First, links to reports from the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 6-13-26.) — MCM

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Ukrainian drone strikes kill 1 and spark fire at oil facility in Russia. From AP.  A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person in Russia’s southwestern Oryol region, local officials said today, while a separate strike hit an oil facility as part of Kyiv’s campaign of strikes on military and energy targets deep inside Russia. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish; and HERE for others.

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FROM JUNE 13  Ukrainian strike kills one, wounds 3 in southern Russia. From AFP. A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded at least three others in southern Russia, regional authorities said Saturday, while nearly 100 people were fighting to extinguish a fire caused by the attack. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll up or down for today’s UKRAINE, IRAN and LEBANON so far, and down for GAZA 6-13-26.) — MCM

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FROM JUNE 13  U.S. military begins construction of ‘huge base’ outside Gaza to oversee Trump’s colonization plan. From the Cradle. The U.S. military has begun constructing a “huge base” on the Gaza envelope to implement US President Donald Trump’s plan to “take over” the strip, Israel Hayom reported on Saturday. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to ELEVEN reports and analyses: from Reuters, the Associated Press, Middle East Monitor, the Cradle, Middle East Eye, and Middle East Monitor; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for today’s UKRAINE, GAZA and LEBANON so far, and down for IRAN 6-13-26.) — MCM

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NEWER  Iran questions U.S. commitment to peace moves as Israel strikes Lebanon. From Reuters. Iran’s top negotiator questioned the United States’ commitment to peace efforts after Israel carried out new attacks on Lebanon, dimming prospects of Tehran and Washington signing a framework agreement today on ending their war. READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Trump warns Israel and Iran not to ‘blow it’ after new strikes threaten emerging ceasefire deal, by Julia Frankel, Abby Sewell,Munir Ahmed and Samy Magdy | AP  JERUSALEM — U.S. President Donald Trump today urged no further attacks by anyone after Israel’s military said it launched strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut, potentially complicating efforts to finalize a deal to end the U.S.-Iran war. The Lebanese health ministry said three people were killed and 16 others wounded. Iran threatened a military response. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish; and HERE for others.

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U.S. envoy ‘confident’ Iran deal to be signed today. From Middle East Monitor. The U.S. Ambassador to the UN expressed confidence today that an agreement with Iran would be signed within the day, despite acknowledging significant hurdles in the negotiation process, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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Israel bombs Beirut’s southern suburb after Hezbollah drones hit Galilee. From the Cradle. Israel carried out a new airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburb today, coinciding with continued bombardment and forced displacement orders across south Lebanon. READ MORE . . .

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Iran’s top negotiator says U.S. ‘lacks will to fulfill its commitments’ after Israeli hit on Beirut. From Middle East Eye. Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said that Israel’s assault on Beirut’s southern suburbs showed that the U.S. “either lacks the will to fulfill its commitments or the ability to do so.” READ MORE . . . Click HERE for later brief Middle East Eye report. 

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FROM JUNE 13  Iran says signing of Islamabad memorandum will not take place on Sunday. From Reuters. The exact timing of the signing of the Islamabad memorandum will not be on Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, according to state media on Saturday. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.

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FROM JUNE 13  Watch: The World This Week — ‘The U.S.A. vs. Israel.’ Joe Lauria of Consortium News spoke with Peter Kuznick, historian at American University in Washington and author with Oliver Stone of The Untold History of the United States, and with Ray McGovern, former CIA Soviet Union and Russia analyst and briefer of presidents. “With the war on Iran stuck in low-intensity conflict,” CN notes, “new focus is on the U.S.-Israel relationship. It’s perhaps more complex than it looks.” Click HERE for roughly 70-minute video of talk and brief introductory CN introduction.

