Step 2 Disarm Hezbollah and Attacking Iran On the Table

 Nadene Goldfoot

Next week Prime Minister Netanyahu will try to get President Trump's backing for more strikes against Iran, which is reportedly rebuilding its ballistic missile capabilities and possibly also its nuclear facilities at the same time of their own country's serious water shortage.                                    

                       Dried up river in the desert of Iran 

YouTube has reports telling of the water shortage in Iran and how they have abused their water sources in the first place. There is a video about it, so this is a window of Iran's weakness, one would think.                              

Reports show the effect on the Iranian people:  Long Queues for Water: Residents, including women and families, are seen waiting with containers for water supplies.  Prayers for Rain: People gather at mosques and shrines, pleading for rain to alleviate the drought.  Dry Infrastructure: Rivers and reservoirs that supply cities like Tehran are at critically low levels, with some reservoirs at only 12% capacity.  Impact on Daily Life: The crisis forces difficult choices, with residents working and children studying in the capital facing the reality of potential relocation due to lack of water. 

Why It's Happening:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsD8WhhUCIk                        

Iranian women pray for rainfall at the Saleh Shrine in Tehran on November 14 as the country suffers from severe water shortages.   

AFP/Getty Images

An Iranian worker distributes water in a drought-prone part of the country. (file photo)  I read that Teheran is hard-hit.  

"Iran faces a severe, multi-faceted water crisis driven by climate change (hotter, drier weather, shrinking snowpack) and severe mismanagement (over-extraction for agriculture, dam-building, illegal wells, inefficient infrastructure) leading to "water bankruptcy," depleting reservoirs, threatening food security, fueling social unrest and protests, and prompting drastic measures like capital relocation discussions and water imports ."  I read where they are to get water from Pakistan, and cannot spare water for agriculture so must let the field go dry, and plan on getting food from abroad.  Population Growth & Urbanization: Rapid growth, especially in Tehran, strains limited resources.  Governance Issues: Corruption and political decisions favoring certain groups (the "water mafia") have worsened the situation. 

Netanyahu will meet with Trump in Maro Lago. They should talk about it.   Another major topic of discussion will be Step 2; the disarming of Hamas, which doesn't seem to be happening but was a primary condition of the ceasefire agreement. 

It doesn't seem like any Arab or Muslim country has the will, or stomach, to disarm Hamas, which would leave the IDF as the only force ready, willing and able to get the job done. The USA have helped others in time of need, but that is a rare thing for others to do.  I doubt if their army is as well-prepared to do the job, anyway, like Israel is. 

Naim Qassem:  (born February 1953) is a Lebanese Shia cleric and politician who became Hezbollah’s secretary-general on 29 October 2024, the fourth person to hold the position. He participated in the founding of Hezbollah in 1982, and previously served as the first deputy secretary-general from 1991 to 2024.  Following the Lebanese government's decision about the disarmament of Hezbollah, which calls for a state monopoly on arms, Qassem stated in a televised speech on 15 August 2025 that there will be "no life" in Lebanon if the government tries to disarm Hezbollah. 

Hezbollah Supporters listening to Naim Qassem's speech.  
 

And then there's Hezbollah, which the Lebanese government is supposed to disarm, but is clearly not strong enough to do. There's still lots of work to be done to achieve the peace that President Trump has already proclaimed, in other words, has jumped the gun. 

The Gaza war sparked a renewed Israel–Hezbollah conflict. Hezbollah has said it will not stop attacking Israel until Israel ceases its attacks in Gaza. Starting with the Israeli explosion of Lebanese pagers and walkie talkies in September 2024, the conflict escalated severely, with the 23 September 2024 Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon killing at least 558 people, and sparking a mass exodus from southern Lebanon. On 27 September 2024, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike. On 1 October 2024, Lebanon was invaded by Israel with the objective of destroying infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah in the south of the country. (Israel has targeted various types of Hezbollah infrastructure, which generally includes a military network embedded within and near civilian areas in southern Lebanon. This infrastructure primarily consists of: Tunnels and underground bunkers: Extensive underground networks carved into the rock, used for cover, command centers, storage, and as staging grounds for attacks. Some have been described as large enough for vehicles and contained living quarters, clinics, and ventilation systems. Weapons caches and storage facilities: Locations used to store weapons, ammunition, rockets, and anti-tank missiles.)

