Links to FOUR reports and commentaries: from the Cradle and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names as highlighted. (Scroll down for LEBANON 4-23-24, and up or down for GAZA, IRAN and SYRIA.) — MCM

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Trump issues three-week Lebanon truce extension, greenlights Israeli ‘surgical strikes.’ From the Cradle. US President Donald Trump announced a three-week ceasefire extension in Lebanon early today, during which he said Israel will be allowed to “defend itself” and carry out “surgical” attacks against the country. READ MORE . . .

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Hezbollah MP calls ceasefire ‘meaningless’ amidst ongoing Israeli bombing in Lebanon. From Middle East Eye. Lebanese politician Ali Fayyad, representing Hezbollah as a Member of Parliament, called the renewed ceasefire agreement “meaningless” as long as the Israel military persists in its “destructive annihilation of Lebanese border villages and towns,” according to reports from two local news platforms. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli settlers cross into Syria and Lebanon calling for new settlements, by Nadav Rapaport | Middle East Eye  TEL AVIV — Groups of Israeli settlers crossed into Syria and Lebanon this week, calling for the establishment of settlements in areas currently occupied by the military. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 22  Lebanon’s direct talks with Israel will lead to surrender not peace, by Hicham Safieddine | Middle East Eye  Further negotiation along the same U.S.-sponsored track is likely to foment internal strife and hinder liberation from Israeli occupation. The reasons are many. READ MORE . . .

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Links to ELEVEN-plus reports, interviews, analyses and commentaries (13 or more): from Middle East Monitor, Reuters, Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, Anadolu Ajansi, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-23-26, and up or down for GAZA, LEBANON and SYRIA.) — MCM

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NEWER  Trump to send envoys to Pakistan to meet with Iran foreign minister. From a series of updates edited by Donna Edwards, Brian P. D. Hannon, Laurie Kellman,  Bernard McGhee and Luena Rodriguez-Feo Vileira | AP  U.S. President Donald Trump is sending his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan on Saturday to continue talks with Iran, the White House said today. The pair will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was heading to Pakistan Friday. READ MORE . . .  

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Israel tells U.S. it wants to resume war with Iran. From Middle East Monitor. Israel is waiting for the green light from U.S. President Donald Trump to restart the fighting, sending a message to Washington saying: “We are interested in resuming the campaign against Iran.” Over the past 24 hours, the United States has reinforced . . . READ MORE . . .

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Pentagon email floats suspending Spain from NATO, other steps over Iran rift. From Reuters. An internal Pentagon email outlines options for the United States to punish NATO allies it believes failed to support U.S. operations in the war with Iran, including suspending Spain from the alliance and reviewing the U.S. position on Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands, a U.S. official told Reuters. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from Middle East Eye. and the Cradle.

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Pakistan forges ahead with diplomatic efforts to bring Iran and U.S. together for talks, by Munir Ahmed and Jon Gambrell | AP  ISLAMABAD — Iran’s top diplomat and Pakistani officials talked today over details of the ceasefire in the war with the United States and Israel, part of an effort by Islamabad to get Tehran to send a delegation for a second round of negotiations with Washington. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.  Click HERE for report from Anadolu.

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Thousands of seafarers stranded by ongoing U.S. blockade on Strait of Hormuz. Reported by Jackie Northam and Michel Martin | NPR  As the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports drags on, thousands of seafarers are stranded on ships, and economic shockwaves ripple around the world. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for links to all three Iran war-related segments today on NPR‘s “Morning Edition.”

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Iran war recalls U.S. Navy’s experience in 1980s ‘tanker war,‘ by Jon Gambrell | AP  In the “tanker war” in the 1980s, Iran targeted shipping during its war with Iraq and U.S. warships escorted Kuwaiti tankers to ensure the flow of crude oil to the global market. The U.S. could follow that model now and become . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM APRIL 23  Former deputy commander of Central Command on the future of the Iran war. Michel Martin of NPR talks with Robert Harward, former deputy commander of Central Command, about U.S. Naval operations around the Strait of Hormuz and implications for the future of the war with Iran. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM APRIL 23  Who’s Trump listening to on Iran? Reported by Mary Louise Kelly, Greg Myre and Franco Ordoñez | NPR  Kelly speaks with White House Correspondent Franco Ordonez and National Security Correspondent Greg Myre about how President Trump’s Cabinet is shaping the process of the Iran war. Click HERE to listen and read.

