Live updates (closed)
The Times of Israel liveblogged Wednesday’s events as they happened.
Thousands attend pro-Hamas march in Istanbul to protest killing of Haniyeh
Thousands of pro-Hamas protesters march through the streets of central Istanbul to protest the killing of the Palestinian terror group’s leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Haniyeh was assassinated in the Iranian capital of Tehran in an attack that drew threats of revenge on Israel and fueled further concern that the conflict in Gaza is turning into a wider Middle East war.
The demonstrators hold posters with Haniyeh’s photos and banners reading, “Martyr Haniyeh, Jerusalem is our cause and your path is our path.”
Protesters are chanting “murderer Israel, get out of Palestine” and “thousands of greetings from Istanbul to the resistance in Gaza,” while waving Turkish and Palestinian flags during the march in the Fatih district of Istanbul.
US says it will take every measure to protect personnel and interests in Middle East
The United States will take every possible measure to protect its personnel and interests in the Middle East after recent attacks in the region, US State Department Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel says.
Patel makes the comment at a regular news briefing after assassinations of top terror group officials in Beirut and Tehran.
Iranian adviser was also killed in Beirut strike on Hezbollah commander, says regime mouthpiece
Iranian military adviser Milad Bedi was killed yesterday in the Beirut strike that killed Hezbollah’s top military commander Fuad Shukr, according to the Islamic regime’s official Fars News Agency.
Bedi had been in the building where Israel targeted Shukr and his body was identified a few hours ago, the report says.
Herzog urges citizens to ‘show diligence, adhere to instructions’ as Israel girds for retaliation
President Isaac Herzog speaks during a swearing-in ceremony for newly appointed judges at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, on June 23, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)
President Isaac Herzog urges Israelis to “show responsibility and diligence, and adhere to instructions and orders,” an apparent hint that tough times may be ahead.
Herzog makes the remark while speaking at a yeshiva in Kibbutz Sha’alvim, in a memorial for eight IDF soldiers killed in an incident in Rafah in June.
“Our enemies are attacking us again and again from all directions, and our forces are hitting back strongly,” he says, without directly mentioning the assassinations of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah’s top military commander Fuad Shukr.
“From near and far, our enemies understand well that we will defend our citizens at any time, in any place and in any way,” he says. “We didn’t want and will not want war, but we must be prepared, also in the home front. The fighting isn’t over. The security challenges will continue to come from different fronts.”
Khamenei orders direct strike on Israel in response to Haniyeh killing, NYT reports
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) meets with Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 30, 2024. (Photo by KHAMENEI.IR / AFP)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ordered a direct strike on Israel in response for the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, The New York Times reports, citing three unnamed Iranian officials briefed on the matter, including two Revolutionary Guard members.
The report says the directive was given this morning at an emergency meeting of the Supreme National Security Council.
Report: Talks for hostage deal may be frozen for weeks or months following killings
Negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage deal may now be suspended for weeks or even months following the successive assassinations of Hezbollah’s top military commander Fuad Shukr and Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh, Channel 13 reports.
Citing an estimation presented today to the government, the network also says Iran is likely to respond from its own soil.
Qatari PM, Iran’s acting FM discuss repercussions of Hamas chief Haniyeh’s killing
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Than discusses in a phone call with acting Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri the repercussions of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination, Qatar’s state news agency reports.
Reports claim to pin down home where Haniyeh was staying when he was killed
Growing numbers of open source officials, reporters and pro-Iranian axis social media users are claiming to publish images and the geolocation of the home where Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh was allegedly staying when he was assassinated in Tehran last night.
There is no confirmed information yet.
Geolocation of the building in northern Tehran where Ismail Haniyeh was reportedly assassinated: 35.81931, 51.41559. An Iranian official shared the image with @farnazfassihi, and it is circulating on Telegram. Green cloth and rubble is visible on the east side of the building. pic.twitter.com/gDi1vMfDbr
— Christiaan Triebert (@trbrtc) July 31, 2024
[Geolocation]
Allegedly, the house where Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated.
One of the most north points of Tehran. #Iran35.8193188, 51.4157913@GeoConfirmed https://t.co/LVhjTlTj4x pic.twitter.com/ptE6kR5kHR
— Middle East Buka (@MiddleEastBuka) July 31, 2024
مقر اقامة الشـ هيد إسماعيل هنية والذي تعرض صباح اليوم للاعتداء والاغتـ يال فيه.
الاغتـ يال واضح تم بصاروحْ موجّه. pic.twitter.com/StZQ2a1bmC
— Ali Bk (@Bk_Hanas) July 31, 2024
US also tells citizens to avoid northern Israel border areas
The United States issues a travel advisory instructing its citizens not to travel to northern Israel within 2.5 miles of the Lebanon or Syrian borders, citing the “rising tensions” between Hezbollah and Israel.
After restricting travel to all of Lebanon following Israel’s assassination of the terror group’s top military commander, the US State Department in a travel advisory says US government employees are “restricted” from travel to the border areas unless in full coordination with Israeli security forces.
“Cross-border rocket, missile, and drone strikes continue to impact this area daily and have resulted in casualties,” it says. “The Israeli authorities already restrict travel to these areas.”
US says strikes on Tehran, Beirut ‘don’t help’ tensions; ‘we’re concerned about an escalation’
An Israeli strike that killed a Hezbollah commander in Beirut and a strike that killed the political leader of Hamas in Tehran “don’t help” regional tensions, even though there are no signs of an imminent wider conflict, the White House says.
“These reports over the last 24, 48 hours certainly don’t help with the temperature going down,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby tells reporters. “We’re obviously concerned about an escalation,” he says.
“All of this adds to the complicated nature of what we’re trying to get done. And what we’re trying to get done is a ceasefire deal.”
US says escalation of Middle East conflict not inevitable
The White House says it does not see an escalation of conflict as inevitable following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and the US is still working to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Speaking at a daily briefing, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby says it is too early to say whether the latest events in the Middle East will affect prospects for a ceasefire agreement.
He says US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the developments in the region.
Top justice: Recent right-wing riots were attacks on rule of law, which must be defended also in wartime
Supreme Court Acting President Uzi Vogelman at a hearing of the High Court of Justice for a petition asking the court to order the state to close the detention facility at the Sde Teiman Military Base, June 5, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Supreme Court Acting President Uzi Vogelman says in a speech to the Israel Bar Association that the rule of law in Israel must be preserved especially during wartime, something he asserts is what distinguishes Israel from its enemies.
Referencing the break-in and riots at the Sde Teiman military base and the Beit Lid military court on Monday, Vogelman insists that the independence of Israel’s civilian and military justice systems are the “foundation stones” of the rule of law, adding that what he terms the attacks against them seen this week could undermine the democratic foundations of the country.
Hundreds of right-wing and ultranationalist rioters participated in the riots on Monday, including coalition MKs and even government ministers — in protest of the arrest of nine soldiers for the alleged violent sexual assault against a Palestinian security detainee — and sought to disrupt the legal proceedings against them.
“Even when the cannons are roaring, the law must be obeyed… The rule of law is the deepest expression of the difference between a democratic state which is fighting for its life and terrorists who seek to destroy it,” says Vogelman at a swearing-in ceremony for new attorneys.
“The independence of the civil law enforcement system, headed by the attorney general, and the military law enforcement system headed by the military advocate general is one of the foundation stones of the principle of the rule of law,” he adds.
“Attacks directed at the institutions of law and those who head them, accompanied by rule-breaking behavior — like that which we have seen in recent days — is likely to harm the ability of these systems to act independently, objectively and impartially, and erode the democratic foundations of our country.”
Major American airlines said to cancel Israel flights amid soaring tensions
View of a United Airlines flight at Ben Gurion Airport on August 3, 2013. (Moshe Shai/Flash90)
Major American airlines have told passengers that flights to Israel are canceled, Hebrew media reports, amid spiraling tensions with Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.
Delta is said to cancel its flights until August 2, and the reports say United has canceled its flights until August 6.
Several Hebrew media outlets also report that British Airways has called off flights until August 2, but the airline denies, telling The Times of Israel: “Our flights to Tel Aviv are currently operating as planned and have not been cancelled.”
Tens of thousands of Israelis are reportedly estimated to remain stranded in the United States due to the cancellation of flights to Israel.
The cancellation by United and Delta, respectively the second- and third-largest airlines in the world, will likely spark a wave of cancellations by other airlines, according to some reports.
Hezbollah says commander Shukr’s funeral to be held tomorrow, Nasrallah to speak
The funeral of top Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr will be held tomorrow afternoon, the terror group says.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah will speak at the funeral, although it is unclear if he will be physically present there. Generally, Nasrallah makes public addresses via video feed.
‘Do Not Travel’: US issues Lebanon warning to citizens, citing Israel-Hezbollah tensions
The United States urges its citizens to not travel to Lebanon, citing rising tensions between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terror group.
The US State Department raises its travel advisory to Lebanon to level four, which says “Do Not Travel.”
Report: Security guidelines tightened for PM, ministers, diplomatic staff abroad
The Shin Bet has issued stepped up security guidelines to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and all government ministers, ordering them to only attend events that have an immediately accessible sheltered area, Channel 12 news reports, without citing sources.
The report says the government members have been ordered not to go on any tour of open areas near war fronts without a personal okay from Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.
Security has also been upped in Israeli diplomatic facilities around the world, and their Israeli staffers have been told to maintain a low public profile for fear Iranian or Iran-backed actors will try to attack Israeli symbols abroad, the report says.
Air Force chief: We’re ready for any scenario, no location is too far for us to attack
IAF chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar speaks at a ceremony at the Palmachim Airbase, July 31, 2024. (Screenshot: Israel Defense Forces)
The chief of the Israeli Air Force, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, says the IAF is ready for “any scenario,” amid heightened tensions following last night’s airstrike in Beirut and this morning’s alleged Israeli assassination of Hamas’s leader in Tehran.
“The Air Force defends and attacks in all arenas of the war, enveloping the State of Israel with dozens of aircraft, manned and remotely manned, prepared and ready in a matter of minutes for any scenario, in any arena,” he says at a graduation ceremony for drone operators at the Palmachim Airbase.
