Kyiv does not have the resources or manpower to continue the fight against Russia, Rajmund Andrzejczak has said | Ukraine’s losses in the conflict with Russia should be counted “in the millions,” the former chief of the Polish General Staff, Rajmund Andrzejczak, has claimed. Kyiv “is losing the war” and does not have the resources to sustain the fight against Moscow, he added. In an interview with the Polsat broadcaster on Monday, the retired general described Ukraine’s battlefield situation as “very dramatic” and insisted that “there are no miracles in war.” ● Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s decision to replace his top general, Valery Zaluzhny, with Aleksandr Syrsky has failed to make a significant difference as the same issues remain for Kyiv’s new commander-in-chief, Andrzejczak added. According to the retired general, Ukraine is suffering deficits in equipment and manpower, with losses taking their toll on its capabilities.

■ Russia hits Ukraine with deadly barrage, Zelensky appeals for aid (Hürriyet)
■ West [...] discusses 'unthinkable' idea of sending troops to Ukraine — Hungarian PM (TASS)
■ Ukraine Talks Haven't Started Because of US Threats to Zelensky, Seymour Hersh Says (Sputnik News)

Military officers should visit schools to build “relaxed” relations with students, Bettina Stark-Watzinger has suggested | German children should be made to prepare for war to boost “resilience,” Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger stated on Saturday. She said kids should be taught what to do in the event of conflict and suggested introducing “civil defense” drills in schools so that youngsters will be prepared for the years ahead.

Pepe Escobar | The saga of Bundeswehr officers plotting to blow up the Kerch bridge with Taurus missiles and getting away with it is a gift that keeps on giving. | The Four Stooges saga of Bundeswehr officers plotting to blow up the Kerch bridge in Crimea with Taurus missiles and getting away with it is a gift that keeps on giving. President Putin, in his comprehensive interview to Dmitry Kiselev for Russia 1/RIA Novosti, did not fail to address it:

💬 “They are fantasizing, encouraging themselves, first of all. Secondly, they are trying to intimidate us. As for the Federal Republic of Germany, there are constitutional problems there. They correctly say: if these Taurus hit that part of the Crimean Bridge, which, of course, even according to their concepts, is Russian territory, this is a violation of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany.”

Yet it gets curioser and curioser. When the transcript of the Taurus leak was published by RT, everyone was able to hear Brigadier General Frank Gräfe – head of operations of the German Air Force – speaking with Lieutenant Colonel Fenske from the German Space Command Air Operations on the plan to deploy Taurus systems in Ukraine. A key point is that during the plotting, these two mention that plans were already discussed “four months ago” with “Schneider”, the successor of “Wilsbach”. Well, these are German names, of course. Thus it did not dawn on anyone that (Kevin) Schneider and (Kenneth) Wilsbach could instead be… Americans.

Reports are coming out of central Ukraine **claiming** "HUGE numbers of foreign troops have been arriving in the city of Cherkassy; Poles, Germans, French." | Locals in that area of Ukraine say "They (foreign troops) are settled on the ground floors of schools and kindergartens. We would like to point out that the educational process in educational institutions continues on the second and third floors." Parents are very worried about their children's lives, as attacks are possible even though these foreign troops are hiding behind children. Locals also say "there is no educational process at night . . . " which is apparently when these troops go into action. UPDATE: Ihor Taburets, head of the Cherkasy Regional Military Administration, denied as "Russian propaganda," claims that Polish, German, and French, soldiers are stationed in schools and kindergartens in Cherkasy.

■ At Least 10 Tu-95 Missile Planes Airborne toward Ukraine (Hal Turner)

The deputy head of the Russian Security Council pointed out that such military personnel would become full-fledged combatants as part of an interventionist contingent, and so their destruction would be "a priority and a matter of honor" for the Russian Armed Forces. | 💬 "As for the Gallic roosters in the French leadership, it would be tantamount to being guillotined. They would be torn to pieces both by the enraged relatives and angry members of the opposition, who have been assured all along that France is not at war with Russia. Also, it would be a good lesson for other rambunctious fools in Europe," Medvedev predicted.

