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Iran transferred thousands of uranium enrichment centrifuges to underground facilities deep inside Natanz’s Pickaxe Mountain last fall, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing Israeli and US officials.

The centrifuges were transferred to the mountain following the 12-day war in June 2025. 

During the war, American and Israeli strikes pummeled three of Iran’s main nuclear sites, in an operation the US called “Midnight Hammer.”

US and Israeli officials noted that the transfer of sensitive equipment inside the mountain increases concerns that Tehran is working to ensure continued uranium enrichment, even in the event of a large-scale military attack on its soil. 

Pickaxe Mountain is located south of the Natanz nuclear complex, the site of two of Iran’s uranium enrichment plants bombed in June 2025. 

The tunnel facility under construction at Pickaxe Mountain wasn’t targeted in either of the wars, according to the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a US-based think-tank focused on nuclear non-proliferation.

Satellite imagery shows that the complex was carved to a depth of more than 100 meters below bedrock, making it deeper and more fortified than the Fordow enrichment facility, a highly fortified, underground uranium enrichment facility. 

Reaching depths in a mountain is a complex task

Reaching these depths is considered a complex task, even for the most advanced bunker-penetrating bombs in the US arsenal.

Tehran claimed that the site is intended solely as a factory for the production and assembly of advanced centrifuges, not as an active enrichment facility. Iranian authorities, however, are preventing International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors from entering the site. 

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi demanded that Iran provide answers regarding its activities at the site. However, Iran failed to give answers that would allow the Iranian statements to be verified or the presence of nuclear material inside the mountain to be ruled out.

The relative immunity afforded by the rock’s depth has made the site one of the main targets in the confrontation with the United States. 

US President Donald Trump threatened to eliminate the site, adding that his administration was closely monitoring activity surrounding the tunnel’s entrances. 

Reuters contributed to this report. 

The IDF opened fire in the vicinity of Lebanese Army troops in Zawtar, an area in the province of Nabatiya, during the implementation of the “Safe Zone” pilot program on Tuesday.

The LAF claimed that this was an attempt to obstruct the implementation of the pilot zones by stopping Lebanese soldiers from entering them. The IDF later stated that the area into which the troops entered was not part of the pilot zone. 

According to the IDF, troops identified Lebanese forces crossing about 150 meters beyond the established boundary of the security zone in Zawtar in a military engineering vehicle, in breach of the agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

Israeli forces fired warning shots into the air, the IDF explained, and did not endanger nor intend to endanger Lebanese Army Forces, who retreated without any casualties.

“The IDF demands that the Lebanese army continue to operate in accordance with the understandings and in the agreed areas,” the military warned. “Any deviation without prior coordination could endanger its forces.”

Lebanese military deploys in three ‘pilot program’ areas, securing Hezbollah-free zones

The pilot program dictates that LAF troops will enter designated areas in southern Lebanon to verify they have been cleared of Hezbollah operatives and weapons, two people familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.

Later on Monday, the IDF confirmed that the “Safe Zone” pilot program had begun with cooperation from the US and Lebanese militaries.

“As part of the pilot, teams from the IDF, the US military, and the Lebanese Armed Forces are coordinating and planning the continued implementation of the agreement,” the military stated.

Amichai Stein contributed to this report.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot on Tuesday that the two French diplomats were detained by Iranian authorities on Sunday because they failed to comply with the Islamic Republic’s laws.

According to the Iranian Foreign Minister’s Telegram channel, both diplomats acted in an unconventional and inconsistent manner compared with how foreign officials should act.

He also demanded that the French embassy prevent such actions from being repeated and that the French government take appropriate measures. 

Earlier on Tuesday, the French foreign ministry summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires. “France expects the Iranian authorities to shed light on this incident, punish the perpetrators, and ensure the security of its premises and personnel, in accordance with their international obligations,” the ministry said.

Two employees detained, harassed

According to French authorities, two employees of France’s embassy in Tehran were aggressively harassed and detained by Iranian security forces on Sunday.

Barrot confirmed the incident, saying that both staff members were detained and interrogated for several hours without reason, with one being physically assaulted in the process. 

According to Barrot, the employees were eventually allowed to return to the French embassy and are safe, but will be returning to France in the coming hours.

“I informed the Iranian Foreign Minister that this extremely serious and unacceptable violation of the integrity of our agents cannot go without consequences,” Barrot stated.

He decried the incident as “shocking” and a “flagrant violation” of diplomatic immunities and privileges afforded to embassy staff.

The Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.

On March 26, the IDF said that naval intelligence had assisted with assassinating Iranian Naval Chief Alireza Tangsiri in the port city of Bandar Abbas, with eliminating key Iranian naval cruise missile production sites, and Iranian sites related to submarines and other underwater threats.

At the time, some had deemed Tangsiri’s assassination – and the navy’s role in it – a crucial moment that led the Islamic Republic to agree to the terms of the ceasefire in early April.

Until now, the details pertaining to how Tangsiri was killed have been shrouded in mystery.

Many of the details are still classified. For the first time, however, The Jerusalem Post can disclose that, prior to March 26, the US and Israel had already tried to assassinate Tangsiri several times.

The process started with the Israeli naval intelligence and operations directorates carrying out specialized research to understand who Iran’s naval officials were as well as when and how they generally operated.

 Next, the navy’s operations directorate placed specific individuals, including Tangsiri, in the target bank for the IDF’s intelligence and air force units.

After that, IDF intelligence used the initial leads that it received from the navy to acquire the real-time intelligence needed for the assassination, which it eventually passed on to the air force

The navy’s operations directorate maintained an officer with the air force targeting staff to perform final checks on the intelligence before the various strikes went forward against Tangsiri and other Iranian naval targets.

The IDF struck Iranian long-range naval cruise missile sites

Around the same time that Tangsiri was killed, the air force, acting on information from IDF naval intelligence and the broader IDF intelligence directorate, also struck two key naval cruise missile production sites in Tehran.

The targeted sites operated under the command of the Iranian Defense Ministry and were used by the Iranian regime to develop and manufacture long-range naval cruise missiles, which are capable of rapidly destroying targets at sea and on land.

These weapons could be used against the US and other allies seeking to open the Strait of Hormuz.

At the time, defense sources said that Israel also continued to provide intelligence assistance to the US regarding the Strait of Hormuz.

On April 16, the navy said that it had already undertaken or provided critical intelligence for 154 attacks during the early 2026 war with Iran and Hezbollah.

Ninety-five of these attacks were against Iran. Of those 95 attacks, 68 of them were undertaken by US forces, but were entirely based on Israeli naval intelligence, with cooperation from the naval operations directorate.

At the time, all of the IDF’s actions either directly or indirectly reduced Iran’s capability to threaten the Straits of Hormuz, which is the Islamic regime’s most powerful pressure point on the US, the West, Arab countries, and others.

Regarding the navy and Iran, IDF navy Lt. “G” previously told the Post that, during Operation Rising Lion against Iran, “I was in a bunch of operations. To be part of these operations felt like a substantial contribution.”

G added, “For two-and-a-half years, sometimes, it was hard to see why the training mattered. But when you are on the front lines at sea, it helps you connect everything you studied to something real and practical. The climax was against Iran – we had the chance to perform all of the skills which we learned during the course.”

Israeli navy was involved in assassinating of five senior IRGC officials in Beirut

On April 16, the navy revealed for the first time that it had been involved in both intelligence and operations in eliminating five senior IRGC Quds Force liaison officials (who were working with Hezbollah) in an attack on the Ramada Hotel in Beirut on March 8.

Until then, even the basic fact of the navy’s involvement had been kept classified.

In the same navy briefing, it was revealed that, during that attack, the navy fired 14 missiles to kill the five officials, who were top commanders in Quds Force-Hezbollah intelligence and terrorist financing, and had links to Palestinian terrorist groups in Lebanon.

The terrorist-financing official was the key actor in transferring $770 million from Iran to Hezbollah over the past year, the IDF reported.

The Post can now reveal new details from the assassination, including that two different Israeli naval ships were involved.

Unlike the Iran case where the navy started the process, the Post can reveal that in this case IDF intelligence started the process of researching and locating the targets, but then turned to the navy to carry out the strike.

Specifically, the Post understands that IDF intelligence wanted to utilize the navy’s precision capacities to avoid any collateral harm to the large number of diplomats, media, and civilians in the hotel.

For purposes of this operation and others, the navy is unique for its ability to operate in or near hostile territory for longer periods than other arms of the military.

If the air force justifiably brags about moving from a “stand out” posture to a relative “stand in” posture, where its fighter jets or drones can spend time hovering over a target in Iranian or Lebanese territory, the navy can go even farther to a “standby” posture.

In this case, “standby” means staying in the area for an almost indefinite period, far longer than any drone or aircraft can.

Hezbollah commander assassinated by Israeli navy

In another incident, the Post can reveal that the navy assassinated the number two commander for Hezbollah’s northern command at his mobile headquarters. Because the headquarters was mobile, this meant that time was of the essence even more than in other cases.

The Post has learned that the naval operations directorate swiftly carried out the operation; there was only a short period of time between the naval operations directorate receiving the information needed to strike them and the strike being carried out.

Sources did not want to name which naval vessels undertook these attacks. However, on June 10, 2025, the Post and Hebrew media previously reported that two Israeli naval missile boats, one of which was a Saar 6 vessel, fired two long-range precision missiles from hundreds of kilometers away at the Houthi port of Hodeidah.

In addition, the Post has learned that models for rehearsing attacks can now be used in nearly every operation because the navy, using new technologies, can produce models of target areas in a matter of hours. In the past, producing those models could take days.

Two unusual media appearances involving Saudi Arabia and Israel have revived questions about whether the countries are cautiously reopening channels as Iranian attacks place growing pressure on Gulf security.

On July 16, Israeli President Isaac Herzog gave an exclusive interview to Al Arabiya English, telling the Saudi-based outlet that he wanted rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia and expressing respect for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Herzog said it was his “dream” to see peace between the two countries and raised the possibility of direct negotiations supported by Washington.

Three days later, Abdullah bin Ghanem Al-Qahtani, a former major general in the Royal Saudi Air Force who is now a security and strategic affairs analyst, appeared on Israel’s Channel 12. He described Iran’s attacks across the region as a grave threat that could not go unanswered while also saying Israel must address the Palestinian issue.

Appearances by prominent Saudi figures in Israeli media remain rare. Their timing has drawn attention because Iranian attacks on Gulf infrastructure are testing Saudi Arabia’s long-standing effort to maintain dialogue with Tehran while relying on the United States and other partners for security.

The crisis could strengthen the case for regional defense cooperation, including quiet coordination with Israel, without necessarily bringing the kingdom closer to formal diplomatic relations.

Return to pre-October 7 relations

The two appearances have revived comparisons with the period before October 7, 2023, when Saudi-Israeli normalization was being publicly discussed as part of a broader US-brokered package involving security arrangements and other bilateral agreements.

Those negotiations were disrupted by the Gaza war, and Riyadh has continued to make normalization contingent on progress toward Palestinian statehood. A Saudi source familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, told The Media Line in May 2026 that the kingdom still required a clear and irreversible pathway toward statehood.

The renewed media contacts do not demonstrate that negotiations have resumed. They indicate that public communication of the kind seen during the gradual Saudi-Israeli rapprochement before October 7 is again possible.

Cyril Widdershoven, a geopolitical and energy analyst and director at Strategy International in Cyprus, views Herzog’s interview as a possible signal that Saudi-Israeli engagement is not completely off the table.

Significance of renewed Saudi-Israeli media contact 

“It was politically significant because of the platform, timing, and message,” Widdershoven told The Media Line.

He said Al Arabiya is part of the Saudi media landscape and argued that giving Herzog a platform to discuss peace and praise the crown prince could have been intended to gauge public and regional reactions. Widdershoven acknowledged that the interview did not demonstrate an official change in Saudi policy.

Asked whether rapprochement channels were reopening, he distinguished political signaling from formal diplomacy.

“The interview should be interpreted as political signaling rather than proof of an active normalization process,” he said. “Saudi Arabia can use such media engagement to remind Washington and Israel that rapprochement remains possible.”

Riyadh can also use the prospect of normalization as leverage in seeking US security guarantees and civilian nuclear cooperation while pressing Israel over Gaza and Palestinian statehood, Widdershoven said.

“Saying that pre-October 7 negotiations have fully restarted would go too far,” he added. “Saying that communication channels and strategic calculations are being quietly reactivated would be reasonable.”

Impact of escalations in the US-Iran war on Saudi-Israeli relations

Yet the assumption that Iranian attacks will automatically push Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf closer to Israel is far from universally accepted.

Abdulaziz Alshaabani, a Saudi political analyst, told The Media Line that the escalation has placed national security ahead of any debate over relations with Israel.

