Latest news with #Al-Hadath
Leaders
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Leaders
US Has Bank of Potential Military Targets in Iran: Col. Dahouk
On June 22, the US intervened in the Iran-Israel conflict, striking three nuclear facilities in Iran, namely Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan, using bunker-buster bombs and Tomahawk missiles. The US President, Donald Trump, insisted that the US strikes had set Tehran's nuclear program back 'decades,' adding that Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities were 'completely and totally obliterated.' However, there are reports suggesting the Israeli and US strikes have not completely destroyed Iran's nuclear program. In the light of this, recent US assessments suggest that Washington has up to a year before it will be forced to take action against Iran's nuclear program, Al-Hadath TV reported, citing its sources. The sources added that the US does not want to give Iran the chance to restore its nuclear power. Within this context, the Former Senior Military Advisor to US Department of State, Colonel (Ret.) Abbas Dahouk, believes that the US strikes did not completely destroyed Iran's nuclear capabilities and that Washington has a bank of targets it could strike to prevent Tehran from possessing a nuclear weapon. One-Year Deadline Commenting on Al-Hadath's report, Col. Dahouk said: 'Based on the damage assessment of the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, namely Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan, it seems that these sites were not completely destroyed.' He suggested that the US thinks that a year is enough 'if the Iranian did not change their calculations or sought to rebuild these sites. If they did that, the US would repeat the strikes.' Nuclear Calculations Col. Dahouk said that the nuclear technology and knowledge are hard to destroy by military strikes. 'It is clear that Iran has the nuclear technology, even though that Israel assassinated top Iranian nuclear scientists – a major hit for Iran,' he noted. 'But in the end, no one benefits. The US favors diplomatic settlement but it doesn't seem available now. Iran is under harsh sanctions and pressure. The US wants to impose more, and the military solution seems to be the last option. And this is what the US and Israel tried to do, and pressures continue on Iran to push it toward changing its nuclear calculations,' he said. Snapback Sanctions Asked whether the snapback mechanism could influence Tehran's calculations or if Washington would need to pursue a new negotiation mechanism, Col. Dahouk said the US prefers diplomacy but Washington and Tehran have diverging red lines in negotiations. 'Washington and President Trump are ready for diplomatic settlement. They want to embrace the diplomatic path but the red lines are different between the US and Iran,' he said. 'The US doesn't want Iran to possess any enrichment capabilities, but Iran wants to keep its right to enrichment. Therefore, there are some conditions that Iran doesn't want to accept. I think here lies the problem and I think that Iran has some enriched uranium with unknown whereabouts. But the main issue is uranium enrichment. The US will not allow Iran to enrich but Iran wants to keep that right. This is the dilemma,' he explained. Iran Nuclear Facilities The Former Senior Military Advisor said that the one-year deadline is an indication that Iran's nuclear program was not completely destroyed. 'The recent US assessment suggests that the strikes have set back the program few years,' Col. Dahouk noted. 'But what lies underground is still unknown, especially the 400 kg of 60%-enriched uranium, and the condition of the centrifuges, whether they have been destroyed or not. So, the US strikes had some impact but they didn't destroy Iran's nuclear sites, particularly Natanz and Isfahan where facilities above the ground were destroyed but underground ones remained intact,' he added. Potential Targets Col. Dahouk explained that Iran has several sites, other than the three nuclear sites hit in the recent strikes, that could be on the US' target list. 'No, there are other sites that support the Iranian nuclear program. Some of these sites could be a potential target for US strikes,' he pointed out. Moreover, 'sites that were not completely destroyed could be hit again. I think that Iran's missile program could be also targeted, as well as other facilities. The US has a bank of military targets it could strike,' Col. Dahouk said. Short link : Post Views: 24
Nahar Net
03-08-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Lebanon receives 'final' US paper as Aoun tells Hezbollah 'cooperation is only option'
Lebanon receives 'final' US paper as Aoun tells Hezbollah 'cooperation is only option' The Lebanese Presidency has told Hezbollah that cooperation with the state is its only option, ahead of Tuesday's crucial cabinet session on its weapons, Lebanese sources said. 'Hezbollah is in a state of shock over its allies' public calls for the monopolization of weapons,' the sources told Al-Arabiya's Al-Hadath channel. 'The final version of U.S. envoy Tom Barrack's ideas was delivered to Lebanon today,' the sources added. 'The speech of President Joseph Aoun and placing the arms file on cabinet's agenda have created a popular and political momentum supportive of the state,' the sources went on to say.
Nahar Net
03-08-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Lebanon receives 'final' US paper as Aoun tells Hezbollah 'cooperation is only option'
The Lebanese Presidency has told Hezbollah that cooperation with the state is its only option, ahead of Tuesday's crucial cabinet session on its weapons, Lebanese sources said. 'Hezbollah is in a state of shock over its allies' public calls for the monopolization of weapons,' the sources told Al-Arabiya's Al-Hadath channel. 'The final version of U.S. envoy Tom Barrack's ideas was delivered to Lebanon today,' the sources added. 'The speech of President Joseph Aoun and placing the arms file on cabinet's agenda have created a popular and political momentum supportive of the state,' the sources went on to say.
