Russia fired an intercontinental ballistic missile during an attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday, Kyiv's air force said, in what would be the first use in war of a weapon designed to deliver long-distance nuclear strikes. | The launch, if confirmed, highlights rapidly rising tensions in the 33-month-old war after Ukraine fired U.S. and British missiles at targets inside Russia this week despite warnings by Moscow that it would see such action as a major escalation. Security experts said it would be the first military use of an intercontinental ballistic missile. ICBMs are strategic weapons designed to deliver nuclear warheads and are an important part of Russia's nuclear deterrent.

■ Russia fires intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine for first time, Kyiv says (Novaya Gazeta)
■ Russian Air Defenses Shoot Down Two UK-Made Storm Shadow Missiles (Sputnik)
■ Russia Fires ICBM at Ukraine; Says New U.S. Base in Poland Now a Priority Target for Destruction (Hal Turner)

Maria Zakharova (Мария Захарова) (Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman) | The appearance of North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) forces on the territory of Ukraine will mean joining the war against Russia. This statement was made by the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, on 21 November.

■ She commented on Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahna's statement about the need to send the military to Ukraine because of the peace agreement US President-elect Donald Trump proposed.

■ “I don't understand, maybe it somehow doesn't dawn on them that the appearance of NATO contingents on the territory of Ukraine will mean the alliance's entry into a war against our country,” Zakharova said at a briefing.

■ She added that this could lead to catastrophic consequences for European countries and the whole world. The diplomat also recalled that Russia had already “repeatedly talked about this.”

■ Earlier, on 12 November, the chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, said that NATO would have sent troops to Ukraine a long time ago if Russia did not have nuclear weapons. According to him, Russia's nuclear arsenal distinguishes it from the Taliban (the organization is under UN sanctions for terrorist activities) in Afghanistan when it comes to fighting NATO forces.

■ The special operation to protect Donbas, the start of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region. (DeepL + Grammarly)

■ ‘Radical NATO wing’ pushing for war with Russia – Moscow (RT.com)
✅ Leaks expose secret British military cell plotting to ‘keep Ukraine fighting’ (Kit Klarenberg)
✅ Leaked documents: British spies constructing secret terror army in Ukraine (Kit Klarenberg)

The soldiers 'fell during combat in southern Lebanon,' the army said in a statement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X shared an image of the 'Golani' Brigade symbol – the unit the soldiers killed belonged to – a green olive tree against a yellow background, with a broken heart emoji. | Israel suffered one of its deadliest days of its ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon on Wednesday, November 13, when six of its soldiers were killed in combat near the border. ■ The soldiers "fell during combat in southern Lebanon," the army said in a statement. Their deaths mean 47 Israeli troops have been killed in combat with Hezbollah since September 30, when Israel sent ground forces into Lebanon. The army's announcement came after Israel's new Defense Minister Israel Katz said there would be no easing up in the war against Hezbollah. ■ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X shared an image of the "Golani" Brigade symbol – the unit the soldiers killed belonged to – a green olive tree against a yellow background, with a broken heart emoji.

Kit Klarenberg | Leaked files show top UK military figures conspired to carry out the Kerch bridge bombing, covertly train “Gladio”-style stay-behind forces in Ukraine, and groom the British public for a drop in living standards caused by the proxy war against Russia. | Emails and internal documents reviewed by The Grayzone reveal details of a cabal of British military and intelligence veterans which plotted to escalate and prolong the Ukraine proxy war “at all costs.” Convened under the direction of the British Ministry of Defense in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the cell referred to itself as Project Alchemy. As British leadership sabotaged peace talks between Kiev and Moscow, the cell put forward an array of plans “to keep Ukraine fighting” by imposing “strategic dilemmas, costs and frictions upon Russia.” ■ The leaks obtained by The Grayzone expose a hidden hand behind Britain’s policy in Ukraine, showing in unusually granular detail how it aimed to engineer a long, grinding war through covert operations that stretched the bounds of legality.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have launched what is reported to be twelve (12) "Storm Shadow" cruise missiles, into Kursk, Russia. But video below records FOURTEEN (14) explosions. | Reports are saying that the target of this particular attack was near the historic Baratynskys' estate, now a sanatorium under the control of the Russian presidential administration. The Russian Governor of Kursk claims two missiles entered its airspace and both were intercepted, but did not specify which type of missiles. The Russian military journalist, 'Two Majors', says 12 Storm Shadows were in fact used. Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied.

