As for the response to Saudi Arabia, what needs to be understood is that, according to circulating information, the militias agree on the principle of retaliation, and the disagreement is not about the principle of retaliation, but rather about its timing, form, and location. Therefore, statements issued by some parties should not necessarily be interpreted as a retreat from retaliation, but rather as part of managing a highly sensitive stage.

Despite the government’s attempts to restrict the militias and prevent them from responding to Saudi Arabia, it has not been able to close all avenues of action for them. According to circulating information, the militias are moving towards other options, including targeting American interests outside of Iraq. This is where the talk about targeting an American gas ship in the Egyptian port of Damietta comes in. Information has emerged suggesting a possible connection to an Iraqi entity that may have acted from Iraq or Syria, possessing prior knowledge of a specific American target in the port of Damietta, as well as possessing long-range drones capable of covering the distance and reaching fixed coordinates based on prior intelligence.

At this stage, it appears that the militias are heading towards a policy of absolute patience, containing any clashes with the government, avoiding being drawn into an internal confrontation, and even staying away from media tensions that could give their opponents an opportunity to escalate the crisis. Therefore, the situation does not appear as the Zaydi government wants it to be, nor as its captain, Tom Barrack, envisions it. An attempt to push the militias into a confrontation may not necessarily lead to the explosion that some desire, but rather to something more complex: a long period of patience, calculated moves, and a response that may not necessarily come at the place or time that anyone expects.

@SimurghRes

TLDR: The resistance in Iraq is restricted, to say the least. They are trying to contain a civil war because they know that not all Iraqi people are lovers or supporters of the resistance.

This is because some “Resistance” parties that claim to be resisting whatever used the cause to steal public money, which led to public mistrust in the resistance in general.

Since the resistance media isn’t that great to actually clarify what’s exactly happening, any kind of war or battle between resistance groups and the government will only lead to bloodshed and more public hate, which the Americans want and the resistance avoids.

So don’t expect anything big or try to hype whatever the upcoming is in iraq, just know that iraq is a battlefield of whoever is more patient and whoever strikes at the right moment.

https://t.me/SimurghRes/8829

A Lebanese official on Thursday denied a Reuters report that Beirut had agreed with Israel on a shortlist of countries that could deploy troops to Lebanon to verify the disarmament of Hezbollah, saying discussions on the matter were still ongoing with Washington.

Reuters reported last week that Lebanon and Israel had agreed on a shortlist and reported on Wednesday, citing three sources, that Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Indonesia were among the countries being considered to contribute to the verification mechanism.

However, a Lebanese official said on Thursday that no such agreement had been reached and that Beirut remained engaged in talks with the US on the issue.

(Reuters)

Israel will not withdraw its forces from south Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed, Israeli War Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday, ‘clarifying’ comments he made a day earlier that suggest Israeli troops could remain in the area indefinitely.

During a visit to south Lebanon on Wednesday, Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been “unequivocally clear” that “we are not withdrawing from this security zone”, adding, “we will cleanse this area and ensure the security of the northern residents”.

After the remarks, a US State Department official said a permanent Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon would conflict with commitments outlined in the US-backed agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government.

“The United States expects all parties to act in a manner consistent with the Framework they agreed to, and Israel clearly stated that it has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon,” the US official said in written remarks distributed to journalists.

On Thursday, Katz said Israel would “not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon as long as Hezbollah is not disarmed and the threat of Hezbollah in all of Lebanon is not removed”.

“I have instructed the IDF to prepare for an extended presence in the area to protect the combat forces and the communities, until this goal is fully achieved,” Katz said during a ceremony marking the establishment of an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.

▪️The Colonization & Wall Resistance Commission warned that ongoing settler attacks on Palestinian homes in the Ras al-Ain area of Qusra, south of Nablus, are becoming “a prolonged siege” intended to isolate families and force them to leave their homes. It said settlers have, since Sunday, erected tents and temporary structures between the homes, blocked access roads with stones, prevented residents from entering or leaving, and stopped visitors from reaching them.

