M. Reza Behnam | Despite the countless atrocities, assassinations and violations of humanitarian and international law, American politicians and the corporate media recite ad infinitum the accepted talking point that Israel has a “right to defend itself.” From their distorted perspective, only the aggressor deserves that prerogative. | Israel’s claim to self-defense is never questioned. Although it has one of the strongest modern militaries (581 aircraft, including F-15, F-16 and advanced stealth F-35 fighter jets), possesses the latest air defense systems, stockpiles 400 nuclear weapons with delivery systems, and has the United States, the world’s largest military power, standing ready to protect it, we are to believe that Israel is in physical danger. ■ On the other hand, the Palestinians, most in need of defense, are denied that right. They are told to accept colonized lives in the Gaza concentration camp, to accept marginalization, injustice and humiliation forever; that they have no right to resist the Israeli apartheid regime. And the United States and its Western proxies threaten the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon and others in the Palestinian Resistance for daring to challenge Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

John Miles | Western governments are increasingly seeking to deepen their control of online platforms while looking to discredit those like TikTok and Telegram which they perceive to be beyond their control. [...] This weekend’s arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov, then, can be seen as the latest development in the trend after Durov provoked the ire of Western officials earlier this year by revealing the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s attempts to install a backdoor in the popular encrypted messaging application.

■ Durov arrest exposes ‘upside-down’ West – Serbian leader (RT.com)
■ US orchestrated Durov arrest – former spokesman (RT.com)
■ How prominent Russians reacted to arrest of Telegram founder Durov (RT.com)
■ France wants to ‘shut down’ Telegram – Russian human rights chief (RT.com)
■ Russian billionaire Telegram founder Pavel Durov arrested in Paris (08/25/24)

Israel has ORDERED the crypto-exchange "Binance" to SEIZE the crypto-currencies of all Palestinians pursuant to Israeli Terrorism Law | Israel did this by declaring the Dubai Exchange Company in the Gaza Strip, which is the only lawful crypto-currency entity allowed to operate in the Gaza Strip, to be a "terrorist organization." ● All Palestinians were required to use the Dubai Exchange Company for all their crypto-currency transactions. Since the Israeli government declared the Dubai Exchange itself to be a "terrorist organization" all the money transferred by or through that company is then considered to be the property of the "terrorist organization" and thus subject to being seized! Palestinians have APPEALED this mass seizure. Those Appeals are ALL being denied.

With growing concern, Zionist economists are warning officials in Tel Aviv that if the Gaza war does not end by 2025, the regime's economic situation will worsen. | According to the US media, the current state of the Israeli regime is the result of the high costs that this regime has incurred during the ongoing war in Gaza. ● Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu tried to allay the fears of Zionist experts by saying that the economic damage is short-term and temporary, but contrary to his claims, the war in Gaza has harmed thousands of small businesses and international trust in Israel's economy. ● Yacov Sheinin, an Israeli economist, said the total cost of the war could amount to $120 billion, or 20% of the country’s gross domestic product, a broad measure of economic activity. The Israeli regime's Finance Ministry this month said the country’s deficit over the last 12 months has risen to over 8% of GDP, far exceeding the 6.6% deficit-to-GDP ratio the ministry projected for 2024. In 2023, Israel’s budget deficit was roughly 4% of its GDP.

At about 10:00 PM EDT last night, Russia sortied at least eleven (11) Tu-95 Bombers into the air toward either Ukraine or toward launch positions in the Caspian Sea. All of Ukraine went under air raid warning sirens | The Tu-95's, and the naval vessels, Russia also prepared at least 9 MiG-31s for sorties. With an inventory of 6 Tu-22, 9 MiG-31k, 11 Tu-95, 2 Su-57 and 4 Kalibr missile vessels, most observers believed whatever attack was planned against Ukraine, it was going to be very large. [...] In addition to Kiev and Kharkiv, there were also multiple strikes against Dnepropetrovsk, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, Vinnitsa, and Odessa. Then, to the severe dismay of Ukraine, Russia's MiG-31s ​​flew to refuel, reload, and then took off again.