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First, a link to a report from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on its name as highlighted. (Scroll down for SYRIA 4-6-26.  Scroll up for today’s GAZA, LEBANON and IRAN so far.) — MCM

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Israeli settlers cross into Syria and Lebanon calling for new settlements, by Nadav Rapaport | Middle East Eye  TEL AVIV — Groups of Israeli settlers crossed into Syria and Lebanon this week, calling for the establishment of settlements in areas currently occupied by the military. READ MORE . . .

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For now, links to a report and a commentary, both from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name as highlighted. (Scroll down for GAZA 4-22-26 and today’s LEBANON and IRAN so far.)

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Skin infections in Gaza tripling amid worsening shelter crisis: UN. From Middle East Monitor. The UN warned on Wednesday of a drastic surge in skin infections and pest-related illnesses among displaced people across the Gaza Strip as humanitarian teams struggle to provide adequate shelter with severely limited resources, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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After the Gaza ceasefire illusion, by Mustafa Fetouri | Middle East Monitor  While Washington, Cairo, and Doha debate elaborate governance frameworks and the “Board of Peace,” these plans lack a viable “buyer” on the ground. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to EIGHT reports: from Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, the Cradle, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its name as highlighted. (Scroll down for LEBANON 4-21-26, and up or down for today’s GAZA and IRAN so far.) — MCM

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Israel kills Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil in targeted strike. From Middle East Eye. An Israeli air strike killed a Lebanese journalist and wounded another on Wednesday in southern Lebanon, despite a U.S.-backed ceasefire announced last week. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from Middle East Monitor. and the Cradle.

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Lebanon and Israel to resume talks to extend Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, by Bassem Mroue | AP  BEIRUT — Lebanon and Israel were set to begin a second session of direct talks in Washington today to discuss the possibility of extending a truce between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group and plans for future negotiations between the two neighbors with a long history of hostile relations. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for April 22 report from the Cradle.

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Over 62,000 housing units destroyed or damaged in six week by Israeli attacks. From Middle East Monitor. About 21,700 housing units have been destroyed and another 40,500 damaged as a result of Israeli attacks on Lebanon during six weeks of war with Hezbollah, according to a report on the “environmental impact of the Israeli aggression.” READ MORE . . .

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Israeli soldiers looting homes in Lebanon on large scale, report says. From Middle East Eye. Israeli soldiers have been looting civilian property on a large scale from homes and businesses in southern Lebanon with the knowledge of their commanders, Haaretz reported today. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to EIGHT reports, analyses and commentaries: from or via the Associated Press, National Public Radio, the Cradle, Reuters, and Middle East Eye; headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-22-26.  Scroll up for today’s GAZA and LEBANON so far.) — MCM

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Peace talks between U.S. and Iran at a standstill as Trump extends ceasefire. Reported by Jane Arraf and Michel Martin | NPR  President Trump has extended the ceasefire, but Iran says it’s not enough if the naval blockade is still in place. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Over two-thirds of U.S.-Israeli targets in Tahran ‘not linked to military’: report. From the Cradle. Only about one-third of the infrastructure destroyed in Iran’s capital during the U.S.-Israeli war was military-linked, Bloomberg revealed on Tuesday in an analysis of the damage caused by Washington and Tel Aviv. READ MORE . . .

