July 10: Countries must reject Iranian efforts to control Hormuz, UN agency document says

Iran denies requesting US talks after Trump says dialogue to continue

Iran denies that it has requested negotiations with the United States after US President Donald Trump said today that Washington and Tehran had agreed to continue talks despite a recent escalation of hostilities.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says Tehran has not sought negotiations with the US, but has accepted a visit by the Qatari mediator to Iran, according to Iranian state TV.

Trump said the United States had agreed to talks with Iran after Tehran asked to continue negotiations, while stressing that the June ceasefire between the two nations was over.

‘Blatant corruption’: New US sanctions target Mojtaba Khamenei’s moneyman

A mourner holds a portrait depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, top, and his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a funeral procession for the elder Khamenei inside the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, Iraq, July 8, 2026. (AP/Hadi Mizban)

The United States’ new Iran-related sanctions target a key financier for Iran’s new leader Mojtaba Khamenei and 13 other individuals and entities, following Tehran’s resumed attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the Treasury Department says.

The sanctions take aim at Ali Ansari, an Iranian banker and businessman based in Dubai who had previously been sanctioned by Britain for his role in financially supporting the activities of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and other entities, the Treasury says.

Treasury says Ansari had diverted publicly funded wealth into an extensive overseas portfolio of real estate and commercial holdings to enrich himself, government elites, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also targets key Iranian exchange houses and foreign “front companies” that it says moved billions of dollars annually on behalf of sanctioned Iranian banks, using layers of shell companies to obscure the government’s illicit activity.

In a statement announcing the fresh sanctions, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the department would “continue using every tool at its disposal” to isolate Khamenei and other top Iranian officials from the global financial system.

Treasury says Ansari was previously the owner and director of the US-sanctioned and now-bankrupt and defunct Ayandeh Bank, which was shuttered under Iranian government orders in mid-October 2025.

It says Ansari used numerous shell companies and bank accounts across multiple jurisdictions to accumulate millions of dollars’ worth of holdings under the Saint Kitts and Nevis-based Smart Global Limited, a holding company established in 2011 that invested in real estate and commercial properties in Europe, the Gulf and other regions.

“Although held in Ansari’s name, many of these financial interests are ultimately held for the financial benefit of Mojtaba Khamenei, his family, and other Iranian elites in the regime and the IRGC who have protected Ansari from facing punishment despite his blatant corruption and the significant damage he has caused to the Iranian economy and people,” the Treasury says.

OFAC also announces measures against Iranian nationals involved with several of the exchange houses, as well as Hong Kong-based CDM Trading Limited, which it says was conducting financial transactions through those exchange houses, and Naba Alzaki Raw Materials Trading LLC, which is based in the United Arab Emirates.

Qatar emir, Pakistan PM discuss US-Iran talks and regional security, statement says

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani discussed regional developments and ongoing US-Iran talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with both leaders stressing the need for diplomacy to reduce tensions and protect maritime security, Qatar’s Amiri Diwan says in a statement.

During a phone call, the two leaders underscored their commitment to coordinating on regional security, safeguarding maritime routes and ensuring lasting peace in the region.

Iran’s Araghchi to travel to Oman tomorrow for talks on Hormuz — Iranian reports

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will travel to Oman tomorrow at the head of a diplomatic delegation for talks on bilateral relations and regional developments, particularly regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s official news agency IRNA resports.

Hezbollah operative IDed near south Lebanon tunnel complex, killed in strike — IDF

A Hezbollah operative who was identified near one of the terror group’s tunnel shafts at the Ali Taher ridge in southern Lebanon today was killed in an airstrike, the military says.

Hezbollah has a massive underground complex under the ridge, near Nabatieh, and the IDF estimates that dozens of operatives are holed up in the area. The ridge is located in the IDF’s south Lebanon buffer zone.

The IDF says that troops spotted a Hezbollah member operating near one of the underground site’s tunnel shafts, and that a short while later he was killed in an airstrike.

The IDF says it continues to operate at the Ali Taher ridge and will “not allow Hezbollah terrorists to exit the underground tunnel network or move in the area of the ridge.”

In a separate strike today, a suspect in a vehicle who “posed a threat” to troops in the buffer zone was killed, the army says.

צה"ל חיסל מחבל חיזבאללה שפעל בסמוך לפיר של התשתית התת-קרקעית הנמצאת ברכס עלי טאהר

כוחות צה"ל זיהו מוקדם יותר היום מחבל מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שפעל בסמוך לפיר של התשתית התת-קרקעית הנמצאת ברכס עלי טאהר, במרחב הביטחוני בו פועלים כוחות צה"ל.

המחבל היוו איום מיידי על כוחותינו וחוסל… pic.twitter.com/lP8itDM8NJ

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 10, 2026

Poll: 60% of Israelis don’t consider Netanyahu trustworthy; most trust Eisenkot

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Muni Expo 2026 conference in Tel Aviv, on June 24, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Six in 10 Israelis don’t consider Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu trustworthy, according to a poll by Channel 12.

The poll finds that 60% of Israelis don’t find the premier trustworthy, versus 38% who do.

By contrast, most respondents (54%) see his leading rival, Gadi Eisenkot, as trustworthy, while 29% do not.

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who is also running to unseat Netanyahu, is seen as untrustworthy by 53% of respondents, versus 41% who do trust him.

The poll also finds that nearly two-thirds of Israelis say the Netanyahu coalition’s recent legislative blitz, including bills aimed at allowing Haredi men to continue avoiding military conscription, will influence their vote.

The outlet does not appear to say how many Israelis were polled, or a margin of error.

US issues fresh Iran-related sanctions, website shows

The United States has issued new Iran-related sanctions, according to a posting on a Treasury Department website.

Trump denies that Israel passed on intel about Iranian plot to assassinate him

US President Donald Trump gestures after speaking at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, July 3, 2026, near Keystone, South Dakota. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

US President Donald Trump denies reports that Israel had recently passed along intelligence on an Iranian plot to assassinate him.

“No, no. Israel came up with nothing. No, no,” he tells the New York Post in a phone interview. “I’ve been No. 1 [on Iran’s kill list] for a long time, and it’s the way life is.”

“The only thing is, I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before,” Trump says. “I hope you’ll miss me.”

In 2024, US prosecutors announced charges in an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Trump and a prominent dissident Iranian-American journalist.

Pakistan’s Sharif speaks to Iranian president, reaffirms Islamabad’s role as mediator

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says he has spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the ongoing war in the Middle East and reaffirms Islamabad’s readiness to continue its role as a mediator.

“We discussed the evolving regional situation and underscored the imperative of restraint, dialogue and diplomacy to safeguard the hard-earned peace gains of recent months,” Sharif says in an X post.

Qatar is also positioning itself as a key mediator in the conflict.

