Aletho News

The Endgame: When the CIA Proxy War Runs Out of Ukrainians!

By Seth Ferris – New Eastern Outlook – November 7, 2026

From Napoleon’s march on Moscow to Hitler’s catastrophic invasion of the Soviet Union, strategic arrogance, political miscalculation and the underestimation of Russia’s capacity to absorb punishment have repeatedly produced consequences far removed from the expectations of those who started the wars.

As battlefield realities shift and diplomatic negotiations expose growing divisions in Washington and Europe, the Ukraine conflict is approaching a strategic reckoning. Trump talks peace, Moscow holds its ground, Kyiv faces mounting manpower and political pressures, and the U.S. intelligence establishment appears to be pursuing a far more confrontational agenda.

I think it’s no secret the Ukraine war is a CIA war. I doubt Trump can do anything himself anyway. I’ve wondered for a while if the anti-Russia pro-war EU isn’t also being manipulated by the CIA. When they run out of Ukrainians, they need another source of cannon fodder.

All the while Trump talks peace as the CIA fuels the war in Ukraine, as the title of a recent commentary explains so well. The central problem is not Trump or Putin. It is an intelligence apparatus that appears to have an agenda of its own. The war continues not simply because of political disagreements between Washington and Moscow, but because elements of the U.S. national security establishment have institutional interests that run counter to ending it.

While Trump calls Zelensky “more difficult to deal with” than Putin and urges Ukrainians to elect new leadership, his CIA is reportedly pursuing operations against Russia more aggressively than under Biden. The contradiction is striking: the CIA is helping Ukraine target Russian oil refineries even as Trump pursues deals to sell Russian diesel.

Meanwhile, his intelligence chief travels to Moscow to tell the Russians they cannot win, while reports suggest intelligence analysts are reluctant to tell the president what they actually think. This is not a coherent peace strategy. It is a government sending contradictory signals, with an intelligence agency seemingly operating according to its own rules and priorities. … continue

Over 16,000 hectares of farms, forests burnt in Israeli offensive on southern Lebanon, says minister

Press TV · November 7, 2026

Lebanese Environment Minister Tamara el-Zein says Israeli assaults have scorched more than 16,000 hectares of farmland and forest between October 2023 and September 2026, citing the deployment of phosphorus shells and other munitions banned by international law.

In a statement marking the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict on Friday, Zein highlighted that Israeli forces utilized 1,800 tons of explosives in three demolitions in southern Lebanon.

She detailed the environmental devastation resulting from these attacks, which included fires in agricultural and forested areas, harm to nature reserves, and the loss faced by farmers whose crops and means of living were obliterated.

Furthermore, she pointed out that the demolitions significantly transformed the landscapes of the targeted regions. … continue

Study says Christians’ share of occupied Jerusalem population fell from 25% to 1.56% over century

MEMO | November 6, 2026

The share of Christians in occupied Jerusalem fell from 25% of the population in 1922 to about 1.56% by the end of 2023, according to a study released by the Jerusalem International Foundation, Anadolu reports.

The study said the city had around 15,300 Christians at the end of 2023, including approximately 13,100 Palestinians.

It attributed the decline to Israeli policies, economic and social pressures, continued emigration, and low population growth.

Israeli residency policies affecting Palestinians in Jerusalem, including revocation of residency permits under the “center of life” criterion, have also contributed to reducing the Palestinian presence in the city, the study said.

The report further cited attacks on Christian clergy, monks and worshippers, including physical and verbal assaults, spitting, and damage to property, cemeteries and religious symbols.

The study also pointed to Israeli restrictions on access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and limits on participation in religious events, including Holy Saturday and Easter celebrations. … continue

Israel closes Ibrahimi Mosque to Muslim worshipers, allows settler religious ceremonies

Palestinian Information Center – November 6, 2026

AL-KHALIL – Israeli occupation authorities completely closed the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil, in the southern West Bank, to Muslim worshipers and visitors on Friday, citing Jewish holidays.

The closure prevents Muslims from accessing one of their most significant religious sites while allowing Jewish settlers to enter and conduct religious ceremonies inside.

The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs said Israeli authorities had ordered the Mosque closed to Muslims from the end of Friday prayer until Saturday night to accommodate settler visits and Jewish holiday celebrations. … Full article

Three Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes in Gaza, including child

Palestinian Information Center – November 6, 2026

GAZA – Three Palestinians were killed on Friday in the Gaza Strip, including a child who was shot dead by Israeli forces in Khan Yunis while the two others died from wounds sustained in earlier Israeli airstrikes, amid continued gunfire and Israeli attacks despite the ceasefire agreement.

A SAFA correspondent reported that 15-year-old Mohammed Nidal Barbakh was shot and killed by Israeli forces near Bir 19 in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.

In Gaza City, Sarah Abu Jiyab, a medical student at the Islamic University of Gaza, died Friday morning from injuries sustained in an Israeli airstrike that targeted the university campus approximately one week earlier.

Abu Jiyab was a resident of the al-Shati refugee camp in western Gaza City.

Another Palestinian, Nabil Hamad, also died from wounds sustained several days earlier in an Israeli airstrike on the al-Balakhiyah area of the al-Shati refugee camp.

The attacks come amid continued Israeli gunfire and attacks across several areas of the Gaza Strip, despite the ceasefire agreement remaining in effect.

Kafr Qasim at 70: The massacre Israel still hasn’t owned up to

By Dr Mustafa Fetouri | MEMO | November 6, 2026

Israel almost always promises to investigate allegations of misconduct by its military, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), which it often portrays as the most moral army in the world. Yet such investigations rarely lead to meaningful accountability, particularly in major cases involving the killing of civilians. They can drag on for months, sometimes years, and when conclusions are eventually announced; they tend to produce one of two outcomes: either no criminal wrongdoing is established, or responsibility is attributed to an individual soldier, usually a low-ranking one, while the commanders and the wider chain of command are spared. A minor disciplinary measure follows, and the case is effectively closed.

This pattern is not new. It is deeply rooted in the history of Israel’s establishment and how it conducts itself. More importantly, it helps reinforce an image Israel has carefully cultivated since its creation: that of a tiny but highly modern and democratic country, where the rule of law is supreme and justice is not merely a principle embedded in the state’s legal culture but a way of life, surrounded by a sea of “savages” determined to destroy it.

