Hundreds of Moroccan personnel have undergone training for deployment as part of a multinational stabilisation force in Gaza, according to a Board of Peace official who spoke to The Times of Israel (TOI) on Monday.

Under the Gaza plan envisioned by US President Donald Trump's"Board of Peace" following the October 2025 ceasefire, an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) would be deployed to secure areas following the withdrawal of Israeli forces. The force would also train new Palestinian police units and support the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The plan envisages Hamas stepping down from government and disarming as Israeli forces gradually withdraw from the Strip. However, Israel has refused to leave Gaza, currently occupying close to 70% of the territory and continuing near-daily attacks that have killed more than a thousand Palestinians since the ceasefire was announced.

Hamas has said it was ready to hand over power in Gaza to an interim authority and disarm in line with the ceasefire deal, but says implementation depends on Israel meeting its commitments, including halting attacks and withdrawing its forces.

Morocco, which normalised ties with Israel in 2020, said in February it would join the ISF by deploying police officers and military personnel to Gaza, becoming the first Arab country to publicly announce such a contribution.

While Albania, Kazakhstan and Kosovo have also agreed to contribute troops, Morocco is expected to be the first to put boots on the ground, officials familiar with the Board of Peace's plans told TOI in July.

In comments to the Israeli outlet on Monday, the Board of Peace official said the training of up to 500 personnel began in Morocco around late August. It involved an initial group of officers and instructors, followed by the broader contingent.

The official said the training was conducted by the ISF but could not confirm whether it had been fully completed.

Several initiatives under Trump's ceasefire plan remain on hold because of Israel, the official added. These include the construction of a proposed ISF base near the so-called Yellow Line, which would accommodate around 150 personnel. The Guardian reported last week that Israel was blocking construction of the base, delaying a key part of plans to stabilise and rebuild Gaza.

Israel's genocidal campaign has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians since 7 October 2023, most of them civilians, according to Gaza's health authorities. Thousands more are believed to remain buried beneath the rubble.

Vast tent cities now cover areas where neighbourhoods once stood, while basic services, including healthcare and sanitation, remain largely absent.

Hours before Lebanon and Israel were due to resume negotiations in the United States, the Israeli military on Tuesday accused the Lebanese army of failing to curb Hezbollah’s activities in southern Lebanon, in what a retired Lebanese brigadier general described to The New Arab as an attempt to heighten tensions ahead of the talks and put Lebanon on the defensive.

The Israeli military accused elements within the Lebanese army of allegedly coordinating with Hezbollah to obstruct the enforcement of security arrangements, reportedly allowing the group to anticipate operations and move weapons out of targeted areas. It said the Lebanese army had also failed to dismantle a Hezbollah military site in the south, despite announcing that it had taken the necessary measures there.

The Israeli military said that the Lebanese army was responsible for ensuring the full implementation of the security arrangements, saying it expected it to take more decisive and effective measures to prevent Hezbollah from maintaining weapons and military infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese army later rejected the claims, describing them as false and accusing Israel of seeking to undermine its credibility and cast doubt on its ability to carry out its responsibilities in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon and Israel are due to hold technical military talks in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday, resuming discussions after the last round of talks in Rome in early August. An eighth round planned for September in the Italian capital did not take place.

The Lebanese delegation is expected to reiterate its demands for a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, which continues to come under daily Israeli attack despite a framework agreement signed in June.

Pressure on the Lebanese army

Retired Lebanese Brig. Gen. Bassam Yassin described the Israeli accusations as an attempt to undermine the talks and put the Lebanese army on the defensive.

"The intention is certainly to create tension around the negotiations and put the army in a position where it has to defend itself," Yassin told The New Arab.

He said the Lebanese delegation was expected to focus on technical issues, including the work of the ceasefire monitoring committee, locally known as the mechanism, and demands for an Israeli withdrawal.

The mechanism was established following the November 2024 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah.

"All this talk about the army’s failure does not reflect the major successes it achieved south of the Litani River in 2024 and 2025," Yassin said, questioning why the alleged violations had not been raised with the mechanism at the time.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Israeli military said it expected the Lebanese army to take "more decisive and effective action" to prevent Hezbollah from maintaining weapons and military infrastructure in the south.

It alleged that, despite the Lebanese army announcing in December 2025 that it had dealt with a Hezbollah facility in the southern town of Kafra, footage showed members of the group continuing to operate there and attempting to remove weapons from the site months later.

The Israeli military said its forces had subsequently struck and destroyed a truck carrying the weapons. It also accused members of the Lebanese army of coordinating with Hezbollah over enforcement operations, allowing the group to anticipate military activity and move weapons out of targeted areas.

Yassin rejected the suggestion that the Lebanese army was failing to carry out its responsibilities. While the Lebanese government has made dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and disbanding its armed wing in the south a stated objective, he argued that the army could not be expected to forcibly disarm the group while Israeli forces continued to occupy Lebanese territory and carry out attacks.

"Of course, the army is not going to dismantle Hezbollah’s weapons and infrastructure in the south right now. There is an occupation and aggression on your land. Can the army confront civilians and tell them: ‘I want to dismantle your defences’? That is impossible," he said.

Yassin maintained that the army had taken control of every Hezbollah site it had entered following the November 2024 ceasefire, and said Hezbollah had helped it access many of its former positions.

Some sites were empty when the army arrived, while others were discovered by chance or with the help of local residents, he said. Some of the people responsible for those sites had been killed during the 2024 war, he added, meaning information about their locations was no longer available.

Yassin said the Israeli military's publication of footage now was intended to undermine confidence in the Lebanese army and portray it as weak.

"If there is something old [still there], that does not mean the Israelis can release videos now. The intention is to confuse the Lebanese army and portray it as being in a weak position, when that is not the case," he said.

Lebanese army rejects allegations

In a statement shared with footage on X, the army said its units had begun work on a military facility in the southern town of Kafra in December 2025. They continued working there until 16 March 2026, when they suspended operations and evacuated the area at the request of the mechanism, following Israeli threats to strike the site.