“We will act against anyone who plans to harm the citizens of the State of Israel, there is no location that is too far for us to attack,” Bar adds.
Hezbollah confirms death of its most senior military commander, 24 hours after strike
A poster issued by Hezbollah on July 31, 2024, announcing the death of Fuad Shukr, the terror group's most senior military commander, in an Israeli strike on Beirut a day earlier. (Hezbollah media office)
The Hezbollah terror group confirms the death of Fuad Shukr, the terror group’s most senior military commander, targeted in yesterday’s Israeli strike in Beirut.
The announcement comes more than a day after the airstrike, which the IDF quickly said had killed Shukr.
Over the past 24 hours, Hezbollah has not carried out any attacks on northern Israel.
The group says its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, will make an address on the occasion of Shukr’s funeral tomorrow.
Netanyahu says Israel ‘ready for every scenario,’ defends decision not to end the war
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns that “challenging days are ahead.”
“Since the strike in Beirut, threats are being sounded from everywhere,” he says.
“We are ready for every scenario,” he promises, “and will stand united and determined against every threat.”
Netanyahu reiterates that the war will take time and demands stamina from Israel’s citizens. He says that for some time, he has been under pressure domestically and abroad to end the war.
“I did not give in to those voices then, and I don’t give in to them now,” he stresses.
Had he listened to them, the premier argues, Israel would not have taken out Hamas leaders and fighters, destroyed infrastructure, taken the Gaza-Egypt border area, or “created the conditions that bring us closer to terms that will not only bring our hostages back, but also allow us to achieve all of our war aims.”
“All of the achievements in recent months were attained because we did not give in,” Netanyahu says, “and because we made brave decisions in the face of great pressure at home and abroad. And I tell you it was not easy.”
“Together we will fight, and with God’s help, together we will win,” he concludes.
Netanyahu says Israel in ‘existential war,’ will ‘settle our score with anyone who harms us’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks from the IDF Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv, July 31, 2024. (Screenshot)
Israel is in an existential war against Iran and its axis and “challenging days” are ahead, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says in a televised address, speaking from the IDF Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv after a security cabinet meeting.
He says that in recent days, Israel has landed “crushing blows” on its three main proxies — the Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollah.
He points at the strike on Hamas military leader Muhammad Deif in Gaza several weeks ago, at the recent strike on the Hodeida port in Yemen, and last night’s attack on Fuad Shukr, whom he calls “Hezbollah’s chief of staff.” He doesn’t mention the assassination early this morning of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, which Israel has been mum on.
Netanyahu says Shukr was directly responsible for the murder of 12 children in Majdal Shams, and for attacks across Israel’s northern border. He points out Shukr’s involvement in the 1983 attack on US Marines in Lebanon, and in maintaining ties between Iran and Hezbollah.
He stresses that Druze and Jews have a “covenant of life” that has been strengthened in recent days.
“We settled our score with [Hajj] Mohsin,” he says, referring to Shukr’s nom de guerre, “and we will settle our score with anyone who harms us. Everyone who takes aim at our children, everyone who murders our citizens, everyone who harms our country — their blood is on their own head.”
He vows to “exact a heavy price for any aggression” against Israel.
Israeli windsurfers maintain good rankings after more than half of races
Germany's Sebastian Koerdel and Israel's Tom Reuveny compete in race 9 of the men's IQFoil windsurfing event during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Marseille on July 31, 2024. (NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP)
Despite another frustrating day with intermittent low winds, Israeli windsurfers Sharon Kantor and Tom Reuveny remain in solid positions going into the last day of races tomorrow before Friday’s medal event.
In the women’s iQFoil event, Kantor is ranked second overall after the completion of 11 races. Earlier, Kantor was way ahead in the marathon race — worth double the points of the shorter slalom or course races — but with sailors struggling with low winds in certain areas, nobody had crossed the finish line after 60 minutes and the race was canceled, its interim results discarded.
In the men’s event, Reuveny wraps up his 10th race, maintaining his 3rd place ranking behind Australia’s Grae Morris and Poland’s Pawel Tarnowski.
Another five races are expected tomorrow in each event before Friday’s medal races. The top-ranked sailor advances straight to the final race, guaranteeing them a medal. Boats ranked 2nd and 3rd go straight to the semifinal and boats ranked 4th-10th advance to the quarterfinal, while all others are knocked out of contention.
Haniyeh was hit ‘directly’ by missile, room’s walls were destroyed — senior Hamas official
The missile that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh struck him “directly,” senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya says, citing witnesses who were with Haniyeh in Iran.
As a result of the missile strike, windows, doors and walls in his room were destroyed, Al-Hayya tells a press conference in Tehran.
UN chief says strikes in Beirut and Tehran are ‘dangerous escalation’
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres speaks with the media as he arrives for a EU Summit in Brussels, March 21, 2024. (AP/Omar Havana)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounces strikes on Beirut and Tehran as a “dangerous escalation,” after Israel targeted a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas said its political chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran.
“The Secretary-General believes that the attacks we have seen in South Beirut and Tehran represent a dangerous escalation at a moment in which all efforts should instead be leading to a ceasefire in Gaza” and “the release of all Israeli hostages,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric says in a statement.
UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting today over Hamas chief’s killing
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting today after Hamas said its political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed by an Israeli strike on Iran’s capital, the Russian presidency of the council says.
The meeting, requested by Iran and supported by representatives of Russia, China and Algeria, is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. New York time (11 p.m. Israel time), says a spokesman for the Russian presidency, which holds the rotating leadership of the council.
Iran asks UN Security Council for emergency meeting on killings of Haniyeh, Shukr
Iran is asking the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting to address “Israeli aggression and terrorist attacks” after the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and the targeting of a top Hezbollah commander in the Lebanese capital.
Iranian UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani in a letter blames both strikes on Israel. He claims they “suggest an intention to escalate conflict and expand the war through the entire region.” He calls on the international community for “decisive action to address these violations and hold the perpetrators accountable.”
Israel has taken responsibility for the strike in Beirut, saying it killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, though it has been silent about the strike that killed Haniyeh.
There is no immediate response to Iran’s request from Russia, which currently holds the Security Council’s rotating presidency.
Netanyahu to give public address at 8:10 p.m.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will give an address at 8:10 p.m. from the Kirya IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, his office announces.
His speech comes after a security cabinet meeting.
Israel’s airspace north of Hadera is closed
The airspace from the coastal city of Hadera and northward is closed, according to a NOTAM, or “notice to airmen,” issued by Israel’s aviation authority this morning.
The notice is valid for 24 hours and applies to all aircraft except for emergency fights by the military, police, firefighters and medical evacuations.
Ben Gurion Airport is unaffected by the closure, as commercial flights generally do not fly north of Hadera to reach the airport near Tel Aviv.
Who will replace Haniyeh as Hamas chief? Reports name Khaled Mashaal as frontrunner
Khaled Mashaal, member of Hamas's political bureau, speaks to Kuwaiti podcaster Ammar Taqi on January 16, 2024 (Video screenshot)
Khaled Mashaal, a senior Hamas political leader in exile, is expected to be chosen as the terror group’s leader to replace Ismail Haniyeh who was assassinated in Iran early this morning, Hamas sources tell the Reuters news agency, echoing reports and estimations cited by Hebrew media.
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya, who is based in Qatar and has headed Hamas negotiators in indirect Gaza truce talks with Israel, has also been a possibility for the leadership as he is a favorite of Iran and its allies in the region, the report says.
Mashaal, 68, was famously the target of a failed Israeli assassination attempt in 1997, when Israeli agents injected him with poison on a street outside his office in the Jordanian capital Amman. Jordan’s then-King Hussein threatened to hang the would-be killers and scrap the country’s peace treaty with Israel unless the antidote was handed over. Israel did so, and also agreed to free Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, only to assassinate him seven years later in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s office says security cabinet meeting has ended after 3 hours
The security cabinet meeting has ended after nearly 3 hours, the Prime Minister’s Office says.
The meeting took place as questions swirl about how Iran and its proxies will react to recent assassinations of top Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.
Reports increasingly signal body of Hezbollah commander has been found in Beirut rubble
Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr, said by Israel to be killed in an IDF strike in Beirut on July 30, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The body of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr has been found in rubble in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut, according to several major news agencies, joining another report on Sky News Arabia that has said so.
Israel’s military announced last night that it had killed Shukr, Hezbollah’s most senior commander who is believed to have been behind a weekend attack that left a dozen children dead in the Golan Heights.
The Reuters news agency cites two security sources as saying his body has been found.
A source close to Hezbollah tells AFP that the remains have been recovered almost 24 hours after the strike.
The source, who requests anonymity, says: “Shukr’s body has been found under the rubble of the targeted building.”
IDF: Palestinian detained over Hamas-claimed shooting, stabbing attack in West Bank
IDF troops carry out searches for a Palestinian terrorist who seriously wounded an Israeli man in the southern West Bank, July 31, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
A Palestinian suspected of carrying out this morning’s shooting and stabbing attack in the southern West Bank has been detained by troops, the IDF says.
In an initial questioning, the suspect implicated himself in the attack, which left an Israeli man in serious condition, according to the IDF.
He has been handed over to the Shin Bet for further interrogation.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.
Royal Jordanian to resume Beirut flights tomorrow
Jordan’s flag carrier Royal Jordanian will resume flights to the Lebanese capital Beirut starting tomorrow at dawn, the Jordanian state news agency reports.
The airline suspended those flights on Monday.
‘Expect grave punishment,’ says huge street banner in Tehran after Haniyeh killing
As Hamas and Iranian officials threaten Israel with revenge over the assassination in Tehran of the terror group’s leader Ismail Haniyeh, a huge threatening street sign in the capital has been put up, according to media and social media.
The banner, placed next to Tehran’s Palestine Square, says “Expect grave punishment” in Hebrew, along with an edited image of Haniyeh with Jerusalem’s Temple Mount in the background.
