For today, links to five reports: from the Associated Press, the Cradle, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA, UKRAINE and 9/11 TRUTH entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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An Israeli airstrike near the Syrian capital kills 11, war monitor says, by Kareem Chehayeb | AP  BEIRUT — An Israeli airstrike in the outskirts of Damascus today killed 11 people, according to a war monitor, as Israel continues to target Syrian weapons and military infrastructure even after the ouster of former President Bashar Assad. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for a second report from AP.

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FROM DEC. 28  Moscow warns that U.S. & UK are preparing ‘ISIS attacks’ on its airbases in Syria. From the Cradle. Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service said on Saturday that the U.S. and UK are planning to use ISIS to attack Russian military bases in Syria to further destabilize the country after the fall of the Syrian government. READ MORE . . .

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Syria’s de facto leader says holding elections could take up to four years. From Reuters.  CAIRO — Drafting a new Constitution and holding elections in Syria could take up to four years, Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has said, according to excerpts from a broadcast interview. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

For today, links to reports from the Kyiv Independent, National Public Radio, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA, SYRIA and 9/11 TRUTH entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Ukraine prioritizing security guarantees over immediate NATO membership, senior diplomat says. From the Kyiv Independent. Ukraine’s accession to NATO remains on the agenda but diplomatic efforts currently focus on obtaining strong security guarantees, Andrii Melnyk, Ukraine’s newly-appointed envoy to the U.N., said Friday. READ MORE . . .

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In one Ukrainian town, women take up coal mining jobs as men fight on the frontlines. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  As Russia’s army advances on coal mines powering Ukraine and its steel industry, women in a small coal town adjust to new roles as miners. They’ve replaced men who’re now fighting on the frontlines. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Russian forces liberate DPR’s Novotroitskoye — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Russian armed forces have liberated the settlement of Novotroitskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Defense Ministry said in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

First, a link to an article from Substack; others by the author are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE and HERE. 9/11 TRUTH entries for Dec. 24 and Dec. 26 are HERE and HERE.)— MCM

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FROM DEC. 28  Powerful 2025 shaping up for 9/11 truth movement, by Richard Gage | Substack  You may not have heard about the point-blank promise by President-elect Trump to declassify 9/11. Other leaders in the 9/11 truth movement and I have been invited, via senior members of the new Trump cabinet, by former Congressman Curt Weldon to launch a Presidential Commission on 9/11. READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, links to seven reports: from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, and the Anadolu Agency, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 27  Israeli forces have raided one of the last working hospitals in northern Gaza. Reported by Emily Feng | NPR  After weeks of military activity, Israeli troops ordered people off the grounds of a hospital they say Hamas is using as cover. Officials say Israel is targeting civilians in an inhuman assault. Click HERE to listen and read. Click HERE for report from AP .

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Israel detains director of one of last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza, Palestinians say, by Wafaa Shurafa and Sam Mednick | AP  DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel’s army detained the director of one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza as overnight strikes in the enclave killed nine people including children, Palestinian medical officials said, while sirens rang out across Israel. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for report from Middle East Eye and Anadolu Agency.

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Gaza children freezing to death amid Israeli blockade, warns UNRWA chief, by Rasa Evrensel | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — The commissioner-general of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has warned that children in Gaza are freezing to death due to the cold weather and a severe lack of shelter. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for Dec. 26 report from Middle East Eye.

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The 10 best Middle Eastern and North African films of 2024, by Joseph Fahim | Middle East Eye  Not since the Arab Spring has Middle Eastern cinema felt so pertinent, so immediate, so insubordinate – be it in their inventive, challenging forms or truculent politics. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and National Public Radion; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entry for this date are HERE and HERE.)

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FROM DEC. 26  An uneasy calm settles over Syrian city of Homs after outbreak of sectarian violence, by Abby Sewell | AP  HOMS, Syria — Syria’s new security forces checked IDs and searched cars in the central city of Homs on Thursday, a day after protests by members of the Alawite minority erupted in gunfire and stirred fears that the country’s fragile peace could break down. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 27  Visiting the market in the old city of Damascus, once inaccessible to many Syrians. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  A visit to the souk in the old city in the Syrian capital of Damascus tell us a lot about the state of the country’s current economy. Click HERE to listen and read.

