A new deterrence for Lebanon is needed to avoid a long war with Israel
Following the re-election of former US President Donald Trump, efforts to negotiate a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel have seemingly gained momentum. On Monday, US special envoy Amos Hochstein and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer met in Washington to discuss the matter. In October, Hochstein traveled to Beirut, but his visit bore no fruit, as he made clear that for the US, “both sides simply committing to [United Nations Security Council Resolution] 1701 is not enough” and that there needs to be a new “formula that brings an end to this conflict once and for all”. Casting aside UN decisions appears to have become commonplace among US officials of late, with disastrous consequences. In their latest offer, Israel and the US are demanding that Lebanon accept a new arrangement in which Israeli troops can engage in “active enforcement” of demilitarisation in southern Lebanon. In other words, Israel would have effective military control over Lebanese territory. No sovereign nation – or non-state actor – would ever agree to such terms. Neither Lebanon nor Hezbollah would give up their military deterrence. Therefore, US and Israeli insistence on these new conditions will only prolong the war. Building a new consensus around Resolution 1701 remains the only viable path towards peace. The resolution brought to an end Israel’s last war with Lebanon in 2006, acting as a mechanism to stop the hostilities and outlining measures to clear the border area of armed group presence. Although there were issues with its full implementation – which both sides were aware would happen – it effectively put an end to the fighting. Commitment to its implementation can stop hostilities this time as well. And Hezbollah must make the first move. The grim prospect of a long war On Sunday, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that after 40 days of intense fighting, Hezbollah has been defeated. “Now it is our job to continue to put pressure in order to bring about the fruits of that victory,” he reportedly said during an official ceremony. Israel seems to be convinced that it can bring Hezbollah to capitulation by force. However, going for a military solution in Lebanon means war that will not be anything like the 2006 conflict. Back then, Israel’s ground offensive faltered, and public support eroded as losses mounted. Today, Prime Minister Netanyahu has the Israeli public’s backing, buoyed by military successes that have eliminated Hezbollah’s leadership and disrupted its communications networks. Despite these losses, Hezbollah is also better prepared, better equipped, and arguably more disciplined than in 2006. It’s little wonder that Israel has not managed to gain more than a few miles of ground in since its land incursions began and the daily rocket salvoes directed at northern and central Israel continue. Barring some major change or diplomatic shift under the incoming Trump administration that would put pressure on Israel, all of this means that we are in for a very long war. An essential deterrent Hezbollah restarted hostilities with Israel in support of its ally Hamas and, up until recently, made a ceasefire with Israel contingent on a ceasefire in Gaza. The group knows that while many Lebanese understand its ongoing intervention, many are also dissatisfied, to say the least, with its actions over the past two decades. By propping the Syrian regime in the 2010s, helping maintain the rule of the corrupt Lebanese elite when the economy collapsed in 2019, and blocking the investigation into the 2020 Beirut port blast, Hezbollah has made a lot of enemies at home and abroad and has had to rely almost completely on Iran for diplomatic leverage and military prowess. Its refusal to integrate into a national defence strategy by maintaining its weapons outside of the command and control of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) has also led to a colossal mismanagement of national security and left the country vulnerable to Israel’s far superior military. The devastation Israel is wreaking across Lebanon is also a major cause for concern. The longer the huge displacement from the south and east of the country continues, the more social tensions and anger towards Hezbollah will grow. At the same time, Hezbollah’s deterrent arsenal of missiles and fighters is Lebanon’s only real bargaining chip. Without Hezbollah, Israel’s Merkava tanks would almost certainly roll into Beirut and install a puppet regime, facing little resistance along the way. The Lebanese calling for Hezbollah to give up its arms for peace are either living in a fantasy world or are just terrible negotiators. That said, if Hezbollah wants to salvage any semblance of Lebanese unity, the onus is on it to come to the table with a political plan for the implementation of Resolution 1701. It also needs to prove it can work within a national framework, not just act as an Iranian proxy. Given the distrust among its detractors, for these initiatives to work they would need to happen in phases. For starters, Hezbollah would need to explain how it will formally coordinate with the LAF to form a joint deterrent force, just like it did in 2017 when they fought together against ISIL (ISIS). In addition, Hezbollah will need to accept that the national army and government speak on its behalf and that it needs to take its place in such a configuration without the threat of arms or veto power over political decisions. From there, the party will need to elaborate on Lebanon’s national defence strategy, which can’t rely solely on the woefully under-resourced LAF. That strategy needs Hezbollah’s arms – but with a clear roadmap for integration. New deterrence framework Any new defence strategy that leaves Lebanon without a deterrent against Israel’s war machine is bound to fail and reinforce the justification for Iran and Hezbollah to maintain a non-state deterrent. Talk of a new national security framework and support for the LAF at conferences like the one organised by France in late October remains irrelevant, as it comes without concrete security guarantees for Lebanon. If French
