A link to commentary from Consortium News; other articles are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM
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FROM AUG. 8 Decay, decrepitude, deceit in journalism, by Ray McGovern | Special to Consortium News Russiagate continues to survive like a science fiction monster resilient to bullets. The latest effort at rehabilitating it is . . . READ MORE . . .
For today, links to five reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from 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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Western allies condemn Israeli finance minister’s suggestion that starving Gaza might be justified. From AP. JERUSALEM — Israel’s Western allies have condemned remarks by its far-right finance minister, who suggested that causing the starvation of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million Palestinians “might be just and moral” until hostages captured . . . READ MORE . . .
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Israel kills 25 Palestinians in Gaza airstrikes amid fears of wider war, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters Israeli forces stepped up strikes across the Gaza Strip today, killing at least 25 people, Palestinian medics said, in further battle with Hamas-led militants as Israel braced for potential wider war in the region. READ MORE . . .
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The Israeli military orders another mass evacuation in southern Gaza. From AP. The Israeli military has ordered another mass evacuation in large areas around Khan Younis in southern Gaza, saying . . . READ MORE . . .
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Rights group says Israeli forces killed 7 sheltering in a Gaza City home. From AP. A new report from Human Rights Watch says Israeli soldiers killed at least seven people and severely wounded two, including a 5-year-old, when they attacked a home in Gaza City where a Palestinian family was sheltering from the Israel-Hamas war in December. Gaza faces . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM AUG. 7 Hamas has named a new leader – the man known as the architect of the Oct. 7 attacks. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR Hamas has named a new leader. He’s the group’s top military commander in Gaza and the man widely known as the architect of the Oct. 7 attacks. Click HERE to listen and read.
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Why Hamas picked Yahya Sinwar as its new leader, by Rayhan Uddin | Middle East Eye Yahya Sinwar, Israel‘s most wanted man and believed to be in tunnels deep below the Gaza Strip, is the new political leader of Hamas. The assassination of his predecessor . . . READ MORE . . .
For today, links to six reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, the Kyiv Post, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM
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Russia battles Ukrainian troops for a third day after major incursion, by Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters MOSCOW — Russian forces were battling Ukrainian troops for a third day today after they smashed through the Russian border in the Kursk region, an audacious attack that has forced Moscow to call in reserves. In one of the biggest . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from AP, the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post, and Tass.
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F-16 fighter jets spotted over Kherson Region in first such case — official. From Tass. GENICHESK — F-16 fighter jets have been spotted over the Kakhovka District in the Kherson Region, district head Pavel Filipchuk said. READ MORE . . .
For today, links to six reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and the Anadolu Agency, and to commentary from Indian Punchline, Middle East Monitor and Middle East Eye; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM
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Israeli army issues new evacuation orders in north Gaza after fresh rocket fire, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters CAIRO — Israeli forces today issued new evacuation orders to Palestinians in areas of north Gaza that were among the first to be hit at the start of the war with Hamas in October, after militants fired a fresh volley of rockets into Israel. READ MORE . . .
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Hamas names Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks, as its new leader in show of defiance, by Bassein Mroue | AP BEIRUT — Hamas on Tuesday named Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza who masterminded the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, as its new leader in a dramatic sign of the power of the Palestinian militant group’s hardline wing after . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.
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Jewish settlers expand in the West Bank while attention is on Gaza. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR The war in Gaza has been the main focus in the Middle East. Yet in the West Bank, Israel’s government is seizing land and Jewish settlers are establishing outposts at the highest rate in decades. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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New Hamas leader can ensure a cease-fire deal is reached, Blinken says. From AP. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the newly chosen Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has the power to ensure that a cease-fire deal is reached for the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. READ MORE . . .
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Haniyeh’s assassination carried out by 2 Mossad-recruited Iranian revolutionary guards: report, by Muhammed Enes Çallı | Anadolu Agency ISTANBUL — An explosive device was placed under the bed of assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh by two Iranians recruited by Israeli spy agency Mossad, according to a report in the Jewish Chronicle. READ MORE . . .
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FROM AUG. 3 Iran to hit Israel hard with smart power, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline Amidst the cascading tensions in the Middle East following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh by Israel and vows of ‘revenge’ in Tehran . . . READ MORE . . .
