For today, links to four reports: from the Cradle, Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, and Reuters; links to others or at least their headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Also, from Encyclopedia Britannica, a 2008 map of Lebanon. (SYRIA, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  LEBANON 3-21-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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NEWER  Israel kills four in south Lebanon attacks, threatens new strikes in Beirut. From the Cradle. Israeli forces bombed several villages in southern Lebanon today, killing four people and injuring others amid continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah. Four people were killed and everal others were injured in the Israeli attacks on the town of Touline. READ MORE . . .

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Hezbollah sources deny responsibility for rocket launches from Lebanon. From Middle East Eye. Hezbollah sources denied responsibility for rocket launches from southern Lebanon towards Israel earlier today. Speaking to Arabic media, Hezbollah sources said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel fires on Lebanon in response to rockets fired at Israeli targets, by Bassem Mroue and Wafaa Shurafa | AP  BEIRUT — Israel struck Lebanon today in retaliation for rockets targeting Israel, in the heaviest exchange of fire since with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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For today, links to eleven reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Kyiv Independent, Agence France-Presse, the Moscow Times, Tass, Kyiv Post, and National Public Radio; others or at least their headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA, GAZA and LEBANON entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.  UKRAINE 3-21-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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3 people killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia despite limited truce. From AP. KYIV — Russia launched a drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, killing three people and wounded 12, Ukrainian officials said today, despite agreeing to a limited ceasefire. Zaporizhzhia was hit by 12 drones, police said. READ MORE . . .

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Russia warns of ‘symmetrical response’ to attacks on energy facilities. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russia reserves the right to a “symmetrical response” to Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy facilities, the Russian Foreign Ministry said today. Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Friday of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zelenskiy visits Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. From Reuters. KYIV — President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited Ukraine’s Donetsk region today, meeting commanders of drone units near the strategic eastern city of Pokrovsk. Ukrainian troops have . . . READ MORE . . .

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6 killed, 36 injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over past day, by Natalia Yermak | The Kyiv Independent  At least 6 people were killed and 36 others injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day, regional officials said today. Ukraine’s Air Force intercepted . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian negotiator says he’s hoping for ‘some progress’ at talks in Saudi Arabia next week. From AFP. Moscow hopes to make “some progress” at upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia, a Russian negotiator, Senator Grigory Karasin, said today, as U.S. officials prepare for separate discussions with Ukrainian and Russian officials . . . READ MORE . . .

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From March 21  Ukrainian drone strike on Russia’s Belgorod region kills 1. From the Moscow Times. At least one person was killed and another seriously wounded in a rare midday Ukrainian drone strike on southwestern Russia’s Belgorod region near the border with Ukraine, authorities said Friday. READ MORE . . .

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Envoy Witkoff cites status of five Russian regions as ‘key issue’ in Ukraine conflict. From Tass. NEW YORK — U.S. Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said in an interview that the status of Crimea, the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Lugansk People’s Republic, as well as the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, remains ‘the key issue’ in the Ukrainian conflict. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from Kyiv Post and the Kyiv Independent.

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General Staff: Russia has lost 902,010 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022, by Natalia Yermak | The Kyiv Independent  Russia has lost 902,010 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said today — including 1,210 casualties over the past day. READ MORE . . . 

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Trump’s former Russia analyst discusses Putin’s possible next moves in the war. Sarah McCammon of NPR talks with Russia expert Fiona Hill, of the Brookings Institution, about how Moscow might approach any negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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First, links to reports from the Cradle and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (LEBANON, IRAN, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down. SYRIA 3-20-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.)— MCM

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FROM MARCH 20  The battle between ‘Greater Israel’ and ‘neo-Ottomanism’ in Syria, by Mohamad Hasan Sweidan | The Cradle  In January, Israel’s Security and Force Building Budget Examination Committeeel Committee released a report highlighting the potential security threat posed by a Syrian-Turkish alliance. It warned that this emerging axis could . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 19  Inside the HTS-Israeli campaign to eliminate Syria’s military engineers and scientists. From the Cradle. As Hayat Tahrir al-Sham consolidated control last December and Israel intensified airstrikes, the targeted killing of Syrian scientists and engineers continued. On Jan. 26, HTS militants massacred 13 military engineers in Fahel, a village in Homs province. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for Sept. 9, 2024, report from Reuters.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

 

First, a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (SYRIA, IRAN, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  LEBANON 3-17-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.)— MCM

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Heavy Israeli airstrikes hit southern, eastern Lebanon. From the Cradle. The Israeli army carried out heavy airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon on 20 March, claiming it targeted “terrorist infrastructure” and a “military site” belonging to Hezbollah. Click HERE for report including video.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

 

For now, links to reports from Reuters, the Cradle, and National Public Radio; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names below. (SYRIA, LEBANON, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  IRAN 3-18-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.)— MCM

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Iran’s leader says Yemen’s Houthis act independently, warns against U.S. action. From Reuters. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday that Tehran does not need proxies in the region and that Yemen’s Houthis act on their own motivations. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Cradle. 

