For today, links to 10 reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Anadolu Agency, National Public Radio, the Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA, MEDIA and BANGLADESH entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Russia tightens security in region of Ukraine incursion, fighting persists, by Samya Kullab and Jim Heintz | AP  KYIV — Russia today announced what it called a counterterrorism operation to increase security in the border region where an incursion this week by Ukrainian forces caught Russian troops off-guard and exposed its military vulnerabilities in the 2 1/2-year-old war. READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Anadolu Agency and NPR.

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Bodies of two young girls identified among 14 dead in Russian attack on Kostiantynivka. From Kyiv Post. The bodies of two girls, ages 11 and 9, have been identified, victims of Russia’s Friday attack on Kostiantynivka, in the Donetsk region, according to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office. The PGO said today the bodies of 14 others have been found, including that of another child . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Russia evacuated more than 76,000 from border area. From AFP. Russia has evacuated more than 76,000 people from border areas in its western Kursk region since Tuesday, when Ukraine launched a surprise cross-border offensive, Russian media reported today. READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s Battlegroup North strikes ‘Foreign Legion’ in Kharkov Region. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia’s Battlegroup North has delivered a strike on mercenaries from the “Foreign Legion” in the Volchansk and Liptsy area, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. announces $125 mn in new military aid for Ukraine. From AFP. The United States on Friday announced $125 million in new military aid for Kyiv, as Ukrainian forces push ahead with a surprise offensive inside Russian territory. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Israeli troops launch a new assault into Gaza’s Khan Younis as mediators push for cease-fire talks, by Wafaa Shurafa | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli troops launched a new assault today into the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, targeting Hamas fighters who the military claims still operate there despite repeated offensives, as American, Qatari and Egyptian mediators renewed . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for a second AP report and one from Reuters.

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EU announces support for latest trilateral call for cease-fire in Gaza, by Ahmet Gençtürk | Anadolu Agency  ATHENS — The EU today announced support for the latest call by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar in pressing for a cease-fire in Gaza, where Israel has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7 and . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 8  Israel detains soldiers on allegations of sexual assault of a detainee from Gaza. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  Israel has detained a group of soldiers on allegations that they sexually assaulted a Gazan detainee. It’s one of the most prominent cases of abuse that authorities have investigated during the war. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM AUG. 8  ‘Raped by female soldiers’: Palestinian in leaked Sde Teiman photo speaks out, by Mohammed al-Hajjar and Nader Durgham | Middle East Eye  DEIR AL-BALAH, Occupied Palestine / BEIRUT  Ibrahim Salem, released last week after nearly eight months of detention, says a photo first published by CNN was just the tip of the iceberg of his horrific experience in detention, which included rape, electrocution and frequent beatings. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from CNN.

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Israel journalist urges rape to become state policy for Palestinian prisoners. From Middle East Monitor. An Israeli journalist on Thursday advocated rape as an official policy by the state for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, Anadolu Agency reports. “The only thing that is a problem . . . READ MORE . . .

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New Gaza camp offers relief for Palestinians with disabilities amid war, by Hatem Khaled and Mohammed Salem | Reuters  GAZA — A newly opened camp for displaced Palestinians with disabilities is providing some much needed help for around 100 vulnerable people in the town of Deir al-Balah in the central area of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. The “Smile of Hope Camp” . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel has created its own Abu Ghraib – and the world is silent, by Lubna Masarwa and Peter Oborne | Middle East Eye  It’s been just over 20 years since CBS News published the sobering photographs that proved the US army was carrying out unspeakable crimes against Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison. READ MORE . . .

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

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Russia declares a federal emergency in a border region that is under attack from Ukrainian forces, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — Russia’s Ministry for Emergencies today declared the situation in the Kursk region a “federal level” emergency, four days after hundreds of Ukrainian troops poured over the border. Meanwhile, a Russian . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from the Kyiv Independent, Reuters, Tass, CNN and the Anadolu Agency. 

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Ukraine’s surprise cross-border incursion seen as a tactical reply to Russia’s grinding gains, by Barry Hatton and Andrew Meldrum | AP   KYIV, — The Ukraine army’s surprise charge into Russia this week was a stunning maneuver that caught the Kremlin’s forces unawares. The strategic goal . . . READ MORE . . .

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Fighter jets, helicopters and ammo depots hit in Ukraine attack on Russia’s military airfield, by Alisa Orlova | Kyiv Post  Sources in the  Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) confirmed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in coordination with SBU and the Special Operations Forces, launched a drone strike on the Russian military airfield Lipetsk-2 early this morning. READ MORE . . .

A link to commentary from Consortium News; other articles are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM AUG. 8  Decay, decrepitude, deceit in journalism, by Ray McGovern | Special to Consortium News  Russiagate continues to survive like a science fiction monster resilient to bullets. The latest effort at rehabilitating it is . . . READ MORE . . .