Last week marked 70 years since Israel committed one of its most notorious massacres of Palestinian citizens, in the small Palestinian village of Kafr Qasim, in central what is now Israel, east of Tel Aviv. Unlike hundreds of Palestinian villages depopulated and erased from the map following Israel’s establishment in 1948, Kafr Qasim survived and retains its name. … continue

Bloody massacre in southern Yemen: 25 killed, 40 injured in Saudi airstrike on crowded market

Press TV · November 6, 2026

At least 25 civilians have been killed and many others injured in three consecutive Saudi airstrikes on a crowded market in Yemen’s southwestern province of Ta’izz, less than a week after Saudi-backed forces targeted another busy market in the same province.

Al-Mayadeen television, citing local sources, reported that Saudi warplanes struck al-Hadhara market in the al-Wazi’iyah district on Friday, when the popular bazaar was at the height of its commercial activity and crowded with shoppers and traders.

The initial toll put the number of injured at 40, with fears that the death toll could rise further.

In a statement published on Telegram on Friday afternoon, the spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree said an F-15SA fighter jet belonging to the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) had taken off from King Khalid Air Base near Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia earlier that morning and carried out three airstrikes on the market. … Full article

YAF ops force Saudi forces out of Kahbub mountains

Al Mayadeen | November 6, 2026

Yemen’s Armed Forces carried out an offensive operation in the Kahbub mountain range east of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, driving Saudi-backed military formations from several positions, Yemeni Military Media said on Friday.

According to a statement, the formations included four brigades belonging to the Giants Forces, commanded by Saudi officer Badr al-Harbi.

The operation was launched along two axes, with Yemeni forces advancing toward the positions and engaging the formations at close range. The clashes resulted in several fighters being killed or captured, the statement said.

Yemen’s Armed Forces also seized strategic positions overlooking other military sites, using them to target the forces stationed there. The operation involved various military units and resulted in the capture of additional personnel and the seizure of assorted military equipment, according to the statement.

The military media further reported that Saudi aircraft carried out airstrikes against the withdrawing Saudi formations as they retreated from their positions in the Kahbub mountains, killing a large number of their members. … continue

Turkiye bows to US pressure, cuts Turkmenistan gas imports via Iran

The Cradle | November 6, 2026

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced on 6 November that Ankara had been forced to halt natural gas imports from Turkmenistan via Iran due to US sanctions pressure.

Bayraktar told journalists at a press conference on Friday that the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had intervened in efforts to renew a deal to import gas from Turkmenistan that ended in October 2025.

At the time, the failure to reach an agreement to continue importing 1.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from Turkmenistan was blamed on a disagreement over supply volumes and pricing.

However, Energy Minister Bayraktar said US sanctions against Iran were responsible for the failure to reach a new deal.

He explained that pressure from the US had affected the trade, even though the gas simply transited through Iran and Ankara makes no payments to Tehran.

“We subsequently stopped it because OFAC became involved in the matter in some way. Although we were not making any payments to Iran, tensions between the United States and Iran escalated, and those tensions are now spreading southward,” Bayraktar said.

Mepa News notes that Turkiye’s existing contract for natural gas imports from Iran is also expected to expire in November. It remains unclear whether Ankara will renew the agreement.

The US decision to intensify sanctions against Iran is part of the war on the Islamic Republic it launched in February. The additional sanctions have forced countries across the region to reassess their relationships with Iranian companies and financial institutions.

Meanwhile, Ankara continues to allow Azerbaijan to export oil through Turkiye for delivery to Israel despite Tel Aviv’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel’s imports of Azerbaijani oil from Turkiye’s Ceyhan Port hit a three-year high in 2025, Reuters reported in January, citing ship tracking data. … Full article

Democrats seeking to block funding of war on Iran before taking control of Congress

Press TV · November 6, 2026

US Democratic lawmakers are considering using their control over federal spending to block further funding for President Donald Trump’s war on Iran, as pressure mounts within the party to bring Trump’s “war of choice” to an end.

The issue is expected to feature prominently in negotiations over a federal spending bill ahead of a December 11 deadline, when Congress must approve fresh funding to prevent a government shutdown.

Democrats, who are set to take control of both chambers of Congress in January, face mounting calls from within their ranks to make any year-end funding agreement conditional on halting financial support for the military campaign against Iran.

Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro, the Democrats’ top member on the House Appropriations Committee, said on Thursday that the party would not support further funding for the war.

“Democrats will absolutely not fund Trump’s war of choice with Iran that has increased costs on American families and made us less safe,” the Politico reported.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to become speaker when Democrats assume control of the chamber, said party leaders would discuss the issue with DeLauro, describing the war on Iran as “reckless and costly.”

Jeffries also said the midterm election results reflected public demands for accountability and an end to the war.

The prospect of a funding confrontation has also gained support from prominent Democrats seen as potential contenders for the party’s 2028 presidential nomination.

California Representative Ro Khanna called on Democrats to use their congressional majority to end the war, comparing the proposed move to the 1973 congressional action that cut off funding for US military operations in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.

Khanna also urged lawmakers to support a temporary funding measure in December that would prohibit the use of federal money for any US military combat operations in Iran. … Full article

Would President Vance really ditch Israel?

By Tarik Cyril Amar | RT | November 6, 2026

Never hesitate to state the obvious: Everyone with eyes to see is recognizing that the US midterm elections have been sensational. The Democrats have achieved a stupendous – “historic” according to the Financial Times – triumph; the Republicans have suffered a crushing, Stalingrad-scale rout.

Let’s focus on the rout: This is the moment when, on the same day, a New York Times front page main headline promises to explain the GOP’s “historic collapse” while Tucker Carlson starts his show with a wry “well, that was a disaster” (adding that he really means “disaster,” as in the sinking of the Lusitania, not rain at a wedding party).

You may suspect both America’s paper of liberal Centrism and the former Fox host turned MAGA dissident of bias or, at least, Schadenfreude. Yet bias is simply irrelevant in this case, where, for once, the facts really do speak for themselves… continue

US Congresswoman Ansari slams Trump’s threat to annihilate Iran a ‘crime against humanity’

Press TV – November 6, 2026

US Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari has condemned President Donald Trump’s latest threat to launch further attacks on Iran and “destroy” the rest of the country, saying he is threatening the annihilation of a nation of 90 million people.

“He’s once again threatening the annihilation of a country of 90 million people. A crime against humanity,” Ansari wrote on X on Thursday.

She called on Democrats to take urgent action to end Trump’s “reckless war of choice.”

“Democrats must work urgently to end Trump’s reckless war of choice when we take back the House and the Senate. Enough is enough,” she said.

Her remarks came after Trump said he would prefer not to destroy the rest of Iran but warned that he might have to, adding that people would “know soon enough.” The US president has also claimed that rebuilding the country would take 25 years. […]

The midterm elections, which delivered control of both chambers of Congress to Democrats amid voter anger over elevated fuel prices and the broader costs of the conflict, have intensified scrutiny of the administration’s approach.

