Lebanon warns Hamas against attacks threatening nation’s security, US appoints new cease-fire monitoring committee chair in apparent gesture to Beirut, Strikes destroy half of south Lebanon’s prefab homes, Joseph Aoun on municipal elections’ supervision tour: ‘revitalize the municipalities, then the entire nation’, Twelve electoral corruption complaints received by the Lebanese Interior Ministry, Tourism Minister welcomes UAE decision to lift travel ban on Lebanon, Lebanon eyes recovery driven by reforms with 934 million US dollars in preliminary funding, Missile launched by Yemen’s Houthis hits Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, Syrian Druze leader condemns government over sectarian violence, urging Interior Ministry to deploy governorate forces and reaffirm state’s obligation to secure Suwayda–Damascus road, Israeli attacks kill two more as Syria government reaches deal with Druze, Gaza’s hospitals to run out of fuel in three days, Israeli military claims dozens of weekend attacks across Gaza, More than 3,500 children under five face imminent death by starvation in Gaza, Aid ship bound for Gaza catches fire after alleged Israeli drone attack off Malta, Iran reasserts uranium enrichment rights as further US talks delayed, US-imposed dollar shortage forces Iraq to tap tax funds for salary payments, Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces attack airport in Port Sudan
We’ve been convinced it was the only viable alternative: a coalition of Sunni Islamist forces – ideologically cohesive, battle-hardened, and enabled by a favorable regional and international climate – to overthrow the harassment of the Assad regime, break its tight grip. On the other hand, a crescent of armed Shiite movements to put an end to undisturbed US imperialism in the region: or, paradoxically, a tacitly imposed pax Americana to ensure compliance with much-acclaimed international resolutions, when a couple of hundred kilometers away on there is no law other than the law of death and mutilation, no right other than the right to kill.
We’ve been convinced that the right of a nation whose existence is based on the rape of another’s land, that its sacrosanct right to defend itself, does not justify but admits that a genocide – another one – is being carried out, this time unprecedentedly, on live television; that a country ranked 112 out of 180 on the International Press Freedom Index is still hailed as ‘the only democracy in the Middle East’; that it is normal to read, among the headlines of the only liberal newspaper allowed in Israel, not without repression, phrases like, “A Palestinian-American Teen Allegedly Threw Stones That Hit No One. Israeli Troops Shot Him 11 Times.” That the false Israeli environmentalist and feminist left may be recognized as ‘enlightened’ in the rest of the Western world, but who cares if it glorifies the mass extermination of hundreds of thousands of women, and drops white phosphorus bombs on millennia-old olive groves. We have been convinced that contradictions must be accepted, that ‘circumstances are complex’, that the absence of alternatives is the only alternative possible.
No one says that the solution to ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank is not the formation of two states, but the dismantling of apartheid, with sanctions for those who allowed it and compensation for the victims – and that the solution to genocide is not the deportation of the Gazans who survived, maimed, but the end of genocide: with arrests against those who enacted it. That the sectarian violence re-exploded in Syria after the massacres on the Alawite coast will not be resolved by any foreign intervention: on the contrary, it can only be fomented by the false promises of ethno-nationalist states to ‘protect minorities’, still deluding themselves that the defense of a community can take the form of indiscriminate bombing of a sovereign state. And we are no longer allowed to fail to grasp the comparison between what Assad boasted of doing and what Israel succeeds in, with more substantial resources and more powerful allies: to annihilate, to repress, to stay in power.
No one is shocked that it causes more of a stir in the Lebanese media that, during the municipal elections, a citizen pays bribes on behalf of a candidate, than that Israel strikes prefabricated structures built to guarantee the right to vote in municipalities in the still partly occupied south. That the only possible choice left is between political assassinations as a consensus-building tool and passive acceptance of the interests of the superpower that has devastated our villages with its bombs.
