For today, links to 12 reports: from Reuters, Le Monde, Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and the Anadolu Agency, and to commentary from Mondoweiss via Popular Resistance; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli airstrikes kill 11 Palestinians in Gaza, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 11 Palestinians, health officials in the enclave said today, as Israeli planes bombarded several northern, central and southern areas. Gaza medics said a school . . . READ MORE . . .

Hezbollah confirms a top commander also died in Israeli strike that killed Nasrallah, by Melanie Lidman and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says it has killed Nabil Kaouk, another high-ranking Hezbollah official, in an airstrike. READ MORE . . .

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Israel pounds Lebanon, pressuring Hezbollah after killing its leader, by Emily Rose and Maya Gebeily | Reuters  Israel struck multiple targets in Lebanon today, pressing Iran-backed Hezbollah with more attacks after it struck a huge blow by killing the group’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. The Israeli military said. READ MORE . . .

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French foreign minister to arrive in Lebanon this evening: ministry. From AFP. France’s foreign minister will travel to Lebanon today, his ministry said, amid spiralling fears that the region could be headed toward an all-out war. Jean-Noel Barrot was to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader sparks mixed reactions across the Middle East. Reported by Ruth Sherlock | NPR  Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is being met with both rage and celebration. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Lebanon may be seeing ‘largest displacement’ ever: PM. From AFP. Intense Israeli attacks may have forced up to a million people to flee parts of Lebanon in possibly the worst displacement crisis in the tiny country’s history, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said today. READ MORE . . .

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Lebanon declares 3-day mourning over Hezbollah leader’s assassination, by Naim Berjawi | Anadolu Agency  BEIRUT — Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced on Saturday a three-day national mourning after the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, which has sparked fears of a wider conflict in the region. Mikati’s office said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Egyptian president signals full support for Lebanon, announces aid deployment, by Rania R.a. Abushamala | Anadolu Agency CAIRO — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi informed Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati of Cairo’s support Saturday for Beirut and directed the immediate deployment of aid during a telephone call, according to the Egyptian presidency. READ MORE . . .

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Israel braces for potential retaliation, Lebanon prepares for possible invasion. Reported by Ayesha Rascoe and Kat Lonsdorf | NPR  In Haifa in northern Israel, people wonder if Israel is preparing a ground invasion of Lebanon. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Understanding Israel’s strategy in Lebanon as it amasses troops along the border. Ayesha Rascoe of NPR asks Nimrod Novik, an Israeli security expert, about Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Click HERE to listen and read.

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The U.S. shouldn’t let Lebanon turn into another Gaza, NYU professor says. Ayesha Rascoe of NPR talks with Mohamad Bazzi, a Middle East studies expert at NYU, about the latest developments in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Click HERE later to listen and, still later, read.

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FROM SEPT. 26  In Gaza, all eyes are on Lebanon, by Tareq S. Hajjaj | Mondoweiss / Popular Resistance  A day after the start of the genocide in Gaza on October 7 of last year, the first Arab front of solidarity aimed at ending the genocide was formed in Lebanon, and Hezbollah announced . . . READ MORE . . .

 

For today, link to seven reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass, and to an article from Substack via Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Russia pounds Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia city with guided bombs, injures 16. From Reuters. KYIV — Russia hit the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia with multiple guided bombs today, wounding at least 16 people, and damaging railways, infrastructure, and residential and commercial buildings, Ukrainian officials said. READ MORE . . .

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Russia downs over 100 Ukrainian drones in one of the largest barrages of the war. From AP. KYIV — More than 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russia today, officials said, sparking a wildfire and setting an apartment block alight in one of the largest barrages seen over Russian skies since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from AFP and Kyiv Post.

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Ukraine General Staff says its forces strike Russian military arsenal in Volgograd Oblast. From the Kyiv Independent. Ukrainian forces struck the Kotluban military arsenal in Russia’s Volgograd Oblast used to store and modernize missiles and artillery, the General Staff said today. READ MORE . . .

