Aletho News

Comparison Of Two German Weather Forecasts: From 25 Years Ago And From Today

By P Gosselin | No Tricks Zone | August 20, 2026

Escalating climate language: 25 years ago, 28°C was “pleasant”… today it is called “extremely dangerous”. […]

The first forecast by the German weather lady is from a couple of decades ago. Here’s what she reported:

Tomorrow we’ll be getting wonderful summer weather! Temperatures will rise to a pleasant 28 to 30 degrees Celsius [82 to 86°F]. Everywhere across the country, there will be plenty of sunshine and only a few fair-weather clouds. Perfect weather for heading to the lake or having an ice cream in the beer garden. Enjoy the summer!”

The second made recently by a German weatherman forecasts almost exactly the same weather conditions, but with alarmist tones:

Tomorrow we are facing an extremely dangerous heatwave! Temperatures will climb to a hazardous 28 to 30 degrees Celsius [82 to 86°F]. UV radiation will be extremely high, with an increased risk of high ozone levels and heatstroke. Avoid direct sunlight where possible, stay hydrated, and look out for the elderly and young children.”

Full article

‘Totalitarian society’: Iconic Serbian filmaker hits out after YouTube ban

Kusturica is one of Europe’s most decorated filmmakers

RT | August 20, 2026

Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica has accused YouTube of waging a “war” against people who think independently and “tell the truth,” after the Google-owned platform deleted his channel without any warning.

YouTube removed Kusturica’s ‘My Life’ channel on Wednesday, without publicly elaborating on the decision, according to several media reports. The project, produced with Sputnik’s Serbian service, contained more than 200 videos and had roughly 30,000 subscribers. Some of the videos are dedicated to the fate of Yugoslavia, the clash of civilizations, and the collision between Christian and Western values.

After the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, YouTube banned both Sputnik and RT as the West imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia. Moscow condemned the Western crackdown on the outlets as proof of an anti-Russian agenda and Western censorship.

Commenting on the ban, Kusturica told TASS that “a totalitarian society” was behind the move, adding that “for them it is normal that they closed the channel on YouTube. They are at war with us, with people who think, who tell the truth and bring truth to the masses.” … Full article

The violent annexation of the West Bank: From the siege of Qusra to de facto sovereign control

By Dr Mustafa Fetouri | MEMO | August 20, 2026

The ongoing, siege of Palestinian homes in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, shows how Israel’s creeping annexation of the occupied West Bank has shifted into an accelerated, paramilitary phase. Beginning on August 10, 2026, armed extremist settlers surrounded three Palestinian homes on the village outskirts—including the property of Palestinian-American Loui Ridi—blocking doors, severing water and electricity lines, and threatening residents at gunpoint to abandon their land. Rather than arresting the aggressors, the Israeli military responded by declaring the area a  military zone and physically barring Palestinian residents while protecting armed settler encampments.

What began as a localized terror campaign against families in their homes—coming just weeks after settlers torched Qusra’s Al-Rahma mosque on July 26, 2026—is not an isolated outburst of vigilante zeal. It is the tactical edge of official state policy, engineered to achieve physical takeover by force. By driving Palestinians off their land, Israel is systematically executing a de facto annexation of the West Bank—subverting the unequivocal ruling of the International Court of Justice, which reaffirmed in July 2024 that the entire Israeli settlement enterprise, administrative regime, and occupation are illegal under international law—a reality recognized by the vast majority of the international community.

What is unfolding on the ground across the West Bank is a deliberate campaign of forced displacement, where violent terror exerted by armed settlers functions as an un-uniformed instrument of state policy. … continue

Army Demolishes Three Homes in Occupied Jerusalem

IMEMC | August 20, 2026

Israeli occupation forces demolished three Palestinian homes belonging to the Alqam family on Wednesday in the Al-Ashqariya neighborhood of Beit Hanina, north of occupied Jerusalem, while also uprooting trees and destroying surrounding agricultural land.

Rateb Alqam, one of the homeowners, said Israeli forces invaded the area without prior notice, ordered the family to leave, and prevented residents from retrieving clothing, personal belongings, or household possessions before the demolitions began.

Bulldozers then razed the three homes, uprooted trees around the properties, and leveled cultivated land. … Full article

Five Palestinians injured in settler attack northeast of Ramallah

Palestinian Information Center – August 20, 2026

RAMALLAH – Five Palestinians were wounded on Thursday in a settler attack on a Palestinian vehicle in the Marj Si area, between the villages of Al-Mughayyir and Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah.

Local sources said a group of settlers stormed the area and intercepted a vehicle carrying several Palestinians. The settlers attacked the vehicle, causing it to overturn, before assaulting its passengers.

Those wounded were identified as Musa Abu Alia, Lafi Abu Naim, Mustafa Abu Alia, Mukhlis Abu Alia and his sister. Several were taken to a hospital, while others received treatment at the Abu Falah Medical Center. … Full article

Israeli occupiers set Palestinian home in occupied West Bank on fire with mother, daughter inside

MEMO | August 20, 2026

Israeli occupiers set fire to a Palestinian home in the Hebron governorate in the occupied West Bank on Thursday while a mother and her daughter were inside, according to local sources.

Aliya al-Nawajaa, the owner of the burned home, told Anadolu Agency that five masked occupiers attacked her house at dawn in the Khirbet al-Fara area of the city of Yatta.

She said one of the occupiers opened the window of the bedroom where she was sleeping with her daughter and threatened her and her family.

