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In-Depth Issues:
Trump Ties Saudi Nuclear Deal to Abraham Accords - David E. Sanger ( New York Times)
President Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday: "The Civil Nuclear Deal...between the United States Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia...is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords."
The Saudi government has made clear it has no intention of recognizing Israel without creating a pathway toward the creation of a Palestinian state.
"If they don't join the Abraham Accords, the deal is off," said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.
Netanyahu Is Heading to Washington for Talks with Trump - Shirit Avitan Cohen ( Israel Hayom)
Israeli officials claim they were not surprised that President Trump did not order an intensified round of strikes on Iran over the weekend.
Should Iran decide to attack Israel, or should Trump ask Israel to join the campaign, Israel is ready and on alert.
Prime Minister Netanyahu's trip to the U.S. this week will culminate in a meeting with Trump on Tuesday, five months after the two leaders last met in person. He will later attend the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Satellite Images Show Iran Is Rebuilding Fast -
Anat Peled ( Wall Street Journal)
Iran has quickly rebuilt infrastructure damaged during the U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign over recent months, from missile bases nestled deep inside mountains to bridges, ports and production facilities, according to Israeli and Western officials and a review of satellite imagery.
Israel Said to Believe Trump Will Soon Escalate Iran Strikes - Nava Freiberg ( Times of Israel)
After the U.S. refrained from striking Iran on Friday night for the first time in two weeks, Israeli leaders still estimate that President Trump would soon be compelled to step up military action.
A senior Israeli official told Channel 12 that "the chances of reaching an agreement between the United States and Iran are virtually nonexistent," calling an eventual escalation in the conflict "inevitable."
Meanwhile, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels fired on Saudi oil installations in two ports on the Red Sea coast on Saturday.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had struck sites belonging to Saudi state oil giant Aramco in Jizan and Yanbu. Video verified by Reuters showed a large column of smoke rising from the direction of the Aramco refinery in Jizan.
Greek Defense System in Saudi Arabia Intercepts Missiles from Yemen ( Reuters)
A U.S.-made Patriot air defense system operated by Greek military personnel in Saudi Arabia intercepted two ballistic missiles launched from Yemen on Saturday towards oil refineries in Yanbu, Greek security sources said.
Greece has deployed a U.S.-made Patriot air defense battery, operated by Greek personnel, in Saudi Arabia since 2021.
Bahrain, Kuwait Struck Iran in Retaliation - Summer Said ( Wall Street Journal)
Bahrain and Kuwait secretly sent jets to target drone- and missile-storage depots inside Iran early in July, people familiar with the matter said.
The UAE, which attacked Iran multiple times early in the war, provided intelligence on targets and defensive air cover for the strikes.
Iran Smuggling Agents into UK as Channel Migrants - Richard Holmes ( Telegraph-UK)
Individuals with links to Tehran's intelligence agencies have been intercepted by UK authorities while attempting to enter Britain on small boats across the English Channel.
An Iranian official said: "At the moment we have people right there in London, revolutionary people...they wait for us to tell them what to do. We have not done that yet, but we can easily make London unsafe for you if we want to."
"We do not need a missile to target London, it's easier than that."
It is understood that the number of threats arriving via small boats is dwarfed by the amount of IRGC-affiliated people entering Britain on legal flights from Europe.
See also Unit 700: The Elite Iranian Force with Britain in Its Sights - Gareth Corfield ( Telegraph-UK)
U.S. State Department: Turkey Does Not Meet Legal Requirements to Receive F-35 Aircraft - Idan Kweller ( Jerusalem Post)
Turkey still does not meet the legal requirements to rejoin the F-35 fighter jet program, the U.S. State Department said in a letter to Congress on July 22.
The State Department's Bureau of Legislative Affairs' response to a letter from Rep. Wesley Bell (D-MO) reiterated that Washington's policy toward Turkey's participation in the F-35 program remains unchanged.
No F-35 aircraft can be transferred to Turkey until Ankara fully complies with U.S. law regarding its acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.
Iranians Say Life Is Put on Hold by Months of War - Leily Nikounazar ( New York Times)
Many Iranians have shelved plans to repair buildings or rebuild lives battered by the war.