 

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

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Western allies condemn Israeli finance minister’s suggestion that starving Gaza might be justified. From AP. JERUSALEM — Israel’s Western allies have condemned remarks by its far-right finance minister, who suggested that causing the starvation of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million Palestinians “might be just and moral” until hostages captured . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel kills 25 Palestinians in Gaza airstrikes amid fears of wider war, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  Israeli forces stepped up strikes across the Gaza Strip today, killing at least 25 people, Palestinian medics said, in further battle with Hamas-led militants as Israel braced for potential wider war in the region. READ MORE . . .

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The Israeli military orders another mass evacuation in southern Gaza. From AP. The Israeli military has ordered another mass evacuation in large areas around Khan Younis in southern Gaza, saying . . . READ MORE . . .

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Rights group says Israeli forces killed 7 sheltering in a Gaza City home. From AP. A new report from Human Rights Watch says Israeli soldiers killed at least seven people and severely wounded two, including a 5-year-old, when they attacked a home in Gaza City where a Palestinian family was sheltering from the Israel-Hamas war in December. Gaza faces . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 7  Hamas has named a new leader – the man known as the architect of the Oct. 7 attacks. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  Hamas has named a new leader. He’s the group’s top military commander in Gaza and the man widely known as the architect of the Oct. 7 attacks. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Why Hamas picked Yahya Sinwar as its new leader, by Rayhan Uddin | Middle East Eye  Yahya Sinwar, Israel‘s most wanted man and believed to be in tunnels deep below the Gaza Strip, is the new political leader of Hamas. The assassination of his predecessor . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Russia battles Ukrainian troops for a third day after major incursion, by Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters  MOSCOW — Russian forces were battling Ukrainian troops for a third day today after they smashed through the Russian border in the Kursk region, an audacious attack that has forced Moscow to call in reserves. In one of the biggest . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from AP, the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post, and Tass.

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F-16 fighter jets spotted over Kherson Region in first such case — official. From Tass. GENICHESK — F-16 fighter jets have been spotted over the Kakhovka District in the Kherson Region, district head Pavel Filipchuk said. READ MORE . . .

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

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Israeli army issues new evacuation orders in north Gaza after fresh rocket fire, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israeli forces today issued new evacuation orders to Palestinians in areas of north Gaza that were among the first to be hit at the start of the war with Hamas in October, after militants fired a fresh volley of rockets into Israel. READ MORE . . .

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Hamas names Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks, as its new leader in show of defiance, by Bassein Mroue | AP  BEIRUT — Hamas on Tuesday named Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza who masterminded the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, as its new leader in a dramatic sign of the power of the Palestinian militant group’s hardline wing after . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Jewish settlers expand in the West Bank while attention is on Gaza. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR  The war in Gaza has been the main focus in the Middle East. Yet in the West Bank, Israel’s government is seizing land and Jewish settlers are establishing outposts at the highest rate in decades. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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New Hamas leader can ensure a cease-fire deal is reached, Blinken says. From AP. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the newly chosen Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has the power to ensure that a cease-fire deal is reached for the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. READ MORE . . .

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Haniyeh’s assassination carried out by 2 Mossad-recruited Iranian revolutionary guards: report, by Muhammed Enes Çallı | Anadolu Agency ISTANBUL — An explosive device was placed under the bed of assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh by two Iranians recruited by Israeli spy agency Mossad, according to a report in the Jewish Chronicle. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 3  Iran to hit Israel hard with smart power, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  Amidst the cascading tensions in the Middle East following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh by Israel and vows of  ‘revenge’ in Tehran . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s admission that it targeted a journalist exposes crude attempt to control war narrative, by Tim Dawson | Middle East Monitor  In international law, journalists are considered civilians; combatants are obliged to ensure their safety. READ MORE . . .

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Israel is in a death spiral. Who will it take down with it? by Jonathan Cook | Jonathan-Cok.net / Middle East Eye  There should be nothing surprising about the revelation that troops at Sde Teiman, a detention camp set up by Israel in the wake of Hamas’s 7 October attack on southern Israel, are routinely using rape as a weapon of torture against Palestinian inmates. READ MORE . . .

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

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Ukraine pierces Russian border triggering major battles, by Guy Faulconbridge and Lidia Kelly | Reuters  MOSCOW — Russia said today it was fighting intense battles against Ukrainian forces which had penetrated Russia’s Kursk region in one of the largest incursions into Russia since the Ukraine war began in February 2022. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Moscow Times.

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Putin accuses Ukraine of a ‘large-scale provocation’ in southwestern Russia, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — Russian President Vladimir Putin today described a Ukrainian incursion into the country’s southwestern Kursk region as a “large-scale provocation” as his officials asserted that they were fighting off cross-border raids for a second day. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Tass.

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Russia says Ukraine opening ‘second front’ in Africa. From AFP. Russia on Wednesday said Ukraine was opening a “second front” in Africa after Mali and Niger broke off diplomatic relations with Kyiv, accusing it of support for “terrorist groups.” READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Tass.