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Russia says its forces liberate Makeyevka in LPR. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia’s Battlegroup West has liberated the city of Makeyevka in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 28  Ukraine shrinks each time talks with Russia are disrupted — Lavrov. From Tass. UNITED NATIONS — Ukraine shrinks every time proposed talks with Russia are upset, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Saturday at the United Nations. “Each time . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 27  Life, preempted, by Scott Ritter| Substack/ Consortium News  Most scenarios being bandied about in the Western mainstream media that involve a nuclear conflict between Russia and the United States have Russia initiating the exchange by using nuclear weapons against Ukraine in response to deteriorating military, economic, and/or political conditions brought on by the U.S. and NATO successfully . . . READ MORE . . .

 

For today, links to 14 reports: from National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters, and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM   

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Israel kills Hezbollah’s leader of 32 years in an airstrike. Reported by Jane Arraf, Scott Simon and Daniel Estrin | NPR  The Israeli military says it has killed the leader of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon, in a series of airstrikes. We’ll have analysis from Lebanon and Israel. Click HERE to listen and, later, read. Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

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After Israel kills Hezbollah leader, fears of a regional war grow. Scott Simon of  NPR talks with Randa Slim, an expert in Middle East diplomacy, about fears of a wider war in the region now that Israel says it has killed the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Hezbollah confirms its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike, by Bassem Mroue and Melanie Lidman | AP  BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Hezbollah group today confirmed that its leader and one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut the previous day. A statement said Nasrallah “has joined his fellow martyrs.” Hezbollah vowed . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for article from NPR, and HERE for report from AFP.

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U.S. orders dipomats’ families to leave Lebanon: State Dept. From AFP. The U.S. State Department today ordered the families of embassy personnel in Beirut to leave the country and authorized the departure of some staff, as the Israel-Hezbollah conflict escalates. The department said that “due to the increased volatility . . . READ MORE . . .

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Iran’s Khamenei urges Muslim countries to boycott Israel. From Reuters. DUBAI  — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today called on Muslim states to cease oil and food exports to Israel, demanding an end to its bombardment of the Gaza Strip, state media reported. “The bombings on Gaza must stop immediately . . . the path of oil and food exports to . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

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Iraq announces 3 days of mourning for Nasrallah. From Middle East Monitor. Iraq today announced three days of mourning after Israel killed Hezbollah’s General-Secretary Hassan Nasrallah. The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani made the announcement after . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 27  Israeli airstrikes rock Beirut, target Hezbollah command, by Maya Gebeily, Tom Perry and Emily Rose | Reuters  BEIRUT / JERUSALEM — The Israeli military told residents in parts of Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate late on Friday, after strikes that it said had targeted Hezbollah’s central headquarters and with no word hours later from the group on the fate of their head Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AP.

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FROM SEPT. 27  Netanyahu says no cease-fire, but other countries keep asking, by Jennifer Peltz and Edith M. Lederer | AP  UNITED NATIONS — After a day filled with hopes of a cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel, the U.N. General Assembly meeting Friday was a harsh reality check. Israeli Prime Minister . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to 10 reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, and the Kyiv Post; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Russia invokes its nuclear capacity in a UN speech that’s full of bile toward the West, by Edith M. Lederer and Jennifer Peltz | AP  Russia’s top diplomat today warned against “trying to fight to victory with a nuclear power,” delivering a UN General Assembly speech packed with condemnations of what Russia sees as Western machinations in Ukraine and elsewhere — including inside the United Nations itself. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Russian strikes on a medical center kill 9 people in the Ukrainian city of Sumy. From AP. KYIV, Ukraine — Two consecutive Russian attacks on a medical center in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy killed at least nine people this morning, officials said. The first strike killed one person. Ukraine’s Interior Ministe Ihor Klymenko said Russia attacked agin while . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and AFP.

