For now, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters; others or just headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for today’s LEBANON, MEDIA and IRAN so far, and for UKRAINE 5-19-26.) — MCM

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UK eases sanctions on Russian oil as fuel prices surge over Iran conflict. From AP. LONDON — The U.K. government has delayed some new sanctions on Russian oil in an effort to shelter Britons from the cost-of-living squeeze triggered by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Iran war. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM MAY 19  Drones attack industrial areas in Russia’s Stavropol region, governor says, by Jekaterīna Golubkova | Reuters  Industrial areas around Nevinnomyssk in Russia’s southern Stavropol region are under drone attack, Governor Vladimir Vladimirov said. In Ukraine, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to THREE reports: from National Public Radio, the Cradle, and Reuters; others or just headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up for today’s LEBANON, MEDIA and UKRAINE so far, and down for IRAN 5-19-26.) — MCM

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Trump has threatened to restart strikes against Iran. What it could mean for the U.S. A Martínez of NPR asks Vali Nasr of Johns Hopkins University what a potential restart of military strikes against Iran would mean for the U.S. and its regional partners. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for link to the other report today directly related to the Iran war on NPR‘s “Morning Edition.”

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FROM MAY 19  U.S. Treasury chief demands allies intensify sanctions against Iran. From the Cradle. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged Washington’s allies to intensify efforts to dismantle Iran’s banking and oil-exporting networks during the so-called “No Money for Terror” conference in Paris, held after a meeting Tuesday of G7 finance ministers and central bank governors. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 19  Trump says U.S. may strike Iran again but Tehran wants deal. From Reuters. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States may need to strike Iran again and that he had been an hour away from ordering an attack before postponing it. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

A link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for WEST BANK, GAZA, UKRAINE and IRAN, and for LEBANON 5-16-26.) — MCM

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Hezbollah FPVs ‘restrict’ 80 percent of Israeli army operations in south Lebanon: report. From the Cradle. Hezbollah’s non-stop FPV drone operations have paralyzed Israeli occupation forces in south Lebanon – “restricting” nearly 80 percent of their planned military operations, Israel’s Broadcasting Corporation reported on Monday. READ MORE . . .

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Links to two reports from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll up or down for LEBANON, GAZA, UKRAINE and IRAN, and down for WEST BANK 5-15-26.) — MCM

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Israeli finance minister orders eviction of West Bank community over reports of ICC arrest warrant. From the Cradle. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has ordered the forced displacement of occupied Jerusalem’s Khan al-Ahmar in response to reports that he may be targeted by an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, along with other officials. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 18  Israel moves to steal Palestinian land surrounding Al-Aqsa Mosque in bid to ‘Judaize Jerusalem.’ From the Cradle. Israel is moving forward with plans to steal Palestinian-owned property near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem – a move described as an escalation of Israeli attempts to “Judaize” the city. READ MORE . . .

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Links to reports from Middle East Eye and the Cradle, an essay from West Bank Alerts, and an analysis from Middle East Eye; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll up or down for LEBANON, WEST BANK, UKRAINE and IRAN, and down for GAZA 5-18-26.) — MCM

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Israel’s Bezalel Smotrich says ICC arrest warrant request is ‘declaration of war.’ From Middle East Eye. Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich on Tuesday said the arrest warrant application for him at the International Criminal Court amounts to a “declaration of war” and threatened immediate retaliation against Palestinians. READ MORE . . .

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Italian port authorities halt Israel-bound shipments of ‘military-grade steel’ from India. From the Cradle. Italian authorities are holding three shipments suspected of carrying military-grade steel from India to Israel after activists from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and No Harbour for Genocide exposed their contents, Middle East Eye reported on Monday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 15  Full list of Israel’s ceasefire violations in Gaza, seven months on, by Mera Aladam | Middle East Eye  More than seven months have passed since a U.S.-mediated ceasefire was announced with the stated aim of ending Israel‘s two-year genocide in Gaza. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 12  Who knew? by Cara Marianna | West Bank Alerts  Who could have guessed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zionism was built as a bulwark against socialism, by Joseph Massad | Middle East Eye  Since the late 19th century, the Zionist movement has sold itself to imperial sponsors as a bulwark against socialism, and western imperialist powers adopted it precisely as a tool against socialism and communism. READ MORE . . .

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Links to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down down for LEBANON, WEST BANK, GAZA and IRAN, and down for UKRAINE 5-18-26.) — MCM

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Russia attacks Ukraine’s Danube port, Ukraine launches drones toward Moscow, by Jekaterina Golubkova | Reuters   A Russian air attack damaged port infrastructure in Ukraine’s Izmail city in the early hours of Tuesday, while Russian authorities said they had downed four ‌drones launched by Ukraine that were headed towards Moscow. READ MORE . . .

