Links to reports and commentary from Middle East Eye and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names as highlighted. (Scroll down for LEBANON 4-15-26. Scroll up for today’s WEST BANK and IRAN.) — MCM

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Lebanon’s Aoun rejects call with Netanyahu as Israel severs last bridge to the south, by Heba Nasser | Middle East Eye  Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun will not speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the near future, a senior Lebanese official told Middle East Eye, after reports of a planned phone call between the two leaders. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli army prepares for full occupation of south Lebanon: report. From the Cradle. The Israeli military is preparing for a full occupation of everything below the Litani River in south Lebanon, Hebrew media said on Wednesday — coinciding with continued efforts to secure a ceasefire in the country. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 15  Israeli official declares Lebanese govt ‘on our side’ against Hezbollah. From the Cradle. Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said on Tuesday after direct talks with Lebanese representatives that Beirut and Tel Aviv are “on the same side” against Hezbollah, hailing the Washington meeting a “wonderful exchange.” READ MORE . . .

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Why do Lebanese leaders keep courting Israel? by Joseph Massad | Middle East Eye  Since Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam assumed office in early 2025, mere weeks after the November 2024 ceasefire between the Lebanese resistance and the genocidal state of Israel, the new leadership, under strong U.S. and Saudi advice, moved urgently to offer friendship and full cooperation to Israel. READ MORE . . .

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