For today, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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The week that upped the stakes of the Ukraine war, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — This past week has seen the most significant escalation in hostilities that Ukraine has witnessed since Russia’s full-scale invasion and marks a new chapter in the nearly three-year war — one tinged with uncertainty and fear. It began . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine has lost over 40% of the land it held in Russia’s Kursk region, senior Kyiv military source says, by Olena Harmash | Reuters  KYIV — Ukraine has lost over 40% of the territory in Russia’s Kursk region that it rapidly seized in a surprise incursion in August as Russian forces have mounted waves of counter-assaults, a senior Ukrainian military source said. READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces capture settlement of Novodmytrivka in eastern Ukraine. From Reuters.  Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Friday that its forces had captured the settlement of Novodmytrivka in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, their latest gain in what Defence Minister Andrei Belousov described as an accelerated advance. READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces eliminate Ukrainian MiG-29 on ground. From Tass.  MOSCOW — Russian units have wiped out a Ukrainian MiG-29 stationed on the ground, the Russian Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 22  Trump considers ex-intelligence chief Richard Grenell for Ukraine post, sources say, by Gram Slattery, Humeyra Pamuk and Nathan Layne | Reuters  WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump is considering tapping Richard Grenell, his former intelligence chief, to be a special envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to four sources familiar with the transition plans. READ MORE . . .

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North Korean troops in Russia expected to enter combat soon, Pentagon says. From AFP.  U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said today that thousands of North Korean troops currently stationed in Russia are expected to enter combat against Ukraine “soon.” READ MORE . . .

 

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

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Many in Gaza are eating just once a day, as hunger spreads amid aid issues, by Wafaa Shurafa and Fatma Khaled | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, the Gaza Strip — Nearly everyone in Gaza is going hungry. In the north experts say a full-blown famine may be underway. On Thursday . . . READ MORE . . .

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Little hope in Gaza that arrest warrants will cool Israeli onslaught, by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Hussam al-Masri | Reuters  CAIRO / GAZA — Gazans saw little hope today that International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Israeli leaders would slow down the onslaught on the Palestinian territory, where medics said at least 24 people were killed in fresh Israeli military strikes. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

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FROM NOV. 21  Israel’s ambassador to the UN weighs in on ICC’s warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. Ailsa Chang of NPR talks with Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, about the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for PM Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM NOV. 21  Reactions to the ICC warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders. From Reuters. These are reactions to the International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas commander Ibrahim al-Masri, who is believed to be dead. The warrants are for . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 21  A closer look at how armed gangs steal tons of aid in Gaza. Reported by Aya Batrawy and others | NPR  Gangs of armed looters are stealing the little aid trickling into Gaza as people starve, and it’s happening under Israel’s surveillance. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM NOV. 21  ‘I would have dropped three nuclear bombs,’ by Seymour M. Hersh | Substack  I have two friends in Israel who share the history of constant turbulence, amid open war with neighbors since Ben-Gurion declared Israel to be a state in 1948 and the U.S. and the United Nations recognized it the same day. They have fought and suffered grievous wounds for their country. Click HERE to read, and HERE for Nov. 20 report.

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Arab countries unite behind Palestinian cause as they look to Saudi Arabia to moderate Trump. From Middle East Monitor. Arab nations are increasingly viewing Saudi Arabia as their primary diplomatic channel to moderate Donald Trump’s Middle East policies, particularly regarding the Palestinian cause, which . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 21  Is Donald Trump a neo-con? by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  The announcements by United States President-elect Donald Trump on his choices for top government posts in the incoming administration have triggered speculations . . . READ MORE . . .

 

For today, links to 10 reports: from Reuters, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass, and to commentary from Indian Punchline; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Russian drone attack on Sumy kills two, injures 12, local authorities say. From Reuters. KYIV — A Russian drone attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy killed two people and injured 12 this morning, regional authorities said. The Sumy regional governor said Russian forces had equipped drones with shrapnel for the attack on a densely populated area of the city. READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s Putin taking even more aggressive posture toward Ukraine and the West. Reported by Greg Myre and Michel Martin | NPR  Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country has the right to strike NATO countries that arm Ukraine in certain circumstances. We break down the latest in his posture toward Ukraine and the West. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM NOV. 21  Putin touts Russia’s new missile and delivers a menacing warning to NATO. From AP.  The new ballistic missile fired by Russia struck a military-industrial facility in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday. Hours later President Vladimir Putin made a rare and surprise appearance on Russian television to talk about it. READ MORE . . .