Fire breaks out at industrial town in Iran’s Lorestan province — Iranian reports

A fire breaks out at the Oxin Palayesh industrial facility in Iran’s western Lorestan province, the Mehr news agency reports, citing a local official.

Firefighters and emergency teams are working to contain the blaze, which started at the facility in Poldokhtar county, the official says.

No deaths or injuries have been reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Man charged for allegedly threatening to burn Josh Shapiro’s home, using antisemitic slur

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks at the Hanwha Philly Shipyard, August 26, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP/ Matt Slocum)

A Pennsylvania man is arrested and charged with allegedly threatening to burn down the residence of the state’s Jewish governor, Josh Shapiro.

Authorities say the man, named as Richard John Franklin, 65, used an antisemitic slur while making the threat during a visit to the office of State Representative Leanne Krueger, according to local media.

Police arrested Franklin at his home. He is charged with making terrorist threats and harassment, and is due in court next week.

Shapiro, a Democrat, is running for reelection as governor and is widely seen as a contender in the 2028 presidential race. He faced an arson attack last year, when a man firebombed his residence hours after the family held a Passover seder. The man, who pleaded guilty, said he saw the attack as “an offset to the war in the Middle East.”

Despite flare-up with Iran, US withdraws stealth fighter jets from Israeli airbase

Despite the tensions between the US and Iran, the American military withdrew its advanced stealth fighter jets from an Israeli airbase in southern Israel earlier today.

At least 10 F-22 stealth fighters that were deployed at the Israeli Air Force’s Ovda base flew to RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom on their way back to the US.

Footage posted to social media shows the jets landing at the British airbase.

Two of the x10 F-22A Raptors landing at RAF Fairford this morning TREND42 08-171 and TREND43 08-175 pic.twitter.com/YwzdMiD3Gq

— UK Aviation Movies (@Aviation_Movies) July 10, 2026

The F-22, operated exclusively by the US Air Force, is the world’s most advanced air-superiority fighter, built for unmatched speed, maneuverability and stealth in air-to-air combat.

The jets were deployed to Israel ahead of the recent war with Iran.

Iran negotiator Ghalibaf says it’s ready for ‘all-out defense,’ won’t surrender

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, and Speaker of the Islamic Parliament of Iran, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, 2nd from left, with the Delegation of Iran at the Lake Lucerne Summit at the Buergenstock resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne, Switzerland, June 21, 2026. (Urs Flueeler, Pool Photo via AP)

Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says Tehran is ready for “all-out defense” if Washington betrays last month’s memorandum of understanding, and the war will never end with Iran’s surrender.

Ghalibaf, speaking during a meeting with Ahmad Muzani, speaker of Indonesia’s People’s Consultative Assembly, says he has told US Vice President JD Vance during negotiations that Tehran does not trust Washington and that, in his view, only those prepared for war can negotiate with the United States. The remarks are posted on Ghalibaf’s Telegram account.

Man arrested for alleged murder of former UK minister Ann Widdecombe; terror not suspected

FILE - Britain's European parliament member Ann Widdecombe, right, of the Brexit party, speaks during a debate at the European parliament, Jan. 14, 2020, in Strasbourg, eastern France. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File)

British police say a 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe, a 78-year-old former government minister.

Matt Longman, from Devon and Cornwall Police, says the suspect remains in custody and that the incident “is not being treated as terrorism” or politically motivated.

The former Conservative lawmaker and prisons minister had “sustained serious injuries” when she was found on Thursday at the property in Haytor, on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, according to a statement from Devon and Cornwall Police.

“This is really shocking news, and my thoughts, I think all of our thoughts, will be with the family and friends of Ann Widdecombe at this awful time,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer says. “Ann was a distinguished politician over many, many years with many achievements, and it’s a huge, huge loss.”

Widdecombe found fame after leaving Parliament as a contestant on the Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother reality television shows. She later joined the Brexit Party and became a spokeswoman for the anti-immigration Reform UK party.

She served in the House of Commons as an MP from 1987 to 2010 and was known for socially conservative views opposing abortion rights and expansion of LGBTQ rights. She was also a supporter of Israel.

Starmer won’t speculate if the killing was politically motivated and says the security of lawmakers is “of the utmost importance” as he urges people to rise above political differences and focus on catching the killer.

Security has been tightened for politicians after the murders of two serving members of Parliament in the past decade. Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist amid the debate over Brexit, and Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson calls Widdecombe a “heroic Brexiteer and a great speaker who could move Tory audiences to such ecstasy that she was a very hard act to follow.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

Ryanair passenger partially sucked out of window on flight from Greece

A Ryanair Boeing 737 MAX takes off from Lisbon airport, January 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

A passenger was partially sucked through a dislodged window on a Ryanair flight shortly after takeoff from Thessaloniki in Greece today, two airport sources say, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing.

The plane was scheduled to fly from Thessaloniki to Memmingen airport in Germany but returned to Thessaloniki “when a passenger window dislodged inflight,” Ryanair says in a statement. It is unclear what led to the broken window.

The airline says one person received medical assistance, but did not elaborate on the cause.

The US Federal Aviation Administration confirms the plane was a Boeing 737 NG. Boeing did not immediately comment.

A similar incident occurred in 2018 in a Boeing 737 NG and raises questions about whether it could be related.

Local media in Greece report that a piece of the engine broke off and smashed a window early in the flight, causing the cabin to decompress and sucking one passenger partially out of the window. The two airport sources with knowledge of the incident relay the same details to Reuters.

The same plane had diverted back to Thessaloniki on a flight to Sarajevo on Thursday evening, also shortly after takeoff, according to the data and a source, although it is unclear why.

The FAA confirms that a window broke on the flight, and says it is ready to support the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) and NTSB in the investigation.

Ryanair does not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on details of the incident, as well as for confirmation on the make of the plane and the engine.

“The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal,” Ryanair says in its statement.

Unverified videos posted on social media from the inside of the plane show a broken window and oxygen masks dangling from the ceiling.

After right-wing pundit urged probe of rival channel, Shin Bet denies meeting impacted decision

Shin Bet director David Zini at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem during Memorial Day on April 21, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

After an influential right-wing pundit acknowledged that he met with Shin Bet Chief David Zini to push for an investigation of a rival outlet, the intelligence agency is denying that the meeting impacted its decision-making.

Yaakov Bardugo, a commentator on the pro-Benjamin Netanyahu Channel 14 and a close associate of the prime minister, said in a recent radio interview that he met with Zini to push for an investigation of rival Channel 12, over an alleged leak to the outlet regarding the date on which the war with Iran would begin earlier this year.

At first, Zini had reportedly opposed such an investigation, saying that there were no leads and that it wouldn’t receive the necessary approval from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. But he later changed his position following political pressure, and has requested approval of the probe.

In its statement, the Shin Bet acknowledges that the meeting occurred but says it played no role in the decision-making process.

