International report № 12

International Report 12 – June 18-24, 2020

The LCRS Political Team provides an analytical reading of the events in Lebanon, the region and the world.

1. Introduction

On Lebanese affairs

The political scene this week in Lebanon was similar to what preceded it except for somes which had some hopes for the visit of the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Laudrian, who arrived on Wednesday evening. He has visited the three presidents on the second day in addition to the visit of the Lebanese Foreign Minister and the Maronite Patriarch, as well as the "Amel" Foundation in Haret Hreik. On Friday, he continued his visits, so he visited the Carmel School in Al-Mushrif, where he met the heads of the Francophone institutions and concluded his visit with a visit to the Rafic Hariri Governmental Hospital, from where he affirmed, "France's permanent standing with the Lebanese people and the support of servicing of refugees and displaced persons," and saluted the "solidarity that the Lebanese have shown towards them."

It is mentioned that the guest did not made any political declarations except from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as his speech was clear regarding the French policy towards Lebanon, when he affirmed that the implementation of the reforms is necessary in order to get Lebanon out of its ordeal and that there is no alternative solution to get Lebanon out of its crisis. He ended his speech with a phrase he had mentioned in his speech to the House of Commons in France last week: The slogan of my message to Lebanon is helped us to help you.

1. The report

The report team provides an analytical reading that will put in light the main events around the world.

1. On Lebanese issues

Following up on his stances in the past two weeks, the Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi stressed that the system of neutrality is not a sectarian or imported proposition but rather a retrieval of our identity and nature and the door of salvation for all Lebanese without exception, saying during the sermon on Sunday’s Mass: “I hope that a true understanding of the concept of neutrality will come Through scientific intellectual dialogues. " He stressed that the system of neutrality requires a strong state with its army, institutions and laws, and able to defend itself and create political stability and economic growth. He expressed his solidarity with the tragedy of the expenditures from the American University Hospital, calling on the state to intervene to reduce this tragedy. He as well stressed that the government must extend assistance and intervention in solving the crisis of dismissing employees from the American University Hospital and take steps to avoid another such tragedy in other vital sectors. On the other hand, Al-Rahi expressed his concern about granting random licenses to educational institutions and commercial university branches that lead to a low academic level, which threatens a systematic plan to change Lebanon's cultural face.

On June 17, the head of the Beirut Execution Department, Judge Faisal Makki, issued (and published on Monday) a decision in which he reserved the seizure of shares belonging to the Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salameh, in a number of real estate owned by him in his house located in Rabieh (Mount Lebanon Governorate) according to a call up by lawyers in the group “The People want to reform the system”. It is reported that Judge Faisal Makki, who placed a precautionary seizure of the property of the Governor of the Banque du Liban, Riad Salameh, is the same one who threw the seizure of the property of PM Hadi Habeish in the case of a the public prosecutor, Mount Lebanon Ghada Aoun (Aounist judge)... It happens to be that Judge Faisal Makki is the brother of the coordinator of the Free Patriotic Movement (Aounist party) in Nabatieh Khaled Makki!

In a new development, Israeli Channel 12 reported, on Wednesday, that there is a high-frequency alert in the Israeli north (at the border with Lebanon), and that Hezbollah is raising the level of alert on the border, and is sending threats associated with the activity of an anti-tank cell preparing to carry out an operation similar to that It was recently implemented to respond to the Israeli attacks against the party and Iranian forces in Syria.

Concerning the International Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the issuance of the Court decision, the Politica Center had accompanied the emergence of the STL from the beginning, and in a follow-up move to the Court decision in the beginning of August, the Center published through its communication sites some documents related to this event, which can be read through the attached links .

1- The opposition statement, following the martyrdom of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.

Link: https://lcrs-politica.com/research/byan-almaaard-aal-athr-estshhad-alreys-rfyk-alhryry

2- Peter Fitzgerald's report on the assassination of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.

Link: https://lcrs-politica.com/research/tkryr-bytr-fytzjyrald-fy-aghtyal-alreys-rfyk-alhryry

3- Security Council Resolution 1595 establishing the International Fact-Finding Commission.

Link: https://lcrs-politica.com/research/krar-mjls-alamn-rkm-1595

4- Detlev Mehlis report on the assassination of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.

