iranian people “recognize no borders or distance between themselves and the Lebanese people.” He affirmed that the Islamic Republic, in cooperation with Muslim countries, would seek to compensate for the damage and rebuild destroyed homes, concluding: “They will be rebuilt, God willing.”
Israeli occupation forces block a street and fire tear gas during an Israeli raid on the UNRWA Vocational Training Center, located between the Kafr Aqab neighborhood and the Qalandia refugee camp, south of the West Bank city of Ramallah, on August 25, 2026. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP via Getty Images)
The Israel Hayom Hebrew newspaper reported that political officials are concerned about a scenario in which the guns in the West Bank are turned against the Israeli occupation forces, with Palestinian Authority forces using their weapons against them. It can now be revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and War Minister Israel Katz requested, during a meeting held two days ago at the Central Command headquarters, a briefing on the command’s readiness for such a scenario. The occupation army, meanwhile, requested a discussion of settler violence.
According to sources who attended the meeting, Netanyahu asked to see the war plan in the event of such a shift in the guns’ direction. He was told that the Central Command chief and the IOF chief of staff would present their plan at the next meeting, as they had attended this meeting primarily to discuss other issues on the agenda.
The data presented to Netanyahu at the Central Command meeting apparently point to one of the quietest periods in the West Bank. The concern, however, is that this calm may be a harbinger of a coming storm.
Security establishment data obtained by Israel Hayom show that in the first half of 2024, from January through June, the West Bank saw 35 attacks and 301 attempted attacks. In the second half, from July through December, there were 40 attacks and 13 attempted attacks.
In 2025, the figures declined: 15 attacks and 41 attempted attacks in the first half, followed by 12 attacks and 31 attempted attacks in the second half. While in 2026, the decline became dramatic: two attacks and five attempted attacks in the first half, followed by four attacks and two attempted attacks from July to date.
Israeli occupation forces detain a Palestinian man during a raid on the UNRWA Vocational Training Centre, located between the Kafr Aqab neighbourhood and the Qalandia refugee camp, south of the West Bank city of Ramallah, on August 25, 2026. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP via Getty Images)
Israel Hayom learned that a senior political official warned during recent discussions on the issue: “If the guns are turned, there will not be another intifada; there will be an all-out war.” The implication is that if the Palestinian Authority or its armed personnel in the West Bank attack the Israeli enemy, the Israeli military is preparing for a war involving the air force alongside tanks, similar to wars on more distant fronts, rather than a limited confrontation.
According to the newspaper, Israeli security research institutes that examined the possibility throughout the past year presented dire scenarios involving the trained forces maintained by the Palestinian Authority for “policing” duties, which could instead turn against “Israel.”
Israel Hayom also noted that the reference scenario for which “Israel” is preparing this time is not a limited round of violence resembling previous intifadas but a war scenario. The reason is that Palestinian Authority forces possess substantial manpower, training, and capabilities that, under the Oslo Accords, were not supposed to be available to them, as Palestinian police forces were restricted to carrying light weapons.
According to information compiled by the Regavim movement and the “OCAINT Behind the Scenes” cell, the Palestinian Authority also possesses anti-armor weapons, RPG-7 launchers, which have been widely documented in training exercises in Jericho and during displays of force, as well as PKM heavy machine guns. The PKM is a belt-fed 7.62 mm machine gun used by national security forces and provides sustained and substantial firepower.
There have also been documented cases of assault rifles, including M16, M4, and AK-47 rifles, being converted into sniper rifles using long-range telescopic sights, enabling accurate fire over considerable distances. In addition, Palestinian forces possess armored vehicles, explosives, and a large number of improvised explosive devices, despite the Oslo Accords prohibiting Palestinian Authority forces from possessing or manufacturing offensive explosives.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s announcement of the so-called “Operation Economic Outcast” on Monday marks another reckless – and ultimately doomed – escalation in Washington’s long-running campaign of economic warfare against Iran.
Like every similar campaign before it, this latest gambit is also bound to fail.
Beginning August 24, the Treasury and other US agencies are expected to pursue what Bessent described as a “zero leakage” policy, seeking to close every channel through which Iran can generate revenue. The stated objective is to deprive Iran of resources.
Countries that do business with Iran could face exclusion from the US dollar-based financial system, with Bessent warning that even major powers such as China could be targeted.
Yet the strategy begs a fundamental question: how many times can Washington recycle the same failed policy before its bankruptcy becomes undeniable?
The new measures are little more than ‘maximum pressure’ repackaged – the same gambit that once promised to bring Iran to its knees, only to watch Tehran successfully adapt, diversify its economic partnerships, and fortify its strategic defenses.
This renewed sanctions push follows a US military aggression that, rather than delivering the outcome Washington so desperately wanted, only laid bare the limits of American coercion.
Doubling down on economic warfare now is an admission of defeat, a desperate attempt to weaponize sanctions. After nearly five decades of the similarly harshest sanctions, multiple forms of economic warfare, and two full-scale wars imposed on Iran in less than a year, the empirical record shows economic strangulation has never broken Iran, and it never will.
The United States should instead abandon its failed economic warfare, lift illegal sanctions as outlined in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in the aftermath of the 4-day Ramadan War, and pursue diplomacy rather than coercion.
A chronicle of escalation without success
The history of American sanctions against Iran is a chronicle of foolhardy escalation without a semblance of success. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the US-backed regime in Tehran was overthrown, successive administrations in Washington have imposed harsh sanctions on Iran with the stated goal of toppling the Islamic Republic or forcing it into submission.
Each campaign has been heralded as the most crippling in history, and each has ultimately failed. The pattern is remarkably consistent and reveals a profound strategic blindness that has cost the United States dearly in terms of credibility, resources, and global standing.
In 2012, the Obama administration described its measures as the most crippling sanctions ever imposed. They failed to bring Iran to its knees. In 2018, President Trump launched the maximum pressure campaign after unilaterally and illegally withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.
That too failed to produce the desired results. Biden continued the same hard-nosed approach with no better results. Now, the Trump administration, in its second innings, has vowed the most crushing economic campaign ever taken against any country.
Yet the pattern is clear and the outcome predictable. The United States has exhausted its economic arsenal without achieving its political or military objectives, yet continues to cling to the illusion that just one more round of pressure will produce a different outcome.
This is the very definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. The Iranian leadership has weathered these storms for decades and has developed sophisticated mechanisms to survive and even thrive under duress.
Each new round of sanctions is met with greater ingenuity, deeper regional integration, and a more diversified economy. The Iranian people have not risen against their government in the way Washington had hoped. The resilience of the Islamic Republic has confounded every prediction and every model that American policymakers have relied upon.
'Bullying won't work': Pezeshkian warns US as he meets Pakistan's army chiefhttps://t.co/sEKeH8tIbX
The failure of US sanctions against Iran is not accidental but structural, embedded in the very logic of coercion. For decades, experts and veteran Iran watchers have cautioned that neither economic strangulation nor military threats can force Tehran’s surrender.
American rulers have already lost whatever was left of their credibility. They pulled out of the JCPOA in 2018 despite Iran’s verified compliance and imposed two wars of aggression in the middle of diplomacy. This credibility deficit is the fatal artery of America’s coercive strategy.
Over successive sanction cycles, Tehran has demonstrated that it can not only neutralize the sanctions but make them redundant. While the Islamic Republic has learned to adapt, the Americans have not. American consumers are also paying a heavy price for this failed policy. International oil prices surged following the announcement of new sanctions. US gasoline prices have increased approximately twenty-nine percent over the past year, putting a significant strain on American households already struggling with inflation.
If the Strait of Hormuz remains closed for even a quarter, reports suggest oil prices could drive a significant increase in US inflation. The paradox is clear and growing more acute: sanctions against Iran are increasingly becoming sanctions against the American consumer and the global economy. The economic war is having a significant cost backlash on the US itself.
The question is no longer whether Iran can endure the pressure, but whether the United States can afford to continue a policy that punishes its own citizens while failing to achieve its objectives. The American people are not well served by a strategy that raises their fuel costs, disrupts global supply chains, and inflames regional tensions without producing any results.
The cost-benefit analysis of sanctions has become increasingly unfavorable, yet Washington seems unable or unwilling to change course, which is a sign of strategic inertia, a reflexive adherence to failed policies because the alternatives appear politically difficult.
The military option has been tested and found wanting
The recent two wars of aggression against Iran represent perhaps the most dramatic illustration of Washington’s strategic bankruptcy. After years of economic warfare failed to produce the desired results, the US war machine resorted to direct military action against Iran, imposing two unprovoked wars in June of last year and February of this year.
Both wars failed catastrophically, and none of the United States military objectives were realized. The financial cost of these wars runs into the hundreds of billions of dollars for US taxpayers, which produced nothing but the killing of innocent Iranians, from scientists and athletes in Tehran to schoolchildren in Minab. This is how the US taxpayers’ money is used.
The military option was supposed to be the ultimate guarantor of American dominance, the final arbiter when all other tools had failed. Yet it too proved incapable of achieving any of Washington’s stated goals. The Iranian military and the Iranian people demonstrated a capacity for resistance that surprised American war planners.
Rather than bringing Iran to heel, the wars only strengthened Iranian resolve and deepened its regional alliances. The failure of the military option should have been a wake-up call, a moment of reckoning that forced a fundamental reassessment of United States strategy. Instead, Washington has simply reverted to the same old economic warfare that had already failed.
This pattern of escalation and failure reveals a profound inability to learn from experience. The United States has exhausted both its economic and military tools without achieving its objectives, yet it continues to cycle through the same failed approaches. The Iranian leadership has watched this pattern unfold and has drawn the logical conclusion that Washington has no real strategy, only a series of reflexive responses that are ultimately self-defeating.
The new round of sanctions planned by the Trump administration faces the same fundamental obstacles that have defeated every previous round. The Iranian economy has already adapted to the maximum pressure campaign. The networks and mechanisms that have been developed to circumvent sanctions are already in place and are continually being refined.
Each new round of illegal and draconian sanctions faces diminishing returns because the most effective measures have already been deployed. The additional sanctions are unlikely to impose significant new pain on Iran while carrying significant risks for the global economy.
Moreover, the context for sanctions is fundamentally different now than it was even a few years ago. The geopolitical landscape has shifted dramatically. China and Russia have deepened their economic and strategic relationships with Iran, providing alternative markets, financing, and diplomatic support. The US no longer enjoys the unquestioned economic dominance it once did, and its ability to enforce sanctions unilaterally is more limited than ever.
The global economy has become more multipolar, and countries are increasingly reluctant to align themselves with US sanctions policies that damage their own economic interests.
The Iranian leadership has also developed a more sophisticated understanding of how to weather sanctions. The economy has been restructured to reduce dependence on oil exports, non-oil exports have been expanded, and domestic production has been incentivized through various policies.
While these measures have not eliminated the pain of sanctions, they have made the Iranian economy more resilient than it was during earlier rounds of pressure. The leadership has also developed a more nuanced diplomatic strategy, engaging with regional powers and building coalitions that make it harder for the US war machine to isolate Iran internationally.
The framework for a sustainable solution
The current stalemate demands a fundamental shift in approach. The MoU signed between Tehran and Washington following the 40-day Ramadan War provides a clear framework, explicitly requiring the lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions imposed against Iran over the decades to definitively end the ongoing war.
