INTERNACIONAL
A weakened Hezbollah leads some in Lebanon to talk of peace with Israel as US pushes sides together
Since Israel’s near annihilation of Hezbollah’s terror leadership, and the backing of the Trump administration, whose special envoy to Lebanon has made clear the U.S. goal of limiting the power and influence of the Iran-terror proxy, the winds of change are slowly blowing over Beirut.
«Thanks to Hezbollah being weakened and defeated after the war with Israel, we are finally in a position to have this conversation about peace with Israel,» Rami Naim, Lebanon affairs journalist and analyst for Jusoor News, told Fox News Digital. «In the past the intelligence investigated me and took me to jail because I said we want peace with Israel, but now I say it openly, yes, we want normalization, and yes, we want peace with Israel without fear.» Naim was personally attacked by Hezbollah last year for his outspoken views.
The weakening of Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy, and the election of Joseph Aoun as Lebanon’s president in January 2025, represents a turning point in the country’s political trajectory. After more than two years of political deadlock, Aoun’s election was seen as a victory for the anti-Hezbollah camp, and has seemingly made the shift in public opinion regarding peace with Israel more palatable.
LEBANON’S NEW PRESIDENT STRIKES A NATIONALISTIC TONE AMID REGIONAL SHIFTS, FURTHER WEAKENING OF HEZBOLLAH
An IDF information chart showing how it decimated the Hezbollah chain of command in recent strikes. (IDF Spokesman’s Unit)
Touting the U.S. president, Naim said, «We believe Trump will put things back on track and work toward peace, aiming for a major peace deal between Lebanon and Israel, which will require increased pressure on Iran.»
Interviews conducted by Jussor, a pan-Arab media outlet, have highlighted that many Lebanese citizens are now willing to consider normalization with Israel. One Lebanese man, interviewed on camera with his face showing, shared his hope: «I believe a day will come when there will be normalization with Israel. It will take time, but it will happen eventually.»
Another interviewee echoed similar sentiments: «Israel wants peace. They don’t want war. They are cleaning things up so war doesn’t happen, and we want peace too. We’re exhausted.»
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with Morgan Ortagus, U.S. deputy special envoy for Middle East Peace, in Beirut on Feb. 7, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Morgan Ortagus, U.S. deputy special envoy for Middle East Peace, has emphasized the necessity of disarming Hezbollah to stabilize Lebanon and pave the way for peace in the region.
In an interview with Al Arabiya earlier this month, she described Hezbollah as a «cancer» within Lebanon that must be removed for the country to have any hope of recovery. She said, «When you have cancer, you don’t treat part of the cancer in your body and let the rest of it grow and fester; you cut the cancer out.» Ortagus also criticized Iran for fueling regional instability and dragging Lebanon into conflicts it did not seek. She noted, «The government of Lebanon didn’t want to go to war with Israel. It was on Oct. 8, 2023, that Hezbollah and Iran decided to get into the war… people were forced into a war that nobody wanted to be in.»
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike targeting a Hezbollah stronghold in a southern suburb of Beirut on Oct. 22. (Fadel Itani/AFP via Getty Images)
«We are grateful to our ally Israel for defeating Hezbollah,» Ortagus said at a news conference in Beirut’s southeastern suburb of Baabda after a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the Associated Press reported.
Naim said that while the public may be ready for peace, it is the Lebanese political elite that must take action. «We need America to keep pressure on Lebanon’s corrupt politicians, who have enabled Hezbollah to rebuild its military capabilities… These politicians must publicly endorse peace. It’s not just activists and journalists who should be saying it. The decision-makers must step forward.»
ISRAEL DEGRADES IRAN-BACKED HEZBOLLAH TERRORISTS IN SPECTACULAR PAGER EXPLOSION OPERATION: EXPERTS
The IDF says its «soldiers are continuing to conduct limited, localized, targeted raids in southern Lebanon, eliminating Hezbollah terrorists and dismantling terror infrastructure and weapons stockpiles both above and below ground.» (IDF Spokesman’s Unit)
Naim’s call for international intervention underscores the continued importance of U.S. influence in Lebanon’s political direction. «We have suffered under the Biden and Obama administrations, as well as those who have made compromises and deals with Iran behind our backs, disregarding our interests,» Naim said.
«During Trump’s first term, there was significant pressure on Iran, which had posed aggression in the region. However, when Trump left the White House, Iran rebuilt its capabilities and grew stronger. Now, we have big hopes for Trump’s second term. His return to the White House would change the equation. What makes us optimistic about Trump is that he fulfills his promises and conducts negotiations from a position of strength, not weakness.»