■ SITREP 3/19/24: French Military Openly Floats 20,000 Troop Deployment (Simplicius)
■ Russian servicemen to kill all French soldiers in Ukraine — senior lawmaker (TASS)
■ Зато какая была бы польза! (Dmitry Medvedev)(Telegram)
■ Western troops in Ukraine ‘an open secret’ – Poland (RT.com)
■ French army ‘ready for war’ – top general (RT.com)
■ French General Says Army Is Preparing for ‘Toughest Engagements’ (Antiwar.com)
■ France mulled ‘boots on the ground’ in Ukraine for months – Le Monde (RT.com)

Jared Kushner, Trump's former White House adviser, suggested Israel should remove civilians while it "cleans up" the area. | Donald Trump’s son-in-law and former White House adviser, Jared Kushner, has said Gaza's "waterfront property" has a “very valuable” potential, suggesting Israel should remove civilians while it “cleans up” the area.

💬 “Gaza’s waterfront property, it could be very valuable, if people would focus on building up livelihoods,” Kushner said in an interview dated 15 February.

It was posted earlier this month on the YouTube channel of the Middle East Initiative, a programme of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and first reported on Tuesday by The Guardian.

💬 “If you think about all the money that's gone into this tunnel network and into all the munitions, if that would have gone into education or innovation, what could have been done?” ● “It’s a little bit of an unfortunate situation there, but I think from Israel’s perspective, I would do my best to move the people out and then clean it up,” Kushner added. “But I don’t think that Israel has stated that they don’t want the people to move back there afterwards.”

■ Jared Kushner advises moving Gazans to Negev while IDF 'cleans up' the Strip (Ynet)

Berlin has vowed not use the Russian leader’s official title, having criticized the election process | Berlin’s decision not to refer to Russian President Vladimir Putin by his proper title in government documents is ridiculous and possibly a sign of a mental disorder, officials in Moscow have said. The diplomatic snub was announced on Monday in an effort to discredit last week’s presidential election in Russia. Germany and other Western nations claim the electoral process was neither free nor fair. A government spokesperson said the move was symbolic, noting that communications between Berlin and Russia were severely limited anyway. Reacting to the news, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said the stunt “comes from shameful weakness.” He claimed that Germany was essentially saying “We cannot affect the outcome of the election… but just to spite them we need to make some stupid statement.”

Dmitry Medvedev (Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council) (Дмитрий Медведев) | What freaks they are! | The rhetoric of Western morons is strikingly contradictory. Every speech, every day, a pearl. One cannot understand whether it is childish infantilism, or mature stupidity, or utter insolence. ● Here is the chief frogman who scares the French landing in Crimea (i.e. in Russia), but swears to answer Vladimir Putin immediately in case of a call. What a consistent and courageous man! ● The sausage makers have gone further: they say we will no longer consider Vladimir Putin the President, but we will negotiate with him. The question then is, who is he for them, if he does not have the necessary legitimacy? And what is the price of such negotiations? And all this from shameful weakness. We can't influence the elections, we don't recognize the results, but to make a mess of things, we have to make a stupid statement. ● The officials of Pindostan [the US] are even more brazen. They are openly and unashamedly waging a hybrid war against us. They are using everything in it: huge supplies of weapons to the enemy, sending their military specialists and the work of their intelligence forces. And then they say in plain sight: we want to resume strategic dialog on armaments. No way. This is like negotiating with Hitler about lowering the threshold of offensive weapons during the Great Patriotic War. ● It's like that with everything! Endless fidgeting of the ass on the chair, cosmic lies, stale snot, and theatrical tears for the sake of imitation of good intentions. But in reality, it's lies and manipulation to maintain their power. What freaks they are! (DeepL + Grammarly)

