Lebanese Shia cleric, politician and longtime Hezbollah leader
Israel has killed Ezzedine Al-Haddad, a senior Hamas commander, in a Gaza City airstrike. The Israeli military and Shin Bet say Haddad was involved in directing the October 7 attack and hostage captivity. Reports confirm his death along with his wife and daughter; funeral proceedings and tributes have followed in Gaza.
The funeral schedule for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been announced, with ceremonies planned from July 4 to July 9 in Tehran, Qom,Mashhad, and other cities. Officials say millions are expected to attend, reflecting a moment of national unity under new leadership as regional tensions persist after the February strikes that killed Khamenei and sparked ongoing conflict.
Israel's election campaign intensifies as Netanyahu's governing coalition faces internal strains, coalition dissolution, and public scrutiny over the Gaza war and regional security. The race is set against Netanyahu's long tenure, an ICC warrant, and shifting U.S. ties, with polls suggesting potential changes in government.
Ashoura is being observed across major Shiite communities as conflict continues in Iran and Lebanon. Mourners mark Imam Hussein’s martyrdom in Karbala while security forces and militias reinforce processions amid ongoing Israeli-Hezbollah clashes and US-Iran diplomacy. The day blends ritual mourning with the realities of a regional war.
Hamas has elected Khalil al-Hayya as head of its political bureau, succeeding Yahya Sinwar who was killed in 2024. The vote follows a wartime leadership transition and reflects tensions between Gaza-based leadership and diaspora factions, with al-Hayya seen as aligned with Tehran and a continuing hardline stance.
A Buffalo jury has found Hadi Matar guilty on all counts in a federal terrorism case stemming from the 2022 stabbing of Salman Rushdie during a talk on writers’ safety. Matar already faces a 25-year state sentence for the August 2022 attack; the federal verdict could carry a life term. Prosecutors say the act was motivated by Iran’s fatwa against Rushdie and Hezbollah ties, while the defense questions Matar’s state of mind.