For today, links to 10 reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and the Anadolu Agency, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor and Substack; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM   

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NEWER  Netanyahu, at UN, says Israel will keep ‘degrading Hezbollah’ until its objectives are met, by Tia Goldenberg | AP UNITED NATIONS — His leadership strained by conflicts on two fronts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told world leaders at the United Nations today that his nation will “continue degrading Hezbollah” until . . . Click HERE for AP article and video of address, and HERE for report from Reuters.

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Netanyahu to address U.N., as world leaders call for Gaza and Lebanon ceasefires. Reported by Michele Kelemen and Leila Fadel | NPR  Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the U.N. General Assembly this morning as he continues to reject a U.S. backed Lebanon cease-fire proposal. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Israel to continue ceasefire discussions for Lebanon, Netanyahu says, by James Mackenzie and Timour Azhari | Reuters  Israel will continue to discuss ceasefire proposals for Lebanon in the days ahead, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, as Washington warned that further escalation would only make it harder for civilians on both sides to return home. Israel’s foreign minister on Thursday . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli airstrikes leave blast sites and wounded in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  Some of Israel’s fiercest airstrikes in Lebanon have been in the East Bekaa valley, where Israel says the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah is hiding rockets and missiles in people’s homes. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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With nearly 700 killed in a week, Lebanon fears Gaza-level violence. From AP. Nearly 700 people have been killed in Lebanon this week, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Israel has dramatically escalated strikes, saying it is targeting Hezbollah’s military capacities and senior Hezbollah commanders. Top Israeli officials . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 26  Netanyahu vows to use ‘full force’ against Hezbollah and dims hopes for a cease-fire, by Bassem Mroue, Tia Goldenberg and Melanie Lidman | AP  NEW YORK — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday vowed to carry out “full force” strikes against Hezbollah until it ceases firing rockets across the border, dimming hopes for a cease-fire proposal put forth by U.S. and European officials. READ MORE . . .

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FROM. SEPT. 26  Israel’s Netanyahu arrives in New York to address UN as fears of a Mideast war grows. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heading to the UN as the various sides consider the U.S.-French ceasefire proposal for Israel and Hezbollah. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM SEPT. 26  Israel to receive $8.7 billion military aid package from U.S.: Defense Ministry. From Anadolu Agency.  JERUSALEM — Israel said Thursday it is set to receive a military aid package from the U.S. totaling $8.7 billion. The package coincides with . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 26  U.S. diplomacy in Mideast falters as clock ticks down for Biden, by Matt Spetalnick, John Irish and Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters  WASHINGTON — U.S. efforts to secure a Gaza ceasefire remain stalled after nearly a year of fighting. Iran-backed Houthi rebels continue to attack Red Sea shipping. And now, despite intense U.S.-led diplomacy, the Israel-Hezbollah conflict threatens to flare into . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 27  How the ICJ and UNGA challenged decades of Israeli, U.S. arrogance, by Ramzy Baroud | Middle East Monitor  Two historic events regarding the Israeli occupation of Palestine took place on July 19 and Sept 18. READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 26  Netanyahu’s Lebanon gambit, by Seymour M. Hersh | Substack  I was surprised to be told recently by a well-informed official in Washington that things had changed dramatically in the war in Gaza—in Israel’s favor. There is no longer a possibility or a need for a ceasefire in Gaza, the official said. READ MORE . . .

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

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Israeli airstrike kills 20 in Lebanon. From AP. Nineteen Syrian refugees and a Lebanese national were killed in northeast Lebanon after an Israeli airstrike destroyed a building housing workers, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said today. State-run National News Agency . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel rejects U.S.-backed Lebanon ceasefire proposal, by Timour Azhari and James Mackenzie | Reuters  Israel rejected proposals today for a ceasefire with Hezbollah, defying allies including the United States, which had called for an immediate three-week halt in fighting to allow for diplomacy to avert a wider war. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

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Partner in Israeli government threatens to quit if permanent cease-fire is reached with Hezbollah, by Bassem Mroue and Melanie Lidman | AP   TEL AVIV — A far-right partner in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has threatened to quit the coalition if a permanent cease-fire is reached with Hezbollah. Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the Jewish Power party . . . READ MORE . . .