 In November 2024, a ceasefire deal was signed between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah to end 13 months of conflict. According to the agreement, Hezbollah was given 60 days to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon and Israeli forces were obliged to withdraw from the area over the same period.

Lebanon's government is run as a sectarian-based parliamentary republic, with power shared among its major religious communities, headed by a President (Maronite Christian), a Prime Minister (Sunni Muslim), and a Parliament that appoints the Council of Ministers (Cabinet) to handle executive duties, though recent years saw political deadlock, with a new government under Prime Minister Nawaf Salam formed in early 2025 after a long vacuum. 

Resource:

israelAM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsD8WhhUCIk

https://e360.yale.edu/features/iran-water-drought-dams-qanats

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naim_Qassem

Lebanon Has Trump Under Their Spell

 Nadene Goldfoot                               Lebanon

According to a post from Israel on X from the Prime Minister's Office: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the Acting Director of the National Security Council to send a representative on his behalf to a meeting with government-economic elements in Lebanon. 

This is an initial attempt to establish a basis for a relationship and economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon." I feel this is in response to a new directive from Trump who thinks the terrorist sitting in Lebanon's President seat is  just the cat's pajamas;  he's so cool. 

                               President Joseph Aoun

Lebanon's present president is Joseph Aoun, who was elected by the Lebanese parliament on January 9, 2025, after more than two years of a presidential vacuum. Challenges: His presidency faces significant challenges, including a severe economic crisis and the task of asserting the state's monopoly on arms, which brings him into confrontation with the powerful armed group Hezbollah. 

                                    Nawaf Salam

The prime minister of Lebanon, officially the president of the Council of Ministers, is the head of government and the head of the Council of Ministers of Lebanon. The prime minister is appointed by the president of Lebanon, with the consent of the plurality of the members of the Parliament of Lebanon (after the Taif Agreement, 1990). By convention, the office holder is always a Sunni Muslim.

The current prime minister is Nawaf Salam. He was tasked by President Joseph Aoun to form the new government after mandatory parliamentary consultations on 13 January 2025, having received 84 out of 128 votes.

Lebanon's attitude towards Israel  is primarily shaped by the internal power dynamics involving the state government and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, which wields significant influence and remains vehemently anti-Israel. Hezbollah, however, continues to view Israel as an enemy and maintains an armed militia, which the Lebanese army has struggled to disarm fully. Hezbollah's leaders and supporters frequently express hostility toward Israel, viewing continued resistance as essential.  The border remains a major flashpoint. Israel conducts daily strikes in Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure, while warning that a failure to disarm the group could lead to a full-scale war. 

                                         Syria

Syria to join US-led coalition to defeat IS group after Trump meeting on               November 10, 2025.                                   

Jolani above:  'If you didn't have a rough past, you wouldn't have a chance', says Trump on al-Sharaa (al-Jolani).  Trump has expressed his support for al-Sharaa/Jolani, who until recently was designated a terrorist by the US government.                                   

  Abu Mohammad al-Jolani/Sharaa, born October 29, 1982, is only 43.  

Abu Mohammad al-Jolani (also known as Ahmad al-Sharaa) was a former terrorist, and still is a jihadist who was the leader of the al-Qaeda-affiliated group Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria. He later severed ties with al-Qaeda and rebranded his group to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S.. Following the toppling of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, al-Jolani became Syria's interim president and used his birth name, Ahmad al-Sharaa, prompting the U.S. to drop the bounty on him. 

Ahmad al-Sharaa, widely known by his former nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, has a complex and evolving relationship with Israel, rooted in his history as a former al-Qaeda commander but shifting dramatically since his group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), took control of Syria in late 2024. 

The United States and the United Nations previously designated al-Jolani as a global terrorist with a $10 million bounty on his head due to his leadership of Jabhat al-Nusra, the official al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. During this period, his nom de guerre "al-Jolani" (meaning "of the Golan") was a reference to his family's origin in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a potent anti-Israel symbol. 

Syria and Lebanon have a long and complex connection defined by shared history, direct political and military intervention by Syria, and strong sectarian and political ties. Syria's influence was evident during its nearly three-decade military occupation of Lebanon and continues to affect its politics today, particularly through its alliance with Hezbollah. More recently, the Syrian civil war has led to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees entering Lebanon, and has further complicated their relationship by dividing Lebanese opinion and increasing security tensions on the border. 