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Russian troops wipe out oil refinery supplying fuel to Ukrainian military. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops destroyed an oil refinery that supplied fuel to the Ukrainian military and hit a mercenaries’ deployment site 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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Russian offensive expected to wind down within 2 months, Budanov says, by Kateryna Denisova and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  The main pressure of Russia’s offensive should come to a close within one and a half or two months, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said in comments reported today by Forbes Ukraine. READ MORE . . .

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

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FROM AUG. 5  Biden briefed that Iran attack timing and details still unclear, U.S. officials say, by Barak Ravid | Axios President Biden and Vice President Harris were told by their national security team on Monday that it is still unclear when Iran and Hezbollah are likely to launch an attack against Israel and what specifically the attack might entail, according to three U.S. officials. READ MORE . . .

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Israel says dozens of Palestinian fighters killed in Gaza over past 24 hours, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie | Reuters  CAIRO / JERUSALEM — Israeli forces killed 45 Palestinian fighters in Gaza over the past day, the military said today, after heavy fighting in which militant group Hamas said it destroyed two armoured personnel carriers during an ambush near the city of Rafah. The Israeli military said . . .READ MORE . . .

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Palestinians killed in West Bank as world leaders try to avoid regional war. From AP. Israeli fire during military raids in the occupied West Bank killed eight Palestinians, including four teenagers, and wounded another seven, Palestinian officials said today, as world leaders try to stop tensions in the Middle East from boiling over into a regional war. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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U.S. officials are increasingly worried about a wider war in the Middle East.Reported by Michel Martin of NPR talks with a former head of Israel’s Defense Intelligence Amos Yadlin about, among other things, whether Israel is prepared for a possible war with Hezbollah and Iran while fighting in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM AUG. 3  U.S. sending aircraft carrier, warships and fighter squadron to Middle East as region braces for Iranian retaliation, by Oren Liebermann | CNN  The United States is sending a carrier strike group, a fighter squadron and additional warships to the Middle East as the region braces for an Iranian retaliation to the killing of a senior Hamas leader in Tehran earlier this week. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 4  Blinken told G7 Iran and Hezbollah could attack Israel in next 24 hours, by Barak Ravid | Axios  Secretary of State Tony Blinken told his counterparts from the G7 countries on Sunday that an attack by Iran and Hezbollah against Israel could start as early as Monday, according to three sources briefed on the call. READ MORE . . .

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Gaza detainee tortured to death at Israel’s Sde Teiman facility. From Middle East Monitor.  A Palestinian detainee from Gaza died of torture at the notorious Sde Teiman detention centre in southern Israel, according to prisoners’ affairs groups. “Omar Junaid was . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 5  Netanyahu’s assassination spree, by Seymour M. Hersh | Substack  The United States and the Middle East are now enduring a crisis that can in part be traced to the failed foreign policies of President Joe Biden, who will be in office, barring unforeseen events, for six more months. The core issue has been . . . READ MORE . . .

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Netanyahu wants a war without end. This could give it to him, by Richard Silverstein | Middle East Eye  Last week’s assassinations by Israel of Hezbollah’s top military commander, Fuad Shukr, and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh have brought the region to the precipice of all-out war. Actually, the region is already at war. But . . . READ MORE . . .

 

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

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NEWER  Russia says it’s fighting a cross-border attack by Ukrainian forces. Kyiv officials have no comment. From AP. KYIV, Ukraine — Russian authorities claimed that a Ukrainian force launched an incursion on Tuesday into Russia’s Kursk region but was being beaten back by troops and local border guards. The Russian Defense Ministry said . . . READ MORE . .   Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Russia claims Ukraine attempted to break into Kursk region, Kyiv hasn’t commented, by Kateryna Denisova | The Kyiv Independent  Aleksey Smirnov, the governor of Russia’s Kursk Oblast, claimed that the Ukrainian military tried to break into the territory of the region today. The region borders Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast, which has . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s Kharkiv injures five, governor says. From Reuters. KYIV — A Russian missile attack on the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine damaged a medical clinic and injured at least five people today, the governor of the Kharkiv region said. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine diverts more funding towards missile programme, Zelenskiy says. From Reuters. Ukraine has put additional funding towards its domestic missile programme, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said today, as it tries to narrow a gap in capabilities with Russia, which has an array of long-range weapons. READ MORE . . .

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Russia warns Ukraine: peace terms will only get worse, by Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters  MOSCOW — A top Russian official told Ukraine today that the longer it waited to enter peace talks, the tougher the terms would be for its people. Moscow has said talks must be based . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops liberate Timofeyevka community in DPR over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated the community of Timofeyevka 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 . . .

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FROM AUG. 5  Investigation: Almost 2 years into first reports of wrongdoing, Ukraine’s International Legion appears immune to change, by Anna Myroniuk | The Kyiv Independent  The International Legion was destined to be a PR success for Ukraine. Launched in the beginning of Russia’s invasion in 2022, it attracted foreigners who volunteered to defend Ukraine, highlighting that the fight against Russian aggression was a global cause. But . . . READ MORE . . .