“In my view, it is still too early to conclude that the Gulf has abandoned diplomacy with Iran or that a fundamental regional realignment has taken place,” Alshaabani said. “Recent events have reinforced one clear priority: national security has become more important than any discussion about relations with Israel.”

His assessment offers another reading of Gulf policy: Attacks on critical infrastructure may increase the need for stronger defenses without ending diplomatic engagement with Tehran.

“This is my personal assessment, but I believe many in the Gulf remain committed to diplomatic solutions, including initiatives that Saudi Arabia has consistently supported,” Alshaabani said.

That position reflects an important difference between the security calculations of Israel and those of the Gulf states. Israel has approached Iran primarily as a direct strategic and military adversary, while Gulf governments have attempted to contain the confrontation through diplomacy and prevent their territories from becoming battlefields between larger powers.

“At the same time, the recent escalation has strengthened the perception that Israel has been more willing to sustain confrontation with Iran despite the potential risks to Gulf security and regional stability,” Alshaabani said.

Iran has expanded the scope of attack

Iran’s expanding attacks across the Gulf are making that balancing act more difficult. Recent strikes have moved beyond military bases and energy installations to threaten infrastructure on which civilian life directly depends.

According to Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, an Iranian strike on July 17 hit a power generation and water desalination facility, damaging several electricity-generating units and starting a fire. Authorities activated emergency plans, extinguished the blaze, and began repairs while monitoring the stability of the national power grid.

The attack was particularly sensitive because Kuwait produces more than 90% of its drinking water through desalination.

Water infrastructure had already been struck elsewhere in the conflict. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said an Iranian drone damaged a desalination plant on March 8. Bahrain’s Electricity and Water Authority said the damage did not interrupt water or electricity services.

Iranian forces have also claimed attacks on US military facilities in Gulf countries, including Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait. On July 20, Bahraini authorities again sounded missile-alert sirens and urged residents to seek shelter, while Kuwait said its air defenses were responding to another incoming Iranian barrage.

The escalation is no longer confined to whether Gulf governments should support Washington or remain outside a direct confrontation with Tehran. It now concerns the protection of electricity, water supplies, energy exports, ports, and other infrastructure sustaining daily life.

Gulf countries may take harder security positions

Widdershoven described the Gulf approach as strategic hedging rather than strict neutrality: maintaining dialogue with Tehran while relying on Western security guarantees.

“The new Iranian attacks on Kuwaiti power and desalination infrastructure, taking into account also the strikes against Bahrain and other Gulf targets, increasingly show that this balance becomes untenable,” he said.

Diplomatic channels are likely to remain open, he added, but the attacks have exposed the limitations of engagement without credible deterrence.

“Once Iran threatens civilian water, electricity, ports and energy assets, the engagement can no longer be treated as sufficient protection,” Widdershoven said.

A harder security posture would not necessarily mean that Gulf governments are preparing for war with Iran. Widdershoven said the more likely response would involve integrated air and missile defenses, shared radar and intelligence networks, expanded naval patrols, stronger cyber capabilities, and better protection for ports, desalination plants, and energy infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia’s response could help determine whether the crisis produces a formal regional realignment or another adjustment to the kingdom’s policy of maintaining relations across competing geopolitical camps.

Effects of Iranian threats on security cooperation

For Washington and Israel, the Iranian threat strengthens the case for greater regional security integration. Israeli systems and operational experience against Iranian missiles and drones could become more relevant to Gulf defense planning if attacks on civilian and strategic infrastructure continue.

Riyadh, though, remains constrained by the Palestinian question and the kingdom’s broader objective of preserving strategic autonomy rather than joining a single geopolitical camp.

Widdershoven believes those competing pressures could produce limited security cooperation before political normalization.

“The most likely trajectory is therefore security convergence before diplomatic normalization: discreet intelligence cooperation, air-defense coordination, and shared threat monitoring first, with formal political relations remaining conditional,” he said.

Alshaabani cautioned against assuming that such an alignment is already taking shape. In his assessment, the conflict has reinforced the need to protect Gulf security and prevent further regional escalation rather than encouraging new political alignments.

Herzog’s Al Arabiya English interview and Al-Qahtani’s Channel 12 appearance are better understood as signs that public channels remain available than as evidence of imminent normalization.

Iran’s attacks may give Saudi Arabia and Israel stronger reasons to cooperate on security, but Riyadh’s investment in diplomacy with Tehran and its insistence on progress toward Palestinian statehood remain in place. For now, the kingdom appears to be keeping its options open as the Gulf’s traditional strategy of geopolitical hedging becomes harder to sustain.

US President Donald Trump pledged continued support for Lebanon during a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House on Tuesday, saying he would discuss the Lebanese army taking control of pilot zones and was willing to speak with Hezbollah if Aoun requested it.

The meeting marked the first visit by a Lebanese president to the White House in more than 17 years. During the meeting, Aoun thanked Trump for what he described as the “historic achievement” of signing the framework, adding, “It’s about time for Lebanon to be stable and secure.”

Trump said the United States had a “very good” relationship with Lebanon and pledged significant support for the country. “It’s been a very badly treated place and country, and we’re going to have it properly treated, and treated with the respect that it deserves,” Trump said.

Trump also said he would discuss the Lebanese army taking control of villages from which the IDF had withdrawn, adding that he would examine issues related to the pilot zone, after the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) claimed earlier on Tuesday that the IDF opened fire near Lebanese troops deploying to pilot zones in southern Lebanon.

He also said he would speak with Hezbollah if Aoun asked him to.

The meeting comes at a critical time for Lebanon. Israeli troops remain deployed at several positions in southern Lebanon, many residents remain displaced following the Israel-Hezbollah war, and Hezbollah has rejected both the government’s direct talks with Israel and efforts to disarm the group.

A Lebanese official said Aoun believes only Trump possesses the leverage needed to pressure Israel to withdraw its troops and help Lebanon restore its sovereignty. The official said that Aoun, in addition to asking the US president to press Israel to withdraw, would also present Trump with a written proposal on how to decommission Hezbollah’s massive arsenal.

US is gearing up to strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, Trump says

On Iran, Trump said Tehran was “desperate” to hold talks, warning that it had “not seen anything yet.”

Trump added that the US will be hitting the Pickaxe Mountain area, located near Iran’s heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, “pretty soon.”

Pickaxe Mountain is a heavily fortified site that hosts two deeply buried tunnel complexes that experts assess as beyond the reach of the most powerful bunker-buster bombs in the US arsenal.

Pickaxe Mountain is located south of the Natanz nuclear complex, the site of two of Iran’s uranium enrichment plants bombed in June 2025.

Iran transferred thousands of uranium enrichment centrifuges to underground facilities deep inside Natanz’s Pickaxe Mountain last fall, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing Israeli and US officials.

Trump says US ready to respond if Houthis impose Red Sea blockade

Asked about a Houthi blockade, Trump said that the United States would respond if Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement follows through on its threat to impose a blockade on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. If the group takes action, the United States “will just have to take care of business,” he said.  

Aoun’s office said he would meet with Trump and hold “meetings and consultations with a number of American officials to discuss the situation in Lebanon and ways to consolidate the ceasefire [and] Israel’s withdrawal from the Lebanese areas it occupies,” UAE-based news site Al-Ain News reported earlier in the month.

Seth J. Frantzman and Idan Kweller contributed to this report.

Little will change in Hamas now that Khalil al-Hayya has been named head of its political bureau, though the terror group will now enjoy not having the financial burden of administering the Gaza Strip, Dr. Michael Milshtein, the head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

Elected after two rounds of elections, Milshtein noted that Hayya has been functioning as the de facto leader for years in Qatar after the assassination of his predecessors.

Even if Khaled Mashaal had claimed victory, Milshtein said the most notable difference is that Mashaal would have prioritized restoring relations between Gaza and the West Bank, while Hayya has prioritized the Gaza Strip.

“There is a kind of an illusion that you know Meshaal is moderate, but there is no ideological difference between the two,” he said.

Milshtein said he would be “surprised” if Hayya made any real moves toward reconciling with the Palestinian Authority, despite talks in recent years about mending the rift that formed when Hamas chased the PA out of Gaza in 2007.

Embraced across the Muslim world, Hayya enjoys relations with Iran, Qatar, and seemingly Egypt, as the country’s intelligence chief was reported to have congratulated Hayya on his election on Monday.

This popularity will mean Hamas might have more room to act outside the traditional proxy relationship it has with Iran, having more freedom than Hezbollah while continuing to enjoy Tehran’s financial support and assistance, Milshtein commented.

“It doesn’t mean that Hamas is going to be kind of a proxy of Iran. They never saw themselves as a kind of player that must obey Iran, and right now it will be the same,” he commented.

Now firmly in his position, Milshtein predicted Hayya’s first focus will be hastening selective components of the second phase agreement with Israel. He will “promote the project of the technocratic government, the deployment of international forces and, at the same time, insist on saying no to the demand for total and immediate disarmament.”

“I’m quite sure that in the day after the elections, we will find ourselves in the same situation as the day before,” he said, reflecting on the fact that Jerusalem has been reluctant to make any dramatic moves until late October.

Hamas is not afraid of the future

When Hamas agreed earlier this month to hand over control of Gaza to the US-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a move welcomed by the international community, Milshtein said Hamas was anticipating little change in the Strip.

“Hamas doesn’t really feel afraid and knows that the technocratic government will be a kind of cosmetic cover, and that this kind of cover will enable Hamas to continue keeping its weapons and being the prominent player in Gaza” without having to fund civil society, he explained.

“If tomorrow the technocratic government ministers will enter Gaza from Cairo and start being active in Gaza and will sit in the governmental offices in Gaza, I think that the real boss in Gaza will be actually the political bureau, not in Gaza itself but outside, led by Hayya, and this will be the real government of Gaza.”

Asked if this will have any impact on civilian life in the territory, Milshtein said he doubted Hamas would end its theft of humanitarian aid and would continue to oppress Palestinians. Hamas will prioritize having the gangs working in opposition to them removed from Gaza, ensuring little changes domestically.

“I’m quite sure once again that the day after the establishment or the beginning of the work of the technocratic government will not be so different than the day before,” he concluded.

In a July 13 interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show, US President Donald Trump said, “We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready,” while in another breath said, “We see no activity there.”

This second part of Trump’s statements about Iran’s nuclear facility at Pickaxe Mountain- that there is no activity there, or, as the hawkish Institute for Science and International Security think tank has put it, that the facility is still not operational- is a major reason that neither the US president nor Israel has ordered a strike to date.   

All top US and Israeli defense sources on the issue have also told the Jerusalem Post in several recent classified briefings to date that there is no current threat from the site, and that the best reason to target it would at most be to eliminate a potential future threat.

All of these views contradict Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal report and CNN’s stunning reports that Israeli intelligence has told the US that Iran has moved thousands of centrifuges and also enriched uranium to Pickaxe Mountain.

At press time, none of the several sources which had recently told the Post that there was no current threat at Pickaxe Mountain had clarified the matter despite several attempts by the Post to get to the bottom of the dispute.

As recently as June 30, the Post received indications that Pickaxe Mountain was still not a major priority for the Israeli defense establishment, though the Post has regularly asked about it since 2021.

There is another reason why the US (Trump) and Israel have not struck Pickaxe Mountain to date.

Lessons from Fordow nuclear facility

Previously, top US and Israeli sources confirmed that although the US succeeded during Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025 in destroying Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility, which was located under a mountain, the Iranians had proved that they could dig even deeper, to an extent that even the American rock-penetrating bunker busters, which Israel does not possess, would be ineffective.

The Post first reported about Iran building the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility even deeper than Fordow in 2021.

While the facility has still not been considered to be operational, on June 4 the Post reported it had received confirmation from both top US and Israeli sources about concerns of the viability of destroying it from the air.

Some top American and Israeli officials view Pickaxe Mountain – along with the 60% uranium covered with rubble under Iran’s nuclear facilities – as one of the two remaining greatest nuclear concerns should it become operational and should Iran succeed at moving critical nuclear assets there, since this could give them a sort of “zone of immunity.”

But this would be a future threat and not a current one, giving little reason to target the facility now, especially since the US and Israel didn’t do so in either June 2025 or early 2026. Since the crisis with Iran started in December 2025, Trump has clearly said publicly that he does not want to send the necessary large US ground forces into Iran to destroy Pickaxe Mountain or to seize the 60% uranium.

Even as Trump has started flirting with the idea of a targeted ground operation in the Strait of Hormuz or threatened to attack Pickaxe Mountain on July 13, the sense was that he was opening the door, at most, to a possible aerial attack on the nuclear facility.

What is more, given that Israel is now worried about whether Trump will make Iran agree to neutralize the 60% or 20% enriched uranium – the top nuclear threat and priority to be neutralized – until this past week, less attention and emphasis had been placed on Pickaxe Mountain.

At most, it could be said that Israel was conscious of Iran’s large-scale plans to transfer more of its strategic resources underground to make it more difficult to strike them from the air and is keeping an eye on the issue in a more general way.

