For today, a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (IRAN, LEBANON, GAZA, WEST BANK and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down. SYRIA 2-18-25 entry including a map is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Satellite imagery reveals seven new Israeli army outposts in Syria. From the Cradle. The Israeli army has set up at least seven new military outposts in southern Syria, satellite imagery published by Haaretz newspaper on Tuesday shows — in Mount Hermon, Hader, Jubata al-Khashab, Al-Hamidiyah, Quneitra, Al-Qahtaniyah, and Tel Kudna. READ MORE . . .

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For today, a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (SYRIA, LEBANON, GAZA, WEST BANK and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE, or scroll up or down. IRAN 2-18-25 entry including a map is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Iranian president, Qatari Emir discuss regional stability, Gaza ceasefire in Tehran. From the Cradle. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian received the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, in Tehran today for talks to strengthen relations between the two neighboring countries, IRNA reported. READ MORE . . .

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For today, a link to a report from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (SYRIA, IRAN, GAZA, WEST BANK and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  LEBANON 2-18-25 entry with a map is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israeli strike in southern Lebanon kills town mayor’s son. From Middle East Eye. A drone strike in the southern Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab killed a person identified as the mayor’s son and injured another. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from Al Jazeera, Middle East Monitor, Reuters, and Middle East Eye, and a map from Encyclopedia Britannica; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (SYRIA, IRAN, LEBANON, WEST BANK and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  GAZA 2-18-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israel kills 3 in Gaza, Hamas offers all captives for permanent truce, by Alex Kozul-Wright and Virginia Pietromarchi | Al Jazeera  Despite the ceasefire, at least three Palestinians have been killed and 11 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry says. Hamas proposes exchanging . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and scroll down for report from Middle East Monitor.

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UAE tells U.S.’s Rubio it rejects displacement of Palestinians. From Reuters. DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates leader told the United States’ secretary of state today his country rejects a proposal to displace Palestinians from their land, the Emirati state news agency WAM reported. READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 18  Sisi to visit Saudi to discuss Arab plan for Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. Two Egyptian security sources have said that President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is expected to travel to Riyadh on Thursday to discuss an Arab plan regarding . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and scroll down for more Feb. 19 report from Middle East Eye.

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For today, a link to a report from the Associated Press, and a map from Encyclopedia Britannica; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (SYRIA, IRAN, LEBANON, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  WEST BANK 2-17-25 entry is HERE.) — MCM

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Palestinian families flee West Bank homes in droves as Israel confronts militants, by Isabel Debre | AP  FAR’A REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank — By car and on foot, through muddy olive groves and snipers’ sight lines, tens of thousands of Palestinians in recent weeks have fled Israeli military operations across the northern West Bank — the largest displacement in the occupied territory since . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to 12 reports: from the Associated Press, Kyiv Post, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Independent, National Public Radio, and the Moscow Times, and to commentary from Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA, IRAN, LEBANON, GAZA and WEST BANK entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.  UKRAINE 2-18-25 entry including map is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Trump is living in a Russian-made ‘disinformation space,’ says Ukraine’s Zelenskyy, by Justin Spike and Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today U.S. President Donald Trump is living in a Russian-made “disinformation space” as a result of his administration’s discussions with Kremlin officials — and said he “would . . . READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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Zelenskiy on U.S. minerals deal: ‘I can’t sell Ukraine.’ From Reuters. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has rejected US demands for billions in mineral wealth from Ukraine to repay Washington for wartime aid, saying America had supplied nowhere near that sum sought and offered no specific security guarantees in the agreement. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. Ukraine envoy Kellogg arrives in Kyiv ahead of talks with Zelensky. From AFP. U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine arrived in Kyiv today ahead of a planned meeting with officials and President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian media reported. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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FROM FEB. 18  Russia and U.S. agree to work toward ending Ukraine war in a remarkable diplomatic shift, by Matthew Lee and Dasha Litvinova | AP  RIYADH — Russia and the U.S. agreed Tuesday to start working toward ending the war in Ukraine and improving their diplomatic and economic ties, the two countries’ top diplomats said after talks that . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for second AP report, and reports from Reuters and NPR.