This is a precondition for any sustainable deal. The document deserves to be taken seriously as a foundation for negotiations. Its provisions were carefully calibrated to address the legitimate concerns of both sides while providing a path toward long-term regional peace and stability.
For a deal to have any chance of success, Iranian demands must be fulfilled in letter and spirit. Sanctions relief must be genuine, comprehensive, and durable. Partial or reversible measures will only reinforce Iranian skepticism and incentivize continued resistance.
The United States must demonstrate that it is willing to honor its commitments and that diplomacy is not merely a prelude to renewed war or sanctions. This requires a fundamental shift in how Washington approaches negotiations, moving away from the take-it-or-leave-it ultimatums that have characterized previous attempts and toward genuine give-and-take diplomacy.
The Strait of Hormuz will only be reopened when legitimate Iranian demands are fulfilled – not one, but all of them. The reopening of the strait would benefit the global economy but the dynamics have changed and the administration of the waterway will now be decided by Iran.
The United States faces a critical strategic choice: continue down a path of proven failure or embrace a new approach rooted in ground realities and the new world order. The current policy has achieved none of its stated goals. American credibility has been eroded, alliances have been strained, and the global economy has been disrupted.
The so-called “maximum pressure” campaign has been attempted in various forms for over a decade, and each time it has failed. The military option has been tested and proven catastrophic for the US war machine. The only remaining path is diplomacy and a clear-eyed understanding and acknowledgement of Iranian red lines.
The fundamental flaw in United States strategy is the absence of an exit ramp. Economic pressure does not produce capitulation but only fuels resistance and sharpens the incentive to find workarounds. The United States has created a situation where the people of Iran have no incentive to negotiate because they have no confidence that any agreement would be honored. Restoring that confidence requires more than just promises; it requires concrete actions that demonstrate a genuine commitment to diplomacy over coercion.
The time has come to acknowledge that the US war machine has exhausted all its options – military and economic. The path forward is clear: lift all primary and secondary sanctions as called for in the MoU and allow Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States must understand that it cannot force Iran to its knees through military aggression or economic pressure. It must accept the reality that Iran is a new regional superpower. The US must also recognize that its current approach is not merely failing to achieve its objectives but is actively undermining its own interests.
The sanctions imposed over decades are not only illegal but manifestly inhumane. Their continuation serves no American interest other than perpetuating a failed policy. For the American people, it only results in diminished global standing and frayed alliances.
The only coherent course is the full and irrevocable removal of all sanctions, coupled with a binding guarantee on any future imposition as recognition that a policy devoid of legal foundation, moral justification, and strategic viability has no rightful place in today’s multipolar world.
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Then Iran’s Ambassador to International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Kazem Charibadi, waits for the start of the IAEA board of governnors meeting at the international Center in Viena, Austria on November, 21, 2019 (AP)
ran’s Deputy FM Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran alone knows the location of mines in the Strait of Hormuz, contradicting Trump’s claim that the waterway is now clear.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tuesday that Iran remains the only party that knows the precise locations of mines in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that any US naval minesweepers entering the waterway would become very good targets for Iranian forces.
He said statements by US President Donald Trump about removing the mines were aimed only at calming markets. The claim runs directly counter to a separate statement from Trump, who said Tuesday that the US Navy had removed or detonated all mines in the strait’s international waters, warning Iran of a “zero tolerance” policy toward the placement of any new ones.
Gharibabadi said Iran remains in a state of war and that the Strait of Hormuz will stay closed, with passage limited to commercial vessels under the terms of the existing memorandum of understanding.
He said a full reopening of the strait would only come in exchange for ending the war on all fronts, lifting the blockade on Iran, and determining Yemen’s fate. He added that Iran would reveal new capabilities if American measures continue, warning Washington against assuming it is the only side capable of inflicting economic damage.
A new corridor with Oman, but no military ships
Gharibabadi said negotiations between Iran and Oman would begin to replace the previous maritime traffic arrangement with a new transit corridor. In remarks to state television, he said the arrangement with Oman would allow only commercial vessels through the strait.
“No military vessel will be allowed to pass,” he said, adding that the route would be temporary while Iran and Oman negotiate a permanent one within 30 to 60 days.
“We had expected to close the southern route in the Strait of Hormuz with the help of our Omani friends, but US pressure prevented that and we were forced into a military confrontation,” Gharibabadi said, adding that the arrangement does not mean the strait will reopen immediately and that Washington must fully meet commitments it has previously failed to uphold before any move to reopen it.
A joint Iranian-Omani statement said the two countries’ foreign ministers had discussed a phased framework for managing the situation in the strait, including an agreement to establish a temporary, jointly run navigation corridor alongside a joint project to clear naval mines.
The statement said technical negotiations would continue toward a permanent navigation corridor and a future management arrangement for the strait, including a mechanism for information-sharing, traffic coordination, and maritime and security services, with both sides stressing the importance of opening dialogue with other Gulf states.
Iran had previously stressed that any agreement with Oman on navigation arrangements does not mean the Strait of Hormuz is reopening, insisting a full reopening requires Washington’s compliance with the terms of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.
Escalating economic pressure in the background
The statements come as Washington escalates economic pressure on Iran. Trump announced what he called an “unprecedented economic war” against Tehran last week, and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that countries continuing business with Iran past a set deadline could face penalties under an expanding sanctions campaign.
Gharibabadi has repeatedly rejected US claims of control over the strait; earlier this month, responding to Trump’s suggestion that he would declare Hormuz US territory, he said the strait “cannot be seized with a tweet, an aircraft carrier, an executive order, or a campaign speech,” adding that Iran “neither fears threats nor is intimidated by displays of force.”
Al-Moussawi surprises everyone with a shocking statement… leaving the presenter and guest in a state of stunned silence! 🔥😱الموسوي يفاجئ الجميع بتصريح صـ.ـادم… ويترك المذيع والضيف في حالة ذهول! 🔥😱
Leader of Ansarullah Movement, Sayyed Abdul-Malik Badreddin Al-Houthi, called on the Yemeni people to seek help from God, rely on Him, and intensify efforts until extracting their legitimate rights and fending off the injustice of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
In a speech today on the occasion of the event commemorating the Prophet’s Birthday (Mawlid al-Nabi), he emphasized the right of the Yemeni people to their just cause: ending the unjust Saudi aggression, blockade, and occupation of our country, which has blockaded the Yemeni people since 2015 and closed airports, while opening the airspace of the Land of the Two Holy Mosques to Zionist Jews.
He explained that the Saudi regime’s blockade of a neighboring Muslim nation highlights the necessity to act to put an end to such tyranny and injustice. He added that it proves the correctness of the people’s action in a battle framed by the equation of “a blockade for a blockade,” holding the Saudi regime fully responsible for everything that results from it.
He also affirmed the steadfastness of the people in their faith-based direction, their jihadist liberation movement, their Quranic journey, and their endeavor to achieve complete independence based on their faith identity, stressing that the Yemeni people will never accept the confiscation of their rights, regardless of the scale of challenges and sacrifices.
Furthermore, he reiterated the steadfastness of the Yemeni people’s principled stance in supporting the Palestinian people and their just cause, stemming from the Yemeni people’s stance against the Zionist enemy, who is an enemy of the nation. He affirmed, “We will spare no effort in supporting Palestine and its fighters until God’s promise is fulfilled, the holy sites are restored, and Palestine is liberated.”
He also affirmed the steadfastness of our stance against American and Israeli tyranny, which targets our entire nation under the pretext of establishing “Greater Israel” and “changing the Middle East,” while launching continuous aggression against Iran. He asserted that Yemen stands alongside Iran, supports consolidating the principle of the “unity of fronts,” and supports the resistance in Lebanon, Palestine, and all other fronts of the axis, calling on the nation to join the axis of jihad and resistance.
He touched upon the terrible suffering of the Palestinian people caused by Zionist tyranny in Gaza, the West Bank, and throughout Palestine, as well as the violation of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa and Ibrahimi mosques. He emphasized that these dangers threaten the nation and are the result of Zionist ambitions and moves toward establishing Greater Israel, which framed the aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the aggression against Lebanon, the ongoing violation of Syria, and the continuous targeting of Yemen. He noted that all of this shows that the correct choice is to act according to God’s teachings, carry the banner of jihad, take up the means of victory, and adhere to the Quran.
Sayyid Abdul-Malik al-Houthi congratulated the Yemeni people and the Islamic nation on the occasion of commemorating the Prophet’s Birthday, stressing that the turnout of Yemenis into the squares on this occasion is unmatched anywhere in the world.
The Leader Commander said: “My soul is a ransom for you, O loyal people,” congratulating the Yemeni people, all members of the nation, and Islamic unity on the arrival of this glorious occasion—the memory of the birth of the Seal of the Prophets and the Master of the Messengers.
Sarnia, Canada – June 11, 2017. Trucks and cars make their way across the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia, Canada.
After trade talks with Ottawa collapsed, US President Donald Trump framed the outcome in his familiar terms: “We don’t need Canada; they need us.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, however, responded from an entirely different position, saying his country would not accept being treated at the negotiating table as a “subsidiary of the United States.”
The tariff dispute has thus evolved from a trade disagreement between two neighbors into a test of Trump’s strategy of pressuring allies—and of how much the United States can extract when it wields access to its market as a weapon.
The deal had come close enough for Trump to announce that an agreement had been reached, only to unravel before midnight. According to The New York Times, Washington believed it had offered Canada the best deal it had offered any country, while Ottawa concluded that the price being demanded was unacceptable.
After a month of negotiations aimed at avoiding new tariffs and easing existing ones, Carney ended the talks and ordered his team to leave Washington.
In the face of unjustified American tariffs, Canadians have shown resolve, purpose, and strength.
The government is matching that spirit — protecting Canadian workers, businesses, and families. pic.twitter.com/kSqYUNw8ad
The New York Times reported that the outstanding issues became increasingly intertwined in the final hours, ranging from automobiles, steel, and aluminum to rules protecting Canadian and French-language content online, the Keystone XL project, and a US demand that Canada align its tariffs with those imposed by Washington on other countries.
From the Canadian perspective, however, these issues pointed to a single underlying demand: Washington was not merely seeking trade concessions but greater influence over Canada’s own decision-making.
According to the newspaper, the United States wanted to review—and potentially dictate the terms of—Canada’s future trade agreements with other countries. It also wanted Ottawa to impose US tariffs on third parties if Washington changed its policy. For the Trump administration, this would protect the US market from cheaper goods entering through Canada. For Carney, it directly threatened his strategy of reducing Canada’s dependence on the US market and opening alternative trade routes.
The French language also moved to the center of the dispute. Washington pressed until the final hours for the repeal of a law requiring streaming platforms to promote Canadian films and television programs to subscribers.
In a country where French—particularly in Quebec—is central to its national balance, the US demand appeared to go beyond what could be presented as an ordinary economic concession. Carney therefore arrived at a firm conclusion: “We cannot accept what they offered, and we will not give them what they demanded.”
