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

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Israeli forces rescue 2 hostages in dramatic Gaza raid that killed at least 67 Palestinians, by Najib Jobain, Josef Federman and Samy Magdy | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces rescued two hostages early today, storming a heavily guarded apartment in the Gaza Strip and extracting the captives under fire in a dramatic raid. The operation killed at least 67 Palestinians, including women and children, according to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel frees two hostages in Rafah under cover of air strikes, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Emily Rose | Reuters  DOHA / JERUSALEM — Israel freed two Israeli-Argentinian hostages in Rafah today under the cover of airstrikes which local health officials said killed 67 Palestinians and wounded dozens in the southern Gaza city that is the last refuge of about a million displaced civilians. A joint operation by . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel has been threatening a military ground offensive against the city Rafah. Reported by Leila Fadel and Eyder Peralta | NPR  Humanitarian agencies and the international community say if Israel takes its fight to that part of Gaza, the result could be a humanitarian catastrophe. Click HERE to listen and read.

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, 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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Russia launches barrage of 45 drones over Ukraine as Kyiv changes more military leaders. From AP. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces launched 45 drones over Ukraine in a five-and-a-half-hour barrage Sunday, officials said, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continued the reshuffle of his war cabinet. In a statement, the Ukrainian air force said it had shot down 40 of the . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine destroys 14 of 17 Russia-launched drones — Ukraine Air Force. From Reuters. Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed 14 out of 17 drones that Russia launched overnight and one Kh-59 cruise missile, Ukraine’s Air Force said today. The Air Force said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine aid package clears key procedural vote in U.S. Senate. From AFP. A sweeping U.S. foreign aid package, including $60 billion for Ukraine, passed a key procedural vote Sunday, although opposition from right-wing Republicans may block it from becoming law. The lion’s share of the $95 billion package would help pro-Western Ukraine restock depleted ammunition supplies, weapons and . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zelensky appoints 4 new high-level military commanders. From the Kyiv Independent. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced four high-level military appointments on Sunday, including the commanders of the Ground Forces, Territorial Defense Forces, the Combined Forces, and the Airborne Assault Forces. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters and National Public Radio, and to commentary from Scheer Post in the form of a talk; others are accessible by clicking on names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Egypt threatens to suspend key peace treaty if Israel pushes into Gaza border town, officials say, by Najib Jobain and Samy Magdy | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Egypt is threatening to suspend its peace treaty with Israel if Israeli troops are sent into the densely populated Gaza border town of Rafah, and says fighting there could force the closure of the territory’s main aid supply route, two Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat said today. The threat to suspend the Camp David Accords, a . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hamas had command tunnel under U.N. Gaza HQ, Israeli military says, by Dylan Martinez | Reuters  GAZA — Israeli forces have discovered a tunnel network hundreds of metres long and running partly under the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees’ Gaza headquarters, the military says. The Palestinians have accused Israel of falsifying . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli military claims an underground tunnel links Hamas with the UNRWA. Reported by Debbie Elliott and Greg Myre | NPR  Israel’s military showed journalists what it claims is a Hamas tunnel beneath the Gaza headquarters of the UN agency that assists Palestinians. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JAN. 18  The death of Israel. A talk given by Chris Hedges. Posted on Jan. 24 by Scheer Post, this is an hour-long talk journalist Hedges gave at the Islamic Society of Central New Jersey, preceded by a six-minute introduction and followed by about 15 minutes of Q&A. Click HERE to watch and listen.

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FROM FEB. 9  The death of Israel: How a settler colonial state destroyed itself, by Chris Hedges. This is a transcription of Hedges’ Jan. 18 talk followed by the same video of it linked in the item just above, both courtesy of Roger Mills, who posted it on Substack. Click HERE for text and video.

 

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

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Russia launches 45 drones in mass barrage of Ukraine as Kyiv continues war cabinet reshuffle. From AP. KYIV — Russian forces launched 45 drones over Ukraine today in a five-and-a-half-hour barrage, officials said, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continued the reshuffle of his war cabinet as the war enters its third year. The Ukrainian air force said it had shot down 40 of the . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces using Musk’s Starlink in occupied areas, Ukraine says. From Reuters. KYIV — Russian forces in occupied Ukraine are using Starlink terminals produced by Elon Musk’s SpaceX for satellite internet in what is beginning to look like their “systemic” application, Kyiv’s main military intelligence agency said today. The terminals . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia closes in on Avdiivka as Western aid for Kyiv falters, war of attrition grinds on. From the Moscow Times. Russia’s nearly two-year war in Ukraine is likely to continue as a drawn-out war of attrition in 2024, with neither side expected to make major territoriaL gains, military analysts have told The Moscow Times. The Russian army, despite . . . READ MORE . . .

