Hamas names new leader after Haniyeh's assassination in Iran

The Washington Post, citing an Iraqi official, reported that the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the Iraqi Prime Minister on Sunday, allegedly asking him to "do everything possible" and to use Baghdad's ties with Tehran to reduce tensions.

The Jerusalem Post is reporting that Israel Air Force fighter jets struck a Hezbollah military base on Tuesday in the area of the Yaroun village in Lebanon, The report cites IDF officials early Wednesday local time. The strike took place after 19 Israeli's were injured by a Hezbollah drone attack in the Galilee in Northern Israel on Tuesday.

US President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of Egypt and Qatar in separate calls, according to the Financial Times, citing the White House. The leaders reportedly spoke about de-escalating regional tensions, shortly after Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the 7 October attack, was named the new leader of Hamas, replacing Ismail Haniyeh who was assassinated in a suspected Israeli operation in Iran.

The US moved an F/A-18 squadron from the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt to a regional partner base on Monday, in addition to the F-22 squadron arriving in the coming days, to help defend Israel and US assets ahead of expected Iranian attack, The Wall Street Journal reported citing a Pentagon official.

Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV is reporting US-British airstrikes on the Iran-backed group's positions in Yemen's Taiz south of Sana'a.

The report comes shortly after the US CENTCOM said its forces "successfully destroyed one Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicle and two Iranian-backed Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen over the Red Sea" over the past 24 hours.

"We're sure that Iran-backed militia was behind the Monday attack on US troops in Iraq," US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday.

"The US will not tolerate attacks on its personnel in the Middle East," he added, one day after a rocket attack on Iraq's Ain al-Assad airbase injured seven Americans including five servicemembers.

The embassy of Canada in Israel will evacuate the families of diplomats from the country tomorrow, Times of Israel reported citing Hebrew media reports, as Iran and its proxies prepare to attack Israel to avenge Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh's killing in Tehran.

The families of Canadian diplomats will be moved to Jordan "due to the security situation" but the diplomats will remain in Israel, Canada's former ambassador to Israel Vivian Bercovici said. "Canada is the only country doing this based on media reports which have been confirmed."

Iraq has arrested three people in western Anbar suspected of carrying out the rocket attack on Ain al-Assad airbase, injuring seven Americans including five servicemembers, Al-Arabiya reported citing unnamed sources.

Three rockets were fired from the northern Gaza Strip toward Ashkelon and Sderot in southern Israel. The Iron Dome defense system intercepted one of the rockets, while the other two landed in uninhabited areas.

According to the Israeli military, no one was injured in the attack.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an armed group supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, claimed responsibility for the attack.

US President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of Qatar and Egypt on Tuesday to discuss efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region and bring a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, the White House said.

The rocket attack by Iran-backed militants on Iraq's Ain al-Asad airbase on Monday has injured five US service members and two US contractors, Fox News reported.

"Five of the injured personnel are receiving care at al-Asad and two have been evacuated for further care. All seven injured personnel are in stable condition," the report said.

Lebanon’s Iran-backed group Hezbollah launched a series of drone and rocket attack in northern Israel on Tuesday. They warned that its anticipated retaliation for Israel’s killing of a top commander last week was yet to come.

As Iranian officials continue to issue threats of missile retaliation against Israel for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, a conservative newspaper on Tuesday suggested that a more effective response would be to create insecurity within Israel.

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Hezbollah's response to Israeli attacks will be strong and effective, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the powerful Lebanese militant group, said on Tuesday.

He was speaking in an address marking the one-week memorial of the group's top military commander Fuad Shukr, who was killed in an Israeli strike last week in Beirut's southern suburbs.

Israeli warplanes swooped low over the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday, setting off a series of sonic booms that rattled windows across the city minutes before the head of Lebanon's Hezbollah was set to give an address.

The loud booms sent residents rushing to open their windows to prevent the glass from shattering, or standing on their balconies to get a glimpse of the planes flying over.