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Ukraine says it downed 62 drones, 2 missiles in overnight Russian attack. From Reuters. KYIV– Ukraine shot down 69 of 73 drones during an overnight Russian attack that included two ballistic and two cruise missiles, the Ukrainian air force said today. Ukrainian forces downed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian attacks kill top judge and three others in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, officials say. From Reuters. KYIV — Two Russian attacks in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region killed four people today including a Supreme Court judge who was delivering aid to local residents in a civilian car, Ukrainian officials said. READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces carry out group strike on Ukrainian army’s airfield infrastructure. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Russian Armed Forces carried out a group strike, particularly using a Kinzhal missile, on the Ukrainian army’s airfield infrastructure on Friday night, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement claiming “all the designated targets were hit.” Details of this and other . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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FROM SEPT. 27  Russian missiles and drones target Kyiv for 5 hours and hit Ukraine’s power grid, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Ukraine’s air defenses battled an overnight Russian aerial attack on the capital Kyiv for five hours, officials said Thursday, as missiles and drones again hammered the Ukrainian power grid. Ukraine’s Emergency Service said the attack . . . READ MORE . . .

 

For today, links to 10 reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and the Anadolu Agency, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor and Substack; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM   

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NEWER  Netanyahu, at UN, says Israel will keep ‘degrading Hezbollah’ until its objectives are met, by Tia Goldenberg | AP UNITED NATIONS — His leadership strained by conflicts on two fronts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told world leaders at the United Nations today that his nation will “continue degrading Hezbollah” until . . . Click HERE for AP article and video of address, and HERE for report from Reuters.

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Netanyahu to address U.N., as world leaders call for Gaza and Lebanon ceasefires. Reported by Michele Kelemen and Leila Fadel | NPR  Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the U.N. General Assembly this morning as he continues to reject a U.S. backed Lebanon cease-fire proposal. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Israel to continue ceasefire discussions for Lebanon, Netanyahu says, by James Mackenzie and Timour Azhari | Reuters  Israel will continue to discuss ceasefire proposals for Lebanon in the days ahead, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, as Washington warned that further escalation would only make it harder for civilians on both sides to return home. Israel’s foreign minister on Thursday . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli airstrikes leave blast sites and wounded in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  Some of Israel’s fiercest airstrikes in Lebanon have been in the East Bekaa valley, where Israel says the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah is hiding rockets and missiles in people’s homes. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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With nearly 700 killed in a week, Lebanon fears Gaza-level violence. From AP. Nearly 700 people have been killed in Lebanon this week, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Israel has dramatically escalated strikes, saying it is targeting Hezbollah’s military capacities and senior Hezbollah commanders. Top Israeli officials . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 26  Netanyahu vows to use ‘full force’ against Hezbollah and dims hopes for a cease-fire, by Bassem Mroue, Tia Goldenberg and Melanie Lidman | AP  NEW YORK — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday vowed to carry out “full force” strikes against Hezbollah until it ceases firing rockets across the border, dimming hopes for a cease-fire proposal put forth by U.S. and European officials. READ MORE . . .

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FROM. SEPT. 26  Israel’s Netanyahu arrives in New York to address UN as fears of a Mideast war grows. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heading to the UN as the various sides consider the U.S.-French ceasefire proposal for Israel and Hezbollah. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM SEPT. 26  Israel to receive $8.7 billion military aid package from U.S.: Defense Ministry. From Anadolu Agency.  JERUSALEM — Israel said Thursday it is set to receive a military aid package from the U.S. totaling $8.7 billion. The package coincides with . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 26  U.S. diplomacy in Mideast falters as clock ticks down for Biden, by Matt Spetalnick, John Irish and Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters  WASHINGTON — U.S. efforts to secure a Gaza ceasefire remain stalled after nearly a year of fighting. Iran-backed Houthi rebels continue to attack Red Sea shipping. And now, despite intense U.S.-led diplomacy, the Israel-Hezbollah conflict threatens to flare into . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 27  How the ICJ and UNGA challenged decades of Israeli, U.S. arrogance, by Ramzy Baroud | Middle East Monitor  Two historic events regarding the Israeli occupation of Palestine took place on July 19 and Sept 18. READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 26  Netanyahu’s Lebanon gambit, by Seymour M. Hersh | Substack  I was surprised to be told recently by a well-informed official in Washington that things had changed dramatically in the war in Gaza—in Israel’s favor. There is no longer a possibility or a need for a ceasefire in Gaza, the official said. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to nine reports: from Reuters, Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from the Middle East Institute and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM   

