For today, a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (IRAN, LEBANON, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  YEMEN 4-11-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 11  U.S. bombs civilian infrastructure in fresh round of attacks against Yemen. From the Cradle. U.S. warplanes launched over 10 airstrikes on several areas of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, early Friday after a 24-hour pause in Washington’s attacks on the country following weeks of daily strikes. Friday’s attacks hit . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to six reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, Middle East Monitor, the Anadolu Agency, and the Cradle, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; other articles or just headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN, LEBANON, YEMEN and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  GAZA 4-12-25 is HERE and a map is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israeli missiles strike Gaza hospital, forcing patients to evacuate as attacks intensify across the Strip. From Reuters. Two Israeli missiles hit a building inside a main Gaza hospital today, destroying the emergency and reception department and damaging other structures, medics said, in a strike which Israel said was against Hamasfighters exploiting the facility. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AP.

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FROM APRIL 12  Israel claims to intercept 3 rockets launched from Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. The Israeli army claimed on Saturday that it had intercepted three rockets launched from Gaza toward illegal settlements near the enclave, with no reported casualties, Anadolu Agency reports. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 12  Israeli army orders evacuation of new areas in southern Gaza Strip, by Nour Abuaisha and Rania Abu Shamala | Anadolu Agency  GAZA CITY, Palestine / ISTANBUL — The Israeli army on Saturday ordered evacuations from at least 10 multiple neighborhoods in the southern city of Khan Younis, warning of imminent attacks in the area near the Morag Axis, which separates the city from Rafah. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 11  Egypt, Israel exchange proposals for ‘compromise’ on Gaza ceasefire. From the Cradle. Egypt and Israel have exchanged draft proposals for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, with the goal of reaching a compromise, according to Israel’s Broadcasting Corporation. They aim . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 11  UN reveals 36 Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed ‘only women and children.’ From the Cradle. The UN condemned Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza on Friday, warning that it is causing widespread civilian deaths and displacement, including the killing of women and children. Between March 18 and April 9, the UN Human Rights Office determined, 36 out of 224 Israeli strikes killed only . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 12  Rafah became my home after displacement. It is now being erased. By Ruwaida Amer | Middle East Eye  I hear and feel every missile that strikes Rafah. We see the smoke rise to the sky. The destruction is relentless — without red lines. Now, we hear constant shelling. Heavy missiles fall as if they were throwing stones . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to nine reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Anadolu Agency, Kyiv Post, and the Kyiv Independent; others or headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN, LEBANON, YEMEN and GAZA entries for this date are HERE,  HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.  UKRAINE 4-12-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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More than 30 people killed, 84 injured in Russian missile attack on Ukrainian city of Sumy. From AP. KYIV — At least 32 people have been killed in a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy today, officials said. Officials said two ballistic missiles struck the heart of the city at around 10:15 a.m. as people gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM APRIL 12  Ukrainian fighter pilot died in F-16 combat mission, Zelenskyy confirms, by Alperen Aktaş | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday a 26-year-old fighter pilot was killed during a combat mission involving an F-16 fighter jet, and he expressed condolences to the family and comrades of Capt. Pavlo Ivanov. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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FROM APRIL 12  Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking its energy infrastructure five times in past 24 hours. From Reuters. Russia’s defense ministry said on Saturday that Ukraine had carried out five attacks on Russian energy infrastructure over the previous day, a violation of a U.S.-brokered moratorium on such strikes. Ukraine and Russia have repeatedly accused each other . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kremlin says instant results not possible after Trump demands Ukraine progress, by Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters  MOSCOW — The Kremlin said today contacts with U.S. President Donald Trump’s team were moving ahead very well but that it was too early to expect instant results due to the level of damage done to relations under Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 12  Russia’s Lavrov praises Trump’s understanding of Ukraine conflict. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov praised U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday for what he said was a better understanding of the Ukraine conflict than any other Western leader. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 12   Moscow says Kyiv’s allegations about Chinese citizens fighting on Russian side in Ukraine ‘completely untrue,‘ by Elena Teslova | Anadolu Agency   MOSCOW — Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko on Saturday refuted Kyiv’s allegations about Chinese citizens fighting in Ukraine as “completely untrue.” READ MORE . . .

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Trump extends Biden’s sanctions executive order against Russia, by Sonya Bandouil | The Kyiv Independent  U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order extending for one year the sanctions against Russia originally imposed by former President Joe Biden in April 2021 over Russia’s harmful foreign activities, according to an April 10 document from the U.S. Federal Register. READ MORE . . .

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For today, just two links: to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press; others or headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA, GAZA and IRAN entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE 4-11-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Russia launches scores of drones on Ukraine, four people injured, Kyiv says, by Olena Harmash | Reuters  KYIV — Russia launched a barrage of drones in an overnight attack on Ukraine, injuring three people in Kyiv and one person in Kharkiv and damaging residential and commercial buildings in Kyiv and other parts of the country, Ukrainian officials said on today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 10  U.S. ambassador to Ukraine to step down as peace talks uncertain, by Matthew Lee | AP  WASHINGTON — The U.S. ambassador to Ukraine is stepping down from her post after nearly three years in Kyiv amid uncertainty over the Trump administration’s attempts to broker a peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from the Cradle, National Public Radio, and the Anadolu Agency; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE, GAZA and IRAN entries are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  SYRIA 4-11-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 11  Israel signals support for ‘limited’ Turkish military presence in Syria. From the Cradle. Israel is “very optimistic” about ongoing deconfliction talks with Turkiye, which may allow Ankara to maintain a “limited” military base in Syria, the Times of Israel reported on Friday. Israeli and Turkish officials spoke positively . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 11  Druze population resists Syrian government’s push to disband militias. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  In a challenge to Syria’s new government, an influential religious minority rejects calls to integrate its militias. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM APRIL 2  Israel suspends entry of Druze workers from southern Syria over security concerns, by Abdelraouf Arnaout and Rania Abu Shamala | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL  Israel suspended the entry of Druze workers from villages in southern Syria into the occupied Golan Heights following an objection by one of its security agencies, local media said on April 2. READ MORE . . .

