Links to FIVE reports: from the Cradle, Reuters, Middle East Eye, and Middle East Monitor; and to a analysis from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll down for GAZA, IRAN and UKRAINE, and for LEBANON 5-26-26.) — MCM

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New Israeli airstrike hits Beirut as mass destruction reported in Lebanon’s ancient city of Tyre. From the Cradle. Israel bombed the Lebanese capital today for the first time in weeks, marking the second attack on Beirut since the so-called ceasefire, coinciding with an unprecedented escalation against south Lebanon. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Israeli army orders evacuation of six more southern Lebanon towns. From Middle East Eye. The Israeli army has issued another forced displacement order for six more towns and villages in southern Lebanon, saying attacks are forthcoming.  READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 27  Israel orders forced evacuation of Lebanon’s Tyre ahead of new carpet bombing campaign. From the Cradle. On Wednesday, the Israeli military issued forced displacement orders for the entire population of the southern Lebanese city of Tyre (Sur) and the surrounding neighborhoods and Palestinian refugee camps, ordering residents to flee north of the Zahrani River immediately. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 27 Hezbollah says it carried out attacks on Israeli troops, positions on Tuesday. From Middle East Monitor. Hezbollah said on Tuesday it had carried out 32 attacks targeting Israeli troops, military vehicles and positions in different areas of southern Lebanon and northern Israel. The figures were compiled by Anadolu Agency based on . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 27  Israel’s colonization of south Lebanon is already under way, by Paul Khalifeh | Middle East Eye  Despite official Israeli denials and the refusal of some Lebanese to acknowledge the reality, the colonisation of south Lebanon is neither a myth nor a fantasy. It is a concrete and structured project. READ MORE . . .

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Links to THREE reports: from Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll up or down for LEBANON, IRAN and UKRAINE, and for GAZA 5-20-26.) — MCM

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Hamas warns Gaza ceasefire risks collapse after string of Israeli assassinations. From Middle East Eye. Hamas warned today that the ceasefire agreement in Gaza is at risk of collapse following an escalation in Israeli air strikes this month. The Palestinian group said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel plans to expand control over Gaza in coming months. From Middle East Monitor. Israel is planning, in coordination with the United States, to expand its occupation of the Gaza Strip. According to Israel’s Channel 14, the plan includes a major expansion of the so-called Yellow Line in Gaza, alongside . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 27  Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ has zero dollars’ despite $17bn in pledges: report. From the Cradle. The official World Bank-administered fund for US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” for Gaza currently contains “zero dollars,” the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, despite approximately $17 billion in pledges. READ MORE . . .

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Links to SIX reports: from the Associated Press, the Cradle, Reuters, and National Public Radio;, and to an analysis from Middle East Eye; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for LEBANON, GAZA and UKRAINE, and down for IRAN 5-27-26.) — MCM

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FROM MAY 27  U.S. strikes Iran again, official says, after Trump denies deal on Strait of Hormuz, by Phil Stewart, Trevor Hunnicutt, Enas Alashray and Elwely Elwelly | Reuters  WASHINGTON — ⁠The U.S. military carried out new strikes targeting an Iranian drone operation that posed a threat to U.S. forces and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official said, hours after President Donald Trump dismissed an Iranian report of a deal to restore traffic through the strategic waterway. READ MORE . . .  Click  HERE for report from AP.

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Former U.S. special envoy on the mixed messages coming from Trump and Iran. A Martínez of NPR speaks with Robert Malley, former U.S. special envoy for Iran, about mixed messages from the Trump administration and Iranian leadership about a potential deal to end the war. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for links to  both Iran war-related reports today on NPR’s “Morning Edition.” 

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FROM MAY 26  Why Trump is using Iran to revive the Abraham Accords, by Sean Mathews | Middle East Eye  President Donald Trump’s injection of the Abraham Accords into talks with Iran underscores how the Islamic Republic is getting the better of the U.S. at the negotiating table, and Trump is trying to distract from it, according to current and former U.S. and Arab officials. READ MORE . . .