No one admits that someone, in Syria, has won: but it was not the revolution. That their conflict is not yet over, and it is no longer a civil one. That in Gaza, today, the only winner is the survivor; in Yemen, those who manage to prove that the enemy is not invincible – that the state of Israel is still vulnerable – paying the high price of a rain of American bombs. And in southern Lebanon, those who defied the Israeli barricades and took back their land, within the timeframe imposed by agreements, but in disregard of those, overbearing and unpunished, of the occupation.
In Lebanon
Starting the municipal elections: In the morning of Sunday, May 4, at the Interior Ministry, President Aoun stated that “elections are an opportunity for citizens and a natural right.” He confirmed that the security forces had “received strict instructions” to oversee the electoral process and ensure its smooth conduct. “The role of municipalities is central, and this election is crucial,” he added, expressing his “confidence” in the success of the elections’ day. “The goal is to revitalize the municipalities, as a step toward revitalizing the entire nation,” he concluded. The head of state also visited the operations room at the Defense Ministry.
At the Baabda Serrail, he praised the work of polling station officials, thanking them for their “tremendous” efforts. “I am confident that the electoral process will proceed under good conditions and in full security,” he added.
The ones that started yesterday, May 4, in Mount Lebanon, will be only the seventh municipal elections held in Lebanon in over 70 years; the previous ones took place in 1952, 1963, 1998, 2004, 2010, and 2016. So the last vote was way back in 2016, and since municipal councils serve a 6-year term, their mandate should’ve expired in 2022. Yet, instead of new elections, they were delayed, mainly due to the 2019 financial meltdown, the 2020 Beirut Port explosion, and the usual administrative chaos.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Lebanese Army Rodolphe Haykal inspected the operations room in the Mount Lebanon region, where he took note of the exceptional security measures put in place to ensure the smooth running of the electoral process, reports the official National News Agency. He stressed “the need for citizens to comply with the instructions of the military units deployed and to refrain from any disturbance of public order that could harm the conduct of the poll.”
Paul Morcos, the Information Minister, also welcomed the holding of the elections, which were intended to show that “the government respects the sacredness of constitutional deadlines.” During a visit to the Interior Ministry, he praised the “soldiers of the shadows,” referring to the organizers of the elections. After his visit, the Interior Minister stated that “the elections went smoothly and democratically.”
At 6 pm on Sunday, the turnout rate stood at 41.61 percent, with a total of 347,110 voters having turned out to vote, according to a new report published by the Interior Ministry. It should be noted that in 2016, voter turnout in Mount Lebanon had also risen significantly by the end of the day, from 30 percent to 50 percent in several regions. The final rate was 47.4 percent.
A preliminary report: For its part, LADE (The Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections) recorded several issues and violations during its observation missions in polling stations, including delays in the opening of several stations, voting booths that did not ensure the confidentiality of the vote, accessibility problems for people with disabilities, and “a serious case in which a delegate from a list took the place of the head of the polling station in Haret Hreik,” a southern suburb of Beirut. The organization also noted “multiple cases of voting outside the booth,” particularly in Barja, Aïn Zhalta, and Shanieh, as well as altercations that occurred in or in front of polling stations, such as in Aramoun, where a dispute broke out between a station head and a delegate, and in Haret Hreik, Barja, Bchamoun, and Hamana, where fights occurred between delegates, voters, or members of opposing political families. In Bire, lists were illegally distributed inside the polling station.
Moreover, the central operations room responsible for supervising municipal elections received twelve complaints concerning cases of electoral corruption in various areas of the Mount Lebanon governorate, according to a statement from the Interior Ministry. These complaints were forwarded to the police for investigation.
In Fanar, in the Metn district, the Intelligence Division of the Internal Security Forces arrested a citizen suspected of having paid bribes on behalf of a candidate. The case was transferred to the judicial brigade in Jdeideh, which has launched an investigation, according to the Interior Ministry.
Voting under airstrikes: However, the situation surrounding the temporary housing in south Lebanon remains sadly unchanged. Security sources confirmed that Israel continues targeting the prefabricated housing units and denies any plans to expand their numbers through pre-approved permits from the Lebanese Army.
