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Congress Aims to Give Israel Leverage Over America

By Harrison Berger | The American Conservative | July 5, 2026

Amid record-high public hostility toward Israel and the wars taxpayers are financing on its behalf, the Israel lobby has mobilized to pass a National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2027 which includes language designed to sustain the years long wealth transfer from Americans to Israelis and cement that relationship in ways that would be less transparent and more difficult to challenge through democratic processes.

At the same time, a coalition led by outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has launched a counteroffensive to block a separate track of funding for Israel’s wars, targeting the transfer of $3.3 billion to Israel embedded within the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2027, which is also up for vote this summer. … continue

Israel wipes out villages in south Lebanon, says ‘no need for permission’ to maintain occupation

Scores of civilian homes were blown up in multiple occupied villages in recent hours

The Cradle | July 9, 2026

Israeli violations and the destructive campaign to erase civilian infrastructure in south Lebanon have escalated in recent days, with more Lebanese homes being blown up by Tel Aviv’s occupation forces on 9 July – despite a so-called ceasefire.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported multiple new Israeli rigging and detonation operations across the country’s occupied towns and villages.

“Israeli occupation forces carried out a demolition operation targeting a number of homes in the town of Hadatha, in the Bint Jbeil District,” NNA said.

The agency also reported rigging and detonation operations in the town of Houla, as well as overnight destruction of infrastructure in Khiam.

The sounds of around five massive blasts in Khiam were heard across multiple areas of south Lebanon early on Thursday. The Israeli army also carried out a demolition operation in the town of Taybeh overnight, while simultaneously shelling the outskirts of Deir Siryan with artillery fire.

Since then, Israeli drones have been buzzing at low altitude over the Lebanese capital and its southern suburb.

Israeli officials are continuing to publicly vow that Tel Aviv will not pull its occupation troops from Lebanon, openly contradicting statements from Washington.

“We did not ask permission from any party to enter Lebanon, and we do not need permission to remain in Lebanon,” Israeli War Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday.

“As [Israeli] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have made clear, we will continue to remain in the security zone in Lebanon and operate from it for as long as necessary, until Hezbollah is disarmed,” he added.

A day earlier, US President Donald Trump claimed Israel has agreed to withdraw. … continue

Iran summons UK ambassador over ‘baseless’ assassination claims

Al Mayadeen | July 9, 2026

Iran summoned the British ambassador in Tehran after London accused the Islamic Republic of involvement in a stabbing attack against an Iran International staffer in the United Kingdom, rejecting the allegations as “groundless and false.”

The Iranian Foreign Ministry delivered a protest note to the British envoy, denouncing London’s attempts to make unfounded accusations against Tehran and create a hostile atmosphere toward Iran.

The move came after British authorities summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires in London following the conviction of two Romanian nationals over the 2024 stabbing of Pouria Zeraati, a staffer working for Iran International.

Tehran rejected the British claims that the attack was connected to Iranian state institutions, describing the accusations as politically motivated and without evidence.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the British accusations regarding alleged Iranian security activities in the United Kingdom were unacceptable and lacked credibility. The ministry said London’s statements sought to divert attention from Britain’s own conduct and its policies toward Iran. … continue

Iran condemns US ‘gross war crimes’ after strike hit international rail corridor

Press TV – July 9, 2026

Tehran has strongly condemned the latest US strikes on civilian infrastructure as “gross war crimes” after cruise missiles hit multiple locations, including a bridge on a strategic international rail corridor in northwestern Iran, saying the attacks violated the UN Charter and the ceasefire memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries.

In a strongly-worded statement on Thursday, the ministry said the attacks amount to “gross war crimes” and flagrant violations of the UN Charter and the war-ending memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Iran and the United States. […]

Earlier, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said the US struck a railway bridge in Aq-Qala, an area northeast of Tehran in Golestan Province.

The bridge lies on the international China–Kazakhstan–Turkmenistan–Incheh Borun rail corridor, which enters Iran through its northeastern border before linking Gorgan to Tehran. The route forms part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, connecting the Chinese city of Xi’an with the Iranian capital.

Iranian media have reported that at least 65 freight trains traveled from China to Iran via the corridor last year. They added that foreign media reported a threefold increase in rail traffic after US imposed illegal blockade on Iranian ports in April.

The report also said Russia began shipping goods to Iran through the route in late 2025, prompting analysts to view the strike as more than a conventional military attack.

Previous attacks on Iran’s rail infrastructure had been repaired within days, with six railway bridges restored in less than 96 hours following strikes earlier this year. … Full article

U.S. Airstrikes Reach Vicinity of the Bushehr Nuclear Plant in Iran

teleSUR | July 9, 2026

On Thursday, Bushehr Deputy Governor Ehsan Jahanian denounced that the United States attacked several locations in his province, including the perimeter of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, the Choghadak military base and a fishing port. These strikes have caused no casualties so far.

Since Feb. 28, U.S. forces have carried out several bombings near the Bushehr plant that is operated with the participation of the Russian state atomic agency Rosatom, which evacuated its personnel from the facility in April.

For the past 48 hours, the United States has been attacking the Persian nation. To justify the launch of this new offensive, Washington states that Iran violated the ceasefire after allegedly attacking three merchant vessels sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. … continue

Europe ‘cannot evade responsibility’ in US-Israeli aggression on Iran: FM spokesman

Press TV – July 9, 2026

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has slammed Europe’s participation in the unprovoked US-Israeli war on Iran, asserting that the Europeans “cannot evade responsibility” in their aggressive pursuit.

Baghaei said in a post on the social media platform X on Thursday that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s repeated admissions regarding the participation of European countries in the US-Israeli military aggression against Iran confirm once again that Europe has not been neutral in this war.

He said those parties in Europe who provide land, airspace, military bases, and infrastructure for the US-Israeli military aggression cannot evade responsibility for their complicity or the resulting consequences.

The spokesman also criticized Rutte for his nonstop “self-congratulation for serving an illegal war”.

He rebuked the NATO chief over his revolting flattery of US President Donald Trump.

Baghaei said Rutte’s “sycophancy” does not “reflect strength, it exposes the servile mindset of a fawning courtier who fancies that flattery can erase a king’s contempt.”

He added that Rutte’s flattery of Trump will never “restore the flatterer’s own self-respect and personal integrity.” … continue

Trump Declares MoU With Iran is Dead

By Larry C. Johnson | SONAR21 | July 9, 2026 

The drama over the Strait of Hormuz escalated on Wednesday with Donald Trump declaring the MoU with Iran is dead and vowed more attacks on Iran. Trump continues to insist that Iran has no right to interfere with any ship trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz, but the fact is that Iran is acting within its rights under the terms spelled out in paragraph five of the MoU (which I discussed in my previous post). The US attack on Iranian outposts along the shore of the Persian Gulf on Tuesday was a set up — i.e., the US coordinated with Qatar and Saudi Arabia to have their ships defy the Iranian protocol to register the voyage with the IRGC, which precipitated the Iranian attack on those vessels. While falsely claiming this was a violation of the MoU, Donald Trump hit Iran with bombs starting late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning Iranian time.