Although the US pulled off a ground operation over multiple days to rescue two shot-down American pilots in Iran, the Post understands that top American generals have pressed Trump not to attempt a ground operation to seize the 60% uranium or to attack Pickaxe Mountain, since they believe this operation could take months and be far more dangerous, involving far more American soldiers who remain vulnerable to attack.

Why Pickaxe might still be on the strike list

So why might Trump still strike?

First, if Israel has suddenly realized that all of its prior assessments until a week or so ago were wrong – and that Iran somehow moved thousands of centrifuges and uranium to Pickaxe Mountain under the Israeli defense establishment’s nose – the facility may now be viewed as a more current threat, not just a future one.

Further, even if the facility cannot be destroyed from the air, attacks on Fordow and other nuclear facilities have shown that aerial strikes can severely damage and disrupt whatever nuclear hardware and operations may be located at a given facility.

Even if there are no nuclear assets there yet, and The Wall Street Journal and CNN reports are straw men for some mysterious agenda, damaging the facility, even without destroying it, could be a way to get the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attention in a way that striking less strategic assets near the Strait of Hormuz has failed to do to date.

At the same time, damaging the facility might not provoke a longer new war with Iran the way that striking the regime’s new leaders might.

Put simply, it could be a way for the US to draw blood while leaving an exit ramp to return to a deal.

For Israel, if there are threatening nuclear assets already located in the facility, convincing the US to strike it could remove or delay a future, serious potential threat. Alternatively, such a strike could fail and embarrass the US and embolden Iran to move forward with whatever operations it has started at the facility or had considered starting there.

Regardless of what comes next, Pickaxe Mountain’s significance has risen to a much higher level in the broader media, and the issue is not likely to go away.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced Brigadier-General (ret.) Guy Barlev as its new CEO on Tuesday, with the decision now pending government approval.

Barlev has served as IAI’s executive vice-president since 2020 and has been in charge of the company’s Systems Missiles & Space Group division.

“We are proud to announce the conclusion of a structured, in-depth, and thorough process by the search committee, tasked with selecting a CEO for IAI,” said Boaz Levy, IAI Chairman of the Board and former CEO of the company.

“Guy has successfully managed the Systems Missiles & Space Group for approximately six years. He has deep familiarity with both the international and local defense markets, as well as the Company’s customers’ requirements,” he added.

The decision will have to be approved by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Regional Development Minister Dudi Amsalem, who is also the head of the Government Companies Authority.

From IDF Brigadier-General to IAI’s CEO

Barlev served in different positions in the IDF until 2015, with his last position being deputy commander of the Judea and Samaria Division.

He also earned a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Sciences from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and a Master’s degree in Social Sciences with a focus on Security Studies from the National Security College at the University of Haifa.

Additionally, he graduated from the US Army Command and General Staff College.

“I would like to thank IAI’s Board of Directors for their trust and for selecting me as CEO. It is a great privilege to lead a company that serves as a national and strategic asset for the State of Israel,” said Barlev.

“IAI of today is very different from the IAI that I joined about a decade ago. The company has undergone a business transformation in recent years and achieved unprecedented records. I look forward to the journey ahead, in fulfilling the company’s potential and strengthening our partnerships in both existing and new markets,” he added.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi was in the United States last week, where he met with US President Donald Trump, members of Congress, businesspeople, along with other officials, seeking a new partnership with the US while portraying himself as a new young leader who could bring Iraq into the future and not allow the country to fall back to the failures of the past.

However, now that the prime minister is back in Baghdad, he has met with the Iranian ambassador to Iraq. This raises a major question about whether Iraq can really free itself from the old ways.

Over the last decade, Iraq has been weakened from within because of Iranian-backed militias which are part of an umbrella group known as Hashd al-Shaabi, or the Popular Mobilization Forces.

Some of the militias have historical ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran. Those ties, in some cases, go back to the 1980s. In other cases, the militias are relatively new, but they are directly linked to the IRGC.

Iranian-backed Iraqi militias

There are tens of thousands, and possibly more than 100,000, fighters in the ranks of these militias, organized into dozens of brigades. They were mostly recruited to fight during the war against ISIS beginning in 2014.

However, once that war was largely finished in 2017, the militias refused to go away. Instead, they have continued to hijack Iraq and its government.

The militias have been responsible for numerous crises over the last few years: They have killed protesters, they have attacked American forces, and they have attacked the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.

The Iraqi prime minister has vowed that all the arms held by the militias will be put under state control. However, the question of what “state control” means is unclear.

Lebanon and Gaza show the difficulties with disarming Iran-backed militias

One possibility is that it just means a bureaucratic shift, which won’t result in changes on the ground. Another possibility is that the militias will actually be disarmed.

The fact that it appears weapons are being smuggled by the militias to the Syrian border, intended for movement to Hezbollah via Syria, illustrates they still have arms. A recent shipment was busted by the Syrians at the Tanf border crossing between Iraq and Syria.

As has been seen in Lebanon and Gaza, disarming Iranian-backed terrorist groups is extremely difficult. Many of these militias are designated as terrorist organizations by the US, yet, despite these designations, they still have connections with the highest levels of power in Baghdad.

What will Iraq’s prime minister do now? Did he return from his visit to the US feeling empowered, with the wind at his back, and ready to pursue reforms? Or will he fall back into the old ways, meeting with the Iranian ambassador, possibly traveling to Iran this week, and trying to hedge his bets between Iran and the United States?

These are key questions that will need to be answered in the next weeks. 

The Netherlands will begin its ban on the import, purchase and sale of goods from Israeli settlements in the Palestinian Territories on September 22, 2026, the Dutch government announced Tuesday.

The government already decided on the sanctions on 22 May 2026, and the Council of State has now issued its advice, which has not led to any changes to the decision.

The ban was made official today, and will enter into force on 22 September.

The Dutch government considers the settlements unlawful.

With the proposed measures, the Netherlands says it is giving further substance to its obligation under international law not to contribute to this “unlawful” situation.

Practical impacts of the ban on imports

From 22 September, it will be forbidden to: import goods from Israeli settlements; buy and sell goods from Israeli settlements; provide services that facilitate trade in goods from the Israeli settlements (so-called brokering services); and circumvent the above prohibitions.

“I am deeply ashamed of the betrayal by the Dutch left-liberal government of Islam lovers and Israel haters,” said Dutch politician Geert Wilders.

The ban is more symbolic in value than practical, as it will be challenging to enforce.

Content warning: This article contains disturbing references and descriptions of sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.

The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday extended the detention of Mohammad Al Nakib, 27, of Lod, by six days. Al Nakib, a mathematics teacher at a Tel Aviv middle school, is suspected of raping a 12-year-old student.

A prosecutor has been assigned to oversee the case, and the State Attorney’s Office is preparing an indictment that is expected to be filed in the coming days, a source told Walla.

The police investigation indicates that the alleged offense was not an isolated incident. Investigators suspect that Al Nakib met the student outside the school on at least two occasions, picked her up in his private vehicle, and spent time with her at beaches in Tel Aviv. During questioning, investigators confronted him with messages of a sexual nature found on the phones.

Al Nakib burst into tears during his interrogation and made statements implicating himself in the offenses of which he is suspected, Walla learned. Investigators are examining whether the case is broader and whether additional students were harmed.

Police call on victims, witnesses to come forward with more information about the suspect

Following the lifting of a gag order on his identity, police hope that other possible victims or witnesses will come forward and provide information that could broaden the investigation.

Meanwhile, new details have emerged about Al Nakib’s career in the education system. Education staff spoke on Monday night with students who had studied under him after learning that he had previously worked at another Tel Aviv school. He began his teaching internship there, but it was unusually terminated before completion.

Sources familiar with the matter said the internship was terminated because of dissatisfaction with his performance. Nevertheless, he was hired last year to teach at the middle school where the alleged offenses took place.

The Tel Aviv North police station in the Yarkon District is continuing its investigation and gathering evidence before completing the case and transferring it to the State Attorney’s Office. Authorities are also examining whether there are additional possible victims who have not yet contacted police.

Without any public announcement, the IDF has been building a large sand-wall barrier separating the 50-70% of the Gaza Strip it controls from the areas controlled by Hamas, the military confirmed on Tuesday.

Earth imaging company Planet Labs PBC observed the topographical changes using satellite imagery and provided them to the Associated Press, which was the first outlet to break the news.

According to the satellite imagery, more than 23 kilometers were built in recent months, running throughout the Strip, often through areas where Palestinian communities once stood but have long since been demolished by the IDF.

Such an extensive sand wall would be equal to over half the length of Gaza, which is around 40 km. long and 11 km. wide (at its widest point).

It was unclear whether the IDF’s goal was to finish the wall across the entire Strip and whether it seeks to hem Hamas and over two million Palestinians to around 30% of the territory where they currently reside, or closer to the 47% Hamas retained from the October 2025 ceasefire.

The IDF specifically declined to elaborate to The Jerusalem Post on the size, details, or more specific goals of the new construction.

In recent months, the IDF has, gradually and without any real battles, pushed Hamas back from the 47% line closer to a 30% line in retaliation for the Gaza terror group failing to start the disarmament process which it was due to begin in early 2026.

In contrast, Hamas has said it is only obligated to begin a partial disarmament process once Israel allows at least partial rebuilding of Gaza.

To date, the Board of Peace, which is supposed to manage the negotiations under the October 2025 ceasefire, has mostly taken Israel’s side regarding the dispute, but has also loudly opposed, along with US President Donald Trump, who towers above the board, any Israeli desire to launch a new major invasion of the Hamas-controlled areas of the Strip.

Neither CENTCOM, which is tasked with monitoring the ceasefire, nor the Board of Peace responded to AP inquiries about the barrier.

IDF: New Gaza boundary a ‘no-go point’

The IDF told the Post that the new boundary was designed to make the no-go point for Palestinians clear to those residing in Hamas-controlled areas as well as to prevent any attempt by the terror group to infiltrate Israeli border towns, which still remain only a few kilometers away at points.

One of the features of Hamas’s successful October 7, 2023 invasion of southern Israel was an ability to infiltrate Israeli border villages in a period of minutes due to their proximity to Gazan territory.

According to Planet Labs PBC, a portion of the sand-wall network in southern Gaza was extended by more than 2 km. between July 1 and July 15.

Previously, the southern Gaza network had extended around 500 meters long, but it then increased to about 2.4 km., cutting through the ruins of the deep southern Gaza city of Rafah, from the al-Mawasi coastal refugee camps.

The AP report said that if construction continued in its current direction, it would join up with the longest stretch of the barrier, which runs nearly unbroken for around 17 km. from the mid-southern city of Khan Yunis to near Gaza City, in the north

Despite Palestinian and international concerns about Israel potentially moving for a longer-term land grab, the IDF has been compelled to withdraw multiple times from large portions of Gaza during the war, even after building large new bases, such as withdrawing from the Morag Corridor in early 2025.

There appears to be a disconnect between what Beirut, Washington, and Jerusalem expect from the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in proposed pilot zones in southern Lebanon. On paper, all three sides appear to support an increased role for the Lebanese army. However, they seem to have very different ideas about what that deployment is supposed to accomplish.

On July 20, the US Department of State said, “Today, pilot zone operations began in the villages of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar Al-Gharbiya in accordance with the Trilateral Framework and under the auspices of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon. This milestone is a direct outcome of last week’s discussions between Israel and Lebanon in Rome. The United States will continue working closely with both parties to implement the Framework to a successful conclusion.” Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun is in the US for meetings with US President Donald Trump and the State Department.

Beirut appears primarily focused on using the pilot zones to secure an Israeli withdrawal or redeployment. The concept is clear from Lebanon’s point of view. The LAF deploys soldiers and vehicles, demonstrates that it has a presence on the ground, and then hopes the IDF will keep leaving new areas. Beirut can then say it has fulfilled its obligations.

There is one major problem with this approach: Hezbollah is barely mentioned by Beirut or its supporters. It is always seen as the ‘he who shall not be named,’ like in Harry Potter.

The United States appears to have a more ambitious objective. Washington has invested in the Lebanese Army over the years. The goal of the US is for the Lebanese state to restore its sovereignty.

US goal: for Lebanon to restore sovereignty

That means the army should actually do what an army is supposed to do. It should control territory, secure borders, prevent Hezbollah from operating, and ensure that the state has a so-called monopoly on weapons. That means that Hezbollah can’t stockpile so many weapons that it basically supplants the army in terms of its powers. In southern Lebanon, that inevitably means dealing with Hezbollah.

This is where the pilot-zone concept comes into play. It is designed to provide a ‘trust but verify’ approach, in which the LAF can certify that it has actually done something. If the LAF can demonstrate that it can secure one limited area and prevent Hezbollah from returning, then the model can theoretically be expanded to a second area, and then a third. Eventually, this could provide a pathway toward what Beirut wants: Restoring Lebanese sovereignty across the south.

