Links to TWO reports: from Agence France-Presse and the Cradle; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 2-22-26 and GAZA, WEST BANK, SYRIA, CUBA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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U.S. official confirms Iran talks on Thursday. From AFP. The United States will resume nuclear talks with Iran on Thursday, a U.S. official confirmed today, as Washington continues its huge military build-up to put pressure on Tehran. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others.

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Iran vows ‘ferocious’ retaliation as Trump considers ‘limited’ strike. From the Cradle. “I think there is no limited strike,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said today. “An act of aggression would be regarded as an act of aggression. Period. And any state would react to an act of aggression as part of its inherent right of self-defense ferociously, so that’s what we would do.” READ MORE . . .

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Links to THREE reports: from the Cradle, the Associated Press, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 2-20-26, and up or down for IRAN, WEST BANK, SYRIA, CUBA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Israeli troops executed Palestinian aid workers at ‘point blank range’: report. From the Cradle. Israeli soldiers today massacred 15 Palestinian aid workers, targeting them with nearly a thousand bullets, including at least eight at point-blank range, in Tal al-Sultan in southern Gaza, a joint investigation by the independent research groups Earshot and Forensic Architecture has shown. READ MORE . . .

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EU diplomats set to meet Board of Peace director over Gaza’s future, by Sam McNeil | AP  BRUSSELS — Nikolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and U.N. diplomat chosen by Trump to manage the Board of Peace, was scheduled to meet today with the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and foreign ministers from across the 27-nation bloc. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Ramadan in ruins, by Maha Hussaini and Mohammed al-Hajjar | Middle East Eye  GAZA CITY / NUSEIRA, Gaza Strip  As world leaders convened in Washington for the inaugural meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial Board of Peace and pledged billions for Gaza reconstruction, residents of the devastated enclave say the atmosphere remains heavy with loss, displacement and intermittent bombardment — much like the two Ramadans observed during the war. READ MORE . . .

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Links to THREE reports: from the Associated Press and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 2-21-26, and up or down for IRAN, GAZA, SYRIA, CUBA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Israeli settlers torch and deface a West Bank mosque during Ramadan, by Aref Tufaha and Melanie Lidman | AP  TELL, West Bank — Israeli settlers vandalized a mosque in the Israeli-occupied West Bankearly today, spray-painting offensive phrases and setting a fire, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Religious Affairs. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.  Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

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Israeli settlers join ‘safari’ tour of Palestinian prisoners, by Mera Aladam | Middle East Eye  The head of the Israel Prison Service, Kobi Yaakobi, has invited a group of settlers on a so-called “safari tour” to view Palestinian detainees while they are lying on the floor and handcuffed. READ MORE . . .

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Links to THREE reports: from the Cradle and Agence France-Presse; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for SYRIA 1-28-26, and up or down for IRAN, GAZA, WEST BANK, CUBA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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U.S. troops expected to ‘fully withdraw’ from Syria within weeks. From the Cradle. U.S. forces occupying northeast Syria began leaving a major base and are expected to complete their withdrawal from the country within weeks, AFP reported today. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AFP.

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FROM FEB. 22  Israel launches 41 incursions into Syria so far this month amid ‘suspicious silence’ from Damascus: report. From the Cradle. Israeli occupation forces have carried out 41 incursions into Syrian territory in February alone — “without any response, amid a suspicious silence from the Syrian government regarding these violations,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday. READ MORE . . .

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Links to TWO reports: from Reuters and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN, GAZA, WEST BANK, SYRIA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

NOTE: The CUBA entry I was looking for — CUBA 2-12-26 — has reappeared. (Thank you, friend. Good to know somebody reads this blog.) Visitors can scroll down to it. It’s still gone from my computer’s memory, but maybe I scrapped what was there. Who was it that sang “Paranoia strikes deep in the heartland”? *

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Rubio travels to meet Caribbean leaders as U.S. squeezes Cuba, Venezuela. From Reuters. U.S. Secretary of State Marco ‌Rubio will ​hold talks with Caribbean leaders on regional security, and efforts to counter migration and drug trafficking in ‌Saint Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for AP / AP report in English and Spanish, and HERE for others in Spanish.