Nahar Net
31-07-2025
- Business
- Nahar Net
No fuel, no wheat and bombs all over if Lebanon keeps Hezbollah arms, report warns
The threats against Lebanon due to failing to hand over Hezbollah's arms will not be limited to military action, Al-Arabiya's Al-Hadath channel quoted unnamed diplomatic sources as saying Thursday. 'Lebanon risks being put on the (Financial Action Task Force's) black list and facing economic pressure due to Hezbollah's arms,' the sources said. 'Lebanon risks being prevented from importing fuel and wheat and facing restrictions on financial transfers due to Hezbollah's arms,' the sources warned. 'All Lebanese areas, including Beirut, will face the threat of bombardment if Hezbollah refuses to hand over its arms,' the unnamed diplomatic sources cautioned. Earlier in the day, President Joseph Aoun said that Lebanon is determined to disarm Hezbollah, a step it has come under heavy U.S. pressure to take, with the Iran-backed group insisting that doing so would serve Israeli goals. In a key speech marking Army Day on Thursday, Aoun said Lebanon was demanding "the extension of the Lebanese state's authority over all its territory, the removal of weapons from all armed groups including Hezbollah and their handover to the Lebanese Army." He added it was every politician's duty "to seize this historic opportunity and push without hesitation towards affirming the army and security forces' monopoly on weapons over all Lebanese territory... in order to regain the world's confidence." On Wednesday, Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem had said that "anyone calling today for the surrender of weapons, whether internally or externally, on the Arab or the international stage, is serving the Israeli project." He accused U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who has visited Lebanon several times in recent months for talks with senior officials, of using "intimidation and threats" with the aim of "aiding Israel." Lebanon has proposed modifications to "ideas" submitted by the United States on Hezbollah's disarmament, Aoun added, and a plan would be discussed at a cabinet meeting next week to "establish a timetable for implementation." Aoun also demanded the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the release of Lebanese prisoners and "an immediate cessation of Israeli hostilities."
L'Orient-Le Jour
30-07-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Rumors, tension over Syrian Druze militia leader's whereabouts in Lebanon: What we know
BEIRUT — Dozens of angry people gathered in front of the Raj hotel in Aley on Tuesday night following rumors claiming that Syrian Druze military leader Laith al-Balous — who some accuse of being expelled from the Syrian city of Sweida over disputes with Druze factions — was staying there. However, Balous told the Saudi news channel Al-Hadath on Wednesday that he was still in the province of Sweida. A source at the establishment and another close to the main Druze political party, Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), told L'Orient Today on Wednesday that Sheikh al-Balous was not present at the scene. Earlier this month, clashes took place between Druze armed groups and Sunni Bedouin tribes in Sweida, backed by governmental forces, leading to massacres that killed more than 1,300 people, including hundreds of civilians. Al-Balous leads a Druze faction called the "forces of dignity," a group that split from the Men of Dignity (a federation of Druze tribes led by Laith's father, Wahid al-Balous). He has cooperated with Damascus and is seen as the regime's primary liaison in Sweida. During the clashes, he has facilitated the army's entry into Druze-held villages. However, after the regime forces pulled out from Sweida and reports of atrocities against Druze emerged, researcher Cédric Labrousse claimed that Laith "may fear for his life." Al-Balous in the Raj hotel? On Tuesday, reports on social media claimed that the Lebanese Army imposed a cordon around the Raj Hotel in Aley after the arrival of Laith al-Balous and that dozens of young men tried to storm the hotel amid gunfire. Contacted by L'Orient Today, a security source was "unable to confirm" these reports on Wednesday. Meanwhile, three mokhtars of Aley said they had no information on the alleged incident. The rumors intensified when the founder of the Druze Tawhid party and former minister Wiam Wahhab wrote on X on Tuesday: "We heard that party members brought a Sheikh, who was expelled from Sweida and pursued by the people [of the city], to Lebanon without stamping his papers at the border. We will follow up on this matter because it is dangerous and unacceptable, and we hope no one is trying to spark strife between people, as whoever is expelled from Sweida will not be welcomed here. The blood of our people is a red line, and whoever tampers with it will be punished." During the Sweida clashes, Wahhab, who says he does not oppose Israeli support to Druze factions in Syria, took a controversial stance, calling for the creation of a militia dubbed the 'Tawhid Army" to support the Druze community there militarily. In comments made to Al-Hadath, Balous stated that he was 'within the geographical boundaries of the province of Sweida' and that he was 'overseeing what is happening there.' Denying that he was in Lebanon, he claimed that these rumors 'were spread by figures with ties to ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iran and Hezbollah,' in a probable reference to Wahhab. He finally accused 'certain parties,' without naming them, of 'wanting to push Lebanon into sedition.' Contacted by L'Orient Today on Wednesday, a source at the Raj Hotel said that the Lebanese army was dispatched to the hotel for two hours after around 100 men gathered near it. The source added that there was no attempt to storm the hotel and no gunfire took place. It noted that those who gathered in the area, as well as the Lebanese Army, left the premises after the latter confirmed that al-Balous was not in the hotel. PSP involved? A source close to PSP also denied the reports about the sheikh's stay at the Raj hotel and the alleged gunfire: "The rumor is not true, it is a fabrication," it said, noting that the army was present to prevent those who gathered near the hotel from approaching it. An X account, under the name of "Mira Medusa" claimed on Tuesday, without citing any source, that al-Balous was smuggled out through the hotel's parking garage, adding that he was secretly moved to the residence of PSP MP Akram Chehayeb in preparation for his transfer to Mukhtara in the Chouf, which is the political stronghold of the Joumblatt family. The source close to PSP denied these claims, saying that the party does not know anything about al-Balous nor does it have a direct relationship with him. The source added that, to its knowledge, the sheikh is not even in Lebanon. The PSP is politically opposed to Wiam Wahhab, who was a close ally of the Assad regime before its collapse in December 2024. While Wahhab is a strong critic of the new Syrian authorities, Walid Joumblatt, the former leader of PSP, has stressed the importance of preserving Syria's unity and promoting understanding among all its citizens under the authority of the Syrian state. These rumors take place as fears from a sectarian spillover from Syria to Lebanon are being voiced by several political leaders, notably Joumblatt, who has been calling for unity and calm.