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Israel’s admission that it targeted a journalist exposes crude attempt to control war narrative, by Tim Dawson | Middle East Monitor In international law, journalists are considered civilians; combatants are obliged to ensure their safety. READ MORE . . .
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Israel is in a death spiral. Who will it take down with it? by Jonathan Cook | Jonathan-Cok.net / Middle East Eye There should be nothing surprising about the revelation that troops at Sde Teiman, a detention camp set up by Israel in the wake of Hamas’s 7 October attack on southern Israel, are routinely using rape as a weapon of torture against Palestinian inmates. READ MORE . . .
For today, links to eight reports from Reuters, the Moscow Times, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Tass, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM
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Ukraine pierces Russian border triggering major battles, by Guy Faulconbridge and Lidia Kelly | Reuters MOSCOW — Russia said today it was fighting intense battles against Ukrainian forces which had penetrated Russia’s Kursk region in one of the largest incursions into Russia since the Ukraine war began in February 2022. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Moscow Times.
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Putin accuses Ukraine of a ‘large-scale provocation’ in southwestern Russia, by Samya Kullab | AP KYIV — Russian President Vladimir Putin today described a Ukrainian incursion into the country’s southwestern Kursk region as a “large-scale provocation” as his officials asserted that they were fighting off cross-border raids for a second day. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Tass.
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Russia says Ukraine opening ‘second front’ in Africa. From AFP. Russia on Wednesday said Ukraine was opening a “second front” in Africa after Mali and Niger broke off diplomatic relations with Kyiv, accusing it of support for “terrorist groups.” READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Tass.
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Russian troops wipe out oil refinery supplying fuel to Ukrainian military. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops destroyed an oil refinery that supplied fuel to the Ukrainian military and hit a mercenaries’ deployment site 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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Russian offensive expected to wind down within 2 months, Budanov says, by Kateryna Denisova and news desk | The Kyiv Independent The main pressure of Russia’s offensive should come to a close within one and a half or two months, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said in comments reported today by Forbes Ukraine. READ MORE . . .
For today, links to eight reports: from Axios, Reuters, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, CNN, and Middle East Monitor, and to commentary from Substack 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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FROM AUG. 5 Biden briefed that Iran attack timing and details still unclear, U.S. officials say, by Barak Ravid | Axios President Biden and Vice President Harris were told by their national security team on Monday that it is still unclear when Iran and Hezbollah are likely to launch an attack against Israel and what specifically the attack might entail, according to three U.S. officials. READ MORE . . .
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Israel says dozens of Palestinian fighters killed in Gaza over past 24 hours, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie | Reuters CAIRO / JERUSALEM — Israeli forces killed 45 Palestinian fighters in Gaza over the past day, the military said today, after heavy fighting in which militant group Hamas said it destroyed two armoured personnel carriers during an ambush near the city of Rafah. The Israeli military said . . .READ MORE . . .
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Palestinians killed in West Bank as world leaders try to avoid regional war. From AP. Israeli fire during military raids in the occupied West Bank killed eight Palestinians, including four teenagers, and wounded another seven, Palestinian officials said today, as world leaders try to stop tensions in the Middle East from boiling over into a regional war. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.
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U.S. officials are increasingly worried about a wider war in the Middle East.Reported by Michel Martin of NPR talks with a former head of Israel’s Defense Intelligence Amos Yadlin about, among other things, whether Israel is prepared for a possible war with Hezbollah and Iran while fighting in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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FROM AUG. 3 U.S. sending aircraft carrier, warships and fighter squadron to Middle East as region braces for Iranian retaliation, by Oren Liebermann | CNN The United States is sending a carrier strike group, a fighter squadron and additional warships to the Middle East as the region braces for an Iranian retaliation to the killing of a senior Hamas leader in Tehran earlier this week. READ MORE . . .
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FROM AUG. 4 Blinken told G7 Iran and Hezbollah could attack Israel in next 24 hours, by Barak Ravid | Axios Secretary of State Tony Blinken told his counterparts from the G7 countries on Sunday that an attack by Iran and Hezbollah against Israel could start as early as Monday, according to three sources briefed on the call. READ MORE . . .