The SVR press bureau emphasized that in preparation for the color revolution, "Georgian pro-Western non-governmental organizations are recruiting a large number of people to closely monitor the voting process" | The United States is preparing to stage a color revolution to prevent the ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party from winning the October parliamentary election, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said. According to it, the White House is...

💬 "...extremely dissatisfied with the landscape in Georgia" ahead of the October 26 parliamentary election in the country. "The Americans are preparing a color revolution in Georgia," the SVR pointed out. "At the 'Tbilisi maidan' they plan to make public 'evidence of falsifications' in voting, announce non-recognition of the election results and demand a change of power. Law enforcement agencies will be provoked to suppress the protests by force," the intelligence agency said. At the same time, the Americans are working out options for a "ruthless" political and economic response to the "excessive" use of force by the authorities against "peaceful citizens."

■ Georgia to start registering foreign-sponsored NGOs in September (05/30/24)
■ US threatens action against NATO applicant (05/23/24)
■ Georgia accuses NATO countries of trying to orchestrate coup (05/17/24)

Kiev has urged Minsk to “cease unfriendly actions” and warned that it reserves the right to defend its territory | Belarus has amassed a large number of troops at the border, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday, warning Minsk against making “tragic mistakes.” ● Citing intelligence reports, the ministry said that the Belarusian Armed Forces are “concentrating a significant number of personnel,” including tanks and artillery, in the Gomel Region “under the guise of exercises.” [...] Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko earlier accused Kiev of a dangerous military buildup, claiming that Kiev had amassed more than 120,000 troops on its northern border.

💬 “Having seen their aggressive policy, we have deployed our troops to certain areas near our border,” Lukashenko said in an interview with Russian broadcaster VGTRK this month. “I was forced to deploy almost a third of [the Belarusian] army to reinforce the existing forces.” He added that the troops are ready to defend Belarus should a war break out.

In early August, Lukashenko said that the air defense forces had shot down several “attack drones” that took off in Ukraine and violated Belarusian airspace. Minsk has urged Russia and Ukraine to return to the negotiating table, warning that the continuing fighting could lead to “an escalation that would result in Ukraine’s destruction.”

■ Ukraine Might Be Gearing Up To Attack Or Cut Off Belarus’ Southeastern City Of Gomel (Andrew Korybko)

Chris Pavlovski’s video hosting platform has been embroiled in a long-running legal battle with the French authorities | France has crossed all boundaries by arresting Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, Chris Pavlovski, the CEO of video-sharing platform Rumble, has said, adding that he left Europe after the news broke. ● Durov was taken into custody at a Paris airport on Saturday evening after arriving from Azerbaijan by private jet. While the French authorities have yet to publicly announce the reason for detaining the Russian tech mogul, reports indicate that the charges are related to his alleged complicity in drug trafficking, pedophilia offenses, fraud, as well as failure to address criminal activity on the messenger. Telegram has denied any wrongdoing, adding that it is “absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.”

■ US orchestrated Durov arrest – former spokesman (RT.com)
■ How prominent Russians reacted to arrest of Telegram founder Durov (RT.com)
■ France wants to ‘shut down’ Telegram – Russian human rights chief (RT.com)
■ Russian billionaire Telegram founder Pavel Durov arrested in Paris (08/25/24)

Ilana Mercer | The totem words and adjectives we use to describe Israel, a perverse and pornographically murderous society, fail. One day flows into the next, each indistinguishable in the level of sadistic torture and carnage dreamed up by the IDF Einsatzgruppen. | The crimes of genocide, the making and mass-marketing of online snuff films featuring murdered Palestinians, and the commission of extra-judicial assassination the globe over—these Israel has already de facto legalized in what passes for law in that thugocracy. By the Middle East Monitor’s telling,

💬 “A Gaza detainee allegedly sexually abused by Israeli soldiers at Sde Teiman … suffered ‘a ruptured bowel, a severe injury to his anus, lung damage and broken ribs’ as a result of the immense torture he was subjected to by Israeli occupation soldiers. …One of the nine Israeli soldiers arrested for abusing him was released without charge. Deliberations about the other eight are continuing.”