■ British state media confirms ‘Storm Shadow’ strike deep inside Russia (RT.com)
■ Biden To Send Antipersonnel Mines To Ukraine (Moon of Alabama) | U.S. president Joe Biden was found to be too senile to stand for re-election. But that does not hinder the powers that be to let him launch world war III.

The CIA is funding online troll communities to tarnish the country’s image, Chay Bowes has said | Bowes argued that the US-led disinformation campaign is using all means possible to rationalize lies and tarnish the image of Russia, including “mass bot farms like NAFO, who are funded via the CIA,” which is injecting millions of dollars into spreading fake content about the country. The journalist was referring to a collective of internet trolls identified by their fanatical support for the Ukrainian military.

Moscow’s updated nuclear doctrine is a response to Western threats, Türkiye has said | The West should pay attention to Russia’s updated nuclear doctrine, which reflects Moscow’s right and ability to defend itself from threats, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said. ■ Moscow unveiled the proposed changes to its strategic deterrent in September, while Ukraine was still clamoring for permission to use Western weapons for long-range strikes into Russian territory. The new doctrine was officially adopted on Tuesday, hours after Ukraine’s US-supplied missiles were used to target Bryansk Region.

💬 “I think that this statement by Russia is, above all, a measure taken in response to the stance taken against it, concerning the use of conventional weapons,” Erdogan said on Tuesday at a press conference following the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ● “I think that this issue must be considered by NATO officials. Russia has the right and ability to protect itself and to take measures for its defense. And it was compelled to take these measures,” Erdogan added.

👉 Britain ("Ukraine") fires Storm Shadow missiles into Russia for first time (Sky News)
■ ВСУ нанесли массированный удар ракетами Storm Shadow по России на фоне разрешения Запада (lenta.ru)
■ Russian Army Acquires New Cutting-Edge Fighter Jets (Global Times)
■ Фицо назвал безответственным решение США разрешить Украине бить вглубь России (Известия)
✅ Biden To Send Antipersonnel Mines To Ukraine (Moon of Alabama)
✅ The US Approves Long-Range Missile Strikes on Russia (Glenn Diesen)
✅ ATACMS Madness – Has Biden Pushed the Nuclear Button on Trump’s Inauguration? (Seth Ferris)

SVR chief: The latest version of the document, the core principle is that nuclear weapons are a last resort to ensure the protection of the country’s sovereignty | The West acknowledges that Russia’s revised nuclear doctrine has significantly weakened the efforts of the United States and NATO to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, making victory in conventional warfare unachievable, said Sergey Naryshkin, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), in an interview with National Defense magazine. ■ The West has responded cautiously to President Vladimir Putin's announcement of changes to Russia’s nuclear deterrence strategy, he explained. "They realize that the revisions Putin outlined have largely undermined the attempts by the United States and NATO to achieve a strategic defeat of our nation. Furthermore, the expanded criteria for using nuclear weapons essentially rule out the possibility of defeating the Russian Armed Forces on the battlefield," Naryshkin noted.

