A Palestinian child stands at the site of an overnight Israeli air strike on a house, in Gaza City, July 11, 2025. REUTERS
GAZA CITY, Palestine / ISTANBUL – At least 15 civilians have been killed and several others injured in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip since Monday dawn, according to medical sources.
Israeli strikes killed five people in the Al-Saftawi neighborhood in northern Gaza City.
Six others were killed, and dozens injured in several Israeli strikes on the Tel al-Hawa, al-Tuffah, and Shujaiya neighborhoods of the same city.
In the central enclave, the Israeli army targeted a vehicle used for water distribution in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing one person and injuring others.
Israeli suicide drones killed one Palestinian and injured others in a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis.
Two others were killed by Israeli gunfire while waiting for aid at a US-Israeli aid distribution site in western Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
ANKARA – Tropical storm Nari is expected to reach areas near Japanese capital Tokyo and the country’s northeastern region on Monday amid warnings of strong winds, high waves and landslides, local media reported.
Nari is the fifth tropical storm or typhoon of the year, and is forecast to approach the Kanto region centering on Tokyo on Monday afternoon, and northeastern Japan and Hokkaido in northern Japan from late Monday afternoon to Tuesday, Kyodo News reported, citing the Japan Meteorological Agency.
It is expected to gain strength as it continues north toward the Sanriku coast.
As of Monday morning, the typhoon was located about 210 kilometers (130 miles) south-southeast of Choshi, Chiba prefecture, near Tokyo and was moving north at around 35 km (21 mi) per hour, packing winds of up to 126 km (78 mi) per hour.
The agency is forecasting winds of up to 126 kph (78 mi) in the Kanto area, including Tokyo and the Tohoku region on Monday, and in Hokkaido on Tuesday.
Up to 120 millimeters of rainfall is expected in the said areas on Tuesday.
ANKARA – A 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s Tanimbar Islands region on Monday, the German Centre for Georesearch (GEOFON) as well as the US Geological Survey said.
Earlier, the GEOFON measured the earthquake as magnitude 7.
The epicenter of the earthquake was 167 kilometers (103 miles) off the city of Tual in Maluku province, with a depth of 65.7 km (40 mi).
There were no immediate reports of casualties or infrastructural damage.
TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi derided the Israeli prime minister’s demand that Iran should not produce missiles with a range of over 480 kilometers, saying Benjamin Netanyahu miserably failed to achieve any of his aims in the war of aggression against Iran. “Netanyahu pledged victory in Gaza almost two years ago. The end result: military quagmire, facing arrest warrant for war crimes, and 200,000 new Hamas recruits,” Araqchi said in a post on his X account on Monday.
“In Iran, he dreamed that he could erase 40+ years of peaceful nuclear achievements. The end result: every one of the dozen Iranian academics that his mercenaries martyred had trained 100+ capable disciples. They will show Netanyahu what they are capable of,” the Iranian foreign minister added.
“But his arrogance doesn’t stop there. Having miserably failed to achieve any of his war aims in Iran and compelled to run to ‘Daddy’ when our powerful missiles flattened secret Israeli regime sites-which Netanyahu is still censoring-he is openly dictating what the US should or shouldn’t say or do in talks with Iran,” Araqchi stated.
“Apart from farce that Iran will accept anything a wanted war criminal has to say, the inevitable question arises: what exactly is Netanyahu smoking? and if nothing, what exactly does the Mossad have on the White House?” he said.
Police stand at the front of the Richmond Road Baptist Church as other officers maintain a perimeter following a shooting at the church in Lexington, Ky., Sunday, July 13, 2025. AP
Two women died Sunday at a church in Lexington, Kentucky, in a shooting rampage that began when a state trooper was wounded after making a traffic stop, police said. The suspect in both shootings was also killed.
The suspect carjacked a vehicle after the traffic stop near Lexington’s airport and fled to Richmond Road Baptist Church, where he opened fire, city Police Chief Lawrence Weathers said. Killed in the shootings at the church were a 72-year-old woman and a 32-year-old woman, the local coroner said.
Two other people were wounded at the church and taken to a local hospital, the police chief said. One victim sustained critical injuries and the other was in stable condition, Weathers said.
The suspect was shot by police and died at the scene, he said. The suspect was not immediately identified pending notification of family, he said.
“Preliminary information indicates that the suspect may have had a connection to the individuals at the church,” the police chief said at a news conference.
The trooper stopped the vehicle after receiving a “license plate reader alert” and was shot about 11:30 a.m., Weathers said. The trooper was in stable condition, he said.
Police tracked the carjacked vehicle to the Baptist church, the police chief said. The church is about 16 miles 26 kilometers) from where the trooper was shot.
The shootings remain under investigation, Weathers said.
Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn said the church is home to a small, tight-knit congregation.