Ansari, the Iranian-American representative for Arizona’s Third District, has been among the most vocal critics, previously calling for the 25th Amendment and introducing articles of impeachment against War Secretary Pete Hegseth over the conduct of the war.

Such threats against the civilian population and national infrastructure of a sovereign state constitute clear violations of the UN Charter and international humanitarian law. … Full article

LAPD Pilot Will Track Vehicles In San Fernando Valley

The safeguards are department policy, which means the department can also change them.

By Ken Macon | Reclaim The Net | November 5, 2026

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) will go ahead with its plan to install Axon license plate readers on city streetlights in the west San Fernando Valley.

The Los Angeles City Council voted on October 27 to try to stop the move, but the vote fell one short of the ten needed to veto the Police Commission’s September 22 decision. The Los Angeles Times writes that the pilot, which will cover parts of Council District 3, such as Encino, Woodland Hills, and Tarzana, is now expected to launch “in the near future.”

The cameras are attached to the top of streetlights and draw power from them. According to the LAPD’s own slides, the system captures a vehicle and its plate image “along with the date, time, location, and certain vehicle characteristics” – and it does this for every car, not just those suspected of any crime. … continue

Britain’s Online Censorship Law Now Comes With a Crisis Plan for Your Posts

By Cindy Harper | Reclaim The Net | November 4, 2026

The Online Safety Act – the UK’s censorship law – is getting its “crisis” machinery in place, and in full. As of Monday, November 2, big platforms in the country are expected to have in place a censorship plan that will be waiting in the wings, ready to be launched at a moment’s notice, or even before that – if a crisis is merely “likely to occur.”

This is what the regulator’s own paperwork, released on October 12, reveals, with the rules coming into force three weeks later. The crisis rules are part of amendments to two Ofcom codes – the Illegal Content Codes and the Protection of Children Code.

A crisis is defined as “an extraordinary situation in which there is a serious threat to public safety in the United Kingdom” that is highly likely to cause, or have come from, a surge in certain content. Ofcom also said that “local or regional crises may still meet the definition” and “an overseas event may also meet the definition.”

What is covered is content related to terrorism, hate, harassment, stalking, threats and abuse, and what is referred to as “the foreign interference offence” – which is a reference to the National Security Act, and a “misrepresentation” that “may” include “presenting information in a way which amounts to a misrepresentation, even if some or all of the information is true.” … continue

NATO’s “Nordic model” brings Arctic confrontation closer to Russia’s nuclear bases

By Uriel Araujo | November 6, 2026

As Washington shifts Europe’s conventional defense burden onto its allies, the Nordic countries are emerging as a blueprint for NATO’s future – raising questions about Arctic militarization, Russia’s nuclear deterrent, and regional escalation.

Last week, Finnish researcher Matti Pesu argued in Foreign Affairs that the Nordic countries offer a practical path forward for NATO. His proposal, typical as it is of many Western analyses, deserves some attention.

Finland and Sweden, the alliance’s newest members, have deepened defense coordination with Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. Joint air patrols, shared logistics, and intelligence sharing have reached unprecedented levels.

Pesu presents this “Nordic model” as a prototype for NATO 3.0: an alliance in which Europeans take primary responsibility for conventional defense while the United States retains nuclear deterrence and strategic leadership.

This is less about American “withdrawal” than burden-shifting: European states would supply more troops, equipment, infrastructure, and funding – while remaining under the American nuclear umbrella.

One could interpret this as the Europeanization of the costs and risks of “containing” Russia, without a corresponding Europeanization of strategic decision-making. … continue

Russia hawk appointed as Germany’s top commander

RT | November 6, 2026

… Last year, he openly urged the Ukrainian military to target Russian airfields and defense industries in long-range strikes.

In March, he stated that Ukrainian military instructors were about to help train the German army to fight Russia, using their firsthand battlefield experience. He also claimed at the time that Moscow could attack NATO as early as 2029.

Faced with a lack of volunteers for a brigade deployed to Lithuania, Freuding stated he was willing to order soldiers to serve near Russia’s borders if need be.

“The Army’s top priority is to achieve full operational readiness for the Lithuania Brigade next year,” he said in June, adding that voluntary service could be supplemented with “mandatory measures where necessary.” … Full article

USAID Was Never Only A Leftist Project

By José Niño | The Libertarian Institute | November 4, 2026

… In February 2026, Congress preserved separate democracy assistance channels in the FY2026 appropriations law. It funded the National Endowment for Democracy at $315 million, the same as the prior year, even though the administration had proposed eliminating it. The law also set aside $50 million for Venezuela, $25 million for Cuba and $15 million for Nicaragua in democracy programs. It kept a Democracy Fund of $205 million at the State Department, down from prior years. Moreover, prominent Trump campaign operative Brad Parscale has used his companies to run social media campaigns that helped elect Trump-friendly candidates across Latin America.

Whether USAID’s demise helped conservatives win elections matters far less than the principle at stake, as the United States has no business meddling in Latin America’s domestic affairs through any agency, campaign operative, sanctions campaign, or military intervention. – Full article

Washington slaps sanctions on Indian, Turkish firms for ‘aiding Iran’

The Cradle | November 5, 2026

The US Treasury Department announced new sanctions targeting Indian and Turkish firms on 4 November, charging them with supporting the Iranian energy and aviation sectors.

The department said it targeted “the vast criminal network of India-based Suniel Kumar Sharma and his spouse, Jaspreet Preeti Shahid, who have supported Iran’s shadow fleet through a web maritime fraud.” Suniel Kumar Sharma is an Indian businessman who owns several companies.

“Their schemes have provided false flags and certifications to sanctioned vessels involved in transporting Iranian petroleum, including vessels operating on behalf of the Iranian military and its proxies,” the Treasury went on to say.

It also announced sanctions on the Turkiye-based Fugo Ground Services Inc for its “ongoing services” supporting Iranian aviation. The aviation ground handling firm is based in Istanbul.

The US Treasury sanctioned 36 entities linked to Iran’s aviation sector  in September as part of its so-called “Operation Economic Outcast” – withdrawing the clearances that allowed non-US airlines to fly US-built or US-controlled commercial jets into Iran.

Washington’s measures applied to any foreign company doing business with Iranian airlines. … Full article

Syria signs defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, receives $403m in development loans

The Cradle | November 5, 2026

Saudi Arabia and Syria have signed a defense cooperation agreement, Saudi state news agency SPA reported on 4 November, as Riyadh seeks military backing for its war of aggression on Yemen.

The agreement was signed during Syrian de facto President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s visit to Riyadh, his second meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) in under a month.

