International report № 14

 International Report 14 – August 1-7, 2020

The LCRS Politica team report on events in Lebanon after the explosion that hit Beirut harbor, in addition to regional and world events.

1. Introduction

On Lebanese affairs

As humanitarian aid planes continue to arrive at Beirut airport, the political crisis remains and the youth revolution continues. On the night of Thursday / Friday, a group of revolutionaries tried to enter the parliament, but the parliament police with the riot police thwarted the try.

The Lebanese youth’s feeling of distrust of the ruling authority was evident during President Macron’s meeting with the citizens on the street.

It is also worth noting the movement of this youth after the disaster, which happened spontaneously - volunteering to help the victims of the explosion, while the Authority is still busy with concerns to secure its continuation of power. A large number of young women and men spread in the area extending from the port to the inside of the affected Beirut neighborhoods to clean the streets and arrange the contents of the affected apartments, as well as help people who are still in their cracked homes to secure the basics of life to continue.

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

All Lebanese news was masked by the news of the explosion that occurred Tuesday evening in the port of Beirut. Beirut was declared a disaster city, public mourning was declared for the martyrs on Wednesday, and the Supreme Defense Council declared a state of emergency for two weeks. The scenes of devastation witnessed by the Lebanese on Wednesday morning exceeded all expectations. The citizens woke up to scenes of mass destruction in the port area and adjacent neighborhoods, likened to the Hiroshima disaster. And the Seismological Center in Jordan announced that the aftershocks of the Beirut explosion were similar to an earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale. The explosion has killed 154 people so far, but the number of missing people is much greater, and the number of wounded exceeded 5,000. Rescue and civil defense teams are still searching for the missing at the site of the explosion, whose effects extended to more than 20 kilometers in Beirut, and resulted in severe damage in hundreds of buildings. The governor of Beirut had announced that the losses exceeded $ 5 billion, and that the explosion had displaced more than 300,000 families from their homes in Beirut.

The international and Arab community responded to the call for help, and medical aid aircraft poured into Beirut International Airport from the east and the west. France announced the formation of an investigation committee after 24 French were injured.

Voices raised calling for the formation of an international investigation committee to investigate the facts of the explosion. The first call for an international investigation committee came form a joint official statement from "The Lady of the Mountain Meeting" and the "National Initiative Movement". As well as the former heads of government called for the formation of an international or Arab investigation committee to uncover the causes and circumstances of the explosion, and the head of the Socialist Party, former deputy Walid Jumblatt, called for an international investigation committee to uncover the truth about the Beirut port explosion, stressing that there is no confidence in this government that it is able to reveal the truth, as Dr. Samir Geagea called for an international investigation committee. While the Minister of Interior stated that Lebanon does not need such a committee because the Lebanese security services have competence and he has full confidence in it! President Aoun also rejected the international investigation committee under the pretext of "protecting sovereignty."…

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived on a private visit to Beirut on Thursday morning to inspect the explosion and meet with Lebanese officials. He started his visit by inspecting the port, after which he visited the afflicted Gemayze and Mar Mikhael areas, where he walked in the streets, met the citizens, comforted them in their injuries, and listened to their complaints, where it became clear the anger of the citizens of the ruling class and their lack of confidence in them, and they asked President Macron frankly not to send support to the government because in this case they would not benefit from Aid. After that, he moved to Baabda Palace, where he held a quadripartite meeting attended by Presidents Michel Aoun, Nabih Berri and Hassan Diab, after which President Macron declared that he is visiting Lebanon with the aim of supporting the Lebanese people and thus he also confirms the support of the French people for the Lebanese in this disaster, and he also carries with him a political initiative that he will present to all The political leaders that he will meet later in the “Pine Palace”, the headquarters of the French ambassador to Lebanon. After the Lebanese-French summit, a joint statement was issued, in which President Macron stressed that Lebanon will not be alone in facing difficulties, expressing France's readiness to always stand by it in difficult circumstances, indicating that France will undertake an active movement to push the international community to move effectively and quickly to stand up to Lebanon's side and its aid, and President Aoun thanked President Macron for the humanitarian and medical aid sent by France, and expressed his appreciation for his solidarity with Lebanon to address the effects of the devastating disaster that befell it, which coincided with the many crises facing Lebanon. Later on and after the meeting of President Macron with the heads of blocs and parties ended in the “Pine Palace” in the evening, Prime Minister Saad Hariri left without making any statement. As for the President of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, he said: Macron's words are clear, if you do not help yourselves, we will not help you. And he started with the simple things that his foreign minister had previously said, that is, solve the story of electricity, water and life matters, which are more important than discussing international and regional policies and it was clear that the people had no confidence in the political class. Former MP Suleiman Franjieh declared, Macron spoke of a change of work method, not of regime change, and he has proven that he is a true friend of Lebanon. MP Sami Gemayel said upon his departure: We heard from the French President “letting off steam”, he said the truth as it is. Whoever brings us here will not save us and we must return the decision to the people with early elections, and the first proposal is to change the government and then other solutions will come. We are with an international commission investigating the port explosion. While the head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Dr. Samir Geagea, stated: Just because the President of France left all his country's problems to come to Lebanon, means this is a big step, and they have provided aid and want to provide more. Representatives Gebran Bassil and Muhammad Raad did not make any statement. President Macron also held a meeting with civil society organizations. Then President Macron went out and declared: We will organize with America, the World Bank and the European Union an international conference to help Lebanon, and we will not give a blank check.