■ Israel Learns of a Hidden Shame in Its Early Years (Chris McGreal)

Massive destruction captured at Hamad City in Khan Yunis after lsraeli occupation forces withdraw from the area. pic.twitter.com/XuCmA38qWs

— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) August 24, 2024

Hezbollah’s Islamic Resistance conducted multiple operations on Saturday, striking several Israeli occupation sites and intensifying strikes on spy equipment with rockets and attack drones. | First Operation: The initial statement reported that at 08:30 on Saturday morning, August 24, 2024, the Islamic Resistance fighters directly struck a gathering of Zionist soldiers at the Harmon Israeli site using an attack drone. Second Operation: The second statement reported that, at 12:00 pm., Hezbollah’s fighters targeted the Al-Raheb Israeli occupation site, with artillery shells achieving a direct hit. Third Operation: According to the third statement, at 12:15 pm, the group’s fighters targeted the spy equipment at the Al-Raheb site with a suicide bomber and hit it directly. Fourth Operation: At 10:15 a.m., Hezbollah fighters targeted Zionist soldiers deployed around the Misgav Am Israeli occupation site with appropriate weapons, scoring a direct hit. Fifth Operation: Aerial Attack - The fifth statement declared that in response to the Israeli enemy’s attacks on steadfast southern villages and peaceful homes, Islamic Resistance fighters launched an aerial attack on Saturday using an explosive-laden drone. The attack targeted the newly established command headquarters of the Western Brigade, located south of the Ya’ara Israeli settlement, precisely hitting the positions of its officers and soldiers. Sixth Operation: The sixth statement indicated that at 2:10 p.m., the group’s fighters targeted a deployment of enemy soldiers around the Hadab Yaroun site with artillery shells, achieving a direct hit. Seventh Operation: According to the seventh statement, at 4:45 p.m., Islamic Resistance fighters targeted the Al-Ramtha Israeli site in the occupied Lebanese Kfar Shuba hills with rockets, scoring a direct hit. Hezbollah’s military media eighth statement reported that at 4:40 p.m. on Saturday, Islamic Resistance fighters targeted the Zibdin Israeli occupation site in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms with rockets, achieving a direct hit. At 5:15 p.m., the group’s fighters carried out their ninth operation of the day by directly targeting a deployment of enemy soldiers at the Bayad Blida Israeli site with appropriate weapons. The tenth statement declared that at 5:25 p.m., the fighters targeted a gathering of Zionist soldiers in the vicinity of the Hanita Israeli site with artillery shells. The eleventhth statement for the day reported that at 7:10 p.m. on Saturday, Hezbollah fighters targeted a military intelligence unit and war force near the Al-Raheb Israeli site with rockets, achieving a direct hit.

■ Ex-minister of military affairs: Israel lost war in north to Hezbollah (PressTV)
■ Hezbollah: Mission Complete, Sayyed Nasrallah to Refute Israeli Claims in Later Speech (Mehr News)
■ Hezbollah drone hits Israeli warship, leaves casualties (Mehr News)
■ Lebanon’s Hezbollah paralyzes Ben Gurion airport (Mehr News)
■ 10 foreign airlines cancel flights to Israel amid cross-border escalation with Hezbollah (Anadolu)
■ Au moins trois morts dans des frappes israéliennes sur le Liban-Sud | Notre direct (L'Orient-Le Jour)
■ Israel launches massive strikes on southern Lebanon (Anadolu)
■ The Zionist Entity Was Never Prepared For A War Of Attrition (Robert Inlakesh)

The Russian billionaire founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, Pavel Durov, was arrested on Saturday evening upon arrival at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, according to French TV channel TF1. | The 39-year-old businessman, who has dual French and United Arab Emirates citizenship, was reportedly met by police officers at around 8pm on Saturday after flying to the French capital on his private jet from Azerbaijan. ● According to the French authorities, Durov, who is estimated to be worth €13.9 billion by Forbes, is being charged as an accomplice to crimes including drug trafficking, fraud, terrorism and crimes against children over Telegram’s alleged “lack of moderation and cooperation with law enforcement’, as well for Telegram’s use of disposable numbers, and for allowing cryptocurrency transfers that cannot be monitored by the authorities. ● The arrest has surprised many, as Durov had long proven himself to be a canny operator in terms of ensuring his personal safety, leaving Russia in 2014 when he refused demands by Russian intelligence services to censor the VK social media platform, which he owned at the time. Since 2017, Durov and Telegram have been based in Dubai. [...] Neither Durov nor Telegram has either confirmed his arrest or commented on it. However, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Sunday that Russian diplomats in Paris were working to learn more about Durov’s arrest.

