LiveLive Updates July 30, 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 30, 2026Updates20 hours agoNetanyahu: Strait of Hormuz will lose energy market leverage after Iran conflict endsPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predicted Wednesday that the Strait of Hormuz will lose its strategic leverage over the global energy market after the conflict with Iran ends."I don't think the straits are going to be that powerful a leverage because people will move the energy pipelines out of the straits to the Red Sea, from there to Israel in the Mediterranean," Netanyahu said in an interview with ABC News. "We can unblock this chokehold, and we will."Netanyahu described Israel's relationship with the U.S. as a partnership between unequal allies. "The truth is, we're partners. We're allies. He's the senior partner. It's the United States of America, let's not forget. And I'm a junior partner," Netanyahu said. "But I'm the prime minister of Israel, and when I have to stand up for the interest of my country and the security of my country, I do so."The prime minister also rejected comments by Vice President JD Vance that certain Israeli figures want to prolong the conflict indefinitely."Well, we're not actually," Netanyahu said. "I had a very good conversation with the vice president this morning, and I think we straightened that out because we're not. That's not our policy."Netanyahu blamed social media and foreign bot farms for a decline in American support for Israel."I think there's been a change because of the proliferation of social media, and the fact that sovereign countries have manipulated with bot farms and other things," Netanyahu said."And we can see a direct relationship between the proliferation of social media and the decline in support for Israel. Does it concern me? Yes, yes, it does. And I want bipartisan support for Israel because I think that's a fundament of our national security."Read the full articleConvicted assailant of author Salman Rushdie found guilty of supporting HezbollahHadi Matar, 24, who stabbed repeatedly Salman Rushdie at a lecture in Chautauqua, arrives for his arraignment in 2022. Credit: Gene J. Puskar /AP Hadi Matar, 24, who stabbed repeatedly Salman Rushdie at a lecture in Chautauqua, arrives for his arraignment in 2022. Credit: Gene J. Puskar /AP The man who stabbed and partially blinded author Salman Rushdie on stage at a New York arts institute in 2022 was found guilty on Wednesday of federal terrorism charges stemming from the attack.Hadi Matar, 28, was convicted of attempting to provide material support to Lebanon's Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, as well as engaging in transnational terrorism and providing material support to terrorists.A U.S. District Court jury in Buffalo, New York, returned its guilty verdict on all charges after deliberations of just two hours, capping a trial that began last Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for federal prosecutors.Matar, a U.S. citizen from Fairview, New Jersey, was found guilty of attempted murder in New York state court in 2025, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.His conviction on federal terrorism charges carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. Sentencing was scheduled for November 3.RECAP: Unidentified drone strikes U.S. gas facility in Egyptian port, security sources sayHere are Thursday's latest updates:■ 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 Israeli military shelled two Syrian villages near the Golan Heights, the Lebanese Al Mayadeen channel reported.■ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington, Netanyahu's office said.■ The 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.■ A 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.■ Canada condemned worsening settler ‌violence ⁠in the ⁠West Bank and demanded a halt to the expansion of Israeli settlements there.■ 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.In the News'It's Bigger Than Abdul': In Dearborn, Beating AIPAC May Be the Real PrizeTop Court Overturns Police Ban on Protest for Release of Killed Man's BodyFar-right Rapper-influencer Steps Down From Police Role After Haaretz ProbeHaaretz CartoonProtesters Challenge Noise Fines They Say Were Issued While They Were DetainedRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMINetanyahu Says Israel Has 'Special Forces' Ready if He's Arrested on NY VisitAl Jazeera Reportedly Ends Contracts of Over 20 Gazan JournalistsWith the West Bank Primed to Explode, Israel's Government Sees an OpportunityTwo Female Israeli Soldiers Die by Suicide as IDF Mental Health Crisis DeepensTwo Israelis, Four Palestinians Killed in Clash After Settlers Enter TownThese Young Israelis Are Calling for the Zionist Left to Confront the Occupation