For now, links to the first of two reports from the same Substack journalist — the second is promised by him for Nov. 21 — and to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on the name Substack as highlighted or NPR’s initials below. — MCM

–   –   –

FROM NOV. 20  Force evacuation and smash the camps: A report from inside Gaza, by Seymour M.Hersh | Substack  Control over all of Gaza and the West Bank is the core demand of the religious right in Israel that now dominates the government. A well-informed Washington official says the Israeli leadership will formally annex the West Bank in the very near . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM NOV. 20  Israeli destruction makes large parts of south Lebanon ‘uninhabitable.’ Reported by Ruth Sherlock | NPR  Israel’s war against Hezbollah has driven hundreds of thousand of civilians from their homes in southern Lebanon. Satellite data and eye witness testimony indicate the scale of the destruction. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

–   –   –

TO BE CONTINUED

For today, links to 13 reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Tass, Arab News, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, and Middle East Monitor, to commentary from ScheerPost, and to an imaginary conversation from ScheerPost; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

U.S. vetoes UN resolution demanding a cease-fire in Gaza because there’s no link to a hostage release, by Edith M. Lederer | AP  UNITED NATIONS — The United States today vetoed a UN resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the war in Gaza because it is not linked to an immediate release of hostages taken captive by Hamas in Israel in October 2023. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and Tass.

–   –   –

Israeli strikes kill 33 in Gaza; hospital in north makes distress call, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israeli forces killed at least 33 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip today, including a rescue worker, health officials said, as troops deepened an incursion along the territory’s northern edge, bombarding a hospital and blowing up homes. Medics said . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Netanyahu says Israel offering $5 mn reward for each Gaza hostage freed. From Arab News. JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel was offering a reward of $5 million to anybody who brings out a hostage held in Gaza. “Anybody who brings out a hostage will find . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for video from AP.

–   –   –

FROM NOV. 19  Witnesses say Israel is using sniper drones in Gaza and they’re shooting civilians. Reported by Kat Lonsdorf | NPR  Eyewitnesses in Gaza say that Israel’s military is using guns attached to drones to carry out attacks. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE to listen to NPR report today.

–   –   –

Here’s what happened in Gaza after biggest looting of UN food aid in recent memory. Reported by Aya Batrawy | NPR  Armed gangs attacked a convoy of more than 100 trucks of United Nations food aid, as humanitarian groups call on Israel to do more to secure aid routes and as people across Gaza go hungry. Click HERE to listen and, and later, read.

–   –   –

Biden administration pushes Democrats to block $20bn arms ban to Israel. From Middle East Monitor. The Biden administration is pressuring Democratic Senators to oppose a progressive-led effort to block over $20 billion in US weapon shipments to Israel, officials told The Times of Israel. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for earlier report from AP.

–   –   –

FROM NOV. 18  Amsterdam mayor takes back ‘pogrom’ comments following Maccabi-Ajax violence, by Rayhan Uddin | Middle East Eye  Mayor Femke Halsema of Amsterdam on Sunday took back comments describing violence that took place following a football match between Israeli and Dutch teams earlier this month as a “pogrom”, and has said Israel “bypassed” Dutch authorities regarding details . . . Click HERE for article and video.

–   –   –

FROM NOV. 19  Organized oblivion, by Chris Hedges | Original to ScheerPost  The genocide in Gaza mirrors the physical annihilation of Armenian Christians by the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Turks, who feared a nationalist revolt like the one that had convulsed the Balkans . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM NOV. 19  Mr. President, ATACMS won’t win the war! Robert Scheer of ScheerPost in the role of President Biden and Ray McGovern, who was the CIA’s daily briefer to a succession of U.S. presidents, as himself as if he had not retired. In another imaginary “briefing,” they discuss some of the latest events. Click HERE to listen and watch.