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Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab: Iran turns maritime choke points into leverage, by Abbas al-Zein | The Cradle  The announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump to impose a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz — specifically targeting Iranian ports and vessels entering and leaving them — pushes the confrontation with Tehran into a new phase, effectively layering a U.S. naval blockade over a waterway Iran is already controlling. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. military says it seizes another oil tanker associated with Iran, by Jon Gambrell and David Rising | AP  DUBAI — The U.S. Defense Department said today it seized the tanker Majestic X in the Indian Ocean associated with smuggling Iranian oil. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM APRIL 22  U.S. intercepts three Iranian oil tankers in Asian waters, sources say. From Reuters. LONDON / NEW DELHI — The U.S. military has intercepted at least three Iranian-flagged tankers in Asian waters and is redirecting them away from their positions near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday. READ MORE . . .

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What the Iran-Iraq war taught today’s Iranian leader — and why it matters, by a Middle East Eye correspondent. The war begun by Iraq in 1980 lasted nearly eight years and killed more than a million people. Beyond the vast destruction, it helped shape the Islamic Republic of Iran into the system it is today. READ MORE . . .

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Iran has a long history of defying bullies. Trump has reaped the whirlwind, by Soumaya Ghannoushi | Middle East Eye  The modern history of the Middle East can be read as a single, enduring dialectic: humiliation and the revolutions of dignity it produces. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

Links to info from Veterans For Peace and the Berkshire Edge. — MCM

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ADVISORY: Hedges, local VFP launch ‘new mission for environmental justice in the Berkshires,’ April 25. From news release: This “Deep Dive” is a critical community summit dedicated to healing the Housatonic River — to confront the toxic legacy of PCB contamination and explore innovative bioremediation to renew our local waters. World-renowned journalist Chris Hedges and local experts are launching a ‘New Mission’ for environmental justice in the Berkshires. Be part of the dialogue to reclaim our river’s health, at South Congregational Church, Pittsfield, MA from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 25. The UCC church is at 110 South St., Pittsfield. Click HERE for ticket information.

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FROM APRIL 21  Journalist Chris Hedges, area leaders to take a community ‘Deep Dive’ into environmental accountability and the Housatonic Rest of River remediation project, by Leslee Bassman | The Berkshire Edge  PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With the Housatonic Rest of River remediation project on the brink of starting its 12-plus-year run, 40-year-old organization Veterans For Peace is hosting a “Deep Dive” program aimed at exploring the environmental accountability for the waterway’s toxicity — set for April 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. at United Church of Christ, 110 South Street, Pittsfield. READ MORE . . .

For now, links to an interview from Middle East Monitor and to an article from London Review of Books; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names as highlighted. (Scroll down for GAZA 4-21-26 and today’s IRAN so far.) — MCM

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Watch: ‘Palestine This Week’ w/ Mouin Rabbani. Nasim Ahmed of Middle East Monitor and Mouin Rabbani of Middle East Report discuss “Gaza six months into the ceasefire and the next stage in Israel’s genocide, Israel’s settler-colonial ‘buffer zones’ employed as a tool of expansion, ideological continuity in Zionism, the latest on U.S./Israel war on Iran,” and other topics. Click HERE for video and a comment.

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All they will find is sand: Gaza’s Yellow Line, by Eyal Weizman | London Review of Books  The​ UN Genocide Convention of 1948 lists five acts that constitute genocide when committed with the intent to destroy a group in whole or in part. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, links to THREE reports: from the Associated Press, Al Jazeera, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-21-26.  Scroll up for today’s GAZA so far.) — MCM

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NEWER  Iran fires on 3 ships in the Strait of Hormuz U.S maintains blockade and diplomacy stalls, by Jon Gambrell and David Rising | AP  DUBAI — Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two of them on Wednesday, intensifying its assault on shipping in the key waterway a day after U.S. President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire while maintaining an American blockade of Iranian ports. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.  Click HERE for report from Al Jazeera.

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TO BE CONTINUED

Links to SIXTEEN or so reports, analyses, commentaries and interviews: from or via the Chris Hedges Report, ScheerPost, the Associated Press, the Cradle, Middle East Monitor, Middle East Eye, National Public Radio, and Anadolu Ajansi; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-20-26, and up or down for GAZA and LEBANON.