In the capital's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, members and supporters of the Lebanese armed group had gathered to watch a televised speech by its leader to mark the one-week anniversary of Israel's killing of a senior military commander, Fuad Shukr.

As he began, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the sonic booms were intended to provoke those gathered for the memorial.

A Tuesday NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) posted on the US Federal Aviation Administration warns pilots that there is a risk of gun firing activities in western Iran on August 7 and 8. It has set the danger zone up to an altitude of 12,000 feet above mean sea level.

The announcement comes amid escalating tensions over Iran and its proxies' imminent attack on Israel in response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week. According to the warning, the gun fire activity is scheduled to take place between 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM (local time) on Wednesday, and between 4:30 AM and 7:30 AM on Thursday.

The CEO of Imam Khomeini International Airport rejected earlier reports that Iran issued the warning. "The news of issuing a NOTAM, a flight safety warning for western Iran by the country's Civil Aviation Organization, is incorrect," said Saeed Chalandari.

An Israeli insider, who previously served as Commander of the Israel Air Defense Forces from 2015 to 2018, said the threat of war with Iran is different now than when Tehran made its first direct attack on the Israel in April.

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Saudi Arabia-based Al Arabiya news channel, citing anonymous sources, reported that Mohammad Ismail Darwish will succeed Ismail Haniyeh as the head of Hamas's political bureau.

According to these sources, Darwish, who resides in Qatar, will lead the political bureau until new leadership elections are held.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to respond with restraint to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

The appeal was delivered by Sergei Shoigu, a close Kremlin ally, during meetings with Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday, Reuters quoted two sources with knowledge of the matter.

The Kremlin has not commented on the matter, though Shoigu reportedly discussed Haniyeh's death during his visit.

Moscow has condemned the assassination as "a very dangerous" act, urging caution to avoid a wider conflict in the Middle East.

Iranian officials have not issued an immediate response but emphasized the need to address Israel's actions to prevent further instability.

Mohammad Saleh Jokar, head of the Iran's Parliamentary Commission on Internal Affairs, says the Islamic Republic's response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran "won't take long."

He stated that the armed forces of Iran "will certainly respond to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh and Israel's acts of aggression in the coming days."

He also added that the Resistance Front has its own plans for retaliation, and the response from the Islamic Republic will be "firm."

"If the United States and European countries support Israel, their forces will become targets of the Resistance."

The Iraqi government issued a statement Tuesday saying that they will not tolerate any actions targeting Iraqi and American bases or diplomatic missions.

The statement also slammed any attack from inside or outside Iraq that targets the country's interests.

On Monday, an attack occurred on the American Ain al-Asad base in Iraq, resulting in injuries to at least five American personnel.

Hebrew media report that two people have been injured in the northern Arab town of Mazra’a in the Western Galilee after a drone from Lebanon struck the area.
One person is reported to be in critical condition, while the other is moderately injured.
It is reported that in this Hezbollah attack, two drones entered Israeli airspace, one of which was intercepted. The attack triggered alarm sirens in northern Israeli towns and cities.

Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib stated on Tuesday that the government is working to prevent a Hezbollah response against Israel that could potentially escalate into a wider war. He made the remarks during a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart on Tuesday.

Lebanese media report that four people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon.

The IDF has confirmed conducting an airstrike in Maifadoun, southern Lebanon, targeting a building used by Hezbollah's Southern Front unit.

According to the IDF, this unit serves as the terror group's regional command in the area. Another Hezbollah-affiliated building in Khiam was also struck.

Asghar Jahangir, the spokesperson for Iran's Judiciary, stated in a press conference on Tuesday that no arrests have been made in the case of Ismail Haniyeh's killing.

He labeled the reports about arrests as “rumors.”

Previously, the New York Times, citing two informed Iranian officials, reported that the IRGC intelligence had arrested over 20 people, including senior intelligence and security officers, military officials, and staff at the IRGC's security guesthouse in northern Tehran, where Haniyeh was assassinated.