This ongoing threat has therefore shifted election planning in the region. Instead of setting up portable rooms in devastated villages to hold municipal elections, authorities opt for alternative venues. In the western sector, voting will take place at polling centres in the city of Tyre.
In the central sector, elections will be held either in partially damaged villages with usable schools, such as Aitaroun, or in neighboring towns, as in the cases of Aita al-Shaab and Maroun El Ras. Similar arrangements are being made for villages in the eastern sector.
Meanwhile, political efforts led by the Amal Movement and Hezbollah are underway to secure uncontested elections through consensus wherever possible in the south and the Beqaa Valley.
Warning Hamas: Lebanon’s top security body has warned the Palestinian group Hamas against using the country’s territory for acts that could undermine national security, after rocket fire towards Israel led to counterstrikes. The Higher Defense Council issued the warning on Friday as Lebanon has been facing growing United States pressure to disarm groups outside state control, following a 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Lebanese authorities are also trying to establish their authority throughout the country, particularly in the south near the border with Israel. Israel has violated the US-brokered November 2024 truce agreement on a near-daily basis, according to Lebanese authorities, including three air attacks on the capital, Beirut.
In a statement, the council, headed by President Joseph Aoun, said Lebanon must not be used as a launchpad for instability or be dragged into unnecessary wars. It added that “the utmost measures and necessary procedures will be taken to put a definitive end to any act that violates Lebanese sovereignty.” Aoun, who previously served as the Army Commander, has pledged to bring all weapons in the country under the state’s authority, but has admitted that disarming Hezbollah, which the US has been pressuring Lebanon to do, is a “delicate” matter.
Mohammad Al-Mustafa, Secretary General of the council, told reporters on Friday that while Aoun highlighted the importance of Palestinian rights, he also stressed that Lebanese stability should not be compromised.
New head of ceasefire committee: The US has appointed a new chair for the ceasefire monitoring committee, in what some in the government reportedly see as a gesture to Beirut following mounting calls for pressure on Israel to abide by the truce agreement. US military general Michael J. Leeney will replace Jasper Jeffers as the head of the Special Operations Command Central, in charge of overseeing the Washington-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
The move was confirmed by the US embassy in Lebanon on Wednesday, as Leeney accompanied Jeffers to a US delegation meeting with Lebanese and UNIFIL officials in Beirut.
In a statement, Maj. Gen. Leeney said: “I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this important mission and am very optimistic for the future. The LAF (Lebanese Armed Forces) is well known as a capable force, and my meetings have shown just how dedicated they are to ensuring peace and stability.”
The embassy added that Maj. Gen. Leeney will “work closely with LAF, UNIFIL, France and the Military Technical Committee for Lebanon to enable the LAF to provide security and fully safeguard Lebanese sovereignty” as part of his duties.
Unlike his predecessor Jasper Jeffers, the new committee head, Michael Leeney, will reside in Lebanon as a “full-time senior US military leader,” according to the US embassy, which also defined Leeney’s role as “working closely” with the army, UNIFIL, and France to “fully safeguard Lebanese sovereignty.”
Travel ban lifted: Tourism Minister Laura Khazen Lahoud welcomed the United Arab Emirates’ decision to allow its citizens to travel to Lebanon starting May 7, following last week’s visit by President Joseph Aoun to Abu Dhabi. “This decision comes after years of a travel ban and reflects support for the efforts taken by the Lebanese government, security agencies, and vital institutions to provide high-quality tourism services and ensure the safety and comfort of visitors,” Lahoud said.
She added that the move signals a renewed trust in Lebanon and paves the way for strengthening the two countries’ historical ties.
Lahoud expressed hope that other Gulf Cooperation Council countries would follow the UAE’s lead soon, allowing Lebanon to become once again a destination for Arab visitors and a hub for tourism and culture in the region.