Link: https://lcrs-politica.com/research/tkryr-dytlyf-mylys-fy-aghtyal-alreys-rfyk-alhryry

On the economic front, information was circulated on Thursday morning that banks are moving towards withdrawing from negotiations with the Ministry of Finance and Lazard Company, because the ministry insists on the process of heresies, which is rejected by the banks. The matter that was denied by the Association of Banks, on Thursday evening.

Political and economic events:

• Amal Movement On the Anniversary of the July War: We are more committed to the choice of the resistance. The government seems unable to offer solutions to the Lebanese crises.
• The sermon of the Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi in the Basilica of Our Lady of Lebanon - Harissa on the occasion of St. Charbel's Sunday evening: The system of neutrality protects Lebanon's fate from being lost in the game of nations, and from the dangers of tampering with its identity and order. And "the system of neutrality" is the responsibility of the conscience and patriotism of the state. And for the young men and women of Lebanon, he said: "The comprehensive national educational charter" and the project "The system of neutrality of Lebanon" are in your charge and the program of "your revolution."
• Statement of “Lady of the Mountain meeting”: Let the patriarch's invitation usher in a liberating march on the way to the third independence and always behind “Lebanon first”.
• The Cabinet approved the help of ALVAREZ & MARSAL to conduct the criminal investigation.
• FPM: (Aoun movement) welcomed the decision to contract with a company for financial accounting audits: to approve the law on the disclosure of accounts and properties because of its importance in fighting corruption.
• The Future Bloc: To engage positively with Al-Rahi proposition, in the hope that it will constitute a road map for ending the crises.
• The Development and Liberation Bloc met under Berri's leadership: adhering to the letter to the 1701, and any attempt to amend its provisions jeopardize the security of the region.
• The Democratic Meeting (PSP): blackmailing the Lebanese and linking solutions to passing suspicious and rejected projects that will not pass.
• The National Initiative Movement commends the initiative of Patriarch Al-Rahi and affirms that there will be no change in France’s position with the visit of its Foreign Minister to Lebanon

2. On Syrian Issues

Once again, Israeli raids targeted, on Monday evening, sites of the Syrian regime forces and Iranian militias in the capital, Damascus, where violent explosions resumed, concurrently with the regime's air defenses responding to a number of those missiles. Several Israeli missiles struck the area south and southwest of the capital, Damascus, without the air defenses of the regime being able to drop those missiles, despite their launch from 3 directions in Azraa, Suwayda and Quneitra in southern Syria. The Israeli raids were carried out in two waves, the first of which affected the Kiswah region, and according to sources, those raids were not only Israeli but there may be American participation in them, while the second stage of the raids launched by Israel from the occupied Golan, and targeted areas south of Damascus. On the other hand, Israel announced that the bombing came in response to an imminent operation that it was targeting it from Syria.

On Thursday evening, American warplanes intercepted an Iranian civilian plane belonging to Mahan Airlines, which was flying to Beirut airport in Syrian airspace. The Central American Command explained the incident, saying that an American F-15 fighter intercepted an Iranian airliner in Syrian airspace to verify its identity, and to ensure the security and safety of the coalition forces at the Al-Tanf base, which is close to the border triangle with Jordan and Iraq. At the base there are forces from the US-led international coalition. It is reported that the United States and Israel have long accused Mahan Air of transporting weapons to fighters linked to Iran in Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere.

3. On Libyan issues

After the renewed announcement by the forces loyal to the Al-Wefaq government on Saturday that it intends to start what has become known as the "great battle" to control the oil strategic city of Sirte in central Libya, the threats faced by Egypt by extremists whom Turkey exported to Libya from Syria and Somalia have become a real danger to the largest Countries of the Arab world. In this context, Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, on Wednesday, held two telephone calls with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian and German Haikou Maas to discuss developments in the Libyan scene, after the Egyptian parliament agreed to send forces to counter the progress of the forces loyal to the government of reconciliation. "The two phone calls discussed in great detail the developments in the Libyan scene and the importance of working towards advancing the achievement of the political settlement there," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez. He added that Shukry stressed the "priority that the Egyptian side attaches to working towards a ceasefire and to achieving a Libyan / Libyan political negotiating solution." Shukry reiterated his affirmation that the "Cairo Declaration" aims to enhance the chances of achieving such a solution that preserves the Libyan national state and its territorial integrity, "and allows the continuation of efforts to eliminate terrorist groups and armed militias so that the brotherly Libyan people enjoy security and stability." At the same time, Shukry stressed that success in reaching the desired political solution "requires a firm confrontation to the proliferation of extremist organizations in Libyan territory and external interference, in a way that not only threatens Egyptian interests, but also affects the security of the countries bordering the Mediterranean, and also regional and international stability in general."