Ted Snider | European discussions about sending troops obscures the fact that several NATO countries already have boots on the ground. | The transcript of an intercepted February 19 conversation between senior German air force officials discussing the possible transfer of German Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine says that the Germans “know how the English do it....They have several people on-site.” The revelation that the UK has troops on the ground has now been confirmed by the British Prime Minister’s office: “Beyond the small number of personnel we do have in the country supporting the armed forces of Ukraine, we haven't got any plans for large-scale deployment.” ● The transcript says that “the French don’t do it that way,” but Scholz has hinted that they do. On February 26, the German Chancellor defended his decision not to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine by saying that it would require the presence of Germans in Ukraine to match their British and French counterparts. He explained, “What is being done in the way of target control and accompanying target control on the part of the British and the French can’t be done in Germany.” He worried that “a participation in the war could emerge from what we do.” ● The transcript also cryptically alludes to an American presence on the ground. Wondering whether Ukraine would be able to do targeting on their own, one of the officials says, “It's known that there are numerous people there in civilian attire who speak with an American accent.”

■ Mercenaries from the West inside Ukraine - Stunning Numbers (Hal Turner)

Several Ukrainian UAVs have been shot down outside the Russian capital, Sergey Sobyanin has said | At least four Ukrainian drones were downed while heading to Moscow in the early hours of Sunday, according to Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.The Defense Ministry said some 35 UAVs were intercepted overnight, as Kiev’s forces continue to target Russian infrastructure and border towns. ● “The Russian Defense Ministry’s air defenses in the Domodedovo district have repelled a drone attack on Moscow,” Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed on Telegram around 4:40am Sunday morning, noting that two hostile targets were downed in the area. Two more UAVs weve intercepted in the Ramensky and Stupino districts, Sobyanin added an hour later. ● No damage was inflicted and no one was hurt in the areas where the debris fell, the official said, adding that the emergency services were responding to the incidents. Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, located to the south of the capital, also reported no irregularities in its operations. ● Around the same time, several Ukrainian drones attempted to strike an oil refinery in the town of Slavyansk in Russia’s Krasnodar Region, causing a fire that was quickly contained, according to local authorities. While there were no direct casualties in the strike, one person died in a suspected heart attack during the incident, emergency services said.

■ Russia thwarts Ukrainian incursion attempt (DISTURBING VIDEO) (RT.com)
■ Live blog: Drone strike on Russian refinery, one dead: regional authorities (TRT World)

Berlin has so far refused to provide Kiev with Taurus cruise missiles | European countries intend to create yet another “capability coalition” to supply Ukrainian forces with long-range weapons, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday, echoing an initiative floated by French President Emmanuel Macron. ● During a joint press conference with Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Berlin on Friday, the German chancellor stated that the countries have agreed to expand their own production of military equipment and “procure even more weapons for Ukraine, on the overall world market.” ● “We are establishing a new capability coalition for long-range rocket artillery,” Scholz told journalists. The German leader provided no specifics and took no questions, so it remains unclear whether he meant something new, or was referring to a “long-range” initiative announced by Macron last month.

■ Germany Supports Tapping Frozen Russian Assets for Ukrainian Arms - Scholz (Sputnik News)
■ New NATO member supports French position on troops in Ukraine (RT.com)
■ "Mercenaries" from the West inside Ukraine - Stunning Numbers (Hal Turner)

🇵🇸🇮🇱‼️🚨 “Ukraine is a war, but Palestine is a conflict”

She calls out the western hypocrisy pic.twitter.com/Fd0M1stlVU

— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) January 17, 2024

The senior Russian official has proposed a “soft” alternative that would see Ukraine absorbed by his country | A “reasonable” peace agreement with Ukraine would involve Moscow taking full control over the country, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has claimed. ● The senior official mocked the peace plan proposed by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, which has been backed by the West as the only way to end the conflict with Russia. First unveiled in late 2022, the proposal amounts to Moscow conceding military defeat, according to the Russian leadership. 💬 “Everyone, including those brazen Western liars, understands that even in a less complicated situation peace can be achieved either through reasonable compromise or after one of the sides capitulates,” Medvedev, who serves as deputy head of the Security Council, wrote on social media on Thursday.

