First, links to seven reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, the Cradle, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA 4-1-25 is HERE, or scroll down; a map is at SYRIA 3-25-25, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 3  Israel steps up Syria strikes, says Turkey aims for ‘protectorate,’ by Yomna Ehab, Jaidaa Taha, Sulieman Al-Khalidi, Tala Ramadan, James Mackenzie and John Irish | Reuters  DAMASCUS / JERUSALEM — Israel stepped up airstrikes on Syria overnight, declaring the attacks a warning to the new Islamist rulers in Damascus as it accused their ally Turkey on Thursday of trying to turn the country into a Turkish protectorate. Targeting air bases, a site near Damascus, and . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AP.

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FROM APRIL 3  Syrian Foreign Ministry accuses Israel of ‘destabilization’ after massive wave of attacks. From the Cradle. The Syrian Foreign Ministry accused Israel of “destabilization” on Thursday, following a massive wave of airstrikes on military sites across the country. “In a blatant violation of international law and Syrian sovereignty,” it said, Israeli forces . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 2  Israel bombs key Syrian military sites in ‘warning’ to Turkiye. From the Cradle. The Israeli air force launched over a dozen airstrikes on various cities in Syria on Wednesday, targeting the Barzeh scientific research center just outside Damascus, the Hama military airport in western Syria, and the T4 airbase near Palmyra. Casualties were reported after the attacks in Damascus and Hama, with . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.

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FROM APRIL 1.  Turkiye readies plans to take over central Syria’s T4 airbase: report. From the Cradle. The Turkish army is preparing to take control of the Tiyas Air Base in Syria’s central governorate of Homs, also known as the T4 base, sources said Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 31  What happened when Syria’s conservative new leaders tried to shut 60 Damascus bars. Reported by Lauren Frayer | NPR  Sixty Damascus bars have been either forcibly shut this past week, or received government notices that they soon would be, for serving alcohol without a license, sources have told NPR. Click HERE to listen and read.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, after a late start, links to six reports: from Middle East Eye, the Cradle, the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and, via Consortium News, Z Network; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA 4-2-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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NEWER  112  Palestinians killed since dawn today: Gaza health ministry. From Middle East Eye.  The Ministry of Health in Gaza said today that 112 Palestinians were killed by Israeli air strikes since dawn, with at least 70 of those deaths taking place in Gaza City, in the north of the Strip. The figure makes this day the deadliest single day for Palestinians since Israel resumed its war on Gaza on March 18.   Click HERE for April 2 report from the Cradle.

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Israeli strikes on Gaza overnight leaves more than 50 Palestinians dead, by Wafaa Shurafa and Natalie Melzer | AP  DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip — Overnight strikes by Israel killed at least 55 people across the Gaza Strip, hospital officials said today, a day after senior government officials said Israel would seize large areas of Gaza and establish a new security corridor across the Palestinian territory. Israel has vowed to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hundreds of thousands flee as Israel seizes Rafah in new Gaza ‘security zone,‘ by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Mahmoud Issa | Reuters  CAIRO / GAZA — Hundreds of thousands of fleeing Gazans sought shelter today in one of the biggest mass displacements of the war, as Israeli forces advanced into the ruins of the city of Rafah, part of a newly announced “security zone” they intend to seize. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu details objectives of Gaza military campaign. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi and Leila Fadel | NPR  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has new details for Israel’s expanded incursion in Gaza, saying Israeli troops are seizing more land there. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM MARCH 28  Arab complicity in Israel’s genocide, by Ramzy Baroud | Z Network / Consortium News  Explaining Arab political failure to challenge Israel through traditional analysis — such as disunity, general weakness and a failure to prioritize Palestine — does not capture the full picture. READ MORE . . .