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Zelensky urges strong global response to Russian hypersonic missile strike. From AFP. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called for decisive action from world leaders following Russia’s use of an experimental hypersonic missile against Ukraine, warning that the strike marked a major increase in the war’s “scale and brutality.” “This is . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia launches experimental ballistic missile at Ukraine. Reported by Geoff Brumfiel | NPR  Russia launched an experimental ballistic missile at Ukraine. It appears to be intended for one thing: to send a nuclear warning to the West. appearance on Russian television to talk about it. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM NOV. 21  What we know about the experimental missile Russia fired at a Ukrainian city today. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR  Russia fired an experimental missile at a city in eastern Ukraine today, inflicting damage and injuries. Exactly what type of missile is this and what message is Russia trying to send? Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE and HERE for a Nov. 22 report from AFP and a Nov. 21 report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Eliminating best enemy units: Defense minister visits special op area. From Tass. MOSCOW — Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, during his visit to the special military operation zone, said that the best units of the Ukrainian armed forces have been eliminated and that the Russian army has successfully thwarted the entire enemy’s 2025 campaign. READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 20  At the 1,000 day mark of war, a Ukrainian activist looks ahead. Reported by Elena Burnett, Mary Louise Kelly and Patrick Jarenwattananon | NPR  Hanna Hopko, from the International Center for Ukrainian Victory, spoke as Russia’s invasion of her country approached 1,000 days. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM NOV. 21  Is Donald Trump a neo-con? by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  The announcements by United States President-elect Donald Trump on his choices for top government posts in the incoming administration have triggered speculations . . . READ MORE . . .

 

For now, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Eye, and Middle East Monitor, and to the first of two reports from a Substack journalist — he promised the second for today — and to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on the name Substack as highlighted or NPR’s initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Top war-crimes court issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Hamas officials, by Molly Quell | AP  THE HAGUE — The world’s top war-crimes court today issued arrest warrants for the leaders of Israel and Hamas, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with their war that began more than a year ago. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, Middle East Eye and Middle East Monitor.

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FROM NOV. 20  Force evacuation and smash the camps: A report from inside Gaza, by Seymour M.Hersh | Substack  Control over all of Gaza and the West Bank is the core demand of the religious right in Israel that now dominates the government. A well-informed Washington official says the Israeli leadership will formally annex the West Bank in the very near . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 20  Israeli destruction makes large parts of south Lebanon ‘uninhabitable.’ Reported by Ruth Sherlock | NPR  Israel’s war against Hezbollah has driven hundreds of thousand of civilians from their homes in southern Lebanon. Satellite data and eye witness testimony indicate the scale of the destruction. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, links to reports from the Assocated Press and NBC News; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Ukraine says Russia launched an intercontinental missile in an attack for the first time in the war, by Hanna Arhirova and Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Ukraine claimed today that Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile overnight at one of its cities. If confirmed, it would be the first time . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia did not fire an ICBM at Ukraine, U.S. officials say, disputing a claim by Kyiv, by Dan De Luce and David Hodari | NBC News  Russia did not fire an intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine today, a U.S. official and a military officer with knowledge of the matter told NBC News, disputing a claim by Kyiv. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For today, links to 13 reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Tass, Arab News, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, and Middle East Monitor, to commentary from ScheerPost, and to an imaginary conversation from ScheerPost; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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U.S. vetoes UN resolution demanding a cease-fire in Gaza because there’s no link to a hostage release, by Edith M. Lederer | AP  UNITED NATIONS — The United States today vetoed a UN resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the war in Gaza because it is not linked to an immediate release of hostages taken captive by Hamas in Israel in October 2023. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and Tass.

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Israeli strikes kill 33 in Gaza; hospital in north makes distress call, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israeli forces killed at least 33 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip today, including a rescue worker, health officials said, as troops deepened an incursion along the territory’s northern edge, bombarding a hospital and blowing up homes. Medics said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Netanyahu says Israel offering $5 mn reward for each Gaza hostage freed. From Arab News. JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel was offering a reward of $5 million to anybody who brings out a hostage held in Gaza. “Anybody who brings out a hostage will find . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for video from AP.

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FROM NOV. 19  Witnesses say Israel is using sniper drones in Gaza and they’re shooting civilians. Reported by Kat Lonsdorf | NPR  Eyewitnesses in Gaza say that Israel’s military is using guns attached to drones to carry out attacks. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE to listen to NPR report today.

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Here’s what happened in Gaza after biggest looting of UN food aid in recent memory. Reported by Aya Batrawy | NPR  Armed gangs attacked a convoy of more than 100 trucks of United Nations food aid, as humanitarian groups call on Israel to do more to secure aid routes and as people across Gaza go hungry. Click HERE to listen and, and later, read.

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Biden administration pushes Democrats to block $20bn arms ban to Israel. From Middle East Monitor. The Biden administration is pressuring Democratic Senators to oppose a progressive-led effort to block over $20 billion in US weapon shipments to Israel, officials told The Times of Israel. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for earlier report from AP.

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FROM NOV. 18  Amsterdam mayor takes back ‘pogrom’ comments following Maccabi-Ajax violence, by Rayhan Uddin | Middle East Eye  Mayor Femke Halsema of Amsterdam on Sunday took back comments describing violence that took place following a football match between Israeli and Dutch teams earlier this month as a “pogrom”, and has said Israel “bypassed” Dutch authorities regarding details . . . Click HERE for article and video.