■ Russia says no to Switzerland ‘peace conference’ (03/14/24)

The alpine nation can “hardly serve” as a neutral platform for Ukraine talks, the Foreign Ministry has stated | Moscow has no intention of participating in a proposed Swiss-hosted peace conference on the Ukraine conflict, even if it is officially invited, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has stated. ● The official response follows recent media reports that China and Switzerland have been pushing to get Russia invited to the talks. Last month, Switzerland announced plans to organize a peace summit “by the summer.” No specific date has been named as yet. The list of participants has also not been revealed. However, Ukraine has indicated that Russia can only be invited if it agrees in advance to a litany of preconditions.

💬 “This forum will be dedicated to promoting the ultimatum ‘Zelenskyy peace formula,’ although its Swiss organizers pretend that they are looking for a common denominator in the peace initiatives of different countries,” Zakharova said, according to a press release issued on Wednesday on the ministry’s website.

She explained that Zelensky’s plan includes a number of unrealistic terms, including the withdrawal of Russian troops to Ukraine’s 1991 borders, holding Moscow accountable and paying reparations, as well as provisions on food, nuclear safety, energy, ecology, and humanitarian problems. Kiev’s basic demands remain the same, while legitimate Russian interests are being ignored, Zakharova said.

Dmitry Medvedev (Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council) (Дмитрий Медведев) | On the Kyiv Nazis' "peace formula", Swiss "peace conferences" and the real basis of the negotiations | When I hear the expression "Zelensky's peace formula," I experience an unbearable feeling of disgust, which quickly turns into a feeling of shame from the bad surrealism of what is happening. After all, everyone understands perfectly well, including even the boorish Western liars, that even in much simpler situations during a war, peace can be achieved either by the mutual will of the parties based on reasonable compromise, or by the surrender of one of the parties to the conflict. ● There is no will on the part of the so-called former Ukraine to negotiate. At least not based on recognizing the realities, as Vladimir Putin said yesterday. For them, reality is the brain-dead "peace formula" of a provincial clown in green tights. And nothing else. It looks so artificial that the only way out is to construct our own, Russian formula, calm and quite realistic. Humane for all. Which one? For example, this one:

1. Recognition by the former "Ukraine" of defeat in the military component of the conflict. The full and unconditional surrender of "Ukraine" is represented by the neo-Nazi clique in Kyiv. Demilitarization of "Ukraine" and a ban on the creation of paramilitary formations on its territories in the future.
2. Recognition by the international community of the Nazi character of the Kyiv political regime and carrying out, under UN supervision, the forced denazification of all organs of power in "Ukraine".
3. The confirmation by the UN of the loss of international legal personality of "Ukraine". "Ukraine's loss of international legal personality and the impossibility for any of its legal successors to join military alliances without Russia's consent.
4. The resignation of all constitutional authorities of "Ukraine" and the immediate holding of elections for a provisional parliament of the UN-administered self-governing territory of "Ukraine".
5. Adoption by the provisional parliament of laws on payment of all due compensations to Russia, including payments to relatives of the dead citizens of our country and payments for health damage to the wounded. Establishment of the order of compensation for property damage caused to the subjects of the Russian Federation.
6. Official recognition by the provisional parliament of "Ukraine" that its entire territory is the territory of the Russian Federation. Adoption of an act on the reunification of the territories of "Ukraine" with Russia.
7. Self-dissolution of the provisional parliament. Recognition of the act of reunification by the UN.