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FROM APRIL 20  Is there a way out of the Iran war? w/ John Mearsheimer. Chris Hedges of the Chris Hedges Report and international affairs analyst John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago talked as a possible second round of ceasefire negociations in Islamabad, scheduled for Wednesday, were approaching. Click HERE for video and a transcript of interview, and for an introduction by Joshua Scheer of ScheerPost.    

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NEWER  U.S. puts negotiations with Iran on hold as ceasefire deadline nears, by Munir Ahmed, Jon Gambrell and Russ Bynum | AP  ISLAMABAD — Last-minute ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran looked uncertain today as a two-week truce was set to expire and both countries warned that, without a deal, they were prepared to resume fighting. U.S. Vice President JD Vance was expected to lead U.S. negotiators if talks continue. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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U.S. and Iran signal new ceasefire talks in Islamabad as truce nears end, by Munir Ahmed, Jon Gambrell and Samy Magdy | AP  ISLAMABAD — The United States and Iran have signaled they will hold a new round of ceasefire talks in Pakistan, two regional officials said today, as leaders on both sides warned they were prepared for more fighting if a . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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U.S navy seizes ‘Iran-linked’ commercial vessel in Asia-Pacific as Tehran blasts Washington’s ‘piracy.’ From the Cradle. The U.S. military stormed and seized what it said was an Iranian-linked vessel in the Asia-Pacific overnight, according to a statement released by the Department of War today. READ MORE . . .

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Dozens of Iranian ‘shadow fleet’ tankers breach U.S. blockade: report. From the Cradle. On April 20, maritime intelligence firm Lloyd’s List reported that at least 26 vessels linked to Iran’s so-called “shadow fleet” have continued operating despite a US naval blockade imposed on 13 April, directly contradicting Washington’s claims that it has blocked Iranian shipping. READ MORE . . .

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Iran parliament speaker: no talks under threat, warns of ‘new cards’ if war resumes. From Middle East Monitor. Iran’s parliament speaker has warned that Tehran will reveal “new cards” if fighting with the United States and Israel resumes, two days before a ceasefire deadline expires. READ MORE . . .

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Sticking points in possible talks between the U.S. and Iran as the end of the ceasefire looms. From NPR. Here are the main sticking points between the United States and Iran in a second round of negotiations which may or may not take place in Islamabad this week. READ MORE . . .

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Iran negotiations. Leila Fadel of NPR asks Karim Sadjadpour with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace how Iran might approach its next round of negotiations with the U.S. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for links to all three Iran war-related segments today on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

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Iran rejects negotiations with U.S. ‘under the shadow of threats,‘ by Michael Gabriel Hernandez | Anadolu  Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump has sought to use the threats to turn the talks “into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering.” READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s war obsession and the urgency of Palestinian leverage, by Ramzy Baroud | Middle East Monitor  It is tempting to argue that Israel’s new military doctrine is predicated on perpetual war—but the reality is more complex. READ MORE . . .

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Netanyahu, Trump: On Gaza and the Iran war, the parallels with World War Two are clear, by Joe Gill | Middle East Eye  It has long been considered offensive and antisemitic to draw comparisons between Nazi Germany and Israel, but on the specific question of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its wars of expansion, including the war on Iran, the dam has broken. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 20  Trump offers mixed messages about path ahead for U.S. war against Iran, by Aamer Madhani, Munir Ahmed and Russ Bynum  | AP  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared on Monday that he was in no rush to end the conflict while also expressing confidence that further negotiations with Tehran will soon take place in Pakistan. The 14-day ceasefire is to expire Wednesday. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM APRIL 20  U.S.-Iran talks are uncertain as ceasefire is set to expire. Reported by Kat Lonsdorf | NPR  As the clock ticks down on the ceasefire, Iran says it may not attend fresh talks with the U.S. That’s as a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon appears to be holding. Click HERE to listen and; and HERE for links to both Iran war-related reports Monday on NPR’s “All Things Considered”; and HERE for print report from NPR.

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