The army said it had informed the committee that the operation was incomplete and that military equipment and ammunition remained inside the facility, which was subsequently targeted by an Israeli strike. It added that repeated requests to secure permission to resume work and remove the remaining equipment had been rejected by Israel.

According to the statement, the army resumed its operation on 15 August 2026 in coordination with the mechanism, eventually completing the work and closing the facility on 16 October.

The Lebanese army also disputed the Israeli military's account of the footage showing a truck carrying weapons being struck. It said the video dated back to 3 July 2026 and was filmed in the village of Seddiqin rather than at the Kafra facility.

The army said all the events and measures it described had been documented with the mechanism, adding that Israel's repeated allegations and disinformation campaigns were aimed at damaging the military institution's credibility locally and internationally, particularly amid the ongoing negotiations.

It reiterated its commitment to carrying out its responsibilities and assigned tasks, while accusing Israel of continuing to violate existing understandings.

No progress on pilot zones

The talks are due to take place under US auspices against a backdrop of continued Israeli strikes and demolitions in southern Lebanon and growing concerns in Beirut about the consequences of a possible wider confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

A US official, in remarks carried by the US embassy in Beirut, said the meeting would be limited to working-level teams and focus exclusively on security issues within the tripartite framework signed by Lebanon and Israel in Washington on 26 June 2026.

Little progress has been made on the initial pilot areas announced under the arrangements this summer. Lebanese military sources told The New Arab that continued Israeli attacks were obstructing the army’s work in the areas and making the return of residents difficult and dangerous.

Beirut also rejects any direct coordination between the Lebanese and Israeli armies, despite pressure from Washington and Tel Aviv. Lebanon continues to pursue the diplomatic track, viewing it as the only viable option to end the conflict.

Fears of a more devastating war

Lebanese official sources told The New Arab that President Joseph Aoun was monitoring developments in the region and feared the consequences of any escalation for Lebanon. They said these concerns had also been raised by international officials and diplomats visiting Beirut, including Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy, who met Aoun on Monday.

The sources also expressed concern about Hezbollah’s increasingly confrontational position, warning that it could draw Lebanon into another war.

They said Lebanese officials were holding internal consultations through their advisers to convey their concerns and urged all sides to put Lebanon’s interests above external agendas.

The sources added that officials had received warnings that another war could have even more serious consequences than the previous rounds of fighting in October 2023 and March 2026.

Hezbollah and Israel began exchanging fire in October 2023, with the conflict escalating into a full-scale war in September 2024. Fighting resumed on 2 March 2026 following the start of the US-Israel war on Iran.

Although fighting largely subsided in June following the signing of the tripartite framework, Israel has continued attacks and demolitions in its so-called buffer zone in southern Lebanon, occupying strategic sites and destroying Hezbollah tunnels.

Israeli attacks over the past three years have killed 8,596 people and wounded more than 30,660 others, many of them civilians.

Local Yemeni authorities on Tuesday raised the death toll from a Houthi strike a day earlier on a military camp belonging to government forces to 73, as fighting between the foes escalates.

It marked the deadliest attack in weeks as fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Yemen's internationally recognised, Saudi-supported government rages after the collapse of a years-long truce.

The death toll from Monday's strike on the camp in the energy-rich Shabwa province "increased to 73 martyrs, while search and follow-up efforts are ongoing to discover the fate of 14 missing people", provincial authorities said in a statement.

Local authorities had put the death toll at 53 on Monday, adding that more than 200 others were injured, all new members of the internal security forces who were undergoing training.

Majed al-Nuzaili, spokesperson for the Yemeni armed forces, stated Monday on X that the Houthis targeted Shabwa with three ballistic missiles, and that the attack "struck a training center for personnel of security and police agencies."

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree later confirmed that the group was responsible for the attack, saying it targeted "Saudi enemy gatherings in Al-Alam camp, which is run by a Saudi officer from the eastern regions".

Shabwa contains major oil and gas fields and is home to the Balhaf liquefied natural gas terminal, the country's largest energy facility and a key economic asset.

A government military source in the province on Monday said the army feared the strikes could pave the way for a ground offensive "similar to what happened in Mokha", the strategic Red Sea port city seized by the Houthis last month.

(AFP)

Qatari and Pakistani officials submitted a new peace proposal to Iran and the US on Tuesday in a bid to prevent further escalation in the Middle East war, sources familiar with the mediation efforts told The New Arab.

The people described the plan as a "middle-ground proposal" that partially meets both sides' demands over Iran's nuclear programme and the release of Tehran's frozen assets. It has received positive responses from both Washington and Tehran, they said.

Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir delivered the proposal to Iranian officials in Tehran on Tuesday, according to the sources, who spoke to TNA on condition of anonymity.

Neither side has shown willingness to compromise over their demands, with the US still insisting Tehran must dismantle its nuclear programme and Iran demanding the immediate release of all its assets frozen abroad.

After agreeing to a temporary ceasefire in June, the two sides were supposed to begin negotiating a comprehensive peace deal covering the nuclear programme and Iran's frozen assets.

But since that truce fell apart the following month, no further negotiations have been held. Tensions have instead ratcheted up further in recent days, with Iran increasing its attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and Trump threatening to return to war after November's midterm elections.

The sources said that the latest proposal aims to extract minor concessions from both sides in a bid to build confidence for new talks. Under the deal, Iran would agree to a secret, unannounced visit by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect its nuclear sites. In return, the US would allow Tehran to receive the interest generated on its $6 billion of frozen assets held in Qatar.

On Monday, sources familiar with the negotiations told The New Arab that a breakthrough could be announced later this week.

The sources, who also requested anonymity, said efforts were continuing to narrow the differences between the two sides and encourage them to make mutual concessions to prevent the war from resuming.

Qatar and Pakistan are pursuing joint mediation efforts aimed at ending the seven-month regional war. Both countries mediated June's memorandum of understanding that briefly brought the conflict to a halt.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Tuesday that Iranian officials would discuss the peace negotiations with Munir.

Munir's visit comes amid mounting tensions over Iran's nuclear programme, the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and US demands for Tehran to curb its enrichment capabilities.

