Iran says eight armed forces members killed in US strikes Iran's state news agency IRNA says eight members of the country's armed forces were killed in US strikes on southern Iran. According to IRNA, the personnel from the Iranian army's air and naval forces were killed in Bandar Abbas and Bushehr.
Trump praises Netanyahu as 'a great wartime prime minister' Trump has praised Netanyahu as "a great wartime prime minister" and said no US president has done more for Israel than he has. "Nobody has ever done anything for Israel like me," Trump said, citing US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. He said he and Netanyahu "worked with each other very closely".
Eight Palestinians killed in Gaza over past 24 hours Eight Palestinians were killed and 17 wounded in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, as Israeli forces continued military operations across the enclave. In its daily report, the ministry said a number of victims remain trapped under rubble and on roadsides, with emergency and civil defence teams still unable to reach them.
Trump lavishes praise on 'fantastic' and 'highly respected' Sharaa Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 16:01 The win for the Syrian president is simply having the meeting at all US President Donald Trump holds a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the Nato summit at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Turkey, on 8 July 2026 (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) Off US President Donald Trump lavished rare praise on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday, calling him "fantastic" and "highly respected", as the two leaders met on the sidelines of the Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey . The meeting itself is a win for Sharaa, who was first introduced to Trump a little over a year ago in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia , before finding himself in the Oval Office exchanging gifts with the US president by November. No Syrian leader - and certainly not one with Sharaa's past as a US-designated terrorist - had been in the White House in decades.
Thousands attend Khamenei funeral processions in Najaf and Karbala Tens of thousands of mourners attended funeral processions for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala. Khamenei's remains have now returned to Iran, where he will be laid to rest in Mashhad on 9 July. The 86-year-old leader was killed in a US-Israeli attack on his compound in Tehran in late February.
Lebanon demands Israeli withdrawal from 'pilot' zones Lebanon has said it would participate in the next round of direct talks in Italy after Israeli forces withdraw from two “pilot zones” in the south, AFP reported, citing a diplomatic source. The talks are scheduled in Rome on July 15 and 16, following a framework agreement signed last month. After US-led talks in Washington, Lebanon and Israel had agreed to create "pilot zones" in which the Lebanese armed forces “will take exclusive control of the territory to the exclusion of all non-state actors”.
Trump says he may remove Syria from state sponsors of terrorism list "I think I will," the US president said when asked whether he would remove Syria from the United States' list of designated state sponsors of terrorism. Trump also says he has lifted sanctions placed on Syria and commended Damascus for becoming stable, Al Jazeera reported. The US president also again suggested Syria “could help with Hezbollah” in Lebanon.
Trump says Nato allies to deploy minesweepers to Hormuz After declaring the ceasefire with Iran over and threatening to "hit them hard tonight", the US president said Nato allies will send minesweepers to the critical waterway. There was no independent confirmation from allies, Al Jazeera reported. Iran has repeatedly warned against foreign navies operating in the Strait of Hormuz.
'We will probably hit them hard tonight': Trump on Iran “We hit them very hard last night, very, very probably hit them hard again tonight. I’ll give them a little warning. We’re going to hit them hard tonight,” Trump said before holding talks with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, according to Al Jazeera.
Huge crowds mourn Khamenei during funeral procession in Najaf Thousands of people thronged the streets of Najaf and packed the courtyards of its majestic shrine as they mourned the late supreme leader during his funeral procession in Iraq. Iran began six days of public funeral ceremonies for Khamenei on Saturday, including a dedicated day in neighbouring Iraq, home to the most sacred Shia shrines. After a massive procession in Iran's holy city of Qom, Khamenei's body was brought Tuesday night to Iraq, where authorities declared Wednesday a public holiday.
‘The era of bullying is over’: Iran speaker says US violated MoU Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf cited not only the latest US military strikes, but also renewed oil sanctions, violations of Iranian "adjustments" in the Strait of Hormuz, and Israeli attacks against Lebanon. “The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere.
Trump says ceasefire is over and calls Iran leaders 'scum', as both sides launch attacks Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 12:37 US launches more than 80 strikes on Iran and Tehran hits back with attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain A vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on 8 July 2026 (Reuters/Stringer) Off US President Donald Trump has declared that the ceasefire between the US and Iran is “over”, after a wave of attacks were exchanged by both sides despite the memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreed last month. “I think it’s over,” Trump said on Wednesday morning at a meeting of Nato leaders, hours after the US launched more than 80 strikes on Iran. Washington said it was responding to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.
