WSJ promotes Israeli-backed warlord linked to aid theft as Gaza's 'future leader'

Yasser Abu Shabab's militia works 'undercover' to assist Israeli operations in Gaza, and has trafficked weapons to ISIS in the Sinai

❗️Israel has killed at least 50 Palestinians in attacks across Gaza since dawn today, including 17 aid seekers, according to medical sources.

❗️Lufthansa Group will begin resuming its flights to Tel Aviv starting 1 August, and aims to fully restore its flight schedule by the end of October, a spokesperson for the German airline said on Friday.

"We are always monitoring the situation, and it now looks like we will be able to fly again from August," the spokesperson stated.

(Reuters)

Gaza officials warn 100,000 children face imminent death due to Israeli aid blockade

Thousands of aid trucks carrying enough aid to feed Palestinians for three months remain stuck outside Gaza's borders

❗️Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated in an interview with Anadolu Agency that the division of Syria poses a direct threat to Turkiye’s national security, adding that Turkiye is prepared to take action in response.

❗️Israeli Channel 12 quoting Israeli officials:

“At times, Trump encouraged Netanyahu to escalate operations against Hamas”

❗️Israeli officials state that the Handala Freedom Flotilla will be seized if it does not change its course from Gaza.

(Yedioth Ahronoth)

Israeli-backed militants carry out terror attack in Iran

Israel's intelligence chief vowed to continue covert attacks within Iran after Tel Aviv's 12-day war with Tehran in June

❗️Syrian and Israeli officials have agreed to hold another round of talks after US-mediated negotiations in Paris failed to produce a final agreement on easing tensions in southern Syria, state-run Ekhbariya TV reported today, citing a diplomatic source.

The source characterized the discussions as "honest and responsible," marking the first acknowledgment from the Syrian side that the talks occurred.

❗️Israeli army announces it assassinated who it says was a senior Hezbollah commander, Ali Abed al-Qader Ismail, in "the headquarters of the Bint Jbeil sector of the Hezbollah terrorist organization."

⭕️ Lebanese musician and icon Ziad Rahbani passed away earlier today following a bitter struggle with illness. Often described as a genius, Ziad was an extremely talented composer, pianist, playwright, and political thinker whose revolutionary work broke boundaries and united people of all sects and affiliations across Lebanon.

Ziad was born in 1956 in Antelias, just outside Beirut, as the eldest son of iconic Lebanese singer Fayrouz and the late composer Assi Rahbani, one half of the renowned Rahbani Brothers duo. Immersed from childhood in a world of music, theater, and political awareness, he displayed exceptional talent early on, composing his first piece at just 17.

He left a profound influence on generations of musicians and free thinkers throughout the Arab world, not just Lebanon.

Ziad was a staunch supporter of resistance against occupation and a champion for justice, which was reflected in his work.

He will live on through his rich legacy and in the hearts of millions.

Iran confronts Europe’s trigger mechanism – with Eurasian allies at its side

Facing mounting pressure from Europe, Iran moved to reinforce its nuclear position with backing from Russia and China, just days before talks resumed in Istanbul.

By Vali Kaleji

France set to host next round of Damascus–SDF talks

Ankara has accused the US-sponsored Kurdish forces of 'stalling' their integration with the new Syrian army

BREAKING | Israel intercepts Handala boat attempting to break the siege on Gaza.

Israeli forces intercepted and boarded the flotilla, held its activists at gunpoint, and disabled the cameras.

❗️Al-Manar's correspondent reported about an hour ago that an Israeli force was "infiltrating the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Kila and carrying out a bombing in one of its eastern neighborhoods."

❗️Israel announces token 'humanitarian pauses' amid global outrage over Gaza famine

Facing mounting international outrage over its deliberate famine in Gaza, which has been killing Palestinians at an increasingly visible and alarming pace, the Israeli military announced a series of so-called “humanitarian” measures over the weekend.

These include controversial airdrops, limited daily “tactical pauses” in fighting from 10 am to 8 pm, and the opening of corridors for UN aid convoys. The pauses, however, are only being implemented in select areas such as Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City—leaving much of the besieged enclave under continued assault.

The measures were unveiled Saturday following a high-level review, as images of skeletal child corpses sparked condemnation worldwide. The practice of airdropping aid has been widely dismissed by humanitarian groups as costly, ineffective, and dangerous for those on the ground.

The head of UNRWA called the airdrops a “distraction,” warning they will do little to alleviate the suffering as long as Israel’s crippling blockade remains in place. Airdrops resumed Sunday, new corridors were announced, and a southern desalination plant was reconnected to the grid, but critics point out that these steps remain grossly insufficient and cynically timed to deflect blame rather than end the engineered starvation campaign.

❗️Another two Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza

According to initial Israeli military investigations, Palestinian resistance fighters emerged from a tunnel near the Golani unit's position in Khan Yunis and succeeded in reaching a “Namer” armored personnel carrier, where they attached an explosive device.

The blast injured three soldiers inside the vehicle; two were killed instantly, while the third was treated on site before being airlifted to a hospital.

❗️On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron held separate phone calls with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss Gaza and diplomatic efforts toward a so-called 'two-state solution.'

Macron said in a post that his call with Sisi focused on “the unacceptable humanitarian situation in Gaza,” warning that the ongoing siege and expanded Israeli assault were pushing the territory toward famine and large-scale displacement.

❗️Velayati: Zangezur Corridor a US-Israeli plot to block Iran & Russia

Ali Akbar Velayati, senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, warned that the proposed Zangezur Corridor is a geopolitical scheme “pursued as a cover for broader projects” led by the US, Israel, NATO, and pan-Turkist movements, aiming to undermine Iran’s national security.

Speaking at a ceremony in Tehran, Velayati said the corridor’s true objective is to “weaken the Resistance Axis, sever Iran’s link with the Caucasus, and impose a land blockade on Iran and Russia in the region’s south.”

He described the plan as part of “America’s strategy to shift pressure from Ukraine to the Caucasus” and accused its backers of seeking to erode Iran’s cultural and historical unity.

“Iran’s national security is our red line,” he declared, adding that Tehran has already deployed forces to its borders and adopted a policy of “active prevention rather than passive reaction” to confront these threats.

Velayati emphasized that projects like the Zangezur Corridor are not merely economic, but “in truth, separatist,” designed to fracture Iran’s strategic depth.