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More than 22,000 people cross to Syria amid Israeli strikes on Lebanon: Syrian security forces. From AFP. Syrian security sources said more than 22,000 people had crossed from Lebanon into Syria via two of the countries’ border crossings this week, as Israeli air strikes pound Lebanon. READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s Netanyahu appears to downplay hopes for a cease-fire as deadly strikes continue in Lebanon. From AP. The Israeli prime minister has appeared to downplay hopes of an imminent truce with Hezbollah after the U.S. and its allies called for an “immediate” 21-day ceasefire to “provide space for diplomacy”. In a statement released today as . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 25  Israel is preparing for a ground invasion into southern Lebanon, it says. Reported by Kat Lonsdorf | NPR  Israel is moving two brigades north amid fears of a ground operation in southern Lebanon. It has conducted thousands of airstrikes in Lebanon and Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets at Israel. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM SEPT. 25  Many casualties of Israeli airstrikes were civilians, Lebanon health minister says. Reported by Matt Ozug, Juana Summers and Patrick Jarenwattananon | NPR  Lebanon Health Minister Firass Abiad decribes how his hospital system is coping with some of the deadliest airstrikes the country has seen in decades. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM SEPT. 25  NPR visits Lebanon’s hospitals in remote area that are filling with wounded people. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  In Lebanon, Israel launched more air strikes in a new front in the war with the militant group Hezbollah. Hezbollah took a group of journalists to the Bekka Valley, where Israel has been attacking. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM SEPT. 24  The war comes to Lebanon. Patricia Karam, Nimrod Goren, Charles Lister and Brian Katulis of the Middle East Institute assess aspects of Israel’s attacks in Lebanon. READ MORE . . .

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The hypocrisy of the humanitarian paradigm, by Ramona Wadi | Middle East Monitor  Israel has invaded Lebanon on at least five occasions since the late seventies, not including numerous air strikes. Now diplomats are revealing that the genocide is Gaza is only the beginning of the chaos in the Middle East. The humanitarian paradigm is the only way for them . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to 13 reports: from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Kyiv Post, NBC News, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and the Moscow Times; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Biden announces $8 billion in military aid for Ukraine, by Steve Holland and Patricia Zengerle | Reuters  WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden announced more than $8 billion in military assistance for Ukraine today to help Kyiv “win this war” against Russian invaders, using a visit by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to make a major commitment. The aid includes . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from AFP and Tass.

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WSJ: White House questions Zelensky’s victory plan, cites lack of strategy beyond weapons requests. From Kyiv Post. The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is concerned that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s victory plan lacks a comprehensive strategy and essentially amounts to a repeated request for additional weapons and the lifting of restrictions on the use of long-range missiles, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing . . . READ MORE . . .

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White House rejects Pentagon’s push for phosphorus munitions for Ukraine. From Kyiv Post. The Pentagon has recommended that the U.S. administration supply Ukraine with white phosphorus ammunition, according to NBC News, citing three government officials. It is said the White House has rejected . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from NBC News.

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What can President Biden do to help end the war in Ukraine as his term runs out? Reported by Michel Martin and Joanna Kakissis | NPR  Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Washington Thursday, seeking President Biden’s approval on a strategy to end the war with Russia on Ukraine’s terms. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM SEPT. 25  Zelenskyy warn at UNGA that Russia may attack Ukrainian power plants. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  Ukraine’s President Volodmyr Zelensky tries to rally support at a UN distracted by the Middle East and warns Russia may be planning to attack his country’s nuclear power plants. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.  Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and AP. –   –   –

Forcing Russia into peace would be ‘fatal mistake,’ Kremlin says. From AFP. The Kremlin said today rejected remarks made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the United Nations that Russia could only be forced into peace. READ MORE . . .

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Russian armed forces liberate DPR’s Ukrainsk — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Russian military has liberated the settlement of Ukrainsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a daily bulletin of the special military operation. According to the . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia returns 9 Ukrainian children with help from Qatar. From the Moscow Times. Authorities in Moscow returned nine Ukrainian children with the help of Qatari mediators, Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, announced today. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to 10 reports: from Al Jazeera, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, the Anadolu Agency, Reuters, and 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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Hezbollah says it targeted Mossad’s headquarters with a ballistic missile. From Al Jazeera. Hezbollah has fired a ballistic missile targeting Mossad’s headquarters near Tel Aviv, the Lebanon-based group said. The Israel military said a surface-to-surface missile was intercepted . . . READ MORE . . .

