July 3: Lebanon’s Aoun defends trilateral agremeent, says it ‘does not legitimize’ IDF presence
‘Fake news’: PMO denies NYT report US worried Israel would kill Iran’s negotiators * Yemen’s Houthis threaten Saudi Arabia after alleged airspace intrusion
The Times of Israel liveblogged Friday’s events as they unfolded.
Reports: Shin Bet to assist police in tackling surge of Arab crime and murders
The Shin Bet is set to take on the fight against killings in Israel’s Arab community, which have skyrocketed in recent years amid a proliferation of guns, a rise in organized crime, and a failure of enforcement by police, according to Friday reports.
Channels 12 and 13 report that Shin Bet chief David Zini has agreed to help the overwhelmed police tackle the scourge of Arab murders, subject to government funding, which is expected to stand at around NIS 1 billion ($330 million).
Former Shin Bet head Ronen Bar had resisted the government’s pressure to involve the internal security agency in the fight against deadly Arab crime, warning that its interference in investigations of citizens in criminal matters could be a slippery slope. Zini’s position has been more willing, the reports say.
Channel 13 says a separate division will be formed within the Shin Bet, which will have more intrusive tools than those available to police, including the installation of spyware, wiretapping, and other more aggressive surveillance methods.
Egypt top Australia on penalty kicks, advance to round of 16
Egypt converted all four of their penalty kicks to win a shootout with Australia 4-2 following a 1-1 draw, securing their first World Cup knockout-round victory in Arlington, Texas.
Mahmoud Saber, Ramy Rabia, Mohamed Salah and Hossam Abdelmaguid all deposited their attempts in the net past Mathew Ryan, who did not appear in this World Cup before subbing on for Patrick Beach late in extra time as a penalty-kick specialist.
Harry Souttar had the first try for Australia and cleared his shot into the stands. Jackson Irvine and Awer Mabil got their shots past Egypt keeper Mostafa Shoubir before Salah made a quick sprint at his ball and scored center-net while Ryan dove to his left.
Australia sent 18-year-old Colorado Rapids defender Lucas Herrington on for the fourth round, and his shot found the crossbar. That left Abdelmaguid to finish off Egypt’s deserved victory as Ryan guessed the wrong way again.
Emam Ashour got Egypt on the board in the 13th minute. The Pharaohs will face either Argentina or Cape Verde in the round of 16 on Tuesday in Atlanta.
Australia, who were also looking for their first-ever knockout triumph, failed to score a regulation goal in their final three matches of the tournament after opening with a 2-0 win over Turkey. Their lone tally Friday came on an own goal by Mohamed Hany.
Massive Russian strike said to kill 3 in north Ukraine; Kremlin says it took over key Donbas city
A massive Russian bomb strike on the center of the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy killed at least three people on Friday and injured many others, including children, Regional Governor Oleh Hryhorov says.
“At the epicenter of the strike — a high-rise apartment building, a shop and a street,” Oleh Hryhorov wrote on Telegram. “There were a great many people. Children.”
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russian forces captured the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka, a key post on the road leading to the last major cities in the Donbas region under Kyiv’s control.
“Kostyantynivka has been completely taken. The city is now entirely under our control,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including those from AFP, announcing that President Vladimir Putin had spoken with the military about it.
Kostyantynivka is one of the last Ukrainian strongholds on the way to the key cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, whose capture is the Kremlin’s ultimate objective in the Donbas.
Russian forces now control the entire Lugansk region in eastern Ukraine, one of the two regions that make up the Donbas, Peskov adds.
Venezuela quake death toll climbs to 2,645: official figures
The death toll from Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes has risen to 2,645, with more than 12,600 injured, according to new official figures.
Thousands more are reported still missing after the June 24 shocks that toppled dozens of apartment complexes, mostly in the coastal La Guaira area north of the capital Caracas.
Syria says trials started over 2025 deadly Druze heartland violence that triggered Israeli strikes
Syrian authorities say they started trying suspects for actions committed during violent clashes that killed some 2,000 people in the Druze-majority Sweida province last July and triggered Israeli strikes on the new Syrian government’s forces.
The head of a Syrian governmental investigative committee says in a statement published by the justice ministry that a court in Damascus has begun examining cases “in public sessions as of July 1, with the defendants and their legal representatives present.”
The proceedings are meant to “establish the facts and hold accountable anyone proven responsible for any violations… regardless of their position or the side to which the acts are attributed,” the statement says, adding that other people are still under investigation.
The committee said in March that it had drawn up “a list of suspects from the (ministries of) defense and interior, Druze factions and civilians — including Bedouins and tribes — for serious crimes and violations.”
The violence in Sweida began with clashes between Druze factions and Bedouin fighters in the southern province. Security forces loyal to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa — commander of the forces that toppled longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 — then intervened on the side of the Bedouins, along with other tribal groups.
Government forces and their allies were accused at the time of abuses including executing civilians. Israel, which had seized a buffer zone with Syria amid security concerns after Assad’s ouster, launched strikes on Syrian government targets, citing the need to protect the Druze, some 150,000 of whom live in Israel and often serve in its military.