“Without confirming the accuracy of one report or the other, let it be clear that investigations of classified leaks are opened according to the authority and decision of the Shin Bet chief, only after an orderly process involving professionals and the agency’s legal advisers, and out of the Shin Bet’s obligation to the law” prohibiting security-related leaks, the statement says.

“Any attempt to attribute the Shin Bet chief’s professional decisions… to conversations with one source or another is completely baseless,” it adds.

The statement claims that Zini had decided to move forward with the probe before his meeting with Bardugo, but Haaretz reported that that assertion is false, as Bardugo met with Zini several weeks ago, and Zini voiced his opposition to the probe more recently than that.

Opposition MKs decry the meeting and call on Baharav-Miara to investigate it.

Nava Frieberg contributed to this report. 

Egypt, Qatar call for restart of US-Iran talks, Cairo says

Egyptian and Qatari foreign ministers call on the United States and Iran to resume negotiations, as US President Donald Trump says Washington had agreed to continue talks with Tehran but repeated that the ceasefire between the two countries is over.

During a phone call, Egypt’s Badr Abdelatty and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani “urged all parties to give priority to the language of diplomacy and dialogue and to return to the negotiating table,” Egypt’s foreign ministry says in a statement.

US loosens export controls on UAE, government notice shows

The US Department of Commerce loosens export controls on the United Arab Emirates, making it easier to export military items, certain commercial satellites and spacecraft, according to a US government posting in the Federal Register.

The UAE government and approved companies will also be able to access advanced computing items license-free, the posting shows.

EU countries to discuss ban on imports from Israeli settlements

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gestures as she delivers a major state of the union speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Pascal Bastien)

EU foreign ministers will discuss imposing an import ban on products from Israeli settlements, after pressure from a raft of member states for the bloc to take action, diplomats say.

Diplomats say the debate at a meeting in Brussels on Monday is not expected to yield any concrete decisions, but will help to sound out if there is enough support to move forward.

Several EU countries — including Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain — have already imposed their own trade restrictions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, considered illegal under international law. Israel disputes that determination.

Under pressure for the EU as a whole to take measures, the bloc’s executive this week laid out options to curb trade with settlements, including a ban.

There is disagreement in Brussels as to whether that move would need backing from all 27 member states or just a weighted majority, a standard the EU uses for some decisions.

Diplomats say that key players Germany and Italy are still undecided on the move.

The EU has long been hampered by divisions over its approach towards Israel, some members staunchly backing the country and others opposing it out of support for the Palestinians.

Rosatom halts return of employees to Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant

Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom says it has suspended the return of its first employees to the construction site of new units at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant following new strikes on Iran.

An Iranian official told state media yesterday that a US projectile had struck the perimeter area of the facility, hitting a military site on the outskirts of Bushehr.

“A few hours ago, the first group of people – six individuals – began their journey to the site, but following the attacks that took place last night, we have halted our team’s progress in Tehran,” the Russian state corporation’s chief, Alexei Likhachev, is quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.

“We will decide on the next steps in the near future,” he says.

Rosatom, which is building two new units at Bushehr, evacuated more than 600 staff to Russia after the launch of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28. Some of them started returning, arriving in Tehran, where their further journey to the plant was put on hold.

The Russian state nuclear corporation has left only 20 personnel there to maintain construction activities and has said that the expansion of the plant remains one of its priorities.

2 more Hamas commanders killed in Gaza strikes, IDF says

The IDF announces that two more Hamas commanders were killed in airstrikes in the Gaza Strip this week.

One strike on Wednesday in northern Gaza killed Khalil Jamal Khalil Manna, whom the IDF identifies as a commander in Hamas’s weapons production division.

The military says Manna was involved in efforts to restore Hamas’s capabilities amid the ceasefire.

A separate strike yesterday killed Osama Walid Deeb Muhareb, identified by the military as a company commander in Hamas’s Nuseirat Battalion.

Recently, Muhareb “stored explosive devices that were intended to be used against IDF troops,” the military says.

Both operatives had “posed a threat” to IDF troops and were therefore targeted in strikes.

The IDF in recent months has ramped up strikes on terror operatives in Gaza, saying they posed a threat to Israeli forces.

Trump: We’ll continue holding talks with Iran, but ceasefire is over

US President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on Air Force One, July 9, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. (AP/Alex Brandon)

US President Donald Trump says that the US has agreed to continue negotiations with Iran but that the ceasefire between the countries is over.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks.’ We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the ceasefire is OVER!” Trump writes on his Truth Social network.

The statement’s implications are unclear, especially given that the White House signaled just last night that it was prepared to adhere to the terms of the memorandum of understanding it signed with Iran last month if Tehran does the same. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since early April.

The White House statement appeared to be an attempt by Trump’s advisers to soften his declaration earlier in the week that the MOU was “over.”

Trump’s latest post suggests he wants to continue making that assertion, even if talks with Iran continue — seemingly as a means to try and hold Tehran’s feet to the fire.

However, he still seems determined to keep oil prices down, declaring on Wednesday that any flare-up with Iran would be quick and would not lead to a full-fledged return to the war.

His critics argue that those comments demonstrated that Iran still holds considerable leverage over the US, given that it knows Trump doesn’t want oil prices to shoot back up ahead of the November midterm Congressional elections.

Turkey says it hopes to achieve result on lifting US sanctions and F-35 deal soon

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says Turkey hopes to achieve a result on lifting US sanctions and its desire to purchase F-35 fighter jets soon, adding there should be no defense industry restrictions between allies. Turkey is a member of NATO.

Speaking to state broadcaster TRT Haber, Fidan says there is political will from both Ankara and Washington on the matter, and that the relevant ministers are working to resolve the issue.

Turkish relations with Israel have collapsed following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack and Gaza war, and it is increasingly seen as a threat by Israeli officials, prompting concern about the fighter jet sale.

Qatari delegation is in Iran, aims to boost mediation role — Iranian media

A Qatari delegation visits Iran in what is believed to be an effort by Doha to consolidate its role as a mediator after a recent escalation in hostilities in the Gulf, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reports.

Tasnim says the visit follows what it describes as Qatari accusations against Iran over an alleged incident in the Strait of Hormuz and subsequent US attacks on Iranian military and civilian targets.

A source with knowledge of the situation tells Reuters that Qatari negotiators are meeting Iranian officials in an effort to de-escalate tensions and create conditions for broader negotiations, adding that the talks are being conducted in coordination with the United States.

Report: US struggling to deploy 20 foreign Gaza peacekeepers after pledging 20,000

The Israeli army deployed near the border fence with Gaza, southern Israel. February 9, 2026. (Tsafrir Abayov/FLASH90)

After laying out a plan for the deployment of 20,000 international peacekeepers to secure postwar Gaza, the US is now struggling to deploy a small delegation of just 10 to 20 soldiers, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The delegation of Moroccan soldiers was supposed to deploy in June, but only to a base in southern Israel, rather than in Gaza, WSJ reports, citing a US military official and other people familiar with the plans.