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Gaza detainee tortured to death at Israel’s Sde Teiman facility. From Middle East Monitor. A Palestinian detainee from Gaza died of torture at the notorious Sde Teiman detention centre in southern Israel, according to prisoners’ affairs groups. “Omar Junaid was . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM AUG. 5 Netanyahu’s assassination spree, by Seymour M. Hersh | Substack The United States and the Middle East are now enduring a crisis that can in part be traced to the failed foreign policies of President Joe Biden, who will be in office, barring unforeseen events, for six more months. The core issue has been . . . READ MORE . . .
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Netanyahu wants a war without end. This could give it to him, by Richard Silverstein | Middle East Eye Last week’s assassinations by Israel of Hezbollah’s top military commander, Fuad Shukr, and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh have brought the region to the precipice of all-out war. Actually, the region is already at war. But . . . READ MORE . . .
For today, links to nine reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Kyiv Independent, the Kyiv Post, Reuters, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM
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NEWER Russia says it’s fighting a cross-border attack by Ukrainian forces. Kyiv officials have no comment. From AP. KYIV, Ukraine — Russian authorities claimed that a Ukrainian force launched an incursion on Tuesday into Russia’s Kursk region but was being beaten back by troops and local border guards. The Russian Defense Ministry said . . . READ MORE . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.
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Russia claims Ukraine attempted to break into Kursk region, Kyiv hasn’t commented, by Kateryna Denisova | The Kyiv Independent Aleksey Smirnov, the governor of Russia’s Kursk Oblast, claimed that the Ukrainian military tried to break into the territory of the region today. The region borders Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast, which has . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.
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Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s Kharkiv injures five, governor says. From Reuters. KYIV — A Russian missile attack on the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine damaged a medical clinic and injured at least five people today, the governor of the Kharkiv region said. READ MORE . . .
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Ukraine diverts more funding towards missile programme, Zelenskiy says. From Reuters. Ukraine has put additional funding towards its domestic missile programme, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said today, as it tries to narrow a gap in capabilities with Russia, which has an array of long-range weapons. READ MORE . . .
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Russia warns Ukraine: peace terms will only get worse, by Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters MOSCOW — A top Russian official told Ukraine today that the longer it waited to enter peace talks, the tougher the terms would be for its people. Moscow has said talks must be based . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russian troops liberate Timofeyevka community in DPR over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated the community of Timofeyevka 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 AUG. 5 Investigation: Almost 2 years into first reports of wrongdoing, Ukraine’s International Legion appears immune to change, by Anna Myroniuk | The Kyiv Independent The International Legion was destined to be a PR success for Ukraine. Launched in the beginning of Russia’s invasion in 2022, it attracted foreigners who volunteered to defend Ukraine, highlighting that the fight against Russian aggression was a global cause. But . . . READ MORE . . .
For today, links to nine reports: from Reuters, Middle East Monitor, the Associated Press, the Anadolu Agency, and Common Dreams, and to commentary from Common Dreams 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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FROM AUG. 4 Israeli strikes hit Gaza schools, hospital compound after talks fail, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters CAIRO — An Israeli air strike hit two schools in Gaza City on Sunday, killing at least 25 people, the Palestinian official news agency said, while the Israeli military said it struck a Hamas military compound embedded in the schools. Earlier . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Common Dreams.
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Israel announces assassination of Gaza’s deputy Minister for Economy. From Middle East Monitor. Israeli forces have claimed responsibility for the assassination of Gaza’s deputy Minister for Economy, amid a flurry of assassinations of Palestinians officials in recent months. READ MORE . . .
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FROM AUG. 4 U.S. and allies prepare to defend Israel as Netanyahu says it’s already in ‘multi-front war’ with Iran, by Natalie Melzer and Samy Magdy | AP TEL AVIV — Israel is already in a “multi-front war” with Iran and its proxies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting Sunday, as the United States and allies prepared to defend Israel from an expected counterstrike and prevent an even more . . . READ MORE . . .
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Proxy forces armed by Iran could take part in retaliation against Israel over Hamas leader’s killing, by Jon Gambrell | AP DUBAI — As Iran threatens to respond to the suspected Israeli assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, the regional militias that the Islamic Republic has armed for decades could play a role in any attack. READ MORE . . .
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Russian Security Council head arrives in Iran’s capital Tehran, by Burç Eruygur | Anadolu Agency ISTANBUL — Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergey Shoygu arrived today in Iran’s capital Tehran on a working visit, the Russian state news agency Tass reported. READ MORE . . .