The attackers then set fire to the bedroom, causing the flames to spread rapidly before she could put them out, Nawajaa said.

She added that she immediately woke her daughter and they barely managed to flee the house safely.

Separately, the Israeli army began moving mobile homes to a settlement outpost established on Mount Tarousa, west of the city of Dura, southwest of Hebron, according to local sources.

READ: Israel arrests 30 Palestinians in occupied West Bank, including journalist

The sources said Israeli heavy machinery began transporting new mobile homes to the outpost early Thursday as part of a “plan to expand settlements in the area.” … Full article

Australia calls Israel’s closure of aid workers killing probe an “insult”

Press TV – August 20, 2026

Australia has expressed profound outrage over the Israeli regime’s decision not to pursue criminal proceedings against those responsible for the killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and her World Central Kitchen (WCK) colleagues.

Frankcom, an Australian aid worker with WCK, was killed alongside her colleagues in an Israeli airstrike on a convoy in the Gaza Strip in April 2024.

On Thursday, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong stated that Australia is outraged by Israel’s decision to drop charges against the perpetrators of the crime.

She emphasized that the decision to exonerate those responsible “falls far short of the accountability we expect.”

Wong noted that the lack of prior notification added insult to injury. … Full article

Israel Lies again about Hind Rajab Killing in a Public Relations Whitewash Maneuver

By Robert Inlakesh – The Palestine Chronicle – August 20, 2026

Historically speaking, Israel has never once charged a single Israeli soldier for killing a Palestinian in Gaza throughout any of its large-scale assaults on the territory that began to ramp up in 2008.

The Israeli military made headlines again this Wednesday, after they admitted for the first time to having fired upon the vehicle in which 5-year-old Hind Rajab was ruthlessly murdered in January of 2024. However, this “admission” is being presented dishonestly and is a clear Public Relations maneuver manufactured by Israel to whitewash their actions.

Hind Rajab’s murder at the hands of the Israeli army is one of the most high-profile war crimes committed throughout the Gaza Genocide, so much so that it was turned into an award-winning docudrama film, ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’. The audio recordings of the young girl, released by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), who were desperately attempting to put international pressure on Israel to permit their workers to rescue her, went viral and captured the emotions of millions around the world.

Israel understands this well and has therefore chosen to strategically place the event under a criminal investigation, in order to portray a sense of accountability. … continue

Israeli attacks in Gaza leave dozens of casualties as Netanyahu rejects ISF entry

The Cradle | August 20, 2026

The Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza has continued unabated, with several new casualties reported on 20 August – coinciding with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s confirmation that Tel Aviv has not approved reconstruction of the strip or the entry of an “international force.” … Full article

Hamas rejects Israeli account of Gaza city police station strike

MEMO | August 20, 2026

Hamas on Wednesday rejected Israeli claims that a strike on a police headquarters in Gaza City targeted members of the group’s armed wing, saying those killed were predominantly police officers and personnel.

According to Palestinian sources, nine people were killed and several others were wounded when Israeli forces struck the police facility on Wednesday afternoon. Hamas described the attack as a violation of the ceasefire agreement and accused the Israeli government of seeking to obstruct its implementation.

In its statement, Hamas said Israeli assertions that the strike targeted resistance leaders were “baseless,” arguing that the claims were being used to justify attacks on Gaza’s police force and civilians.

Israel, however, said the strike targeted Hamas field commanders and identified the head of Gaza’s women’s police force among those targeted. … Full article

Yemeni Armed Forces Declare Two Successful Drone Operations Targeting Saudi Arabia’s Najran

Al-Manar | August 20, 2026

Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced that Yemeni forces had carried out two military operations using drones in Saudi Arabia’s Najran region, claiming that both operations successfully achieved their objectives.

Brigadier Saree said the first drone targeted a sensitive site at Najran Airport, while the second targeted Saudi Aramco’s facilities in Najran.

He asserted the operations were conducted as a response to what he called violations by the Saudi regime, including the use of drones in the airspace over Yemen’s Saada province.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces will continue to protect Yemen’s sovereignty against any violation and consolidate this equation,” Saree concluded.

Israel’s war minister threatens Turkey as Apache squadron moves north

Press TV – August 20, 2026

Israel has issued a veiled threat against Turkey following airstrikes on a Syrian military airbase near the Turkish border, with war minister Israel Katz warning President Tayyip Erdogan against “dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria.”

The Israeli air force has completed the transfer of its Apache helicopter squadron from southern Israeli occupied territories to the Ramat David airbase in the north—the first such move in 25 years.

Israeli military officials have acknowledged that the reorganization was prompted in part by the perceived threat from Turkey.

The strikes on the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northern Syria, about 70 km from the Turkish border, come amid mounting tension over Ankara’s role in rebuilding military capabilities of the current regime in Syria.

Israel has accused Syria of allowing Turkish troops to deploy at the base, a charge both Turkish and Syrian officials have denied.

But beyond the immediate dispute, regional analysts and Turkish officials see a broader strategic realignment where Israel now views Turkey as the primary obstacle to its expanding plans in Syria. … continue

Turkey denies military presence at Syrian base bombed by ‘Israel’

Al Mayadeen | August 20, 2026

Turkey’s Defense Ministry denied on Thursday that any Turkish military delegation was present at Syria’s Abu al-Duhur air base before or during Israeli attacks on the facility earlier this week, while vowing to continue “resolutely” supporting Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“We state that there was no Turkish military delegation at the Abu al-Duhur airbase before or during the attack carried out by Israel against that base in Syria,” a Turkish defense ministry official told journalists, per AFP.

