LiveLive Updates July 31, 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 31, 2026UpdatesRECAP: Trump says Rubio trying to 'defend Bibi and other people' against ICC arrest warrantsHere are Friday's latest updates:■ Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned explosions in southern Lebanon, with Aoun calling the Beaufort Castle blasts a "highly dangerous escalation" and saying they generated seismic waves equivalent to a magnitude 3.8 earthquake. Salam accused Israel of violating the cease-fire, Lebanon's sovereignty and international law.■ U.K. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, a former Labour leader, said Friday that he welcomes the announcement that Hamas will disarm and called for the full implementation of U.S. President Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza plan.■ U.S. President Donald Trump said on ⁠Friday that a U.S. campaign to weaken the International Criminal Court was intended to defend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin ⁠Netanyahu and others from prosecution, not himself. Trump made the comment after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a cabinet meeting at Camp David that five countries had announced plans to quit the court since the United States launched a campaign earlier this month against what it says is a threat to U.S. ‌sovereignty.■ In his opening remarks at a televised cabinet meeting at Camp David, U.S. President Donald Trump said the war in Iran, "which maybe I call it a military operation" – "obliterated" Iran's Navy and Air Force. "They have no planes. Their missiles have been largely – they have some left, but they have far fewer than they had four or five months ago," he said.■ The IDF and Shin Bet said Friday they killed Abd al-Rahim Abd al-Hay Youssef Kardi, a Hamas deputy cell commander who was involved in holding hostage Romi Gonen and the body of IDF Cpl. Noa Marciano after her murder. According to the statement, Kardi was killed in an airstrike Thursday in the Gaza City area.■ Trump said Minnesota is responsible for the cyber attack on Minnesota, not Iran. "I blame it on Minnesota because they're grossly incompetent. There was a cyber attack of 30 water plants. And I would blame it on Minnesota and the corrupt governor of Minnesota. They like to say, oh, it was Iran. Iran should be so lucky. Iran's got bigger problems than worrying about Minnesota."■ European Union ‌foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas ‌on Friday said a proposed ⁠deal to bring peace to Gaza, ⁠if fully implemented, would be "a constructive step." Kallas added that the EU was ready to ‌support next ⁠steps.Lebanon president, PM condemn earlier Israeli strikes in Beaufort areaLebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday condemned explosions at Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon as a "highly dangerous escalation" and a violation of existing commitments, warning they threaten diplomatic efforts ahead of talks in Rome next week on implementing the tripartite framework involving Israel, Lebanon and the United States.Aoun said the blasts generated seismic waves equivalent to a magnitude 3.8 earthquake, citing Lebanon's National Center for Geophysics.دان رئيس الجمهورية العماد جوزاف عون الخروقات والاعتداءات المستمرة التي تقوم بها إسرائيل في الجنوب اللبناني، ولا سيما التفجيرات التي تستهدف البنية التحتية والمعالم الأثرية المدرجة على لائحة التراث العالمي لمنظمة الأمم المتحدة للتربية والعلم والثقافة (اليونسكو)، وما تسببه من أضرارShow moreLebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also condemned what he called ongoing Israeli assaults in southern Lebanon, including explosions, shelling and "systematic destruction," saying they constitute violations of the cease-fire, Lebanon's sovereignty and international law.Salam said the actions threaten residents in southern Lebanon and damage archaeological landmarks listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.إنّ الاعتداءات الإسرائيليّة المستمرّة في جنوب لبنان، تفجيراً وقصفاً وتدميراً ممنهجاً، تُعبّر عن خرق صريح لوقف إطلاق النار، فضلاً عن كونها انتهاكاً سافراً لسيادة لبنان وأمنه، ولمبادئ القانون الدولي وقواعده. وهي لا تمثّل فقط نهجاً تصعيدياً مُداناً، بل تشكّل أيضاً تهديداً لسلامةShow moreEarlier Friday, the IDF said that it had destroyed a Hezbollah tunnel network in the Beaufort area on Thursday night, dismantling an underground stronghold built over two decades.The military said the complex served as a central headquarters for the organization's Bader Unit, which used the infrastructure to launch drones, UAVs and missiles toward Israel. According to the military, the strategic network "was planned and funded by the Iranian terrorist regime."U.K.'s Miliband welcomes Hamas disarmament announcement, urges Gaza plan implementationU.K. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, a former Labour leader, said Friday that he welcomes the announcement that Hamas will disarm and called for the full implementation of U.S. President Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza plan. In a post on X, Miliband said this should include an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, adherence to the cease-fire by all parties and the removal of restrictions on humanitarian aid entering the enclave.My statement on the announcement that Hamas will disarm ⬇️Trump says Israel 'very happy' with Board of Peace deal struck with Hamas in GazaTrump, when asked whether Israel approved the deal announced late Thursday night with Hamas approving the implementation of the Board of Peace agreement in Gaza, said that Israel "is very happy about it. Israel helped us. And they've been very good. They've been very good about it.""Nobody thought that would be possible, to disarm Hamas," he added. "That shows you how much success we're having with Iran. Because if you go four months ago, five months ago, a deal like that would have been impossible. So it's a big step for the Middle East." Trump says U.S. will be 'hitting Iran very hard' over next two months 'until they say they can't take it anymore'U.S. President Donald Trump said at the Camp David cabinet meeting that "he believes Israel would no longer be with us in big part, and perhaps other countries and different continents, frankly, because these people are crazy," if he hadn't called off the JCPOA deal struck by Obama with Iran in 2015."They're being decimated. They have no Navy. They have no Air Force. They have no anti-aircraft missiles. Doesn't mean they don't have any capability. They have some, but very