תמונתו של אסמאעיל הניה מתנוססת בכיכר פלסטין בטהראן עם איום: "חכו לעונש חריף" pic.twitter.com/tEFFAuj8Qq
— ספיר ליפקין | Sapir Lipkin | سابير ليبكين (@sapirlipkin) July 31, 2024
Lebanon says civilian death toll from Beirut strike that killed Hezbollah commander is now 5
Lebanon’s Health Ministry says the death toll from an Israeli attack yesterday in southern Beirut has risen to five civilians.
The attack targeted top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, who oversaw the terror group’s military activities, including allegedly the weekend rocket attack that killed 12 children in the Golan Heights.
Hezbollah has said Shukr was in the targeted building, but civil defense workers were still searching for him under the rubble. The five civilians allegedly killed are two children and three women. Many more were wounded.
US sanctions Houthi weapons procurement network
The United States sanctions two people and four firms for facilitating the procurement of weapons on behalf of Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The group began launching attacks on ships in the Red Sea following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, forcing many shipping companies to alter their routes and triggering retaliatory strikes by the United States and its allies.
Today’s sanctions target “procurement operatives, shipment facilitators and suppliers” based in Yemen and China who have sourced dual-use equipment for use in the Houthis’ advanced weapons systems, the Treasury Department says in a statement.
It says that those sanctioned have “directly supported” the Yemeni rebels’ efforts to procure “military-grade materials abroad,” which were then shipped to Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, enabling their ongoing attacks.
The Houthis “have sought to exploit key jurisdictions like the PRC [People’s Republic of China[ and Hong Kong in order to source and transport the components necessary for their deadly weapons systems,” US Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence Brian Nelson says.
The Treasury will continue to target these “facilitators” who enable Houthi activities, he adds.
Those sanctioned include Al-Shahari United Corporation, a company based in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, which allegedly relied on a branch office in the Chinese city of Guangzhou to facilitate shipments to Yemen.
The US Treasury also sanctions a Yemeni businessman named Maher Yahya Muhammad Mutahar al-Kinai, who it says has coordinated with other Houthi operatives to “facilitate shipments of dual-use equipment and components.”
EU calls for ‘maximum restraint’ after Hamas chief’s killing
The European Union urges all sides to avoid escalation after Hamas said its political leader Ismail Haniyeh had been killed in an Israeli strike on Iran’s capital.
“We call on all parties to exert maximum restraint and avoid any further escalation,” EU spokesman Peter Stano says. “No country and no nation stand to gain from a further escalation in the Middle East.”
Air France, Transavia say Beirut flights suspended until Saturday
Air France and low-cost carrier Transavia France say their flights between Paris and Beirut will remain suspended until the weekend due to the “security situation” in Lebanon.
Both carriers stopped servicing the route on Monday, a day after Israel vowed to retaliate following Hezbollah rocket fire from Lebanon that killed 12 children in the Golan Heights. Flights will now remain grounded until Saturday, they say.
German carrier Lufthansa has suspended flights until August 5.
12 kids injured in Hezbollah rocket attack still hospitalized, 3 in serious condition
Twelve children wounded in the deadly Hezbollah strike on the northern Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights on Saturday are still hospitalized in northern hospitals.
Ziv Medical Center in Safed says that two children remain in serious condition, and one is still ventilated and sedated. Three children are in light condition, and one additional child is in moderate condition and is scheduled to undergo another surgery to remove shrapnel.
At Poriya Hospital near Tiberias, a 12-year-old boy has been transferred from the pediatric intensive care unit to the pediatrics department.
Rambam Medical Center in Haifa says one girl is still in serious condition with a head injury, sedated and ventilated. In the pediatric surgical unit, two boys are in light condition. Two other boys, who were previously in serious condition, regained consciousness today.
Palestinian media says Israeli Gaza strike killed 2 Al Jazeera journalists; IDF doesn’t comment
Palestinian media report that Al Jazeera reporter Ismail Alghoul and cameraman Ramy El-Rify have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City’s Shati Camp.
According to the reports, the pair were struck while in a car after reporting from a destroyed home in Shati that belonged to slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s family. Haniyeh was killed in Tehran early this morning.
The IDF has no immediate comment on the strike.
إسماعيل الغول
رامي الريفيشهداء الصحافة الفلسطينية إلى العلياء باغتيال إسرائيلي لهما pic.twitter.com/Zvg6aX1kgI
— Yasser (@Yasser_Gaza) July 31, 2024
UAE voices concern over ‘continued escalation,’ urges resolving disputes via diplomacy
Without naming any of the players involved in rising tensions between Israel and the Iranian axis, the UAE rather tamely says it is “closely monitoring the rapid regional developments and expresses its deep concern over the continued escalation and its repercussions on security and stability in the region. ”
Its foreign ministry says that the country “believes that enhancing dialogue, adhering to international laws, and respecting the sovereignty of states are the best foundations for resolving current crises. In this context, the UAE stresses the need to resolve disputes through diplomatic means, away from the language of confrontation and escalation.”
Hamas official: We and Iran don’t want regional war, but a crime should be punished
Senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya claims that the Palestinian terror group and its key backer Iran don’t want a regional war.
However, he asserts, there is a “crime that should be punished,” he says in a press conference in Tehran after the killing of the group’s chief Ismail Haniyeh.
Swiss restaurant fined for refusing to rent ski equipment to Jews
A restaurant manager in the Swiss ski resort of Davos has been fined for refusing to rent sports equipment to Jews, prosecutors say.
The manager has been sentenced to a fine and a suspended fine for “discrimination by refusing to provide services on the grounds of race, ethnicity or religion,” the office of the southeastern Graubunden canton’s public prosecutor tells AFP.
In February, the 20minuten newspaper published a picture of a sign put up at the plush Pischa station above Davos, the resort known for hosting the annual World Economic Forum of the globe’s business and political elites.
Skiing area near Davos, Switzerland.
Jews have been barred from renting ski equipment. pic.twitter.com/CeXOK60Apm
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) February 12, 2024
The sign, in Hebrew, said that because of various incidents, “including the theft of a sled, we no longer rent sports equipment to our Jewish brothers.”
The policy applied to all winter sports equipment including sleds, airboards and snowshoes, it said, ending with “thank you for your understanding.”
20minuten said the restaurant had told the paper in a written statement that they “no longer wants the daily hassle” of Jewish guests leaving sleds on the slopes, or equipment not being returned or “returned defective.”
Following a media storm in Switzerland, the restaurant manager apologized and reversed the decision.
The size of the fine is not announced, and as the man in question did not appeal, the case has not gone to court.
“The penal order is final. We will not provide any further details on the sanction,” the prosecutor’s office says.
The Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities filed the legal complaint.
“We are pleased that the public prosecutor’s office acted quickly and consistently,” its general secretary Jonathan Kreutner tells AFP.
Report: Body of slain Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr has been found
Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr, said by Israel to be killed in an IDF strike in Beirut on July 30, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The body of Hezbollah military leader Fuad Shukr has been recovered from the rubble of the Beirut building hit by an Israeli strike last night, and his family has been informed, Emirati-owned Sky News Arabia reports.
Earlier today, Hezbollah announced that Shukr had been present in the building at the moment of the strike, but did not confirm his death. The terror group said civil defense teams were working “diligently but slowly” to clear the rubble.
Reports: Security upped around Israeli athletes at Paris Olympics
Security around Israel’s athletes at the 2024 Olympics in Paris has been upped as authorities prepare for potential reprisal for the killings of top Hamas and Hezbollah officials, several Hebrew media outlets report.
Following situational assessments, the Shin Bet reinforced its security around the Israeli delegation, with more Israeli and French guards added in multiple facilities, including the Olympic village, Ynet reports.
It adds instructions for the delegation members have been made more stringent.
Hamas claims morning’s shooting attack, vows to carry out more assaults in Hebron area
The Izz a-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, claims responsibility for a shooting and stabbing attack this morning near the West Bank village of Beit Einun, north of Hebron, in which an Israeli man in his 50s was seriously wounded.
The attack “is the beginning of a rapid response to the cowardly assassination of our great national leader, the martyr Ismail Haniyeh,” the terror group writes in its claim. It also indicates that the Hebron area will be “at the forefront” of retaliatory attacks in the coming days.
The terror group further claims an attack against Israeli security forces near the Ibrahimi mosque, the Muslim name for the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the old city of Hebron. The incident has not been reported by Israeli authorities or Hebrew media. The IDF tells The Times of Israel there has been no attempted attack near the Tomb of the Patriarchs.
IDF chief hails Shukr’s killing, says army has more plans to drive Hezbollah away from border
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi speaks at a drill in northern Israel on July 31, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi visits the site of a military drill in the north along with several top commanders, and makes his first public comments on the assassination yesterday of Hezbollah’s top military commander Fuad Shukr, also known as Hajj Mohsin.
“Mohsin is the most senior military official in Hezbollah, and he is also very close to [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah; in fact he organizes all the military issues for him — organized, in past tense,” he says.
Halevi says Shukr was responsible for ordering the killing of many civilians in the north.
He says the army has solid plans laid out, “because our goal with Hezbollah is to not go back to the October 6 [status quo]” — referring to the Lebanese terror group maintaining a continued presence on the Israel border, in violation of a UN Security Council resolution that said it should keep dozens of kilometers away.
Top British ministers visit Qatar to push for end to Israel-Hamas war
British Foreign Minister David Lammy and Defense Minister John Healey have traveled to Qatar to help drive efforts to end the conflict in Gaza and call for deescalation in the wider region, the British Foreign Office says.
Lammy and Healey “will reiterate the UK’s support to Qatar for the country’s role in mediating and end to the war in Gaza – including efforts to deliver an immediate ceasefire agreed by both sides.”
They are scheduled to meet with Qatar’s emir, prime minister and defense minister.
German FM calls for maximum restraint to ‘not plunge the entire region into chaos’
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock calls for restraint to avoid further escalation of the conflict in the Middle East following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
“Hamas is a terrorist organization that has carried out countless cruel and deadly attacks on Israel. The central issue now is to prevent a regional conflagration and not plunge the entire region into chaos,” Baerbock says in a news conference.