■ Full Text of Russia's Updated Nuclear Doctrine (Sputnik Exclusive)
■ Russia’s revised nuclear doctrine makes defeat over its army impossible — SVR chief (TASS)
■ Нарышкин: обновление ядерной доктрины исключает возможность победы над ВС РФ (TACC)

Russia has begun mass-production of, and full distribution of, nuclear blast and radiation shelters for the public. The top photo, taken this past summer, shows what the shelters look like. | The "KUB-M" package includes 2 modules - a technical module and a module for people, where 54 people can hide. The mobile shelter provides protection from various threats, including natural disasters and man-made accidents. It can protect against light radiation from a nuclear explosion and radioactive contamination. Once laid in place, the shelters are then surrounded by "Mafia Blocks"...cement blocks weighing approximately 3,000 pounds EACH, stacked one atop another and then over the roof. [...] These portable nuclear shelters are the final stage of Russia's preparation for conflict with NATO. The fact that these shelters are now being deployed, is a very ominous sign.

■ REPORTS: Russia Evacuates Political Class to Nuclear Bunkers in Ural Mountains (Hal Turner)

Ukraine has carried out its first strike on Russian territory with US-supplied long-range missiles just days after the Biden administration gave Kyiv the green light despite fears it could escalate the conflict beyond control.

■ A fiery explosion at an ammunition depot in Karachev around 75 miles from the Ukrainian border in Russia's Bryansk region lit up the night sky early this morning on what is the 1,000th day of war in Ukraine.
■ Eyewitnesses and Russian military bloggers first reported the attack, with Ukrainian military officials later confirming to RBC Ukraine the strike was indeed conducted with the US-manufactured ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System).
■ 'The Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression against it with the use of conventional weapons,' Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Russia this morning.

👉 His statement followed Vladimir Putin's approval of an updated nuclear doctrine that allows his strategic forces to deploy nuclear weapons if Russian or Belarusian territory is threatened by a non-nuclear nation supported by a nuclear power. Threats that could make Russia's leadership consider a nuclear strike include an attack with conventional missiles, drones or other aircraft, according to the updated document. A Ukrainian strike on Russian territory with US-supplied missiles meets these criteria, raising fears that Moscow may now consider a dramatic escalation in the conflict.

■ Kiev fires ATACMS missiles at Russia’s Bryansk Region – MOD (RT.com)
■ West wants escalation of conflict – Moscow (RT.com)
■ Training Ukrainian troops makes France direct participant in combat — top Russian diplomat (TASS)
■ What Has Happened May Have Dire Consequences (11/19/24)
✅ Patiently Waiting to Strike (William Schryver)

Dmitry Medvedev (Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council) (Дмитрий Медведев) |Regarding the unconfirmed decision on strikes "deep inside Russia" and the decision on Russia's nuclear policy approved by the President of Russia | After the dust raised by the Western newspapers has settled a bit, it is obvious that, despite the publications' obvious propaganda intent, what has happened may have dire consequences.

1. It is not so important who made the decision and when [they made it] to use tactical ballistic and long-range cruise missiles of NATO countries "deep into the territory" of Russia especially since there have already been attempts to use them on our country.

2. It is not so important how many of them the enemy has today. Nor does it matter that their use, according to our enemies, should have not only a military but also an informational effect.

3. It is not so important that these missiles cannot represent a significant contribution to the enemy's war effort.

4. It is not so important that with such decisions the current US administration is deliberately creating such an escalation of the conflict that Trump's team will have to deal with [the situation].

5. [But] one thing is important: [and that is] what the Russian head of state said on 12.09.09. As a result, a new version of the Basics of State Policy in the field of nuclear deterrence has been approved. The use of alliance missiles in this way can now be qualified as an attack by the bloc's countries on Russia. In this case, the right arises to retaliate with weapons of mass destruction against Kyiv and major NATO facilities, wherever they may be. And that's already WWIII.