Israel appears to have a somewhat different, more limited perspective, informed by past experience and a cynical outlook that is natural for the region. Jerusalem is laser-focused on keeping Hezbollah away from the border and preventing the group from rebuilding the infrastructure that enabled it to threaten northern Israel. Israel is also likely deeply skeptical that the LAF will ever seriously confront Hezbollah.

Nevertheless, Israel may be willing to give the pilot-zone concept time. If it works, then Hezbollah could be pushed away from the border without requiring the IDF to maintain a permanent presence. If it fails, Israel will eventually be able to tell Washington that Lebanon was given an opportunity and that the experiment did not work.

This brings us back to the central problem. Beirut does not appear to define success in terms of removing Hezbollah. Its messaging tends to focus instead on getting the IDF to withdraw or “redeploy.”

We have seen this cycle before.

Hezbollah: hidden in plain site

For decades, the presence of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the LAF provided a kind of fig leaf in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah could continue to operate while everyone pretended that the presence of international peacekeepers and the Lebanese army meant that the area was secure.

The logic became circular. UNIFIL was there, therefore Hezbollah supposedly wasn’t there. UNIFIL didn’t report seeing Hezbollah, and the LAF didn’t find Hezbollah, so Hezbollah supposedly didn’t exist in the area.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah built up one of the largest arsenals possessed by a terrorist army group in the world. It constructed infrastructure throughout southern Lebanon and positioned itself for a war with Israel. This shell game went on for years.

The issue today is that the pilot zones could become another cycle of fig leaf and failure. The LAF could deploy some vehicles and personnel to show off; the IDF could be pressured to leave, and then everyone could declare success. Hezbollah would simply remain behind the scenes.

It is worth recalling that the fundamental problem in Lebanon has never been the absence of Lebanese institutions on paper. Lebanon has an army, a government, a president, a parliament, and security forces. The problem has been that terrorists, backed by Iran, have been allowed to operate outside those institutions and maintain their own military infrastructure. 

The pilot zones therefore need a clear definition of success. The question should not be whether the IDF leaves. The question is what happens the day after it “redeploys.” Who actually controls the territory? Who possesses weapons there? Can Hezbollah members return? Can the group rebuild positions, move weapons, or establish observation posts? Will the LAF stop them if they do?

If the answer is that the Lebanese state controls the territory and Hezbollah cannot return with weapons and infrastructure, then the pilot zones could represent a new breakthrough. They could mark the beginning of the Lebanese state’s return to southern Lebanon.

If, however, the LAF presence merely becomes another fig leaf, then nothing has fundamentally changed. Lebanon will have replaced the old UNIFIL shell game with a new pilot-zone shell game.

Iran is avoiding a broad, direct attack on Israel because it fears Israeli strikes on senior regime figures and institutions vital to its survival, Iran researcher Beni Sabti told 103FM on Sunday.

Sabti, an Iran researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, spoke with Ron Kofman and Prof. Aryeh Eldad following an Al Hadath report citing an Israeli security source who said that Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was not in the Islamic Republic.

“The strength of the public lies in Tehran, as we saw during the protests, and that is what Iran fears,” Sabti said, explaining Iran’s concern over a possible Israeli attack.

“The Iranian regime fears our involvement because they know that we are going straight to the center. We are targeting the most important part and focusing on senior officials.

“They crossed a threshold on Sunday. There may be elements within the Revolutionary Guards that are beginning to pick at us and provoke us, testing how far they can go in angering Israel, and woe to them. There are always rogue elements within rogue elements. It has become like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Let me be clear: Iran has shifted into terror organization mode.”

Iran refraining from broad attack on Israel

Asked why Iran was refraining from launching a broad, direct attack on Israel, Sabti said: “They know that, first and foremost, we focus on individuals, and from our familiarity with them, we truly know how to reach them, as we saw on previous occasions.

“If there are no American restrictions, we know how to do the job. We focus on facilities and institutions that are important to the regime’s survival, such as the Revolutionary Guards’ internal security headquarters.”

“There are people who do not respect the rule of law and who are truly anarchists, and the Revolutionary Guards are like that,” Sabti said. “There are people who do not respect the law and even enjoy doing so.

“A group of far-left activists, without informing Khomeini at the time, climbed the fences in 1979, seized the US Embassy in Tehran and presented the leadership with a fait accompli. They later became the nucleus of the Revolutionary Guards. That is who we are dealing with. They act, and afterward they come and say, ‘This is what happened.’

“Mojtaba, given his physical limitations and while inside the tunnel, what can he really do?”

US strikes on communications towers having severe impact

Sabti later addressed the impact of US strikes in the region.

“The public does not count, neither on this side nor for the Revolutionary Guards,” he said. “The strikes are having an impact, and they were severe. Those bridges are not functioning. They took down 116 communications towers, which is a great deal.

“In southern Iran, where everything is failing and everyone is poor, do you think they built a communications tower for the public? They built it for the Iranian Navy’s headquarters and for the Revolutionary Guards. In Iran’s periphery, no one cares about the public, and, incidentally, they do not care about the public in Tehran either.”

Sabti concluded by addressing Khamenei’s condition and motivations.

“Revenge has become the strategic issue,” he said. “When you connect that to the missiles, the nuclear program and the terrorism program, then, of course, reviving Hezbollah is perhaps the most important objective.

“Iranian blindness could still cost them dearly. Revenge has become a strategic event, something fundamental for him, because he saw his father evaporate into the air. Therefore, we may be able to exploit precisely that blindness and extremism to our advantage.”

The Hungarian Fidesz opposition party had its office raided by the country’s prosecutor’s office, the party claimed in a Tuesday post on Facebook.

“The Tisza Party’s plan to eliminate Fidesz and with it the resistance to tyranny through political means has failed,” the post read. “Therefore, the Tisza Party is now attempting to legally disable Fidesz.”

The post claimed that the prosecutor’s office had intended to seize “the party’s entire communication system and databases.”

The Fidesz party would not yield to any political or legal threats, and would continue to stand up to the Tisza Party, the post continued.

“This has not happened in Hungary since the end of communism in 1990.”

Hungary president ends term as head of state

On Saturday, Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok signed a constitutional amendment passed by Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s ruling Tisza party that ended his term as head of state, Sulyok said in a statement.

The legislation was part of Magyar’s drive to dismantle former prime minister Viktor Orban’s bastions of power, for which Magyar says he received a strong mandate from voters after ousting the right-wing leader in an April election landslide.

Sulyok said he had no choice but to rubber-stamp the legislation as it respected the letter of the law. However, the former Constitutional Court judge warned the reform has harmed the rule of law in Hungary.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Rabbi Zamir Isayev, head of Baku’s Sephardi Jewish community, described religious life in Azerbaijan at a religious freedom forum held on Capitol Hill.

Isayev appeared alongside Pastor Rasim Khalilov, chairman of the Azerbaijan Bible Society and head of the country’s Protestant community, at an event organized by the IRF Secretariat.

The forum brought together religious leaders and delegates from around the world, as well as US officials, senators and political figures.

Ahead of the event, Isayev and Khalilov also met with Eric Trump, the son of US President Donald Trump. According to Isayev, Trump expressed interest in strengthening ties between Washington and Baku and described Azerbaijan as a friend of the United States and a strategic partner of Israel.

The appearance of a rabbi and a Protestant pastor representing a Muslim-majority country highlighted the role of religious minority communities in Azerbaijan.

Religious identity and national loyalty

In his address, Isayev argued that religious tolerance should be measured not only through legislation and official declarations, but by whether minority communities are able to maintain their institutions and practice their faith openly.

While many countries formally express a commitment to tolerance, he said, religious minorities are not always adequately protected in practice.

Isayev contrasted Jewish life in Azerbaijan with the insecurity experienced by Jewish communities in parts of Europe, arguing that Jews in Azerbaijan are able to express both their religious identity and their loyalty to the country without facing accusations of divided allegiance.

“A person should not have to choose between religious identity and loyalty to the country,” Isayev said.

“A Muslim should not become less Muslim by respecting a synagogue. A Jew should not become less Jewish by loving and serving his country. A Christian should not have to choose between devotion to faith and national identity.”

According to Isayev, Azerbaijan has developed a model in which religious identity and national loyalty are not treated as competing commitments.

Coexistence in Azerbaijan

“I lead the Sephardi Jewish community in Baku,” he said. “Our synagogue, school, kindergarten, mikveh, kosher services and rabbinical court all operate openly and freely.”

Jewish children in Baku, he added, study Hebrew, Torah, Jewish history and tradition while also receiving a modern education and growing up as citizens of Azerbaijan.

Isayev illustrated that model with an example from daily life in Baku.

“Across from the synagogue where I pray, there is an old mosque,” he said. “Sometimes, when I meet its imam, I greet him in Arabic: ‘Assalamu alaikum.’ And he answers me in Hebrew: ‘Boker tov.’

“That small exchange reflects something much larger. Coexistence is not only discussed at conferences. It is part of our daily life.”

Organizers said the presentations by Isayev and Khalilov, as well as discussions held on the sidelines of the forum, led to further discussions about religious minority life in Azerbaijan and the country’s broader relationship with the United States and Israel.

The discussions also addressed the planned Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, known as TRIPP, a proposed corridor through Armenia linking mainland Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave and Turkey. The project is also expected to strengthen broader transport links between Central Asia and Europe.

Participants also discussed calls to repeal Section 907 of the US Freedom Support Act, which restricts certain forms of direct American assistance to the Azerbaijani government, subject to a presidential waiver.

Supporters of its repeal argue that the provision has constrained deeper US engagement with Azerbaijan at a time when Washington is seeking to expand its role in a region historically influenced by Russia and Iran.

PolyPid, an Israeli biotech company, said on Tuesday it had agreed a deal with Azurity Pharmaceuticals to commercialize a drug aimed at preventing surgical site infections in the US and Canada, under which it could receive more than $320 million.

PolyPid said it will receive $15 million due upon signing and an additional near-term milestone payment of $15 million payable upon US Food and Drug Administration acceptance of its D-PLEX100 new drug application, which is expected next month.

The company said it would be eligible to receive up to some $300 million in additional regulatory, development and sales-based milestone payments. Upon commercialization of the drug, PolyPid will produce and supply D-PLEX100 to Azurity for a transfer price and will be entitled to tiered royalties.

What is D-PLEX100?

D-PLEX100 is designed to provide local prolonged and controlled anti-bacterial activity directly at the surgical site with the goal of preventing abdominal surgical site infections.

The partners may agree to jointly pursue potential label expansion of D-PLEX100 in the US and Canada into additional infections beyond abdominal, with Azurity providing funding.

PolyPid will retain global commercial rights to D-PLEX100 outside the US and Canada, manufacturing rights worldwide, and full ownership of its PLEX platform, its Kynatrix technology, and associated pipeline assets.

“This partnership is a defining step in PolyPid’s transition into a commercial-stage company,” PolyPid CEO Dikla Czaczkes Akselbrad said in a statement.

The Palestinian Authority’s buildup of a military force, in violation of the Oslo Accords, presents an unprecedented threat to millions of people living in central Israel, a newly published report penned by Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch, published in the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, warned.

Outlining the scale of risk, Hirsch noted that the West Bank now hosts an armed force ten times larger than the number of terrorists who invaded Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, a force he wrote that was “simply awaiting orders to attack.”

Qalqilya lies just 14 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea. Within that narrow corridor are the cities of Kfar Saba, Ra’anana, Hod Hasharon, Herzliya, and countless other communities. As noted by Hirsch, terrorists penetrated 22 kilometers into Israeli territory, reaching Ofakim, on October 7, making a 14-kilometer incursion a possibility for which Israel is currently unprepared.

Making the situation of particular concern, the report highlighted, is the fact that the Palestinian force is now armed with what is understood to be tens of thousands of weapons, has a larger personnel presence than ever agreed to, and possesses the ideological will to seek Israel’s destruction.

During the first and second intifada, the report noted that hundreds of PA security personnel participated in attacks on Israel. Since then, PA security forces in the West Bank have grown by 400 percent, despite the Oslo Accords only permitting the existence of a limited Palestinian Authority Police Force responsible for maintaining local public order and combating terrorist groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The force transformed from a 12,000 personnel organization, limited to 4,000 rifles, 4,000 pistols, 120 light and heavy machine guns, and 15 armored vehicles, to an estimated 70,000 “soldiers.”

In their possession are tens of thousands of rifles and pistols, dozens of armored vehicles, and military training. Though the Oslo Accords permitted the number of weapons to be increased with mutual consent, it is understood that many of those weapons are now being smuggled into the West Bank or manufactured in the Palestinian territory without the consent of Israel.

Though one could argue that the force evolved with the needs of the growing Palestinian population in the West Bank, the report notes that crime in the West Bank is relatively low, making it hard to justify the excessive force.

