Links to commentary from Common Dreams and to a report from MintNews; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (Scroll down for IRAN 1-19-26 and UKRAINE.) — MCM

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FROM JAN. 19  The U.S.-Israel hybrid war against Iran, by Jeffrey D. Sachs and Sybil Fares | Common Dreams  The U.S. and Israel are waging war against Iran through a combination of crushing economic sanctions, targeted military strikes, cyberwarfare, stoking unrest, and unrelenting misinformation campaigns — a combination strategy called “hybrid warfare.” READ MORE . . .    

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FROM JAN. 19  New Mossad recruitment ads exploit Iran’s unrest with help from U.S. comedian, by Max Blumenthal | The Grayzone  Mossad is taking advantage of deadly riots that rocked Iran this month to solicit spies through a series of social media ads. The Israeli intel agency has purchased them through an LLC owned by Atlanta-based standup comic Desi Banks. READ MORE . . .

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Links to two reports: from the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 1-14-26.  Scroll up for IRAN.) — MCM

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Russia batters Ukraine’s power grid again as officials seek momentum in U.S.-led peace talks, by Kamila Hrabchuk | AP  KYIV — Russia bombarded Ukraine with more than 300 drones and ballistic and cruise missiles in its latest nighttime attack on the Ukrainian power grid, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today, as Moscow gives no public sign that it’s willing to end the invasion of its neighbor anytime soon. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Ukraine works to restore power amid freezing temps after Russian strikes. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  Ukraine is struggling to deal with repeated Russian attacks on the country’s energy grid that left tens of thousands of residents without heat in freezing weather. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Links to four reports and an analysis: from Agence France-Presse, AtlasInfo, the Cradle, the Associated Press, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 1-17-26 and SYRIA and GAZA.) — MCM

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Turkey’s Erdogan hails Syria army for ‘careful’ offensive despite ‘provocations.’ From AFP. “The Syrian army has passed a successful test,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today, “avoiding actions that would put them in the wrong when they are in the right.” READ MORE . . . Click HERE for similar report in French from AtlasInfo.

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Syrian forces overrun ISIS prison as SDF condemns U.S. inaction. From the Cradle. The Syrian Democratic Forces said today that Damascus has continued to attack its positions across northern Syria despite the U.S.-backed ceasefire reached a day earlier, warning that attacks are targeting the vicinity of SDF-run prisons holding tens of thousands of jailed ISIS militants. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 18  Syrian government announces a ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, by Ghaith Alsayed and Omar Albame | AP  RAQQA, Syria — The Syrian government Sunday announced a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces, taking almost full control of the country and dismantling the Kurdish-led forces that controlled the northeast for over a decade. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

Links to reports from Middle East Eye and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (Scroll down for IRAN 1-17-26, and up or down for SYRIA and GAZA.) — MCM

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Iran warns attack on Khamenei would mean full-scale war. From Middle East Eye. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday that any attack on the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would be “tantamount to a full-scale war on the Iranian nation,” adding that a U.S. strike on the country would provoke a harsh response. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 17  ‘We consider Trump a criminal’: Khamenei. From the Cradle. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei accused the U.S. and Israel on Saturday of direct responsibility for the deaths of “several thousand” people during weeks of riots in Iran. READ MORE . . .

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Links to two reports: from Reuters and the Cradle; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names below. (Scroll down for SYRIA 1-12-25 and for GAZA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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NEWER  Syrian government, SDF agree on immediate ceasefire on all fronts, state media says, by James Genn | Reuters  The Syrian government and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have agreed on an immediate ceasefire on all fronts, Syrian state media reported today, after days of fighting as the army advanced into Kurdish-held territories in the northeast of the country. READ MORE . . .

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Syrian army moves into Raqqa city after seizing key oil fields from US-backed SDF. From the Cradle. The Syrian military swept across the country’s north and east today, capturing several key oil fields from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) while advancing into the city of Raqqa. READ MORE . . .