Unlike the previous incidents on June 25 and June 26, where Iran hit non-compliant ships and the US did a one-off airstrike on Iranian positions on the shore of the Strait of Hormuz following each incident, Trump launched a new series of attacks on Iran on July 8 (Wednesday) even though Iran had not attacked another ship. Why did Trump do this? Was it retaliation for some anti-ship missiles fired at the US Carrier Strike Group operating 200 miles off the coast of Iran? That’s my hypothesis… One or more missiles hit one or more US vessels, causing some damage that has not been reported publicly. … continue

Doctor faces 50-year jail sentence — Is it because he promoted monoclonal antibodies instead of COVID vaccines?

By Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D. | The Defender | July 7, 2026

In 2021, Dr. Ron Elfenbein, a physician who operated FirstCall Medical Center in Maryland, went on Fox News to criticize the Biden administration’s policies limiting access to monoclonal antibodies. Speaking during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, Elfenbein insisted that monoclonal antibodies were effective in treating COVID-19.

Four months later, the federal government indicted Elfenbein on five counts of fraudulent coding and billing at his clinics, alleging that Elfenbein “upcoded” by billing for a higher level of treatment than provided.

But Elfenbein said he believes the charges were motivated by his support for monoclonal antibodies — and a federal judge agreed.

In August 2023, a jury found Elfenbein guilty. But in response to Elfenbein’s motion for acquittal, U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar threw out the jury’s verdict and acquitted Elfenbein in December 2023.

In his 93-page ruling, Bredar said the government did not present enough evidence to convict Elfenbein, instead relying on “loose definitions” and an “imperfect” set of standards governing medical coding.

“The evidence weighs so heavily in favor of the defendant that it would be unjust to enter judgment against him,” Bredar wrote.

“That kind of post-verdict acquittal is extraordinarily rare,” said Dr. Kirk Moore, a Utah plastic surgeon who last year was acquitted on federal charges that he issued falsified COVID-19 vaccination cards. “Judges almost never overturn juries. Bredar did it because the case was just that empty.”

Yet, in the final days of the Biden administration, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) appealed. In July 2025, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the original jury had enough evidence to convict Elfenbein and sent the case back to the trial court. … continue

Labour Eyes Social Media Censorship for UK Elections

By Cam Wakefield | Reclaim The Net | July 8, 2026

Britain’s Labour Party’s deputy leader wants your social media feed to obey the same election rules that already restrict what British broadcasters are allowed to say. Lucy Powell spent the past week making that case across UK media, and she intends to write it into law.

Her plan borrows from Section 6 of Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code, the regime that governs UK television and radio once an election period begins. Those rules tell broadcasters how much airtime each party and candidate may receive, force them to stay “impartial,” and shut down discussion of election issues entirely on polling day, from the moment polls open until they close. Opinion polls go dark too. Powell looks at that machinery and sees a template for the open internet.

“We absolutely need to strengthen regulation in the social media space,” she told LBC’s Sunday show with Lewis Goodall. […]

Broadcasters accepted these constraints as the price of a license to use public airwaves. The internet was never that. Extending election-period speech controls from a regulated broadcast channel to the platforms where hundreds of millions of people talk to each other changes what the rule is for.

It stops being a condition of a scarce license and becomes a standing power to decide which political arguments reach voters when the stakes are highest. – Full article

The end of anonymity in a state-verified internet

As governments tie online speech to real-world identities under the banner of child safety, the implications extend much farther

By Onur Ozersin | The Cradle | July 8, 2026

The internet, long framed as a space of relative freedom, is entering a period of structural change driven by governments acting in parallel.

A quieter process is underway across multiple jurisdictions. Authorities are introducing identity verification requirements tied to access and participation. These measures are presented as safeguards for minors, and a number have already been written into law.

From Canberra to Washington, London to Ankara and Abu Dhabi, governments are moving to dismantle the era of anonymous internet access, embedding age restrictions and verification protocols into law and platform design in what amounts to one of the most significant shifts the digital world has seen since its inception. … continue

Ukrainian drone strikes Russian passenger bus

RT | July 8, 2026

A Ukrainian drone has struck a passenger bus in Russia’s Zaporozhye Region, setting the vehicle ablaze, Governor Evgeny Balitsky has said, adding that all 11 people on board escaped unharmed.

In a post on Telegram, Balitsky said that the attack took place on a road in the Primorsky district on the Black Sea coast, noting that all passengers and two drivers had been evacuated safely. He described the attack as a “targeted strike on a scheduled passenger bus with civilians on board”, “a gross violation of international humanitarian law,” and “another war crime by the rabid Kiev terrorists.” […]

Ukraine has ramped up long- and mid-range drone strikes on Russia, with many now targeting not only critical infrastructure and civilian buildings, but also all types of vehicles, including those moving between mainland Russia and Crimea.

Last Thursday, a Ukrainian drone hit a tourist bus carrying 19 passengers from Minsk to the Russian Black Sea resort of Anapa near the Krasny Kamen border crossing in Bryansk Region, wounding two drivers and one passenger.

Last month, a Ukrainian drone hit a bus carrying a Belarusian youth football team in the same region, killing the coach’s wife and injuring several passengers, including children. – Full article

Trump: giving Ukraine Patriot Missile license is ‘cool.’ No it’s not.

By Kelley Beaucar Vlahos | Responsible Statecraft | July 8, 2026

President Donald Trump said this morning from the NATO Summit that the U.S. will give Ukraine the licenses to build America’s prestige Patriot Missile systems in Kyiv.

“We’re going to give a license to you to make Patriots. That’s pretty cool. This way, you can’t complain that we’re not giving ’em enough,” Trump said at a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

No, it’s not “cool.” It’s foolish and a weak way of looking magnanimous when you know a) the Ukrainians will not be able to build them in time to make any difference and b) the war with Russia will never be won on the battlefield. It’s a waste. … continue

Suspected ammo site causes devastation in Ukrainian city

RT | July 8, 2026

A video shared by Ukrainian media on Wednesday shows the devastation in the city of Vishnyovoe in Kiev Region where a site that stored a large amount of ammunition in the middle of a residential area was hit by a Russian strike.

The location was struck overnight Sunday into Monday, along with several other sites that Moscow described as part of Ukraine’s military-industrial infrastructure. Videos of the immediate aftermath show numerous secondary detonations. The fact that the facility was located near residential buildings sparked controversy in Ukraine.

The authorities have not provided details about what exactly was destroyed. … Full article

And if political Cancel Culture fails?

What will Europe become if the populist sweep occurs across Europe?

Ashes of Pompeii | July 8, 2026

A couple of days ago I wrote about political Cancel Culture in Europe, how the establishment is using lawfare to try to sideline populist movements, usually right wing, across the continent. And from their perspective, it is not hard to understand why. Without cancelling these opposition groups, there seems little doubt that almost all of the establishment parties will be swept away and in a very short time, the political landscape of Europe will look radically different. … continue

Israeli forces demolish Jerusalem residential building as al-Rifa’iya school faces demolition in al-Khalil

Palestinian Information Center – July 8, 2026

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM – Israeli occupation forces demolished a residential building in Sur Baher, southeast of occupied Jerusalem, on Wednesday, while carrying out demolition operations west of al-Khalil.

