Israeli finance minister says settlement 'revolution' has only just begun Israel's finance minister says the government has begun a "settlement revolution" that will eventually extend to the Negev and Galilee. "I've got news for you: We've only just begun the revolution in settlement. We'll get to the Negev and the Galilee too," Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X.
Macron visits Syria in first major western leader trip under new leadership French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Syria on Monday, becoming the first major western leader to visit the country since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. He is expected to travel to Ankara for the Nato summit, where Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is also expected to attend and hold a high-profile meeting with US President Donald Trump. Syria's state-run Sana news agency said Macron would visit with a business delegation to discuss regional security and business and investment opportunities.
Hamas decision to dissolve Gaza government is a nod to Trump, expert says Submitted by Sean Mathews on Mon, 07/06/2026 - 18:22 Hamas's disarmament is the 'trickier' issue to solve as Israel entrenches itself in Gaza and ceasefire stalls A Palestinian boy plays in a giant container filled with water next to a cistern at a displacement camp in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City, on 6 July 2026 (Omar al-Qattaa/AFP) Off Hamas’s decision to dissolve its government in Gaza is intended as a message to US President Donald Trump that the group is not an obstacle to his flagging peace plan for the enclave, experts tell Middle East Eye. Hamas announced on Monday the dissolution of the body that has governed the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades. "The head of the government's emergency committee, Mohammed al-Farra, has officially submitted his resignation," Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Hamas's government media office, told AFP.
Body of Iran's slain supreme leader arrives in Qom The body of Iran's slain supreme leader has arrived in Qom, according to state TV. State broadcaster IRIB shared footage of a helicopter hovering over Jamkaran Mosque in Qom province, saying on Telegram that it was carrying Khamenei's body. The procession is expected to continue in Qom tomorrow, before events are held in Najaf and Karbala in Iraq.
Iranian parliament speaker says ceasefire agreement is 'difficult, but achievable' Iranian parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says implementing the ceasefire agreement signed with the US is "difficult, but achievable". Speaking with the head of Hamas's political bureau, Muhammad Ismail Darwish, who was in Tehran for the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Ghalibaf said Iran does not "have peace with America and will not recognise Israel". He also reaffirmed support for "the resistance front", a term Tehran uses to describe the regional armed groups it backs.
Russian nuclear firm to send staff back to Iran's Bushehr plant Russian state nuclear company Rosatom is planning to send personnel back to Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant starting in mid-July, the Interfax news agency reported. Rosatom is building two new units at Bushehr, which sustained multiple attacks by the US and Israel following their February attack on Iran. Nearly 200 Rosatom employees were evacuated from the plant in April.
Trump says there will be a deal with Iran or US will 'finish the job' President Donald Trump said on Monday that the US will either make a deal with Iran or "finish the job. " He added that Iran would rather make a deal.
Russian staff set to return to Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom plans to send staff back to Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant from the middle of July, Rosatom's head said, as reported by the Interfax news agency. Rosatom, which is building two new units at Bushehr, evacuated hundreds of staff after the US and Israel launched the war against Iran on 28 February.
Trump, Turkey and Nato: What's at stake at the Ankara summit? Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Mon, 07/06/2026 - 11:50 As Trump arrives in Ankara, Nato faces a defining test over America's role, Europe's new responsibilities and Turkey's defence industry ambitions A protester holds a banner bearing the Nato logo being destroyed with a punch during a demonstration in Istanbul, 15 July 2026 (Yasin Akgul/AFP) Off US President Donald Trump and the leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) are heading to Ankara this week for a summit that could help determine the future of the alliance. While Trump and other leaders are expected to clash over how to reduce the US's military footprint in Europe, the Turkish government has been busy sprucing up Ankara, Turkey's political capital.
Palestinian technocratic committee says ready to govern Gaza The Palestinian technocratic committee set up by the Board of Peace established by US President Donald Trump said Monday it was ready to govern the Gaza Strip after Hamas announced it had dissolved its ruling body. "We affirm that the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is fully prepared to assume its national responsibilities as soon as the necessary resources and capabilities are available," Ali Shaath, head of the committee, wrote on X. The dissolution of the 15-member Hamas body that governed Gaza for nearly two decades paves the way for the NCAG to assume administrative responsibilities in the territory.