The visit also produced six concessional loan agreements, collectively worth more than $403 million, aimed at bolstering Syria’s electricity and water infrastructure, rehabilitating its hospitals and housing, strengthening its emergency services, and modernizing its Finance Ministry.

The terms of the military agreement were not disclosed, but the deal follows weeks of reports pointing to deepening defense ties between Riyadh and Damascus. … Full article

South Korea to deploy naval forces near Strait of Hormuz

Press TV – November 5, 2026

South Korea has announced it will expand naval operations closer to the Strait of Hormuz, despite the serious risks associated with such a move.

The South Korean Defense Ministry said on Thursday it would deploy maritime patrol aircraft and an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team to waters near the Strait of Hormuz as part of a mission to help keep the vital waterway open.

Seoul will submit a proposal to parliament for lawmakers’ approval to expand the Cheonghae Unit’s scope of operations to waters near the port of Duqm in Oman, which is about 650 kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz. The Cheonghae Unit has been stationed in the Gulf of Aden since 2009 to ensure the safe navigation of commercial vessels.

Following parliamentary approval, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and the cabinet will also need to approve the move.

The president had vowed earlier this year that Seoul would never send its military forces to the region, defying US President Donald Trump’s pressure on South Korea and other Washington allies to actively participate in the illegal US-Israeli war on Iran.

Seoul clarified in September that South Korean forces would not be deployed to the region in any capacity that could lead to a military confrontation with Iranian forces. … Full article

Using nuclear weapons, the US-Israeli alliance still can’t beat Iran

By Robert Inlakesh | Al Mayadeen | November 5, 2026

While it is true that conventional weapons cannot penetrate Pickaxe Mountain Nuclear Site, there is no guarantee that using a nuclear weapon will actually yield results. Instead, the fall-out is the only thing that is certain.

The United States, at the behest of their Israeli partners, are speculated to be weighing the nuclear option against the Islamic Republic of Iran. In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump has continued to make threats against Tehran, claiming that he will even deploy the Mother of All Bombs (MOAB).

However, the target that the Trump administration and Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu appear the most obsessed with, is the facility located under Pickaxe Mountain, near the Natanz Nuclear Facility. Satellite imagery suggests that there has been significant activity at the site, at least according to US media.

All the talk of bombing this site, which Trump himself has publicly threatened to do, is predicated on the concept that Iran’s highly enriched Uranium is located at this underground facility. Based upon this assessment, there’s only one way to go about destroying that target. A MOAB is not a bunker buster munition, it is an airburst weapon, therefore officials in Washington can’t be seriously considering this as their weapon of choice.

Conventional weapons have failed to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities and underground missile facilities, meaning that the only natural last option is a tactical nuclear weapon.

Yet, there are a number of problems with this strategy, beyond the obvious implications of using nuclear weapons in the first place. The first obvious issue is that the US and Israelis don’t actually know with any degree of certainty that Iran is storing its enriched uranium at this site, at best it is an educated guess. … continue

World Medical Association shields Israeli doctors complicit in Palestinian prisoner torture: Report

The Cradle | November 5, 2026

The World Medical Association (WMA) has refused to suspend the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) despite whistleblower testimony implicating Israeli doctors in the torture of Palestinian prisoners, Middle East Eye (MEE) reported on 4 November.

“Both the WMA and IMA are refusing to investigate multiple reports by numerous human rights agencies that were sent directly to them relating to the torture and murder of healthcare workers,” Dr Jonathan Fluxman, a retired British GP of Jewish heritage and organizing member of the IMA Out! campaign, told MEE. “This goes back 30 years – the WMA has been burying reports about Israeli torture,” he added.

Fluxman said that “They are behaving in the same way as the US and British governments, by allowing Israel to get away with a genocide. In my view, the WMA is complicit in the IMA’s involvement in this.”

A petition signed by 6,500 medical personnel from the campaign was presented to the WMA General Assembly in Rotterdam last month. Signatories demanded the IMA’s expulsion over its members’ complicity in abuses against Palestinian detainees and in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) urging it to investigate the involvement of Israeli doctors, the IMA, and officials from Israel’s health and defense ministries in the torture of Palestinians, making the IMA the first WMA member ever referred to the court.

Whistleblowers from Sde Teiman, a military base in the Negev desert converted into a torture camp at the start of the Gaza genocide in October 2023, have exposed the systemic abuse and torture of Palestinian detainees there. … Full article

Israeli Colonizers Injure Three Palestinians Near Jericho

IMEMC | November 5, 2026

Three Palestinians were injured on Thursday morning when Israeli colonizers, protected by Israeli forces, attacked residents and their lands in al-Duyuk al-Tahta, west of Jericho, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Local sources told WAFA that the colonizers invaded Palestinian lands and homes in the Bedouin communities of the Sateh area in al-Duyuk al-Tahta.

They added that the colonizers beat residents and sprayed them with pepper spray, injuring three people.

Jihad Mahalis, a member of the local community committee in Ein al-Duyuk, told WAFA that the colonizers grazed their sheep on residents’ lands under the protection of Israeli forces and assaulted Palestinian residents.

In related news, Israeli colonizers attacked Palestinian farmersharvesting olives on their land in the Ramin plain, east of Tulkarem in the northwestern occupied West Bank, and attempted to steal harvesting equipment and olives.

Israeli army demolishes 5 Palestinian homes near Jerusalem, displacing over 20

MEMO | November 5, 2026

The Israeli army demolished five Palestinian homes in the town of Biddu, northwest of Jerusalem, leaving more than 20 Palestinians homeless, Anadolu reports.

The demolitions were carried out without prior notice on the grounds that the homes lacked building permits.

The Israeli army also reportedly damaged trees and agricultural land near a military checkpoint at the entrance to the town of Beit Iksa.

Gaza: Child among four killed as Israeli aggression hit several areas

Al Mayadeen | November 5, 2026

Four Palestinians were killed, and others wounded, in continuing Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip since dawn today, amid intensified air strikes and gunfire across various areas of the territory.

Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported that a Palestinian child was killed by Israeli forces east of Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. Israeli warplanes also targeted al-Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Strip, part of ongoing attacks on multiple areas.

Another Palestinian was killed in a strike by Israeli aircraft near the Zawaida municipality in central Gaza, while others were wounded in an Israeli air strike on the Falluja area, west of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent.

In the south, an elderly Palestinian woman was killed by Israeli forces in the Bir 19 area, south of Khan Younis.

The Israeli occupation forces also opened fire toward the Nasser Medical Complex, west of the city, while two Palestinians were wounded by their fire in the Al-Satar and Hamad areas, north of Khan Younis.

