Bomb blast at Damascus cafe kills 6, Syria authorities say
This was the deadliest such incident since a suicide attack killed 25 people at a church last year
· Agence France-Presse
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Newest first · UTC+11:00Bomb blast at Damascus cafe kills 6, Syria authorities say
This was the deadliest such incident since a suicide attack killed 25 people at a church last year
· Agence France-Presse
Palestinian goalkeeper killed by Israel in Gaza as Fifa faces fresh calls to act
Palestinian goalkeeper Saleem al-Ashqar was killed earlier this week by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said in a statement on Monday, prompting tributes from football supporters, journalists, fans, and the public on social media.
· Middleeasteye
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia call to discuss US-Iran mediation in Doha
Pakistan’s foreign minister held a phone call on Thursday with his Saudi Arabian counterpart to discuss the ongoing mediation efforts in Qatar between Iran and the US.
· Middleeasteye
Iran warns ‘forceful response’ to ships failing to comply with approved Hormuz routes
Iran’s joint military command has warned ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz to use its approved routes or face a “forceful response”.
· Middleeasteye
When ‘democracy’ becomes a disguise - opinion
There is a kind of theft that leaves the safe untouched: you don’t break the lock, you redefine what’s inside it. Yair Golan, the former IDF deputy chief of staff who now leads The Democrats – the merged remnant of Labor and Meretz – has built a political identity on a single freighted word.
· ELIYAHU HADDAD
Campaigners and scholars demand answers from British Museum following disclosures
Campaigners and scholars say that recent revelations that the British Museum made false claims about its removal of "Palestine" from its displays raise serious questions regarding the integrity and transparency of its policy and practice.
· Middleeasteye
Exclusive: ICC bureau changes rules to lower threshold for Khan's removal
The executive body of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has changed the voting process on the potential removal of Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan from a two-stage vote to a single vote in an apparent break with its own rules, Middle East Eye can reveal.
· Middleeasteye
Campaigners and scholars demand answers from British Museum following disclosures
Campaigners and scholars say that recent revelations that the British Museum made false claims about its removal of "Palestine" from its displays raise serious questions regarding the integrity and transparency of its policy and practice.
· Middleeasteye
The dictator in the terminal: Idi Amin and the Entebbe hostage crisis, 50 years on
Just after lunchtime on June 27, 1976, the first report reached the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem: an Air France plane had been hijacked.
· ALEX WINSTON
Explosive device goes off in cafe in Syria's capital, killing at least 9 people
DAMASCUS, Syria — An explosive device was detonated Thursday in a cafe in the Syrian capital of Damascus, killing at least nine people, Syria's Health Ministry said.
· Associated Press
How US-Iran war may push Gulf countries to ‘diversify’ security alliances
Gulf countries are likely to accelerate the push to diversify their security partnerships after the United States-Israel war on Iran, analysts say, as the region grapples with the lasting impact of the conflict.
· Ali Harb
US wants intervention, but Syria signals diplomacy after FM’s Lebanon trip
Syria and Lebanon have long had a complicated relationship, with forces from each country intervening in the other over the years.
· Justin Salhani
Air raid sirens sound in northern Israel
The Israeli army has reported in a post on X that “alerts have been activated in the Avashdim and Yir-on areas” of northern Israel.
· Middleeasteye
Over 20 million expected in Tehran for Ali Khamenei's funeral
More than 20 million people are reportedly expected to travel to Iran’s capital for the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated by the US and Israel on 28 February, according to Iranian state TV.
· Middleeasteye
Israel’s opposition voters back policy change, not just replacing Netanyahu - opinion
Voters for Israel’s opposition right-wing and centrist parties are often portrayed as an incoherent coalition united by a single sentiment: opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Anyone but Netanyahu,” the argument goes.
· GIL MURCIANO
Iran prepares to bury slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with week of mass mourning
Iran's ruling clerics are preparing days of mass funeral rites for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a show of public devotion to the Islamic Republic and proof that its revolutionary fervor still burns strong.