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For today, after a late start, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, the Moscow Times, Kyiv Post, Reuters, and Tass, and to three articles of commentary from the Moscow Times (with brief video), Indian Punchline, and the Kyiv Independent; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE, or scroll up.  UKRAINE 4-2-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Rubio tries to reassure wary allies of U.S. commitment to NATO as Trump sends mixed signals, by Mattew Lee and Lorne Cook | AP  BRUSSELS — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Trump administration’s new newly confirmed U.S. ambassador to NATO, Matt Whitaker, are seeking to reassure wary members of the U.S. commitment to the alliance. Rubio today decried . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin envoy confirms visit to U.S. for talks with White House officials. From the Moscow Times. President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for international economic and investment cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, today confirmed that he has been meeting with White House officials in the United States this week. He is the highest-ranking Russian official to . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. Defense boss Hegseth to boycott Ukraine military support summit for first time ever, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post The U.S.-based Defense News magazine reported today that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will not attend the next top-level Ukraine support planning conference next week, a move that will leave the main Western nation forum for . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russians fight to clear Kursk as Ukrainians hole up in monastery, war bloggers say, by Lucy Papachristou | Reuters  Moscow’s troops were waging fierce battles today in Russia’s western Kursk region against Ukrainian forces, including hundreds holed up in a monastery, in an effort to rout them from Kyiv’s last major foothold in sovereign Russian territory, war bloggers said. READ MORE . . .

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FROM ARPIL 1  As war draws men to fight, Ukraine’s women take tough new jobs in machinery and mines, by Vasilisa Stepanenko and Samya Kullab | AP  From driving tractors to working in coal mines, Ukrainian women are taking jobs once reserved for men, who are being drafted to the front lines in the war with Russia. Women have also . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops liberate two communities In Donetsk area, Zaporozhye Region over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated two communities in the Donetsk area and the Zaporozhye Region over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 25  Trump and Putin’s hockey puck diplomacy puts Europe on thin ice, by Suzanne Antelme | The Moscow Times According to the Kremlin’s summary of last week’s phone call between the presidents of the United States and Russia, Donald Trump supports Vladimir Putin’s idea to organize ice hockey matches between U.S. and Russian players from their respective professional leagues. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 29  A third way to end the war in Ukraine, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  In an unguarded moment, perhaps, ex-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson blurted out recently in an interview that the ultranationalist elements who rule the roost in Kiev are a formidable obstacle to ending the war . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 31  Trump-Putin parley is a bit under the weather, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  The Kremlin apparently came to the conclusion last week that it was about time to do some plain-speaking that U.S. president Donald Trump’s quest for a 30-day ceasefire in the Ukraine war was a non-starter. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIIL 2  Trump’s U.S.. minerals deal threatens Ukraine’s EU membership, by Dominic Culverwell and Alex Cadier | The Kyiv Independent  The ongoing saga of the U.S.-Ukraine natural resources deal has already caused seismic ruptures between Kyiv and Washington, temporarily costing Ukraine American military support and crucial intelligence sharing. Yet . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (YEMEN, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE.  IRAN 3-31-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Trump oversees ‘record breaking’ militarization of West Asia: report. From the Cradle. The U.S. military has carried out its largest offensive deployment to West Asia since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza and Lebanon in October 2023, coinciding with threats by President Donald Trump to start a major bombing campaign against Iran, Haaretz reported today. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to four reports: from the Associated Press, the Cradle, and Reuters; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down. YEMEN 3-30-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Suspected U.S. airstrikes in Yemen kill at least 4 people near Hodeida, Houthi rebels say, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — Suspected U.S. airstrikes battered rebel-controlled areas of Yemen into today, with the Houthis saying that one strike killed at least four people near the Red Sea port city of Hodeida. Meanwhile, satellite images . . . READ MORE . . .

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Yemen takes on USS Truman as Washington’s war ‘compounds humanitarian crisis.’ From the Cradle. The Yemeni army today announced that it targeted the USS Harry S. Truman and other U.S. warships in the Red Sea, in response to Washington’s daily attacks against Yemen. READ MORE . . .

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Trump oversees ‘record breaking’ militarization of West Asia: report.  From the Cradle. The U.S. military has carried out its largest offensive deployment to West Asia since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza and Lebanon in October 2023, coinciding with threats by President Donald Trump to start a major bombing campaign against Iran, Haaretz reported today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 1  As Iran tensions increase, U.S. moves airplanes to reinforce Middle East. From Reuters. WASHINGTON — U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has reinforced U.S. military capability in the Middle East with more warplanes, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, amid a more than two-week-old U.S. bombing campaign in Yemen and mounting tensions with Iran. As many as six B-2 bombers . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to eight reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, and the Cradle, to a study from the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN, YEMEN and UKRAINE entries for this date is HERE, HERE and HERE.  GAZA 4-1-25 is HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Over 30 killed as Israel’s military operation in Gaza Strip expanding to seize ‘large areas,’ by Isaac Sharf and Wafaa Shurafa | AP  JERUSALEM — Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip is expanding to seize “large areas,” the defense minister said, while officials at hospitals inside the Palestinian territory said Israeli strikes overnight and into today had killed more than 30 people, nearly a dozen of them children. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for another AP report, and reports from Reuters, Middle East Eye and the Cradle.