Here, in translations from ancient Greek into three modern Western languages, English, Spanish and French, is part of an appeal made nearly two millennia ago as the writer was about to leave wherever he was — Jerusalem? — for Palestine. It is in a letter to members of the small church in Rome, capital of the empire. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual edification. — Romans 14:19

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Así que, sigamos lo que contribuye a la paz y a la mutua edificación. — Romanos 14:19

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Ainsi donc, cherchons ce qui contribue à favoriser la paix et à nous faire grandir les uns les autres dans la foi. — Romains 14:19

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and a PAUL entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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NEWER  Israeli strikes kill 44 Palestinians in Rafah after Netanyahu says ground invasion is coming there, by Najib Jobain and Samy Magdy | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes killed at least 44 Palestinians — including more than a dozen children — in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on today, hours after Israel’s prime minister said he had asked the military to plan for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people there ahead of a ground invasion. Benjamin Netanyahu . . . READ MORE . . .

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Palestinians brace for Rafah assault as Israel promises evacuation plan, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Henriette Chacar | Reuters  DOHA / JERUSALEM — Israeli air strikes killed 17 people in Gaza’s Rafah overnight, medics said today, as over a million Palestinians cramming into the border city await a full-blown offensive with the rest of their enclave in ruins and nowhere left to run. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it has ordered . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli PM plans for ground invasion of Rafah, where 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering. Reported by Scott Simon and Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he remains focused on eliminating Hamas and has ordered plans to be drawn up to evacuate Rafah in order to target militants there. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM FEB. 9   Thousands of Palestinians try to survive Israel strikes on Rafah. Reported by Jordan-Marie Smith, Kathryn Fox and Sacha Pfeiffer | NPR  Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with Hisham Mhanna from the International Committee of the Red Cross about Israeli military strikes in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM FEB. 9   What is ‘domicide,’ and why has war in Gaza brought new attention to the term? by Becky Sullivan | NPR  One of the most staggering statistics to emerge from the war between Israel and the militant group Hamas is this: More than 650,000 residents of Gaza will have no home to return to once Israel completes its military campaign, the United Nations estimates. And “many more” . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 9  White House downplays Biden, national security aide’s blunt comments on Israel, by Aamer Madhani | AP  WASHINGTON — The White House on Friday sought to downplay sharp criticism levied against Israel by President Joe Biden and his deputy principal national security adviser, Jon Finer, over how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has conducted . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 9  War in the Middle East goes beyond Israel-Hamas. Here are the other players influencing the roiling region, by Phil Holm | AP  The war between Hamas and Israel has reverberated across the Middle East, raising fears of a broader conflict. Page through this interactive map [provided] to see the influence of Iran, the United States and others in the region. Click HERE for maps and captions.

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China’s economic influence in the Middle East could potentially help it broker peace. Scott Simon of NPR asks Prof. Dawn Murphy of the National War College about China’s economic influence in the Middle East and how the U.S. hopes to manage it. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters,  the Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, and to commentary from Redacted News and, via Consortium News, from Common Dreams; other information is accessible by clicking on some of the names and initials below. (GAZA entry for this date and a PAUL entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s 2nd largest city, kills 7, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, killed seven people overnight, including three children, Kharkiv region governor Oleh Syniehubov said today. At least 10 drones, he said, were launched at Kharkiv, eight of which were shot down. Civilian infrastructure . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says it foiled Ukrainian drone attack on civilian cargo ships in Black Sea. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russia said today it had repelled an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on Russian “civilian transport ships” on Friday evening in the southwestern part of the Black Sea, a key artery for grain and oil exports from both countries. Civilian vessels on the Black Sea . . . READ MORE . . .

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Young blood: Zelensky bets on new generation, battle-tested officers for top army posts, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  If President Volodymyr Zelensky gets his way, his Thursday decision to sack veteran General Valery Zaluzhny from command of Armed Forces of Ukraine won’t just switch out the man in charge, but unleash generational change across the army’s top leadership. The next Ukrainian army commander,  Oleksandr Syrsky, Zelensky said, will . . . READ MORE . . .