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FROM JUNE 13  Pakistani PM says U.S., Iran peace framework expected ‘within 24 hours.’ From the Cradle. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Saturday that the U.S. and Iran have established a framework for a peace deal to end over three months of war, with an electronic signing anticipated . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 13  Tehran recruits psychologists to tailor messages for ‘mentally ill’ Trump: report. From the Cradle. Iranian negotiators hired senior psychologists to vet diplomatic messages for U.S. President Donald Trump during indirect talks between Washington and Tehran, U.S. journalist Jeremy Scahill reported on Saturday, citing Iranian sources. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to reports from the Associated Press and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up for today’s UKRAINE, GAZA and IRAN so far, and down for LEBANON 6-13-26.) — MCM

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Israeli military strikes Beirut suburbs ahead of anticipated U.S.-Iran deal, by Julia Frankel, Abby Sewell, Munir Ahmed and Samy Magdy | AP  JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said it launched strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut today, potentially complicating efforts to finalize a deal to end the U.S.-Iran war. Smoke rose over the Lebanese capital, and the Civil Defense said it retrieved three bodies and six wounded people from the rubble. Iran threatened a military response. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish; and HERE for others.

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FROM JUNE 12  Syrian president pours cold water on U.S. claims of willingness to ‘enter’ Lebanon. From the Cradle. Syria’s self-appointed President and former Al-Qaeda chief Ahmad al-Sharaa said on Friday that talk of Damascus’s forces entering Lebanon was “rumors,” days after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Beirut with a Syrian military incursion. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

ADVISORY  Watch: The World This Week — ‘The U.S.A. vs. Israel,’ at 8 tonight EDT. Joe Lauria of Consortium News will talk with Peter Kuznick, historian at American University in Washington and author with Oliver Stone of The Untold History of the United States, and with Ray McGovern, former CIA Soviet Union and Russia analyst and briefer of presidents. “With the war on Iran stuck in low-intensity conflict,” CN notes, “new focus is on the U.S.-Israel relationship. It’s perhaps more complex than it looks.” Click HERE around 8 p.m to livestream and for brief article, and after discussion for video of it.

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For now, links to SEVEN reports: from Middle East Monitor, the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and the Cradle; and to commentary from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll down for GAZA, LEBANON and UKRAINE, and for IRAN 6-12-26.) — MCM

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Iran’s foreign minister details proposed memorandum with U.S., says war would end across all fronts. From Middle East Monitor. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that a proposed memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US would formally end the conflict across all fronts, including Lebanon, while laying the groundwork for negotiations on sanctions relief, Iran’s nuclear program, and regional security arrangements, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. and Iran have agreed to wording of a deal to end their war, Pakistan’s prime minister says, by Munir Ahmed, Michelle L. Price and Russ Bynum | AP  ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s prime minister said today the United States. and Iran have reached a “final, agreed upon text” aimed at ending their war, that that mediators . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same report in Spanish.  Click HERE and HERE for report from Reuters and NPR.

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Trump agreed to release $24B in frozen assets without formal announcement: report. From Middle East Monitor. U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to unfreeze $24 billion in Iranian assets while avoiding explicitly confirming this, a senior Iranian official said Friday, according to the Fars News Agency. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 12  West Asian state ‘blocked’ Israel from using airspace to attack Iran despite past cooperation: report. From the Cradle. An unnamed regional country barred Israel from using its airspace for strikes on Iran during Tel Aviv’s latest round of attacks against the Islamic Republic – despite previously having done so, Hebrew media reported on Friday. READ MORE . . . 

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FROM JUNE 12  Iranian media reveals details of 7-point draft memorandum with U.S. From Middle East Monitor. Iran’s official news agency IRNA on Friday published the current outlines of a draft memorandum of understanding with the U.S., offering a more detailed picture of Tehran’s position and highlighting both similarities and differences with details of the proposed deal previously reported by Axios. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 8  War in Iran will change how the U.S. bases troops in the Gulf, by Sean Mathews | Middle East Eye  LONDON — Iran is demanding the closure of U.S. military bases in the region as part of any long-term ceasefire. While the U.S. is unlikely to meet that demand, . . . READ MORE . . .