For today, links to seven reports: from the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post, the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and Tass, to commentary from Consortium News, and to an imaginary conversation from ScheerPost; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

Ukraine strikes Russia with Storm Shadows for the first time, Bloomberg reports, by Boldizsar Gyori | The Kyiv Independent  Ukraine has struck targets inside Russia with British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles for the first time, Bloomberg reported today citing a Western official familiar with the matter. The source said . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

–   –   –

Zelensky presents Ukraine’s internal victory plan to parliament, by Sergii Kostezh | Kyiv Post  President Volodymyr Zelensky presented Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, with his plans for the country’s future on Tuesday. The “Internal Sustainability Plan” lays out . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

U.S. will allow Ukraine to use American antipersonnel land mines against Russian forces, by Samya Kullab and Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — The Biden administration will allow Ukraine to use American-supplied antipersonnel land mines to help it slow Russia’s battlefield progress in the war, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said today, as the U.S. and some other Western embassies in Kyiv stayed closed after . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Putin, ascendant in Ukraine, eyes contours of a Trump peace deal, by Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters  MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin is open to discussing a Ukraine ceasefire deal with Donald Trump but rules out making any major territorial concessions and insists Kyiv abandon ambitions to join NATO, according to five sources with knowledge of Kremlin thinking. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM NOV. 19  Ukraine carries out first attacks on Russian territory using U.S. ballistic missiles. Reported by Tom Bowman | NPR  For the first time, Ukraine has fired U.S. ballistic missilEs into Russia as part of heavy ongoing fighting. Russia is expressing strong opposition and says this marks an escalation in the war. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

–   –   –

Russian troops liberate Ilyinka community in Donbass region over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces liberated the community of Ilyinka in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM NOV. 19  The pro-Trump mood in Greece, by John Kiriakou | Special to Consortium News  I spent the past two weeks on my ancestral island of Rhodes, Greece, helping my cousin settle his late father’s estate. It’s no surprise that everybody — and I mean literally everybody . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM NOV. 19  Mr. President, ATACMS won’t win the war! Robert Scheer of ScheerPost in the role of President Biden and Ray McGovern, who was the CIA’s daily briefer to a succession of U.S. presidents, as himself as if he had not retired. In another imaginary “briefing,” they discuss some of the latest events. Click HERE to listen and watch.

For today, links to reports from National Public Radio and Reuters, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor and Middle East Eye; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

More than a dozen people are killed when Israeli forces moved into central Gaza camp. Reported by Anas Baba | NPR  Nearly 44,000 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli fire in more than a year of war, according to the ministry of health there. A recent Israeli forces operation took place in central Gaza. Click HERE to listen and read.

–   –   –

FROM NOV. 18  Israeli strike in Beirut kills five as Lebanon, Hezbollah accept U.S. ceasefire proposal, by Riham Alkousaa and Ari Rabinovitch | Reuters  BEIRUT — Lebanon and the militant group Hezbollah have agreed to a U.S. ceasefire proposal and made some comments on the content, a top Lebanese official said on Monday, describing the effort as the most serious yet to . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM NOV. 17   When we are faced with annihilation, Palestinians must either resist or become extinct, by Mustafa Barghouti | Middle East Monitor  How will the Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims and all those who claim to be concerned about international law, human rights and democracy respond to the Israeli annexation declaration? READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM NOV. 18  Israel, backed by the West, is in the grip of a fantasy of omnipotence, by Alain Gabon | Middle East Eye  Israel has always been the West’s main proxy to weaken and bully Arab states and populations. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to four reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

Ukraine fired 6 U.S.-made longer-range missiles into Russia, Moscow says, by Hanna Arhirova and Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — The reported use of the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, came today as Russian President Vladimir Putin formally lowered the threshold for using nuclear weapons, opening the door to . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

–   –   –

FROM NOV.  18  Kremlin warns of escalation after U.S. authorizes Ukraine to use missiles. Reported by Charles Maynes | NPR  President Biden’s decision to let Ukraine use long-range missiles against Russia could escalate the war. But this may also make it easier for his successor to negotiate a peace deal. Click HERE to listen and read.