It should be noted here, that President Macron had distinguished his policy towards Lebanon from the policy of the United States, and this difference has appeared in dealing with Lebanon since the resignation of President Saad Hariri from Saudi Arabia in the year 2017, where French diplomacy is still communicating with the leaders of Hezbollah, the last of which was the invitation of the President of the  Hezbollah’s bloc in the Lebanese Parliament, Representative Muhammad Raad, to the meeting at the Pine Palace Thursday evening.

In a follow-up to the countries that have sent and send aid to Beirut, the British Embassy announced in a statement on Thursday that Her Majesty's Ship Enterprise, a naval survey ship of the British Royal Navy, will sail to Lebanon as part of a broad package of military support provided by Defense Minister Ben Wallace today. This marine survey ship will head to Lebanon to assess the damage caused to the Beirut port after the explosion that occurred Tuesday, and to help restore the port's operations to normal. Its dispatch complements an immediate package of military and civilian support and a total of £ 5 million worth of aid. At the request of the Lebanese government, today the authorization was given of the dispatch of Her Majesty's ship Enterprise to assist in surveying the port of Beirut, assessing the damage caused to it, and supporting the Lebanese government and the Lebanese people in rebuilding this vital part of the national infrastructure. We have a close and lasting relationship of friendship with the Lebanese people, and our army is ready to help them at the time of their ordeal.

The statement pointed out that the Beirut port is of vital importance for the sake of economic stability in Lebanon, and it is the port through which most of the imported goods reach the country. Her Majesty's ship is currently docked in Limassol and will head to Lebanon at a later time. The United Kingdom is working with the Lebanese authorities to determine the optimal time to dispatch the ship. The British Armed Forces will also send a small team to the British Embassy in Beirut to help define requirements and coordinate a broader support package for the Lebanese Army, which includes providing the medical support needed by Lebanon, assistance with air transport, support for engineering capabilities and communications. He noted that Chief of Staff Sir Nick Carter had contacted General Joseph Aoun, Commander of the Lebanese Army, on Tuesday evening to extend his condolences. Also, the Chief Defense Adviser in the Middle East, Lieutenant General Sir John Lorimer, spoke with General Aoun on Thursday morning to brief him on the support provided by the United Kingdom, and to find out about other ways in which the British Army can assist in the aftermath of the explosion, and what follows from the continuous management of its consequences.

The World Bank said on Wednesday that it is ready to mobilize its resources to help Lebanon after the massive explosion that killed tens of people, left thousands of wounded and destroyed part of Beirut on Tuesday. The Foundation confirmed its ability to use its expertise to conduct a rapid assessment of damages and needs and to develop a reconstruction plan in accordance with international standards, according to a statement issued by it, Wednesday. It suggested sharing lessons and experiences from all parts of the world in managing post-disaster recovery and reconstruction operations. The World Bank also stressed that it can actively participate in a platform with Lebanon's partners to mobilize financial support, public and private, for reconstruction. The bank said it was Lebanon's long-time partner, stressing its willingness to reprogram existing resources and explore additional financing.

In a different context, President Aoun said in a series of tweets on Twitter on Friday: There are two possibilities for what happened, either as a result of negligence or an external intervention by means of a missile or bomb, and I personally asked the French President to provide us with aerial photos so that we can determine if there are aircraft in the airspace or missiles, and if these pictures are not available with the French, we will asked them from other countries. President Aoun also saw the necessity of reconsidering the system based on consent, after it had proven that it was "paralyzed" and obstructed the achievement of reforms, this is after French President Emmanuel Macron called on Lebanese officials to "change the political system” during his last visit.

In the context of the disaster that struck Beirut, the report team at the Lebanese Center for Research and Studies (Politica) believes that:

• The friendly Arab states should continue to work with the friendly western countries in order to urge the International decision-making circles in the corridors of the Security Council to issue an international resolution forming an international investigation committee that would work to uncover the circumstances of this unprecedented explosion that destroyed the port of Beirut for the first time since the establishment of this city. It should be noted that the city of Beirut was established around its port, and all its industries and economic movement were and are still connected to this port.

The pressure that the friendly Arab countries have made so far has resulted in an emergency session of the Security Council on Monday. We hope that these efforts will result in a Security Council resolution forming an international investigation committee to work to uncover the facts and circumstances of the explosion-disaster that struck Beirut.

