War is peace? US officials claim to fear full-scale Lebanon conflict but hope Israeli strikes will bring Hezbollah to heel

US officials have told Axios that although the Biden White House is “extremely concerned” about the escalating cross-border airstrike, missile and rocket attack campaign sparking an all-out war, the administration is also hopeful that Israeli “military pressure” on Lebanon’s Hezbollah can end in a “diplomatic deal” which would allow evacuees on both sides of the border to return to their homes.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters that there was a “real and acute” risk of the increasingly violent strikes – triggered by the deadly suspected Mossad pager and walkie-talkie attacks inside Lebanon last week, turning into a full-scale conflict, and that US is “working” to prevent that from occurring.

Anonymous US officials told Axios that the Israeli air strike strategy is aimed at “pressuring” Hezbollah toward a diplomatic deal, echoing sentiments expressed by PM Netanyahu in a cryptic 10-second X video about returning Israelis to their homes in the north. The US officials said they agree with Israel’s rationale, but said the “extremely difficult calibration” could trigger an uncontrollable escalation.

“One of the key messages” of recent talks between US and Israeli officials “was that we want to keep a path open to a diplomatic resolution and therefore don’t want the Israelis to take steps that will close such a path,” one official said.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah characterized this week’s pager blasts as an “act of terror” and a “declaration of war,” vowing “just punishment” for its perpetrators. Nasrallah emphasized that the group’s military wing “will not stop” its cross-border strikes, and that Israeli evacuees will “not be able to return” to their homes, “until Israeli aggression in Gaza ends.”

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CERN’s ‘politicized’ plan to ban Russian scientists threatens West with ‘scientific slum’ status

The EU’s “absolutely irresponsible” plans to “erase” Russia from the international scientific process will inevitably boomerang against them, political scientist and nuclear energy expert Alexei Anpilogov told Sputnik.

He commented on the CERN’s intention to bar up to 500 Russian scientists from its facilities, including the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) particle accelerator, effective December 1.

How can it backfire to the West?

1️⃣ The Russophobic decision will result in a situation where “all countries will be extremely cautious about international science megaprojects,” with the understanding that they could be nixed at any time for “absolutely political reasons,” the observer warned.

2️⃣ The LHC infrastructure was largely made possible thanks to Russian scientists, who have long played a leading role in elementary particle physics, quantum physics and astrophysics – fields giving birth “to big science that will be demand 100 years from now,” Anpilogov pointed out. If Russia’s contribution to world science is diminished, “this will stop progress, or at least slow it down quite significantly,” he said.

3️⃣ Western attempts to wall themselves off from Russian science, taken to levels unseen even during the Cold War, threaten to turn the West into a “scientific slum,” according to the observer.

4️⃣ Russia and the countries of the Global South, who make up the global majority, will inevitably create their own science megaprojects, based on the principle of the non-ideologization of science.

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CERN's move to cut ties with Moscow paves way for Russia to build world's most advanced research infrastructure

Mikhail Kovalchuk, the head of Russia’s Kurchatov Institute, told Russian media on Saturday that as “difficult” as it may be to lose the scientific connections built up over the years with CERN, “for Russian science this is a positive development, since the megaprojects being developed in Russia today will require many scientists and engineers.”

Kovalchuk’s comments came following CERN’s announcement that Russian scientists will no longer be able to access its facilities, including the France and Switzerland-based Large Hadron Collider, effective December 1, as the organization formally ends its cooperation with Moscow. The decision is expected to impact close to 500 scientists.

Russia is in the process of building an array of scientific nuclear megaprojects:

◻️ The PIK research reactor in Gatchina,

◻️ NICA Collider at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna,

◻️ the Sila synchrotron laser in Protvino outside Moscow,

◻️ The SKIF 4th gen synchrotron radiation facility in Siberia,

◻️ the RIF synchrotron on Russky Island in the Russian Far East,

◻️ the unique X-Ray lithography synchrotron in Zelenograd,

◻️ the Kurchatov Institute’s own Tokamak nuclear fusion research reactor.