PA hides true extent of its forces

Data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) reported the crime rate in the Palestinian Authority-governed areas of the West Bank to be 1,335.6 criminal offenses per 100,000 residents in 2024.

Additionally, the report notes that it is rare for a civilian police force to have the military warfare training, including artillery, sniping, heavy machine guns, and parachuting, that those employed by the PA now enjoy.

Under the Oslo Accords, the PA was required to submit all names of police candidates to Israel, and Israel held veto power over any recruitment

The PA has long violated and hidden evidence of its force size. According to a US State Department report from November 1995, even before the PA’s full establishment, the force already numbered 18,000 personnel, despite being limited at that stage to 9,000. In 2001, the force was estimated at around 40,000, and by 2014, it had grown to 65,277.

In 2018, the number reached approximately 65,829.20, more than 500% larger than what had been agreed upon.

Ideologically, the report notes that Fatah is not dissimilar from Hamas, pointing to statements from various officials who have bragged that terrorists in Israeli jails are members of the PA security forces.

Despite the ideological similarities to Hamas, PA President Mahmoud Abbas has been able to gain international support by positioning Hamas as an enemy, leading to then-prime minister Ehud Olmert agreeing to the “Wanted Terrorists Agreement.”

In exchange for handing over their weapons to the PA and promising to swear off terror, Fatah terrorists were promised to be removed from Israel’s target list. Instead, the PA integrated the terrorists within its security force.

Hirsch noted that this pattern has continued, exemplified by the fact that the PA attempted to conceal Pay-for-Slay payments in 2020 amid international pressure by embedding terrorists within its security force. This meant many Hamas operatives received military wages and “created an absurd situation in which the operational mission of thwarting terror and arresting Hamas operatives was entrusted to Fatah activists with rich terrorist backgrounds.”

Outside of receiving training and support from the United States, PA forces have also undergone full military training in countries hostile to Israel that are also training Hamas. The report noted that in 2024 there was a media expose that PA forces were being trained in armored warfare, artillery, shoulder-fired missiles, heavy machine guns, sniping, parachuting, and more in Pakistan.

The Regavim organization also highlighted the fact that some of those receiving training in Pakistan, including Ahmed Alawna, had himself taken part in numerous terrorist attacks against Israel.

PA has been gifted weapons by Israeli government

Well-trained for warfare, the Palestinian Authority has also been gifted weapons by numerous Israeli governments, including under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government only weeks before the October 7 attacks in 2023.

Despite this, Hirsch notes that there is a degree of secrecy surrounding arming the PA, and official channels have largely avoided responding to freedom-of-information requests about the scale of weapons transferred.

“The most positive interpretation of the failure to provide the information is a mere recording error. The most negative is that the information exists, but its disclosure would cause embarrassment to security officials. Notably, at no stage did the responders claim the information was classified; their silence was deafening,” Hirsch wrote.

“As in the past, the terror army built by the PA is destined to turn its weapons against Israeli citizens. Due to the nature, size, and capabilities of this force, a northward, westward, and southward invasion by this terror army will endanger millions of citizens. The scale of destruction and killing within communities inside the ‘Green Line’ could be significantly greater, even in comparison to the horrors of the October 7 massacre,” he warned.

Recommending immediate action, Hirsch said Israel must halt all approvals of arms being sent to the PA, condition aid on the PA reducing its forces to the agreed upon amount, establish an independent oversight mechanism, close PA military training bases, prepare the IDF for an October 7-like scenario in the West Bank and issue a diplomatic demand that the US and EU end the financial support they provide for training of PA soldiers.

Two oil tankers that loaded Saudi crude for China and India made U-turns in the Red Sea on Tuesday and headed toward the Suez, according to shipping data on LSEG, following a warning from the Houthis.

Shipping companies should not load or discharge cargo at Saudi Arabian ports, and such activity may result in being targeted “in any location” by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, according to an email sent to companies by the terror group.

The Houthis on Monday declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, opening a potential new front against the United States in its war with Iran and raising the threat to global energy supplies and trade beyond the Gulf.

“Vessels are banned from loading or discharging cargo at or from any Saudi ports,” the July 20 email said, which was received by multiple shipping companies.

“We strongly recommend that your company exercise due diligence and the utmost care in all its dealings,” according to the email, which was sent to the companies in the industry and seen by Reuters.

The new conditions came into force at 1201 GMT on July 20, the email said.

“Any such activity would expose the violating vessels to sanctions,” according to the email, which was sent by the Houthis’ Sanaa-based Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC).

“Furthermore, they may be subject to targeting in any location within the operational reach of the Yemeni Armed Forces.”

Saudi Arabia relying on Strait of Hormuz alternative

A closure of the Red Sea‘s southern gateway would remove a critical alternative route for Saudi Arabia to the Strait of Hormuz and intensify fears of shortages.

Red Sea traffic has not fully recovered since Houthi attacks off Yemen’s coast began in November 2023 in what the group said was solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.

The HOCC was the main unit used by the Houthis to issue warnings to the shipping industry during its campaign of attacks on merchant shipping between 2023 and 2025, which only ended with the Gaza ceasefire in October last year.

“We believe (the email) acts as a reminder of their presence in the area,” said one source at one of the companies that received the email.

The High Court of Justice on Monday urged several international aid organizations to withdraw petitions challenging Israel’s refusal to register them, signaling that it saw no grounds to intervene in a policy allowing the state to consider security, boycott, and “delegitimization” concerns.

The joined proceedings were brought by Save the Children International and the Association of International Development Agencies, known as AIDA; Swedish Christian aid organization Diakonia; and Italian humanitarian organization CESVI Fondazione – ETS.

The petitions concerned the registration framework through which international humanitarian organizations receive recommendations for visas and work permits for their foreign employees – not the entry of a particular aid shipment or the operation of a specific humanitarian corridor into Gaza.

The organizations argued that denying registration severely disrupted the structure through which they had operated in Israel, east Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, preventing international staff from entering through Israel, meeting local employees, and overseeing their work.

The state and the three-justice panel of Justices Yael Willner, Alex Stein, and Ruth Ronnen questioned whether nonregistration actually prevented the organizations from providing humanitarian assistance, or instead made their established operating arrangements substantially more difficult.

Ronnen told the petitioners that they needed to demonstrate harm to the populations they assist, rather than merely show that it was more convenient to maintain offices and bring employees through Israel.

Willner similarly said the court had not been shown a sufficiently severe injury that could not be addressed through other arrangements, stressing that the government was entitled to set its own registration policy unless the petitioners established a legal basis for judicial intervention.

The organizations said those alternatives were not realistic because Israel controls access through the relevant crossings and foreign workers could not simply enter the West Bank or Gaza under ordinary tourist arrangements.

The hearing then turned to the different grounds on which the state had refused to register each organization.

Case of Save the Children International

In Save the Children’s case, the state relied on public statements it characterized as delegitimizing Israel and alleged institutional and financial links with Islamic Relief Worldwide, which Israel declared an unlawful association in 2014 over alleged support for and financing of Hamas.

Save the Children denied supporting Hamas or participating in prohibited activity. Its attorney, Yotam Ben-Hillel, said there had been no cooperation with Islamic Relief concerning the organization’s operations in Israel, Gaza, or the West Bank since the Israeli declaration.

The state argued that financial or institutional support elsewhere could still be considered support for an organization prohibited under Israeli law.

Ronnen distinguished between allegations of links to designated organizations and the separate ground of delegitimization.

Where an organization had a connection to Hamas or another prohibited group, the state’s argument was more straightforward, she said. Where no such connection existed, the interpretation of what constituted delegitimization left greater room for dispute.

CESVI’s petition

CESVI’s petition raised a separate procedural challenge over what the organization said were changing versions of the security allegations against it.

An initial notice issued in March said classified information indicated ties between CESVI itself and Hamas. The final refusal decision in April referred instead to concerns that Hamas-affiliated elements could exploit CESVI’s activities in Gaza.

In court, the state further alleged that a list of CESVI’s local employees included people active in terrorist organizations, including Hamas.

CESVI argued that those were materially different claims and that the employee allegation had not been presented during the administrative proceedings, leaving it unable to investigate, respond, or take remedial action.

The state disputed that account and said CESVI had been given sufficient notice of the security concerns. The disagreement was not resolved in a reasoned judgment before the organization agreed to withdraw its petition.

Diakonia’s case centered primarily on alleged boycott and delegitimization activity rather than terrorist financing.

The state relied on the organization’s advocacy concerning trade connected to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, calls for international pressure, and its legal discussion of apartheid.

Diakonia said it does not endorse the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, does not call for a boycott of Israel, and distinguishes between Israel and settlements in the West Bank.

It also said it does not claim that the State of Israel maintains an apartheid regime. Its 2024 position paper instead examines whether particular legal systems, movement restrictions, and inequalities in the Palestinian territories resemble elements of apartheid as defined under international law.

The sharpest exchange came as Diakonia attorney Sani Khoury argued that the organization’s positions amounted to legal and political criticism and did not deny Israel’s right to exist.

“Anyone who calls the State of Israel an apartheid state should not enter Israel,” Stein said.

He said the term “apartheid” went beyond ordinary criticism of Israeli conduct because of its implication that the state itself was fundamentally illegitimate.

Khoury objected to Stein’s characterization of the organizations’ work as “poison,” telling the justice that the court was required to remain neutral and warning that the state’s interpretation created a slippery slope under which opposition to government policy could be treated as opposition to Israel’s existence.

Willner said the state had a legitimate right – and duty – to defend itself against organizations that sought to boycott it, deny its legitimacy, or support an organization designated as terrorist under Israeli law.

After the judges briefly consulted, Willner said the members of the panel shared the view that the cases did not justify the court’s intervention and recommended that the organizations reconsider whether to pursue judgments dismissing their petitions.

CESVI agreed to withdraw its petition. Save the Children, AIDA, and Diakonia requested three days to state how they intended to proceed.

In a brief decision issued after the hearing, the court ordered the petitioners to respond to its recommendation by Thursday, July 23.

Antisemitism in parts of Berlin’s queer community has intensified since October 7, leaving many Jewish LGBTQ+ people feeling excluded, intimidated, and unsafe, according to a new report commissioned by Berlin’s Department for Justice and Anti-Discrimination.

The report opens by saying that “antisemitism in Berlin’s queer scenes is not a new phenomenon,” but it has become “increasingly visible since October 7, 2023.”

“Queer activists have mobilized for anti-Israel demonstrations, and there have been attacks on Jews. Those who want to be part of the scene are expected to adopt an anti-Zionist position.”

The report states that antisemitism in queer communities is closely linked to the BDS campaign.

Despite the fact that in 2019, the German Bundestag adopted a resolution “Resolutely Opposing the BDS Movement” and declaring “The arguments and methods of the BDS movement are antisemitic,” the movement is active in Germany.

Ari Elbert, a board member of Keshet Deutschland, the Jewish LGBTQI community in Germany, said his organization has been invited to participate in far fewer events since October 7.

“It’s not always driven exclusively by antisemitic motives,” he told the report. “Allies are attacked, especially in queer-feminist contexts, because people are forced to make a radical decision about which side they are on. Anyone who does not want to take a position comes under enormous pressure. Others are afraid of hostility or boycott campaigns and therefore no longer offer us platforms or spaces.”

A dramatic shift in Berlin’s LGBTQ+ community

One interviewee, identified as A.M., described a dramatic shift in Berlin’s LGBTQ+ community following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023:

“The atmosphere has changed dramatically. Conversations about Israel and Palestine have become highly polarized, and being Jewish in queer spaces now often means that people see you as a political position before they see you as a person.”

A.M. said they had personally witnessed openly antisemitic slogans at queer protests and heard people justify violence against Jews in the name of solidarity. A.M. also spoke of the pain of the silence of friends and organizations that normally speak out against discrimination.

“Queer friends and organizations that speak loudly about every other form of injustice suddenly have nothing to say when it comes to antisemitism,” said A.M. “That silence can feel like abandonment.”

As a result, A.M. said they now avoid certain events and venues because they fear becoming a target if they wear a Star of David or openly express their Jewish identity.

One key case study was Berlin’s 2024 Dyke March controversy.

The Dyke March originated in Washington, DC, in 1993 as an explicitly anti-fascist, non-commercial alternative to traditional Pride events centered on lesbians and women. Berlin has hosted its own version since 2013.

Ahead of the 2024 march, organizers held a fundraising event at the Kreuzberg queer bar Möbel Olfe. One promotional flyer displayed two red inverted triangles surrounding the venue’s logo, a symbol widely associated with Hamas.

Concerned by increasing BDS rhetoric, a group of Jewish and non-Jewish queer women attended the fundraiser to ask organizers whether Jews could safely participate in the upcoming march.

They set up a table displaying a sign reading “Safe table for Jews and Israelis” alongside a rainbow flag featuring the Star of David. The report says that other attendees and even the bartender demanded they leave. The atmosphere reportedly became hostile, and police protection was required for the group to leave safely.