Now, the timeline for their deployment to Israel has been muddied and extended to sometime in the next few months, in the latest demonstration of how the US-controlled Board of Peace has stalled in its efforts to advance the reconstruction of Gaza.

US officials in December had claimed that the ISF would begin deploying in early 2026 — another prediction that didn’t pan out as attention shifted to the US-Israeli war in Iran.

During that war, one of the five countries that had pledged to contribute troops to the ISF, Indonesia, announced that it was putting the offer on hold due to regional instability.

Four other countries — Albania, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Morocco — are still committed to sending troops. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has become increasingly unwilling to cooperate with the Board of Peace as October elections in Israel approach, and has dragged its feet in signing off on the agreements necessary for establishing legal guardrails around foreign military personnel stationed abroad.

ISF troops will be based at two sites — a nearly completed logistics hub on the Israeli side of the Kerem Shalom Border Crossing and a base inside Gaza, which hasn’t been built yet, WSJ says. The two sites are meant to accommodate about 5,500 ISF personnel.

The small Moroccan delegation will first be based at the hub inside Israel, and initially be tasked with expeditionary-style operations inside Gaza, like route reconnaissance, WSJ says.

The Board of Peace also wants the first batch of ISF troops to help secure a pilot humanitarian zone it plans to build on the ruins of the southern Gaza city of Rafah. However, 10 to 20 soldiers would be a wildly insufficient number for that mission, given that the Emirati-funded enclave is meant to serve tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Construction on the compound hasn’t even begun, with a crew of Gaza land surveyors blocked from reaching the area by Hamas operatives at a checkpoint

8 indicted in plot to target Trump, Vance, pro-Israel officials at White House UFC show

Diego Lopes celebrates during a featherweight bout against Steve Garcia during UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP /Mark Schiefelbein)

Eight men are indicted on murder and terrorism conspiracy charges Thursday for their alleged roles in a thwarted plot to target lawmakers linked to Israel at the UFC event at the White House last month.

The indictment, returned in Ohio, charges all eight in two separate conspiracies: one to provide material support to terrorists and a second to commit murder on federal government territory and to murder a federal government official.

It remains unclear from the court records how close the would-be attackers could have come to being able to carry out the plan had it not been thwarted.

According to a criminal complaint following their arrest, the suspects were seeking to harm politicians linked to Israel. Images of officials used by the suspects appeared to have been taken from the website “TrackAIPAC.com” and included information about how much money each lawmaker had received from “pro-Israel PACS,” the complaint said.

Federal prosecutors allege that the group planned to murder Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was not at the event. They also planned to kill US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, other federal officials, trillionaire businessman Elon Musk and “other high-value targets” at the event.

According to the new indictment, the plot began in May, when the group began amassing money, firearms, ammunition, body armor, explosives, drones, medical equipment, communications equipment and other items.

It was on June 10 that law enforcement officials learned about a possible threat to Trump’s UFC cage-fighting show, four days before the mixed martial arts extravaganza was scheduled to take place.

Officials have said the group members harbored fringe conspiracy theories and hoped the attack would destabilize the government.

They communicated through online chat groups and forums and classified participants into tiers, with tier 1 participants committing “to put themselves in harm’s way, break the law, and potentially go into hiding,” according to the federal indictment. Members of the group also engaged in marksmanship and combat training.

Conspiring to provide material support to terrorists is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, and conspiring to commit murder carries a penalty of up to life in prison.

Israel says Hamas officer who heads Gaza hospital is ‘lawfully detained,’ not dying

L-R: Kamal Adwan Hospital director Hussam Abu Safiya, in an undated screenshot taken from a Democracy Now video posted to YouTube on January 14, 2025. (Democracy Now screenshot/YouTube); A resurfaced photo from 2016 shows Abu Safiya wearing a Hamas uniform alongside other senior officers in the terror group. (Medical services – Gaza Strip)

Israel says the detention of a Gaza hospital director and Hamas officer, who has been held since December 2024, was “lawful,” and rejected reports that he suffered a life-threatening condition.

Hussam Abu Safiya, one of the highest-profile Palestinian detainees, “is lawfully detained by Israel based on concrete intelligence,” Israel’s diplomatic mission in Geneva says on X.

“At no stage of his detention has he exhibited any indication of a life-threatening condition.”

Abu Safiya holds the rank of colonel in the Hamas Military Medical Services, according to the service itself and Palestinian media reports.

The pediatrician and director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital rose to prominence in 2024 by posting about the dire conditions in his besieged hospital in Beit Lahia during a major Israeli offensive. Human rights groups have called for his release.

Israel said Abu Safiya “managed Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, operating it as one of Hamas’s terror hubs. Abu Safiya exploited his position at the hospital to divert humanitarian resources intended for civilian needs towards terrorist purposes. He enabled Hamas terrorist activity against Israeli forces during IDF operations in Gaza, posing a direct threat to Israel’s national security.”

The statement comes after a United Nations investigative team and several UN rights experts this week raised an alarm about his case.

Four independent UN rights experts said in a statement on Tuesday that “Dr. Abu Safiya’s ongoing arbitrary detention without charges or trial is a reflection of Israel’s systematic targeting of Palestinian health workers.”

The UN’s independent Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories issued a separate statement on Wednesday voicing “grave concern at credible reports that Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya… has been subjected to continued and severe abuse” during his detention.

It called for his “immediate, unconditional and safe release.”

Israel says, however, that Abu Safiya’s “lawful detention is subject to regular administrative review and judicial oversight,” including by the Supreme Court last month.

The Israeli statement also says that “no indications were found to support the claims raised regarding his condition.”

Abu Safiya had been repeatedly examined by medical professionals, the statement says.

“He remains under continuous medical supervision and receives treatment in accordance with the professional determination of medical personnel,” the statement says.

Clashes erupt between settlers, Palestinians in South Hebron Hills for 2nd time in a week

Palestinian media outlets report that six people were lightly injured in clashes between settlers and Palestinians in South Hebron Hills.

Footage appears to show a settler attempting to drive several women away from an open area. It also appears to show a settler spraying pepper spray at a woman while soldiers are present at the scene.

It was the second such clash in the area within a week.

اعتداء مستوطنين على فلسطينيين في مسافر يطا جنوب الخليل#فيديو pic.twitter.com/QYHoxouvug

— قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) July 10, 2026

Responding to a query from The Times of Israel, the IDF says it had received “a report of dozens of Palestinians gathering around an Israeli civilian, and upon arriving at the scene, forces acted to disperse the gathering.”

The military says it detained three Palestinians who refused to leave after the area was declared a closed military zone. It also said three Palestinians were injured after a report that several Israeli civilians had sprayed them with pepper spray.

According to the IDF, the incident took place on survey land — land whose legal status has not yet been determined — rather than on privately owned Palestinian land.