Ukraine ‘hunting’ children with drone-dropped mines – Moscow

RT | November 5, 2026

Ukrainian forces have been “hunting” children by scattering mines near schools and kindergartens in the Russian city of Bryansk, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

Speaking on Thursday, Zakharova accused Kiev of continuing its “terror against civilians” despite claiming readiness for peace. She cited an overnight attack on October 30, when Ukrainian drones dropped mines near three schools and 17 kindergartens.

“It was only by a lucky coincidence that no minors were hurt,” she said.

Bryansk Region Governor Egor Kovalchuk reported the attack last Friday, saying that drones had scattered numerous explosive devices in the city’s Bezhitsky District. He warned of danger at educational facilities and urged residents to remain indoors while emergency services cleared the area. … Full article

Russia’s Zakharova Accuses BBC of Biased Coverage of Torture Case in Ukraine

Sputnik – 05.11.2026

MOSCOW – Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday accused the BBC of biased coverage after the UK broadcaster dismissed as “rumors” the widely circulated footage of a severely beaten 14-year-old boy rescued from a secret torture chamber near Kiev. […]

Russian television channels and social media accounts that spread this information were featured in the BBC report as “propaganda,” Zakharova said.

“This is being written and said at the moment when footage has flown around the world of how a teenager with clear traces of not just beating, but simply torture is literally pulled out of the ill-fated torture chamber, out of the ill-fated house, and the victim himself later records a video from a hospital ward where he tells about everything that happened to him,” she said. – Full article

Sunset on the Quality of Western Propaganda: Arrival of the Dr Strangelove Moment

By Greg Simons | Propaganda In Focus | September 30, 2026

Propaganda has a complicated history and relationship with the West, shaped by ideological presumptions, moral and ethical evaluations, definitions, and assumptions. These frameworks have the effect of producing dilemmas and contradictions within an idealised conception of society. In part, this is due to embedded assumptions about identity and the cultural myths that accompany idealised notions of a morally and socially superior Western society. Such myths function to construct the façade of a value- and ethics-based consensus, reinforcing in-group identity and cohesion as a means of generating political unity. At the same time, they define and contrast this in-group against an oppositional out-group perceived as lacking the ‘desired’ mythical attributes of a ‘good’ society. … continue

Ukraine’s SBU, Police Search for Protesters Who Rallied Outside Illegal Prison Near Kiev

Sputnik – 05.11.2026

Ukraine’s Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and police have launched a manhunt for those who protested against the arbitrary detention of people in a secret prison hid in the basement of a house near Kiev. […]

“Police officers… together with the SBU have already identified 130 people who may be involved in the riots in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka,” the police said in a statement.

The police published a video showing officers raiding the homes of suspected protesters, as well as footage of their subsequent apologies. … Full article

Ukrainian general accused of protecting crime bosses

RT | November 5, 2026

A general in Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has been accused of protecting violent career criminals in exchange for a share of the proceeds from their numerous illicit enterprises.

The latest corruption scandal in Kiev erupted after the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) announced on Wednesday that it had uncovered an extensive network linking senior law enforcement officials in Vladimir Zelensky’s government to organized crime.

An hour-long video released by the agency to detail its findings includes graphic footage of a man being assaulted in the street and another victim, bound and gagged, being brutally beaten with fists and a hammer.

Those and other violent crimes were allegedly facilitated by an SBU general identified by Ukrainian media as Sergey Duka. According to NABU, the suspect summoned SBU commandos when anti-corruption investigators arrived at his residence with a search warrant on Wednesday morning. He threatened to open fire on detectives, the agency said. … continue

EU Commission Acknowledges Kiev Failed to Implement Large Part of Anti-Corruption Reforms

Sputnik – 05.11.2026

Ukraine has failed to implement most of the ten priority reforms previously agreed with the European Union in the areas of rule of law and anti-corruption, nor has it adopted laws necessary to significantly strengthen anti-corruption legislation, the European Commission said.

“Ukraine is between having some and a moderate level of preparation in the areas of the judiciary, the fight against corruption and respect for fundamental rights and made some progress. The ten priority reforms as agreed with the Ukrainian authorities on 10 December 2025 remain mostly outstanding,” the commission said in its enlargement report on Wednesday.

The document added that the Ukrainian authorities have not adopted a single law that would significantly advance the improvement of anti-corruption legislation.

In addition, the European Commission noted the lack of progress in aligning Ukrainian legislation with EU standards in combating serious and organized crime.

Russian envoy slams Financial Times ‘fake news’ on diesel deal

RT | November 5, 2026

Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev has accused the Financial Times of spreading “fake news,” after the newspaper claimed that a diesel fuel deal between Moscow and Washington was “unravelling.”

Less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump’s Republican Party lost control of Congress in the US’ midterm elections, two tankers carrying Russian diesel to the east coast of the US switched course, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. One tanker swung east from the Atlantic Ocean into the Mediterranean Sea, and another switched its destination to Brazil, the paper reported, citing publicly available tracking data.

A third tanker continued toward the US, but signaled that its cargo was awaiting a buyer, while a fourth was still en route to Massachusetts with no change to its route or plan.

These diversions, the newspaper claimed, signaled hesitancy by American buyers, and suggested that “Donald Trump’s controversial gambit to import Russian diesel to the US ahead of the midterm elections appears to be unravelling.”

Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund who helped broker the deal, described the report as “fake.”

“Tankers destined for the US continue on course,” he wrote on X on Thursday. “Why so much fake news from the FT ?” … Full article

GOP’s Crushing Midterm Loss Could Reshape US Political Landscape – Analyst

Sputnik – 05.11.2026

… When it comes to the Ukraine conflict, the GOP’s painful midterm rout will have far-reaching implications, the expert points out.

• Ukraine and Europe will now see Trump as “a lame duck,” and Zelensky will undoubtedly grow ever more insolent, relying on Democrat backing
• Trump’s ability to apply coercive measures on Ukraine will be far more limited
• For Russia, a Democrat win spells rapidly fading hopes for better ties with the US once the Ukraine conflict ends — and a growing threat of fresh sanctions

That leaves Russia with no incentive to make concessions on Ukraine in exchange for future US economic cooperation — now appearing to be an increasingly remote prospect, Suslov concludes. – Full article

US-‘Israel’ alliance faces growing rupture after midterms

Al Mayadeen | November 5, 2026

The 2026 US midterm elections have exposed a deepening political crisis in Washington’s longstanding relationship with “Israel”, as Democratic victories, declining public support, and statements from senior Republican officials raise questions about the future of American military assistance and diplomatic backing, Bloomberg reports.