The organizers later blamed the Jewish group’s attendance as “an attempt to create division.”

Despite the controversy, the 2024 Dyke March went ahead as planned, and featured chants of “Yallah Intifada,” and several violent arrests of pro-Palestinian activists.

The report also presents Berlin’s club scene as one of the main arenas where conflicts over Israel and Palestine play out.

It says the BDS movement has achieved significant influence within parts of the international electronic music and queer club scene.

This started before October 7: In 2018, the campaign #DJsForPalestine, organized by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (now part of the BDS movement), encouraged DJs not to perform in Israel. The campaign was backed by the Berlin queer collective Room4Resitance.

Immediately after October 7, Room4Resistance promoted an anti-Israel demonstration that was co-organized by Palastina Spricht and Samidoun, which is considered a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

The report also discusses the case of HOR Berlin, an online music streaming platform founded by two Israelis. Beginning in November 2023, the founders were subjected to boycotts and online harassment after asking DJs on two occasions to remove political imagery from broadcasts. Photos of the founders were circulated online alongside claims that they were former Israeli soldiers. The report says numerous artists subsequently requested that their performances be removed from HOR, causing significant financial losses for the company.

‘I face antisemitism every day in Berlin’

The report concludes by describing what it says are the real-world consequences of antisemitism within parts of Berlin’s queer community.

“I face antisemitism every day in Berlin,” said A.M. “That is why I am leaving the city, and the country.”

Elbert, a board member of Keshet Deutschland, said, “In Berlin we have reached an extreme point within queer communities. Many Jewish people are fleeing this situation, leaving the city or even moving to Israel despite the war.”

A spokesperson for Dykes, Women and Queers Against Antisemitism said: “Many of us no longer want to express our political views at all; we simply want to be left in peace.”

“Jewish queer people are only allowed to participate if they submit to the prevailing ideology, which clearly dictates which positions are acceptable.”

The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Israel Police arrested Muhammad Awad, a 29-year-old Israeli citizen from Nazareth, on suspicion of promoting terrorist activity, police announced on Tuesday.

The investigation found that Awad had contacted the Hamas terrorist organization with the aim of joining and obtaining resources to carry out terrorist activity.

He is also suspected of planning to harm National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Following the investigation, the Northern District Attorney’s Office submitted a prosecutor’s declaration to the Nof HaGalil, Nazareth Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday ahead of filing an indictment against Awad.

The Shin Bet and Israel Police said they view any involvement by Israeli citizens in activity that endangers the security of the state and its citizens with the utmost severity.

They added that they would use all means at their disposal to bring those involved in such activity to justice.

Ben-Gvir thanks Shin Bet, police for thwarting attempt 

“This is the ninth time that terrorist organizations have targeted and tried to harm me,” Ben-Gvir said on Tuesday, following the announcement of Awad’s arrest.

He thanked the Shin Bet and police for thwarting the attack and “preventing terrorists from harming me and my family.”

“I will continue with prison reform, demolishing illegal homes, implementing the death penalty law for terrorists, ensuring that we become homeowners on the Temple Mount, opening emergency squads, and arming all Israeli citizens,” he said. “Do not scare me, and I will not be deterred by you.”

“I will continue to work 24/7 for the people of Israel.”

A six-person subcommittee in the Supreme National Security Council was behind the “on the spot” decisions made while negotiating the now-defunct Memorandum of Understanding with the United States, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Asriran, admitting that he has never met Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

Experts have frequently called into question the role of Khamenei, who has not been seen since being injured in the same attack that killed his predecessor, his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in February.

In the new Khamenei’s absence, global analysts and commentators have increasingly looked toward Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and IRGC Commander Ahmad Vahidi as the minds behind Tehran’s trajectory.

“There was a six-member committee consisting of people like the president, Ghalibaf, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and myself, who made decisions for the negotiations on the spot, because it was difficult to communicate with the top,” Araghchi admitted.

The committee, which does not include all 11 members of the SNSC, reportedly includes only Araghchi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Ghalibaf, and SNSC Secretary Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr and two other unnamed persons.

Nuclear committee evolved into negotiation committee

Araghchi said the committee was formed after the 12 Day War and was initially headed by Shahid Shamkhani, a longtime figure in Iran’s IRGC, and was initially considered a nuclear committee before evolving into a negotiating committee under the chairmanship of Ali Larijani.
 
“All discussions related to the negotiations took place in this committee, and its approvals followed exactly the same procedure as those of the Supreme National Security Council. There, interesting expressions were used about the negotiators,” Araghchi said.

The foreign minister added, “I have not seen Mr. Mojtaba so far, and I don’t think anyone else has seen him in the current era, except for a few people. He was always considered one of the most worthy leaders, and the final decision was made by the Assembly of Experts. His election showed the world that there has been no change in the ideals and principles of the Islamic Republic and there will be no change.”

The Institute for the Study of War published an analysis of Araghchi’s comments, noting that it displayed the limited role Khamenei has played in decision-making over the past few months.

Dr. Menahem Merhavi, a researcher specializing in modern Iran and Shia Islam, told The Jerusalem Post he thought Araghchi’s comments were like an attempt to garner support for his line of negotiations “and direct more criticism at the IRGC, by implying they unknowingly serve foreign interests.”

Iran is winning war, Araghchi insists

The minister stressed during the interview that Iran was winning the war, but defended the pursuit of negotiations to end or pause the conflict. The comments came after the Wall Street Journal reported that Vahidi pushed for harder lines in the talks in Pakistan, overruling Araghchi and Pezeshkian.
 
“The war must end at the point of victory. Wars end either with absolute military victory or with negotiations. Absolute military victory means that the other side raises its hands and surrenders, like what happened to Saddam. When we are not able to do this, negotiations must be held,” Araghchi said. “Negotiations must be held when we have the upper hand on the military front. Continuing the war was a risk, and we cannot take risks with the lives of the people and the fate of the country.
 
“Our strategic achievements were completed in the first two weeks of the war, although we suffered losses. If we had accepted the ceasefire 10 days earlier, our achievements would still be in place. We must calculate whether the war will further strengthen our position in the negotiations or weaken our position due to the additional losses? If our infrastructure is in a situation where we are crippled for gas and electricity for the people, can we become stronger in the negotiation field? Therefore, it is very important to recognize the point of negotiation.”
 
Merhavi said he thought the comments indicated that the ongoing power struggle in Iran has “entered a new phase,” and that the absence of an effective supreme leader is leaving that struggle more “exposed” now than before.  I think it’s a power struggle that has entered a new phase after the death of Khamenei senior, but not all that different. However, due to the absence of an effective supreme leader, it is somewhat more exposed

“Bottom line: Vahidi et al are the ones who call the shots, giving the negotiators room for maneuver to lull the US,” he concluded.

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel sent an urgent appeal on Monday to Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg, acting Central Elections Committee director-general attorney Din Livne, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, and Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, demanding immediate action to halt any initiative that could impair Israeli citizens’ ability to reach Israel and vote, and to ensure that they are permitted to enter the country close to the election date.

The association’s action followed reports that senior Transportation Ministry officials were considering measures intended to prevent Israeli citizens living abroad from arriving ahead of the Knesset election on charter flights, due to extraneous political considerations.

In its letter, the association emphasized that the right to vote is a fundamental constitutional right and an essential component of establishing a democratic society that respects human rights. Exercising that right in this case is also linked to Israeli citizens’ and residents’ constitutional right to enter the country.

According to the association’s position, placing obstacles in the way of people seeking to reach Israel close to the election would amount to the unlawful denial of many thousands of citizens’ right to enter the country and vote. It would therefore constitute an unconstitutional measure.

The appeal further stated that, if the measures are indeed motivated by an attempt to prevent citizens from voting because of their presumed political leanings, as has been reported, they would constitute an unlawful use of government authority.

Logistical constraints cannot justify violation of right to vote

The association clarified that even if logistical constraints exist, they cannot justify infringing on Israeli voters’ right to reach Israel and exercise their right to vote. On the contrary, the constitutional status of the right to vote obligates the state to make every possible effort to ensure that all citizens wishing to vote are allowed to enter the country without obstruction.

Attorney Elsa Bonia, who wrote the appeal, said that “Placing obstacles or difficulties in the way of voters seeking to reach the country, particularly because of their presumed political leanings, is unconstitutional and constitutes a clear manifestation of the abuse of government authority by a government that knows no limits.

“It must be emphasized that even without the reports that extraneous considerations are behind the measure, bureaucratic or logistical considerations cannot justify infringing on Israeli voters’ right to reach Israel and vote. On the contrary, the state must make every possible effort to ensure the entry into the country of all citizens who wish to vote in it.”

Iranian officials have held talks with both Turkey and Azerbaijan officials, warning them against participating in attacks on Iran, Azerbaijani media site News.AZ reported on Monday, citing Iran’s senior military advisor Yahya Rahim Safavi.

“We explicitly stated that Turkey or Azerbaijan are not our targets,” Safavi stated. “However, there must be no attacks launched against us from their territory; otherwise, we will target them.”

The talks took place after an unspecified drone-related incident, which Safavi described as a “clear provocation,” adding that he had ordered an internal investigation.

News.AZ also cited Safavi saying that Turkey had told Iran that the Incirlik Air Base would not be used in attacks on Iran.

Incirlik is located near Adana and hosts the US Air Force’s 39th Air Base Wing as well as other NATO partner aircraft.

Azerbaijan denies role in US, Israeli attacks on Iran

Azerbaijan also told Iranian officials that there were no US or Israeli military bases within its territory, Safavi said.

In June, Iranian hardline outlet Raja News alleged that some attacks on Tehran and Karaj came from the direction of the Caspian Sea and claimed that Azerbaijan may have been used as a route for Israeli drones, small aircraft, or fighter jets entering Iranian airspace.

Azerbaijan has denied allowing its territory or airspace to be used against Iran, according to the same Raja News report, which said Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi after the attacks.

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.

Ultra-Orthodox (haredi) draft dodgers over the age of 18 and whose draft date has passed must avoid the airport and other border crossings to evade arrest, the Vaad Hayeshivos (Council of Yeshivas) warned on Tuesday.

It added that yeshiva students who wish to travel abroad and have not shown up for their draft order must ensure they are allowed to fly and will not be arrested at the airport.

Further, it emphasized that haredi yeshiva students under the age of 18 who wish to obtain an exemption from military service must go only to the IDF recruitment offices before their draft date has passed.

The announcement comes ahead of Tisha B’Av and during the yeshiva semester break. It also follows several anti-draft protests on Monday.

Haredi protests erupt across Israel

At Military Prison 10 in Beit Lid, hundreds of demonstrators gathered over the arrest of a draft dodger, N12 News reported.

According to N12, the protesters belong to the Gur Hassidic sect, as well as the arrested draft dodger, with the Gur Rebbe in attendance at the demonstration.

200 buses from across the country are expected to arrive in the area with thousands of additional demonstrators, the report cited the Gur community as saying.

Later on Monday, haredi protesters blocked roads in both Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem, and demonstrated outside the Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara’s house in Tel Aviv, chanting “Consult and then act.”

Ynet later reported that protesters had also attacked a passing IDF reservist walking his dog. 

Nearly 100 US service members were wounded to some extent since the renewal of the US-Iran hostilities, Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell stated on social media on Tuesday.

However, according to Parnell, “the vast majority of injuries experienced were minor concussions,” and some 96% of those wounded have returned to duty.

“They are determined to get back in the fight,” he wrote. 

Parnell stated that updates regarding wounded and killed soldiers would be posted to the Pentagon’s online database, which currently shows 14 troops dead and 427 troops injured since the beginning of the war on February 28.

According to the Washington Post, the statistics were briefly updated on Monday night to reflect the total number of servicemembers killed and wounded since the war began, but reverted back to pre-July numbers after a few hours.

The Jerusalem Post could not confirm if the status had changed on US Central Command (CENTCOM)’s site, but as of Tuesday, the numbers online do not mention the four servicemembers killed – including Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, and Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, who were killed last week during an Iranian strike in Jordan – or those who had been wounded since July 1, despite the site’s last update being on July 20.

Parnell initially denied NYT report alleging wounded servicemembers went unreported

Parnell’s comments came as a rebuttal of the New York Times’s report claiming that dozens of American soldiers had been wounded and unreported by CENTCOM, as well as damage to several helicopters.

One official told the NYT that CENTCOM is not obligated to reveal information about wounded soldiers, particularly when the soldiers are expected to quickly return to duty, and when doing so could give Iran a tactical advantage in targeting future attacks.

While nearly 100 service members were deemed to have some degree of injury since July 7, 2026, 96% have returned duty. They are determined to get back in the fight.

The vast majority of injuries experienced were minor concussions. Further updates will be posted on the Defense… https://t.co/mWczpvwGSQ

— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) July 20, 2026

A separate source noted that the US would not share information that could “help Iran zero in on its deadly ballistic missiles and drone attacks in Jordan and other bases in the Middle East.”