EU court rules Ukraine cannot trademark Russian warship insult
Ukraine wants to use defenders’ profane defiance on merchandise; court says political slogan does not qualify. A European Union court has ruled that Ukraine cannot trademark a profane phrase directed by border guard troops at a Russian warship in the early days of Moscow’s invasion. The European Union’s General Court said on Wednesday that the phrase: “Russian warship, go f*** yourself” cannot be trademarked on European territory because it is a political slogan. A response to threats issued by the ship, the words have become a sign of defiance and unity for Ukrainians during the war, and have featured on a variety of merchandise. “The phrase in question has been used very intensively in a non-commercial context” linked to Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, the court said in a statement. “It will therefore not be perceived by the relevant public as an indication of the commercial origin of the goods and services which it designates,” the judge added. National heroes The slogan was famously directed by a Ukrainian border guard to the Russian cruiser Moskva, which wished to capture Snake Island, a tiny islet in the Black Sea. An audio clip circulated by Ukrainian authorities featured the Russian forces aboard demanding that the soldiers on the island surrender or face destruction. Ukraine has since declared the 13 soldiers it said were killed in the incident to be national heroes. Russian forces abandoned the island several months after seizing it, saying it was a “goodwill gesture”. Ukraine said that heavy losses incurred while trying to defend the island made the Russians leave. ‘Political message’ The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine has been trying to claim commercial rights for the phrase since 2022, in order to use it on merchandise, including bags and clothing. But the EU Intellectual Property Office, which is responsible for registering EU-wide trademarks, has also rejected the request multiple times since 2022. It has argued that the phrase does not meet the bloc’s requirements to be granted the request. The slogan has become a point of national pride, and has been repeated many times in public demonstrations, as well as adorning billboards and even a postage stamp. The EU General Court on Wednesday said it “observed that a sign is incapable of fulfilling the essential function of a trademark if the average consumer does not perceive, in its presence, the indication of the origin of the goods or services, but only a political message”. Adblock test (Why?)
Ted Cruz announces he’s backing Rick Scott in Senate leadership vote, snubbing John Cornyn
Cruz made the announcement less than an hour before Republican senators were scheduled to vote for their next leader to replace longtime GOP Leader Mitch McConnell.
Trump’s victory over Harris proves ‘Second Amendment won,’ gun rights groups say
Supporters of the Second Amendment will have a strong ally in the White House with President-elect Donald Trump following years of pressure from the Biden administration, firearms rights advocates say. Organizations including the Gun Owners of America and the National Rifle Association tell Fox News Digital they are looking forward to working with Trump when he returns to the White House in January, despite gun control groups such as Everytown for Gun Safety vowing to stand strong against the president-elect’s “extremist agenda.” “I think the Second Amendment was on the ballot and the Second Amendment won. The American people clearly elected a pro-gun presidential ticket,” Aidan Johnston, the director of federal affairs for Gun Owners of America, told Fox News Digital. “With President-elect Trump, gun owners across the country will once again have a strong advocate for their Second Amendment rights in the White House,” said Randy Kozuch, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action. US JUDGE TOSSES ILLINOIS’ BAN ON SEMIAUTOMATIC WEAPONS, GOVERNOR PLEDGES SWIFT APPEAL In an interview with Fox News Digital, Johnston said the Second Amendment has been “under assault for the last four years” of the Biden administration. He referenced measures including the crackdown on homemade firearm kits and the closures of gun stores under the administration’s “so-called zero tolerance policy,” which the White House says is aimed at revoking federal licenses for “rogue gun dealers violating our laws.” “President Trump promised on the campaign trail that he would sign national concealed carry reciprocity. And so I think that Congress has got to deliver that for the president,” Johnston said. “If you have a concealed carry license, it should be valid in all 50 states, just like your driver’s license.” “The American people have clearly given the president a mandate. He was elected on a pro-Second Amendment platform and Congress needs to deliver for the American people,” Johnston added. NEW YORK GUN CONTROL REGIME HANDED DEFEAT IN COURT Kozuch told Fox News Digital in a statement that when Trump “addressed NRA members last May, [he] pledged to roll back every attack from the Biden-Harris Administration on law-abiding gun owners and install an ATF Director who respects the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.” “We look forward to continuing our work with President Trump and the next Congress to enact pro-Second Amendment policies that protect Americans’ ability to defend themselves and their loved ones,” Kozuch continued. In the wake of Trump’s election, Everytown for Gun Safety released a statement saying, “the gun safety movement has faced countless setbacks but when it comes to the number one killer of kids, nothing will stand in our way.” The group added, “Make no mistake: Trump’s extremist agenda is a danger for our nation, but it means we’ll double down on our efforts to protect our communities and continue to make progress, just like we did in 2016.” The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence also said, “We have weathered storms before, and we will do so again. Even during Trump’s first presidency, we preserved critical gun safety measures and held the line in our fight against the gun lobby.”
