Hezbollah Belligerence Prompts Fears of Assassination Campaign in Lebanon

Ailin Vilches Arguello

Lebanese Hezbollah fighters take part in cross-border raids, part of a large-scale military exercise, in Aaramta bordering Israel on May 21, 2023, ahead of the anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. Photo: Fadel Itani/NurPhoto via Reuters Connect

As direct negotiations between Lebanese and Israeli officials resumed in Washington, DC on Thursday, fears continued mounting inside Lebanon that Hezbollah could unleash a new wave of political violence and destabilization efforts amid growing pressure to dismantle the Iran-backed terrorist group’s military grip.

According to a new report from the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC), an Israel-based research institute, concerns have intensified over Hezbollah’s escalating rhetoric and the prospect of internal unrest as the Lebanese government pushes to establish a state monopoly over weapons and curb the Islamist group’s influence across the country.

The Iranian proxy has accused Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam of betraying the “resistance” and collaborating with Israel amid ongoing direct bilateral negotiations, branding them “traitors” aligned with foreign interests.

At the same time, Lebanese officials have increasingly lashed out at Hezbollah, accusing the terrorist group, which Iran established inside Lebanon in the early 1980s, of dragging the country toward another devastating war and undermining Lebanon’s sovereignty and stability.

Against the backdrop of an increasingly hostile political climate, ITIC’s new report warns that Hezbollah could once again resort to political assassinations in an effort to block moves perceived as existential threats to the organization and restore its power.

According to Israeli intelligence assessments, the renewed direct negotiations with Israel could even place Aoun’s life at risk.

Experts point to Hezbollah’s Unit 121, a covert entity subordinate to the group’s leadership, which has been linked to a series of assassinations of Hezbollah opponents in Lebanon’s political and security arenas over the past two decades.

Given Hezbollah’s limited ability to exert broader influence within the Lebanese government — with its ministers accounting for less than a third of the cabinet — ITIC warns the group may increasingly rely on Unit 121’s operational capabilities and years of accumulated experience to drive internal destabilization and intimidate political rivals.

The terrorist group has repeatedly defied international calls to disarm, even threatening protests and civil unrest if the government tries to enforce control over its weapons.

According to a new report by the Israeli news outlet Walla, Hezbollah is now putting in place a plan of action to assert control over Beirut, the Lebanese capital, and push out more pragmatic political elements.

The group is also reportedly redistributing its forces across southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, as its leadership believes Israel is preparing moves designed to divide the country, forcing a broader dispersal of its fighters accordingly.

With direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials resuming this week, Hezbollah has also called for a national referendum, arguing that the country’s leadership is ignoring a substantial segment of the population opposed to any future peace agreement with Israel.

“Joseph Aoun is one of the worst presidents to ever lead Lebanon because he is not a unifying figure. He ignores the concerns of a large segment of Lebanese society that rejects any peace with Israel,” senior Hezbollah official Nawaf al-Musawi told Qatari news channel Al-Arabi.

“It is a disgrace that such a handshake would be extended to someone whose hands are stained with the blood of our people while their homes are being destroyed,” he continued, referring to the possibility of a meeting between Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The negotiations they are now offering are an illusion. Our roadmap is resistance on the ground that will force the enemy to retreat,” al-Musawi further said. “We are staying here, defending Lebanon, and we will not commit political suicide through direct and humiliating negotiations.”

With the third round of negotiations taking place on Thursday in Washington, Beirut is reportedly insisting that a ceasefire must precede any future talks and is even considering delaying the process unless full de-escalation is secured in advance.

Lebanese officials have also reiterated that the decision to establish a state monopoly over weapons is final, though its implementation remains contingent on securing a broader security arrangement with Israel under US guarantees.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem reiterated on Tuesday the group’s demand for an immediate end to direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.

“No external party has the right to interfere in the issue of weapons or the resistance. This is an internal Lebanese matter and has nothing to do with negotiations with the enemy,” the terrorist leader said.

“We will not surrender, and we will continue defending Lebanon and its people regardless of the sacrifices required. We will not abandon the battlefield, and we will turn it into hell for Israel,” he continued.

Israel has continued its military campaign in neighboring southern Lebanon to root out Hezbollah, with strikes reaching areas roughly 20 kilometers from Beirut over the weekend in one of the deepest escalations in months.

Over the past month, more than 45 Hezbollah infrastructure sites — including weapons depots, military facilities, and rocket launchers — have been struck, with the military also reporting that around 350 operatives have been killed and approximately 1,100 affiliated targets hit.

Israeli officials are now reportedly preparing for the possibility of a major expansion of ground operations in southern Lebanon after Israeli forces crossed the Litani River last weekend and began conducting covert operations deeper inside Lebanese territory.

Hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel reignited on March 2, when the terrorist group opened fire in support of Iran two days after the start of the joint US-Israeli military campaign against the Iranian regime. 