We recall that President Sisi had stated during the conference of sheikhs and notables of Libya last week that "the Egyptian state will not stand idle if the Sirte-Al-Jafra line was crossed, and will not accept destabilizing the security and stability of the eastern region in Libya," adding that "if Egypt intervenes in Libya, the Military scene will change quickly and decisively." With this, Al-Sisi has repeated his warning for the second time about Sirte and Al-Jafra, after the first time on June 20. The Libyan Al-Wefaq government is seeking to control the cities of Sirte and Al-Jafra, which are considered the key to oil wealth in the east of the country, from the hands of the Tobruk Parliament forces led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who is supported by Cairo.

The United States of America is continuing its involvement in the Libyan issue, especially since the escalation there has huge repercussions for the friends and strategic allies of the United States, starting from Egypt, which considers that its national security is at risk, through Turkey, the NATO member to the entire Alliance, which does not want for Russia to take a permanent position on its southern border. The United States insists first on its opposition to military actions. A senior administration official said, "The United States strongly opposes military escalation in Libya by all sides." The words of the senior official in the American administration appear to be qualitatively different from what was previously said by officials, and calls the Libyans unequivocally to remove Turkish and Russian forces including the "Wagner Group" out of Libyan territory. The senior administration official stressed that "it is necessary to build on the progress made previously through the 5 + 5 talks sponsored by the United Nations, and on the Cairo initiative and the Berlin track." What is remarkable about this statement is that the American administration added, during the past hours, the "Cairo Initiative" to the list of references it wishes to adopt to stop the conflict between the Libyan parties and was previously restricted to the 5 + 5 system under the auspices of the United Nations and the Berlin track.

4. On Israeli issue

Thousands of demonstrators gathered Sunday in occupied Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to condemn corruption and the Israeli government's management of the "Covid-19" pandemic and its repercussions. Anger has escalated in Israel in recent days, following the imposition of more restrictions to counter the return of the epidemic, which has damaged the economy. Protesters accuse the government of being "separated" from reality. A rally was organized in occupied Jerusalem, in front of the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to demand his resignation. Netanyahu faces charges in 3 separate cases, related to bribery, fraud and abuse of trust. Hundreds of protesters held placards reading "Democracy", "Liar" and "Manipulative."

In the coastal city of Tel Aviv, thousands of demonstrators flocked to the Charles Clore Park to protest the management of the health and economic crisis, in expectation of new restrictions aiming the stemming of the spread of the new Corona virus.

It is known that, on Friday, the Israeli government decided to take new partial measures to "avoid a general household quarantine" due to the high number of daily infections with the Corona virus, according to which some public sites will be closed during the weekend. A joint statement of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Health stated that “shops, commercial centers, hairdressing salons, beauty institutes, libraries, zoos, museums, swimming pools, tourist sites and tramways” will be closed from Friday evening to Sunday morning every week until further notice. The gyms have also been closed all week, and restaurants will only be allowed to provide home delivery or takeaway delivery on weekdays.

On the security front with Lebanon, the Israeli army announced sending military reinforcements to the northern border, after a member of the Lebanese "Hezbollah" was killed in air strikes launched by Israel on military sites in Syria last week. According to the Israeli Channel 13 on Thursday, the "IDF decided to reinforce the border with Lebanon," after the killing of a Hezbollah member.

5. About the COVID-19 virus in the world

Urumqi, the capital of China's far-western Xinjiang region, entered a "war mode", launching an emergency response plan after the city registered 16 new cases of the emerging corona virus Friday. At the press conference, Rui Baoling, director of the Center for Disease Containment and Prevention in Urumqi, said that the newly detected cases in the city were linked to a set of activities, where all confirmed cases and no-symptom cases were reported in the Tiansha area, but did not specify The nature of those activities. Xinjiang, which contains most of the ethnic Uighur minority in China, avoided the worst outbreak of the virus that appeared in central China's Wuhan late last year. On Saturday, the National Health Committee announced 22 new cases of corona virus infection on the mainland on July 17, up from 10 cases the day before. By Friday, confirmed cases of the Corona virus in mainland China had reached 83,644, and the number of deaths at 4,634 had remained unchanged, the commission said.