The Cost to the United States
But tariffs do not hurt Canada alone. The Washington Post notes that the two economies are so deeply integrated that a trade war risks hurting both sides at once. Auto parts cross the border multiple times before a vehicle is completed, the electricity grids are interconnected, and Canada supplied US refineries with more than 4 million barrels of oil a day in 2024. Canada is also the largest export market for 32 US states.
The Washington Post editorial board therefore warns that Trump’s 50% tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks, auto parts, and steel will hurt U.S. manufacturers and raise prices in both countries. The trade war is not targeting a separate foreign adversary but a shared production system on which industrial regions in the United States and Canada have depended for generations.
Axios warns that the timing of the escalation makes the situation even more dangerous. The US path toward lower inflation required calm on both trade and military fronts, yet tensions with Canada are emerging alongside renewed tensions with China and Iran. The tariffs and retaliatory measures could therefore put renewed pressure on prices, while the war with Iran adds another energy shock.
The Missing Diplomacy
The weakness, Max Boot writes in The Washington Post, is that Trump is trying to use coercion where persuasion is required. He threatens allies from Canada to South Korea and Oman, relying on public pressure rather than building lasting consensus.
The result, according to Boot, is that allies are not responding as Trump wants. Canada and China have forced him to retreat in more than one confrontation, while the world increasingly sees many of his threats as exceeding his ability to carry them out.
The political cost could also be significant. The Washington Post argues that a trade war with Canada could hurt Republicans ahead of the midterm elections, particularly in closely contested races in Maine, Michigan, Ohio, and Iowa. If tariffs lead to higher prices and growing industrial and agricultural anxiety in these states, Trump may find that his “America First” policy is hurting American voters before it brings Canada to heel.
A Lesson for Allies
Inside Canada, Carney’s refusal has given him a moment of national unity. Axios reported that his challenge to Trump has become a rallying point at home, drawing support from provincial premiers across party lines while boosting his popularity.
That does not eliminate the pain ahead, however. Canada’s economy remains more exposed to the U.S. market, and TD Bank estimates that the tariffs could shave between 0.3 and 0.6 percentage points off Canadian GDP.
The Christian Science Monitor views the moment as a test of the concept of “middle-power” influence in a world where the United States no longer plays the role its allies have come to expect. Canada cannot sever its economic ties with Washington, but it is trying to prevent dependence from turning into subordination.
From Japan and Australia to Britain and Europe, other powers are watching what it means when a longtime U.S. ally is forced to contemplate a future in which its relationship with Washington is far less secure.
Source: Al-Jazeera Net (Edited and translated by Al-Manar English)
Illustrative image showing a missile and the Iranian national flag.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stressed on Tuesday the need to strengthen unity and cohesion among Muslim countries, saying greater cooperation across the Islamic world is essential to establishing security and stability in the region.
According to the Mehr News Agency, Pezeshkian made the remarks during a meeting on Tuesday afternoon with Faiq Zidan, head of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, and his accompanying delegation.
“Islamic countries must expand the scope of their cultural, commercial, social, political, and economic interactions,” Pezeshkian said.
The Iranian president expressed his appreciation to the Iraqi people and government for organizing an extensive funeral ceremony for the martyred leader of the Islamic Revolution and for hosting pilgrims visiting Imam Hussein during the Arbaeen commemoration.
“I am very pleased to welcome the Iraqi delegation to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and I hope this meeting will pave the way for further developing and strengthening cultural, commercial, and economic relations between the two countries,” Pezeshkian added.
Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council President Judge Faiq Zidan arrived in Tehran on Tuesday and met with senior Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei, Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, and Judiciary… pic.twitter.com/jnuReVGOxs
Rezaei to Iraqi Judiciary Chief: No Place for US in the Region’s Future
Major General Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, also received Faiq Zidan, head of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council.
During the meeting, Rezaei underscored that the United States would have no place in the future of the region.
He stressed that the countries of the region themselves would determine their future while calling for the status of Iran-opposed groups based along the border between Iran and Iraq to be resolved.
For his part, Zidan highlighted the deep historical and cultural ties between Iran and Iraq and expressed appreciation for the Islamic Republic’s support. He conveyed the greetings of Iraqi officials to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and paid tribute to the late commanders Gen. Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis.
During a meeting with President of the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq Faiq Zidan, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Major General Mohsen Rezaei stated that the United States will not play any role in the region's future. pic.twitter.com/3oRy0Iw1gp
Zidan also emphasized the importance of regional cooperation, stressing the need to safeguard security along the two countries’ shared border.
According to an official statement issued following the meeting, the two sides reviewed prospects for bilateral cooperation and discussed ways to activate existing judicial and security agreements.
The meeting further stressed the necessity of exchanging information and expertise to strengthen efforts to combat terrorism and organized crime, with the broader objective of consolidating security and stability across the region.
How feasible is Trump’s strategy? Is Iran in as desperate straits as Treasury Secretary Bessent suggests?
The 60-day MoU has expired. The framework of Iranian pre-conditions for any start to negotiations nonetheless lingers on in its comatose state.
Instead of the endlessly touted ‘Iran deal’, the picture is almost the complete opposite of what President Trump sought to create when he adopted the MoU framework (even if it is not clear whether he really intended to pursue the framework through to some sort of real agreement, or whether the framework was simply a device that Trump sought to leverage out as a platform for full American hegemonic pressure on Iran in order to compel Iran to open Hormuz on American terms.)
But talks are not happening. There are zero negotiations. The Strait of Hormuz remains – as at the outset – at the centre of the conflict, and effectively shut. Meanwhile the possibility of escalation has become much closer – one might say almost inevitable – as Iran have indicated its intent to pro-actively escalate against American and Gulf infrastructure targets unless Trump abides over the next 3-4 weeks by the well-known Iranian preconditions.
One early Iranian precondition is no longer implicit, but explicit: The Iranians have specified that the Palestinian arena that must be covered by the ‘the ceasefire for all, or ceasefire for no-one’ precondition. Of course, Israel won’t do this. They are escalating violently – a veritable “land grab” – against Palestinian refugee camps and villages in the West Bank.
Plainly, Iran’s preconditions are unlikely to be accepted by Trump. For, combined, they represent an unmistakable Iranian demand for the wholesale dismantlement of the U.S. military infrastructure of the siege surrounding Iran – effectively U.S. capitulation in West Asia.
Trump, more than anything, detests to be viewed as a ‘loser’.
Worse, from Trump’s perspective, his war on Iran, far from making the Middle East a sea of tranquillity and peace ‘after a thousand years of conflict’, as he claimed, his war on Iran has precisely ignited the regions’ many underlying tensions, setting them on fire. The region today is a tinderbox, rather than an exemplar of peaceful co-existence. Even his erstwhile allies have turned against him.
The most serious bush-fire is that in the Palestinian arena. Primary elections have been held by Likud. And General Elections are set to take place in Israel on 27 October. But already, it’s clear that elements of the political Right in Israel are planning to set the West Bank alight in order to ensure their polling victory – or at least to eliminate the possibility that any other government can be formed. A provocation centred on Al-Aqsa Mosque has been hinted at by Israeli politicians.
The Palestinian arena, of course, remains the combustible detonator which can set the region afire. As Ben Caspit outlines:
“The fanatics’ plan … is to create chaos, to bring about a biblical Gog and Magog war, at the end of which it will be possible to fulfil Smotrich’s “decision plan” and expel the Palestinians … or push them out by definition … The end of this plan will be the end of those who dream of a Riviera in Gaza and of crowds of Gazans leaving in buses for “voluntary immigration” … This will not happen. What will happen is bloodshed in commercial quantities and a greater, more real and threatening danger than anything we have encountered so far …”.
An angry and frustrated Trump called a team meeting last Saturday at Camp David to consider next steps in the wake of the expiry of the 60-day MoU de-escalation period.
Credible reporting from Marjorie Taylor Greene states categorically that Trump again expressed great frustration that he had not achieved his objective in Iran – to force it to surrender, to capitulate.
Trump is bemused and angry that Iran is proving so difficult to bring to capitulation, and so is toying with other ways of achieving their surrender. And so, we read Marjorie Taylor Greene leaking that Trump again discussed the possibility of using tactical non-strategic nuclear weapons against Iran.
This is not the first occasion that Trump has raised such a possibility. Reportedly, he has raised the question on two earlier occasions, the first in April, during the conflict with Iran. Trump’s preoccupation with this question however has older roots. Reportedly, it lay at the crux to his dispute with Rex Tillerson and James Mattis.
Tillerson, at the time, was Secretary of State, and Mattis was Defence Secretary. During the Trump 1.0 mandate, he kept contending that the U.S. should be able to use tactical nuclear weapons more freely. ‘Why not?’, he would ask. Why should we [the U.S.] be held back, or debarred from using them, Trump questioned. And the answer always came back from Tillerson and Mattis too, that nuclear weapons were only for strategic deterrence. They were not to be deployed willy-nilly, as an alternative to other forms of munitions.
Trump was not happy with this answer, reportedly. Well, now we’re back to the same argument, because not only did Trump raise it again at last week’s meeting (this is probably the third time that he suggested it in the context of the Iranian conflict) – but the issue is returning in a new context.
Elbridge Colby, Under-Secretary at the Pentagon, responsible for defence policy, and who played a significant part in the drafting of the National Security Statement, apparently advocates for tactical weapons to be re-categorised as ‘tactical weapons’, and not simply confined to their place as strategic deterrence. Colby argues that U.S. failure in the conventional military arena (i.e. in Iran), could justify the use of tactical nuclear weapons – to compensate for the loss of U.S. conventional deterrence.
This debate that has not finally been settled.
And it is into this context that Netanyahu has been lying about the imminence of a nuclear threat from Iran for which there is no evidence; nor is there solid evidence that Iran is preparing a weapon, Israeli Military Intelligence avers. Netanyahu produced no evidence to support this case during discussions of the 28 February attack on Iran, Israeli journalist investigators collectively believe.
AMAN, Israel’s military intelligence arm, supplied to the Israeli cabinet a completely contradictory opinion. There had been a number of investigations by very senior journalists on which they all agree that the military intelligence indicated there was no evidence that Iran was moving towards a weapon, no intelligence that they were intending so to do, and no intelligence to suggest that something was happening on the ground that might be taken to assume there was a move towards starting a weapons programme.
In short, there is no evidence that would support a preventive tactical nuclear attack by the U.S. ‘to prevent Iran having a bomb’. It would be false to suggest otherwise – shades of the Iraq war.
This comprises the background to the talk about the possibility of the U.S. dropping a nuclear device on Iran. It remains a possibility, but there are several voices in the Trump circle that are adamantly opposed, believing its use would constitute a grave war crime.
So, for now, the Trump strategy has turned to compelling Iran’s defeat by economic means. U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent insists that Iran’s economic circumstances are catastrophic and that (paraphrased) he’s going to put ‘the mother and father’ of all sanctions on Iran.
How feasible is this strategy? Is Iran in as desperate straits as Bessent suggests, or is it not? If you were to take the Tehran Stock Exchange as a good ‘bell-weather’ for the Iranian economy, then since May, it has risen by 58.7%. There is high inflation in Iran, that is true. But the rate of increase of inflation has declined from 7.2% in June to 3.2% today. The loss of value in the Iran Rial, though continuing, is happening at a much slower rate.