President Trump and other US officials have issued new threats to restart the war if Iran does not back down, while Iranian officials have said they are ready for renewed conflict. On Saturday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that Iran would face "destruction" unless it abandoned its nuclear ambitions.

The mediation efforts also coincide with intensifying regional and international diplomatic activity, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to Tehran on Monday.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Lebanon's parliament to amend its recently adopted media law, warning that journalists and activists could still face criminal prosecution and imprisonment under provisions restricting freedom of expression.

In a statement issued on Monday, the rights organisation called on lawmakers to adopt amendments proposed by ten MPs on 5 October, which would remove some of the law's most controversial provisions and strengthen protections against prosecutions for peaceful expression.

The media law, adopted in August after 16 years of parliamentary deliberations, introduced significant reforms which authorities say are menat to modernise Lebanon's media sector and strengthen press freedoms.

However, HRW warned that the legislation retains vaguely worded criminal offences that could be exploited by public officials and powerful individuals to silence criticism.

"Given the history of public officials and powerful individuals abusing Lebanon's laws to clamp down on journalists, activists, and artists, parliament should act to prevent further abuse," said Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at HRW in a statement.

"No one should face abusive retaliation for peacefully expressing their views, and parliament has a chance to end these abuses right here and now."

At the centre of the organisation's concerns is Article 104(b), which criminalises the intentional fabrication and dissemination of false and harmful news, carrying a prison sentence of up to three years.

HRW said the provision's use of vague and undefined terminology, particularly the concept of "harmful news", could allow authorities to continue pursuing criminal proceedings against journalists and other critics.

The organisation also warned that the legislation fails to address several existing provisions in Lebanon's Penal Code and Military Justice Code that criminalise criticism of state institutions and officials.

These include offences involving defamation or insults directed against Lebanon's president, state institutions and army, as well as foreign states and their representatives.

Some offences carry prison sentences of up to two years, while provisions in the Military Justice Code criminalising public disparagement of the army or national flag can result in sentences of up to three years.

HRW said the amendments introduced by MPs earlier this month would repeal Article 104(b) and prevent the relevant provisions of the Penal Code and Military Justice Code from being applied to cases involving media-related or online expression.

They would also restrict the ability of security forces to interrogate and investigate media professionals over expression-related offences, placing those powers under the authority of public prosecutors.

The organisation said Lebanese security agencies had previously subjected journalists and activists to abusive interrogation practices and demonstrated bias when enforcing criminal defamation laws.

Despite its criticism, HRW acknowledged that the new media law represents a significant improvement on Lebanon's previous legal framework.

Among its reforms are the abolition of pretrial detention for expression-related offences committed through media or online platforms, the right to establish online publications without prior state authorisation, and restrictions on military court jurisdiction over media-related offences.

The legislation also strengthens protections for journalists' confidential sources, limits searches and seizures of their electronic equipment, and recognises media workers' rights to organise in unions.

As previously reported by The New Arab, the law introduces new transparency requirements compelling media organisations to disclose their ownership structures, shareholders and funding sources.

These provisions are intended to address longstanding concerns about the influence of political and economic interests over Lebanon's media sector, although their implementation remains a subject of debate.

HRW argued that the proposed amendments would not go far enough on their own, as they would primarily protect expression through media outlets and online platforms.

It called for the complete repeal of criminal defamation and insult provisions across Lebanese legislation, including those governing speech outside the media, with such disputes instead handled through civil courts.

"For years Lebanese civil society has fought for increased protections to the right to freedom of expression and the press," Kaiss said.

"Passing the proposed amendments to the media law would be a breakthrough."

Amnesty International has said Israeli settlers are turning the West Bank's olive harvest season into "a season of horror" for Palestinians after a series of attacks which have targeted European diplomats and an American journalist as well as farmers trying to pick their crops.

The rights group called on states to act against Israeli settlers after the attacks, which recently saw Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine injured, with broken ribs and hand injuries which required surgery.

Amnesty said the attack, and another which targeted European diplomats, "offer a glimpse into a reality of relentless aggression against Palestinians."

In a rare condemnation of Israeli settler violence, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called the attack a "despicable act of terror" in a post on X.

Huckabee also condemned settlers seizing property from Palestinian-Americans in August, but has long been an ardent supporter of Israel.

In September, he blamed "biblical illiteracy" for waning support for Israel among American citizens. He said in an interview with NewsNation that Americans will have a more favourable view of Israel if they "look at the truth."

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said more than 1,600 settler attacks resulting in casualties, property damage or both had been recorded across 275 Palestinian communities by mid-September this year.

Settler attacks were occurring at an average rate of 6.7 a day, up from five a day in 2025, with the violence spreading across an increasingly wide area of the occupied territory.

On Monday, Israeli police made rare arrests of 10 settlers in the West Bank following attacks on Levine, European diplomats, and Palestinians harvesting olives, It rarely prosecutes settlers accused of violent acts and Israeli armed forces often facilitiate settler attacks.

Israeli human rights organisation Yesh Din found that just 3% of the police investigation files it monitored concerning ideologically motivated offences by Israelis against Palestinians between 2005 and 2025 led to full or partial convictions.

Amnesty said in a press release, "States must recognise that settler attacks are not isolated acts, but a central policy of the Israeli state and take concrete measures to respect their obligations under international law."

It called on countries "to avoid complicity in Israeli violations and crimes against Palestinians by halting all trade, investment and cooperation that contribute to maintaining the unlawful occupation, apartheid and the ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing."

American citizen Mohammed Sakat was also attacked by Israeli settlers on Monday.

US-based Muslim rights group CAIR said of the political response to the attack, "Failing to speak out about this and demand accountability is a betrayal of the American people in favour of a foreign state."

They called on the US government to launch an investigation into the attacks on Sakat, Levine, and all other Americans assaulted by Israeli settlers.

In September, the UK, Canada and France announced sanctions against Israeli settlements, which are illlegal under international law, in a joint move.

As rumours of UK sanctions on Israeli settlers spread, Huckabee accused the UK government of "Jew hate," but US official responses to the sanctions after the country's official announcement were notably muted.