Baerbock says any decision made now may ease the situation or inflame it further and calls on all parties in the conflict to “exercise maximum restraint and deescalate in the interest of the people in the region.”
Deputy AG urges IDF to recruit full-time Haredi yeshiva students, stop ‘selective enforcement’
Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein (second from left) leads a committee meeting on the ultra-Orthodox enlistment law at the Knesset in Jerusalem, July 31, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon instructs the IDF that it must recruit full-time yeshiva students and not only members of the ultra-Orthodox community who have jobs.
The military is preparing to send out its second batch of 1,000 draft orders to Haredi men aged 18-26 in the wake of last month’s High Court ruling that there is no longer any legal framework allowing the state to refrain from drafting Haredi yeshiva students into military service.
Earlier this month, the IDF announced that it would begin the process of conscription for 3,000 ultra-Orthodox men, the first thousand of which went out on July 21.
“We must act immediately to implement the ruling on the recruitment of yeshiva students who are required to do military service, in accordance with the needs of the army and its capabilities,” Limon writes, according to a copy of the letter published by the ultra-Orthodox news site Kikar Hashabbat.
According to Limon, “the High Court determined that at this time, there is no legal infrastructure to prevent the enlistment of Haredi yeshiva students and the state must act to enforce the provisions of the Security Service Law in their case.”
Failure to recruit yeshiva students while drafting Haredim who have jobs “would amount to selective enforcement,” he adds.
The Israel Defense Forces has asked the National Insurance Institute social security agency to provide it with the employment details of young ultra-Orthodox men who are eligible for military service and, according to the army, the first batches to be mobilized include men who have jobs, are enrolled in institutions of higher education, or hold driver’s licenses — indicators that they are not engaged in full-time yeshiva studies despite having received exemptions on that basis.
The Finance Ministry has warned that enlisting working ultra-Orthodox men into the army will damage efforts to integrate this group of the population into the labor market.
According to the Israel Democracy Institute, at least 22% of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students under the age of 26 are illegally employed, in violation of the terms of their exemption from military service. These rules were vacated by the court’s recent decision and the Knesset Foreign Affairs is currently debating how to regulate yeshiva students’ ability to engage in academic study and join the workforce as part of a controversial enlistment bill under discussion.
Security cabinet meeting underway to discuss Hezbollah, Hamas responses to killings
The high-level security cabinet meeting at the Kirya military headquarters has begun, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
The forum is expected to discuss potential Hezbollah and Iranian reactions to the assassinations of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.
Israel still working for hostage deal, doesn’t seek war, Gallant tells US’s Austin
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on April 14, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry, File)
In an Israeli readout of the call between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the latter’s office says Gallant “highlighted that especially during these times, the State of Israel is working to achieve a framework for the release of hostages.”
The statement says Gallant gave an update on the “precise operation” that killed Hezbollah top commander Fuad Shukr.
Gallant “referred to the operation as a direct response to Hezbollah’s attack and the murder of 12 children in the northern Israeli town of Majdal Shams,” the readout says. “Minister Gallant emphasized that Israel does not seek war; however the IDF remains prepared to defend its citizens and to respond to any attack by Hezbollah.”
The minister thanks Austin for his support for Israel and his role in the countries’ relations amid the war.
Palestinian Authority leader Abbas to visit Turkey on August 14-15, Ankara says
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Turkey on August 14-15, the Turkish presidency says.
Abbas will meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on August 14 and address parliament on August 15, the presidency’s communications director Fahrettin Altun says on social media platform X.
Jordan’s FM discusses ‘dangerous escalation’ with Blinken, urges war’s end
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi speaks by phone with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss “the dangerous escalation taking place in the region and the steps required to stop it,” according to the Jordanian readout.
Safadi stresses that stopping Israel’s war in Gaza “must be the main immediate priority.” He also repeats his condemnation of the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, calling it “a heinous crime, a violation of international law, and a dangerous escalation.”
FM Katz urges dozens of countries to demand Hezbollah’s withdrawal from Israel border
Foreign Minister Israel Katz sends a letter to dozens of foreign ministers, calling on them to demand “an immediate cessation of Hezbollah’s attacks, its withdrawal to north of the Litani River, and its disarmament in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”
“Israel is not interested in an all-out war,” he continues, “but the only way to prevent it is the immediate implementation of Resolution 1701.”
Katz also says that in the strike on Hezbollah military head Fuad Shukr, Israel “sent a clear message: We will harm with great force whoever harms us.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, sent a letter to other Foreign Ministers stating Israel does not want all out war, “only way to prevent it is to implement UN Resolution 1701” pic.twitter.com/ecCxWzUxzf
— Backdoor News (@BackdoorNews2) July 31, 2024
Blinken stresses to Qatari PM importance of continuing to work for hostage deal
Following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed in a phone call with Qatari Prime Minister Muhammad al-Thani the importance of continuing to work to reach a hostage release and ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the State Department says.
Blinken “reiterated that the United States would continue to work to ensure an agreement is reached,” the US readout adds.
Israeli government spokesman says ‘not commenting’ on Haniyeh’s assassination
An Israeli government spokesman declines to comment on the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in the early morning.
“We are not commenting on that particular incident,” spokesman David Mencer tells a briefing with journalists.
Israel’s ‘non-rights’: Some of Haniyeh’s last words
Channel 12 broadcasts what it says were some of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh’s final public remarks, hours before his death.
In an excerpt of a television interview he gave in Tehran yesterday, Haniyeh refers to meetings he had been holding with Iran’s leadership and welcomes what he describes as the Iranian president’s reiteration of “the permanent stance of the Islamic Republic, on the Palestinian issue, on resistance, on Jerusalem.”
Adds Haniyeh approvingly: “We also heard his stance on Israel’s non-right to any centimeter of the land of Palestine.”
Israeli archer Mikaella Moshe knocked out of individual competition in Paris
Israeli archer Mikaella Moshe competes in a ranking round at the Paris Olympics on July 25, 2024. (Olympic Committee of Israel)
Israeli archer Mikaella Moshe is knocked out of the individual competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics after losing 1-7 to Romania’s Madalina Amăistroaie following four sets in the first elimination round in the women’s event.
“It’s disappointing. I think I handled it okay,” Moshe tells the Sport5 broadcaster, noting that she is new to the international archery scene, having only picked up the sport two years ago after years of training as a rhythmic gymnast. “That’s also a factor.”
Tomorrow, Israeli archer Roy Dror will take his own shot at advancing in the men’s event, and Moshe and Dror will compete together in the mixed team event on Friday.
Iran says US bears ‘responsibility’ as supporter of Israel in killing of Hamas chief
Iran says that the United States bears responsibility in the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran because of its support for Israel.
IDF demolishes West Bank home of terrorist who killed 2 in January shooting attack
IDF troops work to demolish the home of a Palestinian terrorist in the West Bank village of Atara, early July 31, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Overnight, the IDF demolished the home of Murad Dahadhah, a Palestinian terrorist who carried out a deadly shooting attack in the West Bank in January, killing two people.
In the attack on January 7 on Route 465, near the West Bank settlement of Ateret, Dahadhah shot dead Amar Mansour, 33, a resident of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina, and Lara Tannous, 42, a Palestinian woman from Ramallah who worked as a pharmacist at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center.
Dahadhah was arrested alongside two other alleged accomplices a day after the attack. The IDF says it has sent demolition orders to the families of the other suspects accused of participating in the attack as well.
The IDF says troops operated in the West Bank village of Atara overnight to demolish Dahadhah’s home.
Despite the victims being Palestinians, Israeli security authorities say the shooting was carried out with nationalist motives, meaning it is considered a terror attack.
As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks.
Dismay in Gaza, and rare open support for Hamas in West Bank after Haniyeh killing
Palestinians attend a protest in Nablus in the West Bank following the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh on July 31, 2024. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
War-weary Palestinians in Gaza mourn the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Some say it will complicate efforts to reach a ceasefire deal with Israel.
“This man could have signed the prisoner exchange deal with the Israelis,” says Saleh al-Shannar, who was displaced from his home in northern Gaza. “Why did they kill him? They killed peace, not Ismail Haniyeh.”
Nour Abu Salam, a displaced woman, says the killing shows that Israel doesn’t want to end the war and establish peace in the region. “By assassinating Haniyeh, they are destroying everything,” she says.
And hundreds of Palestinian demonstrators have marched through Ramallah and other cities in the West Bank in protest against the killing. They carried dozens of green Hamas flags and chanted, “The people want al-Qassam Brigades,” a reference to the group’s military wing.
Open support in Ramallah for Hamas is rare. Ramallah is the administrative capital of the West Bank and is governed by the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority, long at odds with Hamas over the governance of the two Palestinian territories.
Dahlan condemns killing of Haniyeh, calls for Palestinian unity
Mohammad Dahlan during a TV interview on March 18, 2021 (video screenshot)
Former senior Fatah official Mohammad Dahlan condemns the “cowardly” assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, calling him a “great national leader,” and blames the US for allowing Israel to continue its war against Hamas.
He urges strengthening Palestinian national unity and calls on the international community to stop the war in Gaza.
Dahlan, a native of the Gaza Strip who was expelled by Hamas after its bloody 2007 coup, is considered a unifying figure in Palestinian politics, and according to recent reports, is seen as a possible leader in the Gaza Strip after the war. He lives in Abu Dhabi and has forged close relations with the UAE leadership.
The Wall Street Journal wrote last week that “some US, Israeli and Arab officials” are putting Dahlan forward as a “temporary solution to a dilemma facing postwar Gaza.”
However, Dahlan has rejected the idea, posting last week on X that he would not accept “any security, governmental or executive role” unless an agreement was reached “based on Palestinian national understandings.”
Poll: About 8 in 10 Democrats satisfied with Harris as nominee
Vice President Kamala Harris boards Air Force Two as she departs Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport in Westfield, Mass., July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, Pool, File)
US Vice President Kamala Harris appears to have energized Democrats in the early days of her candidacy, with the surge in warm feelings extending across multiple groups, including some key Democratic constituencies that had been tepid about President Joe Biden, according to a new poll.
