A senior administration official tells CNN that US officials emphasized that the Biden administration would provide "Israel" with the necessary security assistance. | Senior US officials assured a delegation of top Israeli officials visiting Washington this week that the Biden administration is fully prepared to support its ally in case of a full-scale war with Hezbollah, CNN reported, citing a senior administration official. ● The Biden administration has consistently claimed that it wants to avoid a war between "Israel" and Hezbollah, advocating for diplomatic de-escalation. This week, US envoy Amos Hochstein was sent to the region in an attempt to supposedly help ease tensions. ● The media outlet noted that top Israeli officials, including Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and "National Security" Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi, held meetings with Biden administration officials such as National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and White House Middle East Coordinator Brett McGurk. Sources revealed that the Israeli and American officials discussed various topics, including the situation along the border with Lebanon, Iran, and ceasefire and prisoner exchange negotiations.

■ New war is coming – UN (RT.com)
■ Former Ombudsman Warns Netanyahu: ‘Israel’ Attack on Hezbollah Will Be Mass Suicide (Al Manar TV)
■ Ambassadors EVACUATING Lebanon; Outbreak of War Deemed "Imminent" (Hal Turner Show)
■ Israel will be the ‘ultimate loser’ in war with Hezbollah, Iran says (Al Jazeera)
■ Is Cyprus about to be dragged into a war between Israel and Hezbollah? (Al Jazeera)
■ US State Dept. official on Israeli-Palestinian affairs resigns: WashPo (Al Mayadeen)
■ Hezbollah drones constitute 'new generation of unconventional threats' (06/20/24)

Ukrainian men expressed fear of dying in the "bloody trench warfare", the newspaper reported | Tens of thousands of Ukrainian men have gone into hiding as they avoid conscription for fear of dying in the conflict involving "bloody trench warfare," The New York Times reported on Friday. ● While it is not clear how many men are hiding from authorities, in big cities like Kiev and Lvov, social media groups alerting members to mobilization include tens of thousands of people, the newspaper wrote. ● Ukrainian men expressed fear of dying in the conflict, the NYT continued. According to the newspaper, Kiev has been sending troops without "sufficient training" to the front to replace combat losses. ● Military analysts agree that a lack of adequate training makes it difficult for Kiev to hold its lines, the newspaper concluded. ● Ukraine announced a general mobilization in February 2022, which it has extended periodically ever since, with the country’s authorities doing their utmost to prevent men of conscription age from dodging the draft, including a ban on male residents of Ukraine from leaving the country. On May 18, a law tightening mobilization rules came into force in Ukraine, allowing hundreds of thousands more Ukrainians to be called up into the army.

■ Kiev talking to EU about extraditing Ukrainian citizens – minister (RT.com)

Tarik Cyril Amar | Britain’s most scandalous PM, who turned 60 this week, left a dark footprint on the UK and the world… and he may yet return | Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, aka Boris Johnson, aka BoJo – former British prime minister, foreign secretary, mayor of London, leader of the Conservative Party (Tories), and, last but not least, member of Parliament – is hawking his forthcoming memoir. Under the title “Unleashed,” the publisher promises it will be like no other prime minister’s reminiscences before. That, for once, is something we could almost believe, even if it’s Johnson who says it. ■ Indeed, BoJo’s career in politics – which, unfortunately, we have no reason to consider over yet – has left the imprint of something badly “unleashed,” something, that is to say, in the worst style of a monster movie: Think “Godzilla Comes to London,” but without the charm of make-believe. Where to even begin? ■ Why not at the end: At this point, Johnson, the arch-Tory, is conspicuously absent from the ongoing British elections, although they are in full swing. Full swing, let’s not forget, toward a disaster for BoJo’s fellow Conservatives: Polling by The Economist predicts that the Tories will lose 179 seats of the 371 that they won in 2019; that is a reduction by almost half. Labour, on the other side, seems on track to win 381 seats or more. In other words, a historic landslide is looming, and it will bury the Tories. And yet, with a desperate battle for political survival afoot and despite half-hearted denials, Johnson is mostly silent, AWOL from the campaign trail.