■ Snowden slams Macron for taking Telegram's Durov 'hostage' (Al Mayadeen)
■ US trampling on free speech – David Sacks on Durov’s arrest (RT.com)
■ RE.: задержание российских граждан местными властями (Maria Zakharova)
■ Durov’s detention raises question if Western NGOs demand his release — diplomat (TASS)
■ Elon Musk believes Europeans to be executed for social media likes soon (TASS)
■ #FreePavel: Elon Musk reacts to Durov’s arrest (RT.com)
■ ‘Darkness descending’: Tucker Carlson reacts to reports of Durov’s arrest (RT.com)
■ US is behind Durov’s arrest – senior Russian official (RT.com)
■ Censorship, Suppression of Free Speech at Heart of Telegram Crackdown – Ex-CIA Analyst (Sputnik News)
■ 'Demons are Losing Control': Influencers React to Pavel Durov's Detainment (Ekatrina Blinova)

Dmitry Medvedev (Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council) (Дмитрий Медведев) | Some time ago, quite some time ago, I asked Durov why he didn't want to cooperate with law enforcement on serious crimes. "This is my principled position," he stated. "Then there will be serious problems in any country," I told him. ■ He thought he had the biggest problems in Russia, and left, then got citizenship/residence permits in other states. He wanted to be a brilliant "man of the world" living perfectly without a homeland. Ubi bene ibi patria! ■ He miscalculated. For all our common enemies now, he is Russian - and therefore unpredictable and dangerous. Of a different blood. Certainly not Musk or Zuckerberg (btw., actively cooperating with the FBI). Durov should finally realize that the Fatherland, like the times, cannot be chosen...(DeepL + Grammarly)

Paul Craig Roberts | We can add Richard Medhurst to Tulsi Gabbard, Scott Ritter, Amb. Craig Murray, Julian Assange, and many others who are harassed, arrested, imprisoned by police state authorities in the US, UK, EU, and Canada for practicing the disappearing profession of journalism. | When Richard Medhurst can be arrested in a London airport for “expressing an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organization,” we know freedom is dead and journalism no longer exists. All that Western journalists are permitted to do today is to support the official lies in the official narratives that are used to construct the false reality in which we live. ■ We no longer have the BBC, the New York Times, the London Times, ABC, NBC, CBS to hold government accountable. What we have are propaganda ministries that support official narratives. The job of the Western media is to lie to the people in behalf of the establishment that rules them.

A pro-life activist who was arrested for quietly praying outside of an abortion clinic has been paid approximately $17,000 USD from the West Midlands Police in Birmingham, England, according to Fox News. | After the arrest she filed a claim accusing the police of false imprisonment, assault and wrongful arrest. She was detained for allegedly violating a Public Space Protection Order, the police said at the time. The women, UK March for Life Director Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, said:

💬 "Clearly, I'm delighted to have this, but there's almost a bit of déjà vu. While I'm saying I'm delighted, I feel vindicated." "I remember saying something similar when I came out of court, after having to go to court over being arrested and yet, two weeks later [after being acquitted], I was arrested again for my silent prayers. So, I do hope that the police have finally learned a lesson that silent prayer is not and can never be a criminal activity," she continued. "I think the bigger point is that I shouldn't have had to go to these lengths to be getting some kind of an apology or payout from the police. That wasn't what I wanted to do. I just want fair treatment, and I think that would be the case with all Christians, with all pro-lifers. We just want some fairness and some justice to happen. We shouldn't have to be threatening to go to court," she said.