–   –   –

Marking the 1,000th day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Reported by Charles Maynes and Michel Martin | NPR  Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced and hundreds of thousands killed or wounded. The war has changed Russia as well. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

–   –   –

Ukrainian losses, captives, aid to civilians: situation in Kursk Region. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Ukrainian armed forces have lost up to 320 troops in the Kursk area over the past day, with six Ukrainian servicemen surrendering as prisoners of war, the Russian Defense Ministry said today. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to eight reports: from Reuters, Middle East Eye, the Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

Israeli strikes kill 20 Palestinians in Gaza, some in attacks on tents, medics say, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi andHussam Al-Masri | Reuters  CAIRO / GAZA — Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip killed 20 Palestinians today, including six people in attacks on tents housing displaced families, medics said. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Large Gaza food convoy violently looted; 98 trucks lost. From Reuters. CAIRO – A convoy of 109 trucks was violently looted on Saturday after entering Gaza, resulting in the loss of 98 trucks in what aid workers say is one of the worst such incidents in the more than 13-month-old war, according to an aid official. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Palestinians detail field executions by Israeli forces in north Gaza, by Mera Aladam | Middle East Eye  Israeli forces have carried out field executions of Palestinians in northern Gaza, according to eyewitnesses who spoke to the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor in a new report. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Germany warns Israel against questioning Palestinian right to exist in Gaza, by Oliver Towfigh Nia | Anadolu Agency  BERLIN — Germany today warned Israel against questioning the right of Palestinians to exist in Gaza. “We have said clearly that there must be no [Israeli] settlement of Gaza and no expulsion from Gaza, and that still applies,” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Families stuck in Nabatieh watch as Israel destroys historic neighbourhoods, by Hanna Davis | Middle East Eye  NABATIEH, Lebanon — Since Israel escalated attacks on the country on Sept. 23, it has pounded the southern Lebanesecity of Nabatieh with nearly-daily air strikes. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM NOV. 11  Israel blows up historic shrine in southern Lebanon. From Middle East Monitor. Israeli occupation forces destroyed a historic religious shrine in the village of Chamaa in southern Lebanon on Nov. 8, Lebanese media reported. Lebanese sources revealed that the occupation forces deliberately rigged explosive charges on . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –  

FROM NOV. 17  Pope Francis calls for investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute genocide, by Giada Zampano | AP  ROME — Pope Francis has called for an investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute genocide, according to . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM NOV. 17  Israel sends draft orders to more ultra-Orthodox, by Emily Rose | Reuters  JERUSALEM — The Israeli military issued call-up notices to more members of the ultra-Orthodox community on Sunday to bolster its forces as it fights on its southern and northern borders, a move that may further inflame tensions between religious and secular Israelis. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to eleven reports: from the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, the Moscow Times, Reuters, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE.)— MCM

–   –   –

Russian missile attack on Odesa hits residential area, kills 10, injures 47, by Martin Fornusek | The Kyiv Independent  Russian forces launched a ballistic missile attack against the port city of Odesa today in which 10 people have been reported killed and 47 injured. The fatalities included seven police officers, a medic, and two civilian residents. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

–   –   –

Biden removes long-range missile restraint on Ukraine’s armed forces. Reported by Greg Myre and Leila Fadel | NPR  For the first time, President Biden has given Ukraine the green light to use powerful American long-range weapons, known as the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, for strikes inside Russia. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

–   –   –

Moscow warns U.S. over allowing Ukraine to hit Russian soil with longer-range weapons, by Samya Kullab and Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — The Kremlin warned today that President Joe Biden’s decision to let Ukraine strike targets inside Russia with U.S.-supplied longer-range missiles adds “fuel to the fire” of the war and would escalate international tensions even higher. Biden’s shift . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Moscow Times.