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Fears of all-out Mideast war grow as world leaders gather for UN General Assembly. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with Matt Duss, the executive vice president at the Center for International Policy, about Israel’s strategy in the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Hezbollah fires a missile at Tel Aviv in deepest strike yet after Israeli bombardment of Lebanon, by Melanie Lidman, Tia Goldenberg and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  TEL AVIV — Hezbollah hurled dozens of projectiles into Israel early today, including a missile aimed at Tel Aviv that was the militant group’s deepest strike yet and marked a further escalation after Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed hundreds of people. Click HERE for article and map.

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World leaders condemn Israel’s war on Gaza in UN speeches, by Seda Sevencan | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — World leaders condemned Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, calling Tuesday for global action at the UN General Assembly in New York. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa . . . READ MORE . . .

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Netanyahu will address the UN as Israel, bogged down by one war, barrels toward another, by Tia Goldenberg| AP  JERUSALEM — From the dais of the U.N. General Assembly just a year ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu triumphantly hailed a new peace he said would sweep through the Middle East. A year later, as he travels back to that same world stage, that vision is in tatters. The devastating . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hezbollah’s tunnels and flexible command weather Israel’s deadly blows, by Laila Bassam and James Mackenzie | Reuters  BEIRUT / JERUSALEM — Hezbollah’s flexible chain of command, together with its extensive tunnel network and a vast arsenal of missiles and weapons it has bolstered over the past year, is helping it weather unprecedented Israeli strikes, three sources familiar with the Lebanese militant group’s operations said. READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 24  Israel bombards Hezbollah, killing a top commander, while families flee southern Lebanon, by Abby Sewell and Natalie Melzer | AP  BEIRUT — Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander Tuesday as part of a two-day bombing campaign that has left more than 560 people dead and prompted thousands in southern Lebanon to seek refuge from the widening conflict. With the two sides on the brink of all-out war, Hezbollah launched dozens . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 24  Amid Israel-Hezbollah strikes, Lebanon says only U.S. can stop fighting, by Maya Gebeily, Tom Perry and James Mackenzie | Reuters  BEIRUT / JERUSALEM — An Israeli airstrike on Beirut killed a senior Hezbollah commander on Tuesday as cross-border rocket attacks by both sides increased fears of a full-fledged war in the Middle East and Lebanon said only Washington could help end the fighting. Hezbollah early on Wednesday confirmed . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 24   Fears of a wider war in the Middle East dominates the UNGA. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  The conflict in the Middle East dominates day one of the annual UN General Assembly — as the UN secretary general warns of a “powder keg” of global conflicts that risk engulfing the world. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Gaza: A million Palestinians in need of shelter aid before winter. From Middle East Monitor. With the amount of aid that Israel is currently allowing into Gaza, it will take humanitarian agencies more than two years to deliver the kits needed to prepare tents, makeshift shelters and damaged homes south of Wadi Gaza for this coming winter, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council-led Shelter Cluster in Palestine. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to 12 reports: from the Associated Press, Kyiv Post, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Kyiv Independent, and National Public Rado; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Ukraine urges world leaders not to seek ‘an out’ from Russia’s war instead of true peace, by Jennifer Peltz | AP  UNITED NATIONS — Ukraine’s president urged global leaders today to stand with his country and not seek “an out” instead of a “real, just peace” more than two years into Russia’s war. At a time . . . READ MORE . . .

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72nd Brigade falls back as Russia nears encirclement of Vuhledar, Forbes reports, by Julia Struck | Kyiv Post  The 72nd Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has reportedly begun retreating from its positions amid ongoing Russian efforts to encircle Vuhledar in the Donetsk region, according to a report by Forbes analyst David Axe. He said the Russian attack today . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says it downed 28 drones, four missiles during Russian overnight attack. From Reuters. KYIV — The Ukrainian air force said today it shot down 28 out of 32 drones and four out of eight missiles during an overnight Russian attack. READ MORE . . .

