Lebanon, 5-8-26

A link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for ENERGY, GAZA, IRAN and MEDIA — and for LEBANON 5-7-26.) — MCM

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Hezbollah rockets target Haifa as Israel continues carpet bombing campaign of south Lebanon. From the Cradle. Several rockets were fired from Lebanon toward Haifa Bay and the western Galilee area today, marking the deepest strikes by the resistance since the so-called “ceasefire” was implemented last month.Tel Aviv claimed one was intercepted while the others fell in “open areas.” READ MORE . . .

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Energy, 5-8-26

Links to two reports from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its name or initials below. (Scroll up or down for LEBANON, GAZA, IRAN and MEDIA — and down for ENERGY 5-4-26.)

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With Spirit in liquidation, what happens next to its planes. Reported by  | NPR  When Spirit Airlines stopped flying last weekend, it left more than 90 planes at dozens of airports around the country. Spirit also has engines, spare parts, real estate, and other valuable assets that it’s hoping to liquidate, and its lawyers were in court seeking permission to start an “orderly wind-down of operations.” Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM MAY 7  A new underground map of the U.S. could help the electric grid avoid catastrophe. Reported by  ,   | NPRChang talks with Paul Bedrosian of the U.S. Geological Survey about a new map and model of the deep continental structure underneath the United States. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Gaza, 5-8-26

A link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll up or down for LEBANON, IRAN and MEDIA — and down for GAZA 5-7-26.) — MCM

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UAE provides $100m for U.S.-backed Gaza police force vetted by Shin Bet. From the Cradle. The UAE has sent $100 million to U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace to fund the training of a new Palestinian police force for Gaza, the Times of Israel reported today. READ MORE . . .

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Iran, 5-8-26

Links to NINE or TEN reports: from the Associated Press, the Cradle, Middle East Eye, CNN, Middle East Monitor, National Public Radio, and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name or initials. (Scroll up or down for today’s LEBANON, ENERGY, GAZA and MEDIA so far — and down for IRAN 5-7-26.) — MCM

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NEWER  New attacks in Strait of Hormuz challenge Iran ceasefire, by Adam Schreck, Ben Finley and Russ Bynum | AP  DUBAI — U.S. forces fired on and disabled two Iranian oil tankers on Friday after exchanging fire with Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz overnight. The United Arab Emirates, meanwhile, reported another Iranian missile and drone attack. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE for report from the Cradle.
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Iran still reviewing U.S. proposal while Israel continues strikes in Lebanon. From Middle East Monitor. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeman Esmaeil Baghaei announced today that Iran is still considering its response to the most recent US proposal for negotiations, Al Jazeera reported. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. hopes for ‘serious offer’ from Iran today on latest proposal, exchange of strikes. From CNN. According to President Donald Trump, a ceasefire is still in effect after U.S. forces said they targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking its warships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said civilian areas were hit, with its foreign minister calling the strikes a “reckless military adventure.” READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.

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Media, 5-8-26

Links to FOUR reports: from National Public Radio and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its name or initials. (Scroll up for LEBANON, ENERGY, GAZA and IRAN — and down for MEDIA 4-29-26. ) — MCM

Wildlife and climate expert David Attenborough turns 100. Reported by | NPR  LONDON — Today, one of the world’s most famous wildlife experts and climate campaigners, David Attenborough, turns 100. His films have brought intimate scenes of nature to hundreds of millions of viewers. Click HERE to listen and read.  Click HERE for report from AP.

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 Trump’s Truth Social lays bare narrow obsessions of an extremely online president. Reported by 

Lebanon, 5-7-26

Links to reports from Middle East Monitor and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for GAZA 5-6-26 and GAZA and IRAN.) — MCM

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Israeli ‘double-tap’ strike hits paramedics in south Lebanon hours after renewed bombing of Beirut. From the Cradle. An Israeli “double tap” strike targeted paramedics in the southern Lebanese town of Toul today, coinciding with brutal attacks across southern Lebanon and just hours after Tel Aviv’s first attack on Beirut since the start of the so-called “ceasefire.” READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 6  Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill 16, wound 21, damage school despite ceasefire. From Middle East Monitor. Israeli drone and air strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon killed 16 people and wounded 21 others, including paramedics, and damaged a school, Lebanese officials said on Wednesday, in the latest apparent violation of a ceasefire, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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Gaza, 5-7-26

Links to reports from the Cradle and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for GAZA 5-6-26, and up or down for LEBANON and IRAN.) — MCM

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Israel-made famine pushes Palestinian women, children into severe malnutrition: MSF. From the Cradle. Doctors Without Borders today disclosed data indicating that Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza has led to severe malnutrition among pregnant women, newborns, and infants, with a significant increase in deaths and premature births during times of intensified siege. READ MORE . . .