Elizabeth Warren gets sarcastic after Trump taps Musk, Ramaswamy for DOGE: ‘Yeah, this seems REALLY efficient’
After President-elect Donald Trump announced that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the Department of Government Efficiency, an effort to root out government waste, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., criticized Trump’s decision, suggesting he had tapped two people to execute the job of one person. “The Office of Government Efficiency is off to a great start with split leadership: two people to do the work of one person,” Warren said in a post on X, sarcastically adding, “Yeah, this seems REALLY efficient.” Musk and Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” Trump said in a statement. ELON MUSK, VIVEK RAMASWAMY TO LEAD TRUMP’S DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY Trump noted that the department, nicknamed “DOGE,” “will provide advice and guidance from outside of Government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” Musk has invited the public to share their thoughts about what should and should not be slashed. “All actions of the Department of Government Efficiency will be posted online for maximum transparency. Anytime the public thinks we are cutting something important or not cutting something wasteful, just let us know! We will also have a leaderboard for the most insanely dumb spending of your tax dollars. This will be both extremely tragic and extremely entertaining,” he tweeted. ELON MUSK SAYS ‘ALL ACTIONS’ TAKEN BY DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY WILL BE ONLINE: ‘TRANSPARENCY’ Ramaswamy dropped his bid for the GOP presidential nomination and endorsed Trump back in January. “DOGE will soon begin crowdsourcing examples of government waste, fraud, & and abuse. Americans voted for drastic government reform & they deserve to be part of fixing it,” he tweeted. Warren also criticized Trump’s decision to tap Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary, claiming that he is not qualified for the role. PSAKI AND SEN. WARREN AGREE TRUMP’S BEHAVIOR ‘PUTS US ALL AT RISK’ “A Fox & Friends weekend co-host is not qualified to be the Secretary of Defense. I lead the Senate military personnel panel. All three of my brothers served in uniform. I respect every one of our servicemembers. Donald Trump’s pick will make us less safe and must be rejected,” she declared in a post on X. Hegseth is an author and Army veteran who earned two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman’s Badge, according to his website. His last day with Fox was Tuesday. Trump said in a statement that Hegseth “will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our ‘Peace through Strength’ policy.”
Arkansas Gov Sarah Sanders will not join the Trump administration
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday that she will not leave the governor’s mansion to join President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration in Washington, D.C. “I’ve already announced my bid for re-election and I look forward to serving in this position for the next six years,” Sanders told reporters when asked if she might re-join the White House. “So unfortunately, and hopefully, you guys are stuck with me for a while.” Sanders served as the 31st White House press secretary for two years during Trump’s first term. She left the White House in 2019 and mounted a successful campaign for governor in 2021 with Trump’s endorsement, becoming the first female governor of the Natural State. She is also the youngest currently serving governor in the United States. Sanders campaigned for Trump’s re-election in 2024 and appeared at several of his rallies. Her father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, was recently named as Trump’s choice to be the next U.S. ambassador to Israel. TRUMP NOMINATES MIKE HUCKABEE FOR US AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL “The only member of my family who will be going into the administration is my dad,” Sanders said Tuesday. GOV SANDERS HITS CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS TOP SURROGATE FOR TRUMP IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE: ‘GOING FULL-SPEED AHEAD’ Trump announced Huckabee’s appointment as U.S. ambassador to Israel on Tuesday in a statement that called the former governor “Highly Respected.” “Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years. He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East,” Trump said. TRUMP’S PICKS SO FAR: HERE’S WHO WILL BE ADVISING THE NEW PRESIDENT Reacting to the appointment, Sanders said she was “unbelievably proud” to learn that her father was nominated to serve in the Trump administration. “I went to Israel for the first time with my dad when I was eleven and it changed my life. There is no one President Trump could have picked with a greater love for the Israeli people and commitment to the unbreakable bond between America and Israel than him,” she posted on X. “Love you dad!”