A newly formed group named "Al-Thowrioun" (The Revolutionaries) claimed responsibility for Monday attack on the American Ain al-Assad base in Iraq, where at least five US personnel were injured, IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reports.

Iraqi security sources reported that two Katyusha rockets struck the base. The motive behind the attack remains unclear, with speculation about a potential link to Iran's threats of retaliation.

A US official indicated one American was seriously injured, with ongoing assessments of the damage.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Biden administration is preparing for a possible Iranian attack on Israel following the assassination of a senior Hamas leader in Tehran.

US officials have observed Iran mobilizing missile launchers and conducting drills, indicating potential retaliation.

Officials from the Biden administration are also worried that an Iranian attack could be accompanied by strikes from Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, along with other Iranian proxies. This coordinated effort could be aimed at overwhelming Israeli defenses.

The Australian Iranian Community Alliance (AICA) condemns the Iranian ambassador's comments advocating for violence against Jewish people and the destruction of the Jewish state.

“The ambassador’s call for the destruction of the Jewish state and incitement to violence against Jewish people is not only abhorrent but also reflective of the violent ideology propagated by the current regime in Iran," reads AICA’s Tuesday statement. “Such rhetoric not only fuels regional instability but also poses a significant threat to global peace and security,” it added.

Iran’s ambassador to Australia, Ahmad Sadeghi, faced diplomatic consequences after making controversial comments about Israel on social media. He called for a “wiping out” of Israelis in Palestine by 2027 and described them as a “Zionist plague.” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese strongly condemned the remarks, stating, “There’s no place for the sort of comments that were made... by the Iranian ambassador. They’re abhorrent, they are hateful, they are antisemitic and they have no place.” Foreign Minister Penny Wong also criticized the comments as "inflammatory" and "repugnant."

Iran has informed Budapest that it will attack Israel, the Hungarian foreign minister has told Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, according to Israeli website Walla News.

The US president and his national security team "discussed the steps we are taking to defend our forces and respond to any attack against our personnel in a manner and place of our choosing" during a meeting at the White House's Situation Room, US President Joe Biden tweeted, after reports said at least five American personnel have been injured in a suspected Iran-backed attack on Iraq's Ain al-Assad airbase.

At least five US personnel were injured in the rocket attack against the Ain al-Assad military base in Iraq on Monday, US officials told Reuters, adding that one of the wounded Americans was seriously injured.

Iran has requested advanced air-defense systems from Russia as it prepares for a possible war with Israel, The New York Times reported Monday, citing two Iranian officials familiar with the war planning, one a member of the IRGC.

"Russia has started delivering advanced radars and air-defense equipment," the Iranian officials said on the condition of anonymity.

The report came hours after Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of Russia's National Security Council, met Iran's top military and security officials in Tehran.

US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris were briefed on Monday by their national security team on developments in the Middle East, including threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American servicemembers, the White House said.

The G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US and the EU High Representative in a statement on Monday expressed "deep concern at the heightened level of tension in the Middle East which threatens to ignite a broader conflict in the region."

"We urge all involved parties once again to refrain from perpetuating the current destructive cycle of retaliatory violence, to lower tensions and engage constructively toward de-escalation. No country or nation stands to gain from a further escalation in the Middle East," the statement said.

The Public Relations Department of Iran's IRGC said in a statement that explosions heard in Isfahan were related to a commando training exercise at the Amir Al-Momenin University of Military Sciences and Technology of the Ground Forces.

Several US personnel have been injured in the rocket attack that hit Ain al-Assad airbase in Iraq, three US officials told Reuters.

"Initial indications are that several US personnel were injured. Base personnel are conducting a post-attack damage assessment. We'll provide updates as more information becomes available," a US defense official said in a statement.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but the IRGC-affiliated Sabereen News earlier said Iran-backed militants were behind the attack.