About 8 in 10 Democrats say they would be very or somewhat satisfied if Harris became the Democratic nominee for president. The survey from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research was conducted after Biden withdrew from the race.
The rapidly changing views among Democrats in such a short time span underscore how swiftly the party has coalesced behind Harris as its standard-bearer.
Reports of explosion in Damascus suburb with heavy Iran presence
Unconfirmed reports in Syria say an explosion occurred a short while ago in the Damascus suburb of Sayyidah Zaynab.
Images circulating online show a cloud of smoke rising from the area.
Sayyidah Zaynab is an area where Iran and its proxies are believed to have a strong presence.
There is no immediate comment from Syrian authorities on the reports.
https://twitter.com/ahmadserhann/status/1818604677191065785
Austin speaks to Gallant amid rising tensions, affirms US commitment to Israel’s security
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, standing right, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, standing left, listen to the playing of the Israeli National Anthem during an arrival ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington, June 25, 2024. (AP Photo/ Susan Walsh)
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant regarding the threat posed by Hezbollah, the Pentagon says.
A readout from Austin’s office says the two spoke about Israel’s response to Lebanese Hezbollah’s July 27 attack on Israel, which killed twelve children in a soccer field.
“They discussed the threats to Israel posed by a range of Iranian-backed terrorist groups, including Lebanese Hezbollah,” the readout says without referring to last night’s Israeli strike that killed a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut and the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, an operation also blamed on Israel.
“Secretary Austin reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and right to self-defense. They also discussed ongoing efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution that enables citizens on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border to safely return to their homes,” the statement says.
There is no immediate readout from the Israeli side.
Shachar Sagiv places 37th out of 55 in men’s triathlon
Israel's Shachar Sagiv dives into the water for the start of the men's individual triathlon competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics, July 31, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Israeli Shachar Sagiv completes the men’s triathlon in 37th place out of 55 competitors.
The UK’s Alex Yee wins gold, New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde silver and France’s Leo Bergere takes bronze. Five competitors do not finish the race, and many of the athletes collapse in relief after crossing the finish line in the grueling competition.
Sagiv received two 15-second time penalties for technical errors during the swimming and running stages.
“Even though I didn’t finish in the spot I wanted, I tried to give everything I had. I wanted so much more,” Sagiv tells Israel’s Sport5 broadcaster shortly after the race. “It’s a big miss for me, but not many get to this position, to this starting line, and I’m really proud of what I managed to do over the past three years.”
In Tokyo, Sagiv swam, biked and ran his way to the 20th spot, the best Israeli finish in the Olympic event.
The men’s triathlon was supposed to take place yesterday but was delayed due to pollution levels in the Seine River.
Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot defends breaking into IDF base: ‘I was doing my job’
MK Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism) pictured after breaking into the IDF's Sde Teiman detention center, July 29, 2024. (X screenshot, used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)
Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot defends his action in breaking into the IDF’s Sde Teiman base in southern Israel on Monday, telling members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, “I completely stand behind what I did.”
“I was doing my job,” the far-right lawmaker declares.
Speaking with The Times of Israel after the meeting, Sukkot says he has no regrets over his actions. Pulling out a card identifying him as a Knesset member, he argues that the accreditation “gives me the right to enter any place in the State of Israel” in order to engaged in oversight.
Suspecting that there was something “improper” going on at the base, “I came to check what was going on there,” he continued, adding that the IDF “needed to allow me to enter inside.”
Sukkot was one of dozens of far-right activists and lawmakers who rioted outside the Sde Teiman base on Monday after nine IDF soldiers were detained by Military Police investigators amid an investigation into alleged severe abuse against a Palestinian terror detainee.
Sukkot was filmed pushing through the gates despite IDF efforts to block his entrance.
Blinken says US not involved or made aware of the killing of Hamas leader
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a conversation on Advancing Security and Prosperity in the Indo-Pacific Region with Singapore's Ambassador-at-Large Chan Heng Chee at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the United States had not been aware of the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
“This is something we were not aware of or involved in. It’s very hard to speculate,” Blinken says in an interview with Channel News Asia during a visit to Singapore, when asked what impact it could have, according to a transcript.
Germany calls for restraint in Middle East, says reprisals are the wrong path
The German government calls for restraint in the Middle East in the wake of an Israeli strike that killed a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut and the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, a strike also blamed on Israel.
“It is essential to avoid further escalation and a regional conflagration,” German foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer tells reporters, adding that “we call on all actors to exercise maximum restraint; the logic of tit-for-tat reprisals is the wrong path.”
Blinken says Gaza ceasefire is ‘imperative’ after Hamas chief killing
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken takes part in a conversation with former Singapore ambassador Chan Heng Chee at the Asian Civilisation Museum in Singapore on July 31, 2024. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that a ceasefire in Gaza was the “imperative,” after the killing of Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.
Speaking at a forum in Singapore, Blinken refused to comment directly on the killing of Haniyeh, but he says reaching a ceasefire in Gaza “is the enduring imperative.”
Maya Goshen loses second judo bout to France’s Marie-Ève Gahié
France's Marie Eve Gahie and Israel's Maya Goshen (blue) compete in the judo women's -70kg round of 16 bout of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Champ-de-Mars Arena, in Paris on July 31, 2024. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
Israeli judoka Maya Goshen loses to France’s Marie-Ève Gahié in the round of 16 in the women’s under-70kg weight class, ending her individual Olympic run. Goshen tells Israel’s Sport 5 channel after the match that she felt “the Olympics is the Olympics and anything is possible, no matter what, no matter who I’m facing.” Ultimately, she says, “unfortunately that wasn’t my direction.”
Separately, Israeli swimmer David Gerchik finishes his heat in the men’s 200m backstroke in third place and 22nd overall with a time of 1:58:79, failing to qualify for the semifinal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Gerchik tells Sport5 after exiting the water that the Olympic experience, “with 5,000 people in the audience” is very different from anything he’s used to, but that “after a difficult year, mentally and physically,” he was happy just to qualify for the Olympics.
Meanwhile, badminton player Misha Zilberman beats his Nepali opponent Prince Dahal 21–12 and 21–10, but it is not enough to advance him to the next round after two earlier losses. Zilberman, at his fourth Olympic games, ends his run in Paris.
Simultaneously, Shachar Sagiv is taking part in the rescheduled men’s triathlon, which is advancing to its third and final section.
Egypt condemns killing of Haniyeh, says it undermines Gaza truce talks
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, right, meets with Egyptian Intelligence Minister Khalid Fawzi at the former's office in Gaza City on October 3, 2017. (AFP Photo/Mahmud Hams)
Egypt condemns the strikes on Hezbollah military leader Fuad Shukr in Beirut and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, calling it a “dangerous escalation” that could ignite the region.
Its foreign ministry says that the strikes undermine “the strenuous efforts made by Egypt and its partners to stop the war in the Gaza Strip,” and “indicate the absence of Israeli political will to calm the situation.”
Cairo calls for the United Nations Security Council to “prevent the security situation in the region from spiraling out of control.”
Gallant: ‘We don’t want war, but we are preparing for all possibilities’
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks to soldiers at an Arrow air defense unit on July 31, 2023 (Israel Defense Forces)
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tells troops at an Arrow long-range missile defense system battery, “We don’t want war, but we are preparing for all possibilities.”
The visit comes after Hezbollah’s most senior military commander was killed in an IDF airstrike in Beirut yesterday, and Hamas’s political leader was allegedly killed by Israel in Tehran this morning.
Abbas announces day of mourning for Haniyeh; Iran declares three days, will host funeral ceremony
A Palestinian man walks through the West Bank city of Nablus, where shops are closed as part of a general strike following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announces a national day of mourning today for the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Palestinian flags will be flown at half staff for the day, the Palestinian official news agency Wafa reports.
Abbas’s political movement Fatah has been opposed to Hamas since the latter wrested control over the Gaza Strip in 2007 and killed and ousted hundreds of Fatah members.
Iran meanwhile declares three days of mourning for Haniyeh, state media reports.
Hamas says that a funeral for Haniyeh will be held in Tehran on Thursday and then his body will be transferred to Qatar’s capital Doha for prayers and burial.
The ceremony will take place in the national mosque of Qatar, the largest in the country.
Haniyeh will be buried in Lusail, north of Doha, in the same cemetery where the founder of the State of Qatar Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani is interred.
Islamic Jihad leader Nakhaleh was in the same building as Haniyeh but survived – report
A handout picture released by the Iranian presidency shows Iran's new President Masoud Pezeshkian (R) during a meeting with Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Nakhaleh in Tehran on July 29, 2024. (Photo by Iranian Presidency / AFP)
Palestinian Islamic Jihad secretary general Ziad Nakhaleh was staying in the same building as Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran at the time of the latter’s assassination, but on a different floor, Channel 12 reports.
Nakhaleh was not a target of the attack and was not killed, the channel adds.
Dichter predicts establishment of Oct. 7 state commission of inquiry
Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter attends a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on January 8, 2023. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
Speaking at a food security conference, Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter predicts the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the “neglect and failure” surrounding October 7.
“It is impossible to define what happened on October 7 as anything other than neglect and failure. I am sure that when the time is ripe for this, a state commission of inquiry will be established, which will not be different from the one established after the Yom Kippur War,” Calcalist quotes the former Shin Bet director as saying.
Despite growing demands to do so, including from his own defense minister, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far resisted forming a state commission of inquiry into the policy failings leading up to October 7 or the government’s handling of the war.
Israel’s Maya Goshen beats Turkey’s Fidan Ögel in women’s under-70kg Olympic judo
Israel's Maya Goshen and Turkey's Fidan Ogel (blue) compete in the judo women's -70kg round of 32 bout of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Champ-de-Mars Arena, in Paris on July 31, 2024. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
Israeli judoka Maya Goshen beats Turkey’s Fidan Ögel in her first match in the women’s under-70kg weight class at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Ögel seems to first walk off the mat without shaking hands with Goshen, but the Israeli approaches her and the pair shake hands following their match.
