US,ISRAEL SAID TO DISCUSS NEW STRIKES ON IRANIAN LEECHES OF SATAN NUKE SITES AGAIN IF NO DIPLOMACY SOON

US,ISRAEL SAID TO DISCUSS NEW STRIKES ON IRANIAN LEECHES OF SATAN NUKE SITES AGAIN IF NO DIPLOMACY SOON.                          


ISAIAH 6:9-12
9  And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
10  Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
11  Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,
12  And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)

EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18

WORLD TERRORISM

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)

ISAIAH 14:12-14
12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14  I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)

JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)

ISAIAH 41:11
11  Behold, all they that were incensed against thee (ISRAEL) shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing;(DESTROYED) and they that strive with thee shall perish.(ISRAEL HATERS WILL BE TOTALLY DESTROYED)

Turban complications-The turban represents the Shi'ite clergy that, ever since its creation in Iran almost four centuries ago, has had an ambivalent attitude towards the exercise of political power. Broadly speaking, turbans come in two contrasting colors. A white turban means that the man who wears it is not a descendant of the Prophet, and thus is of non-Arab origin. In contrast, the wearer of the black turban is marked as a descendant of the Prophet through one of the twelve imams of Twelver Shi'ism.The semiology of turbans is still more complicated. Students of theology are allowed to wear very thin turbans, denoting their position as novices. A hujjat al-Islam, or mid-ranking mullah, can wear a slightly fatter turban. The very fat turbans that require several yards of cloth are reserved for the grand ayatollahs. Rafsanjani’s white turban marked him as someone of non-Arab origin. Khatami and Khamenei both wear black turbans, as did Khomeini, denoting their Arab descent on the paternal side.The experience of the past three decades shows that many of the most senior clerics are not eager to enter the realm of politics. Once in power, however, a man with a thin turban could quickly thicken his headgear and grow a longer beard to bolster the religious aspect of his image. When first elected president, Ayatollah Khamenei was not a particularly senior cleric, but was promoted so that he could succeed Ayatollah Khomeini.

THE CITIZENS OF IRAN (ELAM IN THE BIBLE) MIGRATE TO ALL NATIONS ON EARTH.
JEREMIAH 49:34-39
34 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam (IRAN) in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,
35 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRAN) the chief of their might.(IRAN SUPLIES ARABS WITH WEAPONS AGAINST ISRAEL)
36 And upon Elam (IRAN)  will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam (IRAN) shall not come.(WORLD MIGRATION)
37 For I will cause Elam (IRAN) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger,(REG BOMBS) saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:(GROUND TROOPS)
38 And I will set my throne in Elam,(IRAN) and will destroy from thence the king (KHEMEINI )and the princes,(IRANIAN GUARDS) saith the LORD.
39 But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam,(IRAN) saith the LORD.

Psalms-Chapter 110:1-6
1 (A Psalm of David.) The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
2 The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.

US transit secretary grilled for rehanging Jesus painting at Merchant Marine Academy-Entitled ‘Christ on the Water,’ painting had been moved to the academy’s chapel following a complaint from Jewish midshipmen By Ron Kampeas Today, 1:22 am-JUL 18,25

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Jesus is rising, again, at the US Merchant Marine Academy.US President Donald Trump’s transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, is returning a massive painting of Jesus to its former place of prominence at the academy. The artwork was removed two years ago following a request from Jewish midshipmen and others.The restoration drew attention on Wednesday in Congress, where Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat, grilled Duffy over why he authorized the return of the 10-foot-by-19-foot painting, “Christ on the Water,” also known as “Jesus and Lifeboat,” to a large administrative room at the academy on Long Island, New York.The room is used for multiple purposes, including mandatory disciplinary hearings. The academy is under the purview of the Department of Transportation.“What kind of message do you think that sends the cadets who may not be Christian, may not be religious, or might be part of a Christian sect that objects to the kind of portrait that you’ve placed in that position of prominence?” Huffman asked Duffy at a hearing of Congress’ Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.Duffy said he rescued the painting, which depicts Jesus hovering over a lifeboat full of stranded sailors, from the basement of the building, which he claimed was prone to flooding. The painting was undergoing restoration pending its return, Duffy said.Huffman noted that the basement room where the painting had been moved was the chapel, part of the resolution to a 2023 complaint filed by 18 academy midshipmen, including five Jews. There are approximately 950 cadets at the academy.Duffy said the painting should not offend Jews or other non-Christians.“We all accept everyone’s religion,” he said. He noted that the painting had, prior to the 2023 complaint and the subsequent compromise, hung in the large administrative room, named for Elliot M. See, for decades.When the painting was first installed in 1947, the See room served as the academy’s chapel. The painting remained in the room after the campus chapel moved elsewhere in 1961.The midshipmen who filed the complaint in 2023 said that the prominence of Jesus in the room used for disciplinary hearings exacerbated what was already a fraught experience of defending oneself against allegations of breaching the honor code.Duffy, a devout Roman Catholic and formerly a star of multiple reality TV series, addressed the academy in April, and elicited cheers when he asked, “Could we bring Jesus up from the basement?” He announced the painting’s planned return in May, amid a series of moves within the Trump administration to elevate Christianity in Washington.“We are moving Jesus out of the basement,” he said in a release then.The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, the advocacy group that brokered the 2023 compromise, said it would sue to once again remove the painting from the See room.“MRFF is already hard at work in an effort to file a federal lawsuit, forcing the removal of that painting once again to a location at the Academy, which is constitutionally permissible as to time, place and manner,” the foundation’s president, Mikey Weinstein, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Addressing Duffy, Weinstein said, “We look SO forward to seeing you in court.”Weinstein obtained the proposed text for a plaque to be placed beneath the painting once it is restored. The text, which Weinstein shared with JTA, appears to nod in its final sentence to non-Christian sensibilities.“This painting has taken on historical significance and become a part of the Academy’s community, imparting varying meanings for different members of the Academy’s community,” it says.Weinstein mocked the vagueness of the plaque’s phrasing. “We especially look forward to taking your deposition,” he said, addressing Duffy, “and directly examining you on the witness stand during the trial where you can expand and extrapolate on the ‘varying meanings’ of a gigantic painting, showing Jesus Christ to the exclusion of any other God or non-God deity figure in support of sailors in distress at sea.”