Preliminary approval secured: In the context of Lebanon’s next participation in the 2025 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), it came out that the Lebanese delegation, led by Finance Minister Yassine Jaber and joined by senior advisors and officials, took part in dozens of official and bilateral meetings. They engaged with a broad range of stakeholders, including the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, international investors, global organizations, Arab and foreign funds, and key global figures.
Both the World Bank and the IMF reaffirmed their support for Lebanon and its reform agenda. As part of the outcome, Lebanon secured preliminary approval for $934 million in funding. The package includes $250 million for the electricity sector under a signed loan agreement.
The funding is designated for establishing a national control center, building “solar farms” expected to save $40 million annually, rehabilitating three hydroelectric plants, upgrading accounting and billing systems, and modernizing the electricity transmission network. An additional $256 million is allocated for the water sector, $200 million for agriculture, $200 million for social protection, and $28 million for digitalization. All financing will be offered on concessional terms, with repayment periods extending up to 50 years. These gains represent a critical opportunity to restore growth and stability.
However, success depends on Lebanon accelerating reform legislation, continuing coordination with the IMF and World Bank, strengthening ties with the international community and the Lebanese diaspora, and adhering to its action plan with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). That plan aims to remove Lebanon from the grey list. Increased private sector engagement and investment in productive sectors will also be essential.
The Lebanese Druze response: Sheikh Sami Abu al-Mini, the leader of the Druze community in Lebanon, said in response to the developments and clashes in the Damascus southern suburbs, that “what is happening in Syria is a sedition plot.” He further stressed that “Damascus must listen to the demands of all Syrian people.”
He added that “we condemn the insult to the Prophet Muhammad and the sedition attempts. There are plots seeking to escalate the tensions. We want the situation to be brought under control. Seditionist plans are being implemented by Israel. We oppose separatist plans against Syria and the Arab and Islamic identity.”
In the meantime, Walid Jumblatt, the head of the Progressive Socialist Party of Lebanon, said in regard to the developments in Syria, that “we want peace and dialogue, and the Syrian authorities must conduct a transparent investigation into the events in Jaramana. We are ready to go to Syria, and we oppose Israeli interference in this country. Israel seeks to abuse the Druze to create sedition in Syria.” Jumbalatt also said he wishes for a united Syria, warning that “Israel seeks to displace the Druze and exploit them.”
In The Region
From Yemen to Tel Aviv: On the morning of Sunday, May 4, a ballistic missile launched from Yemen hit the perimeter of Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport, damaging a road and a vehicle and causing air traffic to stop. The Israeli military confirmed its defense system failed to shoot down the projectile despite several attempts to intercept it, adding that an investigation was underway. Eight people were injured, according to paramedics.
Yemen’s Houthis, who have been carrying out attacks against Israel in stated opposition to its war and blockade on the Gaza Strip, claimed responsibility for the missile launched at Israel’s busiest airport. More than 18 months of Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 52,495 people, including 57 who starved to death due to the total Israeli siege since March 2, according to Palestinian officials. In a televised statement, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree warned airlines that Ben Gurion airport was “no longer safe for air travel.”
The attack led to a brief suspension of flights at the airport in central Israel, with some having to be redirected. All entrances to the airport were also briefly closed while train journeys towards the site were halted.
Sirens blared across central Israel, prompting many to move into shelters, according to Israeli media. Moreover, videos of the site of the impact circulating online showed the missile hit a connecting artery inside the perimeter of the airport, with some debris scattered on adjacent roads.
The Israeli response: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened severe retaliation. “Whoever attacks us, we will hit back sevenfold,” Katz said in an apparent reference to the Torah relating to severe punishment, or divine justice.
Benny Gantz, leader of the Israel Resilience party and a former war cabinet member, said the blame for the missile attack by the Iran-aligned group should be put on Tehran. “It is Iran that is firing ballistic missiles at the state of Israel, and it must bear responsibility,” he said in a social media post without providing evidence. “The shooting in the state of Israel is bound to lead to a severe reaction in Tehran.”