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* Answer: Paul Simon in “Have a Good Time” (1975).

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Links to SIX reports: from Agence France-Presse, Le Figaro, the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 2-19-26, and up or down for IRAN, GAZA, WEST BANK, SYRIA, CUBA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Russian overnight strikes across Ukraine kill 3. From AFP. In addition several others were wounded, regional authorities said today, as Moscow continued its assaults on the eve of the war’s four‑year anniversary. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine needs $588 bn to rebuild from Russia’s invasion: report.   From AFP. The estimated total, according to the report issued today by the World Bank and other institutions, is 12 percent higher than the amount given last year — and almost three times the country’s annual economic output. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for similar report from AFP and Le Figaro in French, and HERE for headlines of others from AFP.

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EU diplomats scramble to overcome Hungary’s threat to derail new sanctions on Russia, by Sam McNeil and Sylvie Corbet | AP  BRUSSELS — Germany, France and other European countries vowed their unwavering support for Ukraine on Monday as their diplomats scrambled to finalize new sanctions on Russia and a massive new loan for Kyiv ahead of the fourth anniversary of a war that has left an estimated 1.8 million Russian and Ukrainian soldiers dead, wounded or missing. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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EU diplomats set to meet Board of Peace director, by Sam McNeil | AP  BRUSSELS — Nikolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and U.N. diplomat chosen by Trump to manage the Board of Peace, was scheduled to meet today with the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and foreign ministers from across the 27-nation bloc. Topics on the agenda include the war in Ukraine and fresh sanctions on Russia. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM FEB. 22  Ukrainian military chaplain shares wisdom from the frontlines. Reported by Daniel Ofman, Emily Kwong and Jordan-Marie Smith | NPR  Father Andriy Zelinskyy, a chaplain in wartime Ukraine, talks about what he sees in the trenches and what he’s learned about the fragility of humanity, years into the war with Russia. Click HERE to listen and read.

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4 years of war in Ukraine in photos. From AP. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, launched Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II. This photo gallery curated by AP photo editors looks back at four years of war. Click HERE to visit gallery.

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Links to FOUR reports: from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and the Committee to Protect Journalists; to a conversation from the Gaslight Gazette; and to an essay from the Floutist; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 2-20-26.  Scroll up for IRAN, GAZA, WEST BANK, SYRIA, CUBA and UKRAINE.) — MCM

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Poll: Most say the state of the union is not strong and the U.S. is worse off. Reported by Domenico Montanaro | NPR  The latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll says most Americans say the country is worse off than a year ago and that the state of the union is not strong. Additionally, more people than ever . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM FEB. 20  New report details abuse Palestinian journalists face in Israeli prisons. Leila Fadel of NPR speaks with Sara Qudah of the Committee to Protect Journalists about a new report on the abusive treatment that Palestinian journalists endure in Israeli prisons. Click HERE to listen and read. Link to CPJ report is HERE.

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4 years of war in Ukraine in photos. From AP. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, launched Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II. This photo gallery curated by AP photo editors looks back at four years of war. Click HERE to visit gallery.

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FROM FEB. 20  Big tech’s Pentagon pivot, CBS censorship, and the Epstein ledger. Nolan Higdon of Gaslight Gazette and sidekick Dickey talk in an episode of the Disinfo Detox about a week’s worth of topics including the Federal Communications Commission’s former “fairness doctrine” and the firing of Stephen Colbert at CBS. Click HERE for video.

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FROM FEB. 20  Is America a failed state? by Patrick Lawrence | The Floutist  Last week the American Prospect ran an excellent piece on why Gail Slater, the high-profile head of the DoJ’s antitrust division, was recently sacked. READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Next U.S.-Iran nuclear talks are Thursday in Geneva as Washington awaits proposed deal from Tehran, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — The United States and Iran will hold their next round of nuclear talks Thursday in Geneva, a facilitator said today, as the Islamic Republic faces both the threat of a U.S. military strike and new protests at home. READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE and HERE for earlier reports from AFP / AFP and Al Jazeera.