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Russia claims more advances in eastern Ukraine. From AFP. Russia’s armed forces said today it captured two more villages in eastern Ukraine, the latest gains as Moscow’s troops inch closer to the strategically important city of Pokrovsk. The Russian military has claimed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Battlegroup Center makes Ukraine lose up to 580 troops in past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia’s Battlegroup Center made the Ukrainian armed forces lose up to 580 troops in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a daily bulletin of the special military operation. Details of this and other . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zelenskyy’s victory plan sets Ukraine’s terms in a desperate war against Russia, by Samya Kullab and Lorne Cook | AP  KYIV — The victory plan that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will present to the White House this week asks the Biden administration to do something it has not achieved in the two and a half years since Russia invaded Ukraine: act quickly to support Kyiv’s campaign. While Western dawdling . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 24  U.S. to send $375 million in military aid to Ukraine, including medium-range cluster bombs, by Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee | AP  WASHINGTON — The U.S. will send Ukraine an undisclosed number of medium-range cluster bombs and an array of rockets, artillery and armored vehicles in a military aid package totaling about $375 million, U.S. officials said Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 24  Zelenskiy tells UN Russia must be forced into peace, by Simon Lewis and Michelle Nichols | Reuters  UNITED NATIONS — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday that the war between Russia and Ukraine cannot be calmed by talks alone, but that Moscow must be forced into peace. He said . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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FROM SEPT. 24  Ukraine says its soldiers recaptured a Russian stronghold after hand-to-hand fighting, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Ukrainian troops engaged in hand-to-hand combat as they drove Russian forces out of a huge processing plant in the town of Vovchansk in Ukraine’s northeast that had been occupied for four months, officials said Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 24  War comes home to Russia in tranquil lakeside town, by Lucy Papachristou and Mark Trevelyan | Reuters  LONDON — Judging by posts in a community chat room, nearly a week after a Ukrainian drone blew up an ammunition depot in the Russian town of Toropets, triggering an explosion as powerful as a small earthquake, its people . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 24  Independent study suggests Russian support for the war in Ukraine is complicated. Reported by Charles Maynes | NPR  Russian President Putin insists his country is united behind the war effort in Ukraine. Many Russian polls confirm it, but the findings of an independent study present a more complicated picture. Click HERE to listen and read.

Links to reports from National Public Radio and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM SEPT. 24  Banned Books Week: Effort to document and highlight support of the freedom to read. Steve Inskeep of NPR talks with Jennie Pu, New Jersey’s librarian of the year, about new estimates on the number of book bans happening across the country, and what’s being done to offset them. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM SEPT. 24  Israeli forces closed Al Jazeera’s West Bank bureau, but its coverage is undeterred. Reported by Aya Batrawy | NPR  Al Jazeera’s bureau in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is closed after Israeli forces stormed its offices over the weekend. Click HERE to listen and read. Click HERE for Sept. 22 report from AP.

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For today, links to 13 reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, the Moscow Times, Tass, the Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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UN chief condemns ‘get out of jail free’ card on wars, by Michelle Nichols | Reuters  UNITED NATIONS — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today denounced a growing number of governments and other groups who feel they are “entitled to a get out of jail free card,” citing wars in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip and Sudan. “They can trample international . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AP.

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Russian forces storming Ukrainian town of Vuhledar, bloggers and media say. From Reuters. Russian forces have begun storming the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar, a stronghold that has resisted Russian attack since the beginning of the 2022 war, according to Russian war bloggers and state media. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Moscow Times.

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Russian attack on Ukraine’s Poltava region disrupts power supply, authorities say. From Reuters. KYIV — Russia’s overnight attack on Ukraine’s central region of Poltava damaged energy infrastructure, cutting power to 20 settlements, authorities said today. Debris from falling drones . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces hit Ukrainian facility producing gas turbine engines for combat aircraft. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces have hit a Ukrainian facility producing gas turbine engines for combat aircraft, the Russian Defense Ministry said today in its bulletin. According to the bulletin . . . READ MORE . . .