This same reasoning is why CENTCOM has stopped confirming how many Iranian targets it has struck each day.

When the initial report was published, Parnell had decried it as “baseless and malicious,” claiming the NYT was attempting to “smear America’s military and its leadership.”

Tzvi Jasper contributed to this report.

The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) killed two Hamas terrorists who abducted and held Israelis hostage during the October 7 massacre.

On Saturday, the IDF and Shin Bet killed Adham Ibrahim Sha’aban Nasman, Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade Operations Head, in Gaza City.

Nasman served as a battalion commander in the terror group’s Nukhba Force, and led Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade’s infiltration into Israel during the October 7 massacre.

He also held several former hostages captive, including Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, Ziv and Gali Berman, Eitan Mor, Matan Angrest, and Omri Miran, the military noted.

In addition, the IDF and Shin Bet noted that Nasman held a number of senior Hamas positions, including serving as the intelligence officer of the Gaza City Brigade and the commander of the Al-Shati Battalion.

Recently, Nasman attempted to train terrorists from Hamas‘ Gaza City Brigade and worked to advance the production and distribution of weapons to the brigade’s battalions.

“These activities were carried out as part of efforts to rebuild Hamas’ military capabilities, in violation of the ceasefire agreement,” the IDF and Shin Bet said, adding that its troops will remain deployed in Gaza and will continue to “remove threats.”

In a separate strike on Sunday, the IDF killed Asma Kamal Shehadeh Abu Tim, a cell commander in Hamas’ military wing.

On October 7, 2023, Abu Tim invaded Kibbutz Nir Oz and aided in the abduction of Nurit Cooper, Amiram Cooper and Alexander Dancyg.

More recently, Abu Tim advanced terror attacks targeting IDF troops and Israeli civilians, the military said.

Former hostages react to Nasman’s death

“Another piece of garbage [has been] sent to Hamas’s giant landfill in hell,” Ziv Berman wrote in a social media post. “I hope that the rest of [Nasman’s] friends that are unfortunately still alive will understand that their time will also come!”

“Am Yisrael Chai,” Berman concluded and thanked all those involved in the operation.

Damari echoed Ziv’s sentiment in her own social media post.

“There are moments when history does not repeat itself; it reminds us of a principle,” she said. “After the Munich Massacre, Israel launched Operation Wrath of God with a simple message: those who take part in the massacre of Jews will not be able to hide forever.”

“Even after October 7, the message stayed with us. Any terrorist who took part in the massacre, murder, kidnapping, or holding hostages – your reckoning will come!”

“Today one of the scoundrel terrorists who held me captive was killed,” Damari wrote. “For me, this is another step on the path to justice. Not just out of revenge, but with the understanding that there are actions that should never be left unaccounted for.”

She added that during her time in captivity, she overheard Nasman speaking on the phone with former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other Hamas terrorists. 

“Now they don’t talk about us together on the phone anymore,” she said, “they burn together in the fires of hell.”

It was Tehran that initiated the proposal now being advanced by mediators for a 10-day ceasefire between the United States and Iran, two sources familiar with the negotiations told The Jerusalem Post.

The fact that Iran proposed the initiative underscores how urgently Tehran is seeking a ceasefire as US strikes continue to expand and US President Donald Trump weighs a return to a full-scale military campaign against Iran.

According to the two sources, the purpose of the proposed 10-day ceasefire is to find a solution regarding the Strait of Hormuz, the issue that triggered the crisis over the memorandum of understanding signed last month, after which both Tehran and Washington effectively declared that the agreement was no longer in force.

The mediators, including senior Qatari, Egyptian, Omani, and Pakistani officials, have presented the proposal to the United States and have added further elements during discussions with both Washington and Tehran.

One such idea is the creation of a “middle corridor” through the Strait of Hormuz, located between Omani-controlled and Iranian-controlled waters, through which commercial vessels could safely transit.

Two sources told the Post that, at this stage, the United States is demanding a longer ceasefire. They added that Washington also insists on reaching at least partial understandings regarding freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz before any ceasefire takes effect, with the remaining details to be finalized during the proposed 10-day pause.

One of the sources said that at least some officials within the Trump administration have described the Iranian proposal as “absurd” and “illogical.”

Trump focused on making sure Iran ‘pays a price’

A US official told the Post that Trump is focused on ensuring Iran “pays a price” for its violations of the memorandum of understanding and for the deaths of American service members.

“The president will also ensure that Iran pays for the recent deaths of US soldiers. These devastating blows will continue until the president decides otherwise, but talks between our countries are continuing,” the official said.

Trump is expected to attend a ceremony on Tuesday marking the return to the United States of the bodies of the American service members killed in Iranian missile and drone attacks in Jordan and Iraq.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday convened a security consultation that lasted over five and a half hours, ending at 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning.

After the long discussion, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that “the State of Israel has no interest in joining the conflict between Iran and the US; maintaining the status quo is our best option.”

The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a Brussels-based pro-Palestinian organization, filed an urgent criminal complaint with the Belgian federal prosecutor on Monday against an IDF veteran who attended Tomorrowland, the world’s largest and best-known electronic music festival.

The festival is held annually over two weekends at a park near the town of Boom, between Antwerp and Brussels.

According to the organization, which pursues IDF soldiers traveling abroad, the young man is an IDF soldier who remained in Belgium after the festival.

The festival’s first weekend ended on Monday night, and the second will take place this coming weekend. Organization representatives said the young man was identified during the festival and that they believe he remains in Belgium.

“Given the immediate risk that the suspect may leave the country, HRF requested urgent investigative and preventive measures and asked the Belgian federal prosecutor to refer the case without delay to an investigating judge who will examine the case and take ‘all necessary measures to ensure that the suspect remains available to the Belgian judicial authorities.'”

According to the complaint, the man “was involved in war crimes committed in Gaza during Israeli military operations while serving in an Israeli military unit deployed in Gaza City and Rafah between October 2023 and November 2024.”

The complaint focuses in particular on the destruction of Palestine Square and the surrounding buildings in Gaza’s Rimal neighborhood in December 2023.

HRF claims that its investigation indicates that numerous civilian buildings were systematically destroyed using armored vehicles, military bulldozers, and controlled explosions. The damaged structures included residential buildings, commercial properties, public offices, and educational facilities, including the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children.

🚨🇧🇪 The #HindRajabFoundation has filed an urgent criminal complaint with the Belgian Federal Prosecutor against a member of the Israeli armed forces identified at the Tomorrowland festival, alleging his involvement in war crimes committed in Gaza.
➡️ More →… pic.twitter.com/gI3sRjMftP

— The Hind Rajab Foundation (@HindRFoundation) July 20, 2026

The organization said it submitted “evidentiary material concerning the suspect’s military service, deployment, unit affiliation, and alleged connection to the actions described in the complaint.”

Israelis detained after Hind Rajab Foundation complaint

This is not the first time the Hind Rajab Foundation has taken action against Israelis in Belgium, nor is it the first time it has initiated legal proceedings against young Israelis who attended Tomorrowland.

On July 18, 2025, the organization, together with another nonprofit group, filed a complaint in Belgium against two young Israelis who were present at the festival grounds in Boom. Belgian federal police subsequently detained and questioned the two men.

However, as far as is known, no substantive legal proceedings were opened against them. They were released and permitted to leave Belgium, and on July 29, 2025, the Belgian federal prosecutor referred the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for further handling.

“This case demonstrated that the Belgian authorities are prepared to take immediate investigative action when suspects in international crimes are identified on Belgian soil,” the organization said on Tuesday.

Since 2024, HRF has filed more than 90 criminal complaints and other legal submissions in more than 30 countries. Most were dismissed outright. Various procedural developments took place in countries including Brazil, Peru, Canada, and Greece.

“Through this aggressive litigation strategy, HRF seeks to ensure that individuals accused of international crimes cannot evade accountability by traveling outside Israel or living abroad,” the organization said.

HRF founder says complaint ‘challenges culture of impunity’

Dyab Abou Jahjah, HRF‘s founder and director general, is a 54-year-old Lebanese Shi’ite Muslim affiliated with Hezbollah. He grew up in the organization’s stronghold in the Bint Jbail district and received Belgian citizenship after marrying a Belgian citizen, whom he has since divorced.

Commenting on the complaint, Abou Jahjah said, “By filing this complaint in Belgium, we are challenging the culture of impunity that has protected perpetrators of crimes against Palestinians for decades. The presence of an alleged perpetrator on Belgian territory creates both an opportunity and an obligation for the Belgian authorities to act.”

Abou Jahjah himself has been barred from entering the UK and appears on a list of individuals prohibited from flying over US airspace.

FBI Director Kash Patel is planning on visiting Russia at some point this year, Politico reported on Monday, citing an unnamed US official and a person familiar with the situation.

According to the US official, Patel is scheduled to visit Moscow in mid-October and also visit St. Petersburg. The official also told Politico that Patel’s host is likely to be the Russian secret service, commonly known by the acronym FSB.

Patel’s agenda for discussion remains unclear, as do the details on who he will be meeting with. White House spokespeople referred Politico to the FBI for comment, while spokespeople for the FBI and Justice Department did not respond.

Patel has spent years as FBI director denying claims of Russian interference in the United States election process, particularly in US President Donald Trump‘s first election in 2016.

Politico reported that Patel had previously been paid $25,000 dollars by a film company linked to the Kremlin in 2024, after participating in a documentary series entitled All the President’s Men: The Conspiracy Against Trump.

Patel accused of excessive drinking

Patel has also faced criticism over his alleged episodes of excessive drinking, which resulted in his grilling by Democratic lawmakers during a hearing before a Senate budget panel in May.

During the panel, lawmakers questioned Patel about a report in the Atlantic magazine that detailed instances of “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences” during his tenure that had alarmed officials at the FBI and the Justice Department.

Patel has sued the Atlantic and its reporter over the article, accusing them of defamation. The magazine has said it stands behind its reporting.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The Trump administration has in recent weeks weighed cutting ties with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), prompting a campaign by diplomats and UN officials to persuade the United States to maintain support, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Eight sources, including diplomats, aid sources and a congressional source, told Reuters that Washington, historically UNHCR’s largest donor, has been considering disengaging from the agency. Several said a decision had been expected last week, but no announcement was made, suggesting that the lobbying effort may have helped delay or avert a move.

Reuters granted the sources anonymity to speak about UN relations with the US

The US deliberations over leaving UNHCR, which was created in the aftermath of World War Two to help refugees fleeing war, persecution and violence, follow a disagreement over the appointment of the deputy high commissioner, five of the sources said.

They said that the agency had informed supporters that it could be placed on a US blacklist, ending funding, and that Washington could also withdraw from its governing Executive Committee.

Any end to US funding would seriously weaken the agency at a time of near-record levels of displacement around the world amid long-running conflicts like Ukraine and Sudan, diplomats and aid officials said.

“People have been alerted by UNHCR to call friends in the administration,” a source at an aid group involved in the talks told Reuters, saying that many had done so. “They are at least thinking about it,” the source added.

Another diplomat said UNHCR officials had asked supporters in the past week to use all available diplomatic channels with the United States to urge ongoing support.

A UN refugee agency spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. “We have no comment on this issue because we have no information on it,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

A State Department spokesperson said there have not been any changes to Washington’s engagement with UNHCR. “As with many other international organizations, we work with and through UNHCR when doing so is useful to advance US foreign policy interests or save lives.”

“We will continue to evaluate the United States’ role in international organizations…” the spokesperson added, referring to a February 2025 Executive Order to review US participation and funding.

Since beginning his second term last year, US President Donald Trump has cut funding for UN agencies and withdrawn from dozens of UN entities, including the World Health Organization. Trump officials have also urged other nations to join a global campaign to roll back asylum protections.

Leadership dilemma

The dispute centers on last month’s appointment of US career diplomat Tressa Rae Finerty as UNHCR’s deputy high commissioner.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih chose Finerty over Simon Hankinson, a US-backed candidate and former foreign service officer who has accused the UNHCR of pursuing “a mass migration agenda.”

“If they wanted reform, a return to UNHCR’s original mission of helping actual refugees, and a careful inspection of budgets and spending, I was the guy,” he told Reuters, calling Finerty a “business as usual” candidate.

Reuters could not reach Finerty for comment.

A former senior UNHCR official said Salih, a former Iraqi president and refugee, would have faced internal “uproar” had he backed Hankinson.

Other UN agencies like the International Labor Organization have also faced dilemmas over appointing US officials amid questions about the US commitment to global cooperation.

Andrew Veprek, Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration who has espoused anti-migration views, was involved in backing Hankinson’s candidacy, two of the sources said. The US State Department declined to comment on his involvement.

UNHCR’s top donor

The US was the top donor to UNHCR in 2025, giving $868 million or about a quarter of the total contributions, according to the agency.

