💧News of the Crisis💧July 10, 2025

The non-profit Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) published a translated snippet from a talk show on Lebanese TV channel MTV (Murr Television), in which two local scholars argued against the claim that Israel is after Lebanese land and offered hopes to join the peace bandwagon.

Lebanese researchers Hussain Abdul-Hussain and Hicham Bou Nassif publicly advocated for peace with Israel in a June 26, 2025 appearance on a Lebanese channel. Abdul-Hussain, an Iraqi-Lebanese scholar in Washington, D.C., argued that Iran’s limited 12-day involvement in its war with Israel exposed it as a "paper tiger," especially in contrast to Lebanon’s 13-month conflict. He urged Lebanon’s Shiite community to acknowledge years of Iranian manipulation and called for a shift toward peace and prosperity. Highlighting Syria’s progress and pointing to Jordan’s economic and security gains from its peace treaty with Israel—as well as Turkey’s sustained diplomacy despite internal tensions—he expressed hope that Lebanon could follow suit.

Bou Nassif, a Claremont McKenna College professor, warned against Lebanon being used as a proxy battlefield and dismissed long-standing claims that Israel seeks Lebanese land and water. Acknowledging that peace might be unpopular, he stressed the need for Lebanon to accept Israel’s existence and to end its “eternal enmity.” Bou Nassif advocated either pursuing a formal peace agreement or reverting to the 1949 Armistice Agreement. Both scholars emphasized a critical turning point for Lebanon, suggesting that peace is not only possible, but essential for the nation’s future.

UK tabloid Daily Mail published an exclusive interview with an Israeli female fighter pilot - Major M, who gave a glimpse into her role in the recent attack on Iran: In a groundbreaking moment for the Israeli Air Force (IAF), "Major M" made history as part of the first-ever all-female combat crew to fly an F-16 during Operation Rising Lion. Balancing a civilian career in marketing with her classified military role, Major M offered rare insight into her double life and the emotional toll of flying high-stakes missions.

Women now serve in nearly all roles in the IAF, and their numbers have surged—from just 20 when Major M joined to over 70 today, more than tripling over the years. In the article, she emphasized how technological complexity demands teamwork, making dual-crew missions vital. Though bound by security restrictions, she shared pride in her precision work, her sense of duty, and the relief of returning safely.

After opposition leader Yair Lapid stated that “Anyone who sits in the cabinet and sends soldiers to their deaths in Gaza has no moral right to continue encouraging draft-dodging” — Shas chairman Aryeh Deri launched an attack.

A statement published by Sash, claimed: “It’s time you internalize this — Torah scholars are not draft dodgers! They are the foundation of our existence, as we saw through the obvious miracles that occurred during the missile attack from Iran. They make a decisive contribution to Israel's security. The real draft dodgers are in the areas you represent — in Tel Aviv, where enlistment rates are not high.”

Lapid responded: “Tel Aviv has 29 fallen soldiers since war broke. This statement from Shas is a disgrace to the memory of IDF fighters. It’s not enough that they promote draft-dodging and refusal, they also dishonor the memory of our heroes.”

Former hostages Sasha Trufanov and Sapir Cohen announced their engagement yesterday (Wednesday), nearly two years after being abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz during Hamas’s October 7 attack. The couple, both engineers who were in an 18-month relationship prior to their kidnapping, visited the Trufanovs for the holiday. Later Cohen recollected: "It was a completely normal weekend. I remember every time I would leave the guest room and take pictures of the view, and what went through my mind was how in such a beautiful place there could be such wars."

But on Saturday morning, Hamas militants entered the family home, killing Sasha’s father, Vitali Trufanov, and abducting Sasha’s mother and grandmother, as well as Sasha and Sapir. The couple was separated by the captors - Cohen was released by Hamas after 55 days with her beau’s mother and grandmother, while Trufanov remained in captivity for 498 days under Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

During his ordeal, Trufanov reportedly prayed Cohen would find someone else, believing he wouldn’t survive. But Cohen waited, and the couple reunited following his February 2025 release.

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