اعتداء عنيف..
شاهد| مستوطن يهاجم مسنة فلسطينية بسلسلة حديدية في مسافر يطا. pic.twitter.com/awhHH4VCqn

— شبكة فلسطين للحوار (@paldf) July 10, 2026

Polish nationalists protest commemoration of antisemitic pogrom during Holocaust

Poland's Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich places a stone on the monument of the wartime Jedwabne massacre to honor the memory of the town's Jewish residents murdered on July 10, 1941 by their Polish neighbors, in Jedwabne, north-eastern Poland, on July 10, 2026. (Wojtek RADWANSKI / AFP)

Poland’s Jewish community, political leaders and ordinary citizens commemorate a massacre of hundreds of Jews killed by their Polish neighbors during the Holocaust 85 years ago, at a ceremony opposed by far-right demonstrators.

AFP journalists on site note a heavy police presence at the site of the 1941 Jedwabne massacre — a former barn in which local Polish farmers locked up around 300 Jews, including women and children, before setting it on fire.

Right next to the ceremony, about 1,000 people attend demonstrations and a Catholic mass organized by far-right parties, who refuse to acknowledge the responsibility of Polish villagers.

An official investigation confirmed in 2003 that the massacre was carried out by Poles from Jedwabne, rather than by Nazi German occupiers.

This stood in contrast to long-held historical narratives in Poland. Ultra-nationalist groups continue to challenge the investigation’s findings.

They argue that exhumations of the victims — halted in 2001 for religious reasons at the request of the Jewish community — must be resumed.

Around 40 other Jews from Jedwabne were killed by the villagers in ways other than in the burning barn, and several other massacres of Jews took place in the region during the Holocaust.

Centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who was not at the ceremonies, said the 85th anniversary of the massacre should serve as “a lesson about [Poland’s] national conscience.”

“I would like all Poles to assume responsibility for what we are proud of… but also that we be capable… of assuming responsibility for what does not do us honor,” he adds.

In Poland, the center of the Nazi genocide of millions of Jews, thousands of Jews were also killed by Poles, particularly in rural areas.

In addition, more than 7,000 Poles — more than any other nationality — have been recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations” by Israel for their efforts to save Jews.

Lebanese president vows to continue direct talks with Israel

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun gestures to journalists at the Presidential Palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun vows to continue negotiating with Israel, saying in a statement that the decision to hold the talks affirms Lebanon’s sovereignty and that he hopes his country can secure its rights through the talks.

Lebanon and Israel have held several rounds of US-backed negotiations and are slated to continue them next week in Rome. As part of an interim agreement, Israel is meant to withdraw from two so-called “pilot zones” it controls in south Lebanon and hand them over to the Lebanese army.

It is expected to withdraw from one of the areas in the coming days, and will continue to hold a buffer zone in south Lebanon meant to distance Hezbollah from the border. The Iran-backed terror group opposes the talks.

Aoun dismisses criticisms of the direct talks between the neighbors, which do not have formal relations, saying they don’t merit a response because the countries have negotiated throughout their history.

He says that while the negotiations are complex, they have a chance of succeeding. He says opponents of the talks seek to make Lebanon a tool of Iran.

NY’s Lander endorses Michigan candidate El-Sayed, who said Dem support for Israel is only about money

Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate in the Democratic primary for US Senate in Michigan, addresses delegates during the Michigan Democratic Party State Endorsement Convention, April 19, 2026, in Detroit. (AP/Jose Juarez)

Brad Lander, a progressive Democrat who won a congressional primary in New York City last month, endorses anti-Israel Michigan candidate Abdul El-Sayed in his Democratic Senate primary.

Lander, who is Jewish, identifies as a Zionist but opposes US military aid to Israel and has accused the country of genocide. He is closely allied with anti-Israel New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and has campaigned with anti-Zionists.

El-Sayed has a history of hardline rhetoric against Israel and its supporters.

Asked this week by CNN whether one could be Zionist and progressive, El-Sayed said, “Every definition of a Jewish state ends up in some articulation of illiberal values, every single one.”

And asked whether support of Israel could be about something other than money, he said, “Not if you’re a Democrat and you believe in human rights.”

The progressive Nexus Project called that statement “a clear example of anti-Zionism crossing into antisemitism.”

He has equivocated between Israel and Hamas and refused to say whether he backs Israel’s right to exist. He has called his pro-Israel opponent, Haley Stevens, “a suit with a large AIPAC bank account,” a reference to the pro-Israel lobby backing her.

Lander says he and El-Sayed will be allies in Washington.

“Abdul and I will also be partners in resetting US foreign policy to achieve a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis, beginning by ending US military aid to Israel while it violates international law and Palestinian human rights,” Lander says.

In last month’s Democratic primary, Lander defeated a Jewish incumbent who was to his right on Israel, and is heavily favored to win the November election.

Countries must reject Iran’s efforts to control Hormuz, UN agency document says

Countries should reject efforts by Iran to impose sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s “unilateral decision” to create a body to control traffic through the waterway, the UN shipping agency’s governing council resolves.

The agreement comes as the US and Iran have exchanged hostilities this week, including US airstrikes, prompted by attacks on ships that Washington said Tehran carried out.

The attacks renewed concerns about the recovery of global oil shipping and highlighted the fragility of the countries’ interim truce.

Protection of vital shipping lanes was discussed at a session this week of the UN’s London-based International Maritime Organization’s 40-member governing council. Gulf countries, the United States and Iran clashed over the future of the strait.

The IMO Council “strongly condemns” Iran’s decision to “establish an entity purporting to control traffic through the strait,” according to the text of the non-binding decision.

The Council decision calls upon member states not to recognize “Iran’s claim of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, its assertions of jurisdiction over the maritime zones of third states in and around the strait, which violated the sovereignty, sovereign rights and exclusive jurisdiction of these states” and not to recognize any Iranian decisions aimed at “closing, obstructing, hampering or otherwise interfering with international navigation and the right of transit passage.”

Iran’s recently created Persian Gulf ​Strait Authority said in an advisory last month that no vessel was permitted to pass through the waterway “without a valid passage permit” issued ​by the body.

Iran, which does not have a seat on the Council, told IMO delegates this week it rejected “the selective, politically motivated and legally unfounded allegations” made against it. It added that its steps are meant to “safeguard Iran’s sovereignty and vital security interests,” and “do not constitute the closure of the strait.”

Israeli women’s under-20 team reaches semifinals in EuroBasket for first time ever

The Israeli women’s under-20 basketball team reaches the semifinals in the FIBA EuroBasket tournament for the first time ever, after beating Poland 80-79 yesterday in a comeback victory.

The team will face either Belgium or Croatia tomorrow in the European championship tournament, hosted by Lithuania.