The Wadi Hilweh Information Center said Israeli forces, accompanied by bulldozers, stormed Sur Baher and demolished a residential building made up of four apartments belonging to Fuad Awadallah.

In al-Khalil, Israeli forces raided the Al-Ras area in the town of Idhna to carry out demolition operations.

The demolitions came as Israeli authorities gave Al-Rifa’iya School near Yatta, south of al-Khalil, 14 days before implementing a demolition order after an Israeli court rejected the final appeal against the decision.

Local and official sources said the school, located south of Al-Deirat village east of Yatta and affiliated with Khallet Al-Maiya municipality, serves 150 students from first to seventh grade. It was established in 2016. … continue

Gaza bloodshed ongoing as Israeli attacks claim more Palestinian lives

Al Mayadeen | July 8, 2026

Heavy gunfire and artillery shelling were reported on Wednesday in several areas of the Gaza Strip, as Israeli forces intensified their aggression against the blockaded territory.

Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported that four people were killed and others were wounded after an Israeli drone targeted a displaced persons’ tent south of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Our correspondent also added that a child from al-Zaytoun neighborhood was killed by fire from an Israeli automatic machine gun mounted on a crane east of Gaza City, while eight Palestinians had been killed by Israeli occupation forces’ fire across the Gaza Strip since the morning.

In a related development, injuries were reported following an Israeli drone strike targeting a civilian vehicle in the vicinity of the Islamic University, west of Gaza City.

A truck driver was also killed by Israeli army gunfire in the al-Mawasi area of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Four others were injured by occupation forces’ gunfire in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis.

In Gaza City, one Palestinian was killed and several others injured in an Israeli drone strike on Al-Oyoun Street in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in the west of the city. Another Palestinian was injured by fire from Israeli warships off the coast of Gaza City. … Full article

Israeli army carries out incursion into Daraa countryside in southern Syria

Palestinian Information Center – July 8, 2026

DAMASCUS – The Israeli occupation forces carried out an incursion into the western countryside of Daraa province on Wednesday, amid a series of violations in southern Syria that breach the 1974 disengagement agreement.

According to Syria’s official news agency SANA, one Israeli tank and two military vehicles moved along the Wadi al‑Raqqad road in western Daraa, firing towards the valley before withdrawing.

This came a day after Israeli forces set up a temporary checkpoint in the village of Kudna in southern Quneitra, where soldiers searched passersby before leaving.

Another Israeli patrol consisting of five military vehicles carrying soldiers stormed the northern neighborhood of al‑Rafid town in southern Quneitra yesterday, searching several homes and questioning residents before withdrawing without making arrests. … Full article

Million-strong crowds fill Najaf streets for Khamenei funeral as Iraq declares public holiday

MEMO | July 8, 2026

Million-strong crowds filled the streets of Iraq’s holy city of Najaf on Wednesday as funeral ceremonies for Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, began. His coffin will be taken to Karbala before returning to Iran for burial in Mashhad, bringing to an end a week-long farewell.

Iranian leaders sought to reflect Khamenei’s status during the ceremonies. He led the Islamic Republic for nearly four decades before being killed in US-Israeli strikes on his residence in Tehran on 28 February, attacks that marked the start of the Middle East war.

Khamenei’s funeral in Iraq coincided with renewed tensions between Iran and the United States over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which was a major flashpoint during the regional conflict.

The US military said it had carried out strikes on more than 80 Iranian targets in response to attacks on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz that Washington blamed on Tehran. In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted dozens of US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.

Khamenei’s coffin arrived at Najaf International Airport late on Tuesday, where it was received by Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi and other political and military figures.

Iraq declared Wednesday a public holiday to allow citizens to take part in the funeral ceremonies before the coffin returns to Iran for the final burial in Mashhad.

Eight Iranian military personnel martyred in latest US attacks on southern Iran

Press TV – July 8, 2026

Eight Iranian Army personnel have been martyred in the latest US terrorist attacks on the southern cities of Bandar Abbas and Bushehr, which were carried out in violation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Iranian Army said the servicemen were martyred after the “criminal aggression of the US terrorist army” targeted areas in southern Iran in the early hours of July 8.

“Following the criminal aggression of the US terrorist army against areas of southern Iran in the early hours of Wednesday, July 8, eight brave men of the air and naval forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army in Bandar Abbas and Bushehr were martyred by enemy projectiles while defending their homeland,” the statement said.

The martyred servicemen were identified as Captain Ali Moeini, Lieutenant Ali Mehdizadeh, Third Lieutenant Hamed Dorai, Steward Amir Hossein Ghasemi, Steward Alireza Zarei Sani, and Steward Alireza Balideh, Steward Captain Shahab Omidi Bezi, and Sailor Mohammad Javad Ravanfar. … Full article

No final deal with US unless ‘Israel’ withdraws from Lebanon: Araghchi

Al Mayadeen | July 7, 2026

Negotiations with the United States will not resume unless the Lebanon-related provision of the memorandum of understanding is implemented, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi affirmed.

Araghchi further stressed that Tehran will not enter negotiations with the United States on a final agreement as long as Washington fails to honor the memorandum of understanding it signed.

Earlier, in a post on X, Araghchi said millions of Iranians had rallied in unity to honor martyred Sayyed Ali Khamenei and his enduring legacy, stressing that neither the Iranian people nor the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces are intimidated by pressure or intimidation. … continue

IRGC strikes 85 US military targets in ‘initial’ retaliation, downs MQ-9 drone

Press TV – July 8, 2026

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says it struck 85 US military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait with missiles and drones in an initial response to to American aggression against Iranian territory.

The IRGC, in a statement issued Wednesday, said the strikes hit facilities at Port Salman, the US Fifth Fleet’s area in Bahrain, and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. It also announced the downing of an MQ-9 drone, saying the aircraft attempted to interfere with the operation before it was shot down.

IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Hossein Mohammadi said that the drone was shot down over the southern province of Bushehr following overnight US airstrikes.

“Following the aerial aggression by the terrorist US military in the early hours of today, an MQ-9 drone was hit and brought down by fire from the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ air defense system over the skies of Khormuj in Bushehr province,” he said Wednesday.

The announcement came after the US launched a fresh wave of military strikes on “a number of coastal bases and non-military stations” in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province and Mahshahr, which the IRGC said “openly violated the ceasefire” and “trampled the Islamabad understanding”.

“In the initial response to this aggression, the naval and aerospace forces of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, in a joint missile and drone operation, struck 85 locations of important US military facilities at Salman Port, the US Fifth Fleet area in Bahrain, and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait,” the statement said. … Full article

Why is the Selective Service war gaming a ‘special skills’ draft?

A military mobilization exercise offers clues about who might be drafted for what sort of conflict

By Edward Hasbrouck | Responsible Statecraft | July 8, 2026

Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOIA) request show that the Selective Service recently gamed out what a military draft would look like in a future war. It would not resemble the one the nation lived through 55 years ago for the Vietnam War or the contingency plans in current standby Selective Service regulations. Instead, those with “special skills” would be conscripted first.

