The Israeli spy drone shot down by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) is an Israeli-made Hermes drone, says an Iranian commander. ■ The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can operate within a radius of 800 kilometers and is capable of flying 1,600 kilometers without refueling, said Commander of the IRGC’s Aerospace Division Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh on Monday. The Israeli UAV is equipped with two cameras, enabling the espionage aircraft to capture high-quality images, added the top general. Earlier on Monday, the IRGC released the first pictures of the downed spy drone. The IRGC said in a statement on Sunday that its forces had intercepted and brought down an Israeli spy drone which was heading to Natanz nuclear facility in the central Iranian province of Isfahan. The stealth spy drone was targeted by a surface-to-air missile before it reached the strategic location, according to the statement.

PressTV: Israeli drone captured in Gaza: Hamas

Justin Raimondo ■ There’s more than one Dr. Frankenstein responsible for this monster || If we step back from the hysteria generated by the beheading of US journalist James Foley, what’s clear is that this new bogeyman is the creation of the United States and its allies in the region. ISIS didn’t just arise out of the earth like some Islamist variation on the fabled Myrmidons: they needed money, weapons, logistics, propaganda facilities, and international connections to reach the relatively high level of organization and lethality they seem to have achieved in such a short period of time. Where did they get these assets?

Patrick Martin ■ Imperialist war in search of a pretext || The Obama administration is moving rapidly towards launching air strikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on both sides of the Iraq-Syria border, in a major escalation of US military intervention in the oil-rich Middle East. [...] While increasingly apocalyptic administration comments and media headlines declare ISIS to be a deadly threat to the United States, there has been virtually no acknowledgement that the crisis in the Middle East is the direct product of the repeated US interventions. [...] These reports point to the basic fact that the fundamental aim of US imperialism in the Middle East is not defeating ISIS—which, after all, is its own creation—but reinforcing its control over the entire region. Just one year ago, plans for bombing the Syrian government were put off. These plans, however, have not gone away.

■ Israel, ISIL have a lot in common
■ ‘Islamic State’ head-choppers: Best enemy money can buy

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has announced plans for a second humanitarian convoy to be sent to eastern Ukraine, urging foreign actors and agencies to participate in continuing efforts at relieving the crisis. ● Failure to do so would constitute a violation of international law, he warned. “Anyone in need of aid shall receive it,” the FM said, stressing that it is important to learn from the mistakes of the first attempt and to look forward to closer cooperation with the Ukrainian authorities this time around. He stressed that as the indiscriminate shelling of areas such as Lugansk continues, the humanitarian need for water and food grows. This has been acknowledged by humanitarian agencies and itnernational actors at large. The distribution of aid is currently underway, and is headed by the ICRC. The FM also added that the shelling of schools, hospitals, kindergartens and other vulnerable institutions and structures can no longer be excused by claims of “wrongful shooting” or be written off as “accidental.” Minister Lavrov emphasized that Russia is willing and ready to participate in full in any type of negotiations on ending hostilities in the east, and expressed hope that Tuesday’s meeting in Minsk will include a focus on the crisis in Ukraine.

RT.com: Russian humanitarian aid distribution begins in E. Ukraine
Eric Zuesse ■ Our ‘Enemies’ in Ukraine Speak

It's Monday; which means its time to ramp up the war rhetoric once again as another weekend goes by without 'escalation'. Ukraine's military spokesman Lysenko, or as he is better known as Lie-senko for those who actually ask for some evidence of anything that he claims, says, suggests or otherwise talks about, is reporting,via Bloomberg, that:

• UKRAINE SAYS TWO TANKS THAT ENTERED FROM RUSSIA WERE DESTROYED
• LYSENKO SAYS UKRAINE CAPTURED CREW MEMBERS OF DESTROYED TANKS
• UKRAINE SEIZED SOME VEHICLES THAT ENTERED FROM RUSSIA: LYSENKO
• LYSENKO SAYS COLUMN OF REBEL VEHICLES DESTROYED IN KRASNODON
• LYSENKO: UKRAINE INFLICTED SEVERE LOSSES ON REBELS IN KRASNODON

One wonders if the captured Russian crew had Langley, VA crew cuts? Unfortunately no one had their iPhone or camera-on-a-sticks to record the action as "proof." but we are sure that won't matter. Cure NATO's comments. Now, how will the market react to this 'proven invasion'? Actually scratch that: more escalation is simply a catalyst for even more pent-up de-escalation in the future...