עושות היסטוריה!!!! נבחרת העתודה לנשים העפילה לחצי גמר אליפות אירופה ????????????????????????????????????????
37 נק' לגל רביב במופע חסר תקדים>>> https://t.co/T7nmSmTWmo pic.twitter.com/oeHaHUE1LP

— Sport5 (@sport5il) July 10, 2026

Russia says it has started sending back its employees to Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant

A worker rides a bicycle in front of the reactor building of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, just outside the southern city of Bushehr, Iran, October 26, 2010. (Majid Asgaripour/Mehr News Agency via AP)

Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom has said that the first six employees of Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant have begun returning to the plant, Russia’s state-owned RIA outlet says, citing its CEO Alexei Likhachev.

Rosatom, which is building two new units at Bushehr, evacuated hundreds of staff after the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28.

Mediators said to urge US and Iran to de-escalate

Qatari negotiators are in Iran to meet Iranian officials in an effort to de-escalate tensions and create conditions for broader negotiations to continue, a source with knowledge of the situation tells Reuters, adding that the talks are being conducted in coordination with the United States.

The talks aim to address the implementation of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding and the issues that triggered the recent escalation between Washington and Tehran, including disputes over navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the source says.

Earlier reports by Axios and The New York Times say officials from mediating countries have spoken multiple times to both American and Iranian officials, trying to stem the flare-up between the countries that is jeopardizing their agreement.

The reported effort by Qatari, Pakistani, Turkish, Egyptian and Saudi officials comes as US and Iranian leaders accuse each other of violating the deal, and as hostilities have somewhat subsided since yesterday.

Israel ‘will not be spared’ from Iran’s retaliation if US keeps targeting infrastructure — official

Iran's Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr in 2023 (YouTube screenshot/CCTV)

The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Council threatens to target Israel as part of Tehran’s future response to American attacks.

“As we have already announced, any attack on infrastructure will be retaliated against, and the criminal Zionist regime responsible for these atrocities will not be spared from the response of our fighters,” Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr says in a statement carried by state TV.

The remark threatens to bring Israel back into the war that was halted in April, with the US-Iran memorandum of understanding appearing to unravel over the past week.

British Jewish groups express ‘significant concerns’ over Israel comments by PM candidate Burnham

Labour MP and challenger for Leader of the Labour party, Andy Burnham, leaves Millbank studios in Westminster, central London, July 2, 2026. (Toby Shepheard / AFP)

Britain’s Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council have expressed “significant concerns” over comments regarding Israel made yesterday by the man expected to be the country’s next prime minister.

In a video posted to social media, Andy Burnham said Britain must do more to pressure Israel over its treatment of Palestinians in Gaza, and that it must bar the sale of weapons that Israel will use in the West Bank and Gaza.

“It’s completely unacceptable that innocent Palestinians, including children, continue to be killed,” he said. “That there’s still a humanitarian crisis with too little aid getting in, and that the Israeli military continues to expand the area it controls in Gaza. We’ve got to do more to put pressure on the Israeli government.”

In response, the two Jewish organizations say in a joint statement that “antisemitism cannot be confronted without addressing all its drivers.”

“In today’s Britain, this includes Islamist, far-left and far-right extremists who go beyond criticism of the Israeli government to a place of hatred directed at Jews and Israelis,” the statement says. “These voices build on distorted or one-sided portrayals of the situation in Gaza and its causes, and ceaseless attempts to single out the world’s only Jewish state.”

"In a country in which antisemitism has become more normalised, more extreme and more violent, we call on our leaders to show the utmost care in their rhetoric in relation to the conflict."

Our joint statement with the @BoardofDeputies, responding to Andy Burnham's remarks… pic.twitter.com/0MZqb1M8oh

— Jewish Leadership Council (@JLC_uk) July 10, 2026

As mayor of Greater Manchester during the Heaton Park attack, Burnham “knows first hand the links between hatred of Israel, antisemitic extremism and deadly violence against British Jews,” the statement continues. The Board of Deputies and JLC say they look forward to discussing these concerns with Burnham and his team in the near future.

Burnham, who recently reentered Parliament, is expected to be the only candidate who will run in internal Labour Party elections to replace outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who recently announced that he will step down.

Army says it killed Hamas commander who raided IDF base on Oct. 7

A Hamas commander who raided the IDF’s Re’im base during the October 7, 2023, onslaught was killed in an airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday, the military announces.

The IDF says the strike killed Yahya Saeed Mohammed Hamdan, the commander of a Nukhba Force cell.

On October 7, Hamdan raided the Re’im base, which houses the headquarters of the IDF’s Gaza Division, according to the military.

Recently, Hamdan worked to advance attacks on troops, as well as to restore Hamas’s capabilities, and therefore, he “posed an immediate threat,” the IDF says.

צה"ל חיסל ראש חוליית נוח'בה שפשט למחנה רעים בטבח ה-7 באוקטובר

צה"ל תקף אתמול בדרום רצועת עזה וחיסל את המחבל יחיא סעיד מחמד חמדאן, ראש חוליית נוח'בה בזרוע הצבאית של ארגון הטרור חמאס.

חמדאן פשט למחנה רעים במהלך טבח ה-7 באוקטובר.

בתקופה האחרונה, חמדאן קידם מתווי טרור נגד כוחות… pic.twitter.com/tFVGiRs7mw

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 10, 2026

Poll: Many US Jewish adults have experienced assault or harassment over the past year

Many Jewish adults feel unsafe in the United States, a new AP-NORC poll finds, with a majority saying they feel less safe than they did before Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught in Israel.

The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research points to how Jewish adults’ attitudes toward their own personal safety have changed over a relatively short period as more Americans became critical of the United States’ close alliance with Israel. The war in Gaza sparked US protests over Israel’s military actions in the Strip, and coincided with an increase in violent attacks against US Jewish communities.

The findings highlight the vulnerability that many Jewish adults in the US feel as bipartisan support for Israel erodes and significant divides emerge within the Jewish community about what constitutes antisemitism — particularly when it comes to protesting Israel.

A significant share of Jewish adults, about 3 in 10, say they or someone in their household has experienced physical assault, verbal abuse, online harassment or damaged property because of their Jewish background over the last year, according to the survey.

About 6 in 10 Jewish adults say that prejudice against Jewish people is an “extremely” or “very” serious problem in the United States today, a view that is heightened among Jewish adults who say they are “extremely” or “very” emotionally attached to Israel.

About one-third of Jewish adults say they feel “very” or “somewhat” safe as a Jewish person in the US today, while about one-third feel “very” or “somewhat” unsafe. The remaining roughly 3 in 10 say they feel neither safe nor unsafe. Those with a close connection to Israel or who identify as Jewish by religion — instead of saying they are religiously unaffiliated with a cultural, ethnic or family connection to Judaism — are more likely to feel threatened in the current environment.

About 6 in 10 Jewish adults say they feel “less safe” as a Jewish person in the US than they did before Hamas’s 2023 attack, including about 7 in 10 of those who are religiously Jewish. About one-third of Jewish adults say they feel “about as safe,” and very few feel safer.