Iran had 140 million barrels of oil exports at sea at the outset of the conflict, which brought them resources of about $1 billion. In February between 23rd, February to the 13th April Beesent temporarily lifted oil sanctions. During that period of 66 days, Iran sold some 80 million barrels of oil, as well.
So yes, Iran’s oil export volumes are down, but the price at which they are being sold is higher.
This is not to say that the economic situation in Iran is rosy, but more significantly, in response to Bessent’s assertions of desperation, there is no evidence to date, nor of public unrest because of the economic situation.
The U.S. can attempt to block the sea corridors, but the land corridors from Iran through Pakistan and the Caspian to Russia still function.
So perhaps the Iranian economy may be more resilient than Bessent assumes. Then what likely is Bessent’s plan? He doesn’t say. But the most obvious targets would be to put sanctions on the Chinese ‘teapot refiners’ that have traditionally heavily bought Iranian oil. And possibly to sanction Chinese banks that finance such trade. That seems to be a possible first resort. The second resort might be to expropriate Iran’s crypto and digital assets, wherever possible. And to ask allies to seize any and all Iranian assets in their jurisdiction.
Taken together, this may sound very impressive and threatening for Iran. But circumstances today are very different from 2015 when the JCPOA was first implemented. At that time, the JCPOA was embedded into a UN Security Council resolution, and therefore its provisions were binding on Russia and China.
Largely, Russia and China did observe the JCPOA sanctions, until the latter’s demise following Trump’s pull-out from the agreement in 2018. Now. however, circumstances are very changed. Russia and China are no longer so supportive of sanctions on Iran. On the contrary, they have become transformed into co-belligerents with Iran in this war (co-belligerents in the sense of providing intelligence, providing the technical means by which real-time intelligence can be provided to missile sites and to base stations in Iran, and other support, perhaps in facilitating payment systems that bypass the dollar).
Bessent may have it in mind to target the purchasers of Iranian oil in China, and Chinese banks, too. But this would bring the U.S. into direct conflict with both countries. The last time the U.S. applied sanctions on the ‘teapots’, China activated an Act making it illegal for Chinese entities, domestic and foreign, to comply with American sanctions.
Would they do the same again? Well, in all likelihood, yes. It is a different world from that of 2015 – the U.S. dollar may be still be the most used medium of exchange for settling trade transactions, but it is no longer the world’s main reserve asset. That is now gold.
And today, the reasons why historically the dollar became dominant are slipping away (just as they did for Sterling, where the transformation from its earlier standing occurred unexpectedly fast).
The utility of holding U.S. Treasuries as rainy-day assets plainly vanishes if Bessent prohibits their sale in his desperation to preserve the dollar’s FX value, leaving holders stranded (which is currently the case). Of course, debt-repayment needs will continue to serve as a demand for dollars, but essentially the basis to the dollar’s huge global position lay in the issuance of cheap dollar credit.
That advantage is over. Ten-year Chinese bonds are now 3% cheaper. No surprise then that European Banks now are lending to customers in Chinese Panda Bonds in an ever-deepening renminbi debt market.
And if all Iran’s assets, including crypto, are to be arbitrarily seized by the U.S., whose assets will be safe? Trust in the U.S. currency is already withering as the dollar exchange value falls and volatility seizes hold.
Bessent’s ‘Iran initiative’ may turn out to be self-defeating, both by further weakening the dollar and by effectively persuading states to turn to China’s low-key roll out of its alternative financial super highway for security and stability.
Today, Iran’s allies – although not in full military alliance, but in strategic partnerships of different degrees – undoubtedly have helped Iran and will likely continue to help Iran bypass the U.S. dollar plumbing by opening the door into the evolving ‘global plumbing’ system. They have no interest in seeing Iran defeated.
In a recent interview with Syrian state television, senior Lebanese political analyst Nasser Qandil discusses how the United States has lost its status as the sole power dominating the world, and highlights the rise of China, Russia, and the Iran-led Axis of Resistance as competitors to the U.S. on the world stage.
Source: Syrian TV via Kalam Siyasi (YouTube)
Date: August 14, 2022
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Transcript:
Host:
We will start with discussing what is happening in more than one area, both in the region and across the world, benefiting from your rich (analysis) pieces and impartial media observations of the reality we live in today. Why did you describe (our current situation) as the darkest and most difficult the region has ever witnessed?
Qandil:
It is clear first that the whole world is going through a state of political chaos resulting from the decline of US domination and the attempt to compensate for this weakness by provoking unrest and small wars, and attempts to create scenarios that could enable the American administration to restore some of its domination, presence, or role, after it has become incapable of ruling the world.
We must remember that in 1990, more than 30 years ago, the United States of America managed to dominate the world alone. The Soviet Union collapsed, Russia was weakened, China was still in the early stages of development, and there was no competitor (for the US) in the world. Even the European Union was established under American auspices as a project that doesn’t (aim) to compete with the US, but to replace the Soviet Union.
However, the country that ruled the world during these three decades has clearly begun to witness a fall since the year 2000. In this year, three (major) events occurred. The first was the liberation of southern Lebanon, that is, the defeat of Israel, the striking arm of the US in our region. The second was the rise or beginning of the rise of Russia with President Vladimir Putin taking over the presidency of the Russian Federation. The third was the blessed Palestinian Intifada (Uprising), which established the return of vitality and life to the Arab peoples. It was part of a general Arab climate that we experienced from the Maghreb to the Mashreq to all the capitals of the region. We must remember that millions of Arab peoples took to the streets in solidarity with the Al-Aqsa Intifada (the second Intifada), with three million demonstrators in Morocco alone.
This situation has (only) developed more and more and has grown more and more, and we are now witnessing its results, which are crystallizing at the (global) political level and not only at the level of certain events. Russia has been acting as a superpower in the world since its involvement in Syria in 2015, all the way to the Ukrainian war. China is also a superpower on a par with the US, after it has approached the stage of surpassing the US in terms of the size of the overall economy. The US is losing its grip over the region. Even though the US threw all its international, regional, financial, intelligence, media, and military weight to bring down Syria, it failed miserably. Syria triumphed and the US project collapsed.
Iran’s steadfastness and its rise as a regional power, the growth of the capabilities of the Axis of Resistance and its rise as an active axis, especially through the Lebanese and Palestinian resistance, in addition to its presence in Yemen, which provided a model for what the Gulf security could be if the US persisted in its aggressive policies…We are witnessing the crystallization of the image of a new world in which the US loses the lead. Therefore, we are seeing these wars, turmoil and signs, like the last Gaza war, that are almost like “death tremors”, i.e., the refusal (of the US) to accept the new reality, and its denial, arrogance, and insistence on (always) being present and proving its power, but to no avail.
Host:
But there are those who say that what appears to be a wallow may be deliberate plans to ignite wars here and there, from Taiwan to Russia. Even the current threat to the unity of the European Union may be part of a plan because the US is still pressing ahead with its plans. As for Syria, (the US) continues to support terrorism and steal Syrian wealth and Syrian oil.
Qandil:
We have to distinguish between two things. Of course, for some people, even if the US admits its defeat, they will still believe that it has the ability to dominate and that it will never be defeated. An example of this is what happened when Israel was defeated in 2006 in its battle and aggression against Lebanon, and some Lebanese, not foreigners, insisted that Israel was not defeated. We will not discuss (the opinion of) such people. They are haunted by an inferiority complex which makes them believe that the US is a destiny that cannot be escaped. The US admitted that it was defeated in Vietnam, and some still see its withdrawal from Vietnam as a plan. So, let’s discuss the main idea.
Let us first look at the internal situation of the United States of America, is it still this major expanding power? No. I am not speaking for myself, let’s look at what the Americans themselves say. They say that ‘the great America’ has lost its greatness because it is no longer a great country. This is what Donald Trump says, these are not the words of anyone outside the US. The title of Joe Biden’s (presidential acceptance) speech was “America’s Return.” Trump used to say, “We are ranked third or fourth in the world. Our infrastructure is incapable of serving a modern economy. We cannot boast that we are the top country, neither in human rights nor in democracy.” The storming of Congress, about which hundreds and even thousands of articles have been written in the US, was a proof of the atrophy and decline of the American democratic model. The racist wars erupting across the US are all part of the reality and facts that Americans, not foreigners, speak of.
At the European level, the problem is not the disintegration or non-disintegration of the European Union. The problem is the collapse of the European model…Today, Syria has achieved a victory, but the Syrian people say that this victory remains weak and unstable so long as it has not been reflected in (the improvement of) people’s lives. People complain about their hardships, about their livelihood, so what if we are talking about Europe? (Europe is made up of a group of) countries that have been established as a model for a well-off life, countries that offer their citizens what no other citizen can receive in any other country in the world. However, the Europeans today live under energy rationing and promises that, in the winter, they will face bitter cold without heating; and preparations are being made for the closing of thousands of factories, the stopping of hundreds of companies from working, thus directing hundreds of thousands of unemployed people to the streets. This is what European officials are saying to their people about what awaits them in 2023. This does not show the disintegration of the European Union, but rather the collapse of the European model. Thus, this opens the door to social unrest and political transformations that no one can yet predict.
Ansar Allah supporters gather as they celebrate Independence Day marking the end of British rule in South Yemen, in 1967, in Sanaa, Yemen, Nov. 30, 2025 (AP photo/Osama Abdulrahman)
Yahya Saree says Yemen struck the Saudi tanker Amzan and Saudi military positions as Sana’a enforces its maritime ban under the “blockade for blockade” equation.
The Yemeni Armed Forces announced operations targeting a Saudi oil tanker off the coast of Yanbu and Saudi military positions in several areas, as part of Sanaa’s military equation against Saudi Arabia’s aggression.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces were able to target the Saudi oil tanker Amzan in the northern Red Sea, off the coast of Yanbu, with a ballistic missile,” Spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement. “The strike was precise and direct, resulting in a fire on the ship, and the escape of several other ships in the area.”
Saree confirmed that this move “is part of the implementation of the Yemeni Armed Forces’ decision to ban maritime traffic for the Saudi enemy and to enforce a blockade with a blockade.”
بيانٌ صادرٌ عنِ القواتِ المسلحةِ اليمنيةِ
بسمِ اللهِ الرحمنِ الرحيم
قال تعالى: {فَلَا عُدۡوَ ٰنَ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلظَّـٰلِمِینَ} صدق اللهُ العظيم
بعون الله وتوفيقه تمكنتِ القواتُ المسلحةُ اليمنيةُ من استهدافِ السفينةِ النفطيةِ "أمزان" التابعةِ للعدوِّ السعوديِّ شماليَّ البحرِ… pic.twitter.com/WMFsQkuTOV
The spokesperson further added in his statement that the Yemeni Armed Forces conducted two military operations against Saudi forces.
The first operation “targeted Saudi forces consisting of a large military convoy carrying military equipment in the areas of Al-Ubra and Al-Wadi’a, using ballistic missiles and drones.”
Saree noted that this retaliatory action destroyed over ten trucks “loaded with weapons” that were making their way from Saudi Arabia to “target the Yemeni people.”
“The second operation targeted Saudi enemy forces in the Al-Kanais area with ballistic missiles and drones,” Saree stated, “resulting in the deaths and injuries of dozens, including officers and commanders, as well as the burning and destruction of several weapons depots.