Planning for the future seems an absurd luxury when impoverished friends can afford to buy rice only by the cup.
For more than a year, Iranians have been trapped in a constant cycle of airstrikes, domestic security crackdowns and economic devastation.
A short-lived ceasefire reached in June with the U.S. brought some respite from falling bombs, though not from the plummeting economy.
Many Iranians have been left feeling that their lives are on hold or are no longer their own.
Some Iranians said that prices had become so high they were foregoing medical care, or buying vitamins to replace fruit and vegetables in their diet because they were cheaper.
Last month, cyberattacks shut down three of Iran's main banks, according to the authorities. Millions of Iranians suddenly lost access to the little money they had.
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- U.S. House Passes Defense Bill with Israel Provision - Morgan Phillips
The House passed its annual defense policy bill Wednesday that included a provision expanding U.S.-Israel defense technology cooperation. Section 219 of the bill directs the defense secretary to designate a Pentagon "executive agent" to coordinate and accelerate bilateral defense research, testing and industrial cooperation. The section would also direct the Pentagon to identify jointly developed or Israeli-origin technologies that could be used in U.S. weapons programs and promote joint ventures, licensing agreements, and U.S.-based production partnerships with Israeli companies.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) argued on X that the provision would "merge parts of our military with the IDF." Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) responded on X: "Good grief, you are either obtuse or intentionally lying. We are not merging our military with the IDF. As we do with many of our allies, we enter into cooperative agreements, share intelligence, develop technology and ammunition, and conduct military exercises together. Stop stoking Jew-hatred and do better."
Section 219 would not combine the countries' command structures, place U.S. troops under Israeli authority, or give Israel control over U.S. military operations. The U.S. and Israel already cooperate extensively on defense technology, including the Iron Dome, Arrow and David's Sling missile-defense systems, counter-drone technology, and anti-tunnel capabilities. (Fox News)
See also House Approves Defense Bill Authorizing $750 Million for U.S.-Israel Cooperative Programs
The House of Representatives passed its FY 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes $750 million for U.S.-Israel cooperative programs - a $65 million increase over FY26 - including $500 million for missile defense, $100 million for counter-unmanned systems, $100 million for subterranean operations, and $50 million for emerging technologies. (AIPAC)
- U.S. House Again Passes Resolution Seeking to Halt Military Action in Iran - Mary Clare Jalonick
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted 214-208 to halt U.S. military action in Iran, just before the Senate rejected a similar resolution, 47-49. The votes are meant as a signal to the president that his support on Capitol Hill is chipping away as the war drags on. The House first voted to halt the war in early June.
The White House on Thursday noted, "The President has the Constitutional authority to defend the United States and our citizens from the danger posed by the Iranian regime. This requires the ability to act decisively to ensure it never obtains a nuclear weapon."
On Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast (R-Fla.) read out names of 18 service members killed since the war began. "To belittle this mission is to belittle and demean the very service these members gave their life for. Their sacrifice was not meaningless. This operation is bringing reckoning for the hundreds of times Iran has attacked and killed people of the United States of America." (AP)
- ICC Prosecutor behind Netanyahu Arrest Warrant Removed from Office - Sophie Tanno
International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan was dismissed on Friday following allegations of sexual misconduct, as 82 of the court's 125 member states voted in favor of his removal.
In May 2024, Khan sought arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in relation to the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. Israel, which is not a member of the court, has rejected the warrants and welcomed Khan's removal, accusing him of conducting a witch hunt. (CNN)
See also The ICC Tosses Its Rogue Prosecutor - Editorial
After months of burying the accusations, and more than two years of dithering, the International Criminal Court at last fired its prosecutor, Karim Khan, after sexual-assault allegations. Khan had turned his personal cause into an anti-imperialist fight by denying Israel due process and rushing to CNN to announce arrest warrants for Israel's leaders, departing from established procedure.
Khan suggested that news of the allegations and a whistleblower report were a plot to intimidate him, never mind that the alleged victim, Sarah Hishan, is a Malaysian Muslim ICC lawyer who supports the anti-Israel prosecution.