Yair Golan, a leading opposition figure, said millions of Israelis are in shelters again, Israeli captives held in Gaza are dying, the cost of living is crushing families and reservists are “collapsing under the burden” of the war launched after the October 7 attacks, leading to the killing of an estimated 1,139 people, with more than 200 taken captive.
Complicit with starvation: Gaza’s Government Media Office says more than 70,000 children are being hospitalized in the enclave due to severe malnutrition as Israel prevents the entry of baby formula, nutritional supplements and all forms of humanitarian aid. “Under this systematic blockade, more than 3,500 children under the age of five face imminent death by starvation, while approximately 290,000 children are on the brink of death,” the statement published on Telegram said.
“At a time when 1.1 million children daily lack the minimum nutritional requirements for survival, this crime is being perpetrated by the Israeli occupation using starvation as a weapon, amid shameful international silence,” it added.
In this regard, Mahmoud Alsaqqa, Oxfam’s food security lead inside the Gaza Strip, says humanitarian organizations are in “desperate need” for unrestricted flows of aid in Gaza. “We have a lot of supplies that are stuck in Egypt and Jordan, and we cannot reach them,” he said, adding that he expects the humanitarian situation to “deteriorate” even further.
“We have repeatedly sounded the alarm and warned that this stage will lead to catastrophic and potentially irreversible consequences, especially for the vulnerable groups, the children, the elderly people and the women,” Alsaqqa said. “The whole world, unfortunately, is contributing to or participating in starving the children in the Gaza Strip. Without taking any action, they are all, unfortunately, complicit,” he denounced. “They have a choice: either to continue simply watching the horror, the pictures and the images coming from Gaza or to take action,” he concluded.
Al-Jazeera’s correspondent Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, reported that it seemed like Israel had turned Gaza into a testing lab. “It not only keeps dropping bombs on civilians and displaced people, but it is also testing how far it can push people when it comes to starvation and dehydration,” he said. “The fact that we haven’t seen for the past 62 days any food, water or medicine allowed into Gaza is an indication that the Strip has for real turned into a testing lab for enforced starvation and dehydration.”
Due to the Israeli blockade, 3,000 aid trucks are stuck at the border, just a 30-minute drive away from where the journalist was standing during his coverage. “On the right side of me,” he said, “there is a displacement camp. Its coordinator has received news from a local community kitchen that provided them meals in the past days. The kitchen said it would be very difficult to provide them with any meals as of today. Many of these people here, if not all of them, are going to go through today without any food. This is the story across Gaza, where many of the community kitchens are shutting down.”
Out of fuel: In addition, Gaza’s Health Ministry has issued an urgent appeal for fuel, warning that hospitals are on the brink of running out. While some fuel is stored at designated sites, the Ministry claimed aid groups are unable to access or transport it because Israel has declared those areas off-limits. If no new fuel arrives in the Strip, hospitals will run out within three days and may be forced to shut down, the Ministry added.
In this tragic context, at least 40 Palestinians have been killed and 125 wounded in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. Since Israel ended the ceasefire unilaterally on March 18, it has killed at least 2,436 people in Gaza and wounded 6,450 others, the statement added.
A bloody weekend: The Israeli Air Force has in fact struck more than 100 “terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip” over the past weekend, the Israeli military has claimed in a report. The targets included tunnels, underground infrastructure sites, and military structures, it said, adding that Israeli troops operating in northern Gaza have “located and dismantled” infrastructure belonging to Hamas both above and below ground.
“In southern Gaza, the troops continue operational activity in Rafah and along the ‘Morag’ corridor,” the report reads. The military has also said, during their activity, the troops “located and dismantled” Hamas weapons, and “struck infrastructure from both the air and ground”.
As Gazan journalists on the ground have reported, residential buildings and tents for displaced people are the main targets of Israeli attacks across Gaza. In Khan Younis alone, three children were among 11 killed civilians after Israel bombed the al-Bayram family home overnight on Saturday, May 3.