On Sunday, Chinese Hong Kong Chief Executive Curry Lam warned that an outbreak of the Corona virus in the former British colony had gone out of control, after recording a record high infection count. Lam confirmed, during a press briefing held on Sunday, 108 new infections were recorded with the virus that causes "Covid-19" during the last 24 hours, which represents an unprecedented leap in the outcome of the injuries and brings the total number of epidemics in the region to the special administration to 1886,  500 of which had being recorded during the past two weeks. "The situation is very critical and there are no indications that it is under control ... We are facing a new wave of outbreaks which is much more dangerous," said the chief executive officer. Lam expressed the intention of local authorities to tighten the measures imposed in an effort to reduce the spread of infection, including making the wearing of masks mandatory in closed public places and extending restrictions imposed on restaurant activities.

While the US government agreed to allocate two billion dollars for 100 million doses of a vaccine against the Corona virus, which is being developed by the alliance of the American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German Biontec, and the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the production of a vaccine that proved to be effective, as well as Oxford University scientists announced That their experimental vaccine for the Corona virus showed, in early experiments, the acceleration of the protective immune response in hundreds of people who got it, a WHO expert came out, on Wednesday, with a statement that may be frustrating for many, after confirming that the researchers are making great progress in developing vaccines to prevent the Covid virus infection -19, but he added that it is not expected to start using it before early 2021.

In Lebanon, the number of cases increases dramatically with the Covid-19 virus. On Wednesday, the Lebanese Ministry of Health recorded 124 injuries, and on Thursday, the Minister of Health announced 161 injuries, "as of 5:00 pm," according to his speech.

6. On the internal and external American affairs

The US government has agreed to allocate $ 1.95 billion for 100 million doses of a vaccine against the Corona virus, which is being developed by the alliance of US drug giant Pfizer and German Piontec, the European laboratory said on Wednesday. Pontic said in a statement that the United States has the option to purchase "500 million additional doses," adding that "American citizens will receive the vaccine free of charge in line with the commitment of the United States government to provide Covid-19 vaccines free of charge." Biontech and the American Pfizer laboratory have been working for several months on developing a vaccine project, which will enter a decisive stage of large-scale clinical trials after encouraging initial results. Washington will receive the first doses as soon as Pfizer "succeeds in making (the vaccine) and gets approval" by the US health authorities. The two laboratories aim to "manufacture 100 million doses of vaccine before the end of 2020," with the potential to manufacture more than 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021.

In early July, the two companies announced positive initial results after testing their vaccine for 45 participants. They said that the experimental vaccine "is capable of inducing a response to generate antibodies that are able to neutralize the virus in humans at levels higher than or equal to those appearing in the sera of recovering patients - and it does so in relatively low doses." A spokeswoman for Biontech told AFP on Wednesday that two doses of the vaccine were needed, and that the person receive a second boosted dose seven days after the first injection. The large-scale clinical trial phase of the experimental vaccine, which will be conducted in Brazil and Argentina, will start currently . "We are also in advanced discussions with many other governments and we hope to announce additional delivery agreements soon," Piontech's head Ugur Shahin said in a statement.

In a new step in the crisis between China and the United States, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday described the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas, which was closed by the United States, as a "center of Chinese espionage" and "for theft of intellectual property." In a speech in California, Pompeo said, "This week we closed the Chinese consulate in Houston because it was a hub for spying and stealing intellectual property." "China has plundered our intellectual property and precious trade secrets, resulting in millions of jobs lost across America," he added. Pompeo called for the "free world" to triumph over the "new tyranny" of communist China. Pompeo's comments came in light of the strained relations between Washington and Beijing, and the latest episode of this dispute was the inclusion of 11 Chinese companies in the sanctions list, for its role in the violations against the Muslim Uyghur minority in the western Chinese province of Shenyang. And the US State Department announced last week that the United States would ban entry visas of some Chinese telecom operator Huawei, which Washington accuses of spying for Beijing.