Iran and Israel would try to avoid a full-blown war for fear of the destruction it could bring to both countries, former CIA director and CENTCOM Commander David Petraeus told Iran International in an exclusive interview.

“I think [the Iranians] have to respond,” Petraeus told Iran International's Marzia Hussaini, “this is an enormous blow to Iran's honor… It's a huge intelligence failure and… a security failure. So, they have to respond. But I don't think that Iran wants to get into a real direct back and forth war with Israel… And frankly, I don't think Israel wants to get in a real full-on war with Hezbollah or with Iran… I don't think they want to get into this with each other, because the damage to both sides would be very, very substantial.”

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Two American destroyers, the USS Laboon and USS Cole, have shifted from the Gulf of Oman to the Red Sea, in the direction of Israel, The Washington Post reported on Monday citing defense officials.

"The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt remained in the Gulf of Oman as of this morning," the report added.

The US Navy played a key role in the interception of Iran's April attacks on Israel.

"I'm hearing there's going to be an attack tonight by Iran on Israel," Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said in an interview with Youtuber Adin Ross.

"They're gonna be attacked tonight, I'm telling you right now.""If I were President, nobody would even be talking about that word (attack), because it wouldn't happen. 100%," Trump added.

Three explosions were heard in Sepahan-Shahr, Isfahan, according to Iran's state-run media and citizens' reports.

Mohammadreza Jan-Nessari, the Deputy Governor of Isfahan, said "the sounds of the explosions were caused by a training exercise."

Isfahan province is home to multiple Iranian military and nuclear facilities, some of which have been targeted in suspected Israeli strikes in the past.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with the administration’s national security team in the White House Situation Room just as American troops were being attacked in Iraq.

The United States has not observed any specific movements in Iran so far that would indicate potential attacks on Israel in the coming hours, Sky News Arabia reported citing a Pentagon spokesperson.

Two rockets were fired at Iraq's Ain al-Assad Airbase which houses American troops, security sources told Reuters. It was not clear if the attack caused any casualties or damage inside the base, the sources told Reuters. One security source said the Katyusha rockets fell inside the base.

Al Jazeera had earlier reported explosions heard near the Iraqi base West of Anbar province.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, the IRGC-affiliated Sabereen News says Iran-backed militant groups were behind the attack.

The US does not have any expectation that "Russia is going to play a productive role on the Middle East tensions," the State Department said on Monday in reaction to the visit of Russia's top security official Sergei Shoigu to Tehran.

"We don't have any expectations that Russia is going to play a productive role in de-escalating tensions. We haven't seen them play a productive role in this conflict since October 7th. They have, for the most part, been absent and certainly we've seen them do nothing to urge any party to take the de-escalatory steps," State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said.

"We are in no way seeking to expand the scope of the crisis in the region, but Israel will certainly receive a response for its crimes and audacity," Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian told the visiting secretary of Russia's National Security Council Sergei Shoigu in Tehran.

The US has sent messages to Iran saying that escalation is not in their interest, the State Department said on Monday.

"We have been sending consistent messages through our diplomatic engagements, encouraging people to communicate to the government of Iran that escalation is not in their interest and that we will defend Israel from attacks. And that escalation does not serve Iran's interests. It doesn't serve the interests of anyone in the region," State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said.

Sergei Shoigu, the Secretary of Russia's National Security Council, met Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran, after holding talks with his Iranian counterpart Ali-Akbar Ahmadian and Iran's top general Mohammad Bagheri, amid fears of Iran's retaliatory attack on Israel.

The German Air Force is preparing a fleet of A400M aircraft to evacuate its citizens from Lebanon and other locations in the Middle East amid fears of a possible conflict between Israel and Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah, Der Spiegel reported.

US CENTCOM chief Michael Kurilla talked to Israel’s military chief of staff Herzi Halevi Monday, as both countries prepare for Iran’s promised retaliatory attack.