The Yemeni Armed Forces’ spokesperson added that Sanaa will continue to move forward with enforcing a maritime ban on Saudi Arabia within the declared area of operations. He also said that Yemen will continue abiding by the military equations of blockade for blockade and meeting escalation with escalation.
“We are ready, with God’s power, to confront any escalation with stronger and more severe strikes, and with broader and larger operations,” Saree stated.
The Yemeni Armed Forces’ announcement follows overnight strikes by Saudi Arabian forces against residential villages in Razih District, Saada Governorate, northern Yemen, with artillery shells, according to Yemen’s Al Masirah TV.
The Saudi attacks came after continued Yemeni military operations in response to violations of the country’s sovereignty, notably Sanaa announcing the downing of a Saudi reconnaissance drone on Sunday after it entered Yemeni airspace over the province of Hajjah.
A Yemeni military source identified the aircraft as a ScanEagle reconnaissance drone, adding it was shot down using an appropriate weapon while carrying out a surveillance mission over the province.
Tensions between Sanaa and Riyadh escalated following the Saudi aggression on Sanaa International Airport in July.
Following the strike, the Yemeni Armed Forces declared that the 2022 peace deal with Saudi Arabia had effectively collapsed and announced the imposition of a naval blockade on Riyadh.
Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree in an image from archive.
The spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced in a statement on Monday new operations against Saudi targets in the context of the siege-for-siege and escalation-for-escalation formulas.
In this regard, General Saree mentioned that the Yemeni Armed Forces successfully targeted the Saudi enemy’s oil tanker “Amzan” in the northern Red Sea, off the coast of Yanbu, using a ballistic missile, adding that the strike was precise and direct.
General Saree also reported two military operations against the Saudi forces, adding that the attacks inflicted heavy losses.
What follows is full text of the statement:
By the grace and guidance of Allah, the Yemeni Armed Forces successfully targeted the Saudi enemy’s oil tanker “Amzan” in the northern Red Sea, off the coast of Yanbu, using a ballistic missile, the strike was precise and direct, resulting in a fire broke out on the ship and the escape of several other vessels were in the targeted area.
This targeting comes within the framework of implementing the Armed Forces’ decision to impose a maritime ban on the Saudi enemy and to reinforce the equation of “a siege for a siege”.
In another development, the Yemeni Armed Forces, by the grace of Allah, successfully carried out two military operations of which the first targeted a Saudi military convoy, consisting of a large convoy loaded with military equipment, in the Al-Abr and Al-Wadi’ah areas using ballistic missiles and drones, resulting in the burning and destruction of more than ten trucks loaded with weapons that were coming from Saudi territory to target the Yemeni people.
The second operation targeted Saudi enemy forces in the Al-Kanais area with ballistic missiles and drones, which resulted in the death and injury of dozens, including commanders and officers, and the burning and destruction of several weapons depots.
The armed forces, with Allah’s help, continue to impose a maritime blockade on the Saudi enemy within the declared operation zone, implementing the equation of “a siege for a siege” and a comprehensive escalation with a comprehensive escalation.
We are prepared, by Allah’s power, to confront any escalation with stronger and more intense strikes and broader and larger operations.
The Yemeni Armed Forces, while congratulating our great Yemeni people and our Arab and Islamic nation on the occasion of the Prophet’s birthday (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), call upon the people of our dear, valiant country, the people of faith and wisdom, the people of Yemen, to participate honorably in commemorating this great occasion in all designated areas tomorrow, Allah’s willing.
Member of Loyalty to Resistance Parliamentary Bloc, Dr. Hasan Fadlallah, met on Sunday evening in Tehran with the Iranian foreign minister, Dr. Abbas Araghchi, in presence of Hezbollah representative in Iran, Sayyed Abdullah Safieddine.
According to IRNA, MP Fadlallah conveyed the greetings of Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem, hailing the Iranian steadfastness in face of the US war.
Hezbollah lawmaker also praised the Iranian support to the Lebanese people and resistance, stressing that all the Islamic states must confront the Zionist criminality, IRNA added.
“In turn, the Iranian top diplomat underlined the Lebanese resistance against the Israeli war, reiterating that Iran would continue helping the Lebanese people defend their country’s integrity, dignity and sovereignty.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in an image from archive.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held separate telephone conversations with his Egyptian counterpart and Pakistan’s Army Chief for talks on the latest regional developments and diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions in West Asia.
In a phone call on Saturday, Araqchi and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty exchanged views on the latest developments in the region, particularly the situation in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.
The two senior diplomats also discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing tensions and preventing further escalation in the region.
In another phone call, Araghchi and Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir discussed the latest regional developments and ways to strengthen peace, stability and security in West Asia.
The calls came amid continued diplomatic efforts by regional countries to contain tensions and promote peace and stability in West Asia.
Over the past two decades, hardline Ukrainian ultranationalists have waged an ever-escalating war on history at home and abroad, with dramatic, world-changing consequences. In the country itself, a highly repressive legal apparatus is increasingly enforcing dangerously skewed narratives of Kiev’s near and distant past, with excessive criminal penalties even for those who unwittingly fall foul of the law. A brazenly politicised battle, it has become turbocharged since the Ukraine proxy conflict’s eruption. Despite widespread opposition, Kiev’s aggressive ultranationalist offensive on history is only intensifying.
These are the grave findings of an extraordinary paper by Ukrainian academic Georgiy Kasianov, “To discipline and punish”: A punitive turn in the memory politics in Ukraine, 2006–2025. As the author notes, the weaponisation of law in service of memory politics is common in Central and Eastern Europe. At least nine countries in the region boast legislation prohibiting public displays of Communist and Nazi symbols, which underpins local ultranationalist efforts – eagerly endorsed by the EU – to perversely conflate the two ideologies as comparable totalitarianisms.
Moreover, in many cases – especially the Baltics – these laws are components of wider cultural and legal ecosystems glorifying Nazi collaborators and Holocaust perpetrators as heroic freedom fighters, while strictly limiting discourse about World War II to conceal local culpability for macabre crimes. As such, Kasianov writes, Ukraine’s “punitive model of memory politics” fits into “a broader post-Communist pattern of state-enforced historical narratives.” Yet, “in its severity, selectivity, ideological and bureaucratic instrumentalization,” Kiev’s war on history “represents a particularly radical and revealing case.”
Bandera supporters march in Kiev, January 2015
Today, Ukraine “leads Europe in the number of judicial decisions concerning violations of criminal statutes specifically designed to prohibit certain historical symbols,” with criminal penalties for breaching “memory laws” being the continent’s “most severe.” Kasianov traces this state of affairs to the mid-2000s, when Western-installed President Viktor Yushchenko’s government sought to implement laws “institutionalizing” the Soviet Union’s 1930 – 1933 famine as a deliberate genocide of Ukrainians specifically engineered by Joseph Stalin. It is known within Ukraine, and increasingly internationally, as “Holodomor”.
While the famine and resultant mass death was produced and exacerbated by catastrophic human errors combined with adverse natural factors, few historians consider the horror to have been intentional. Markedly, Kazakhs and Russians also perished in vast numbers. As of November 2022, just 23 UN member states have recognised Holodomor as a genocide – most being Kiev’s close allies, post-Maidan. Nonetheless, prominent Western sources state axiomatically the famine was deliberately inflicted, part of a wider ongoing Russian and/or Soviet effort to erase Ukraine.
Meanwhile,ultranationalist claimsof how many Ukrainians were supposedly killed by the famine have grown ever-wilder, with some sources placing the figure as high as 10 million. This isseveral times the multiethnic death toll typically accepted by scholars, conveniently framing the so-called Holodomor as a greater targeted crime against humanity than the Holocaust. Yuschenko’s foray into memory politics contributed significantly to this warped contemporary informational climate. Still, 2006 legislation formally designating Holodomor as genocidal didn’t include punitive measures for denying or questioning that characterisation.
Kasianov documents how over the next 14 years, 13 separate attempts were made to criminalise “Holodomor denial” by ultranationalist Ukrainian elements within and without government and parliament. Each effort sought to impose “a state-sanctioned historical orthodoxy” around Holodomor, while “[constraining] scholarly debate and freedom of expression.” None received approval from parliament’s “legal analytical department”, but ultranationalist memory politics ultimately prevailed on a cultural and political level locally, and beyond. Notably, many of these initiatives were sponsored by theopenly Neo-Nazi political party Svoboda.
‘Political Repression’
Svoboda played asubstantial role in the Western-orchestrated2014 Maidan coup, which not coincidentally “created a fertile environment for reframing memory politics as an instrument of state security and ideological consolidation.” The government of Petro Poroshenko justified the “rapid passage of a package of laws aimed at condemning [Communism] and institutionalizing a nationalist historical narrative” as a “necessary defensive measure” and “nation-building project,” countering supposed “external aggression” from Russia. This led to the adoption of hitherto unthinkable legislation in April 2015.
Ukrainian ultranationalists tear down Ukraine’s largest Lenin statue in Kharkiv, September 2014
These hastily passed laws equated Communism with Nazism, prohibiting the public display of symbols associated with both ideologies. Yet, Kasianov notes the legislation “also granted legal and moral rehabilitation” to mass-murdering, Nazi-affiliated Ukrainian nationalist factions heavily implicated in the Holocaust. This included Stepan Bandera’s Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists, and its armed Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) wing. Moreover, despite the law’s formal dual condemnation of Communism and Nazism, Kasianov details how “its implementation and symbolic focus reveal a stark imbalance.”
Approximately 90% of the legislation’s text “is dedicated to defining and enumerating Communist symbols, while Nazi symbols are addressed in relatively minimal and largely perfunctory terms.” Nazi-related prohibitions are “limited to the most universally recognized insignia of the Third Reich, such as the swastika.” By contrast, “the law offers an expansive and detailed catalog of banned Soviet insignia, ranging from the hammer and sickle to red stars and Soviet-era street names.” This “obvious asymmetry” extends even further.
Symbols associated with local Neo-Nazi groups, or formal World War II-era collaborationist Ukrainian military units such as SS Division Galicia, are spared from proscription entirely. “Legal and policy experts and Ukrainian and international human rights organizations” have all expressed concerns over the law’s “vague definitions,” and “potential misuse for political repression.” The Ukrainian Rada’s own “expert department” found the legislation conflicted with the country’s established constitution, and several existing domestic laws.
Disproportionately harsh punishments for infringements, with offenders facing prison sentences of up to five years along with property confiscation, also drew widespread criticism. A lawyer and lecturer at Lviv National Universitystrikingly compared the penalties involved to “using a guillotine to treat a headache.” A damningopen lettersigned by a welter of academics and policymakers dubbed the legislation “an instrument of ideological purification, selectively targeting the symbols and narratives associated with the political left while allowing for the implicit valorization of radical nationalist traditions.”
These devastating indictments were dismissed by the law’s advocates as “Kremlin propaganda”, if not outright treason. Kasianov reveals how “principal architects” of Poroshenko’s “Decommunization” agenda were a coterie of ultranationalist “memory activists”, drawn from the Lviv-based Center for Research on the Liberation Movement, and Youth Nationalist Congress. Both maintain “close ideological and organizational ties” with, operating as “facade organizations” for, the Banderite OUN. The pair have long-served as “conduits for nationalist reinterpretation of 20th century Ukrainian history and strong anti-Communist and anti-Russian policies.”
