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, 2026Updates55 minutes agoReport: IDF artillery shells Syrian villages near Israeli-occupied areaThe Syrian villages of Abdin and Ma'ariya, near the Golan Heights and the former UN buffer zone (between the hatched lines).The Syrian villages of Abdin and Ma'ariya, near the Golan Heights and the former UN buffer zone (between the hatched lines).The Israeli military shelled two Syrian villages near the Golan Heights, the Lebanese Al Mayadeen channel reported.According to the channel, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, the IDF fired shells at the villages of Abdin and Ma'ariya that lie east of the former UN buffer zone, which the IDF has occupied since the fall of the Assad regime in 2024.Locals in the Yarmouk River basin have blocked roads leading into IDF-occupied territory on several occasions in the past months in an attempt to thwart further incursions.On Sunday, the IDF recently scattered leaflets in the area, ordering locals to "immediately cease public order violations against the Israeli army." At the time, an Israeli drone reportedly dropped a stun grenade, and IDF gunfire hit water tanks on the roofs of several houses.Unidentified drone strikes U.S. gas facility in Egyptian port, security sources sayEgypt's Damietta Port.Egypt's Damietta Port.An unidentified drone struck a U.S.-owned and operated gas storage facility in Egypt's Damietta Port, two security sources and the Ambrey security company said.The drones struck floating gas tankers operated by the United States and flying a Marshall Islands flag. No casualties have been reported as of yet, and no party has claimed responsibility.The port is located in northern Egypt, about 57 km (35 miles) west of the Suez Canal.Netanyahu meets with Hegseth in Washington, office saysPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (left) at Blair House, Washington, Wednesday. Credit: Maayan Toaf/GPOPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (left) at Blair House, Washington, Wednesday. Credit: Maayan Toaf/GPOIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington's Blair House, also known as the president's guest house, Netanyahu's office said.Iraqi pro-Iran militia vows response to U.S. strikes, gives Baghdad one weekThe Iraqi pro-Iranian militia Kataib Hezbollah said retaliation for the joint U.S. and Saudi strikes on its forces is "inevitable," giving the Baghdad government a week to respond.The group said a response to the strikes could target U.S. assets in Saudi Arabia, setting August 6 as the deadline for Baghdad to "show it can defend Iraq's sovereignty."4 hours agoTrump and Netanyahu discussed Iran options, economic backlash, Israeli official saysIsrael's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, Tuesday. Credit: Maayan Toaf/GPOIsrael's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, Tuesday. Credit: Maayan Toaf/GPOA senior Israeli official, speaking on background one day after the Trump-Netanyahu White House summit, insisted that the two leaders shared a "genuine consultation" on the list of options at their disposal concerning Iran, rejecting any claims that the meeting was anything but positive and substantive."Trump has three options: reach an agreement, not reach an agreement, or intensify the strikes," the senior official noted. "We discussed each option honestly and extensively," the official added, describing the 90-minute meeting as a "genuine consultation."The official added that the conversation revolved around possible options, rather than proposals personally advanced by Netanyahu."The relevant question is balancing the sensitivity of the global economy against the ability to maintain economic pressure on Iran," the senior official said, noting Iran's greatest concerns at the moment relate to economic hardship and resulting political unrest. "We discussed additional economic pressure – through kinetic and non-kinetic means."The senior official added that Netanyahu did not state Israel's preferred option, and that ultimately the final decision rests with Trump unless Iran attacks first."They're asking themselves why they should do so now, because they know we'd launch a massive response," the official said, adding that "so far they haven't attacked us, and that says something."The senior Israeli official noted that "sometimes Trump develops certain assumptions. If you don't find a way to change them, they become fixed. You have to show him the facts, preferably visually, because he's hearing other things from other sources."Read the full articleCanada condemns Israeli settler attacks in West Bank, calls to stop expansionSettlers in the village of Fara'ata, southwest of Nablus in the northern West Bank on Friday. Credit: Use according to Section 27A of the Copyright LawSettlers in the village of Fara'ata, southwest of Nablus in the northern West Bank on Friday. Credit: Use according to Section 27A of the Copyright LawCanada ‌on Wednesday condemned worsening ‌violence by Israeli settlers ⁠in the occupied ⁠West Bank and demanded a halt to the expansion of Israeli settlements there.According to ‌United Nations figures, 18 ‌Palestinians have been killed in incidents linked to settler attacks so far this