For today, links to nine reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, Agence France-Presse, Mondoweiss, and Morning Star, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE,) — MCM
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Israeli strikes cut off key crossing that thousands of Lebanese are using to flee. From AP. An Israeli airstrike has cut off a main highway linking Lebanon with Syria, leading to the closure of a road near the Masnaa Border Crossing, from where tens of thousands of people fleeing war in Lebanon have crossed into Syria over the past two weeks. READ MORE . . .
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Khamenei says Iran and its allies will not back down from Israel, by Maya Gebeily and James Mackenzie | Reuters Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said today that Iran and its regional proxies will not back down from Israel hours after an Israeli attack on Beirut that is thought to have targeted the heir apparent to Tehran-backed Hezbollah’s slain secretary general. READ MORE . . .
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As Israel strikes Hezbollah in Lebanon, thousands of foreign nationals try to leave. A Martínez of NPR asks Michigan state Rep. Alabas Farhat about efforts to help U.S. citizens leave Lebanon, amid continued attacks by Israel on Hezbollah. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Iran FM says backs efforts for simultaneous Gaza-Lebanon ceasefire. From AFP. BEIRUT — Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said today his country backed efforts for a simultaneous ceasefire with Israel in both the Palestinian territory of Gaza and Lebanon. READ MORE . . .
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Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ hunted leader, remains committed to Israel’s destruction, by Samia Nakhoul | Reuters Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is unrepentant about the Oct. 7 attacks a year ago, people in contact with him say, despite . . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM OCT. 3 Israeli airstrike hits a medical center in central Beirut. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR In Lebanon, Israeli air strikes on Thursday killed at least seven medical and rescue workers. The Lebanese government accuses Israel of targeting Lebanon’s already stretched infrastructure. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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FROM OCT. 3 Israel extends evacuation warnings in Lebanon, signaling a wider offensive, by Fadi Tamil and Jack Jeffrey Gaz | AP BEIRUT — The Israeli military on Thursday warned people to evacuate a city and other communities in southern Lebanon that are north of a U.N.-declared buffer zone, signaling that it may widen a ground operation launched earlier this week against the Hezbollah militant group. READ MORE . . .
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FROM OCT. 2 For the first time, Congress will vote on blocking weapons to Israel, by Michael Arria | Mondoweiss / Popular Resistance U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent, announced that he had introduced legislation to block a $20 billion arms sale to Israel. The Joint Resolutions of Disapproval would . . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM OCT. 2 Palestine Action halt F-35 supply chain at Wirral weapons factory. From Morning Star / Popular Resistance Palestine Action activists on Wednesday shut down a factory in Bromborough on the Wirral that is known to supply crucial parts for warplanes being used in Israel’s Gaza genocide. They climbed . . . READ MORE . . .
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A look at Israel’s strategic and military failures in Gaza, by Rabia Ali | Middle East Monitor As the war in Gaza enters its second year, experts warn that Israel’s military campaign in the besieged enclave has become a strategic disaster. Despite . . . READ MORE . . .