‘Memory Regime’
Post-Maidan, “several leading figures from this milieu assumed influential positions within state institutions, shaping historical policy.” This included extensive infiltration of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (UINP), the state body charged with implementing memory laws. Then-Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Sych of Neo-Nazi Svoboda appointed OUN-linked figures to influential positions within UINP. Not coincidentally, Sych cofoundedthe fascist, pro-Maidan Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists, an OUN-B “political facade”. Once their long-sought anti-Communist legislation was enacted, enforcement came thick and fast.
From November 2015 – spring 2016, almost 52,000 toponymical objects, 32 cities, 955 villages and settlements, and 25 administrative districts were renamed, with 2,389 monuments and memorial plaques to “totalitarian leaders” removed. In all, 1,320 were Lenin statues. Between 2015 and 2021 too, Ukrainian police and the general prosecutor’s office registered 334 criminal cases against citizens related to the display of “totalitarian symbols” – “the vast majority of which concerned Communist imagery.” Details were almost invariably farcical.
In May 2017, a student narrowly avoided jail for posting Lenin quotes on Facebook. Under his plea deal, he publicly expressed “sincere remorse”, while his personal copy of Karl Marx’s Capital was destroyed. In June 2019, an unemployed man received a one year suspended prison sentence for wearing an old T-shirt featuring the Soviet coat of arms while washing windows. In March 2021, a Lviv resident was sentenced to one year’s probation after being “detained by politically vigilant local citizens” for wearing a USSR emblem.
In the meantime, further legislation was passed by Kiev sacralising ultranationalist historical narratives. Lack of political pushback was in no small part assured by Ukraine’s Communist party being banned in December 2015. The same openly fascist and Neo-Nazi elements behind Poroshenko’s “Decommunization” push successfullysponsored lawsgranting OUN and UPA genocidaires official combatant status and veteran benefits. Now insulated from legal consequences for any atrocities they committed, Ukrainian state sources universally describe them as “heroes” who fought for Ukrainian “independence”.
Workers prepare to remove the hammer and sickle from Kiev’s Mother Ukraine statue, August 2023
The volume of cases brought under “Decommunization” laws, and severity of the punishments involved, ratcheted significantly following the Ukraine proxy war’s eruption. Authorities were handed an ideal rationale further assaulting history, while waging war on enemies within, under the guise of “derussification and decolonization.” In keeping with the “near-absence of prosecutions for Nazi-related offenses” pre-conflict, in over 300 criminal cases brought to trial 2022 – 2025, fewer than 10 involved Nazi symbols. The vast majority “concerned the dissemination of prohibited [Communist] symbols on social media platforms.”
Today, even simply liking social media posts featuring Soviet symbols can land Ukrainians in court. Kasianov notes how “case materials” have “indicated the emergence of specialized investigators…focused on monitoring digital communications and online content,” within the ranks of both police and the SBU security service. There has concomitantly been a significant rise in “vigilant citizens” reporting acquaintances, coworkers, and neighbours to authorities for breaching Kiev’s stringent memory laws. “Overwhelmingly”, individuals “from marginalized and impoverished segments of the population” have been targeted.
Ever since Maidan, Ukraine’s “punitive memory regime” and “nationalist identity project” has been wholeheartedly embraced and promoted by Kiev’s Western proxy sponsors. No wonder – the legally-enforced distorted narrative Ukraine is fighting a battle for its very existence, and ultimate liberation from “Russian imperialism”, ensures the war will continue in perpetuity. All along, distorted “memory politics” becomes more entrenched and rabid at the country’s highest levels, leaving the population – and the wider world – at the mercy of a dangerous and deranged ultranationalist clique.
The general amnesty law passed by Lebanon’s parliament on 12 August 2026 has been presented as a humanitarian response to the plight of prisoners and detainees, and to the crushing overcrowding inside the country’s jails.
Yet the law reaches far beyond prison overcrowding, touching the basis on which punishment is imposed and the judiciary’s authority to enforce it. Its consequences also extend to victims, public safety, and the standing of the Lebanese army.
Parliament’s vote revives a question the state has evaded for decades: does Lebanon intend to build a functioning justice system, or will political and sectarian bargains continue to manage its collapse?
Under Lebanese law, a general amnesty does more than cancel a sentence. Article 150 of the Penal Code empowers the legislature to declare one and provides for the remission of primary, accessory, and additional penalties.
The 2026 law also extinguishes public prosecutions, proceedings, judgments, and decisions for offenses within its scope. Parliament has therefore reached back into the work of the courts. Acts that were punishable by law, investigated by the security services, or already adjudicated will no longer carry all the same penal consequences.
Parliament has the constitutional authority to enact a general amnesty, though the exercise of that power is not automatically sound or just. In a state governed by law, legislators set general rules and an independent judiciary applies them to cases and defendants through trials that protect the rights of the defense.
When parliament terminates prosecutions or strips judgments of their effect, it overrides work already carried out by the courts. A general amnesty can reach pending cases as well as those that ended in conviction, allowing a political agreement to overtake proceedings that may have taken years.
It also lets the state avoid harder questions about defendants held without judgment, repeated delays, and the deterioration of the prison system. Their release may ease the immediate pressure, but the same failures will continue to produce prisoners and deny victims justice.
Exceptional historical circumstances can make an amnesty necessary. A civil war may have ended, an authoritarian system may be giving way to democratic rule, or a country may be addressing the aftermath of a broad internal conflict.
In such cases, amnesty should form part of a wider process involving truth, accountability, reparations, reconciliation, and guarantees against repetition. Its justification fades when it becomes a recurring cure for judicial paralysis, a concession to political and sectarian forces, or an assurance that influence can ultimately overcome a court ruling.
A history of negotiated impunity
Lebanon has enacted successive amnesty laws since independence. After the 1958 conflict, a law issued on 24 December of that year covered crimes committed up to 15 October 1958. Law No. 8/69 followed on 17 February 1969, granting amnesty for crimes committed before 1 January 1968, alongside other laws covering press offenses.
The defining precedent was Law No. 84 of 26 August 1991, which granted a general amnesty for most crimes committed during the Lebanese civil war up to 28 March 1991. Its declared purpose was to turn the page on the war.
Lebanon did so without a comprehensive account of the truth, serious accountability, redress for victims, or reform of the state institutions that had joined the conflict or ceased to function during it. Special pardons with effects resembling a general amnesty followed between 1991 and 2005.
The problem lies in the way amnesty has become a recurring instrument of government. Whenever the justice system seizes up, and the prisons overflow, political and sectarian leaders negotiate over who should be released.
Each party brings its own constituency and preferred cases to the table, turning the law into another exercise in Lebanon’s system of political apportionment. One group is included to secure the inclusion of another.
The latest law emerged from years of dispute over the so-called “Islamist detainees,” people convicted of drug offenses, Lebanese who fled to “Israel,” and other categories. Agreement became possible only when these competing interests were folded into a single settlement.
The bargain’s public cost
Punishment is intended to deter crime, protect society, and rehabilitate offenders. Repeated amnesties send a very different message. Security agencies may pursue an offender, and the courts may convict him, but powerful factions can still strike a political bargain that opens the way out of prison.
Many beneficiaries are not dangerous criminals. Some detainees have spent years awaiting trial, suffered excessive pretrial detention, or faced deeply unfair procedures. Those injustices require prompt and fair trials, reviews of defective judgments, compensation for arbitrary detention, and accountability for officials who obstruct proceedings. Erasing whole categories of offenses leaves the machinery that produced those abuses firmly in place.
A broad amnesty may also weaken deterrence and raise the risk of reoffending, particularly when it reduces sentences for serious crimes without rehabilitation, post-release supervision, psychological and social support, or access to work.
People who have spent years behind bars are being returned to marginalized communities with no serious reintegration plan. Such releases offer little protection to society or to the former prisoners themselves.
Soldiers left outside the deal
The law is especially sensitive where sentence reductions extend to people convicted over attacks on the Lebanese army. Premeditated murder and several other grave offenses are excluded from the amnesty, yet the legislation allows reduced sentences for some people convicted of killing troops.
This directly touches the morale of the military and the authority of the state. A soldier is expected to confront armed groups, protect civilians, and risk his life while knowing that those who attacked his comrades may later benefit from a political settlement. The state cannot easily preserve the army’s standing when political calculations alter judicial outcomes in cases for which soldiers paid with their lives.
Reductions connected to attacks on the army required a precise public explanation, consultation with the army command and the families of fallen soldiers, and strict safeguards against renewed violence. Folding them into a wider bargain threatens the trust between military personnel and the political institutions charged with protecting them.
Emptying cells, preserving the crisis
Some MPs promoted the law as an answer to severe prison overcrowding, but the available figures show its limits. Prison Directorate data recorded 6,268 inmates on 30 March 2026, while unofficial estimates cited by rights groups put the number closer to 8,500.
Pretrial detainees make up a large share of the population, and the National Human Rights Commission reported overcrowding of 300 percent in 2025. Estimates reported after the vote suggest that about 2,300 detainees may benefit over time, while only 79 would be freed immediately. These numbers were not formally issued with the law and should be treated as provisional.
Even the release of several thousand prisoners will not stop overcrowding from returning while trials remain delayed, pretrial detention is overused, cases continue to accumulate, and prisons lack modern administration and credible rehabilitation programs. The law can relieve pressure in some cells for a time. It leaves the causes of the crisis untouched.
At a minimum, parliament should have paired the law with a binding program of judicial reform. That program should impose effective limits on pretrial detention, fill judicial vacancies, increase court budgets, digitize case files, activate judicial inspection, expand alternatives to imprisonment, and speed up trials.
Lebanon also needs a specialized body to manage prisons and rehabilitation, together with firm guarantees of judicial independence from political forces. A serious plan would identify a timetable, budget, performance measures, and the bodies responsible for carrying it out.
An exceptional amnesty can sometimes serve a national and humanitarian need. Repeated amnesties without truth, reconciliation, or reform amount to an admission that the state cannot deliver justice. Parliament’s vote must not close the prison file.
It should mark the point at which Lebanon finally confronts the system that keeps filling its cells. The country cannot continue opening prison doors every few decades through political bargains while courts remain slow, vulnerable, and starved of resources.
Lebanon needs an independent judiciary that prevents abuse, upholds victims’ rights, and commands public trust. Until then, amnesty will remain part of the political bargain and a prospect hanging over every sentence.
Top Iranian official Mohsen Rezaei says Tehran has transformed its defense strategy, drawing on recent wars and adapting its military, diplomatic, and economic policies.
Iran’s Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, said Iran’s defense and political strategies have undergone continuous development, particularly since the third imposed war.
Rezaei said Iran today is fundamentally different from the country that existed before the war, adding that the same applies to the “arrogant” United States. He said the image of the United States as a peace-seeking and idealized power has changed in the minds of Iranian youth.
“Today, the entire world views Iran differently,” Rezaei said.
Iran’s SNSC Secretary, Mohsen Rezaee:
• Trump wants to start a new game called "economic warfare," and we will hold him accountable.