–   –   –

Long-range strikes against Russia: too late to save Ukraine? by Tom Balmforth, Max Hunder and Lili Bayer | Reuters  KYIV — The U.S. decision to authorise long-range Ukrainian strikes could help Kyiv defend the foothold in Russia’s Kursk region that it seized as leverage in any war talks, but may come too late to change the course of the war, analysts said. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM NOV. 17  Biden authorizes Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles for deeper strikes inside Russia, by Aamer Madhani, Colleen Long, Zeke Miller, Matthew Lee and Ellen Knickmeyer | AP  MANAUS, Brazil — President Biden’s authorization, made known by a U.S. official and three other people familiar with the matter, eases limitations on the weapons as Russia deploys thousands of North Korean troops to reinforce its war. READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, NPR and Tass.

–   –   –

Russian troops liberate Novoalekseyevka community in Donbass region over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated the community of Novoalekseyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

Links to a report from National Public Radio and to commentary from jonathan-cook.net via Consortium News; other published material is accessible by clicking on the names below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –  –

FROM NOV. 14  How The Onion came to own the website Infowars. Reported by Erika Ryan, Ari Shapiro and John Ketchum | NPR  The website Infowars, home to right-wing conspiracy theories, is now owned by The Onion, home to fake headlines like “Oklahoma Law Requires 10 Commandments To Be Displayed In Every Womb.” Click HERE to listen and read.

–   –   –

FROM NOV. 16  Deliberate lies about Amsterdam violence, by Jonathan Cook | jonathan-cook.net / Consortium News  The media’s role in peddling disinformation over last week’s violence in Amsterdam just keeps getting darker. Owen Jones has interviewed a Dutch woman who shot the footage used by major outlets . . . Click HERE for article and videos.

For today, links to six reports: from Reuters, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and the Anadolu Agency; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and a COVID ETC. entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

Dozens killed and wounded in Israeli strikes across Gaza, medics say, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Dozens of Palestinians were killed or injured in an Israeli strike on a multi-storey residential building housing at least six families in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya town today, medics and residents said. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from Middle East Eye and Middle East Monitor.

–   –   –

A rare Israeli strike on central Beirut kills Hezbollah’s spokesman, official says, by Natalie Melzer, Fadi Tawil and Bassem Mroue | AP  BEIRUT — A rare Israeli airstrike on central Beirut killed Hezbollah’s chief spokesman today, an official with the militant group said. Earlier, officials said Israeli strikes killed at least 12 people in the Gaza Strip, where . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE to listen to report from NPR.

–   –   –

Israeli warplanes target vicinity of 2 churches, hospital in southern Beirut. From Anadolu Agency. ANKARA — Israeli warplanes carried out at least 27 airstrikes targeting civilian and religious sites in Lebanon today, state media reported. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass, and to two articles of commentary from Kyiv Post; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date and a COVID, ETC. entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

Russia launches one of the fiercest missile and drone attacks at Ukraine’s infrastructure. From AP. KYIV — Russia today launched a massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine, described by officials as the largest over the past months, targeting energy infrastructure and killing civilians — amid fears that Moscow intends to devastate the country’s power generation capacity ahead of the cold winter. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, AFP and the Kyiv Independent.

–   –   –

Russia grinds deeper into Ukraine after 1,000 days of grueling war, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — When Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine in February 2022, the conventional wisdom was that the capital, Kyiv, would soon fall and the rest of the country wouldn’t last long against a much larger enemy. Instead, it was that narrative that quickly collapsed. The Ukrainian army proved . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM NOV. 16  Russian troops liberate DPR’s Leninskoye, Makarovka. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated the communities of Leninskoye and Makarovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

The U.S. and Ukraine’s circular predicament, by Alida Blendonohy | Kyiv Post  U.S. President-elect Trump has promised a swift end to Russia’s war against Ukraine. However, addressing . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

India — an unlikely peace broker between Russia and Ukraine, by Anita Inder Singh | Kyiv Post  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hope that India can influence Russia and reduce its capacity to wage war against his country by stopping its huge purchases of cheap Russian oil is either a case of wishful thinking or diplomatic rhetoric. READ MORE . . .