‘Human rights catastrophe’ unfolding in Sudan’s al-Obeid, says UN’s Volker Turk
UN rights chief Volker Turk says “another human rights catastrophe is unfolding in Sudan,” in the state of North Kordofan.
“Civilians have been subjected to siege-like conditions for 18 months, battered by relentless drone strikes as the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces battle for control over areas surrounding the city,” he says in a statement.
Turk reports “patterns of summary executions, abductions, torture and ill-treatment, sexual violence, and looting,” and notes critical shortages of clean water, risking disease outbreaks.
The UN official says the world must prevent “a repeat of the widespread atrocities that took place” in Sudan last year, when some 6,000 people were killed in three days as the RSF captured the city of El Fasher.
“These crimes were foreseen, with repeated warnings by myself and my Office. But they were not prevented,” he continues.
“All leaders must use their influence to exert pressure on all parties, and particularly the RSF, to stop an offensive on El Obeid; to end strikes on civilians and essential infrastructure; to stop the flow of weapons; and to comply with their obligations under international law,” Turk says.
He also calls for a humanitarian pause and guarantee of safe passage for civilians.
Lebanon’s Aoun defends trilateral agremeent, says it ‘does not legitimize’ IDF presence
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun insists that the framework agreement reached in Washington last week “does not legitimize the continuation of the Israeli occupation in Lebanon.”
Aoun says the absence of a timetable was because it was a “framework formula” rather than a final agreement.
“Our shared objective is one: to secure Israel’s withdrawal,” he says, according to a statement from the presidency.
Aoun responds, in particular, to criticism of Article 13 of the framework — like that voiced by Amnesty International and five other NGOs today, who said it “betrays victims of war crimes.”
The Lebanese president says the text affirms the suspension of legal proceedings between the two states during the negotiation period” but “does not preclude” any private entity from taking legal action.
The agreement, to which Israel, the US, and Lebanon are parties, calls for the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group to be disarmed, and for Israel to subsequently withdraw its troops from Lebanon.
Israeli troops have been operating in southern Lebanon since Hezbollah attacked Israel on March 2 in support of Iran.
Amnesty International says Lebanon framework agreement ‘betrays victims of war crimes’
The framework agreement reached last week between Israel, Lebanon, and the US — which calls for the Hezbollah terror group to be disarmed, and for Israel to subsequently withdraw its troops from the country — “threatens to betray war crimes victims in Lebanon,” says Amnesty International.
The international human rights group, together with five other NGOs, takes issue with the agreement‘s clause committing Israel and Lebanon to cease “all hostile or adverse actions in international political or legal fora.”
Amnesty notes that this could preclude actions in the International Court of Justice or International Criminal Court. The NGO also notes: “The agreement does not appear to commit Israel to halt any initiatives in international forums against Hezbollah.”
The rights groups also take issue with a clause conditioning the return of southern Lebanon residents to their locales on Hezbollah’s prior disarmament. “Under international humanitarian law, people must be allowed to return once hostilities have ended or the reasons for their displacement cease to exist,” they argue.
Israel is currently maintaining a “security zone” in southern Lebanon, from which residents have been ordered to evacuate, and where troops are dismantling the terror group’s infrastructure, which was used for attacks on Israel.
Tucker Carlson calls for third party, assails Israel support: ‘I officially don’t care about Hamas’
American podcaster Tucker Carlson declares his intention to “help build a third party,” invoking US support for Israel as an example of purported indifference to Americans’ problems.
“I’m going to help build a third party. There should be a good-faith effort to figure out what benefits the country,” he tells the Columbia Journalism Review. “‘What about Hamas?’ I officially don’t care about Hamas. The US government should have, as its first priority, the welfare of its own people.”
Carlson accuses the two main parties of acting in “lockstep” on matters of “war and finance,” arguing: “if you vote for Trump and you still wind up in a regime-change war…then we need options.” But he says he does not want to be a candidate himself.
Additionally, Carlson additionally claims that “Chuck Schumer is strongly behind Trump’s foreign policy.”
Schumer, the Democrats’ leader in the Senate, was crucial in passing former president Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, which Trump assailed and withdrew from in his first term. He is also the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in US history.
Schumer has criticized the US-Israeli war with Iran since its start, and he has brought ten different resolutions to a vote seeking to check Trump’s authority to wage it. Last he month called the US-Iran memorandum of understanding “the art of the disaster.”
In the interview, Carlson says he is “not an antisemite,” adding: “If I was an antisemite, I would just say so: ‘I’m against the Jews, here’s why.'”
Though Carlson explicitly denounces outright hatred, he has been widely accused of antisemitism over frequent assertions that Israel is pulling the strings of US foreign policy, as well as conspiracy theories, including that the Chabad Hasidic movement was behind the war with Iran.
Trump and Netanyahu speak by phone, PMO says agreed to meet in US soon
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump agreed to meet in the US in the near future during a phone call today, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The premier congratulated Trump on the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, and said that “the US is what ensures the freedom of the world, and Israel greatly appreciates the tight bond between the nations.”
Additionally, “Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump agreed to meet soon in the US,” the statement says.
