War is bad, but good things happen when evil is defeated. We periodically bring you updates on some of those, as Israel’s defensive war continues.
ISRAEL HAS TURNED THE TABLES ON HEZBOLLAH IN LEBANON, and the biggest surprise came yesterday when Hezbollah terror organization said it accepts a ceasefire with Israel without the precondition of a halt to fighting in Gaza, the same ceasefire that Israel and the United States tried for 12 months to convince the Lebanese government and the Iran-backed militia to accept. Iran and its proxy frustrated those Israeli efforts to peacefully end the standoff. But it might be too little too late, as both Israeli and Lebanese commentators say that matters have now gone beyond a ceasefire to disarming Hezbollah.
US: Hezbollah’s Sudden Desire For A Ceasefire Shows It’s ‘Getting Battered’. Said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller yesterday [see his video statement]. Miller highlighted Hezbollah’s retreat from its yearlong position that it will not stop attacks on northern Israel without a ceasefire in Gaza. This is a major development [see more details in reporting by Reuters and Times of Israel].
The Face Of A Battered Hezbollah. Arab media yesterday spent half the day analyzing the troubled TV appearance by Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s deputy chief, who announced his group finally agrees to stop attacks on Israel without linking it to Gaza [CNN report]. The terror leader looked “uncomfortable and sweating,” according to Times of Israel, and “terrified and visibly sweating,” as noted by a Yeshiva World News report.
Beaten & Battered: Hezbollah terror group’s deputy chief released a video accepting a ceasefire with Israel without the precondition of a ceasefire in Gaza (CNN and YWN).
LEBANON EMBOLDENED TO CONSIDER DISARMING HEZBOLLAH and other smaller pro-Iranian militant factions operating in that country. The Israeli strikes that eliminated Hezbollah’s top commanders have encouraged Lebanese leaders to speak up. For example, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt bluntly said this week, “We will not tie our fate to the fate of Gaza,” indirectly responding to Iran’s leader Khamenei who insisted on Friday that Lebanon should be a battlefront in the Gaza war. The Lebanese Druze leader Jumblatt also responded to Iran’s foreign minister this week, saying, “Don’t teach us how to stand firm, we can teach you that lesson.” The Iranian minister had urged Lebanon to ‘stand firm’ and not abandon Hezbollah’s fight against Israel.
IRAN WARNS GULF ARAB STATES AGAINST HELPING ISRAEL. Reuters wire service reports that a senior Iranian regime official informed it that Gulf Arab states should not allow Israel to use their airspace to attack Iran, and that Iran could respond by attacking Gulf states if the Arabs assisted Israel [see Reuters report]. This warning indicates serious Iranian concerns that moderate Arab states privately support Israel’s self-defense actions against Iranian proxy terror networks in the region.
US AND ARAB STATES IN TALKS WITH IRAN FOR CEASEFIRE ON ALL WAR FRONTS. This was reported by Channel 12 of Israel this week [see report]. These are supposed to be secret talks where American and Arab officials aim to shape an understanding with Iran to silence its proxies across the region in some form of a comprehensive ceasefire. It is unclear what would be offered to Iran in exchange for this. The Iranian foreign minister has kicked off a regional tour of Arab states, starting with Saudi capital Riyadh today, in what observers say is an Iranian attempt to limit Tehran’s losses after Israel’s multiple military, intelligence, and diplomatic successes recently.
We leave you with these two encouraging developments:
A still from a video by an Arab group that promotes peace with Israel and features activists from several Arab countries.
Builders of A New Middle East is the name of a group of Arabs and Iranians, including from Arab states that do not yet have diplomatic ties with Israel, who have created a group to promote peace with Israel and across the region. Watch their debut video message at this link.
A Message from a Muslim Arab to the World: A Fight for the Future of the Middle East. Amjad Taha is an Arab social media influencer with more than a half-million followers on X/Twitter. This week, he published a heartwarming message, addressing Arabs and Israelis, Jews and Muslims. This is the first paragraph, but we encourage you to read his full message in his post:
“On October 7th, a dark evil was unleashed on Israel. Hamas, fueled by hatred, stormed the land, slaughtering the innocent without mercy. Babies were ripped from their mothers’ arms, women were massacred, families shattered. The streets of Israel ran with blood—this was no ordinary attack; it was barbaric, monstrous. The world watched in horror as terrorists turned homes into graves and playgrounds into battlegrounds. It was a day that will forever stain the history of mankind, where the sanctity of life was violently disregarded.” – Source: Amjad Taha on X.