Rather than his signature style of fiery, often personal attacks, US President Donald Trump responded to the sanctions saying, "I understand exactly what's going on, but I want to find out why all of a sudden has that happened."

Iraq has imposed restrictions on representatives of Yemen’s Houthi group in Baghdad, banning them from political and media activities amid regional tensions and efforts to strengthen ties with Saudi Arabia, sources have told The New Arab (TNA). 

Houthi leaders and officials in Iraq have been instructed not to conduct any media or political “activities” from Iraqi territory, an Iraqi official who requested anonymity told TNA. 

A senior official in the office of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said the directive imposed a comprehensive ban on members of the group in Iraq holding meetings, organising press conferences and seminars, or moving outside the limits permitted under the country’s residency laws. 

Since 2018, the Houthis have operated an office in Baghdad’s affluent Jadriya neighbourhood, known as the Representation Office of Ansar Allah. It is headed by Abu Idris al-Sharafi, a prominent Houthi representative with ties to Iraq dating back to 2016. 

According to the Iraqi official, the government has designated residences for members of the Houthi representation and required them to provide advance information about their movements within Baghdad and other provinces. 

The official added that the group’s members had been informed of the decision several days earlier.

The directive explicitly prohibits activities conducted from Iraqi territory against Saudi Arabia or other countries in the region, citing the principles of good neighbourliness and non-interference in the affairs of other states enshrined in the Iraqi constitution. 

Houthi leaders have reportedly made several visits in recent months to political officials, as well as commanders from the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) and other armed factions in Baghdad and several provinces. Iraq is home to numerous Iran-backed armed groups. 

The Iraqi official said members of the Houthi group could no longer organise political or media activities relating to the ongoing war in Yemen. 

The restrictions come about a week after al-Zaidi visited Saudi Arabia and met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, holding talks on security, political and economic issues. 

During the meeting, al-Zaidi assured the crown prince that Iraq would not allow its territory to be used to launch attacks against Saudi Arabia or other countries in the region, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported. 

“Iraq’s firm position is not to allow its territory to be used as a launching pad for any attacks or actions that affect the security of the kingdom and the countries of the region, and to be keen on adhering to the principles of good neighbourliness and respecting the sovereignty of Iraq and brotherly and friendly countries,” al-Zaidi’s office said in a statement cited by INA. 

During the Houthis’ lightning offensive in Yemen last month, Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline was struck by drones - forcing Riyadh to temporarily suspend operations along the export route, which Saudi Arabia uses as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.  

Saudi Arabia said the drones originated in Iraq. 

Baghdad conducted its own investigation and concluded that the strikes had been launched from Iraqi territory, although no group claimed responsibility. 

Speaking to TNA, retired Iraqi Army Colonel Saad al-Jughaifi said the latest restrictions on Houthi representatives were consistent with international pressure to curb support for groups Washington describes as Iran’s regional proxies. 

Al-Jughaifi also disclosed that measures introduced several months ago had restricted prominent members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah armed group and the Houthi movement from accessing Iraq’s financial transfer system, including banks, currency exchange and remittance companies.  

He said restrictions had also affected their access to Iraqi Airways. 

Al-Jughaifi added that the measures were intended to prevent Iraq from facing further financial, economic and political crises resulting from an adverse international classification. 

He said that the Houthis had been hosted in Iraq under the government of Adel Abdul Mahdi in 2018, but their presence had since expanded in terms of personnel, headquarters and offices. Some members had also brought their families to live in Iraq. 

Yemen’s civil war, in which Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting the government since 2015, reignited in September following the collapse of a years-long truce. 

The Houthis have tried to impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, targeting its tankers and seizing large stretches of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, a key route for oil exports.  

The conflict has also driven up energy prices, with the Houthis launching repeated missile attacks against the kingdom. 

Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has been targeted 20 times since the beginning of the month, with a recent attack killing 13 people and injuring more than 300.

Neither pro-Netanyahu forces nor Gadi Eisenkot's opposition coalition will win a majority in the Knesset in next week's general election, which is poised to deliver gains for both the far-right and Arab parties, according to an average of polls tracked by The New Arab.

Both blocs are currently on course to win 51 seats in the 120-seat Israeli parliament following the 27 October vote, seven polls conducted over the past week show.

This would put them 10 seats short of the majority needed to form a government.

Parties representing Israel's Palestinian citizens , which include the Joint List and Ra'am, are projected to increase their seats in the Knesset from 10 to 14. This would set them up as potential kingmakers to a new government, weeks after election authorities tried to ban them from participating in the race.

Included in the Likud's far-right grouping are the extremist Jewish Power and Religious Zionism parties, and Haredi groups Shas and United Torah Judaism.

Eisenkot's Yashar is leading a disparate coalition of forces that includes the hardline Yisrael Beiteinu, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid's Together, and the liberal Democrats party.

Likud has remained neck and neck with Yashar in the polls for most of the past three months, despite rising scrutiny on the internationally wanted prime minister over security failures on 7 October.

Eisenkot's party is currently projected to be the largest in the Knesset with 22 seats. Likud is in a close second with 21.

Far-right gains

Itamar Ben-Gvir’s extremist Jewish Power is expected to make large gains in next week’s vote, deepening Kahanism’s penetration into the mainstream of Israeli politics.

In the 2022 election, the party was only able to make it into the Knesset by forming a joint list with Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism and another small far-right group.

Four years later, it is poised to win eight seats standing on its own, making it the joint fifth-largest party in the assembly.

Ben-Gvir and his adherents are the successors to Meir Kahane’s Kach party, which was banned from elections in the 1980s for racism and later designated a terrorist organisation.

Anti-Palestinian racism has been at the forefront of the national security minister’s election campaign, the bedrock of which have been pledges to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from the occupied territories and conduct mass executions of Arab prisoners.

Already popular among extremist settlers in the West Bank, Jewish Power is trying to make further inroads among increasingly radicalised youth in Israel proper.

Polling shows that the party draws much of its support from younger Israelis. A third of its supporters at next week’s election are expected to be first-time voters.

He has pushed hard for the youth vote with an aggressive social media strategy that has included footage of him participating in the destruction of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem and berating prisoners in their cells.