· REUTERS
We fear listing 'Jewish' on hospital forms after October 7, Australian Jews tell 'Post' - exclusive
“I’m too frightened to write the word ‘Jewish’ on a hospital form,” three Australian Jews told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
· MATHILDA HELLER
Six Kurdish fighters killed in clashes with Iran, says opposition group
A Kurdish opposition group said on Thursday that six of its fighters were killed in fighting with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps in western Iran near the border with Iraq.
· Middleeasteye
IDF warns combat force nearing breaking point without more manpower after Torah study bill passes
IDF Brig.-Gen. Shai Taib, head of the military's Planning and Personnel Administration Division, warned the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Thursday that Israel’s regular combat force could face severe strain without urgent manpower legislation.
· AMIR BOHBOT
Israeli drone strike targets hospital in southern Lebanon
An Israeli drone strike targeted the Ghandour Hospital in the southern Lebanese town of Nabitiyeh, according to Lebanon’s state news agency on Thursday.
· Middleeasteye
Israel marks 1,000 days since Oct. 7 Hamas massacre that killed over 1,200 people
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· Jewish News Syndicate
OIC condemns Israeli bill restricting Muslim call to prayer
The general secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Thursday condemned the Israeli Knesset’s preliminary approval of a bill to restrict the Muslim call to prayer.
· Middleeasteye
France eschews 'power struggle' with Iran to demine Hormuz | The National
France remains confident in its efforts to contribute to the security of the Strait of Hormuz, including demining, despite hostile Iranian comments, officials have told The National.
· Sunniva Rose
Birmingham University weakens restrictions on investing in arms companies
The University of Birmingham has significantly weakend its restrictions on investing in weapons companies, Middle East Eye has learnt.
· Middleeasteye
‘Checkout’: New comedy hit, expanded from one of Israel's most popular series
This is a new golden age for the Israeli genre, “Seretai Bourekas,” comedies with a lot of shtick and slapstick. The latest example is Checkout, a feature-film version of the sitcom of the same title, known in Hebrew as Kupa Rashit, which just opened in theaters across Israel.
· HANNAH BROWN
As Arab sector violence soars, Israeli imams complete leadership program to combat crime
Israel has an “obligation” to protect all its citizens, President Isaac Herzog told 58 imams graduating on Thursday from a joint Open University and Interior Ministry initiative aimed at reducing crime in the Arab sector.
· DANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
IDF to punish soldiers for filming, distributing video of blindfolded, bound Gazan citizen
IDF soldiers reportedly filmed and circulated a video of a blindfolded Palestinian man in the Gaza Strip tied to a broomstick with zip ties, Palestinian media reported on Thursday.
· CORINNE BAUM
Why Israeli officials fear Iran-backed Hezbollah could still rearm despite Lebanon deal - exclusive
The current state of play with whether Hezbollah can rearm itself in this ceasefire period and who well and rapidly it can do so are highly dynamic.
· YONAH JEREMY BOB
The civilizational divide: European Right aligned with Israel, America's Right aligned with Left
Following the horrific October 7 atrocities, conservative nationalists across Europe faced an existential awakening.
· TINA GHAZIMORAD
Seven Palestinians wounded in Israeli drone strike on central Gaza
An Israeli drone strike targeting a motorcycle in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza has injured seven Palestinians on Thursday, Wafa news reports.
· Middleeasteye
Ex-hostage chief 'responsible' for Israelis murdered, kidnapped on October 7, minister claims
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu (Otzma Yehudit) said on Thursday that former coordinator of hostage negotiations Maj.-Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon was responsible for those murdered and kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas massacre.
· KESHET NEEV
Chief Rabbinate Council denies Tzohar kashrut certification shortly after authorization
Director General of Religious Services Ministry, Yehuda Avidan, demanded that the kashrut authorization granted to Tzohar Kashrut be revoked, stating that the approval had not gone through the proper legal process, Kan News reported on Thursday.