Michigan elected Abdul el-Sayed as the country’s first Muslim senator on Tuesday. His campaign included a pledge to end US military aid to the Israeli occupation and characterized its war on Gaza as genocide. His victory came despite the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) reportedly spending $30 million against him.

In Georgia, Senator Jon Ossoff secured reelection, reinforcing the growing presence of Democrats critical of American weapons transfers to “Israel”. Ossoff was among the first Senate Democrats to oppose offensive weapons sales in 2024, a position that has since gained support across much of his party’s caucus.

The electoral developments reflect a broader transformation in American political attitudes toward the occupation and the military campaign in Gaza.

According to a March NBC News poll cited in the original report, only 13% of Democrats held a positive view of “Israel”. The figure was comparable to the share among young American voters overall, regardless of political affiliation. … continue

Americans Vote Out Republicans, But US War Machine Steamrolls On – Expert

Sputnik – 05.11.2026

Daniel McAdams, executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, named the main reasons and consequences leading to the GOP’s crushing defeat in the US midterms. He highlighted numerous polls showing that “the top three concerns of Americans by a long shot are inflation, the economy, and the Iran war, which the vast majority of Americans believe has gone very badly.”

“These are the top issues and Republicans have completely neglected,” the expert underscored.

However, he noted that “the American people rejected the Republicans but they did not embrace the Democrats who just want different wars,” McAdams pointed out. According to him, the Democrats – who haven’t changed since the days of Russiagate – are “certainly by no means peaceniks,” which is why Americans “are going to trade one pro-war party for another pro-war one.”

“The Democrats will definitely push a new funding project for Ukraine come next Congress, starting in January, and there will be enough Republicans that will peel off and support it,” the expert went on to say.

He didn’t exclude a continuation of the Ukraine conflict that could be “maybe even more expensive and deadly,” in which the CIA is “up to its neck in involvement, giving targeting information and intelligence” to the Zelensky regime.

Midterm loss gives Congress power to rein in US war on Iran

Al Mayadeen| November 5, 2026

Tuesday’s midterm elections have left US President Donald Trump facing a Congress with the constitutional means to restrain the US war on Iran, while strengthening Tehran’s hand in negotiations over its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Washington.

Retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski and Mohammad Marandi, professor of English literature and Orientalism at the University of Tehran, reached that assessment on Al Mayadeen’s The Grand Standoff on Wednesday.

They tied the Republican losses to Trump’s abandoned promises to end wars and prosecute the “Epstein class,” the economic toll of the war on Iran, and a growing American backlash against Israeli influence in Washington.

Marandi called the result “a major turning point,” though he stressed that the war is far from over. … continue

Midterms Were ‘Vote of No Confidence’ in GOP, But Iran Has No Illusions About Democrats – Marandi

Sputnik – 05.11.2026

Tuesday’s crushing midterm defeat for Republicans was a “good sign” showing “that the American people are pushing the elites” and “putting pressure on them,” but the Democrats’ victory won’t bring positive changes to US foreign policy, Tehran University professor and prolific political commentator Mohammad Marandi has told Sputnik.

“The Democratic Party is not a party of peace,” Marandi emphasized, pointing out that Democrats were in charge when Israel unleashed its bloody campaign in Gaza in 2023, and initiated or greenlit the bombings, dirty wars and proxy conflicts in Libya, Syria and Yemen, as well as the crisis in Ukraine.

As far as Iran is concerned, the change of power in Congress “doesn’t mean the war is over.” The US “may attack Iran at any time. But it does mean that the regime in Washington, the political establishment in Washington, recognizes that the American people are sick and tired of war,” Marandi said.

“The working assumption is that the United States will carry out aggression,” Marandi emphasized.

“The [pro-Israel lobby] will not give up, and they are the ones who are still in charge,” Marandi said. He warned, however, that any new war will be “much more costly” for the US and Israel, both politically and militarily. … continue

Gaza doctor wins New Jersey seat in US Congress

MEMO | November 4, 2026

Adam Hamawy, a Muslim American doctor of Egyptian origin who helped treat people wounded during Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, has won a seat in the US House of Representatives in the congressional midterm elections, the Associated Press reported.

According to results announced by the news agency, Hamawy won the seat for New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, becoming the first Muslim to represent the state in Congress.

Tel Aviv claims deadly strike on south Lebanon targeted ‘suspects observing Israeli troops’

The Cradle | November 4, 2026

The Israeli military claimed on 4 November that its deadly drone strike on the southern Lebanese town of Qabrikha targeted “suspects” who were “observing” Tel Aviv’s occupation forces.

“Earlier today (Wednesday), the [army] struck two suspects who were observing … forces in the area of Qabrikha, located outside the security zone in southern Lebanon,” the army said.

“The strike was carried out to eliminate the threat to forces operating in the security zone,” it added, stressing that it “remains committed to the agreement between Israel and Lebanon.”

The deadly drone strike took place on Wednesday afternoon. The Lebanese Health Ministry said one person was killed and another wounded.

Mohammad Nasser Younes, a paramedic with the Al-Risala Scouts Association, was identified as the victim of the strike.

The injured man was identified as photojournalist Kamal Younes.

The strike also destroyed a motorcycle.

An Israeli drone strike also hit the town of Kfar Tebnit on Wednesday. Additionally, Israel bombed the town of Qantara with warplanes.

Meanwhile, Israeli drones buzzed over south Lebanon and the capital Beirut at low altitude. … Full article

Army Displaces 25 Families Near Tulkarem Refugee Camp

IMEMC | November 4, 2026

Israeli occupation forces forcibly evacuated 25 Palestinian families from their homes near Tulkarem refugee camp, in the northwestern part of the occupied West Bank, on Wednesday, converting some of the homes into military barracks.

Large numbers of Israeli soldiers invaded homes in the western area adjacent to the al-Hadayda neighborhood, on the outskirts of the refugee camp, and forced residents to leave, allowing them to take only a few belongings.

Residents were seen carrying some of their belongings after being forced from their homes, as the Israeli offensive continued against Tulkarem city and its two refugee camps.

An earlier November 4 report citing Quds News Network put the number of displaced families at more than 20, while subsequent coverage by An-Najah News and Sada News reported 25.

The offensive has displaced more than 5,000 families from Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps and caused widespread destruction of homes, infrastructure, and other property. Israeli forces continue to impose a siege and tight military restrictions on access to Tulkarem camp. … Full article

Journalist, Doctor Among Many Palestinians Abducted in West Bank

IMEMC | November 4, 2026

Israeli forces invaded communities across the occupied West Bank at dawn on Wednesday, abducting Palestinians, including former political prisoners, women and a journalist, and temporarily detaining residents, including children. Soldiers broke into and searched homes. They were also reported to have assaulted teachers and students and restricted movement at a military roadblock. … continue

Gaza Education Ministry says Israeli airstrike kills schoolgirl as University College bombing leaves 15 casualties

MEMO | November 4, 2026

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education in the Gaza Strip said Tuesday that a 16-year-old Palestinian schoolgirl was killed in an Israeli airstrike while returning home from school, hours after another strike hit a university college in Gaza City, killing one person and injuring 14 students.

