NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .
Links to TWENTY-plus reports, commentaries, analyses and interviews (more than 30): from Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Le Monde, the Jerusalem Post, the Cradle, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, Reuters, National Public Radio, ScheerPost, and El País; others are accessible by clickng on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-12-26 and LEBANON.) — MCM
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Day 14 of U.S.-Israel attacks, by Elizabeth Melimopoulos of Al Jazeera and news agencies. A summary. Click HERE to read, and HERE for Iran war video reports.
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Blast rocks Tehran after Israel threatened to target area where pro-government rally was being held, by Jon Gambrell, David Rising and Sally Aljoud | AP DUBAI — A large explosion rocked an area of Iran’s capital where thousands were gathered today for the annual state-organized Quds Day to support the Palestinians and call for Israel’s demise. Israel had earlier warned . . . READ MORE . . .
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Air raid sirens in Tel Aviv after warning Iranian missiles fired. From AFP. Several blasts have been heard after air raid sirens sounded in Israel’s commercial hub, Tel Aviv, AFP journalists report, following a warning from the military that missiles had been fired from Iran. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report in French from Le Monde, and HERE and HERE for others in English and French. Click HERE and HERE for headlines of some AFP / AFP reports in English and French.
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Intact warhead likely hit Zarzir despite successful interception, IDF says, by Yonah Jeremy Bob, and Aaron Glick | The Jerusalem Post The ballistic missile impact on the northern Israeli community of Zarzir is believed to have been caused by the warhead remaining intact despite a successful interception, the IDF stated today. READ MORE . . .
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NEWER U.S. confirms four troops killed in crash as Iraqi resistance claims downing of aircraft. From the Cradle. U.S. CENTCOM confirmed in a statement today the deaths of four servicemembers whose refueling aircraft went down over Iraq Thursday night, after the Iraqi resistance announced that its forces struck the plane down. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.
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Dubai financial hub hit by intercepted drone after Iran threatens banks. From Middle East Eye. The Dubai International Financial Centre has been damaged after debris from an intercepted Iranian drone attack caused a fire. Footage shared on social media this morning showed a thick plume of smoke rising from a building in the financial zone of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. READ MORE . . .
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FROM MARCH 12 UAE says it intercepted 278 missile and 1,540 drones since start of Iranian attacks. From Middle East Monitor. The United Arab Emirates said Thursday that air defenses engaged 278 ballistic missiles, 1,540 drones, and 15 cruise missiles since the outset of Iranian attacks late last month, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .
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CNN correspondent shares his takeaways from his recent visit to Iran. Steve Inskeep of NPR asks CNN’s Fred Pleitgen about what he learned during his reporting trip to Iran. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for links to all nine reports on NPR’s “Morning Edition” program.
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FROM MARCH 12 U.S. military refueling plane crashes in Iraq and rescue is underway, by Ben Finley and Konstantin Toropin | AP WASHINGTON — An American military refueling plane taking part in the operation against Iran crashed in Iraq and rescue efforts were underway, U.S. Central Command said Thursday. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.
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FROM MARCH 12 Theft of ‘AI-powered drones’ from U.S. army base sparks fears of potential false flag attack. From the Cradle. U.S. Army investigators are offering a reward of up to $5,000 after four military drones were stolen last year, stoking fears they could be used in a false flag attack on U.S. soil. READ MORE . . .
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FROM MARCH 12 Iran-linked hackers take aim at U.S. and other targets, raising risk of cyberattacks during war, by David Klepper | AP WASHINGTON — Pro-Iranian hackers are targeting sites in the Middle East and starting to stretch into the United States during the war, raising the risk of American defense contractors, power stations and water plants being swept into a wave of digital chaos that could expand if Tehran’s allies join the fray. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.
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With Iran war exit elusive, U.S. President Donald Trump’s aides vie to affect outcome. From Reuters. A complex tug-of-war inside the White House is driving U.S. President Donald Trump’s shifting public statements on the course of the Iran war, as aides debate when and how to declare victory even as the conflict spreads across the Middle East. READ MORE . . .
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FROM MARCH 12 Khameni’s killing raises old questions about U.S. assassinating foreign leaders. Reported by Ryan Lucas | NPR The killing of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei raises questions about whether the U.S. as a democracy should be in the business of assassinating foreign leaders. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for all seven Iran war-related reports Thursday on NPR’s “All Things Considered” program. Click HERE for report today from NPR.
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Iraq is caught in the crossfire of the Iran war, with attacks by both sides on its soil, by Samya Kullab | AP IRBIL, Iraq — Iraq is getting caught in the crossfire of the Iran war as the only country facing strikes from both sides, and that threatens to drag the nation that has so far avoided two years of regional turmoil into a full-blown crisis. READ MORE . . .
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FROM MARCH 12 A war spreading faster than diplomacy. From ScheerPost. A summary of developments. Click HERE to read.
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Iran war is one ‘TACO’ too far, by Jamie McGeever | Reuters The “Trump always chickens out” investment strategy, buying beaten-down stocks on the assumption that the U.S. president will ultimately back down from his more extreme policies, has, for the most part, been a profitable one. READ MORE . . .
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Military victory, political stalemate: The U.S.’s strategic myopia in the Middle East, by Piotr Smolar | Le Monde WASHINGTON — Jake Sullivan was still national security adviser to Joe Biden at the end of September 2023 when he made what would become a famous remark: “The Middle East region is quieter today than it has been in two decades.” READ MORE . . .
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Iran challenges the powerful U.S. Navy in an asymmetric naval battle in the Gulf, by Oscár Gutiérrez | El País MADRID — The largest U.S. naval deployment since the 2003 invasion of Iraq has decimated the Iranian navy. Washington has sent . . . Click HERE for report including some video, and HERE for same El País report in Spanish.
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