Maybe old man Biden has decided to pass away beautifully, taking a significant part of humanity with him...(DeepL + Grammarly)

■ Putin approves Russia’s revised nuclear doctrine (TASS)
■ Moscow issues long-range missiles warning to West (RT.com)
■ Putin Signs Updated Russian Nuclear Doctrine (Sputnik)
■ Russia Changes Its Nuclear Doctrine: What Has Changed and Why Should West Be Wary? (Sputnik)

■ Report: Biden Allows Ukraine To Strike Russia With Long-Range US Missiles (Antiwar.com)
■ Biden authorizes use of US long-range weapons to strike inside Russia (TASS)
■ Biden's 'Unnecessary Escalation' Only Sets Trump Up for Failure - Ex-DoD Analyst (Sputnik)
■ Madness Unlimited: US Deep State Tries to Instigate WWIII - French Politician (Sputnik)
⚡ Biden Authorizes Ukrainian Long-Range Strikes Into Russia Using ATACMS Missiles - Reports (11/17/24)

■ Here we go, this just escalated WW III (Leo Hohmann)
■ In "Major Policy Shift" Biden Authorizes Ukraine's Use Of US Missiles To Hit Targets Inside Russia (Tyler Durden)
✅ To Prolong The War In Ukraine U.S. Allows ATACMS Use On Russia (Moon of Alabama)
✅ The Moment Of Truth: How Will Russia Respond To Ukraine’s Use Of Western Long-Range Missiles? (A. Korybko)
✅ Putin Explicitly Confirmed What Was Already Self-Evident About Russia’s Nuclear Doctrine (A. Korybko)(09/26/24)

Germany’s Federal Army is instructing companies on readiness for potential conflict under the secretive 1,000-page “Operationsplan Deutschland.” | The plan targets critical infrastructure protection, cyberattack resilience, and civil-military coordination. Firms are urged to develop crisis action plans, train employees, and enhance self-sufficiency with resources like diesel generators. Meetings, such as one in Hamburg, stressed logistical readiness and workforce training. The Army reportedly anticipates deploying forces to NATO’s eastern flank while relying on civilian support for energy, transport, and national defense.

■ Sweden Government Pamphlet To ENTIRE Population: "Prepare for Crisis or War" (Hal Turner)

Hours ago we reported an undersea cable between Finland and Germany had been cut; now ANOTHER undersea cable has also been cut. | A communication cable running along the bottom of the Baltic Sea between Lithuania and Sweden has been cut. This was reported by Andrius Šemeškevičius, a representative of the telecommunications company Telia Lietuva. “The cable was damaged. The systems report that we have lost communication.” The cable rupture is more likely to be the result of an intentional act than an accident, Tapio Frantti, professor of cybersecurity at the University of Jyväskylä, told Yle. His evaluation was based on preliminary media information.

💬 "If you look at this from the point of view of probability, then yes, this is on the side of intentionality," said Frantti. "When a cable breaks, it raises questions as to why it happened and who might have a motive to do something like this."

■ Undersea Communications Cable CUT - Finland to Germany (Hal Turner)

The president-elect’s son has blasted the “imbeciles” in Washington for reportedly approving Ukrainian missile strikes deep inside Russia | US President-elect Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., has lashed out at the Democrats following reports that outgoing President Joe Biden has given Ukraine permission to use American-made long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russian territory. ■ Trump Jr., who campaigned alongside his father during the 2024 presidential election and has been helping him pick members of his future cabinet, did not mince his words on social media.

💬 “The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives,” he wrote on X on Sunday. “Gotta lock in those $Trillions. Life be damned!!! Imbeciles!”

■ US military-industrial complex seeks to unleash World War III — Donald Trump Jr. (TASS) | Later that day, France’s Le Figaro reported that France and the United Kingdom followed Biden’s lead and also allowed to use their weapons to strike inside Russia. [Biden clears Ukraine for long-range missile strikes inside Russia (Le Monde)]

■ Report: Biden Allows Ukraine To Strike Russia With Long-Range US Missiles (Antiwar.com)
■ Biden authorizes use of US long-range weapons to strike inside Russia (TASS)
■ Biden's 'Unnecessary Escalation' Only Sets Trump Up for Failure - Ex-DoD Analyst (Sputnik)
■ Madness Unlimited: US Deep State Tries to Instigate WWIII - French Politician (Sputnik)
⚡ Biden Authorizes Ukrainian Long-Range Strikes Into Russia Using ATACMS Missiles - Reports (11/17/24)

