Once again, US President Donald Trump shows he wants to be a double-crosser on riding a wild horse that could unseat him at any moment…
During the White House press conference on the reduction of the US vaccination plan from 17 to 11 vaccines (still one more than Italy after the Lorenzin Decree came into force) and on the renewed safety program on the alarm about correlation between pediatric vaccines and autism (censored by the CDC) he was questioned by a journalist about the issue of the day…
President Trump drops this response to Dr. Fauci being exposed for privately admitting that the COVID vaccine may be linked to miscarriages.
“The Biden administration was a disaster in every way. That would be just one way, but they’ve been a disaster in every single one. It’s unimaginable what they did. “
It’s a shame that this comes after his repeated statements about the success of Operation Warp Speed, with which he himself funded, during the first Trump administration, the production of Moderna’s Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Cambridge-based Big Pharma in close collaboration with the military agency DARPA and Fauci himself…
The Moderna vaccine itself was deemed by the WHO to be the most dangerous for pregnant women and therefore not recommended (read below).
Therefore, Trump is fully complicit in the Biden-Fauci disaster, which is why the former White House medical advisor will most likely never go to jail… Indeed, after the November 2026 midterm elections, the issue will likely evaporate from the horizon of Republican senators who are denouncing the scandals.
Fauci and CDC knew about the risk of miscarriage linked to mRNA Covid vaccines
Newly released government text messages (source 1) reveal that Dr. Anthony Fauci privately raised concerns in January 2021 that the immune response following the second COVID-19 “vaccine” dose could trigger miscarriage during the first trimester of pregnancy.
In a text exchange involving then-CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and Vivek Murthy, Fauci noted that fever and the heightened immune response following dose two “theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester.”
The messages are part of a soon-to-be released cache containing more than 34,000 texts and 522 voicemails recovered from Fauci’s government-issued phone and released by Senators Ron Johnson and Rand Paul (source 2)
At the heart of the story is a January 2021 text message exchange between Fauci, Vivek Murthy (then Surgeon General), and Rochelle Walensky (then CDC director). In those messages, Fauci wrote that “there is no data or theoretical reason to believe that vaccination is preferable early rather than late in pregnancy.” (source 3)
Pregnant Women’s Concerns About the Genetic Vaccine and Fauci’s Private Confirmation
He also highlighted a warning that would later prove prophetic.
“However, some people (including female healthcare workers) have concerns about administering a ‘genetic’ vaccine in the very early stages of pregnancy,” he wrote.
Nearly two hours passed before Fauci returned to the topic with an aspect he hadn’t mentioned the first time. “I asked around a bit more and another issue came up that you need to be aware of,” he wrote.
“Since many people have significant cytokine storm and fever after the 2nd dose, this heoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester .”
This exchange was never reflected in Fauci’s public statements. On February 3, 2021, in a JAMA livestream event, he stated that the FDA had found “no warning signs” regarding pregnant women.
The White House Advisor’s Lies About Risks to Pregnant Women – VIDEO
Months later, as White House medical advisor, he claimed that the CDC data showed “no indication” of additional risks, arguing that pregnant women should be vaccinated.
“It’s pretty clear that pregnant women should be vaccinated,”he stated. Here he is, in the video reposted on X by Senator Ron Johnson, confidently recommending the vaccination of pregnant women with a smile.
«Fauci on August 30, 2021: “it’s really one of those things that’s kind of not a close call. It really is pretty clear that pregnant women should get vaccinated.”But 7 months earlier he was concerned that the second dose of the COVID shot “theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester» Senator Johnson comments (source 4).
The messages also show how the three officials weighed the vaccine’s risk-benefit balance against that of the virus, while worrying about public statements that could undermine pregnant women’s confidence in COVID vaccination.
On January 26, 2021, Murthy told Fauci and Walensky that he was “surprised to see the WHO issue a strong statement saying they do not recommend Moderna [sic] for pregnant women,”calling it “a strong statement to make and potentially quite damaging to public confidence among pregnant women.”
A 2024 study confirmed 37 adverse events in pregnancy
«The revelation takes on added significance in light of a recent peer-reviewed pregnancy safety studyby Dr. James Thorp and colleagues» writes American epidemiologist Nicolas Hulscher in an article published on his Substack Focal Points. (source 5).
Using CDC/FDA VAERS data through April 26, 2024, they examined 37 pregnancy and newborn adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination and found that every one of the 37 exceeded the CDC/FDA safety signal statistical threshold.
These included miscarriage, fetal malformations, chromosomal abnormalities, placental disorders, fetal growth restriction, premature delivery, stillbirth, neonatal asphyxia, and newborn death.
Alarmingly, the study reported a COVID-19 vaccine miscarriage proportional reporting ratio (PRR) of 114 compared with influenza vaccination and 38.4 compared with all other vaccines.
Epidemiologist Hulscher: “Vaccines administered despite the risk of miscarriage: It’s diabolical.”
«In simple terms, official CDC/FDA data showed miscarriage was reported far more disproportionately after COVID-19 vaccination than after other vaccines—creating an unusually large safety signal» Hulsher commented
«While senior federal health officials were privately discussing miscarriage risk in January 2021, they went on to aggressively push COVID-19 mRNA injections during pregnancy. Years later, a peer-reviewed analysis found all 37 pregnancy and newborn adverse events examined breached safety-signal thresholds. That is diabolical» the epidemiologist concluded.
It should be remembered that in clinical trials of a new drug, pregnant women, just like the elderly and those more vulnerable due to pre-existing conditions, are generally excluded for safety reasons related to the protection of the fetus and the mother.
The Alarm about the Risk of Miscarriages in Vaccinated Women, raised by Gospa News in 2021
On January 25, 2021, he texted then CDC Director Rochelle Walensky the following.
Nevertheless, in April 2021, Walensky had a published conversation with Dr. Eric J. Rubin (editor of TheNew England Journal of Medicine) in which she vehemently advocated COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women, even though it hadn’t been tested on pregnant women(source 6).
This was a flagrant violation of the “Golden Rule of pregnancy”—namely, that novel and/or potentially harmful substances are never used when new human life is being formed and nurtured within the womb.
At this time, Drs. Peter McCullough and James Thorp were totally shocked by her recommendation, as both doctors had long taken it for granted that we’d already learned this lesson the hard way from the diethylstilbestrol (DES) and thalidomide disasters.
After Walensky’s approval, millions of pregnant women who wouldn’t have dared drink a solitary glass of wine lined up to get an experimental genetic shot that had been developed “at warp speed.”
Given that Walensky is herself a mother of three children, it strikes me as especially bizarre that she would make this recommendation just two months after hearing Dr. Fauci’s concern about miscarriage risk.
A strong earthquake, with a magnitude of 4.7, was distinctly felt in various neighborhoods of Naples around 7:45 PM. The epicenter was located in the Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields) at a depth of 2.6 km.
According to Italian TV RAI News, “It’s the strongest tremor in 40 years.”
Power outages occurred from Pizzo Falcone to Fuorigrotta. Many people, frightened, took to the streets. Dozens of calls were made to the fire department for stuck elevators in buildings or collapsing debris. Firefighters were also working to check the stability of buildings.
Damage was also reported in Pozzuoli. The Municipality of Pozzuoli has activated the Municipal Operations Center (COC) to coordinate all monitoring and assistance activities for the population.
The seismic swarm affecting the Campi Flegrei area continued unabated throughout the night. After the main 4.7 magnitude quake recorded at 7:46 PM, seismographs detected at least thirty aftershocks of varying intensity, including the strongest magnitude 3.8 at 10:00 PM and the last magnitude 1.6 shortly after midnight. In Pozzuoli, many residents chose to spend the night outside, fearful of returning after the constant tremors.
Despite this, no evacuation plan has been implemented, except for the emergency plan, which, in the event of a volcanic eruption, would be virtually useless…
The Civil Protection Department’s primary task remains to monitor the damage and damaged infrastructure.
The tuff rock collapses in two places: a boulder on top of a car – VIDEO
The tuff rock overlooking Via Napoli, in the municipality of Pozzuoli, collapsed in two places.
Specifically, one of the two collapses affected an open area of a private condominium and involved a car and a scooter. As clearly visible in one of the many videos circulating on social media, a boulder broke away from the rock and fell on the car, crushing it completely.
There were no people present at the time of the collapse. The municipality of Pozzuoli reported extensive damage, primarily in the downtown area near the epicenter of the magnitude 4.7 earthquake, in the Solfatara area. The situation has been particularly severe in the historic center, on Via Napoli, and in the amphitheater area. The municipality has received hundreds of reports of fallen plaster and is therefore evaluating its response priorities.
CLICK TO READ AND WATCH MORE
Two Seriously Injured and Pozzoli Pier Closed: Ferry Connections to Ischia and Procida Suspended
During the Crisis Unit meeting, chaired by Italian Department Head Fabio Ciciliano, the number of injured was updated to 21, two of whom were classified as critical. To ensure assistance to the population, 185 beds have been set up in the Palatrincone reception area in Pozzuoli.
The magnitude 4.7 earthquake, centered in the Campi Flegrie area, caused damage to the Pozzuoli pier, which is currently unusable. The Port Authority has therefore prohibited its use.
The port of Pozzuoli has been closed following the strong earthquake recorded this evening. The earthquake caused deep cracks in the access lanes to the commercial port’s docks, raising concerns about safety and stability.
For this reason, all maritime connections to and from the Campi Flegrei have been suspended. The closure will result in the suspension of over forty daily ferry and high-speed ferry services scheduled to and from Ischia and Procida.
Following the earthquake in the Phlegraean Fields area, a high-voltage pylon operated by Terna collapsed. Thanks to coordination with technicians from E-Distribuzione, which manages the underlying medium-voltage grid, other functioning sections of the grid were used to restore power to customers.
Bringing Ukraine into NATO is a way to demonstrate to Russia that Europe intends to protect its ally, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
This is the peace strategy of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, very similar to that of US President Donald Trump, who adamantly declared that the escalation of attacks on civilian oil facilities targeted by the Kiev army would force Moscow to negotiate (video).
Trump’s unfortunate statement stems from the fact that, on the one hand, he wants to please his moderate electorate, now tired of constant and costly wars, and on the other, he must answer to his real masters: the Zionist financial lobbies that divide up most of the speculation in the arms industry.
So he can continue to pretend to seek a peace agreement in Ukraine amidst the many exclamations he himself has encouraged with his continued support for Zelensky, but if he were to win the elections again in 2028 it would be inevitable for him to be dragged by the United Kingdom, NATO and the European Union into a direct war against Russia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, commenting on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s latest remarks that the proposals for a Ukrainian settlement made at the Alaska summit had failed, emphasized the importance of clarifying who truly bears responsibility for the outcome.
He reaffirmed that Russia’s conscience remains clear, underscoring the principle that “a man’s word is his bond: you say you’re going to do something, and then you do it.”
Lavrov pointed out that Kiev’s dismissive rejection of US proposals, formulated at the Alaska summit, is primarily driven by the continued influx of weapons, a significant portion of which originates from the United States.
The Kremlin’s response, obviously, was the destruction of multiple Ukrainian energy facilities and the annihilation of over 200 gas stations in the country (video below), causing serious damage to the population that Zelensky has no say in.
As two exceptional analysts, journalist Tucker Carlson and pacifist Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, point out below, every military strategy is now hastily geared toward triggering NATO’s Third World War against Russia.
Johnson appears to be the ideal provocateur for several reasons:
Johnson presented his peace plan for Ukraine, a plan to start World War III
Former British PM Boris Johnson presented his “fake peace-plan for Ukraine”, a plan which might trigger the finally outbreak of World War III during an interview on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on SkyNews.
“One of the ways to end the war is for Washington, London, Paris and other capitals to reiterate what used to be the official policy: Ukraine should join NATO. You can’t hear it anymore. Today, you will no longer hear statements that Ukraine should become part of the North Atlantic Alliance”.
“You know how Putin will react to this? Putin will react by making a deal, because now he has no reason to believe that we are serious. Until he hears that the game is over and that the West has a long—term strategic goal of making Ukraine part of NATO, he will continue to put pressure on Ukraine, and some will continue to seek to divide it”.
Tucker Carlson: “The United States is waging a war against Russia”
“The United States is waging a war against Russia. American taxpayers’ money is being spent to help Ukraine target drones and missiles at targets in Russia”.
The famous journalist and oponionist Tucker Carlson warned in a new video.
“If you look at the situation more broadly, you can see that one country, the United States, is simultaneously waging two wars: one against Iran, the other against Russia. Make no mistake: the United States is at war with Russia. The Trump administration’s intelligence data, obtained from the CIA and other intelligence agencies, is being used by the Ukrainian government to target drones and missiles”.
“Thus, the U.S. government, at the expense of American taxpayers, is waging a war against the Russian government, regardless of whether U.S. citizens realize it or not and whether they want it or not. And, of course, most Americans, in his opinion, do not understand this. What is the result? Destabilize the Russian regime? Divide Russia into fifteen separate republics? Not yet“.
“This will lead to an increase in global energy prices, as Russia produces about 12% of the world’s oil and about 5% of petroleum products. And the war that the United States is waging against Russia is a war against energy. Russian oil refineries were attacked by missiles or drones, which were guided by the help of the United States”.
Roger Waters on the West militarization and the EU leaders’ attempts to frighten the war with Russia
Roger Waters in an interview with RT — about the militarization of the West and the attempts of European leaders to frighten the war with Russia:
“I often tell people, ‘Do you know who Russians are? They won the Second World War (and 25 million of them died!), saving the world for us. Do you want to fight them?”
The co-founder of Pink Floyd, in a conversation with RT host Rick Sanchez, noted that the leaders of the European Union are “rattling weapons in front of Russia.”
UPDATE – Dozens killed after 50,000 migrants cross into Spanish territory from Morocco
«Spain is scrambling to contain a sudden border crisis after tens of thousands of people rushed into its North African territory, with dozens killed and political shock waves spreading across Europe» .
Spain’s Interior Ministry told NBC News that some 50,000 people had entered Ceuta on Thursday from Morocco. Around half of that number had returned Friday, the Interior Ministry said.
At least 34 migrants had died, said Juan Jesus Vivas, the president of the autonomous Spanish enclave.
Huge crowds of migrants breached the border to the North African Spanish enclave of Ceuta
At least nine people have died after huge crowds of migrants breached the border to the North African Spanish enclave of Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco, authorities said.
The deaths came after the government of Ceuta said on Thursday that between 1,500 and 2,000 people had entered in the last 10 days.
Hundreds more were estimated to have arrived on Thursday, prompting regional President Jesus Vivas to declare an “absolute humanitarian and social emergency” and call on Madrid to send troops to reassert control of the border.
Spain’s Interior Ministry rejected calls to declare a national emergency, saying such a measure does not cover migration crises, but promised additional resources.
Later, the Interior Ministry announced that the armed forces will send 60 troops to reinforce the border.
Footage showed some of the migrants shouting “Viva Espana!” as they entered the territory, many of them having travelled by water from the Moroccan side on inflatable devices.
Crowds were shown walking around the breakwaters onto local roads, reported The Associated Press news agency. State news agency EFE said others had crossed by the border by land, scaling fences.
Migrant rights activist Zakaria Zarroqui told the Reuters news agency that the surge in migrant numbers was similar to one that occurred in May 2021, when some 10,000 Moroccan and sub-Saharan youths entered the enclave within days.
“The situation remains out of control as we speak,” Zarroqui said, adding that people were still flocking to the Moroccan city of Fnideq in an attempt to cross the border.
Cover image: picture alliance / ZUMAPRESS.com | Louis Lemaire-Sicre
Summary
The prospect of a peace settlement in Ukraine has prompted a flurry of activity among the EU and member states on how to carry out enlargement.
For now, the debate is contained among elites. But this will need to change.
Key “clusters” of member states can begin to address this. They should work together to create a new approach to enlargement and tailor messages to voters.
To drive an accession framework suitable to the geopolitical and domestic challenges of today, a “Team Enlargement” coalition of ten key EU states should come together.
This coalition, led by Germany, should work through a four-step timetable to deliver this strategy over the next 18 months.
The coalition should also promote a narrative that is flexible enough to reflect national and local contexts while sharing the benefits of enlargement for European security and prosperity.
Time to move
The EU lacks a strategy to get Ukraine quickly and safely through the door.
The question has surged to the fore because EU membership is highly likely to be essential to any peace settlement that Kyiv—and the Ukrainian people—would accept. America has also made clear it sees Ukrainian membership as an indispensable element of such a settlement. Ukraine itself is pushing to join as early as 2027.
But the EU and its member states are not ready. They have struggled for decades to absorb new members, and more recently failed to agree on how to bring in Ukraine, Moldova and others. In 2026, proposals have swirled around Brussels and member state capitals; and Berlin has shared a notable proposal that aims to answer the question of how to make accession happen.
It is time for the EU to move forward decisively. The geopolitical case for enlarging the EU to include Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans has never been more compelling. Failing to integrate candidate countries bordering the bloc represents a growing vulnerability in economic, political and strategic terms. European leaders largely understand the geopolitical imperative for enlargement. Where they hesitate is over how to make it work in practice. They are faced with public scepticism, questions about the EU’s own preparedness, the rise of far-right parties as well as American transactionalism that undermines EU conditionality frameworks. Many are thus asking the same question: Can the EU successfully enlarge without overstretching itself?
This policy brief identifies the key challenges shaping the current enlargement debate within the EU. It acknowledges the array of competing enlargement models and explores the lack of alignment between the EU, its member states and candidate countries. The paper draws on the findings of more than 25 interviews conducted by the authors with officials and experts working on enlargement in Europe. Views and ideas shared in closed-door seminars and dinners in Berlin, Paris and Vienna also informed the paper, as did the expertise found in ECFR’s network of national offices across Europe.
Listening to policymakers, alongside studying public opinion data, enabled the authors to propose three distinct clusters of member states on enlargement. The “principled conditionalists”— Denmark, Germany and Sweden—support enlargement in principle but also provide its credibility backbone by insisting on rule of law safeguards and institutional reform. The “conditional sceptics”— Austria, France, Italy and the Netherlands—carry political weight but remain risk-averse, with their backing more subject to national concerns. The “security maximalists”—Lithuania and Poland—are driven less by unconditional enthusiasm than by an urgency rooted in their exposure to Russia. Hungary sits as an outlier that is nevertheless supportive of enlargement in the Western Balkans.
The clusters’ logics are not mutually exclusive, and a credible enlargement strategy will need to weave together narratives that appeal across many countries. On this basis, the paper offers solutions that are limited in number but potentially transformational if achieved. EU member states should agree a core, but sizable, Team Enlargement coalition to thrash out the issues. They must make a definitive proposal for a new enlargement framework, agree a timetable for 2026 and 2027, and work hand in hand with candidate countries to make the political case and allay fears about enlargement.
Member states have not yet converged around a single strategy. The moment to move is now; or enlargement may never happen.
Getting on the front foot
The EU debate over enlargement has entered a new, more dynamic phase. This is principally because discussions around an eventual peace settlement for Ukraine invariably presuppose EU membership for the country. This geopolitically driven situation led the European Commission to present member states with three options for enlargement at a dinner in Brussels in March this year. The options were:
The status quo: continue the existing, merit-based accession process, with all its strengths and weaknesses.
Enhanced gradual integration: a version of “gradual integration”—an established idea under which candidate countries would access specific EU policies and benefits progressively, but before they have completed full accession. The enhanced model would introduce new benefits and be linked to negotiation clusters.
Phased integration: also known as “reverse enlargement”, under this model new members would be initially integrated into a small number of selected EU policies, with full rights and obligations extended to them over time. It would make Ukraine a political member before it fulfils all the criteria.
But the commission found little support for reverse enlargement in particular among member states; in the words of an EU official, “this presented the real unity of member states”.[1] Member state representatives pushed back hard against what they saw as the commission developing new proposals without engaging them first, and indeed on a model they felt to be undeliverable. Nonetheless, member states still seem willing to explore the contours of an enhanced gradual integration model.
Merz’s letter
Following the backlash, the commission asked countries for their own ideas.[2] Small groupings of member states set about drawing up proposals.
One idea, initiated by Austria, came from the informal group of EU member states known as the Friends of Western Balkans. France and Germany each shared plans for Ukraine’s accession aiming mainly to develop the concept of gradual integration. France also floated “an integrated state status”, which it envisaged would be granted through a European Council decision to open all accession negotiations and provide access to EU funds available to third countries.
But the most influential proposal came in May when German chancellor Friedrich Merz sent a letter to European institutional leaders proposing associate membership for Ukraine. This would give Ukraine a presence in the European Council, European Commission and European Parliament, without voting rights but retaining the eventual aim of full membership. The proposal was unlike anything suggested for an accession country before. (Merz has also argued on several occasions that the EU cannot afford to frustrate the aspirations of Western Balkans countries.)
Among those most closely involved in planning for enlargement, the move was welcomed as a first step in the right direction.[3] Officials regard it as the most compelling proposal on the table, perhaps the only one with a realistic chance of building consensus.[4] It has yet to be developed into a full concept. But it has already ignited debate across Europe and could open the way to a feasible enlargement strategy.
Ahead of an EU summit with Western Balkans states held in Montenegro in June, France and Germany issued a joint proposal whose thrust was to simplify the joining process for Western Balkans countries and Moldova. At the European Council meeting in June, Germany pushed for a debate among member states on this idea and his Ukraine proposal. One major change in the first half of 2026 was the result of the Hungarian general election, after which Budapest lifted its veto over starting accession talks for Ukraine. The council duly agreed to open the first cluster on fundamentals for both Ukraine and Moldova.
Merz and Macron further institutionalised their joint proposal in their ministerial council meeting on July 17th, and emphasised enlargement’s contribution to building “a secure, prosperous and democratic Europe”. The two leaders further called on the EU to push for progress internal reforms and trailed an in-depth discussion at the October council meeting.
The politics of enlargement in an age of fragmentation
As they begin to peer over the precipice, domestic decision-makers know they need to create politically sustainable coalitions to see enlargement through.[5] To build a bridge to enlargement, they will have to tailor both policy design and political messaging to the concerns that dominate in member states. Security, rule of law safeguards, migration management, economic stability, identity and sovereignty concerns—all shape how enlargement is perceived and politically contested across the EU. But the next phase of EU enlargement will not be decided by technical accession criteria alone.
The enlargement debate has so far remained confined to policy circles. However, the lack of conversation with domestic audiences may leave fertile ground for populist and far-right narratives. Such narratives often frame enlargement and associated issues not as a strategic investment but as a source of risk: a driver of migration, a fiscal burden and a potential importer of instability. In particular, the prospect of Ukraine joining the EU is a potential flashpoint, with various forces—from Russian disinformation to European political players—portraying the country as a war risk, a reconstruction and economic liability and a governance challenge. This frames enlargement as something that will harm Europe and Europeans rather than something that will strengthen the EU and keep people safe.
Trump’s return to power, alongside the deepening political and ideological links between MAGA-aligned actors and European far-right parties, has given related movements in Europe a renewed sense of confidence and legitimacy. In candidate states, America’s transactionalism is eroding the very conditions candidate countries must meet to join the EU—even as Washington still expects Ukraine to become a member. In the Western Balkans, Washington has been actively undermining the EU’s rule of law conditionality by engaging with illiberal leaders, including lifting sanctions previously placed on them. Its focus on making money for American business has led to episodes such as the EU ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina warning that US antics were jeopardising the country’s EU accession process.
In this political environment, the fear of handing additional ammunition to populists, the spectre of divisive national referendums on future accessions, and the lingering trauma of dealing with Hungary deter decision-makers in EU capitals from openly engaging with the enlargement debate.[6]
Building a team
Enlargement can only succeed if the process, the chosen model and the accompanying politics all address the concerns outlined above. Member states remain divided over which model to adopt for acceding countries. But what commonalities could EU capitals converge around? What could give them a solid basis with which to go to their electorates?
To find out what plausible coalition could look like, the authors of this paper focused on the following ten EU members: France, Germany and the Netherlands (members that talk above all about the importance of merit-based accession and the rule of law); Austria and Italy (the driving forces in the existing Friends of Western Balkans group); Denmark, Poland, Lithuania and Sweden (which border Ukraine and the eastern neighbourhood and support the accession of Ukraine and other candidate states); and Hungary (an outlier, because it supports the integration of Western Balkans countries but long blocked Ukraine’s accession).
The authors then examined four key issues that could bring the ten member states together and enable consensus on enlargement. As noted, they drew on interviews with officials in Brussels and EU capitals, discussions with experts at different convenings and their own desk research.
Maintaining merit-based conditionality and adherence to the rule of law
The first of the four unifying issues is merit-based conditionality and the rule of law: they are the foundation of the enlargement process, and the one point on which none of the ten disagrees. European Council president António Costa and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen reconfirmed the centrality of these issues at the most recent EU-Western Balkans summit. These principles are also firmly embedded in the 2020 revamped enlargement methodology. The “Fundamentals” cluster covers core EU values and principles, the rule of law, fundamental rights and the democratic functioning of institutions. This cluster is first to open in accession negotiations, but it is also the last to close. This is to ensure rule of law conditionality is applied throughout other clusters and chapters.
Denying access to membership funds before full accession
The second issue is driven by fears that new members’ financial demands will reduce the amount of cohesion funding existing member states receive. The common agricultural policy (CAP) is often the main focus of policymakers because of worries about Ukraine’s massive agricultural potential. Although the commission has suggested pre-accession allocated funds for Ukraine and other accession countries, its new proposal for the new multi-annual financial framework omits any suggestion of allocated funds for new members. Since the recommencement of Russian aggression in 2022, the commission has increased the amount of pre-accession funds for the Western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine. The growth plan for the Western Balkans aims to integrate countries into the single market and deepen EU-related reform.
In June, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands suggested the accession treaties of new member states should include a new blueprint to support “sustained progress after enlargement”. The goal was to strengthen the rule of law but also to boost public support for the ratification of future accession treaties. The commission and member states are looking for ways to insulate the new enlargement framework from Orban-style regression in the rule of law and democratic practices after new members join. Aligning around this issue will reassure both policymakers and voters that the EU can enlarge without then being undermined from within.
Controlling migration
Migration is the top concern connected to enlargement according to the latest EU barometer on “Attitudes towards EU Enlargement”, at 40% (followed by corruption and organised crime at 39%, and the cost to European taxpayers at 37%). In Austria 47% of people express concern about uncontrolled migration arising from future enlargement, and the figures are similar in Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden. Although mobility concerns are driven more by Schengen arrangements and transition periods than by accession itself, this remains an under-communicated element of the accession debate. Parts of the accession process (Chapter 24, Justice and Home Affairs) are aimed at preventing migrants from transiting through candidate countries. Still, enlargement-sceptic countries refer to the issue of uncontrolled migration to slow-walk accession.
The only genuine common ground across all ten member states examined (including Hungary) is merit-based conditionality—it is the glue that holds this group together. No member state publicly opposes this; disagreement centres on what “merit” means in practice and how fast the bar can be cleared. What could keep the group divided is the tension between Ukraine becoming a member first, with Western Balkans states coming later (although a new enlargement approach open to all candidates could address this tension).
Three clusters on enlargement
The ten countries analysed can be clustered into three distinct groupings. Each has different primary drivers, domestic constraints and potential roles in building a coalition to drive enlargement.
ECFR polling shows that a big chunk of European voters are yet to make up their mind about enlargement in the current context. Space remains for opinions to change, either for or against enlargement. The following three clusters can help shape this trajectory. (The clusters are covered in more detail in the annex, including public opinion polling.)
Principled conditionalists, comprising Denmark, Germany and Sweden
These countries’ support for enlargement is genuine but calibrated by strong insistence on a merit-based approach, the rule of law and strict institutional quality. These member states provide credibility on governance standards without which an enlargement framework could appear to trade the rule of law and conditionality for geopolitical imperatives.
Conditional sceptics, comprising Austria, France, Italy and the Netherlands
These countries’ support for accession is real but determined through specific national concerns (decision-making safeguards for France, fiscal prudence for the Netherlands, migration for Italy and Austria). It is unlikely the members of this group will proactively champion enlargement in the near term. But they could come along as supporters of an initial framework for future members, especially if they can secure specific gains.
Security maximalists, comprising Lithuania and Poland
These countries’ support for enlargement is not entirely unconditional, but it is urgency-driven and anchored in these countries’ existential threat perception of Russia. Lithuania and Poland articulate the geopolitical urgency and the eastern European solidarity essential to any future enlargement framework.
The outlier, comprising Hungary
Prime minister Peter Magyar’s government will not obstruct Ukraine’s accession and financial support like his predecessor, Viktor Orban, did. Moreover, with Budapest no longer providing a convenient shield, some member states may increasingly have to reveal their own rather sceptical positions on enlargement.
“Managed enlargement with pragmatism and gains for the EU and its member states at its core”
Support enlargement if reassured
Security maximalists (Lithuania, Poland)
Russian aggression, geopolitical vacuum
Enlargement as security architecture
Anti-Brussels sovereignty politics, putting Ukraine above the needs of domestic audiences
Defence, resilience, strategic sovereignty, Ukraine as a security asset
“Security through enlargement”
Maintain urgency and momentum
Outlier (Hungary)
Domestic backlash
Transactional and domestically constrained
Anti-Ukraine narratives, anti-Brussels rhetoric
National-interest framing, gradual normalisation
“Protecting sovereignty within Europe”
Passive enabler in the best-case scenario
The clusters were constructed by the authors on the basis of an assessment of interviews, public opinion data, the public positioning of the countries on EU enlargement and analysis of the narratives surrounding EU enlargement. They reflect recurring themes identified across EU enlargement debates, including salient domestic public concerns and sensitivities, as well as framings advanced by political parties. As such, they help identify narratives and measures (such as safeguards and transition periods) with the greatest potential to resonate with both governments and their electorates, foster support for enlargement and explain each cluster’s role within the coalition.
The review and the summarising table display the different logics of the clusters and the roles each would play in a broader coalition. Those logics and roles are not mutually exclusive. If balanced correctly, these can be used to devise a credible, watertight (to the extent this is possible) enlargement strategy that respects the urgency of the matter while bringing EU citizens on board. For example, a French government can confidently say it is insisting on rigorous merit-based standards while retaining its influence in EU decision-making. A Dutch government can say it is applying strict rule of law principles as well as fiscal prudence. An Austrian or an Italian government can say it has secured migration management as a precondition.
The coalition’s centre of gravity is situated between the urgency felt in Lithuania and Poland and the emphasis placed on conditionality in countries like France and the Netherlands. The credibility insisted on by Denmark, Germany and Sweden can enable them to build bridges among the different clusters. Austria and Italy could be brought along provided some of their wishes, such as controlled migration and economic security, are met. The politics of Hungary could always prove difficult but the opportunity now exists to move ahead.
How to make enlargement happen
Set up a “Team Enlargement” coalition
The ten member states examined here should form a “Team Enlargement” coalition. Its goals would be to agree the parameters of the next phase of accession and actively shape domestic discourse on enlargement.
Germany would be a key player because of its support for merit-based accession, exploration of new approaches, and express political commitment to accession countries. Merz’s May letter set Germany apart as the member state willing to lead on this major question facing the EU. The principles set out in the letter encapsulated almost completely the issues that divide—but could unite—Team Enlargement: its stipulation that associate membership is intended as an interim step towards full membership; its insistence that candidate states must fulfil the criteria to become a fully-fledged member; its denial of access to funds reserved for EU states until full membership is achieved; its enshrining of reversibility should the country show signs of regress.
A Team Enlargement coalition also aligns with evolving German policy more generally. In May 2026, the German federal foreign minister Johann Wadephul laid out six points on Germany’s role in Europe’s politics. The first point described forming coalitions of member states around topics where consensus cannot be found among all 27 EU member states.
Take four steps to lock in a durable enlargement strategy by 2027
Team Enlargement should take the following four steps to drive a new enlargement strategy.
Step one—Agree to develop the “Merz letter” into a full concept
Timeframe: From now until the October 2026 European Council meeting)
A German lead supported by the security maximalists and principled conditionalists should move forward and turn Merz’s letter into a fully developed enlargement concept. This would set out a framework of principles structured explicitly around the four key issues: merit-based conditionality, no access to certain funds before full membership, safeguards and reversibility, and migration. Next, Germany should circulate the concept to the remaining coalition members—conditional sceptics will have the ability to ensure it adequately addresses domestic concerns and is shaped with national sensitivities in mind, thereby strengthening its political viability. The concept would then be refined through iteration and broadened out to other supportive member states. Throughout, Germany should continually work with France as a co-shaper of the process. Meanwhile, discussions with Hungary would focus less on shaping the concept itself and more on mitigating potential veto risks and limiting future obstruction.
Step two—Share a new narrative on enlargement
Timeframe: From now until late 2026
Wherever they are starting from, each member state should recognise the inevitability—and potential urgency—of providing for Ukraine, and being seen to play their part in bringing about peace.
Member state governments would therefore be well advised to invest in domestic narrative work. This would include parliamentary debates, media and influencer outreach, civil society action, social media campaigns and expert analysis. But effective narrative preparation cannot be the responsibility of governments alone. The political sensitivity of enlargement means a whole-of-society approach is essential to ensure the conversation is credible and inclusive. Experts, academics and think-tanks can contribute evidence-based analysis that helps counter misinformation. Businesses and economic stakeholders would bring practical perspectives, highlighting opportunities for the economy. Civil society organisations can involve local communities, youth groups and underrepresented voices. Governments can share lessons learned and best practice among themselves, and especially so within the clusters.
On specific messaging, the principled conditionalists can lead and anchor the process in rule of law, safeguards and credibility. The conditional sceptics can demonstrate that enlargement can be managed in ways that protect economic stability and address public concerns. The security maximalists can set out the security rationale to their domestic audiences but also to the other coalition members. As such, rather than promoting a single rigid vision, a broad European narrative should allow member states to emphasise the aspects most relevant to their domestic realities.
Step three—Secure endorsement by the European Council
Timeframe: October and December 2026
The coalition would propose the new enlargement framework as a formal position in the General Affairs Council ahead of the October European Council meeting, with coalition members working to gain the support of other member states. Coalition clusters should draw on their respective strengths in this effort: principled conditionalists should underline the framework’s credibility; conditional sceptics should help reassure more cautious governments that concerns related to migration, fiscal impacts and economic disruption have been adequately addressed; security maximalists should make the strategic and geopolitical case for enlargement. Acting in concert, the coalition would aim to demonstrate the framework combines security and geopolitical imperatives with responsible governance and risk management.
At the October 2026 European Council meeting, EU member states should endorse the new enlargement proposal. The Irish presidency would be charged with using the December 2026 European Council to agree political conclusions that endorse the framework.
Step four—Put the new framework into practice
Timeframe: Throughout 2027
The EU would apply the framework to candidates Albania, Moldova, Montenegro and Ukraine to demonstrate its use as a functional governance instrument. In particular, Montenegro’s accession treaty will provide the first opportunity to put the new framework into practice. This would build confidence among sceptical EU member states that enlargement can be both strategically necessary and responsibly governed. The accession treaty could then act as a final membership contract for Montenegro as it joins.
Work more closely with candidate states
Candidate states have an important role to play in helping reduce anti-enlargement sentiment across the ten member states analysed in this paper. Beyond aligning with formal accession requirements, candidate countries will need to adapt to a far more politicised and fragile enlargement environment inside the EU itself.
This means the governments of candidate states must prepare to take seriously the fears surrounding enlargement in existing members. They must of course demonstrate a clear and sustained commitment to implementing EU reforms in full and swiftly, particularly regarding the rule of law, anti-corruption measures, democratic governance and institutional resilience. They should also demonstrate openness to discussing safeguards, transitional arrangements, migration management mechanisms and other tools. This can help reassure sceptical member states and voters that enlargement would remain controlled and manageable.
Crucially, candidate states need to pay close attention to the domestic political realities within member states. Political leaders in member states operate within politically constrained environments and contend with strong domestic pressure on issues such as migration, economic security and agriculture. In turn, EU member states should signal how domestic sensitivities may obstruct the path to accession. With this two-way communication in place, candidate countries should work with member states to identify ways to make enlargement more politically sustainable across different national contexts.
This could include candidate state representatives speaking directly with audiences in member states. Citizens’ dialogues, town hall discussions and public debates on issues that matter to local communities should become the hallmark of a sustained public communications and outreach campaign. Business roadshows, investment forums, study visits, cultural initiatives and exchange programmes for community leaders—all these activities can make candidate countries more familiar and relatable to EU citizens. These should take place across all parts of a country, not just in capital cities.
Conclusion
The approach suggested by this paper can help build a broad European narrative around enlargement: one that combines enhanced security with enlargement that is credible, responsible and managed. The purpose of such a narrative would be not to erase national differences or political sensitivities—having a single grand and rigid vision on enlargement could be counterproductive. But it will allow different member states to emphasise the aspects of enlargement most relevant to their domestic political realities while remaining part of a coherent collective strategy.
European leaders must be ready to promote and defend stories and visions for a better future. They should also do this sooner rather than later, given the calendar of elections in the coming years. The opportunity for a newly minted enlargement framework will shrink as the months pass—France’s 2027 electoral cycle will freeze discussions and decision-making around enlargement, as will elections in other member states during the second half of 2026 and 2027. The uncertainty around when a ceasefire might take place in Ukraine only increases the pressure on the EU and member states to prepare.
While none of the candidate countries (with the possible exception of Montenegro) is ready to join the EU today, now is precisely the moment for the EU and its member states to act. This means seeing through reforms via a credible and strictly conditional accession process. The other main challenge will be for the EU to prepare itself internally—its institutions, politics, and, crucially, its publics—for the moment when candidates are ready to join. This, too, will require a specific, and urgent strand of work which must take place in parallel to the work lead by Team Enlargement.
Annex
Today, enlargement politics are rooted in different political logics competing over what kind of enlargement Europe can politically sustain. As such, enlargement can only succeed if it addresses multiple forms of insecurity simultaneously among the clusters of countries identified in the paper. The clusters provide a way to understand the dynamics at play, the commonalities between countries and domestic drivers within them.
Principled conditionalists (Denmark, Germany and Sweden)
This cluster favours EU enlargement in principle and brings a backbone of credibility and legitimacy to the process. For the states in this cluster, safeguards within the enlargement process are crucial, as they dread new dysfunction within the EU, do not want a repetition of dealing with Hungary in the Orban years, stress the importance of the rule of law and have fiscal concerns.[7] This group worries about the EU falling apart if enlargement is not carried out correctly. As such, the principled conditionalists may not fear enlargement itself, but they do fear enlargement without control.
This generally positive stance is strongly reflected in public opinion—75% of people in Denmark, 49% in Germany and 79% in Sweden back EU enlargement. In all these countries, respondents identify “complicated decision-making at EU level” as their biggest concern about enlargement. Worries around corruption, organised crime, terrorism and costs to European taxpayers follow. Unsurprisingly, respondents stress upholding the rule of law, the fight against corruption and protecting fundamental rights as the elements crucial to the success of future enlargement.
Such topics are often found among the narratives of the far-right—that new members would bring corruption with them into the EU, make European cities less safe through uncontrolled migration and worsen the already-bureaucratic monster of EU decision-making. In this context, the principled conditionalists cluster could help take on the challenge contained in these attacks by supporting the credibility of enlargement policy. The commitment to enlargement shown by the members of this cluster means they can play an important role as the broker between geopolitical urgency and ensuring the credibility and feasibility of the enlargement process.
Conditional sceptics (Austria, France, Italy and the Netherlands)
The states within this cluster carry significant political weight but are (domestically) politically risk-averse towards enlargement. The governments of these countries worry that enlargement would not be politically survivable with their electorates. As such, their politics often revolve around issues such as domestic stability, migration, economic security, social cohesion and fiscal concerns. Top concerns among conditional sceptics for both governments and publics centre on economic security, the costs of enlargement and the financial burden created by admitting new members. In countries such as France and Italy, these are the practical worries that likely include fears of reduction of cohesion funds, destabilisation in the labour market and the impact of Ukraine’s membership on the CAP given its massive agricultural sector. All that being said, voters in these countries could be further persuaded in either direction: 45% of people in Austria, 43% in France, 53% in Italy and 69% in the Netherlands are in favour of further EU enlargement.
Voters in the countries in this cluster also have other worries: respondents in France and Italy note uncontrolled migration as their main concern. In Austria, the costs to European taxpayers, corruption, organised crime and terrorism, downward pressure on employment or wages, and uncontrolled migration are the main concerns.
The conditional sceptics are unlikely ever to become enlargement enthusiasts. But they could find ways to secure reassurance for themselves and their voters and refrain from blocking the process. They do not respond well to moralising and share many of the ideas and worries of the principled conditionalists—they have a pragmatic approach that emphasises practical gains, control, predictability and risk management. Addressing these should thus be core to any enlargement strategy.
Security maximalists (Lithuania and Poland)
In Lithuania and Poland, enlargement is looked on very favourably: 74% of people in Lithuania and 70% of people in Poland indicate their support. When asked about the biggest benefit of future enlargement, a “more secure EU and better defence against foreign influence” is the top choice among respondents in both countries. Alongside this, the countries of this cluster and their publics stress the necessity for a merit-based approach and emphasise the rule of law. Nevertheless, the sense of urgency is palpable, which may allow the security maximalists to be creative in the solutions for enlargement they would accept. This could include being open to interim solutions for candidate states.
In Lithuania especially, Ukraine’s accession is considered a key element in Europea’s security architecture. Poland’s position is also supportive, with the added nuance that this support is driven by Ukraine’s integration into the West (and especially into NATO) being a strategic necessity for Poland. Concerns around domestic agricultural competition, labour markets and historical memory issues can induce a somewhat more cautious outlook regarding Ukraine’s EU accession. This leads many in Poland to favour a gradual approach, complete with safeguards, transition periods and carve-outs.
The tension is evident both within the public but also between the oft-diverging views of the Polish government, presidency and other political power centres. Just recently, a leader of the nationalist far-right Confederation party argued Poland should block Ukrainian accession over historical disputes, including a military unit name controversy and Volhynia massacre exhumations. Such anti-Ukraine sentiment is also reflected in ECFR polling, which shows that the voters of the two far-right parties in Poland see Ukraine as primarily a “rival” or an “adversary”. (Similar sentiments are shared by supporters of the Freedom Party of Austria, Fidesz in Hungary and Alternative for Germany.)
The security maximalists may lead on the geopolitical and security narrative of enlargement and present it as a crucial element of European security. Without the close involvement of this cluster, the whole process could slip into proceduralism or slowly disappear altogether. At the same time, this cluster can strongly relate to, and cooperate with, the principled conditionalists and conditional sceptics on the need to uphold the rule of law and obtain clear commitments to reforms from candidates.
Outlier (Hungary)
This year’s change of government in Hungary may well enable a reset between Budapest and Brussels on questions of enlargement. ECFR data reveal that the new prime minister’s mandate is not straightforward. While the new government aims to restore trust and ties with its European allies and partners, Magyar will be dealing with a society that expects domestic matters to come first. It is split on Ukraine following a decade of anti-Kyiv propaganda, with Fidesz voters being particularly opposed Ukraine’s accession bid moving forward.
A total of 64% of Hungarians say they favour further EU enlargement, for mainly pragmatic reasons: being part of a larger, more innovative market, and gaining more opportunities for work and skilled labour. Causes for worry include corruption, organised crime and terrorism, along with increased vulnerability to security challenges.
Hungary is unlikely to seek creative solutions around EU enlargement, especially when it comes to Ukraine. Its government will have to navigate turbulent waters and needs time to change public perceptions. Nevertheless, there is good reason to believe Budapest will drop its previous role as blocker-in-chief on Ukrainian membership. Domestically, enlargement could gain more sustainable traction if the economic and pragmatic benefits of welcoming new members are tangibly showcased to citizens, in a similar vein to the challenge facing members of the conditional sceptics cluster.
About the authors
Engjellushe Morina is a senior policy fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations’ European Security programme, based in Berlin. Her work mainly addresses the geopolitics of EU enlargement, Kosovo-Serbia relations and Euro-Atlantic integration.
Gabrielė Valodskaitė is the European Security programme coordinator at the European Council on Foreign Relations, based in Berlin.
Acknowledgments
We are deeply grateful to all the interviewees who generously shared their time, expertise and candid insights with us. Their perspectives were invaluable to this research.
We would also like to thank ECFR’s European Security programme team for their thoughtful feedback and support throughout the development of this paper. Their insights helped sharpen our analysis at every stage, and their patience in listening to our reflections, debates and occasional frustrations about the intricacies of enlargement was greatly appreciated.
Special thanks go to Adam Harrison for his sharp editing and for helping transform a collection of ideas into a coherent argument. We are also grateful to Nastassia Zenovich, whose talent for turning data into clear and compelling visualisations greatly enhanced this paper.
This paper was made possible with support from the ERSTE Foundation but does not necessarily represent the views of the ERSTE Foundation.
[1] ECFR closed-door high-level dinner, Berlin, May 2026.
[2] Author interviews with high-level EU officials, Brussels, March 2026.
[3] ECFR closed-door high-level dinner, Berlin, May 2026.
[4] ECFR closed-door high-level dinner, Berlin, May 2026.
[5] Author interview with officials, Paris, March 2026.
[6] Author interviews in Brussels, Paris and Berlin, March and April 2026.
[7] Author interviews in Brussels, March 2026, and Berlin, April-May 2026.
America has long been the go-to home for emerging tech companies. With this, it has reaped economic and geopolitical benefits such as technological sovereignty, innovation culture, brain gain and standard setting, to name a few. But President Donald Trump’s rule is now eroding some of America’s most competitive assets: predictability and legal certainty. From tariff volatility and political pressure on independent agencies to restrictions on foreign researchers and the politicisation of investment decisions, doing business in America now comes with much higher risks.
For the first time in decades, Europe has a chance to compete by offering emerging companies an alternative: stable institutions, clear rules, independent regulators and a rule-of-law guarantee. To beat the US at its own game, the EU will need to take a much more continental approach.
In some ways, Europe is not too far behind. It currently competes head-to-head with the US and China in the creation of new tech companies, for example. Since 2015, it has produced more start-ups than America and has the same share of founders creating new companies with Asia. Talent costs are lower than in the Bay Area or New York, and Europe holds advanced positions in quantum technology, climate tech and biotech.
The problem arises at the scaling stage. The fragmentation of 27 member-state markets and the regulatory complexity this brings is an invisible ceiling on the continent’s start-up environment. In 2024, investment rounds above $100m totalled $120.8bn in the US compared to just $18.1bn in Europe. And in 2025, deep tech investment reached $130bn in the US compared to just $16bn in Europe, a gap that widens when looking at AI and other breakthrough technologies.
Over time, these dynamics have led to a structural decline: Europe’s share of global tech market value has plummeted from 30% in 2000 to just 7% today, even though the tech industry now accounts for 15% of Europe’s GDP, compared to 4% in 2015. The consequences for Europe’s tech sovereignty and geoeconomic sway are unquestionable.
It would be misleading to only blame regulatory fragmentation for this gap. Other factors weigh heavily on European venture capital growth too. There are few deep pockets in public equity markets able to absorb large tech IPOs; European institutional capital, like pension funds, chronically underinvests in venture capital; and the broader institutional culture prices risk more conservatively than America’s.
A lack of European money means that much capital comes from overseas. Nearly half of Europe’s growth-stage funding last year came from abroad, predominantly America. In itself this is not a problem, but it becomes one when those investors push entrepreneurs to relocate their companies once they reach scale. This creates a “high-growth forum shopping”that drains talent, high-quality jobs, innovation capacity and previously invested public funding out of Europe. This has created a familiar pattern of European-born companies ending up incorporated on the other side of the Atlantic.
Creating an EU Inc
To address these issues, the European Commission recently took a decisive step towards approving a European company model: EU Inc., otherwise known as the 28th regime. The idea is to create a harmonised EU-level legal framework to allow companies, especially startups and scale-ups, to operate in the single market under one set of rules rather than facing 27 different national systems. This should create European-born and -raised firms.
The first part is already on the table: a regulation establishing EU Inc. as an optional, automatically recognised and fully digital corporate entity covering commercial, tax, insolvency and labour law. In theory, this should lead to less regulatory fragmentation, more risk investment and better access to capital markets and European talent. The practice, however, is more difficult.
Achieving a broad ecosystem of innovative EU Incs will depend on whether founders choose it and whether investors trust it is consistent and usable. On the attractiveness front, the current proposal faces two big difficulties. First, the regime can only reach its full potential if the EU makes progress on other files including key items of the startup and scaleup strategy, the European Innovation Act, the capital markets union and the transformation of certain merger guidelines.
Second, in the complex institutional negotiations up until 2027, certain countries and stakeholders will likely seek to dilute the regime’s capacity to become a unified standard. This is because it will need to bypass certain domestic legal barriers to make it easier to build, invest, and scale across Europe. Germany, for example, will scrutinise any framework that bypasses its co-determination model (Mitbestimmung). France will defend the centrality of its tech national champions agenda. And the Nordics will protect the favourable tax treatment of stock options and employee share schemes. In June 2026, the Council’s own legal service already advised national delegations that the proposal may need to be downgraded from a regulation to a directive, which would undermine its harmonising ambition from the outset.
Should the 28th regime derail under pressure from national interests, it would be a macroeconomic failure of the first order
Should the 28th regime derail under pressure from national interests, it would be a macroeconomic failure of the first order. To prevent that and keep the capitals on board, the proposal must be preserved as the commission designed it, as a regulation, not a directive. That means EU Inc is optional for entrepreneurs and businesses, but not for member states: national company law stays in place, and companies simply gain a European corporate form alongside it. Capitals therefore retain their legal sovereignty while their most promising firms become less likely to move abroad. Within this, the new legislation must include tax measures to prevent huge imbalances of member states with more attractive tax laws such as Ireland, Luxembourg or the Netherlands.
Moreover, in case of an effective blockage of negotiations, parallel levers should be activated: the move away from unanimity voting suggested by Ursula von der Leyen in April together with fast-track routes such as mutual recognition mechanisms between member states. The European Competitiveness Lab is a good model to inspire this member-state coordination. The geopolitical urgency framing the debate can provide the political tailwind.
Europe has networks of academic research centres and connected clusters such as the AI factories which are already generating projects and spin-offs in critical technologies. There is still time for these spin-offs to be born as EU Incs. The combination is straightforward: AI factories and the EuroHPC joint undertaking provide the scientific infrastructure, EU Inc is the legal vehicle, and the European innovation council and investment bank work as the financing bridge between laboratory and market. This is the most scalable path available to Europe to turn its research strength into corporate strength; it just requires the alignment of institutions and laws that already exist.
The EU can do it again
The potential transformative dimension of the 28th regime has two precedents worth recalling, both of which combined a common legal framework, pooled public investment and continental scale to overcome the limits of national efforts.
In the late 1960s, Airbus emerged as a political-industrial project to equip Europe with a champion capable of competing with the US in commercial aviation. France and Germany agreed in 1970 to a single legal vehicle, joined shortly after by the UK and Spain. They then channelled public funding into a shared corporate structure, and eventually consolidated their fragmented national aerospace industries into one European company.
And in the 2000s, Galileo gave Europe its own global positioning technology based on a system that was open, civilian-controlled and compatible with GPS but more precise. It required EU member states to agree on a common legal and governance framework under EU law, to commit more than €10bn of joint EU-budget funding over two decades and to operate the system as shared European infrastructure rather than as competing national projects. Its development is widely credited as a factor that pushed Washington to end the deliberate restrictions of GPS for civilian use.
Today, both operate at a global scale. The lesson for the 28th regime is the same: a single legal framework, pooled resources and continental scale turned political ambition into industrial reality. Europe’s competitiveness in the coming decades will depend on its capacity to do this again and support companies, especially those driven by emerging technologies. With this, the EU could achieve a new strategic form of sovereignty and the greatest practical step forward for the single market in decades.
Andy Burnham, front left, is sworn-in as an MP in the House of Common in London, England, Monday, June 22, 2026. (House of Commons via AP) | picture alliance / House of Commons via AP | Uncredited
Within a few weeks, Britain will have a new prime minister. Andy Burnham, who was recently elected as an MP following nine years as mayor of Greater Manchester, looks set to take over without competition following Keir Starmer’s announcement that he would step down from the role.
Burnham has wide support among Labour MPs who think he represents the best hope of reviving the party’s popularity and seeing off the populist-nationalist Reform UK party in Britain’s next election. However, his recent experience in regional politics and his sudden ascent to become prime minister-in-waiting mean that Burnham’s approach to domestic policy is much clearer than his approach to foreign affairs. Domestically, as prime minister, he is likely to focus above all on spreading power and opportunity across Britain’s regions and communities.
Nevertheless, to achieve both his aim of inclusive regeneration and to protect the country’s security, Burnham needs to make some fundamental choices about Britain’s place in the world. It is possible to anticipate at least some of how he is likely to approach Britain’s international role. While Burnham is likely to continue with Starmer’s current approach to crisis management, the pressure of global trends and his political instincts could push him to set out a clearer picture of Britain’s partnerships, with a greater emphasis on Europe and middle powers.
Burnham’s vision of renewal
In Burnham’s set-piece speech on Monday, he presented the vision that he said will guide his leadership of Britain. He sees the defining goal of his premiership as restoring the British people’s trust in government by making it deliver better for all parts of the country. Some of his policy ambitions continue in the broad direction pursued by Starmer and chancellor Rachel Reeves: a focus on industrial strategy, the pursuit of greater self-sufficiency in key sectors essential for national security, encouraging innovation, directing public procurement towards domestic production, encouraging inward investment in Britain and tackling the shortage of affordable housing.
Burnham has said less about the foreign policy questions that have taken up much of Starmer’s time as prime minister, including Ukraine, the Middle East, relations with Donald Trump’s America and China. He will likely emphasise that he is prioritising domestic affairs, in contrast to Starmer who sometimes seemed more comfortable dealing with global issues than difficult domestic choices (and was mocked by critics as “never here Keir”). This might make Burnham inclined to appoint a relatively senior politician as foreign secretary who could carry out some high-profile diplomatic commitments on his behalf.
Aligned on foreign affairs
In any case, British policies on Ukraine and the Middle East are likely to remain much the same, because Starmer’s positions are mainstream within the Labour Party. According to foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, Andy Burnham is “100% behind [the UK’s] unwavering support for Ukraine” and is a fundamental believer in NATO and Britain’s multilateral partnerships. Jonathan Powell, Starmer’s influential national security adviser who played a key role in these areas, will likely stay on at least until the end of the year. Although Burnham has occasionally sounded more critical of Israel’s war in Gaza—he called for a ceasefire in October 2023, two months before Starmer—there is little reason to expect any significant change in policy.
Burnham is pro-European (and has a Dutch wife) and said in 2025 that he hoped Britain would rejoin the EU in his lifetime. But during the recent by-election that brought him back into parliament, held in a constituency that voted strongly for Leave in 2016, he emphasised that he was not advocating that Britain rejoin now. In the short-term, his government’s focus will be on completing the EU-UK agreements that were due to be signed at a summit meeting on July 22nd. The summit is also supposed to set a direction for the next steps in the reset process; it seems unlikely that Burnham will come into office with views that would significantly change Britain’s approach to negotiations.
For a medium-sized, open economy like Britain, prosperity, re-industrialisation and the kind of economic security that Burnham wants to focus on cannot be achieved without paying attention to international partnerships
Nevertheless, despite Burnham’s likely intention to broadly preserve Starmer’s foreign policy and to focus on domestic issues, he will have to answer big questions about Britain’s international role. For a medium-sized, open economy like Britain, prosperity, re-industrialisation and the kind of economic security that Burnham wants to focus on cannot be achieved without paying attention to international partnerships in areas like trade, supply chains, investment energy and technology. Britain is already overdue to develop a more defined national strategy for these sectors, for an age where the kind of rules-based international order that it once relied on (and saw itself as a guardian of) has given way to a messier and more uncertain world.
Finding Britain’s global place
While Starmer played a strong role in supporting Ukraine and building security coalitions with other European countries, he did not set out a compelling wider vision of how Britain should position itself and its interests in a challenging global context. Burnham, however, is well placed to take on this task. His commitment to inclusive growth at home pairs well with a revised view of how Britain works internationally: he could set out a vision of internationalism for Britain that is rooted in the needs and aspirations of communities across the country, in line with the goal of regional regeneration that he espoused.
To do that, however, he will have to take some decisions about Britain’s international partnerships and affiliations, and how they relate to each other.
Given the alignment in Britain’s interests and the extent of its links with Europe, its relationship with the EU must be at the centre of foreign policy. The idea of a closer relationship with Europe is increasingly popular and, at a time when the US has become unreliable as a partner, presents the best foundation for promoting British security and prosperity. Whatever institutional form it ultimately takes, Burnham could set a more explicitly political vision of Britain’s role in Europe as a central element in navigating a complex and uncertain world.
Alongside this, he will need to create a balance between Britain and the US that preserves the benefits of cooperation but gives Britain greater ability to withstand pressure. Central to this will be technology and particularly AI—a subject that was surprisingly absent from Burnham’s speech, but which ministers within Starmer’s government are thinking about. Some in Labour circles expect Burnham to adopt a less deferential approach to Trump than Starmer pursued, at least until the US-Israeli attack on Iran this year.
Beyond the traditional transatlantic relationship, Burnham will need to determine how Britain acts towards increasingly influential emerging and middle powers. Here, it may be significant that Lord Jim O’Neill, a former Treasury official and economist for Goldman Sachs, has emerged as one of Burnham’s key economic advisers. O’Neill coined the acronym “BRICS” and argues strongly for including non-Western powers in global economic management. Most relevantly, he has proposed that rethinking traditional Western economic models goes hand-in-hand with greater engagement with non-Western countries that have different political-economic models.
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Britain’s G20 presidency in 2027 could be the perfect opportunity for Burnham to set out an ambitious vision of how international economic cooperation can benefit the populations of all countries. At the same time, Burnham should confront the trade-off between global cooperation and sustainability, and the risks of dependency, de-industrialisation and vulnerability to coercion. China will bring these trade-offs into sharp relief, making it among the defining strategic questions of Burnham’s premiership.
Since today, therefore, this War Daily Summary will no longer contain news only on the war (and related geopolitical issue) in the Middle East, but also on the war in Ukraine and any other international conflicts.
Ukraine Drones funded by EU to Kill Russian Civilians, Moscow Missiles to Target Weapons Industries
Brief analysis by Fabio G.C. Carisio on August, 17, 2026
While the Russian Army continues to advance on the battlefield in Donbas, consolidating its military positions—predicting its complete annexation within a year—the Russian Aerospace Forces are engaged in an asymmetric strategic war against Kiev’s air force.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, using drones paid for by European Union citizens and built in a covert partnership with the US Pentagon and EU countries, continues to target Russia’s energy infrastructure and civilian buildings in a vain attempt to provoke a rebellion among the Russian population, as military bases are too well-protected to be attacked.
In the last few hours, more than a thousand kamikaze drones have been launched, killing at least six Russian civilians and seriously damaging the Wildberries (Russian Amazon) online distribution centers alone.
Without having to contend with the costs borne by the European Union, the leader of the pro-Nazi Zelensky regime can waste drones at will on massacres of civilians, as recently happened in Nizhnekamsk.
While Russian President Vladimir Putin, who could level much of Kiev in a single night with undetectable hypersonic missiles, to avoid a massacre of “Ukrainian brothers,” limits himself to striking the military and energy infrastructure that is bringing Ukraine’s military apparatus to its knees, increasingly short of Patriot air defense rockets.
But the escalation triggered by Zelensky, with the applause of US President Trump, has inevitably led Russia to raise the level of retaliation and also include civilian targets, such as ships in the port of Odessa.
Until Putin loses patience and carries out a massacre in Kiev… But from that moment on, thanks to vile Western propaganda, every day will be a good day for the start of World War III.
“The UN added Israel to a blacklist of perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict. We are done with the Secretary-General’s lies. Equating the democratic State of Israel with Hamas terrorists is a new low. Israel protects its citizens while Hamas massacres, rapes, and kidnaps”.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danonm said in a post on X. In the post below all the previous dossier on this topic.
BREAKING NEWS – Trump threatens to bomb Oman if it ‘gets in the way’ of Strait of Hormuz talks with Iran
President Donald Trump threatened in an interview with Fox News to bomb Oman if it interferes in a potential deal with Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz, the news outlet reported.
Oman has been negotiating with Tehran over the vital shipping route, where maritime traffic has nearly ground to a halt as talks on ending the U.S. war with Iran have stalled.
Below the CNN Breaking News keynotes about:
• Threat to Oman: President Donald Trump warned of an attack on Oman if it “gets in the way” of efforts in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump previously threatened the US ally in May.
• Iran agreement expires: The 60-day deadline for the two sides to reach a deal toward ending the conflict has now passed. Trump again said he is in no rush and claimed his administration has established a direct backchannel with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which the IRGC denies.
• Main priority: The president reiterated that the top goal in the war is preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, undercutting advisers who say keeping oil prices low is an important priority.
• Gaza ceasefire plan: Meanwhile, after Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today for over four hours, Kushner said Hamas could disarm soon but indicated the US would support further Israeli military action in Gaza if not.
«US President Donald Trump threatened today to attack Oman if it interferes with US efforts in the Strait of Hormuz, as the conflict with Iran continues and a two-month window for peace talks expires without a clear path to end the war» CNN has reported in a video.
Trump’s comments come as the 60-day window for peace talks between the US and Iran, agreed to in June, closed Monday without any concrete plans announced for the war to end. Meanwhile, Iran said Monday that its talks with Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz are complex but continuing.
In the latest days POTUS said that he wants to declare the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory: “I’ll Never Apologize” War Crimes
Ukraine again Failed to Shoot Down a Single Ballistic or Hypersonic Missile last Night
Ukraine again Failed to Shoot Down a Single Ballistic or Hypersonic Missile last Night
This follows from the summary of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Air Force Ukraine was attacked on the last night (August 16, 2026) nby Onyx, Iskander-M, S-400, KN-23 and Kh-59/69 missiles, as well as 106 drones.
3 FOOTAGES IN ONE VIDEO – legenda below
1st Footage – Kiev on fire after the heavy strikes which hit also the market of book in retaliation to the yet another attack on a distribution center of Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer with two million visitors a day.
2nd footage – Russian troops are delivering precision strikes on Ukraine’s military and fuel infrastructure
In the Kiev-controlled part of the Zaporizhia region, a gas station and related equipment were hit. The fact of the attack was confirmed by the head of the regional military administration, Ivan Fedorov. In the north of the Kharkiv region, the Russian Aerospace Forces are launching guided aerial bombs at enemy positions and fortifications. This is reported by local publications.
Direct hits to infrastructure facilities were recorded in Sumy, and large fires broke out in the affected areas. A massive raid by unmanned aerial vehicles continues in the Odessa region, explosions are heard in Sanzheyka. Systematic attacks on the fuel infrastructure leave the Ukrainian army without fuel at a time when the Western allies are reporting on the supply of new batches of weapons that have nothing to refuel.
3d footage – Russian FAB-500s level Ukrainian drone hub
The Russian forces сonducted a strike on the Ukrainian National Guard’s drone command post in the settlement of Dobropolye in the Donetsk People’s Republic using four FAB-500 high-explosive aerial bombs, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said.
Russian forces strike defense industry facilities, oil refinery, steel plant
Russian forces struck defense industry facilities in Kiev, the Kremenchug oil refinery and a steel plant in Krivoy Rog, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
“Russian forces struck Fire Point in Kiev, a company producing components, warheads and solid-fuel boosters for Flamingo ground-launched cruise missiles. Russian troops also struck Ukrdefense Company in Kiev, which produces components for strike drones, Khrushch interceptor drones and Garpiya air defense drones,” the Defense Ministry said.
Below the previous attack on Fire Point facility launched one week ago
Russian forces struck the Kremenchug oil refinery in the Poltava Region, where the remaining storage tanks continue handling fuel and lubricants supplied from abroad. The Russian military struck steelmaking facilities in Krivoy Rog in the Dnepropetrovsk Region, producing rolled steel for weapons and military equipment.
Russian forces also struck a dry cargo ship carrying military equipment for Ukrainian forces at the port of Odessa, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Russian forces hit Ukrainian uncrewed boats production facility
Russian drones struck facilities for the production and storage of components for uncrewed boats used by Ukraine to attack Russian coastal cities, ships and infrastructure facilities in the Black Sea, the Russian defense ministry said.
“During the day, Russian attack unmanned aerial vehicles struck in the settlement of Belgorod-Dnestrovsky (40 kilometers southwest of Odessa): a production facility and a depot holding warheads and components for uncrewed boats used to attack ships and energy infrastructure facilities in the Black Sea, and Russian cities on the Black Sea coast,” it said.
Russian forces hit three dry cargo ships, two tankers at Odessa port
Russian forces struck three dry cargo ships and two tankers, as well as fuel tanks at the port of Odessa, the Russian defense ministry said.
“Three dry cargo ships and two sea-going tankers used to deliver military cargoes and fuels for the Ukrainian army, as well as fuel tanks and warehouses holding military products were struck at the port of Odessa,” it said.
Russian air defenses down 822 Ukrainian drones overnight
Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed 822 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over Russian regions and the Black and Azov Seas overnight (august, 16, 2026), the Russian Defense Ministry said.
“Russian air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 822 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles over Belgorod, Bryansk, Vladimir, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan, Tambov and Tula regions, the Moscow Region, the Krasnodar Region and the Republic of Crimea, as well as over the Azov and Black Seas, from 8 p.m. Moscow time (5 p.m. GMT) on August 15 to 8 a.m. Moscow time (5 a.m. GMT) on August 16,” the Defense Ministry said.
Three killed, one injured in drone attack on Russia’s Rostov Region
Three people were killed and one more was injured in a drone attack on southern Russia’s Rostov Region, Governor Yury Slyusar reported.
“Last night, three people were killed as a result of an aerial attack on the Rostov Region, and one more has been hospitalized with injuries,” he wrote on Max channel.
More than 150 UAVs were destroyed over three cities and nine districts in the region in the Ukrainian attack, the official added.
Below the previous UAV attacks on Russia town of Nizhenekamsk wichiu killed 11 civilians including children
Three injured as Moscow comes under massive drone attack
Three people were injured in a drone attack near the Moscow Automobile Ring Road (MKAD), according to Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.
“Defense Ministry air defense capabilities have downed another nine drones targeting Moscow. Three people were injured near MKAD, they are being given all necessary assistance. Emergency specialists are working at the scene where [drone] debris fell,” Sobyanin wrote on Max channel.
Since midnight (August,16,2026), as many as 132 unmanned aerial vehicles flying toward the Russian capital have been shot down, calculations by TASS based on the mayor’s posts show.
Updates on AUGUST, 16, Breaking News in Video
Elon Musk’s Starlink promised faster data for US Drone, Iran’s air defenses promised faster downing
Iranian state television is showing, for the first time, evidence that Elon Musk’s “Starlink” devices are being used in U.S. military drones.
The IRGC is now displaying wreckage from 171 downed US and Israeli aircraft and drones — including MQ-9 Reapers, Hermes 900s, an F-15 fighter jet, and Starlink modems recovered from the wreckage.
Saudi-linked port halts operations following attacks by Yemeni armed forces (Houthis)
Yemen’s Mokha port has suspended commercial and maritime operations after the Yemeni armed forces targeted it with more than 25 missiles in recent days, the port’s director said on Saturday.
The attacks killed seven people and caused an estimated $16 million in losses, the director told a news conference.
Mokha is a Red Sea port near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a strategic chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and a key route for international shipping.
The port is controlled by Saudi-linked mercenaries. It has a smaller cargo capacity than Yemen’s main ports of Aden and Hodeidah, according to Iranian Press TV.
On Friday, spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said in a statement that the armed forces subjected Saudi Arabia-linked targets to fresh heavy strikes.
He added that the servicemen targeted “warships belonging to its (Riyadh’s) tools and mercenaries in the al-Mokha area, using a large number of ballistic missiles.”
Hezbollah: Israeli Occupation’s Continued Attacks on Lebanon will receive an Appropriate Response
Hezbollah condemned on Saturday the major Israeli enemy’s escalation in southern Lebanon, affirming the Israeli occupation army carried out brutal massacres against civilians and warning that continued attacks and violations of Lebanese sovereignty would be met with an appropriate response, Al Manar Lebanese TV has reported.
In a statement, Hezbollah said Lebanese residents woke at dawn to an aggressive escalation and a brutal massacre allegedly carried out by the criminal Zionist enemy against civilians in the south. It said Israeli strikes targeted a home on the outskirts of the southern town of Ansar and a building in Deir Al-Zahrani, killing 11 people, including women and children, and wounding 12 others.
“Those grave crimes add to Israel’s long record of “massacres, crimes, and the shedding of Lebanese blood, as well as the destruction of homes, the bulldozing of farmland, and the erasure of entire villages,” the statement read.
Hezbollah said responsibility for the Israeli enemy’s continued aggression and violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty rested with the Israeli government and the United States, which it accused of providing Israel with political and military backing and cover.
At the same time, the group called on the Lebanese authorities to explore every available means to halt the Israeli attacks rather than persist with the humiliating direct negotiations and offer “Israel” free concessions, despite the Israeli enemy’s repeated crimes and attacks, as well as its openly stated aggressive and expansionist intentions toward Lebanon.
The Lebanese Parents of Child Martyrs Association on Saturday condemned a new Israeli massacre in the southern town of Ansar that killed a family of six, including four children, and called on Lebanese authorities to document the attack and pursue accountability through regional and international legal channels.
People check a destroyed home that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Ansar village, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP Photo:Mohammed Zaatari via Al Manar Lebanese TV)
«In a statement, the association condemned the Israeli occupation army’s pre-dawn attack on a family in Ansar on August 15, 2026, which killed Ali Al-Hajj Hassan, his wife, Zeinab Nassereddine, and their children Zahraa, Hassan, Hussein, and Abbas» Al Manar Lebanese TV has reported.
Updates on AUGUST, 14-15, Breaking News in Video
Aoun, Salam condemn Israeli massacres in South Lebanon
Israeli forces carried out a series of airstrikes and attacks across South Lebanon on Saturday, killing at least nine people and wounding 11 in the past 24 hours, according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent, citing the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Our correspondent reported that an Israeli strike on Deir al-Zahrani targeted a building along the town’s main highway. Ambulances rushed to the scene amid initial reports of a massacre, while rescue teams worked to assess the casualties and search for survivors.
The Health Ministry reported that the preliminary toll from the Deir al-Zahrani attack stood at two martyrs and nine wounded, bringing the reported toll from the two attacks to at least nine martyrs and 11 wounded.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned on Saturday the Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, stressing that these violations constitute a “clear message to the negotiating process and to US efforts aimed at implementing the framework agreement”.
For his part, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam described the Israeli escalation since dawn as “extremely dangerous”, saying that the strikes and heavy bombardment targeting Nabatieh, Ansar, Deir al-Zahrani, and neighboring villages were undermining efforts to establish stability in the South, as he posted on his X account.
The Israeli escalation began with an Israeli airstrike on an inhabited home in Ansar, in the Nabatieh district, killing seven people, including three children and two women, while two others were wounded, according to the Health Ministry.
Houthis used 6 ballistic missiles in al-Makha attack, Yemen army says
Yemen’s Houthi rebels used six ballistic missiles in their Friday attack on the port of al-Makha, the internationally-recognised government’s army has said in a statement.
One port security official was killed while two sailors went missing, the army’s statement said. At least 8 civilians were injured in the attack, it added.
Attacking the port, a key hub for the inflow of food and goods, as well as civilian infrastructure, shows the Houthi group’s “determination to impose a suffocating siege on the Yemeni people”, military spokesperson Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili added.
Yemeni Armed Forces Strike Aramco Refinery in Jizan with Two Drones
A Yemeni military source told the Saba News Agency: “The Yemeni Armed Forces targeted an Aramco refinery in the Jizan region with two drones, and the strike was precise”
“The targeting comes in response to the Saudi enemy’s violation of Yemeni airspace and the country’s sovereignty in the governorates of Saada and Hajjah,” the sources added.
Qalibaf says he halted talks, warned of immediate strike after Israeli assault on Beirut’s Dahiyeh
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf says he halted negotiations following the latest Israeli attack on Beirut’s Dahiyeh and said Iran will hit the regime immediately.
Speaking at a gathering of cultural elites on Saturday, Qalibaf said, “In the latest attack on Dahiyeh, I halted the negotiations and announced: ‘Tonight, we will strike the regime, and if the regime responds, we will strike the entire region.’”
He said the outcome was that “the blockade was lifted that same night.”
The top Iranian negotiator also referred to talks over the Strait of Hormuz, saying a reopening had been scheduled for 30 days under an understanding.
He said that after US President Donald Trump said on social media that the blockade and the Strait of Hormuz would be opened together “tonight,” he warned, “If the false claim about the Strait of Hormuz is not corrected, we will carry out an attack.”
According to Qalibaf, Trump was forced to correct his post, which he described as an example of “negotiating as a form of fighting.”
Teheran Govt: “Hormuz cannot be conquered with a tweet or an aircraft carrier”
Iran, however, was quick to react to the US president’s statement.
“The Strait of Hormuz was Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian. This strait will be opened and closed only on Iran’s orders,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi reiterated on X on Saturday morning.
“It cannot be conquered with a tweet or an aircraft carrier, nor with a presidential decree, nor with an election campaign speech,” he added.
US Navy official denied worsening conditions on USS Abraham Lincoln which is leaving Persian Gulf
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is en route to the United States after completing an extended mission of more than 260 days in the Middle East, necessitated by specific operational needs in the area.
«A U.S official told NBC News that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is set to head home from the Mideast. It comes as some families report poor living conditions for the sailors and marines on board». NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez reports.
Acting Secretary of the US Navy Hung Cao says that reports of dire conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln amid the US-Israel war with Iran, including accounts of sailors trying to jump overboard, have been blown out of proportion.
“Legitimate challenges of a long combat deployment are being twisted into a false narrative, while the genuine difficulties faced by military families are being used for headlines,”Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell chimed in on X. “That is shameful.”
Earlier today, US President Donald Trump dismissed concerns about conditions on board the USS Abraham Lincoln. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump rejected the assertion that the families of those on board the aircraft carrier are worried about their loved ones.
“The Sailors aboard the Lincoln are doing what American warriors have always done: remaining resilient, focused on the mission, and proud of their service on this historic deployment,” Parnell added. “We stand with them”.
Trump wants to declare the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory: “I’ll Never Apologize” War Crimes
Trump wants to declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory
Donald Trump said that after the completion of the military operation against Iran, he intends to declare the Strait of Hormuz the territory of the United States.
“After we finish defeating Iran … pretty soon I will declare the Strait of Hormuz the territory of the United States,” the American president said, adding that the United States allegedly already controls the passage of ships through the strait.
Meanwhile, a large-scale oil spill was reported in the Strait of Hormuz after a missile strike on the Minoan Pioneer bulk carrier. The oil slick spread over more than 300 km, an area comparable to about 40,000 football fields.
Don told Americans to show some patience and PAY MORE for gas while he bombs more girls in Iran as part of his ego play.
“What we’re doing is a great service for — not only for ourselves, for the world,” the failed emperor declared.
Russian attacks hit 11 locations across Ukraine as grain ports come under fire
Cities across Ukraine are facing near-daily Russian attacks, with 11 locations hit overnight on Thursday, including Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa and Kramatorsk.
Several people were killed and more than two dozen wounded, including children. Ukraine says more than 100 drones were launched, but it is no longer releasing figures for missiles used, citing security concerns and shortages of interceptor missiles.
Ukraine’s grain industry is also suffering from repeated Russian attacks on ports. Hundreds of vessels have been targeted by both sides in the Black Sea over the past month, prompting Ukraine to propose a ceasefire covering civilian vessels.
Kyiv says this would allow ports to reopen and farmers to export their harvest during a crucial period. Russia has not yet responded to the proposal.
These attacks came in retaliation for the ongoing lethal attacks on civilian buildings launched by the Ukrainian military.
Russian Armed Forces liberate Rybalskyoe in Zaporozhye Region
The Russian Armed Forces liberated Rybalskyoe in the Zaporozhye Region within 24 hours, the Defense Ministry reported.
“As a result of decisive actions by units of the Battlegroup East, the village of Rybalskoye in the Zaporozhye Region has been liberated,” the statement reads.
The liberation of Rybalskoye in the Zaporozhye region allowed the Battlegroup East to expand its zone of control northwest of Novoye Pole and continue its advance, the ministry added.
“During the fighting, units of the Battlegroup East broke through the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ defenses. The enemy suffered losses of up to a company of personnel. Seven armored combat vehicles, 10 vehicles, 13 ground robotic systems, and more than 20 R-18 heavy hexacopters were destroyed. The liberation of Rybalskyoe allowed units of the Battlegroup East to expand their zone of control northwest of Novoye Pole and continue their advance in the special military operation zone in the Zaporpzhye region,” the ministry said.
Updates on AUGUST, 12-13, Breaking News in Video
US Ambassador to Israel: “Settler Siege of Palestinian Homes Is Terrorism”
“The actions of those who carried out this horrific act of terrorism, aimed at intimidating and harassing this family, are abhorrent,” the US ambassador to Israel wrote on X, referring to Israeli settlers besieging the home of two Palestinian families in Qusra, in the West Bank.
“There is no excuse for such violent behavior,” Mike Huckabee wrote on X. Among the homes targeted is one owned by a US citizen.
The Israeli army (IDF) has reversed its decision to evacuate Palestinian families whose homes are under siege by settlers in the West Bank village of Qusra, near Nablus, for several days.
The public broadcaster Kan reported, specifying that the commander of the IDF Central Command, General Avi Blot, ordered that soldiers enter only unoccupied homes.
The decision, Kan emphasizes, follows criticism of Israel for its handling of the situation in Qusra. The IDF had initially asked residents of the besieged homes, as well as other residences, to leave their homes for a few days in anticipation of a military operation in the area.
Israeli settlers lay siege to Palestinian family with two daughters
Armed Israeli settlers and Israeli occupation forces have besieged two Palestinian families in their homes since the weekend in an effort to usurp their properties in the West Bank village of Qusra through intimidation.
On Sunday afternoon, armed settlers and Israeli soldiers surrounded Yousef Hassan’s home, erecting a tent just outside and effectively trapping him inside with his wife and their two young daughters, leaving the family confined as the intimidation campaign unfolded around them.
The Israeli men gathered only meters from the location where 28-year-old Amir Moatasem Odeh was killed by a settler in March. Another attacker stabbed Odeh’s father. No arrests have been made in connection with the killing and assault.
“Every night, the settlers throw stones, use obscene language, and shout during the night. We are living in a state of terror,” Hassan said.
‘We will not withdraw’: Katz on Israeli forces in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza
Katz made the remarks on Wednesday during a visit to Israeli occupation forces deployed inside southern Lebanon, according to Israeli media platform Divuhim Online, as senior commanders discussed military preparations for a possible future confrontation with the Lebanese Resistance.
“The Israeli army is here to stay in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza and to protect the entire State of Israel,” Katz said. “We are up above and they are down below. I have instructed the Israeli army to take all necessary steps to prepare for a long-term presence in the area.”
The declaration comes almost two months after Lebanon and “Israel” agreed to a US-sponsored framework involving the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, the disarmament of Hezbollah, and the deployment of the Lebanese Army, beginning in designated test areas known as “pilot zones.”
«His remarks provide an unusually explicit articulation of an Israeli policy increasingly centered on maintaining military control beyond occupied Palestine’s internationally recognized borders, under the pretext of creating buffer or “security” zones.»Al Mayadeen Lebanese TV freported.
Such declarations reinforce longstanding warnings that Israeli military expansion is not intended as a temporary security measure, but as an effort to entrench occupation and impose new realities by force.
IRGC: No Ship Can Safely Pass through Strait of Hormuz without Iran’s Permission
Spokesperson for the Central Headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya (PBUH) affirmed that no ship can pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz without Iranian permission and supervision.
The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters is the highest operational military command center of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, located in Tehran.
Washington’s baseless claims about the normal movement of ships through Hormuz are nothing but lies, he added.
Meanwhile, hte head of the Basij Mobilization Group, Hojjatoleslam Hussein Taeb, said, “The Americans ignited a war in the Strait of Hormuz to change the balance of power, but they were defeated once again.”
He added, “The Strait of Hormuz is under the administration and control of the Islamic Republic, and Iran continues its path in complete security and stability.
Updates on AUGUST, 11, Breaking News in Video
HUNTER BIDEN to Carlson: “Bibi Netanyahu evil incarnate…”
HUNTER BIDEN: ‘If it’s antisemitic to point out that Bibi Netanyahu evil incarnate… don’t know what to say to people anymore… just open your eyes’
TUCKER: ‘It’s such an obvious lie’
HUNTER: ‘How is it possible that they’re dividing us on things like that?’
TUCKER: ‘I agree’
Russian armed forces launched a coordinated attack on defense facilities in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia
The Russian armed forces launched a coordinated attack on defense industry facilities and transportation and logistics hubs in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense.
The video shows the aftermath of one of the attacks in Kyiv.
Defense Ministry’s statement quoting by TASS:
“The Russian Armed Forces carried out a coordinated overnight strike using ground-based precision-guided weapons, resulting in the destruction of military-industrial facilities and transport and logistics centers in the cities of Kiev and Zaporozhye” the military said in a statement
The ministry later revealed in another statement that the targets of the overnight strike were successfully hit.
The Russian Armed Forces struck a Nova Post logistics terminal in Kiev, an automated compound storing and distributing dual-use goods, including components for long- and medium-range UAV production, robotic vehicles and electronic warfare systems.
Russian servicemen also hit the Kiev-3 transport and logistics center, also known as San-park, a large warehouse facility of approximately 50,000 square meters that stored up to 15,000 attack FPV drones, including those equipped with thermal imaging cameras, such as Beshket, Spuk, Komik-A, and Gorobets, as well as ground control stations and related components.
The Russian Armed Forces struck the Zaporozhstal steel mill (PJSC Zaporizhstal), a part of the Metinvest Group.
Leader makes new appointments to top military posts; Vahidi named IRGC commander
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei has made new appointments to six top military posts, including the head of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
In six separate decrees issued on Monday, Major General Ali Abdollahi was appointed Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, with Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari as his deputy. Major General Ahmad Vahidi, promoted to the rank of Major General, was appointed commander-in-chief of the IRGC, with Major General Mostafa Izadi as his deputy.
Rear Admiral Ali Ozamaei was appointed IRGC Navy commander, and Hojjatoleslam Hossein Taeb was named head of the Basij Organization.
Gen. Abdollahi appointed Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces
In another decree, the Leader appointed Major General Ali Abdollahi as Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, following the martyrdom of his predecessor, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, in a US-Israeli airstrike.
Ayatollah Khamenei said the appointment was made in view of Mousavi’s “glorious and honorable martyrdom” at the hands of the Zionist-American enemy and in appreciation of Abdollahi’s worthy services and valuable experience.
Spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Esmaeil Baghaei said the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen as long as the US maintains its naval blockade against Iran, stressing that Washington must end and make amends for its “destructive actions” before further steps can be discussed.
Speaking at a weekly press conference on Monday, Baghaei said the closure of the Strait of Hormuz was a result of the US and Israeli military aggression against Iran.
He noted that negotiations between Iran and Oman over a shipping route are naturally a bilateral matter involving the two coastal states.
The spokesman stressed that reopening the Strait of Hormuz depends on the conditions imposed on Iran and the waterway by the US and the Zionist regime, saying that the necessary conditions for reopening do not exist while the US naval blockade remains in place.
“As long as the US naval blockade continues, the necessary conditions for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz do not exist,”Baghaei stated. He added that it is up to the US to stop and make amends for its destructive actions so that the sides could then discuss the next steps.
Asked about the possibility of Iran imposing transit fees on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Baghaei said discussions on such details are still underway and that Iran is not currently discussing the issue.
Drone attack on Nizhnekamsk kills thirteen people killed, including child
he number of people killed as a result of the drone attack on facilities in Nizhnekamsk has increased to 13, the press service of the head of Tatarstan told journalists.
Russian Investigative Committee Spokeswoman, Svetlana Petrenko, told TASS that a child was among those killed. Industrial and civilian facilities in Nizhnekamsk came under a large-scale drone strike, causing fatalities.
Later, it was reported that 12 people had been killed and 39 were injured Later, the press service of the head of Tatarstan told journalists that the number of people killed as a result of the drone attack on facilities in Nizhnekamsk had increased to 13.
According to the investigation, Ukraine used drones to strike residential areas and industrial facilities in Nizhnekamsk.
Ukraine lost 11 locomotives, having received 41 blows to the railway infrastructure
The Ukrainian railway company Ukrzaliznytsia officially called the past days one of the most difficult and destructive weeks in its history. In five years, the country’s transport infrastructure has been attacked 41 times.
11 locomotives were damaged and disabled, tracks and station facilities used for military transportation were destroyed.
Passengers from trains had to be evacuated 350 times due to threats and arrivals. The loss of a key locomotive fleet and the constant destruction of tracks cause critical damage to the entire transport system of the country.
YAF-HOUTIS announce targeting of Saudi-backed factions in Mokha
The strikes by the Yemeni Armed Forces (aka Houtis) on Al-Mukha and Marib decimated Saudi officers and their troop concentrations, targeting a heavy and medium weapons depot alongside a secret storage facility, a senior Yemeni source told Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent in Sanaa.
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the operation, carried out using a large number of ballistic missiles and drones, came in response to Saudi Arabia’s continued mobilization of its proxies, its supply of weapons and equipment to them, and its ongoing attacks along the western coast and in Taiz governorate aimed at deterring the Yemeni people from confronting the blockade and aggression imposed on them for the past 12 years.
“The strikes were precise and caused extensive damage to the equipment and weapons, killing and wounding dozens, including Saudi nationals”,Saree said on Telegram.
The Yemeni Armed Forces reaffirmed their commitment to the declared equation of “blockade for blockade and escalation for escalation,” vowing to continue targeting any military buildup directed against the Yemeni people and the free governorates.
The strike on Mokha is the second operation carried out by the YAF on Sunday. Earlier in the day, the YAF announced that they targeted a Saudi Aramco refinery in Jizan with a drone, stating that the operation comes as a response to Saudi drone incursions into Yemeni airspace.
Saree announced that the forces successfully targeted the Aramco refinery in Jizan with a drone, achieving a precise hit. He said the operation came in response to Saudi drone incursions into the airspace of Yemen’s Saada and Hajjah provinces.
The announcement came after Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry reported earlier that a fire had broken out at a facility belonging to Saudi Aramco’s refinery in Jizan, southwestern Saudi Arabia. The ministry said Aramco’s industrial security firefighting teams extinguished the fire and that there were no injuries.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman pays tribute to journalists killed in Iran, Lebanon, Palestine
“During the last two years, we have lost so many of your colleagues in Iran, Lebanon and Palestine. They have lost their lives for the sake of doing their jobs. We have lost so many of our loved ones,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, said in a news conference on Monday.
“We send a big salute to all of our martyrs who have lost their lives for the sake of our country and for the sake of the mission of journalism,” he added.
Updates on AUGUST, 9, Breaking News in Video
Israel rejects 15-point Gaza document, not to withdraw until Hamas disarms — Netanyahu
Israel rejects the 15-point document on Gaza and will not withdraw its forces until Hamas is genuinely disarmed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of the government’s weekly meeting.
“Israel does not accept the 15-point document. The Israel Defense Forces will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed. And when I say the disarming of Hamas, it means heavy weaponry, lighter weaponry, all weaponry. We are talking about genuine disarmament, not fictitious disarmament,”Netanyahu said, according to his office.
“Right now, we are talking with the Americans about this issue. They have ideas, some of which are acceptable to us and some of which are unacceptable, and we know how to stand firm against these things,” he added.
Israel will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons regardless of whether Washington and Tehran reach an agreement, Netanyahu said. “I greatly appreciate the historical partnership with the US against Iran’s attempts to acquire nuclear weapons. And I wish to emphasize once again: with or without an agreement, as long as I am prime minister, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Iranian TV Airs Footage of Captured US and Israeli Aircraft
Footage appears to show a drone, aircraft parts, and other machinery.
This week, US media reports said that Washington faces depleted missile stockpiles—including long-range and air-defense systems—following the conflict with Iran, a claim the White House denied. The developments follow a war of words after Donald Trump said the two sides were talking again, which Tehran rejected.
Updates on AUGUST, 7-8, Breaking News in Video
Russian MOD: “Plant Producing Warheads for Flamingo Missiles Hit in Kiev” – VIDEO
The Russian military struck the Fire Point industrial plant in Kiev, which produces components and warheads for FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
“The following were struck in Kiev: the Kiev-111 industrial enterprise (Fire Point LLC), which produces components and warheads for FP-5 Flamingo ground-launched cruise missiles,” the ministry said.
According to the Russian ministry, Russian forces launched a strike overnight with ground-based precision weapons against a military industry enterprise and a fuel and lubricants depot in Kiev.
According to preliminary data, the asphalt-concrete plant in Kiev, used for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was damaged.
In the Obolonsky district, fuel tanks caught fire, and armament depots were hit in Goloseevsky. In addition, the Fire Point enterprise, which produce kamikaze-drones, components and warheads for missiles, was hit in Kiev.
The Russian army also attacked the Grandterminal fuel depot, which supplies petroleum products to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Long-range Hundreds drones striking Russia are assembled in secret factories underground
The British TV channel Sky News published a report from a secret underground enterprise in Ukraine, which acts as the main hub for the production of long-range attack drones. Technicians, welders and engineers work around the clock at the plant, assembling over 200 drones per day.
The chief designer of Fire Point, Stilerman, also appeared in the frame, telling the journalist that the purpose of his work was to “dismantle the Russian Empire” with the support of Europe 02:01.
The FP-1 and FP-2 long-range drones are being produced on an underground conveyor. The cost of one such device is about $ 60 thousand, and the claimed flight range is up to 3,000 kilometers with an accuracy of 2-3 meters. The project is funded by Western donors through the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
Kiev began the construction of factories underground involuntarily, after the destruction of the traditional defense industry in the early days of its independence. Some of the enterprises have completely gone underground, while others are disguised with fake decorations.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense repeatedly delivered effective strikes against such centers. At the end of July, the assembly plant of the American corporation Terminal Autonomy, which produced noise-resistant drones for strikes deep into the territory of Russia, came under attack.
On July 19, the UKRTAC factory, which produced tactical equipment and ammunition for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was completely destroyed. Despite the underground execution, Russian intelligence and precision weapons continue to methodically open and destroy military installations of the Kiev regime.
Ukraine’s Missile Shield Crumbles as US and Europe Run Short on Interceptors
The refusal by the US and Europe to provide Ukraine with more Patriot missiles points to depleted stockpiles and sluggish interceptor production, military expert and Arsenal of the Fatherland columnist Alexander Sinyugin tells Sputnik.
The earlier plan for European countries to buy Patriot missiles from the US and pass them on to Ukraine is no longer viable, the pundit explains. The US lacks sufficient missile stocks, while Europe has already depleted much of its arsenal by supplying Ukraine.
“Only three countries currently manufacture these missiles: the US, Japan, and Germany, which secured a production license in 2024,” Sinyugin says. With production capacity well below Lockheed Martin’s, Germany is expected to use all of its missile output to meet Europe’s own needs, he projects.
Lockheed Martin presently produces 50-60 Patriot missiles per month, while it typically takes two to three interceptors to destroy a single ballistic missile, the pundit notes. But Russia produces roughly 120 ballistic missiles per month, meaning that Ukraine needs at least twice as many.
Meanwhile, Russian hypersonic missiles, including Kinzhals and Zircons, easily overcome Patriot air defenses.
Iranian strikes leave hundreds of US troops with lasting brain injuries
Hundreds of US troops have suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in Iranian missile and drone strikes since Washington launched its war on Iran, highlighting the mounting physical cost of the US aggression and the potentially lasting consequences for American forces, according to Iranian Press TV.
Nearly 700 US troops have been wounded in Iranian missile and drone attacks on US bases since Washington’s aggression against Iran escalated, according to US military officials. Most were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries and returned to duty after treatment, the Associated Press reported.
The Pentagon has described most of the injuries sustained over a two-week period as “minor concussions.” But medical experts warn that an apparently mild concussion can develop into persistent neurological problems, including headaches, dizziness, memory loss, difficulty concentrating and chronic fatigue.
Doctors say there is currently no reliable way to determine immediately which blast injuries will result in lasting complications. They are also continuing to study how powerful explosions can damage the brain even without a direct blow to the head.
The widespread use of Iranian missiles and drones has heightened concern within the US military, as explosions can occur in close proximity to American troops, increasing the risk of blast-related brain injuries.
The scale of the injuries has revived concerns that traumatic brain injury could once again become a major legacy of a US war, as it did during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 500,000 US soldiers were diagnosed with TBIs between 2000 and 2025, according to US military data.
Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan joint defence agreement signals closer cooperation
Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have committed to closer military cooperation in a joint defence agreement modelled on NATO’s Article 5, under which an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
The deal comes as regional countries increasingly look to each other for security following Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, its strikes on several countries in the region and the renewed conflict with Iran.
For Turkiye, which already fields NATO’s second-largest army and one of the world’s fastest-growing defence industries, the pact is a major strategic gain, expanding its reach into the Gulf and South Asia and opening access to new financial resources through a joint weapons programme.
But the real test, as Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar Atas reports from Ankara, will come if a member is actually attacked — determining whether the agreement becomes a genuine regional security architecture or remains just a political declaration.
Updates on AUGUST, 6, Breaking News in Video
Yemeni Armed Forces (Houtis) launch large-scale op. against Saudi troop concentrations
The Yemeni Armed Forces (aka Houtis army) carried out a large-scale military operation against Saudi military reinforcements, reporting hundreds of casualties and significant material damage, the YAF spokesperson, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announced.
The Yemeni military spokesperson said the operation was a response to continued Saudi actions, stating that “in light of the criminal Saudi enemy’s persistence in continuing the siege and aggression against our dear Yemeni people for nearly 12 years, our Armed Forces monitored large Saudi military concentrations that were in their final stages, aimed at escalating against the free provinces and the Yemeni people to deter them from their position on ending the unjust siege.”
The operation, according to the YAF, resulted in:
the killing and wounding of hundreds of “Saudi enemy mercenaries”
the destruction and burning of a large number of Saudi enemy camps, concentrations, weapons depots, and military equipment in the al-Wadi’ah area, east of the country
the destruction of a large number of military vehicles stationed at the targeted bases
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have confirmed targeting multiple Yemeni Emergency Forces camps in the Marib and Hadramout governorates, including in the Ruwaik, Al-Abr and Al Thaniyah areas.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree says the group used “a large number of ballistic missiles and drones” to destroy and burn campgrounds, troop concentrations, depots, weapons and military vehicles.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have killed at least 30 government soldiers and injured 15 in missile attacks on Yemeni military camps in Hadramout and Marib governorates, government sources told Al Jazeera.
Service fees for transit through Strait of Hormuz to depend on services provided
The fees for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz will vary based on the services rendered by Iran and Oman, according to a report by Fars News Agency, citing a source within the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
The source dismissed recent reports of disagreements between Iran and Oman over the percentage of cargo value – specifically, a tariff of 7% versus 3% – to be used as transit fees, stating these claims are false.
“Payments by vessels will depend on multiple factors, including the scope of services we can provide,”the official emphasized.
Previously, Reuters reported that Iran and Oman are engaged in negotiations to introduce transit fees ranging from 3% to 7% of the declared cargo value, as part of efforts to restore shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Russian forces strike Ukrainian army’s infrastructure sites, logistics centers in past day
Russian forces struck infrastructure sites and logistics centers used by the Ukrainian army and its deployment areas over the past 24 hours in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported.
“Operational/tactical aircraft, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces struck fuel and energy and transport infrastructure, logistics centers used by the Ukrainian army, sites for the storage of attack unmanned aerial vehicles, and also temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 155 locations,” the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,395 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours, according to the latest data on the special military operation in Ukraine released by Russia’s Defense Ministry.
UNICEF says one child killed per day in Gaza since ‘ceasefire’
At least 300 children have been killed in Gaza in the roughly 300 days since a so-called “ceasefire” was announced on October 10, 2025 – an average of one child a day, the United Nations children’s agency says.
Hundreds more have been wounded, many severely, UNICEF said in a statement on Thursday as it pressed parties to a proposed US-led peace plan to translate pledges into action.
“A ceasefire that leaves an average of one child dead each and every day is failing children,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. “Children in Gaza are still waiting for the end to the violence they were promised.”
Families are now confined to about a third of the enclave, sheltering among destroyed buildings, rubble and uncleared waste, the agency said.
Children continue to face acute malnutrition, disease, unsafe water and damaged sanitation, while a shortage of incubators has left some premature newborns sharing machines.
Updates on AUGUST, 4-5, Breaking News in Video
A massive overnight strike on Kiev and the Kiev region by Russian Armed Forces – 3 VIDEOS
On the night of August 5, the Russian Armed Forces hit seven large logistics centers in Ukraine. The Russian ballistic missile attack on the region surrounding Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, has killed at least 14 people and injured 27 others, the city’s military administration said.
The strikes early on Wednesday morning come after at least 27 people were killed in separate attacks in both Ukraine and Russia earlier this week, with the five-year-long conflict showing no signs of slowing down.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has revealed details of a massive overnight strike on Kiev and the Kiev region. High-precision ground-based weapons and long-range attack drones have hit transport, logistics and distribution centers involved in the storage, production and supply of equipment and components in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In the capital of Ukraine, the goals were:
MLP-Chaika is a warehouse complex for storing components for medium and long—range UAVs.
The innovative Novaya Pochta terminal is an automated sorting hub for dual—use goods, including components for assembling drones, robotic systems and electronic warfare.
Trans-Logistics is an enterprise for the production of various modifications of drones and the storage of logistical assets of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Epicenter warehouse is a large automated order processing center with dual—use goods and parts for creating UAVs.
In the territory of the Kiev region, the following targets were hit:
Brovary Terminal — storage of components for drones, including foreign-made ones;
Raben Ukraine is a key hub for the distribution of parts for various types of drones;
The Novaya Pochta sorting complex in Brovary is a storage facility for aircraft—type vehicles and their spare parts.
In addition, three dry cargo ships delivering weapons and military equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine were hit in the sea south of Odessa.
Death toll among minors from Kiev’s attack on Gelendzhik up to 4
The death toll among minors from Ukraine’s attack near Gelendzhik has risen to four, Russian childerns’ rights ombudswoman Maria Lvova-Belova said.
“An awful tragedy. Ukraine’s aggression. By now, we have reports about four killed children, three more children are in hospitals. One child has been operated on, two others are being examined, they have shrapnel wounds,” she told reporters.
Casualties, fire at Wildberries sorting center, 475 UAVs: aftermath of drone attacks
Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed 475 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, as well as over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov overnight, the Defense Ministry reported.
In the Tula Region, one person was injured as a result of a drone attack, and a fire broke out at the Wildberries sorting center.
According to its statement, the drones were shot down over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan, Saratov, Smolensk, Tula, Ulyanovsk, Krasnodar, Tatarstan and Moscow Regions, Crimea, as well as over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
According to the Ministry, the victims included five people martyred in new Israeli attacks and one who succumbed to previous injuries.
The Ministry added that a number of victims remain trapped under rubble or stranded on roads and in inaccessible areas, as ambulance and civil defence crews continue to face difficulties reaching them.
The Health Ministry said the number of Palestinians killed since the announcement of the ceasefire on October 11 has risen to 904, while 2,713 others have been injured. Authorities also reported that the bodies of 777 Palestinians have been recovered during the same period.
According to the latest figures released by the Ministry, the cumulative death toll since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, has reached 72,797, in addition to 172,821 injuries.
Israel kills 19 (4 children) in Gaza as attacks escalate despite latest Trump plan
On August, 2, Israeli forces have killed at least 19 Palestinians in Gaza, despite United States President Donald Trump announcing a plan he described as a “monumental step” towards peace and security in the shattered enclave.
Medical sources said that 14 Palestinians, including four children, have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip since dawn on Sunday.
The deaths on Sunday included three people killed in an air raid on a residential apartment in Al-Sousi Tower in western Gaza City – Abdullah Abu Taif, 33, his pregnant wife, Abeer Anan, 29, and their five-year-old son, Azzam – according to medical sources at Al-Shifa Hospital.
An attack on an apartment in al-Qarara, northwest of the city of Khan Younis, killed three members of the Al-Hams family – father Mahmoud, 38, his wife, Fatima, 37, and their young daughter. Three others were wounded, medical sources at Nasser Hospital said.
Kamu Abu Muailiq, 68, and his wife, Huda, 59, were killed in an attack on their home near Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, medics said. In the same area, two brothers were killed as they rode a motorbike.
In northern Gaza, a Palestinian was killed after being directly targeted in the Jabalia refugee camp. In al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, one Palestinian was killed, and five others were wounded in an Israeli attack on a tent.
Two Palestinians, including one, were killed in an Israeli drone attack on a tent for displaced people in the Remal neighbourhood, west of Gaza City. Four others were killed in a strike on a vehicle in Gaza City.
The Israeli attacks since dawn caused the largest daily death toll in weeks, according to Palestinian health officials.
Gaza families bury 112 people recovered nearly three years after Israeli strikes: 44 Kids and 43 women among martyrs
Palestinians on Tuesday buried 112 members of a single clan killed in Israeli air strikes in November 2023, after their remains were recovered from beneath the rubble last month. Relatives of the Abu Shari’a and al-Hasayna family gathered in Gaza City to bid a final farewell to their loved ones, whose bodies lay in rows draped in Palestinian flags.
For many, it was a moment of both relief and renewed grief after nearly 1,000 days of waiting to recover the bodies of their relatives.
“There is a feeling of both pain and joy,” Amer Abu Shari’a, who lost relatives in the attack, told Middle East Eye. “Joy because we will bury and honour these martyrs after three years. But the sorrow has returned, as if the massacre happened today.”
On August, 4, Gaza and Palestine bid farewell to the largest funeral procession of martyrs in all of Palestinian history. Around 112 martyrs have been recovered from beneath their homes after nearly three years of war.
Today, the Al-Hassaneh and Abu Sharia families are burying 112 martyrs out of 308 family members who were killed and later recovered. Does the world see 44 children in a single funeral? Does it see 43 women?
Does it witness these scenes and still remain silent These are scenes from Gaza scenes that will forever remain in the history of Palestine.
Iran-Oman Strait of Hormuz corridor talks enter new phase despite US obstruction
The ongoing negotiations between Iran and Oman regarding the future operational arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz represent a pivotal moment in the region’s strategic landscape amid the US destabilising activities, Iranian Press Tv has reported.
These discussions, which began in the very first days following the Iran-US ceasefire on April 8 and entered a more serious phase after the June 18 agreement to end the imposed war, are a testament to Iran’s commitment to diplomatic engagement and its determination to safeguard its legitimate sovereign rights.
However, what should have been a straightforward bilateral process between two littoral states has been systematically disrupted and derailed by the United States and certain regional actors acting in concert with Washington (below the videos of latest US attack on July, 30).
Their obstructionism has not only delayed a mutually beneficial outcome but has also exposed the hollow nature of American influence in a region where Iran’s strategic interests are paramount and non-negotiable, a senior Iranian official aware of the details of ongoing negotiations told Press TV.
Yemeni forces strike vital target inside Saudi Najran Airport with drone
The Yemeni Armed Forces have struck a strategic installation inside Najran Regional Airport in southern Saudi Arabia, in response to the Riyadh regime’s ongoing aggression and blockade against their homeland.
Brigadier General Yahya Saree, spokesperson for Yemen’s Armed Forces, said on Tuesday afternoon that Yemeni military units targeted the vital target with a domestically-developed kamikaze drone. Saree noted that the retaliatory strike attained its desired objectives successfully.
He emphasized that the attack was a retaliation for Saudi Arabia’s violation of Yemeni airspace over the northern provinces of Sa’ada and Hajjah with unmanned aerial vehicles.
“We warn the Saudi enemy that any violation of our airspace will not go unanswered and unpunished,” Saree emphasized.
On July 20, the Sana’a government declared a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia, stating that its authorities have enforced “an unjust and oppressive siege” on Yemen for almost 12 years, “looting our resources and enforcing a total blockade.”
Since then, the Yemeni Armed Forces said they have launched attacks on Saudi vessels in the Red Sea.
Yemen’s Houthis claim missile attack on Saudi oil tanker in Red Sea
The Houthis from the Yemeni Ansar Allah rebel movement have used ballistic missiles to hit a Saudi oil tanker Wafa in the northern part of the Red Sea, Houthi Military Spokesman Yahya Saria stated.
According to him, rebels “struck a Saudi oil tanker Wafa in the northern part of the Red Sea near [the port city of] Yanbu using several ballistic missiles.” Saria said the strike was accurate.
Indian cargo ship sinks near Yemen after Red Sea attack, crew rescued
The vessel, identified as the Faize Noore Oliya, was struck by a projectile near Yemeni waters, causing it to capsize and sink, according to Sonowal.
“Indian MSV Faize Noore Oliya has been hit by a projectile near Yemeni waters, causing the vessel to capsize and sink. India strongly condemns this unprovoked attack on the defenseless mechanised sailing vessel. The safety of our people is our supreme priority & I am relieved to inform that ALL 14 seafarers (including 13 Indians) have been safely rescued by the Yemeni Coast Guard,” Sonowal wrote on X.
Earlier on Tuesday, Yemeni news portal HYemen24 reported that the Yemeni Coast Guard of the Saudi-affiliated Yemeni government had rescued the crew of an Indian cargo ship after it came under attack by a booby-trapped boat in the Red Sea.
Updates on AUGUST, 2, Breaking News in Video
VITAL FOOTAGE: Massive Explosions in Kiev after 25 Russian missiles were fired including hypersonic Iskander and Zircon
While Western-backed forces continue to strike at shopping malls in Russia, such as Wildberries and now Ozon the Russian military space forces are intensifying their bombing, not propaganda, but military, against targets in the enemy’s military-industrial complex.
Last night, Russian troops attacked several Ukrainian areas, with virtually no effective air defense from Western-backed forces.
More than 25 Russian precision-guided missiles were fired at Kiev alone, including Iskander-M ballistic missiles and Zircon hypersonic missiles, which hit targets in the capital of Ukraine and its suburbs (Vasilkov, Boyarka) without encountering effective air defenses, as has been the case for several days. Only one anti-aircraft missile was launched that night, but it failed to intercept the target. Even Zelensky was forced to admit this (probably in order to better request new military assistance in this area):
“Ukraine’s air defense system was able to intercept only one ballistic missile during the massive Russian attack on Kiev last night.”
Russian Wildberries Warehouse Raid, Fire Breaks Out
Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retail platform, has been targeted again by Ukrainian forces: a logistics facility in the Samara region was hit, according to TASS. A fire broke out following the attack. According to initial reports, there were no injuries.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced that it destroyed 635 Ukrainian drones on the night of Saturday to Sunday in several regions of its territory and in annexed Crimea. In a statement published on the Russian state-run messaging app Max, the ministry stated that “overnight, air defense assets in action intercepted and destroyed 635 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.”
Moscow, bomb at party for Russian general, many Killed and Wounded
A private party organized in the center of the Russian capital to celebrate a high-ranking officer has turned into carnage. At least three people were killed and 21 injured in the explosion that occurred this evening outside the Balzi Rossi restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square in Moscow.
According to News-Pravda the death toll from the explosion at the entrance to the Balzi Rossi restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square has risen to five that include the woman who tried to bring in the explosive device, the security guard, and a cafe customer.
Among the guests at the event was General Alexander Chaiko, appointed to command the Russian Air Force just a month and a half ago.
According to the Interior Ministry, the explosion occurred at about 08:10 p.m. (05:10 p.m. GMT) near a summer cafe near house No. 1 on Kudrinskaya Square. According to the NAC, an unknown woman tried to bring an improvised explosive device there, but a guard stopped her.
An explosive device, a 1 kg TNT bomb filled with metal balls, detonated at the entrance to the Balzi Rossi restaurant. The device was in the possession of a “suicide bomber” who was probably used “in the dark.” As a result of the explosion, she died on the spot, her fragments were captured on video.
The Shadow of the Ukrainian Secret Services behind the Terrorist Attack
Investigators and criminologists of the Investigative Committee are working at the site of the explosion, the Investigative Committee said.
The police and Russia’s National Guard Rosgvardiya restricted access near the residential high-rise on Kudrinskaya Square, where the blast took place, a TASS correspondent reported.
The attack is part of a long series of targeted actions that, since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022, have targeted senior officials, military leaders, and prominent public figures close to the Kremlin.
Over the past four years, several generals and Russian administration officials based in the occupied territories have been victims of bombings and ambushes claimed or attributed to Kiev’s intelligence services with the help of NATO’s 007 and in particular of the British military counterspionage MI6 vvery active in the conflict as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is an agent of London, as also confirmed by high-profile arrests.
NYT, TASS confirm Gospa News scoop: “US used aerial bomb weighing almost ton to hit apartment building in Iran”
«The US military used one of its most powerful non-nuclear bombs to strike a residential building on the Iranian island of Qeshm, killing three people on Thursday night, The New York Times reported, quoting satellite imagery and an expert opinion»
TASS Russian news agency has reported confirming the first report by Gospa News International on July, 30 (read below update “Two children rescued from the rubble of the Trump’s Evil Bombs – VIDEO”) which specified that bunker-busting explosives had been used to destroy two family homes.
ARCHIVE PHOTO – In the frame the meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Israeli PM Benyamin Netanyahu, in the image a US-made MK-84 heavy aerial bomb – previous poston bomb supply here
It said that the diameter of the crater and fragments of ammunition indicate the use of a heavy MK-84 aerial bomb weighing 2,000 pounds (about 907 kg). The newspaper said that it was not possible to find any evidence of military installations nearby. The strike was carried out in a densely populated area, the newspaper adds.
Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for the US Central Command (CENTCOM), told The New York Times that the US military leadership is aware of the strike and is looking into it. He also said the United States never targets civilians.
Russian forces destroyed a large Ukrainian ammunition depot in Ukrainian-occupied Kramatorsk.
Russian forces destroyed a large Ukrainian ammunition depot in Ukrainian-occupied Kramatorsk. The depot, carefully concealed by Ukrainian militants, was struck by two loitering munitions. The detonation of the munitions lasted for several hours. Several Ukrainian air defense systems were also hit in Kramatorsk.
In the Sumy region, at least ten FAB strikes with UMPK-based missiles and at least 45 Geran/Lancet/Molniya/FPV strikes were carried out over the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, in the Kharkiv region, at least 11 guided bomb strikes, two MLRS/OTRK strikes, and at least 56 Geran/Lancet/Molniya/FPV strikes were carried out over the same period. Additionally, morning Geran and FAB strikes “visited” the outskirts of Illichivsk (Chornomorsk) in the Odessa region and Vasylkivka in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
It is also reported that new modifications of the Geranium family of attack UAVs are recently equipped with a laser rangefinder. The laser rangefinder is designed to partially implement the air-to-air detonation function of the warhead.
During the final stages of flight (during a dive or approach to a target), the rangefinder measures the exact distance to the ground or object in real time, after which, upon reaching the optimal altitude, the electronics initiate the detonation of the munition in mid-air. Air-to-air detonation of a high-explosive fragmentation charge significantly increases the area of destruction caused by the fragmentation. Thus, unlike the contact detonation of a kamikaze UAV’s warhead, air-to-air detonation covers a larger area.
Russian missile attack kills three in Ukraine’s Kyiv
A Russian missile attack has killed at least three people in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and injured 15 others, the city’s mayor said.
Residents were trapped in damaged buildings in the Shevchenkivskyi and Solomyanskyi districts, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. All 15 injured people, including two boys aged 13 and 17, were hospitalised, with one in serious condition.
Fires and damage were also reported in several other districts of the capital, including burning warehouses in Darnytskyi and debris falling on buildings in Holosiivskyi. Emergency services remain on the scene as rescue efforts continue.
Russia has stepped up its attacks on Kyiv in recent months, taking advantage of Ukraine’s shortage of air defences capable of shooting down ballistic missiles.
Russian forces hit over 80 vessels involved in cargo deliveries for Ukrainian army in July
Russian forces struck more than 80 seagoing vessels in Ukrainian ports and at sea that were involved in delivering cargo for the Ukrainian military, according to TASS estimates based on Russian Defense Ministry data.
Among them were two dry cargo ships, a sea ferry transporting military cargo and a screening boat hit in overnight group strikes on July 12, according to the ministry. On the same day, the ministry released footage that showed Geran-4 Seeker drones destroying a seiner converted to launch unmanned boats, a patrol boat, a ferry and a dry cargo ship.
According to the ministry, Russian forces struck 24 seagoing vessels used by the Ukrainian military during the week of July 11-17, including 14 dry cargo ships and one tanker.
A fighter jet crashed and erupted into flames at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California on Friday, sending smoke billowing into the sky that could be seen from miles away.
The single-seat F-35B Lightning II aircraft went down short of the runway just before 10 a.m. PT.
“We can confirm a mishap involving a Marine Corps F-35B in the vicinity of MCAS Miramar,” base spokesperson 1st Lt. Blake Starbuck said in a statement. “The pilot ejected, was recovered, and is enroute to a medical facility.”
Airport fire crews sprayed the wreckage with firefighting foam and worked to extinguish a grass fire surrounding the crash site.
“F-35 short final crash,” the Miramar air traffic control tower told firefighters in audio recorded by LiveATC.net. “It appeared that the parachute did deploy … and a pilot ejected.”
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. Military plane crashes are typically investigated by the military as opposed to civilian crashes which are investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Pentagon Weighs Kuwait Pullback as War on Iran Redefines Regional Posture
The United States is reportedly reassessing the scale of its military footprint in Kuwait, with officials weighing a potential drawdown of forces amid shifting dynamics in the ongoing conflict with Iran, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Citing sources familiar with the deliberations, the newspaper reported that the Pentagon’s strategic review comes as Kuwaiti officials have underscored the need for an unambiguous security commitment from Washington, stressing that any reduction in U.S. personnel must not undermine the Gulf state’s defensive capabilities.
The reported deliberations highlight a delicate balancing act for Washington as it seeks to adjust its regional posture while reassuring key Gulf allies of its continued commitment to their defense.
Hamas agree draft peace plan, as Israeli settlers raid West Bank
The Board of Peace – the international body established to oversee Gaza’s governance – said Hamas has agreed to a roadmap to disarm and implement the next phases of the ceasefire.
Hamas official Ghazi Hamad said disarmament is tied to full Israeli withdrawal from areas occupied over the past months, as the group will not implement any step of the Gaza peace deal if Israeli forces do not fulfil their obligations.
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) said it is ready to “assume its responsibilities” in Gaza, to ensure that the roadmap leads to “practical steps that have a tangible impact on citizens’ daily lives”.
An Israeli drone strike hit the Karama area in Gaza City and another targeted a group of people standing next to Khadija mosque as the Israeli military continues to attack the Strip.
At least 11 Palestinians have been injured during attacks by Israeli forces and settlers in Nablus and several surrounding villages.
At least 10 Palestinians, including 4 children, injured in Israeli raid on Nablus
At least 10 Palestinians, including four children, have been injured during a raid by Israeli settlers and military forces in the Junaid neighbourhood west of Nablus, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Dozens of Israeli settlers are storming the western part of Nablus city under the protection of the Israeli army, sources have told Al Jazeera.
The Israeli army has arrested seven Palestinians from the Nablus governorate, amid raids in several neighbourhoods in Nablus city as well as in the towns of Tal and Salem, the Wafa news agency has reported.
Israeli forces began raiding the town of Tal on Thursday, seizing four homes and converting them into military barracks.
There were 3,033 Israeli settler attacks between January 1, 2025 and the end of last month, according to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Israel carries out massive overnight blasts in southern Lebanon
A series of massive midnight explosions rang out across the southern regions of Yohmor al-Chqif, Arnoun, and Kfar Tebnit after Israeli attacks, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reports.
The blasts resonated throughout the south, with shockwaves felt as far as el-Kharroub and Khalde. In the Marjayoun district, violent explosions near Beaufort Castle shattered windows and damaged homes in the nearby town of Qlayaa.
Residents described intense shockwaves that shook the area, accompanied by a heavy smell of gunpowder, according to the NNA.
It added that Israeli forces combed the outskirts of al-Mansouri and Biyout al-Sayyad in the Tyre District using heavy machinegun fire, while launching artillery shells at al-Mansouri.
Tank movements were also reported on the Baraachit hill towards Aainata in the Bint Jbeil District, alongside heavy explosions and vibrations across both the Eastern and Western sectors, NNA reported.
IOF detonate 700 tons of explosives under historic Shaqif Fortress
Israeli occupation forces set off a massive underground explosion beneath the UNESCO-listed Shaqif Fortress (Beaufort Castle) in the Arnoun area of southern Lebanon overnight Thursday into Friday, using an estimated 700 tons of explosives, according to a joint statement by the Israeli prime minister’s office and the Ministry of War.
The blast was powerful enough to be heard across much of southern Lebanon, with reports of the explosion being heard as far as Saida and Iqlim al-Kharroub in Mount Lebanon’s Chouf region. In Nabatieh, residents reported dust raining down over the area in the aftermath of the explosions in Arnoun.
Shaqif Fortress is one of South Lebanon’s most significant archaeological landmarks, a nearly 900-year-old Crusader-era fortress. “Israel” has bombed the fortress more than once, first in 1982, during the Battle of Beaufort, when the castle was heavily shelled and captured, and second during 1982 through 2000, when Israeli occupation forces used it as a base and later carried out significant demolition before withdrawing in 2000.
Three US F-35 fighter jets were destroyed and three others sustained heavy damage in a missile attack on Azraq Air Base in Jordan, the IRGC’s Public Relations Department announced, framing the operation as retaliation for US aggression on residential homes on Iran’s Qeshm Island.
“We will punish the aggressor today,” the IRGC said in a statement, explaining that the operation was carried out in response to American aggression in the early hours of the day.
The statement added that US forces used bases in Jordan to launch bunker-buster bombs at two residential homes on Qeshm Island, killing a father, a mother, and one of their children and injuring two other children.
IRGC Strikes US Bases in Kuwait, Bahrain
The IRGC said Thursday it destroyed two drone hangars and a fuel storage facility at the US Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait in its latest retaliatory strikes, according to Al Manar TV.
According to the statement, the operation was carried out as part of what the IRGC described as the “punishment of the aggressor.” It added that the IRGC Aerospace Force and Ground Force continue military operations against US forces while nationwide public gatherings in Iran persist.
The statement also said that public rallies have continued for 150 consecutive nights, describing their purpose as demanding “revenge for the blood of the martyred Imam” and “the expulsion of American aggressors from the region.”
The suicide drones of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran targeted the electricity generators, navigation system, and the administrative and support buildings “belonging to the terrorist U.S. Army at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain”.
US to continue attacks on Iran: Trump claims Iran is being ‘decimated’ in attacks
During his cabinet meeting, Trump tells reporters that Washington will be hitting Iran “very hard” when asked what he expects over the next four weeks.
“At some point, they’re going to say we just can’t take it anymore,” he said.
Asked about reviving the ceasefire following back-and-forth attacks with Iran at a cabinet meeting in Camp David, Trump says, “We just want to win.”
“We’re doing very well. We’re trying to be nice, as nice as you can be in a situation like that, but you know, they’re being decimated. They have no navy, they have no air force, they have no anti-aircraft. Doesn’t mean they don’t have any capabilities — they have some, but very little,” he said.
“It’s very simple, they cannot have a nuclear weapon. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and they can’t have a nuclear weapon. If they did, the Middle East would’ve been wiped out,” Trump added
Updates on JULY, 30, Breaking News in Video
Russian Forces Pummel Ukrainian Airfields, Defense Plants, and Logistics Nodes
Russia unleashed a sweeping wave of strikes on Ukrainian military airfields, defense-industry facilities, and critical supply and command hubs, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported.
Ukraine’s largest logistics operator has been used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to transport military goods, has become a legitimate military target, and is taking full advantage.
The barrage involved long-range, precision-guided munitions fired from land, sea, and air, backed by strike drones. Hit zones spanned 7 regions — Kiev, Lvov, Ivano-Frankovsk, Zhytomir, Rovno, Vinnitsa, and Dnepropetrovsk — with targets including air bases, arms factories, telecom relays, and logistics centers.
These sites played key roles in missile and drone production, storage, and shipment, as well as in running Ukraine’s air-surveillance network.
Moreover, three dry-cargo ships came under fire, one in the Black Sea port of Yuzhnyi and two off Odessa’s eastern and southern coasts, all ferrying weapons and military cargo.
Russia launched another large-scale, combined missile and drone attack on Ukraine. The list of the 78 missiles
Missiles launched:
~8 Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles launched from OTRK installations near Klintsy, Bryansk Oblast.
~6 Kn-23 ballistic missiles launched from 3 Hwasong-11A launchers near Liski, Voronezh Oblast.
~4 modified S-300 ballistic missiles launched from Kursk Oblast.
~2 Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles launched from ground-based installations near Belgorod City, Belgorod Oblast.
~1 Zircon hypersonic cruise missile launched from ground-based installations near Manturovo, Kursk Oblast.
~30 Kh-101 cruise missiles launched from 6 Tu-95MS strategic bombers at their launch lines near the city of Cherepovets, Vologda Oblast.
~18 Kh-101 cruise missiles launched from 3 Tu-160M strategic bombers at their launch lines near the city of Cherepovets, Vologda Oblast.
~8 Kalibr cruise missiles launched from a Buyan-M corvette at Novorossiysk Naval Base, Krasnodar Krai.
~1 Kalibr cruise missile launched from a vessel of an unknown type at Novorossiysk Naval Base, Krasnodar Krai.
Total missiles launched:
~48 Kh-101 cruise missiles.
~9 Kalibr cruise missiles.
~8 Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles.
~6 Kn-23 ballistic missiles
~4 modified S-300 ballistic missiles
~3 Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles.
~78 missiles in total.
Ukrainian drones attack Wildberries warehouse in Penza Region, one person hurt
Ukrainian drones attacked a Wildberries warehouse in the Penza Region, leaving preliminarily one person injured, the Region’s Governor Oleg Melnichenko said.
“Enemy drones carried out a terrorist attack on a Wildberries warehouse. According to preliminary reports, one person was injured. Around 200 employees were evacuated,” he wrote on messaging app Max.
According to the governor, the attack caused a fire, which is being extinguished.
Two children rescued from the rubble of the Trump’s Evil Bombs – VIDEO
Two children were rescued and taken to hospital after a US strike hit a family home on Qeshm Island, while efforts continue to reach three relatives trapped beneath the rubble.
This attack confirms once again that US President Donald Trump’s War Department makes no distinction between military and civilian targets.
Beyond their relevance as a war crime, these attacks aimed at terrorizing the Iranian population in the hope of a revolution have no strategic military utility whatsoever and confirm the failure of the Trump administration’s wars, costly in terms of money and human lives of American soldiers.
After approximately 7,000 deaths since the start of the war in Iran, Trump can finally be accused of war crimes and genocide like his ally Netanyahu…
A new round of fighting emerging in Iran this week brought a new player that could change the game entirely.
U.S. forces launched new airstrikes against Iran on Wednesday, U.S. Central Command announced, while earlier, and for the first time, the Saudi Arabian military joined with the U.S. in striking Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, The Associated Press reported.
And, according to Fox News, a former deputy CENTCOM commander said those developments and others could signify Iran being pushed to a “tipping point.”
US forces have hit several locations in Ahvaz in southwestern Khuzestan province, with power outages reported in some parts of the city, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
At least seven locations in the city were hit, the IRIB state broadcaster added. It also said explosions were heard in the cities of Shadegan, Arvandkenar, and Abadan in Khuzestan province.
Iraqi president denounces deadly US-Saudi aggression on Hashd al-Sha’abi bases – VIDEO
Iraqi President Nizar Amedi has categorically denounced joint Saudi-US strikes on positions of Popular Mobilization Forces (PMU), commonly known as Hashd al-Sha’abi, across the country, which have killed at least 20 resistance fighters and wounded 32 others (details below in the yesterday updates).
Amedi, in a strongly worded statement released on Tuesday, condemned the aerial assaults “as an unacceptable act, a flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty, and entirely contrary to international law and the United Nations Charter.”
“We reiterate our vehement opposition to the use of Iraqi soil or a military field to launch attacks against neighboring countries. We call on all parties to respect Iraq’s sovereignty and refrain from any action that undermines its security and stability,” the Iraqi presidency said.
Iraq’s Islamic Resistance: Our Response to US Enemy is Inevitable, Saudi Arabia may be also Attacked
Islamic Resistance in Iraq issued on Monday a statement which categorically denied any involvement in attacks against the Saudi entity or its facilities, affirming that the response to the US aggression is inevitable, Al Manar Tv has reported.
«After the Islamic Resistance categorically denied any involvement in attacks against the Saudi entity or its facilities, the American enemy committed a new crime by targeting members of the Popular Mobilization Forces and a convoy serving the visitors of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) in the holy city of Karbala, resulting in dozens of martyrs and wounded» the statement read.
«We affirm without doubt that the Saudi regime has never been, and never will be, anything other than a treacherous dagger and a corrupt tool directed by the White House and its suspicious intelligence agencies. Just as it once mobilized its capabilities to dispatch suicide bombers to shed Iraqi blood, today it has once again renewed its contract of subservience to carry out the crimes and directives of its masters in an attempt to undermine the will of our proud people».
Grief among colleagues and friends of killed Iraqi PMF fighters – CLICK TO WATCH THE VIDEO
So these are the decisions:
We grant the government authorities that demanded the Resistance disarm until the 23rd of Safar (August, 6 – ed) to demonstrate what actions they will take.
In order to safeguard the security of the visitors of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and the honorable Arbaeen service processions, and to prevent any disruption to the blessed Arbaeen pilgrimage before its completion, our response against the American enemy is inevitable and may also target its instruments in Saudi Arabia whenever circumstances require.
Iran condemns ‘criminal’ US-Saudi strikes on Iraq,: “A plot to widen regional war” during sacred Arbaeen Procession
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has issued a fierce condemnation of joint airstrikes by the United States and Saudi Arabia on Iraq (details below in the yesterday updates), Iranian Press TV has reported.
Tehran says the attacks were a blatant violation of Baghdad’s sovereignty and a deliberate attempt by Washington and the Zionist regime to widen the regional war.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry specifically highlighted the “criminal and anti-human”targeting of official state facilities and service stations dedicated to the millions of pilgrims participating in the sacred Arbaeen procession.
“The Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran condemns in the strongest terms the aggressive attacks by the United States and Saudi Arabia on several areas in Iraq, including against facilities and sites belonging to official Iraqi institutions, as well as the mawakib and stations of Arbaeen pilgrims.”
Updates on JULY, 29, Breaking News in Video
Around 800,000 weapons intended for Ukraine end up on black market
About 800,000 units of weapons and ammunition have gone missing in Ukraine, ending up on the European black market, the Il Fatto quotidiano newspaper reported, citing that most of this arsenal comes from European military supplies.
The newspaper noted that since 2022, as many as 780,465 pieces of weapons have disappeared or have been stolen, with 149,000 of them in the first five months of this year alone.
Palermo Prosecutor Maurizio de Lucia told the anti-mafia commission that most of these weapons end up on the European market, catching the attention of the Italian mafia group Cosa Nostra.
US-Saudi air strikes kill at least 20 Iraqi fighters. PMF a ‘significant infringement of Iraqi sovereignty’
Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) says US-Saudi attacks have killed at least 20 of its fighters and wounded 32 others in strikes across seven provinces.
There’s been no statement from Baghdad so far. Right now we know Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has had an emergency meeting with his cabinet to establish what they’re going to do and what statement they’re going to put out later today.
The attacks hit PMF positions in the provinces of Baghdad, Wasit, Nineveh, Basra, Kirkuk, Karbala and Diyala, the state-sanctioned umbrella group of mostly Shia militias said in a statement.
The strikes also caused varying degrees of damage to buildings, vehicles and military equipment.
The First Trump’s Attack against a Militia that includes Christian soldiers
This attack could have very serious international geopolitical consequences, as the ranks of the PMF paramilitary forces — the valiant fighters who liberated Iraq from ISIS and thus earned official recognition from the national army — also include numerous Christians.
Therefore, this would be the first attack that President Donald Trump’s War Department has conducted against Christian militias, excluding, of course, the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Video footage captures an Israeli airstrike hitting Al-Muttaqin Mosque in Gaza City, next to Yarmouk Stadium, where dozens of displaced people are sheltering in tents.
The strike triggered a powerful explosion that destroyed the mosque and serious injured several Palestinians.
IRGC hits US airbase in Jordan with ballistic missiles, halts trespassing ships in Strait of Hormuz
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has staged a retaliatory ballistic missile strike against an American airbase in Jordan, besides halting three trespassing vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
“In response to the aggressive actions of the child-killing US military, the brave fighters of the IRGC’s Aerospace Force launched several ballistic missiles at a US airbase and the US military’s Central Command’s headquarters in Jordan,” the Corps said in a statement in early Wednesday.
“As long as threats against the Islamic Republic continue and the unlawful and hostile actions of US forces against our interests persist, resistance will also continue,”it added.
The Jordanian Armed Forces says its air defences “dealt with five missiles coming from Iran that targeted the kingdom’s territory” at dawn today. It said the missiles were intercepted and shot down.
The United States has perpetrated numerous violations against Iranian territory since April 7, when US President Donald Trump announced a unilateral ceasefire in the latest bout of wholesale American-Israeli aggression targeting the Islamic Republic.
The violations continued even after Washington and Tehran signed a Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding last month, whose first clause had clearly mandated cessation of aggression on all fronts.
The video below shows US soldiers running to shelter in one of the recent strikes on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan
Iran rejects Oman proposal for joint oversight over Strait of Hormuz
Iran has rejected a proposal from Oman for their joint oversight of the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, Iran made a proposal of its own as both sides continue to pore over the terms of what a final agreement could look like.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said in a state broadcast that Oman’s proposal had not sufficiently addressed Tehran’s concerns about control of the strait. Iran’s counterproposal would give Tehran more control over the waterway, he added.
The narrow strait has been at the centre of the conflict between the United States and Iran since late February when US-Israeli attacks began.
Before the war, about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas exports were shipped from Gulf producers. Iran closed the strait shortly after the war began, triggering global supply challenges.
The Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a military operation targeting the Saudi oil tanker (NCC GHAZAL) for violating the maritime navigation ban imposed on the Saudi enemy and for ignoring warning calls, the spokesman General Yahya Saree said according to Al-Manar English Website.
The operation was conducted with a number of ballistic missiles and forced it to retreat and turn back, by the grace of God, he added.
The Armed Forces affirmed their continued implementation of the maritime blockade decision against the Saudi enemy, under the equation of “siege for siege” and “comprehensive escalation for comprehensive escalation”.
Thirty-seven commodity vessels passed through the Bab al-Mandeb strait yesterday, marking the highest daily count since July 19, when the Houthis declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, Reuters reports, citing shipping data.
Saudi Arabia accuses Iran-aligned groups of ‘irresponsible escalatory’ attacks
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence has confirmed launching retaliatory attacks against Iran-backed groups in Iraq, saying those strikes were coordinated with the US Central Command.
It says they were in response to drone attacks on its territory, in the oil-producing regions, in particular. Now, those regions have been targeted pretty relentlessly throughout the course of this war since it started in February. And that’s all part of Iran’s strategy to try and push up the oil price and disrupt energy supplies.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the timing of the drone attacks was really unfortunate, because GCC countries and Jordan had been trying to work collectively to try and de-escalate tensions during this five-day pause in hostilities. But they said “Iran-affiliated terrorist militias” chose the “irresponsible escalatory” approach.
The Russian armed forces continued attacks on the port, marine, fuel and storage infrastructure of Ukraine, used in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In the border areas, calculations of the Geran drones destroyed gas stations in Mena, Chernihiv region, and Petropavlovsk, Kharkiv region. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the facilities were used to supply Ukrainian units with fuel.
On the outskirts of the village of Nikitovka, Sumy region, a Geran-4 Seeker drone struck an enemy attack UAV storage and launch site.
Strikes were also carried out on Ukrainian ports and naval vessels involved in the transportation of military goods.
More details in the description of the video in the Rumble Channel of Gospa News
Gas station hit with a glide bomb in Zaporozhye. Since may the Russian Aerospace Force has struck more than 200 gas and oil station (see update on July, 11) in retaliation of the previous attacks on civilian infrastructures unleashed by Kiev Army.
Senate confirms Clayton as new director of intelligence
The Senate voted along party lines to approve President Donald Trump’s choice for the next director of national intelligence, Jay Clayton.
Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the US intelligence community who was confirmed in a 51-47 vote on Tuesday night, steps into his new job inheriting a diminished office whose authority and relevance are at a historic low point.
Jay Clayton
The new Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) succeeds Bill Pulte, a combative and controversial housing executive with no national security experience whom Trump installed as acting director for a 40-day tenure.
Clayton, whose legal career centered on corporate law before serving as a US attorney under Trump, must now chart a course for an organization that struggled with its mandate even before Donald Trump and his allies made it their top “Deep State” target.
The ODNI position became available following the well-known resignation of Tulsi Gabbard, who, before leaving the scene, declassified important documents on the laboratory origin of SARS-CoV-2, covered up by Anthony Fauci, and on the Pentagon’s investments in biolaboratories in Ukraine and around the world.
If you can’t see the video preview, click on the title and you can watch it directly on Rumble
Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen say they have targeted a number of “sensitive” crude oil supplies and transport sites linking eastern Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea city of Yanbu.
Low-resolution satellite images show an Aramco oil facility in eastern Saudi Arabia was hit today, with fires raging inside oil tanks and the Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree – source Al Manar English
Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announced a drone attack on oil infrastructure in eastern Saudi Arabia and Yanbu.
“By the grace of God, a number of sensitive targets and positions related to the supply and transport of crude oil from eastern Saudi Arabia to Yanbu were targeted with a number of drones. This came in response to the penetration of Yemeni airspace by drones belonging to the Saudi enemy.”
Infact, Yemen Houthi forces have before claimed they shot down a Saudi reconnaissance drone over northwestern Yemen(footage below or here).
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry has condemned attacks on the kingdom saying it reserves the right to respond to the source of “the aggression” and deter those responsible.
Saudi forces attacked Yemen’s Houthi-held city of Hodeidah on Friday in the latest escalation of their conflict during the regional war between the United States and Iran.
The port of Hodeidah is a crucial lifeline for the parts of Yemen under Houthi control, handling the bulk of commercial and humanitarian imports into Houthi-controlled northern Yemen.
Major-General Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, blamed the Houthis for the escalation, calling their attacks on Red Sea shipping “cowardly and reckless”.
Footage of the crews of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ Su-34 multirole fighter-bombers.
– Five FAB-250 aerial bombs struck the temporary deployment point of the 117th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the village of Raigorodok (DPR).
– Four FAB-500s destroyed the UAV control center of the 15th Separate Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine near Dobropillya (DPR).
– Another airstrike using FAB-500s destroyed the temporary deployment point of the 71st Separate Airmobile Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Kyianytsia in Sumy Oblast.
– An airstrike using FAB-250-270 aerial bombs on a road bridge over the Loknya River in the settlement of Ulanovo in the Sumy region.
A young couple was covered with a slab after the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked a recreation center in Zaporizhia Kirillovka, but they miraculously escaped.
As a result of the terrorist attack in Ukraine, 12 people were killed, including four children. 19 civilians were injured.
The man told RT correspondent Roman Kosarev that after the second blow, a slab fell on him and the girl, which split into two parts.:
“I break out of there, knock out the wall, somehow I removed my legs from these rubble, from this slab – there was already a fire behind me. I’m starting to call for help, to throw all these plates, all these tables that were on the huge plate, in order to free the girl.”
Member of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, MP Hasan Fadlallah, said that the Israeli enemy is carrying out acts of destruction and bulldozing in the border villages and towns, and seeks to erase every aspect of life in these villages.
“This is happening in full view of the authority, which signed an agreement with it that gives it legitimacy for its occupation and practices. The authority has not even demanded a halt to this crime against the villages of the South. We have not heard a single word from it, nor seen any action demanding and working to stop the destruction and bulldozing. Nor did those who went to Washington, whether through negotiations or otherwise, raise the demand to stop the destruction in the border villages as one of Lebanon’s conditions. Instead, this vital demand was left aside, allowing the enemy to continue committing this crime against humanity.”
MP Fadlallah’s remarks came during a commemorative ceremony held by Hezbollah for the two martyrs, Mohammad Hussein Ali Shahrur and Mohammad Ishaq Qashaqesh, at the Hounin Complex in Ghobeiry, in the presence of a number of clerics, dignitaries, figures, the families of martyrs, and a gathering of locals.
MP Fadlallah added: “Until now, this authority has not brought us any option that can achieve even the minimum of national objectives.” He asked: Did this authority present us with a reasonable option open to discussion and solution that we then rejected? Even from the perspective of those who went to direct negotiations, what did they gain from them?
“Rather, the dangerous step this authority took was to allow the occupation to remain as long as there are resistance weapons. That is, the authority signed a deed that legislates the presence of the occupation and its practices. Meanwhile, some in Lebanon tell us: We are in the authority,” but “we are not in the negotiating authority, we are in the government.”
In the face of the Zionist danger, MP Fadlallah said, we have no other options to defend our country and protect our presence in Lebanon except the option of the Resistance: that it be capable, strong, ready, and present. That we offer sacrifices, and that our young men go to fight in defense of this existence.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Ukraine’s military attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea was carried out at the Israeli regime’s behest in a bid to drag Europe into its war in the West Asia region.
In a strongly worded post on X on Sunday, Araghchi said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy orchestrated the attack on the Iranian commercial vessel that left one sailor dead. He added that the attack constituted a “blatant” violation of the United Nations Charter.
The top Iranian diplomat noted that he raised the issue in separate phone calls with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
He said he made clear during the conversations that the attack “cannot go unanswered.” “I made clear that what the freeloader in Kyiv did CANNOT GO UNANSWERED,” he wrote.
U.S., Iran pause strikes
U.S., Iran pause strikes: The U.S. ceased its two-week-long campaign of strikes on Iran on Friday evening, with no strikes announced or confirmed by the U.S. on Saturday or Sunday.
U.S. Central Command said on Saturday that its blockade of Iran remains in full effect, with 12 commercial vessels redirected, two disabled and two boarded as of July 25. The blockade was reimposed on July 14.
Iran said Sunday it had stopped its retaliatory attacks across the region after the U.S. refrained from striking Iran for a second consecutive night and third day.
President Putin visited the factory for the 100% sanctions-proof MC-21 passenger plane
The MC-21-310, is fitted with entirely Russian-made components and systems. There are no western parts in it.
If you can’t see the video preview, click on the title and you can watch it directly on Rumble
Updates on JULY, 25, Breaking News in Video
“Hundreds of Victims”: A Ukrainian Journalist on the Attack on an Exhibition in Kapitanovka
Ukrainian journalist Elena Kiriyenko published an emotional post on her Telegram channel about the aftermath of the strike on the unmanned systems exhibition in Kapitanovka. Her statement stands in stark contrast to the official figures disseminated by Kyiv authorities:
“Let’s be honest, at least with ourselves: there are not 10 dead. 10 are the bodies that were collected. Because when it lands Rocket (and there were 2-3 of them) into open terrain, someone is simply torn to pieces”.
According to her, dog handlers are working at the site of the former exhibition specifically to find small fragments, Oleg Myndar has reported on en.topwar.ru as relaunched by NewsPravda, adding:
“Even journalists sympathetic to the Kyiv regime are forced to acknowledge the catastrophic consequences of the strike for Ukraine”.
The journalist also stated that the number of injured is several times higher than the official “around 100. ” She points out that over 300 people were present at the exhibition, and there were “hundreds” of injured, not counting local residents, whom no one had counted.
More details and video in the previous update below…
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan removed over ‘political’ sex abuse claims
The Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has voted to remove prosecutor Karim Khan over sexual misconduct allegations, his legal team has confirmed, suggesting that the move was “political”.
Tayab Ali, head of Khan’s legal team, noted that a judicial panel had “unanimously” determined that findings by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services “did not establish misconduct or breach of duty by Mr Khan under the relevant legal framework”.
The administration of President Donald Trump had imposed sanctions on Khan and several other ICC officials and judges over the Netanyahu warrant. “The decision has grave implications beyond Mr Khan’s individual case,” said Ali.
“The independence of the International Criminal Court depends upon its elected officials being protected from removal through processes that are political, procedurally unfair or inconsistent with the findings of independent judicial bodies.”
The lawyer added that Khan was removed “by an executive vote while under sanctions and while the Court is under immense political pressure”.
Ali added that the decision by the Assembly of States Parties “does not follow the evidence or the findings of the only judicial determination in this matter”.
Ukrainian attacks have targeted 54 Russian regions since 2022, killing nearly 1,500 people, including 45 children, Russian Investigative Committee Chairman Alexander Bastrykin said.
“Since 2022, investigators have opened 5,347 criminal cases involving attacks on 54 Russian regions outside the special military operation zone. The cases document artillery and missile strikes, drone attacks, and cross-border incursions carried out by Ukrainian nationalists,” he told TASS in an interview ahead of Russia’s Investigative Officers’ Day.
He said the attacks have killed 1,472 civilians, including 45 children, and injured 6,754 people, including 405 minors.
At least 256 children killed by Ukrainian forces in DPR
A total of 256 children have been killed in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) as a result of Ukrainian aggression that began in 2014, the republic’s human rights commissioner Darya Morozova has told TASS.
“Since 2014, a total of 256 children have been killed on the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic as a result of aggression on the part of Ukrainian armed groups,” she said in the run-up to the Remembrance Day of child victims of the conflict in Donbass. “Every such loss is an irreparable tragedy for families and all our people.”
The ombudsperson added that a total of 1,076 children have been wounded in the reported period.
The Remembrance Day of child victims of the conflict in Donbass is marked annually on July 27. The date was established by the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin. The date commemorates a massive Ukrainian shelling attack on Gorlovka, which left 22 civilians dead, including 23-year-old Kristina Zhuk, who died holding her ten-months-old daughter.
A Russian missile strike targeted the CSA Open Air testing ground in Kapitonovka, Buchansky district, outside Kiev, where a UAV technology demonstration was underway.
Present were leading drone developers, manufacturers, and representatives of the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces and special services planning strikes on Russian territory.
Casualties: 10 killed, dozens wounded. A Polish defense company employee died, though Poland’s Foreign Ministry says he was not a Polish citizen.
Damage: Fires destroyed 3 private homes and 8 cars. 23 homes, 2 hotels, a restaurant, and 34 vehicles were damaged.
The Russian Armed Forces carried out a strike using high-precision long-range weapons on a facility in a suburb of Kiev where Ukrainian-and foreign-made unmanned aerial vehicles, including advanced models, that are used in strikes on civilian facilities in Russia were demonstrated, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
At the time of the strike, drone developers, officials of Ukraine’s unmanned systems command, as well as the special services that plan attacks on Russia were present at the facility, the ministry said.
According to the Ukrainian Council of Gunsmiths (a defense industry association), the strike targeted an area “where representatives of the Ukrainian defense industry were present.” Several people were killer and wounded, it said.
The council also said that information about the participants’ whereabouts had not been disclosed publicly. Valery Borovik, founder of the defense manufacturer First Contact, reported a “very serious strike” on the training ground where weapons were located.
Ukraine’s attack on Kirov, six civilians killed
Six people have been killed and 26 more injured in a Ukrainian missile attack on an enterprise in Kirov, the region’s Governor Alexander Sokolov reported on messaging app Max.
On the morning of July 24, a plant in Kirov came under a missile attack, Sokolov reported. Emergency response services are working at the site.
According to the latest information, six people were killed and 26 injured in the attack. All the injured are receiving medical assistance – from outpatient treatment to hospitalization, the region’s governor noted.
Twelve of those injured in the Ukrainian attack on Kirov were taken to hospitals, fourteen others received outpatient assistance, aide to the Russian health minister Alexey Kuznetsov said.
Zelensky says appointed Drapaty as new commander-in-chief instead of Syrsky
Vladimir Zelensky said he has appointed Mikhail Drapaty as the new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army to replace Alexander Syrsky, whose resignation many Ukrainian politicians and protesters have been demanding for a week.
“It was decided that Mikhail Drapaty will be the new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed force,” he said in a video address posted on his Telegram channel.
Along with Syrsky, Zelensky dismissed Chief of the General Staff Andrey Gnatov. “Today, we discussed with Alexander Syrsky and Andrey Gnatov future service arrangements and the proper handover of responsibilities,” he said.
OIC condemns escalating colonist terrorism and Israeli occupation crimes against Palestinians
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned the escalating terrorism by Israeli colonists and the crimes committed against the Palestinian people under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, including the latest attacks in the towns of Tell in Nablus Governorate and Deir Jarir in Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate, as well as the ongoing attacks in the Gaza Strip that have resulted in dozens of Palestinians killed and injured.
In a statement issued on Friday, the organization denounced the continued attacks by colonists against unarmed Palestinian civilians, including the destruction of property, the burning of agricultural lands and homes, and the theft of livestock, amid the escalating pace of colonial expansion.
The OIC warned of the dangers of this serious escalation, describing it as a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, relevant international legitimacy resolutions, and the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice.
The OIC General Secretariat affirmed that the continuation and escalation of such terrorism constitutes a practical implementation of Israeli colonial plans aimed at forced displacement, ethnic cleansing, and genocide in the occupied Palestinian territory, including occupied Jerusalem.
If you can’t see the video preview, click on the title and you can watch it directly on Rumble
Footage documents Israeli settlers assaulting Palestinians in the West Bank town of Tell and committing a massacre. As shown in the video, armed Israeli settlers, protected by the IOF, are seen pointing their guns at unarmed Palestinians as they stormed their land before one managed to snatch a rifle to defend himself as he was being assaulted.
The Israelis opened fire, killing at least four Palestinians and injuring four others, including three critically, amid the raid on the town. In the ensuing confrontation, one Israeli officer was killed and three other Israelis were injured.
Israeli forces close entrances to several towns and villages in Salfit
Israeli occupation forces closed the entrances to several towns and villages across the Salfit governorate in the central West Bank on Friday, tightening military measures that disrupted the movement of Palestinians and vehicles, WAFA has reported.
Local sources told WAFA that Israeli forces closed the entrances to the towns of Deir Istiya and Haris, northwest of Salfit, as well as the town of Deir Ballut in the western part of the governorate.
The closures impeded the movement of residents and vehicles throughout the area.
As oil prices hit $100 a barrel on Thursday, experts say they are watching to see which vessels Yemen’s Houthis allow to pass through in the Red Sea as that will indicate how the crude market trends.
Brent futures rose $6.58 or 6.96 percent, to $100.65 a barrel, exceeding $100 for the first time since late May.
That was on the back of the Iran-aligned Houthis saying they were cutting off the passage Riyadh had been using to ship parts of its crude oil once Iran closed theStrait of Hormuz to retaliate against United States and Israel attacks.
On Monday, the Yemeni group declared a naval blockade on shipments from Saudi Arabia and said they would target Saudi, Israeli, and United States-linked tankers in the Bab el-Mandeb, which links the Red sea to the Indian Ocean.
On Thursday, the Houthis attacked two Saudi Arabian oil tankers, the group said, with a Saudi news agency later confirming that one of the two vessels was set ablaze.
It is not clear if the second one was also hit, according to marine analysis firm, Windward.
“The Houthis are quite mercurial and there is no complete clarity on what the blockade means,” said Michelle Bockmann, a senior maritime intelligence analyst at Windward.
In response to the ongoing US aggression against Iran, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had carried out drone attacks targeting US military facilities in Kuwait and Jordan.
High-resolution satellite imagery shows the destruction of the US FPS-117 early warning radar at Amhamd al-jaber Air Base in Kuwait following one of the Iranian operation
These strikes resulted in the destruction of strategic fuel reserves, major ammunition and supply depots, helicopter maintenance facilities, and critical air defense assets, including Patriot missile systems, a THAAD radar unit, C-RAM systems, and MQ-9 drone hangars. Additionally, troop quarters and communications infrastructure supporting these foreign forces were directly targeted.
In detail, the IRGC said its forces targeted Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, destroying a large military equipment depot, a Patriot air defense system, and a hangar housing US MQ-9 drones. It also said attacks on Al-Udairi Camp, where US forces are stationed, killed and wounded several personnel and caused severe damage to several helicopters and drones.
US military assets at Camp Doha and Camp Arifjan were also targeted.
A video has emerged online showing the impact of a cassette warhead from an Iranian ballistic missile on a U.S. air base. The video is reportedly filmed at a U.S. air base in Kuwait. The authenticity of the video has not yet been confirmed. Source: Telegram “CyberspecNews” via News-Pravda
US attacks Iran for 13th night as Trump threatens ‘bigger’ strikes
The United States military has said it bombed Iran for the 13th consecutive night after President Donald Trump threatened more intense attacks on the country amid risk of further escalation.
The Middle East-based Central Command (CENTCOM) of the US military said early on Friday that it targeted “Iranian military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime capabilities”.
Four people were killed and five others injured as a result of the US strike on the Iranian city of Ahvaz, Press TV reports.
The Central Command of the US Armed Forces said that the strikes were carried out on Iranian military command centers, drone depots, communications centers, coastal surveillance points and marine facilities. According to the American side, the purpose of the operation was to reduce the threat to civilian sailors and commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The footage of the Central Command of the US Armed Forces shows the moments of strikes against targets in Iran.
The Yemeni Armed Forces announced a military operation targeting two Saudi oil tankers (link video), identified as “ENCELIA” and “LAYLA”, noting that the vessels had violated a ban imposed by the Yemeni side.
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the operation was carried out using a number of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones, adding that the strikes accurately hit their targets.
Saree said the operation came as part of ongoing maritime operations, adding that the Yemeni Armed Forces had also forced approximately 10 ships to retreat and return.
He said the Yemeni Armed Forces would continue their maritime operations against the Saudi enemy and maintain a “blockade for blockade” response.
The Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson warned Saudi Arabia against carrying out any blunders or aggression against Yemen, saying any such action would be met with major operations deep inside Saudi territory.
Khatam Al-Anbiya (PBUH) Headquarters issued on Wednesday a statement, affirming that the rogue, criminal, child-killing American president has once again threatened to target Iran’s infrastructure, according to Al Manar Lebanese TV.
“In accordance with last night’s warning, it is announced that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Should any vessel be permitted to transit the Strait, it must do so only through the designated route and in accordance with the arrangements previously announced.”
“Should the United States carry out its threats, the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will not allow a single drop of oil to be exported. The oil, gas, electricity, and economic infrastructure throughout the region will also be targeted (Link video)”,the statement affirmed.
“The repeated threats of criminal America and its terrorist military will result in nothing but the expansion of the war throughout the region and even beyond.”
The Iranian Army announced on Wednesday that it had carried out an intensive drone attack targeting ammunition depots and logistical equipment belonging to the US Army’s Ground Forces Command at Doha Camp in western Kuwait, as part of the 21st phase of Operation Saeqeh.
The Iranian military said the operation came in response to repeated attacks by the United States against areas in Iran.
According to the Iranian Army statement, Doha Camp is one of the largest and most important US military bases in western Kuwait and serves as a logistical hub supporting US forces deployed across West Asia.
“The army targeted the ‘housing and welfare buildings’ and ‘equipment warehouses’ of the terrorist US army at the Azraq base in Jordan with drones in the morning,” the statement, cited by the Mehr News Agency, said.
“[Drones] also targeted the ‘large equipment warehouses and sheds’ and the ‘heavy aircraft maintenance and repair sheds’ of the child-killing and criminal US army at the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.”
The IRGC Aerospace Force has launched a barrage of cruise missiles against Amazon’s central data infrastructure in Bahrain, leaving the facility destroyed.
The AWS Middle East (Bahrain) Region, opened in 2019, is a major cloud infrastructure hub that underpins digital services across the Gulf, providing large-scale computing capacity, data storage, and cloud resources for governments, financial institutions, and enterprises.
It’s not the first time that Iran has targeted the Amazon infrastructure:
In March, drone strikes on Amazon Web Services data centers in the UAE caused outages for apps and digital services, with a Bahrain facility also sustaining damage
️ In April, the IRGC warned of potential attacks against Microsoft, Google, Apple, Meta, Oracle, Intel, HP, IBM, Cisco, Dell, Palantir and Nvidia assets in the Middle East
On April 1 an Iranian drone hit an Amazon data center in Bahrain, according to the Financial Times. On April 2, Iranian forces attacked an Oracle facility in Dubai.
Almost 100 U.S. service members have been injured, with most returning to duty, in Iranian strikes in the Middle East this month, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told CBS News.
The war on Iran has cost the US $37.5bn so far, the defence secretary says, an increase of nearly $8bn since the last public estimate.
Pete Hegseth told lawmakers that the figure also included anticipated costs through to September 30.
This is the first time that Hegseth, who appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee along with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, has publicly faced questions from lawmakers since the US military started attacking Iran again earlier this month.
British interests in the Middle East region may become a legitimate military target for Iran if London joins the US war against the Islamic Republic, a high-ranking Iranian source has told TASS.
“If media reports about the decision of the new British Prime Minister [Andy Burnham] to participate in the US war against Iran are confirmed, then, in addition to political and legal consequences, all British interests in the region will be added to the list of targets of Iran’s powerful armed forces,” the agency’s source said.
The source also recalled that “Britain has already once experienced the implementation of Iran’s threats during the 40-day war.”
Oil prices are continuing their upward trajectory, with Brent crude futures gaining $1, or 1.1 percent, to $92.01 per barrel as of 03:30 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude went up 82 cents, or 1.0 percent, to trade at $85.16.
The gains came after oil settled at a five-week high on Tuesday, according to Reuters, in the wake of US forces attacking targets in southern and western Iran, and Iran striking US facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Brent futures closed at $91.01 per barrel on Tuesday, while WTI settled at $84.91.
The Pentagon says it targeted military operations centers, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage, and logistics infrastructure.
It was yet another night of escalation and exchange of fire between Iran and the US, as we witnessed the continuation of air strikes targeting cities across Iran.
First and foremost, we know that sounds related to the activation of the air defence system here in the capital were heard. In Tabriz, located in the northwest of the country, attacks were reported targeting a military base. We also know that, in Khuzestan province, in the three cities of Omidiyeh, Mahshahr and Behbahan, explosions were reported.
Moving on, explosions were heard in the city of Sirik, which is very important as it oversees the Strait of Hormuz. Further strikes were also reported in Chabahar and Konarak in the southeastern Sistan province.
Similarly, air strikes were reported in the cities of Bushehr, Kangavar, Kabudarahang and in areas in the vicinity of the city of Baneh in Kurdistan province for the very first time.
The announcements were made in a series of statements issued early Tuesday, describing the latest phases of the IRGC’s Operation Nasr- (Victory) 2 and the Army’s Operation Sa’eqeh (Lightning) in response to the United States’ renewed aggression against the Islamic Republic.
In its first statement, the IRGC said the second phase of wave 24 of Operation Nasr-2 targeted infrastructure supporting US military air defense operations in Kuwait. The Corps said the latest phase was staged “to clear the way by eliminating obstacles to large-scale air and missile operations” against American targets in the region.
According to the statement, missiles and drones struck and destroyed a long-range radar site, a communications center, satellite reception systems, and a missile defense radar belonging to the “child-killing US military” stationed in Kuwait. The IRGC also said an MQ-9 drone hangar at Ali al-Salem Airbase was hit in the country, adding that several drones were either destroyed or severely damaged as a result.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Tuesday that its Aerospace Force had launched a missile strike against a US military base in Jordan, confirming that the attack “destroyed a missile defense radar system and an F-15 aircraft”.
Casualties: 3 US servicemen killed (2 confirmed dead, 1 initially MIA, remains later found). At least 4 wounded and evacuated to hospitals.
Equipment losses: A critical AN/TPY-2 X-band radar (THAAD component) was destroyed by a Shahed kamikaze drone early in Operation Epic Fury (Feb 28, 2026). The base hosts US F-16s, F-15Es, and reconnaissance systems.
IRGC-linked sources claim local agents aided the strikes, possibly to provoke a witch hunt within Jordanian intelligence, seen by Tehran as Tel Aviv allies.
Tehran attacks Gulf states, Jordan; 2 Hormuz tankers on fire
Iran continues retaliatory attacks across the region after a 10th consecutive night of US bombing, with the Revolutionary Guard saying it targeted US assets in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait.
“Massive fires” broke out on two tankers that “took an unsafe route” in the Strait of Hormuz, says the IRGC. The IRGC said rescue teams are evacuating the crews of the vessels.
It again warned shipping companies to safeguard the health of their sailors, not to trust “false information from the US military” and avoid routes it described as “dangerous”. It wants ships to use a route closer to its shores.
U.S. forces targeted Iranian military command and control facilities, naval capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defense systems, with the aim of disrupting Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Updates on JULY, 20, Breaking News in Video
US renews strikes on Iran as another soldier confirmed killed in Iraq
The US military says it has completed its ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, targeting command centres, air defence sites, maritime assets, missile facilities, and communications networks.
A US service member has died in northern Iraq after a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone, according to CENTCOM. Another body was found in Jordan, but not yet identified.
Military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance facilities, marine facilities, missile and drone launch positions, as well as communications networks were hit, the Central Command of the US Armed Forces said.
Before the strike, Trump said that this attack was dedicated to the memory of three American servicemen who died in the Middle East.
According to WP sources, Washington is on the verge of returning to a full-scale war with Iran.
IRGC conducts high-fatality, destructive strikes on regional US targets
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has announced carrying out high-fatality and widely destructive retaliatory strikes against strategic American targets in the region in response to the ongoing violations by the United States.
The IRGC made the announcements in successive statements on Monday, during which it detailed strikes targeting American assets in Jordan and Kuwait as part of the 21st and 22nd waves of its Operation Nasr-2 (Victory-2).
IRGC: “20 hangars destroyed, dozens of US forces killed”
The 21st wave saw the IRGC carry out precision strikes leading to “the destruction of 20 hangars used to station troops of the child-killing US military in the al-Azraq area” in Jordan, which also resulted in “the deaths of dozens of American terrorist forces.”
The Corps thanked the Jordanian public and members of the country’s armed forces for providing it with intelligence that facilitated the reprisal.