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Hamas leader’s son dies of injuries from Israeli strike in Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. The son of Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya died today of wounds sustained in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip, as Israel confirmed an attack on a top Hezbollah commander in the Lebanese capital, in the latest violations of ceasefire deals in both areas. READ MORE . . .

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Iran, 5-7-26

Links to TEN-plus reports, analyses, commentaries and interviews (17): from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, the Grayzone via Consortium News, and Global Delinquent via ScheerPost; others are accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll down for IRAN 5-6-26.  Scroll up for LEBANON and GAZA.) — MCM

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Gulf states derailed Trump’s ‘Project Freedom’ by cutting U.S. access to airspace and bases: report. From Middle East Eye. U.S. President Donald Trump’s abrupt reversal on his plans to ensure the passage of ships through the shuttered Strait of Hormuz came after Saudi Arabia and Kuwait suspended U.S. access to airspace and bases. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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FROM MAY 6  Iran will control Strait of Hormuz ‘forever,’ former senior U.S. official says:  report, by Sean Mathews | Middle East Eye  Iran will control the Strait of Hormuz “forever,” regardless of what a peace deal between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic says, forcing Gulf states to build new pipelines to bypass Iran’s chokehold, a former senior U.S. official said on Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

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From Kabul to Tehran: How U.S. diplomacy turned transactional, by Tam Hussein | Middle East Eye  The willingness of U.S. foreign policy to sidestep allies and negotiate directly with adversaries it had fought for over a decade did not begin with Trump’s second presidency. Rather, it was forged and normalised in Afghanistan. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 5  Trump’s new Iran negotiator, by Max Blumenthal the Grayzone / Consortium News  The latest addition to the Trump administration’s Iran negotiation team, Nick Stewart, has declared his absolute opposition to negotiating with the Islamic Republic of Iran. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 5  How Iran defeated Israel, by Kit Klarenberg | Global Delinquent / ScheerPost  A stunning investigative report by Hebrew-language outlet Ynet has laid bare the embarrassing cataclysm not only of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, but the Zionist entity’s effort throughout to end the Islamic Republic via covert and overt military and intelligence operations. READ MORE . . .

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West Bank, 5-6-26

Links to reports from Middle East Monitor and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 5-5-26 and LEBANON, GAZA and IRAN.) — MCM

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Israel orders demolition of nearly 50 Palestinian facilities near East Jerusalem for settlement project. From Middle East Monitor. Israeli authorities have ordered the demolition of nearly 50 shops and commercial facilities in the Palestinian town of Al-Eizariya, southeast of East Jerusalem, as part of measures paving the way for a controversial settlement project in the area, Palestinian officials said today, Anadolu Agency reports. READ MORE . . .

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Israel uproots thousands of grapevinew in Hebron to expand settle road, by Sari Jaradat and Fayha Shalash | Middle East Eye  HEBRON, occupied West Bank / RAMALLAH, occupied Palestine — The Israeli army recently confiscated large swathes of agricultural land to expand Route 60, a major settlement road linking key settlements across the West Bank. The project to expand the road, which stretches for 235km, has involved the seizure of tens of thousands of dunams of Palestinian-owned land. READ MORE . . .

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Lebanon, 5-6-26

Links to reports from National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, and the Cradle, and to an analysis from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on its name or initials. (Scroll down for LEBANON 5-3-26, and up or down for WEST BANK, GAZA and IRAN.) — MCM

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Fighting in southern Lebanon continued despite Israeli-Lebanese ceasefire. Reported by

Can Hezbollah dominate the lower air battlefield against Israel? by Omar Ashour Hezbollah’s drones are imposing tactical friction, psychological pressure and operational costs on Israel’s invasion forces in southern LebanonREAD MORE . . .  Click HERE for May 5 report from the Cradle

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