NATO's 75-year bloody legacy

Today marks the 75th anniversary of a legal document that would forever alter the landscape of global politics. On August 24, 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty, commonly known as the Washington Treaty, was officially enacted following the completion… pic.twitter.com/UVHHGuZUrp

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) August 24, 2024

■ NATO's Bloody Legacy in 90 Seconds (Sputnik News)
■ US Military Veteran: Putin Outplayed US Neocon Plan to Balkanize Russia (Sputnik News)

The bill outlaws any religious organizations considered to have ties to Moscow | Vladimir Zelensky has signed a law that calls for the banning of any religious group suspected of having ties to Russia. It threatens to effectively shut down the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) – the largest faith-based organization in the country. ● The Ukrainian parliament introduced the legislation earlier this week; it is expected to take effect in 30 days. After that, all the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and all affiliated religious organizations will be outlawed. ● The UOC will have nine months to sever all ties with the ROC, despite the Ukrainian church having already declared full autonomy from the Moscow Patriarchate in 2022, following the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict. ● After signing the legislation on Saturday, the country’s Independence Day, Zelensky released a video address stating that “Ukrainian Orthodoxy is today taking a step towards liberation from Moscow’s devils.” [...] Moscow has condemned Ukraine's crackdown on religious communities; the Holy Synod of the ROC issued a statement on Thursday comparing the new legislation with Soviet-style repression and other historical persecutions of Christians.

■ Kiev’s Plan To Ban The Ukrainian Orthodox Church Shows How Insecure It Is About National Identity (A. Korybko)
■ The country will be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah (Dmitry Medvedev)

Kyiv wants donors to lift restrictions on using long-range weapons to hit targets inside Russia, which they’ve imposed to lessen the threat of the war escalating. | Kyiv wants donors to lift restrictions on using long-range weapons to hit targets inside Russia, which they’ve imposed to lessen the threat of the war escalating. [...] Kyiv is pushing hard for donors to lift restrictions on using long-range weapons to hit targets inside Russia — a ban imposed by countries like the U.S. and the U.K. out of fear of crossing Russian leader Vladimir Putin's red lines. However, Ukraine's ongoing invasion of Russia undermines that argument.

■ Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 911 (Al Jazeera)
■ Russia Warns US Close To Making ‘Fatal’ Miscalculation Over Ukraine (Antiwar.com)(June 3, 2024)

■ The Ever Widening War (Paul Craig Roberts)
■ Mission Creep: The role of four NATO countries in the preparation of the attack on Kursk (Semyon Boykov)
■ World War III: “A NATO invasion of nuclear Russia is currently underway.” (Peter Koenig)

Yitzhak Brik, the former commander of Israeli military colleges and a long-serving army ombudsman, believes that his country would not survive a prolonged war on Gaza and beyond. | As Gaza ceasefire talks continue to stall thanks to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hardliner stance and deliberate obstruction, some Israeli and Western analysts warn that things could easily take a grim turn for Tel Aviv. ● Despite the Israeli army relentlessly pounding Gaza for the past 10 months, killing more than 40,000 people, there are no signs that Hamas under new political leader Yahya Sinwar plans to surrender. The Palestinian resistance group continues to hold hostages and launch hit-and-run attacks on the occupying forces.

💬 "The country really is galloping towards the edge of an abyss. If the war of attrition against Hamas and Hezbollah continues, Israel will collapse within no more than a year," wrote Yitzhak Brik, a former top Israeli general, who served in different capacities in the army for decades, in a Haaretz article.

● Overnight Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 37 Palestinians, mostly in south and central Gaza. Medical sources say at least 32 of those killed have arrived at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
● Israel’s military issues fresh orders for residents to evacuate neighbourhoods in northern Gaza amid intense Israeli attacks in the north, centre and south of the Palestinian territory.
● White House says talks in Cairo to reach Gaza ceasefire have been “constructive”, but all sides must come together to implement proposed deal as US delegation plans to meet with mediators again on Sunday to try and close negotiation gaps.
● A 10-month-old baby in Gaza is now paralysed due to polio – the first case in the enclave in more than 25 years – the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees has confirmed.
● UN official says Palestinian children are “paying the heaviest price” as Gaza faces critical humanitarian aid shortages and spike in malnutrition.
● At least 40,265 people have been killed and 93,144 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7 and more than 200 were taken captive.