This is the opposite of what the Selective Service says in its promotional materials, that “if a draft is authorized, individuals are selected through a random lottery” from among all young men regardless of their occupation or current skills.

According to the January 2026 military mobilization exercise, the first wave of draftees could include “computer network technicians, electronics technicians, aerospace engineers, divers, welders, gas turbine engine mechanics, electricians, heavy equipment operators, longshoremen, steel workers / pipefitters, radar / communications technicians, fiber optic technicians, mariners, aviation structural mechanics, cyber security specialists, robotics operators and technicians, air traffic controllers, logistics specialists, [and] linguists.” … continue

Iran to close Strait of Hormuz, strike twice as many targets in response to any US attack: Source

Press TV – July 8, 2026

Iran has issued a firm warning that it will not back down from its management of the Strait of Hormuz and is prepared to fight to maintain control over the strategic waterway, an informed security source told Press TV on Wednesday.

The source revealed that developments over the past 48 hours have solidified Tehran’s resolve, with a new military and strategic doctrine now in place.

According to the source, Iran’s updated strategy dictates that in the event of any fresh attack on Iranian soil or interests, the Islamic Republic will respond with overwhelming force.

The source elaborated on Iran’s new retaliatory framework, stating that following any strike against Iran, two immediate actions will be taken: first, the Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed to all maritime traffic; and second, Iran will strike enemy targets at a ratio of at least two to one, meaning that for every Iranian target hit, at least two enemy targets will be struck in return.

“The memorandum of understanding signed on this matter clearly states that Iran will reopen the Strait in accordance with its own arrangements. Therefore, Iran will not permit the establishment of any new route outside the framework of its own arrangements,” the source said.

The source also addressed recent threats made by US President Donald Trump, delivering a blunt message to Washington.

“Any threat will receive a powerful response. Iran does not distinguish between the United States and its partners in the region,” the source told Press TV. … continue

Laura Loomer wants Max Blumenthal stripped of citizenship and raided by the FBI for reporting in Iran

By Justin K.P. | The Dissident | July 7, 2026

Laura Loomer, the unhinged Zionist commentator with the Trump White House’s ear, continues her attempt to use lawfare to silence reporters and commentators opposed to the American/Zionist war on Iran.

Anti-War journalist Max Blumenthal, the editor of The Grayzone, is currently on the ground reporting on the funeral for slain Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei. … continue

Jewish Neocon Warhawks Want the United States to Resume its War with Iran

By Jose Nino | Occidental Review | July 7, 2026

The hawks who pushed the United States into its most expensive military operation in decades are already planning the next one. Ben Shapiro and Mark Levin, two of the most listened-to Jewish voices in conservative media, have made clear in the immediate aftermath of the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding that they view the current peace not as a resolution but as an intermission, one they intend to use to rebuild the political and military conditions for a return to war. … continue

EU Parliament Revives Chat Surveillance for Thursday Vote

By Dan Frieth | Reclaim The Net | July 7, 2026

The European Parliament spent time earlier this year dismantling Europe’s mass scanning of private messages, but on Tuesday it voted to hand that same regime a second life.

By approving an urgent procedure requested by the European People’s Party, the chamber cleared the path for a decisive vote on Thursday, the final sitting day before the summer recess, when attendance thins and the arithmetic tilts toward the people who want your chats scanned.

At this late stage of the file, known as second reading, the Council’s text can only be amended or thrown out if an absolute majority of all sitting members, 361 votes, lines up against it. Fall short of that and the law passes automatically, with no affirmative endorsement required. What Parliament rejected outright in March would return not because a majority backed it, but because too any members had left early for summer break. … Full article

Netanyahu Says He Will “Fix” Social Media

By Kurt Nimmo | Another Day in the Empire | July 7, 2026

… Team Jorge and the wider Hasbara network is doing all it can, short of murdering critics of Israel, to undermine and cancel the outrage and activism growing against Zionism and the settler state. Social media is rife with Zionist “avatars” and fake accounts, many no doubt generated by AI, to counter arguments that Israel is a genocidal monster that needs to be tamed. – Read full article

Canada Considered Suing Citizens Over “False and Misleading” Social Media Posts

A 35-page memo, most of it blacked out, and the part they left visible is the part that should worry you.

By Cindy Harper – Reclaim The Net – July 7, 2026

The Canadian government drew up a plan to take individual citizens to court over what they post online. That plan sat inside a 35-page internal memo from the Department of Industry, most of it blacked out before the public could see it.

Blacklock’s Reporter pried the document loose through an Access to Information request. Dated March 31 and titled “Misinformation And Disinformation Strategy,” it belongs to the department run by Minister Mélanie Joly, known as ISED. The memo weighs “legal action” against people who post what the government calls “false and misleading information” on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

What kind of legal action? The redactions hide that. What survives the black ink is the logic. “This strategy seeks to uphold the integrity of and public trust in government information,” the memo says. The department is appointing itself guardian of its own reputation, with lawsuits as one available tool. … continue

RCMP Can Apply Israel’s Gaza Tactics To Canadian Policing: Briefing

By Alex Cosh ∙ The Maple ∙ July 3, 2026

The RCMP can apply the lessons it learned at an Israeli military seminar last year to “Canadian law enforcement contexts,” according to a briefing document written by Canada’s defence attaché in Israel.

The international seminar focused on the “lessons learned” from Israel’s war on Gaza, which is almost universally recognized as a genocidal campaign among leading human rights organizations and by a United Nations independent commission.

The document, obtained by The Maple via an access to information request, states that four RCMP officers who attended the seminar in Tel Aviv last November learned “lessons on intelligence fusion, rapid response, and civilian protection [that] can be adapted to Canadian law enforcement contexts.” … continue

Israel Engaged in Illicit Foreign Interference in Canada: Report

Government officials have not responded to questions about a troubling new report published in May by CJPME

By David Gray-Donald | The Grind | July 7, 2026

A new report details how the Israeli government is covertly and illicitly trying to influence public affairs in Canada.

While countries regularly lobby one another, four cases of Israel’s actions crossed a line because they were done in secret, according to Canadians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East (CJPME), the advocacy group behind the report.

First, in October 2023, the Israeli consulate in Toronto secretly commissioned an opinion poll that “manipulated Canadian public opinion about Israel’s war on Gaza,” according to an investigation by The Breach. The poll used “completely and totally loaded questions,” another pollster commented, to sway results in support of Israel’s bombing of Gaza and to make it appear that Canadians were concerned about pro-Palestine protests. The poll was conducted by high-powered Toronto PR firm Aurora Strategies Global without disclosing it was paid for by the Israeli consulate. A select group of Liberal MPs received the results before the poll was published and discussed how to bring it to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s attention.

Second, Israel’s Ministry of Justice secretly hired the high-powered Torys law firm in Toronto in 2019 to intervene in a legal dispute over Canada’s labelling of wines from illegal West Bank settlements, according to The Breach. After the intervention by Torys, the government appealed an earlier court decision, fighting the courts in Israel’s favour.