For now, links to three reports and a commentary, all from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll up or down for today’s IRAN, LEBANON and UKRAINE so far, and down for GAZA 6-12-26.) — MCM

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Israeli army kills Palestinian municipality worker in central Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. A Palestinian sanitation worker was killed today in an Israeli drone strike in the central Gaza Strip, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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Canada announces $100M in new humanitarian aid for Palestinians. From Middle East Monitor. The funding, announced by Foreign Minister Anita Anand on Friday in Paris, will be delivered in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank through UN agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and nongovernmental organizations providing assistance on the ground. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 12  Israel expanding Gaza ‘yellow line’ to derail ceasefire talks, says Hamas. From Middle East Monitor. Palestinian group Hamas said Friday that Israel’s continued movement of the “yellow line” westward inside the Gaza Strip and expansion of control over Palestinian land aim to “blow up the negotiation track and thwart the efforts being made” to consolidate the ceasefire, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 12  When children become the primary casualties of wars and conflicts, by Ahmed Asmar | Middle East Monitor  There is no better place to begin this article than with the words of Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s National Security Minister. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

Links to reports from Middle East Monitor and Middle East Eye, and to a commentary from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll up or down for IRAN, GAZA and UKRAINE, and down for LEBANON 6-11-26.) — MCM

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Iran’s foreign minister details proposed memorandum with U.S., says war would end across all fronts. From Middle East Monitor. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that a proposed memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US would formally end the conflict across all fronts, including Lebanon, while laying the groundwork for negotiations on sanctions relief, Iran’s nuclear program, and regional security arrangements, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli army says at least 70 attacks in Lebanon over past day, as death toll reaches 3,711. From Middle East Eye. The Israeli army announced that it struck over 70 “Hezbollah infrastructures” in southern Lebanon in the past 24 hours. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 12  Lebanon’s war is being negotiated elsewhere, by Mohamad Shams Eddine | The Cradle  Lebanon is once again paying the price for decisions made far beyond its borders. As destruction spreads across its southern towns and the threat of escalation hangs overhead, the country finds itself pulled into a conflict shaped less by local dynamics than by the calculations of external powers. READ MORE . . . 

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Links to reports from the Associated Press and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up for IRAN, GAZA and LEBANON, and down for UKRAINE 6-12-26.) — MCM

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Ukrainian drone strike kills 1 in southern Russia and triggers fire at sea terminal. From AP. KYIV — A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and injured three in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, local officials said today, as part of Kyiv’s campaign of strikes on military and energy targets deep inside Russia. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same report in Spanish.

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France, Germany propose ‘stripping’ top EU diplomat Kallas of her powers: report. From the Cradle. France and Germany are discussing proposals to overhaul the EU’s diplomatic service, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, in a move that could limit the influence of EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and shift more decision-making to the European Commission and national capitals. READ MORE . . .

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Links to reports from Middle East Eye, the Cradle, and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll down for GAZA, UKRAINE, MEDIA and IRAN, and for WEST BANK 6-11-26.) — MCM

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Israel expels Palestinians from their homes to use them as military posts, by Fayha Shalash and Muhammad Ateeq | Middle East Eye  RAMALLAH / JENIN, occupied Palestine  The Israeli military’s use of civilian homes as military positions has become increasingly common in the occupied West Bank. READ MORE . . .

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Israel killed more Palestinians in occupied West Bank since 2023 than in prior 17 years. From the Cradle. An Oxfam analysis of UN data published on Thursday reveals that more Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces and settlers over the last three years than in the preceding 17 years combined. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 11  Israeli occupier attacks on Palestinians in West Bank ‘higher than any year on record’: UN. From Middle East Monitor. The UN on Thursday warned that Israeli occupier attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are occurring at a pace “higher than any year on record,” averaging six incidents per day, causing casualties or property damage, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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Links to analyses from Foreign Policy in Focus and Middle East Eye, both via ScheerPost; others are accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll up or down for WEST BANK, UKRAINE, MEDIA and IRAN, and down for GAZA 6-11-26.) — MCM

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Gaza Genocide, Inc.: The permanent-conflict industry, by Imran Khalid | Foreign Policy in Focus / ScheerPost  The international community’s approach to conflict resolution has undergone a profound and dangerous structural shift, moving away from the pursuit of political settlements toward the permanent administration of crisis. This transition is vividly apparent in Rafah, where . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 11  How Israel planned the Gaza genocide decades ago, by Jonathan Cook | jonathan-cook.net / Middle East Eye / ScheerPost  As the U.S. cosmologist Carl Sagan famously observed: “You have to know the past to understand the present.” Which is precisely why western politicians and media have been so careful to strip out the past, excising context and background. READ MORE . . .

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