In a statement, the ministry identified the schoolgirl as Rimas Ismail Al-Madhoun, saying she was killed shortly after leaving Al-Saraya Secondary School for Girls on her way home.

Earlier that morning, the University College of Applied Sciences was bombed while students were present on campus, according to the ministry.

The attack killed one Palestinian and injured 14 students, the statement said.

According to the ministry, more than 21,000 students have been killed since the beginning of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza … Full article

Israeli Soldiers Inadvertently Prove Their Own Genocidal Guilt

By Thomas Karat | The Libertarian Institute | October 28, 2026

It usually began with the engineers walking the length of a street, threading charges through house after house along a whole block. Then the countdown, and then the block went down together, a single rolling wall of dust where a neighborhood had stood, and over the noise the men who had wired it could be heard cheering. The soldier holding the phone kept it steady on the collapse, because he was proud of it, and he posted it when it was done. This was not one street or one crew. The same scene plays across Gaza in thousands of clips, filmed by unit after unit who set the charges and whooped as the buildings fell, some of them dedicating the blast to a dead comrade or a holiday back home. The deliberate leveling of whole residential blocks, which the men who set the charges filmed and cheered as it happened, is among the most common scenes in the entire archive of soldier video.

The law speaks directly to this. … continue

Sanaa: Saudi strike on Taiz home kills 7 civilians, wounds 6 children

Al Mayadeen | November 4, 2026

The Sanaa Health Ministry said seven civilians, including two children, were killed and six children were wounded when Saudi aircraft struck a house west of Taiz.

The ministry’s spokesman reported that the Saudi aggression on Yemen has killed or wounded 907 people since the escalation began, including 360 children and women.

The spokesman said the latest Saudi escalation has killed 266 civilians, including 86 children and 38 women, and wounded 641 others.

That is up from the 768 casualties the ministry reported through October 30, which included 232 killed and 536 wounded. The escalation began on July 13, after Saudi strikes on Sanaa International Airport.

The Taiz strike was one of several on Wednesday. The ministry reported that a separate Saudi airstrike on a home in Taiz’s Hayfan district killed at least four people, including a woman and three children, and wounded four.

The Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said Saudi warplanes launched 104 airstrikes and missile attacks over the past 24 hours on civilian areas in Sanaa and the governorates of Jawf, Bayda, Saada, Amran, Marib, Taiz, and Lahj.

The attacks were carried out by F-15 and Typhoon aircraft from the Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases and by missiles launched from Najran and Jizan, according to Saree. … Full article

US midterm election results a big ‘no’ to Trump’s war on Iran: Iranian official

Press TV – November 4, 2026

The head of Iran’s top legislative-arbitration body says the results of the US midterm congressional elections were a resounding “no” to Donald Trump’s warmongering policies against Iran.

Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani Amoli, who heads Iran’s Expediency Council, said on Wednesday that the outcome of the US midterm elections marked another failure and defeat for the ruling Republican Party and US President Donald Trump over his war of aggression against Iran.

“The president and his party have lost control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. He himself acknowledged that Iran had played a part in this defeat,” Larijani Amoli said.

The senior cleric said, however, that the opposition Democratic Party should learn a lesson from Trump’s failed policies toward Iran and seek to change course.

“Although the track record of the political faction that has now taken control of Congress, much like that of its rival, suggests that it will largely maintain the existing course of US foreign policy, today’s election was a resounding ‘no’ and a kind of referendum on America’s warmongering policies,” Larijani Amoli said.

“If the victorious party is willing to learn from the outcome, it will heed the message of this referendum and clearly see where warmongering leads.”

The cleric said Trump remained obstinate and unwilling to fully acknowledge the impact of his war against Iran on his political fate, more than eight months after launching a joint aggression against the country with the Israeli regime.

“This is the very vile arrogance that our nation has stood up against: a power that listens neither to international law nor to human conscience, and now not even to the vote of its own people,” he said.

Iran slams Merz’s ‘moral decay’ after ‘dirty work’ remark

Al Mayadeen | November 4, 2026

Germany’s chancellor and foreign minister are failing to grasp the human and economic toll of the war on Iran, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a post on X on Wednesday.

Baghaei’s remarks followed Merz’s warning that the war had cost Europe more than $110 billion over the past eight months, citing rising energy prices and the additional burden on European businesses and consumers.

Baghaei accuses Chancellor Friedrich Merz of reversing himself. He had welcomed Israeli aggression against Iran in strong terms, but now complains about what the war costs Europe.

“Once, Chancellor Merz had enthusiastically declared that Israel was doing ‘our dirty work’ with its attack on Iran. Yet just a few months later, the same chancellor laments that this war is costing the European economy 100 billion euros!” the post reads, in a translation from German.

Baghaei also says that Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has been drawn into defending the military action. “Now his foreign minister also feels compelled to justify the military assault on Iran,” the post adds.

“He is marked by such indifference and such profound moral decay that he neither acknowledges the human casualties and war crimes committed nor grasps the economic damage that this war inflicts on his own country and Europe,” Baghaei states.

The post ends with a German proverb and a jibe at the chancellor. “‘From harm one becomes wise,’ says a German proverb. Yet Hans Guck-in-die-Luft appears to be unteachable,” it reads. The nickname refers to a character in a German children’s book who walks along looking at the sky. … Full article

Ukraine’s hidden torture system is the West’s shame too

Now watch Western backers look the other way

By Tarik Cyril Amar | RT | November 3, 2026

… while the torture prison scandal is evolving in Ukraine, its de facto dictator Vladimir Zelensky is on yet another begging-and-bragging tour to one his most besotted and submissive fans, Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany. Meanwhile, back home Zelensky’s right hand man Kirill Budanov, himself an expert in terrorism and mayhem, has already had to admit the obvious, namely that the Kiev lock-up and torture facility is not unique. On the contrary, it is typical of a whole system of national-scale abuse, of the Zelensky regime’s depravity, and the West’s complicity.

That complicity was on display as if under a magnifying glass, when a US citizen, the critical blogger and journalist Gonzalo Lira was tortured to death – in classical Zelensky-regime fashion – to both make an example and fleece him. The case was buried. Indeed, Lira could have been saved easily, if the American authorities who knew of his fate had intervened.