A launcher of a Patriot air defence system of the Ukrainian Air Forces is seen on the ground, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location, Ukraine August 4, 2024. REUTERS
WASHINGTON, July 13 – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he will send Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine, saying they are necessary to defend the country because Russian President Vladimir Putin “talks nice but then he bombs everybody in the evening.”
Trump did not give a number of Patriots he plans to send to Ukraine, but he said the United States would be reimbursed for their cost by the European Union. The U.S. president has grown increasingly disenchanted with Putin because the Russian leader has resisted Trump’s attempts to negotiate a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has asked for more defensive capabilities to fend off a daily barrage of missile and drone attacks from Russia.
“We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need, because Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then bombs everybody in the evening. But there’s a little bit of a problem there. I don’t like it,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington.
“We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment. They are going to pay us 100% for that, and that’s the way we want it,” Trump said.
He plans to meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to discuss Ukraine and other issues this week.
A Druze gunman, left, speaks with Syrian security forces who reached a deal with locals to deploy around the southern Damascus suburb of Jaramana that has witnessed fighting earlier this week in Damascus, Syria, on May 2, 2025. AL MAYADEEN – AP
Fierce clashes broke out overnight Monday in southern Syria, leaving at least 37 people dead and prompting waves of displacement in the Sweida governorate.
According to local sources who spoke to Al Mayadeen, violent confrontations erupted between armed Druze factions from Sweida and Bedouin tribal groups near al-Thalaa military airport and the village bridge of Hazm, located north of Sweida governorate.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that Syria’s Ministry of Defense has deployed significant reinforcements to the region.
Syrians flee villages
The fighting has triggered a large-scale displacement, with residents fleeing the town of Khalkhala toward the city of Sweida amid fears that the battles may soon reach urban centers. Reports also confirmed the armed takeover of the village of al-Surah in the rural outskirts of Sweida, while local factions managed to regain control over the village of al-Tayra to the west of the province.
Druze fighters blame Syrian gov. for security detrioration
In a statement issued early Tuesday, the influential Rejal al-Karamah (Men of Dignity) movement, the most prominent Druze group in Sweida, placed direct blame on the Syrian government for the deterioration of security in the governorate. The group warned that the current unrest “threatens civil peace and paves the way for chaos.”
The movement emphasized that the roots of the crisis lie in “the deliberate absence of the state’s role in securing the vital road” connecting Damascus to Sweida and the government’s continued disregard for repeated violations and assaults against civilians along this route.
Efforts are reportedly underway among local elders and community leaders to contain the violence and de-escalate the situation.
Self-defense in non-negotiable
However, the Men of Dignity affirmed in their statement that while they are working to prevent further bloodshed, “the principle of self-defense is non-negotiable.”
The group declared a general mobilization, stressing that their aim is to “deter those who violate public safety” and protect civil order—not to seek vengeance.
A Druze militiaman holds a small rocket launcher during a shooting practice in the southern province of Sweida, Syria, March 4, 2025. AL MAYADEEN – AP
Syrian sources confirmed that 21 people, including a child, were killed and at least 40 others were injured in clashes between armed Bedouin fighters and military factions from the Druze community in al-Maqous, Sweida, according to a war monitor on Sunday.
Local sources reported that tensions remain high in the al-Maqous neighborhood, where clashes involving medium weapons and mutual shelling are still ongoing, while the fighting has also blocked roads between Sweida and both Qanawat and Atil, cutting off key transit routes in the area.
Local sources also confirmed that armed groups launched an attack on the village of al-Sura al-Kabira, located at the northern entrance of the Sweida governorate, advancing from three different directions.
Later, as the clashes expanded, local Syrian sources revealed that armed men launched attacks with various types of weapons on several villages in the western Sweida countryside, including al-Tira, Lubban, and Jarin.
The sources also revealed that several houses in the village of al-Tira were set on fire.
A woman walks in the rain past a closed street near the Guadalupe River, Sunday, July 13, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas. AP
KERRVILLE, Texas – More heavy rains in Texas on Sunday paused a weeklong search for victims of catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River and led to high-water rescues elsewhere as officials warned that the downpours could again cause waterways to surge.
It was the first time a new round of severe weather had paused the search since the July Fourth floods, which killed at least 129 people. Authorities believe more than 160 people may still be missing in Kerr County.
In Kerrville, where local officials have come under scrutiny about the warnings given to residents, authorities went door-to-door to some homes after midnight early Sunday to alert people that flooding was again possible. Authorities also pushed alerts to the phones of those in the area.
Ingram Fire Department officials ordered search crews to immediately evacuate the Guadalupe River corridor in Kerr County until further notice, warning the potential for a flash flood is high. Search-and-rescue efforts were expected to resume on Monday, depending on river flow, fire department spokesman Brian Lochte said.