Blocking aid to Freedom Flotilla: Maltese authorities have blocked the stranded Freedom Flotilla ship, which came under attack off their waters while carrying aid to Gaza on May 2, from sailing to Malta or receiving assistance from volunteers, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC). In a press briefing, FFC said Malta’s military “intercepted” a group of volunteers en route to aid the ship, named the Conscience, on Saturday.
Maltese authorities have also continued to deny the ship access to Maltese waters, “despite urgent SOS distress calls”, it said. “The international community and humanitarian organizations must demand that Maltese authorities permit the Conscience immediate safe passage into Maltese waters, and provide all needed assistance as well as protection for the ship and all those on board,” FFC said.
As international media reported, the May 2 drone attack on the unarmed vessel blew a hole in the ship and set the engine ablaze, with 30 crew members on board. At least four people suffered minor injuries, including burns, from the attack, according to the FFC.
Escalating sectarian violence in Syria: A leader of Syria’s Druze minority has condemned attacks against his community after dozens of people were killed in two days of sectarian clashes south of Damascus last week. Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri on Thursday denounced the violence in Jaramana and Sahnaya near Damascus earlier this week as a “genocidal campaign” against the Druze community in Syria. On the other side, Syria’s Ministry of Information said 11 members of the country’s security forces were killed in two separate attacks.
The United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a war monitor, said at least 101 people were killed in fighting between security forces, allied fighters and local Druze groups. The SOHR, which relies on a network of sources in Syria, said the death toll included 30 government loyalists, 21 Druze fighters and 10 civilians, including Sahnaya’s former mayor, Husam Warwar. In the southern province of Sweida, heartland of the Druze minority, it said 40 Druze fighters were killed, 35 in an “ambush” on the Sweida-Damascus road on Wednesday.
The clashes broke out around midnight Monday after an audio clip circulated on social media of a man criticizing Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. The audio was attributed to a Druze scholar. But the scholar, Marwan Kiwan, said in a video posted on social media that he was not responsible for the audio, which angered many Sunni Muslims. On Wednesday afternoon, the Syrian government said a deal was reached between Druze dignitaries and official representatives, after which security forces and pro-government fighters entered Sahnaya and Druze gunmen withdrew from the streets. Videos on social media showed what appeared to be pro-government armed groups beating Druze men they had captured in Sahnaya and making offensive sectarian remarks.
“This collective killing is systematic, clear, visible, and documented,” read al-Hijri’s statement. “We no longer trust a group that calls itself a government, because the government doesn’t kill its own people through extremist gangs that are loyal to it, and after the massacre claims they are loose forces.”
This escalating wave of violence poses a serious challenge to the country’s new authorities, who toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. It comes after a wave of massacres in March in Syria’s Alawite heartland on the Mediterranean coast in which security forces and allied groups killed more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawite, according to the SOHR.
However, a statement issued on Thursday by Druze spiritual leaders and Suwayda dignitaries reaffirmed their rejection of partition efforts and called for activating the Interior Ministry’s role through security personnel from the governorate. They stressed the state’s responsibility to ensure nationwide security. The statement followed consultations with Druze religious authorities, including Emirs Hassan al-Atrash and Yahya Amer, and notables Atef Hunaidi, Wasim Ezzedine, and Hassan Jarbou. The signatories warned against sectarian strife and affirmed their commitment to Syrian unity under a single national banner.
The statement followed intensive talks with officials in Damascus. It came a day after clashes in Ashrafiya and Sahnaya with local Druze groups, which ended with General Security and Defense Ministry units taking control of both neighborhoods. It was also issued after Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri called for international protection. Amid military buildup and rising tensions in Suwayda, the statement signaled a possible shift toward de-escalation.