Gadi Eisenkot hails Edelstein’s departure from Likud, says he hopes others to follow
Yashar party chief Gadi Eisenkot welcomes the news of MK Yuli Edelstein’s departure from the Likud party, encouraging others to follow in his footsteps.
“I hope Yuli Edelstein will be a role model for others in Likud who aren’t willing to endanger national security to advance draft-evasion for narrow political ends, or who are fed up with the culture of lies and intimidation,” Eisenkot writes on X.
“I’ve sat through many dozens of discussions next to Yuli, when he was head of the [Knesset] National Security and Defense Committee, to advance a real conscription law that would strengthen the [Israel Defense Forces],” continues Eisenkot.
“Together we passed one of the most important laws of this Knesset — the National Security Strategy for Israel Law. We were divided, and we didn’t agree about everything, but his decision to choose the best for Israel was thoroughly admirable.”
“The time has come for leadership focused solely on what is good for Israel,” he concludes.
Yemen’s Houthis threaten Saudi Arabia after alleged airspace intrusion
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels threaten Saudi Arabia’s airports and vital assets should Riyadh violate its airspace or attempt to attack it, as the rebels accuse the kingdom of an earlier airspace intrusion.
“We warn the criminal Saudi enemy against repeating any attempt to violate our airspace or any aggression targeting our country. Such actions will be met with a comprehensive response targeting its airports and vital interests on land and sea,” military spokesman Yahya Saree says in a video statement.
‘Fake news’: PMO denies NYT report US worried Israel would kill Iran’s negotiators
The Prime Minister’s Office says that “as usual, The New York Times’ latest story about Israel and the Iranian negotiators is fake news. A complete fabrication of reality.”
The US daily reported yesterday that American officials indirectly warned Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf during negotiations earlier this year that Israel might try to assassinate them.
The report, which cited current and former US officials, alleged that some officials believed Israel may have been planning to kill the top Iranian negotiators in the weeks following the April 8 ceasefire that halted fighting in the US-Israel war with Iran.
In light of those concerns, the US officials asked officials in other countries across the region to warn Tehran that Israel may try to target the two men, the Times said.
Eurovision boss says there won’t be another vote on Israel: ‘The membership spoke conclusively’
Eurovision boss Martin Green rules out holding any future vote on Israel’s participation in the annual song contest and denies that the competition is facing financial difficulties due to an Israel-related boycott.
“That’s done. The membership spoke conclusively,” Green tells the Variety entertainment news site in an interview. “Almost 70 percent made their decision that they believe that public service broadcasters are not responsible for the actions of their government, and that [Israeli broadcaster] Kan should be allowed to participate.”
A number of anti-Israel public broadcasters forced a vote last year on Israel’s participation, and after a majority of members chose to keep Kan in the contest, five countries backed out in protest: Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain — which had been a member of the “Big Five” countries that contribute more financially.
The Eurovision director declined to comment on whether he expected any of the boycotters to return next year, and says he is unaware of any countries planning to join them.
Green also denies that Spain’s exit has strained the competition’s finances.
“It’s bollocks,” he says, using vulgar British slang. “Eurovision has a really robust model and it has over the 70 years weathered what the world tried to throw at it. So we’ll be around for many, many, many, many, many years to come.”
He also dismisses a New York Times report earlier this year asserting that Israel was manipulating the competition and its voting.
“I thought it was just a sort of rehash of lots of bits and pieces,” he says of the article. “We had a fully validated vote again this year. We saw no evidence of undue large-scale paid promotion, we saw no evidence of anything untoward in our voting at all. ”
After being cleared to compete, Israel sent Noam Bettan to this year’s competition in Vienna, where he finished in second place.
Turkish court jails comedian for insulting Erdogan, religious values
A Turkish court jails comedian Deniz Goktas pending trial on Friday for insulting President Tayyip Erdogan and religious values, days after prosecutors opened an investigation into remarks he made on stage.
Goktas is accused of insulting religious values during a stand-up performance in Istanbul on June 1, in which he made references to Erdogan, the Quran and jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
The performance quickly went viral online, and attracted more than nine million views on YouTube as of Friday, with clips spreading widely across X, Instagram and other social media platforms.
Goktas has denied the charges, saying his jokes were not an insult against religious values or the Quran. He’s also said that his description of Erdogan as a “dictator” was a political definition and not an insult.
MK Yuli Edelstein leaving Likud party, says he’s setting off on ‘new political path’
Knesset Member Yuli Edelstein, a senior lawmaker who has served in several leadership roles during his decades in office, announces he is leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.
“I do not intend to run in the Likud primaries, I am setting off on a new political path,” Edelstein says, in an interview with Channel 12’s “Meet the Press,” that will air in full tomorrow evening.
The statement is made in a short clip shared by the network that does not include further comments on his reasoning or his plans for the future.
Edelstein, who has represented Likud since 2003, was ousted last year from his role as chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee over his refusal to advance a bill that would enshrine broad exemptions from mandatory military service enjoyed by ultra-Orthodox men.