While there is growing support for peace with Israel, the issue of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon remains a significant hurdle. One man interviewed by Jussor News pointed out, «I believe the whole region is heading toward peace. But we have our demands – you can’t have 500,000 Palestinians living here, then the Israelis come make peace and normalization, and leave them all here with us.»
Commuters drive past a newly-installed billboard bearing the image of a Lebanese flag and a statement that reads in Arabic «Lebanon a new era,» on the road leading to Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International airport on April 10, 2025. (Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images)
Another woman told Jussor: «We are for peace in Lebanon. Not fighting other people’s wars which are not in Lebanon’s interests. Neutrality, as our patriarch said: enough already. We shouldn’t be looking for excuses or saying, ‘We want to liberate Palestine’ while we keep destroying Lebanon. The Palestinians told us, ‘Relax, we don’t need anything from you.’»
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«The Lebanese people are divided, but not into two equal parts,» said Naim. «The majority of the Lebanese people today are supportive of normalization and peace with Israel. This is no longer a taboo in Lebanon. Lebanese citizens can say today, ‘I am supportive of peace and normalization because I have suffered from these failed wars. The Israelis want peace, and we want peace. We want to live in peace. So it’s a win-win situation.’»
INTERNACIONAL
Japón: Hiroshima llama al mundo a abandonar las armas nucleares 80 años después de la bomba atómica que devastó la ciudad
En 1945, Estados Unidos lanzó dos bombas nucleares sobre las ciudades de Hiroshima y Nagasaki el 6 y el 9 de agosto, respectivamente, causando la muerte de más de 200.000 personas. Foto EFE
Un visitante observa una enorme fotografía de Hiroshima devastada por el primer bombardeo atómico del mundo en el Museo Memorial de la Paz de Hiroshima, Japón. Foto EFEJapón,Hiroshima
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A group of six criminal illegal aliens have been arrested by ICE in Houston after having collectively illegally entered the country a staggering 42 times.
The six criminal aliens were finally arrested by ICE in the final days of July after two decades’ worth of illegal reentries and after racking up an equally astounding 48 criminal convictions, according to a statement released on Tuesday.
Criminal convictions among the group include cocaine trafficking, grand theft auto, assault, domestic violence and multiple DWIs. One of the illegals is a documented member of a cartel-connected gang.
According to ICE, one illegal, Oscar Moran Valle, a 43-year-old Mexican national and documented Paisas gang member, illegally entered the U.S. 12 times. He has been convicted of 11 criminal offenses, including three convictions for illegal entry, two for DWI, and one each for drug possession, larceny, giving a false ID to law enforcement, illegal reentry and driving without a license. He was arrested by ICE on July 29.
ICE LODGES DETAINER AGAINST ILLEGAL MIGRANT CHARGED WITH KIDNAPPING, SEXUALLY ASSAULTING NEIGHBOR IN TEXAS
Left to right (top): Alex Salomon Reyes-Chavez, Thanh Van Nguyen, Oscar Moran Valle. Left to right (bottom): Marvin Javier Marquez Celaya, Jose Angel Munoz Saucedo and Angel Bonilla Barahona. (ICE; iStock)
Another, Alex Salomon Reyes-Chavez, a 46-year-old from Honduras, illegally entered the U.S. five times. Reyes-Chavez has been convicted of seven criminal offenses, including two convictions for burglary and heroin possession, as well as convictions for grand theft auto and cocaine trafficking. He was arrested by ICE on July 30.
Another Honduran national, Angel Bonilla Barahona, 38, was arrested by ICE after illegally entering the U.S. seven times and being convicted of seven criminal offenses, including three convictions for assault as well as convictions for resisting arrest, criminal mischief and flight to avoid arrest.
Marvin Javier Marquez Celaya, a 38-year-old criminal alien from Honduras, arrested by ICE July 30. He illegally entered the U.S. five times and has been convicted of eight criminal offenses, including three convictions for burglary, two for cocaine possession, and one each for larceny, domestic violence and illegal reentry.
Thanh Van Nguyen, a 53-year-old from Vietnam, illegally entered the U.S. and has criminal convictions for burglary, larceny, assault and obstructing police and damaging private property.
DHS SCOOPS UP TRANS ILLEGAL ALIEN CHARGED WITH HEINOUS CRIME ON CHILD IN SANCTUARY CITY: ‘WORST OF THE WORST’
ICE made 422 arrests earlier this year in an operation in Houston spanning just one week. (Fox News)
The last of the six, Jose Angel Munoz Saucedo, a 40-year-old from Mexico, illegally entered the U.S. 12 times and has been convicted of eight criminal offenses, including four convictions for DWI, two for illegal entry, and one for fleeing from a police officer.
ICE said the six were arrested by multiagency targeting teams established under the Trump administration to target the «worst of the worst» criminal illegal aliens for removal.