Goshen, making her Olympic debut in Paris, will next face France’s Marie-Ève Gahié in the round of 16.
Netanyahu to convene security cabinet after killing of top Hezbollah, Hamas leaders
A handout photo shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holding a situational assessment at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv on July 30, 2024. (Haim Zach/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene the security cabinet today, his office announces.
The meeting comes in the wake of the assassinations of top Hezbollah and Hamas officials.
Qatari PM questions Israel’s seriousness about reaching hostage deal after killing of Haniyeh
Qatar's Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, arrives at the plenary session of the Summit on peace in Ukraine, at the luxury Burgenstock resort, near Lucerne, Switzerland, June 15, 2024. (Urs Flueeler / Pool / AFP)
Qatar’s prime minister casts doubt on Israel’s seriousness about reaching a hostage release deal after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
“Political assassinations & continued targeting of civilians in Gaza while talks continue leads us to ask, how can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on other side?” writes Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on X. “Peace needs serious partners & a global stance against the disregard for human life.”
Qatar, along with Egypt and the US, has been mediating talks between Israel and Hamas throughout the war in Gaza. It also hosts Hamas leaders, including Haniyeh.
Revolutionary Guards say Iran and proxies will respond to Haniyeh’s assassination
Head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami delivers a speech during the funeral of Razi Moussavi, a senior commander in the IRGC's Quds Force who was killed on December 25 in an alleged Israeli strike in Syria, in Tehran, on December 28, 2023. (Atta Kenare/AFP)
The assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran “will be met with a harsh and painful response,” Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards military force says in a statement.
“Iran and the resistance front will respond to this crime,” it says, employing a term Tehran uses to refer to its proxies across the Middle East.
Hostage families laud military achievements, but say real accomplishment will be bringing captives home
Protesters call for the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since October 7, outside the IDF's Kirya base in Tel Aviv, July 28, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
The Hostages Families Forum issues a statement lauding the military accomplishments of the Israel Defense Forces but says that “any true achievement can only be realized with the release of all 115 hostages still in captivity.”
The statement comes after the IDF killed a top Hezbollah leader in Beirut last night and after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a Tehran strike attributed to Israel.
“The deal proposed by the Israeli government and supported by President Biden represents the only viable path to secure their freedom, allowing the living to begin rehabilitation and the murdered to receive proper burial,” the statement says.
“Time is of the essence, and we implore the Israeli government and global leaders to decisively advance negotiations. This is the time for a deal. Securing the hostages’ release is not just a moral imperative; it is the key for ending the current conflict and initiating a process of healing and reconstruction in the region,” they say.
Hamas military wing: Haniyeh’s assassination takes battle with Israel to ‘new levels’
File: Masked operatives from the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas terror group, ride vehicles as they commemorate the 30th anniversary of their group, in Gaza City, December 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
The Izz a-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, say that the assassination of the group’s leader in Tehran is a “critical event” that takes the battle with Israel to “new levels,” and will have “major repercussions on the entire region.”
Violating the sovereignty of countries in the region constitutes a “miscalculation” and should “ring an alarm bell for all the countries and peoples in the region,” the group says in a statement, adding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is leading Israel “towards the abyss.”
The group further eulogizes the slain leader, describing his life as “full of jihad and sacrifices” as he contributed to the growth of Hamas. His “martyrdom” confirms that Hamas’s leaders “participate in the battle side by side with their people,” the statement adds.
Erdogan slams killing of ‘brother’ Haniyeh in a ‘treacherous assassination’
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in January 2012 (photo: Mohammed Al-Ostaz / Flash 90)
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemns the strike on Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, calling it a “treacherous assassination.”
“It is a despicable act” he says on X, “aimed at disrupting the Palestinian cause, the glorious resistance of Gaza and the just struggle of our Palestinian brothers, and demoralizing and intimidating the Palestinians.”
Turkey hosts Hamas political officials, and insists Hamas is not a terrorist organization. Its Foreign Ministry condemned the attack earlier in the day.
“Zionist barbarism will not be able to achieve its goals as it has done so far,” Erdogan continues.
He calls Haniyeh his “brother,” and wishes that God bless him with “his paradise and beauty.”
Syria says Hamas chief killing could ‘set region ablaze’
In this December 4, 2006 file photo, Syria's President Bashar Assad, right, meets with Hamas's Ismail Haniyeh in Damascus, Syria. (AP/Sana, File)
Syria’s foreign ministry condemns the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, blaming Israel and warning that the latest escalation could “set the entire region ablaze.”
“Syria condemns this blatant Zionist aggression,” the ministry says, describing Haniyeh’s killing as a “despicable act” and adding it “considers that the continued disregard of international laws by the Israeli entity… may set the entire region ablaze.”
Haniyeh’s funeral to be held in Qatar on Friday – report
FILE -- Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh poses for a photograph in front of a mural showing the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and an image of assassinated Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in Gaza City on February 16, 2006.(Photo by AWAD AWAD / AFP)
Ismail Haniyeh’s funeral will be held in the Qatari capital Doha on Friday, the Saudi-owned Al Hadath news channel reports.
The Hamas leader had been living in the Gulf monarchy since 2019.
Jordan condemns killing of Haniyeh ‘in the strongest terms’
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry condemns “in the strongest terms” Israel’s alleged assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, calling it “a violation of international law and international humanitarian law, and an escalatory crime that will push towards more tension and chaos in the region.”
Foreign Ministry spokesman Sufyan Al-Qudah calls for the international community to take “immediate measures to impose an end to the Israeli aggression on Gaza and Israel’s violations of international law and United Nations resolutions, and to protect the security and stability of the region from the disastrous consequences of the continued Israeli aggression on Gaza.”
He also condemns “the Israeli aggression” against Beirut last night, warning that it will lead to a spread of conflict.
Khamenei says Tehran has a duty to avenge Haniyeh, vows harsh punishment for Israel
A handout picture provided by the office of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him (R) meeting with leaders of the Palestinian Hamas movement Ismail Haniyeh (C) and the Islamic Jihad group Ziad Nakhaleh in Tehran on July 30, 2024. (KHAMENEI.IR/AFP)
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vows “harsh punishment” for Israel after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday.
“With this action, the criminal and terrorist Zionist regime prepared the ground for harsh punishment for itself, and we consider it our duty to seek revenge for his blood as he was martyred in the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he says in a statement carried by official news agency IRNA.
Israel said stepping up security at diplomatic missions, Jewish sites around the world
Police officers block off traffic at an intersection close to the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, after a terrorist attack there, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)
Israel has stepped up security at its diplomatic missions around the world in the wake of the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Ynet reports.
The Foreign Ministry declines to comment.
Israel has not claimed responsibility or commented on the killing.
The report says security has also been increased at Jewish institutions around the world.
Lebanese government expects Hezbollah to retaliate for Israeli strike, will try calm situation
Lebanese civil defense check the area in the aftermath of an Israeli military strike on a building in a southern suburb of Beirut, July 31, 2024. (Anwar Amro / AFP)
Lebanon expects Hezbollah to retaliate for an Israeli strike that targeted the group’s most senior military commander, and the government will engage in diplomatic efforts to calm tensions, Information Minister Ziad Makary says.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting to discuss the previous evening’s strike on a Beirut suburb, Makary says the cabinet is worried that the situation could spiral.
He says a plan is in place in case of a large-scale displacement of people in Lebanon.
Palestinian factions call for general strike in West Bank and marches after Haniyeh killing
Palestinians walk through a deserted commercial area in Hebron in the West Bank during a general strike on July 31, 2024, following the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran overnight. (Photo by MOSAB SHAWER / AFP)
Palestinian factions called for a general strike and marches to protest the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in an air strike in Tehran.
“The national and Islamic factions in Palestine announce a comprehensive strike and anger marches to (protest) the assassination of the great national leader Ismail Haniyeh, which came in the framework of Zionist state terrorism and its war of extermination,” the Palestinian factions in the West Bank say a joint statement.
Iran president vows to make ‘occupiers regret their cowardly act’ of killing Hamas leader
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, right, shakes hands with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at the start of their meeting at the President's office in Tehran, Iran, July 30, 2024. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)
Iran will “defend its territorial integrity, dignity, honor, and pride, and will make the terrorist occupiers regret their cowardly act” of assassinating Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, President Masoud Pezeshkian says.
He did not elaborate in his statement, which was carried by Iranian media.
IDF says it carried out dozens of airstrikes in Gaza in past day
An IDF soldier operates in the Gaza Strip in a photo released on July 31, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)
Over the past day, the IDF says fighter jets and drones struck dozens of targets across the Gaza Strip, including cells of operatives, tunnel shafts, buildings used by Hamas, and other infrastructure.
The strikes come as the 162nd Division continues to operate in southern Gaza’s Rafah.
The IDF says the division raided Hamas sites and killed gunmen during operations in Rafah’s northwestern Tel Sultan neighborhood in the past 24 hours.
Reservists with the 252nd Division, meanwhile, are operating in the Netzarim Corridor area in central Gaza.
The IDF says the reservists spotted a cell of gunmen attempting to plant an explosive device nearby, and called in a drone strike, killing the operatives.
China condemns assassination of Hamas leader in Iran
China firmly opposes and condemns the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, the Chinese foreign ministry says, adding that the incident could lead to further regional instability.
Qatar says killing of Hamas chief ‘heinous crime,’ warns of ‘dangerous escalation’
File - Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (R), in a meeting with Hamas politburo leader Ismail Haniyeh (L) and official Khaled Mashal in Doha, Qatar, October 17, 2016 (Qatar government handout)
Qatar condemns the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a strike as he visited Tehran, describing it as a “heinous crime,” the Gulf state’s foreign ministry says.
Qatar, which hosts Hamas’s leadership that had included Haniyeh and has mediated in truce talks for the war in Gaza, says the killing was a “dangerous escalation,” adding that it will “lead to the region slipping into chaos and undermine the chances of peace.”