He has long been seen as an internal rival of Netanyahu, and in 2021 even launched a campaign to challenge him as Likud party leader, before ultimately dropping the bid.
Likud primaries are set for August 4, ahead of national elections that must be held by late October.
Saudi deputy FM and delegation pay respects at Ali Khamenei funeral
Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed El Khereiji and his delegation pay their respects to Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, Iranian media report.
Iran in talks with Japanese companies to sell oil under US sanctions waiver, sources say
Iran has begun talks with Japanese companies under a US sanctions waiver allowing it to resume oil sales, though prospective buyers are seeking a longer waiver and reassurances about ship safety, three Iranian and Western sources say.
The waiver, part of 60-day peace talks between Tehran and Washington, was issued on June 22 and expires August 21.
Japan’s foreign ministry and the US Treasury do not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Japan, South Korea, India and European countries stopped buying Iranian oil when US sanctions tightened following US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from Iran’s nuclear pact in 2018.
China has been Iran’s main buyer in recent years.
IDF says incident on settlement farm yesterday wasn’t ramming attack as claimed
The IDF says an incident yesterday in which a Palestinian man entered a West Bank settlement farm was not an attack as initially claimed.
“Following an investigation of the incident by security forces, the suspicion of an attempted car ramming attack was ruled out,” the army says.
The suspect had entered a farm near the settlement of Karmei Zur. The police claimed he assaulted a settler there and tried to ram him with his car.
He was detained not long after by security forces at the Metzadot Yehuda Crossing.
Pakistani PM pays respects at Khamenei’s coffin in Tehran
TEHRAN, Iran — Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pays his respects at the coffin of late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, state TV footage shows
Sharif, whose country has been mediating US-Iran talks to permanently end their conflict, was accompanied by army chief Asim Munir and a delegation as they visited the coffin.
Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief Asim Munir, and their delegation paid their respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. pic.twitter.com/bCiwMLbMu1
— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 3, 2026
Troops in IDF’s Haredi Hasomonean Brigade complete first part of officers’ course
The first-ever cadets in the IDF’s Hasmonean Brigade for ultra-Orthodox soldiers completed the first part of their officers’ course this week.
Following training and a 12-kilometer (7.5 miles) march in the Golan Heights, the cadets received their platoon commander pins on Wednesday, marking the end of the first half of the officers’ course.
The cadets will continue training for another four months, some of which will take place at the Bahad 1 officers’ school in southern Israel. After that, they will receive their ranks and be assigned officer roles within the Haredi brigade.
The military says the course took place “in accordance with the IDF’s professional standards” and included all the content normally delivered at Bahad 1, “while fully maintaining the Haredi way of life.”
The establishment of the brigade is part of the military’s efforts to expand the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men, as it faces personnel shortages caused by the war. It also aims to demonstrate, despite opposition to enlistment from leading Haredi rabbis, that military service can go hand in hand with ultra-Orthodox observance.
Herzog delivers letter for Trump at Jerusalem embassy ahead of 250th anniversary of US independence
President Isaac Herzog delivers a congratulatory letter to the US Embassy in Jerusalem for President Donald Trump, a day ahead of the 250th anniversary of the country’s independence.
After delivering the letter to US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, Herzog says, “I am extremely moved and happy to be here at the American Embassy in Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel, at the Embassy which was launched by President Trump in his historic recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital,” in comments published by his office.
“This landmark Freedom 250 celebration is a moment to honor the incredible triumph of the American spirit,” the letter reads. “The story of America has inspired humanity the world over. From sea to shining sea, America stands as a beacon of liberty and as the leader of the free world.”
“This is also a time to express our deepest appreciation for the unique and unbreakable partnership between the United States of America and Israel. Our two nations draw from the same wellsprings of the Bible, and we share the same fundamental values of freedom, democracy and human dignity.”
“I thank you for your steadfast commitment to Israel’s security. The people of Israel will never forget your tireless efforts to bring our beloved hostages home. May you continue to lead the Middle East and the world toward peace and security,” the letter reads.
As America’s celebrates its 250th birthday, I surprised my dear friend @USAmbIsrael Mike Huckabee at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem with a special message to President @realDonaldTrump and the American people.
Mazal tov to the United States of America! ???????? ???????? pic.twitter.com/PaiAhELaRd
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) July 3, 2026
IDF says it hit around 10 Hezbollah sites in response to attack on troops yesterday
The military says the Israeli Air Force struck some 10 Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon yesterday, in response to an attack on troops earlier, and separately hit a cell of operatives identified near Israel’s buffer zone.
The Hezbollah infrastructure sites in Bint Jbeil, Beit Yahoun, Kounine and Baraashit had been used by the terror group to advance attacks on troops in southern Lebanon, the military says.
The IDF says the strikes came after a Hezbollah gunman opened fire on troops in Bint Jbeil yesterday afternoon, seriously wounding a reservist, along with “another violation” of the ceasefire.
In a separate incident overnight, troops identified a cell of Hezbollah operatives transporting weapons using a truck near the IDF’s security zone, according to the military. A short while later, the Air Force struck the truck “to remove the threat.”
The IDF publishes footage of the strikes.