Third, Israel has secretly funded a series of propaganda trips to Israel for politicians and journalists. This includes trips organized by the Ontario-based Exigent Foundation, which took place as recently as 2025, according to a PressProgress investigation.

Fourth, Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs funded a secret campaign targeting Canada and the U.S. by making websites for fake groups, along with hundreds of fake social media accounts powered by ChatGPT, according to Haaretz and the New York Times. The campaign spread pro-Israel and Islamophobic messages, portraying Muslims as a threat to the West. … continue

The BBC Lost the Audience, Now It Wants the Algorithm

By Freddie Ponton | 21st Century Wire | July 7, 2026

Mohamed Shalaby spent seven years at BBC Verify, the corporation’s flagship fact-checking unit. On August 10, 2025, Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a tent marked “PRESS” outside al-Shifa hospital. The following day, BBC correspondent Jon Donnison reported from Jerusalem on a live blog that Al-Sharif “worked for a Hamas media team in Gaza before the current conflict.” Shalaby raised concerns; the claim was unsourced, unverified, and didn’t meet Verify’s own editorial standards. He filed a formal complaint, and soon after was invited to take his queries elsewhere.

He posted on Instagram Stories: the line “is NOT verified and not sourced and does not align with Verify’s editorial standards.” On August 19, BBC Global Journalism sent a formal correction request marked “essential amendment” to at least 1,200 BBC staff. The BBC did not correct the article. When Shalaby declined an HR meeting about his social media activity before finishing his final shift, the BBC locked his account, suspended his work ID, and told him he would be escorted from the building. “Having worked there since 2018,” he told Deadline, “it was incredibly shocking.”

The BBC declined to comment. A unit whose entire purpose is fact-checking escorted a fact-checker out of the building for fact-checking, received a formal internal correction request from its own division, and left the original claim standing. Draw your own conclusions about what BBC Verify is actually for. … Full article

UN expert blasts BBC over coverage of detained Gaza doctor

Al Mayadeen | July 7, 2026

The United Nations’ special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has sharply denounced the BBC after the broadcaster aired Israeli regime claims against detained Palestinian paediatrician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya without challenge.

Reacting to a Monday segment in which BBC News relayed Israeli allegations that Abu Safiya was held over “suspected involvement in Hamas activities,” Albanese called the coverage “scandalous”, pointing to 18 months of arbitrary detention without charge, evidence, or trial and to torture documented by his lawyer, with injuries visible on his body.

She accused the network of amplifying unsubstantiated Israeli accusations against a detained doctor rather than reporting on his condition, describing it as characteristic of BBC journalism “in the time of genocide.” … continue

‘No rare earth for genocide,’ Malaysians slam Pentagon deal

Al Mayadeen | July 7, 2026

A Malaysian parliamentary committee will hold a hearing on July 16 to scrutinize a $96 million rare earths supply agreement between Australia’s Lynas Rare Earths and the US Department of War, according to Malaysian lawmaker Wong Chen, who chairs the parliamentary select committee on international relations and trade.

Lynas operates one of the world’s largest rare earths processing facilities in Malaysia, and the four-year deal has drawn sustained criticism from rights groups who say the materials feed into US-made weapons deployed by “Israel” in Gaza.

Wong told reporters on Monday that the hearing will examine whether the agreement violates domestic policy, with testimony expected from Lynas representatives, government officials, environmental groups, and rights activists. […]

Pew Research found roughly two-thirds of Malaysians view the US unfavorably, with about 84 percent disapproving of the Biden administration’s handling of the Gaza war, placing Malaysia among the most critical countries globally on that measure. – Full article

Israel is practicing settlement on four fronts

The IDF is occupying Lebanon and Syria, while Israelis build “settlements in all but name” in Cyprus

RT | July 7, 2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just approved more than a dozen new Jewish settlements in the West Bank. But this latest wave of expansion is just the beginning, as different factions within Israel want to push its borders further into Lebanon, Syria, and beyond. […]

Between 2021 and 2025, Israelis have purchased more than 3,800 properties in Cyprus, most of them in Limassol, Larnaca, and Paphos. Approximately 12,000 Israeli families now live in Cyprus, up from 300 in 2003, the vast majority of them arriving after Israel’s war on Gaza began in 2023.

Last month, Israel’s i24 News described Cyprus as “Israel’s civilian refuge” and “a critical strategic asset for Israel.”

“Zionist schools are being built – that’s what they call them – synagogues are being built,” Cypriot opposition leader Stefanos Stefanou warned last summer, claiming that Israeli land purchases are creating “settlements in all but name,” which are “almost inaccessible to anyone other than Israeli nationals.”

While this influx is entirely legal, it has been accompanied by increasing Israeli influence on the island’s politics. Less than a week after Cyprus assumed the EU’s rotating presidency this January, a series of covertly-recorded videos emerged exposing minor corruption schemes within President Nikos Christodoulides’s government. The videos were recorded and publicized by Black Cube, an Israeli private intelligence firm with deep ties to the IDF’s intelligence wing and the Mossad spy agency.

It remains unclear who hired Black Cube to intervene against Christodoulides, who is not regarded as an opponent of Israel. However, RT has covered the company’s work in depth in our ‘Wired for War’ series, and found that it typically acts in Israel’s interests. […]

Private individuals are leading the Israeli property-buying spree in Cyprus, but the island’s growing Israeli population is placing its government under increasing Israeli pressure – evident during Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli’s visit to Nicosia last year, in which he called on the Cypriot government to “combat anti-Semitism” and step up security protection for Israeli expats.

What remains unclear is whether this four-front expansion will strengthen and secure Israel, or set the Jewish state up for new clashes and conflicts. – Full article

Israeli strikes kill three, including child, in Gaza City

Palestinian Information Center – July 7, 2026

Three Palestinians, including a child, were martyred and four others were injured in Israeli strikes that targeted Gaza City on Tuesday evening.

Ambulance crews from the Red Crescent reported that they transferred three martyrs and four wounded people to Al‑Quds Hospital following two separate strikes in Gaza City’s Tel al‑Hawa neighborhood.

The first strike occurred near the Barcelona soccer field, while the second hit close to the city’s governorate building.

In the morning, a Palestinian citizen was martyred and four children were injured in an Israeli strike in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis, south of Gaza.

Hamas is leaving government, not the resistance

MEMO | July 7, 2026 

Hamas’s decision to dissolve the Government Emergency Committee in the Gaza Strip and transfer civilian administration to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza marks a significant strategic shift. To interpret it as capitulation or defeat is to misunderstand the current stage of the Palestinian national liberation struggle.

The movement has reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the ceasefire agreement and fulfilling its responsibilities until Gaza’s civilian administration is fully transferred.

The decision should be understood as a tactical repositioning aimed at preserving three strategic objectives: Hamas’s political survival, the reconstruction of Palestinian national unity and the continuation of resistance. … continue

Red Sea tensions rise as French report claims military base is being built in Somaliland

MEMO | July 7, 2026

A report published by the French newspaper Le Monde says satellite image analysis indicates the gradual construction of a military base in the city of Berbera in the self-declared region of Somaliland.

According to the report, the project is being supported by the United Arab Emirates and is intended to serve the interests of the United States and Israel.