■ Live blog: Overnight Israeli attacks in Gaza kills 14, including children (TRT World)
■ IOF bombard Gaza, kill 11 Palestinians after striking their home (Al Mayadeen)
■ Seven civilians injured in Israeli aggression on Syria (Al Mayadeen)

The former Democrat cited Ukraine, free speech and a “war on children” as his reasons | Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced he would back Republican candidate Donald Trump and end his independent run for president, but only in swing US states. The son of Senator Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy first tried to challenge President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination last April. Faced with obstruction within the party, he announced a third-party bid last October.

■ Trump accepts Kennedy endorsement (RT.com)
■ Democrats’ Lack of Outreach to RFK Jr Shows Party’s Arrogance, Elitism - Analyst (Ted Rall/John Miles)

Dmitry Medvedev (Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council) (Дмитрий Медведев) |The neo-Nazi dogs decided to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate completely.

■ The stinking, rotting Ukrainian regime decided to outdo the atheism of the Soviet period. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, although it was an atheist country, did not ban religions and individual creeds.

■ This vile story was started, as we know, by Poroshenko. To please his ambitions and to be elected president of Ukraine, he agreed with the West on a split in Orthodoxy and the creation of the heretical PCU. The individual "hierarchs" of this, if I may say so, "church" are well known. Their place is not at all on the pulpit. They were quite successful pimps, guarding Kiev's political prostitutes. Nothing came of the idea: the gunpowder failed miserably, and the project stalled. Ukrainians did not leave the UOC-MP.

■ And then there's more. The country was led by a drug-addicted creature with no religious identity, known for playing with his shitty prick on pianos. This is where the defeat of Ukrainian Orthodoxy and persecution of Christians for their faith began, the logical result of which was the Rada's decision of 20.08.24.

■ And this is no longer the activity of individual heretics and their followers, as in the days of Arius, Apollinarius of Laodicea, or Constantinople bishop Macedonia. This is a full-fledged Satanism, which is professed by the cocaine creature and his ghouls. And which is actively supported by the "civilized West" to inflict maximum damage on Russia and its citizens.

■ This story will have consequences for former Ukraine. The country will be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah, and the demons will inevitably perish. And payback will cover them not in the distant future - after the transition to the next world. On the contrary, the punishment will be earthly, cruel, and painful and will be accomplished soon. For it is said: "And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening." (Joshua 10:26).

■ And the True Orthodox Church in the former Ukrainian lands will shine in its former splendor. (DeepL + Grammarly)

■ Medvedev condemns Ukraine’s crackdown on Orthodox Church as 'satanism' (Al Mayadeen)
■ Orthodox Christian Church accuses Kiev of Soviet-style repression (08/23/24)

Top doctors worldwide are stepping forward to expose the World Health Organization’s monkey-pox scare as a cover-up for known side effects linked to the COVID mRNA vaccines. | According to leading virologist Dr. Poornima Wagh, we are not experiencing an outbreak of monkey-pox around the world, as claimed by the WHO. As Dr. Wagh explains, the symptoms experienced by those diagnosed with monkey-pox are actually a known side-effect of the Covid shots: Auto-Immune Blistering Disease. Meanwhile, Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg has warned that the WHO’s claims of a monkey-pox emergency is another scam and the disease we are witnessing is actually the result of destroyed immune system shingles caused by the Covid shots.

Lebanon's Hezbollah says it carried out a strike on the Meron military base, targeting Israel's spying devices. | In a brief statement, the resistance group said it destroyed espionage equipment inside the headquarters of the air surveillance unit and the air operations command at the base on Friday morning. ● The operation, it said, came in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and their resistance fighters, and in response to Israeli strikes on the towns and villages in southern Lebanon. ● Additionally, the Lebanese resistance fighters shelled the Israeli al-Malikiyah military site and precisely struck the designated targets. ● The Lebanese health ministry announced on Thursday that 564 deaths and 1,848 injuries had been recorded from last October to August 20 as a result of Israeli raids and shelling of southern Lebanon. ● The ministry said in a report that 84 percent of the injuries were males, and 93 percent of them were Lebanese nationals, adding that 53 percent of the injuries were under the age of 44.