■ Here we go, this just escalated WW III (Leo Hohmann)
■ In "Major Policy Shift" Biden Authorizes Ukraine's Use Of US Missiles To Hit Targets Inside Russia (Tyler Durden)
✅ To Prolong The War In Ukraine U.S. Allows ATACMS Use On Russia (Moon of Alabama)
✅ The Moment Of Truth: How Will Russia Respond To Ukraine’s Use Of Western Long-Range Missiles? (A. Korybko)
✅ Putin Explicitly Confirmed What Was Already Self-Evident About Russia’s Nuclear Doctrine (A. Korybko)(09/26/24)

John Helmer | Yulia Skripal communicated from her bedside at Salisbury District Hospital on March 8, 2018, four days after she and her father Sergei Skripal collapsed from a poison attack, that the attacker used a spray; and that the attack took place when she and her father were eating at a restaurant just minutes before their collapse on a bench outside. | The implication of the Skripal evidence, revealed for the first time on Thursday, is that the attack on the Skripals was not perpetrated by Russian military agents who were photographed elsewhere in Salisbury town at the time; that the attacker or attackers were British agents; and that if their weapon was a nerve agent called Novichok, it came, not from Moscow, but from the UK Ministry of Defence chemical warfare laboratory at Porton Down. Porton Down’s subsequent evidence of Novichok contamination in blood samples, clothing, car, and home of the Skripals may therefore be interpreted as British in source, not Russian.

The US and its allies spent months debating whether or not to give Ukraine the go-ahead to use its NATO-provided long-range strike systems to target Russia. In September, President Putin warned that allowing Kiev to use its Western long-range missiles on Russia would mean NATO's direct participation in a war against the Russian Federation. | President Biden has signed off on the Ukrainian military's use of US-made ATACMS missiles to try to help defend its faltering positions in Ukrainian-occupied areas of Russia's Kursk region, the New York Times reported on Sunday, citing US officials apprized of the situation. ■ Officials told the newspaper that they "do not expect the shift" in policy "to fundamentally alter the course of the war" (NYT's phrasing), and indicated that Biden could further authorize Kiev to use the weapons in directions besides Kursk in the future. ■ Washington reportedly expects the ATACMS to be used to strike troop concentrations, military equipment, logistics, ammunition depots and supply lines, all with the goal of "blunt[ing] the effectiveness" of the ongoing Russian military operation to clear Kursk of Ukrainian forces. ■ According to NYT's information, some Pentagon officials opposed delivering the missile systems to Ukraine in the first place due to the US Army's limited supply. Others reportedly expressed fears that their delivery and use could escalate the conflict and even prompt direct Russian retaliation against US and NATO forces - something President Putin has explicitly warned about.

👉 Russia will be ‘at war’ with NATO if Ukraine long-range missile restrictions lifted, Putin warns (09/13/24)
👉 Putin: NATO's Approval of Use of Long-Range Missiles by Ukraine Will Mean It is at War With Russia (12.09.2024):

💬 "So this is not about whether or not to allow the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia using these weapons, but about deciding whether or not NATO countries are directly involved in the military conflict or not. If such a decision is taken, it will mean nothing short of direct participation of NATO countries, the United States, European countries, in the war in Ukraine. This would constitute their direct participation, and this, of course, changes the very essence, the very nature of the conflict. It will mean that NATO countries, the United States and European countries, are at war with Russia. And if this is so, bearing in mind the change in the very nature of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions based on the threats that will be posed to us," Putin said.