בתגובה לפגיעה בכוחות צה"ל תוך הפרה של ההסכם: הותקפו כ-10 תשתיות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בדרום לבנון
בתקיפה נוספת להסרת איום: כוחות אוגדה 91 תקפו משאית ששימשה את חיזבאללה להעברת אמצעי לחימה
בתקיפות מדויקות של חיל האוויר בהכוונת אוגדה 91, הותקפו אתמול כ-10 תשתיות של ארגון הטרור… pic.twitter.com/CcivK4iQIL
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 3, 2026
Police announce arrest of Sunday Tayibe murder suspect, identified as ex-husband of victim’s relative
Police announce the arrest of a suspect in the shooting that killed one person and seriously wounded another in central Israel’s Tayibe early on Sunday, when five members of the Arab community were killed within hours in separate incidents.
Police say the suspect in the Tayibe shooting is the divorced husband of a relative of the person who was killed in the incident, which an initial investigation has linked to an “intra-familial dispute.”
The suspect, in his 20s, is a resident of the Tayibe area and was found hiding in an apartment in nearby Tira, police say.
The arresting officers found improvised firearms in the suspect’s possession and also found the suspected murder weapon adjacent to the site of the arrest, according to police.
Two arrested for allegedly attacking Democrats activists in south Tel Aviv
Police arrest two people for allegedly attacking activists with the left-leaning Democrats party in south Tel Aviv’s Hatikva Market, according to a police statement and footage from the scene.
The footage shows a man cursing at the activists, kicking away their equipment and hitting one of them.
The activists included Tel Aviv Deputy Mayor Chen Arieli, who is the chair of Israeli Gay Youth and a candidate in the Democrats’ July 20 primary.
תסתכלו על הסרטון הזה ועל האלימות שספגנו ברגעים אלה כשהגעתי עם פעילי הדמוקרטים הצעירים לשוק התקווה לדבר באופן פתוח וכנה גם עם מי שלא בהכרח מסכים איתנו. זאת התוצאה של שלטון נתניהו שמפלג וזורע שנאה בתוך העם. שמעדיף את הכסא שלו ומפעיל שטיפות מוח עד כדי שאנחנו לא מצליחים לפגוש אפילו… pic.twitter.com/LkNO3lbPB3
— Chen Arieli חן אריאלי (@ArieliChen) July 3, 2026
Arieli writes on X that she and the other activists were there “when I came with young Democrats activists to Hatikva Market to speak openly and honestly, including with people who don’t necessarily agree with us.”
She blames the attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership, which “divides and sows hate in the nation” and “employs brainwashing to the point we can’t even meet up to chat on a Friday afternoon.”
“We were hit and spat at, but that won’t quench the hope that we have to fight for,” she says.
Iran’s Pezeshkian, Ghalibaf pay respects to slain supreme leader at coffin on display in Tehran
State TV broadcasts footage of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian alongside parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf paying their respects at the coffin of late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, which is on display in Tehran.
Preparations for Khamenei’s public funeral, initially delayed at the height of the war, are taking place as Iran and the United States observe a fragile ceasefire after signing a preliminary deal to halt the conflict.
Pakistan, a key mediator in the US-Iran talks, said its Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would attend the ceremony.
China, Afghanistan and Iran’s neighbours in the Caucasus region said they would also be sending representatives.
Following the ceremonies in Tehran, Khamenei’s body will be taken to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before his burial on July 9 at the shrine of Imam Reza in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad, his birthplace.
President Pezeshkian and Major General Rezaei seen in tears at Khamenei's funeral. pic.twitter.com/OHnSlmuqBB
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 3, 2026
Clashes reported with settlers in West Bank village; Palestinian and foreign nationals said injured by pepper spray
Settlers entered Palestinian-owned land near the village of Abu Falah and attacked local residents along with foreign volunteers who were assisting them, Palestinian media reports.
Videos circulating online show dozens of settlers throwing stones. Another clip shows a Palestinian man holding a stick confronting several settlers while others attempt to separate the sides. In one video, a settler can be heard telling the Palestinian in Arabic, “Go away,” to which the Palestinian replies, also in Arabic, “This is my land.”
According to Palestinian media, one Palestinian and several foreign volunteers are injured after settlers sprayed them with pepper spray.
???? فيديو | مسن فلسطيني يتصدى لهجوم مستوطنين على أراضي قرية أبو فلاح شمال شرقي رام الله pic.twitter.com/BuO0q1OLZk
— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) July 3, 2026
???? فيديو | مستوطنون يهاجمون أهالي قرية أبو فلاح شرق رام الله خلال محاولتهم الوصول إلى أراضيهم. pic.twitter.com/zMk5SWcZDs
— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) July 3, 2026
متضامنون أجانب في حالة صدمة؛ نتيجة مهاجمة المستوطنين الإسرائيليين لهم وللأهالي الفلسطينيين في قرية أبو فلاح شمال شرق رام الله، واستخدامهم رذاذ الفلفل. pic.twitter.com/Ib5J3iVMQY
— Tamer | تامر (@tamerqdh) July 3, 2026
Iran’s Ghalibaf: Tehran will react proportionately if Israel, US do not stand by MOU
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says it will respond proportionately if the United States and Israel do not honor the Memorandum of Understanding reached last month between Washington and Tehran.