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FROM MARCH 20  What warming U.S.-Russia relations could mean for Iran. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with Karim Sadjadpour, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, on the subject. Click HERE to listen and read.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

 

For now, links to 10 reports: from Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Monitor, the Cradle, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA, LEBANON, IRAN, UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE, HERE and  HERE, or scroll up or down.  GAZA 3-20-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

FROM MARCH 20  Hamas fires first rockets since Israel broke recent ceasefire. Reported by Anas Baba, Kat Lonsdorf and Daniel Estrin | NPR  GAZA CITY / TEL AVIV — The Israeli military expanded its ground offensive in Gaza, and killed at least 80 Palestinians in a new wave of strikes Thursday, Gaza health officials said. Hamas fired its first rockets since Israel broke a recent ceasefire and resumed heavy airstrikes on Gaza this week. Click HERE to read and listen to a separate NPR report.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For now, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters, the Moscow Times, and Substack; others or at least their headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA, LEBANON, IRAN and GAZA entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.  UKRAINE 3-20-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Russian drones strike Ukrainian city of Odesa, underlining challenges for even limited truce, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russian drones pummeled the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa, injuring three people and sparking massive fires, officials said Friday, an attack that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine hopes to secure ‘at least’ partial ceasefire in Saudi talks: senior official. From AFP. A team of U.S. negotiators will hold separate talks in Saudi Arabia on Monday with Ukrainian and Russian delegations, a senior Ukrainian official said. READ MORE . . .

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UE will next week accelerate plans for Ukraine peacekeeping force, by Andrew MacAskill | Reuters  LONDON — British military planners will meet again at the Northwood base in London next week to discuss how how the force could operate and the structure, a spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday.

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How likely is a fresh Russian offensive on Ukraine’s Sumy region? by Bashir Kitachayev | The Moscow Times  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed this week that Russia is readying a new attack on Ukraine’s Sumy region, which borders Russia’s Kursk region. Moscow’s army has continued . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine still in talks with U.S. about minerals deal, spokesman says. From Reuters. KYIV — On Thursday the White House said it had moved beyond “just the economic minerals deal framework” and was focused on peace between Ukraine and Russia, and President Donald Trump said  the U.S. would sign the minerals and natural resources deal with Ukraine shortly. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 20  The money equation in Ukraine, by Seymour M. Hersh | Substack  The timing was right for a grand bargain this week, an involved American official told me, “Trump knows that Putin has control of the politicians but not the military. The army wanted out. The war is a diminishing return, and Trump is not a politician. He’s a businessman . . .” READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

 

For today, links to reports from the Anadolu Agency and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (YEMEN, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.  SYRIA  3-18-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israeli army to conduct military drill in Syria’s occupied Golan Heights, by Abdelraouf Arnaout and Ahmed Asmar | Anadolu Agency  The Israeli army planned to conduct a military exercise today in the Syrian Golan Heights, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 19  Dozens of Israeli military vehicles push deep into south Syria in ‘biggest incursion yet.’ From the Cradle. Israeli forces carried out a massive incursion in southern Syria on Tuesday evening when approximately 50 vehicles including armored and reconnaissance units entered the village of Al-Adnaniyah in the Quneitra countryside. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from the Cradle and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  YEMEN 3-19-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Yemen targets Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, USS Truman in Red Sea. From the Cradle. The Yemeni Armed Forces targeted Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv early today, its second attack on Israel since the resumption of all-out war on the Gaza Strip, and also carried out its fifth operation targeting the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, following several new US attacks on Yemen. READ MORE . . .

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Trump threatens Houthi rebels that they’ll be ‘completely annihilated’ as airstrikes pound Yemen, by Jon Gambrell | AP DUBAI — U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Wednesday that they’ll be “completely annihilated” as American airstrikes pounded locations under their control, while further pressuring the group’s main benefactor Iran. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to seven reports: from the Cradle, Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and the Anadolu Agency, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA, YEMEN and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.  GAZA 3-19-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Qassam Brigades targets Tel Aviv with first rocket barrage in months. From the Cradle. Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, launched a barrage of rockets toward Tel Aviv today for the first time in months, coming after over 700 Palestinians were killed by Israel within a period of two days. The Israeli army said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Gaza’s death toll rises. From Middle East Eye. Israel’s renewed attacks on Gaza starting on Tuesday have killed a total of 506 people and injured 909, the majority of the victims women and children, the Palestinian health ministry said in a statement, adding that at least 85 Palestinians have been killed and 133 others injured in the attacks on Gaza since dawn. READ MORE . . .

Israeli strikes across Gaza hit multiple homes, killing at least 58 Palestinians, medics say, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR-AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes killed at least 58 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip overnight and into today, according to three hospitals. The strikes hit multiple homes, killing men, women and children as they slept. Hours later, the Israeli military restored a blockade on . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel launches new ground invasion into Gaza after breaking ceasefire. Reported by A Martínez and Kat Lonsdorf | NPR  Israel has launched a new ground offensive in Gaza after it broke the nearly two-month-long ceasefire with Hamas. On Tuesday, a series of airstrikes killed more than 400 Palestinians in the territory. Click HERE later to listen and, still later, read. Click HERE and HERE for March 19 reports from the Cradle and NPR.

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Israeli army bans Palestinians from using main route from northern Gaza to south, by Abdelraouf Arnaout and Ahmed Asmar | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM — The Israeli army today banned Palestinians from traveling through the Salah al-Din Street, a route designed by Tel Aviv for safe passage between northern Gaza and the south. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 19  March 18, 2025: The day 183 children in Gaza were massacred by Israel, by Rayhan Uddin | Middle East Eye  “There was no evacuation notice given,” said Rachael Cummings of Save the Children. “This was a complete bombardment across the whole of Gaza.” READ MORE . . .

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