Since then, Israeli forces have established a “buffer zone” initially extending 5 to 10 km (3 to 6 miles) into Lebanese territory, which officials say is meant to shield northern residents from Hezbollah attacks amid thousands of rockets and drones fired throughout the war.

Even though a US-backed ceasefire has sharply reduced violence, negotiations and prospects for lasting peace remain fragile, with Israeli forces still launching strikes while positioned in southern Lebanon to maintain its buffer zone and dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure.

PAP

Na polecenie władz Kazachstanu z Biennale w Wenecji usunięto pracę o stalinowskim terrorze

nrm/ kar/

Ministerstwo Kultury i Informacji Kazachstanu nakazało usunąć z pawilonu narodowego na 61. Biennale w Wenecji instalację, poświęconą stalinowskim represjom. Decyzja wywołała oskarżenia o polityczną cenzurę i debatę o pamięci lat sowieckiego terroru – informują media w Kazachstanie.

From Wagner to Eurovision: The debate over Jews in music – opinion

GOL KALEV

Noam Bettan will represent Israel at Eurovision 2026. / (photo credit: Tal Givoni)

Opera houses and concert halls should not stage music composed by Jews, in spite of their popularity, he argued. European music-lovers should understand that those are not individual composers but representatives of dangerous “Jewishness” that corrupts European culture and society.

Some 170 years later, the debate over “Jews in Music” is back, as a number of European countries object to the Jewish state’s participation in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest – Europe’s favorite pastime watched by nearly 200 million viewers, where every state submits a song that gets ranked by the other countries. Indeed, Eurovision is broadly perceived as Europe’s popularity contest for nations.

Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia took a step further than Wagner. They not only warned of the “unconscionable” participation of the Jewish state, once again accused of committing crimes against humanity, but have also taken measures to protect Europeans: They enacted an unprecedented “total broadcasting blackout,” making sure their citizens would not be able to watch Eurovision.

Pro-Palestinian protestors hold a flag and a banner outside the RTE (Radio Telefis Eireann) Irish public service broadcaster television studios as demonstrators call for an Irish boycott of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if there is Israeli participation, in Dublin, Ireland, November 1, 2025. (credit: CLODAGH KILCOYNE/REUTERS)

Boycotting Israel

Germany’s Main Mosque Network Under Fire Over Speakers Accused of Antisemitic Incitement

Ailin Vilches Arguello

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators during a protest against Israel to mark the 77th anniversary of the “Nakba” or catastrophe, in Berlin, Germany, May 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Axel Schmidt

Germany’s main mosque association is facing growing controversy over speakers scheduled for its Cultural Days, a public program of community events, as experts warn of antisemitic incitement on a public stage and call for the event to be canceled.

Organized by the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) in Hamburg, a city in northern Germany, the event is being advertised as a family-friendly gathering.

However, political figures, Jewish community representatives, and experts have sharply condemned the event, warning it risks providing a platform for antisemitic rhetoric and raising serious concerns over its tone and messaging.

Under mounting political pressure, DITIB was forced to remove four of the six speakers from the program, citing their hateful rhetoric and the promotion of antisemitic narratives.

“Those who act within our communities must not be associated with positions that express antisemitism, glorify violence, show hostility toward individuals, or incite hatred,” the association wrote in a statement.

Yet the controversy continues, as the event still advertises two remaining speakers who have drawn sustained criticism.

According to German author Eren Güvercin, a vocal critic of political Islam in the country, the two remaining speakers — Furkan Tiraşçı and Mahmut Sağır — have also been accused on social media of posting antisemitic content and glorifying terrorist organizations, raising questions over why they should be allowed to participate.

In several posts, Tiraşçı has repeatedly downplayed or justified the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and referred to deceased Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as a “martyr.”

“He was a good Muslim, a good mujahid, a good family man. My condolences to the Muslim community. Every martyrdom is a new beginning on the path to victory,” Tiraşçı wrote in a post on X at the time of Haniyeh’s death.

He has also repeatedly shared antisemitic caricatures, including depictions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with vampire fangs and blood, labeled “killer,” as well as photomontages comparing Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler or placing him in Nazi-era imagery.

As for the second guest, Sağır has been accused of glorifying Hamas leaders and describing the Israeli population as a “cursed community” that has “drowned the world in blood for centuries” — remarks that echo decades-old antisemitic tropes. The quote appears to refer directly to Jews, as the modern state of Israel was only established in 1948.

According to Güvercin, Sağır “shares content that goes far beyond legitimate criticism and delves deeply into hateful ideologies.” 
.

In an Instagram post following Haniyeh’s death, Sağır wrote: “May the Lord receive him into His mercy, may his place be in paradise and his rank be elevated. The fate of those who thrive on cruelty is bleak and will be so. If not today, then tomorrow God will bring about the means to exact this reckoning. We believe it, and we bear witness.”

In the past, DITIB has faced multiple controversies, with some members making antisemitic remarks and spreading hateful messages.

Last year, the German government urged DITIB to publicly break with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric, citing the association’s close ties to him.