■ Yemen army targets Israel-linked ships in Red Sea, Gulf of Aden (PressTV)

Alexander Mercouris | In the wake of the Medhurst arrest, Alexander Mercouris looks back at the genesis of the Terrorism Act under which the journalist was held. | At the time when Prime Minister Tony Blair brought in the Terrorism Act 2000 — note that this was before 9/11 – I was working in the Royal Courts of Justice. As I remember the lawyers were buzzing about it, worried about its vague and sloppy language, and its overt authoritarianism and capacity for abuse. There was general incredulity that Blair, who is himself a lawyer, as of course is his wife, and his Home Secretary Jack Straw, who is also a lawyer and a former adviser of Barbara Castle, one of the most revered figures in modern Labour history, would bring in a law like that. Looking back and thinking of those days, it’s amazing how naive we were. Here we are and this terrible law is now being used against journalists, and is being used in a way which violates fundamental human rights.

■ ‘Can’t Make This Up’: Journalist Arrested Under UK Anti-Terror Law Hours After Criticizing It (Brett Wilkins)

The Russian government has made up its mind about the response to the Kyiv government’s incursion into Russia’s borderline region of Kursk, and the retaliation will be tough, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said.

💬 "I’m telling you sincerely that [Russian] President [Vladimir Putin] has made the decision. I am firmly convinced that all those responsible will be punished heavily for the events in the Kursk Region," the diplomat said, TASS reported.

Ukrainian forces started a major attack on the Kursk Region on August 6. Missile attack warnings have been issued repeatedly in the region since then, and the government declared a federal-level emergency there. According to Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, about 115,000 people have been resettled from dangerous areas near the border. Kursk Region Interim Governor Alexey Smirnov said that more than 133,000 people had left their homes along the border in the Kursk Region. Temporary accommodation centers for Kursk Region residents who had to leave their homes have been opened in 29 Russian regions.

■ China warns of retaliatory strikes on Kiev in coming days (HTS)
■ Ukraine tried to attack Russian nuclear plant – Putin (RT.com)
■ Zaporozhye, Kursk Nuclear Plants Objects of Criminal Terrorist Acts of Ukraine (Sputnik News)

Washington cannot be trusted over claims that Ukraine is prohibited from using certain weapons, Russian envoy Anatoly Antonov has said | Claims by Washington that it has banned Ukraine from using US-supplied long-range weapons for strikes deep inside Russian territory cannot be trusted, Moscow’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, has said. ● Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has resumed his calls for the country’s Western backers to allow long-range strikes on Russian territory during Kiev’s ongoing incursion into Kursk Region. ● The Pentagon stated last week that its stance remains unchanged, and that Ukraine is still banned from using US-supplied ATACMS missiles, which have a range of up to 300km (186 miles), for attacks deep inside Russia. ● Speaking to journalists on Friday, Antonov claimed that the US authorities...

💬 “...seem to be constantly teasing us by saying that today it is allegedly not allowed to use long-range systems to strike at Russian territory.” ● “But in reality, they are essentially preparing the ground to simply remove all existing restrictions, at a certain point,” the Russian envoy added.

Judging by Washington’s previous assistance to Kiev, including its training of pilots to fly F-16 jets, it is almost certain that Ukraine will “fight with US-made [long-range] weapons against us,” the ambassador said, as cited by TASS. “Where exactly will it happen? We cannot say or foretell,” he stressed.