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Iran says it does not want regional escalation but must ‘punish’ Israel. From Reuters. DUBAI — Iran is not looking to escalate regional tensions but believes it needs to punish Israel to prevent further instability, the foreign ministry spokesperson said today, following the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week. “Iran seeks . . . READ MORE . . .
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Torture, sexual violence against Palestinian detainees ‘war crime,’ says Amnesty International, by Zuhal Demirci | Anadolu Agency LONDON — Israel’s inhumane treatment of Palestinian detainees at Sde Teiman Prison in southern Israel, including torture and sexual violence, are “war crimes,” according to an official of Amnesty International. READ MORE . . .
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Arundhati Roy: India must stop arming Israel or ‘forever be linked to genocide,’ by Brett Wilkins | Common Dreams / ScheerPost Acclaimed Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy this week joined prominent jurists, diplomats, artists, and others in urging their government to . . . READ MORE . . .
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Israeli minister laments that ‘nobody will let us’ starve 2 million Gazans to death, by Edward Carver | Common Dreams Far-right Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich said today it might be “justified and moral” to cause two million Palestinian civilians to starve to death until Hamas returns Israeli hostages, drawing criticism . . . READ MORE . . .
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War on Gaza: Two Al Jazeera journalists were killed — and the West is silent, by Linah Alsaafin | Middle East Eye “After 300 days of continuous coverage with my friend and companion . . . READ MORE . . .
For today, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Kyiv Post, Tass, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM
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FROM AUG. 4 Ukraine’s Zelenskyy displays newly arrived F-16 fighter jets to combat Russia in the air, by Andrew Meldrum | AP SOMEWHERE IN UKRAINE — Ukraine’s newly arrived F-16 fighter jets were put on display Sunday by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said the planes will boost the country’s war effort against Russia. “These jets . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and Kyiv Post.
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F-16s received by Kiev to have no impact on Russia’s special op — Chechen commander. From Tass. MOSCOW — The six F-16 fighter jets delivered to Ukraine will have no bearing on the course of Russia’s special military operation in any way, according to Maj. Gen. Apty Alaudinov, deputy chief of the Russian Armed Forces’ Main Military-Political Department and . . . READ MORE . . .
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Ukraine receives $3.9 bln grant from US, prime minister says. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine has received a $3.9 billion grant from the United States via the World Bank, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said today. “This . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russian Su-34 jet destroyed in Ukraine’s strike on Morozovsk airfield, Kyiv says, by Kateryna Denisova | The Kyiv Independent The Ukrainian military destroyed a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber aircraft and an ammunition depot at the Morozovsk airfield in Russia’s Rostov Oblast on Saturday, Ukraine’s military intelligence said today, citing satellite imagery. Prior . . . READ MORE . . .
For today, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Monitor, and the Anadolu Agency, to commentary from Middle East Eye, and to an interview from ScheerPost via Consortium News; other news and commentary are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (VENEZELA entry for this date is HERE— MCM
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Strikes on Gaza kill 18 and stabbing in Israel kills 2 as fears of wider war spike, by Natalie Melzer and Samy Magdy | AP TEL AVIV — Israeli strikes early today killed 18 people in Gaza, including four who were sheltering in a tent camp for displaced Palestinians inside a hospital complex, while a stabbing attack carried out by a Palestinian killed two people in a Tel Aviv suburb. READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, and HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.
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Blinken speaks with UK, French counterparts to ‘deescalate’ rising Mideast tensions, by Rabia İclal Turan | Anadolu Agency WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his British and French counterparts Saturday via telephone about the need to deescalate rising tensions in the Middle East and prevent further escalation of the conflict. READ MORE . . .
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How Netanyahu’s Washington visit paved the way for regional war, by Sami Al-Arian | Middle East Eye As Israel ramps up its military provocations, it is now more apparent than ever that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bellicose address in Congress last week was the opening salvo of a wider regional war — to the rapturous applause of U.S. lawmakers. READ MORE . . .
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A diary of genocide. Chris Hedges of ScheerPost talks with Atef Abu Saif, the Palestinian novelist who chronicled his experience surviving the most recent onslaught in Gaza. Born in the besieged territory, Saif has known war his whole life. Click HERE to listen, and for transcript.