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Belarusian Yak-130 fighter jet spotted in Kyiv region. From Kyiv Post. A Belarusian Yak-130 fighter jet likely breached Ukrainian airspace from Belarus on Monday, sparking an air alert in northern Ukraine. At 2:28 p.m. local time, Ukrainian authorities detected . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia moves to allow criminal defendants to fight in Ukraine.  From the Moscow Times. Russian lawmakers adopted a bill today allowing criminal defendants to serve in the military, closing a loophole that previously limited enlistment to suspects and convicts. The lower-house State Duma . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 23  Ukraine’s Zelenskiy says U.S. decisive actions could end Russian war next year, by Kanishka Singh and Costas Pitas | Reuters  Decisive actions by the United States now could hasten the end of the Russian war against Ukraine next year, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday after telling the ABC News that his country was “closer to the end of the war.” READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 23  Biden-Zelensky talks: Ukrainian soldiers want firepower to win but question if U.S. wants Russia defeated, by Asami Terajima | The Kyiv Independent  As President Volodymyr Zelensky kicked off a visit to the U.S. this week in a bid to secure more firepower for his army, Ukrainian soldiers on the ground monitored the news with half-hearted hope, questioning whether Kyiv’s top Western ally would provide enough to help them defeat Russia. READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 23  From Gaza to Ukraine, why do so many modern wars last so long? Greg Myre of NPR shares the perspectives of four observers of the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Can Biden tell the U.N. that the world is safer now than it was a few years ago? Steve Inskeep of NPR speaks with Jon Finer, President Biden’s deputy national security adviser, about Biden’s final address as president to the United Nations General Assembly. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM SEPT. 23  Ukraine accuses Russia of seeking to illegally control strategic sea as arbitration hearings, by Mike Corder | AP  THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Ukraine on Monday accused Russia of seeking to illegally seize control of the strategically important Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait, as hearings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration opened in a high-stakes arbitration case between Kyiv and Moscow. READ MORE . . .

 

For today, links to six reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press and National Public Radio, and via Popular Resistance to an interview from MintPress News and to commentary from an Australian observer; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date an a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Israel strikes Gaza as heavy rain worsens misery of displaced Palestinians, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Two strikes by Israeli forces killed at least 10 Palestinians, including four children, in the central Gaza Strip today, medics said, as heavy rains flooded displaced residents’ tent encampments. The assault on Gaza carried on even as international attention turned to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Lebanon says Israeli strikes kill 100 people. That would make it the deadliest day since October, by Melanie Lidman | AP  JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said it struck 300 targets today in Lebanon in one of the most intense barrages of airstrikes in nearly a year of fighting against the Hezbollah militant group. The Lebanese Health Ministry said 100 people were killed and more than 400 wounded . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Israel warns civilians in southern Lebanon to evacuate as it launches strikes. Reported by Steve Inskeep | NPR  As attacks between Israel and Hezbollah escalate, fears mount over prospects for an all-out war. NPR’s Steve Inskeep talks with Lina Khatib of the University of London. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is escalating step by step. Reported by Daniel Estrin and Steve Inskeep | NPR  The Israeli military is calling on residents of southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate homes and other buildings where Hezbollah stores weapons and said it was carrying out “extensive strikes.” Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM SEPT. 22  After a week of attacks, Lebanon braces for more. Reported by Jane Arraf and Scott Detrow | NPR  After a week of unprecedented Israeli attacks in Lebanon and Hezbollah counterattacks, Lebanon is bracing for more attacks to come. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM SEPT. 20  Scott Ritter: Israel’s collapse is imminent amid escalation in Lebanon. Mnar Adley of MintPress News talks with former United Nations weapons inspector Scott Ritter about the war between Israel and Hezbollah and Hamas and its continually changing dynamics since last Oct. 7 — in the Middle East and internationally. Click HERE to watch, listen, and read introduction.

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FROM SEPT. 21  Biden didn’t ‘fail’ to get a ceasefire; he never tried, by Caitlin Johnstone | caitlinjohnstone.org.au / Popular Resistance  The Wall Street Journal reports that senior U.S. officials don’t think the Biden administration will secure a ceasefire in Gaza before Biden’s term is up. Anyone who told you that Biden or Harris were seriously working on a ceasefire lied to you. READ MORE . . .