• Accelerating the organization of an "international-Arab specialized committee" to study the size of the losses in the Beirut port, and to devise a plan to reconstruct the port as soon as possible. It is the lung of the Lebanese economy, and without it, it is impossible to recover from the economic crisis afflicting Lebanon.
• Regarding to the Representatives submitting their resignations from the Lebanese Parliament, the report team believes that these resignations are not beneficial. In the best case, the country goes to early parliamentary elections, but the problem remains in the election law, as this parliament will not work to pass a fair and modern law. As for the resignation of half the number of deputies, the result will be only Sub-elections.

The solution to get out of the current political crisis is to form a neutral mini-government with exceptional powers to put the country on the path of salvation with a clear economic-political reform project, approve a new election law, and then hold parliamentary elections and then a new presidential election.

• After President Michel Aoun's talk about changing the Lebanese system, the report team wonders about the consequences of this talk and does it mean "Out of the Taif Agreement and the Constitution"?

In light of recent political developments, it becomes clear that the president's speech is not merely a wish. Therefore, Arab decision-making circles should question President Michel Aoun and ask him to explain these statements, because if they are true, then this means striking the Lebanese constitution that spoke about the final decision concerning the Lebanese entity for all the Lebanese, as well as ending the confusion that existed as to the point of belonging and the Arab identity of Lebanon.

It has become necessary to place the Lebanese authority with the president of the republic and the government outside the Arab legitimacy, since it has lost its national legitimacy.

Political and economic events:

• Statement of “Lady of the Mountain meeting”: The international verdict in the assassination of Hariri is the only guarantee for ending terrorist crimes... and the Raii's initiative is the political correctness.
• Foreign Minister Nassif Hatti submitted his resignation: I carried high hopes for change and reform, but the reality aborted hope.
• Kataeb party: The government condemned itself to failure its resignation is a national duty, and the resignation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs as a witness from inside the house confirms the wear and the absence of vision.
• The Future Bloc rejected the accusations of incitement to prevent aid in Lebanon: Everyone should bear their responsibilities to implement justice, as it is the backbone of stability.

After the Beirut Port explosion:

• In a joint statement, the National Initiative movement and the Lady of the Mountain meeting demanded an international investigation committee to determine the responsibilities and causes of the Beirut port explosion, due to the lack of confidence in the Lebanese security and judicial apparatus.
• The Future Bloc: Who is responsible for storing high-explosive materials in Beirut and how did the security services in the port remain silent about their presence?
• The Republic meeting: to lay the hands of the Security Council on the investigation of the Beirut bombing.
• Socialism International: for a transparent international investigation to be able to hold accountable those responsible for the Beirut bombing.
• Nasrallah denies the presence of weapons store for the "party" in the port ... and avoids talking about an "Israeli strike"! Three days after the thunderous explosion, Hassan Nasrallah went out on Friday to the Lebanese, hiding his party’s flag from behind him, and pointing his arrows at the local and Arab media, accusing them, as usual, of working to plant the fuse of the civil war, and “unjust” allegations against Hezbollah.

2. On Syrian Issues

On Monday, Russian warplanes carried out raids on the outskirts of the city of Binnish in Idlib countryside, northern Syria, in which 4 civilians were killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The information indicated that the Russian air strikes on the northern outskirts of the city of Binnish coincided with the artillery shelling of the Syrian regime forces. This is not the first time that the areas close to Idlib have been targeted since the implementation of the ceasefire agreement on the fifth of last March, between Turkish Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian Vladimir Putin, for days, Russia and its ally Al-Assad targeted this area. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed, last Thursday, that the Syrian regime forces bombed areas in the southern countryside of Idlib.

Rocket targeted Russian forces sites in the Kinsaba axis in the northern countryside of Lattakia, which led to injuries among the Russian forces, with information about deads, as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the landing of a helicopter to transport them. In the same context, other factions were able to repel the attacks of the regime forces and the militants loyal to them on the Haddadah axis within Jabal al-Kurds in the northern countryside of Latakia, as the regime forces were unable to advance during their repeated attempts since the morning, which were accompanied by intense missile strikes.

Regarding the family dispute in the internal house of President al-Assad, and for the first time since he announced the dispute with his cousin Bashar al-Assad, businessman Rami Makhlouf suddenly ignored all the details of the disagreement between him and Bashar, in a post he published on Friday, in which he addressed his followers, on the occasion of Eid al-Adha. Makhlouf's last post was just a greeting in which he talks about what Syria and the region are going through, he said. His post on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr was a greeting and a complaint against the security authorities in the Assad regime, announcing that he transferred the sum of one and a half billion Syrian pounds to the Al-Bustan Association, which was affiliated with him, and then became under Assad’s custody, with almost certain news of its closure. The latter was replaced by another institution launched by the president of the Syrian regime himself, under the name of "Al-Areen Foundation" for charitable work. Al-Assad put his hand on the entirety of his cousin Rami Makhlouf's business and the companies owned by him, inside Syria, such as appointing a judicial guard over the "Syriatel" cellular communications company, then appointing a judicial guard over the "Sham" Holding Company, one of the largest in the country, and preceded it by preventing him from leaving Syria and dumping Reserve seizure of his movable and immovable property, and many other decisions.

