Palestinians walk to collect aid supplies from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. REUTERS
GENEVA, July 11 – The U.N. rights office said on Friday it had recorded at least 798 killings within the past six weeks at aid points in Gaza run by the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and near convoys run by other relief groups.
The GHF uses private U.S. security and logistics companies to get supplies into Gaza, largely bypassing a U.N.-led system that Israel alleges has let Hamas-led militants loot aid shipments intended for civilians. Hamas denies the allegation.
After the deaths of hundreds of Palestinian civilians trying to reach the GHF’s aid hubs in zones where Israeli forces operate, the United Nations has called its aid model “inherently unsafe” and a violation of humanitarian impartiality standards.
“(From May 27) up until the seventh of July, we’ve recorded 798 killings, including 615 in the vicinity of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, and 183 presumably on the route of aid convoys,” U.N. rights office (OHCHR) spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told a media briefing in Geneva.
The GHF, which began distributing food packages in Gaza in late May after Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade, told Reuters the U.N. figures were “false and misleading”. It denies that deadly incidents have occurred at its sites.
“The fact is the most deadly attacks on aid site have been linked to U.N. convoys,” a GHF spokesperson said.
“Ultimately, the solution is more aid. If the U.N. (and) other humanitarian groups would collaborate with us, we could end or significantly reduce these violent incidents.”
The Israeli army told Reuters in a statement that it was reviewing recent mass casualties and that it had sought to minimise friction between Palestinians and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) by installing fences and signs and opening additional routes.
GUNSHOT WOUNDS
The OHCHR said it based its figures on sources such as information from hospitals in Gaza, cemeteries, families, Palestinian health authorities, NGOs and its partners on the ground.
Most of the injuries to Palestinians in the vicinity of aid distribution hubs recorded by the OHCHR since May 27 were gunshot wounds, Shamdasani said.
“We’ve raised concerns about atrocity crimes having been committed and the risk of further atrocity crimes being committed where people are lining up for essential supplies such as food,” she said.
After the GHF assertion that the OHCHR figures are false and misleading, Shamdasani said: “It is not helpful to issue blanket dismissals of our concerns – what is needed is investigations into why people are being killed while trying to access aid.”
Israeli occupation forces carry the coffin of an Israeli reserve soldier who was killed in a battle in the Gaza Strip, during his funeral at the military cemetery in Haifa, occupied Palestine, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. AP
Israeli media reported on Thursday the discovery of a dead reserve soldier in the illegal settlement neighborhood of Har Homa in occupied al-Quds. The incident comes amid a spike in suicides among Israeli occupation soldiers since the beginning of the war on Gaza in October 2023.
According to Haaretz, the number of suicides in the Israeli occupation forces has risen to unprecedented levels since the war began.
The report revealed that between October 7 and the end of 2023, seven soldiers took their own lives, while 21 suicides were recorded in 2024. Since the start of 2025, approximately 14 soldiers have reportedly died by suicide.
Occupation forces withholding full figures
Despite the rising trend, the Israeli occupation forces has refused to disclose the official number of suicides for the current year, stating it will release a full report only at the end of 2025.
The secrecy has raised questions about transparency within the military command, particularly as psychological trauma among troops continues to escalate.
Over the weekend, another occupation soldier reportedly took his own life after suffering from severe psychological distress following his deployment in Gaza and southern Lebanon.
The war’s mental health toll has become a critical issue for the Israeli regime, especially as reports indicate a severe manpower shortage in the ranks.
PTSD-affected soldiers recalled for service
As reported by Haaretz, the Israeli military has begun enlisting reservists suffering from trauma and other psychological conditions, even if they are currently undergoing treatment.
One commander told the newspaper, “Because our soldiers are not committed to fighting, we are forced to recruit individuals who are not in a stable mental state,” adding, “We fight with what we have, even if we are certain their psychological conditions are unstable.”
According to Haaretz, two recently recalled soldiers committed suicide, further intensifying scrutiny of the military’s handling of mental health issues.
The total number of Israeli soldier suicides since October 7, 2023, has reportedly reached at least 35 by the end of 2024. Informed sources noted that the military has buried several soldiers who died by suicide without holding military funerals or issuing official statements.
Compliance rates inflated, say Israeli officers
One officer told Haaretz that the military has recently resorted to pressuring soldiers to engage in combat but is facing difficulties in mobilizing them for service.