Rejecting foreign intervention: At the same time, Israeli officials have expressed support for the Druze, with Defence Minister Israel Katz warning his country would respond “with significant force” if Syria’s new authorities fail to protect the minority community. In a later statement, Katz said, “should the attacks on the Druze resume and the Syrian regime fail to prevent them, Israel will respond with significant force.”
Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Thursday reiterated Syria’s rejection of demands for international intervention, posting on X that “national unity is the solid foundation for any process of stability or revival.” “Any call for external intervention, under any pretext or slogan, only leads to further deterioration and division,” he added.
Most Druze spiritual leaders and factions have opted to air their grievances in closed communication with the new government, but concerns have heightened after a crackdown on al-Assad loyalists in Syria’s coastal province turned into a series of targeted revenge attacks against the Alawite minority group.
Videos widely circulated of houses burned down and bloodied bodies of Alawites on the streets. Tens of thousands of Alawites fled south to neighboring Lebanon, and many are too scared to return. The Druze have since become reluctant to lay down their arms, which they say they need for protection.
More victims: Overnight Israeli air raids on Syria between Friday and Saturday have killed at least two civilians as Israel has stated it is carrying out attacks to protect the Druze minority from government violence, a stance the Syrian Druze community itself rejects. At least eight people were also reported injured after some 15 air raids hit multiple areas in Syria after midnight Saturday, with at least eight attacks hitting its capital Damascus.
The Israeli military confirmed the attacks on Saturday, saying its forces “struck a military site, anti-aircraft cannons and surface-to-air missile infrastructure in Syria” without giving further details or any evidence.
This comes a day after Israel carried out an attack near Syria’s presidential palace, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would not allow Syrian forces to deploy south of Damascus nor tolerate “any threat to the Druze community”.
Iran and the nuclear: Iran has defended its right to enrich uranium, doubling down on a long-held stance as the next round of nuclear negotiations with the United States in Oman were abruptly delayed. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took to social media on Saturday to declare, “Iran has every right to possess the full nuclear fuel cycle,” referencing the country’s membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
He added, “There are several NPT members which enrich uranium while wholly rejecting nuclear weapons,” underlining Iran’s argument that its nuclear activities are civilian in nature.
“Maximalist positioning and incendiary rhetoric achieve nothing except eroding the chances of success,” added Araghchi, in reference to the US position that Iran must stop all enrichment activities.
In a Thursday interview with Fox News, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Iran to halt its enrichment efforts, arguing, “the only countries in the world that enrich uranium are the ones that have nuclear weapons.” However, countries like Germany, Japan and Brazil also conduct enrichment without possessing nuclear arsenals. The comments come after a fourth round of indirect talks between Washington and Tehran, originally scheduled for Saturday, was postponed.
Oman, acting as a mediator, cited “logistical reasons” for the delay. A new date remains unconfirmed, with one Iranian official telling the Reuters news agency it would depend on “the US approach.”
The setback follows a new wave of US sanctions tied to Iran’s oil sales and alleged continued support for Yemen’s Houthis. Tehran responded by accusing Washington of sending “contradictory messages” that undermined diplomacy. France added to the uncertainty earlier this week when Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot claimed Iran was “on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons” – a charge Tehran dismissed as “simply absurd”.
The diplomatic deadlock comes as global powers weigh whether meaningful progress can still be achieved on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal brokered by world powers, which collapsed after the US, under the first Donald Trump presidential term, unilaterally abandoned it in 2018. The 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saw Iran curtail its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.
The US economic control over Iraq: Iraq’s Finance Ministry has begun withdrawing from tax deposit reserves to cover public sector salaries amid liquidity restraints caused by delays in US dollar transfers from the US Federal Reserve, Shafaq News reported on May 4. A source speaking with the Iraqi media outlet indicated that restricted access to foreign currency and declining dollar levels forced the ministry to use deposited tax funds to meet payroll obligations and essential government expenses. “Liquidity levels at state-run banks have dropped sharply, prompting most institutions to halt loans and salary advances,” the source added.