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Israeli airstrike kills 20 in Lebanon. From AP. Nineteen Syrian refugees and a Lebanese national were killed in northeast Lebanon after an Israeli airstrike destroyed a building housing workers, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said today. State-run National News Agency . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel rejects U.S.-backed Lebanon ceasefire proposal, by Timour Azhari and James Mackenzie | Reuters  Israel rejected proposals today for a ceasefire with Hezbollah, defying allies including the United States, which had called for an immediate three-week halt in fighting to allow for diplomacy to avert a wider war. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

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Partner in Israeli government threatens to quit if permanent cease-fire is reached with Hezbollah, by Bassem Mroue and Melanie Lidman | AP   TEL AVIV — A far-right partner in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has threatened to quit the coalition if a permanent cease-fire is reached with Hezbollah. Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the Jewish Power party . . . READ MORE . . .

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More than 22,000 people cross to Syria amid Israeli strikes on Lebanon: Syrian security forces. From AFP. Syrian security sources said more than 22,000 people had crossed from Lebanon into Syria via two of the countries’ border crossings this week, as Israeli air strikes pound Lebanon. READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s Netanyahu appears to downplay hopes for a cease-fire as deadly strikes continue in Lebanon. From AP. The Israeli prime minister has appeared to downplay hopes of an imminent truce with Hezbollah after the U.S. and its allies called for an “immediate” 21-day ceasefire to “provide space for diplomacy”. In a statement released today as . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 25  Israel is preparing for a ground invasion into southern Lebanon, it says. Reported by Kat Lonsdorf | NPR  Israel is moving two brigades north amid fears of a ground operation in southern Lebanon. It has conducted thousands of airstrikes in Lebanon and Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets at Israel. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM SEPT. 25  Many casualties of Israeli airstrikes were civilians, Lebanon health minister says. Reported by Matt Ozug, Juana Summers and Patrick Jarenwattananon | NPR  Lebanon Health Minister Firass Abiad decribes how his hospital system is coping with some of the deadliest airstrikes the country has seen in decades. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM SEPT. 25  NPR visits Lebanon’s hospitals in remote area that are filling with wounded people. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  In Lebanon, Israel launched more air strikes in a new front in the war with the militant group Hezbollah. Hezbollah took a group of journalists to the Bekka Valley, where Israel has been attacking. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM SEPT. 24  The war comes to Lebanon. Patricia Karam, Nimrod Goren, Charles Lister and Brian Katulis of the Middle East Institute assess aspects of Israel’s attacks in Lebanon. READ MORE . . .

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The hypocrisy of the humanitarian paradigm, by Ramona Wadi | Middle East Monitor  Israel has invaded Lebanon on at least five occasions since the late seventies, not including numerous air strikes. Now diplomats are revealing that the genocide is Gaza is only the beginning of the chaos in the Middle East. The humanitarian paradigm is the only way for them . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to 13 reports: from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Kyiv Post, NBC News, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and the Moscow Times; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Biden announces $8 billion in military aid for Ukraine, by Steve Holland and Patricia Zengerle | Reuters  WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden announced more than $8 billion in military assistance for Ukraine today to help Kyiv “win this war” against Russian invaders, using a visit by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to make a major commitment. The aid includes . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from AFP and Tass.

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WSJ: White House questions Zelensky’s victory plan, cites lack of strategy beyond weapons requests. From Kyiv Post. The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is concerned that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s victory plan lacks a comprehensive strategy and essentially amounts to a repeated request for additional weapons and the lifting of restrictions on the use of long-range missiles, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing . . . READ MORE . . .