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Links to FIVE reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, Middle East Monitor, and the Cradle; to an article from Consortium News, and to an analysis from Middle East Eye; other published material or at least headlines is accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up for LEBANON, WEST BANK, GAZA and UKRAINE.  Scroll down for IRAN 5-18-26.) — MCM

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Iran says peace proposal includes reparations for war damage, U.S. troop withdrawal. From Reuters. DUBAI — Tehran’s latest peace proposal to the United States involves ending hostilities on all fronts including Lebanon, the exit of U.S. forces from areas close to Iran, and reparations for destruction caused by the U.S.-Israeli war, state media reported today. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli cabinet discusses possible resumption of Iran war for second time in 24 hours. From Middle East Monitor. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the possibility of resuming the war against Iran during a meeting of the security cabinet on Monday evening, according to Hebrew media reports. READ MORE . . .

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Iran warns of swift response after Trump says he halted planned attack. From Middle East Monitor. An adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader for military affairs said U.S. President Donald Trump sets a date for an attack and then cancels it himself “in the hope that our nation will surrender.” READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 18 IRGC foils U.S. arms shipments to ‘terror groups’ near border with Iraqi Kurdistan. From the Cradle. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement on Monday that it foiled an attempt to smuggle a large shipment of US-made weapons and ammunition into the country. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 18  History turned in Beijing, by Patrick Lawrence | Special to Consortium News  Among the matters besides Taiwan that Presidents Xi and Trump discussed last Thursday and Friday, the most pressing was Beijing’s views on the Iran war. Click HERE for article, which includes a link to video of a CBS News report by Jessi Mitchell and Weiji Jiang. READ MORE . . .

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Zionism was built as a bulwark against socialism, by Joseph Massad | Middle East Eye  Since the late 19th century, the Zionist movement has sold itself to imperial sponsors as a bulwark against socialism, and western imperialist powers adopted it precisely as a tool against socialism and communism. READ MORE . . .

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A link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for UKRAINE and IRAN, and for GAZA 5-16-26.) — MCM

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ICC issues secret arrest warrants for five additional senior Israeli officials: report. From the Cradle. The International Criminal Court has issued secret arrest warrants for three Israeli politicians and two military officials, Haaretz reported on Sunday, citing diplomatic sources. READ MORE . . .

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Links to SEVEN reports: from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, the Moscow Times, Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, Tass, and Middle East Eye, and a note about a Consortium News interview; other published material is  accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for GAZA and IRAN, and down for UKRAINE 5-17-26.) — MCM

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Links to EIGHT reports and analyses: from Reuters, the Cradle, Middle East Eye, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and Middle East Monitor; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up for GAZA and UKRAINE, and down for IRAN 5-16-26.) — MCM

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Pakistan hands U.S. revised Iranian proposal for ending war, by Ariba Shahid and Parisa Hafezi | Reuters  KARACHI, Pakistan / DUBAI — Peace mediator Pakistan has shared with the United States a revised proposal from Iran to end the war in the Middle East, a Pakistani source said today, warning that ‌the sides “don’t have much time” to narrow their differences. READ MORE . . .

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Iran announces ‘Persian Gulf Strait Authority’ to manage Hormuz with Oman. From the Cradle. The Islamic Republic has officially launched a new body to oversee its management of the Strait of Hormuz, formalizing its demand that the waterway come under Iranian jurisdiction following the start of the U.S.-Israeli war. READ MORE . . .

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Report: U.S. shows flexibility on limited Iranian nuclear activity. From Middle East Eye. The United States has signaled a degree of flexibility over Iran maintaining limited peaceful nuclear activity under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Reuters reported today, citing a senior Iranian official. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. and Israel prepare for potential return to full-scale war with Iran. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  Events over the weekend highlight the risk of renewed war, as the United States and Israel signal they would be ready to fight Iran again. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM MAY 17  Trump inner circle urges UAE to seize strategic Iranian island: report. From the Cradle. Advisors close to U.S. President Donald Trump are encouraging the UAE to escalate its involvement in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, including seizing a strategic Iranian island in the Persian Gulf, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 17  Drone strikes UAE nuclear plant as U.S. and Iran signal they are prepared to resume war, by Jon Gambrell and Samy Magdy | AP  DUBAI — A drone strike that sparked a fire on the edge of the United Arab Emirates’ sole nuclear power plant on Sunday in what authorities called an “unprovoked terrorist attack” highlighted the risk of renewed war between the United States and Iran. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish; and HERE for others.  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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