The directors of Al-Rafidain and Al-Rasheed banks discussed the withdrawals in private meetings, and the information was later leaked to media outlets, according to the Iraqi Parliament’s Economic Committee.
The Iraqi cabinet granted Finance Minister Taif Sami emergency authorization to access dormant tax deposits, enabling the government to cover salary payments for April and beyond.
Since 2003, a decision issued by Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) head Paul Bremer has required that all Iraqi oil revenues be paid into an account with the US Federal Reserve, giving it the ability to control how many US dollars are returned to Iraq’s Central Bank, and therefore, its economy. From that point until today, the Iraqi Ministry of Finance has had to submit requests for funds to the US Treasury, which then approves or denies these requests based on its own criteria.
This monthly transfer of US dollars, which are literally flown into Baghdad in pallets of hard cash, determines Iraq and its 40-million population’s ability to pay for basic needs such as salaries, food, and medicine. Whenever Washington feels that Iraq is not compliant with US regional goals, including enforcing economic sanctions on Iran, Iraq’s major trading partner and source of natural gas for electricity production, these fund transfers can be delayed or reduced.
A shift in Sudan’s civil war: Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a drone attack on a military air base and other facilities in the vicinity of Port Sudan Airport, a Sudanese army spokesperson said on Sunday, in the first RSF attack to reach the eastern port city. No casualties were reported from the attacks, the spokesperson said.
The RSF has targeted power stations in army-controlled locations in central and northern Sudan for the past several months, but the strikes have not inflicted heavy casualties. Thus, the drone attack on Port Sudan indicates a major shift in the two-year conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF. The eastern regions, which shelter a large number of displaced people, had so far avoided bombardment.
The army has responded by beefing up its deployment around vital facilities in Port Sudan and has closed roads leading to the presidential palace and army command.
Port Sudan, home to the country’s primary airport, army headquarters and a seaport, has been perceived as the safest place in the war-ravaged nation. In March, the army ousted the RSF from its last footholds in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, but the paramilitary RSF holds some areas in Omdurman, directly across the Nile River, and has consolidated its position in western Sudan, splitting the nation into rival zones.
The conflict between the army and the paramilitary RSF has unleashed waves of ethnic violence and created what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with several areas plunged into famine. The war erupted in April 2023 amid a power struggle between the army and RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule. It ruined much of Khartoum, uprooted more than 12 million Sudanese from their homes and left about half of the 50 million population suffering from acute hunger. Overall deaths are hard to estimate, but a study published last year said the toll may have reached 61,000 in Khartoum state alone in the first 14 months of the conflict.
What We’re Reading
The banking amendment: The recent amendment to Lebanon’s banking secrecy law aims to grant authorised entities-including independent auditors, regulatory bodies, and the central bank-access to banking records dating back ten years, a key demand by the IMF to advance Lebanon’s economic reform agenda. Yet, the big question remains: are these amendments sufficient? Do they mark a real shift toward building an accountable financial system, or are they merely a soft workaround that skirts the essence of genuine reform? Many observers argue that, despite progress, loopholes and limited retroactivity still undermine the fight against corruption and the restoration of public trust. The analysis of Maan Barazy.
Burying infants and Hezbollah’s weapons: Lebanon is locked in a cycle of paralysis, and no debate exemplifies this more than the endless, sterile argument over Hezbollah’s arms – a debate that has long since ceased to be political and become existential. The opinion of the managing editor of NOW Lebanon, Makram Rabah.
Frozen in time: Lebanon’s chances of securing foreign aid to support post-war reconstruction are looking increasingly bleak, due not only to the scale of its own crisis but also to a broader collapse in global development funding, along with certain conditions from international donors. The article of Rodayna Raydan.
Between the wall and the future: This past week, we witnessed Druze in the occupied Golan breaking the border fence in an attempt to reach their kin in Syria, Ramzi Abou Ismail reported for NOW Lebanon. It was a moment charged with symbolism of defiance, desperation, and the raw energy of a community that feels under siege, not just physically, but existentially.