year, compared with 17 in the whole of 2025."Canada ⁠condemns the ongoing violence in the West ‌Bank. ⁠The expansion of Israeli ‌settlements in the West Bank must stop. These settlements ⁠are illegal under international law," the foreign ministry said in ‌a post on X.Report: Lebanese authorities uncover Hezbollah sabotage plot in Beirut raidBeirut's Ras al-Nabaa neighborhood, shown in black. The southern suburbs, also known as the Dahiyeh, are shown in red.Beirut's Ras al-Nabaa neighborhood, shown in black. The southern suburbs, also known as the Dahiyeh, are shown in red.Lebanese authorities uncovered a Hezbollah sabotage plot in central Beirut, Al Arabiya reported, in a second Saudi report on Hezbollah activity in the Lebanese capital on Wednesday.According to Al Arabiya, Lebanese law enforcement raided an apartment in Beirut's Ras al-Nabaa neighborhood, seizing weapons and explosives which they suspect were intended for an attack aimed at sowing chaos in the capital.The Sunni neighborhood is located in the city center, outside the predominantly Shi'ite southern suburbs, also known as the Dahiyeh, which are a Hezbollah stronghold.The occupant of the apartment reportedly confessed to being a member of Hezbollah. The report is the second time Saudi outlets Al Arabiya and Al Hadath have reported on Hezbollah activity in Beirut on Wednesday.IDF says settler activists crossed into Syria, were retrieved next dayAt least seven IDF outposts have been established in the Syrian Golan since October 2023, as revealed by satellite imagery and a February 2025 Haaretz investigation.At least seven IDF outposts have been established in the Syrian Golan since October 2023, as revealed by satellite imagery and a February 2025 Haaretz investigation.The Israeli military said three settler activists crossed from the Golan Heights into Syrian territory that the IDF seized in 2024, adding that soldiers only retrieved the three the next day.According to the IDF, the settlers crossed into the Syrian portion of Mount Hermon late Tuesday."IDF troops who were dispatched to the scene located the civilians and returned them to Israeli territory" on Wednesday, the army said, adding that it "strongly condemns the incident," which is a "serious disruption" to its activity.Lebanese town says IDF stored four tons of explosives in local buildingThe Lebanese town of Houla in the IDF-occupied buffer zone, where the IDF reportedly stored explosives.The Lebanese town of Houla in the IDF-occupied buffer zone, where the IDF reportedly stored explosives.The municipality of the Lebanese town of Houla, which is located in the IDF-occupied buffer zone in southern Lebanon, said Israeli forces stored approximately four metric tons (about 8,800 pounds) of explosive material in a building on its outskirts."This is one of the enemy's criminal acts and a dangerous indicator that cannot be ignored or underestimated," city officials said. "The municipality holds the Israeli enemy fully and directly responsible for bringing in or using any explosive or hazardous materials on Lebanese territory, and for any disaster that may result."The municipality released the statement citing reports that UN peacekeepers "had discovered approximately 4,000 kilograms of ammonium nitrate inside an abandoned building near the village, bearing Hebrew markings," urging Lebanese authorities to "immediately open an official investigation and to take all necessary legal and diplomatic measures to protect the citizens and the land."Read the full articleNorwegian hitman guilty of U.K. murder plot paid by gang linked to IranA teenage hitman from Norway has been found guilty of travelling to England to carry out a killing on behalf of an international crime gang backed by Iran.Talented footballer Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, agreed to shoot an unknown target for €25,000 ($28,450) in March last year. Two days after arriving in the United Kingdom on a flight from his home in Stavanger, armed police swooped to arrest him at a hotel in Huddersfield and seized two guns and 12 live bullets.Natland admitted possession of the firearms and ammunition but claimed he would have shot himself in the foot to get out of the "pickle" he was in. However, jurors heard he had lied repeatedly following his arrest and even tried to persuade his girlfriend not to give evidence in phone calls from prison.In the NewsCourt: MK Said Settlers' Blood Redder Than Oct. 7 Victims', Rejects Libel SuitAs Netanyahu's Rivals Try to Out-right Wing Each Other, Here's How They DifferLebanese Town Says IDF Stored Four Tons of Explosives in Local BuildingReservist in Classified IDF Unit Indicted Over Alleged Iranian ContactAfter a Settler Attack, Palestinians in the West Bank Await Their PunishmentRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIIsrael's Far Right Is Repeating the Sin That Brought Down the TempleAl Jazeera Reportedly Ends Contracts of Over 20 Gazan JournalistsWith the West Bank Primed to Explode, Israel's Government Sees an OpportunityTwo Israelis, Four Palestinians Killed in Clash After Settlers Enter TownThese Young Israelis Are Calling for the Zionist Left to Confront the OccupationIran Strikes on CIA Facilities Prompt Questions About Possible Russian Role