More migrants likely to rush border despite reports of splintering caravan: experts
Migrants are likely to continue their march to the southern U.S. border in a bid to enter the country before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, multiple experts tell Fox News Digital. “They’re determined to make it into the U.S., one way or the other, because they’ve sold everything, they have nothing to go back to,” independent journalist Auden Cabello, who extensively covered the border crisis, told Fox News Digital. The comments come as some reports have indicated that some migrants traveling in caravans toward the U.S. border have decided to turn around in light of Trump’s victory, apparently fearing deportation under the incoming administration even if they were able to enter the country. “This is the end of my dream of getting out of Cuba,” a Cuban migrant named Felipe told Newsweek after the election. TRUMP LIKELY TO MAKE SEVERAL BORDER SECURITY MOVES ON FIRST DAY, SAYS EXPERT A Reuters report last week expressed a similar sentiment, with the outlet reporting that a caravan with thousands of migrants traveling through Mexico became half of its original size by Thursday. But Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, said caravans typically begin to splinter when they get to Mexico and that a rush to the border is likely to continue for some migrants before the transition of administrations in the White House. “Some will still rush to get in during the administration, calculating they won’t be sought or found for years,” Ries told Fox News Digital. “Others may make the decision it isn’t worth it for them to complete the journey.” On the campaign trail, Trump has long promised to take drastic measures to “seal up those borders” while also promising to carry out one of the largest deportation operations in American history. TRUMP’S ‘BORDER CZAR’ WARNS DEM GOVS REJECTING TRUMP DEPORTATION PLAN: ‘GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY’ Trump was also known for a more hard-line stance on the border during his first term as president, something migrants are likely to weigh as they consider whether to make the journey to the border. Cabello expressed a similar sentiment to Ries, noting that many shelters in Mexico have continued to report overcrowding, while he expects some U.S. border sectors that have in recent months been almost silent to begin seeing groups of 100 to 200 attempt to cross the border daily. Cabello also said that migrants splintering from caravans in Mexico are unlikely to stay in the country and will instead keep moving north, and migrants who are already on the way to the U.S. are not “going to go back on their own dime.” “They’re going to try to make it into the U.S., whether it’s through CBP One, legally or illegally,” Cabello said. “That’s where I get the phrase ‘today’s rejected asylum seekers are tomorrow’s gotaways.’ Meaning, if they can’t’ get in legally, they’re going to resort to smugglers to get in illegally.”
Delhi Air Pollution: AQI hits ‘Severe’ category, record high in India today
Delhi recorded the worst air quality in India on Wednesday with a severe AQI of 418 while Noida and Gurugram also faced very poor levels.
Republicans 2 seats away from House majority, giving Trump leeway to implement agenda
Control of the House of Representatives remains undecided, with Republicans sitting just two seats away from a majority as of Wednesday morning. The Associated Press has yet to call 12 House races across the country. In one of those 12 races, California’s 47th Congressional District, Republican candidate Scott Baugh has conceded in the open race against Democrat Dave Min. At-Large District Democratic incumbent Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola is in a tight race in Alaska’s at-large congressional district, where she is trailing Republican entrepreneur Nick Begich. As of Wednesday morning, Begich holds a three-point lead at 49.1% of the vote compared to Peltola’s 45.8%. The vote count sits at 142,023 to 132,473 with roughly 91% of the vote counted. SHUTDOWN STANDOFF LOOMS IN CONGRESS’ FINAL WEEKS BEFORE TRUMP’S RETURN TO WHITE HOUSE 6th Congressional District The race in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District is tight, with Republican incumbent Rep. Juan Ciscomani holding a narrow lead. The first-term lawmaker holds a two-point advantage over former Democratic state lawmaker Kirsten Engel as of Wednesday morning. The vote count sits at 196,293 to 189,426, with 90% of votes counted. 9th Congressional District Democratic incumbent Josh Harder leads Republican challenger Kevin Lincoln by four points. While Harder asserted victory in the race on Tuesday evening, Lincoln has not conceded, and The Associated Press has not called the race. The district had about 74% of the vote recorded as of Wednesday, and Harder’s lead sits at over 7,000 votes. 13th Congressional District Republican Rep. John Duarte is leading former Democratic State Assembly member Adam Gray in California’s 13th. Roughly 70% of the vote has been counted, and Duarte holds a 51% to 49% lead. The contest is separated by just over 3,000 votes as of Wednesday morning. 