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White House rejects Pentagon’s push for phosphorus munitions for Ukraine. From Kyiv Post. The Pentagon has recommended that the U.S. administration supply Ukraine with white phosphorus ammunition, according to NBC News, citing three government officials. It is said the White House has rejected . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from NBC News.

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What can President Biden do to help end the war in Ukraine as his term runs out? Reported by Michel Martin and Joanna Kakissis | NPR  Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Washington Thursday, seeking President Biden’s approval on a strategy to end the war with Russia on Ukraine’s terms. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM SEPT. 25  Zelenskyy warn at UNGA that Russia may attack Ukrainian power plants. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  Ukraine’s President Volodmyr Zelensky tries to rally support at a UN distracted by the Middle East and warns Russia may be planning to attack his country’s nuclear power plants. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.  Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and AP. –   –   –

Forcing Russia into peace would be ‘fatal mistake,’ Kremlin says. From AFP. The Kremlin said today rejected remarks made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the United Nations that Russia could only be forced into peace. READ MORE . . .

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Russian armed forces liberate DPR’s Ukrainsk — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Russian military has liberated the settlement of Ukrainsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a daily bulletin of the special military operation. According to the . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia returns 9 Ukrainian children with help from Qatar. From the Moscow Times. Authorities in Moscow returned nine Ukrainian children with the help of Qatari mediators, Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, announced today. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to 10 reports: from Al Jazeera, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, the Anadolu Agency, Reuters, and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM   

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Hezbollah says it targeted Mossad’s headquarters with a ballistic missile. From Al Jazeera. Hezbollah has fired a ballistic missile targeting Mossad’s headquarters near Tel Aviv, the Lebanon-based group said. The Israel military said a surface-to-surface missile was intercepted . . . READ MORE . . .

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Fears of all-out Mideast war grow as world leaders gather for UN General Assembly. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with Matt Duss, the executive vice president at the Center for International Policy, about Israel’s strategy in the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Hezbollah fires a missile at Tel Aviv in deepest strike yet after Israeli bombardment of Lebanon, by Melanie Lidman, Tia Goldenberg and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  TEL AVIV — Hezbollah hurled dozens of projectiles into Israel early today, including a missile aimed at Tel Aviv that was the militant group’s deepest strike yet and marked a further escalation after Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed hundreds of people. Click HERE for article and map.

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World leaders condemn Israel’s war on Gaza in UN speeches, by Seda Sevencan | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — World leaders condemned Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, calling Tuesday for global action at the UN General Assembly in New York. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa . . . READ MORE . . .

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Netanyahu will address the UN as Israel, bogged down by one war, barrels toward another, by Tia Goldenberg| AP  JERUSALEM — From the dais of the U.N. General Assembly just a year ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu triumphantly hailed a new peace he said would sweep through the Middle East. A year later, as he travels back to that same world stage, that vision is in tatters. The devastating . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hezbollah’s tunnels and flexible command weather Israel’s deadly blows, by Laila Bassam and James Mackenzie | Reuters  BEIRUT / JERUSALEM — Hezbollah’s flexible chain of command, together with its extensive tunnel network and a vast arsenal of missiles and weapons it has bolstered over the past year, is helping it weather unprecedented Israeli strikes, three sources familiar with the Lebanese militant group’s operations said. READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 24  Israel bombards Hezbollah, killing a top commander, while families flee southern Lebanon, by Abby Sewell and Natalie Melzer | AP  BEIRUT — Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander Tuesday as part of a two-day bombing campaign that has left more than 560 people dead and prompted thousands in southern Lebanon to seek refuge from the widening conflict. With the two sides on the brink of all-out war, Hezbollah launched dozens . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 24  Amid Israel-Hezbollah strikes, Lebanon says only U.S. can stop fighting, by Maya Gebeily, Tom Perry and James Mackenzie | Reuters  BEIRUT / JERUSALEM — An Israeli airstrike on Beirut killed a senior Hezbollah commander on Tuesday as cross-border rocket attacks by both sides increased fears of a full-fledged war in the Middle East and Lebanon said only Washington could help end the fighting. Hezbollah early on Wednesday confirmed . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 24   Fears of a wider war in the Middle East dominates the UNGA. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  The conflict in the Middle East dominates day one of the annual UN General Assembly — as the UN secretary general warns of a “powder keg” of global conflicts that risk engulfing the world. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Gaza: A million Palestinians in need of shelter aid before winter. From Middle East Monitor. With the amount of aid that Israel is currently allowing into Gaza, it will take humanitarian agencies more than two years to deliver the kits needed to prepare tents, makeshift shelters and damaged homes south of Wadi Gaza for this coming winter, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council-led Shelter Cluster in Palestine. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to 12 reports: from the Associated Press, Kyiv Post, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Kyiv Independent, and National Public Rado; 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