UNHCR is already facing a financial crisis after available funding fell roughly 30% in 2025 compared with 2024, Reuters reported. The agency has cut thousands of jobs and announced further cuts this year.

Diplomats and aid officials said a full US withdrawal would deepen the crisis and undermine support for the 1951 Refugee Convention, the cornerstone of the post-war refugee protection system.

“Rethinking it would be an existential threat for UNHCR,” the former UNHCR official said. “It could have a massive knock-on effect.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted Amazon infrastructure in Bahrain, the terror group claimed on Monday.

According to the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency, Amazon’s central data infrastructure was targeted and destroyed by several cruise missiles.

Tasnim also claimed on Monday that the IRGC had targeted United States military sites in Jordan.

The IRGC also claimed that a missile defense radar system and a US Air Force F-15 fighter jet had both been destroyed in Jordan.

The strike, the IRGC stated, was a “continuation of the operation to clear the region of radars and defense systems, pave the way for more extensive missile and drone attacks, and complete the black night of the American enemy’s radar.”

IRGC claims to strike US drone facilities

On Sunday, the IRGC claimed to have struck and destroyed US drone maintenance facilities at Bahrain’s Sakhir Air Base and vessel preparation sheds at Salman port.

Camp Arifjan in Kuwait was also allegedly struck, according to the Iranian report.

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.

Jerusalem District Police and Border Police officers mobilized to clear roads as haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protests occured across the Jerusalem area, Israel Police announced on Monday night.

The disturbances are occurring on Bar-Ilan Street and Haim Bar-Lev Boulevard in Jerusalem, and Yehuda Hanasi Boulevard in Beit Shemesh.

Protesters were throwing items, blocking traffic, and refusing to follow instructions, the police said, adding that an officer placed a placard at the scene to disperse the demonstrators, but the participants did not respond.

Police forces continue to operate at the scene to restore order and keep roads open, the police said.

Meanwhile, members of the Gur Hasidic community are gathering outside Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara‘s house, chanting “Consult and then act,” according to an N12 News report. 

Haredi activists protest against arrest of draft dodger

The protests are part of a larger wave of haredi demonstrations, with hundreds of Gur Hassidic demonstrators also gathering outside of Military Prison 10 in Beit Lid earlier on Monday to protest the arrest of a draft dodger. 

The IDF nearly fired on five Israeli right-wing activists near the Syrian border two weeks ago after suspecting they were a terrorist squad attempting to enter Israel, public broadcaster KAN News reported on Monday. 

The five suspects were all members of the HaBashan Pioneers movement. After identifying the group on military surveillance near Mount Hermon, Elbit Hermes 450 “Zik” drones were quickly dispatched to carry out an aerial strike, KAN reported.

Just before the attack was launched, observers noticed that the group of men had peyot, or side curls, indicating they were observant Jews and not infiltrating terrorists, KAN noted.

The HaBashan Pioneers movement has been trying to establish Jewish settlements in Syrian territory, and multiple groups of activists have been arrested in recent weeks for trying to cross the border. 

KAN cited an IDF response confirming the incident, saying “The IDF strongly condemns the incident… and emphasizes that [crossing the border into Syria] is a life-threatening criminal offense.”

HaBashan Pioneers still working towards a ‘magnificent Jewish settlement’ in Syria

HaBashan Pioneers claimed that the “shooting was carried out” against the five men before announcing that it would continue its attempts to build Jewish settlements in Syria, despite military intervention at every attempt. 

“Last week, our activists entered and left the area three times without anyone noticing them,” the movement said. “The space is vast, and the army alone is not capable of holding at every point and at every hour. We will not stop until a magnificent Jewish settlement is established in the Bashan region.”

On July 5, about 100 such activists crossed into the Syrian side of Mount Hermon and were detained by the IDF. Though no incidents comparable to a near-strike were reported, the activists accused the military of using “severe violence” to detain them.

The most recent illegal border-crossing attempt was on July 13, and the suspects were detained in the Golan Heights before being transferred to Israel Police for questioning. 

US President Donald Trump unveiled 50% tariffs on a wide range of imports from Canada on Monday in response to what the US administration called its discriminatory treatment of American-made cars, alcohol and dairy goods, threatening a new front in a global trade war.

In slapping import taxes on goods ranging from wine to cement and ice hockey gear, Trump invoked Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which permits a president to impose punitive tariffs of up to 50% against trading partners deemed to have discriminated against US goods. That marked the law’s first known usage in nearly a century of existence.

The new tariffs, set to take effect in 30 days, would also apply to dairy products, swimming pools, furniture, fishing rods, seeds, clothing and wigs, among other items.

The US Trade Representative’s office said that the tariffs would apply to nearly $20 billion of imports from Canada. That’s about 5.2% of the $382 billion in goods the US imported from Canada in 2025, according to US Census Bureau data.

“While the Administration continues to secure fair and reciprocal trade deals with our trading partners, Canada, unlike other partners and allies, continues to retaliate against the United States for its efforts to rebalance trade and protect US industry in national-security sensitive sectors,” US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement that his government has made comprehensive proposals to resolve trade disputes with Washington, asserting that Trump’s past tariffs violated the North American trade pact.

“This trade dispute has raised costs for families, particularly in the US,” he said. “Canada stands ready to engage intensively to address outstanding issues with the US to the mutual benefit of our citizens.”

My statement on the United States administration’s intention to impose new tariffs on Canadian goods: pic.twitter.com/wl8JtbQjyC

— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) July 20, 2026

The Trump administration has long complained that Canada and China implemented retaliatory measures in response to the barrage of tariffs Trump has tried to impose since returning to the White House last year.

Greer has pointedly left Canada out of negotiations underway with Mexico on changes the US wants in the USMCA. He holds bilateral talks on USMCA in Mexico City this week.

When Trump and Carney met at the FIFA World Cup Final in New Jersey on Sunday, Trump demanded that Carney take action to contain wildfires that have sent smoke billowing across swaths of the US. The US president threatened last week to add the “incalculable cost” of dealing with pollution to existing tariffs on Canadian goods.

First usage of Tariff Act

The Tariff Act of 1930 and its Section 338 are better known for massive US tariff increases and subsequent retaliation that economic historians say worsened the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Section 338 was intended to ensure countries apply tariffs equally and don’t give preferential rates to some countries at the expense of US exports, said John Veroneau, a US trade official in President George W. Bush’s administration who has extensively researched the statute.

He said that some presidents, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, considered imposing tariffs under Section 338, but no record could be found of any president taking such action until Trump’s proclamations on Monday.

“It is ironic, to say the least, to use this authority to impose tariffs to retaliate against tariffs that were imposed in response to actions taken by the US,” said Veroneau, senior counsel with the Covington and Burling law firm.

“These tariffs may be lawful under Section 338, but they at a minimum violate the spirit of Section 338, which was to create a world where countries apply the same tariffs on the same goods to all countries,” he said, adding Trump has moved away from this principle “in a maximalist way.”

After World War Two, major countries created the “most-favored-nation” tariff system through the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to try to prevent a return to the pre-war “beggar-thy-neighbor” economic policies marked by competitive trade restrictions and currency devaluations.

Trump’s new levies are set to take effect on August 19 and apply regardless of whether goods qualify for tariff exemptions under the USMCA, although Trump exempted a range of key goods, including energy, potash, fish, critical minerals, and products already covered by Section 232 tariffs.

Washington cites Canada’s dairy supply system as grounds for tariffs

Among the grounds for the tariffs, the White House cited Canada’s “protectionist” dairy supply management system, as well as tariffs and quotas on cars imported into Canada from the US but not from other countries. Carney said that Canada “as is its right, merely matched” US tariffs on the auto sector that were in violation of the USMCA.

Washington also noted that most Canadian provinces have halted the sale of US alcohol, a move in response to prior US tariffs.

The White House said Canadian imports of US motor vehicles dropped by 22% and of US alcoholic beverages by 81% over the past year.

Diamond Isinger, a former senior adviser to former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau on US-Canada relations, said Carney would have limited ability to compel provinces to resume selling American alcohol.

“Unless there are some sort of extraordinary measures invoked here, the premiers of those provinces are the ones who decide whether to restock alcohol,” Isinger said.

Two women and three men were confirmed dead on Monday in an apparent mass drowning in Ohio after two people entered a river to help a struggling swimmer, followed by two more adults who made an ill-fated rescue attempt of their own, officials said.

According to the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, the tragedy unfolded Sunday night along the Scioto River at the O’Shaughnessy Reservoir, about 10 miles northwest of Columbus, Ohio, the state’s capital and largest city.

A group of at least seven people – two sets of parents, an adult male friend, and two children – were relaxing along the river’s edge around sunset, some of them fishing, when one of the adults ventured into the river to swim, according to Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer.

As the swimmer began to struggle in the water, two other adults tried to assist him but began floundering themselves, leading two more adults to make rescue attempts before all five disappeared in the river, Balzer told reporters at a news conference on Monday.

“It’s not unusual, I think, for one person to be struggling in the water, and other people attempt to save him, yet they don’t have the skills to do that, so we end up with multiple deaths,” the sheriff said.

Authorities were alerted after one of the two children ran to a nearby road and flagged down a motorist, telling the driver “his family was in the river,” Balzer said.

Two women, five men dead, two children in family services agency care

Emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene, where they quickly found two women and pulled them from the water. The women were pronounced dead a short time later at a local hospital, according to Balzer.

The bodies of the three missing men were recovered the next day, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, Tracy Whited, later told news media outlets.

The sheriff said the two children, both under the age of 10, had since been placed in the care of the local family services agency.

Warning: This article contains content that may be disturbing to some readers.

Israel Police arrested a 59-year-old Bat Yam resident on July 12 for committing serious sexual offenses against his two granddaughters on multiple occasions, police confirmed on Monday.

On July 6, police received a report of suspected sexual abuse committed by a resident of Bat Yam against his two granddaughters, both of whom are minors.

An investigation was launched at the Bat Yam police station, during which evidence was gathered, testimony was collected, and the parties involved were questioned.

The investigation found substantial evidence that the suspect had sexually assaulted his granddaughters, claiming he did so to “prepare them for adulthood.”

An indictment is expected

Just under a week after the initial report was made, the suspect was arrested and taken to the police station for questioning.

His detention was extended periodically, and a prosecutor’s declaration was filed against him on Monday morning.

A serious indictment charging him with severe sexual offenses is expected to be filed in the coming days.

Russia said on Monday it had declared two Italian diplomats persona non grata, calling it a reciprocal measure in response to the expulsion of two Russian embassy staff in Italy.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on July 9 that Rome had expelled two military attachés at the Russian embassy in Italy who were allegedly involved in espionage activities.

The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that Vittorio Parrella, the assistant defense attache at the Italian embassy, and Davide D’Aprile, an attache, were persona non grata and must leave Russia with their families within three days.

The ministry also said it had summoned Italian interim Charge d’Affaires Giovanni Scopa in connection with the expulsion of Russian embassy staff.

“The Russian Federation has expelled, without reason, the Italian military attache in Moscow along with one of his collaborators. This is an act of blatant retaliation for the expulsion from Italy of two Russian military attachés, who were indeed caught red-handed while carrying out espionage activities to the detriment of our national security,” Tajani wrote on X on Monday.

Italy expels two Russian embassy staff over spying case

Two weeks ago, the Italian government decided to expel two military attachés at the Russian Embassy in Italy who were allegedly involved in espionage activities after two people were arrested on charges of passing classified information to a Russian agent.

Prosecutors said the main suspect was a former officer of Italy’s Carabinieri police force. Five other individuals are also under investigation.

Tajani said on X that the two Russian officials must leave Rome within three days.

He said Moscow continued to employ “hybrid tools” against Italy and the West, describing this as “serious and unacceptable interference” that threatens national security.

Foreign ministers of the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN will issue a statement on the Middle East crisis after expressing grave concern about the evolving situation, the Philippines‘ top diplomat said on Tuesday.

Maria Theresa Lazaro was speaking to reporters after chairing a closed-door meeting in Manila with her counterparts from the Association of South East Asian Nations.

The meeting comes as tensions between the US and Iran threaten to cast a shadow over a diplomatic gathering in Southeast Asia this week, injecting additional uncertainty into a region grappling with maritime tensions with China and a faltering regional effort to end Myanmar’s civil war.

Meeting to raise economic concerns

Foreign ministers from the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and major partners will gather in Manila against the backdrop of instability beyond the region since the US and Iran resumed open conflict, raising concerns about energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, inflation, and global growth.

“We’re looking at several occasions where they can raise this very, very critical topic,” said Dominic Xavier Imperial, a spokesperson for the Philippines, the meeting host.

But Southeast Asia’s top diplomats meeting on Tuesday face no shortage of challenges closer to home.

They will have an informal consultation on Myanmar’s conflict, as ASEAN’s peace initiative struggles to gain traction, five years after it was launched following a military coup that plunged the country into a civil war that has killed an estimated 100,000 people.