Netanyahu vows no Syrian forces south of Damascus, as Bedouins, Druze fight despite truce-Bedouin commander says ceasefire only applies to Damascus government, declares offensive with aim to free Bedouins held by Druze, after regime’s retreat during IDF strikes By Lazar Berman,Nurit Yohanan,Emanuel Fabian,Charlie Summers and Agencies 17 July 2025, 11:13 pm

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel will continue to use military means to enforce its two red lines in Syria — the demilitarization of the area south of Damascus, near Israel’s border, and the protection of the country’s Druze minority there.Netanyahu said the Damascus regime, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, violated both those red lines in recent days.“It sent an army south of Damascus, into the area that should be demilitarized, and it began to massacre the Druze. We could not accept this in any way,” he said in a video statement.The premier added that the ceasefire Sharaa announced in southern Syria’s Druze-majority Sweida province, which included the withdrawal of regime troops, “was achieved through force. Not through requests, not through pleas — through force.”“We acted, and we will continue to act as necessary,” Netanyahu promised.Israel attacked military facilities and operatives of the Syrian regime on Wednesday, demanding that regime troops withdraw from Sweida, to which they had deployed during sectarian fighting between Druze and Bedouins, which are reported to have initially broken out after a Druze vegetable vendor was assaulted by Bedouin gunmen on Sunday.Israel’s own Druze community had demanded that Jerusalem act to protect their brethren across the border, as videos emerged from Sweida showing regime forces shaving Druze clerics’ mustaches, as well as stepping on Druze flags and pictures of religious clerics. Other videos showed Druze fighters beating captured government forces and posing by their bodies.After the Israeli strikes on Wednesday, the Syrian army withdrew, saying it had reached a ceasefire with local Druze forces, and Sharaa vowed to protect the minority group — though some Druze factions said they rejected the arrangement.But even in the wake of the truce, there were reports of renewed fighting, with both sides blaming the other.A Bedouin military commander in Syria told Reuters that Bedouin fighters had launched a new offensive in Sweida against local Druze fighters, despite the ceasefire.The commander said the truce in Sweida only applied to government forces, and that the Bedouin fighters are seeking to free Bedouins detained by Druze armed groups in recent days.However, Syrian state media claimed that Druze groups in Sweida were carrying out massacres against local Bedouins.The Syrian state news agency published footage of displaced Bedouins fleeing the area and reporting that Druze had massacred civilians in the Al-Maqwas neighborhood.In a statement, the Syrian presidency accuses “outlaw forces” — the term the government uses to refer to Druze factions in Sweida — of violating the agreement by engaging in “horrific violence” against civilians including “crimes that completely contravene the obligations of mediation, directly threaten civil peace, and push towards chaos and security collapse.”The presidency also warned against “continued blatant Israeli interference in Syria’s internal affairs, which only leads to further chaos and destruction and further complicates the regional situation.”Late Thursday, Syrian state media reported Israeli strikes near Sweida, the first to target the area after Syrian government forces withdrew.US, France call for calm; Turkey’s Erdogan rails against Israel-The White House said Thursday that de-escalation of the conflict in Syria seems to be continuing. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters the US is “very actively monitoring the situation.”A State Department official, who requested anonymity, told Reuters that there is no change in US policy toward Syria, but that “all parties must step back and engage in meaningful dialogue that leads to a lasting ceasefire.”“The government must investigate all reports of abuse and hold the perpetrators accountable,” the official added.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said late Wednesday that the US had engaged all parties and steps had been agreed to end “this troubling and horrifying situation.”The French foreign ministry said Thursday it called for the ceasefire in Sweida to be respected, for a probe into actions against minorities, and for Israel to stop unilateral action.French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot has held talks in recent days with his Syrian and Israeli counterparts over the issue, the ministry said in a statement.Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office said that “Israel, using the Druze as an excuse, has been expanding its banditry into neighboring Syria over the past two days.”“I want to state this once again, clearly and directly: Israel is a lawless, unruly, unprincipled, spoiled, pampered, and greedy terrorist state,” Erdogan said in a televised speech after his weekly cabinet meeting.“At this stage, the biggest problem in our region is Israel’s aggression… If the monster is not stopped immediately, it will not hesitate to throw first our region, then the world, into flames,” he added.Turkey backed the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group led by Syria’s new president — who previously went by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani — even before the group toppled longtime Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in December, taking over the state.IDF: We were unprepared as Israeli Druze ran across border-In a press conference Thursday evening, Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defri acknowledged that the IDF had been unprepared to handle the chaos on the Syrian border in recent days, during the Sweida conflict.Around 1,000 Druze crossed from Israel into Syria, and dozens of Syrian Druze entered Israel, at the time of the fighting — leading several Druze Israeli lawmakers to themselves enter Syria to call on Israeli Druze to return to Israel.Defrei said the IDF “were not prepared for thousands of Israeli citizens who reached the border and tried to pass it,” adding: “We are learning lessons.”Police said they arrested two Druze Israelis at the Syrian border on Thursday morning, as they tried to reenter Israeli territory with a Kalashnikov rifle.The two young men — ages 18 and 20, from the villages of Kisra and Beit Jann —  crossed into Syria on Wednesday, seeking to rescue their coreligionists from the Bedouin and Syrian regime forces.Police said that they patched up breaches on the Israel-Syria border and are currently working with local Druze leaders to facilitate the return of Israelis who crossed into Syria, and vice versa.“Northern District officers, together with Border Police forces and other units, have been operating since yesterday in coordination with the IDF in response to recent events in the Golan Heights,” said a police spokesman.Police detained the two young men for questioning, seizing the rifle and magazine, and will request an extension on their remand in court, the spokesman continued.Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s interim government has had troubled relations with ethnic and religious minority groups since it came to power in December.March saw massacres of more than 1,700 mostly Alawite civilians in their hub on the Mediterranean coast, with government-affiliated groups blamed for most of the killings.Government forces also battled Druze fighters in Sweida province and near Damascus in April and May, leaving more than 100 people dead.Israel, which is home to around 150,000 Druze, many of whom serve in the IDF, has repeatedly stated its intention to defend Syria’s Druze community.The IDF, which has taken control of the UN-monitored demilitarized zone on the Golan Heights and conducted hundreds of strikes on military targets in Syria, also says it will not allow any Syrian military presence in the south.Despite having initiated contact with a first face-to-face meeting in Azerbaijan earlier this month, Israel remains extremely wary of Syria’s new rulers, including Sharaa, whose Hayat Tahrir al-Sham movement was once linked to al-Qaeda.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

In EU first, Slovenia to ban Ben Gvir and Smotrich over ‘genocidal statements’The Slovenian government has called Gaza war ‘genocide’ and says far-right Israeli ministers incite ‘extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians’By Agencies and ToI Staff 17 July 2025, 11:51 pm