Le Monde said satellite images reviewed by the newspaper showed continued expansion of Berbera Airport since October 2025, including infrastructure development. The newspaper said the work suggests a new military facility is being built at a strategically important location near the southern entrance to the Red Sea. … continue

Saudi, Qatari-flagged tankers damaged near Hormuz after US threatens Iran

The Cradle | July 7, 2026

A Saudi-flagged crude oil vessel and a Qatari tanker were damaged on 7 July after being struck by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, multiple reports have confirmed.

Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker Al-Rekayyat was “struck overnight and its engine room set on fire,” maritime sources told Reuters, adding that “a Saudi crude oil tanker has also been damaged.”

“Mayday … This is vessel Al-Rekayyat, LNG vessel Al-Rekayyat. We are being hit by drone on port side, top of engine room. Status: engine room fire and full of smoke. Unable to assess further damage,” the ship’s captain said in a recorded radio call heard by Reuters.

The ship was disabled and called for help, but the crew was unharmed, according to the report. … continue

‘Honor your signature’, Araghchi tells Trump as threats target Iran

Al Mayadeen | July 7, 2026

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran will not enter negotiations for a final deal while threats continue, arguing that pressure against Iran would undermine diplomatic efforts.

In a post on X, Araghchi said millions of Iranians had gathered in support of Iran’s martyred Leader, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, and his legacy, adding that neither the Iranian public nor the country’s armed forces were affected by threats.

“Millions of proud Iranians rallied in unity to honor Grand Ayatollah Khamenei and his legacy. Neither them nor our Brave Armed Forces are moved by any threats,” Araghchi wrote.

He also referred to a memorandum of understanding, saying that a provision within the document states that negotiations on a final agreement would not begin if threats continued. “Para 13 of the MoU is clear: Negotiations on final Deal will not commence if threats continue. Honor your signature,” Araghchi said.

US President Donald Trump said on ​Monday the United States would either reach a deal ‌with Iran or “finish the job,” renewing his threat of military action against Tehran as it remains evidently steadfast and defiant, particularly as it bids farewell to its longtime leader. … Full article

French MEP Rima Hassan says terrorism trial aims to silence her pro-Palestine advocacy

Press TV – July 7, 2026

Ahead of her trial on charges of “apology for terrorism,” French Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan says French authorities have subjected her to sweeping surveillance measures and political pressure in an effort to silence her criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Hassan, a vocal pro-Palestinian lawmaker, appeared in court on Tuesday over the French offense of “apology for terrorism,” a legal provision that criminalises certain forms of expression deemed to support or glorify acts of terrorism.

“This is a political case,” Hassan said in an interview ahead of her court date. “It’s a way of putting the Palestinian cause on trial.”

Hassan added that the prosecution is part of a broader campaign targeting her for speaking out in support of Palestine. … continue

France pulls diplomats from Burkina Faso – AFP

RT | July 7, 2026

France has withdrawn its diplomats from Burkina Faso in response to the West African nation’s decision to break off relations with Paris, AFP reported on Monday, citing the French Foreign Ministry.

The Burkinabe transitional government notified France on June 26 that it was severing diplomatic relations with immediate effect, accusing Paris of having “neo-colonial ambitions” and supporting “subversive networks and terrorists.” … Full article

Le Pen avoids 2027 race ban but faces house arrest hurdle

Al Mayadeen | July 7, 2026

A Paris appeals court upheld Marine Le Pen’s conviction over the misuse of European Parliament funds, while reducing her electoral ban enough to keep open a possible path to France’s 2027 presidential election.

The ruling confirmed Le Pen’s guilt in a case centered on the diversion of European Parliament money intended for parliamentary assistants. Prosecutors said the funds were instead used to pay staff working for her National Rally party in France between 2004 and 2016. Le Pen has denied wrongdoing.

Although the court maintained the conviction, it shortened her ban from holding elected office. The sentence was reduced to 45 months, with 30 months suspended, leaving an active ban of 15 months. Since the restriction began with the lower court’s March 2025 ruling, it is set to expire before the first round of France’s presidential election, scheduled for April 18, 2027.

That decision means Le Pen is not automatically excluded from the race to succeed President Emmanuel Macron, who cannot seek a third consecutive term. But the same ruling imposed a separate sentence of house arrest, leaving her possible campaign clouded by practical and political obstacles. … continue

EU’s Break With Russian Energy Cost €3 Trillion

Sputnik – 07.07.2026

Total economic losses for EU countries due to the refusal to buy Russian energy could amount to approximately 3 trillion euros ($3.4 trillion), the Russian Permanent Mission to the EU said.

“The total losses for European countries from the refusal to buy Russian energy, according to some estimates, amount to approximately 3 trillion euros,” the mission told a Russian newspaper.

European companies and ordinary citizens have fully felt the consequences of Brussels’ policy of severing ties with Russia, it said. This has manifested itself in the form of sharp price hikes, high energy prices, declining living standards, and the closure and relocation of industrial enterprises outside the EU.

Russia has repeatedly stressed that the country would cope with the sanctions pressure that the West had begun to exert on Russia several years ago and continued to escalate. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously said that the policy of containing and weakening Russia was a long-term Western strategy, and that sanctions had dealt a serious blow to the entire global economy.

EU to spend €2.2 trillion on death, destruction and ‘environmental protection’

Dismantling national fiscal sovereignty, cloaked in the language of “collective security” and “environmental protection”, is leading the EU into the abyss.

By Drago Bosnic | July 7, 2026

As the European Union works on its next seven-year budget, a familiar pattern becomes apparent in Brussels – the bureaucratic leviathan has no plans on getting off its taxpayers’ backs. On the contrary, it keeps demanding more and it’s only a matter of time before these demands “break the camel’s back”. However, the unelected bureaucratic dictatorship’s fiscal megalomania is still nothing in comparison to what it plans to do with the money taken from the aforementioned taxpayers. Namely, Ursula von der Leyen and her entourage are pushing for a financial framework that, according to German economist and journalist Thomas Kolbe, amounts to nothing less than a formally “legalized” €2.2 trillion wealth-transfer machine. … continue

Ukrainian suspect in Monaco bomb attack found dead

RT | July 7, 2026

A Ukrainian woman identified by Interpol as the main suspect in last week’s bomb attack on millionaire Vadim Ermolaev in Monaco has been found dead, Ukrainian police have confirmed. A serving foreign intelligence officer may have been involved in her killing.

Anastasia Berezovskaya, 39, was placed on an international wanted list on suspicion of planting the explosive device that seriously injured the Ukrainian-born businessman and members of his family in the European principality. Her death was first reported on Tuesday by Ukrainskaya Pravda, with an official statement corroborating the details.

Ukrainian investigators said they checked Berezovskaya’s contacts after she returned to the country on July 1. Among them were two men, a former law enforcement officer and a serving officer of the Ukrainian military intelligence agency (HUR). Both made crypto payment to the woman’s account, which made them suspects in the Monaco bombing.

When confronted, the HUR operative confessed that he and his partner murdered Berezovskaya. Her body with multiple gunshot wounds to the head and shell casings were discovered at the location one of the alleged killers revealed.