■ US may announce new military aid package for Ukraine worth $125mln — AP (TASS)
■ Moscow accuses three NATO states of enabling Kiev’s Kursk incursion (RT.com)
■ Kursk Mission Creep: The Russian Army revealed the role of four NATO countries in the attack (Semyon Boykov)
■ River of blood in Kursk: 'There will be no mercy' Moscow warns (Komnenos B.)
■ “World War III: A NATO invasion of nuclear Russia is currently underway” (Peter Koenig)

Ukraine’s parliament has passed a bill that would allow authorities to ban any religious community deemed to have ties to Moscow | Ukraine’s latest legislation, which aims to grant the government the right to ban any church or religious community with suspected ties to Russia, is akin to Soviet-style repression, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) said in a statement on Thursday. ● Earlier this week, Ukrainian MPs approved the bill, which is seen by the ROC as directly targeted against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). Despite the UOC officially declaring full autonomy from the Moscow Patriarchate in 2022, Kiev has nevertheless repeatedly accused the church and its clergy of maintaining ties to Moscow. The legislation also outright bans the ROC and all affiliated religious institutions from operating in Ukraine.

■ Kiev’s Plan To Ban The Ukrainian Orthodox Church Shows How Insecure It Is About National Identity (A. Korybko)

Beit Lahia, North Gaza |

The Israeli military attack Hamouda family’s home in the town, killing at least eight Palestinians, all from the same family.

Among the murdered were women & children. The children were found burned and severely mutilated. pic.twitter.com/tj8hvrTxhy

— Younis Tirawi | يونس (@ytirawi) August 21, 2024

The Israeli occupation forces continue to commit massacres throughout the night, targeting Palestinians in their homes and throughout the Strip. | Palestinian news sources in the Gaza Strip reported that 11 Palestinians, including children, have been killed, while several others were injured following an airstrike by the Israeli occupation forces on a residential house in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip. The attack was part of a series of airstrikes on various areas of the Strip which resulted in further casualties. ● In Jabalia's Tal al-Zaatar, several Palestinians, including women and children, were also either killed or injured in an Israeli occupation airstrike on an apartment. ● In the central region of the Strip, Israeli occupation warplanes conducted four airstrikes on various locations east of Deir al-Balah, near Salah al-Din Street. Injuries were also reported following an airstrike on a house in the Nuseirat camp. ● Moreover, three Palestinians were martyred and four others were injured in an Israeli occupation airstrike on a house in Maghazi camp in the central Strip. Even in Khan Younis, in the South, a mother and child were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house.

■ Prof. Amos Goldberg: “Yes, it is genocide” (Professor Amos Goldberg)

🚨 HEARTBREAKING 💔| Israel killed Khaled Al-Sakani and his family, erasing them from the Palestinian civil registry, just like thousands of other families in Gaza who no longer have a trace. And the world has chosen to remain silent about the genocide in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/LellQzrk6b

— ‏Martyrs of Gaza (@GazaMartyrs) August 22, 2024

"In addition, we have eliminated several artillery guns of various caliber and also several command posts," Major General Apty Alaudinov said | Russian forces destroyed a US-made Abrams tank of the Ukrainian army in the borderline Kursk Region, Deputy Head of the Russian Armed Forces’ Main Military-Political Department, Akhmat Special Forces Commander Major General Apty Alaudinov said on Thursday.

💬 "Everything is very good for us on the frontline so far and everything is under control. The enemy has attempted no active combat operations today while we have destroyed about ten items of equipment, including pickup trucks and also an Abrams tank today," the Akhmat commander said in a video posted on his Telegram channel overnight to August 22.

■ Ukraine Says It’s Using US-Provided HIMARS Inside Russia (Antiwar.com)
■ Ukrainian troops massacred civilians in Kursk – Russian volunteer (GRAPHIC VIDEO) (RT.com)
■ Το Κουρσκ δέχεται ΝΑΤΟϊκή επίθεση: Εντοπίστηκαν Αμερικανικές δυνάμεις (War News 24/7)
■ Russian spy agency names states enabling Kiev’s Kursk incursion (08/21/24)
■ Ukraine’s Kursk offensive is a huge strategic error (Andrew Latham / The Hill)
■ Ukraine SitRep: Western Media Dismiss Ukraine's Kursk Offensive (Moon of Alabama)
■ The Dangerous Obsession with Territory in a War of Attrition (Glenn Diesen)