In response to the closure of one of its missions in the United States, China Friday ordered the closure of the US consulate in the large city of Chengdu in the southwest.

On the other hand, US President Donald Trump announced Thursday that, due to the outbreak of the new Corona virus in the southern United States, he had canceled the "grand" National Congress of the Republican Party, which was scheduled to be held in Jacksonville, Florida next month, to officially appoint the party's candidate for the presidential elections. . Trump said at a press conference at the White House that this was not the time to hold a "large and crowded national conference." On Thursday, the United States recorded more than 76,000 new infections with the new Corona virus within 24 hours, according to data published by Johns Hopkins University, a reference point for tracking cases and deaths caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

7. On Iraqi issues

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, Monday, the postponement of the visit of the Prime Minister of Iraq, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, to the Kingdom, after the agreement between the two countries. The Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan, said: "The Kingdom appreciates the choice of the Iraqi Prime Minister to visit her as the first country after taking office, and to celebrate this extremely important visit and a desire to provide all means of success to it, our rational leadership, in coordination with our brothers in Iraq, opted to postpone the visit until after The discharge of the King from the hospital. " Al-Kazemi had previously preceded a delegation headed by his deputy, Minister of Finance Ali Allawi, to prepare for the meetings, which suggested that the visit would focus on financial and economic issues. Prior to the visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi to Saudi Arabia, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif came to Baghdad. In a joint press conference with the Iraqi foreign minister, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed Iraq’s role in the Gulf region and in building bilateral relations in the framework of non-interference in internal affairs. Zarif said, in a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fouad Hussein in the capital, Baghdad, on Sunday, that "Iranian-Iraqi relations was baptized with the blood of young people of both countries in the war against ISIS," stressing that a strong Iraq will have constructive relations with neighboring countries and in a way that achieves peace in the region. For his part, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein stressed in the press conference that Iraq is working to keep the region and Iraq away from international tensions and protect Iraqi sovereignty. He added that "the power of Iraq means the strength of the region and we want balanced relations with all neighboring countries according to the Iraqi national interest and not to interfere in internal affairs."

8. On Yemeni affairs

The subject of the "Safer" tank, the ecological time bomb, still takes a large part of international attention. After pledging and agreeing to allow the entry of a technical mission of the United Nations to the "Safer" floating tank for maintenance and unloading, the Houthi coup militias have again evaded using this paper to pressure and blackmail the international community in causing the largest environmental disaster in the world. The prominent leader of the Houthi militia, and the head of what is called the Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, called on the United Nations to solve the problem of Safer tank, through a neutral international third-party.

On the political level, the Yemeni Prime Minister, Dr. Moeen Abdul Malik, accused Qatar of working to spread chaos in his country, explaining that "From early on, Doha supported the Houthi militias with money, arms, information, and relations, and worked to destabilize Yemen." Abdel Malik, who is currently visiting Egypt, added in an interview published by the official "Middle East News" (ASA), that "since the boycott of the Gulf countries to Qatar, the Qatari policy has become clear, and Qatari support has become public in Houthi militias, in addition to its work now to weaken the government, and the failure of the restoration of the state's efforts, and create hotbeds of tension in some provinces, financing and launch of jamming campaigns as part of the subversive policy ". He explained that "in light of the resumption of international moves to revive the stalled peace process due to the intransigence of the Houthi militias backed by Iran, and its refusal to fulfill its obligations and pledges made before the international community in Sweden, and at the invitation of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and his special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths to stop the fire and unify Efforts to confront the Corona pandemic, the Yemeni government and the Alliance for Support of Legitimacy led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced last April a unilateral ceasefire, and dealt with approval of the proposals contained in the draft submitted at the time by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, but the Houthi militias are still rejecting all these initiatives, and insists on setting new conditions that violate the country's sovereignty and the exclusive right of the state to manage its institutions, and this is what the government clearly rejects.

9. On Egyptian affairs

In a new development, the Egyptian parliament granted, on Sunday, its mandate and approval of the army's intervention to protect the Egyptian national security, in a secret session held against the background of the situation in Libya, coinciding with the Egyptian-American agreement to stabilize the ceasefire in Libya. Sources stated that the Egyptian parliament granted, in a closed session, its mandate and approval of the intervention of the Egyptian armed forces to protect Egyptian national security, against the background of the situation in Libya. the sources also said that the House of Representatives agreed during the session, to authorize President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to take all necessary measures to maintain national security. The Egyptian parliament agreed to send elements of the army on combat missions outside the borders of the state, in order to defend the country's national security, against the actions of militias and foreign terrorist elements.