According to local reports, German authorities told religious leaders to formally break with Erdogan’s hateful statements or risk losing government support and cooperation.

For years, the German government has supported DITIB in training imams, as well as helping to foster community programs and religious initiatives.

Most of these religious leaders are trained abroad — especially in Turkey — and brought to local mosques by large Muslim organizations on multi‑year contracts, shaping the religious education and messaging that reaches the community.

Now, German lawmakers and the country’s Jewish community are calling for a mandatory certification process for all imams amid a surging wave of antisemitism, including multiple cases of religious leaders promoting anti-Jewish violence.

In 2023, the German government signed an agreement with the Turkish government’s Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and DITIB for a new imam training program.

By sending imams from Turkey and paying their salaries, the Diyanet oversees DITIB and its hundreds of communities across Germany, shaping the ideological direction of more than 900 mosques and influencing the training of their imams.

However, a new program has brought an end to this practice of sending imams directly from Turkey. Instead, Turkish students are trained in Germany in cooperation with the German Islam Conference (IKD).

With this new agreement, imams live permanently in German communities and have no formal ties to the Turkish government. Still, experts doubt that this alone will curb the Diyanet’s political influence.

Izraelskie siły bezpieczeństwa i ratownicy gromadzą się przed budynkiem w Tel Awiwie, po tym jak został on trafiony rakietą wystrzeloną przez palestyńskich bojowników ze Strefy Gazy, 7 października 2023 r. (Fot. JACK GUEZ/AFP/East News)

Izrael: Palestyńczycy podejrzani o udział w ataku z 2023 r. staną przed trybunałem wojskowym

Marta Urzędowska

Rząd w Tel Awiwie do tej pory nie podawał, ilu podejrzanych trzyma w aresztach. Niektórym może teraz grozić kara śmierci.

Niespełna trzy lata temu palestyńscy terroryści z Hamasu wdarli się do Izraela i dokonali najkrwawszego ataku w historii kraju. Zamachowcy zabili 1,2 tys. osób, a 250 porywali do Strefy Gazy i przez kolejne miesiące trzymali jako zakładników. Podczas ataku zabijali całe rodziny, nawet najmłodsze dzieci, a wobec wielu kobiet dopuścili się przemocy seksualnej.

Według ONZ terroryści dopuścili się zbrodni wojennych, a być może także zbrodni przeciwko ludzkości.

W odwetowej wojnie Izraela w Strefie Gazy zginęło ponad 70 tys. Palestyńczyków, a enklawa została zrównana z ziemią. Od jesieni 2025 roku obowiązuje rozejm. Obecnie izraelska armia zajmuje wschodnią połowę enklawy. Na razie nie udało się przejść do kolejnych faz zawieszenia broni, czyli rozbrojenia Hamasu, wycofania izraelskich żołnierzy i rozpoczęcia odbudowy zrujnowanej strefy.

“Chodzi o sprawiedliwość, pamięć, historię”, ale przeciwnicy nowego prawa mówią o chęci zemsty

Choć podczas samego ataku zdecydowana większość terrorystów z Hamasu, którzy wtargnęli do Izraela, zginęła, izraelska armia aresztowała setki osób podejrzanych o udział lub o powiązania z organizatorami. Do tej pory podejrzani byli przetrzymywani bez postawienia zarzutów i sądu. Nie jest też jasne, czy są wśród nich ważni terroryści odpowiedzialni za zaplanowanie ataku, czy tylko szeregowi członkowie grupy.

Yulia Malinovsky w rozmowie z “New York Timesem” przyznała, że nowe prawo pozwoli postawić zarzuty co najmniej 350 więźniom. Do tej pory izraelskie władze nie ujawniały, ilu Palestyńczyków przetrzymują w związku z podejrzeniami o udział w ataku.

W czasie wojny w Gazie Izraelczycy aresztowali ponad 6 tys. mieszkańców enklawy. Większość została zwolniona, ale około 1,2 tys. pozostaje w aresztach.

Dziennik, powołując się na źródła w izraelskich służbach, opisuje, że prokuratorzy muszą jeszcze ostatecznie sformułować akty oskarżenia, a w sprawie niektórych podejrzanych nadal trwają śledztwa. Oznacza to, że do rozpoczęcia procesów może minąć nawet rok.

Obrońcy praw człowieka: sędziowie trybunału będą pod wielką presją społeczną

Przegłosowane w Knesecie prawo nie wszystkim się podoba. – To nie do pomyślenia, że decyzjami sądu rozważającego, jaki wydać wyrok, kieruje chęć zemsty – przekonuje cytowany przez dziennik poseł opozycji Ofer Cassif. – Niestety dokładnie to zamierza zrobić nowe prawo – dodaje.

– dodaje.

Były zakładnik do rządu: “Nikt mnie nie przeprosił”

W czasie, gdy w Izraelu szykują się procesy terrorystów, jeden z porwanych 7 października zakładników domaga się nie tylko ukarania winnych ataku, ale i ustąpienia izraelskiego rządu.