■ At Edge of Blowing Ourselves Up: Jeffrey Sachs Warns of Direct US-Russia Clash (11/17/24)
■ Moscow vows ‘devastating response’ to Kiev’s strikes deep into Russia (RT.com)(13 Nov, 2024)

At least 72 killed in Israeli strike on north Gaza, Beirut hit again:

■ Brutal Israeli air attack on Beit Lahiya kills 72 Palestinians (MEE)

Israel has killed at least 208 health sector workers and carried out more than 280 attacks on emergency medical facilities in Lebanon over the past year. | The Israeli military is repeatedly targeting healthcare facilities and medical workers in Lebanon. ● As of November 15, Israel has killed at least 208 health sector workers and injured 311 others according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. The ministry also recorded at least 286 Israeli attacks on healthcare services, including 66 attacks on hospitals and 220 on emergency medical services. ● As a result, some 40 hospitals have been damaged, with eight rendered nonfunctional, and 249 emergency vehicles have been damaged, in what human rights organizations say constitutes potential war crimes.

■ Israel wages 145 attacks on Lebanon in one day (PressTV)
■ Israel continues massive bombing campaign of Lebanon, kills several paramedics (The Cradle)
■ Israeli warplanes target vicinity of 2 churches, hospital in southern Beirut (Anadolu)
■ Beirut expresses 'reservations' to US-Israeli truce proposal, rejects 'western oversight' (The Cradle)
■ Compromised sovereignty: The US takeover of Lebanon (Hussein Mehdi)

The United States has been forging ahead with its delusional policy of Ukraine, draining the country of lives while heightening risks of escalation, Jeffrey Sachs earlier told Sputnik. | The world is poised on the edge of blowing itself up, and “it’s very shocking”, warned world-renowned American economist Jeffrey Sachs. ● Direct confrontation between the United States and Russia carries very serious and real threats, he said during a lecture in Armenia’s capital of Yerevan. ● The two sides possess thousands of nuclear warheads, reminded the president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. He referred to the ongoing Ukraine proxy conflict as an open confrontation waged by the US, where Ukraine has been doing “a good service by dying on behalf of the Americans.”

■ Biden Wants To Set Trump Up With Ukraine - John Mearsheimer (Sputnik)

Iran has expanded its Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) from the central Iran region, to now include four other regions. This __could__ be the coming Iran response to an Israeli attack from two+ weeks ago. | The NOTAM issued very early this past week, isolated a section of central Iran from all civilian aircraft due to what the NOTAM said would be "rocket launches." ● That original NOTAM begins Monday, November 18 Iran time. But Iran is eight and one-half hours ahead of US East Coast time. So when it becomes 3:30 PM in New York City tomorrow (Sunday), it will then be Midnight in Iran, entering November 18. ● Thus, from any time after 3:30 PM in New York City tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 17, Iran's NOTAM is in effect and __could__ be for Iran's retaliation. I emphasize __could__ because we just don't know when Iran will retaliate.

■ Iran Reportedly Issues New NOTAM . . . "Rocket Launches" . . . . Israel? (Harold Turner)

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for the first time in two years on Friday | Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and offered to end the war in Ukraine. The Russian leader offered a deal similar to one proposed by Moscow in June. ■ On Friday, Scholz spoke with Putin for the first time in nearly two years. According to the Kremlin, “The Russian president noted that the Russian side has never refused and remains open to the resumption of the negotiations that were interrupted by the Kiev regime.” Adding, “Russia’s proposals are well known and outlined, in particular, in a June speech at the Russian Foreign Ministry.” ■ In that speech, Putin said that if Ukrainian forces withdrew from all Russian annexed territory, adopted a position of neutrality between NATO and Russia, agreed to denazification and demilitarization of the country, and the lifting of all Western sanctions on Moscow, then Russia would bring the war to an end.