Yemen’s Houthis condemn killing of Haniyeh: ‘A heinous terrorist crime’
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree speaks at a rally against the US and Israel in Sanaa, Yemen, July 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
The killing of Hamas’s leader in an airstrike in Tehran is a “heinous terrorist crime,” Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels say.
“Targeting him is a heinous terrorist crime and a flagrant violation of laws and ideal values,” Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau, posts on X.
The Yemeni rebels have been launching drones and missiles at shipping in the Red Sea and at targets in Israel since November, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war.
Earlier this month, a deadly Houthi drone strike on Tel Aviv prompted Israeli airstrikes on Hodeida, impoverished Yemen’s lifeline port, that killed nine people and triggered a massive inferno.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah issues condolences after killing of Hamas chief
This picture released by the Hezbollah Media Relations Office, shows Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, right, meeting with Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, in Beirut, Lebanon, June 29, 2021. (Hezbollah Media Relations Office, via AP)
Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group issues its condolences after Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed overnight in the Iranian capital Tehran.
Hezbollah, which like Hamas is backed by Iran, did not specifically accuse Israel but says it will make Iran-backed groups more determined to confront Israel.
UN report says Palestinians detained after Oct. 7 faced torture, including waterboarding and electric shocks
This undated photo taken in winter 2023 and provided by Breaking the Silence, a whistleblower group of former Israeli soldiers, shows blindfolded Palestinians captured in the Gaza Strip in a detention facility on the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel. (Breaking The Silence via AP)
The UN human rights office issues a report saying Palestinian detainees taken by Israeli authorities since Hamas’s October 7 massacre have faced waterboarding, sleep deprivation, electric shocks and other torture and mistreatment.
The report on detention says Israel’s prison service held more than 9,400 “security detainees” as of the end of June, and some have been held in secret without access to lawyers or respect for their legal rights.
A summary of the report, based on interviews with former detainees and other sources, decries a “staggering” number of detainees — including men, women, children, journalists and human rights defenders — and said such practices raise concerns about arbitrary detention.
“The testimonies gathered by my office and other entities indicate a range of appalling acts, such as waterboarding and the release of dogs on detainees, amongst other acts, in flagrant violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law,” says UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk in a statement.
Findings in the report, one of the most extensive of its kind, could be used by International Criminal Court prosecutors who are looking into crimes committed in connection with Hamas’s October 7 attack and its aftermath, including Israel’s military campaign against the terror group, which is ongoing in Gaza.
Authors of the report says its content was shared with the Israeli government.
Times of Israel staff contributed.
Former Iranian Guards commander says Israel will pay price for killing Haniyeh
Iran's Mohsen Rezaie (Courtesy)
A former commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Mohsen Rezaie, warns that Israel would “pay a heavy price” for assassinating Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iranian state media reports.
Israel has not commented on the killing in Tehran.
Iran media confirms Haniyeh killed in airstrike, was staying at residence for war veterans
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh claps as newly-elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks while deputy leader of the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Kassem, left, sits during the swearing-in ceremony of Pezeshkian at the Iranian parliament, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iranian media says that Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed by an airstrike in Tehran where he was attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president.
“Haniyeh, who had come to Iran for the inauguration ceremony of the president, was staying in one of the special residences for war veterans in north Tehran, when he was martyred by an air-launched missile,” the semi-official Fars news agency says. Other media carried the same statement.
Military court extends remand of 8 reservists suspected of abusing Palestinian detainee
Police guard a military court at the Beit Lid base in central Israel, amid a protest against the detention of Israeli reserve soldiers suspected of abusing a Palestinian detainee, July 30, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
The arrests of eight reserve soldiers suspected of the sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee have been extended following a hearing at a military court, the IDF says.
They will remain held until Sunday.
The court stated in its decision that the presented evidence “establishes a reasonable suspicion” that the eight soldiers harmed the Palestinian detainee.
In all, 10 soldiers were detained in the case, although prosecutors did not seek to extend the detention of two of them, following new evidence.
NYT: Iran leadership holding emergency meeting, Haniyeh killing will delay Gaza truce and prompt retaliation from Iran proxies
A handout picture provided by the office of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 28, 2024, shows him (L) delivering a speech during the official presidential endorsement ceremony of President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian (R). - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave his official endorsement of reformist Masoud Pezeshkian as the Islamic Republic's ninth President on July 28, ahead of his swearing-in before parliament on July 30. (Photo by KHAMENEI.IR / AFP)
Iran is holding an emergency meeting of its Supreme National Security Council at Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s residence, the New York Times reports, citing two Iranian officials.
The report notes such a meeting only happens during “extraordinary circumstances.”
Esmail Ghaani, the commander of the Quds Force, which oversees Iran’s terror proxies is also at the meeting, the report says.
The report also quotes Iran state TV as saying that the killing of Haniyeh would delay the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal by several months and prompt a retaliation from Iran-backed groups in the region.
The report notes that statements from Iran state TV reflect the views of Khamenei and the government.
Report: missile fired from outside Iran used to kill Haniyeh
The pro-Hezbollah Lebanese al Mayadeen news site quotes an Iranian source as saying that the missile used to kill Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a strike on his residence in Tehran was fired from another country.
The source says that the missile was not fired from within Iran.
Turkey condemns ‘shameful assassination’ of Haniyeh, says Israel trying to ignite regional war
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, shake hands during their meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, April 20, 2024. (Turkish Presidency via AP)
Turkey condemns the “shameful assassination” of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh — an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — the foreign affairs ministry says in a statement.
“We condemn the assassination of the leader of Hamas’s political office, Ismail Haniyeh, in a shameful assassination in Tehran,” the ministry says, adding that “this attack also aims to spread the Gaza war to a regional dimension.”
Hezbollah says top leader Fuad Shukr was in building hit by Israeli strike, does not yet confirm his death
People gather near a destroyed building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Hezbollah issues its first statement on Israel’s assassination of the terror group’s top military commander Fuad Shukr last night, saying he was present in the building in Beirut when it was struck, but does not confirm his death.
It says that civil defense teams are working “diligently but slowly” to clear the rubble, and therefore “we are still waiting for the result of this action [including] the fate of the great commander and other civilians.”
Russia condemns killing of Haniyeh: ‘Unacceptable political murder’
The killing of Hamas’s chief political leader Ismail Haniyeh is “an absolutely unacceptable political murder,” a deputy Russian foreign minister told RIA state news agency on Wednesday.
“This is an absolutely unacceptable political murder, and it will lead to further escalation of tensions,” RIA cited Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as saying.
Tehran says killing of Haniyeh will strengthen bond between Iran and Palestinians
In this photo released by the Iranian Presidency Office, President Masoud Pezeshkian, right, meets Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, at the President's office in Tehran, Iran, July 30, 2024. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani says that assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s “blood will never be wasted.”
“Haniyeh’s martyrdom in Tehran will strengthen the deep and unbreakable bond between Tehran, Palestine, and the resistance,” Kanaani is quoted by Iranian state media as saying.
Austin says US will help defend Israel if it’s attacked in wake of Haniyeh killing
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a joint news conference with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo and National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro after a foreign and defense ministerial meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in Manila, Philippines, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says Washington will help defend Israel if it is attacked, while working to reduce tension in the region following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.
Asked what assistance the United States would provide if a wider conflict should break out in the Middle East, Austin says Washington would continue to help defend Israel if it were attacked, but the priority was de-escalating tensions.
“We certainly will help defend Israel. You saw us do that April. You can expect to see us do that again,” he said.
“We don’t want to see any of that happen. We’re going to work hard to make sure that we’re doing things to help take the temperature down and address issues through diplomatic gatherings.”
Austin, during a press conference in the Philippines, says a wider war in the Middle East is not inevitable.
“I don’t think war is inevitable. I maintain that. I think there’s always room and opportunities for diplomacy,” Austin says.
“What we have seen along the border, northern border, with Israel over time that’s been a concern of ours.
“Again, We are going to give everything we can to make sure that we keep things from turning in to a broader conflict throughout the region.”
Asked also if he could confirm details about the killing of Haniyeh, Austin said: “I don’t have any additional information to provide”.
IDF says no change in Home Front guidelines after Beirut strike, killing of Haniyeh in Tehran
The IDF says there are still no changes to guidelines for Israeli civilians, following last night’s airstrike in Beirut and this morning’s alleged assassination of Hamas’s leader in Tehran.
“At this hour, the IDF is conducting a situation assessment. If any change is decided upon, we will update the public immediately,” the military says.
The IDF calls on civilians to continue to follow the existing Home Front Command guidelines.
Hamas says Haniyeh was killed in an airstrike; Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says it’s still investigating
Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh arrives for the inauguration of the new Iranian President at the parliament in Tehran, on July 30, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Hamas blames an Israeli airstrike for the death of its leader Ismail Haniyeh. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard says it is investigating the attack and did not say how it occurred.
An Israeli military spokesman does not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hamas said Haniyeh was killed “in a Zionist airstrike on his residence in Tehran” after he attended the swearing-in of Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday, along with other Hamas officials and officials from Hezbollah and allied groups.
“Hamas declares to the great Palestinian people and the people of the Arab and Islamic nations and all the free people of the world, brother leader Ismail Ismail Haniyeh a martyr,” Hamas says in its terse statement.
In another statement, the group quotes Haniyeh as saying that the Palestinian cause has “costs” and “we are ready for these costs: martyrdom for the sake of Palestine, and for the sake of God Almighty, and for the sake of the dignity of this nation.”
IDF says it downed suspected drone from Lebanon
A suspected drone heading toward Israel from Lebanon was shot down by air defenses earlier this morning, the IDF says.
According to the IDF, the target did not enter Israeli airspace in the incident, and no sirens sounded.
Separately, sirens that sounded in the northern community of She’ar Yashuv this morning were determined to have been false alarms, the military adds
PA’s Abbas slams ‘cowardly’ killing of Hamas chief Haniyeh
PA President Mahmoud Abbas (left), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (center) and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh meeting in Ankara, July 26, 2023. (Turkish Presidency)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemns the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, calling it a “cowardly act and dangerous development.”