This list is constantly updated due to the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza since July 8th. The following 1579 names have been confirmed - the actual death is at least at 2069. We realize the number of slain Palestinians is higher than this. The Ministry of Health has stated that a total of 2069, been killed. We are still awaiting confirmation of some names. The number includes 553 children, 253 women, and 96 elderly, since July 8, while more than 10500, including 3106 children, 1970 women and 368 elderly, have been injured. The site, 'Beyond Numbers', has pictures of many of these victims.

Killed Monday, August 25
1. Yassin Ibrahim al-Biltaji, 23, Gaza.
2. Farhana Ibrahim al-‘Attrar, 48, Beit Lahia.
3. Osama Mohammad Shbeir, 25, Jabalia.
4. Hani Mohammad Yassin, 20, Gaza City.
5. Raddad Ahmad Tanboura, 78, Beit Lahia.

Killed Sunday, August 24
1. Yahia Saber Abu al-‘Omarein, Gaza.
2. Bader Hashem Abu Mnei’, 18, Gaza.
3. Mohammad Tal’at al-Ghoul, 30, Gaza City.
4. Zeinab Bilal Abu Taqiyya, 18 months, Gaza City.
5. Mohammad Wa’el al-Khodary, 17, Gaza City.
6. Mohammad Ibrahim al-Louqa, 21, Beit Lahia.
7. Mo’ayyad al-A’raj, 3, Khan Younis.
8. Adam Ahmad Khattab, 26, Deir al-Balah.
9. Mahmoud Ahmad al-‘Attar, 30, Deir Al-Balah.
10. Tasneem Essam Juda’,Tal al-Zatar.
11. Rawiya Juda’, son of Tasneem,Tal al-Zatar.
12. Raghad Juda’, son of Tasneem,Tal al-Zatar.
13. Osama Juda’, son of Tasneem,Tal al-Zatar.
14. Mohammad Juda', son of Tasneem,Tal al-Zatar.
15. Yahia Abu Daqen, 27, Northern Gaza

Killed Saturday, August 23
(1. Hadi Hayel Abu Dahrouj, 3, Central Gaza.)
(2. Abdullah Hayel Abu Dahrouj, 4, Central Gaza.)
(3. Hayat Abed-Rabbo Abu Dahrouj, 49, Central Gaza.)
(4. Hoda Mohammad Abu Dahrouj, 27, Central Gaza.)
(5. Hayel Shihda Abu Dahrouj, 26, Central Gaza.)
(6. Abdel-Rahman Hadayed, 25, Khan Younis, died of earlier wounds.)
(7. Hussein Khaled Ahmad, 8, Deir al-Balah, Central Gaza)
8. Nisreen Ahmad, Deir al-Balah (Hussein's mother)
9. Suheir Abu Mdein, Deir al-Balah (body pulled from rubble)
10. Salah Isleim, died of earlier wounds.
11.Mahmoud Osama Mahmoud Abbas Abu al-Omarain, 28, Sheikh Radwan, Gaza City
12. Mohammad Sabr al-'Ejla, 64, central Gaza

Stephen Lendman ■ Israel's Genocidal Killing Machine

Mossad agent Admits: However things have now changed with a former Mossad agent more or less admitting, in a slip of the tongue, that they did it: while discussing an explosive maybe used in the London bombings, Juval Aviv says: “its easy to put a truck bomb as we did… as happened in London.” All comments below that video accepted that he had made an admission, of Mossad perpetrating the London Bombings. Mr Aviv was the Mossad counter-terror agent described by George Jonas in his novel, Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team (1984) and the central character in the Spielberg film about this. He has a book, Staying Safe.

