LiveLive Updates August 04, 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 formatSubscribeAugust 04, 202612 minutes agoHezbollah chief rejects talks with Israel, urges Lebanese government to cooperateHezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejected direct negotiations with Israel and called on Lebanon's government to cooperate with the Iran-backed group, saying Hezbollah and its ally Amal would lead reconstruction efforts in areas damaged during the fighting.In a speech, Qassem accused the United States and Israel of waging a campaign of "aggression" aimed at eliminating the "resistance" and establishing American control over the region. He claimed Hezbollah had thwarted Israel's goals in the war that began in September 2024 and said a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding had contributed to the reduction in fighting.Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem speaks last year. Credit: Al Manar TV/ReutersHezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem speaks last year. Credit: Al Manar TV/ReutersQassem said the conflict's objective had been to "uproot the resistance from Lebanon," but claimed Hezbollah had prevented that outcome and secured an agreement recognizing the group's continued existence.He accused Israel and its allies of spending 15 months attempting to gradually dismantle Hezbollah and preparing for a broader campaign, but said they had been surprised by the group's preparedness and public support.Qassem said negotiations with Israel had brought Lebanon only "shame, humiliation and concessions," and urged Beirut to abandon what he called "free concessions," open a dialogue with Hezbollah and strengthen Lebanese sovereignty.He also claimed that Israeli strikes on Lebanon were carried out "under American supervision, management and approval," and said Israel would not achieve its objectives as long as the "resistance" remained.Addressing Iran, Qassem praised the Islamic Republic's leadership and said it had emerged victorious from the recent confrontation. He also emphasized Hezbollah's alliance with Amal and pledged that the two groups would oversee reconstruction in areas affected by the fighting.Gaza City holds mass funeral for 112 Palestinians recovered from rubbleA mass funeral is being held in Gaza City for 112 Palestinians from the al-Hasina and Abu Sharia families whose bodies were recovered from the rubble of residential buildings in the Sabra neighborhood, according to reports from Gaza.Palestinians attend the funeral of 112 members of the Hassayna and Abu Sharia families, killed in an Israeli strike in 2023 and whose remains were recovered from beneath the rubble, according to Gaza's Civil Defense, in Gaza City, Tuesday. Credit: Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERSPalestinians attend the funeral of 112 members of the Hassayna and Abu Sharia families, killed in an Israeli strike in 2023 and whose remains were recovered from beneath the rubble, according to Gaza's Civil Defense, in Gaza City, Tuesday. Credit: Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERSThe buildings were reportedly struck on November 22–23, 2023, with around 308 people believed to have been buried beneath the ruins. A Civil Defense rescue operation launched in mid-July following a request from the families lasted 136 hours and recovered 112 bodies, including 44 children and 37 women.Rescue teams said that around 157 additional bodies remain trapped beneath the concrete.Iran says it was ready to strike three sites in Ukraine over ship attack, top military adviser saysIran was prepared to strike three locations in Ukraine in response to what Tehran said was a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea last week, a senior military adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Monday.Mohsen Rezaei, a senior adviser to Iran's leadership, said in an interview with Iranian state television that Tehran had prepared a response but halted it after Kyiv said the strike was accidental, Iran's state-linked Press TV reported.Former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaei claimed Iran was prepared to strike three locations in Ukraine after an alleged Ukrainian attack on an Iranian merchant ship in the Caspian Sea, but said the operation was canceled after Ukraine 'apologized'Last week, Iran accused Ukraine of striking one of its commercial vessels carrying iron cargo, killing one crew member and wounding three others. Kyiv said it had carried out drone strikes on two Russian vessels transporting military cargo in the Caspian Sea.Iranian officials had threatened retaliation, but tensions eased after a phone call between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Ukrainian counterpart, in which Araghchi said Kyiv had assured Tehran the strike was unintentional."Even if it was a mistake, it still requires compensation," Rezaei said Monday.In the same interview, Rezaei said Iran was focused on negotiations with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz and not talks with the United States, warning that if a blockade of the waterway continued, "U.S. forces will face casualties."Iran's president Pezeshkian says Tehran defends its borders but does not seek an expansion of war Iran ‌defends its borders ⁠but ⁠does not seek an expansion of war, President Masoud ‌Pezeshkian said on Tuesday, according to state media.Pezeshkian's statement comes against the backdrop of conflicting messages between Washington and Tehran: While U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that talks with Iran were already underway, Tehran officially denied the allegations and made it clear that no negotiations were planned between the parties.In Gaza, tents destroyed by Israeli strikes belie Trump's claims of cease-fire progressAs Mohammed Rafiq speaks by phone from Gaza City on Sunday, he pauses mid-sentence to report another burst of Israeli strikes."Right now, while I've been speaking with you, there have been three," says the 30-year-old from nearby Beit Hanoun. "The strikes recently, and right now, have been extremely intense."Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a tent, according to medics, in Gaza City, on Sunday. Credit: Dawoud Abu Alkas/ReutersPalestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a tent, according to medics, in Gaza City, on Sunday. Credit: Dawoud Abu Alkas/ReutersThe attacks came at the end of Gaza's deadliest month of Israeli strikes so far this year. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, 152 people were killed in July. Sunday saw some of the heaviest bombardments in weeks, with Palestinian health officials saying 18 people, including children, were killed in Israeli attacks.But as the Palestinians counted their dead, another story was being told in Washington, after U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a "historic" agreement between the international Board of Peace and Hamas for the group's disarmament.Rafiq, who has been displaced since 9 A.M. on October 7, 2023, says that announcements of diplomatic progress no longer mean anything to him. Sunday's strikes in Gaza City killed people he knew: one killed two brothers, another killed his former neighbor from Beit Hanoun, a young man whose father died two years ago and who had become the main provider for his mother and five younger siblings.Displaced Palestinian women salvaging their belongings after the Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah. Credit: Eyad Baba/AFPDisplaced Palestinian women salvaging their belongings after the Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah. Credit: Eyad Baba/AFP"I'm not convinced by any talk of an agreement concerning Gaza," he says. "What made us suffer for three years under death, annihilation and hunger could keep doing this to us for another 10 years, as long as there's nobody to stop it."Read the full articleUganda unveils statue honoring Netanyahu’s brother Yoni at Entebbe airportUganda's military has unveiled a statue honoring Yonatan (Yoni) Netanyahu, the Israeli commander killed during the 1976 Entebbe hostage rescue operation, outside the old terminal at Entebbe International Airport – the site where Israeli commandos carried out the rescue operation nearly 50 years ago.Ugandan army chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba unveiled the monument, saying it was intended to honor Netanyahu's "courage" and "selfless service." The statue depicts Netanyahu holding an assault rifle and standing at the site where Israeli commandos carried out the operation nearly 50 years ago.A monument honoring the late Yoni Netanyahu, brother of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stands at the old terminal of Entebbe International Airport in Entebbe, Uganda, Saturday. Credit: Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces/AP A monument honoring the late Yoni Netanyahu, brother of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stands at the old terminal of Entebbe International Airport in Entebbe, Uganda, Saturday. Credit: Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces/AP The ceremony was attended by Israeli citizens living in Uganda, including businessman Barak Orland, who has been described as close to President Yoweri Museveni and reportedly has ties to security-related business dealings in the country.The Entebbe operation, carried out on July 4, 1976, freed more than 100 hostages after Palestinian and German hijackers diverted an Air France flight from Tel Aviv to Uganda. Netanyahu, the commander of the elite Sayeret Matkal unit, was the only Israeli soldier killed in the raid.The operation became one of Israel's most celebrated military missions and dealt a major blow to Idi Amin's regime, which had allowed the hijackers to use Entebbe airport as a base for holding the hostages. During a visit to the site a decade ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had learned from his brother that defeating terrorism required "clarity and courage."Uganda's military chief, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba unveils a monument honoring the late Yoni Netanyahu, brother of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the old terminal of Entebbe International Airport in Entebbe, Uganda, Saturday/ Credit: Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces P/AP Uganda's military chief, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba unveils a monument honoring the late Yoni Netanyahu, brother of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the old terminal of Entebbe International Airport in Entebbe, Uganda, Saturday/ Credit: Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces P/AP Speaking to CNN, Kainerugaba called the raid "one of the most significant episodes in modern history" and described the operation as a "painful chapter" in Uganda's history, while saying ties between Uganda and Israel had since developed into a partnership based on "mutual trust, respect and cooperation." He also acknowledged that Ugandan soldiers had fought against the Israeli commandos during the raid, saying they had served a "brutal dictatorship" under Amin that did not represent the Ugandan people.Voter registry glitch left Israelis abroad unsure if they could vote – system fixed after Haaretz inquiryThe Interior Ministry fixed a malfunction in its online system that allows Israelis living abroad to check whether they are included in the voter registry ahead of the October 27 election, following a Haaretz inquiry.The malfunction left many Israelis overseas unable to verify their voting status