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More journalists have been killed by Israel in Gaza than were killed in other wars combined. From Middle East Monitor. Israel has killed more journalists in Gaza than were killed in total in the American Civil War, World Wars One and Two, the Korean War, the Vietnam War (including the conflicts in Cambodia and Laos), the wars in Yugoslavia in the 1990s and 2000s, and the post-9/11 war in Afghanistan, a new study, “News Graveyards,” has found. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for study from the Watson Institute.

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Gaza civil defense confirms rescue workers ‘bound, executed, buried in mass grave.’ From the Cradle. The General Directorate of Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip today confirmed that Israeli forces executed Palestinian first responders and buried them in a mass grave in the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, southern Gaza, on March 23. READ MORE . . .

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Red Crescent massacre: Palestinians are betrayed in a world ruled by outlaws, by Joe Gill | Middle East Eye  Last week, the bodies of 14 first responders were found in Rafah, southern Gaza, a week after they were killed. The vehicles were mangled, and the bodies dumped . . . Click HERE to read, and for a video report.

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For today, links to eight reports: from Kyiv Post, Tass, the Kyiv Indpendent, the Associated Press, Reuters, the Moscow Times, and Agence France-Presse; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN, YEMEN and GAZA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.  UKRAINE 4-1-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Major Russian offensive widely predicted by Ukrainian politicians, soldiers, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  Military and civilians sources in and outside of Ukraine say Russia is uninterested in a long-term peace and is planning to launch a major ground offensive with the objective . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicts up to 435 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted up to 435 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed a tank in its area of responsibility over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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Trump admin officials say ceasefire unlikely in coming months, Reuters reports, by Martin Fornusek and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  Senior Trump administration officials have been discussing in recent days that Washington may not be able to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the coming months, Reuters reported on April 1, citing two undisclosed U.S. officials. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM APRIL 1  Germany sees Ukraine truce efforts as deadlocked, while China says the talks are encouraging, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Germany’s chief diplomat on Tuesday described U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a truce in the war between Russia and Ukraine as deadlocked, while China’s foreign minister said it was encouraging that the talks between Washington and Moscow on finding a settlement are continuing. READ MORE . . .

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Russia and Ukraine trade new accusations on breaches of energy ceasefire. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russia and Ukraine accused each other today of launching new attacks against each other’s energy facilities, in violation of a U.S.-brokered moratorium. READ MORE . . .

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Bipartisan group of U.S. senators prepares ‘hard-hitting’ Russia sanctions. From the Moscow Times. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Tuesday introduced a bill that would impose sanctions on Russian energy purchases if the Kremlin refuses to engage in good-faith negotiations for ending the war in Ukraine. READ MORE . . .

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Putin envoy Dmitriev may visit U.S. this week, Kremlin confirms. From AFP. President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for international economic and investment cooperation may visit the United States this week to discuss strengthening bilateral relations between . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, just one link: to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (RESLIENCE+, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  SYRIA 3-31-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 31  Government forces carry out new civilian executions on Syria’s coast. From the Cradle. At least six people were killed and several others from the Alawite community were wounded on Monday in a new civilian massacre in Harf B-Nimra village, located in Syria’s Tartous governorate. Local reports say . . . READ MORE . . .

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First, a link to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (RESILIENCE+, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down. GAZA 3-30-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israel ramps up military campaign in Gaza as it presents new ceasefire proposal. Reported by Daniel Estrin and Michel Martin | NPR  Israel is ramping up its military campaign in Gaza, as it presents a new ceasefire proposal with Hamas. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For today, a link to a report from People’s Dispatch via Popular Resistance; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (RESILIENCE+, SYRIA and GAZA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.  UKRAINE 3-31-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 30  Europe insists on continued sanctions, troop deployment, by Ana Vračar | People’s Dispatch / Popular Resistance  Judging from the conclusions of last Thursday’s summit on the war in Ukraine, European heads of state continue to believe a “robust peace” will be achieved by prolonging sanctions on Russia, financing more weapons for Ukraine, and preparing a so-called “reassurance force” . . . READ MORE . . .

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