Slovenia announced on Thursday that it will ban two far-right Israeli ministers from entering the country, in what authorities said was a first in the European Union.National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will be declared “persona non grata,” the Slovenian government said in a statement, accusing them of inciting “extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians” with “their genocidal statements.”In June, Australia, Canada, Britain, New Zealand, and Norway imposed similar sanctions on Smotrich and Ben Gvir, key coalition partners in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.“This is the first measure of this nature in the EU,” Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said of the ban.Ben Gvir, who chairs the Otzma Yehudit party, and Smotrich, who chairs Religious Zionism, have drawn international criticism for their hard-line stances on the Gaza war, as well as their comments on, and policies in, the West Bank.Both men have suggested that Israel should block all humanitarian aid into Gaza as long as the Hamas terror group still holds Israeli hostages — though Smotrich has endorsed some aid entry as a concession to international politics — and both have endorsed a return of Israeli settlement in the Strip at the conclusion of the ongoing war.In the West Bank — over which they have some power — Ben Gvir, who oversees the police, has declined to arrest violent settlers despite frequent attacks on Palestinians, and Smotrich has worked to expand settlements and advocate for Israeli annexation of parts of the territory.On May 21, Slovene President Natasa Pirc Musar, in an address to the European parliament, urged the EU to take stronger action against what she called “the genocide” in Gaza, as Israel fights the Hamas terror group there.In May, Slovenia was among six European countries to say that they “firmly reject any demographic or territorial change in Gaza,” after Israel announced plans to expand its military offensive against the Hamas terror group there.Israel’s campaign in Gaza came after some 5,000 Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.Israel’s subsequent offensive — which has killed more than 58,000 people, according to Hamas-controlled authorities, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants — has drawn accusations of war crimes and genocide.Israel has strenuously rejected all such accusations, insisting that its military fights in accordance with international law, and has pointed to measures it takes to prevent civilian casualties, and to allow international aid into the enclave.Last year, Slovenia announced it was recognizing a Palestinian state, following in the footsteps of Ireland, Norway and Spain. Nearly 150 countries in total recognize a Palestinian state.Israel has rejected recognition of Palestinian statehood, however, and has said that recognition serves as a reward for the October 7 attack.

Hurt by Houthi blockade, debt-ridden Eilat port seeks aid to help it stay afloat-Unless plea to Economy Ministry is heeded, southern port could shut down as soon as Sunday; activity has dived over 90% amid Iran-backed Yemeni rebels terrorizing Red Sea shipping By Sharon Wrobel 17 July 2025, 10:36 pm

The southern port of Eilat is calling on the government to help avert imminent closure, with the debt-ridden seaport on the verge of financial collapse due to the disruption of maritime trade routes caused by continued attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis on ships in the Red Sea.The Eilat port, Israel’s southern gateway, has been struggling to keep afloat as it lost more than 90 percent of its activities since the Houthis began attacking maritime traffic a month after the outbreak of war with the Hamas terror group in October 2023.Faced with huge monthly expenses — municipal taxes and salary costs — and debt piling up over the past 20 months, while its main revenue stream has been cut, the port is facing closure as early as Sunday, putting 170 jobs at risk.“The Eilat port has strategic national importance to Israel as the country’s southern gateway on the Red Sea for maritime trade with the Far East, India, and Australia, and constitutes a significant economic anchor for the city and its residents,” Eilat port CEO Gideon Golber told The Times of Israel. “The closure of a strategic seaport in Israel would be a huge international success for the Houthis that none of our enemies have ever achieved.”Conversely, “the unloading of ships from the Far East at the port of Eilat would constitute an image of victory over the Houthis,” Golber said.Golber emphasized that over the past 20 months, the port’s management continued to pay its employees’ salaries, despite the lack of revenue. Port workers earn between NIS 14,000 ($4,165) and NIS 70,000 monthly.While the bulk of Israel’s maritime trade passes through the ports of Haifa and Ashdod on the Mediterranean, Eilat is a major entry point for some imports from East Asia, including vehicles from China. About 50% of vehicle imports enter via the Eilat port. The port is also a gateway to the Far East for phosphate and potash exports, mainly by Israeli Chemicals Limited (ICL).For almost two years, ships calling at the Eilat port have been facing the broader threat of being targeted by the Houthi terror group in open waters in the Red Sea. The Houthis have also fired ballistic missiles and drones at the city of Eilat since the beginning of the Hamas war, many of which were intercepted or missed their targets. As a result, vessels have been unloading at the ports in Ashdod and Haifa.Ships bound for Israel and linking to Europe from the Far East have been diverting to a longer route around the southern tip of Africa and the Cape of Good Hope, increasing the shipping time of goods by two to four weeks and raising the costs per vessel.“From the moment the Houthis seized the NYK cargo vessel [back in November 2023] and blocked the shipping route around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a chokepoint at the foot of the commercially vital Red Sea, the activity of the Eilat port was brought to an near-halt,” said Golber. “All actions taken by the US and Israel to resolve the situation have so far failed.”Golber said that as part of a national effort, the port is currently operating to provide services to the Israeli Navy, but due to large debts, including to the Eilat municipality, it was decided that it will have to shut down next week.“This is after even the minimal aid of NIS 15 million ($4.5 million) that the government promised the port has not yet been received,” he lamented.The port’s management turned to Economy Minister Nir Barkat on Thursday with a plea to consider a national proposal for a solution that will allow the port to continue functioning, consisting of agreements between car importers from the Far East, the Eilat management, and the government.The port management wants Barkat to issue a temporary import order that will require car importers from the Far East to import vehicles through the Eilat seaport, as was the case until 2016.In addition, according to the proposed plan, ships arriving from the Far East will pass through the Suez Canal, instead of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, to bypass the Houthi blockade. The cost of a ship’s passage through the Suez Canal is about $800,000 and would be shared between importers, the Eilat port, and the government.“The plan is for about 3-4 ships per month, and the cost of maintaining the functional continuity of the strategic port in the south, and lifting the naval blockade on Israel, will cost the state only about $1.5 million per month,” the port administration said. “This will allow keeping all of the port’s workers and continuing giving service to the Israeli Navy.”Houthi terrorists in Yemen have been targeting ships in declared solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel has been waging a war against Hamas since the terrorist organization’s unprecedented October 7, 2023,  attack, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 were taken hostage.