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For now, links to four reports: from Reuters, the Cradle, Middle East Monitor, and the Electronic Intifada; others or headlines only are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE, SYRIA and IRAN entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  GAZA 4-11-25 is HERE, and a map is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israeli forces have completed encirclement of Gaza’s Rafah, military says, by Maayan Lubell and Nidal al-Mughrabi | Reuters  JERUSALEM — It is part of an announced plan to seize more areas of the enclave, accompanied by large-scale evacuations of the population. The military has issued repeated evacuation warnings to . . .  READ MORE . . .   Click HERE and HERE for April 12 and April 11 reports from the Cradle (including an April 7 video from the Electronic Intifada) and from EI.

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FROM APRIL 11  Israeli evacuation orders leave Palestinians with less than a third of Gaza to live in: UN. From Middle East Monitor. A UN spokesperson said Israel on Friday issued “two new displacement orders covering vast areas in northern and southern Gaza,” in which are located “medical facilities and storage sites containing critical supplies.” The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says more than two-thirds of the Gaza Strip is either under active displacement orders or designated as no go zones. READ MORE . . .  Compare with April 11 report from National Public Radio HERE.

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For today, link to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters, and to commentary from Indian Punchline; other articles or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE, SYRIA and GAZA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.  IRAN 4-9-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Envoys from Iran and the U.S. arrive in Oman for first round of talks over Tehran’s nuclear program, by Jon Gambrell | AP MUSCAT — Envoys from Iran and the United States arrived today in Oman ahead of the first talks over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly has threatened to unleash airstrikes . . . READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from Reuters, and HERE for an April 11 AP report. 

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FROM APRIL 11  Steve Witkoff’s Iran mission holds seamless possibilities, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline   The rubric of the U.S.-Iranian talks slated for Saturday in Muscat turned into a vanity fair of sorts — whether the talks should be called “indirect” or “direct.” U.S. President Donald Trump sought direct talks . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Moscow Times, Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (YEMEN, SYRIA, and GAZA entries are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE 4-10-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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European countries vow billions in military support for Ukraine as U.S. envoy meets Putin, by Lorne Cook | AP  BRUSSELS — European countries today vowed to sends billions of dollars in further funding to help Ukraine keep fighting Russia’s invasion, as a U.S. envoy pursued peace efforts in a trip to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine will be able to keep fighting, say Britain and Germany, by Andrew Gray and Sabine Siebold | Reuters  BRUSSELS — Germany and Britain today sent a message to Russia that Ukraine will be able to keep up its fight thanks to Western support, even as the U.S. pushed ahead with talks with Moscow. READ MORE . . .

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Trump tells Russia to ‘get moving’ on Ukraine peace negotiations. From the Moscow Times. U.S. President Donald Trump said today that Russia needs to “get moving” with Ukraine ceasefire talks as his special envoy was expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg later in the day. “Too many people DYING, thousands a week” . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine European allies hike deliveries of weaponry for “close-in” battle, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  European military assistance to Ukraine is accelerating and focusing particularly on lower-tech weaponry proved in close-in combat against the Russian army, and manufacturing in Ukraine if possible. READ MORE . . .

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Deputy defense minister resigns following procurement scandal, by Kateryna Denisova | The Kyiv Independent  Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk said today he had decided to resign as first deputy defense minister. He did not elaborate. READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops liberate four communities in Ukraine operation over week — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated four communities in the Kursk and Sumy Regions and the Donetsk People’s Republic over the week of April 5-11 in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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For today, a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (UKRAINE, SYRIA and GAZA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  YEMEN 4-9-25, including a map, is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 10  U.S. war on Yemen ‘helps to enhance our military capabilites’: Ansarallah leader. From the Cradle. Ansarallah leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on Thursday that Washington’s war on Yemen “will not be able” to weaken the Yemeni Armed Forces and is instead “contributing to their further development.” READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to four reports: from Middle East Eye, Reuters, the Associated Press, and Middle East Monitor; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE, YEMEN and GAZA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  SYRIA 4-10-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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One month on, killings persist in Syria’s Alawi heartlands. From Middle East Eye. LATAKIA, Syria — In the weeks following the worst sectarian violence since the fall of Bashar al-Assad — unrest the government has said it is trying to contain — locals of Syria’s northwestern coast continue to report killings, abductions, and raids targeting the Alawi community. Twenty eyewitnesses and relatives of victims confirmed that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Syria’s Sharaa grants three-month extension to committee probing coastal killings. From Reuters. DAMASCUS — Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has extended a deadline for a fact-finding committee to produce its report on the killings of Alawites on Syria’s coast last month, the deadliest episode of sectarian violence since Sunni Islamist rebels seized power. In early March hundreds of Alawites were killed . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AP. 

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Syria rejects Israel’s ‘theft’ of its water resources, UNSC hears. From Middle East Monitor. Syria voiced its rejection of Israel’s interference in its internal affairs and its attempts to “steal” Syrian water resources, Anadolu reported, citing a speech Syria’s representative delivered Thursday to the United Nations in the Security Council. READ MORE . . .

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