3. On Libyan issues

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed with Libyan leaders in Tripoli - during his second visit in less than two months - efforts to settle the Libyan crisis politically, and he talked about negotiations with the Russians on the fate of the cities of Sirte and Jafra, warning of an attack that might be launched by retired Major Khalifa Haftar on Misrata and Tripoli. On Thursday, Cavusoglu met with the head of the Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord, Fayez al-Sarraj, accompanied by Malta's Foreign Minister Evarist Bartolo, and he also met the head of the Libyan Supreme Council of State Khaled al-Mishri. The Turkish minister said that his country is continuing its talks with the Russians to solve the Libyan crisis, in coordination with the Government of National Accord. He added that Haftar may attack Misrata and Tripoli at any moment, and that for this reason, the Government of National Accord is demanding to take over the cities of Sirte and Al-Jufrah. The Turkish foreign minister had previously confirmed that the handover of Haftar forces to Sirte and Al-Jafra was a condition for any ceasefire in Libya. The Turkish minister also spoke about the European naval "Irene" operation to monitor the implementation of the arms embargo to Libya, and described this military operation as biased, stressing that Germany's participation in it would lose its neutrality.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed, on Thursday, that the Turkish government has sent a new group of mercenaries from Syria to Libya, to fight alongside the armed militias that control Tripoli. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that a new batch of 300 people from the armed Syrian factions loyal to Ankara arrived in the past two days in Libya. The observatory indicated that the number of mercenaries who have arrived so far from Syria to Libya via Turkey has reached 17,300 mercenaries, including 350 children under the age of 18 years. For months, the Turkish government has been sending mercenaries from Syria to Tripoli to support the Fayez al-Sarraj government, in exchange for financial salaries and promises to obtain Turkish citizenship. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 6 thousand mercenaries from the pro-Turkish factions have returned from Libya to Syria, after the end of their contracts and taking their financial dues.

4. On Israeli issue

On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, of the danger of "crossing the red lines" for him personally and for Lebanon. "If Nasrallah thinks about deviating from the red lines, he will receive a painful response," Gantz said in a recorded statement published by his office on Monday. He stressed that Nasrallah will bear responsibility for any step that will be taken on his part against Israel. This came against the background of reports that Gantz ordered the army to destroy vital Lebanese installations in the event that Hezbollah carried out any retaliatory attack against soldiers or civilians, in response to the killing of one of its members near Damascus in an Israeli raid late last July.

In a related context, the Israeli army announced that it had targeted a group of four armed men who were working to plant explosive devices on a security fence at the border with Syria in the Golan Heights. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that violent explosions were heard “as a result of Israeli bombardment targeting military sites in the Al-Tal Al-Ahmar area” in the southwestern countryside of Quneitra and in the city of Albu Kamal, near the border with Iraq.

A statement issued by the Israeli army said that Israeli fighter jets launched an attack on military targets in Syria on Monday, describing the air strikes as a response to an attempt by hostile elements to plant a bomb on the border fence. The Israeli statement added that among the targets covered by the strikes were Syrian observation sites, intelligence-gathering systems, anti-aircraft batteries and command bases.

As for the Beirut port explosion, after Haaretz newspaper published Israel's responsibility for the explosion, a senior official in Israel denied the responsibility of the Israeli army for the explosion.

5. About the COVID-19 virus in the world

In Lebanon, the number of people infected with the Coronavirus “COVID-19” and deaths from it are increasing in a way that has become a pressure on the Lebanese medical system, which is already suffering from a crisis in equipment and supplies. In the last days, the Ministry of Health recorded on Saturday 1 August 175 cases with two deaths, on Sunday it recorded 155 cases with one death, on Monday 177 cases with three deaths, 335 cases were recorded on Tuesday and Wednesday and 3 deaths, and 255 cases with two deaths on Thursday, And 279 injuries on Friday.

The director of the American Institute for Infectious Diseases, a member of the Corona virus emerging cell in the United States, Anthony Fauci, expected, on Wednesday, that pharmaceutical companies would provide tens of millions of doses of a vaccine against the Corona virus with the beginning of 2021. Fauci said in an interview with Reuters, that with a Production increase it could reach 1 billion doses by the end of next year. Fauchi added that he saw no pressure from the White House to accelerate the production of a vaccine before the presidential election, which is scheduled for November 3, to enhance the chances of re-election of President Donald Trump. Three vaccines that are under development in Western countries have reached the final stage in their clinical trials on humans, which is a vaccine for the American company "Moderna", another developed by the British University of Oxford in cooperation with the "Astra Zenica" laboratory, and a third for the "German-American" Pio-In-Pfizer "Alliance. Fauchi stressed that politicizing the issue of masks is harmful to the battle against the Corona epidemic, noting that he hopes to control the epidemic when the vaccine becomes available.