“We will firmly demand the full implementation of the understandings that have been reached,” Ghalibaf says during a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart, Igor Sergeyenko, according to the ISNA state media outlet.
“If the United States and the Zionist regime do not honor their commitments, the Islamic Republic of Iran will resume its proportionate measures,” he says.
Ghalibaf also asserts that the US has realized it cannot tackle Iran militarily.
Israel had no part in negotiating the memorandum of understanding, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has distanced himself from it. Still, the terms of the opening clause, permanently ending the war and ruling out any resumption, assert that it is binding on the US, Iran “and their allies.”
Israeli officials are bitterly opposed to the deal’s terms, which resolve none of the war’s key goals — notably, eliminating Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and creating the conditions for the collapse of the regime.
Brothers of Alon Shamriz say ‘world is a slightly better place’ after death of terrorist who held him hostage
The brothers of Alon Shamriz say “the world is a slightly better place” after the military announced that it killed the Hamas terrorist who held their sibling captive in Gaza.
“No act will bring back our hero Alon to us, and no elimination can erase the pain and the void that has opened up in our lives,” Yonatan and Ido Shamriz say in a joint statement.
“At the same time, without this despicable terrorist, the world is a slightly better place. We hope that every terrorist will find their death as quickly as possible. We choose to continue to commemorate Alon’s life, the person he was, and to hold on to the values he left us,” the statement reads.
Jerusalem man charged over alleged spying activities for Iran, for which he received hundreds of dollars
A 21-year-old man from Jerusalem is charged with allegedly conducting spying activities for Iran at the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026.
Eli Levon is accused of knowingly carrying out tasks for agents named “Sina” and “Alexander,” who acted on behalf of Iranian intelligence, in exchange for hundreds of dollars, according to an indictment filed by Jerusalem District prosecutors.
Levon took photographs of the Jerusalem Central Bus Station, a building in the Bukharim neighborhood, and hid a cigarette box in the Hadar Mall with a note that read, “The job is complete,” among other tasks.
Levon received approximately $861 in digital currencies from “Sina” and $518 from “Alexander” for his tasks, according to the indictment.
Levon is charged with contact with a foreign agent and providing information that could benefit an enemy.
IDF says it killed Hamas terrorist who abducted Cpt. Daniel Perez on Oct. 7, held hostages
A Hamas terrorist who abducted IDF officer Cpt. Daniel Perez during the October 7, 2023, onslaught and later held hostages Yotam Haim, Samar Talalka, and Alon Shamriz in captivity was killed in a strike in the northern Gaza Strip this week, the military and Shin Bet announced.
The strike on Wednesday killed Muhammad Na’im Jandiya, identified by the IDF as the chief of security in Hamas’s Shejaiya Battalion.
The military says that on October 7, Jandiya was the commander of a Nukhba Force cell that raided Nahal Oz and took part in abducting the body of Perez, a tank commander.
Additionally, he was among the “prominent masked operatives” who led the Hamas hostage handover ceremonies last year, according to the military.
Recently, as part of his senior role in the Shejaiya Battalion, Jandiya worked to advance attacks against troops stationed in the Strip, the IDF says.
IDF nabs 8 Palestinians suspected of attacking group of Hassidic Jews on run from police in West Bank
IDF troops detained eight Palestinian suspects in Mukhmas yesterday, saying they allegedly attacked a group of Israelis who entered the West Bank village earlier in the day.
The Israelis, a group of around 10 Hassidic Jews, had been on the run from the police after committing traffic violations. The cops stopped chasing them as they fled into Mukhmas early Thursday morning. Later, the group left the village.
The military says commandos of the Duvdevan Unit raided Mukhmas yesterday and apprehended “eight wanted men suspected of chasing and attacking the Israeli citizens who entered the village.”
Health Ministry slashes opioid prescriptions from 15 to five days
In a move to combat the rising tide of prescription opioid addiction, the Health Ministry says today that doctors will be legally barred from prescribing more than a five-day supply of the medication at any one time.
Under the new guidelines, the expiration period of handwritten prescriptions for opioids has been slashed from 15 days to five.
Opioids are highly potent painkillers categorized under Israeli law as dangerous substances, the ministry says. While they are vital for severe pain management, health officials reiterate that their capacity to suppress the central nervous system and induce euphoria makes them highly addictive, carrying a severe risk of dependency, overdose, and death when misused.
The ministry says the primary objective of the new regulation is to incentivize the medical community to transition to non-forgeable digital prescriptions to eliminate prescription fraud and clamp down on illicit drug sales.
The legislative step is part of a broader, multi-year strategic campaign spearheaded by the ministry and national health maintenance organizations (HMOs), which officials say has already yielded a measurable decline in domestic opioid consumption.
IDF reservist arrested for alleged unlawful sale and possession of weapons
An IDF reservist has been arrested on suspicion that he illegally sold and possessed weapons, the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Police say in a joint statement.