after discovering they had been removed from the population registry as Israeli residents and consequently excluded from the voter roll. Since most Israelis living abroad cannot vote at Israeli diplomatic missions, those removed from the registry must appeal and travel to Israel in order to cast their ballots.Israelis vote in the Likud primary elections, on Monday. Credit: Itai CohenIsraelis vote in the Likud primary elections, on Monday. Credit: Itai CohenThe deadline to submit appeals over exclusion from the voter registry was extended until Friday following a request by Democratic Party lawmaker Gilad Kariv, who criticized the Interior Ministry's handling of the issue."The impression I have from the many inquiries and the slow response by the Interior Ministry is that there is no strong desire among some officials in the ministry's leadership to address the failures," Kariv said.According to Central Elections Committee data, 396 citizens had their Israeli residency status revoked between 2018 and 2026, meaning they were removed from the voter registry despite holding Israeli citizenship and valid passports.The Interior Ministry said it had experienced an "unprecedented" volume of inquiries in recent days and was upgrading its WhatsApp service while increasing staffing at its call centers.U.S. Supreme Court won't halt $655 million judgment against PalestiniansU.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor declined on Monday to halt $655.5 million in damages that Palestinian authorities were ordered to pay plaintiffs in a U.S. civil lawsuit concerning attacks that killed and injured Americans in Israel from 2002 to 2004.Aftermath of terror attack targeting Jerusalem bus in 2003. Credit: Lior MizrahiAftermath of terror attack targeting Jerusalem bus in 2003. Credit: Lior MizrahiSotomayor denied a request by the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization to put on hold the judgment while they appeal a lower court's decision to revive the case years after it had been dismissed. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of Americans killed or injured in those shootings and bombings in the Jerusalem area.The Supreme Court last year upheld a federal law that allowed claims like those brought by the plaintiffs in the case.Sotomayor did not explain her decision and did not refer the case to the entire court. Sotomayor handles emergency matters for cases arising from New York and certain other states.The Manhattan-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the judgment in March following the Supreme Court's 9-0 decision in June 2025 to uphold the 2019 law, called the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act.The site of a suicide bomb attack in Jerusalem, June 18, 2002. Credit: Eyal WarshavskyThe site of a suicide bomb attack in Jerusalem, June 18, 2002. Credit: Eyal WarshavskyThe Palestinian organizations said that enforcing the judgment in the case will cause severe financial harm and destabilize government services in the West Bank, harming people who live there and jeopardizing regional security.Read the full articlePalestinian reports: Israeli settlers torch vehicles, property in villages south of NablusIsraeli settlers raided the Palestinian villages of Talfit and Jalud south of Nablus overnight and set fire to vehicles, homes and other property, according to Palestinian media reports.Israeli settlers attack a residential building and burn citizens' vehicles during their attack on the villages of Talfit and Jalud, south of Nablus, overnight Tuesday. Credit: Use under Section 27A of the Copyright LawIsraeli settlers attack a residential building and burn citizens' vehicles during their attack on the villages of Talfit and Jalud, south of Nablus, overnight Tuesday. Credit: Use under Section 27A of the Copyright LawFootage from one of the villages showed graffiti reading "revenge" and "Avi, go home" – apparently referring to Central Command Chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, amid the controversy over Defense Minister Israel Katz's decision to dismiss him. Katz reversed the decision on Monday following a meeting with settlement leaders.The dispute between Katz and Bluth centered on the military's decision to challenge the refusal to renew an administrative restriction order against Tal Yinon Derdik, a far-right settler suspected of involvement in a violent raid on the Palestinian community of Khirbet Humsah in March.Use under Section 27A of the Copyright LawThe overnight reports come after a series of recent incidents in which settlers were documented torching mosques, vehicles and agricultural land in Palestinian villages across the West Bank. Police said last week they had arrested two settlers suspected of involvement in arson and graffiti attacks. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military or police.West Bank villages of Talfit and Jalud, south of NablusWest Bank villages of Talfit and Jalud, south of NablusIn the NewsA Good Visit to Israel, Tainted by Two Disturbing Incidents at the AirportIsrael's Minister of Jewish Terror Is Confused and InarticulateAs Iran and Oman Negotiate, Trump No Longer Has the Upper Hand on HormuzHezbollah Chief Rejects Talks With Israel, Seeks Dialogue With BeirutU.S. Justice Won't Halt $655 Million Judgment Against Palestinian Authority, PLORemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIThis Israeli ultra-Orthodox Feminist Activist Has a Warning for U.S. JewsNetanyahu Says Israel Has 'Special Forces' Ready if He's Arrested on NY VisitTwo Female Israeli Soldiers Die by Suicide as IDF Mental Health Crisis DeepensHow Israel's Elbit Armed the United Arab EmiratesDozens of IDF Soldiers Desert Sde Teiman Base in Protest of Commander'I Tried, I Got Crushed by AIPAC': Andy Levin Is All-in for El-Sayed