While more than 19 million new cases of the new Corona virus were recorded around the world, including one million cases within four days, according to a census prepared by Agence France-Presse, according to official sources, Thursday, 23:00 GMT. In total, at least 19 million 533 cases were counted, including 712,315 deaths.

6. On the internal and external American affairs

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Thursday the resignation of US special envoy to Iran, Brian Hook. He made it clear that Elliot Abrams, who was an influential and key figure during the Iraq war, would replace Hooke while maintaining his duties as the United States' special representative for Venezuela affairs. The US Secretary also thanked Hook for his 3-year term, announcing that he had moved to work in the private sector.

This announcement comes one day after a statement by Brian Hook, during which he said: US President Donald Trump said it clearly, that Iran will not obtain a nuclear weapon. Hook had stressed in previous statements that "not arming Iran contributes to bringing stability to the Middle East," noting that "Iran sponsors terrorism and had tried to target Saudi Arabia." In this context, he added, "Preventing Iran's armament precludes attacking its neighbors through its proxies." A few days ago, the head of the Iran Working Group at the US State Department, Brian Hook, rejected the recent statements made by Iranian officials, especially Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, about the impact of US sanctions on combating the outbreak of the Corona virus in Iran. Hawk also asserted during his press conference last Thursday that "most of the revenues the regime receives from selling oil and other products are billions of dollars spent on financing terrorism in foreign wars. Imagine if only 10% of the $ 16 billion that the Islamic Republic has spent since 2012, if only" It would have been spent on a treatment system, the Iranian people would have been better off now. “It is noteworthy that the authorities in Iran, coinciding with the spread of Corona virus, demanded the lifting of US sanctions on Iran. On this subject, Brian Hook added: "The Iranian regime says that the sanctions affect its ability to help its people. This is not true, and the Iranian people know that. That is why there have been no demonstrations in recent months against US sanctions." He also said, "Ali Khamenei has huge and many resources, and the ruling class has a lot of money."

On the other hand, the White House condemned, on Tuesday, the presence of foreign forces in Libya, asserting that "there is no winner" in the complex civil war in the country. "The United States is deeply concerned about the escalation of the conflict in Libya. We strongly oppose the interference of foreign forces, including the use of mercenaries and contracted combatants, by all parties," said a statement by the US President's National Security Adviser, Robert O'Brien.

7. On Iraqi issues

Iraqi and Western studies revealed that Iran is using militias in Iraq to implement its expansionary foreign policy in Iraq, Syria, and the countries of the region. One of the most important tasks of these Iraqi militias is to secure the land route between Tehran, Syria and Lebanon through Iraqi territory. Iran relies on its militias in Iraq to secure the land route to Syria and Lebanon through Iraqi territory. According to this plan, the operations of these militias are launched from its leadership in the western Anbar province, in order to secure the passage of weapons and missiles, including ballistic, to Syria as well as illegal trade, fighters and fuel. These operations are led by the Hezbollah militia, the 45th Brigade, and the Tafuf Brigade, led by Qasim Musleh, the 13th Brigade. They exploit their control over the Al-Qaim border crossing with Syria and the "Akashat" area, which is rich in natural resources. Its movements out of Syria and Lebanon or entering Iraq are not subject to any inspections by Iraqi customs. The land route extends through the border crossings in the southern and central provinces of Iraq bordering Iran, and weapons and missiles are stored in the Jurf al-Sakhar area, north of Babylon, which is the center of operations for the Lebanese and Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades, the Revolutionary Guards and the Iranian Basij forces. Fuel is also shipped through this region to Syria and southern Lebanon.

On Tuesday, Iraqi President Barham Salih called for the completion and ratification of the election law. The Iraqi Presidency statement said: "He calls on the House of Representatives to complete the election law as soon as possible, send it to the Presidency of the Republic for approval and initiate its implementation, and expedite the approval of the amendment to the Federal Supreme Court Law." The call of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi to hold early elections in his country next June 6, to reveal the reality of the current political situation, as the elections are the demand of the street and at the same time a matter of settling scores between the political forces. And the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, announced the holding of early general elections, as part of the fulfillment of the promises he made when he came to power.

8. On Yemeni affairs

A water dam collapsed in Amran Governorate, north of Yemen, on Monday, due to the heavy rains and torrential torrents that sweep the country for the third week in a row. Activists also circulated photos and videos showing the explosion of the Rouneh Dam in the district of Thala, south of Amran Governorate, and the beginning of the flow of torrents from it towards the historic cities of Amran and Shibam Kawkaban, stressing that the torrents are flowing heavily towards the cities of Amran and Shibam Kawkaban, causing great damage to the homes and properties of citizens. An official Yemeni statistic revealed that the floods swept away the homes of more than 2,200 displaced people in three Yemeni governorates as a result of the torrential rains that they witnessed during the past days.