The conversation focused on “security-strategic issues and joint assessments in the region, as part of the response to threats in the Middle East," according to the Israeli army.

The US has strengthened its presence in the region in the past few days in anticipation of Iran’s attack. CENTCOM played a leading role in intercepting Iranian missiles bound for Israel in Iran’s last retaliatory attack in April.

President Biden and Jordan's King Abdullah talked about “regional tensions” on the phone Monday, amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts in anticipation of a looming retaliatory attack by Iran and its allied armed groups against Israel.

The two leaders discussed de-escalation, according to the White House, and Biden “affirmed unwavering US support for Jordan as a partner and ally in promoting regional peace and security."

Jordan did take part in the joint effort to intercept Iran’s missiles and drones in Iran’s previous retaliatory attack against Israel last April. Unofficial reports have surfaced in recent days that Iran has warned the countries in the region against ‘helping’ Israel and the US.

German airline Lufthansa has canceled all flights to Tehran and Tel Aviv up to and including 8 August, in yet another sign that Iran’s retaliatory attack against Israel may be imminent.

Lufthansa canceled all Beirut flights last week and is now extending the measure until 12 August, according to a communique Monday.

“Based on its updated security analysis, the Lufthansa Group is once again adjusting its service to the Middle East,” the airlines statement said.

Lufthansa did the same in April, anticipating Iran’s retaliatory attack following Israel’s strike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus, Syria.

Russia's national security chief Sergei Shoigu met Iran's armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri in Tehran, amid reports that Iran and its allied armed groups are preparing for a retaliatory attack against Israel.

Iran and Russia have been drawn closer in recent years, forming an unofficial alliance against 'western powers' led by the United States.

"The US knows well that the world has moved beyond unipolar power," Iran's military chief of staff Bagheri said in his meeting with Shoigu, according to official reports. He also said Tehran "welcomes trilateral cooperation with Russia and China."

The negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire-hostage release deal are effectively on hold and will not pick up until after Iran launches its retaliatory attack against Israel, and until after Hamas selects a new leader, according to Times of Israel citing officials.

Iranian officials have vowed a 'harsh response' to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week. The operation is reported to involve Iran's allied armed groups in the Middle East, including Hezbollah, which saw one of its top men assassinated in Beirut hours before Haniyeh's assassination.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has said the retaliatory attacks against Israel may take place as early as Monday.

Jordanian authorities are requiring all inbound aircrafts to carry 45 minutes of reserve fuel for “operational reasons.”

Experts say this is likely a precautionary measure anticipating Iran’s retaliatory attack against Israel, which officials in the region and in the US believe may be imminent.

Russia’s top national security official Sergei Shoigu is in Tehran for talks that seem to focus on Iran’s looming retaliatory attack against Israel. Iran and Russia have become closer than ever since the war in Ukraine.

Videos have been released of Shoigu's meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Aklbar Ahmadi.

An official statement issued earlier Monday said the visit aimed to "strengthen interactions and discuss regional, international, and political security issues."

Ali Bagheri, Iran's acting Foreign Minister, met with Khaled Qaddoumi, the Hamas representative, at the Hamas office in Tehran on Monday.

Previously, Qaddoumi stated that he had seen the room in Tehran where Ismail Haniyeh was attacked.

According to Qaddoumi, two walls and the ceiling of the room were destroyed, indicating that a projectile from outside caused the damage.

The assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at his Tehran residence last Wednesday exposed security failures in Iran. An eyewitness report detailed the chaos and distress experienced by mountaineers and residents in the Tochal mountain area north of Tehran during the attack.

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Tensions in the region have escalated as Iran's proxy groups announced the formation of a joint operations room aimed at launching an attack on Israel. This development comes amid growing concerns over a potential regional conflict.

Bloomberg, citing Israeli officials, reported that a retaliatory attack by Iran against Israel is imminent.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the Islamic Republic has informed Israel’s neighboring countries through diplomatic channels of its intention to attack the country.