· JERUSALEM POST STAFF
AFP assessing allegation of Gaza war crimes committed by Australian citizen serving in IDF
Claims against Israel Defense Forces battalion include deliberate targeting and destruction of residential buildings in 2023 and 2024 without military justification
· Ben Doherty
Australians have more negative view of Israel than of China, Guardian Essential poll finds
Poll also finds perception of Donald Trump has soured since his re-election, with fewer than a third of respondents viewing him positively
· Josh Butler
How Iran won the World Cup (or didn't lose it anyway)
Iran was knocked out of the World Cup on Saturday, yet the government’s now calling it a victory.
· Middleeasteye
AI is Israel’s next national-security battlefield as global standing sinks, Bennett says
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett warned Thursday that artificial intelligence has become a national-security infrastructure comparable to electricity, saying Israel cannot afford to depend on foreign powers while its international standing deteriorates and Iran continues to recover.
· JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Birmingham University weakens restrictions on investing in arms companies
The University of Birmingham has significantly weakend its restrictions on investing in weapons companies, Middle East Eye has learnt.
· Middleeasteye
Politically divided Israel marks 1,000 days since October 7 attacks | The National
Israel on Thursday marked 1,000 days since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks – which led to regional wars and have had far-reaching consequences across the Middle East – while the country remains divided over its political future.
· Thomas Helm
Five killed in Damascus cafe bombing (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)
An explosion ripped through a cafe in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Thursday, killing at least five people and injuring 16, according to the Syrian Ministry of Health. Authorities believe that the blast was caused by a bomb.
· RT
Nine killed in Damascus cafe bombing (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)
An explosion ripped through a cafe in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Thursday, killing at least nine people and injuring 20, according to the Syrian Ministry of Health. Authorities believe that the blast was caused by a bomb.
· RT
IDF troops in pursuit of West Bank car ramming attack suspects
IDF soldiers were dispatched near Beit Ummar after reports emerged of an attempted ramming attack in the area on Thursday.
· CORINNE BAUM
Yoni Netanyahu remembered, 50 years after Entebbe
On July 4, Israel marks 50 years since Lt.-Col. Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu was killed while commanding one of the most daring hostage rescue missions in modern history.
· ALEX WINSTON
High Court orders Knesset to hold new vote on state comptroller after filming scandal
The High Court of Justice called on Thursday for a re-election in the state comptroller race.
· JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Israeli press alarmed as criticism of Israel becomes winning recipe in US politics
A string of primary victories by left-wing Democratic candidates has triggered alarm across Israeli media and pro-Israel circles, with commentators warning that support for Israel no longer guarantees "political success".
· Middleeasteye
Gas giants to reap $18 billion war windfall, reviving export tax calls
Australia’s biggest gas producers are poised to cash in on an expected $18 billion revenue surge over the next year due to the fallout from the Iran war, intensifying calls for the government to levy a 25 per cent tax on their exports.
· Nick Toscano, Mike Foley
Iran has zero chance of honoring the MOU - opinion
There are people in Washington who still believe the Iranian regime can be persuaded to change through diplomacy. They believe another agreement, another memorandum, or another round of negotiations will somehow convince the ayatollahs to abandon their nuclear ambitions and stop financing terrorism. To believe this …
· MIKE EVANS
With Hormuz reopened, has the oil shortage turned into a glut?
The Strait of Hormuz is reopening faster than expected, after the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and launched indirect talks in Qatar to discuss the flow of shipping.
· Federica Marsi
Gulf states in a bind over Iran’s grip on Hormuz, US troop removal talks
Analysts say GCC members face an uncertain ‘new normal’, prompting them to expand outreach to Tehran for long-term peace
· Tom Hussain
Gulf states in a bind over Iran’s grip on Hormuz, US troop removal talks
Analysts say GCC members face an uncertain ‘new normal’, prompting them to expand outreach to Tehran for long-term peace
· Tom Hussain