On the other hand, the media official of the Yemeni Teachers Syndicate, Yahya Al-Yinai, announced that the Houthi militia had recently made additional amendments to the curricula for the new educational year. Al-Yenai said, "The Houthi militia has been working since 2016 with determination to make the curriculum in Yemen a basis for shaping the identity of the next generation of Yemenis in their areas of control," according to local media reported on Sunday. He added, "These amendments serve Iran, which seeks to consolidate its presence in Yemen through education, as it did in Lebanon and is currently doing in Syria."

The Yemeni Minister of Information, Muammar Al-Eryani, confirmed that the Iranian regime created chaos for Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and the rest of the countries affected by Tehran's arms. Al-Eryani said, in a statement to the Yemeni News Agency, Thursday, that “the ordeal that Yemen is experiencing since the coup of the Houthi militia that spread death, devastation and destruction is not isolated from what a number of countries in the region are going through in terms of chaos that the Iranian regime has been going through, so it destroyed it and transferred its joys to sorrows, and sowed sadness. In every heart, and Lebanon is not far from that." He also added: "The Iranian regime did not enter a country without destruction and devastation, and what Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon are experiencing, which have become the scene of Iranian militias, is confirmation of the sabotage role of the Tehran regime, which has harmed even its people, so how will it be a lifeline for others." Al-Eryani asserted that "Iran's continued presence in Yemen through the Houthis means the continuation of the miseries of the Yemenis, and the increase in the devastation and destruction caused by these militias since their emergence in 2004." In addition, the price of "the role of the brothers in Saudi Arabia who led the coalition to support legitimacy with the aim of saving the Yemeni people from the oppression of Iran's arm represented by the Houthi militia."

On the military level, the spokesperson for the "Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen", Colonel Turki Al-Maliki, announced, on Thursday, that the joint coalition forces managed, Thursday morning, to intercept and shoot down a "booby-trapped" drone launched from Hodeidah towards Saudi Arabia. Al-Maliki explained that the terrorist Houthi militia continues to violate the Stockholm Agreement and the ceasefire in Hodeidah, and continues to take Hudaydah Governorate as a place for launching hostilities and terrorist operations by launching ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in addition to launching explosive and remote-controlled boat attacks, which represents a real threat. For regional and international security, and undermining political efforts to make the Stockholm Agreement a success. In addition, he stressed that the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition continues to take and implement appropriate measures to deal with these hostile and terrorist acts, in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules, while continuing to support the political efforts of the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General to Yemen to end the coup and reach a comprehensive political solution. It is noteworthy that the Iranian-backed Houthi militia continues to practice its violations against Yemenis in the areas it controls, and there have been several reports of torture in militia detention centers, as well as the recruitment of children to fight on the fronts, as well as kidnappings and intimidation of merchants, and the imposition of royalties. It also continues to launch drones and ballistic missiles, attempting to target civilian areas in Saudi Arabia.

9. On Egyptian affairs

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed its objection to a Turkish ship carrying out seismic survey works in an area overlapping with the Egyptian exclusive economic zone in the Mediterranean. The Foreign Ministry published a statement through its official newspaper on Twitter: “Commenting on the navigational warning issued by the state of Turkey that a Turkish ship would carry out seismic survey work from July 21 to August 2, Ahmed Hafez, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, today, Saturday, expressed an objection. Egypt on the overlap of Point № (8) in the navigation warning with the Egyptian exclusive economic zone. "

In another context, a statement issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources said, on Monday, that Cairo objected to the unilateral procedure for filling the Renaissance Dam, without consultation or agreement, stressing the need to respect the Declaration of Principles and demanding the Egyptian Minister of Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel-Ati, the necessity of consensus On each of the points of contention, he referred to Egypt's proposal for a working mechanism during the current meetings, which will be held for a period of two weeks, and the minister stressed that, based on the African mini-summit, the current negotiation will be about filling and operating the Renaissance Dam only, and that the negotiation of future projects will be in a stage Subsequently, after reaching an agreement on the dam. The negotiating delegation of Sudan, for its part, stressed that the unilateral Ethiopian move, before reaching an agreement between the three countries, had raised concerns again, especially with regard to the environmental and social impacts of the Renaissance Dam on farmers on the banks of the Blue Nile and their safety.

At the African summit, it was agreed to establish technical and legal committees to discuss points of contention during the next two days, in two parallel tracks, and to present the outputs at a ministerial meeting scheduled for the sixth of next August.

Egypt renewed its refusal to unilaterally fill the Renaissance Dam by Ethiopia. It also announced its rejection of an Ethiopian proposal that ignored the recommendations of the African Union regarding this file, which has been complicated in the recent period, especially after Addis Ababa announced the completion of the initial phase of the dam's filling, to which the country attaches great hope, while both Cairo and Khartoum are afraid of it. The Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation stated in a statement Thursday that Egypt sent a letter to South Africa as the current president of the African Union, which included confirmation of Egypt's rejection of the unilateral filling that Ethiopia carried out on July 22, 2020. It delivered the letter within the framework of the activities related to negotiating the rules for filling and operating the Renaissance Dam. In addition, the ministry confirmed the rejection of what was stated in the last letter addressed by the Ethiopian Minister of Water to his counterparts in Egypt and Sudan. And dated August 4, which included a proposal contrary to the directive issued by the summit of the African Union Bureau on the 21st of last month.