He has also leaned heavily into meme culture and AI to create a series of viral videos depicting emaciated Arab prisoners, mocking the destruction of Gaza, and celebrating his success in introducing the death penalty for Palestinians.

Will Trump's intervention help Netanyahu?

Both blocs have received potential boosts in recent days, with the prime minister winning Donald Trump's endorsement and Benny Gantz's centrist party bowing out of the race.

In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump declared his "complete and total endorsement" of Netanyahu, describing him as a "great warrior prime minister".

Likud will be hoping that the intervention of the US president – who remains popular inside Israel – will give Netanyahu new momentum in the final days of the campaign.

But early signs indicate that the endorsement may not be tipping the balance in Likud’s favour.

The first poll published since the announcement put Yashar three seats ahead of Likud on 24 and Eisenkot’s bloc on top with 55 seats to the pro-Netanyahu group’s 51. The two Arab parties had a combined 14 seats.

Meanwhile, Eisenkot’s coalition could receive a further polling boost in the coming days on the back of Gantz’s exit, with the Blue and White party’s moderate base expected to side with the anti-Netanyahu camp.

The former defence minister announced on Monday he would be pulling out of the race, with polls showing his party would fail to meet the threshold for entering the Knesset.  

An unannounced meeting was held between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in southern Israel on Monday, US news site Axios reported.

The meeting took place at Ovda airbase in the Negev desert, where US fighter jets and refuelling aircraft are stationed, two sources familiar with the matter told Axios.

Hegseth has since confirmed that the secret trip took place. Other than saying he had met with US troops, he gave no further details.

"It was an honour to visit our warfighters in @CENTCOM today. The best of our country, on a historic mission. Godspeed," he wrote on X.

Netanyahu flew to the airbase from Israel’s main airport, Ben Gurion, by private plane rather than helicopter, which Israeli news outlet Ynet described as unusual. Ynet also said the meeting was "unusually" long.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and National Security Adviser Shmuel Ben-Ezra also attended the meeting, according to Axios and Israel’s Channel 12.

Earlier reports in Israeli media suggested that officials from the United Arab Emirates were also present, but Israeli news outlet i24NEWS later reported that no Emirati officials had attended.

Reports of Hegseth’s trip emerged a day after US President Donald Trump endorsed Netanyahu in Israel’s 27 October election. The visit also comes amid heightened US-Israel tensions with Iran and growing concerns about a possible resumption of war.

The US and Israel began striking Iran on 28 February, immediately drawing much of the region into a wider conflict that has left thousands of people dead and rattled the global economy amid disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab.

Oil- and gas-rich Gulf states have come under repeated Iranian attack. The ongoing conflict between Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia has become another major front in the wider war.

On Monday, senior sources familiar with mediation efforts told The New Arab that a breakthrough in US-Iran talks was expected to be announced this week, as Qatar and Pakistan continued diplomatic efforts to prevent a renewed war. However, the prospect of an agreement remained highly uncertain, with Tehran refusing to make concessions on its nuclear programme and support for its allied groups across the region.

Tehran has warned that it would retaliate forcefully if Washington and Tel Aviv resumed their attacks.

Earlier this month, Hegseth told reporters: "Iran will never, under any circumstances, possess a nuclear weapon. President Trump is absolutely determined and resolved to ensure they do not obtain one. They will not get it."

He warned that Iran had the option of complying with US demands or, as he put it, "learning the hard way."

US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has called for the arrest of an Israeli military commander accused of involvement in the killing of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab in Gaza, after a human rights organisation revealed that he was visiting the US.

Tlaib made the demand on Monday after the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) filed an urgent request with the US Department of Justice seeking the investigation, arrest and prosecution of Sean Glass, a former commander in Israel's 52nd Armoured Battalion.

The foundation alleges that Glass commanded the unit responsible for opening fire on the vehicle carrying Hind and her relatives in Gaza City on 29 January 2024.

"As a party to the Genocide Convention and the Geneva Conventions, our government is obligated to arrest and investigate him for these war crimes and acts of genocide," Tlaib wrote on social media.

The foundation said its investigation placed Glass and soldiers from his "Vampire Empire" Company within a few hundred metres of Hind's vehicle during the attack, saying that he most likely gave the order to open fire.

It said the evidence included geolocation analysis and documentation of the unit's movements, alongside statements made by Glass about his military operations in Gaza.

The allegations against Glass have not been established in court.

Hind was travelling with relatives through Gaza City when their car came under Israeli fire. Six-year-old cousin Layan Hamadeh contacted the Palestinian Red Crescent Society for help before she was killed.

Hind subsequently spoke to emergency dispatchers, pleading for someone to rescue her as she remained trapped in the vehicle, surrounded by the bodies of her relatives.

The recordings of her desperate calls for help provoked international outrage.

An ambulance dispatched to rescue Hind was also attacked, killing two Palestinian paramedics. Hind's body and those of the rescuers were discovered days later.

An investigation by the research group Forensic Architecture subsequently found no evidence of the Israeli account of the incident, which claimed that there was an exchange of fire with Palestinian fighters.

The killing became one of the most widely recognised symbols of the suffering of Palestinian children during Israel's genocide in Gaza.

Wider allegations against Israeli commander

The Hind Rajab Foundation also accuses Glass of involvement in other military operations across Gaza, including the assault on Al-Shifa Hospital, the destruction of the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and the devastation of residential neighbourhoods.

It alleges that his company participated in the seizure and destruction of the Rafah Crossing, which connects Gaza with Egypt.

According to the foundation, Glass publicly celebrated the destruction carried out by his unit, including in statements describing the devastation of areas his soldiers had been ordered to enter.

The organisation said it had previously submitted material concerning Glass and other Israeli soldiers to the International Criminal Court, alongside complaints to national judicial authorities.

Its latest action seeks to establish whether US authorities will pursue allegations against an Israeli military officer present on American territory.

Polish explosives manufacturer faces legal challenge

The demand for Glass's arrest comes as the Hind Rajab Foundation pursues a separate legal challenge in Poland over the alleged supply of explosives used in Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

On Monday, the foundation, alongside the International Federation for Human Rights and the European Legal Support Centre, announced an appeal against a Warsaw prosecutor's decision to dismiss a criminal complaint targeting representatives of Polish explosives manufacturer Nitro-Chem.