Syria will join the international coalition to combat the Islamic State group, marking a shift in US foreign policy in the Middle East, a senior Trump administration official has confirmed.  But this groups is to work on economic issues.  

Syria and Lebanon officially remain in a state of war with Israel, with no formal diplomatic relations. However, recent political changes, particularly in late 2024 and 2025, indicate a complex and potentially shifting dynamic, with some government factions signaling a readiness for de-escalation, while hostilities persist due to non-state actors and border disputes. 

The recent fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 has significantly altered the landscape. While Syria does not formally recognize Israel, and the two countries fought several wars, the new government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, appears more pragmatic and open to dialogue. (Is he just trying to soften up Netanyahu and then make hismove?).  Since becoming the de facto leader of Syria, al-Sharaa has rebranded himself as a statesman, using his birth name and actively working to distance himself and his government from his jihadist past. His current approach to Israel is characterized by caution and a focus on Syrian sovereignty rather than explicit aggression: 

The U.S. is mediating direct negotiations between Israel and Syria to de-escalate tensions and restore the 1974 ceasefire agreement.  Despite potential diplomatic shifts, the situation remains volatile. Israel has conducted frequent airstrikes in Syria to prevent Iran from establishing a military presence and to counter groups like Hezbollah. Both sides are currently engaged in military operations and skirmishes. 

Resource:

israelAM

https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2024/11/why-lebanon-fell-for-hezbollah.html

https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2025/07/al-qaeda-terrorist-back-in-saddle-in.html

https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2025/07/goldfoot-benjamin-gantz-hebrew-9-june.html

https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2025/08/turkey-former-ottoman-empires-hatred.html

https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2025/08/juggling-iranian-hezbollah-units-near.html

 https://jewishfactsfromportland.blogspot.com/2014/06/past-action-of-hezbollah-towards-jews.html

https://jewishfactsfromportland.blogspot.com/2014/06/palestine-copying-hezbollah-run-lebanon.html

https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2021/12/israels-success-amid-former-ottoman.html

https://israel-nadene.blogspot.com/2010/10/israels-northern-border-neighbor-new.html

Hitting Another Chief of Staff Would Be Progress With Hezbollah

Nadene Goldfoot                                          

5. Chief of Staff of Hezbollah who was just assassinated was Haytham Ali Tabatabai was born in 1968,  in Bashoura, a neighbourhood in Beirut, to Lebanese parents although his father reportedly had Iranian roots. He grew up in southern Lebanon and reportedly joined Hezbollah in the 1980s when I was 45, so I've been writing about them for the past 46 years.  Thanksgiving was on the 23rd in 2023, and there was a significant lull in cross-border fighting during the week-long truce between Israel and Hamas that began on November 24, 2023. Hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah largely paused during this time but resumed once the Gaza ceasefire expired on December 1, 2023.  Now Tabatabai is the fifth.  The U.S. had previously designated Tabatabai as a key military leader in 2016, with a reward for information on him. 

 The problem with Hezbollah is that it is a  Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary terrorist group.  Being Shia puts it in the pocket of Iran who are also Shia.  Other Muslims happen to follow the Sunni tradition and they conflict with each other with Hezbollah wanting to wipe out Israel.  

Lebanon's Civil War:  Fighting between Lebanese Christian militias and Palestinian insurgents, mainly from the Palestine Liberation Organization, began in 1975 and generated an alliance between the Palestinians and Lebanese Muslims, pan-Arabists, and leftists. The conflict deepened as foreign powers, mainly Syria, Israel, and Iran, became involved and supported or fought alongside different factions.

Hezbollah emerged from the Lebanese Civil War,inflamed by the presence of Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) fighters and intervention by foreign powers like Syria and Israel. The conflict, which lasted from 1975 to 1990, pitted various factions—initially Christian groups against a Muslim-leftist alliance including the PLO—against each other, leading to the fragmentation of the country.  

  Hezbollah has confirmed the death of its military commander Haytham Ali Tabatabai, 57 years old,  in an Israeli strike that Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health says killed five people and wounded 28 [Handout/Hezbollah via EPA]

I wrote about the trials of getting the Lebanese Hezbollah terrorists to disarm on November 9th of this year.   