This [draft] could be the soft Russian formula for peace. It is the compromise position, right? I would consider it to be the basis for seeking a benevolent consensus with the international community, including the Anglo-Saxon world, holding productive summits, counting on the mutual understanding of our close friends - Western partners. (DeepL + Grammarly)

The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement says the Israeli army, which is waging a genocidal war against the Gaza Strip, is in a state of exhaustion.

💬 "The Israeli army today is tired and exhausted on all fronts," Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address on Wednesday, adding, "The enemy's senior experts acknowledge the strategic losses."

Israel launched the war against Gaza on October 7 after Al-Aqsa Storm, a surprise operation by the coastal sliver’s resistance groups against the occupied territories that was staged in retaliation for the intensification of Tel Aviv’s decades-long crimes against Palestinians. The regime has so far during the war killed more than 31,300 Gazans, most of them women, children, and adolescents.

💬 "Gaza, which resists, fights, and endures in a scene close to a miracle and astonishing the world, is the culture of the Qur'an, and it is a divine proof for the whole world," Nasrallah said.

So far, during the military onslaught, the Israeli army has officially acknowledged losing around 590 forces and officers as a result of the resistance’s operations. The fatalities include 248, who have been killed in ground battles.

■ Sayyed Nasrallah: ‘Israel’ Moving towards Defeat, Resistance Fronts to Continue Supporting Gaza (Alahed News)
■ Gaza Resistance's ambushes inflict heavy losses on IOF in Khan Younis (Al Mayadeen)
■ Hezbollah Continues Striking Israeli Occupation Sites near Lebanon Border: Videos (Al Manar TV)
■ Scott Ritter: Israel will LOSE its War as IDF Troops Face Major Defeat in Middle East (VIDEO)
■ Palestinians defeat Israeli armored vehicles, with Jon Elmer (The Electronic Intifada)(VIDEO)

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has struck the “Israeli” entity’s main airport in continued support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, who are enduring a genocidal US-backed “Israeli” aggression. | The Iraqi umbrella group of anti-terror groups made the announcement in a statement on Monday.

💬 “The fighters of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, this evening, Monday, 11-3-2024, targeted Ben Gurion Airport deep within the usurping entity by drone,” the statement read.

The resistance accompanied the statement with footage of the operation, which saw the aircraft releasing a projectile upon reaching above its designated target. So far during the military onslaught, the entity has martyred more than 31112 Gazans, most of them women, children, and adolescents. Completing the statement, the Iraqi resistance said by targeting the “Israeli” airport, it had...

💬 “...affirmed that we will continue to strike enemy strongholds, in completion of the second phase of operations to confront the occupation and support our people in Gaza, and in response to the Zionist massacres against unarmed Palestinian civilians.”

Earlier this month, the coalition announced targeting the Haifa Airport in the northern part of the occupied territories in yet another pro-Palestinian operation.

Olaf Scholz has repeatedly - most recently on March 4 - reiterated his refusal to supply Ukraine with Taurus missiles | Germany may agree to a swap of Taurus missiles with the UK to provide Kiev with new long-range missiles, despite German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's consistent refusal to directly supply Kiev with this weapon system, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said. ● UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron told Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper on March 9 that London was ready to help Berlin resolve issues related to possible deliveries of Taurus missiles to Kiev. When asked whether a "swap" was being discussed, in which London could transfer its Storm Shadow missiles to Kiev in exchange for Taurus missiles from Germany, Cameron said that the country was prepared to consider all options to maximize the impact for Ukraine, but declined to give details. Scholz has repeatedly - most recently on March 4 - reiterated his refusal to supply Ukraine with Taurus missiles.