Some Jewish adults have grown wary of outwardly identifying themselves as Jewish following the October 7 attacks, the survey finds.

About 4 in 10 Jewish adults say they are “less likely” to wear, carry, or display things that might identify them as a Jewish person than they were before the October 7 attack. About half say they are “about as likely” and about 1 in 10 say they are “more likely.”

About 1 in 10 Jewish adults say that in the past year, they or someone in their household has been physically assaulted. A similar share had property damaged or destroyed specifically because of their Jewish background.

About 2 in 10 Jewish adults say they or someone in their household has been called a slur, threatened, verbally harassed or verbally abused. Similarly, about 2 in 10 say they experienced online harassment or cyberbullying. Overall, about 3 in 10 of Jewish adults say that they or someone in their household has experienced at least one of these incidents because of their Jewish background.

Jewish adults are divided over whether protesting an event related to Israel is an act of prejudice against Jewish people generally. About half of Jewish adults say anti-Israel protests are not a form of antisemitism, but roughly 4 in 10 say they are.

4 Arab Israelis arrested, indicted over plans for mass shooting at Beersheba central station, attacks on security forces

Illustrative: The scene of a terror attack at the Beersheba central bus station on October 6, 2024. (Magen David Adom)

Four Israeli citizens from the Bedouin town of Segev Shalom have been arrested and indicted over plans to carry out various terror-related activities, including a mass shooting attack at Beersheba’s central bus station, according to the Israel Police, Shin Bet and the State Prosecutor’s Office.

The four had planned to perpetrate a shooting attack toward the Segev Shalom police station, and to form a “terror infrastructure” aimed at harming security forces operating in the community, the police and Shin Bet say in a joint statement.

They initially planned a stabbing attack at the Beersheba central station, but then changed it to a shooting, believing knives would be insufficient, the prosecution says in a separate statement.

One of the defendants, who saw himself as the “commander” of the cell, is said to have decided after the Jewish-Arab ethnic riots of 2021 to form a terror framework to fight security forces. He opened social media groups, including a public Instagram page, in which he published pro-jihad content, including content from Hamas and other terror groups, footage from the October 7, 2023, onslaught, praise for terrorists and explicit calls for armed struggle, jihad and martyrdom.

He recruited the other cell members through that activity, and gave each of them a nickname, branding one of them — who downloaded a video on how to make bombs — the “engineer.”

The four were arrested in May and June of this year, and an indictment was filed this morning. They are accused of conspiring to commit an act of terror, and training or getting guidance for terror purposes. The “commander” is also charged with incitement to terror and identifying with a terror group.

IDF says it razed 5 Hamas tunnels in Israeli-held parts of Gaza

The IDF says it recently demolished five Hamas tunnels spanning some two kilometers in the northern Gaza Strip, on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line. The demolition operations were led by reservists of the 14th Armored Brigade.

The brigade has now been withdrawn from Gaza and replaced by the 179th Armored Brigade.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said this week that the IDF had demolished 83 percent of Hamas tunnels in the Israeli-held part of Gaza.

The IDF says it recently demolished five Hamas tunnels spanning some two kilometres in the northern Gaza Strip, on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line.

The demolition operations were led reservists of the 14th Armored Brigade. The brigade has now been withdrawn from Gaza and… pic.twitter.com/p1lxdgWOB5

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) July 10, 2026

London cop hospitalized after Morocco soccer fans riot after World Cup loss

British police battled soccer fans in central London after France beat Morocco in a World Cup quarter-final, the force says.

One police officer was injured and four people were arrested following the “violent disorder,” London police say.

Some UK outlets specify that those involved in the unrest were fans of the Moroccan squad.

Images shared on social media show dozens of people standing in Edgware Road, near Hyde Park, and some throwing bottles and other objects at police.

Police say the trouble started after people blocked traffic in the road.

“The incident then escalated with the group throwing bottles and setting off fireworks,” a spokesman says. “One officer was taken to hospital for head injuries; it is believed he had been hit by a glass bottle.”

IDF troops find, destroy Hezbollah weapons storage sites in southern Lebanon security zone

A vehicle with rocket launchers found by IDF forces in southern Lebanon, in a photo released July 10, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF forces from the Golani Brigade have in recent days located weapons storage sites belonging to Hezbollah inside the southern Lebanon security zone that it holds, containing launchers, machine guns, explosive devices, missiles and other arms, the army says.

The sites and the weapons have been destroyed, the military says, asserting that they were intended for use against IDF forces and Israeli citizens.

It publishes footage from one such site and of a warehouse being destroyed.

Woman and 3 children hospitalized in serious and moderate condition after fire in Tayibe home

A woman and three children have been hospitalized, three of them in serious condition, after a fire in a home in the central Israeli city of Tayibe, according to medical and rescue officials.

The three who are in serious condition are a mother, aged around 30, and her 7-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son, according to the Fire and Rescue Service and Magen David Adom. Another 5-year-old boy is in moderate condition.

They have been taken to either Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva or Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba.

After merger, Yoaz Hendel says he’ll favor repeat elections over coalition with Netanyahu’s Haredi allies

Yoaz Hendel, head of the Reservists’ Party, speaks during the party’s launch event ahead of the 2026 general elections, at Kibbutz Ma'ale HaHamisha near Jerusalem, November 19, 2025. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

After his centrist Reservists party merged this week with former Blue and White MK Chili Tropper and others to form a new party, former MK Yoaz Hendel promised that he would not form a coalition with the bloc of ultra-Orthodox and far-right parties supporting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that form the current coalition.

Hendel tells the Ynet news site in an interview that under no circumstances would he join a governing coalition that depends on “non-Zionist” elements, including the existing Haredi and Arab parties.

He insists that he would prefer to trigger repeat elections if the only alternative is handing the pro-Netanyahu bloc a parliamentary majority to pass laws enshrining sweeping ultra-Orthodox military exemptions. But he says he will sit with Netanyahu under a broad government that includes both Likud and the major center-left parties running against him.

“I think Netanyahu needs to go home and I will never agree to make up the 61 seats for him” in the 120-member Knesset, he says.

Both Netanyahu and his rivals Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett have ruled out joining a government headed by a premier from the opposing bloc.

Morocco soccer fans in Netherlands heard chanting antisemitic slogans after World Cup elimination

After Morocco’s elimination from the FIFA World Cup last night at the hands of France, Morocco fans in the Netherlands chanted antisemitic slogans in the streets of The Hague, footage published by local media shows.

“All Jews are gay,” the crowd is heard chanting, while a reporter at the scene says on X that they also shouted in support of the Hamas terror group and added: “Jews to the gas.” Some are also said to yell that Jews are “cancer.”