The report also revealed manipulation in the published compliance rates, with both officers and soldiers confirming that the official figures do not accurately represent the true level of participation among reservists.
Security sources stressed to the newspaper that the Israeli military needs to increase its troop numbers fourfold in order to control key points in the Gaza Strip, amid mounting security challenges.
NEZUK, BELGRADE, Bosnia and Herzegovina – More than 6,000 people set off Tuesday from Nezuk near Sapna on an annual Peace March to Srebrenica to honor thousands of Bosniak men and boys killed during the genocide on July 11, 1995.
Participants will walk the 100-kilometer (62-mile) route toward Potocari for the next three days, following the path Bosniaks took 30 years ago in a desperate attempt to reach the free territories in Tuzla or Kladanj.
Survivors are leading this year’s march.
Marchers are expected to arrive in Potocari on July 10, ahead of a collective funeral the next day at the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center, where the remains of seven newly identified genocide victims will be laid to rest.
This is the 21st Peace March, marking the 30th anniversary of the genocide in the UN-declared “safe zone” of Srebrenica.
For survivors, the march is a way to process trauma and a responsibility to share their stories with younger generations.
Among participants is Ademir Mesic, joining the march for the 14th time, who said it is difficult each year to walk the path and listen to what survivors endured.
“It is different to hear testimonies from survivors while walking the same route they took,” he said. “The message is that it should never happen again.”
Teens like Edin Djogaz, 16, from Tuzla and Ajna Trapo, 17, from Travnik, also joined the march to honor the victims and preserve the memory of the genocide.
“While walking the path where people were killed, many thoughts cross your mind,” said Trapo.
Hana Malkic, 17, is participating for the first time. “I believe this is the least we can do.”
A memorial of remembrance and resistance to denial
The Peace March, held annually in July, is to preserve the culture of remembrance of the genocide and to counter denial and revisionism.
Participants walk 30 kilometers daily, with some parts of the route demanding significant physical endurance.
During the genocide in July 1995, Bosniaks fled along the route in the opposite direction to escape the attack by Serb forces on the UN-protected enclave.
Seven victims to be buried July 11
The remains of seven victims, including two 19-year-old boys, will be buried July 11. The victims were killed by Bosnian Serb forces and their allies during the genocide and were later found in mass graves in locations, including Liplje, Baljkovica, Suljici and Kamenicko Hill.
Many of the remains are incomplete, with some families preparing to bury only a few bones of their loved ones. So far, 6,765 victims have been buried at the memorial cemetery in Potocari, while around 250 have been buried in other cemeteries at the families’ request.
More than 1,000 victims of the genocide are still missing.
Trials and convictions
International and local courts have sentenced 54 individuals to a total of 781 years in prison and five life sentences for genocide, crimes against humanity and other crimes committed in Srebrenica in July 1995.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague sentenced 18 individuals, including Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, to life in prison for genocide and related crimes.
Bosnia’s state court sentenced 27 people to a total of 446 years in prison, while Serbia has convicted five individuals for crimes in Srebrenica, including four former “Scorpions” members. Croatia has sentenced two former “Scorpions” members to 15 years each.
Ten suspects remain at large and are currently unavailable to Bosnia’s judiciary.
Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, the top spokesperson for Iran’s Armed Forces. AL MAYADEEN
Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, the top spokesperson for Iran’s Armed Forces, declared Monday evening that the United States was the “primary party responsible for the aggression” that targeted Iran.
In an exclusive interview for Al Mayadeen, Shekarchi stated that Iran did not initiate the war but responded decisively within 12 days of confrontation with devastating strikes that inflicted “significant damage” on its adversaries.
He emphasized that the ceasefire was “imposed on the adversaries” after they endured powerful Iranian retaliatory operations, noting that it was Iran who launched the last missiles and drones before the cessation of confrontations.
Heavy losses and media censorship
Shekarchi revealed that numerous Israeli military, security, and research centers were completely destroyed. He also reported severe damage to US forces at Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which he referred to as a “friendly country”.
He underscored that most of the losses sustained by the enemy are under a heavy media blackout. “We do not trust what the US and the Zionist entity publish about the damage,” he said.
The Iranian brigadier general challenged the credibility of Western narratives, saying, “If the enemies were truly democratic and honest, let them reveal their losses to the world.” He noted that Iranian drones and missiles breached the most advanced air defenses and that “the airspace of the Zionist entity was exposed to us.”
