LiveLive Updates July 08, 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 08, 2026Updates32 minutes agoTrump says Iran strikes are retribution for attacks on ships; warns of 'much worse'U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday that strikes on Iran were retribution for attacks on ships, and that if there are more "it will get much worse!"The account which originally posted the image that Trump was responding to later admitted that "I just double checked and this image is not from tonight. My mistake. I own it," they added.U.S. increasing number of strikes in second day of Iran bombings, official saysThe ongoing U.S. strikes against Iran will be greater in number than the ones carried out on Tuesday, a U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.The U.S. military's Central Command announced earlier on Wednesday that it was launching fresh strikes on Iran aimed at keeping the critical Strait of Hormuz open to traffic.U.S. military says forces have started conducting additional strikes against IranU.S. Central Command said Wednesday that American forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran "to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz."In a post on X, hours after President Donald Trump declared that an interim agreement to end the war with Iran was "over," CENTCOM said that "the United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway."At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The United States is holding Iran accountable for recentShow moreEU aviation agency tells airlines to avoid Iran, Iraq, Lebanon airspaces until end of AugustThe European Union Aviation Safety Agency said on Wednesday that airlines should not operate ‌within the airspace of Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon, amid ongoing tensions and the potential for further military action, as the United States and Iran exchanged fresh attacks.A Turkish Airlines aircraft is pictured at the tarmac of Beirut International Airport in 2024. Credit: ANWAR AMRO / AFPA Turkish Airlines aircraft is pictured at the tarmac of Beirut International Airport in 2024. Credit: ANWAR AMRO / AFPThe EASA said its bulletin for the airspaces of Iran, Iraq and Lebanon was valid ⁠until August 31.The agency said it had withdrawn its previous bulletin that had also asked airlines to exercise caution when operating within the airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait, Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Oman, UAE and Saudi Arabia.It was not immediately clear whether EASA would issue a new advisory for those nations.The agency's latest advisory comes after Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they targeted U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait ‌on ⁠Wednesday. Those attacks followed a wave of U.S. military strikes on Iran after tankers were hit in the Strait of Hormuz.President Donald Trump had said on Monday that the United States would either reach a deal ⁠with Iran or "finish the job," renewing his threat of military action.EASA said the implementation of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire remained fragile, and its ⁠advisory decision was based on "ongoing high level of tensions and the potential for further military action."The European agency also ⁠added that should the existing truce break down, Iranian airspace was likely to be exposed to "imminent threats".RECAP: Trump praises 'very good ally' Erdogan, rescinds Syria from list of state sponsors of terrorismHere are Wednesday's latest updates :■ U.S. President Donald Trump defended his handling of the Iran war, saying it "has been a tremendous military success," and said he does not believe that the war will start again.■ Trump said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "has been a very good ally," praising him for staying out of the Iran war despite not being "a huge fan of Bibi or Israel."■ Erdogan said ‌that ⁠Trump has a positive ⁠view on selling F-35 jets to Turkey, and Erdogan hoped that the world would ‌see the United States ‌keep its promise. He also dismissed Israeli and ‌Greek opposition to Turkey acquiring F-35 jets, saying they "have no place in my world."■ Trump informed Congress of his administration's intent to rescind Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism after a 45-day pre-notification period, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.■ Two ‌people were ⁠killed ⁠after an Israeli drone strike near a ‌hospital ‌in Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon, the ⁠Lebanese state news agency ‌reported.■ Lebanon is demanding that Israel withdraw from two agreed-upon "pilot areas" in the south of its territory as a condition for Lebanon's attendance in the next round of direct talks in Rome, AFP news agency reported, citing a diplomatic source familiar with the matter.■ The Board of Peace is planning a pilot zone ‌in the Gaza Strip where a newly recruited and trained police force would act as law enforcement alongside multinational peacekeepers, and the committee of Palestinian technocrats formed under Trump's plan would exercise its authority, a board official said.■ President Isaac Herzog said that "Israel's security and law enforcement agencies are not loyal to any individual or camp, but to the sovereign – the people – to Israel's legal code, and to the values of the Jewish and democratic state." His remarks came a day after Shin Bet Director David Zini said he agreed to take the position because he was better than others at remaining loyal to the elected leadership.■ IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir spoke out against granting exemptions to military service, saying, "We must not exempt anyone from the yoke of the commandment to defend the state." He made the remarks after the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee discussed a bill that would prevent the arrest of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders.■ The IDF said it located the burial site of Pvt. Yaakov Zarihan, who was killed during the 1948 War of Independence while participating in a supply convoy to besieged Jerusalem.In the NewsEvery Day That 'Loyal' Shin Bet Head Zini Remains in Power Is One Day Too ManyRelease His Father: The Doctor Israel Has Left to DieIsrael's Illegally Appointed Watchdog Must Speak OutAIPAC Favorite Takes Aim at Netanyahu in Michigan Senate DebateTrump Praises Erdogan as 'Very Good Ally,' Signals Openness to Turkey F-35 SaleRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIIsrael Has Long Ignored Warnings of a 'Diplomatic Tsunami.' Now It Has ArrivedDumber Than a 10-year-old: Are Israeli Students Really That Stupid?An Israeli Principal Desegregated a Tel Aviv School. Here's What HappenedAs Israel Lacks Hundreds of Patrol Officers, West Bank Staff DoublesThe 'Special Relationship' Is Gone, and Israel Isn't Ready for What's ComingRep. Dan Goldman Says Support for Israel Cost Him New York Democratic Primary