The most significant recent update on Hezbollah is that Israel killed the group's de facto Chief of Staff, Haytham Ali Tabatabai, in an airstrike on a Beirut suburb on November 23, 2025, despite an ongoing ceasefire. This has raised fears of a major escalation in the conflict. 

UN claims  that Israel has violated the ceasefire daily, but the truth is that it's the terrorists who have been doing it.  Thus, Israel's decision tohit Tabatabai.  

"But since his death on Sunday, it has been revealed that Tabatabai held many senior positions within the armed political group during his tenure.

 3. Hassan Nasrallah, (31 August 1960 – 27 September 2024) was a Lebanese cleric and politician who served as the third secretary-general of Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political party and militia, from 1992 until his assassination in 9/24/2024, serving 32 years.  

Hezbollah has had four main leaders (Secretary-Generals) since the position was established in 1989. 

4. The past leader was Naim Qassem, who was appointed in October 29, 2024 after the death of his predecessor, in 1991.  Following the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah in September 2024, he was appointed acting secretary-general. A month later in October, Qassem was elected as secretary-general after Nasrallah's possible successor, Hashem Saffiedine was assassinated by Israeli strikes. 

Hashem Saffiedine:  (1964 – 3 October 2024) was a Lebanese Shia cleric who served as the head of Hezbollah's Executive Council from 2001 until his assassination in 2024 (for 23 years). He was 60 years old, assassinated before becoming Chief of Staff.  
  

1.  Subhi al-Tufayli (1989–1991): A co-founder of Hezbollah, al-Tufayli served as the group's first secretary-general. He later had a falling out with the organization's Iran-favored faction and was expelled in 1998.                                      

2. Abbas al-Musawi (1991–1992): Al-Musawi succeeded al-Tufayli and led the group until he was killed in an Israeli airstrike in February 1992. 

 In its official announcement, Hezbollah said Tabatabai had been part of the group since its founding in 1982 as a resistance movement against the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. In the post-war period, Hezbollah grew to become Lebanon’s strongest political party and military force, serving in Lebanon’s parliament and having ministers in several governments."

Hezbollah has not fully "taken over" Lebanon's government in a formal sense but has established immense influence and de facto power, effectively becoming a "state within a state". This influence was gained through a combination of political participation, a powerful independent military wing, and an extensive social services network, all backed by Iran, of course.

Resource:

https://israel-nadene.blogspot.com/2025/11/hezbollah-terrorists-in-mix-ignoring-to.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary-General_of_Hezbollah#:~:text=The%20secretary%2Dgeneral%20of%20Hezbollah,as%20deputy%20secretary%2Dgeneral%20under.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanese_Civil_War

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/world/middleeast/israel-hezbollah-dahiya-airstrike.html#:~:text=The%20Israeli%20military%20assassinated%20a,cease%2Dfire%20in%20November%202024.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/24/who-was-haytham-ali-tabatabai-hezbollah-official-killed-by-israel

https://www.ajc.org/news/hezbollah-hamas-and-more-irans-terror-network-around-the-globe#:~:text=mounting%20Israeli%20pressure.-,Lebanon,used%20to%20manufacture%20powerful%20explosives.

Hezbollah Terrorists In The Mix Ignoring To Disarm

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                                                                                                

Israel carried out major strikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon yesterday, sending a clear message that if Lebanon doesn't fulfill its agreement to disarm Hezbollah, Israel will find a way to do it. The U.S. appears to be fully supportive of Israel's strikes. If Hezbollah can't be disarmed, can Hamas? 

Somehow in all of this happening, Lebanon does have a government of sorts: New this year is: Joseph Khalil Aoun born 10 January 1964)age 61,  is a Lebanese politician and army general who has served as the 14th president of Lebanon since 9 January 2025. He has previously served as the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, and is the fifth commander elected president.  He is from a family of  Maronite Christians.                                                    

• Prime Minister: Nawaf Salam was appointed as Prime Minister by President Aoun on January 14, 2025, and his government was officially formed on February 8, 2025.
•  During the Lebanese Civil War, outgoing president Amine Gemayel dismissed incumbent prime minister Selim Hoss and appointed Army general-in-chief Michel Aoun as prime minister 15 minutes before the expiry of his term. Hoss refused his dismissal, and this led to the creation of a dual government: a mainly civilian and Muslim government in West Beirut and a mainly military and Christian one in East Beirut..
The current leader of Hezbollah is Naim Qassem, who succeeded the late Hassan Nasrallah after Nasrallah was killed in a September 2024and was their new leader in late October 2024. 