little. We just want to win," he said."When asked what is expected over the next 4-8 weeks, Trump responded: "We'll be hitting them very hard. At some point they're going to say, we just can't take it anymore."WATCH: Trump hosting cabinet meeting at Camp DavidTrump says Rubio trying to 'defend Bibi and other people' against ICC arrest warrants U.S. President Donald Trump said on ⁠Friday that a U.S. campaign to dismantle the International Criminal Court was intended to defend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin ⁠Netanyahu and others from prosecution, not himself.Trump made the comment after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a cabinet meeting at Camp David that five countries had announced plans to quit the court since the United States launched a campaign earlier this month against what it says is a threat to U.S. ‌sovereignty."There's no information that they're after me," Trump said."It could happen, but just so you know ... he (Rubio) ‌is not trying to defend me. He's trying to defend Bibi and various other people," Trump said, using Netanyahu's nickname. "But there are many people that shouldn't be looked at that way. But there is no indication that I'm one of them at this moment."Trump says Iran is doing ‘very poorly,’ says Iran has ‘far fewer’ missiles and drones in 5-month war In his opening remarks at a televised cabinet meeting at Camp David, U.S. President Donald Trump said the war in Iran, "which maybe I call it a military operation" – "obliterated" Iran's Navy and Air Force. "They have no planes. Their missiles have been largely – they have some left, but they have far fewer than they had four or five months ago," he said. "Their manufacturing capacity is almost gone. The drone capacity is almost gone. They have very few, but they have some. If they have one, that's too many as far as I'm concerned," he added. Trump continued, saying that the U.S. is "going to do an amazing job in Iran." "I know people like to say it's a much bigger job, much more important job than we originally anticipated," he said. "So we're in there for five months, and if you look at Vietnam, they were in there for 20 years. You look at Afghanistan, they were in there for many years. You look at any one of the wars – Korea, any one of them they're in there for many years. We're in for five months, and we have obliterated their military capacity. Again, they've got some left, but soon they won't have some left." Israeli forces kill Hamas commander involved in holding Israeli hostages, IDF saysThe IDF and Shin Bet said Friday they killed Abd al-Rahim Abd al-Hay Youssef Kardi, a Hamas deputy cell commander who was involved in holding hostage Romi Gonen and the body of IDF Cpl. Noa Marciano after her murder. According to the statement, Kardi was killed in an airstrike Thursday in the Gaza City area.The military said Kardi infiltrated Israel during the October 7 attack and was involved in holding Gonen both in Gaza City and at Al-Shifa Hospital, where he was also working as a doctor. It added that he continued to advance attacks against Israeli troops and civilians during the war.6 hours agoTrump denies reports of Iranian cyberattacks on Minnesota water systems: 'Iran's got bigger problems'Trump says Minnesota is responsible for the cyber attack on Minnesota, not Iran. "I blame it on Minnesota because they're grossly incompetent. There was a cyber attack of 30 water plants. And I would blame it on Minnesota and the corrupt governor of Minnesota. They like to say, oh, it was Iran. Iran should be so lucky. Iran's got bigger problems than worrying about Minnesota."The U.S. government's civilian cyber defense agency on Thursday warned of a significant increase in hackers targeting technology used to maintain and ‌control water and wastewater systems, and said operators of such systems should remove them from the internet as soon as possible.U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a cabinet meeting at Camp David in Thurmont, Maryland, U.S., on Friday. Credit: Daniel Heuer/ReutersU.S. President Donald Trump participates in a cabinet meeting at Camp David in Thurmont, Maryland, U.S., on Friday. Credit: Daniel Heuer/ReutersThe warning comes two days after Minnesota's state IT agency said more than 30 community water systems in the state were targeted in a "coordinated cyberattack" on July 26 and 27. The FBI said in a statement late on Thursday that water and wastewater utility companies in at least seven states have reported incidents to the bureau, and that some of that activity "degraded water operations."U.S. officials and investigators reviewing the matter say it is likely Iranian-linked hackers are behind the Minnesota attacks, the New York Times reported on Thursday. Representatives for the ⁠Iranian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The attacks come amid an intensification of the war between the U.S. and Iran, with the two sides trading missile attacks, and ongoing threats from both sides for increased destruction.EU's Kallas welcomes Gaza plan as 'constructive step' towards peaceEuropean Union ‌foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas ‌on Friday said a proposed ⁠deal to bring peace to Gaza, ⁠if fully implemented, would be "a constructive step.""A lot needs to fall in place for ‌this to work. Success depends on ‌the full commitment of all parties. Verifying Hamas' compliance will be a significant challenge. Israel would need to eventually withdraw from Gaza," Kallas wrote in a post on social media ⁠platform X.Kallas added that the EU was ready to ‌support next ⁠steps.U.S. President Donald ‌Trump said his Board of Peace had reached an agreement for the ⁠disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups, though it was not immediately clear how ‌Hamas or Israel stood behind it.In the NewsTrump Says ICC Campaign Aimed at Defending Netanyahu, Not Himself'I Tried, I Got Crushed by AIPAC': Andy Levin Is All-in for El-SayedFormer PM's Residence Employee Sues State, Alleging Abuse by Sara NetanyahuEisenkot Keeps Running Away From What Everyone Knows He BelievesIsrael Police Name Man Suspected of Throwing Stone at Channel 12 OfficeRemembering 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 JournalistsTwo Female Israeli Soldiers Die by Suicide as IDF Mental Health Crisis DeepensTrump's Irritation, Netanyahu's Desperation: Oval Office Smiles Mask RiftsDozens of IDF Soldiers Desert Sde Teiman Base in Protest of CommanderIsrael's De Facto Strategy Is Exposed in Latest West Bank Settler Violence