In a statement, Egyptian Parliament said that Egypt has throughout its history been a nation calling for peace, but it does not accept infringement  or compromising its rights. It added that the army is empowered to defend national security against the actions of militias and foreign terrorist elements. "The army has the constitutional license to determine when and where to respond to the dangers," the statement continued.

This comes at a time when the Egyptian President held talks with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, on the developments of the Libyan crisis. The Egyptian presidency announced that there was agreement between the two presidents on stabilizing the cease-fire in Libya, and not to escalate in preparation for the start of activating dialogue and political solutions. The spokesperson for the Egyptian presidency, Bassam Radi, said that Sisi reviewed Egypt's consistent strategic position on the Libyan issue. On the other hand, Radhi mentioned that the communication also dealt with exchanging visions regarding the developments of the current position of the file of the Renaissance Dam.

In this context, the United Nations said that the authorization of the Egyptian parliament, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, to send forces outside the border in a western direction (probably Libya), "is a source of great concern," warning against adding "kerosene to the fire." In response to questions from reporters about this mandate, the spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, Stephen Dujarric, during a press conference, said: "We are following this closely ... These developments are a source of great concern."

It is noteworthy that Egypt's position was noticeable during these diplomatic impulses, while the field situation is "on the brink of war", and according to private information, Egypt has informed the United States weeks ago that it refuses to establish a terrorist outpost backed by a local government, i.e. the Saraj government in Tripoli And with regional sponsorship, i.e. the Turkish government, the Egyptian government has added during the past days conditions for a solution, and the United States has demanded a radical solution to the Libyan problem, and among this package is the exit of all foreign forces, the dissolution of all militias, and the placement of all militants under the unified military leadership, Egypt considered during the talks that this solution is a "package of related conditions."

10. On Iranian affairs

The mystery of the blast that hit the Natanz facility in central Iran on July 2 remains mysterious, amid official authorities' failure to disclose details, only hinting and pointing fingers at "cyber attacks." However, the new this time came through an indirect hint by the Revolutionary Guards media, as sites close to it pointed the finger at Irshad Karimi, who had been a contractor for many years at the nuclear facility and was responsible for launching the uranium enrichment cycle at the Natanz plant in Isfahan province. Guard sites quoted informed sources as saying that Karimi blew up with his team the centrifugal hall and caused great damage to the nuclear industry. The sources also pointed out that Karimi's powers were supported by the Isfahan intelligence agency. It is noteworthy that a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian parliament, Jawad Karimi Qadousi, had announced a few days ago that the explosion at the Natanz facility was due to a security breach and a violation of security barriers. On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi revealed that "several cyber attacks against the country’s infrastructure have been suffered in recent months," denying that the many fires that have occurred in the past weeks and affected Iranian facilities are among those attacks.

11. On European affairs.

France, Germany and Italy announced their willingness to "consider" the possibility of sanctions against foreign powers that violate the arms embargo to Libya, according to a joint statement issued by the leaders of the three countries on Saturday. "We urge all foreign parties to stop their increasing interference and fully respect the arms embargo imposed by the Security Council," the statement said. "We are ready to consider the possible resort to sanctions if the embargo continues to be violated by sea, land or air," it added.

In another context, Greek sources said that negotiations between Athens and Paris are drawing to a close with regard to supplying Greece with two French "belharra" frigate in 2024 with a value of 3 billion euros. While the sources said that Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis discussed with the French President Emmanuel Macron the issue of military cooperation between the two countries in light of the tension in the eastern Mediterranean, and that Greece will pay the cost of the two frigates gradually at a value of 300 million euros per year. Greece tends to enhance its military capabilities in anticipation of Turkish forces entering its territorial waters when Turkey will start exploring for hydrocarbons in Greek waters next fall, according to what Ankara announced. The sources said that Athens is conducting additional negotiations with the American military Martin Lockheed Foundation to update 4 Greek "Miko" frigates. The same sources added that Athens is also in negotiations with Israel to supply four Corvette warships.