The ministry warned against allowing a “perception” to take hold that Israeli military aggression against neighboring countries is “routine and acceptable,” and called it essential for the international community to adopt “more concrete and effective measures” against Israeli actions it said threaten regional peace and stability.

Ankara reiterated that its efforts to protect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to help build a “stable and secure structure” in the country, would continue. The ministry also affirmed that Turkey will continue supporting Syria’s efforts to develop its own military capability and infrastructure. … continue

EU Aiding Terrorism by Transferring Income From Frozen Russian Assets to Ukraine – Russian MFA

Sputnik – 20.08.2026

MOSCOW – The European Union is aiding terrorism by transferring income from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

“Transferring funds to Ukraine is nothing less than aiding and abetting terrorist attacks. This is a direct violation of the Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism of December 9, 1999, and the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings of December 15, 1997,” Zakharova said during a briefing. … Full article

Zelensky’s senior aide fired amid Ukraine corruption crisis

Press TV – August 20, 2026

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed a senior aide amid a new corruption investigation, one day after his former defence minister warned of a “crisis of governance” and called for a wartime presidential election.

Iryna Mudra, a deputy chief of staff in the presidential office, was removed by decree on Wednesday. Ukrainian media reported that investigators were searching her home as part of an alleged money-laundering inquiry.

The case has been described as involving a group of people alleged to have laundered 150 million hryvnias ($3.4 million) to pay bail for a defendant in a major graft case last year, according to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau.

The case, which involves the state-owned nuclear power company, brought the resignations of Ukraine’s justice and energy ministers earlier this year.

A former lawmaker, the chairperson of a state bank’s board, the head of the bank’s supervisory board, and a deputy head of the presidential office have now been added as new suspects in the case.

The scandal follows earlier resignations and investigations that damaged the president’s standing, including the departure of former chief aide Andriy Yermak.

Mudra’s dismissal came a day after the former defence minister called for elections.

Former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was recently ousted, warned in a video address released late on Tuesday that the country was facing “a crisis of governance” and needed to hold a presidential election. … Full article

Some Shattering Illusions of Our Declining Empire

Americans are waking up to ugly truths

By George D. O’Neill Jr. | The American Conservative | August 19, 2026

Now that the lofty 250th-anniversary rhetoric about the greatness of our country has faded, it is time to face the reality of our country’s actual behavior. The U.S. fashions itself as a generous and benevolent world leader enforcing the “rules-based order”—a deceptive construct used by globalist elites to bully other countries. The rules are arbitrarily changed to suit the bullies and are regularly fashioned into pretexts for military action against uncooperative nations. In short, it is a hoax, untethered from the principles and ideals of our founders.

Almost daily we witness some spectacle illustrating the appalling corruption of our country’s leadership. The recent release of Anthony Fauci’s diary entries confirms long-held suspicions about the Covid-19 narrative, which we now know even Fauci himself did not fully believe. Think of the millions of lives ruined and harmed by that corruption. Yet this vain phony, when asked to testify before Congress, hid behind half a dozen lawyers and refused to answer any questions. What a fine example of transparency from one of our leading scientists and civil servants! What else are our leaders still hiding about the worldwide disaster caused by Covid-related deceptions and manipulations? There has not yet been any meaningful examination of our medical profession, which largely acted as cowards during the pandemic, adhering to the bogus official narrative at the expense of the welfare of their patients.

Our leadership has not even begun to scratch the surface of the horrors created by the many secret—and potentially illegal—biolabs scattered around the globe, supported by funds often hidden from voters under the guise of “national security.” The Fauci crowd appears to have been deeply involved in that dark world.

America’s Middle East policy remains a source of shame. … continue

Surveillance, censorship and propaganda

Update on the various Government units who manipulated the narrative during the covid event

By Gary Sidley | Manipulation of the Masses | August 20, 2026

Most people now recognise that throughout the prime covid years (2020 – 2022) we all endured an exceptionally high level of state-generated propaganda and manipulation intended to promote both acceptance of the ‘deadly virus’ narrative and the corresponding restrictions. The role of behavioural scientists in this systematic endeavour has been well documented, their ubiquitous deployment of ‘nudges’ striving to frighten, shame, and scapegoat us all into compliance with unethical and counterproductive public health diktats. Another source of narrative control, however, was conducted by a number of rarely-discussed government departments dedicated to shaping the beliefs and behaviours of the general population in a direction favoured by our ruling elite. It is these shadowy government departments that will be the focus of this article. … continue

Global mRNA Shot Push Signals Start of Hostile Market Takeover

By Jefferey Jaxen | August 19, 2026

As the fraudulent and failed tide recedes from the pandemic response, one item made it to shore that shouldn’t have… mRNA vaccine technology. We now know that Fauci, Gates and others with conflicts aggressively drove behind-the-scenes to push mRNA Covid shots to the forefront against better scientific judgement.

Rather than look upon that time as a grand failed experiment, industry and science is sweeping the ugly truths under the rug to capitalize on an emerging market. … continue

Former Top Fauci Aide Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges. Will He Flip on Fauci?

By Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D. | The Defender | August 19, 2026

A former key adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci pled guilty to concealing public records related to the origins of COVID-19 in a plea deal reached with federal prosecutors — a development some political figures and analysts suggest could implicate Fauci.

Dr. David Morens pled guilty Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. According to The Washington Post, Morens, 78, told a federal judge he attempted to bypass federal recordkeeping laws by using his private email account to discuss research — and a terminated federal grant — related to COVID-19’s origins.

Morens, initially indicted in April on five federal charges, told the judge he intentionally redirected communications to his personal email account to protect Fauci and because the emails might be misinterpreted in the future, if and when they were publicly released. … continue

Seven Interventions in Sixty Minutes

An Essay on What Is Done to a Newborn Before Anyone Says the Baby Is Fine

Lies are Unbekoming | August 15, 2026

In the first three minutes after the infant is delivered, if the umbilical cord is left intact, approximately one hundred milliliters of blood transfers from the placenta into the newborn.¹ That is roughly a third of the infant’s total blood volume. The transfer is not passive. The umbilical vessels contain their own smooth muscle. They close on their own schedule when the transfer is complete, usually within three to ten minutes. At that point the cord blanches, the pulsation stops, and the vessels seal.

In the United States, this process is interrupted, on average, within thirty to sixty seconds. The infant loses roughly thirty percent of the blood the physiology was constructed to deliver. The practice is defended on grounds that shift as the literature closes on it: it prevents jaundice (it does not, at any clinically meaningful rate), it reduces polycythemia (rarely, and asymptomatically), it is what the obstetrician was trained to do (this last is accurate). The iron the infant would have used for the next six months goes into a red plastic bag with the placenta.

This essay is about what happens in the first sixty minutes after birth in a standard American hospital, and about the biology of the first sixty minutes as it existed before the interventions displaced it. There are seven interventions in the standard sequence. Each one displaces a specific biological event. The essay traces the seven in the order they occur, and then examines the second casualty of the hour, which is the mother.

The argument is not that any single intervention is catastrophic in isolation. It is that the biology of the first hour was doing something, and hospital protocol displaces the entire sequence in favor of procedures whose cumulative effect has never been studied. What the interventions replace is a sequence humans arrived with. What replaced it was assembled between roughly 1930 and 1991, most of it introduced without controlled trial, and none of it evaluated as the sequence it now is. … continue

Jewish State Senator Jeremy Moss Faces Backlash over Hot Mic Comments

José Niño Unfiltered | August 19, 2026

The political landscape for Democrats in Michigan has shifted beneath their feet as the party grapples with a rapidly growing anti-Zionist wing. Amid this tension, Jewish Michigan State Senator Jeremy Moss, who recently secured the Democratic primary for the 11th Congressional District, found his career suddenly stalled by a leaked audio recording. In the audio clip which spread like wildfire across digital platforms in July 2026, Moss appeared to admit that his primary motivation as a legislator is to serve a foreign power. According to the recording, Moss stated, “The entire purpose of my career is to make sure America continues to support Israel, I don’t think it’s wrong for Israel to use America as a pawn, America is not our homeland, we have been victims of antisemitism here.” These words, which suggest a priority for Israel over his own constituents, ignited a firestorm of controversy and provided a flashpoint for voters increasingly tired of the influence exerted by foreign interests in American governance. … continue

AIPAC pours millions into California race after Michigan defeat

Al Mayadeen | August 19, 2026

AIPAC-linked political groups are pouring millions of dollars into a California congressional contest in their latest attempt to shape the outcome of US elections, turning a relatively local Democratic race into another battleground over Washington’s support for “Israel”, the Washington Post reported.

The intervention follows a major setback for the pro-“Israel” lobby in Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed, an outspoken opponent of US military aid to “Israel”, won the Democratic Senate primary despite more than $30 million reportedly being spent by AIPAC-linked forces to defeat him.

Now, AIPAC’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project, has directed nearly $2.5 million toward Tuesday’s runoff in California’s 14th Congressional District, where progressive state Senator Aisha Wahab is facing moderate Democrat Melissa Hernandez.

Wahab, the first Muslim elected to California’s state Senate, has described the war on Gaza as a genocide and opposes continued US military assistance to “Israel”. Hernandez has defended “Israel’s” claimed right to respond to the October 7, 2023 operation, while saying the scale of destruction in Gaza has “gone too far.”

Although neither candidate has made foreign policy the central issue of the campaign, AIPAC-linked organizations have emerged as some of the most powerful financial actors in the race. Groups associated with AIPAC accounted for roughly 75% of the more than $6 million in outside spending recorded during July and August, according to The Washington Post.

Another political action committee, Bold America, which has received funding from AIPAC, spent approximately $2.6 million supporting Hernandez. … Full article

Mossad Officially Enters the US Military Supply Chain

By GenXGirl – August 12, 2026

… Ondas has undergone an unprecedented transformation, from a struggling, nearly delisted firm into a leading-edge defense technology enterprise built around a series of Israeli companies, obscure funding sources, and a questionable $5 billion valuation.

Now headed by the former chief of Mossad, the company is positioned to play a dominant role in the U.S. military-industrial complex under the framework of the U.S.-Israel military and intelligence cooperation bills currently before Congress which explicitly prioritize Israeli-origin technologies for integration into U.S. systems and programs of record… Read full article

War on Iran pushes US debt toward $40 trillion as borrowing costs surge

Press TV – August 19, 2026

The US national debt is on track to surpass $40 trillion this week, months earlier than previously projected, as the US-Israeli war on Iran, renewed inflation fears and rising government borrowing push long-term bond yields higher across major economies.

The Treasury reported on Monday that US government debt stood at $39.9 trillion, putting it within reach of the milestone. Six months ago, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office had projected that federal borrowing would reach $39.4 trillion during the current fiscal year.

The faster accumulation of debt comes at a perilous moment for US finances. Investors are demanding higher returns to hold long-term government bonds amid concerns over inflation, geopolitical tensions, government debt levels and spending on artificial intelligence.

The yield on 30-year US Treasury bonds climbed to 5.33% on Tuesday, its highest level since June 2007. Long-term borrowing costs also rose in Britain, where yields reached 5.85%, as well as in Germany and Japan.

A key driver has been the surge in oil prices linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran and disruptions to energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global oil supplies. … continue

Israel arrests 30 Palestinians in occupied West Bank, including journalist

MEMO | August 19, 2026

The Israeli army arrested 30 Palestinians, including a journalist, during raids and incursions across the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the Palestinian Prisoner Society said.

The arrests took place in the provinces of Hebron in the south, Qalqilya in the northwest, Nablus in the north, Tulkarem in the northwest, and Bethlehem in the south, according to the society.

It stated that the arrests were accompanied in several cases by raids, searches, and vandalism of homes, as well as the detention and field interrogation of residents.

The society said Israeli authorities continue to target Palestinian journalists through arrests, alongside attacks against journalists in the Gaza Strip, emphasizing that the practice is part of attempts to “erase the truth and target the Palestinian narrative.” … Full article

Israeli Forces Critically Injure a Palestinian in Al-Am’ari Camp

IMEMC | August 19, 2026

Israeli forces shot and critically wounded a Palestinian young man on Tuesday evening, after invading the Al-Am’ari refugee camp in the central West Bank city of Al-Bireh.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that occupation forces shot a Palestinian citizen in the abdomen with live ammunition during their incursion into the Al-Am’ari refugee camp.

The Ministry added that a critically wounded citizen arrived at the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah after sustaining a live gunshot wound to the abdomen. … Full article

9 Palestinians killed, 15 injured by Israeli strike on Gaza police station

MEMO | August 19, 2026

At least nine Palestinians, including police officers and children, were killed on Wednesday – and more than 15 others injured – when an Israeli airstrike hit a police station in central Gaza City, according to local medical sources, Anadolu reports.

A medical source at the Al-Shifa Hospital said the bodies of nine slain Palestinians, along with more than 15 people who sustained injuries, had been brought to the hospital after the strike.

The latest deaths bring the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday to 10, after another Palestinian was killed when a strike hit a motorcycle in the Nuseirat refugee camp, according to medical sources. … Full article

Israel risks ceasing ‘to exist as a state,’ senior Russian general says

MEMO | August 19, 2026

A senior Russian military official said Israel risks ceasing “to exist as a state,” claiming Tel Aviv’s main objective is to escalate the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and draw the US and NATO into the war, Anadolu reports.

In remarks released on Wednesday, Lt. Gen. Apti Alaudinov, deputy chief of the Russian military’s Main Military-Political Directorate and commander of the Akhmat special forces, told state news agency TASS that the regional conflict is likely to intensify further.

“We must realize that the war in the Middle East will only escalate. I believe that is precisely Israel’s objective to ramp up the conflict as much as possible and drag both the US and the entire NATO bloc into it,” Alaudinov said.

Ultimately, he warned, Israel “will overestimate their strength and cease to exist as a state.” … Full article

Senior Iranian MP warns France over ‘constant betrayals’ after Tehran expels diplomats

Press TV – August 19, 2026

Senior Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi has condemned France’s “constant betrayals” against the Islamic Republic, warning that Paris’s continued anti-Iranian measures will only further complicate its ties with Tehran.

“The Iranian people will never forget France’s constant betrayals over issues such as contaminated blood, INSTEX and snapback,” Azizi, chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, wrote on X on Wednesday. “Continuing this course and anti-Iranian actions will only make conditions more difficult for it,” he added. … continue

War on Iran and refinery outages in Russia drive global fuel market toward supply crisis

Al Mayadeen | August 19, 2026

… The US national average for regular gasoline reached $4.07 per gallon on Tuesday, up 30% from the same period last year.

Diesel prices have increased by 48% year-over-year, increasing costs across agriculture, freight, rail transportation, and other sectors dependent on diesel fuel.

Research from Brown University’s Climate Solutions Lab estimates that higher diesel prices have cost US consumers nearly $40 billion since the war began.

Jet fuel prices have also risen by more than 70% over the past year. Airlines have responded by raising fares and baggage fees and reducing less profitable flights. … Full article

Terrorist With Years of Experience: Meet Ukraine’s New Defense Minister

Sputnik – 19.08.2026

The Ukrainian parliament has unanimously approved Yevhen Khmara as Ukraine’s new defense minister, giving their go-ahead to a man who earlier pledged that “Russia will burn” after orchestrating the deadly August 12 attack on the Russian city of Novorossiysk.

A career SBU officer, Khmara is notoriously known for being behind some of the bloodiest operations carried out by the Ukrainian special services against Russian civilians.

As a former head of the SBU, he was complicit in these actions:

Operation “Spider Web”: On June 1, 2025, Ukraine carried out a large-scale drone attack on Russian strategic airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur regions, targeting strategic bombers and other military aircraft.

Crocus City Hall attack: On March 22, 2024, gunmen attacked the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow, killing 139 people and injuring hundreds more.

Assassination of Darya Dugina: In August 2022, Russian journalist Darya Dugina was killed when a bomb planted in her car exploded near Moscow.

Crimean Bridge explosions: The Crimean Bridge has been targeted in several major attacks, including the October 2022 truck bombing and a subsequent strike in July 2023.

Hundreds of deadly drone and missile strikes on the Russian cities of Belgorod, Kursk and Donetsk, including attacks on markets, maternity hospitals and bus stops.

NATO whines it cannot fight simultaneous wars against Russia, China and Iran

By Drago Bosnic | August 19, 2026

NATO war planners rarely discuss their “nightmare scenarios” in public and appear even less prepared for real-life confrontations on that scale. This is particularly true when it comes to simultaneous or near-simultaneous wars in which the most aggressive racketeering cartel in recorded history has to fight in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and East Asia. As the pillar of NATO, the United States would be forced to manage wars against Russia, Iran and China at once. One of the most infamous mainstream propaganda machine outlets, The Atlantic, explored this possibility, calling it “NATO’s nightmare”. The analysis largely focuses on “a coordinated assault by Beijing and Moscow” and how difficult it would be to “muster a viable defense” (obviously implying that NATO wouldn’t attack first, which is beyond laughable given its history). … continue

“Settled Science”

By Sama Hoole | August 15, 2026

If you had trusted the settled science of the day, here is how it would have gone. … continue

Soldiers Shoot, Critically Injure Palestinians, Abduct Several Across West Bank

IMEMC | August 18, 2026

Israeli soldiers shot and wounded several Palestinians and abducted multiple residents during military invasions across the occupied West Bank on Tuesday. Israeli authorities also issued a land seizure order in the northern Jordan Valley, while soldiers carried out home invasions in several communities.

Near occupied Jerusalem, Israeli soldiers shot and wounded a young Palestinian near the Annexation Wall in Ar-Ram, north of the city.

Local sources said soldiers opened live fire at the young man while he was near the wall, striking him in the lower extremities.

In addition, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that its crews treated a 54-year-old man who was shot with live ammunition in the abdomen at the Qalandia military roadblock, north of Jerusalem, before transferring him to a hospital.

The shootings followed a similar incident two days earlier in Ar-Ram, where Israeli army fire wounded a Palestinian resident of Beit Furik, east of Nablus in the northern West Bank.

Israeli forces also abducted 15-year-old Thaher Abu Eid after invading and searching his family’s home in the town of Anata, northeast of Jerusalem, and ransacking its contents.

In the central West Bank, medical sources reported that a 23-year-old Palestinian was critically wounded after Israeli forces shot him in the head overnight in the town of Ajjul, north of Ramallah. … Full article

47 Palestinian families face imminent displacement in West Bank as Israel cuts water supplies: Report

MEMO | August 18, 2026

Israeli rights group B’Tselem said Tuesday that 47 Palestinian families face the risk of imminent displacement in the Jordan Valley in the northern West Bank after the army and occupiers cut water supplies to their homes, Anadolu reports.

“Forty-seven Palestinian families, comprising more than 300 people, nearly half of them children, face the risk of imminent displacement from their homes in the northern Jordan Valley,” B’Tselem said in a statement.

The group said Israeli forces and occupiers last week cut the last water pipes supplying families in Ras al-Ahmar, Al-Thaala and eastern Atouf in the area.

“In most cases, Israeli forces prevent water from being transported to the area,” it said, adding that the families, who depend on agriculture and livestock for their livelihoods, face imminent displacement because of the water cutoff. … Full article

Israel spent over $140bn over three years to finance genocide of Palestinians in Gaza

The Cradle | August 18, 2026

The genocide of Palestinians in Gaza is the longest and most expensive military campaign in Israel’s history, costing an estimated $142 billion so far and set to approach roughly $169 billion, Haaretz reported on 16 August.

Tel Aviv’s genocide has driven Israel’s national debt up by some $130 billion, with the state set to spend around $500 billion on the military over the coming decade, according to Haaretz.

Israeli War Ministry Director General Amir Baram, who took office in March 2025, set out that trajectory in a strategy paper preparing the army for what he called an intense decade ahead.

The commitment was made without Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu identifying where the money would come from… Full article

Israeli drone strike on crowded Gaza cafe kills 6 Palestinians

Palestinian Information Center – August 18, 2026

GAZA – Six Palestinian civilians were martyred, including a child, and several others were injured in an Israeli drone strike near the port of Gaza City, according to reports from Palestinian media outlets.

The Palestinian Information Center reporter said that the strike targeted a café at the Gaza City port, killing six people and wounding 10 others, adding that the victims were rushed to Al-Shifa Hospital.

This massacre comes as the Israeli occupation army persists in targeting residential areas and civilian shelters in Gaza on a daily basis despite the ongoing ceasefire.

US-led Board of Peace considers ‘wholesale’ Hamas disarmament deal to satisfy Israel: Report

The Cradle | August 18, 2026

US President Donald Trump’s so-called Board of Peace is “weighing” a “new” Hamas disarmament proposal after Tel Aviv rejected Washington’s latest one, sources told the Times of Israel on 18 August.

“The Board of Peace is considering abandoning its phased framework for Hamas’s disarmament” due to the “Israeli pushback,” an informed source told the Israeli outlet.

“Instead of having Hamas hand over its weapons in phases, with Israel conducting corresponding withdrawals … another option being weighed by the Board of Peace would see Hamas hand over all weapons throughout Gaza, and only then would Israel have to pull back its troops to the Gaza border,” the report went on to say.

The new proposal being reported on is, essentially, what Israel has been demanding – a full surrender by the resistance prior to any discussion on withdrawal of occupation forces. … continue

US sanctions International Criminal Court’s president, official

By Ramona Wadi | MEMO | August 18, 2026

The US imposed sanctions Tuesday on International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane and official Abdoulaye Seye, Anadolu reports.

Akane, a Japanese national who has served as ICC president since 2024, and Seye, a Senegalese national, were added to the Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List, according to the agency’s website.

Both designations were made pursuant to Executive Order 14203, “Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court,” which US President Donald Trump signed on Feb. 6, 2025, and which has since been used to designate 10 ICC officials, including former Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan and eight judges.

The listing blocks any US assets held by Akane and Seye, and bars Americans and entities from engaging in transactions with them.

The move comes as Washington intensified pressure on the court after it issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Akane and Seye of “directly” engaging in efforts by the ICC to “investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction.” … Full article

The impunity granted to Israel is as shocking as its violence

By Ramona Wadi | MEMO | August 18, 2026

More incitement to violence from Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir exposes how colonial violence is aimed at the entire colonised population. Speaking on a podcast with former Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski, Ben Gvir said that Israeli forced should kill 30-40 Palestinians each night in Gaza.

Braslavski requested to act as executioner should Ben Gvir’s plan come to pass, to which the security minister replied, “I will turn the world upside down to make that happen. I promise you that I will do everything I can and turn the world upside down until it happens.”

As shocking as the comments are, both are the product of an enterprise that knows it can only sustain itself through ethnic cleansing. … continue

Israel bombs Syrian military base as US praises Damascus’s ‘de-escalatory’ policy toward Tel Aviv

The Cradle | August 18, 2026

Israel launched a new wave of strikes on Syria on 18 August, despite no threat being posed to it by the extremist-led authorities in Damascus, which fought against Tel Aviv’s adversaries for years.

The new Israeli strikes hit the Abu al-Duhur Military Base in the countryside of the northern city of Idlib on Tuesday.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry released a statement condemning the attack.

It described Israel’s strikes as “an unjustified act of aggression and a dangerous escalation threatening regional security and stability.” … continue

Iraqi Kata’ib Hezbollah sets conditions to place weapons under state control

Press TV – August 18, 2026

The Iraqi Kata’ib Hezbollah resistance group has set conditions for any understanding with the Baghdad government to place all its weapons under state control, including a full withdrawal of US military forces from the country.

The group’s security chief, Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, announced in a statement on Monday that the first condition to integrate into the state’s armed forces is for US forces to completely withdraw from Iraqi soil and airspace, offer cast-iron guarantees that they would not come back, and ensure that Iraqi political and economic apparatuses will make decisions free from American sway.

The second condition, he added, is the withdrawal of Turkish forces from areas in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq, while the third one is the dissolution of the Peshmerga, which serves as the official armed forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). … continue

Burning America’s Cards One by One: What is Iran’s Strategy?

By Robert Inlakesh – The Palestine Chronicle – August 16, 2026

While the US Trump administration insists that the very much closed Strait of Hormuz is in fact open and grapples with domestic pushback against his war losses, Iran has been busy pursuing a military strategy that is placing a chokehold on their opposition.

Although the ongoing regional war has been experiencing a lull in direct confrontations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the US-Israeli alliance, a series of other fronts have become the focus of Tehran’s recent efforts.

Contrary to what you would be led to believe by the corporate media, Iran’s ballistic missile and drone fire has not ceased. Instead, officials belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have made it clear that there is no ceasefire in effect and that their operations are therefore being carried out in a coordinated fashion. … continue

Iran warns shipping companies against supporting US military operations: Report

Press TV – August 18, 2026

Iran is closely monitoring the commercial and maritime network supporting US military offensives against the Islamic Republic, with the companies and service providers knowingly involved standing to face various consequences, a report says.

Iran’s Nournews agency carried the report on Monday, citing a military official with knowledge of the matter.

The official said Iran’s Armed Forces were collecting and verifying information on commercial companies, privately owned vessels, and maritime service providers involved in supplying US forces in the region. … continue

Iran war marks end of US Middle East order: Foreign Affairs

Al Mayadeen | August 18, 2026

A decades-old regional system built around US military supremacy, support for “Israel”, and the containment of Iran has reached a breaking point following Washington and Tel Aviv’s war on Tehran, political scientist Marc Lynch argued in Foreign Affairs.

In an extensive analysis titled “The End of the American Middle East”, Lynch said the war has exposed fundamental weaknesses in the security architecture Washington constructed after the 1991 Gulf War, particularly its ability to protect allies, impose military outcomes, and guarantee access to strategic waterways.

“The American Middle East is finished,” Lynch wrote, arguing that the regional order prevailing since 1991 has become “one of the many casualties of the US-Israeli war with Iran”.

According to Lynch, Washington spent more than three decades attempting to build a regional bloc centered on protecting “Israel” while containing Iran, Iraq, and later Tehran’s regional allies. President Donald Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran, he argued, was not a break with that strategy but its culmination.

Trump’s administration sought to eliminate the Iranian challenge through overwhelming military force, but the campaign failed to remove the government in Tehran or prevent Iran from retaliating throughout the region.

“The American and Israeli failure to dislodge the regime in Tehran has proved the bankruptcy of decades of sanctions and violence,” Lynch wrote. … continue

Pentagon weighs leaving Persian Gulf after Iran ‘exposed vulnerabilities’: Report

The Cradle | August 18, 2026

The Pentagon is reassessing its military footprint in Persian Gulf countries after months of losses inflicted by Iran, the Washington Post reported on 18 August.

Two people familiar with the ongoing analysis told The Post that one of the central questions before the Pentagon is whether to pull troops back from the Persian Gulf, where the largest US bases overseas have absorbed much of the Iranian retaliatory strikes.

The scale of damage suffered by those installations has compelled Washington to rethink where its forces should be located. … continue

DoD Missile Shopping Spree Designed to Spread Superprofits, ‘Not Win Wars’: Karen Kwiatkowski

Sputnik – 18.08.2026

The MIC intends to “milk” “older and sometimes antiquated systems for as much profit as possible before a real paradigm shift towards actual 21st century defense strategy evolves – and will fight this evolution as long as they can,” former DoD analyst and Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski told Sputnik.

That was her response to the US military’s massive new $84.5B shopping spree for Patriot, THAAD and Tomahawk missiles.

“The MIC is in reaction mode, as is the Trump administration, trying to rapidly deal with an unexpected loss to Iran which has wiped out CENTCOM’s basing infrastructure, alongside an unexpected massive shortfall of [munition] consumables for scalable, combat and defense operations.” … continue

US Navy destroyer was left without power for four days in South China Sea

Press TV – August 18, 2026

The USS Benfold, a US Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, was left without power for four days in the South China Sea last month after an engineering failure, forcing the vessel to be towed to the Philippines.

The incident occurred on July 24, 2026, while the destroyer was conducting routine operations in the Indo-Pacific, according to Cmdr. Matthew Comer, spokesperson for the US 7th Fleet.

“On July 24, 2026, while conducting routine operations in the Indo-Pacific, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) reported an engineering casualty involving its generators, causing a loss of power,” Comer told USNI News in a statement.

The power failure left sailors without air conditioning, toilets, and galley services and also affected the ship’s potable water supply. … Full article

Europe’s Looming Winter Preparations Just Got 1.5X Costlier

Sputnik – 18.08.2026

European gas prices during preparations for the heating season in 2026 were 52% higher than the average over the past three years, Sputnik found on Tuesday after analyzing trading data.

Calculations show that from April 1 to August 14, the average settlement price of gas futures based on the TTF index, Europe’s largest hub located in the Netherlands, amounted to $585.3 per thousand cubic meters. This is 41.2% higher than during the same period last year and 52% higher than the average for 2023-2025.
However, in 2022, amid the gas crisis, prices averaged $1,373.7 per thousand cubic meters.

The conflict in the Middle East led to a significant increase in gas prices in Europe. Average exchange prices in March ultimately rose by almost 60% compared with February, exceeding $600 per thousand cubic meters. Prices have remained volatile throughout these months. In July, settlement prices jumped by almost 20% month-on-month, averaging $637.5 per thousand cubic meters.

To prepare for the heating season, Europe is injecting gas into underground storage facilities (UGS). According to the European Commission, UGS facilities play a key role in ensuring the reliability of gas supplies in Europe, allowing the region to cover up to one-third of its needs during winter. However, storage facilities are currently only slightly above 60% full, their lowest level on record.

Against the backdrop of the crisis surrounding the Strait of Hormuz and concerns about disruptions to fuel supplies, the EU decided to lower the required level of gas storage in member states by the beginning of the winter season from 90% to 80%, European Commission representative Anna-Kaisa Itkonen told Sputnik in June. However, Russia’s Gazprom had previously forecast that UGS levels would be below 75% by October 1 if injections continued at the current pace.

Ukraine Derails IAEA Chief’s Visit to Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant

Sputnik – 18.08.2026

Ukraine has derailed the planned August 20–21 visit of IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant and the town of Energodar, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

All details had been previously worked out by the IAEA Secretariat and the Russian side. Russia provided the necessary security guarantees, which fully satisfied the Agency.

However, Ukraine cynically threatened Grossi, explicitly stating that it could not vouch for his safety if he entered the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant via Russian territory.

The Ukrainian threats have once again exposed the true nature of the Kiev regime, the ministry emphasized.

Ukrainian Military Deliberately Targets Russian Hospitals and Ambulances – Russian Diplomat

Sputnik – 18.08.2026

Ukrainian armed formations, ignoring the norms and principles of international humanitarian law, carried out deliberate strikes against medical facilities and medical transport in Russia on August 10-16, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik said.

Ukrainian forces are using weapons with shrapnel and high-explosive warheads in large quantities to inflict the greatest possible harm on the civilian population, Miroshnik pointed out.

He added that the enemy, mainly using UAVs, carried out remote mining of civilian facilities and places frequented by large numbers of people.

On August 15-16, the Moscow Region was subjected to a series of unprecedentedly powerful drone attacks by Ukraine, with at least 209 UAVs being destroyed, according to the Russian diplomat.

“Over the past seven days, Ukrainian troops have fired at least 7,264 munitions at civilian facilities in Russian territory, including 122 mm MLRS rockets, 152 mm and 155 mm artillery shells, including those with cluster warheads, mines and grenades. Ukrainian armed formations also actively used attack UAVs, FPV drones, and small arms,” he said.

The vast majority of weapons used by the Ukrainian military to attack civilians were produced and supplied by Western accomplices in the crimes committed by the Zelensky regime. In the past week, 69 people, including three children, were killed and 406 more were wounded in Ukraine’s strikes on Russia, Miroshnik added.