Palestinian national and Islamic factions called for a general strike and mass demonstrations in the West Bank after Haniyeh’s killing.
Israeli minister celebrates killing of Haniyeh: ‘The right way to clean the world from this filth’
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu arrives at a government meeting at the Prime Minister's office, December 10, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu is the first senior government official to react to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, posting on X that “this is the right way to clean the world from this filth.”
His comments come despite Hebrew media reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his ministers to stay silent on the overnight assassination in the Iranian capital.
Israel has not officially commented on Haniyeh’s death.
Eliyahu, a member of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party, intimated Israel was behind the killing.
“No more imaginary ‘peace’/surrender agreements, no more mercy for these sons of death,” he writes in a post linked to an article announcing the killing.
“The iron hand that will strike them is the one that will bring quiet and a little comfort, and strengthen our ability to live in peace with those who seek peace,” he says.
“Haniyeh’s death makes the world a slightly better place,” he says.
Israeli in serious condition after shooting, stabbing attack in West Bank
IDF troops at the scene of a terror attack in the southern West Bank on July 31, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)
An Israeli man in his 50s was stabbed and seriously wounded by a Palestinian terrorist at a junction near the West Bank village of Beit Einun this morning, medics and the IDF say.
According to the IDF, the terrorist arrived in the area by vehicle and opened fire at the Israeli man’s car, before getting out and stabbing him.
Soldiers at the scene opened fire at the assailant, and possibly hit him, but he fled. He left behind the gun, knife and his car.
The IDF says it has launched a manhunt for the attacker.
Magen David Adom says the man is being taken to Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem with serious stab wounds.
Hamas official: Haniyeh killing won’t have results Israel seeks
The assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran is a grave escalation that will not achieve its goals, Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri tells Reuters.
In the Hamas-linked Shehab news site, Abu Zuhri is quoted saying that Hamas as a movement is strong enough to outlast the deaths of any of its leaders.
“We are waging an open war to liberate Jerusalem and are ready to pay any price,” he is quoted saying.
Shooting attack reported in West Bank
The Israel Defense Forces says it is responding to reports of a shooting attack near the settlement of Kiryat Arba in the southern West Bank.
The Ynet news site reports that a Palestinian attacker is suspected of opening fire on an Israeli car and then attacking the driver with a knife.
There is no official statement on injuries.
Hamas confirms Haniyeh’s death ‘in Zionist strike’
The Hamas terror group confirms that its leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran, blaming a “treacherous Zionist strike on his residence in Tehran.”
Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk is quoted by the Hamas-linked Shehab news outlet saying that the killing “is a cowardly act that will not be in vain.” Hebrew media reports indicate that he also threatened retaliation for the killing.
Iranians blame Israel for assassination of Hamas leader
Nobody has claimed responsibility for the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, but analysts on Iranian state television have immediately begun blaming Israel for the attack.
Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian’s swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday. Iran has given no details on how Haniyeh was killed, and the Revolutionary Guard says the attack is under investigation.
Israel has not commented, but is widely suspected of running a yearslong assassination campaign targeting Iranian nuclear scientists and others associated with its atomic program.
Hamas leader Haniyeh assassinated in Tehran
Ismail Haniyeh, the Qatar-based leader of Hamas, during a visit in Tehran, May 22, 2024. (Iranian Supreme Leader's Website / AFP)
Hamas politburo head Ismail Haniyeh has been assassinated in Tehran, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards says in a statement carried by state media.
One of Haniyeh’s body guards was also killed, the IRGC says.
Harris to announce running mate in time for Philly rally next week
US Vice President Kamala Harris is planning to hold a rally with her yet-to-be-named vice presidential choice in Philadelphia on Tuesday next week, according to two sources familiar with the planning.
The move indicates that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is a frontrunner to be Harris’s running mate, the sources say. The campaign said earlier on Tuesday that she had not made a pick.
If Shapiro gets the nod, he will become just the second Jewish person to appear on a major party’s presidential ticket in US history, after Joe Lieberman ran alongside Al Gore in 2000. Another oft-mentioned contender, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, has a Jewish spouse.
Harris is expected to announce her pick in time for Democratic delegates to ratify her decision in a virtual nominating vote that could conclude by August 7.
US says it struck Iraqi base, claims self defense
The United States carried out a strike in Iraq in self-defense, a US official tells Reuters, after blasts inside a base south of Baghdad used by Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces killed four members of the official state security agency, which contains several Iran-aligned armed groups, and wounded four others.
The official, who speaks on the condition of anonymity, says the strike was carried out because of a threat to US-led coalition forces.
Blasts at Iraq PMF Security Agency Base South of Baghdad Kill 3 Members, Sources Say https://t.co/mIQLueshIp#Iraq #USA #PENTAGON #Militias pic.twitter.com/mUQ7NCTuOo
— Ahmed Rasheed (@Ahmed_Rasheed_R) July 30, 2024
The attack came days after an umbrella group of Iran-backed Iraqi militias dubbed “the Islamic Resistance” resumed rocket attacks on US military bases in the country and in eastern Syria.
Multiple rockets were launched at Iraq’s Ain al-Asad airbase housing US-led forces late on Thursday, US and Iraqi sources said, with no damage or casualties reported.
In a statement, the PMF says rockets fired by drones targeted two patrols for force in the town of Jurf al-Sakhar, just south of Baghdad.
Gallant: Beirut hit shows Israeli blood is not cheap
Tweeting in English, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Tuesday night’s strike that killed top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr is evidence that Israel will avenge attacks on its people.
“Fuad Shukr ‘Sayyid’ Muhsan has the blood of many Israelis on his hands,” Gallant writes. “Tonight, we have shown that the blood of our people has a price, and that there is no place out of reach for our forces to this end.”
Earlier, Gallant tweeted “Hezbollah crossed the red line,” also in English.
Online, the IDF launches a blitz, in English and Hebrew, to spread the word about the deeds of Shukr, about whom the public knows relatively little.
Fuad Shukr: the man who killed 12 children in a soccer field on Saturday and is responsible of 30 years of Hezbollah terrorist attacks. pic.twitter.com/RuHO0W2py6
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 30, 2024
A source close to Hezbollah tells AFP that Shukr “commands military operations in southern Lebanon.”
The source, who requests anonymity, says Shukr was the successor of Hezbollah’s top commander Imad Mughniyeh, killed in a 2008 car bombing in Damascus that the Iran-backed group blamed on Israel, but which Jerusalem never claimed.
Beirut strike unmentioned as Hezbollah puts out statement recounting attacks on Israel
Hezbollah releases a statement tallying its various claimed operations against Israel over the day, but does not mention the strike that Israel says killed the top commander behind those attacks. The group has yet to comment on the apparent assassination of Fuad Shukr, a right-hand man to Hassan Nasrallah.
The terror group puts out a statement shortly after midnight on a daily basis recounting its attacks on Israel throughout the day. Tuesday is no different, with the group announcing 11 different actions throughout the day, from a claimed attempt to shoot down an Israeli fighter plane to what it says were dozens of Katyusha rockets fired at an Israeli missile defense facility.
Perhaps tellingly, the final attack for which a time is given is at 6:35 p.m., about an hour before Israel struck Beirut and killed Shukr.
After Beirut strike, US says Israel has right to defend itself
The White House doubles down on its support for Israel following a strike on senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr.
“Our commitment to Israel’s security is ironclad and unwavering against all Iran-backed threats, including Lebanese Hezbollah,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson says in a statement, echoing earlier remarks from Vice President Kamala Harris.
Watson says that the terror group’s rocket attack that killed 12 children on Saturday in Majdal Shams was “horrific.”
“Israel has a right to defend itself against the severe threats it faces,” Watson says.
“At the same time, the United States is continuing to work on a diplomatic solution to end these terrible attacks and allow citizens on both sides to safely return to their homes,” she adds.
Israel gave US heads-up before Beirut strike, sources say
Israel gave the US advance notice before Tuesday night’s strike against senior Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr near Beirut, an Israeli and a US official tell The Times of Israel.
The US had led an international push aimed at making curbing Israel’s response and making sure it did not go so far as to tip the region toward war.
Second reservist to be dropped from detainee abuse case, IDF says
After earlier dropping accusations against one soldier, military prosecutors say they will not seek to extend the remand of a second of the nine reservists held over a case of suspected sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee.
Earlier this evening amid a hearing at a military court at the Beit Lid base, one of the nine suspects was freed after new information was brought into the investigation and prosecutors dropped their demand to extend his arrest.
According to the military prosecution, neither of the released reservists are main suspects in the high-profile abuse case.
The hearing regarding the other soldiers is still ongoing.
Lebanon raises toll in Beirut strike to 3 dead, 74 wounded
Men walk past debris and a destroyed car after the top floors of an eight-story building were destroyed following an Israeli military strike in a Beirut's southern suburb, on July 30, 2024. (AFP)
Lebanon’s health ministry now says three people, including two children, were killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs that also left scores injured, updating an earlier toll.
The “non-final toll of the Israeli aggression on the southern suburbs of Beirut… is three martyrs, including a woman, a girl and a boy,” the ministry says, adding that 74 people had been wounded, “while the search for missing persons under the rubble continues.”
According to Israel, the strike targeted and killed Fuad Shukr, the top military commander for the Hezbollah terror group. The IDF says Shukr masterminded months of cross-border attacks that killed over 3 dozen people in Israel, including Saturday’s strike in Majdal Shams that left 12 youths dead.
IDF says no order for civilians to shelter after strike on Hezbollah commander
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari in a press conference says there is no change to instructions for civilians following the assassination of Hezbollah’s most senior military commander in Beirut earlier today.
“We have very good air defense systems, but the defense is not hermetic,” Hagari says, adding that the public should be vigilant and follow the Home Front Command guidelines.
He says the IDF is holding assessments on the home front, and will update if there are any changes.
“We are not looking to go to war, but we are well prepared for it,” Hagari says. “Hezbollah is dragging Lebanon and the entire Middle East into an escalation.”
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