■ Lavrov questions Scholz’s stance on Ukraine (RT.com)
■ How blind support for Ukraine broke Germany (Tarik Cyril Amar)

Israeli media underlines that Hezbollah wants UNSC Resolution 1791 without any modifications that allow for "Israel" to act freely in Lebanon. | Israeli media reported that Hezbollah is demanding the complete implementation of UN Resolution 1701, without incorporating any clauses related to "Israel's freedom of action," including "the freedom of the Israeli Air Force" within Lebanese airspace, or any Israeli–US oversight concerning villages in southern Lebanon. ● Israeli Channel 12 emphasized that Hezbollah "is not willing to accept anything gradual in this regard. It demands immediate action, a full return to Resolution 1701 without any modifications." ● This stance by the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, prioritizing Lebanon's interests through full implementation of Resolution 1701, aligns with the official Lebanese position.

■ Explainer: What is Security Council resolution 1701? (United Nations)

At least fifteen people have lost their lives after Israeli military aircraft carried out airstrikes against positions in the western flank of Damascus and the outskirts of the Syrian capital. | Syria’s official news agency SANA, citing a military source, reported that Israeli warplanes launched an assault from the direction of occupied Golan Heights at around 3:20 p.m. local time (1220 GMT) on Thursday, targeting several residential buildings in the Mazzeh neighborhood of Damascus and the Qudsaya area in the Damascus countryside. The source added that the attack resulted in 15 people killed and 16 others injured. He noted that there were women and children among the casualties and that the toll was preliminary and could rise. The Israeli airstrikes against Syria come amid the Zionist regime’s bloody onslaughts against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip, and the Lebanese nation.

Maria Zakharova emphasized that the Baltic Sea "will always be a common space for all of the region’s countries without exception" | The Baltic Sea will never turn into NATO’s internal body of water no matter how strongly the West may wish to see this happen, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has told a news briefing.

💬 "No matter how much some so-called experts would like this to happen, even after Finland and Sweden have joined the North Atlantic Alliance, the Baltic Sea will not turn into an internal body of water of the North Atlantic Alliance," Zakharova said.

She emphasized that the Baltic Sea "will always be a common space for all of the region’s countries without exception."

Andrzej Duda has said the Aegis facility at Redzikowo was never about defense against ‘Iranian ICBMs’ | Speaking at the opening ceremony for the Redzikowo base on Wednesday, Duda quoted the words of the Polish president at the time, Lech Kaczynski, revealing the real purpose of the missile base.

💬 “Andrzej, these missiles will not defend Poland,” Duda said. “They will actually protect areas far, far away from Poland from missiles that could potentially be launched from Iran, for example. But this will be an American missile base, which will contain some of the greatest secrets of the United States and which the United States will guard.”

“And this is very important, because this American base will be built on our soil, in Poland,” Duda continued, quoting his predecessor. “And from that moment, when this base stands here, the whole world will see clearly that this is no longer the Russian zone of influence. And from the Polish point of view, this is the most important thing strategically.”

Maria Zakharova (Мария Захарова) (Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman) | Our reaction in case Ukraine receives permission for strikes [into Russian territory] | Attention has been drawn to publications in the British press about the intention of British Prime Minister Starmer and French President Macron to try to persuade incumbent US President Biden to authorize Kyiv to launch strikes with Storm Shadow missiles deep into Russia before Trump's inauguration. According to media reports, there are hopes in London that the White House will finally agree to such a move.

On the same day, in an interview with a French publication, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced that he had signed an order regarding the transfer of about 10 long-range Scalp missiles to the AFU, with the help of which, as Paris hopes, Kyiv will be able to strike behind the front line. You know, when the Kyiv regime strikes behind the front line,” I would like to say to Lecornu, ”the main thing is that it does not hit the French embassy.

These publications coincided with the information that appeared in Ukrainian social networks about the intention of Zelensky's regime to pass off Western missiles as Ukrainian-made products, changing their markings to hit Russia with them—such a bloody scam in the style of Zelensky and the whole gang! We understand perfectly well that this is impossible without the approval of his handlers. We would like to remind Washington, London, Paris, and Brussels that they continue to play with fire. 👇

❗️ The President of Russia has clearly outlined our reaction in case Ukraine receives permission for the strikes as mentioned above - we will regard this as a de facto entry of NATO countries into a direct armed conflict with Russia.