■ Nato is growing reckless over Ukraine – and Russia’s German military leak proves it (The Guardian)
■ Germany accuses Russia of waging an ‘information war’ after alleged military leak (The Guardian)
■ Are France and the UK Plotting a Ukrainian Power Play Right Under Germany’s Nose? (Andrew Korybko)

The man’s decision to fight for Kiev was prompted by ex-Prime Minister Liz Truss, an inquest has heard | Harry Gregg – a 25-year-old man from Norfolk, UK who was inspired by former Prime Minister Liz Truss to go and fight in Ukraine – committed suicide by hanging himself after returning from the embattled country, British media reported on Sunday, citing the official investigation. He reportedly suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and was unable to receive adequate help, according to his mother. ● In February 2022, Truss, who was then serving as foreign secretary, said on national TV that she would “absolutely” support UK nationals who go to fight for Ukraine. Her statement followed an earlier appeal from officials in Kiev for foreign volunteers to come and join the battle. [...] Her comments were at odds with the government, which maintained that anyone going to “fight or assist others engaged in the conflict” could be prosecuted upon returning to the UK.

■ UK Mercenary Fighting for Ukrainian Military Commits Suicide Upon Arrival Home - Reports (Sputnik News)

Outdated information, tenuous links sealed this vessel’s fate | When the 19,000 gross ton bulk carrier MV Rubymar entered the Red Sea just a few weeks ago, the captain knew that the area was dangerous, but he also knew that the Houthi rebels were targeting UK and US owned ships. His vessel was Belize flagged, and Lebanese owned. His assessment was that the risks offered by the Houthis were worth avoiding the 3,000-6,000 mile detour offered by a trip around the Cape of Good Hope. ● On February 18, two Houthi missiles hit the ship, forcing the entire crew to abandon the terminally stricken vessel. What the captain didn’t realize was that the ship had two British indicators linked to it - it was insured by Thomas Miller Specialty, a commercial managing general agency (MGA) which manages a GWP of over $1.6 billion writing a variety of niche and specialist lines of business, and that the ship’s Lebanese operator was inaccurately connected to a UK residential address in the Equasis public database. The Department for Transport criticized the attack, acknowledging Rubymar’s minimal connections to the UK.

Resistance groups have inflicted heavy losses on the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip amid the invading regime’s genocidal war on the Palestinian territory. | On Monday, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a coalition of Palestinian armed groups based in the occupied West Bank, said it had carried out 14 operations against Israeli forces. The brigades said it had “engaged in fierce clashes [with the troops] and targeted gatherings of Zionist enemy army vehicles,” causing “several deaths and injuries within the ranks of the enemy army.” ● Meanwhile, Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television news network cited various resistance groups in Gaza as reporting making substantial gains against the aggressors. According to the report, al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, carried out a drone attack against gatherings of Israeli troops, including their “command tents,” east of the city of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. ● The brigades also said it had caused heavy casualties among the regime’s ranks in the southern city of Khan Younis by bombing a booby-trapped house that had been attacked by an Israeli infantry brigade.

■ Lieberman: ‘Israel” is Humiliated (Alahed News)
■ Hezbollah Carries Out Major Aerial Attack on Israeli Barracks (Al-ManarTV)
■ West Bank resistance fighters confront IOF in Tulkarm, Balata camp (Al Mayadeen)
■ Hamas: No Agreement before ‘Israel’s’ Withdrawal from Gaza, Full Cessation of Aggression (Alahed News)

Remarks by Pope Francis appearing to suggest Ukraine should have the "courage of the white flag" in its war against Russia have sparked waves of criticism, prompting the Vatican to quickly clarify the comments from the leader of the Catholic church. | 💬 "I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates," Francis said in an interview recorded in February with RSI, a Swiss broadcaster. Part of the interview was published on Saturday, and the interviewer used the term, "white flag," in a question put to the Catholic leader.

■ Pope Says Ukraine Should Have the ‘Courage of the White Flag’ (Penny-For-Your-Thoughts)

Paris is also in the process deepening its clash with a more cautious Berlin, the newspaper reported | France is gathering an alliance of countries that may send troops to Ukraine in theory, the Politico newspaper reported, commenting on a visit of French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne to Lithuania. [...] The French foreign minister highlighted an opportunity at a press conference with his Lithuanian and Ukrainian counterparts on March 8 to send NATO troops to Ukraine that will deal with demining and will not participate in hostilities, the Politico noted. ● French President Emmanuel Macon raised the possibility earlier that the NATO military may be sent to Ukraine, the newspaper reminded. The majority of European countries, including Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, rejected the idea but the Baltic countries "are much more open to the idea," the Politico added.

■ France Holds Large-Scale Drills Amid Backlash Over Macron's 'Western Troops in Ukraine' Remark (Sputnik News)
■ Polish Foreign Minister backs sending NATO troops to Ukraine (RT.com)

A new report has revealed that the United States has quietly authorized over 100 separate weapons sales to Israel since the start of the Gaza war in early October, despite mounting alarm over the occupying regime’s genocidal campaign against the besieged territory. | US officials told members of Congress in a recent classified briefing that the sales include thousands of precision-guided munitions, small diameter bombs, bunker busters, small arms and other lethal aid, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. ● The report comes as only two approved weapons sales authorized by US President Joe Biden had been made public so far but the latest triple-digit figure has not been previously reported. ● The Biden administration bypassed Congress to initiate $106 million in sales of tanks ammunition as well as $147.5 million of components needed to make 155 mm shells. ● However, the 100 other weapons transfers were processed without any public debate because each fell under a specific dollar amount that requires the executive branch to individually notify Congress.

■ US has quietly approved more than 100 weapons sales to Israel since Oct. 7: Report (Anadolu)
■ US, Israel seek temporary ceasefire in Gaza to ‘buy time’ to continue war: Hamas official (PressTV)
■ Warmongers working hand in glove (Shahrokh Saei) (Tehran Times)

Sweden officially joined NATO as its 32nd member on Thursday, almost two years after first applying to the military alliance. | Earlier on Thursday, the Swedish government said in a statement it was holding an extraordinary meeting to vote on joining NATO after all current members had approved its accession to the military alliance. The news was then confirmed later Thursday with a statement from NATO, with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg saying the country was “taking its rightful place at our table.” “Sweden’s accession makes NATO stronger, Sweden safer, and the whole Alliance more secure. I look forward to raising their flag at NATO HQ on Monday,” he added.

The Islamic Republic of Iran announced on Wednesday that it has seized a US oil cargo in the Gulf. | According to Iranian reports, “The seizure took place following a court order after the Iranian Epidermolysis Bullosa [EB] patients filed a complaint against the United States.” The Iranian EB patients filed a complaint against the US due to the sanctions imposed on Iran which prevent the import of the drugs needed by them. According to The Hague-based Iranian Centre for International Criminal Law [ICICL], nearly 30 Iranian EB patients – mostly children – have died since Molnlycke stopped selling its dressings to Iran. For EB survivors, the pain has increased by 70 percent. After the court order was issued, the US oil cargo was seized from the ADVANTAGE SWEET oil tanker in the Gulf.

■ Yemen hits Israeli vessel, U.S. warships (Tehran Times)
■ Iran confiscates US oil cargo in Persian Gulf (PressTV)

"The NATO people should realize that any threat to our country's security from them will not be left unretaliated," Maria Zakharova warned | Russia is not planning an attack on anyone, including NATO, nor has it ever harbored such designs, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on the sidelines of the World Youth Festival.

💬 "Russia does not have plans for an attack, for direct or indirect aggression, or for unleashing conflicts with anyone: NATO, Washington, Ukraine or whoever. Nor has it ever harbored such designs. In contrast to this, if you read the doctrinal documents of NATO, which includes Washington and London - [the whole Brussels-headquartered alliance] - in these documents the collective West points to Russia as a direct threat."

Zakharova stressed that this was clear evidence of an aggressive attitude - the basis of their perception of Russia. [She also] drew attention to the fact that the next large-scale exercise Nordic Response, which began the other day in Norway, Sweden and Finland, would involve 20,000.