US, Israeli bases in West Asia within range of Iranian fire
He affirmed that many of the Iranian strikes hit “strategic” targets, noting that Tehran still possesses an extensive bank of additional strategic targets.
Shekarchi said the enemy was “demoralized” by the nature of the targets struck, to the point where its military forces, not settlers, had to retreat to shelters.
He also disclosed that Iranian forces had downed many US and Israeli drones, proving Iran’s capability to defend its vast geography.
Iran is “determined to respond with a devastating force to any new aggression attempt,” Shekarchi warned, asserting that US and Israeli bases in West Asia are within range of Iranian fire.
Iran to ‘cross all red lines’ in the event of any aggression
He warned the US and “Israel” and their backers against violating the ceasefire, stressing that any mistake would be met with a “devastating” response.
Shekarchi made it clear that Iran’s retaliation “would be even more destructive than before,” using new, unexpected military tactics.
He said that his country does not seek to expand the circle of war but emphasized that Iran’s response would be “powerful and comprehensive, encompassing the entire region.”
“In the event of any mistake or aggression, we will cross all red lines,” the Iranian brigadier general underlined.
Shekarchi reaffirmed Iran’s peaceful relations with its neighbors, pointing out that Tehran is “trying to keep any harm away from the region, which US President Donald Trump is driving into tension.”
‘Advanced and destructive military power’
On Iran’s defense capabilities, Shekarchi said the nation possesses “advanced and destructive military power,” produces its weapons independently, updates them rapidly, and is not afraid of engaging in a prolonged confrontation.
“Our scientists and engineers can manufacture state-of-the-art arms without foreign support,” he asserted, promising that Iran’s arsenal can change the outcome of any conflict.
Shekarchi also vowed that the US would “taste the bitterness” of Iran’s response to any aggression.
Brigadier General Shekarchi clarified that the Iranian Armed Forces “use weapons to respond proportionately to the nature of the aggression,” adding, “We have many surprises that you will see on the ground.”
He noted that only a fraction of Iran’s armed forces have participated in the current confrontation, with the deployment of the Quds Force, naval units, and Basij contingent depending on the nature of aggression.
The Iranian armed forces “have used their capabilities wisely in this war,” he affirmed.
‘Israel’ sought US support, used Palestinian civilians as shields
Shekarchi also accused “Israel” of using Palestinian civilians as human shields and said it cannot confront Iran alone, hence its plea for US support. He noted that many countries, especially Western, rushed to arm “Israel” during and after the confrontation.
Despite this support, Shekarchi asserted that the Israeli forces could not match Iran’s military, emphasizing that Iran’s Armed Forces are drawn from its people, not mercenaries.
Call to Islamic nations
Shekarchi called on Islamic nations to cut ties with “Israel” if they cannot confront it directly. “All Muslims should take part in confronting this entity, as it will eventually target them too,” he said, urging West Asian countries to support the Resistance in Gaza and beyond.
No surrender, no retreat
Shekarchi noted that all segments and sects of the Iranian people stood united behind the military during the recent aggression, while “all West Asian countries hailed the devastating Iranian strikes” that targeted” Israel” and US forces.
He made it clear that any talk of surrender or retreat is not found in Iran’s doctrine, reiterating that any aggression will be met with unforgettable blows
Elsewhere, the Iranian brigadier general emphasized that US threats target only those who bow before Washington and reaffirmed that Hezbollah is an independent force defending its homeland, just like other Resistance movements supported by Iran throughout the region.
Israeli soldiers take part in an Israeli raid in Nablus, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 10, 2025. REUTERS
SINJIL, West Bank, July 4 – A five-metre-high metal fence slices across the eastern edge of Sinjil, a Palestinian town in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Heavy steel gates and roadblocks seal off all but a single route in and out of the town, watched over by Israeli soldiers at guard posts.
“Sinjil is now a big prison,” said Mousa Shabaneh, 52, a father of seven, watching on in resignation as workers erected the fence through the middle of the nursery on the edge of the town where he planted trees for sale, his sole source of income.
“Of course, we’re now forbidden from going to the nursery. All the trees I had were burned and lost,” he said. “In the end, they cut off our livelihood.”
