For today, links to seven reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from SheerPost, Common Dreams, Middle East Eye 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 says it has confirmed Hamas military wing chief Mohammed Deif was killed in a July strike, by Melanie Lidman and Samy Magdy | AP  JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said today it has confirmed that the head of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, was killed in an airstrike in Gaza in July. The announcement comes a day after an apparent Israeli strike in the Iranian capital killed Hamas’ top political leader. READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE and HERE for related report from AP and two from Reuters.

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After 2 assassinations in the Middle East, the region braces for all-out war. Reported by Tom Bowman, Aya Batrawy and A Martínez | NPR  The killing of a Hezbollah commander in Beirut and the killing of a top Hamas official in Iran are stoking very real fears of a wider regional war in the Middle East. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JULY 31  The killings of top leaders from Hamas and Hezbollah stun Middle East. Reported by Jane Arraf and Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  Within the last day, leaders of both Hamas and Hezbollah were killed in apparent assassinations by Israel. Iran backs both Hamas and Hezbollah. And now, many groups are vowing revenge. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM JULY 31  Assassination of Hamas leader inflames regional tensions. Reported by Alejandra Marquez Janse, Sarah Handel and Ailsa Chang | NPR   Khaled Elgindy, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, talks about what the future may look like for Hamas after one of its top leader was allegedly assassinated by Israel. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM JULY 31  The murder of Ismail Haniyeh, by Patrick Lawrence | Original to ScheerPost  Some reflections, written urgently in response to the urgency of the moment, on the assassination early Tuesday of Ismail Haniyeh. The 62–year-old chairman of Hamas’s Politburo . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 31  Netanyahu risks regional war with assassination, by Jake Johnson | Common Dreams / Consortium News  The political leader of Hamas was assassinated early Wednesday in what the group said was an Israeli attack on his residence in the Iranian capital of Tehran . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ismail Haniyeh killing: Netanyahu’s only goal is to set the region on fire, by David Hearst | Middle East Eye  In killing Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau in Tehran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sent the clearest message yet to Iran and the resistance movements that he wants a regional war. READ MORE . . .

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Ismail Haniyeh killing plunges Biden diplomacy into chaos but shows Iran’s vulnerability, by Sean Mathews | Middle East Eye  The killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran has thrust the U.S. into the thorny position of scrambling to prevent a regional war from erupting after the assassination exposed the vulnerability of its most potent Middle Eastern foe: Iran. READ MORE . . .

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It’s both criminal and desperate; that’s why Israel assassinated Ismail Haniyeh, by Ramzy Baroud | Middle East Monitor  Israel’s assassination of the head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran on 31 July is part of Tel Aviv’s search for a wider regional conflict. It is a criminal act that reeks of desperation. Almost immediately after . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Russian attacks across Ukraine kill 4, injure 27 over past day, hit railroad station, by Kateryna Hodunova | The Kyiv Independent  Russian attacks against Ukraine killed four and injured 27 people over the past day, regional authorities said early today. Russia targeted a total of 10 Ukrainian oblasts over the past day – Mykolaiv, Chernihiv . . . READ MORE . . .

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F-16s have arrived to help Ukraine fight Russia. Here’s what to know about their possible impact, by Barry Hatton and Andrew Meldrum | AP  KYIV — The American-made F-16 is an iconic fighter jet that’s been the front-line combat plane of choice for the NATO alliance and numerous air forces around the world for 50 years. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Kremlin says Russia will shoot down Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jets. From Reuters. MOSCOW — The Kremlin said today that Russian forces would shoot down U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets sent to Ukraine, and that the F-16s would have no significant impact on the course of the war. Lithuanian and U.S. officials said on Wednesday that Ukraine had received . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AFP.

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Russian troops wipe out three U.S.-made Patriot missile launchers in Ukraine operation. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops destroyed three U.S.-made Patriot surface-to-air missile launchers, an unmanned aerial vehicle control post and Ukrainian army trains over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today. READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian drone reportedly ambushes $15 million Russian helicopter near occupied Donetsk, by Julia Struck | Kyiv Post  The Mi-8 military helicopter of the Russian forces, which was downed near Russian-occupied Donetsk, was reportedly shot down by a Ukrainian drone on Wednesday, according to Russian military bloggers and Western media. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 31  Russia must be present at next peace summit to end war, Zelensky says, by Kateryna Denisova and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  Ukraine, along with most countries, believes that Russia must be present at a second peace summit in November in order to end the war, President Volodymyr Zelensky told French media in an interview published on Wednesday. READ MORE . . .