Focus on replenishing, strengthening air and missile defense-Israel adds billions to defense spending amid ongoing wars, growing challenges-Finance minister says $12.5 billion supplement to 2025-2026 budget ‘fully covers’ Gaza fighting, plans for other fronts; Katz: Israel must have ‘complete superiority’ over enemies By Reuters 17 July 2025, 5:51 pm

Israel will raise defense spending by NIS 42 billion ($12.5 billion) in 2025 and 2026, the finance and defense ministries said on Thursday, citing the ongoing wars and security challenges.The budget agreement will allow the Defense Ministry to “advance urgent and essential procurement deals critical to national security,” the ministries said in a statement.Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the new defense budget “fully covers the intense fighting in Gaza, alongside comprehensive security preparations for all threats — from the south, the north, and more distant arenas.”Military costs have surged since the Hamas terror group’s October 7, 2023, attack that killed some 1,200 people and took another 251 hostage and sparked the war in Gaza; other Iran-backed groups, includin Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, soon joined the fighting against Israel, and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria sparked Israeli involvement there as well.Over the past 21 months, Israel’s missile defense systems have been working almost daily to intercept missiles fired by Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and — during the recent 12-day open war, as well as on two previous occasions — Iran.Current annual defense spending is NIS 110 billion ($32.7 billion), about 9% of gross domestic product — out of a total 2025 budget of NIS 756 billion ($224.8 billion).The extra budgetary funding “will allow the Defense Ministry to immediately sign procurement deals for the weapons and ammunition required to replenish depleted stocks and support the IDF’s ongoing operations,” said Amir Baram, director general of the Defense Ministry.It would also enable the defense establishment to initiate development programs to strengthen the IDF’s qualitative edge for future systems, he said.‘Complete military, technological, and operational superiority’Defense Minister Israel Katz said the funds would allow Israel to prepare for multiple scenarios since “enemies are openly declaring their intent to destroy us… For this we require complete military, technological and operational superiority.”Separately, the Defense Ministry said it had signed a deal with state-run Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to accelerate serial production of Arrow interceptors.Israel’s Arrow 2 and 3 long-range missile defense systems, developed and manufactured in cooperation with the US, were used extensively during the war with Iran last month, as well as amid repeated Houthi attacks from Yemen. There has been speculation that Israel’s supplies of the interceptors had been significantly depleted by the attacks.This image released by the Defense Ministry on July 17, 2025, shows an Arrow air defense system launching a missile during the Israel-Iran war in June. (Defense Ministry)In a statement, Baram said, “Accelerating the production rate of the Arrow and other critical systems is a central component of the ministry’s strategy to expand production capabilities and improve operational readiness for the continuation of the war and future campaigns.”On Wednesday, the ministry also signed a $20 million deal with Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) to supply advanced machine guns aimed at significantly enhancing the IDF ground forces’ firepower capabilities.Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.Bodies left in Sweida's streets as Syrian army pulls out-IDF says dozens of Druze from Israel still remain in Syria after rushing border-Army says there were no further crossings overnight, is working to patch up holes in fence; Kurdish official urges Sharaa to rethink approach to minorities By Emanuel Fabian,Nurit Yohanan-and AFP 17 July 2025, 4:54 pmThe Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that it managed to return dozens of Druze who had crossed from Israel into Syria the previous day, aiming to reach their embattled brethren, adding that several dozen remained inside Syria, mostly in the Hader area, a Druze town just over the border.The IDF and Israel Police also sent several Syrian Druze, who had crossed into Israel at the same time, back to Syria, the army said. It was unclear how many Syrian Druze still remained in Israel.The mass breaches of the frontier came amid deadly clashes in the city of Sweida in southern Syria between the majority-Druze population and Bedouin tribes, leading some 1,000 Druze who live in Israel to rush the border.Syrian government forces deployed to the Sweida area amid the clashes with the stated aim of overseeing a truce, but witnesses said they intervened against the Druze. In response, the IDF struck them and other military targets in Damascus, saying it was protecting the Druze.Syrian troops pulled out of the Druze heartland province of Sweida on Thursday on orders from the Islamist-led government, leaving bodies strewn on the street, AFP journalists reported from the provincial capital.There were no crossings of the border or protests overnight, the Israeli army said Thursday, adding that work is scheduled to fix the breaches in the fence and, with police, set up blockades in the area to prevent any further crossings.Meanwhile, a Syrian journalist affiliated with the country’s new regime published footage showing armed Druze fighters and residents in southern Syria cheering as an Israel Defense Forces convoy rolled through a nearby town.In the footage, people wave Druze flags and hoot for the line of IDF vehicles, one of which is flying an Israeli flag.One of the individuals is heard calling on the Israeli forces to go after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, apparently suggesting he be eliminated.It was unclear exactly where and when the video was filmed.In a televised speech Thursday, Sharaa said community leaders would resume control over security in Sweida after the deployment of government troops on Tuesday fueled the sectarian bloodshed and prompted the Israeli intervention.Government troops told AFP that the order to withdraw came shortly before midnight and they completed their pullout from the province at dawn.An AFP photographer counted 15 bodies on the street in the center of Sweida on Thursday after government forces pulled out.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said more than 500 people have been killed in sectarian clashes in the city since Sunday.Israel had pounded government troops with airstrikes during their brief deployment to the southern province and also struck army headquarters and near the Presidential Palace in Damascus, warning that its strikes would intensify until the Islamist-led government pulled back.Sharaa, whose interim government has had troubled relations with ethnic and religious minority groups since it toppled veteran leader Bashar al-Assad in December, also pledged to protect the Druze.A Kurdish official on Thursday urged the new government to rethink its approach to the country’s minorities following the deadly clashes.“The transitional government must undertake a comprehensive and urgent review of its approach to dealing with Syria’s internal affairs, and begin a serious and responsible national dialogue with all components, while respecting the privacy and cultural and religious identity of each,” Bedran Ciya Kurd, a senior official in the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria, said on X.March saw massacres of more than 1,700 mostly Alawite civilians in their hub on the Mediterranean coast, with government-affiliated groups blamed for most of the killings.Government forces also battled Druze fighters in Sweida province and near Damascus in April and May, leaving more than 100 people dead.Israel has said it will not allow the Druze to be harmed. Israel, which is home to around 150,000 Druze, many of whom serve in the IDF, has repeatedly stated its intention to defend Syria’s Druze community.The military, which has taken control of the UN-monitored demilitarized zone on the Golan Heights and conducted hundreds of strikes on military targets in Syria, also says it will not allow any Syrian military presence in the south.Despite having initiated contact with a first face-to-face meeting in Azerbaijan earlier this month, Israel remains extremely wary of Syria’s new rulers, including Sharaa, whose Hayat Tahrir al-Sham movement was once linked to al-Qaeda.

Prominent Israeli rabbis back intervention in Syria on behalf of Druze-Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Kalman Ber and Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu issue statements stressing the bond between Israel and the Druze, describe assisting them as a moral duty By Rossella Tercatin-and Agencies 17 July 2025, 4:53 pm

Two prominent Israeli rabbis have spoken up to back the country’s decision to intervene militarily to protect the Druze community in southern Syria after days of violent clashes that left dozens of civilians dead.Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Kalman Ber on Thursday issued an open call to Israel and the world to help the Druze in Syria, citing the biblical commandment “Do not stand by the blood of your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:16).In a rare move, Ber also appeared to draw a comparison between the violence perpetrated against the Druze in southern Syria and persecution against Jews in the past.“We are witnessing a brutal campaign of murder against the Druze people, an assault on the image [of God] in humanity,” he wrote. “These are acts that we and all religious leaders around the world must not ignore or remain silent in the face of. We have seen savage beasts descend in a fury upon innocent civilians, without distinguishing between man and woman, elder and child. We are reminded of the dark days of history, when bloodthirsty nations committed similar atrocities — and the world was silent!!!”The statement marks a departure for the rabbinical leader; chief rabbis rarely comment on defense issues or matters involving other faiths.More than 350 people had been killed in clashes this week between Druze and Bedouin fighters in Syria, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said early Thursday. Hours earlier, Syria announced it had begun withdrawing its army from Druze-majority Sweida city after agreeing to a new ceasefire that it said would bring a complete halt to its military operations there. The arrangement has been rejected by some Druze leaders.Witnesses in Sweida said government forces dispatched there with the stated objective of ending the violence joined with Bedouins to attack Druze fighters and civilians.SOHR reported that since clashes erupted on Sunday, 79 Druze fighters were killed along with 55 civilians, 27 of them in “summary executions by members of the defense and interior ministries,” while 189 defense and interior ministry personnel and 18 Bedouin fighters were also killed.Israel carried out several strikes on Wednesday in Damascus and on Syrian regime forces deployed to the areas of southern Syria where the fighting had been taking place.“The divine commandment ‘Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor’ obligates us to raise a cry and stir the conscience of the entire world,” Ber wrote, describing the violence against the Druze as “ethnic cleansing.”“We must also remember that some members of this community — and their relatives — live among us and are bound to us in a covenant of blood, forged in shared sacrifice for the existence of the State of Israel,” he added.Around 150,000 Druze live in Israel, most of whom hold Israeli citizenship and serve in the IDF. However, of the some 23,000 living in the Golan Heights, most do not hold Israeli citizenship and still see themselves as Syrian nationals. They maintain close links with communities in Syria, where some 700,000 Druze live.Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, a hardline religious Zionist leader, who is known for incendiary statements against Arabs, also called on Israel to assist the Druze, describing it as a “moral obligation.”“The Torah teaches us that every human being is beloved, having been created in the image of God (tzelem Elokim),” Eliyahu wrote in a statement shared on the Facebook page of his office. “Showing contempt for others and degrading them stands in direct opposition to the values of the Torah. Disregard for human life violates the most fundamental principles that God has given to us — and to the entire world.”“The members of the Druze community have defended Israel with great courage since the founding of the state,” he added. “The Torah tells of the special bond that existed between the people of Israel and Jethro, the father of their nation, over 3,000 years ago.”Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, is revered by the Druze as the most important prophet of their highly secretive faith.“We express our support for the government of Israel, which has warned the Syrian regime not to allow its forces to abuse the Druze,” Eliyahu further wrote. “We also support the IDF in striking Syrian forces that have attacked Druze civilians. It is our moral obligation to defend the Druze community, which has entered with us into a covenant of blood.”Eliyahu is a member of the Chief Rabbinate Council, which serves as the leading authority on Jewish law for the government and providers of religious services in the country. He is the father of Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu from the far-right Otzma Yehudit party.Eliyahu is known for controversial statements and rulings on Jewish law, including one that forbade the rental or sale of Jewish-owned property in Safed to Arabs. A year ago, he also backed his son’s statement about the possibility of dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza.

US, Israel said to discuss new strikes if no diplomacy soon-Report: Of 3 nuke sites hit by US, only Fordo was badly set back; Trump rejected wider op-US intel assessment cited by NBC News indicates less extensive damage at Natanz and Isfahan; Trump said to have eschewed weeks-long campaign targeting 6 sites-By ToI Staff 17 July 2025, 2:39 pm

US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites only caused significant damage to one of them, a new intelligence assessment has reportedly found, and discussions are said to have taken place between Israeli and American officials on the possibility of renewing strikes on the two other locations if Tehran doesn’t agree to talks soon.The US strikes last month set back uranium enrichment activity at the underground Fordo nuclear site by some two years, NBC news reported on Thursday, citing five current and former US officials with knowledge of the intel findings, which have been shared with lawmakers and officials in allied countries in recent days.The US outlet’s reporting indicates, but does not state explicitly, that the damage at Isfahan and Natanz, the two other sites, was less extensive, with some parts of them beyond America’s massive bunker-buster bombs. The report said US officials think Iran could have the facilities back up and running in months.Two of the current officials told NBC that assessments are ongoing and may change over time, noting that more damage has been identified in the current analysis than in previous ones.According to the report, US President Donald Trump had been presented at the time with an option of a much more comprehensive air campaign, which would have continued for weeks and involved hitting six nuclear sites repeatedly, but opted for the more limited strike due to concerns about US involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts.“We were willing to go all the way in our options, but the president did not want to,” one of the sources was quoted as saying.The report cited a current and a former official saying the US and Israel have discussed going back in to conduct fresh attacks on Natanz and Isfahan if Tehran continues to avoid negotiations over its nuclear program or there are signs it is trying to rebuild the sites.Responding to the report, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly reiterated Trump’s claim that the attacked sites were “totally obliterated” and that “America and the world are safer, thanks to his decisive action.”“The credibility of the Fake News Media is similar to that of the current state of the Iranian nuclear facilities: destroyed, in the dirt, and will take years to recover,” chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told NBC. “President Trump was clear and the American people understand: Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz were completely and totally obliterated. There is no doubt about that.”The Pentagon said earlier this month that its intelligence suggested the strikes set back the nuclear program as a whole by up to two years.The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, raised doubts over the effectiveness of the strikes last month, saying that Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months.Several experts have also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordo site before the strikes and could be hiding it. However, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he was unaware of intelligence suggesting Iran had moved it.Israel launched an unprecedented air campaign targeting Iranian nuclear sites, scientists and top military brass on June 13 in a bid to end the country’s nuclear program, which Tehran says is for civilian purposes but Washington and other powers insist is aimed at acquiring atomic weapons.Trump had spent weeks pursuing a diplomatic path to replace the nuclear deal with Tehran that he tore up during his first term in 2018, but he ultimately decided to take military action. The US operation was massive, involving more than 125 US aircraft, including stealth bombers, fighters, and aerial refueling tankers as well as a guided missile submarine.The US and Israel said the strikes were intended to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons and to radically degrade its ballistic missile capabilities.Iran, which openly seeks to destroy Israel, claims its nuclear program is solely geared toward civilian use, but it has enriched uranium to 60 percent purity, above levels needed for civilian usage and a short step from the level needed for weapons production, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities.Israel says it holds intelligence information indicating that Tehran was taking active steps to build a bomb. It has also warned that it could take further military steps if it sees Iran attempting to rebuild its nuclear and missile programs.

N. Korea says Japan seeking to be a 'military giant'

Seoul, July 17 (AFP) Jul 17, 2025-A new Japanese defence policy white paper showed the country was seeking to be a major military power, North Korean state media reported a foreign ministry official as saying Friday, who justified Pyongyang's nuclear program on that basis.The policy section chief of the Institute for Japan Studies under the foreign ministry described the Japanese defence white paper, approved this week, as "a war scenario for realizing its ambition for reinvasion from A to Z," the Korean Central News Agency said.The white paper was approved by the cabinet of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday.It argued, among other things, that China's intensifying military activities could seriously impact Japanese security, citing the first confirmed incursion by a Chinese military aircraft into its airspace.It also said North Korea's activities pose a "more grave and imminent threat to Japan's national security than ever before".Japan is in a multi-year process of increasing its defence spending, as many countries are doing under pressure from the United States, as Donald Trump governs for a second time with a focus on more-burden sharing on defence.Japan is bolstering its military ties with Washington -- and other regional US allies -- to make US and Japanese forces nimbler in response to threats such as a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.The Japan studies department of the North Korean foreign ministry said Japan was "escalating the regional situation in a gradual way (to) justify its reckless moves to turn itself into a military giant," KCNA reported.Japan's military activities show that North Korea's efforts to build up its nuclear arsenal "serve as an indispensable contribution to strongly suppressing the provocations of the US and its allies," the agency reported.

Ukraine 'shouldn't target' Moscow: Trump-by AFP Staff Writers.

Washington (AFP) July 15, 2025-Donald Trump said Tuesday Ukraine should not target Moscow and that he had no plans to supply Kyiv with long-range missiles, following a report the US leader had encouraged President Volodymyr Zelensky to hit the Russian capital.The Financial Times reported that Trump had brought up a potential counteroffensive with Zelensky and even asked his Ukrainian counterpart whether he could hit Moscow, if Washington provided long-range weapons.Asked by reporters at the White House if Zelensky should target the Russian capital, Trump replied: "No, he shouldn't target Moscow."He was also asked if he was willing to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles and said: "No, we're not looking to."Citing two people familiar with the call, the Times reported that Trump spoke to Zelensky on July 4, a day after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.Trump also reportedly discussed sending Ukraine US-made ATACMS missiles, the Times said.Trump, who had vowed to end the Ukraine war within a day of returning to the White House, has said he is "disappointed" in Putin, who has kept attacking Ukraine as if the leaders' telephone conversations "didn't mean anything."White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt played down the Times report, saying in a statement that the paper was "notorious for taking words wildly out of context to get clicks.""President Trump was merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing," she said. "He's working tirelessly to stop the killing and end this war."

Russia fires hundreds of drones at Ukraine, defying Trump warning by AFP Staff Writers.

Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) July 16, 2025-Russia fired hundreds of drones, artillery and a ballistic missile at Ukraine between late Tuesday and early Wednesday, Ukraine said, defying calls by Donald Trump to reach a peace deal.The attacks left one woman dead and wounded more than two dozen people across multiple regions, while a missile attack cut power and water in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's home city of Kryvyi Rig, according to authorities.The bombardment came two days after US President Trump threatened to impose severe sanctions against the country unless it reached a peace settlement within 50 days to end its three-year war on Ukraine.Ukrainian and Russian officials last met for direct peace talks more than a month ago, and no further meetings have been scheduled despite the Kremlin saying it is open for more talks.Russia fired at least 400 drones at Ukraine between late Tuesday and early Wednesday, as well as an Iskander ballistic missile launched from the annexed Crimean peninsula, the Ukrainian air force said.Overnight drone attacks on the central Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia left eight wounded, while three were wounded in an attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, local authorities said.Russian attacks on the city of Kryvyi Rig wounded at least 15 people, destroyed an industrial building and disrupted power and water supplies, according to local officials.A 17-year-old boy was among those injured, the city's mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said on Telegram."He was wounded in the abdominal cavity. He was immediately taken to the hospital, in serious condition. Now doctors are fighting for his life," he wrote."This has never happened before. A ballistic missile and 28 Shaheds simultaneously," he added, referring to Iranian-designed drones.Russia has stepped up its summer campaign against Ukraine in recent weeks as Washington-mediated ceasefire talks stall.Its army has pushed ahead on the battlefield, while pounding Ukraine with combined drone, artillery and missile strikes.Trump said Monday he had struck a deal with NATO chief to supply more American air defence systems and weapons to Ukraine, citing his frustration with Russia's refusal to accept a ceasefire.

New drone attacks hit three oil fields in northern Iraq: Kurdish forces by AFP Staff Writers.

Arbil, Iraq (AFP) July 16, 2025-Explosive-laden drones hit three oil fields in Iraq's northern autonomous Kurdistan region early Wednesday, Kurdish forces said, a day after a similar attack shut operations at a US-run field.In the past few weeks, Iraq and particularly the Kurdistan region have seen a spate of unclaimed drone and rocket attacks.Wednesday's attacks have raised the number of oil field hit in Kurdistan to five within a week."At 06:00 and 06:15 (0300 and 0315 GMT) two explosive-laden drones attacked" the Peshkabir oil field operated by the Norwegian oil group DNO in Zakho district, Kurdistan's counterterrorism services said.At 7:00 am (0400 GMT) a similar drone struck the DNO-operated Tawke field in the same area, Kurdistan's counterterrorism services said.The attacks caused only material damage.Another attack at 7:14 am (0414 GMT) targeted an oil field operated by the US firm Hunt Oil in Dohuk province, without causing casualties or material damage.Long plagued by conflict, Iraq frequently experiences such attacks, often linked to regional proxy struggles between Iran and the United States and its ally Israel.The attacks also come at a time of heightened tension between Baghdad and Arbil over oil exports, with a major pipeline through Turkey shut since 2023 over legal disputes and technical issues.Wednesday's attacks came a day after an explosive-laden drone strike forced the US firm HKN Energy to suspend operations in the Sarsang oil field in Duhok.On Monday, one drone was shot down near Arbil airport, while two others hit the Khurmala oil field in the same province, causing material damage.Iraqi Kurdistan presents itself as a relative oasis of stability in a volatile Iraq, attracting foreign investors due to its close ties with the United States and European countries.

Drone attack shuts US-run oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Arbil, Iraq (AFP) July 15, 2025 - A drone strike on Tuesday forced a US company to suspend operations at an oil field in Iraq's Kurdistan, the latest in a string of attacks targeting the autonomous region's energy facilities.The Iraqi government said it will investigate the attacks, which occurred months before legislative elections, at a time of simmering tension between Baghdad and the regional administration in Arbil mainly over oil exports.The Arbil government said the Sarsang oil field in Duhok province was hit, denouncing the strike as "an act of terrorism against the Kurdistan Region's vital economic infrastructure".It did not say who may be behind the attack, and there was no claim of responsibility.Tuesday's attack followed similar drone strikes a day earlier on an airport hosting US troops and on an oil field in Arbil province, near Duhok.HKN Energy, the US firm operating the Sarsang site, said a blast occurred at about 7:00 am (0400 GMT) at one of its production facilities."Operations at the affected facility have been suspended until the site is secured," it said in a statement.A fire broke out but caused no casualties. HKN said emergency teams later contained the blaze.In the past few weeks, Iraq and particularly the Kurdistan region have seen a spate of unclaimed drone and rocket attacks.Long plagued by conflict, Iraq frequently experiences such attacks, often linked to regional proxy struggles between Iran and the United States and its ally Israel.Iraqi Kurdistan presents itself as a relative oasis of stability in a volatile Iraq, attracting foreign investors due to its close ties with the United States and European countries.- 'Vital institutions' -On Tuesday, Kurdistan's presidency condemned the latest attacks, warning that they "pose a risk" to international investments and calling on Baghdad to find the perpetrators and prevent further incidents.Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered an "immediate and comprehensive investigation" into the attacks, his military spokesman Sabah al-Numan said."The nature and timing of these criminal acts indicate malicious intent aimed at creating confusion and harming Iraq and its vital institutions," Numan added.Iraq is gearing up for legislative elections in November, which are often marked by heated political wrangling.The attacks also come at a time of heightened tension between Baghdad and Arbil over oil exports, with a major pipeline through Turkey shut since 2023 over legal disputes and technical issues.In May, Iraq's federal authorities filed a complaint against the autonomous Kurdistan region for signing gas contracts with two US companies, including HKN Energy.Iraq slammed the deals, saying all oil and gas development must be conducted through the federal government.A few hours after Tuesday's drone attack, Iraq's oil ministry announced an initial agreement with HKN to develop the Hamrin oil field in Salaheddin province.- 'Unacceptable' -The US embassy in Baghdad denounced the recent drone strikes, including on "critical infrastructure" in Kurdistan."These attacks are unacceptable," the embassy said on X, adding that the Iraqi government "must exercise its authority to prevent armed actors from launching these attacks against sites... where Iraqi and international companies have invested in Iraq's future".The Sarsang attack came a day after other explosive-laden drone attacks were reported elsewhere in Kurdistan.One drone was shot down near Arbil airport, while two others hit the Khurmala oil field in the same province, causing material damage.There has been no claim of responsibility for those attacks.Politicians close to the Kurdish authorities blamed pro-Iran groups, without offering evidence.On July 3, the Kurdistan government said that the Hashed al-Shaabi, a coalition of pro-Iran former paramilitaries now integrated into the regular armed forces, had downed a drone near Arbil airport.Baghdad rejected the accusation against "an official Iraqi security institution".

Europeans tell Iran will reimpose sanctions if no progress on nuclear deal: France.

Paris, July 18 (AFP) Jul 18, 2025-Top European diplomats told their Iranian counterpart on Thursday they were determined to reactivate UN sanctions if Tehran does not make progress on a nuclear deal, France's foreign ministry said.The diplomats, from Britain, France, Germany and the European Union, told Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of "their determination to use the 'snapback' mechanism -- which allows for the reimposition of all international sanctions against Iran -- in the absence of concrete progress" towards a deal on Tehran's nuclear programme "by the end of the summer", the French foreign ministry said.They are applying pressure to convince Iran of "the urgency of returning to the diplomatic path without delay, in order to reach a robust, verifiable, and durable agreement on Iran's nuclear programme".There has been much speculation about the status of Tehran's nuclear programme since Israeli and US strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities in June.A clause in Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement, which the United States withdrew from, allows for UN sanctions against Tehran to be reimposed in case of non-compliance through a snapback mechanism.European diplomats are seeking progress by the end of August as the agreement is due to expire in October.Iran and the United States have held several rounds of negotiations through Omani mediators since April, before Israel launched an attack on Iran on June 13. Washington also carried out strikes on Iran, effectively ending the nuclear talks.Since the end of the hostilities, both Iran and the United States have signalled willingness to return to the table, though Tehran has said it will not renounce its right to the peaceful use of nuclear power.An adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday there would be no new nuclear talks with the United States if they were conditioned on Tehran abandoning its uranium enrichment activities.

Taipei holds air raid drill to prepare for Chinese attack.

Taipei, July 17 (AFP) Jul 17, 2025-Taipei came to a brief standstill on Thursday when air raid sirens forced people off the streets and into underground shelters in a rehearsal for a Chinese attack.The annual civilian drill is being held in cities across Taiwan this week, alongside military training, to prepare the self-governed island for a potential Chinese invasion.Communist China has never ruled Taiwan but Beijing insists the island is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control.Sirens sounded across Taipei at 1:30 pm (0530 GMT), bringing the capital city of 2.5 million people to a halt for half an hour.Police waving batons stopped motorbikes, cars and public buses on the streets and people were directed into shelters, including basements and subway stations.Some people retreated into office buildings for the duration of the exercise.Tracy Herr, 50, was on her way to a temple when she heard the air raid siren. She went to a nearby subway station where others were sheltering.Pointing at a group of young women sitting on the floor and chatting, Herr said Taiwanese people had "lived comfortably for too long" and some didn't take the air raid drill seriously.The drills also involved simulating wartime aid distribution and a mass-casualty event.Dozens of people lined up at three distribution points to receive bags of rice, cooking oil and salt.Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has sought to raise public awareness of the threat posed by China since taking office last year."Each drill allows our country to further enhance its ability to defend itself," Lai said on Thursday.While the exercises were "not intended to provoke", Lai said the constant threats to Taiwan meant "we have no choice but to stay fully prepared".- 'Reality of modern warfare' -Taiwan is keen to show the world, especially its key security backer Washington, that it is serious about boosting its defence capability.Taiwanese regular troops were joined by the largest mobilisation of reservists for the 10-day "Han Kuang" military drills, which end on Friday.Rather than only repelling a Chinese attack on its shores, Taiwanese troops this year have also practised fighting invading forces in city streets."It is as much training as acclimating the Taiwanese population to the reality of modern warfare," said Kitsch Liao of the Atlantic Council, a US think tank.Heavily armed troops carrying US-provided anti-aircraft Stinger missiles stormed Taipei's metro system in a night-time exercise.High-tech mobile missile launchers from the United States have also been positioned around the capital and elsewhere, in full view of the public.Shoppers in a Taipei supermarket also recently became participants in a drill simulating a Chinese missile strike on the city."I didn't know there was going to be a drill," Yang Shu-ting, 70, told AFP."My heart was beating very fast and I was inevitably nervous. I think the point is to let you know where you should hide if something happens."Troops have also simulated various scenarios, including "grey zone harassment" -- tactics that fall short of an act of war -- and "long-range precision strikes", defence officials have said.Several minor collisions involving military vehicles during the exercises highlighted the challenge of manoeuvring through Taiwan's narrow streets.Defence expert Chieh Chung said such mishaps were "difficult to avoid" in urban areas."In Taiwan, many roads and bridges create significant limitations for armoured vehicles when they move through," said Chieh, a researcher at the Association of Strategic Foresight in Taipei."So this becomes a problem and obstacle for both attacking and defending forces."

French army leaves Senegal, ending military presence in west Africa.

Dakar, July 17 (AFP) Jul 17, 2025-France on Thursday formally handed back its last two military bases in Senegal, leaving Paris with no permanent army camps in either west or central Africa.Ending the French army's 65 years in independent Senegal, the pull-out comes after similar withdrawals across the continent, with former colonies increasingly turning their backs on their former ruler.The move comes as the Sahel region faces a growing jihadist conflict across Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger that is threatening the wider west African region.A recent string of attacks this month in Mali included an assault on a town on the border with Senegal.France returned Camp Geille, its largest base in the west African country, and its airfield at Dakar airport, in a ceremony attended by top French and Senegalese officials.They included Senegalese chief of staff General Mbaye Cisse and General Pascal Ianni, the head of the French forces in Africa.Cisse said the handover marked "an important turning point in the rich and long military journey of our two countries".He said the "new objectives" were aimed at "giving new content to the security partnership".Senegalese troops were working "to consolidate the numerous skills gained it its quest for strategic autonomy", he added.The general ended his speech with a quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the French author of "The Little Prince", who spent several months in Dakar: "For each ending there is always a new departure."Ianni said Paris was "reinventing partnerships in a dynamic Africa"."We have to do things differently, and we don't need permanent bases to do so," he said.The French general however insisted that the pull-out "takes nothing away from the sacrifices made yesterday by our brothers-in-arms in Africa for our respective interests".Around 350 French soldiers, primarily tasked with conducting joint operations with the Senegalese army, are now leaving, marking the end of a three-month departure process that began in March.After storming to victory in 2024 elections promising radical change, Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye demanded France withdraw troops from the country by 2025.Unlike the leaders of other former colonies such as junta-run Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, however, Faye has insisted that Senegal will keep working with Paris.- 'Sovereignty' -Senegal was one of France's first colonies in Africa.After gaining independence in 1960, Senegal became one of France's staunchest African allies, playing host to French troops throughout its modern history.Faye's predecessor, Macky Sall, continued that tradition.However Faye, who ran on a ticket promising a clean break with the Sall era, has said that Senegal will treat France like any other foreign partner.Pledging to make his country more self-sufficient, the president gave a deadline of the end of 2025 for all foreign armies to withdraw."Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country, and sovereignty does not accept the presence of military bases in a sovereign country," Faye said at the end of 2024.He maintained nonetheless that France remained "an important partner for Senegal".Faye has also urged Paris to apologise for colonial atrocities, including the massacre on December 1, 1944, of dozens of African soldiers who had fought for France in World War II.A lawmaker from the president's ruling Pastef party, Guy Marius Sagna, hailed Thursday's "end to the presence of the French occupying army"."Bravo to President Diomaye Faye!... Bravo to the patriots! Decolonisation continues," he told the press.- Continent-wide pull-out -With governments across Africa increasingly questioning the presence of French soldiers, Paris has closed or reduced numbers at bases across its former empire.In February, Paris handed back its sole remaining base in Ivory Coast, ending decades of French presence at the site.The month before, France turned over the Kossei base in Chad, its last military foothold in the unrest-hit Sahel region.Coups in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali between 2020 and 2023 have swept military strongmen to power.All have cut ties with France and turned to Russia instead for help in fighting the Sahel's decade-long jihadist insurgency.The Central African Republic, also a former French colony to which the Kremlin has sent mercenaries, has likewise demanded a French pull-out.Meanwhile the army has turned its base in Gabon into a camp shared with the central African nation focused on training.Only the tiny Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti will play host to a permanent French army base following Thursday's withdrawal.France intends to make its base in Djibouti, home to some 1,500 people, its military headquarters for Africa. 

UK, Germany vow to tackle people smuggling gangs.

London, July 17 (AFP) Jul 17, 2025-Britain and Germany signed landmark deals Wednesday to boost defence ties and crackdown on people smuggling gangs on the first official visit to the UK by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Merz had agreed to change German law this year so that small boats used to transport migrants across the English Channel can be seized in Germany."It's a clear sign that we mean business in every way," the British premier told reporters. Berlin, though, has yet to confirm when the legislation will be introduced.Merz's trip came a week after undocumented migrants topped the political agenda during a state visit to Britain by French President Emmanuel Macron. Merz said he would host Macron in Germany next week.Starmer and his German counterpart signed the first ever "friendship treaty" between their countries at London's Victoria and Albert Museum, named after Queen Victoria and her German-born husband, before holding talks at the PM's Downing Street office.Merz said London and Berlin had agreed an exchange programme, in which German and British school children would not need visas to take part.Speaking in German, he said he believed allowing the "young generation" to get to know each other and their respective countries was a "good basis for the further development of our relations".- Arms co-operation -Downing Street said the two leaders would also agree to jointly boost exports of military goods such as Boxer armoured vehicles and Typhoon jets, which could lead to "billions of pounds of additional" orders.They would also commit to developing a precision strike missile with a range of more than 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) in the next decade.Undocumented migration has become a major headache for Starmer's year-old Labour government, as support for the upstart anti-immigrant Reform UK party soars.More than 22,500 would-be asylum seekers have arrived on England's southeastern coast by small boat from northern France this year alone.The prime minister's office said changing the law in Germany would allow police to "take action against warehouses and storage facilities used by migrant smugglers" to conceal small boats intended for Channel crossings.Starmer and Merz also discussed continued support for Ukraine, with both countries expected to play a role in US President Donald Trump's plan to send weapons to Kyiv with financing from other NATO countries.- Brexit trauma -The visit was Merz's first to the UK as chancellor, although he has already met Starmer several times. They made the same trip by train to Ukraine just days after Merz took office in early May.The wide-ranging agreement also known as the "Kensington Treaty" refers to the turbulent security situation faced by both countries, and includes a mutual defence pact."There is no strategic threat to one which would not be a strategic threat to the other," the pact says, with a pledge the two countries "shall assist one another, including by military means, in case of an armed attack".While Britain and Germany already have a commitment to mutual defence as NATO members, the treaty aims to pave the way for greater defence cooperation, including operations on NATO's eastern flank.The agreement also seeks to improve Britain's post-Brexit ties with its neighbours.Macron's trip to Britain in early July was the first state visit to the country by a European Union head of state since the UK's acrimonious departure from the EU in 2020 following the 2016 referendum.Merz said that while he personally "deplore(d)" Britain's decision to leave the bloc, the UK, France and Germany were "converging" in policy matters including migration and security.Britain and Germany also agreed that some UK passport holders would be able to use faster German eGates and they committed to improving train connections.Last month Eurostar said it planned to launch a new route from London to Frankfurt in the early 2030s -- the first such direct connection between the UK and Germany.