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Links to a report from the Associated Press and to an interview from the Glenn Diesen Show; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll up for LEBANON, GAZA and IRAN, and down for UKRAINE 5-27-26.) — MCM

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Zelensky says he’s pressing U.S. for more Patriot missiles for Ukraine to counter Russian strikes. From AP. KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today he’s being “very persistent” in pressing the United States to provide his country with more Patriot air defense missiles that can counter devastating Russian ballistic missile attacks. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish.

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FROM MAY 27  McGovern: Russia escalates with new strategy? Glenn Diesen of the Glen Diesen Show talks with Ray McGovern, a former CIA analyst whose assignments included Russia and Russian-Chinese relations. Click HERE for video of 42-minute interview.

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For now, links to TWO reports: from Middle East Eye and West Bank Alerts; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for today’s UKRAINE, IRAN and LEBANON so far, and for WEST BANK 5-25-26.) — MCM

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Israeli settlers, soldiers attack and loot West Bank villages, by Oren Ziv | Middle East Eye  JILJILYA, occupied West Bank — While settlers frequently raid Palestinian communities and steal livestock, in cases here and elsewhere on the West Bank last week operations were carried out in coordination with — and under the protection of — the Israeli army, which secured the theft and assisted the settlers throughout. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 25  ‘Naked sadism,‘ by Cara Marianna | West Bank Alerts  A text arrived on Friday, May 15, from the village of Kisan. It was Adnan. He had sent a video then circulating throughout the West Bank. It showed a young Jewish settler mercilessly beating a Palestinian family’s dog while it was tied up and unable to escape. Click HERE for report including brief video.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to two reports and two analyses: from or via the Associated Press, Reuters, the Glenn Diesen Show via ScheerPost, and the Floutist via Consortium News; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for today’s WEST  BANK, IRAN and LEBANON so far, and down for UKRAINE 5-26-26.)

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Russian lawmakers want banks and their staff to help fight Ukrainian drones. From AP. Russian bank staff and branches could be joining the fight against Ukrainian drone attacks under an ambitious plan approved by the country’s lower house of parliament. The banks would bear the cost of . … READ MORE . . .

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Senior Ukrainian commander sees imminent ‘turning point’ in war. From Reuters. KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine —Ukraine has a six-month window in which to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Wilkerson: America is failing to adjust to a multipolar world. Glenn Diesen of the Glenn Diesen Show talks with retired U.S. Army Col. Lawrence Wilkerson about “a world he believes is rapidly slipping beyond Washington’s control. Wilkerson argues that the United States is failing to adapt. Click HERE for video of interview and an introduction and summary from ScheerPost.

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FROM MAY 26  The cokehead of Kiev, exposed, by Patrick Lawrence | The Floutist / Consortium News  Let this be a season of revelations across the board, when the heavy drapes of mis- and disinformation that obscure so many 21st century realities are at last rent. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, links to NINE reports and analyses: from the Associated Press, Middle East Monitor, Consortium News, the Glenn Diesen Show via ScheerPost, the Cradle, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for this date’s WEST BANK, UKRAINE and LEBANON so far, and down for IRAN 5-26-26.) — MCM

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NEWER  Trump says Iran ‘negotiating on fumes,’ insists that midterm elections won’t impact his war strategy, by Aamer Madhani | AP  WASHINGTON — Speaking today at the start of a Cabinet meeting at a precarious moment for talks aimed at ending the nearly three-month war with Iran, President Donald Trump expressed confidence that a deal is near. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish.

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Former State department official discusses Trump’s negotiating tactics with Iran. Steve Inskeep of NPR talks with Jennifer Gavito, who served as deputy assistant secretary of state for Iran and Iraq during the Biden administration, about President Trump’s negotiating tactics. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Iran is quietly turning Hormuz into a political checkpoint, by Umud Shokri | Middle East Monitor  Iran is no longer using the Strait of Hormuz only as a crisis weapon. Tehran is trying to turn the waterway into a lasting source of political and economic leverage. READ MORE . . .