“We’re working with a few crews and airboats and SAR (search-and-rescue) boats just in case,” Lochte said.
Latest flooding damages dozens of homes
Gov. Greg Abbott said on X that the state was making rescues in San Saba, Lampasas and Schleicher counties and that evacuations were taking place in a handful of others.
The latest round of flooding damaged about 100 homes and knocked down untold lengths of cattle fencing, said Ashley Johnson, CEO of the Hill Country Community Action Association, a San Saba-based nonprofit.
“Anything you can imagine in a rural community was damaged,” she said. “Our blessing is it was daylight and we knew it was coming.”
With more rain on the way, county officials ordered everyone living in flood-prone areas near the San Saba River to evacuate. Johnson said people were being moved to the San Saba Civic Center, which has become a safe, high place for people to receive aid and shelter.
“Everyone is in some way personally affected by this,” she said. “Everyone is just doing what they can to help their neighbors.”
A wide-ranging weather system brings heavy rains
The weather system brought multiple rounds of heavy rains and slow-moving storms across a widespread area, pushing rivers and streams over their banks. Heading into the afternoon and evening, the heaviest rains were expected along the I-35 corridor and east, said meteorologist Patricia Sanchez from the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office.
“A few spots might see up to 2 to 4 (inches per hour), pretty much through the evening, before the rain, the coverage of rain and the intensity of the rain, slowly decreases,” Sanchez said.
Forecasters warned that the Guadalupe River could rise to nearly 15 feet (4.6 meters) by Sunday afternoon, about five feet above flood stage and enough to put the Highway 39 bridge under water in Hunt, the small town where Camp Mystic is located along the river.
“Numerous secondary roads and bridges are flooded and very dangerous,” a weather service warning said.
The rains were also causing other waterways to swell farther north in Texas, where emergency crews rescued one motorist who was left stranded in waist-high rapids on a submerged bridge over the Bosque River. The man leaned onto the vehicle for support as crews tried to reach him with life jackets.
“He drove into it and didn’t realize how deep it was,” said Jeff Douglas, president of the McGregor Volunteer Fire Department. “Luckily he was able to stand next to the vehicle.”
In the west Texas city of Sonora, authorities called for evacuations of some neighborhoods due to rising flood waters. In a video posted Sunday afternoon on Facebook, Mayor Juanita Gomez said some water rescues had taken place and a temporary shelter for residents had been opened in the city’s civic center.
Sonora is located about 110 miles (177 kilometers) northwest of Kerrville.
Kerrville residents get support from police, alerts
Under heavy rain, Matthew Stone was clearing branches and a log from a storm sewer in front of his home on Guadalupe Street in Kerrville on Sunday as several inches of water pooled up on the road.
Multiple houses on the street overlooking the Guadalupe River were severely impacted by the July 4 floods, and Stone had to pull his older neighbors from their home before water overtook it. He said he felt safe for now.
“My wife was freaking out, that’s for sure, but as long as that river is not coming down, we’ll be all right,” he said. “The cops have been coming back and forth, we’re getting lots of alerts, we’re getting a lot of support.”
Just before daybreak on the Fourth of July, the destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the Guadalupe River, washing away homes and vehicles. Ever since, searchers have used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.
The floods laid waste to the Hill Country region of Texas. The riverbanks and hills of Kerr County are filled with vacation cabins, youth camps and campgrounds, including Camp Mystic, the century-old, all-girls Christian summer camp.
Located in a low-lying area along the Guadalupe River in a region known as flash flood alley, Camp Mystic lost at least 27 campers and counselors.
The flood was far more severe than the 100-year event envisioned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, experts said, and moved so quickly in the middle of the night that it caught many off guard in a county that lacked a warning system.
The sheer amount of rain was overwhelming. Former NOAA chief scientist Ryan Maue, a private meteorologist, calculated on July 5 that the storm had dropped 120 billion gallons of water on Kerr County, which received the brunt of the storm.
ISTANBUL – Freedom Flotilla Coalition set sail on Sunday toward Gaza with its new vessel “Handala” from Siracusa, Italy.
“Just weeks after Israeli forces illegally seized our boat ‘Madleen’ and abducted 12 unarmed civilians in international waters, we continue — with global solidarity — to challenge Israel’s illegal and deadly siege,” the coalition announced on X.
The coalition noted that they aim to break the blockade “for the children of Gaza,” carrying humanitarian aid and a message of “solidarity.”
Although the number of activists is not exactly known yet, with estimations up to 18, two members of the far-left La France Insoumise (LFI) party are also expected on board.
The British-flagged vessel Madleen had departed Sicily, Italy, on June 6, bound for Gaza, attempting to break Israel’s naval blockade of the enclave.
Israeli forces seized the Madleen on June 9 and detained its 12-strong crew.