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Links to NINE reports, including the three linked above from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Al Jazeera. Following the link just below to a two-and-a-half-hour conversation from Consortium News about PREPARATIONS FOR IMMINENT WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST and WHAT SUCH A WAR WOULD LOOK LIKE, there are links to six reports: from the Cradle, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Reuters, and CBS News; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials above and below. (Scroll down for IRAN 2-20-26 and LEBANON.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 21  WATCH: The World This Week — w/Scott Ritter. Joe Lauria, editor-in-chief of Consortium News, and former U.S. Marine, former UN weapons inspector and author Scott Ritter talk about what looks to Ritter like the imminent U.S./Israeli invasion of Iran with UK support, possibly within days. Ritter does most of the talking. Click HERE to watch and listen closely.

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Jordan serving as ‘key hub’ for warplanes needed for Iran war: report. From the Cradle. A military base in central Jordan has become a “key hub” for the U.S. military’s preparations for possible strikes on Iran, the New York Times reported today, citing satellite imagery and flight tracking data. READ MORE . . .

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University students hold new protests around memorials for those killed, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — New anti-government protests have begun in Iran, witnesses said today, as university students in Tehran and another city demonstrated around memorials for thousands of people killed in a crackdown on previous nationwide demonstrations about six weeks ago. READ MORE . . .

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A former deputy assistant secretary of Defense discusses U.S. actions against Iran. Ayesha Rascoe of NPR speaks with Mick Milroy, who was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense in the first Trump administration, about possible American military action against Iran. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Iranians mark a day of mourning as the U.S. ramps up its military presence. Reported by Durrie Bouscaren | NPR  As the U.S. beefs up its military presence in the Middle East, Iranians mark the 40th day of mourning for loved ones killed during the January protests. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Witkoff says Trump ‘curious’ about why Iran has not ‘capitulated’ amid U.S. military buildup, by Parisa Hafezi | Reuters  U.S. President Donald Trump is curious about why Iran has not yet “capitulated” and agreed to curb its nuclear program, as Washington builds up its military capability in the Middle East, Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Saturday in an interview on Fox News. READ MORE . . .

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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi interviewed on Face the Nation. From CBS. ARAGHCHI: If they want to find a resolution for Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, the only way is diplomacy. We have proved this in the past, and I believe that still, there is a good chance to have a diplomatic solution which is based on a win-win game. There is no need for any military buildup. And military buildup cannot help, and cannot pressurize us. READ MORE . . .

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A link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for LEBANON 2-21-26. Scroll up for IRAN.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 21  Deadly Israeli strikes in Lebanon leave dozens of civilian casualties. From the Cradle. A series of Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley on 21 February killed 10 people and wounded about 24 others, including three children, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported. READ MORE . . .

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Links to FOUR reports: from the Associated Press, the Cradle and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (Scroll up or down for WEST BANK 2-19-26 and IRAN and LEBANON.) — MCM

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U.S. ambassador causes uproar by claiming Israel has a right to much of the Middle East, by Sam Mednick and Samy Magdy | AP  TEL AVIV — Arab and Muslim nations on Saturday sharply condemned comments by the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who said Israel has a right to much of the Middle East. READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 20  Israel imposes severe Ramadan restrictions on Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque: reports. From the Cradle. Palestinians performed the first Friday prayer of the holy month of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem amid severe restrictions by Israeli authorities. READ MORE . . .

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U.S . envoy Huckabee claims Israel has ‘biblical right’ to conquer all West Asia. From the Cradle. During a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee claimed Israel has a biblical right to take over “all” of West Asia. “It would be fine if they took it all,” he said. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for Feb. 20 report from Middle East Eye.

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