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Fate of Avdiivka uncertain as Ukrainian forces defending it struggle with fortifications, resources, by Asami Terajima | The Kyiv Independent  DONETSK OBLAST – Avdiivka is an embattled city just outside Russian-occupied Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Many infantrymen and other soldiers deployed on the first line of defense have complained that their positions appear to have been poorly . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Ukraine’s army is about to collapse and Zelensky is finished.’ Clayton Morris of Redacted News, a YouTube program, speaks with Scott Ritter, former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence office and former UN weapons inspector several days ago. Click HERE for the 14-minute segment,

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FROM FEB 9  Ukraine aid bill inches forward in U.S. Senate, by David Morgan | Reuters  WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Friday edged closer to passing a bill that includes $95.34 billion in aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, but faces an uncertain path to becoming law due to Republican opposition in both chambers of Congress. The Senate voted 64-19 to advance the legislation one step along a chain of preliminary votes that could stretch into next week, unless . . . READ MORE . . .

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The Biden-Schumer plan to kill more Ukrainians, by Jeffrey Sachs | Common Dreams / Consortium News  President Joe Biden is refusing to fold a losing hand as he bets with Ukrainian lives and U.S. taxpayer money. Biden and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer propose . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters, and to an interview, via the Greanville Post, from YouTube; other information is accessible by clicking on names and initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.)— MCM

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Israeli bombs target Gaza’s crowded Rafah as the U.S. warns Israel against sending troops there, by Najib Jobain, Wafaa Shurafa and Bassem Mroe | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israel bombed targets in overcrowded Rafah early today, hours after Biden administration officials and aid agencies warned Israel against expanding its Gaza ground offensive to the southern city where more than half of the territory’s 2.3 million people have sought refuge. Airstrikes overnight and . . . READ MORE . . .

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Aid groups warn of Rafah ‘bloodbath’ if Israel advances. From Reuters. GENEVA — Any Israeli military advance into southern Gaza’s Rafah area could cause mass deaths among the more than a million Palestinians trapped there, with humanitarian aid in danger of collapse, aid workers said today. Israel has threatened to advance from Khan Younis, Gaza’s main southern city, to Rafah, where . . . READ MORE . . .

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Almost 10% of Gaza’s under-fives now acutely malnourished, UN says, by Emma Farge | Reuters  GENEVA — Almost one in 10 of Gazan children under five are now acutely malnourished, overwhelmingly as a result of Israel’s war on the territory’s Hamas rulers, according to initial U.N. data from arm measurements that show physical wasting. The food supplies that Gaza depends on have . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 16  Michael Hudson on Russia, Iran and the Red Sea: NATO’s war economy collapses. Danny Haiphong of YouTube and Patreon and Substack interviews the economist and author Michael Hudson on geopolitical and economic issues including U.S. foreign policy, the war in Ukraine, the war in Gaza and its context, NATO, and Europe. Click HERE for further introducton and to listen and watch. Click HERE for Wikipedia’s biography of Hudson.

For today, links to reports from Agence France-Presse, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, the Kyiv Post, and Reuters, and to an interview, via the Greanville Post, from YouTube; other information is accessible by clicking on names and initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Russia says downed 19 Ukrainian drones overnight. From AFP.  Russia shot down 19 Ukrainian drones over four different regions and the Black Sea overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said today. “An attempt by the Kyiv regime to . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 8  Ukraine shakes up its military leadership. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy fired his top general in the biggest military leadership change since start of war in 2022. The two men had reportedly been feuding for months. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Ukraine’s new army chief says his immediate goals are better troop rotation and high-tech weapons, by Samya Kullab and Alex Babenko | AP  KYIV — Ukraine’s new military chief said today his immediate goals are to improve the rotation of troops out of the front lines and harness the power of new technology in the fight against Russia’s invasion. Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi spoke a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put him in charge of the . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zelenskyy replaces Ukraine’s army’s leader almost 2 years into war with Russia. Steve Inskeep of NPR talks withChristopher Miller of the Financial Times about what a shakeup at the top of Ukraine’s military signals for the war with Russia. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Who is General Syrskyi, Ukraine’s new chief commander? by Dinara Khalilova | The Kyiv Independent  President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi and replaced him with Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, who had previously served as the commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces and the Khortytsia Operational and Strategic Group fighting in the country’s east. Zelensky called Syrskyi . . . READ MORE . . .