The original complaint, filed in June, alleges that the state-owned company supplied TNT used in the manufacture of American bombs subsequently transferred to Israel, potentially implicating its representatives in international crimes committed against Palestinians.

The organisations argue that Nitro-Chem's commercial relationships with US arms manufacturers, as well as its direct sales to Israeli defence companies, warranted a criminal investigation.

They are asking the Warsaw Regional Court to review the dismissal and examine whether company representatives could bear criminal responsibility for supplying materials allegedly used in war crimes and genocide.

The allegations against Nitro-Chem representatives have not been established in court.

The two cases reflect the foundation's expanding efforts to pursue accountability not only against Israeli military personnel accused of atrocities in Gaza, but also against companies and individuals allegedly involved in supplying the weapons used during the genocide.

When Usama Ghanem was accepted to study International Relations at King's College London (KCL) in the UK, he was excited to attend a globally renowned university, known for its rigorous international studies department and its supposed protection of freedom of expression.

As a political dissident from Egypt, where he had been tortured and imprisoned for his activism, Ghanem was looking forward to expressing his opinions freely and protesting for the rights of Palestinians.

But Ghanem soon found that the reality at KCL was very different after he was indefinitely suspended in a disciplinary case he believes was linked to his pro-Palestine activism, an allegation the university strongly denies.

"I left an authoritarian regime in Egypt to find one in King's College London," Usama Ghanem told The New Arab. "To find one that represses people for their mere opinion and does the same tactic that the authoritarian regimes in Egypt did, just on a university scale."

After learning about campaigns for KCL to divest from Israel-linked companies, the activist quickly called out what he viewed as the institution's complicity with Israel, protesting outside the university and helping establish an encampment.

But after receiving his first disciplinary notice, Ghanem came to believe that while KCL claimed to uphold the right to freedom of expression, protesting for Palestine could have consequences.

"I felt extremely proud to have represented and have fought for the Palestinian people, [and] extremely proud that I have been in a place where I'm able to fight for those people and hold my university accountable," Ghanem said.

While Ghanem's suspension from KCL was lifted in September after a 15-month battle, dozens of other students have been disciplined for their activism, with some facing indefinite exclusions.

However, KCL disputed Ghanem's account of the reasons for his suspension, saying the disciplinary action was not related to his political views or lawful pro-Palestine activism.

In a statement sent to The New Arab, the university said Ghanem had been suspended following behaviour that "included harm to others and suppressing the rights of others to their freedom of expression".

"We do not discipline students for lawful affiliations, including pro-Palestine views, lawful protests or freedom of expression, and any suggestion otherwise is inaccurate," the KCL statement said.

The university did not provide further details of the alleged behaviour in its statement.

However, a damning report by Amnesty International, "Silencing Dissent", found that many institutions, including Oxford, LSE and KCL, had systematically clamped down on students' rights to express themselves and speak out for what they believe in on campus, with Palestine being "at the very sharp end of that".

"Universities are supposed to be places that encourage free expression and critical thought, but instead they are actively punishing or repressing students for doing just that," Hannah Stokes, Amnesty International's community organiser for students, told The New Arab.

Stokes noted that the report documented cases where students were disciplined for everything from peacefully protesting on campus and wearing keffiyehs to using watermelon emojis in Instagram posts.

The rights group also found that the restrictions documented often fell short of standards in international and UK law regarding political speech and peaceful assembly, noting a harsher crackdown on Muslim students.

"So many universities that we research really pride themselves as being these spaces of critical thought, critical inquiry, being a place for academic freedom; they really pride themselves on it," Stokes noted.

"We're wanting to make universities be spaces that they claim to be; we want them to be these spaces that are for critical thought, critical thinking, where students can voice their opinion, where they can engage in defence, and that the university makes them feel safe and enabled and encouraged to do that."

"I think on the ground on our campuses, we've been feeling this for a long time," Will O'Donnell, co-chair of Amnesty International's Student Action Network and an LSE student, told The New Arab, when asked about the report on restrictions on free speech at universities.

"We saw an unprecedented injunction applied on the university territory that basically meant there were ridiculous notices for periods of protest; there were arbitrary protest rules," O'Donnell added.

He was a new student at SOAS on 7 October 2023, when Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel and Israel began its genocidal war on Gaza.

"This all kind of culminated in just a really significant atmosphere of repression, of silence, there was specific racialised profiling of students, which was horrible."

O'Donnell recalled a group of students who faced campus bans in 2024, which affected their academic careers.

He said the censorship was not limited to pro-Palestine activism, noting the high level of repression against other causes and forms of protest.

"We really need to scrap the restrictive protest rules that we've seen. We need to stop the misuse of disciplinary actions," O'Donnell said. "Universities need to create policies that positively affect students' capacity to engage in protest, to allow students' voices to be heard."

Amnesty International has created the "Defend Dissent Charter", which contains ten recommendations that the rights group is asking universities to adopt in their policies and practices to ensure students on campus have the right to free expression.

The charter aims to turn the recommendations into tangible policy and practice changes that universities implement, in line with what students across the UK are campaigning for.

"The bigger thing that we're trying to fight is to ensure that universities don't become increasingly morally authoritarian and do stay, in an ideal world, as spaces where students can freely express themselves, are encouraged to do so, and are spaces where the next generation of human rights defenders come from," Stokes said.

"Getting universities to sign up to [the charter] is a really key way that we can defend this right and make sure that universities are faces of critical thought, critical speech, and where dissent is encouraged."

Looking back on the ordeal, Ghanem said it showed him the importance of standing up for justice, but also the need to ensure what happened to him would not happen to any other student who wants to protest.

"I don't want any other student to feel that their future is under threat because they stood for what's right and they stood against the genocide," Ghanem said.

"I think by universities adopting the charter and the commitments that it makes, it serves as a step in the right direction to make sure that no other student ever faces that again."