Commenting on the arrests, Gabriel Martinez, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting field office director, thanked the administration for making immigration enforcement a priority so that such criminal illegals «will no longer be able to prey on innocent Americans.»
VENEZUELAN SUSPECT ‘SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN IN THE UNITED STATES,’ POLICE CHIEF SAYS AFTER DEADLY SHOOTING
Commenting on the arrests, Gabriel Martinez, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting field office director, thanked the Trump administration for making immigration enforcement a priority so that such criminal illegals «will no longer be able to prey on innocent Americans.» (Trump-Vance Transition Team; ICE)
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«For the past 20 years, these six violent criminal aliens have brazenly violated our nation’s immigration and criminal laws, wreaking havoc in our local communities and leaving countless victims in their wake,» said Martinez. «Thanks to the current administration’s focus on securing the border and making immigration enforcement a priority, they have been removed from the local community.»
border security,migrant crime,immigration,houston and galveston,texas,illegal immigrants,donald trump,drugs
INTERNACIONAL
Brother of Israeli hostage urges UN to act after video shows Hamas starving and torturing captives
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Ilay David, the brother of 22-year-old hostage Evyatar David, delivered an emotional plea to the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, calling for urgent international action after a horrific new video showed his emaciated brother being forced to dig his own grave inside a Hamas tunnel.
The Security Council session was requested by Israel and comes as the country stands on the verge of a full annexation of Gaza — a move prompted by the collapse of ceasefire talks and the release of disturbing images of starving hostages.
Evyatar David was abducted from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2024. In the newly received footage, he appears frail — reduced to just 90 pounds — and is seen struggling to speak.
NETANYAHU RESPONDS AFTER ISRAELI HOSTAGE SEEN EMACIATED, DIGGING GRAVE: ‘CRUELTY OF HAMAS HAS NO BOUNDARIES’
Members of the United Nations Security Council listen as Ilay David, brother of hostage Evyatar David, and holds up a photo of his brother in captivity as he speaks during a meeting called by Israel. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Holding up a still from the video, Ilay David described a haunting visual: «As my younger brother, a living skeleton, was forced to speak and dig his grave, the chubby and well-fed hand of a Hamas terrorist entered the frame. Suddenly, Hamas confirmed what we have known for months — the terrorists have plenty of food. The only ones starving in Hamas’ tunnels are the hostages: my brother, Guy, and the [49] others.»
«My mother and I could not bring ourselves to watch it,» he said, speaking remotely via Zoom, «But my father and sister did. And now the images haunt them.»
Citing testimony from former hostages — including Tal Shoham, whose account was first published by Fox News Digital — David said the terrorists remain in nearby rooms while deliberately starving captives as part of a «sick and twisted propaganda campaign.»
«This is a humanitarian crisis — the crisis of the hostages — that is not being discussed here,» he said. «Not in the Security Council, and not in other U.N. forums. The very soul of humanity is being scarred by Hamas’s barbaric actions.»
Protesters rallied near the United Nations, demanding immediate medical care and the release of hostages held by Hamas. (Yoav Ginsburg/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
TRUMP: HAMAS SURRENDER, HOSTAGE RELEASE IS ‘FASTEST WAY’ TO END GAZA WAR
The meeting of the U.N. Security Council was convened following the release of the latest hostage video. Israel believes that as few as 20 hostages remain alive in Hamas captivity — many in critical condition, with only days left to live.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who attended the session in New York, emphasized ahead of the meeting that while Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza, Hamas is deliberately starving the hostages.
«Evyatar was forced to dig his own grave. This is satanic,» he said. «These are evil crimes — like those committed by the Nazis and ISIS.»
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar (R) and Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon (L) speak to journalists ahead of a United Nations Security Council meeting at U.N. headquarters on August 5, 2025 in New York (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Sa’ar also warned that recent moves by several nations to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state have emboldened Hamas and undermined negotiations.
«They gave Hamas free gifts and an incentive to continue this war,» he said. «They directly assassinated the hostage deal and ceasefire. These countries prolonged the war.»
Ilay David ended his address with a desperate appeal: «We, the family of Evyatar, refuse to give up hope. We are weeping, we are suffering, but we are also fighting with every fiber of our being. We will not give up until we see him back home — until my mother and father can hug him again.»
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«To the leaders of the world, to every member of this Council, and to the global community: Your silence in the face of this monstrous cruelty is complicity. I urge you — do not let them die. Act now, before it’s too late. Save Evyatar David. Bring my little brother home.»
When asked by reporters at the White House on Tuesday if he had seen the Hamas video of Evyatar David, President Donald Trump said he had, calling it «horrible.»
anti semitism,israel,united nations,terrorism,conflicts
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