10. On Iranian affairs

Iran witnesses one death every seven minutes from "Covid-19", according to the Ministry of Health, which recorded 215 new deaths, while the media issued warnings about not maintaining the proper social distancing rules. Yesterday, ministry spokesman Sima Sadat Lari said that the total number of deaths reached 17,405. The number of confirmed injuries rose to 2598 to 312035. Some experts questioned the accuracy of official data in Iran. A report by the Shura Council Research Center last April indicated that the numbers may be twice what the Ministry of Health announces. Yesterday, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) stated, based on data from an unnamed source, that the number of virus deaths in Iran may be three times the number announced. While Tehran denied what was stated in the report, and announced that it was not practicing any blackout.

But the new Corona deaths in Iran, as of last July 20, are not 14,450 as the Ministry of Health officially reported that day, but more than 3 times, that is, more than 42,000 at least. As for the injuries, they were 451,024 injuries, or 3 times more than 278,827, according to what the authorities announced that day as well, and this is what an investigation conducted by BBC Persian Radio, based on leaks, revealed that the authorities reported daily numbers much less than the truth, despite the existence of a record for all the deaths, indications that they were deliberately kept secret. The leaks, which were sent to the radio station, are "by an unknown source," it said, and include details of the daily admission of injured people to hospitals across Iran, including names, ages, gender, symptoms, date and duration of periods the person spent in the hospital and the underlying diseases that Patients may suffer from it, according to what the source said, knowing that it is difficult to verify whether this source is working for an Iranian government agency, or to determine the means through which he could access this data. The discrepancy between the official figures and the number of deaths in these records also matches the difference between the official number and the excess death accounts until mid-June, and it is clear from the data that the capital, Tehran, the capital, has the largest number of deaths, with 8,120 people who died from the virus or with symptoms similar to it.

In another context, Majid Farahani, head of the budget committee in the Tehran City Council, warned of the existence of an oil depot in the "Shahran" residential area, warning of the danger of a "bigger disaster" from the Beirut explosion in Tehran. Farahani wrote on his Instagram page on Thursday that the oil depot in the Shahran district was a "hydrogen bomb built inside the city and on the earthquake line." He added, "Every day, about 300 tanks carrying 30,000 liters of fuel are loaded from giant tanks in the oil depots in Shahran, and they enter the highway from the middle of the crowded residential areas and Shahran streets and alleys." In addition, he asserted that "it is sufficient for a tanker or car to have an accident while refueling near the tanks, so that this leads to a series of explosions of the fuel tanks, one after the other, and for Tehran a bigger disaster than Beirut." Farhani called for moving the oil depot outside the capital as soon as possible, describing that call as a "national demand."

As for the outbreak of fires, for several weeks, mysterious fires have been in succession in Iran, afflicting many facilities, regions and factories, without the reasons being revealed yet. And in the most recent series of this mobile fire, a large fire broke out at dawn Thursday in a livestock and poultry factory in Fashafouya district in Tehran province. Karim Raouf, director of Fashafouya district, according to what local media reported, that a large-scale operation is underway to contain the fire, but the fire is expanding and extending to the sides, and firefighters and rescue workers are present at the scene. This comes two days after another fire broke out in an industrial area near the capital, Tehran. Iranian TV stated at the time that a fire broke out in the industrial zone in the Jajroud district in the Bardis region on Tuesday morning, without reporting any casualties or injuries. A fire department official also told state television that the cause of the fire was still under investigation.

11. On European affairs.

The European Union announced today, Thursday, the allocation of more than 33 million euros (39 million dollars) to meet Lebanon's primary emergency needs after the huge explosion at the Beirut seaport. This came in a phone call between the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Lebanese Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, according to the Commission's statement. Deir Line confirmed that it will study more support based on the continuous assessment of the humanitarian needs in Lebanon, in addition to the possibility of mobilizing experts and equipment to help assess the extent of damage and deal with dangerous materials. She also affirmed the European Union's readiness to explore how to enhance trade relations between it and Lebanon at this difficult time, especially through more preferential trade facilities and customs. Ursula von der Leyen offered the support of the European Union to conduct a full assessment of the needs for the rebuilding of the city and the recovery of the country in addition to support during discussions with international financial institutions, which could help in obtaining more economic support. The Chairperson of the Commission stressed that the European Union attaches great importance to the unity and stability of Lebanon, which is of great importance today internally and in the region. She emphasized that this tragic moment for Lebanon should be an occasion to unite all political forces around a national effort to respond to the many challenges facing the country.