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Challenging Western supremacy, by Joe Lauria | Consortium News  Only someone living in a cave wouldn’t know by now the history of carnage and enslavement left behind by more than five centuries of Western dominance of the world. Unfortunately the West is led today largely by men and women in business, politics and the media who deny this truth. READ MORE . . .

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Wilkerson: America is failing to adjust to a multipolar world. Glenn Diesen of the Glenn Diesen Show talks with retired U.S. Army Col. Lawrence Wilkerson about “a world he believes is rapidly slipping beyond Washington’s control. Wilkerson argues that the United States is failing to adapt. Click HERE for video of interview and an introduction and summary from ScheerPost.

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FROM MAY 26  U.S. violates truce, bombs Iranian port amid claims peace deal possible ‘within days.’ From the Cradle. The U.S. military renewed its violations of the so-called ceasefire with the Islamic Republic of Iran late on Monday, launching fresh airstrikes on areas in the country’s south. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 26  Iran condemns U.S. strikes as a show of ‘bad faith’ and begins restoring internet after long shutdown. From AP. DUBAI — Iran on Tuesday denounced the most recent U.S. strikes as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” as negotiations pressed on toward a possible deal to end the war, and the Islamic Republic began restoring internet access after one of the longest nationwide shutdowns ever. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish; and HERE for others.

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FROM MAY 26  As Trump touts progress on Iran talks, major obstacles remain. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Franco Ordoñez | NPR  President Trump heralded an advance in making a deal with Iran to end the war, but the way forward remains unclear. Click HERE to listen and, later, read. Click HERE for separate print report from NPR.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to FOUR reports: from Middle East Eye, the Cradle, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll up for today’s WEST BANK, UKRAINE and IRAN so far, and down for LEBANON 5-26-26.) — MCM

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Strikes hit Lebanon’s Tyre city. From Middle East Eye. Air strikes hit an area near southern Lebanon’s Tyre city following Israel’s forced displacement order issued earlier on Wednesday, according to reports from AFP and Lebanese media. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and scroll down for today’s previous Lebanon-related Middle East Eye reports.

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Hezbollah battles at ‘zero distance’ with invading Israeli troops, thwarts attempts to expand occupation of Lebanon. From the Cradle. Direct confrontations between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli occupation troops were reported this morning on the outskirts of Zawtar al-Sharqiya in southern Lebanon, amid a brutal carpet-bombing campaign that has killed dozens of Lebanese over the past 48 hours. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 26  Israel intensifies Lebanon offensive, expands ground operations beyond security zone.  From Reuters. Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon killed at least 11 people and wounded 15 others on Tuesday, as Israel sharply intensified its military campaign against Hezbollah despite a fragile ceasefire brokered last month. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for later report from Middle East Eye.

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TO BE CONTINUED

Links to SEVEN reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, the Kyiv Independent, the Moscow Times, and Kyiv Post; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll down for IRAN and LEBANON, and for UKRAINE 5-24-26.) — MCM

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Links to FOUR reports: from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and Reuters; and to commentary from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for UKRAINE and LEBANON, and for IRAN 5-25-26.) — MCM

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FROM MAY 25  U.S. military says it carried out ‘self-defense’ strikes on Iran, including on missile launch sites, by Konstantin Toropin, Lindsay Whitehurst and Munir Ahmed | AP  WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations were “proceeding nicely.” READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM MAY 25  Why Israel is unhappy with the latest U.S. negotiations with Iran. Reported by Daniel Estrin and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR  Israeli officials have called the emerging U.S. deal with Iran a “bad” deal, over concerns that it does not force Iran to give up its nuclear program at the start. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE and HERE for related reports from NPR and Reuters.

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FROM MAY 25  Iran has won the war. Trump and Netanyahu now face a reckoning, by David Hearst | Middle East Eye  Each day brings a fresh turn in the tortured negotiations between U.S. President Donald Trump and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Each time an agreement on one point is close, Trump picks up the phone to call . . . READ MORE . . .

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