This would change the essence of the conflict and its nature, with all the consequences that entails. The response to the use of Western long-range systems on the territory of our country will be immediate and devastating for them. (DeepL + Gram.)

■ Moscow vows ‘devastating response’ to Kiev’s strikes deep into Russia (RT.com)

US occupation forces have carried out deadly strikes against Syrian military for the second day in a row, as Washington is scrambling to deter the resistance front’s retaliations against the Israeli regime’s genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip and carnage in southern Lebanon. | Lebanon's al-Mayadeen television network said the American aggression in the early hours of Wednesday hit positions on the outskirts of the city of al-Bukamal in Syria's eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr near the Iraqi border. ■ The television network said the airstrikes targeted sites of the Syrian army's auxiliary forces in al-Jam'iyat area in the city of al-Bukamal and the al-Bukamal Desert, adding that three people were killed and five others injured. ■ The US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed in a statement on its X social media account that the strikes hit a militia group’s “weapons storage and logistics headquarters facility.

The West will face “an even bigger threat” if “Ukraine goes down,” Boris Johnson has claimed | The UK cannot let Ukraine suffer a defeat in its ongoing conflict with Russia, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told GB News in an interview published on Tuesday. London could go as far as sending in troops if Kiev “goes down,” he warned. ■ According to Johnson, Russia’s success in Ukraine would spark a security crisis for the US and its allies on a multitude of fronts. “It’ll be the Baltic states. It’ll be in Georgia. You’ll see the impact of a Ukrainian defeat in the Pacific theater. You’ll see it in the South China Sea,” the politician said, without specifying what exactly could happen in those regions.

■ Poland’s top general demands preparations for war with Russia (RT.com)
■ Russia slams Boris Johnson over UK troops in Ukraine claim (RT.com)

Deputy Chairman of Russia's Federation Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said today that European leaders are pushing the Russia-Ukraine conflict to an irreversible stage, and as such "the worst case scenario remains the most likely."

💬 “After Trump’s victory, European leaders seem to be having a “fall exacerbation.” The goal is to push the conflict with Russia into an irreversible phase. One moment, a Frenchman crows about supporting Kyiv if America steps back; the next, NATO officials pontificate on how to intensify the war against us.

Now, German chancellor candidate Merz has issued an ultimatum to Russia: either end the Special Military Operation (SMO) or, the next day, he’ll send the Ukrainians German Taurus missiles. It’s clear that such “ultimatums” are merely election tactics. It’s also clear that these missiles won’t fundamentally change the course of combat. Their delivery would only prolong the agony of the Bandera regime. But, the risk of escalating the conflict to its most dangerous stage with missile strikes increases many times over. Our President has warned about this.

Frankly, it’s astounding how much the current generation of European politicians seems determined to drag the war onto their own territory—to the clear delight of the Americans and against the wishes of their own people. The “vaccine” of World War II has completely lost its effect. Experienced, or even simply wise, European leaders have faded into history. They’ve been replaced by trivial figures with inflated self-importance. And so, the worst-case scenario remains the most likely.”

■ А значит, плохой сценарий остаётся самым вероятным (Дмитрий Медведев)

Such incidents are needed by the West to sow chaos and to advance its interests, Nikolay Patrushev says. Patrushev [said]: 💬 “According to available information, the Americans and the British are viewing the sabotage on the Nord Stream pipelines as one of many methods to advance their economic interests. They could attack other infrastructure facilities, including undersea fiber optic cables that provide communications throughout the world.” [...] “Since the hegemony of the West began to falter, Washington decided to bring chaos to the energy market, including by destabilizing maritime transportation,” the official explained. Destabilization is needed to put pressure on major consumers, including China and India, and to lay a foundation for grabbing more of the global energy market.

■ US-UK to BLOW-UP Undersea Internet Cables (Harold Turner)