On the other hand, snipers of the British Special Forces (SAS) targeted ISIS members in the mountain caves in northern Iraq, killing at least 100 terrorists in a "secret war" aimed at getting rid of them, according to the Daily Mail. SAS hunted ISIS operatives, including the British ones, from their hideouts in remote highlands, and then targeted them with sniper rifles, artillery and precision air strikes launched from "RAF Typhoon" drones and "UK Reaper" drones. Sources at the British Ministry of Defense confirmed that there were at least ten battles in northern Iraq in the past three months, and some covert operations in neighboring Syria, noting that many British ISIS members were killed in these battles, after many of them escaped from prisons and returned to The organization has taken refuge in a rugged area in northern Iraq, where ISIS uses a network of caves and tunnels. A source at the Ministry of Defense said: "The bombing of the British Royal Air Force was very accurate without causing civilian casualties and certainly there were British ISIS among the dead. They were identified during the battle in intercepting communications and then from ID cards and through DNA," adding: "It is necessary that ISIS

In another context, European Union heads of state and government reached agreement on Tuesday on the budget and economic recovery fund following the epidemic of the COVID-19 virus. This was announced by European Council President Charles Michel on the sidelines of this summit, which continued its work in Brussels for about five days. According to the Belgian Prime Minister, Sophie Wilms, the final compromise version of the budget plan for the seven years of the European Union is 1.074 trillion euros for the period from 2021 to 2027, while the extra-budgetary fund for the European Union’s economic recovery remained at 750 billion euros.

In another context, French President Emmanuel Macron, on Thursday, called for a summit to be held in France and the European Union countries bordering the Mediterranean "Euro Med 7", at the end of next August, to discuss the latest developments in the Mediterranean. The seven countries in the gathering are France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Malta and Cyprus.Speaking to the French President when he received the Cypriot counterpart Nikos Anastasiades, Macron told reporters: "The European Union will make a grave mistake if it leaves its security on the Mediterranean" in the hands of other parties, "in a direct reference to Turkey, whose relationship with Paris has been unprecedented due to Ankara's interference. In Libya, Macron added that he wants to impose more sanctions on violators of the Greek and Cypriot maritime sphere, and Macron’s speech and his call for the European-Mediterranean Summit predict that European concern about Turkey’s activities had reach an unprecedented extent.

12. On Turkish affairs.

The Greek navy deployed military battleships in the Aegean Sea after it declared a state of "alert" due to Turkish energy exploration activities, according to a source from the Navy on Wednesday. The source added that "the marine units have been deployed since yesterday in the south and southeast of the Aegean Sea," refusing to reveal more details. This event comes after Turkey sent a second exploration ship to the Cyprus territorial waters a few days ago.

As Turkey continues to move in the Mediterranean, provoking European countries, and prompting the Libyan army and navy to alert. The day after Turkish naval units moved to carry out excavations in the eastern Mediterranean, in a move that raised concern and rejection by Europe and heightened disputes over ownership of natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean, the Libyan naval forces confirmed their willingness to confront any Turkish ships approaching the Libyan coast. The Libyan Army Chief of Staff, Major-General Faraj Mahdawi, told Al Arabiya.net that the army has the ability today to destroy any ship up to 100 km from the Libyan coast, adding that Turkish naval units are the first target of  these known missiles that are known in the world with its ability to sink any ship. Simultaneously, a spokesman for the Libyan National Army, Major General Ahmed Al-Mesmari, announced that Turkey had opened a smuggling route for Syrian mercenaries across the Mediterranean to Europe. He said in a press conference held in Benghazi, on Wednesday evening that this line starts from the areas of Tripoli, Sabratah and Zwara, which are subject to the militias of the government of reconciliation supported by Ankara. He also pointed to the escape of about 1,000 Syrian mercenaries from Zwara and Sabratha towards Europe last week, through boats provided by a European country in support of the Libyan coast guard. He also pointed out that there were reports that 483 Syrians had fled from Libya to Europe only on Tuesday.

With regard to the cities of Sirte and Al-Jafra, Al-Mismari confirmed that their axes were strongly fortified during the last period and strengthened with weapons, shields, radars and air defenses. He also reiterated that the Libyan army believes in a political solution to the crisis for the benefit of Libyans, but at the same time it must prepare for any possible military confrontation in Libya.