“Alle joden zijn homo’s” en “Hamas Hamas, joden aan het gas” klinkt het op de Vaillantlaan. #framar #schilderswijk #denhaag pic.twitter.com/8BDE0uhvNb

— Marc Wurfbain ???? (@WurfTwain) July 9, 2026

While some who shared the video claim the soccer fans made these chants outside a place where they believed Israeli tourists are staying, the video shows the crowd outside a health clinic and an address at which there doesn’t seem to be a hotel or guesthouse.

Community volunteers initially acted to disperse the crowd, with police arriving later in large numbers, putting an end to the unrest less than an hour after the match ended.

Het wordt snel rustiger in de Schilderswijk. Hier nog een linie ME op de Hoefkade en nog wat ‘kankerjoden’ geroep, maar de onrust lijkt voorbij. #framar #schilderswijk #denhaag pic.twitter.com/Htxx5Y5ARo

— Marc Wurfbain ???? (@WurfTwain) July 9, 2026

Reports: Israel willing to join US strikes on Iran, waiting for Trump okay

Some in Israel want to join the US-Iran flare-up and renew strikes on the Islamic Republic, but are waiting for a go-ahead from US President Donald Trump, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

The unsourced report says officials in Jerusalem estimate that the mutual attacks between the US and Iran will continue in the next few days.

Similarly, The New York Post quotes a Jerusalem source as saying Israel is interested in joining future strikes and fully renewing the war.

“We’re willing to do it again, if needed,” the unnamed source is quoted as saying on Wednesday, before the US began striking Iran.

The source adds that while Israel is “not eager to go back to the day when people have to go to shelters,” it doesn’t want to “ignore what’s happening in Iran.”

“So if that will be the price we’ll have to pay, we will bear with that situation.”

Leading universities come out against legislation to expand gender segregation in academia

The leaders of Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Bar-Ilan University and the Technion have come out against legislation to expand gender segregation in academia.

“This won’t happen with us as long as I’m fulfilling my duty, this is a real tangible danger,” said Tel Aviv University head Ariel Porat, according to the Haaretz daily.

The Hebrew University said gender segregation “is alien to the spirit of Hebrew University since its foundation and completely contradicts our values,” warning of “direct harm to academic freedom, the quality of research and eventually society itself.”

Iran buries Khamenei in Mashhad after staging dayslong funeral procession

The flower petal-covered coffin of the late Iranian supreme leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei is carried above mourners reaching out to touch it outside the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, Iraq, July 9, 2026. (AP/Khalil Hamra)

Iranian supreme leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been buried months after being killed in the opening salvos of the Iran war.

He ruled Iran for nearly 37 years before being killed in the US and Israeli airstrikes that started the war on February 28. He was laid to rest in his hometown of Mashhad early Friday after days of public mourning.

Khamenei is only the second ruler of the nation to be buried in the city of Mashhad. In 1747, Nader Shah was buried in the city after he was assassinated following nearly 11 years in power.

The funeral processions began on Saturday, with authorities shutting down streets, airspace and daily life in Tehran, Iran’s capital, and other cities, as throngs commemorated the man who led Iran for decades with an iron fist while confronting the West.

US State Dept. reportedly blocks meeting between official in Mamdani’s office and Iranian envoy

Ana Maria Archila speaks to New Yorkers while canvasing in Union Square, June 27, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

The US State Department reportedly blocked a meeting between Iranian officials and the head of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Office for International Affairs.

The commissioner for the city’s Office for International Affairs, Ana María Archila, was supposed to meet Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s representative to the United Nations, on Tuesday, according to City Journal.

A State Department official tells the outlet that the meeting was canceled after State Department officials met with the Mamdani administration, telling the city that the meeting was not acceptable.

Archila did not inform Mamdani about the meeting ahead of time, the report says.

France defeats Morocco 2-0 to advance into World Cup semifinals

France eases into the semifinals of the World Cup by defeating Morocco 2-0.

Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring on the hour mark before Ousmane Dembele notched the second six minutes later to send the French into a semifinal against either Spain or Belgium.

Israel said to warn US that Iran devised a new plot to assassinate Trump

US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in flight on Air Force One after landing at US Air Force Base at RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk, Eastern England, July 8, 2026. (AP/Alex Brandon)

Israel has shared intelligence with the United States about a new plot by Iran to kill US President Donald Trump, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing people familiar with the matter.

The newspaper notes Iran has been publicly pledging to assassinate Trump since the US killed Iranian IRGC Quds Force Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2020, with calls for the US president’s death prominently featured in the ongoing mourning commemorations for slain supreme leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

It was unclear from the report when the intelligence was relayed, or through what channel.

Trump, who has faced several assassination attempts — including the 2024 shooting in which a bullet grazed his ear, this week referred to threats against him, saying, “I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long.”

US signals it’s still committed to MOU with Iran after Trump declared it’s ‘over’

The White House signals that it is still committed to the memorandum of understanding with Iran, even though US President Donald Trump’s declared earlier this week that the framework deal to end the Iran war was “over” after the Islamic Republic carried out strikes against vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and against neighboring countries.

“The United States is still committed to finding a resolution, and technical talks continue,” reads a statement attributed to a senior US official that the White House has sent to querying reporters.

The statement acknowledges Trump’s comments against the MOU but signals that the US is still prepared to adhere to its terms, so long as Iran does the same.

“President Trump made his feelings very clear yesterday in no uncertain terms. Iran’s attacks on these innocent vessels are acts of terrorism,” the senior US official says.

“The MOU is performance-based, and Iran’s actions constitute failed performance at an unacceptable level,” the official adds.

The MOU saw the sides agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz toll-free for 60 days, but Iran claims the document still gives it the right to manage shipping through the corridor.

Rubio meets with Saudi ambassador to US for highest-level talks amid reports of strained ties

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on as he visits Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 17, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio just wrapped up a meeting at the White House with Saudi Ambassador to the US Princess Reema Bandar al-Saud.

The meeting was the most senior-level engagement between the two countries since reports of a major rupture in the relationship last week.

The US has reportedly considered pulling troops from Saudi Arabia and briefly withheld the transfer of badly needed interceptors from Riyadh over the Gulf kingdom’s refusal to allow the US to use its airspace for a major operation to escort ships out of the Strait of Hormuz. The Saudi refusal forced the US to shelve the operation, dubbed Project Freedom, less than two days after it was announced.

Riyadh’s reticence came amid a lack of trust in the Trump administration’s handling of the Iran war, with the country convinced that continued escalation would only lead Tehran to place the kingdom in its crosshairs.

Neither side has commented publicly on the reported rift.

A State Department spokesperson says Rubio and Princess Reema “reaffirmed the strength of the US-Saudi relationship and the importance of continued close coordination to promote regional security.”

Productive discussions today with Secretary of State Marco Rubio @SecRubio on regional developments and the strong, enduring partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States. We look forward to continuing our close cooperation across shared priorities. ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/egnG1oqARO

— Reema Bandar Al-Saud (@rbalsaud) July 9, 2026