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Mixed reactions in Ukraine following Zaluzhny’s dismissal, From Kyiv Post. President Zelensky on Thursday announced the dismissal of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Gen. Valery Zaluzhny. Oleksandr Syrsky, the former commander of the Ground Forces, has been appointed as the new commander-in-chief. Zelensky praised Syrsky as “the most experienced Ukrainian commander.” Kyiv Post brings to your attention reactions from public . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin urges U.S. to push Ukraine to talks, hints at possible swap of imprisoned WSJ reporter. From AP. Russian President Vladimir Putin used an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to urge Washington to recognize Moscow’s interests and persuade Ukraine to sit down for talks. Putin also said that Russia stands ready to negotiate a potential prisoner exchange that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin tells Tucker Carlson Russia has no interest in attacking Poland or Latvia, by David Ljunggren, Ronald Popeski and David Brunnstrom | Reuters Russian president Vladimir Putin said in an interview that aired on Thursday that Russia will fight for its interests “to the end” but has no interest in expanding its war in Ukraine to other countries such as Poland and Latvia. In his first interview with an American journalist since before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago, Mr Putin said Western leaders had come to realise . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 16  Michael Hudson on Russia, Iran and the Red Sea: NATO’s war economy collapses. Danny Haiphong of YouTube and Patreon and Substack interviews the economist and author Michael Hudson on geopolitical and economic issues including U.S. foreign policy, the war in Ukraine, the war in Gaza and its context, NATO, and Europe. Click HERE for further introducton and to listen and watch. Click HERE for Wikipedia’s biography of Hudson.

 

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

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Biden to host Jordan king to discuss Gaza: White House. From AFP. U.S. President Joe Biden will host Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Washington on Monday for talks on resolving the Israel-Hamas conflict, the White House said. The meeting comes as the United States and regional powers . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli destruction to make Gaza ‘buffer zone’ a ‘war crime’: UN. From AFP.  Israel’s reported ongoing destruction of all buildings along the border inside Gaza with the aim of creating a “buffer zone” is a war crime, UN rights chief Volker Turk warned today in a statement. Israel’s “extensive destruction of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly, amounts to . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Israeli forces intensify strikes on Rafah in southern Gaza, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters DOHA / TEL AVIV — Israeli forces bombed areas in the southern border city of Rafah today where more than half of Gaza’s population is sheltering, a day after PrimeeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a proposal to end the war in the Palestinian enclave. Netanyahu said on Wednesday terms proposed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli strikes kill 13 in a southern Gaza town that could be the next target in the war, by Najib Jobain, Wafaa Shurafa and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes killed over a dozen people overnight and into today in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas’ cease-fire terms and vowed to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Blinken ends latest Mideast mission after new Israeli snub of proposed Gaza cease-fire plan, by Matthew Lee | AP  TEL AVIV — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken left the Middle East today with public divisions between the United States and Israel at perhaps their worst level since Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza began in October. Wrapping up . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 7 AND TODAY  Kataib Hezbollah commander killed in Baghdad in U.S. strike, by Ahmed Rasheed and Timour Azhari | Reuters  BAGHDAD — A commander from Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group in Iraq that the Pentagon has blamed for attacking its troops, was killed in a U.S. strike on Wednesday, the U.S. military said.”[U.S.] forces conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on U.S. service members, killing a Kataib Hezbollah commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on U.S. forces in the region,” a statement . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 7  U.S. drone strike kills a leader of an Iran-backed militia in Iraq. Reported by Jane Arraf and James Hider | NPR  A U.S. drone strike in Baghdad killed at least one leader of an Iran-backed militia on Wednesday, the Pentagon said. In a nighttime attack Wednesday, the U.S. military “conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on U.S. service . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM FEB. 7  Gazans are becoming more openly angry with Hamas for the war’s toll on civilians. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  Gazans are increasingly voicing their anger at Hamas’s handling of the war and the heavy costs civilians have paid. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM FEB. 7  Blinken says Hamas’ new ceasefire proposal includes obvious non-starters. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with Israeli and Palestinian Authority leaders to discuss a ceasefire proposal for Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM FEB. 7  Congress’ path forward for the border, Israel and Ukraine. Reported by Deirdre Walsh | NPR  A bipartisan Senate bill to reduce and manage the surge of migrants approaching the U.S. Mexico border Wednesday was derailed by Republicans. Now, Democrats are moving to Plan B. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.