Walls and checkpoints erected by Israeli forces have long been a part of day-to-day life for the nearly 3 million Palestinian residents of the West Bank. But many now say that a dramatic increase in such barriers since the start of the war in Gaza has put towns and villages in a state of permanent siege.
The fence around Sinjil is a particularly stark example of barriers that have sprung up across the territory, becoming an overwhelming feature of daily life. The Israeli military says it erected it to protect the nearby Ramallah-Nablus highway.
“In light of the recurring terror incidents in this area, it was decided to place a fence in order to prevent stone-throwing at a main route and repeated disturbances of public order, thereby safeguarding the security of civilians in the region,” it said in a statement.
Workers construct a fence, which was set by the Israeli authorities, in Sinjil, near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, May 5, 2025. REUTERS
Because residents are still permitted to enter and exit through the single remaining entrance, the policy is deemed to allow “free access” to the town, the military said.
CUT OFF FROM LAND
The people who live there now have to walk or drive through narrow, winding streets to the sole allowed entry point. Some cross road closures on foot to reach cars on the other side.
Those who once earned their livelihoods in the surrounding land are effectively cut off, said Bahaa Foqaa, the deputy mayor. He said the fence had enclosed 8,000 residents inside barely 10 acres, cutting them off from 2,000 acres of surrounding land which they privately own.
“This is the policy that the occupation army uses to intimidate people and break the will of the Palestinian people.”
Israel says its fences and barriers in the West Bank are necessary to protect Jewish settlers who have moved there since Israel captured the territory in a 1967 war.
Israel Gantz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council which governs the 47 Israeli settlements in the part of the West Bank where Sinjil is located, said the town’s fence was needed because its residents had thrown stones and molotov cocktails at cars on the nearby highway, solely because the occupants were Jewish.
“A carte blanche lifting of the restrictions on Arab Palestinians would encourage the mass murder of Jews,” he told Reuters.
Some 700,000 Israelis now reside in territory Israel captured in 1967. Most countries consider such communities a violation of the Geneva Conventions which ban settling civilians on occupied land; Israel says the settlements are lawful and justified by historic and biblical Jewish ties to the land.
After decades during which Israel paid lip-service to the prospect of an independent Palestinian state, the far-right Israeli government now includes prominent settler activists who openly proclaim their aim to annex the entire West Bank.
HALF OUR LIFE IS ON THE ROADS
Israel increased its military presence in the West Bank immediately after Hamas’ surprise attack in October 2023, which precipitated war that has devastated the other main Palestinian territory, the Gaza Strip.
Overnight, mounds of earth and heavy boulders were placed on roads. Then heavy metal gates, usually painted yellow or orange, were installed and locked by the military at entrances to Palestinian communities, often leading to roads also used by settlers.
The military established new permanent checkpoints. So-called flying checkpoints, set up suddenly and without warning, became more frequent.
A drone view shows a part of the fence, which was set by the Israeli authorities, in Sinjil, near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, May 5, 2025. REUTERS
Sana Alwan, 52, who lives in Sinjil and works as a personal trainer, said what was once a short drive to reach Ramallah can now take as long as three hours each way, with no way of knowing at the start of the day how long she will be stuck at checkpoints. Work has slowed because she can no longer promise clients she can reach them.
“Half of our life is on the roads,” she said.
While the West Bank has largely been spared the all-out assault waged in Gaza, life has grown increasingly precarious. A ban on entering Israel for work abruptly cut off the livelihoods of tens of thousands of workers. At the start of this year, tens of thousands of West Bank residents were displaced by an Israeli crackdown on militants in Jenin in the north.
Mohammad Jammous, 34, who grew up in Jericho and lives in Ramallah, used to see his family almost every week. With the hour-long drive now typically stretching to several hours each way, he says he is now usually able to visit only once a month.
The Israeli military said its forces operate in a “complex security reality”, and checkpoints must be regularly relocated and set up at new locations to monitor movement and respond to threats originating from Palestinian communities.
Officials in the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank under Israeli occupation, suspect that the stifling impact on the economy and ordinary life is intentional. They say it could backfire against Israel by driving more youths to sympathise with militants.
“They are doing everything they can to make life extremely difficult for our people,” Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa told reporters last month.
GENEVA – Israel is responsible for “one of the cruelest genocides in modern history,” the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory said on Thursday, accusing Tel Aviv of weaponizing Gaza as a testing ground and calling for sweeping international action, including a full international arms embargo and the suspension of trade and investment ties.
