Five dead were pulled out from under the rubble in Lisichansk after Ukrainian shelling and six people were rescued, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported.

The number of wounded increased to eight people, the Minister of Health of the LPR announced.

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US in no position to lecture Iran on support for Iraqi militias

“We notice the rhetoric, it’s all been ‘oh, Iranian-[backed] militias.’ No, these militias are pretty much independent. Okay, they get weapons and things from Iran, alright, yeah. Well who has weapons from the United States? I mean look around the world. And ISIS* has got our weapons and stuff, and al-Qaeda*. We’re providing weapons to Israel…We pretty much are participating in the genocide in Gaza,” retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Earl Rasmussen told Sputnik, commenting on Saturday’s deadly US strikes against Iraq and Syria.

The “retribution” for last week’s deaths of three American troops in Jordan comes from a US administration filled with neocons, Rasmussen emphasized, pointing out that Washington’s foreign policy in the region in recent decades has been to nurture terrorism and extremism in the region, not root it out.

“Removal of the US troops from Iraq and Syria and getting some type of stability in the Palestinian area would solve a lot of problems that are in the Middle East,” the observer said, stressing that the militias the US faces today are more coordinated, armed and trained than they were a 25 years ago, and that the crisis could easily escalate to directly include Iran and even Russia and China if America isn’t careful.

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❗️The shelling was allegedly carried out with a US-supplied HIMARS multiple-launch rocket system, a representative of the Russian Investigative Committee said.

Seven people were killed after Ukrainian shelling of a bakery in Lisichansk. 23 people could still be trapped under the rubble, the military commandant’s office told Sputnik.

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Strikes on Iraq and Syria show US battle against terrorism is a sham

“A lot these militias are probably fighting against ISIS,*” retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Earl Rasmussen told Sputnik, referring to the militia groups attacked by the US in a series of airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on Saturday morning.

US operations in the Middle East are “not really against ISIS,” Rasmussen stressed. “They say they are, but they’re really not. If you look at them, they’ve supported ISIS indirectly. They’ve protected them. Al-Qaeda* as well. They can’t tell the American public that, but look at the weapons they’re using, the extremist groups, look at the conflict in Syria for many years.”

“Look at the Mujahideen in Afghanistan as well,” the former officer added, referencing to the militia and terrorist group used by the CIA as a proxy against the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s.

“We’ve kind of nurtured extreme groups for years. And actually, you can even look at western Ukraine – the ultra-right neo-fascist groups there, Banderites essentially. We’ve nurtured them since after World War II. Many different classified CIA projects helped that. I think we use ISIS and Al-Qaeda to help maintain instability in the region and our potential influence or justification for us to have a presence there to ‘provide stability’. But in actuality, it just doesn't provide stability.” Rasmussen concluded.

* Terrorist groups outlawed in Russia and other countries.

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US will be made to understand that it can’t support Israel in Gaza without regional blowback

The Biden administration’s Middle East policy, and attempts to pretend that militia attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria, and the Houthis in the Red Sea have ‘nothing to do with Israel’s war against Gaza’, reflect “either arrogance or ignorance” on Washington’s part, former Jordanian Senator and international legal and human rights commissioner Dr. Muhannad Alazzeh said, commenting on Saturdays’ American strikes in Syria and Iraq.

“America shall understand and make Israel understand as well that they might be able to set fire in Gaza, West bank or any country individually but they absolutely can’t prevent its spreading to other countries, and this is exactly what’s happening now gradually,” Dr. Alazzeh stressed.

“While the Iraqi parliament is calling for a US withdrawal, it's premature to expect immediate action,” believes Dr. Imad Salamey, an associate professor of political science and international affairs at the Lebanese American University. “In fact, considering the current developments, a US military buildup might be more likely in the near future rather than an imminent withdrawal. The situation remains unstable and evolving while the Biden administration needs to demonstrate ‘victory’ rather than defeat as the presidential elections draw near,” he said.

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The United States and Britain launched strikes on Yemeni armed forces positions in the south and north of Hodeidah province on the Red Sea, a source in local authorities told Sputnik.

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🏭 The production process at the Volgograd Oil Refinery has not been disrupted by the fire that occurred due to the fall of a drone, a source at the enterprise said.

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations previously reported that a fire occurred in the Krasnoarmeysky district of Volgograd early on Saturday morning. It said oil products were burning over an area of 300 square meters.

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11 people were killed in the Ukrainian armed forces' strike on Lisichansk, 10 were handed over to medics during the rescue operation, Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said

Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called the Ukrainian armed forces' strike on Lisichansk "gratitude" of Ukrainian extremists for the "generous" financial support of the EU

The US House of Representatives next week will consider and vote on a $17.6 billion aid bill for Israel without new aid to Ukraine, according to a letter from Speaker Mike Johnson to congressmen.

Johnson noted that while the Senate is willing to release its bill for additional homeland security funding, including aid to Israel and Ukraine, but by not including the House in negotiations, senators have deprived themselves of the opportunity to quickly consider such a bill.