• If countries surrounding Iran join the US in an economic war against us, we will harm their interests. We’ll first warn them, and if they… pic.twitter.com/iEMrjzops4
Rezaei said that after several rounds of negotiations and the US failure to honor its commitments, reforms should be made to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s diplomatic conduct toward the international community.
“We will certainly draw on all the lessons and experiences of the past year in the next confrontation, and the next war will undoubtedly be different from the third imposed war,” he said.
Rezaei added that Iran would make changes to the way it manages future confrontations, accusing the United States of betraying negotiations, diplomacy, and its own commitments.
“The impact of the unity of the Iranian people in confronting the enemy is no less significant than that of launch platforms,” he said, adding that Iran would witness changes in the management of war, diplomacy, and political and social affairs, with new capabilities entering the arena.
In a post on X, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that Tehran has received numerous communications from neighboring countries seeking to establish new security arrangements and regional economic cooperation.
Rezaei said the world had seen, following the US military aggression against Iran, that a country possessing a nuclear bomb would be more effective than hundreds of F-35 aircraft.
Rezaei also said the American public opposes war against Iran and does not support the US military or government, while claiming that the Iranian people and government remain united behind the country’s armed forces.
He said the United States had become “completely disappointed” with military attacks and now believed it could support military measures through an economic blockade.
“The world has realized that Trump’s threats and displays are nothing but empty words,” Rezaei said, adding that Trump is isolated and has become dependent on NATO and its allies for assistance.
Rezaei further said Iran had learned over the years how to circumvent sanctions and continue selling its oil, portraying economic resilience as another component of Tehran’s strategy for confronting pressure.
On last night's episode of The Grand Standoff: Iran and the World, Professor Mohammad Marandi sharply criticized Western sanctions regimes, characterizing economic blockades as a form of collective punishment designed against civilians, women, and children.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in an image from archive.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said neighboring countries have sent Tehran messages seeking new regional security arrangements and expanded economic cooperation, arguing that US policies have undermined the security of its own allies.
“We’ve received numerous messages from neighboring countries about shaping new security arrangements and economic cooperation in the region,” Ghalibaf said in a post on X.
1/2 We’ve received numerous messages from neighboring countries about shaping new security arrangements and economic cooperation in the region.
The United States put the security of every single one of its allies at such risk…
— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) August 22, 2026
He accused the United States of putting “the security of every single one of its allies at such risk” through “bullying and pure disregard for their interests for the sake of Israel,” leaving them briefly fearing for their “entire existence.”
1/2 We’ve received numerous messages from neighboring countries about shaping new security arrangements and economic cooperation in the region.
The United States put the security of every single one of its allies at such risk…
— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) August 22, 2026
Ghalibaf said the region’s security should instead be built on an independent, locally driven framework.
“A homegrown, independent order is what will actually deliver peace and security,” he said.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to Washington’s latest move — described as “the most crushing sanctions in human history” — by sharing a 14-year-old post from a former US president regarding “the most crippling sanctions in history.”
“14 years ago: ‘Most crippling sanctions in history.’ Failed,” Araghchi wrote on his X account on Friday.
“8 years ago: ‘Maximum pressure.’ Failed. 5 months ago: ‘Unconditional surrender.’ Failed,” he added.
“Today: ‘Most crushing economic operation ever.’ Bound to fail,” he noted.
“We have seen this movie before. Same bull. Different bullies,” Araghchi stressed.
On October 12, 2012, Barack Obama, by posting a message on the social media platform Twitter, had quoted his then-Vice President Joe Biden regarding sanctions against Iran: “These are the most crippling sanctions in the history of sanctions. Period.”
Israeli occupation forces deployed to the West Bank (July 2026 / image by Wafa news agency).
Israeli occupation forces launched a sweeping arrest campaign across the occupied West Bank in the early hours of Wednesday, storming homes and neighborhoods in multiple governorates as fierce confrontations erupted with Palestinian youths.
The large-scale operation stretched from Bethlehem and Nablus to Qalqilya, Hebron, Ramallah, Jenin, Jericho, occupied Jerusalem, and Tulkarm, with Israeli occupation troops deploying heavily in residential areas and detaining numerous Palestinians in a coordinated overnight offensive.
Bethlehem Under Siege
In the Bethlehem governorate, violent clashes broke out in the town of Tuqu’, southeast of the city, after occupation forces stormed the area, firing stun grenades and tear gas at residents. The incursion later expanded to Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, as well as al-Saff Street in the city center and the Dheisheh refugee camp to the south.
Israeli occupation forces abduct Palestinian journalist Abdul Rahman Hassan after storming his home on Al-Saf Street in central Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/BTHXlR5j0J
During the raids, occupation troops arrested Palestinian journalist Abdul Rahman Hassan after ransacking his home in Bethlehem. Separately, Israeli settlers conducted provocative tours near the Ush Ghrab area east of the city, further inflaming local tensions.
Clashes Erupt South of Nablus
Further north, confrontations intensified in the village of Madama, south of Nablus, where Israeli occupation forces fired heavy volleys of tear gas and stun grenades during a military incursion. Troops also stormed Beita, south of Nablus, and entered the northern mountain area of Nablus city, in addition to raiding a residential building near the al-Ain refugee camp west of the city.
Two Palestinian brothers, Udai and Mohammad Abu Laban, were kidnapped this morning by Israeli occupation forces after they raided their home in the Karm Ashour neighborhood of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/TughXPgkhE
Local sources reported that brothers Asim and Yasser Ali Makhlouf were arrested during a raid on the village of Asira al-Qibliya, south of Nablus. In Beit Furik, east of Nablus, a settler from a nearby outpost harassed residents by directing laser beams toward homes, according to local accounts.
Qalqilya and Hebron Raids
In the Qalqilya governorate, occupation forces stormed the town of Habla, detaining Ahmad Issam Odeh during the raid. Troops also entered Azzun, east of Qalqilya, after an Israeli special unit infiltrated the town ahead of a larger military sweep that saw multiple homes raided.
In the southern West Bank, a large Israeli military force accompanied by two bulldozers stormed al-Dhahiriya, south of Hebron. Troops raided homes across several neighborhoods, converting some into military posts, while closing roads and deploying infantry throughout the city in a show of force.
Israeli occupation soldiers abduct two Palestinians during an incursion into the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. The two are seen being forcibly taken away, blindfolded and handcuffed. pic.twitter.com/pJYBJjS6tW
Additional raids were reported in the al-Hafr area of Deir Jarir, east of Ramallah; the village of Aaba, east of Jenin; Fasayil, north of Jericho; Kafr Aqab, north of occupied Jerusalem; and Deir al-Ghusun, north of Tulkarm, as the occupation’s dragnet extended across much of the territory.
Escalating Violence
The overnight campaign marks the latest chapter in a sustained wave of Israeli military and settler violence across the occupied West Bank. Recent months have seen a sharp escalation in attacks, including the killing and mass arrest of Palestinians, the demolition and destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure, the burning of mosques and vehicles, the bulldozing of agricultural land, and restrictions preventing farmers from accessing their fields.
Settlement expansion has continued unabated, with outposts encroaching further on Palestinian land, as international calls for de-escalation remain largely unheeded. The West Bank, already reeling from months of heightened tensions, now braces for what appears to be an intensifying occupation campaign with no end in sight.
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Israeli Occupation Army Radio correspondent reported that security authorities had confirmed that details of what took place in the Gaza Strip the night before last may be published.
The incident led to a heightened state of alert in the Israeli army and may indicate the complex situation in the Strip in recent days, the correspondent added.
“In the hours before nightfall, the Israeli army received intelligence regarding an armed gathering in the Strip. The Air Force launched a Zik drone to locate the gathering, but nothing was detected on the ground throughout the night.”
“The commanders decided to raise the state of alert in the area. Israeli army positions were reinforced with additional forces, and the troops prepared for various attack scenarios. In the morning, the state of alert was lowered after nothing was detected.”
A senior Iranian source told Al Mayadeen that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and under Iranian control, stressing that Tehran has made no change to its policy or navigation procedures.
A senior Iranian political-security source told Al Mayadeen that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and that Tehran has made no change or adjustment to its policy governing the strategic waterway.
The source stressed that the Strait continues to be monitored and managed by Iran, rejecting claims by US President Donald Trump that the US Navy is currently in control of it.
According to the source, vessels seeking to navigate the Strait must comply with the procedures and regulations imposed by Iran. Any ship that fails to follow those measures could encounter technical difficulties or face safety-related risks.
The source further explained that large vessels are currently unable to pass through the Strait because of the dangers surrounding navigation in the area.
Trump makes false claims
Addressing Trump’s repeated statements on the issue, the source said the US president is seeking to influence global market prices and has therefore continued to produce and circulate false reports on a daily basis.
The comments directly refute Trump’s claim that “the only one that has control of the Strait of Hormuz right now is the United States Navy.”
The Iranian position also follows remarks by Major General Mohsen Rezaei, representative of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, who said Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen unless the United States changes its position and accepts Tehran’s conditions.
Rezaei also stressed that any potential agreement between Iran and the Sultanate of Oman concerning arrangements for ships transiting the Strait should be considered separately from the broader question of reopening the waterway.
Iran says ground attack plan was thwarted
Separately, Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said Tehran had thwarted what he described as plans for a ground attack against the country.
“We nipped the malicious intention to attack us by land in the bud,” ISNA quoted Azizi as saying.
He warned that Iran would respond broadly to any renewed threat to its security.
“The enemies should know that if they miscalculate once again and endanger the security of our people, we will deprive them of security across the world,” Azizi said.
Abdulaziz bin Habtour says developments on Yemen’s western coast are a sovereign matter and will not threaten international navigation as Yemeni forces advance toward Bab al-Mandab.
The current developments on Yemen’s western coast is a sovereign matter and does not threaten international navigation, Abdulaziz bin Habtour, a member of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, said on Thursday.
Bin Habtour said that “international navigation is a Yemeni, regional and international interest and will remain safe,” and that “Yemen’s exercise of sovereignty over its lands is an inherent right that no external party has the right to object to.”
He also said that “the UN Security Council must not turn into a platform for condemning Yemenis or into a cover that provides pretexts for the continuation of aggression and siege,” and warned against “any new military escalation against Yemen.”
YAF begin sweep operation on islands opposite of Yemen’s west coast
Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent reported that Yemeni Armed Forces are continuing to advance on the western coast toward Bab al-Mandab and have begun a sweep operation on islands opposite the western coast.
Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Supreme Political Council, said that the situation has stabilized in the western coast districts after the completion of strikes on Saudi gatherings, and that the presidential amnesty decision has been utilized, with local authorities beginning to implement it as soon as it was issued.
Al Mayadeen‘s office director in Yemen said there is no official confirmation from Sanaa regarding control of the city of Mokha, and that the Dhubab district is of great importance after Mokha. He added that there are scenarios prepared by the Yemeni Armed Forces that reach inside Saudi Arabia if the battle is prolonged.
Advances ramp up as Yemen confronts Saudi forces
Earlier on September 10, Yemeni forces took control of key areas and military positions in the coastal district of al-Mokha, west of Taiz Governorate, Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent reported. The Yemeni Armed Forces captured Khalid Camp Base and Jabal al-Nar Camp, which serves as the command headquarters for military forces on the western coast.