The Zelensky regime’s impunity is stunning. Not quite yet Israel-level but getting there. And as with Israel, the reason for this abysmal situation is a toxic mix of – very bad – geopolitics and moral and intellectual perversion. … Full article

Ukraine arrests woman who exposed Azov battalion’s ‘torture chamber’

RT | November 4, 2026

A Ukrainian court has ordered pretrial arrest without bail for the woman who raised allegations of torture at a facility in Kiev operated by the notorious neo-Nazi-linked Azov unit.

The scandal erupted on Monday after allegations emerged that dozens of men were being beaten and held for ransom at a private house outside Kiev. Furious relatives and local residents gathered outside the property, leading to clashes with the authorities.

Valentina Molodaya arrived at the house in an ambulance and livestreamed herself pleading to be allowed inside to examine men she claimed were being held there in appalling conditions.

At a pretrial hearing on Wednesday, Kiev’s Solomiansky District Court ordered Molodaya held for 60 days without bail. She is suspected of obstructing military activities, disclosing military locations and organizing mass unrest.

Molodaya denied accusations of organizing unrest and claimed that she is a medic who came to the house after being tipped off about a man who had allegedly been taken from hospital after surgery and beaten while held at the property. … continue

De-escalating the conflict: What the OSCE, the UN, and Europe are (not) doing to prevent war

By Lorenzo Maria Pacini | Strategic Culture Foundation | November 4, 2026

Three signs of the same crisis

I want to ask all our readers – and you, the one reading this – a question: Do you want war?

Regardless of political, military, national, or ideological preferences, this is a serious question. Who really wants war?

We must all ask ourselves this question – and even more so, it should be asked by the politicians, technocrats, and power brokers in European chancelleries who continue to foment war.

We won’t discuss moral issues right now – we’ll write about those on another occasion. Let’s start with the institutional facts and try to understand whether and how anyone has attempted to bring about de-escalation – or not. Because when we read the Western press, there’s a constant impression that European leaders are the world’s best diplomats, constantly striving to solve global problems and ensure peace. Yet, there is a lack of sources, data, and concrete evidence. And where are all those institutions that were supposedly created to ensure peace for the entire world?

On September 30, 2026, Moscow delivered a non-paper to NATO declaring its readiness to deploy its entire arsenal, including nuclear weapons, should the Alliance attempt to isolate the Kaliningrad region. The document explicitly mentions the possibility of striking the decision-making centers of member countries from the very early stages of a conflict, and a senior European defense official noted that a threat phrased in these terms had not been heard since the end of the Cold War. Two weeks later, in Warsaw, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe responded that a Russian attack would be entirely futile. That same month, Russian border guards detained a German merchant ship in the Gulf of Finland for several hours. … continue

Did Israel lose the midterms?

Trump is paying a heavy price for joining Benjamin Netanyahu’s war on Iran

RT | November 4, 2026

The view from Washington is clear: President Donald Trump’s decision to wage war on Iran cost the Republican Party the midterm elections. RT looks at how Benjamin Netanyahu’s war became Trump’s problem and whether Israel will bear any costs.

The Republican Party suffered an unequivocal wipeout in Tuesday’s midterm elections, handing Democrats their largest House majority since Bill Clinton entered the White House in 1993, along with a majority of at least ten seats in the Senate. Democrats flipped Senate seats in Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, and Maine, while Trump-backed gubernatorial candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Greg Abbott lost in Ohio and Texas respectively – states Trump won comfortably in 2024.

All of this is a dramatic about-turn from 2024, when Trump and the GOP won a decisive mandate after promising to lower costs and keep the US out of foreign wars. … continue

How Iran defeated Trump’s Israel First GOP

By Max Blumenthal | The Grayzone | November 4, 2026

Trump launched a failed war on Iran for Israel last February, as his NSC director and Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted. Now, the war has come home.

Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz became a vice grip around the neck of Trump and the GOP, especially in the heartland, where diesel prices are 70% higher than a year ago, and farmers have been forced to leave crops in the ground. 74% of Americans told pollsters the failed Iran war was a crucial or major factor in their vote tonight, and over 60% said they were voting against the Republicans because of it. … continue

US Elections Offer Choice Between ‘Bad and Worse’ as Both Parties Serve War Lobby – ex-UN Expert

Sputnik – 04.11.2026

Both parties are “beholden to the military-industrial complex and to the AIPAC lobby,” and “the problem with the American two-party system is that most of the time it is a choice between bad and worse,” Alfred de Zayas, a retired independent UN expert and prolific commentator, told Sputnik, commenting on the results of Tuesday’s midterms.

“Both Republican and Democratic candidates advocate war over diplomacy, support Wall Street over Main Street, and promote Israel over Palestine. Very few address the needs of the American people, the key issues of education, public health, taxation, infrastructure and job-creation,” the observer stressed.

While de Zayas has little hope that the new Democrat-controlled Senate, led by Senator Chuck Schumer, will bring positive changes, he nevertheless welcomes Republicans’ loss of Congress. He believes the result will limit Trump’s ability to pursue his agenda following his “disappointing” failure to resolve the Ukraine crisis, which he traces to Democratic policies, and the decision to launch a new war against Iran. … continue

Iran’s Khamenei Warns US Hostility Won’t Change After Midterms

Sputnik – 04.11.2026

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei urged on Wednesday not to pin hopes on the fact that Washington’s hostile attitude towards Tehran will change after the midterm elections.

“If there are still those who harbor any hope of a change in behavior or party-factional shifts in the ruling system, or imagine that by making concessions to the United States they can turn them away from hostility towards the Iranian people, they are greatly mistaken,” Khamenei said in a statement.

Ghalibaf warns US government not to betray voters who rejected war

Al Mayadeen| November 4, 2026

Americans rejected war at the ballot box, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday, warning Washington that any attempt to defy that verdict would meet a forceful Iranian response.

Writing on X after Democrats won the Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections, Ghalibaf said voters moved by “conscience or the cost of living” had said “NO TO WAR,” a message he stressed Iran endorses. Should the US government betray its own public’s will to serve “international paymasters and blackmailers,” he cautioned, it would discover that Iran’s refusal “comes with a Nightmare.” … continue

Desperate For A Renewed Iran War, Israel Dusts Off The WMD Deception.

Just As It Did In Iraq And Syria , Israel Has Launched A New WMD Deception.

By Justin K.P. | The Dissident | November 4, 2026

Israel, increasingly desperate to have the U.S. launch a new war on Iran, has dusted off the WMD deception sharing clearly manipulated “intelligence” with the U.S. claiming that Iran is planning on using chemical weapons. … continue