Links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters, and to commentary from MintPress News via Consortium News; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Colombian President Petro calls on Venezuela’s Maduro to release detailed vote counts from election, by Regina Garcia Cano | AP  CARACAS — Colombian President Gustavo Petro today called on his close ally, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, to release detailed vote counts of the weekend election in which electoral authorities declared Maduro the winner. READ MORE . . .

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Venezuelan opposition looks for narrowing paths to power, by Vivian Sequera and Mayela Armas | Reuters  CARACAS — Venezuela’s opposition, which says that it — and not President Nicolas Maduro — won Sunday’s presidential election, is scrambling for ways to find a path to power despite significant obstacles. Opposition leaders say . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 30  As U.S. leaders call fraud, U.S. observers endorse results, by Alan MacLeod | MintPress News / Consortium News  Much to the chagrin of the U.S. government, Venezuelan socialist candidate Nicolas Maduro won a third successive term in office on Sunday, convincingly beating his U.S.-backed opponents, Edmundo Gonzalez and Maria Corina Machado, by seven points. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to eight reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, National Public Radio and, via Consortium News, AntiWar.com, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE and VENEZUELA entries for this date are HERE  and HERE.) — MCM

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Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is killed in Iran by an alleged Israeli strike, threatening escalation, by Abby Sewell | AP  BEIRUT — Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a predawn airstrike in the Iranian capital today, Iran and the militant group said, blaming Israel for a shock assassination that risks escalating the conflict even as the U.S. and other nations . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Who was Ismail Haniyeh and why is his assassination a blow to Hamas? by Samia Nakhoul and Stephen Farrell | Reuters  DUBAI / LONDON — Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader who was killed in Iran, was the tough-talking face of the Palestinian group’s international diplomacy as war raged back in Gaza, where three of his sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike. But despite . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for related Reuters report.

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Blinken says Gaza ceasefire is ‘imperative,’ after Hamas chief killing. From AFP. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken refused to comment directly on the killing of Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, but said at a forum in Singapore that reaching a ceasefire in Gaza “is the enduring imperative.” READ MORE . . .

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Hamas says its top leader has been killed in Iran’s capital Tehran. Reported by Jane Arraf Daniel Estrin and Steve Inskeep | NPR  Ismail Haniyeh, who was the Palestinian group’s political leader, was in the Iranian capital for the inauguration of Iran’s new president. Hamas blamed his assassination on Israel. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Hamas accuses Israel of killing its top political leader while he was in Tehran. Reported by Steve Inskeep and James Hider | NPR  Trita Parsi of he Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft talks about the ramifications of the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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U.S. veterans tell Harris: End siege of Gaza, by Gerry Condon | AntiWar.com / Consortium News  The national organization Veterans For Peace has written an open letter to Vice President Kamala Harris, asking her to push for an immediate end to the siege of Gaza. It begins: . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ismail Haniyeh: From a Gaza refugee camp to Hamas leadership, by Huthifa Fayyad | Middle East Eye  Ismail Haniyeh, who served as the fourth Palestinian prime minister and the third political leader of Hamas, has died at the age of 62. Hailing from a family of refugees expelled from historic Palestine . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Ukraine delivers one of largest cyberattacks in history, source says, by Kateryna Zakharchenko | Kyiv Post  A Ukrainian intelligence source said today that hackers from Main Intelligence Directorate last night completed one of the largest distributed denial-of-service attacks in history, derailing Russia’s internet infrastructure, hitting critical resources and gaining access to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says it repelled one of Russia’s largest drone attacks of war, by Anastasiia Malenko and Tom Balmforth | Reuters  KYIV — Ukraine’s air force said today it repelled one of Russia’s largest long-range drone attacks of the war overnight, shooting down all 89 drones launched at Kyiv, the surrounding region and other areas. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Ukraine says it struck weapons facility in Russia’s Kursk region. From Reuters  KYIV — Ukraine’s military said it struck a Russian storage facility for weapons and military equipment in the western Russian region of Kursk overnight, the latest in a series of strikes by Kyiv in that area. READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops liberate Leninskoye community in DPR over past day — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia’s Battlegroup Center liberated the settlement of Leninskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for earlier report from Reuters.

  

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

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Lice, scabies, rashes plague Palestinian children as skin disease runs rampant in Gaza’s tent camps, by Wafaa Shurafa and Mohammed Jahjouh | AP  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Skin diseases are running rampant in Gaza, health officials say, caused by appalling conditions in overcrowded tent camps housing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians driven from their homes, along with the summer heat and the collapse of sanitation . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.

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Gaza has become ‘world’s largest extermination camp’: Turkish president, by Esra Tekin and Seda Sevencan | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today said that the Gaza Strip has become the “world’s largest extermination camp,” adding that Israel has committed an atrocity that will “outshine Hitler.” READ MORE . . .