The police said one of the suspects in the murder had a basement room that “resembled a torture dungeon.” The authorities claim the HUR officer went rogue and did not report his payments to Berezovskaya to his superiors. … continue

Antidepressant Drug Sales in US on Track to Reach $9.37 Billion by 2030

By Dr. Roger McFillin | Radically Genuine | July 2, 2026

The treatment of clinical depression has fueled a multibillion dollar mental health industry. The US Anti-depressant drugs market size was valued at $6.9 billion in 2022 and is estimated to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 3.9% from 2022 to 2030 and will reach $9.37 billion in 2030.

Psychotherapy is now a mega industry with most communities reporting a shortage of available therapists to meet the demand. Venture capitalists are scouring the country to invest in mental health start ups.

Today, mental illness drives 200 million lost workdays each year at a cost of $17 to $44 billion to employers annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

A community-based study of American adults found the one-year prevalence of “Major Depressive Disorder” rose from 3.33% to 7.06% between 1991–92 and 2001–02.

The percentage of Americans who currently have or are being treated for depression is now 17.8% according to a recent Gallup pole up about seven percent since 2015!

What is happening? … continue

Israel wants to build space attack lasers now

By Stavroula Pabst | Responsible Statecraft | July 6, 2026

As if its wars on Earth were not enough, Israel now plans to develop offensive laser weapons for use in space.

“No country has the ability to mount attacks in space. We must be the leading country in the world with this capability,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told reporters at a press briefing last week.

“If we achieve this, it will ensure the advantage of deterrence, of the ability to attack, destroy, and all of the other matters, versus our enemies with large resources,” he said, explaining that Israel is investing in both offensive and defensive capabilities in space.

Israel may model its prospective space-based laser weapons off its land-based Iron Beam weapon, which it is now testing together with the Iron Dome missile interception system for the purposes of a more comprehensive Israeli air defense.

Critically, the U.S. supported the development of both systems with more than $1 billion each. … Full article

Israel is an apartheid state – and its weird marriage laws show us how

By Jonathan Cook | June 30, 2026

Israel’s supporters have gone apoplectic over a short post on X from the journalist Mehdi Hasan, highlighting Israel’s peculiar marriage laws.

Hasan asks: “Did you know that you can’t have a civil or secular marriage in Israel?”

He’s not wrong. Israel has banned civil marriage. You can wed only in a ceremony strictly controlled by religious authorities. If you want a civil marriage, you have to travel to another country.

Why, you might reasonably wonder. Isn’t Israel a modern, secular, western-style liberal democracy? After all, that’s what our politicians and media keep telling us. … continue

Israeli Police Officer Throwing Stun Grenade Inside Palestinian Vehicle

teleSUR | July 6, 2026

On Monday, the human rights NGO B’Tselem released security camera footage showing an Israeli Border Police officer throwing a stun grenade inside a Palestinian vehicle and blocking the door so the device would explode with the passengers inside. The attack occurred during a military incursion into the Qalandia refugee camp, south of Ramallah, on Sunday.

The footage shows the uniformed officer, with his back to the camera, throwing the grenade into the front seat of a car with a green Palestinian license plate and pressing the door window with his left arm to prevent the driver from escaping.

After the explosion, which generated a thick cloud of smoke, two passengers managed to get out through the other side, visibly shaken. In response, the Israeli Police admitted that the footage appears to show an officer acting in a manner inconsistent with police procedures and referred the matter to the Internal Affairs Division.

During the same raid in the occupied West Bank, Israeli soldiers killed Walid Abu Sneineh, a 16-year-old Palestinian teenager, and wounded three others, the Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed. … Full article

Gaza Records 9,300 Contagious Skin Infections in Two Weeks

IMEMC | July 6, 2026

Health authorities in Gaza have documented approximately 9,300 cases of contagious skin diseases over the past two weeks, in what medical officials describe as a rapidly escalating public‑health emergency driven by overcrowding, deteriorating sanitation, and a critical shortage of medicines amid the ongoing siege and constant Israeli attacks.

Mohammed Abu Afesh, Director of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society in northern Gaza, said the infections include chickenpox, scabies, and lice infestations, all recorded across 130 health centers throughout the enclave. He warned that the continued absence of essential treatments risks pushing the situation “out of control,” particularly inside overcrowded shelters and displacement camps where conditions have sharply deteriorated.

Abu Afesh noted that the spread of water‑ and food‑borne intestinal diseases is further complicating the crisis, as contaminated supplies remain widespread and access to clean water is severely limited. … Full article

Gaza: Fresh Israeli strikes kill six civilians, another succumbs to wounds

Palestinian Information Center – July 6, 2026

GAZA – At least six Palestinian civilians were martyred and several others were injured in fresh Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Monday, while another one succumbed to wounds sustained in a previous attack.

The Palestinian Information Center reporter said that two civilians were killed and 16 others were injured this morning in an Israeli airstrike targeting a vehicle on al‑Rashid Street in the al‑Mawasi area of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.

Another drone strike on a tent killed two people and injured several others in Roni Street, south of the al‑Mawasi area of Khan Yunis.

In addition, a warplane bombed a vehicle near the Palestinian Mills in the north of Khan Yunis, with no reported casualties.

Meanwhile, an airstrike targeted an apartment near the Jordanian Hospital in Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa neighborhood, killing Fadi Falah and his wife, Riham Rashid, and leaving others injured.

Another citizen was pronounced dead today after succumbing to injuries sustained in an earlier artillery attack in the east of al-Musaddar village in central Gaza.

Three fishermen also sustained injuries when a drone dropped a bomb on their small boat off the northern shores of Gaza City. … Full article

Berri rejects Netanyahu’s claim of annexing Lebanese Christian villages

Press TV – July 6, 2026

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has categorically dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that some Christian villages in southern Lebanon have asked “to be annexed” by the regime, praising the positions declared by municipal councils and religious leaders in border villages.

On Monday, the top Lebanese legislator commended the statements issued by Christian communities in the districts of Marjeyoun and Bint Jbeil, and specifically lauded the stances adopted by the municipality of Rmeish.

The statements “rejected and refuted false claims by the Israeli prime minister, alleging that residents of these villages sought to join Israel,” Berri stated. […]

Earlier in the day, Hanna al-Amil, mayor of Rmeish, dismissed Netanyahu’s annexation claim of some Lebanese Christian villages.

“This claim is totally untrue,” he told Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA).

“None of the Christian villages have made this request as Netanyahu claimed,” Amil added.

Such a request “is completely out of the question,” he said, adding that 15 Christian villages have already denied these Israeli allegations. … Full article

Military expert: The battle of Ali al-Tahir heights will be costly for Israel

Palestinian Information Center – July 6, 2026

BEIRUT – The recent Israeli escalation in southern Lebanon has brought the Ali al-Tahir heights back to the forefront of the military scene, after the occupation forces intensified their raids on the area amid indicators that observers see as a prelude to a potential ground move. While estimates speak of an Israeli attempt to impose a new field equation, military experts warn that any incursion into these strategic hills could open up a wide confrontation with Hezbollah, given their military importance and the nature of their defenses. … continue

850,000 ‘targets’: Experts alarmed by scale of Israeli AI targeting

Al Mayadeen | July 6, 2026

The Israeli military’s digital command system identified an average of 1,000 potential targets per day during the first two years of its wars in Gaza and Lebanon, according to a presentation by Elbit Systems, a figure that raises grave questions about civilian protection and the legality of targeting decisions.