Andrew MacGregor’s view: The Australian ex-policeman Andrew MacGregor had a clear intuition on these matters – but until now I’ve always refused to go along with his view. “You can’t prove It,” I would say. This is what he wrote:

I would like to quote from Efraim Halevi, a former head of Mossad in an article that was printed in the Jerusalem Post on the 7th July 2005. This article was headed, ‘Rules of conflict for a world war’: “The multiple, simultaneous explosions that took place yesterday on the London transportation system were the work of perpetrators who had an operational capacity of considerable scope. They have come a long way since the two attacks of the year 1998 against the American embassies in Nairobi and Dar-Es-Salaam, and the aircraft actions of September 11, 2001.” Like the rabbit that hops out of the top hat before the magician is ready for his stunt, the truth has been exposed. This article was written prior to the actual bombing that took place in London, and thus, Efraim Halevi had to have been one of the planners for this ‘Terrorist’ event. The Jerusalem Post describes Efraim Halevi as: “The writer, who heads the Center for Strategic and Policy Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, is a former head of the Mossad. (© 1995-2005, The Jerusalem Post 07/07/05)” In simple words, The London bombing was a ‘planned’ terrorist attack by a group of people including Efraim Halevi, of the ‘Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies’ at the ‘Hebrew University’ in Jerusalem.

Halevi’s article went up at 4 pm onto the Jerusalem Post website which is 2 pm in London. Strangely entitled, ‘Rules of Conflict for a World War’ it is a deeply meditated piece, and it knows far too much, eg that the explosions were simultaneous – a fact which only became evident some days later (Scotland Yard initially averred that the explosions had been 45 minutes apart). For some years I wrestled with the question, does that precognition of the event imply that ‘Israel did it’? Yes, I now believe there is no avoiding the logic.

Outspoken Union Theological Seminary professor Cornel West goes where very few 'thinkers-of-color' have had the courage to go in this interview with Salon's Thomas Frank: "The thing is, [Obama] posed as a progressive and turned out to be counterfeit. We ended up with a Wall Street presidency, a drone presidency, a national security presidency. The torturers go free. The Wall Street executives go free... we ended up with a brown-faced Clinton. Another opportunist. Another neoliberal opportunist... So you got low-quality black leadership. Al Sharpton is who? He’s a cheerleader for Obama... Eric Holder won’t touch the Wall Street executives; they’re his friends... I think a post-Obama America is an America in post-traumatic depression."

Kim Dotcom has revealed to ONE News the big international name who will play a role in the bombshell he'll drop on the prime minister. ● He says WikiLeaks founder and fugitive Julian Assange, who's holed up in Ecuador's London embassy, is set to take part in a pre-election attack on John Key. "I can give you a hint. Someone who is currently locked up in an embassy might be on a live video link," Mr Dotcom said. Mr Dotcom had warned something big will come out on September 15, just five days from the election. He has already hired journalist Glen Greenwald, who made public the Edward Snowdon leaks. Now the addition of Mr Assange confirms the September 15 event will be about New Zealand's spying. Asked will September 15 do more damage to Mr Key than the Dirty Politics book has, Mr Dotcom said: "I think so."

The Saker ■ I friend just sent me this in an email and I thought that the best thing to do what to reply with a post. Here is what he wrote: I've been wondering something for some time now regarding the "war" in Ukraine and Novorossiya. Occasionally I hear mutterings from the NAF about "going on the offensive" sometime soon (supposedly when a certain turning point has been reached or some unnamed goal accomplished). However, it has surprised me that there has as of yet been no small operations or maneuvers in greater Ukraine and specifically in Kiev itself. It would seem to me that a targeted covert campaign would be within the scope of the abilities of the NAF, no? Planned incidents and/or hit and run strikes within the city that would lessen the taste for war among the (it would appear) mostly indifferent people. Or is it thought that this might actually add some resolve to continue the fighting? History shows such actions to be the pattern, though the overall effectiveness of such tactics can be fairly questioned in most cases, I think. Curious as to your thoughts. This is a very interesting question and a fairly complex one. In reality, there are two distinct issues here:

a) why is there no apparent resistance in the rest of the Ukraine?
b) where is the Novorussian counter-offensive?

The two issues are linked by a common denominoator, but they are qualitatively different. I suggest we take them one by one.

Anon./The Saker: All is Quiet on the Western Front?