“The situation in the occupied Palestinian territory is apocalyptic,” Francesca Albanese told the UN Human Rights Council, presenting her latest report. “In Gaza, Palestinians continue to endure suffering beyond imagination. Israel is responsible for one of the cruelest genocides in modern history.”
Albanese said official figures count over 200,000 Palestinians killed or injured, but leading health experts estimate “the true toll is far higher.” She denounced the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – Israel’s new aid mechanism in Gaza, with hundreds of associated deaths to date – as “a death trap – engineered to kill or force the flight of a starved, bombarded, emaciated population marked for.”
Profits from genocide
She grimly highlighted the economic gains made during the war, noting that in the past 20 months, arms companies have reaped huge profits by supplying Israel with weapons used to bombard Gaza.
“Arms companies have turned near-record profits by equipping Israel with cutting-edge weaponry to unleash 85,000 tons of explosives – six times the power of Hiroshima – to destroy Gaza,” she said.
The report also pointed to 213% gains on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange since October 2023, describing a stark contrast: “One people enriched, one people erased.”
Accusing Israel of using the war to “test new weapons, customized surveillance, lethal drones, (and) radar systems,” Albanese warned that Palestine’s defenselessness had made it “an ideal laboratory for the Israeli military-industrial complex.”
She named 48 corporate actors, including arms manufacturers, banks, tech companies, energy giants, and academic institutions, alleging that they are directly linked to a broader “economy of occupation” sustaining the Israeli state’s actions.
Among the most important firms mentioned in the report are Amazon, Microsoft, BNP Paribas, Booking, and Korean HD Hyundai, according to her report.
“Weapons and data systems brutalize and surveil Palestinians,” she said. “Colonies spread –financed by banks and insurers, powered by fossil fuels, and normalized by tourism platforms, supermarket chains, and academic institutions.”
Later in a press briefing in Geneva, Albanese said she had formally notified all companies named in her report, sharing with them “the facts that I found in violation of international law.”
She emphasized that her work went “beyond what has been done in other similar cases,” explaining: “For each of them, I have provided a detailed analysis, a case by case legal analysis, so where I found their nonconformity with international law translating into violation of the right of self-determination, other human rights violations and even war crimes or crimes against humanity, and to an extent, in which case it could be embroiled in the crime of genocide.”
According to Albanese, 18 companies responded to her findings, while the others did not. Of these 18, she said that “only a small number” engaged with her in good faith, while the rest denied their wrongdoings.
Referring to those in denial, she said: “They don’t understand international law clearly. They think that international law is there to make excuses.”
‘Responsibility to abstain’ or cut ties with ‘economy of occupation’
Under international law, she said, even a minimal connection to this system carries clear responsibility. “There is a prima facie responsibility on every state and corporate entity to completely abstain from or end their relationships with this economy of occupation.”
In a direct appeal to UN member states, Albanese called for bold steps: “Member states must impose a full arms embargo on Israel, suspend all trade agreements and investment relations, and enforce accountability, ensuring that corporate entities face legal consequences for their involvement in serious violations of international law.”
She also called on businesses to act, stressing: “Corporate entities must urgently cease all business activities and terminate relationships directly linked with, contributing to, and causing human rights violations and international crimes against the Palestinian people.”
Albanese said she no longer believed ignorance or ideology were sufficient explanations for global inaction. “In the face of genocide – so visible, so livestreamed – these explanations fall short.”
She concluded with a call for civil society to play its part, saying: “Trade unions, lawyers, civil society groups, and ordinary citizens should encourage such behavioral change from the side of businesses and governments by pressing for boycotts, divestments, sanctions, and accountability. What comes next depends on all of us.”
National Guards patrol the streets in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico, Oct. 14, 2024. AP
MEXICO CITY – Four decapitated bodies were found hanging from a bridge in the capital of western Mexico’s Sinaloa state on Monday, part of a surge of cartel violence that killed nearly 20 people in less than a day, authorities said.
A bloody war for control between two factions of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel has turned the city of Culiacan into an epicenter of cartel violence since the conflict exploded last year between the two groups: Los Chapitos and La Mayiza.
Dead bodies appear scattered across Culiacán on a daily basis, homes are riddled with bullets, businesses shutter and schools regularly close down during waves of violence. Masked young men on motorcycles watch over the main avenues of the city.