21st Congressional District Incumbent Democratic Rep. John Costa leads his Republican challenger, Michael Maher, in a 51.7 % to 48.3% race as of Wednesday morning. So far, 79% of the vote has been counted, and Costa’s lead is just over 5,000 votes. 41st Congressional District Republican incumbent Rep. Ken Calvert holds a 51.3% to 48.7% lead over Democratic challenger Will Rollins. Roughly 79% of the vote has been counted as of Wednesday, and Calvert’s lead sits at over 8,000 votes. 45th Congressional District Incumbent Republican Rep. Michelle Steel leads her Democratic challenger Derek Tran with 50.4% of the vote as of Wednesday. Roughly 87% of the votes have been counted, and Steel’s lead has shrunk to 2,272 votes. 47th Congressional District Republican Scott Baugh, a former state assembly member, conceded the race to Democratic state Sen. Dave Min in the race to succeed outgoing Democratic Rep. Katie Porter in California’s 47th Congressional District. Min holds a one-point lead, with nearly 86% of the vote counted. The race was rated Lean Democrat by the Fox News Power Rankings. With Min’s lead at nearly 6,000 votes, The Associated Press has yet to call the result. 1st Congressional District Republican incumbent Rep. Mariannet Miller-Meeks holds a razor-thin lead over challenger Christina Bohannan with 99% of the vote counted. Miller-Meeks’ lead sits at 731 votes. GOP REP. MIKE WALTZ TAPPED TO BE TRUMP’S NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER 2nd Congressional District Democratic incumbent Jared Golden holds a razor-thin lead over Republican challenger Austin Theriault as of Wednesday. With 98% of the votes counted, Golden’s lead sits at 726 votes. The state is conducting ranked-choice tabulation this week. 9th Congressional District Democratic incumbent Marcy Kaptur leads her Republican challenger, Derek Merrin, by less than one point with 99% of the votes counted. Kaptur’s lead sits at just under 1,200 votes as of Wednesday. 5th Congressional District Republican incumbent Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer is trailing her Democratic challenger, Janelle Bynum, by nearly three points with 91% of the votes counted Wednesday. Bynum’s lead sits at just over 10,000 votes. Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
Special Counsel Jack Smith plans to resign, file report before Trump can fire him: report
Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith is expected to resign before President-elect Trump is inaugurated in January, the New York Times reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. Smith is aiming to bring to an end his cases against Trump and step down before the new president takes office as a way to get ahead of the Republican’s promise to fire him “within two seconds.” Trump has pointed to a Supreme Court immunity ruling from this summer that broadened the criteria for official presidential conduct ineligible for prosecution even after a president is no longer in office. Smith has been evaluating how to wind down both the 2020 election interference case and the separate classified documents case before Trump takes office, Fox News reported last week. Longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted while in office. SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH MOVES TO DROP TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE Smith on Friday filed a motion to vacate all deadlines in the 2020 election interference case against Trump in Washington, D.C., a widely expected move, but one that stops short of dropping the case against him completely. He said Friday that his team plans to give an updated report on the official status of the case against Trump on Dec. 2. Smith is required under DOJ regulations to submit a report of his findings and an explanation of the charges the prosecutor considered and ultimately filed – even though neither case made it to trial. Under a crunched timeline, it is unclear if Attorney General Merrick Garland would make that report public before the end of President Biden’s term or defer to the incoming Trump administration, according to the Times. Sources close to the matter told the Times that Smith has no intention of dragging his feet, and has informed career prosecutors and FBI agents on his team not directly involved in preparing the report that they can plan their exits in the coming weeks. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT LOOKING TO WIND DOWN TRUMP CRIMINAL CASES AHEAD OF INAUGURATION In Friday’s filing, Smith said he needed a month “to assess this unprecedented circumstance and determine the appropriate course going forward consistent with Department of Justice policy.” The House Judiciary Committee is concerned that Smith and prosecutors involved in the investigations will “purge” records to skirt oversight and is demanding they produce to Congress all documents related to the probes before the end of the month, Fox News Digital previously reported. Fox News’ Breanne Deppisch, Brooke Singman and the Associated Press contributed to this report.