Gaza, 12-14-24

For today, links to reports from the Australian Associated Press, Middle East Eye and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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At least 18 killed in Israeli Gaza strikes: medics. From Australian Associated Press. At least 18 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes in Gaza, medics say, while the Israeli military said it targeted gunmen operating from shelters and aid storages. READ MORE . . .

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10 killed in Israeli bombing in central Gaza municipality building. From Middle East Eye. Al Jazeera Arabic has reported that 10 people were killed and several others injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting the Deir al-Balah municipality building in central Gaza. The mayor of Deir al-Balah, Engineer Diab Al-Jaro, was among the fatalities, according to Quds News Network. 

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Seven killed in Israeli strike on Gaza school, Palestinian emergency service says. From Reuters. CAIRO — At least seven Palestinians were killed and 12 wounded after an Israeli strike on a former school that was sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, the civil emergency service said today. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

Syria, 12-14-24

For today, a link to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 13  A view of life in Syria’s capital following the ouster of longtime dictator. Reported by Ruth Sherlock | NPR  In Damascus, Syria, posters of President Bashar al Assad are still being torn down. Here’s what its like in the capital at this pivotal moment in the country’s history. Click HERE to listen and read.

Ukraine, 12-14-24

For today, links to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Ukrainian drones hit fuel storage area in central Russia, attack other areas. From Reuters. Ukrainian drones attacked an infrastructure facility storing fuel in central Russia’s Oryol region, sparking a fire and smashing windows in homes, regional governor Andrei Klychkov said early today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 13  Ukraine’s reformed military procurement agency drives the country’s NATO ambitions, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — Ukraine’s Defense Ministry unveiled a new state agency for its armed forces last year. It was the government’s answer to the rampant corruption within the ministry’s procurement companies, and meant to be a driver of reform on the elusive path toward NATO membership. READ MORE . . .

Gaza, 12-13-24

For today, links to a report from Nasimbythedocks via Middle East Monitor, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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As a new era dawns in Syria, could there be hope for Palestine? by Abed Abou Shhadeh | Middle East Eye  On the Palestinian cause, the Syrian people are no different from other Arab nations in recognising its importance. They view it as an inherently Arab struggle, rooted. . . READ MORE . . .

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‘The plan is just to kill’: Personal testimonies of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, by Nasim Ahmed | Nasimbythedocks / Middle East Monitor  The British Palestinian Committee and the UK Gaza Community convened a press conference in London on Thursday, bringing together healthcare workers and British-Palestinian voices to expose the scale of Israel’s systematic destruction of Gaza amid an enforced media blackout. READ MORE . . .

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Syria, 12-13-24

For today, links to seven reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and Common Dreams, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Syrian Shi’ites and other minorities flee to Lebanon, fearing Islamist rule. From Reuters. BEIRUT, Lebanon / NUBL, Syria  Tens of thousands of Syrians, mostly Shi’ite Muslims, have fled to Lebanon since Sunni Muslim Islamists toppled Bashar al-Assad, fearing persecution despite assurances from the new rulers in Damascus that they will be safe, a Lebanese official said. READ MORE . . .

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Thousands of Syrians celebrate in central Damascus during first Friday prayers since Assad’s fall, by Albert Aji and Matthew Lee | AP  DAMASCUS — Thousands of Syrians gathered today at Umayyad Square, the largest in Damascus, to celebrate after the first Muslim Friday prayers following the downfall of former President Bashar Assad. READ MORE . . .