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FROM NOV. 19  Organized oblivion, by Chris Hedges | Original to ScheerPost  The genocide in Gaza mirrors the physical annihilation of Armenian Christians by the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Turks, who feared a nationalist revolt like the one that had convulsed the Balkans . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 19  Mr. President, ATACMS won’t win the war! Robert Scheer of ScheerPost in the role of President Biden and Ray McGovern, who was the CIA’s daily briefer to a succession of U.S. presidents, as himself as if he had not retired. In another imaginary “briefing,” they discuss some of the latest events. Click HERE to listen and watch.

For today, links to seven reports: from the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post, the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and Tass, to commentary from Consortium News, and to an imaginary conversation from ScheerPost; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Ukraine strikes Russia with Storm Shadows for the first time, Bloomberg reports, by Boldizsar Gyori | The Kyiv Independent  Ukraine has struck targets inside Russia with British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles for the first time, Bloomberg reported today citing a Western official familiar with the matter. The source said . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Zelensky presents Ukraine’s internal victory plan to parliament, by Sergii Kostezh | Kyiv Post  President Volodymyr Zelensky presented Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, with his plans for the country’s future on Tuesday. The “Internal Sustainability Plan” lays out . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. will allow Ukraine to use American antipersonnel land mines against Russian forces, by Samya Kullab and Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — The Biden administration will allow Ukraine to use American-supplied antipersonnel land mines to help it slow Russia’s battlefield progress in the war, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said today, as the U.S. and some other Western embassies in Kyiv stayed closed after . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin, ascendant in Ukraine, eyes contours of a Trump peace deal, by Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters  MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin is open to discussing a Ukraine ceasefire deal with Donald Trump but rules out making any major territorial concessions and insists Kyiv abandon ambitions to join NATO, according to five sources with knowledge of Kremlin thinking. READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 19  Ukraine carries out first attacks on Russian territory using U.S. ballistic missiles. Reported by Tom Bowman | NPR  For the first time, Ukraine has fired U.S. ballistic missilEs into Russia as part of heavy ongoing fighting. Russia is expressing strong opposition and says this marks an escalation in the war. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Russian troops liberate Ilyinka community in Donbass region over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces liberated the community of Ilyinka in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 19  The pro-Trump mood in Greece, by John Kiriakou | Special to Consortium News  I spent the past two weeks on my ancestral island of Rhodes, Greece, helping my cousin settle his late father’s estate. It’s no surprise that everybody — and I mean literally everybody . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 19  Mr. President, ATACMS won’t win the war! Robert Scheer of ScheerPost in the role of President Biden and Ray McGovern, who was the CIA’s daily briefer to a succession of U.S. presidents, as himself as if he had not retired. In another imaginary “briefing,” they discuss some of the latest events. Click HERE to listen and watch.

 

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

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More than a dozen people are killed when Israeli forces moved into central Gaza camp. Reported by Anas Baba | NPR  Nearly 44,000 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli fire in more than a year of war, according to the ministry of health there. A recent Israeli forces operation took place in central Gaza. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM NOV. 18  Israeli strike in Beirut kills five as Lebanon, Hezbollah accept U.S. ceasefire proposal, by Riham Alkousaa and Ari Rabinovitch | Reuters  BEIRUT — Lebanon and the militant group Hezbollah have agreed to a U.S. ceasefire proposal and made some comments on the content, a top Lebanese official said on Monday, describing the effort as the most serious yet to . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 17   When we are faced with annihilation, Palestinians must either resist or become extinct, by Mustafa Barghouti | Middle East Monitor  How will the Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims and all those who claim to be concerned about international law, human rights and democracy respond to the Israeli annexation declaration? READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 18  Israel, backed by the West, is in the grip of a fantasy of omnipotence, by Alain Gabon | Middle East Eye  Israel has always been the West’s main proxy to weaken and bully Arab states and populations. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to four reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Ukraine fired 6 U.S.-made longer-range missiles into Russia, Moscow says, by Hanna Arhirova and Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — The reported use of the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, came today as Russian President Vladimir Putin formally lowered the threshold for using nuclear weapons, opening the door to . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM NOV.  18  Kremlin warns of escalation after U.S. authorizes Ukraine to use missiles. Reported by Charles Maynes | NPR  President Biden’s decision to let Ukraine use long-range missiles against Russia could escalate the war. But this may also make it easier for his successor to negotiate a peace deal. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Marking the 1,000th day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Reported by Charles Maynes and Michel Martin | NPR  Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced and hundreds of thousands killed or wounded. The war has changed Russia as well. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Ukrainian losses, captives, aid to civilians: situation in Kursk Region. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Ukrainian armed forces have lost up to 320 troops in the Kursk area over the past day, with six Ukrainian servicemen surrendering as prisoners of war, the Russian Defense Ministry said today. READ MORE . . .