For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio, followed by a link via ScheerPost to commentary from Common Dreams; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli airstrike kills a senior Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon, an official says, by Karem Chehayeb | AP  BEIRUT — A Lebanese security official said today that an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon killed a senior commander of the militant group Hezbollah. The assassination comes as clashes between Iran-backed Hezbollah militants and the Israeli military along the Lebanon-Israel border . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli strike on Lebanon kills senior commander in elite Hezbollah unit. From Reuters.  BEIRUT, Jan 8 (Reuters) – An Israeli strike on south Lebanon on Monday killed a senior commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, three security sources told Reuters. The security sources identified him as Wissam al-Tawil, the deputy head of a unit within . . . READ MORE , , , 

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Besides Israel’s war in Gaza, there’s a possible wider front with Lebanon. Reported by Steve Inskeep and Lauren Frayer | NPR  People in northern Israel are living through a low-level war. Israeli troops are trading fire with Hezbollah in nearby Lebanon. What’s adding to the risk of a wider conflict? Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Blinken brings U.S. push on post-war Gaza planning and stopping conflict to UAE and Saudi Arabia, by Matthew Lee | AP  ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has opened his third day of meetings on an urgent Mideast diplomatic mission to prevent Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza from exploding into a broader regional conflict. He met today with United Arab Emirates leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed before traveling . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. foreign policy is a scam built on corruption, by Jeffrey D. Sachs | Common Dreams / ScheerPost  On the surface, U.S. foreign policy seems to be utterly irrational. The U.S. gets into one disastrous war after another — Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Ukraine, and Gaza. In recent days, the U.S. stands globally isolated in . . .  READ MORE . . .