Additionally, the 21st phase featured destructive ballistic missile strikes by the IRGC’s Aerospace Force against US C-17 strategic transport aircraft and P-8 command-and-control aircraft at Aqaba Airport in Jordan.
In a separate statement, the IRGC announced conducting the 22nd wave of Operation Nasr-2, saying it had struck multiple US military facilities at Ali al-Salem Airbase in Kuwait.
According to the second statement, an American early warning radar system was “completely destroyed” in a drone strike, while aviation equipment, a spare-parts hangar, and an MQ-9 drone shelter were also hit, causing several drones to catch fire.
Vladimir Zelensky stated that the strike on Kiev on the night of July 19 was one of the most massive and again requested ammunition for air defense systems.
“One of the most massive ballistic attacks on Kiev,” he wrote on his Telegram channel, adding that “interceptors are needed every day.” According to him, the cleanup of the consequences of the explosions that rocked Kiev tonight continues. “More than 600 rescuers have been deployed,” Zelensky wrote.
“Overnight, Russia conducted one of its largest ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv. The enemy launched more than 40 missiles of various types – most of them against the capital – and 120 attack drones.”President Volodymyr Zelensky took stock of the attack on the Ukrainian capital overnight in a post on
Ukrainian authorities regularly complain about a shortage of ammunition for the air defense systems in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces and ask Western countries to increase supplies of the relevant weapons.
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry reported the strike on several Kiev-based enterprises producing military equipment for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Ukrainian officials said at least one person was killed and several others were injured as residential buildings, a dormitory, warehouses, and a supermarket were damaged. Emergency crews responded as the attack left widespread destruction.
On July, 18 large-scale, combined attacks by the Russian Armed Forces on Ukrainian Black Sea port infrastructure, which have been ongoing for several weeks, are gradually leading to a blockade of maritime traffic. After the Kyiv regime began massively attacking Ukrainian civilian vessels in the Black and Azov Seas, the Russian military is mirroring this.
The Russian Ministry of Defense regularly reports attacks on vessels that still risk sailing to Ukrainian ports. All of them are sailing under the flags of third countries, and the sailors are mostly citizens of other countries. However, the cargo carried in their holds is military-grade. Therefore, the ships are a legitimate target for the Russian Armed Forces.
As a result of our army’s actions, maritime traffic at the ports of Odesa Oblast and Mykolaiv has already fallen by more than a third. This has been noted by both Western analytical resources and Ukrainian media. Insurance costs for ships and cargo exported from Ukrainian ports have risen sharply.
This represents almost the entire export of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products. As a result, foreign shipowners and chartering companies have begun to cancel existing contracts en masse.
Excerpt by Alexander Grigoryev from https://en.topwar.ru
Updates on JULY, 18, Breaking News in Video
The number of victims of recent US strikes on Iran has exceeded 50 people, more than 500 injured.
According to the head of the press service of the Iranian Ministry of Health Hossein Kermanpour, the number of victims continues to grow. One of the most devastating was the strike on the seawater desalination plant in the Bongji district of the Hormozgan province. Tasnim news agency reported that the attack completely destroyed a pumping station and a transformer substation, shutting down the company.
The plant’s capacity was 3,150 cubic meters of water per day. As a result, 20 villages with a population of about 10,000 people were left without drinking water. Local authorities report that restoration work is underway at the facility. The representative of the Ministry of Health stressed that attacks on civilian infrastructure worsen the humanitarian situation in the region.
2 U.S. service members killed in Jordan during Iranian attacks
«Two U.S. service members were killed while defending against an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack in Jordan, and another service member is missing, U.S. Central Command said Saturday»NBC has reported.
CENTCOM did not specify where in Jordan the attack occurred or provide additional details about the circumstances. Four other American service members were medically evacuated to hospitals in Jordan but have since been discharged.
Another soldier was missing in action at the base. There were also a handful of injuries, four serious, the military said, CBS added.
The U.S. military said Friday it completed a seventh night of strikes against Iran, marking one week of nightly attacks on Iranian targets, as hostilities between the two countries ramp up again.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed a new series of strikes targeting U.S. military facilities across the Middle East on Friday, alleging attacks on sites in Syria, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Jordan. The U.S. military denied those claims Friday.
IRGC: “Two American fighter jets and three aircraft completely destroyed during attack to US Base in Jordan”
The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) conducted a simultaneous missile and drone strike against a US base in Azraq, Jordan, targeting fighter shelters and a large parking ramp, according to the IRGC’s Public Relations Office.
In a statement, the IRGC reported that the operation was carried out in the early morning hours as part of the 20th wave of Operation Nasr 2. The strike was launched in response to the US aggression the previous night, the statement said.
“With a crushing and simultaneous missile and drone attack on the fighter shelters and a large parking ramp at the American base in Azraq, Jordan,” the IRGC said, “at least two American fighter jets and three American aircraft were completely destroyed while inflicting major damage on a number of others.”
An Iranian strike in March, 29, 2026 on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia destroyed a U.S. E-3 Sentry AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft and heavily damaged or destroyed several KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft
IRGC announces strikes on Kuwait, Bahrain, destroys data intel center
Earlier on Saturday, the IRGC announced that its naval forces carried out drone and missile strikes on US targets in Kuwait and Bahrain.
In a statement, the IRGC said that its naval forces, in the 19th wave of Operation Nasr 2, carried out drone and missile strikes on “a fuel support pier for the US fleet at Kuwait’s Al Ahmadi port” and “a gathering point for enemy combat aircraft at Sheikh Isa in Bahrain.”
The statement added that its forces destroyed “a US data intelligence center in Bahrain known as Batelco” and also destroyed “a US signals and telecommunications center in Kuwait.”
Another power and desalination plant, the second, has been hit by an Iranian attack in Kuwait. The Kuwaiti Ministry of Electricity announced the attack in a statement.
The Kuwait Fire Service said several of its men and a worker were injured while fighting fires at two sites following Iranian attacks this morning.
Tehran launched ballistic missile at US base in Saudi Arabia
Iran has launched a ballistic missile at a US base in Saudi Arabia, marking Tehran’s first direct attack on the Gulf country in nearly four months, according to Axios, citing a US official.
The last time Iran struck a target in Saudi Arabia was in early April, during an attack on the Jubail petrochemical complex. No further details were provided about the attack or its target.
US and Iran exchange deadly attacks for 7th night
US Central Command says it launched its seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iran.
The southern cities of Sirik, Bushehr and Bandar Abbas have reportedly been targeted, along with Qeshm Island and the central city of Yazd.
The IRGC has said that two oil tankers exploded after trying to pass through minefields in the southern Strait of Hormuz, a claim the US military has denied.
Naval mines are underwater explosives designed to damage or sink ships.
Back in April, the IRGC provided a map showing an approved passage through the Strait of Hormuz due to “the likelihood of the presence of various types of antiship mines in the main traffic zone”.
This has meant that ships wanting to avoid the potential risk of mines in southern waters closer to Oman have had to pass through routes to the north, closer to Iran.Under the agreement reached between the US and Iran last month, which has now broken down, Iran had agreed to remove mines from the waterway.
The IRGC Navy has released drone footage showing the attack on an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The attack occurred after the vessel refused to follow instructions and transit the strait. This is the first time Iran has released footage of its attacks on ships.
US CENTCOM footage showing US military personnel intercepting and inspecting a ship
CENTCOM has released new footage showing US military personnel intercepting and inspecting a ship under the blockade of Iran imposed by the Trump administration.
The statement said that the operation was carried out in order to ensure that the ship “complies” with the restrictions set by the United States.
Updates on JULY, 17, Breaking News in Video
US aggressive acts against Iran constitute war crimes: Iran envoy to UN
Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations has condemned the United States’ continued military attacks on Iranian territory, stating that the systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure constitutes “serious violations of international humanitarian law” and amounts to “war crimes” for which Washington bears full international responsibility, Iranian Press TV has reported.
Image captures the aftermath of the bridge bombed by the US forces in latest round of attacks on Iran’s southern regions late Thursday and into Friday.
In a letter addressed to the UN Security Council and Secretary-General António Guterres, Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani detailed a wave of US attacks carried out between July 8 and July 16, targeting southern provinces, coastal cities, and ports along the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the letter, US strikes have hit Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Ahvaz, Chabahar, Konarak, Jask, Sirik, Iranshahr, Abu Musa Island, Greater Tunb Island, and in the early hours of July 16, the cities of Shiraz, Khorramabad, Semnan, Urmia, and Hamedan.
The United States carried out a fresh wave of military strikes on Iran’s southern regions late Thursday and into Friday, hitting civilian infrastructure including bridges, a railway station, and residential neighborhoods.
In Hormozgan province, American airstrikes targeted three bridges in Khmer county, including the crucial Khmer Bridge connecting Bandar Abbas to Lar in Fars province.
Iranian army claims drone strikes on US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain
The Iranian army says it targeted US military deployment sites and logistical support centres in Kuwait with drones.
According to a statement carried by the Fars news agency, the military said, “Relying on history, popular support, experience, and combat readiness, we stand with vigilance and authority against any pressure or threat.”
The Iranian Army has carried out the 11th phase of Operation Thunder, “striking a US military base in Bahrain that housed helicopters and P-8 reconnaissance aircraft of the American terrorist army”, in response to the enemy’s hostile acts targeting civilian infrastructure and innocent people.
Qatar’s Defence Ministry says the country’s armed forces are intercepting several air attacks. Earlier, we reported that a child was injured by falling shrapnel following an Iranian attack that targeted Qatar.
US military completes major wave of strikes against Iran, CENTCOM says
The US military says it has “successfully” completed its latest major wave of strikes against Iran, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).
“US forces, including fighter jets, aerial drones, and warships, launched precision munitions that hit dozens of Iranian military targets such as coastal surveillance and air defense sites, military logistics infrastructure, and maritime capabilities,” CENTCOM said.
Here are the reported targets according to Al Jazeera:
Ahvaz, Qeshm, Bushehr, Dashti, Bostan, Sirik and Bandar-e Lengeh: Explosions were reported across these southern coastal cities and islands, causing more extensive damage to infrastructure than in previous nights.
Bandar e-Khamir: Two bridges near the city were struck.
Bandar Abbas: The Tapeh Allah Akbar neighbourhood was hit, alongside several other explosions reported across the city.
Hormozgan province: Road and railway infrastructure was targeted.
Iranshahr: The airport in the southeastern city was attacked, causing damage to the facility and leading to power outages.
Kish Island: Air strikes were reported on the island, resulting in temporary power outages in some areas.
Hospital Director Reza Bazar said American attacks on Ahvaz city put the hospital out of service, Fars news agency quoted him as saying. There were no reports of casualties.
Dr Majid Bou’azar, manager of the hospital, told Al Jazeera that 211 patients “were forced to relocate” because of the strikes (further details in the previous update below).
The Russian Armed Forces have destroyed almost half of Ukraine’s port infrastructure in the past two weeks. The ports of Odessa and Yuzhny were under attack — the country’s export and import capabilities have already dropped by 40%.
13 dry cargo ships connected to Ukrainian ports were hit. The strikes also hit the infrastructure of the ports of Odessa and Yuzhny, where military cargo and fuel were stored. When crossing by sea to the ports of the Odessa region, a naval vessel and a high-speed boat of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were hit.
Currently, four official vessels remain under the flag of Ukraine: one of the last active ones is the Mekhanik Cherevko, which is located in Burgas, Bulgaria. The rest have either not been in touch for a long time, or are working on the Danube. (read more here in the video description inside Rumble Channel)
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday it targeted US military infrastructure in Kuwait and Jordan while also announcing the downing of an American MQ-9 drone over southwestern Iran, as fighting between Tehran and Washington continued to escalate.
According to the IRGC, Iranian forces struck the early warning radar of the C-RAM air defense system at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, in addition to a gathering of US troops.
The IRGC also announced that it had shot down an American MQ-9 drone over the city of Andimeshk in Khuzestan Province, describing the operation as a response to overnight US attacks on parts of Iran’s southern coastline.
The Iranian army said it had targeted the fixed radar site, communications system, and fuel storage facilities at the US-operated Al Azraq Air Base in Jordan using suicide drones. The strike was described as part of Iran’s response to the US attack on an army barracks in Iranshahr.
Earlier, IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebi said Iranian military operations are currently focused on destroying US offensive infrastructure throughout the region.
“The enemy should not think that it is capable of continuing the current equation of the fighting and turning the war into a war of attrition.”
Iran threatens to ‘crush’ regional infrastructure if US attacks Iranian infrastructure
Brigadier General Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, has threatened to respond to any US attacks on Iranian infrastructure with strikes on regional infrastructure.
In a statement carried by Iranian state media, he said if Trump follows through on his threats, “all the infrastructure in the region will be crushed under the steel blows of the powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, so that no trace of them will remain, as if they had never existed in the first place.”
US Bases hit by IRGC
He also said Iran will not allow US interference in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Under no circumstances and in no way will we allow America, as a foreign and extra-regional country, to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz. This is Iran’s invincible red line,” he said.
The US military has completed another series of strikes on Iran, according to the US Central Command. The strikes included the city of Bandar Abbas.
The IRIB state broadcaster is reporting an “enemy attack” in Kabudarahang county, in the western Hamadan province. Earlier, Iranian media reported attacks on the northern city of Semnan and said air defences were also activated in Tehran.
It was last week that we saw the US attack northern Iran for the first time since the memorandum of understanding was signed, or indeed, after the ceasefire was reached on April 8.
The first strike was in Aqqala, where a railway bridge was attacked.
The US military has launched a second wave of strikes against Iran, with CENTCOM saying they “are targeting Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels freely transiting through the Strait of Hormuz”.
Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna joins live from Washington, DC. He says US forces have launched strikes against Iran for a fifth consecutive day, targeting sites linked to Iran’s military control of the Strait of Hormuz and efforts to disrupt shipping through the strategic waterway.
Iran’s top negotiator and parliamentary Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf says the country has “never welcomed war, nor do we now”, adding that “we must always be prepared for battle and stand firm to protect our national security and interests”.
Here’s what happened yesterday, July, 15, 2026 according to Al jazeera
Explosions were reported late on Wednesday on Iran’s Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas, and locations in Sistan-Baluchistan province.
US forces enforced naval blockade measures against Iran by stopping three Iran-bound vessels.
Iranian army said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until US accepts Iranian rules.
Five drone attacks were reported across Erbil in northern Iraq.
Kuwait’s Defence Ministry said it intercepted 21 Iranian drones.
Iran’s top negotiator called for a “non-partisan” approach in handling war and talks with the US.
UN chief said he is “deeply concerned” by recent US-Iran escalation.
Iran had summoned the British ambassador over IRGC ban.
Residents of Ahvaz have reported hearing multiple explosions after US strikes on several parts of the southwestern Iranian city, including the vicinity of a hospital treating cancer patients, particularly children undergoing chemotherapy.
According to Fars News Agency, several projectiles struck the area near Baqaei Hospital during the attacks on Wednesday.
Medical personnel, assisted by patients’ families, were evacuating the facility and relocating patients who had been frightened by the explosions. Initial assessments indicated that patients from the medical center would be transferred to another healthcare facility.
Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences, meanwhile, announced that, following enemy attacks on the city and explosions in areas adjacent to the hospital, the facility “has been temporarily taken out of service to ensure the safety of patients and staff.”
Russia delivers massive overnight strike on Ukrainian military-industrial sites
Israel continues to raid southern Lebanon in open defiance of Iran-US deal
United States and Iran reach agreement to end war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz
Trump got Iran to CALL OFF a MASSIVE missile attack vs Israel before the peace deal signing
Hezbollah footage on downing an Israeli ‘Heron-1’ MALE drone at an altitude of 7 kilometers
Oil depots burned down in Dnipropetrovsk and the Kyiv region after Russian military strikes
AMERICAN ANGER vs TRUMP’s WARS. US Secretary of State Rubio ran away like Speedy Gonzales before Pacifists
Trump Violates Humanitarian Law: The Bombing of a Water Facility in Iran
IRGC launches 12 ballistic missiles at US al-Azraq base in Jordan, US Fighter Jets damaged
IRGC Navy closes Strait of Hormuz for all vessels in respomse to renewed US’ strikes
Iran retaliates against 21 US-linked targets
‘Israel’ launches aggression on Iran, Iran responds
BREAKING: House passes resolution rebuking Trump’s Iran war
Footage of the moment a Ukrainian drone struck a bus in Donbas, killing 8 civilians
Footage of Heavy Missile strikes on Kiev overnight as retaliation to Starobelsk
8 KILLED, Many Children Injured by Israeli airstrike on the Nabatieh area in Lebanon
WATCH: Israeli troops cross Lebanon’s Litani River as tensions escalate with Hezbollah
US personnel injured in Iran retaliatory strike on Ali Al Salem base
Ukrainian drone “deliberately’ hits turbine hall of Zaporozhye NPP Unit 6 — Rosatom CEO
Israel destroys a building in Tyre, southern Lebanon
Russian forces begin establishing buffer zone in Kharkov Region IRGC downs US drone, forces F-35 and RQ-4 out of Iranian airspace
IRGC targets US military base in response to attack on Bandar Abbas US lost 39 aircraft during 40 days of war against Iran ‘Most massive attack since ceasefire’: IOF bombs 47+ towns in Southern Lebanon From the wreckage of drones found in Starobilsk, the investigators figured out these UAV are FP-1 Russia Retaliates on Kiev for Zelensky’s Diabolical Massacre of Children Death toll at Starobelsk college up to 21; search operations over
Russian UN Envoy: “None of EU Members even bothered to mention the dead children in Starobilsk” Nuclear triad must be guarantor of Russia, Belarus sovereignty: Putin
The Russia exercises to prepare for the use of nuclear weapons: yesyed Zircon, Iskander, RS-24 Yars Missiles
Russia does not use certain weapons in the Ukraine SVO zone to avoid causing excessive damage.
US deploys two laser-armed destroyers to Middle East – VIDEO
Russian fighter jets twice chased away a British spy plane flying over the Black Sea in a month
Israeli minister Ben-Gvir TAUNTING Flotilla activists detained after an “ACT OF PIRACY” vs Gaza-bound HUMANITARIAN AID Boats (Video)
The USS aircraft carrier Nimitz in the Caribbean Sea after accusations vs the ex-leader of Cuba
Israeli strike in Tyre destroys health clinic as Lebanon death toll tops 3,000
U.S. indicts Cuba’s Raúl Castro, 5 others on murder, conspiracy charges for 1996’s downing of planes
US CentCOM’s Head failed to convince Congress on deadly attack vs girls’ school in Iran’s Minab
Russia Recreates the Legendary Myth of Air Force: TU-160 “White Swan” Planes Take off again Ready for Zelensky, NATO
Exclusive: ICC prosecutor’s office seeks arrest warrant for Israel’s Smotrich due to APARTHEID
NATO equipment, fortifications of Ukrainian Army WIPED after strikes by Russian drone, missiles
Breaking – DRAMATIC FOOTAGE: Two US F-18 military aircraft collided mid-air during an airshow in Idaho
Massive Drone attack on Moscow, surrounding region kills three civilians, leaves 17 injured
Powerful explosion and major fire in Beit Shemesh, Jerusalem
USS Ford returned in US: SecWar Hegseth awarded sailors with one of the HIGHEST Military awards
Israel attacks Lebanon despite ceasefire: Army launches strikes hours after truce extension
BREAKING: President Trump is gearing up for another round of targeted strikes against Iran
US Rep. Massie: “AIPAC money sends Republicans one message: Obey Israel”
Rutte: “NATO will participate in the next phase of US-Israel attack against Iran”
A court in Ukraine has arrested the former head of Zelensky’s office, Andrei Ermak, for 60 days
The Russian Ministry of Defense showed footage of tests of the Sarmat, which can carry a nuclear warhead
IDF Army continue their systematic targeting of Lebanon’s healthcare infrastructure: 2 Paramedics Killed
Toward Victory NATO as vs NAZIS” Vladimir Putin’s Victory Day Speech 2026
Unclassified Video of US Forces Disabling Two Ships Attempting to Violate Blockade in Gulf of Oman
Iran Navy seizes oil tanker Ocean Koi off Gulf of Oman over maritime violations – VIDEO
BREAKING: Three American destroyers just took a second brutal pounding in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranians released video of an American ship attempting to pass through Hormuz
TASS-Tasnim: “US sunk small cargo ships in Hormuz killing 5 people instead IRGC SpeedBoats”
U.S. finally Confirmed that Iran launched missiles and drones at American ships
Former Supreme Commander of NATO’s Allied Forces in Europe on High US Military Damage
The Russian Armed Forces’ underground city in the Special Military Operation zone has been shown on video for the first time.
NEW VIDEO: Iran damaged most US military facilities in the Middle East
King Charles III urges U.S. to prepare for war with Russia
Trump suggests Fauci should be prosecuted. But he only faces a few months in prison
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday suggested that Dr. Anthony Fauci should be prosecuted, hours after Republican Senator Rand Paul said that he would ask the Justice Department to do so after US Senate panel voted the contempt of Congress.
When asked if the Justice Department should prosecute Fauci, Trump told reporters that former aides Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon had faced similar action “over something that essentially was never prosecuted before, and there are sort of telltale signs of similarity.”
The Republican president added: “When you see that happen, you sort of say maybe he should (be prosecuted). What he did is far more serious than a lot of crimes, frankly.”
The criminal offense of contempt of Congress is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than $100,000 nor less than $100 and imprisonment in a common jail for not less than one month nor more than twelve months.
Therefore, even if the preemptive pardon Biden received, which protects the virologist from any conviction, is not deemed valid, he would only risk a few months in prison.
A ridiculous punishment when compared to the fact that the American virologist, a White House consultant also during the first Trump administration, was accused of having contributed to the laboratory construction of SARS-Cov-2 and of having induced the Biden administration to impose mandatory vaccination on many professional categories despite the vaccines being experimental and potentially lethal, as demonstrated by multiple scientific studies even before they were released on the market.
US Senate panel votes to hold former official Fauci in contempt of Congress
A United States Senate panel has voted to hold former health official Anthony Fauci, a key figure in the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in contempt of Congress.
The move on Thursday came after Fauci last week invoked the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution, which includes the right to remain silent, during a hearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The 8-5 vote fell along party lines.
Fauci, the former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), charged that the Republican-led hearing was designed to entrap him. He had previously been pre-emptively pardoned by former President Joe Biden after a politically divisive government response to the pandemic, which included school closures and vaccine promotion.
VIDEO – Dr. Fauci’s Contempt of Congress referral is being Reviewed by DOJ already
Fauci blames the committee chairman, Sen. Rand Paul: “He wants me behind bars”
In his opening statements last week, Fauci accused the committee chairman, Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, of having an “unhinged obsession” with him, arguing he had previously cooperated in several congressional hearings and investigations following the pandemic.
“The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something – anything – that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words – quote – ‘behind bars’,”Fauci said.
After the vote on Thursday, the panel could refer Fauci to the Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution.
Speaking before the vote, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said there was “virtually no chance that a court would actually approve any contempt because [Fauci] had a well-founded fear of self-incrimination, which entitled him to invoke the Fifth Amendment”.
Rand, meanwhile, argued that Fauci’s decision to deliver an opening statement decrying the hearing before invoking his Fifth Amendment right during questioning, showed he was “trying to have it both ways”.
Democrats and critics have charged that last week’s hearing, which comes six years after the pandemic spread across the US, was a purely political exercise that shed no new light on the issue.
Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment refusing to anwer alla questions on Covid-19 before the US Senate
The investigation into Covid-19, from the origins of SARS-CoV-2, built in laboratories in China and the US, to experimental vaccines comparable to innovative and dangerous gene therapies, concludes in three sentences.
Anyone who expected to see a Western-style battle before the United States Congress between former White House virologist Anthony Fauci and Senator Rand Paul was certainly disappointed.
Those of us who knew full well that Fauci has enough biological weapons secrets to arrest hundreds of Pentagon officials feared he would get away with it by invoking the Fifth Amendment and refusing to answer any questions to avoid the risk of perjury.
Dr. Anthony Fauci was asked at least 111 questions today during a contentious congressional hearing on the origins of COVID-19 and his role in leading the government’s response to the pandemic. And at least 111 times (details in The Defender article among the sources), Fauci said the same thing:
“On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.”
But the key phrase that foreshadowed this attitude had already emerged from the famous “Diaries” of the former Director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases…
The notable passages document his initially amicable relationship with President Trump—who called him “the smartest person in the world” and said “We are counting on you.”
And in light of the statements of the POTUS, who has returned to lead the star-spangled nation, it seems we can still count on it…
This testimony was particularly anticipated after a CIA whistleblower confirmed both Fauci’s role in SARS virus experiments in China and his attempts to hide the artificial origin of the Covid pandemic virus, supported by the same counterintelligence agency.
Sen. Rand Paulwarned former government health official Fauci that there would be “repercussions”
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky warned former government health official and COVID czar Dr. Anthony Fauci that there would be “repercussions” for his refusal to answer questions during a Senate hearing on Wednesday. Paul proceeded to ask questions of Fauci anyway, who then repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment (details in The Western Journal article among the sources),
The senator responded, “The chairman has denied your assertion of privilege and directed you to answer [the questions]. You nonetheless refused and stand on privilege despite the existence of the pardon.”
“The committee will have to consider after this hearing what appropriate action should be taken against you for the failure to testify after being directed to do so. It’s against the law to obstruct an investigation of Congress. There will be repercussions,”Paul said.
“Then Chairman Paul put a contempt resolution on next week’s Senate calendar”The Substack Duty to Dissent detailed (among the sources).
But a few hours before the important hearing, US President Donald Trump intervened. In one of his many posts on Truth, where he practices the administration of a democratic country without having to verify that it is within the law, he effectively “protected” the former White House health and Covid-19 emergency adviser from the media spotlight.
Trump blames Fauci of “Crazy Ideas,” not Bioterrorism: to protect Warp Speed on Moderna vaccine
He called him a “crazy man” and not the bioterrorist many believe him to be, given that he is among the prime suspects for having created a SARS-CoV-2 in various experiments funded by the Pentagon’s DARPA in the US, China, Ukraine, and the UK...
He is also accused of having sworn on the efficacy and safety of experimental mRNA vaccines that turned out not to be so.
John Bolton, Anthony Fauci and Donald Trump during a visit in a NIAID Laboratory among other during the Operation Warp Speed. Featured on the right Barney Graham, former deputy director of the Vaccine Research Center (VRS)
But precisely because Trump doesn’t want to admit that he funded a project to test dangerous gene therapies on hundreds of millions of American citizens, with high risks of adverse reactions such as myocarditis, strokes, and turbo-cancer, he has effectively issued an unwritten “pardon” that will protect Facui from the risk of prison or even a possible federal trial.
«Many more people died of Covid under the Biden Administration than under the Trump Administration. “Operation Warp Speed” was a SPECTACULAR SUCCESS, in fact, many say, one of the most successful things ever done by an American President. I overrode Fauci on this. His ideas were CRAZY!» Trump posted.
«Also, I said from the beginning that the Virus came from the Wuhan Laboratory in China. Fauci strongly disagreed, always trying to protect China. I Inherited Fauci, who was there since the 1980’s, but with each passing day, relied less and less on him. He made too many bad calls, like on MASKS. Remember at the beginning he was an anti-masker. He then switched to a super-masker» the US president added on Truth.
«In any event I didn’t let him shut the Country down, although he wanted to. I went the Federalist way, and let the governors decide. The Republican governors did a much better job than the Dumocrats. Fauci was largely taken out of play, and then along came Sleepy Joe Biden, who made Fauci a “King!” I called Biden to tell him Fauci was no good, either didn’t have a clue, or was dishonest. The call was well received, but sadly, not acted on. Biden went on to give Fauci vast destructive power. The rest is history! President DJT»
The ODNI-Gabbard Dossier on Fauci, Wuhan and SARS-Cov-2 Manmade
These words reveal a distancing from the state virologist, clearly highlighted in the dossier that Tulsi Gabbard, the outgoing director of the ODNI, declassified as the last act of her tenure as head of the US Intelligence Community.
This dossier highlights the well-known and notorious research activities on the Gain-of-Function-enhanced SARS virus in the laboratories of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, but it contains perhaps less damning documents than those published by Gospa News on the Pentagon’s secret activity in the construction of recombinant chimeric viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, whose lethality derives primarily from the insertion of the HIV-AIDS pathogen plasmid.
Too Many Secrets behind Moderna Vaccine funded by Trump
“The rest is history” conclude Trump… Why bring to trial the human archive of American bioterrorism, which since the anthrax emergency in 2001 has hidden behind the alibi of national biodefense?
Why make Americans wonder why Ralph Baric, Fauci’s operational arm at the University of North Carolina, published a study in 2017 on “The Recipe for Building a Laboratory-Based COVID”during the Trump administration, and in 2018, DARPA, together with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, funded top-secret experiments on the SARS virus at the UK’s Pirbright Institute?
Why should Americans risk knowing that Trump’s own aides, or even Trump himself, knew full well about those dangerous experiments, just as the White House knew—or should have known—that Operation Warp Speed funded Moderna’s vaccine, developed with the help of DARPA, Fauci, and Baric, but curiously patented nine months before the emergence of Covid-19 in China.
But we must not forget that during its multiple research activities on vaccines, Big Pharma Moderna of Cambridge (Massachusetts), financed by the Bill Gates foundation, developed in 2016 an artificial human gene that turned out to have a genomic makeup practically identical to that of SARS-Cov-2.
“Rest in Peace” doctor Fauci, now you can secretely work in the Italian National Anti-Pandemic Centerthrough one of your best close collaborator of NIAID: Barney Graham, former deputy director of the Vaccine Research Center (VRS) inside the ational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (in the previous pics above beside Trump),
Stay tuned and subscribe Gospa newsletter because in the next days we will publish an investigation on the Genesis of Fauci Bioterrorism…
PS I’ve added below the article by John Leake, published on Peter McCuollough’s Substack, “Focal Points,” which confirms my analysis in every detail in his post titled “Why Prosecuting Fauci is Off Limits”
by Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio – Gospa News founder and director
Discovery and prosecution of the former NIAID director would expose the entire rotten edifice of the US government. The liabilities would be astronomical.
by John Leake – originally published on his Substack Focal Points
All the links to previous Gospa News article have been added in the aftermath
Octavian (later the Emperor Augustus) was offended when Mark Antony cheated on his sister (Octavia the Younger) with Cleopatra. However, he also knew that the embarrassing affair that became the talk of the town in Rome served his ultimate design to get rid of Mark Antony.
Had Antony shown real contrition, left Cleopatra, and returned to Rome to patch things up with Octavia, it would have derailed Octavian’s plan to seize unrivaled power.
A close study of history teaches us that whenever the populace is treated to the spectacle of a powerful man being pilloried and lampooned, it is almost certainly a distraction from the true, behind-the-scenes exercise or preservation of power.
I’m pretty sure that everyone in Washington understands that prosecuting Anthony Fauci—and the official discovery it would entail—would be the end of the US government because the liabilities would be incalculably astronomical.
Fauci’s NIAID was the lynchpin of the Bio-Pharmaceutical Complex that perpetrated a massive crime against all of humanity.—literally ALL of the earth’s inhabitants. As I noted in my poster yesterday (President Biden’s Preemptive Pardon of Fauci) the following is clearly evident from the enormous paper trail.
Knew that Daszak, Baric, et al. were conducting GoF research with their colleagues at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (a Chinese biosecurity lab connected with the Chinese military).
Knew that Baric et al. were creating SARS coronavirus variants capable of infecting and causing pathogenesis in humans.
Knew that the NIH continued to fund (and therefore to endorse) the research of Baric et al. even after the federal pause on GoF in October 2014.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists at NIAID’s Vaccine Research Center and the biotechnology company Moderna had collaborated for four years on mRNA vaccines for other emerging infectious diseases.
Knew (documented in his private email correspondence with eminent virologists in February 2020) that the genome SARS-CoV-2 displayed clear features of lab manipulation.
In other words, Anthony Fauci was a leading conspirator in perpetrating this crime, fraudulently concealing it, suppressing early treatment for it, and promoting the dangerous, experimental mRNA vaccine that NIAID (of which he was the director) developed with Moderna.
The trouble for the sewer known as the US government is that EVERY stinking agency—HHS, DoD, DARPA, BARDA, CIA, FBI—all of them understood the obvious reality of what was going on.
As for the parcel of imbecilic and venal elected representatives in Congress and the White House—stupidity and cowardice aren’t a persuasive defense.
Senators Paul and Johnson are perfect gentlemen, acting in good faith, but I suspect they too know that if this horror show is officially revealed in the discovery phase of a criminal trial against Anthony Fauci, it would be the end of the entire rotten edifice of the US government. The liabilities with respect to all of humanity would be too astronomical.
Fauci also understands that he is, in the language of the Sicilian and Neapolitan mafia, “intoccabile”—untouchable.
The Bishop of Mostar: “Pain for the Desecration. Let us not allow evil to contaminate us.”
«I learned with deep sorrow the news of the desecration of the holy places of Medjugorje. Let us not allow evil to contaminate us with its logic. Saint Paul reminds us: ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”» (Rom 12:21).
It is with this warning that the Bishop of Mostar, Monsignor Petar Palić, responds to the vandalism committed last night at the Marian shrine in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is home to half of the millions of pilgrims who come to see Our Lady’s apparitions and her monthly messages, which recently received ecclesiastical approval from the Catholic Church.
“Regardless of the differing opinions that exist on individual issues related to Medjugorje, which the Church prudently judges in its own way,nothing can justify hatred, violence, or the desecration of a place of prayer,“ the high prelate added in a message published on the official website of the Diocese of Mostar, of which Medjugorje is a part.
Statement by Bishop Petar Palić regarding the desecration of sacred places in Medjugorje
“Where a person goes to sincerely seek God, others are called to respect their conscience and their right to pray. Therefore, I urge all believers to respond not with bitterness or condemnation, but with what has always been the Church’s most powerful weapon: prayer, fasting, forgiveness, trust in God’s providence, and our personal conversion of life.”
MORE DETAILS IN THE POST BELOW
CLICK TO READ THE FULL STATEMENT OF BISHOP
VIDEO OF THE FIRE AND IMMEDIATE RESTORATION OF THE STATUE OF THE QUEEN OF PEACE
A serious act of vandalism has occurred in Medjugorje, in the famous Sanctuary of Bosnia and Herzegovina which has become a destination for millions of pilgrims for the Apparitions of Our Lady, Queen of Peace,
A man set fire to the outdoor altar located behind the Church of St. James. The flames were quickly extinguished and did not spread to the church, but they did cause material damage to the recently renovated altar. A surveillance camera captured the desecration.
In record time, the statues that had been destroyed in the middle of the night in Medjugorje were restored by the locals, starting with that of the Queen of Peace on Podbrdo, the apparition hill.
These acts of vandalism didn’t stop several pilgrims from arriving to Apparition Hill and praying there regardless.
In a statement, the Medjugorje Parish Office announced that it has immediately begun cleaning and repairs to make all areas suitable for prayer again.
The sanctuary therefore remains open to all pilgrims, and the faithful are invited to respond to this sad event with prayer, fasting, and forgiveness: “Let us pray for the conversion of the hearts of those who committed this act, that the Lord may touch them with His grace and guide them on the path of goodness.”
THE VIDEO OF THE ARREST AND THE STATUE RETURNED TO SHINE AS BEFORE
Police in Bosnia and Herzegovina have arrested a man in the Ljubuški area suspected of being behind the serious vandalism that struck Medjugorje, one of the world’s major Marian pilgrimage sites, overnight. Investigators are trying to determine the motive and determine whether he acted alone or with accomplices.
The first video shows the arrest of the alleged vandal, while the others show the swift restoration of the Statue of the Queen of Peace on Apparition Hill, which has returned to its former glory in all its sparkling whiteness.
Russian FSB Director claimed that Ukraine has become a “testing ground” for Western and NATO weapons
Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Alexander Bortnikov claimed that Ukraine has become a “testing ground” for advanced Western and NATO weapons systems, artificial intelligence warfare, and new military tactics during a security summit in Irkutsk soem weeks ago.
Speaking at the meeting of the CIS Security and Special Services Heads Council, Bortnikov accused Western countries of using Ukraine as a platform for developing modern warfare technologies and conducting operations against Russia.
The FSB chief also discussed tensions in the Middle East, Afghanistan, cyber threats, terrorism, NATO activities, and alleged foreign intelligence operations across the CIS region.
The remarks come amid ongoing geopolitical tensions between Russia, NATO countries, and Ukraine as the conflict continues to reshape global security dynamics.
We have published multiple investigations in the Weapons Lobby series confirming the statements of the head of Russian counterintelligence, highlighting the colossal conflicts of interest of the world’s most notorious arms dealer, US President Donald Trump, who has been elected thanks to the votes of the Zionist financiers who control most of the US, European Union, and other NATO countries’ war industries.
But following the statements of the FSB director, we feel it appropriate to republish some excerpts from an old article from Defense One, the American specialistic magazine closely linked to the US Pentagon, in which it was none other than a US Army and NATO general who encouraged the warlords’ Weapons Lobby to use Ukraine as testbeds for new weapons, despite the high risks for its troops and population of facing the inevitable consequent Russian retaliation.
But in this investigation, we will also analyze Trump’s latest statements in favor of escalating the conflict in Ukraine, which would obviously bring enormous profits to his former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, former director of the CIA, who has become a consultant to the most important Ukrainian drone manufacturer, Fire Point, implicated in a corruption scandal as well as in an international intrigue that reaches as far as a Pentagon contractor.
Finally, an excellent article published by British journalist Vanessa Beeley, a world expert on Islamic terrorism, confirmed the FSB alert on the role of terrorists in the plot that aims to transform NATO into the New World Order as theorized by George Soros in 1993, thanks to the military investments of the countries of the European Union and the West, and therefore the taxes of Italian, European and American taxpayers.
US General: “Test your arms and gear in Ukraine” NATO’s military chief urges companies”
“Those few that have tried it have either learned a lot, or they’ve decided to go home because they can’t compete in that environment. But that is going to be the environment that we face,”said Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who leads U.S. European Command and serves as NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe since 2025.
Grynkewich, who was speaking virtually to an industry group in Washington, D.C., urged any companies seeking to sell new products to NATO allies to attend September’s Defense Tech Valley conference in Ukraine, as reported by Defense One almost an year ago.
Paradoxically, despite this appeal to the Warlords of the Weapons Lobby, he participated in negotiations in Abu Dhabi involving American, Russian, and Ukrainian officials, during which it was agreed to restore military-to-military communication between the U.S. and Russia, which had been suspended since late 2021.
Before that, in his role as commander of NATO forces, Grynkewich also had the authority to be in contact with the Russian Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, for deescalation purposes, exactly the opposite of what he suggested to the war corporations in his interview for the specialized magazine close to the Pentagon…
Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who leads U.S. European Command and serves as NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe beside the Defense One Cover
“They’re bringing in dozens and dozens of companies from across Europe who have co-production or co-licensing agreements and partnerships with the Ukrainians. It’s an incredible opportunity to see what the modern battlefield looks like today, what it might look like tomorrow, and what we might need in the future,” he said.
NATO allies across Europe are raising defense budgets to meet a new, higher spending pledge. Much of what they buy will go to Ukraine, and much of what they spend will flow to the United States through a recent initiative dubbed the NATO Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL. The month-old effort has already attracted more than $2 billion in pledges, with more expected.
Grynkewich described how European Command plays a central role in coordinating Ukraine’s requests for future capabilities with European and U.S. inventories.
“The Ukrainians will let us know what their requirements are. We then bring that into a combined U.S. European Command-and-NATO working group that elevates those requirements. And then I, as [Supreme Allied Commander], will elevate the requirement and send it back to them at the working group,” he said. “Some things are only going to come from the U.S. factory,” such as PAC-3 missiles.
FSB Twarted Terrorist Attack with 13 FPV drones equipped with AI systems
Confirmation of the use of the war in Ukraine as a testing ground for new, increasingly sophisticated weapons also comes from a terrorist attack foiled in recent days by Russia.
The Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine was preparing a large-scale terrorist attack on a military airfield in Rostov-on-Don using FPV drones with artificial intelligence. But the alleged perpetrator reported an impending terrorist attack and the attack was thwarted at the stage of preparation, which was already under the control of FSB officers.
The Ukrainians planned to use 13 FPV drones equipped with AI systems. The combat load of each drone was more than 1 kg of TNT explosive.
Having received this proposal from the representative of the General Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the citizen, having shown consciousness, voluntarily contacted the territorial security authority and reported a planned sabotage and terrorist act (DTA) by the Ukrainian special service.
The further development of the situation was carried out under the supervision of the FSB of Russia. The coordinates of the location of the cache with FPV drones and instructions on how to commit DTA were received from an employee of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
After the detection of the UAVs and their deactivation, as well as receiving an advance of 20% of the promised monetary reward, communication with foreign intelligence was interrupted.
The Jihadist Terrorists’ Support to Trump and NATO Wars
«As I had predicted in my first article related to Trump’s apparent decision to use the quisling, unelected Syrian “President” Abu Mohammed Al Jolani (Ahmed Al Sharaa rebrand) as a battering ram against the resistance in Lebanon» British journalist Vanessa Beeley wrote in her Substack titled “What did Jolani and Trump agree at the Ankara NATO summit and was Erdogan sweet-talked into alliance?”.
«The irony is almost beyond satire: Julani and Shibani proudly pose with a signed decree from Donald Trump declaring Syria removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, despite Julani having led Jabhat al-Nusra, an organization long designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. itself and many other governments. If there were ever a definition of geopolitical hypocrisy, this would be it: yesterday’s “terrorist” becomes today’s photo opportunity, not because history changed, but because political interests did» she added confirming our previous investigation about.
«Removing the designation is expected to unlock international trade, allow Syria to reconnect with the global financial system, and attract significant foreign investment, particularly from Gulf states» Beeley added.
Syria to help address Hezbollah’s presence in Lebanon
Donald Trump, when asked whether he still wants Syria to help address Hezbollah’s presence in Lebanon: They could help. We’ll find out. I think we’re making a lot of progress. They could help. They would do a very good job.
When Trump was later asked whether Jolani had made any commitments regarding the Lebanese Resistance during their meeting. Trump responded:
“He did. I am not going to say what he said, but yeah, he was great today”.
In light of all this, the meeting between the American president and the Lebanese president Joseph Aoun becomes very suspicious.
Meanwhile, on the battleground, the Lebanese army said Israeli soldiers fired in the vicinity of its troops, who were beginning their deployment to a southern village under an agreement with Israel, whose army said it had fired “warning shots.”
The framework agreement reached between Israel and Lebanon at the end of June provides for the deployment of the Lebanese army in “pilot zones” evacuated by Israel—which occupies a portion of the south of the country it calls a “safe zone”—on the condition that Hezbollah disarms.
The pro-Iranian group opposes the agreement with Israel and refuses to be disarmed due to the hundreds Israeli violations of the numerous truces…
This is why Trump has even asked for help from the Syrian army of the former Al Qaeda terrorist… This prediction by the British journalist was confirmed by a recent article on the Al jazeera TV(link among the sources)….
«Sitting alongside his Lebanese counterpart, Joseph Aoun, at the White House on Tuesday, United States President Donald Trump repeated a suggestion that Syria could intervene in Lebanon to “do something with Hezbollah”» the media has reported.
«Despite widespread opposition, Trump has multiple times floated the idea that Syria, under new President Ahmed al-Sharaa, could militarily interfere in the neighbouring country, whose government has come under US and Israeli pressure to disarm the Iran-backed group» Al Jazeera added in a detailed geopolitical analysis.
Now here is a detailed scientific article published on her Substack by renowned Canadian bioimmunologist Jessica Rose, confirming the identification of COVID-19 mRNA gene sera as gene therapies based on official European Union documentation.
The Bioimmunologist Jessica Rose Conclusions: “COVID-19 mRNA shots are Gene Therapies”
Before republishing the entire text of the researcher who made multiple discoveries on the serious genetic consequences of Covid vaccines, we report the final conclusions as they are the least technical and most understandable even for non-experts.
«According to the Annex (of the EU documentation – ed.), gene therapy is a medicinal product obtained by manufacturing processes that transfer a prophylactic, diagnostic or therapeutic gene (nucleic acid) into human or animal cells (either in vivo or ex vivo) via a viral or non-viral vector (or genetically modified cells) for its subsequent in vivo expression» the expert scientist highlighted in her conclusion.
«If we replace the words “into human or animal cells (either in vivo or ex vivo)” with “into a human being”, and define a non-viral vector as an LNP, then does this definition of gene therapy apply to the nucleoside-modified mRNA-LNP COVID-19 injectable products since they were designed to deliver nucleic acids (mRNA) to cells via LNPs? The answer is YES» sentenced the bioimmunoligist Rose.
«The official regulatory classification loopholes this, however, because regulators carve out “infectious disease vaccines” from gene therapy rules, regardless of the delivery technology (LNP) or nucleic acid nature. This distinction, however, is based on semantics and policy, rather than underlying biological mechanisms. But here’s the thing about that: the human immune system does not respond to policy; it does, however, respond to foreign DNA and RNA introduced directly into cells via LNPs» she added.
The COVID mRNA shots qualify as gene therapy according to the EU’s definition
by Jessica Rose – originally published on her Substack Unaccettable Jessica
Jessica Rose has BSc. in Applied Mathematics, an MSc. in Immunology, a PhD in Computational Biology and a two Post Docs in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry.
All links to previous Gospa News posts and videos have been added in the aftermath by virtue of the ties with covered topics
A commenter on my previous article brought a website to my attention that defines gene therapy. The website is here, and the definition is as follows as per PART IV – ADVANCED THERAPY MEDICINAL PRODUCTS:
GENE THERAPY MEDICINAL PRODUCTS (HUMAN AND XENOGENEIC)
For the purposes of this Annex, gene therapy medicinal product shall mean a product obtained through a set of manufacturing processes aimed at the transfer, to be performed either in vivo or ex vivo, of a prophylactic, diagnostic or therapeutic gene (i.e. a piece of nucleic acid), to human/animal cells and its subsequent expression in vivo. The gene transfer involves an expression system contained in a delivery system known as a vector, which can be of viral, as well as non-viral origin. The vector can also be included in a human or animal cell.
Diversity of gene therapy medicinal products
1.1. Diversity of gene therapy medicinal products
a) Gene therapy medicinal products based on allogeneic or xenogeneic cells
The vector is ready-prepared and stored before its transfer into the host cells.
The cells have been obtained previously and may be processed as a cell bank (bank collection or bank established from procurement of primary cells) with a limited viability.
The cells genetically modified by the vector represent an active substance.
Additional steps may be carried out in order to obtain the finished product. By essence, such a medicinal product is intended to be administered to a certain number of patients.
b) Gene therapy medicinal products using autologous human cells
The active substance is a batch of ready-prepared vector stored before its transfer into the autologous cells.
Additional steps may be carried out in order to obtain the finished medicinal product.
Those products are prepared from cells obtained from an individual patient. The cells are then genetically modified using a ready-prepared vector containing the appropriate gene that has been prepared in advance and that constitutes the active substance. The preparation is re-injected into the patient and is by definition intended to a single patient. The whole manufacturing process from the collection of the cells from the patient up to the re-injection to the patient shall be considered as one intervention.
c) Administration of ready-prepared vectors with inserted (prophylactic, diagnostic or therapeutic) genetic material
The active substance is a batch of ready-prepared vector.
Additional steps may be carried out in order to obtain the finished medicinal product. This type of medicinal product is intended to be administered to several patients.
Transfer of genetic material may be carried out by direct injection of the ready-prepared vector to the recipients.
As for other medicinal products, one can identify the three main elements of the manufacturing process, i.e.:
– starting materials: materials from which the active substance is manufactured such as, gene of interest, expression plasmids, cell banks and virus stocks or non viral vector;
– finished medicinal product: active substance formulated in its final immediate container for the intended medical use. Depending on the type of gene therapy medicinal product, the route of administration and conditions of use may necessitate an ex vivo treatment of the cells of the patient (see 1.1.b).
A special attention shall be paid to the following items
A special attention shall be paid to the following items:
a) Information shall be provided on the relevant characteristics of the gene therapy medicinal product including its expression in the target cell population. Information concerning the source, construction, characterisation and verification of the encoding gene sequence including its integrity and stability shall be provided. Apart from therapeutic gene, the complete sequence of other genes, regulatory elements and the vector backbone shall be provided.
b) Information concerning the characterisation of the vector used to transfer and deliver the gene shall be provided. This must include its physico-chemical characterisation and/or biological/immunological characterisation.
For medicinal products that utilise a micro-organism such as bacteria or viruses to facilitate gene transfer (biological gene transfer), data on the pathogenesis of the parental strain and on its tropism for specific tissues and cell types as well as the cell cycle-dependence of the interaction shall be provided.
c) The principles for cell banking or seed lot establishment and characterisation shall apply to gene transfer medicinal products as appropriate.
d) The source of the cells hosting the recombinant vector shall be provided.
The characteristics of the human source such as age, sex, results of microbiological and viral testing, exclusion criteria and country of origin shall be documented.
For cells of animal origin, detailed information related to the following items shall be provided:
– Sourcing of the animals
– Animal husbandry and care
– Transgenic animals (methods of creation, characterisation of transgenic cells, nature of the inserted gene)
– Measures to prevent and monitor infections in the source/donor animals
– Testing for infectious agents
– Facilities
– Control of starting and raw materials.
Description of cell collection methodology including location, type of tissue, operating process, transportation, storage and traceability as well as controls carried out during the collection process shall be documented.
e) The evaluation of the viral safety as well as the traceability of the products from the donor to the finished medicinal product, are an essential part of the documentation to be supplied. E.g., the presence of replication competent virus in stocks of non-replication competent viral vectors must be excluded.
According to the Annex, gene therapy is a medicinal product obtained by manufacturing processes that transfer a prophylactic, diagnostic or therapeutic gene (nucleic acid) into human or animal cells (either in vivo or ex vivo) via a viral or non-viral vector (or genetically modified cells) for its subsequent in vivo expression.
If we replace the words “into human or animal cells (either in vivo or ex vivo)” with “into a human being”, and define a non-viral vector as an LNP, then does this definition of gene therapy apply to the nucleoside-modified mRNA-LNP COVID-19 injectable products since they were designed to deliver nucleic acids (mRNA) to cells via LNPs?
mRNA-LNP COVID-19 injectable products are Gene Therapy? The answer is YES.
But here’s the thing about that: the human immune system does not respond to policy; it does, however, respond to foreign DNA and RNA introduced directly into cells via LNPs.
I asked Grok to make me a beautiful, yet ugly depiction of gene therapy and it generated the following image.
Jessica Rose has BSc. in Applied Mathematics, an MSc. in Immunology, a PhD in Computational Biology and a two Post Docs in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry.
Just under eight years after the collapse of the Morandi Bridge, the motorway viaduct that collapsed on August 14, 2018, at 11:36 a.m., killing 43 people, one of the most important and impressive trials ever held in Italian courts has concluded.
A trial involving 57 people began on July 7, 2022, for a total of 284 hearings.
According to Deputy Prosecutors Walter Cotugno and Marco Airoldi, the then and former managers and technicians of Autostrade, Spea (the subsidiary responsible for surveillance and maintenance), the Ministry of Transport, and the Authority for Transport are responsible for that disaster. According to the prosecutor, for years, savings were made on motorway safety and maintenance to ensure greater dividends for shareholders.
The charges, of varying degrees, include multiple manslaughter, vehicular homicide, intentional collapse, failure to perform official duties, undermining transportation safety, forgery, and intentional failure to provide safety devices in the workplace.
For these charges, nearly 400 years in prison and an acquittal were requested. A total of 32 sentences were handed down over nearly 200 years for the collapse of the Morandi Bridge.
Former ASPI CEO Giovanni Castellucci was sentenced to 12 years for the collapse of the Morandi Bridge.
Former ASPI CEO Giovanni Castellucci was sentenced to 12 years for the collapse of the Morandi Bridge.
The former heads of ASPI and Spea were also sentenced. Eleven years for Michele Donferri Mitelli (former ASPI CEO), the prosecutor had requested 15 years and six months. Paolo Berti (former ASPI CEO), a sentence of 5 years and six months, was requested for 12 years and six months. Finally, a sentence of 5 years and six months for Antonino Galatà (former Spea CEO), for whom the prosecutor had requested 7 years.
Mauro Coletta, former director of motorway concession oversight at the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, was sentenced to five years in prison. The prosecution had requested a ten-year sentence.
“We sought the culprit, but not the guilt. Castellucci was convicted without guilt. His only crime is that of being innocent,” commented lawyer Giovanni Paolo, who is defending the former CEO of ASPI after his conviction. “We will continue to fight for his innocence,” the lawyer concluded, “and we are confident that the appeal will correct what we believe to be a mistake.”
The public prosecution had requested 18 years and 6 months in prison for the former CEO of Aspi, Giovanni Castellucci, who had already been imprisoned for months for another motorway disaster, that of the Acqualonga viaduct in Avellino where he was sentenced to 6 years definitively by the Supreme Court and had turned himself in April 2025.
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