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Ukraine urges world leaders not to seek ‘an out’ from Russia’s war instead of true peace, by Jennifer Peltz | AP  UNITED NATIONS — Ukraine’s president urged global leaders today to stand with his country and not seek “an out” instead of a “real, just peace” more than two years into Russia’s war. At a time . . . READ MORE . . .

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72nd Brigade falls back as Russia nears encirclement of Vuhledar, Forbes reports, by Julia Struck | Kyiv Post  The 72nd Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has reportedly begun retreating from its positions amid ongoing Russian efforts to encircle Vuhledar in the Donetsk region, according to a report by Forbes analyst David Axe. He said the Russian attack today . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says it downed 28 drones, four missiles during Russian overnight attack. From Reuters. KYIV — The Ukrainian air force said today it shot down 28 out of 32 drones and four out of eight missiles during an overnight Russian attack. READ MORE . . .

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Russia claims more advances in eastern Ukraine. From AFP. Russia’s armed forces said today it captured two more villages in eastern Ukraine, the latest gains as Moscow’s troops inch closer to the strategically important city of Pokrovsk. The Russian military has claimed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Battlegroup Center makes Ukraine lose up to 580 troops in past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia’s Battlegroup Center made the Ukrainian armed forces lose up to 580 troops in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a daily bulletin of the special military operation. Details of this and other . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zelenskyy’s victory plan sets Ukraine’s terms in a desperate war against Russia, by Samya Kullab and Lorne Cook | AP  KYIV — The victory plan that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will present to the White House this week asks the Biden administration to do something it has not achieved in the two and a half years since Russia invaded Ukraine: act quickly to support Kyiv’s campaign. While Western dawdling . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 24  U.S. to send $375 million in military aid to Ukraine, including medium-range cluster bombs, by Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee | AP  WASHINGTON — The U.S. will send Ukraine an undisclosed number of medium-range cluster bombs and an array of rockets, artillery and armored vehicles in a military aid package totaling about $375 million, U.S. officials said Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 24  Zelenskiy tells UN Russia must be forced into peace, by Simon Lewis and Michelle Nichols | Reuters  UNITED NATIONS — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday that the war between Russia and Ukraine cannot be calmed by talks alone, but that Moscow must be forced into peace. He said . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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FROM SEPT. 24  Ukraine says its soldiers recaptured a Russian stronghold after hand-to-hand fighting, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Ukrainian troops engaged in hand-to-hand combat as they drove Russian forces out of a huge processing plant in the town of Vovchansk in Ukraine’s northeast that had been occupied for four months, officials said Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 24  War comes home to Russia in tranquil lakeside town, by Lucy Papachristou and Mark Trevelyan | Reuters  LONDON — Judging by posts in a community chat room, nearly a week after a Ukrainian drone blew up an ammunition depot in the Russian town of Toropets, triggering an explosion as powerful as a small earthquake, its people . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 24  Independent study suggests Russian support for the war in Ukraine is complicated. Reported by Charles Maynes | NPR  Russian President Putin insists his country is united behind the war effort in Ukraine. Many Russian polls confirm it, but the findings of an independent study present a more complicated picture. Click HERE to listen and read.