The data, presented at a Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) land warfare conference in London last week, revealed that between October 7, 2023, and the end of 2025, the Israeli Tzayad (Hunter) digital army programme detected a total of 850,000 “real-time intel targets” across all fronts of the recent wars “Israel” waged.

The slide, shown by Miki Edelstein, an Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) reservist major general and executive vice-president of Elbit, highlighted the system’s role in enabling “high-tempo operations” and generating more than 20,000 battle plans.

The 850,000 figure encompassed people, vehicles, and other objects detected in real time for potential follow-up strikes from land, sea, or air. … Full article

New Israeli drone strike kills four civilians in southern Lebanon amid relentless truce violations

Press TV – July 6, 2026

At least four people, including three women, have been killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon, Lebanese media reported, in the latest breach of a US-mediated framework agreement.

According to local reports, the drone fired a guided missile at a passing car near a teachers’ training institute in the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, killing all four people inside.

Among the deceased are school principal Esperanza Ghandour, her mother, a Syrian national, and a domestic worker from abroad.

In related reporting, Lebanese media also described an Israeli attack near the Ali Taher Ridge sector in the same vicinity

Israel has hit Nabatieh multiple times in recent days.

The strike comes despite a framework agreement signed by Lebanese authorities and Israel in Washington on June 26 under US mediation.

Israel has continued near-daily attacks in Lebanon since then, including bombardments of residential areas and civilian infrastructure in the south. … Full article

Katz admits ‘Israel’ killed Sayyed Khamenei, exposing himself legally

Al Mayadeen | July 6, 2026

Israeli War Minister Israel Katz has publicly acknowledged “Israel’s” role in the assassination of leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei, a confession that legal experts say could expose him to international prosecution and fuel popular calls for retribution.

In remarks made on Monday, Katz boasted that “Israel” was responsible for the assassination of Sayyed Khamenei, claiming that the leader was killed because he “initiated and led a plan aimed at destroying Israel.”

Katz’s admission came on the same day as millions gathered in Tehran for the funeral procession of Khamenei and three members of his family. The timing of Katz’s statement has been interpreted by observers as a projection of defiance on a day of significant popular mourning.

However, legal analysts noted that the killer’s voluntary confession of guilt could legally legitimize proceedings against him before international judicial bodies. … Full article

Sanaa tests the blockade as Riyadh weighs its next move

By Mawadda Iskandar | The Cradle | July 6, 2026

At dawn on 3 July 2026, an Iranian Mahan Air aircraft touched down in Sanaa – the first Iranian flight to reach the airport in 11 years.

The landing cut into a blockade that has long defined Yemen’s airspace and signaled a shift that could reshape the terms of engagement.

The aircraft carried more than 200 Yemeni passengers, many of them sick, wounded, or stranded abroad. It was presented as a humanitarian flight, but the move went beyond that. Since the April 2022 truce, air traffic has been tightly restricted, with routes largely limited to Jordan.

It did not end there. The plane later departed with an official Yemeni delegation to Tehran, reportedly to attend the funeral of martyred Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei. The return leg added a diplomatic layer and tied the move directly to wider regional interactions.

Sources in Sanaa inform The Cradle that the flight was coordinated with Tehran as part of an effort to chip away at what they call the Saudi-US blockade. More flights are expected if the route holds. Whether this opens a steady channel or prompts a Saudi response that freezes talks remains unclear. […]

Inside Yemen, officials describe the moment as a phase of heightened readiness. They accuse Riyadh of working through political and tribal channels to deepen internal divisions.

Ali al-Zuhri, a diplomat and media figure, says the settlement track has stalled after Saudi Arabia slowed implementation, under US pressure, in response to Sanaa’s stance on Gaza. … Full article

Cancel Culture has taken over European politics

Do we really want to outlaw the views of a third of the electorate?

Ashes of Pompeii | July 6, 2026

A few days ago, I wrote about the “banal nonentities” that form the political elite in Europe. Across Europe, these leaders of traditional establishment parties are deeply unpopular, most with approval ratings below 20%. Their policy platforms have demonstrably failed, leaving them destined to lose upcoming elections to supposedly “far right” parties. The great irony of this moment is that the policy platforms of these newly minted extremists would have been considered standard center right orthodoxy merely twenty years ago. Today, however, the media and the cultural elite have redrawn the boundaries of acceptable discourse, declaring these once mainstream views completely beyond the pale. Unable to defeat these parties at the ballot box through popular appeal, the establishment has turned to lawfare.

For the past decade or two, Anglo academic and intellectual spheres have been suffocated by the relentless machinery of cancel culture. What began as a tool for social enforcement in universities and media has now metastasized, erupting into the mainstream political arena of continental Europe. This phenomenon represents a profound shift in how political power is maintained. Where elections were once won through the clash of policies and the appeal of personalities, the modern political landscape is defined by institutional exclusion. Context, truth, logic, and tradition have been rendered entirely irrelevant, replaced by a singular and overriding imperative that one must belong to the approved in club. … continue

People Are Able to Handle the Truth!

By Peter Haenseler | SONAR21 | July 5, 2026

Introduction

In 1959, Ingeborg Bachmann concluded that the truth is something people can be expected to handle, since they are quite capable of enduring it, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. Literature, she argued, should neither conceal nor gloss over the truth.

This is all the more true of the media, which for years have failed to fulfill their duty as the fourth estate. The world is heading toward a new world war, and the majority of humanity is unable to assess the risks and opportunities when the media distort the facts through their propaganda in such a way that the truth vanishes into an ever-thickening fog. The dumbing down has reached such a level that even politicians in the West believe the propaganda of their own media and act accordingly. The falsehoods that politicians spread are no longer perceived by them as lies; for the most part, their intellect is simply not sufficient for that. It must be stated that politicians have first and foremost become “ambassadors” of an ever-declining level of education—and continue to do so—and, as a result, have become victims of their own propaganda.

This article attempts to show that it is still possible to separate the wheat from the chaff, because the truth is hidden amid all the garbage in the news coverage. … continue

Berlin wants to withhold classified info from states ruled by opposition

RT | July 6, 2026

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has called for any regional governments formed by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to be booted out of the federal intelligence-sharing network.

The minister branded the right-wing party, which has been enjoying the largest share of public support for months, “anti-democratic” in an interview with Bild newspaper published on Sunday, and said Berlin should be prepared to “consistently counter it.”

Pistorius claimed that the AfD could not be trusted with state secrets because of its alleged “undeniable” ties to Moscow.

“We are intensively examining the question of to whom we can grant access to classified information,” said Pistorius, who has been a vocal proponent of Germany’s rapid militarization and potential mandatory conscription to prepare for a direct conflict with Russia as early as 2028.

Pistorius claimed that the AfD is “opposed to the very constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany” and willing to “destroy our democracy from within.” … continue