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Russian air defenses down Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian air defense forces shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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What have U.S. sanctions on Russia achieved since the war in Ukraine began? Michel Martin of NPR talks with Edward Fishman, author of Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare, three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. What have U.S. sanctions achieved? Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for analysis via the Moscow Times.

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Major risks loom as Trump upends U.S. Russia policy, by Matt Spetalnick | Reuters  WASHINGTON — When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago, then-U.S. President Joe Biden took a firm stand in solidarity with Kyiv, forged a bulwark of European allies and set veteran advisers to isolating Moscow economically and . . . READ MORE . . .

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For todya, a link to a report from the Cradle, and a map from worldometers.info; others are accessible by clicking on their names as highlighted. (GAZA, LEBANON, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down. IRAN 2-17- 25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 17  Iran ‘in contact’ with new authorities in Syria: Tehran. From the Cradle. An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman reaffirmed during a press conference on Monday that Tehran is in contact with the new authorities in Syria. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to three reports: from the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN, LEBANON, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down. GAZA 2-17-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Hamas says it will free 6 living hostages and hand over four bodies, accelerating Gaza release, by Samy Magdy and Natalie Melzer | AP   CAIRO — A top Hamas leader says the militant group will release six living Israeli hostages on Saturday and the bodies of four others on Thursday, a surprise increase that apparently comes in return for Israel allowing mobile homes and construction equipment into the devastated Gaza Strip. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

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Arab Summit on Trump’s ethnic cleansing plan in Gaza postponed to Friday. From Middle East Monitor. A mini-Arab summit scheduled for Thursday to discuss the response to US President Donald Trump’s ethnic cleansing plan in Gaza has been postponed to Friday, two Arab diplomats said on Monday. A source said the summit has been extended to include . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to five reports, followed by a map: from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Anadolu Agency, the Cradle, and ezilon.com; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (IRAN, GAZA, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  LEBANON 2-17-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Villagers in southern Lebanon begin to return home as Israeli army withdraws under ceasefire deal, by Bassem Mroue | AP  KFAR KILA, Lebanon — Israeli forces withdrew today from border villages in southern Lebanon under a deadline spelled out in a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, but stayed in five strategic overlook locations inside Lebanon. Top Lebanese leaders . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Israel says its army to stay in ‘buffer zone’ in Lebanon, by Abdelraouf Arnaout | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM — Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said today that the army will stay in five points in southern Lebanon, calling them a “buffer zone” to protect Israeli settlements against Hezbollah attacks. READ MORE . . .

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Israel maintains occupation in five key areas after withdrawal from south Lebanon. From the Cradle. The Israeli army has maintained its occupation of at least five key locations in southern Lebanon after completing the withdrawal of most of its troops from the south early today. Israeli forces continue to occupy . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 17  Israel changes tune, says ‘ready to leave’ Lebanon by ceasefire deadline: report. From the Cradle. Israel is planning to withdraw its occupation forces from southern Lebanon by the approaching deadline, an Israeli official told Times of Israel on Monday. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to four reports: from the Cradle, National Public Radio, and Reuters, followed by a map from WorldAtlas.com; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (IRAN, GAZA, LEBANON and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down; a regional map from AP is HERE, at least for now. SYRIA 2-10-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 17  Iran ‘in contact’ with new authorities in Syria: Tehran. From the Cradle. An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman reaffirmed during a press conference on Monday that Tehran is in contact with the new authorities in Syria. READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 17  Moscow in talks to maintain ‘reduced military presence’ inside Syria. From the Cradle. Russia seeks to keep a reduced military presence in Syria, a key objective for President Vladimir Putin after the ousting of his previous ally, former president Bashar al-Assad, Bloomberg reported on Monday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 17  After decades of surveillance, Syrians are cautiously testing out free expression. Reported by Emily Feng | NPR  A rebel coalition overthrew a repressive regime in Syria last December. Syrians are cautiously testing out the newly expanded boundaries for free expression. But fresh constraints are emerging. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM FEB. 4  Syria’s Sharaa to discuss defense pact with Turkey’s Erdogan, sources say. From Reuters. AMMAN / BEIRUT / DAMASCUS — Syria’s transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan were expected to discuss a joint defense pact in Ankara today, including . . . READ MORE . . .

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