Naim's whereabouts are unclear, however some reports suggest he has fled to Iran, which is Hezbollah’s main supporter.  He was born in Beirut in 1953 to a family from Lebanon's south, so he's 72.  

 Qassem, a founding member of the group, was previously the deputy secretary-general for over 30 years and is seen as a figure of continuity for the organization. 

                 Hezbollah threatening Trump and Jerusalem

Hezbollah insists it will only consider disarming if several conditions are met, primarily the: 

1. complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from all Lebanese territory, 

• Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories: This includes the five strategic border points that Israel still holds.

2. a halt to all Israeli attacks  

• A complete cessation of Israeli military operations: Hezbollah demands that Israel fully comply with the November 2024 ceasefire agreement and stop its ongoing airstrikes and other "aggressions" in Lebanon.

3. the release of Hezbollah-linked prisoners by Israel.

• Release of Lebanese prisoners: The group has called for the establishment of a mechanism to secure the release of all its linked detainees held by Israel.
• Hezbollah's weak and shallow reply to the demands they promised to follow and are now reneiging on it is:
• Hezbollah views its weapons as a critical element of national defense against future Israeli aggression and argues that any call for disarmament while Israel remains on Lebanese soil serves Israel's interests. The group's leaders have stated they will not discuss their arsenal until their conditions are met and have warned of potential civil strife if the Lebanese government attempts to force disarmament unilaterally. In other words, they refuse to give up their arms.
• Hezbollah is a different ball of wax, in a different class than  
• Hamas.                        Trump has:
• Pressed the Lebanese state to disarm Hezbollah and assert sovereignty, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
• Provided U.S. assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces to help them take control of internal security and eventually manage all arms in the country.
• Imposed sanctions to cut off funding to the group.
• Reportedly softened the language in his new Gaza plan from "disarming" to "decommissioning" of militant groups, a move that ssome Israeli officials fear could allow groups like Hezbollah to regroup. 

President Trump seems to think so, but it's not clear how that will happen.So, here it is:

Donald Trump's recent stance on handling Hezbollah emphasizes the goal of disarming the group and views them as a significant threat to Israel. 

Key points regarding his position:

• Disarmament and Resolution 1701: Recent reports indicate that Trump's plan includes a call for the full disarmament of Hezbollah. This aligns with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for the cessation of hostilities and for Hezbollah to withdraw from south of the Litani River. A recent ceasefire agreement reportedly established a timeline for Lebanon to achieve this disarmament.(Instead, it included provisions for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to be the sole armed force in the area south of the Litani River and for Israel to withdraw from the five occupied points in Lebanon within 60 days. However, the Lebanese government, under U.S. pressure and in a separate decision in August and September 2025, approved an internal plan for the LAF to work toward a state monopoly on all weapons in the country with the target of achieving this by the end  2025. )  Unbelievable, it can never happen!  Nice, but pie in the sky!  Who's falling for this?  
• Support for Lebanese Military: The Trump administration has previously approved significant funding (around $230 million) for Lebanon's security forces with the stated goal of helping them disarm the powerful armed group. The United States is providing $230 million in security assistance to Lebanon's security forces to support the effort to disarm the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. The funding, which was approved by the U.S. administration in early October 2025, includes: $190 million for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)  $40 million for the Internal Security Forces (ISF) 
• "Very Smart" Comment and Criticism: In October 2023, Trump drew criticism, including from the White House and other Republican figures, for calling the Iran-backed militant group "very smart" in a campaign speech while discussing a potential second front in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Critics labeled the comment "dangerous and unhinged" and "absurd," emphasizing that Hezbollah are "terrorists".
• Sanctions: During his presidency, the Trump administration actively pursued a "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran and its proxies, including imposing numerous sanctions on individuals and entities linked to Hezbollah's financial networks in Lebanon and across Africa.
• Zero Tolerance for Threats: The current proposed approach suggests a zero-tolerance policy for threats to Israel's security, with the expectation that Hezbollah will not be allowed to regain strength.