The reservist was found to have a Kalashnikov rifle, a sniper rifle, and ammunition during a search of his Netivot home this week, according to the statement.
He is now in the custody of the IDF Military Police as the investigation continues.
7 anti-Israel protesters convicted for blocking Golden Gate Bridge in 2024
WASHINGTON — Seven protesters who blocked traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge in a 2024 pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protest against Israel’s actions in Gaza are convicted of misdemeanor charges by a San Francisco jury that remained deadlocked on the more serious charge of felony conspiracy.
The jury convicts each of the seven protesters on six misdemeanor counts, including false imprisonment, obstruction of thoroughfare and unlawful assembly, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins says in a statement on Thursday.
One defendant was also convicted of another misdemeanor charge of refusing to disperse, Jenkins says.
The protesters will be sentenced in August and face up to five years in a county jail.
The seven protesters are named Bhavika Anandpura, River Allen, Rocky Chau, Sara Cantor, Conrad de Jesus, Sarah Ferrell, and Em Tillotson, according to local media.
The jury could not reach a verdict on the most serious charge of felony conspiracy — an agreement between two or more people to commit a crime coupled with an overt act — which could have led to a sentence as long as 15 years upon conviction.
“At this time we will evaluate our options and consider next steps,” Jenkins says.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Reservist seriously hurt in clash with Hezbollah gunman in southern Lebanon, IDF says
A reservist soldier was severely wounded in a clash with a Hezbollah gunman in southern Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil yesterday afternoon, the military announces.
He was taken to a hospital, and his family was notified, the IDF adds.
According to an IDF probe of the incident, at around 6 p.m. during operations of the 679th “Yiftah” Armored Brigade in Bint Jbeil, troops encountered a Hezbollah gunman who opened fire on them, seriously injuring one soldier.
Immediately after, troops struck the building where the gunman had shot from using tank shelling, and the Israeli Air Force struck other targets in the area.
IDF troops are continuing to scan the area for the gunman as of this morning.
Trump says ‘ridiculous’ for US to maintain current support for NATO
US President Donald Trump says it is “ridiculous” for the United States to continue its “one-sided” relationship to NATO, less than a week before the transatlantic alliance’s summit in Ankara.
Trump writes on his Truth Social platform, “Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal. They were not there for us!!!”
Trump has repeatedly lashed out at European allies over their response to the war in Iran, and has repeatedly questioned US funding for NATO.
The post includes a graph showing that the US contributes far more to the alliance than any other country.
Powerful IRGC general emerges from hiding as Tehran prepares for Khamenei’s funeral
A powerful general who leads Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards emerges from hiding as Tehran prepares for a dayslong funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Photos published online by Iranian state media show Gen. Ahmad Vahidi attending a meeting about the funeral of Khamenei, 86, then sitting alongside his casket, as Iran’s theocracy held a smaller service for him Thursday night near the supreme leader’s former home in downtown Tehran.
Vahidi has become a major player in formulating Iran’s tough stance in negotiating a possible permanent end to the war with the United States, experts say. He is believed to be part of a small clique in direct contact with Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who remains in hiding after being reportedly wounded in the February 28 Israeli strikes that killed his father, the elder Khamenei, on the first day of the US-Israeli war with Iran.
Vahidi himself hasn’t been seen publicly since February 8, weeks before the Iran war began.
Venezuela quake death toll rises to 2,595, interim president says
The death toll from Venezuela’s twin earthquakes has risen to 2,595, Interim President Delcy Rodriguez says.
Rodriguez tells a press conference that there are no plans for mass graves for those killed in the June 24 disaster, as thousands are still reported missing from the double earthquakes.
Man sets himself ablaze at UN and dies, police say
A man set himself on fire outside the New York City headquarters of the United Nations on Thursday and died of his injuries, the city’s police department says.
US media and a pro-Tibet activist say the individual was a pro-Tibet campaigner, though investigators did not confirm this claim.
The New York Police Department tells AFP that “at 6:32 p.m. (1:32 a.m. Friday Israel time) NYPD received a call… A male set himself on fire at First Avenue and 42nd Street. He was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital. Investigations ongoing.” No motive is given.
The New York Post reports the individual had a Tibetan flag during the incident, but AFP could not independently verify the claim.
Tencho Gyatso, President of the International Campaign for Tibet, names the deceased man as Lobga Rangzen.
“Lobga was a tireless advocate for Tibet who devoted himself to peacefully raising awareness of the human rights crisis in Tibet,” Gyatso says in a statement to AFP.
Gyatso says Rangzen had railed against China’s new “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress” that Beijing says aims to forge a “shared” national identity among ethnic groups.
Overseas campaigners have argued it will further degrade the rights of ethnic minorities, like Uyghurs and Tibetans, that Beijing is accused of persecuting.
The UN did not return a request for comment.
Trump again asks why Jews vote for Democrats, says he’s been ‘best president’ in Israel’s history
US President Donald Trump again questions why most American Jews vote for Democrats, and claims he has been the friendliest US president to Israel.