In another context, the European Union announced the imposition of sanctions, for the first time, on six people and three entities responsible or involved in several cyber attacks originating from Russia and China. "The council has decided to impose restrictive measures on six persons and three entities who have carried out or participated in several cyberattacks. This is especially the case for an attempt to launch a cyber attack against the OPCW, the WannaCry, Notbetia and Operation Cloud Hopper attacks," EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said in a statement. He added that the sanctions target Russian military intelligence, a Chinese company, a North Korean company linked to a group of cyber hackers, four Russian citizens and two Chinese citizens.

The four Russian citizens were accused of trying to hack the information system of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague in April 2018, and they were identified and deported. It accused Russian military intelligence of coordinating the operation. As for the two Chinese citizens, they were involved in the "Cloud Hopper" operation that targeted in 2010 the information systems of multinational companies on the six continents, including companies established in the European Union, which led to unauthorized access to sensitive data in the commercial field, which caused significant economic losses. According to the European Union. The Chinese company "Huaying Haitai" was accused of providing financial support to the pirates. As for the attacks "WannaCry" and "Nootbitia", it were launched in 2017 with malware. The two piracy operations were carried out for the purpose of financial extortion, and the North Korean "Chosun Expo" company was accused of "providing financial, technical or equipment support" to carry out the two attacks, and therefore its association with the North Korean "Lazarus Group" piracy.

12. On Turkish affairs.

The Turkish currency fell to an all-time low against the dollar, on Thursday, as the global recession caused by the Corona pandemic underscored the weaknesses in the Turkish economy. The Turkish lira fell to 7.2775 against the dollar, before settling at 7.24, compared to a previous record low of 7.26 in May. The drop is partly due to rising inflation, a broad current account deficit, and the government pushing for cheap credit to power the already fragile economy before the Covid-19 pandemic. Turkey had been hoping for foreign exchange to flow through exports, especially through tourism, but the number of tourists is still low due to the pandemic.

It is believed that unconventional policies, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's insistence on lowering interest rates, along with concern about the level of Turkey's reserves, have pushed foreign capital to flee Turkey. Analysts also pointed to the escalation of tension with the European Union as a threat that may affect the country's economy, while Turkey faces threats to impose sanctions from the European Union over its plans to explore natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean, and the transfer of Hagia Sophia last month has led to more tension in relations.

13. On Chinese affairs

Samsung Electronics said on Saturday that it had decided to suspend operations of its latest computer factory in China. Samsung, the South Korean tech giant, is the latest manufacturer to move production from China. Major companies are rethinking moving their production chains amid rising Chinese labor costs. Also, the new corporate policy has been noticeably affected by the trade war between the United States and China, as well as by the new Corona epidemic, of which China is the global center. It is reported that Samsung shut down its last smartphone factory in China last year. Its remaining facilities include two semiconductor manufacturing sites in Suzhou and Xi'an.

Beijing accused Washington of practicing "intimidation" after President Donald Trump's administration pressed for the sale of the social media app, TikTok, in the United States to an American company. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that pressuring the Chinese company that owns TikTok, ByteDance, to sell part of its operations, violates the World Trade Organization's principles of openness, transparency and non-discrimination. Trump had accused ByteDance of collecting digital information on behalf of Beijing, a charge that the company, and the Chinese government, more than once denied. Microsoft is currently negotiating with ByteDance to purchase operations for the app in the United States. President Trump says the app will be banned in the US if no purchase agreement is struck by mid-September.

It is reported that, at the beginning of the week, the American company Microsoft suspended its negotiations to buy the Chinese TikTok application, in the United States, due to President Donald Trump, who pledged to ban this application in the country. According to US reports, there are doubts about the completion of the Microsoft acquisition of all activities of the Chinese-owned TikTok app that is intended to publish short videos, in the United States due to Trump's warnings issued on Friday. The deal negotiations were already nearing an end between the two companies.

In another context, China issued, on Friday, a death sentence against a Canadian for "drug trafficking and production," which is the second death sentence against a Canadian citizen in just two days. The court stated that the man was named Yi Jianghu, making the latter the fourth Canadian to issue death sentences against them on drug-related charges. On Thursday, the Intermediate Court in Canton, southern China, had sentenced another Canadian, identified as Zhou Weihong, to death after being found guilty of "producing drugs." The Canadian Foreign Minister, Francois Philippe Champagne, said Thursday evening that his country was "deeply concerned" after the Chinese judiciary sentenced a Canadian to death on charges of drug production. In response to a question in this regard, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters that this issue "should not have repercussions on relations between China and Canada." Relations between Beijing and Ottawa have been strained since Mingzhu, the financial director of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei, was arrested in Vancouver in December 2018, at the request of Washington, which it accuses of fraud to circumvent the sanctions imposed on Iran. It is subject to residence under judicial control in Canada that can be extradited to the United States.

14. On the United Arab Emirates affairs

On Saturday, the UAE announced the successful operation of the first nuclear reactor in the Arab world, a week after the launch of the first Arab space mission to explore the planet Mars, as a missile carried the Emirati probe  "Al-Amal"  into space from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. The "Hope" journey will take seven months to travel 493 million kilometers to reach Mars.