NOTE: ONLY TWO SHORT ENTRIES TODAY.

Links to a Jan. 9 report from the Associated Press and to commentary from CraigMurray.org.uk via Consortium News including video and a link to a report from the Guardian; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE. LEBANON 1-14-25 entry is HERE.) — MCM

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FROM JAN. 9  Lebanon’s parliament elects army commander Joseph Aoun as president, ending a 2-year deadlock, by Sally Abou Aljoud and Abby Sewell | AP  BEIRUT — Lebanon’s parliament voted on Thursday to elect army commander Joseph Aoun as head of state, filling a more than two-year-long presidential vacuum. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 10  U.S. pet now president of Lebanon, by Craig Murray | CraigMurray.org.uk / Consortium News  Last week I did two short video reports from outside the Lebanese Parliament — inside a military cordon that totally sealed off downtown Beirut — on the appointment of Gen. Joseph Aoun, head of the Lebanese Armed Forces, as president of Lebanon. Click HERE for report including videos, and a linked Jan. 9 report from the Guardian.

For today, a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA, UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM JAN. 13  Israel escalates bombing of Lebanon ‘in accordance’ with ceasefire. From the Cradle. The Israeli army launched violent air raids on southern and eastern Lebanon late Sunday, marking a significant escalation of Israel’s ceasefire violations two weeks before the end of the 60-day implementation period. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Agence France-Presse, Reuters, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA, LEBANON and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM   

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Ukrainian army hits Russian military, industrial sites in overnight barrage. From AFP. Ukraine fired missiles and drones at factories and energy facilities across Russia early on Tuesday, sparking fires hundreds of kilometers from the front line, a source in Ukraine’s SBU security services said. Russia’s military accused Kyiv . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for report from Reuters and the Kyiv Independent.

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

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Gaza ceasefire talks resume in Doha, deal seen close after ‘breakthrough,‘ by Andrew Mills, Nidal al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell | Reuters  DOHA / CAIRO / JERUSALEM — Negotiators were meeting in Qatar today hoping to finalise details of a plan to end the war in Gaza, after U.S. President Joe Biden indicated a ceasefire and hostage release deal was imminent. READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from AP, NPR, Middle East Eye and the Cradle.

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Israeli minister Ben-Gvir threatens to quit Netanyahu cabinet over Gaza deal. From Reuters. JERUSALEM — Israeli far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened today to quit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government if he agrees to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal being negotiated . . . READ MORE . . .

A link to commentary from ScheerPost; other articles are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA, UKRAINE and LEBANON entries  for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE. MEDIA Jan. 8 and MEDIA Jan. 9 entries are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM JAN. 13  The nihilism of Antony Blinken, by Patrick Lawrence | Original to ScheerPost  We have now the case of The New York Times’s lengthy interview with Antony Blinken, published in the Sunday Magazine dated Jan. 5. Yes, I have read it. I propose others do the same. This is one of those occasions when it is important to know . . . READ MORE . . .

For now, links to six reports: from the Cradle, Anadolu Agency, Reuters, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli raids kill dozens in Gaza as enclave ‘littered with U.S.-made munitions.’ From the Cradle. Israeli strikes have killed 45 Palestinians in Gaza since dawn today, Al Jazeera reported, citing medical sources, while new footage in U.S. media shows how the ground in the besieged enclave “is littered . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel denies receiving ‘final draft’ of prisoner swap deal with Hamas, by Abdelraouf Arnaout | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM — Israel denied media reports today about receiving a “final draft” of a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas. Media reports said earlier that Qatar had . . . READ MORE . . .

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Final draft of Gaza truce deal presented after ‘breaktrhough.’ From Reuters. DOHA — Mediator Qatar gave Israel and Hamas a final draft of a deal today to end the war in Gaza, after a midnight “breakthrough” in talks attended by U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s envoy, according to an official briefed on the negotiations. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from AP and NPR.

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Israel plans approval of 2,749 new settlement units in Occupied West Bank within 6 weeks, by Abdelraouf Arnaout | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM — Israeli authorities plan to approve the construction of 2,749 new settlement units in the occupied West Bank within six weeks, an Israeli anti-settlement group said today. READ MORE . . .

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First, a link to a report from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking its name below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Ahmed al-Sharaa says new Syria will be defined by forgiveness and amnesty, by Rayhan Uddin | Middle East Eye  De-facto Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has said that the country’s future will be defined by forgiveness and amnesty, urging people to move away from a mindset of vengefulness and revolutionary agitation. He said the revolution was now over, and that . . . READ MORE . . .

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First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and SYRIA entries for this date, so far, is HERE and HERE.) — MCM   

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Russian forces bypass a key stronghold in a bid to cut off its supplies, a Ukrainian officer says, by Samya Kullab and Yehor Konovalov | AP  KYIV — Russian forces are bypassing the vital logistics hub of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, which they have fought for months to capture, and are focusing instead on cutting supply lines to it, a Ukrainian official said today. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine tried to attack TurkStream pipeline infrastructure in southern Russia, Moscow says. From Reuters. Russia said today it had actually downed 9 Ukrainian drones that attempted to assault part of the infrastructure of the TurkStream gas pipeline, through which Russian gas streams to Turkey and Europe. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AFP.

TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to four reports: from the Anadolu Agency, the Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Israel approves plan to withdraw troops from Gaza: reports, by Burak Dag | Anadolu Agency  Israel approved plans for swift withdrawal of troops from the Gaza Strip, after advancements in prisoner exchange negotiations with Hamas, media reports said Saturday. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli attacks kill 28 more Gazans as death toll tops 46,500, by Ikram Kouachi | Anadolu Agency   ANKARA — At least 28 more Palestinians were killed in relentless Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, pushing up the overall death toll since October 2023 to 46,565, the Health Ministry in the enclave said today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 11  Israel’s Netanyahu sends Mossad director to Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar in sign of progress, by Natalie Melzer and Wafaa Shurafa | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sending the director of the Mossad foreign intelligence agency to ceasefire negotiations in Qatar, his office said Saturday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 11  Israeli military says 4 soldiers killed in north Gaza. From AFP. JERUSALEM/GAZA CITY — Four soldiers died in combat in the north of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said Saturday, more than 15 months into its war with Hamas militants. READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For now, links to reports from the Cradle, the Anadolu Agency, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE.) — MCM 

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HTS-led Syrian security forces step up sectarian killings: report. From the Cradle. Militants affiliated with the new Syrian government, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, are kidnapping and murdering members of Syria’s Alawite community based on their religious identity in various parts of Syria. READ MORE . . .

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Easing sanctions on Syria in EU’s agenda: Foreign policy chief, by Esra Tekin | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced today that easing sanctions on Syria is on their agenda. “We will be . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ahmed al-Mansour: The Egyptian fighter in Syria causing Sisi alarm, by Osama Gaweesh | Middle East Eye  Ahmed al-Mansour, an Egyptian national who first began fighting with Syrian rebels against Bashar al-Assad in 2013, has managed to develop . . . READ MORE . . .

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