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Israeli forces quit east Khan Younis, Palestinians recover dozens of bodies, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Mohammad Salem | Reuters  CAIRO / KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Thousands of Palestinians returned to their homes in the ruins of Gaza’s main southern city Khan Younis today, after Israeli forces ended a week-long incursion there which . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel has delayed the evacuation of sick children in Gaza. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  Israel agreed to allow 150 seriously ill and injured children in Gaza to leave for medical treatment. But after an attack blamed on Lebanese Hezbollah, Israel’s prime minister suspended that approval. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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What went wrong with the U.S.-built floating pier designed to get aid into Gaza. Reported by Steve Walsh | NPR  The pier built by the U.S. military to get aid into Gaza cost $230 million. It broke apart early on, and critics say it did little to help people in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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UK government offers no timetable for decision on arms sales to Israel, by Dania Akkad and Imran Mulla | Middle East Eye  The UK government offered no timetable today for its anticipated decision over whether to continue licensing arms exports to Israel as parliament prepared to break for its summer recess. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to seven reports from: Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Independent, the Kyiv Post, Tass, and the Anadolu Agency, and to commentary from ScheerPost via Popular Resistance; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and VENEZUELA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Russia says its forces took control of Pivdenne in eastern Ukraine. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russia’s defence ministry said today its forces had taken control of the settlement of Pivdenne in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. Pivdenne, which Russia calls by its Soviet-era name of Leninskoe .. . . READ MORE . . .

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Fire at Russian oil depot extinguished after Ukrainian drone strike, authorities say. From AFP. Authorities in southwestern Russia said today a fire that had broken after a Ukrainian attack over the weekend had finally been extinguished. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Post.

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Ukrainian UAVs attack oil depot, 5 drones shot down over Russia’s Kursk Region, Moscow says. From Kyiv Post. Ukraine launched an overnight drone attack on a Russian oil depot as well as other targets just over Ukraine’s northern border, according to Russian media reports. This morning . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian paratroopers repel another massive Russian attack near Kurahove. From the Kyiv Independent. Ukraine’s 79th Tavrian Air Assault Brigade stopped another large-scale attempt by Russian forces to advance near Kurahove in Donetsk Oblast, the Airborne Assault Troops Command said today. READ MORE . . .

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Battlegroup Center liberates DPR’s Volchye settlement. From Tass. MOSCOW — The battlegroup North has defeated five Ukrainian brigades and repelled five counterattacks over the day, wiping out up to 220 enemy servicemen, the Russian Defense Ministry said in its daily bulletin, which gives details of combat actions over the past 24 . . . READ MORE . . .

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China can become ‘key player’ to help identify peace in Ukraine, says Italian premier, by Riyaz ul Khaliq and Giada Zampano | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL / ROME — Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said today China could become a “key player” in helping end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, “starting from the principles of . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 27  Europe’s path to war and self-destruction, by Fabian Scheidler | ScheerPost / Popular Resistance  The EU, which could be completely devastated by a possible escalation of the war in Ukraine, is not only doing nothing to avert this danger and stop the killing, but is also undermining the diplomatic attempts of a member state, Hungary. READ MORE . . .

Links to reports from the Orinoco Tribune, the Associated Press, and Reuters, and for news releases from the Carter Center and the National Lawyers Guild International Committee; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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CNE proclaims Nicolás Maduro president-elect, coup d’état threat and international recognition. From the Orinoco Tribune. CARACAS — From the headquarters of Venezuela’s National Electoral Council in Caracas and in the presence of officials, international electoral observers and the diplomatic corps, Nicolás Maduro was proclaimed president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for the period 2025-2031 . . . READ MORE . . .

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Venezuelan opposition says it has proof its candidate defeated President Maduro in disputed election, by Joshua Goodman and Regina Cano | AP  CARACAS — As thousands of people demonstrated across Venezuela, opposition candidate Edmundo González announced Monday that his campaign has the proof it needs to show he won the country’s disputed election in which . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for related AP reports.

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Anti-Maduro protests spread as Venezuelan opposition claims victory, by Deisy Buitrago and Mayela Armas | Reuters  CARACAS — Opponents and supporters of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro planned to rally today as protests and clashes spread after a weekend election was awarded to the long-ruling socialist despite opposition claims of a landslide victory. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for related Reuters reports.

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Venezuela vote results unreliable, says OAS body. From Reuters The Organization of American States’ election observation department said today it cannot recognize the results by Venezuela’s national electoral council declaring President Nicolas Maduro the winner of Sunday’s disputed vote. The 35-member regional body said . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 29  Carter Center calls on Venezuelan election authorities to release detailed results immediately. News release from the Carter Center. ATLANTA, Georgia — The Carter Center calls upon Venezuela’s National Election Commission, known by the Spanish acronym CNE, to immediately publish the presidential election results at the polling station level. The Carter Center technical mission observe the July 28 presidential election . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for news release in Spanish.

