Rachel Blevins

At least nine people were killed, and nearly 3,000 wounded, according to the latest reports, after pagers that were used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon on Tuesday. Lebanon's information minister said the government condemned the attack as an act of “Israeli aggression,” and Hezbollah blamed Israel, and said it would receive “its fair punishment.” Veteran Journalist Elijah J. Magnier noted that the affected pagers appear to be from a shipment that Hezbollah received recently that had gone through multiple checkpoints in multiple countries before reaching their destination—an indicator that Israel planned this attack in advance, and then waited for the time to inflict terror on the people of Lebanon.

The Russian president is now warning that removing restrictions on Kiev's use of long-range missiles would directly involve the U.S. and its allies in the war against Russia. This, as the Biden Admin teases the possibility of doing just that, and helping Kiev strike deep inside Russia. John Jackman, an American attorney and geopolitical analyst, noted that while one of the top two candidates for the U.S. presidency is vowing to end the war in Ukraine, concerns remain that the Biden Admin will seek to escalate tensions to the point where the U.S. can't just easily back out of its role in the conflict...

Lebanon is once again being bombed by Israel with a series of strikes this week that have targeted civilian areas, and killed Hezbollah commander Mohammed Qassem Al-Shaer. Veteran Journalist Marwa Osman, PhD., noted that as Israel continues to expand the conflict further into Lebanon, Hezbollah is responding to each attack, and continuing to expand the conflict further into Israel—reminding Israel that there is a price to pay for the genocide it is committing against the Palestinians, and the ongoing attacks it is carrying out against its neighbors in the region.

Both Biden and Blinken have now indicated that the White House is getting ready to lift restrictions on the long-range missiles the U.S. sends Kiev, and grant Zelensky's wish to use the weapons deep inside Russian territory, despite previous concerns that it would lead to a direct conflict between Washington and Moscow. International Relations and Security Analyst Mark Sleboda noted that from Abrams tanks to F-16 fighter jets to ATACMS, the Biden Admin continues down the slippery slopes towards war with Russia, out of desperation, because nothing they are doing for Kiev is resulting in success. And that is becoming abundantly clear as Russian forces continue to advance in the Donbass…

Russiagate 3.0 is officially here, and with just two months left until Election Day, the U.S. Gov't is specifically targeting Russia and Russian media funding with a new set of sanctions and indictments. Clint Russell, Host of the Liberty Lockdown Podcast, noted it's no coincidence that multiple content creators who have been critical of U.S. support for Ukraine in a proxy war against Russia, are now being accused of only voicing dissent to the narrative because of allegations of Russian funding.

Iran is watching the region, as Israel continues to carry out attacks against the Palestinian people in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, while also continuing border clashes with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Ehsan Safarnejad, an Iran-based journalist and geopolitical analyst, noted that Iran's retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Palestinian diplomat and Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh isn't just about military force. The current unrest in Israel over Netanyahu's government and its failure to secure a hostage deal, coupled with Israel's economic woes from residents fleeing to other countries, serve as a reminder that the consequences for Israel's crimes come in many forms.

Russian forces continue to advance around the key Donbass city of Pokrovsk, as Kiev scrambles to respond, while still trying to maintain its incursion into Russia's Kursk region. This, as Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba resigns amid reports that he was the one Zelensky blamed for a lack of weapons donations to Kiev. International Relations and Security Analyst Mark Sleboda noted that while Zelensky is struggling with another cabinet shakeup, Russian President Putin is commenting on the state of the U.S. Election and saying that while Biden was his preferred "predictable" candidate, he is now going to follow Biden's recommendation and cheer for Kamala Harris—with the hope that her "fascinating" laugh will lead to more joy, and less sanctions for Russia.

The streets in Israel were flooded with thousands of protesters after Netanyahu once again refused a ceasefire and hostage deal, and attempted to retrieve hostages through IDF raids. After the last attempt led to Israel killing hundreds of Palestinians, in order to rescue four hostages, Hamas vowed to change their tactics and return hostages "in coffins" if Israel came close to rescuing them through military raids. Veteran Journalist Elijah J. Magnier noted that the current unrest in Israel is yet another reminder of why Iran has yet to retaliate for Israel's assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh—because they know that any kind of attack would provide a reason for Israelis to come together and forget about the policies of their leadership that are currently tearing them apart.

After almost 11 months of a near-constant bombardment and ongoing blockade of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, Israel ramped up its raids in the West Bank this week, with the New York Times calling it a "third front" to Israel's war on the Palestinians and the resistance who support them. Dan Kovalik, a Human rights lawyer, professor and author, noted that Israel's targeting the West Bank is a reminder that this was never about "destroying Hamas," and it was always about achieving the decades-long goal of ethnically cleansing the Palestinian people from their land.

UN nuclear agency chief Rafael Grossi is warning about "the danger or possibility of a nuclear accident" after a visit to Russia's Kursk nuclear power plant, which has repeatedly been targeted by Kiev as part of their ongoing incursion into the region. However, Grossi still refuses to say who is behind the attacks (despite it being obvious, once again) International Relations and Security Analyst Mark Sleboda noted that Kiev's decision to throw some of its best resources into Kursk to carry out a headline-making stunt with its incursion, is hurting Ukrainian forces significantly on the battlefield, as Russian forces continue to advance, now closing in on the key Donbass city of Pokrovsk.

Hezbollah launched dozens of drones and more than 320 Katyusha rockets into Israel, as retaliation for Israel's targeted assassination of Hezbollah Commander Fuad Shukr. This, after Israel carried out what appeared to be its largest bombing of southern Lebanon since October, with Netanyahu claiming they were "pre-emptive strikes." Veteran Journalist Elijah J. Magnier noted that "For the first time in modern history, a non-state actor—Hezbollah—has successfully established deterrence" over one of the most formidable armies in the world, and as a result, "Hezbollah has regained the upper hand and executed a calculated retaliation against Israel, even as U.S. and NATO forces have mobilized in defense of Israel."

The Russian founder of the messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested in France this weekend, with reports from local media saying the French Government is making allegations related to the app's encryption tools and lack of moderation. This, as the FBI has raided the homes of two Americans linked to Russian state-funded media this month, with the NY Times citing anonymous U.S. officials to claim that it's part of “an aggressive effort to combat the Kremlin’s influence operations leading up to the presidential election." All of the above is a reminder that this crackdown is happening because the real influence campaigns—those coming from the U.S. and its allies—haven’t worked as intended.