He makes the comments in an interview with CNBC while criticizing then-US president Barack Obama’s 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
“How a Jewish person can vote for a Democrat is beyond me,” Trump says. “Because I’ve been the best president in the history of Israel, and they acknowledge — and by the way, in Israel I think I was at 99% or something.”
Trump has historically polled well among Israelis, though his approval has tanked in Israel since he signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran that has sparked grave concern among Israeli officials, and that some observers have said is worse for Israel’s security than the 2015 deal. A poll published last month by the Israel Democracy Institute found that only 44% of Israelis think Israel’s security is one of Trump’s main considerations.
In his first term and especially during his 2024 campaign for president, Trump repeatedly questioned why most American Jews have historically voted for Democrats. In 2024, he took to saying that Jews who voted Democrat “should have their head examined.”
Exit polls showed that in 2016, 2020 and 2024, most American Jews voted for the Democratic presidential nominee over Trump. A poll in April of American Jews found that only 22% approve of his performance as president.
Trump: Iran has ‘agreed to just about everything we need’
US President Donald Trump claims that Iran has “agreed to just about everything we need” in negotiations over a final accord between the two countries.
Trump makes the claim in a CNBC interview when asked whether the Iran war could turn into one of the so-called ‘forever wars’ that he pledged to avoid.
Trump has previously touted Iran’s pledge in the MOU inked last month to not obtain a nuclear weapon, even though it made the same commitment in the 2015 nuclear deal brokered by then-US president Barack Obama, which Trump ridiculed and pulled out of in 2018.
He has also previously claimed that Iran has agreed to allow the US to extract the country’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium — something the Islamic Republic has denied and is actually one of the main sticking points in talks between the sides, which have reportedly not made much progress.
Trump points out in the CNBC interview that the Iran war was much shorter than other conflicts, and claims that the Afghanistan war lasted “like 10 years,” though it in fact lasted some 20 years, including spanning his first term.
He says of Iran that he managed to “defeat them militarily,” even though Tehran has “some missiles left.”
He says the US could wipe those out as well and has hit Iran as recently as last week in retaliation for targeting ships in Hormuz.
“We’re negotiating, and we’ll see,” Trump says.
Trump on Iran:
We totally defeated them militarily. They have some missiles left. We could wipe them out too.
I think they’ve agreed to just about everything we need. pic.twitter.com/fgJyfhoVBt
— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 2, 2026
NY activists plan protest against Ben Gvir visit that spokesperson says isn’t happening
Anti-Zionist activists are planning to protest against a purported visit to New York by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, but a Ben Gvir spokesperson says he’s not actually planning on traveling to New York.
Anti-Israel activist groups, including the Palestinian Youth Movement and the New York branch of Jewish Voice for Peace, say that Ben Gvir is planning to attend a United Nations summit for police next week.
The groups announce a rally at the UN on July 7 and issue an open letter to New York State Attorney General Letitia James asking her to “use the full power of your office to pursue this war criminal.”
Anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Hind Rajab Foundation also issue statements in protest of the visit.
A spokesperson for Ben Gvir tells The Times of Israel, however, that he’s not planning on attending the UN summit.
Last month, the Haaretz daily reported that Ben Gvir would be leading a delegation to the United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS) that is set to take place on July 7 and 8. But the report was never confirmed by Ben Gvir’s office and he reportedly later canceled the trip.
Far-right ministers have made surprise visits to New York in the past.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made an unannounced appearance at New York City’s annual Israel parade in May, causing an uproar.
Ben Gvir last visited the US in 2025, making stops in Florida, Connecticut, New York and Washington.
Hebrew media reported last month that the far-right minister canceled an earlier visit after he was required by the US embassy to arrive in person and provide his fingerprints as a condition for receiving a visa, apparently due to his past criminal convictions.
Sa’ar accuses Turkish FM of ‘incitement to genocide’ for saying humanity ‘cannot bear’ Israel
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accuses his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, of incitement to genocide after Fidan calls Israel a “burden that humanity can no longer bear” and says it is a “problem” for the world.
Fidan makes the comments in a TV interview, in which he calls for global sanctions on Israel.
“Israel is not just Turkey’s problem, nor is it just the issue of our president,” Fidan says in the interview, according to subtitles posted by Sa’ar. “But everyone knows it, feels it, whispers it in hidden corners, and occasionally speaks openly. These are humanity’s common problems. This is what we must call it.”
He continues, “These people have become a burden that humanity can no longer bear, with their policies and their mindset. Humanity cannot bear this… I may be the only country raising my voice, but this is a problem for all of you.”
Sa’ar shoots back on X, writing that Fidan’s “sickening words are textbook incitement to genocide.”
The foreign minister adds, “Dehumanizing the Jewish people as an ‘unbearable burden’ is the classic, horrific language of history’s worst eliminationist regimes. The civilized world and Turkey’s NATO allies must unequivocally condemn this explicit call for the erasure of Israel.”
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) July 2, 2026
Relations between Israel and Turkey collapsed following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack and the subsequent war in Gaza. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a leading critic of Israel and has repeatedly accused it of genocide.
Turkey will host a summit of the NATO alliance next week.