▪️The Commission added that settlers have obstructed the delivery of food, water, and medicine while cutting off electricity and water supplies to the homes belonging to the Yousef Abdel Salam, Rizq Abu Rida, and Luay Abu Rida families. It said attempts to storm and seize the properties began around four months ago, forcing family members to remain inside in shifts to prevent their takeover.

US President Donald Trump’s approval rating fell further this week, continuing a broader decline in support as the US-Israeli war on Iran persists and concerns over the cost of living grow ahead of November’s midterm elections.

A new Economist/YouGov poll published Monday found that 33% of respondents approve of Trump’s performance as president, while 62% disapprove.

The survey showed a sharp partisan divide, with 79% of Republican respondents approving of Trump’s job performance compared with just 4% of Democrats.

The latest figures follow a wider deterioration in Trump’s approval ratings. The Economist’s polling tracker, based on YouGov surveys, reported in June that Trump had reached a net approval rating of minus 25 percentage points, making him the most unpopular president recorded in the poll at the time.

Syria received its first deliveries of wheat and cement materials this week at a berth in Tartous port that was previously used by Russian forces, according to port officials. Reuters reporters at the site observed Russian personnel clearing equipment and withdrawing from sections of the pier.

The two shipments arrived on Tuesday, just two days after Damascus announced an agreement with Moscow over the future of Russian military facilities at Tartous and Hmeimim airport in Syria’s northwestern coastal region.

Syria’s foreign ministry said under the agreement, Damascus would assume control of civilian facilities, including Hmeimim airport and the commercial berth at Tartous port, while military sites would be converted into joint training facilities.

“We began operating berth 4 yesterday after taking it over from the Operations Department. Work commenced immediately with the reception of two vessels in succession,” Youssef Arnous, head of Tartous port’s operations and investment department, told Reuters on Wednesday.

LSEG data indicated that both vessels had arrived from Turkish ports, although their original points of departure were not immediately known.

At the port on Wednesday, Reuters reporters saw Russian forces vacating a building near the pier and transferring equipment to another nearby military facility.

The UK government has refused to release any information it holds on BlackCore, an Israeli firm accused of interfering in the Scottish parliament elections, according to The National. The Cabinet Office rejected a Freedom of Information request, citing an exemption to safeguard national security, and warned that disclosure could damage relations with other states.

The request followed findings by Viginum, France’s foreign interference watchdog, which said in June it had identified BlackCore-linked digital influence operations affecting elections in Scotland, France, New York City, Angola, and Togo. In Scotland, BlackCore is accused of coordinating hundreds of fake accounts to post negative content about First Minister John Swinney, one of the few UK politicians who has called Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide, during his re-election campaign. Scottish ministers reportedly learned about the operation through media reports rather than any advance warning from Westminster or UK security agencies.

BlackCore deleted its online presence after being contacted by journalists in June and has made no public statement on the allegations.

ℹ️Not to be confused with Black Cube, a separate Israeli private intelligence firm implicated earlier this year in Slovenia’s parliamentary election, where its executives were accused of meeting opposition leader Janez Janša ahead of a covert recordings campaign that helped sink the incumbent government, that was also critical of Israel.

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Firefighters, residents and environmental groups in south Lebanon have accused Israel of deliberately sparking wildfires through bombing, drones and flares, with large areas of woodland and agricultural land reportedly burned in recent weeks.

Nabatieh civil defense chief Hussein Fakih said fires have become a major part of their workload, estimating that 30-40% of land near the frontline has been affected. Firefighters also said Israeli strikes have at times forced them to withdraw or restricted their access to burning areas.

Environmental groups described the fires as part of a broader pattern of environmental destruction, warning of damage to forests, biodiversity and agricultural livelihoods.

The ‘allegations’ are not new. In 2024, Israeli forces used trebuchets to launch flaming material over the border wall. The Lebanese army has also published photographs that showed Israeli drones equipped with hoses used to spray flammable materials onto forests.

(The Guardian)