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Links to four reports and to an article of commentary: from the Associated Press, Bloomberg News, Anadolu Ajansi, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking their names or initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 1-16-26. Scroll up or down for SYRIA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Israeli troops kill Palestinians for crossing a vague ceasefire line that’s sometimes unmarked, by Toqa Ezzinin and Julia Frankel | AP  CAIRO — Of the 447 Palestinians killed between the ceasefire taking effect last October and last Tuesday, at least 77 were killed by Israeli gunfire near the at times invisible “yellow line,” including 62 who crossed it, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Trump wants nations to pay $1 billion each to stay on his peace board. From Bloomberg. The Trump administration is asking countries that want a permanent spot on his new Board of Peace to contribute at least $1 billion. READ MORE . . .

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Ali Shaath begins duties as head of Gaza administration committee, signs mission statement, by Rania Abushamala | Anadolu  ISTANBUL — Ali Shaath officially began his duties as head of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, saying his first act was adopting and signing the committee’s mission statement. READ MORE . . .

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Israel says U.S. announces Gaza administration committee without coordination. From Anadolu. Israel said Saturday it was not consulted on the announcement of a committee to administer the Gaza Strip, arguing the move runs counter to Israel’s positions and policies regarding the future of the enclave. READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 1, 2024  What Frantz Fanon can tell us about the West’s colonial war in Gaza, by Joe Gill | Middle East Eye  From Gaza to the Red Sea, on all fronts the West is now unmasked as a lawless killing machine in terror of losing control. Genocide, starvation and war, defended with Olympic-level diplomatic double-speak, are its only answers to the fact that the Global South, and the nations of the Middle East (if not their leaders) no longer wish to live under U.S. hegemony. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same article from Middle East Eye in French, and HERE for others.

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Links to a panel discussion from WNBQ-TV via realtime1960s.com and to a book review from Lizzy’s Newsletter; other published material is accessible by clicking on two names below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 1-15-26. Scroll up for SYRIA and GAZA.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 17, 1963  Malcolm X is interviewed on TV in Chicago. From WNBQ-TV / realtime1960s.com.  He talks on the WNBQ public affairs program “City Desk” with moderator Jim Hurlbut and reporters Floyd Kalber, Charles McCuen and Len O’Connor. Click HERE for the broadcast, and HERE for Elizabeth Woodworth’s book review on Lizzy’s Newsletter, which mentions it.

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Links to three reports: from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 1-16-26 and UKRAINE and VENEZUELA.) — MCM

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Iran’s leader calls Trump a ‘criminal’ for backing protests and blames demonstrators for deaths, by Elena Becatoros | AP  DUBAI — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today branded U.S. President Donald Trump a “criminal” for supporting protesters in Iran, and blamed demonstrators for causing thousands of deaths. He said the protests had left “several thousand” people dead. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

A protester from Iran shares her experience. Scott Simon of NPR speaks with A., an Iranian who recently left the country after participating in several days of protests. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Israel fears it can’t defend against Iran, by Joe Lauria | Special to Consortium News  Israel is fearful that its air defense systems, depleted by the Iranians in last June’s 12-day war, have not been sufficiently restored to withstand Tehran’s powerful response if Donald Trump’s public ravings leads him to bomb Iran. Thus Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Trump on Wednesday to ask him . . . READ MORE . . .

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Links to two reports: from the Associated Press National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 1-14-26, and up or down for IRAN and VENEZUELA.) — MCM

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Ukrainian delegation arrives in U.S. for peace talks as Russia hammers energy sites, by Samya Kullab and Elise Morton | AP  KYIV — A Ukrainian delegation arrived in the United States for talks today on a U.S.-led diplomatic push to end the nearly 4-year-old war as Russian attacks again took aim at Ukraine’s power grid, cutting electricity and heating in freezing temperatures. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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The latest of what’s happening in Ukraine. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and Scott Simon | NPR  Many residents in Kyiv are suffering through freezing temperatures with no heat or electricity after Russian strikes on energy infrastructure. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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