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With the collapse of the Assad regime, families across Syria search for loved ones. Reported by Leila Fadel | NPR  People in Syria are looking for their relatives and friends in prisons, hospitals and morgues. The U.N. estimates over a 100,00 people have gone missing in Syria under the Assad regime. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM DEC. 12  On the road from Beirut to Damascus, people find their footing in a new Syria. Reported by Leila Fadel | NPR  The road to Damascus tells the story of a new Syria emerging from 54 years of authoritarian rule by one family, the Assads.  Today’s Syria is no longer theirs.. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM DEC. 10  UN envoys condemns Israel’s military advance on Syria, by Jake Johnson | Common Dreams / Consortium News  The United Nations’ special envoy to Syria said Tuesday the Israeli military’s rapid move to seize Syrian territory following the Assad government’s collapse is a grave violation of a decades-old agreementthat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims is now dead. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 12  UN chief warns of Israel’s Syria invasion and land seizures, by Brett Wilkins| Common Dreams  United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Thursday he is “deeply concerned” by Israel’s “recent and extensive violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” including a ground invasion and airstrikescarried out by the Israel Defense Forces . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 12  A former prisoner shares what life was like in the infamous Sednaya prison in Syria. Reported by Jordan-Marie Smith, Juana Summers and Justine Kenin | NPR  Omar Alshogre spent time in Sednaya prison in Syria. He gives a real-life look at what life was like there, and what it was like to escape and live as a civilian. Click HERE to listen and read.

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As a new era dawns in Syria, could there be hope for Palestine? by Abed Abou Shhadeh | Middle East Eye  On Sunday, as Syrian opposition forces entered Damascus and ended the Assad family’s decades-long rule, we were reminded of a fundamental truth: no tyrannical regime or colonial entity can endure forever — as long as . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine, 12-13-24

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Kyiv Post, Tass, and Consortium News, and to commentary from the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (GAZA and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Russia targets Ukrainian infrastructure with a massive attack by cruise missiles and drones, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russia launched a massive aerial attack against Ukraine today, firing 93 cruise and ballistic missiles and almost 200 drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, describing it as one of the heaviest bombardments of the country’s energy sector since . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops within 5 kilometers of key Ukrainian logistics hub Pokrovsk. From Kyiv Post. The city, which has been the scene of months of intense fighting, remains one of Ukraine’s few remaining strongholds against Russian offensives in the Donetsk region. READ MORE . . .

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NYT predicts Ukraine conflict will end in 2025. From Tass. NEW YORK — The New York Times claims that the conflict in Ukraine will most likely end next year. According to the NYT’s Julian E. Barnes, 2025 will be . . . READ MORE . . .

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Trump says no to ‘foolish’ U.S. missile attacks on Russia, by Joe Lauria | Consortium News  “Why are we doing that?” President-elect Trump asked in a late-November Time interview published Thursday, “We’re just escalating this war and making it worse. That should not have been allowed to be done. Now they’re doing not only missiles, but . . . READ MORE . . . Scroll down or click HERE for previous link.

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How will Russia’s war in Ukraine end? The good, the bad, and the ugly scenarios, by Francis Farrell | The Kyiv Independent  After nearly three years of heavy battles and mass strikes, Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine is showing signs of accelerating toward what could be . . . READ MORE . . .

Gaza, 12-12-24

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters; to commentary from CraigMurrary.org.uk via Consortium News; and to an imaginary conversation from ScheerPost; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli airstrikes kill 28 in Gaza, including 7 children, health officials say. From AP. Palestinian medical officials say Israeli airstrikes overnight and into today have killed at least 28 people in the Gaza Strip, including seven children and a woman, hours after the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM DEC. 6  The end of pluralism in the Middle East, by Craig Murray | CraigMurray.org.uk / Consortium News  BEIRUT — A truly seismic change in the Middle East has occurred.  At its heart is a devil’s bargain – Turkey and the Gulf States accept the annihilation of the Palestinian nation and creation of a Greater Israel, in return for the annihilation of the Shia minorities of Syria and Lebanon and the imposition of Salafism across the Eastern Arab world. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 10  Mr. President, isn’t your ‘friend’ a terrorist? 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.

Syria, 12-12-24

For today, links to four reports: from Reuters, National Public Radio, and Middle East Eye, and to commentary via Consortium News, and to an imaginary conversation from ScheerPost; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE and GAZA entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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After Assad’s ouster, rebel leader tightens his grip on the state. From Reuters. Rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa’s Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is stamping its authority on Syria’s state with the same lightning speed that it seized the country, deploying police, installing an interim government and meeting foreign envoys — raising concerns . . . READ MORE . . .

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Doubts remain as Syria’s new prime minister promises the country will be inclusive. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi and Steve Inskeep | NPR  Syrians living inside and outside their country are trying to figure out what comes next after the Assad regime fell. We hear from Syrians along the road from Lebanon to Damascus. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Demoralised and abandoned by allies: why Assad’s army failed to fight in Syria. From Reuters. DAMASCUS / AMMAN/ BAGHDAD — For years, the Islamist rebels of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) had sat behind the frontline in the city of Idlib, with Syria’s long civil war frozen. But on Wednesday, Nov. 27 . . . READ MORE . . .

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Did the U.S. fund the Syrian rebels that toppled Assad? From Middle East Eye. After Syrian opposition forces led an offensive that rapidly swept through Syria’s major cities in a matter of weeks and ultimately led to the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, U.S. President Joe Biden publicly took credit for the rebel takeover. “Our approach . . . READ MORE . . .

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Assad’s legacy, by John Wight | Medium / Consortium News  There are already emerging reports of Islamist gangs in Homs, Syria’s country’s third largest city, seeking out and slaughtering members of the city’s Shia community along with former Syrian army soldiers and officers. Scenes of celebration over Assad’s departure are giving way to the grim realities of life under Salafi-jihadism. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 6  The end of pluralism in the Middle East, by Craig Murray | CraigMurray.org.uk / Consortium News  BEIRUT — A truly seismic change in the Middle East has occurred.  At its heart is a devil’s bargain – Turkey and the Gulf States accept the annihilation of the Palestinian nation and creation of a Greater Israel, in return for the annihilation of the Shia minorities of Syria and Lebanon and the imposition of Salafism across the Eastern Arab world. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 10  Mr. President, isn’t your ‘friend’ a terrorist? 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.

Ukraine, 12-12-24

For today, links to four reports: from the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, Time magazine, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Russian forces edge closer to a key eastern Ukraine city in ‘intense’ fighting, officials say, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Fighting around the key eastern Ukraine city of Pokrovsk is “extremely intense” after a monthslong Russian push, Ukraine’s top military commander said, with analysts estimating Russian forces are within just a few miles of the city. READ MORE . . .

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Trump hints he won’t ‘abandon’ Kyiv but opposes Ukraine launching U.S. missiles inside Russia, by Martin Fornusek | The Kyiv Independent  U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he “very vehemently” disagrees with Ukraine using U.S.-made missiles to strike targets “hundreds of miles” inside Russia, the Time magazine reported today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for interview from Time.

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FROM DEC. 11  Russia could launch another hypersonic missile at Ukraine, U.S. official says. From Reuters. WASHINGTON — Russia could launch another hypersonic ballistic missile in Ukraine in the coming days, but Washington does not consider the Oreshnik weapon a game-changer in the war, a US official said on Wednesday. READ MORE . . .

Gaza, 12-11-24

For today, links to four reports: from the Associated Press and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. (SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli strikes on Gaza kill at least 29, Palestinian medics say, by Samy Magdy and Wafaa Shurafa | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes pounded the Gaza Strip overnight and into today, hitting a home where displaced people were sheltering in the isolated north and a built-up refugee camp. At least 29 people were killed, according to Palestinian health officials. The Israel-Hamas war has raged on with no end in sight . . . Click HERE for AP report including map, and HERE for report from Reuters.

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Humanitarian aid to northern Gaza mostly blocked for the last 2 months, UN says. From AP. UNITED NATIONS — Humanitarian aid to north Gaza, where Israel launched a ground offensive on Oct. 6, has largely been blocked for the past 66 days, leaving between 65,000 and 75,000 Palestinians without access to food, water, electricity or health care the United Nations said Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

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These Palestinians disappeared after encounters with Israeli troops in Gaza, by Wafaa Shurafa, Sarah el Deeb and Julia Frankel | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Reem Ajour says she last saw her husband, Talal, and then 4-year-old daughter, Masaa, in March, when Israeli soldiers raided a family home in northern Gaza and ordered her to go, leaving them — both wounded — behind. The Israeli legal group Hamoked says thousands like them . . . READ MORE . . .