For today, links to four reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, Tass, and the Kyiv Independent, and to a book review from Kyiv Post; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and SYRIA entry for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM 

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Russia says it thwarted plot to kill officer and a blogger. From Reuters. Russia’s Federal Security Service said today it had foiled a plot by Ukraine to kill a high-ranking Russian officer and a pro-Russian war blogger with a bomb hidden in a portable music speaker. READ MORE . . .

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Bloodied Ukrainian troops risk losing more hard-won land in Kursk to Russia, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — Five months after their shock offensive into Russia, Ukrainian troops are bloodied and demoralized by the rising risk of defeat in Kursk, a region some want to hold at all costs while others question the value of having gone in at all. READ MORE . . .

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Russia says battlegroups North, Dnepr cause Ukraine to lose up to 160 troops over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Ukrainian army lost more than 160 servicemen, three radio-electronic warfare stations and a field ammunition depot as a result of operations by the battlegroups North and Dnepr, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a broader daily bulletin of the special military operation. READ MORE . . .

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2024: Ukraine in photos and words, by Viacheslav Ratynskyi, Irynka Hromotsks, and a number of photographers | The Kyiv Independent  [Life in Ukraine during this year of war is summarized in 42 photographs and 15 paragraphs.] Click HERE for article and photos.

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A new sketchy history of independent Ukraine, by Bohdan Nahaylo | Kyiv Post  When I heard that my former longtime friend Adrian Karatnycky was completing a history of contemporary Ukraine, I was thrilled and eagerly awaited getting my hands on the book. Like me . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to six reports: from Reuters, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, the Associated Press, and Substack, and to commentary from ZNetwork via Consortium News; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE. The two most recent 9/11 TRUTH entries, for Dec. 24 and Dec. 26,  are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli forces raid Gaza hospital, health ministry says contact with staff lost. From Reuters. CAIRO / JERUSALEM — Israeli forces raided the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza today, ordering dozens of patients and hundreds of others to evacuate the compound, officials said. Across Gaza, Israeli strikes killed at least 25 people, medics said. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Middle East Eye, the Cradle and Mondoweiss. 

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FROM DEC. 26  The U.S. says it pushed retraction of a famine warning for north Gaza. Aid groups express concern, by Ellen Knickmeyer | AP  WASHINGTON — A lead organization monitoring for food crises around the world withdrew a new report this week warning of imminent famine in north Gaza under what it called Israel’s “near-total blockade,” after the U.S. asked for its retraction, U.S. officials told The Associated Press. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 20  The new ceasefire equation, by Seymour M. Hersh | Substack  If you happen to be a careful reader of daily newspapers, you may have read that tentative preliminary ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have begun again in Doha, the capital of Qatar. A reliable Israeli has told me that these talks contain a new element . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 24  Deception & politics from Washington to Tel Aviv, by M. Reza Behnam | ZNetwork / Consortium News  For more than fourteen painful months Israel has passed off its inhuman actions against the people of Gaza as “defensive.” We are to believe . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to six reports: from National Public Radio, Reuters, the Cradle, and MintPress News; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE. The two most recent 9/11 TRUTH entries, for Dec. 24 and Dec. 26, are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Turkey expected to play a major role in Syria following fall of the Assad regime. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi, Fatma Tanis and Sarah McCammon | NPR  Turkey is expected to play a major role as the new government takes over ruling Syria. Turkey had shown tacit support for groups fighting the Assad dictatorship. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM DEC. 25  ‘Surrender or get buried’: Erdogan to U.S.-backed Kurds in Syria. From the Cradle. “Kurdish militants in Syria must either lay down their weapons or be buried in Syrian territory with their weapons,” Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday. “We will confront all terrorist organizations that . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 26  Syria’s new rulers warn against incitement as tensions brew, by Riham Alkousaa and Timour Azhari | Reuters  DAMASCUS — Syria’s new authorities on Thursday launched a security crackdown in a coastal region where 14 policemen were killed a day before, vowing to pursue “remnants” of the ousted Bashar al-Assad government accused of the attack, state media reported. The violence in Tartous province . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 26  Governor of Damascus tells NPR about the new Syrian government’s plans with Israel. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  The governor of Damascus — speaking for his direct boss Ahmed al-Sharaa, the newly installed leader of Syria — says the government wants to facilitate cordial relations between Israel and Syria. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM DEC. 26  Manufacturing rebels: How the UK and U.S. empowered HTS, by Kit Klarenberg | The Cradle  Ample evidence indicates the UK and the U.S. maintained deliberate, long-standing ties with the dominant rebels of HTS. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 26  How USAID paved the way for Syria’s militant takeover, by Alexander Rubinstein | MintPress News  The United States, which spent two decades and $5.4 trillion overthrowing governments hostile to al-Qaeda, now finds itself in a paradoxical position. Modern al-Qaeda has carved out its own quasi-state in Syria, yet remains . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to four reports: from the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post, the Associated Press, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE. The two most recent 9/11 TRUTH entries, for Dec. 24 and Dec. 26,  are HERE and HERE.) — MCM   