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FROM JULY 29 National Lawyers Guild electoral observers praise fairness, transparency of Venezuelan election. News release from the National Lawyers Guild International Committee / Popular Resistance  A delegation of five election observers from the National Lawyers Guild monitored the presidential elections in Venezuela that took place on July 28, 2024. The delegation observed a transparent, fair voting process with scrupulous attention to . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Israeli military detains 9 soldiers over alleged abuse of a detainee at shadowy military facility. From AP.  TEL AVIV — The Israeli military said today it was holding nine soldiers for questioning following allegations of “substantial abuse” of a detainee at a shadowy facility where Israel has held Palestinian prisoners throughout the war in Gaza. READ MORE . . .

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As fighting rages, displaced Gazans struggle with disease and lack of shelter, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Ramadan Abed | Reuters CAIRO / DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Thousands of Palestinians fled a community in the central Gaza Strip today in the face of new Israeli evacuation orders, worsening the humanitarian plight in an area already inundated with displaced people fleeing an assault in the south. READ MORE . . .

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Turkish official accuses Israel of targeting Erdogan after he seemed to threaten to invade over Gaza. From AP. ISTANBUL — A senior Turkish official today accused the Israeli government of trying to “hide your war crimes” by targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after he seemingly threatened to invade Israel. Fahrettin Altun, Erdogan’s head of communications . . .  READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 28  Erdogan says Turkey might enter Israel to help Palestinians. From Reuters. ANKARA — President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that Turkey might enter Israel as it had done in the past in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, though he did not spell out what sort of intervention he was suggesting. A fierce critic of . . . READ MORE . . .

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End of genocidal Netanyahu will be like Hitler’s’: Turkish Foreign Ministry, by Alperen Aktaş | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — Türkiye said early today that “just as the end of the genocidal Hitler came, so too will be the end of the genocidal [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu.” “Just as . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S., Israel and UAE working to create new body to govern post-war Gaza, by David Hearst | Middle East Eye  The United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates are working towards the creation of a national committee of Palestinian leaders and business figures that will administer Gaza once the war ends, several sources say. In reality, all of its members . . .READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 28  Egypt warns against opening new war front in Lebanon, calls for Gaza cease-fire. From Middle East Monitor. Egypt warned Sunday of the risks of opening a new war front in Lebanon and called for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency reports. The warning . . . READ MORE . . .

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The war against Hamas is taking a toll on Israel’s economy and military. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with Daniel Byman, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, about the military case for Israel supporting a ceasefire. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Some Jewish Israelis are making the choice to leave Israel over the war in Gaza. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  Many Jewish Israelis are looking for ways to leave the country after Oct. 7, saying they don’t feel safe in Israel anymore and that their government has failed them. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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

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Drones set ablaze power plant in Russia’s Belgorod region. From Kyiv Post.  Overnight mutual drone attacks exercised the air defenses of both Russia and Ukraine, with Kyiv’s drones scoring two hits on energy infrastructure targets within the Russian Federation, several Telegram channels reported. Early this morning . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian troops say Russia’s front-line push has driven them out of two more eastern villages, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — Russian forces have overrun two front-line villages, a Ukrainian army sergeant said today, after relentless assaults that are part of a Kremlin summer push to overwhelm battlefield defenses in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from the Kyiv Independent and Tass.

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FROM JULY 28  Ukraine keeps pounding Russia’s Kursk region with drones, Russian official says. From Reuters. Kyiv launched more than two dozen drones on the Russian region of Kursk in several waves of attacks that started Saturday night and damaged an oil depot, the acting governor of the region that borders Ukraine said late on Sunday. At least 13 . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 28  Ukraine says it struck an oil depot in Russia, as Moscow claims new gains in Donetsk region, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine on Sunday said it struck an oil depot in southern Russia that supplies the Kremlin’s troops as Russian strikes in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, where Moscow claimedfurther gains, left five civilians dead and 15 others wounded. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JULY 28  U.S. discusses with India need for peace in Ukraine, by Kanishka Singh | Reuters.  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday emphasized the importance of a “just and enduring peace” for Ukraine in a meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the State Department said. The discussion came . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian ex-convicts seek second chance in army service, by Volodymyr Pavlov | Reuters KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine — Former car thief Bohdan Filonenko had a simple response for fellow inmates who criticized his decision to join Ukraine’s military. READ MORE . . .