On Monday, Sinaloa state prosecutors said that four bodies were found dangling from the freeway bridge leading out of the city, their heads in a nearby plastic bag.
On the same highway Monday, officials said they found 16 more male victims with gunshot wounds, packed into a white van, one of whom was decapitated. Authorities said the bodies were left with a note, apparently from one of the cartel factions, though the note’s contents were not immediately disclosed.
Feliciano Castro, Sinaloa government spokesperson, condemned the violent killings on Monday and said authorities needed to examine their strategy for tackling organized crime with the “magnitude” of the violence seen.
“Military and police forces are working together to reestablish total peace in Sinaloa,” Castro said.
Most in the western Mexico state, however, say authorities have lost control of the violence levels.
A bloody power struggle erupted in September last year between two rival factions, pushing the city to a standstill.
The war for territorial control was triggered by the dramatic kidnapping of the leader of one of the groups by a son of notorious capo Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán who then delivered him to U.S. authorities via a private plane.
Since then, intense fighting between the heavily armed factions has become the new normal for civilians in Culiacan, a city which for years avoided the worst of Mexico’s violence in large part because the Sinaloa Cartel maintained such complete control.
Israeli settlers evacuate a building damaged in an Iranian missile strike in Tel Aviv, Sunday, June 22, 2025. AP
Lamenting the situation underway in Israeli cities following the impact of retaliatory strikes by Iran, Israeli Channel 12 was particularly alarmed by the situation in Tel Aviv, “the city that never rests.” It indicated that the city was forced to a standstill by Iran’s missiles.
“Known for its constant bustle and noise, it suddenly appeared deserted,” the channel revealed, explaining how everyone is packing their bags to leave.
The Israeli channel pointed to the fortified rooms, which have become scarce, and the empty shops, adding that even when the municipality decided to open parking lots for free, no one benefited, because the “city is simply fleeing from itself.”
Even the eldest settlers in Tel Aviv can’t recall a similar situation, as most apartments in old buildings lack any shelter within the building itself or fortified rooms.
Majority of settlers left Tel Aviv
The Israeli channel quoted Rekhes, who lives in an apartment on HaYarkon Street with his wife and left the city in search of a fortified shelter, as saying, “The majority of the residents have left the city.”
Channel 12 reported that “those who were undecided between staying or leaving were finally persuaded to leave after a direct hit on one of the city’s upscale towers last Friday.”
Another settler described a prevalent feeling among the settlers that the Iranians are primarily targeting Tel Aviv, thus the need to leave the city.
Israeli media reported on Monday that the destruction in the Ramat Aviv neighborhood of Tel Aviv was reminiscent of devastated areas after an earthquake.
Israeli media reported that El Al Airlines has received 25,000 requests for flights abroad from Tel Aviv since yesterday, to escape Iranian missiles.
A B-2 bomber arrives at Whiteman Air Force Base Missouri, Sunday, June 22, 2025, after returning from a massive strike on Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday. AP
Senior Israeli political analyst Dana Weiss, speaking on Channel 12, said the joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran had failed to deliver a “decisive blow,” leaving the outcome of the escalation still uncertain. Weiss emphasized that the central question now is how to end the confrontation without being dragged into a protracted war.
In her report aired Sunday evening, Weiss stated, “Even if some objectives were achieved, it is clear to all parties that the situation is far from over.” She highlighted that the main challenge ahead is devising an exit strategy from the current escalation, particularly as the Israeli regime seeks to avoid a drawn-out war of attrition, a scenario both the political and military establishments are eager to prevent.
According to Weiss, managing the next phase depends not only on the Israeli occupation’s internal assessments but also on Iran’s response and the international community’s stance. She noted that the occupying regime has a limited window of several days to address the growing missile threat. Should talks fail to materialize, she added, international actors may push for an imposed ceasefire between the two sides.
Mounting concern within ‘Israel’
Weiss’s remarks reflect mounting concern within the Israeli establishment over the consequences of any potential Iranian retaliation. Calls are growing in the Hebrew media for a political and diplomatic off-ramp that could prevent “Israel” from sinking deeper into a regional confrontation.
In a related report, Channel 13 confirmed that several officials inside the Israeli occupation’s leadership are pushing to conclude the military campaign within days following the US strike on Iran. The urgency underscores growing unease over a scenario spiraling beyond control.
Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Islamic Revolution leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, emphasized on Sunday that the recent attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities do not signify the end of the confrontation, warning that Iran still holds significant strategic advantages.
In a post on X, Shamkhani wrote: “Even assuming the complete destruction of the facilities, the game is not over; enriched materials, domestic expertise, and political will remain intact.”
He added that the initiative, both political and operational, now lies with the side that “knows how to play intelligently and avoids firing indiscriminately,” suggesting that Iran’s response would be impactful.
Strategic deterrence, sustained capabilities
Shamkhani’s remarks follow intensified US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure, including major sites at Natanz and Fordow. Despite the damage, Iranian officials continue to assert that the core of the country’s nuclear program, knowledge, enrichment stockpiles, and national resolve, remain unaffected.
“The surprises will continue,” Shamkhani warned, signaling that Tehran has more calculated moves to come amid escalating regional tensions.
Following the United States’ airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, senior Iranian lawmakers have raised the possibility of withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz in retaliation.
The warnings come after US President Donald Trump announced, in a post in Truth Social, on Sunday at dawn, that the United States carried out what he described as a “very successful attack” on three Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Iran implemented measures to safeguard infrastructure
Esmail Kowsari, a prominent member of Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in Parliament, affirmed that the country had already implemented protective measures to safeguard its nuclear infrastructure. He dismissed allegations of severe damage to Iran’s nuclear program, calling them “baseless claims,” and insisted that “Tehran has accurate intelligence disproving such assertions.”
Kowsari revealed that authorities are actively weighing a possible exit from the NPT. “We are reviewing the option of withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,” he said, noting that the parliamentary committee would soon hold an emergency session to assess the American attack and formulate Iran’s official response.
Reiterating Iran’s commitment to Resistance, Kowsari warned that “our armed forces will certainly continue striking the Zionist entity,” adding, “US military bases across the region will not remain secure. Hitting them will be far easier than targeting the Israeli regime.”
He further cautioned that Iran is prepared to escalate militarily if necessary, stating, “The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is on the table. We will definitely implement it if the situation requires.”
TEL AVIV, Israel – Israeli experts believe Tel Aviv’s goal of overthrowing the Iranian government is unlikely to succeed, highlighting the difficulty of changing regimes through external pressure and attacks.
Experts argued that strikes on Iran have diverted attention away from Israel’s “real issue”—the Palestinian question—while also increasing internal support for the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Before the attacks on Iran, Israel was facing a “tsunami of international criticism” over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, according to Alon Liel, former charge d’affaires at the Israeli Embassy in Ankara and Foreign Ministry secretary.
However, strikes on Iran shifted the momentum, with European nations backing Israel and global attention turning toward Iran, Liel told Anadolu.
Liel acknowledged that Israel’s strikes had slowed Iran’s nuclear program and significantly harmed its missile capabilities, but he did not believe Tehran’s nuclear ambitions could be completely eliminated.
“Even if Israel doesn’t declare it, toppling the Iranian regime is another goal,” said Liel.
“I don’t think we can fully eliminate their nuclear ambitions, but we can delay them. Whether a grassroots opposition will form against the regime depends on the Iranian people.”
Israeli bombing of Iran’s television station is about ‘regime change’
Speaking to Anadolu, Gideon Levy, a columnist for Haaretz known for criticizing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and discriminatory occupation policies, said: “We don’t know how close Iran really is to nuclear weapons. Israel claims it’s very close. If that’s true, then this operation could be seen as legitimate.”
Levy added that Netanyahu has dedicated his life to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and after seeing Hezbollah’s strength weakened and US support as an opportunity, he decided to launch the attack.
“I consider this a dangerous adventure. We’re still in the middle of it, and we don’t know how it will end,” he said.
“Israel bombed Iran’s television station. That’s about regime change—because a TV station has nothing to do with nuclear capabilities,” he said.
“Uranium isn’t produced or enriched at a TV station. They did it because the station symbolized the regime,” Levy noted.
Hostilities broke out on June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes on several sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.
Israeli authorities said at least 25 people have been killed and hundreds injured since then in Iranian missile attacks.
Meanwhile, in Iran, 430 people have been killed and more than 3,500 wounded in the Israeli assault, according to the Iranian Health Ministry.
