LiveLive Updates July 29, 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 29, 2026UpdatesU.S. strikes uninhabited area in northwestern Iran, state TV reportsThe United States launched a strike on a site on the outskirts of Piranshahr, a city in Iran's northwestern West Azerbaijan province, Iranian state television reported.According to the report, a crisis management official from the province said that a shell hit an uninhabited area and that there were no casualties.Israeli authorities raid businesses in southern Bedouin villagePolice Commissioner Danny Levy visited on Wednesday the southern Bedouin village of Tarabin as part of a joint law enforcement operation involving police, Tax Authority inspectors and the Israel Electric Corporation.Heavy police forces enter the Bedouin town of Tarabin hours after resident Mohammed Hussein Tarabin was killed in January. Credit: Eliahu HershkovitzHeavy police forces enter the Bedouin town of Tarabin hours after resident Mohammed Hussein Tarabin was killed in January. Credit: Eliahu HershkovitzDuring the operation, authorities raided several businesses and private homes, conducted audits and blocked roads throughout the village. As of now, the audited businesses have ceased operations.Tarabin, which is situated in Israel's southern Negev desert, was subject earlier this year to a wide-scale enforcement operation at the orders of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.After his stop at Tarabin, the police chief proceeded to the Bedouin city of Rahat.One wounded from live gunfire during Israeli military raid on Palestinian town in West BankOne person has been wounded after being shot by Israeli forces in Beit Ummar, a Palestinian town northwest of Hebron in the West Bank, medics said.According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, Israeli forces shot the victim in his abdomen with live fire during a raid on the town. Israeli forces encircled one of the town's homes during the raid, local reports said.The victim has been evacuated to a hospital, medics said.Houthis considering imposing tariffs in Red Sea, China to be exempt, sources sayYemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement is considering imposing fees on commercial ships sailing through the southern Red Sea, sources said. China's shipping fleet is expected to be exempted from any Houthi fee system, the sources added.A vessel of the navy of Yemen's Aden-based internationally recognised government patrols a shipping lane off Hanish Island in the Red Sea on Monday. Credit: AFP/KHALED ZIADA vessel of the navy of Yemen's Aden-based internationally recognised government patrols a shipping lane off Hanish Island in the Red Sea on Monday. Credit: AFP/KHALED ZIADChina has held direct talks with the Houthis to enable its tankers to sail through the southern Red Sea without being attacked after the Iran-aligned militia pledged ‌to prevent access to Saudi ports, six sources with knowledge of the matter said.The Houthis declared their blockade on July 20, opening a new front ⁠against the United States and its allies in the Iran war and expanding attacks on tankers carrying energy and other supplies to markets beyond the Middle East. Beijing has ⁠asked the Houthis directly to promise safe passage for its tankers, according to the sources, who included a senior Iranian official.5 hours agoHezbollah drone struck Israeli military engineering vehicle in south Lebanon, IDF saysA Hezbollah drone struck an Israeli military engineering vehicle in the area of southern Lebanon's Ali al-Taher Ridge, the IDF said, in what it called "a blatant violation of the cease-fire agreement."Lebanese media, citing a local source, said Hezbollah struck the vehicle to prevent the IDF from conducting groundworks in the area.No IDF injuries were reported, the army said.Will Syria become the next arena for Israel's and Trump's clashing visions? | AnalysisPresident of Syria Ahmad al-Sharaa in London, earlier this year. Credit: Alastair Grant/APPresident of Syria Ahmad al-Sharaa in London, earlier this year. Credit: Alastair Grant/APOn the eve of July 17, in the Al-Maysar neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, an argument over a shop quickly turned into a battleground involving live fire. Three people were wounded, cars were set on fire and security forces had to be called in to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.A few days earlier, in Azaz, north of Aleppo, a family feud devolved into gunfire directed at a security patrol. At the end of June, in a Damascus suburb, a dispute over money led to armed clashes and the temporary imposition of a curfew.Thus, while Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is holding high-level meetings with heads of state, hosting the secretary-general of the United Nations and becoming an honored friend of Donald Trump, the country he rules is still struggling to attain some sense of normalcy.This week, in an interview with Al Jazeera television, al-Sharaa said he was seeking to reach security agreements with Israel and that, if these efforts succeed, "it could be a prelude to a comprehensive peace agreement with Israel."However, he added the tortuous formulation that the agreement "will not come at the expense of Syria's rights and shouldn't be interpreted as ceding our demand for the return of the occupied Golan Heights to our hands."It is very hard to square the two parts of this statement. But if comprehensive peace is, at the moment, a vision far from reality, the first steps toward a security accord began before the process was frozen. They may yet return to life soon.Read the full articleShin Bet chief reverses position, enables far-right Kahanist party to run in electionA far-right Kahanist party will be allowed to run in October's election after Shin Bet chief David Zini reversed the security agency's position on its eligibility.Baruch Marzel at Rabbi Meir Kahane's grave. The Shin Bet's original opinion warned that Marzel and Dr. Michael Ben Ari – both former leading activists in Kach – were the key figures behind the party. Credit: Noam Revkin-FentonBaruch Marzel at Rabbi Meir Kahane's grave. The Shin Bet's original opinion warned that Marzel and Dr. Michael Ben Ari – both former leading activists in Kach – were the key figures behind the party. Credit: Noam Revkin-FentonIn its original assessment, the Shin Bet said the party, whose name translates to "A Whole and Strong Jewish Israel," is effectively run by far-right activists and Kahanist Baruch Marzel and Michael Ben Ari, who was the former chairman of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party.According to an agency assessment, intelligence indicated that Marzel and Ben Ari sought to use the party to advance the ideology of Rabbi Meir Kahane's ultra-nationalist Kach movement, which Israel designated a terrorist organization. It also alleged that the two deliberately omitted themselves from the party's list of founders to conceal their involvement.Read the full article'Qatar's hands are stained with blood:' Bennett doubles down on declaring 'enemy state' after diplomatic pushbackFormer prime minister and Together party head Naftali Bennett at a press conference in June. Credit: Itai RonFormer prime minister and Together party head Naftali Bennett at a press conference in June. Credit: Itai RonTogether party head Naftali Bennett reiterated his vow that a government under his leadership would declare Qatar an enemy state after the Gulf state condemned what it called disinformation spread by the former Israeli prime minister."In the next government, we will expel Qatar from Gaza (!), act against Al Jazeera, ban trade ties so they stop buying influence here, and harness all Israeli security agencies for determined action against the terrorists in suits," Bennett wrote in a post on X.He also said Qatar financed Hamas' October 7 massacre, adding that "Qatar's hands are stained with the blood of the murdered, the kidnapped, and the rape victims. It has never apologized, and continues to host the terrorist Hamas leaders in Doha."הם מפחדים.