The advances followed the capture of al-Wazi’iyah, al-Khokha, and Hays before reaching the outskirts of al-Mokha, according to the correspondent.
Local sources told Al Mayadeen that the districts of Hays and al-Khokha, south of coastal Hodeidah governorate on the Red Sea, exceed 1,050 square kilometers.
Yemeni MoFA: Saudi Arabia’s military buildup necessitated response
The Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sanaa said continued Saudi aggression and violations of Yemen’s sovereignty warrant a response until the attacks stop.
The Ministry said the Saudi regime’s recent military build-up on Yemeni territory necessitated a response by the Yemeni Armed Forces, which are responsible for defending the country’s sovereignty and protecting its citizens in a manner consistent with international law. It called on the international community to assess events objectively and compel the Saudi regime to stop targeting Yemen.
Meanwhile, Vice Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council Lieutenant General Tariq Saleh instructed Saudi-backed forces on the western coast to reorganize their ranks, saying, “We ordered the establishment of an alternative command center in a safe location to regroup the forces in consultation with the leadership of the Arab coalition and the Presidential Leadership Council.”
‘Israel’ concerned over Ansar Allah control of Red Sea
Following significant advances by the Yemeni Armed Forces in the city of a-Mokha on Yemen’s western coast, Israeli media expressed concerns over the developments, warning of risks posed by the YAF controlling additional areas along the western coast on the Red Sea to maritime traffic linked to “Israel”.
Israeli Army Radio expressed fear that the Yemeni Armed Forces’ success in “controlling additional areas on the Red Sea coast enhances their dominance over the Bab al-Mandab Strait,” which, it said, “helps them impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, the Suez Canal, and the port of Eilat.”
Other Israeli media outlets cautioned that the location of the city of al-Mokha and its port enables the YAF to “establish a new and lethal choke point at the entrance to the Red Sea” and to “monitor vessels over long distances and prepare operations to carry them out when necessary.”
A sweeping US oil arrangement granting Washington preferential access to Venezuelan crude has taken shape in the aftermath of a naval blockade, tanker seizures, and the US aggression that culminated in the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro, with a billionaire previously investigated by American authorities emerging as a central intermediary in the new order.
According to a Reuters investigation, Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt, who was previously scrutinized over alleged money laundering involving funds siphoned from state oil company PDVSA, has become a key partner in Washington’s expanding control over Venezuela’s energy sector.
Betancourt’s company, North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), now sits at the center of an extraordinary arrangement under which the Pentagon will become a shareholder while the US government secures preferential access to Venezuelan oil.
Oil deal follows months of US military pressure
The deal comes after months of escalating US pressure on Caracas, including a major military buildup in the Caribbean, a naval blockade targeting sanctioned Venezuelan tankers, and the seizure or interdiction of vessels carrying the country’s crude.
Against that backdrop, the new oil arrangement considerably expands Washington’s direct involvement in Venezuela’s most strategically important industry.
Pentagon takes direct stake in Venezuelan oil venture
The Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital will acquire a 35% stake in NABEP, while the State Department will be allowed to purchase 20% of the company’s oil production at cost and receive preferential access to the remaining output.
The broader arrangement gives the United States access to roughly one-fifth of Venezuela’s crude reserves for decades.
Betancourt’s own trajectory illustrates the connection between Washington’s coercive campaign and the subsequent restructuring of Venezuela’s oil sector.
In the months before Maduro’s forcible removal, the billionaire supplied information that helped US authorities enforce the naval blockade against sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Betancourt also facilitated contacts with senior Venezuelan officials, including Delcy Rodriguez, who became interim president following Maduro’s abduction.
Four people familiar with US Venezuela policy told Reuters that Betancourt had become important to Washington’s strategy and planning before the January operation.
Role expands after Maduro’s removal
His role only expanded after Maduro was removed.
Seven sources told Reuters that Betancourt continued acting as an intermediary, helping broker oil arrangements and other commercial partnerships while facilitating communications between Washington and Caracas as the United States sought to reshape Venezuela’s economy.
The sequence places Betancourt in an unusual position: a businessman who assisted Washington in constricting Venezuela’s oil trade through naval enforcement later became instrumental in negotiating the arrangements governing that same industry after the country’s president was forcibly removed.
135 million barrels exported under new arrangement
In January, Betancourt helped broker an oil trading arrangement that has since facilitated exports of more than 135 million barrels of crude and fuel to the United States, Europe, India, and the Caribbean, according to vessel-tracking data and people familiar with the negotiations.
Those shipments account for approximately half of Venezuela’s oil exports through the end of August.
Reuters said it could not determine Betancourt’s precise role in those discussions.
Investigation stalls as cooperation deepens
Betancourt’s rise as a Washington intermediary is particularly striking given that US federal prosecutors had been investigating his alleged involvement in a scheme to embezzle more than $1 billion from PDVSA and launder the proceeds through Miami real estate and bank accounts in Malta and Switzerland.
The Florida investigation was paused earlier this year, according to Reuters.
Two people familiar with the case said prosecutors were subsequently discouraged by supervisors from pursuing Betancourt further, while four sources said investigators were given no explanation for the decision.
Questions grow over possible link to US cooperation
The timing has raised questions over whether Betancourt’s growing usefulness to Washington played any role in the diminishing legal pressure against him.
Reuters said it could not establish precisely when prosecutors halted their inquiry or whether the decision was made in exchange for Betancourt’s cooperation with the Trump administration.
A US official defended the relationship, arguing that most of the legal allegations involving Betancourt dated back nearly a decade and that he currently faced no legal problems in the United States.
The official also said NABEP’s experience producing oil in Venezuela made Betancourt the most suitable partner for efforts to increase output.
NABEP lawyer Sarah Chouraqui similarly rejected the implication that previous investigations should prevent Betancourt from participating in the arrangement.
“The allegations in question have been examined extensively by authorities in multiple jurisdictions, and no charges have been brought against him,” she said in an email.
Chouraqui did not answer questions concerning Betancourt’s assistance to the Trump administration or his legal cases.
Washington reportedly intervenes over Swiss inquiry
Questions surrounding Betancourt extend beyond the United States.
Swiss authorities had also been pursuing the billionaire over suspected money laundering, but four sources told Reuters that Washington pressured Switzerland to ease its pursuit after the US investigation stalled.
Switzerland withdrew its request to extradite Betancourt from the United Kingdom in May.
Zurich prosecutors nevertheless insisted that the underlying criminal proceedings remained active.
“The extradition request was withdrawn because of particular aspects of UK extradition law, which we cannot discuss in detail,” the Zurich Public Prosecutor’s Office said. “This step concerns only the extradition proceedings in the UK. The criminal proceedings against the accused are otherwise unaffected and will continue.”
Swiss expert questions withdrawal of extradition request
Swiss legal scholar and anti-corruption expert Mark Pieth questioned the decision.
“You would not do that if the case is continuing,” he said.
The United Kingdom’s Home Office declined to comment.
The episode adds another layer to Betancourt’s reversal of fortune: while helping Washington enforce its pressure campaign against Venezuela and acting as an intermediary with Caracas, legal scrutiny surrounding him was simultaneously easing in the United States and, at least at the extradition level, in Europe.
From Chavez-era businessman to Pentagon partner
Betancourt belongs to a group of wealthy Venezuelan businessmen known as the Bolichicos.
His company Derwick Associates obtained roughly $2 billion in Venezuelan government contracts to construct power plants during the country’s electricity crisis in the 2010s.
Some contracts were awarded without competitive bidding despite the company having little previous construction experience.
Government data later showed that a number of the facilities operated far below their intended capacity or did not function at all as Venezuela continued suffering widespread blackouts.
Betancourt and Derwick have repeatedly denied wrongdoing, maintaining that the projects were completed and that subsequent failures resulted from mismanagement by state authorities.
Rodriguez said this week that all Venezuelan legal proceedings involving Betancourt’s companies had been dismissed years ago.
Betancourt moves from power contracts into Venezuelan oil
Betancourt expanded into the oil industry in 2012 through a partnership with PDVSA to operate mature fields in western Venezuela.
Those fields eventually became the core production assets of NABEP, which Betancourt co-founded with Florida billionaire Harry Sargeant in April 2024.
Sargeant sold his stake last month.
NABEP has now moved far beyond the role of an ordinary private oil operator, with the Pentagon itself preparing to acquire a direct equity position in the company.
Oil access after military pressure
The arrangement comes as Washington consolidates an increasingly direct role in Venezuelan oil following its use of economic restrictions and military power against the country.
Before Maduro’s abduction, US forces were already policing Venezuela’s maritime oil trade through the blockade and tanker interdictions. After the January operation, Washington moved rapidly to establish new mechanisms governing crude exports and foreign participation in the sector.
Betancourt occupied a role on both sides of that transition: first assisting the United States in enforcing restrictions on Venezuelan oil shipments and later helping broker the deals determining how the crude would be marketed and who would gain access to it.
Former US officials raise concerns over Betancourt’s influence
His increasing influence has alarmed several former US intelligence officials, diplomats, and prosecutors, who cited both the previous investigations and his longstanding proximity to officials under the Chavez and Maduro governments.
Mauricio Claver-Carone, a former Trump administration advisor involved in Venezuela policy, has defended Betancourt as a useful intermediary because of his knowledge of the Venezuelan and US oil industries.
He said Betancourt had also been helpful to the first Trump administration.
Other former officials have expressed considerably greater unease.
Federal prosecutors are “scratching their heads,” one former prosecutor familiar with the situation told Reuters.
Before the Miami investigation was suspended, six sources said Betancourt had been identified as an unnamed and unindicted co-conspirator in the alleged scheme involving more than $1 billion misappropriated from PDVSA.
Ten people have been indicted in connection with that case since 2018.
Spanish authorities also opened a money-laundering investigation into Betancourt last year involving $4 billion allegedly embezzled from PDVSA, according to El Pais.
Reuters could not determine whether that investigation remains active.
Betancourt returns to Caracas as US oil role expands
Following the withdrawal of Switzerland’s extradition request, Betancourt traveled to Venezuela in June and July, according to flight manifests reviewed by Reuters.
He has since appeared at meetings inside the Miraflores presidential palace and was present during US Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s visit this week.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf stressed the need for regional countries to take control of their own future, saying lasting stability can only be achieved through a new, homegrown security architecture.
In a post on his X account on Friday night, Qalibaf welcomed China’s emphasis on fostering common security, describing it as a principle Iran has long advocated.
“China’s emphasis on fostering common security reflects a principle Iran has long championed,” he wrote.
“Regional countries must be taking their future into their own hands, and true stability can only come through a new security architecture that is homegrown. Iran stands ready,” Qalibaf stated.
His comments came after Chinese President Xi Jinping outlined a four-point proposal for building a new security architecture in the Middle East based on common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.
During talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Xi said regional countries should take charge of their own affairs, reject external interference, strengthen dialogue on peace and security, and explore a new security architecture for the region. He also stressed that lasting peace and stability depend on development, while calling for greater international coordination and respect for the UN Charter, international law, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of regional countries.
Xi said China stands ready to work with Middle Eastern countries to safeguard international shipping lanes, promote development cooperation, build mutual trust and address the root causes of conflict.
UPROOTED PALESTINIANS: SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM 