For today, links to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press, and to commentary from Indian Punchline and Judging Freedom; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli strikes batter Beirut in heaviest bombardment so far, witnesses say, by Maya Gebeily, Timour Azhari and Alexander Cornwell | Reuters  BEIRUT / JERUSALEM — Israeli air attacks battered Beirut’s southern suburbs overnight and early today in the most intense bombardment of the Lebanese capital since Israel sharply escalated its campaign against Iran-backed group Hezbollah last month. During . . . READ MORE . . .

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A strike on a mosque kills 19 as Israel bombards northern Gaza and southern Lebanon, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli strike on a mosque in the Gaza Strip early today killed at least 19 people, Palestinian officials said, as Israel intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon in a widening war with Iran-allied militant groups across the region. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 5  West Asian crisis prompts Biden to break ice with Putin, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  The U.S. president Joe Biden sprang a surprise during a press gaggle with reporters outside the White House on Thursday when he essentially didn’t rule out a potential meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 3  Going up the escalation ladder. Andrew Napolitano of Judging Freedom talks with University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer of Substack about Israel’s war against Hezbollah and the consequences of Iran’s strike against Israel on Oct. 1, and about “how profoundly committed the Biden administration is to supporting Israeli aggression across the Middle East.” Click HERE and scroll down, or HERE, for video.

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

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Russia targets Kyiv, Odessa in latest drone attack. From Reuters. Russia unleashed an overnight drone attack across Ukraine targeting the capital Kyiv and hitting infrastructure in the Black Sea port of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said today. The State Emergency Service said one person was wounded and . . . READ MORE . . .

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Fire erupts at Russia’s oldest military school in Moscow after reported drone strike. From Kyiv Post. A fire broke out at the Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School today, possibly caused by a drone attack, according to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says captured another village in eastern Ukraine. From AFP. Russian forces said on Saturday they had “liberated the settlement of Zhelannoye Vtoroye” in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. The Ukrainian name of the village is Zhelanne Druge. Kyiv said five civilians were killed by civilians in Ukraine’s south and east. READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicts up to 460 casualties on Ukrainian army over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia’s Battlegroup Center continues improving its frontline positions and inflicted roughly 460 casualties on enemy troops in its area of responsibility over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 5  Ukraine downs a Russian warplane and Russia claims gains in the east. From AP. KYIV — Ukrainian forces said they shot down a Russian fighter plane on Saturday while Russia claimed it made gains in Ukraine’s east. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

For today, links to nine reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, Morning Star, and Truthout, and to commentary from ScheerPost; other published matter is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM   

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Israel strikes Lebanon, hitting Beirut suburbs and the north, by Melanie Lidman and Bassem Mroue | AP  TEL AVIV — Israel expanded its bombardment in Lebanon today, hitting Beirut’s southern suburbs with 12 airstrikes and striking a Palestinian refugee camp deep in northern Lebanon for the first time. READ MORE . . .

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Israel expands airstrikes to north Lebanon as people try to flee from the south. Reported by Jane Arraf and Scott Simon | NPR  People in Lebanon are fleeing Israeli airstrikes in the south but Israel has now conducted strikes in the north as well. Click HERE to listen and read.

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A Hamas official is killed in an Israeli strike on a refugee camp. From AP. An Israeli strike on a refugee camp in north Lebanon has killed Hamas official Saeed Atallah Ali and his family, the militant group said today. The early morning strike came a day after another Israeli airstrike cut off a main highway linking Lebanon with Syria. READ MORE . . . 

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Nasrallah’s possible successor out of contact since Friday, Lebanese source says, by Maya Gebeily, Timour Azhari and Maayan Lubell | Reuters  BEIRUT / JERUSALEM —The potential successor to slain Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has been out of contact since Friday, a Lebanese security source said today, after an Israeli airstrike that is reported to have targeted him. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 3  Hezbollah leader agreed to ceasefire hours before assassination, Lebanese foreign minister says. From Morning Star. Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire hours before its leader Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated in an Israel air strike on Beirut, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said on Thursday in an interview with Christiane Amanpour on US broadcaster CNN. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Truthout.

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FROM OCT. 4  Israeli politician and retired general reflects on a year of war. Reported by Mary Louise Kelly, Michael Levitt and Courtney Dorning | NPR  Yair Golan, an Israeli general now in the reserves talks about how conflicts in the Middle East have escalated since Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Click HERE to listen and read.

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The strikes in Lebanon may be helping Netanyahu’s popularity as a wartime leader. Reported by Scott Simon of NPR asks reporter Anshel Pfeffer, author of the biography “Bibi,” how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is navigating this moment of conflict in the Middle East. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM OCT. 4  U.S. citizens are advised to leave Lebanon amid conflict with Israel. Reported by Matt Ozug, Juana Summers and Justine Kenin | NPR  Israel’s airstrikes in Lebanon have forced more and more people from their homes. The U.S. State Department is urging American citizens in Lebanon to leave the country all together. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM OCT. 3  ‘Who do you want to win?’ by Patrick Lawrence | Original to ScheerPost  A piece by a Times of London columnist merits careful consideration. Matthew Syed titles his commentary, “Israel–Hezbollah conflict hinges on a crude question: Who do you want to win?” He proposes we consider Israel’s barbarities another case of the West against the rest. Russia will invade Europe when it finished in Ukraine. China . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy to present ‘victory plan’ at Ramstein meeting. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine will present its “victory plan” at a regular meeting of its allies at Ramstein in Germany on Oct. 12, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said today —“clear, specific steps for a just end to the war.” READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 4  Russia retrains ex-soldiers heading back to the battlefield. From Reuters. ROSTOV REGION, Russia — Two and a half years into its war with Ukraine, Russia is offering one-off bonuses of up to 1.9 million roubles ($20,000) — 22 times the average monthly . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 4  Thousands of Jewish pilgrims come to Ukraine for Rosh Hashana despite official warnings, by Illia Novikov | AP  UMAN, Ukraine — Prayer chants and the sounding of traditional ram’s horns fill the air in the town of Uman, in central Ukraine, as thousands of pilgrims join . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to nine reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, Agence France-Presse, Mondoweiss, and Morning Star, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE,) — MCM

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Israeli strikes cut off key crossing that thousands of Lebanese are using to flee. From AP. An Israeli airstrike has cut off a main highway linking Lebanon with Syria,  leading to the closure of a road near the Masnaa Border Crossing, from where tens of thousands of people fleeing war in Lebanon have crossed into Syria over the past two weeks. READ MORE . . .

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Khamenei says Iran and its allies will not back down from Israel, by Maya Gebeily and James Mackenzie | Reuters  Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said today that Iran and its regional proxies will not back down from Israel hours after an Israeli attack on Beirut that is thought to have targeted the heir apparent to Tehran-backed Hezbollah’s slain secretary general. READ MORE . . .

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As Israel strikes Hezbollah in Lebanon, thousands of foreign nationals try to leave. A Martínez of NPR asks Michigan state Rep. Alabas Farhat about efforts to help U.S. citizens leave Lebanon, amid continued attacks by Israel on Hezbollah. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Iran FM says backs efforts for simultaneous Gaza-Lebanon ceasefire. From AFP. BEIRUT — Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said today his country backed efforts for a simultaneous ceasefire with Israel in both the Palestinian territory of Gaza and Lebanon. READ MORE . . .

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Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ hunted leader, remains committed to Israel’s destruction, by Samia Nakhoul | Reuters  Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is unrepentant about the Oct. 7 attacks a year ago, people in contact with him say, despite . . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 3  Israeli airstrike hits a medical center in central Beirut. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  In Lebanon, Israeli air strikes on Thursday killed at least seven medical and rescue workers. The Lebanese government accuses Israel of targeting Lebanon’s already stretched infrastructure. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM OCT. 3  Israel extends evacuation warnings in Lebanon, signaling a wider offensive, by Fadi Tamil and Jack Jeffrey Gaz | AP  BEIRUT — The Israeli military on Thursday warned people to evacuate a city and other communities in southern Lebanon that are north of a U.N.-declared buffer zone, signaling that it may widen a ground operation launched earlier this week against the Hezbollah militant group. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 2  For the first time, Congress will vote on blocking weapons to Israel, by Michael Arria | Mondoweiss / Popular Resistance  U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent, announced that he had introduced legislation to block a $20 billion arms sale to Israel. The Joint Resolutions of Disapproval would . . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 2  Palestine Action halt F-35 supply chain at Wirral weapons factory. From Morning Star / Popular Resistance  Palestine Action activists on Wednesday shut down a factory in Bromborough on the Wirral that is known to supply crucial parts for warplanes being used in Israel’s Gaza genocide. They climbed . . . READ MORE . . .

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A look at Israel’s strategic and military failures in Gaza, by Rabia Ali | Middle East Monitor  As the war in Gaza enters its second year, experts warn that Israel’s military campaign in the besieged enclave has become a strategic disaster. Despite . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to seven reports: from the Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, Reuters, Tass, and the Moscow Times; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA entry for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE.) —MCM

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Ukrainian Long-Range Drones Torch Another Oil Storage Site Deep in Russia, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  Ukraine renewed long-range drone attacks against Russia’s energy infrastructure on Thursday, hitting a fuel storage base deep inside the central Voronezh region and setting it ablaze. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Russia knocked out most infrastructure in Ukraine’s Pokrovsk, local official says. From Reuters KYIV — Russia knocked out around 80% of critical infrastructure in the town of Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub in Ukraine’s east, as Moscow’s troops inched forward, a local official said today. READ MORE . . .

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Russia delivers 29 strikes at Ukrainian military, energy sites over week — Defense Ministry. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces delivered 29 strikes by precision weapons, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at Ukrainian military-industrial and energy sites over the week in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 3  Russia launches major drone attack on Ukraine, damages energy infrastructure. From Reuters. KYIV — Russian forces launched a major drone attack overnight on 15 Ukrainian regions, causing damage to energy infrastructure and residential buildings, authorities said on Thursday. The Ukrainian air force said it had shot down 78 out of 105 . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 3  Ukraine’s top commander orders defences bolstered in the east after Vuhledar falls. From Reuters. Ukraine’s armed forces commander General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Thursday he had ordered defences to be strengthened in the eastern Donetsk region, a day after Kyiv forces announced they had withdrawn from the town of Vuhledar. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 2  On the Pokrovsk front, Ukrainian forces struggle to hold back the Russian advance, by Joseph Roche | The Moscow Times  Since the beginning of the summer, Russian forces, in a full-scale offensive in the Donbas, have achieved their greatest advance since the start of the war in February 2022, pushing their troops to within a few kilometers of Pokrovsk . . . READ MORE . . .

For now, links to a video from Consortium News and CN Live! and to commentary from ScheerPost; other published matter is accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM   

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FROM OCT. 3  Watch: ‘Assange appears as Mideast burns.’ Joe Lauria and Elizabeth Vos of Consortium News and CN Live! interview British journalists Craig Murray and Richard Medhurst about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange‘s speech to a committee of the Council of Europe on Tuesday and about the explosive situation in the Middle East. Click HERE for introduction and video.

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FROM OCT. 3  ‘Who do you want to win?’ by Patrick Lawrence | Original to ScheerPost  A piece by a Times of London columnist merits careful consideration. Matthew Syed titles his commentary, “Israel–Hezbollah conflict hinges on a crude question: Who do you want to win?” He proposes we consider Israel’s barbarities another case of the West against the rest. Russia will invade Europe when it finished in Ukraine. China . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, links to five reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio and to a video via Consortium News of Oct. 12 UN General Assembly meeting, and links to video from ScheerPost and to commentary from nader.org and CN; other published matter is accessible by clicking on the sources’ names or internet addresses below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM 

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Gaza and a ceasefire slip out of focus as Lebanon conflict rages, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Palestinians fear the crisis in Lebanon is diverting the world’s attention from Gaza, where Israeli strikes killed dozens more people this week, and diminishing already dim prospects for a ceasefire a year into a war that has shattered the enclave. READ MORE . . .

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Rare Israeli strike in central Beirut kills 7 as troops battle Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, by Fadi Tamil and Jack Jeffrey | AP  BEIRUT — An Israeli airstrike on an apartment in central Beirut killed seven Hezbollah-affiliated civilian first responders. Israel has been pounding areas of the country where the militant group has a strong presence since late September, but has rarely struck in the heart of the capital. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM OCT. 2  The UN security council holds an emergency session on the situation on the Middle East. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  The UN Secretary General is urging all sides to accept a diplomatic solution as “time is running out.” Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM OCT. 2  Watch: UN Security Council on widening Mideast war. From Consortium News.  The nearly three-hour session began at about 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday. Click HERE for video. (Deliberatons begin about 19 minutes in.)

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FROM OCT. 2 What leverage does the U.S. have in the Middle East? A diplomat weighs in. Reported by Mary Louise Kelly, Tyler Bartlam and Patrick Jarenwattananon | NPR  U.S. diplomat Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, talks about the leverage the U.S. has in ceasefire talks and the Mideast conflict. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM SEPT. 29  Julian Assange’s 2012 interview with the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. From ScheerPost. “In light of the recent assassination of Hezbollah secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, ScheerPost is republishing this 2012 interview with the Lebanese leader conducted by Julian Assange.” Click HERE for brief introduction and video of interview.

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FROM SEPT. 27  Netanyahu – ‘Nothing can stop us’ – not even the majority of Israelis, by Ralph Nader | nader.org  Israel’s Biden-backed war machine is once again bearing down on defenseless Lebanese people. Hostilities on the Israeli/Lebanon border . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 30  Nasrallah is dead but Bibi hasn’t won, by Patrick Lawrence | Special to Consortium News  You have probably heard by now, or heard about, Bibi Netanyahu’s viciously vituperative hate speech before the U.N. General Assembly last Friday. The Israeli prime minister let it be known he hates more or less everybody now, not least the membership of the organization hosting him. They, we, are all . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press, and to commentary from Indian Punchline; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Russia launches major drone attack on Ukraine, damages energy infrastructure. From Reuters. KYIV — Russian forces launched a major drone attack overnight on 15 Ukrainian regions, causing damage to energy infrastructure and residential buildings, authorities said today. READ MORE . . .

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New NATO chief Mark Rutte visits Ukraine in his first trip since taking office, by Hanna Arhirova and Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — New NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte visited Ukraine today in his first official trip since taking office and pledging continued support for Kyiv in its war with Russia. READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 28  The fog of war is lifting in Ukraine, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  The alignments of the endgame in the Ukraine conflict are surfacing as never before. If much remains in the realm of speculation still, that is largely due to . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to an article from Substack, and to nine reports: from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, the Anadolu Agency, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM OCT. 1  My meetings with Nasrallah, by Seymour M. Hersh | Substack  I must confess that I liked Hassan Nasrallah. I had a few long meetings with him that began in the winter of 2003. It was a few months after the U.S. invasion of Iraq even though Iraq was led by the secular Saddam Hussein who had no connection to Al Qaeda. I was working for . . . READ MORE . . .

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Iran and Israel swap threats following Tehran’s missile barrage. From AP. The Middle East moved closer to a long-feared regional war today, a day after Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel and Israel said it began limited ground incursions into Lebanon targeting the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Israel said . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for audio of reports from NPR.

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FROM OCT. 1  Iran fires ballistic missiles at Israel after Israeli ground raid into Lebanon. From AP. Iran launched at least 180 missiles into Israel on Tuesday, another sharp escalation of the monthslong conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militias Hezbollah and Hamas. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Anadolu Agency.

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FROM OCT. 1  Israel vows response after Iran hits it with salvo of ballistic missiles, by John McCarthy | Reuters  JERUSALEM — Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday in retaliation for Israel’s campaign against Tehran’s Hezbollah allies in Lebanon, drawing vows of a sharp response from both Israel and the United States. Alarms sounded across Israel and . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 1  Biden directs U.S. military to shoot down Iranian missiles targeting Israel: White House, by Michael Hernandez | Anadolu Agency  WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the U.S. military to shoot down Iranian ballistic missiles targeting Israel, the White House said Tuesday after an Iranian salvo was launched on Israel. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 1  Iran fires missiles at Israel as Israel invades Lebanon. Reported by Jane Arraf and Daniel Estrin | NPR  Iran has launched almost 200 long-range missiles against Israel, just hours after Israeli forces launched a ground offensive into southern Lebanon against Iran’s main proxy, Hezbollah. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM OCT. 1  The Middle East war widens as Iranian missiles shoot into Israel. Reported by Ailsa Chang, Michael Levitt and Christopher Intagliata | NPR  The war in the Middle East appears to be widening. Iran sent a volley of missiles at Israel just days after Israel killed the leader of Hezbollah, Hasan Nasrallah. Click HERE  to listen and, later, read.