Hamas to dissolve leadership bodies in Gaza: officials Hamas is preparing to dissolve the administration that has governed the Gaza Strip for nearly twenty years, according to officials from Palestinian group. The move, which was briefed by Hamas officials to AFP, paves the way for a technocratic body made up of different Palestinian factions to take over the Gaza Strip. "The movement has decided to dissolve the Gaza government committee and appoint a figure with broad national consensus to oversee the committee's work until the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza officially assumes its responsibilities," a Hamas official told AFP on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter.
Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, The funeral procession for Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has begun in Tehran, with state media reporting the attendance of millions. The procession in the capital is expected to last for 10 to 12 hours. His body will later be taken through the city of Qom on Tuesday, then to Iraq on Wednesday, before returning to the city of Mashhad on Thursday for burial.
Iran state media says millions attending former Supreme Leader's funeral procession Iranian media is reporting that millions have gathered on the streets of its capital to mourn the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. According to Press TV, officials have described the event as the "largest public gathering in the country’s modern history". General Hassan Hassanzadeh, a senior commander in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, urged the public to "go peacefully to Azadi Square".
In pictures: Funeral procession for Iran's slain Supreme Leader begins in Tehran Funeral procession for Iran's former supreme leader Ali Khamenei have begun in the country's capital, state media reported. Crowds of people have been pictured gathering in Tehran’s Revolution Square ahead of the funeral, According to Iranian media, the procession - which is expected to last for 10 to 12 hours - will begin from the Grand Mosalla of Tehran. His body is expected to be taken through the city of Qom on Tuesday, then to Iraq on Wednesday, before returning to the city of Mashhad on Thursday for burial.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain foreign ministers discuss US-Iran talks Saudi Arabia's foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud met his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani in Riyadh to discuss various "regional developments", including ongoing US-Iranian negotiations. According to a statement from the Kingdom's foreign ministry, they also talked about the two Gulf countries continued efforts to "enhance security and stability, reaffirmed the importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Arabian Gulf, and exchanged views on a number of issues of mutual interest". #Riyadh | Foreign Minister HH Prince @FaisalbinFarhan received Bahrain’s Foreign Minister, Dr.
Netanyahu says Christians in Lebanon 'asked to be annexed' to Israel Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that some Christian villages in southern Lebanon "asked to be annexed to Israel" for protection from Hezbollah. The comments were made during an exclusive interview with Fox News on Sunday. The mayor of Rmeish, a majority Christian town in Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil district, has rejected Netanyahu’s claims, with attacks against the country's Christian community increasing in recent times.
Lebanese Christian mayor rejects Netanyahu annexation claim The mayor of Rmeish, a majority Christian town in Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil district, has rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that some Christian villages had asked Israel to annex them for protection from Hezbollah. Lebanon’s National News Agency quoted Hanna al-Amil as saying the claim was “completely false”, adding that no towns in southern Lebanon had made such a request. Al-Amil said even considering such a move was “completely out of the question”.
Former UK minister demands reparations from Britain’s ex-colonies Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Sun, 07/05/2026 - 17:52 Suella Braverman said ex-colonies should repay Britain for the empire’s 'investment' Britain's former Home Secretary Suella Braverman on October 4, 2023. (Oli Scarff/AFP) Off Former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman has called for Britain’s former colonies to pay reparations to London for the "investment, effort and contribution" she claims the empire made in building them. In a post on X, Braverman, a right-wing politician who defected from the Conservative Party to Reform UK earlier this year, entered the reparations debate by declaring: “The British Empire did so much good for the world.
Slain ayatollah’s son attends funeral as current Ayatollah stays away Three sons of slain Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prayed beside his coffin and those of four other family members on Sunday, but Mojtaba, the son who has succeeded him as Iran's supreme leader, did not make an appearance. State TV showed Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud Khamenei praying behind the coffins laid out in the vast courtyard of Tehran's Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, a sprawling religious complex.
Araghchi meets Hamas and Hezbollah delegations in Tehran Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi held separate meetings in Tehran with delegations from Hamas and Hezbollah, who were in the Iranian capital to attend funeral ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. According to Iran’s foreign ministry, the Hamas delegation, led by Mohammad Darwish, offered condolences and discussed conditions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, while a Hezbollah delegation headed by senior official Muhammad Fneish conveyed condolences from the group’s leader Naim Qassem. Araghchi said Iran would continue efforts to end the conflict in Lebanon in line with the ceasefire memorandum and paid tribute to former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