Editor's note: This article was updated on 21 October 2026 to include King's College London's response disputing the reasons given for Usama Ghanem's suspension and to clarify that the university denies disciplining students for lawful pro-Palestine activism.

Syria and the World Bank have agreed to set up a multi-donor trust fund focused on recovery and reconstruction, they said in a joint statement on Sunday, as Damascus aims to rebuild after a more than decade-long civil war.

The fund aims to provide concessional financing, investment guarantees, technical support, and capacity building.

After more than 14 years of a devastating civil war, around 90% of Syrians live in poverty, and tens of thousands of people are still internally displaced, unable to return to their destroyed homes.

Muhammad Yahya, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, had previously reported that four million internally displaced people had returned to their areas of origin in Syria since last December.

But, he also noted that these returns continued to face significant challenges, including damaged homes and shortages of essential services in areas of return.

Yahya warned that the humanitarian situation facing displaced people could deteriorate amid the approach of winter. He called for the needs of the most vulnerable families and individuals to remain a priority alongside ongoing recovery and return efforts.

The Syrian government has committed itself to unwinding Assad’s 'Baathist' economic model. In a meeting of the Arab Media Summit in Dubai last week, President Ahmed al-Sharaa said that Syria is undergoing “a shift from a system resembling socialism, dominated by corruption and bureaucracy, to a more liberalised system based on a free market economy”.

Under Assad, the economy was defined by “corruption, bureaucratic bloat and inefficiency,” Benjamin Fève, a Senior Consultant at Karam Shaar Advisory, tells The New Arab.

The government has sought to liberalise the economy by slimming down overstaffed state institutions, cutting subsidies, and opening the Syrian market to foreign investment.

These reforms have created a positive impact in some sense, with the IMF forecasting more than 10% growth in 2026. However, “this growth has not translated into a lower cost of living or reduced poverty rates,” Caroline Rose, a senior director at the Soufan Centre, explains to The New Arab.

Rose explains that much of the significance of lifting fuel subsidies comes from the major knock-on effects it has in almost every aspect of the economy, causing a cascade of price increases—perhaps most impactfully in food prices.

Food insecurity remains widespread, with 7.2 million Syrians acutely food insecure according to the World Food Programme—an issue compounded by rising prices for foodstuffs and a cut in humanitarian aid budgets globally.

Britain will deploy Royal Air Force fighter jets on defensive missions to help protect Saudi Arabia from escalating Houthi attacks, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing British officials familiar with the matter.

RAF Typhoon fighter jets will help defend Saudi cities and infrastructure against aerial attacks by the Iran-backed group, while Britain will also provide an Atlas A400M transport aircraft and military advisers, the report said.

Britain's Ministry of Defence did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In September Britain said it would provide additional defensive military assistance to Saudi Arabia following renewed Houthi attacks, including an RAF Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft. That announcement did not include fighter jet support.

Houthi attacks have intensified in Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, with Yemen authorities saying on Monday that a strike on a government security forces training camp had killed 58 people.

Saudi Arabia has decided to postpone its flagship investment conference until next year, organisers confirmed in a statement on Monday, following deadly attacks by Yemen's Houthis which rocked the kingdom in recent weeks.

The Future Investment Initiative, or FII, was planned for 26 to 29 October, but will now take place in 2027, with a new date to be announced "very soon," the organisers said. 

The conference, set for its 10th edition, has become a must-attend event for some of the world's top financiers. Informally dubbed "Davos in the Desert," in a nod to the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Switzerland, the state-backed annual event has showcased the kingdom's ambitious investment plans in a bid to attract billions of dollars needed to fund its economic transformation away from hydrocarbons towards tourism, sports and technology.

Expected speakers for this year's event included Goldman Sachs CEO and Chairman David Solomon, Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters and Citi's CEO Jane Fraser, according to a draft programme.

The US-Israeli war with Iran this year has disrupted the Gulf's busy calendar of events, with several conferences cancelled, postponed or retooled in the UAE and Qatar in the first part of the year, when the countries bore the brunt of the attacks while Saudi Arabia suffered fewer hits.

The kingdom in recent weeks has faced a new war with Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, which have struck military, energy and civilian infrastructure across the country, including state oil company Aramco's headquarters and Riyadh's international airport, where strikes killed at least 18 people and hundreds were wounded this month.

FII said it wanted to ensure the event delivered "the full scale, extraordinary quality, and unforgettable impact that our community has come to expect."

Reuters reported last week that the FII organizers considered a hybrid format, allowing executives to tune in remotely. Semafor reported Monday that big banks and private-equity firms have privately relayed safety concerns about attending the event to Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund Governor Yasir ⁠Al-Rumayyan, adding that CEOs feel pressure to attend the four-day event.

US President Donald Trump's support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, in the upcoming elections has disappointed Palestinians and increased fears that Washington will continue backing Israeli fundamentalist policies.

On Sunday, Trump announced on his Truth Social platform his "full and total support" for Netanyahu ahead of Israel's 27 October parliamentary elections, saying Israel needs his leadership.

He also suggested that without Netanyahu, the United States might have to complete its mission against Iran alone.

The endorsement comes as Israeli political factions compete for power, with opinion polls suggesting a close race and uncertainty over whether either bloc can secure the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-member Knesset.

Palestinians in the war-torn coastal enclave who have lost family members and homes view Trump's endorsement as a clear sign that their suffering will continue without meaningful US pressure on Israel to change course.

US backing may not secure Netanyahu's victory

Mustafa Ibrahim, a Gaza-based political analyst, told The New Arab that Trump's support for Netanyahu could reinforce these fears by giving the Israeli prime minister greater freedom to pursue his policies without serious pressure from Washington.

"Trump sees Netanyahu as an ally whose political vision aligns with his own regarding Israel and the future of the region," Ibrahim said, adding that the endorsement reflected the longstanding US-Israeli alliance and the two leaders' shared positions on the Palestinian issue.

Ibrahim argues that Trump's endorsement would not necessarily determine the Israeli election outcome, which would also depend on security and economic conditions, government performance and public criticism of Netanyahu's handling of domestic and regional affairs.

Nevertheless, the US president's backing could strengthen Netanyahu's image as the candidate best positioned to maintain close ties with Washington, he explained.