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Ukraine working to extend basic training to 2 months, Syrskyi says, by Tim Zadorozhnyy | The Kyiv Independent  Ukraine’s military leadership plans to extend basic military training to two months to enhance the preparedness and safety of soldiers, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi announced today. READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian HIMARS attack blasts Russian mobile HQ. From Kyiv Post. Ukrainian operational planners have hit a Russian tactical headquarters with at least two High Mobility Artillery Rocket System precision-guided missiles – one loaded with cluster munitions – and then deployed swarms of first-person view kamikaze drones that hunted down survivors, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence said on Monday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 26  Russia arrests 4 suspects accused of plotting to kill top military officers on Ukraine’s orders. From AP. MOSCOW — Russia’s top security agency said Thursday that it has arrested several suspects accused of involvement in an alleged Ukrainian plot to assassinate senior military officers, an announcement that follows the killing of a top Russian general last week. The Federal Security Service . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

For today, links to eight reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA, UKRAINE and 9/11 TRUTH entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Gaza medics say Israeli strike kills five journalists, Israel says it hit militants, by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Ramadan Abed | Reuters  CAIRO / GAZA — Gaza authorities said an Israeli airstrike killed five Palestinian journalists in a vehicle outside a hospital on Thursday but the Israeli army said the victims were Islamic Jihad militants posing as media workers. Medics said the five were among at least 26 . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AP.

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Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says 38 killed in 24 hours. From AFP. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Thursday that 38 people had been killed in the Palestinian territory in the past 24 hours, taking the overall war death toll to 45,399. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC 25  A baby froze to death overnight in Gaza as Israel and Hamas trade accusations of ceasefire delays, by Sam Mednick, Tia Goldenberg and Fatma Khaled | AP  JERUSALEM — A baby girl froze to death overnight in Gaza, while Israel and Hamas accused each other of complicating ceasefire efforts that could wind down the 14-month war. Doctors said . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM DEC. 25  At least 10 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, medics say. From Reuters. At least 10 people were killed and more than a dozen wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza early on Thursday, medics with the Gaza health authorities said. In a separate incident, five journalists were killed when . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 25  In Christmas address, Pope urges silencing of weapons from the Holy Land to Ukraine. From AP. Pope Francis on Wednesday urged “all people of all nations” to find the courage “to silence the sounds of arms” and overcome divisions plaguing the world, from the Middle East to Ukraine, Africa to Asia. Click HERE for video report.

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FROM DEC 24  Global monitor says famine is weeks away in north Gaza. A U.S. diplomat calls warning ‘irresponsible,’ by Ellen Knickmeyer | AP  WASHINGTON — Deaths from starvation will likely pass famine levels in northern Gaza as soon as next month owing to Israel’s “near-total blockade” of food and other aid, the U.S.-created global food-crisis monitor said on Tuesday. The finding . . . READ MORE . . .