“In other words, over the next five to seven years, we will have the most advanced, most modern, most powerful research infrastructure in the world,” the scientist assured.

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◻️ ‘Ukraine assistance largesse’, self-harming sanctions helped push battered Britain’s debt to 100% of GDP milestone

◻️ Estonia: Nurturing atrocious legacy of Nazi collaborators in neocon-driven rewrite of WWII

◻️ CERN’s ‘politicized’ plan to ban Russian scientists threatens West with ‘scientific slum’ status

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Biden claims US “pushing hard” in Middle East, but to what end?

US President Joe Biden expressed concern Sunday over rising tensions in the Middle East.

"Yes I am [worried]. We're going to do everything we can to keep a wider war from breaking out. And we're still pushing hard," Biden said as quoted by the White House press pool.

Earlier in the day, Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem said the group has entered a new phase of confrontation with Israel, the broadcaster Al Mayadeen reported.

Previously on Sunday, Hezbollah said its fighters had struck Israeli military industrial installations in Rafael north of the city of Haifa in retaliation for this week's explosions of electronic devices that the Lebanese group blamed on Israel.

Israel responded with strikes on approximately 20 settlements in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese news agency NNA said.

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When reality kicks in: Macron flipflops on future relations with Russia

Europe will need to reconsider its ongoing relations with Russia for the sake of peace and stability on the continent, French President Emmanuel Macron said.

"We must think about peace in Europe in a new way. It is necessary to take into account the reality of Europe's geography, which is not limited to either the European Union or, most definitely, NATO. We need a new approach to European organization and to rethink our relations with Russia in the future, as well as peace on this continent," Macron said at a conference in Paris broadcast by the Elysee Palace.

Macron claimed he believes it is necessary to create a new world order because the current one is "incomplete and unjust," as it was designed after World War II and does not take into account new challenges.

In February, Macron refused to rule out the deployment of troops to Ukraine, an idea that was widely rejected by many NATO members, including the US, the UK, Finland, Germany, Poland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Italy. Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also assured that there were no plans to send combat units to Ukraine.

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🤐 A man of few words

US President Joe Biden said that he had not yet granted permission for Ukraine to use US long-range weapons to launch strikes deep into Russia.

"No," Biden was quoted as saying by the White House press pool when asked whether he had made the decision to permit the highly provocative escalatory move.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month that NATO countries are currently discussing not only Kiev's possible use of Western long-range weapons, but are essentially deciding whether to directly engage in the Ukraine conflict. Direct participation of Western countries in the conflict will change its essence; Russia will be forced to make decisions based on the new threats created for it, he said.

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Scholz's SPD wins Brandenburg elections; AfD close behind – electoral commission

1️⃣ German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) secured victory in Brandenburg state elections, winning 30.9% of the vote, according to official results released by the electoral commission.

2️⃣ The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) followed closely, finishing second with 29.2%.

3️⃣ The newly-formed Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – Reason and Justice (BSW) came in third with 13.5%.

4️⃣ The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) took fourth place with 12.1%.

Both of the SPD's federal coalition partners — the Greens and the Free Democrats (FDP) — failed to meet the 5% threshold and will not be entering the state parliament. The Left Party (Die Linke) also fell short of the required threshold.

Voter turnout reached 72.9%, according to the commission.

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Turkiye has disagreements with the US administration on its national security issues - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

"We still have disagreements with the American administration on some issues related to our national security," the Turkish leader, who is visiting New York to attend the UN General Assembly, said as quoted by Turkish state agency Anadolu.

Erdogan also added that "whoever becomes US president after the upcoming presidential election, Ankara's view of America and high-level dialogue in relations will not change."

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🔸Israel launches massive strikes on southern Lebanon, continues crack down on Al Jazeera

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🔸Scholz's SPD wins Brandenburg elections, AfD close behind

🔸When reality kicks in: Macron flipflops on future relations with Russia

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