Even if Netanyahu loses, Ibrahim warned, a change of government would not necessarily bring a fundamental shift in Israeli policy towards Palestinians, given the broad political consensus in Israel against Palestinian sovereignty and continued Israeli control over Palestinian territories.

Continued Israeli aggression

Ahmed Rafiq Awad, a Ramallah-based political analyst, told TNA that several motivations behind Trump's support include pressure from the pro-Israel far right in the United States, his domestic political calculations and shared positions with Netanyahu on Iran.

"Trump could be seeking to consolidate support among American conservatives ahead of the US midterm elections while preserving cooperation with Netanyahu on regional security," he said.

However, he cautioned that the endorsement would not automatically translate into electoral gains, as some Israeli voters might view it as interference in their domestic affairs.

He mentioned that Trump's previous backing of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán did not prevent Orbán from losing an election.

Awad warned that another Netanyahu government could prolong Israel’s war on Gaza, expand settlements in the West Bank, marginalise the Palestinian Authority and deepen the political and geographical divide between Gaza and the West Bank, while obstructing meaningful negotiations.

He said Palestinians had limited options to counter these policies, stressing the need for steadfastness, a reassessment of ineffective Palestinian strategies and greater reliance on international institutions and allies to hold Israel accountable.

Suffering in Gaza

In Gaza, Trump's support for Netanyahu has deepened Palestinians' disappointment, particularly among families who have lost loved ones and homes and see little prospect of accountability.

Rizq Abu Ali, 45, from Gaza City, lost all his children when the Israeli army bombed his family home in the Al-Sabra neighbourhood in January 2025.

"What can we expect from Trump when he supports Netanyahu, the man responsible for the crimes committed against us?" Abu Ali told TNA.

"There are no words to describe what a father goes through when he loses all his children in a single moment," he said.

Abu Ali described Trump as a partner in Netanyahu's crimes against Palestinians, saying the US president's support had compounded the suffering of families like his.

"Instead of holding those responsible accountable, he is backing the man responsible for our suffering," Abu Ali said, adding that his loss had left him with no hope of seeing his children again.

For 58-year-old Um Abd al-Rahman Abu Riyala, Trump's support for Netanyahu suggests that her family will remain trapped in displacement, without the shelter and healthcare her three children with disabilities urgently need.

Originally from Gaza City's Al-Shati refugee camp, she now lives in a tent with her elderly husband and children after losing her home.

"We are living in a tent after losing our home. Every day, we struggle to meet our basic needs and provide for my children," she told TNA.

Abu Riyala fears that Trump's backing will give Netanyahu greater freedom to continue his policies, prolonging the conditions that have left her family homeless and struggling to survive.

She said continued displacement would make it even harder to care for her children, who need adequate shelter, medical attention and a stable living environment.

"When Trump supports Netanyahu, he is supporting policies that affect our lives directly. We are the ones who pay the price. If this support allows the suffering to continue, my children and I will remain in this tent, without knowing when we can return to a home or get the care they need," she added.

"I am not asking for luxury. I just want a safe place to live with my husband and children, where I can care for them and meet their needs without living in fear every day," she explained.

 

Welcome,

Here are the key updates:

• Sources told The New Arab that Pakistan and Qatar presented a "middle-ground" proposal that incorporated certain demands from Iran and the United States
   
• Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasised that Iran and Russia have the "closest strategic relationship in history" following talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Tehran. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said the United States continues to hit Iran hard "economically and militarily" and praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for "laying off Iran"
   
• The war in Yemen intensifies, as the Houthis stuck government forces in a training camp, killing over 50 and wounding more than 200
   
• Israeli attacks continue on Gaza, occupied West Bank, south Lebanon and southern Syria
   

And so we continue our live coverage of the day...

Qatar plans to build two power plants in Lebanon over the next three years and sign a 20-year liquefied natural gas supply deal as part of a proposal to revive the ailing Lebanese power sector, Reuters said.

Lebanon's energy sector is at the centre of the country's financial and economic malaise, contributing tens of billions of dollars to the national debt since the country's 1975-1990 civil war even as it failed to deliver 24/7 power.

The state power company currently supplies just a few hours of power per day, with the rest coming from expensive private diesel generators that spew toxic exhaust often seen forming a yellow-grey layer of smog above Beirut.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani visited Lebanon last week and publicly promised to help revitalise the country's power sector. Few details were then presented to reporters.

But according to a proposal drafted with input from the Lebanese and Qatari governments, dated October 2026 and seen by Reuters, the programme "covers gas-fired power generation, LNG supply and regasification, renewable energy, battery storage, and regional electricity interconnections".

"The program aims to attract private/project financing without upfront Lebanese public-budget capital expenditure; payment obligations and guarantees remain subject to negotiation," the document said.

The blueprint, called the National Integrated Energy Investment Programme, still requires approval from both governments and remains subject to amendment, a person familiar with the matter said.

They set the implementation timeframe at three years if approvals come swiftly.

Qatar has long backed Lebanon financially and politically, stepping in multiple times over the last decades during political and economic crises.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the proposed plan. Lebanon's energy minister also did not respond to a request for comment.

Proposal follows growing Qatari presence in Syria

According to the document, the plan includes two new combined-cycle plants at Deir Ammar in northern Lebanon and at Zahrani in the south, each at a capacity of 825 megawatts.

QatarEnergy would also enter a 20-year LNG supply agreement with Lebanon, using a floating storage and regasification unit with a capacity of 3.5 million cubic meters per day and the Arab Gas Pipeline via Syria with a capacity of 4.5 million cubic meters per day.

The proposal also includes plans for 800 MW of solar and 440 MW of wind, battery capacity and power imports from Syria, beginning with 300 MW via two separate routes.

Numerous proposals to reform Lebanon's power sector and provide electricity through the national grid have repeatedly stalled due to political bickering and the vested interests of senior politicians in the fuel and energy sectors.

The proposal would build on a growing Qatari presence in neighbouring Syria, where Qatari conglomerate Power International Holding has secured contracts for 5,000 MW of power generation, as well as oil and gas extraction and pipelines.