Whether Khamenei was a hero or a villain is for the Iranian people to decide Submitted by Hamid Dabashi on Tue, 07/07/2026 - 23:12 Israel and its allies in the western media have no business trying to stoke divisions at this time of national mourning A mourner holds a flower and a portrait of Iran’s slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at the start of his funeral ceremonies in Tehran on 4 July 2026 (Atta Kenare/AFP) Off As a real-time Persian passion play unfolds across Iraq and Iran for the funeral ceremonies of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , one question remains paramount: what gives a European settler colony the audacity, the vulgarity, the vicious gall to fly over a sovereign nation’s territory and murder its supreme leader? The Israeli plot to assassinate Khamenei - which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tricked US President Donald Trump into joining, despite overwhelming American opposition to waging war on Iran - was just the latest move in a long and blood-soaked tradition, as chronicled in journalist Ronen Bergman’s boastful treatise Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations (2018). Khamenei was a head of a state, and the spiritual leader of millions of Shia Muslims.
Murdering Ali Khamenei was an act of terrorism. Where is the outrage? Submitted by Hamid Dabashi on Tue, 07/07/2026 - 23:12 Israel and its allies in the western media have no business trying to stoke divisions at this time of national mourning A mourner holds a flower and a portrait of Iran’s slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at the start of his funeral ceremonies in Tehran on 4 July 2026 (Atta Kenare/AFP) Off As a real-time Persian passion play unfolds across Iraq and Iran for the funeral ceremonies of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , one question remains paramount: what gives a European settler colony the audacity, the vulgarity, the vicious gall to fly over a sovereign nation’s territory and murder its supreme leader?
Israel murdered Khamenei, yet the West fails to respect a nation in mourning Submitted by Hamid Dabashi on Tue, 07/07/2026 - 23:12 Israel and its allies in the western media have no business trying to stoke divisions at this time of national mourning A mourner holds a flower and a portrait of Iran’s slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at the start of his funeral ceremonies in Tehran on 4 July 2026 (Atta Kenare/AFP) Off As a real-time Persian passion play unfolds across Iraq and Iran for the funeral ceremonies of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , one question remains paramount: what gives a European settler colony the audacity, the vulgarity, the vicious gall to fly over a sovereign nation’s territory and murder its supreme leader? The Israeli plot to assassinate Khamenei - which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tricked US President Donald Trump into joining, despite overwhelming American opposition to waging war on Iran - was just the latest move in a long and blood-soaked tradition, as chronicled in journalist Ronen Bergman’s boastful treatise Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations (2018). Khamenei was a head of a state, and the spiritual leader of millions of Shia Muslims.
Report: Israeli settlers raid Al-Aqsa mosque under police protection About 112 Israeli settlers, backed by a police escort, on Wednesday forced their way into al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem, WAFA reported. The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Jerusalem said the settlers forced their way into the mosque through the Moroccan Gate, toured its courtyards, and performed Talmudic rituals before leaving through the Chain Gate. Today, Israeli Jewish settlers performed rituals during an incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, the third holiest mosque worldwide, in disregard for the sentiments of millions of Muslims worldwide.
Ireland passes bill banning goods from Israel-occupied settlements in West Bank and Jerusalem Submitted by Fleur Hargreaves on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 11:25 The legislation, which requires final approval from the house, would be among the most severe trade restrictions on Israel from a European nation Supporters of the Irish band Kneecap fly Palestinian and Irish flags outside Westminster Magistrates' Courts in London on 20 August 2025 (AFP/Justin Tallis) Off The Irish parliament on Tuesday approved legislation to prohibit the import of products from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Named the Israeli Settlements (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill, the draft legislation aims to restrict goods originating from “certain Israeli settlements” that lie outside of Israel’s internationally recognised borders. The proposed law states that it is designed to abide by Ireland’s “international legal obligation, as identified by the International Court of Justice [ICJ] in its advisory opinion of 19 July 2024”.
Danish prime minister, EU reject Trump's Greenland takeover remarks The US president said taking control of the world’s largest island was “very important” for the US, but “it’s not important for Denmark". “Hitler beat them out in one day, took over, they asked us to take care of Greenland. In fact, we took Greenland, and then stupidly, we gave it back,” Trump said, according to Al Jazeera.
Report: Hegseth cancels expected visit to Israel Citing an Israeli official, The Times of Israel reported that US defence secretary Pete Hegseth was expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the visit today. The cancellation comes against the backdrop of renewed hostilities between the US and Iran. Citing reports, the TOI said the visit was partly intended to ease tensions over a possible US sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, which Israel believes could dilute its air superiority in the region.
Businesses report blocked payments from Saudi Arabia to the UAE, raising fears of worsening ties Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 10:50 Companies say Saudi transfers to UAE accounts have slowed as tensions between the Gulf countries resume following the Israeli-US war on Iran Cars drive along the King Fahad road in the Saudi capital Riyadh on 3 March (Fayez Nureldine/AFP) Off Saudi Arabia has reportedly delayed or blocked money transfers to accounts in the United Arab Emirates . The reports have raised fears that a widening political rift between the Gulf neighbours is now hitting trade. Several sources told the Financial Times that payments from Saudi banks to UAE-based accounts belonging to companies and individuals in Dubai had been returned or held up since May, often without explanation.
