LiveLive Updates July 02, 2026Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeJuly 02, 2026UpdatesIran warns U.S., Israel against attacks ahead of Khamenei funeralAn Iranian military commander warned the United States and Israel on Thursday against any attack on Iran as it prepares for the ‌state funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in airstrikes on the first day of the war."We warn the enemies of Iran, especially the U.S. and the Zionist regime (Israel), to avoid any miscalculation and ⁠to think about the harsh retaliation our armed forces would make to any threat and aggression against our country," Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said in a statement carried by state media.A man kisses a picture of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei during a memorial rally held by supporters in early March. Credit: Mohammed Huwais/AFPA man kisses a picture of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei during a memorial rally held by supporters in early March. Credit: Mohammed Huwais/AFPRead the full articleWith Israel's election fast approaching, Netanyahu ramps up his war on truth | AnalysisAlthough the date of Israel's next parliamentary election has yet to be officially set, the campaign is already well underway. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent flurry of public appearances reflects that reality, including a relatively rare visit on Tuesday evening to the studios of Channel 14, his political home turf.This week alone, Netanyahu also spoke during a visit with Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, addressed senior military commanders during a partially broadcast security briefing and delivered remarks at the annual memorial ceremony for soldiers killed in the 2014 Operation Protective Edge.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears in a screengrab from an interview broadcast on Channel 14 on Wednesday. Credit: Channel 14/ScreengrabPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears in a screengrab from an interview broadcast on Channel 14 on Wednesday. Credit: Channel 14/ScreengrabRead the full articleRECAP: At least four killed in Damascus explosion, Syrian media reportsHere are Thursday's latest updates:■ At least four people were killed by an explosion in a cafe ‌in ‌the Syrian capital Damascus, state news agency SANA reported, adding ⁠that the cause of the ‌blast ⁠remained ‌unclear.■ Hamas said that it has executed a man for collaborating with Israel, saying he helped the Israeli military assassinate the group's former military chief, Izz a-Din al-Haddad, in May.■ Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, a central figure in Palestinian politics serving five life sentences in Israel for murder, has informed his lawyer of his intention to run in the next Palestinian presidential election, Sky News Arabia reported, citing a Palestinian source.■ The Defense Ministry's Rehabilitation Department said 26,200 IDF soldiers have reached out for help since the war began, with 65 percent of them dealing with mental distress or post-traumatic stress disorder.■ The Israel Police, Shin Bet security service and Defense Ministry said they arrested a foreign national on suspicion of spying for Iran during the 2026 war with the country. According to the joint statement, Tajik-Russian dual citizen Behrouz Sobirgon filmed and photographed ballistic missile impact sites and passed them on to an Iranian intelligence operative, with whom he had been in contact since January.■ Far-right Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said the former head of the IDF's Hostages and Missing Persons Command is responsible for people being killed during the October 7 attack after the hostage chief said the Gaza war could have ended earlier.■ Police said the Israeli citizens who had entered the Palestinian village of Mukhmas in the central West Bank, leading to an IDF lockdown, were fleeing from a traffic stop. Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli military said it launched a large-scale search after Israelis reported feeling threatened near the Palestinian village of Mukhmas, east of Ramallah in the central West Bank.Hamas says it executed collaborator who helped Israel kill ex-chiefHamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad gunmen in Gaza City in March. Credit: Abdel Kareem Hana/APHamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad gunmen in Gaza City in March. Credit: Abdel Kareem Hana/APHamas said on Thursday that it has executed a man for collaborating with Israel, saying he helped the Israeli military assassinate the group's former military chief, Izz a-Din al-Haddad, in May.Hamas' Resistance Security unit, which serves as the group's internal security apparatus, said the execution was the first of its sort since September. Sources affiliated with Hamas in Gaza told Haaretz that the man, who the group says caused the deaths of numerous Palestinians, was executed mainly to send a message to potential collaborators.The killing is also meant to show Israel and the international community that Hamas is still in control despite the war and the serious losses suffered by its military and financial assets, the sources said.Sources in Gaza who are not affiliated with Hamas told Haaretz that, despite public resentment, the group continues to see itself as a key political force fighting for its power and standing in Gaza.Read the full articleReport: Marwan Barghouti to run for Palestinian president from Israeli prisonMarwan Barghouti in court in 2002. Credit: AP Photo Marwan Barghouti in court in 2002. Credit: AP Photo Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, a central figure in Palestinian politics serving five life sentences in Israel for murder, has informed his lawyer of his intention to run in the next Palestinian presidential election, Sky News Arabia reported, citing a Palestinian source.According to the report, the move comes amid mounting pressure from the United States and the European Union on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to hold presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible.Prisoners in Israel face 'unprecedented' rights violations, Public Defender's report saysShikma detention center in southern Israel, last year. Credit: Ilan AssayagShikma detention center in southern Israel, last year. Credit: Ilan AssayagPrisoners in Israeli jails suffered unprecedented violence and rights violations amid a deepening incarceration crisis in 2025, according to an annual report published by the Israel Public Defender's Office on Wednesday.According to the report, 297 complaints of police violence were filed with the Justice Ministry's department for investigating police officers in 2025, warning that the crisis reached a "new and alarming peak," leading to "unprecedented violation of basic rights of prisoners held in state custody, with no real solution in sight."The report provides several examples where complaints of police violence led to criminal cases being dropped. In one incident cited in the report, footage showed a defendant being slammed to the ground while police officers beat and cursed him. After it became clear that the police had refrained from transferring his complaint to the department as required, the Public Defender's Office did so, and the prosecution withdrew the indictment.Read the full articleIn the NewsKnesset Advances Bill Allowing Police to Search for Weapons Without WarrantCan Israel's Most Right-wing Gov't Ever Lose an Election Because of Security?Israel's Top Court Orders Revote for Netanyahu's Lawyer as State WatchdogIran Warns U.S., Israel Against Attacks Ahead of Khamenei FuneralThe Iran War Has Become Israel's Icarus MomentRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIAdvanced Israeli Systems Sold to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Documents and Images ShowIsrael 2026 Election Poll Tracker: The Latest ProjectionsA Collapsing Society: Israel Suffers National Mental Crisis Due to the WarFlagGate: How Israel Set Off a Storm by Hosting a Separatist Genocide DenierWhy Israelis Should Stop Being Afraid of Mamdani-backed Brad LanderSettlers Tried to Torch Palestinian Homes. They Messed With the Wrong Village