Any U.S. court would have tossed the ICC case against Prime Minister Netanyahu for prosecutorial misconduct. But not the ICC. It now dumps Mr. Khan, once he can no longer be defended with a straight face, but otherwise carries on. (Wall Street Journal)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- Two Israelis Killed in Palestinian Attack in Samaria Friday - James Genn
Benayahu Melet, 32, a member of Gilad Farm's emergency response squad, and Maj. Yuval Ezra, 27, were killed and several others were wounded in a Palestinian attack in Samaria on Friday. A member of a group of Israeli civilians who were hiking in the area told Walla, "The hike left Mount Bracha in the early morning when a group of approximately 60 hikers, including two guards armed with rifles, and several others with pistols, set off."
"On the way, we stopped at a spring close to Sela Ridge. At around 7:05 a.m., the first incident occurred when several Arabs from the village began trying to get us to leave by throwing rocks and attacking us with clubs. One of the hikers was injured in the face. We retreated and began walking towards Gilad Farm."
"At 8:05 a.m., the second clash occurred. Dozens of Arabs from the village began throwing stones at us. Arabs began surrounding the group from three sides, and at this point, two of the armed Israelis opened fire in self-defense. The Arabs continued to advance and surround the group, which was trying to descend the mountain. At this point, the number of Arabs in the area had already reached hundreds."
"A few minutes later, a military jeep arrived at the scene. Two minutes later, two members of Gilad Farm's emergency response squad arrived. They tried to repel the Arab crowd by firing a few shots in the air, but to no avail....During the rush, one of the Arabs, a sheikh from the village, grabbed the gun of one of the emergency response squad members and fired." The IDF said the attacker was killed.
(Jerusalem Post)
- Two Israelis Wounded in Palestinian Stabbing Attacks in Samaria Thursday - Elisha Ben Kimon
A Palestinian stabbed and wounded an Israeli at Ganim in Samaria on Thursday, the IDF said. Soldiers shot and killed the terrorist.
Earlier Thursday, two Palestinians stabbed and seriously wounded Itamar Cohen, 51, as Israeli civilians attempted to extinguish a fire that had broken out near the Havat Derech Avraham farm, close to Alon Moreh. Another Israeli civilian at the scene opened fire and killed both attackers. Cohen suffered stab wounds to his chest and body and was evacuated by helicopter in serious condition. (Ynet News)
- Mossad Exposes Iran's Plot to Infiltrate Hit Squads and Assassinate Israeli Leaders - Itamar Eichner
The Mossad said Thursday that officers from Iran's Intelligence Ministry had attempted to recruit and infiltrate foreign operatives into Israel to assassinate senior Israeli figures. The plot was uncovered and thwarted through cooperation among Israeli and international intelligence and security services.
Tharwat Ozkour, known as "Philip," who had lived in France, was responsible for recruiting an operational team of foreign nationals and preparing to infiltrate them into Israel. Philip was recruited by two criminal proxies, Baba Mahou-Zadeh Haji Jafan, "Babak," and Mehmet Nedim Yigit, "Nedim." The two men are currently living in Iran under the protection of Iran's Intelligence Ministry. Philip traveled to Iran several times to receive instructions, meet his handlers, and collect payment for advancing the missions. (Ynet News)
- Hebron's Sewage Flows into Israel - Gabriel Colodro
Untreated sewage and industrial waste originating in Palestinian towns around Hebron in the Palestinian Authority is flowing past Israeli communities to the south on its way toward Beersheba in the Negev. (Media Line-Jerusalem Post)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
Iran
- Iran Flew IRGC Commanders, Missile Gear to Yemen's Houthis - Maggie Michael
Iran flew Revolutionary Guard commanders, military advisers and missile- and drone-related equipment into Yemen on July 13, according to four sources. "The IRGC commanders traveled there to support Houthi operations and provide training on new missile systems," one Iranian source said, adding that Iran also sent gold on the aircraft to fund Houthi activities.
"Their mission is to strengthen the militias' military capabilities and prepare them to threaten international maritime security in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait," said Moammar al-Iryani, information minister in Yemen's Saudi-backed government. (Reuters)
See also Iran Plays the Houthi Card - Editorial
Iran's Houthi proxies in Yemen bombed two Saudi oil tankers on Thursday to hold another global shipping lane hostage. The Houthis are underscoring a larger lesson of the war: What happens in the Strait of Hormuz won't stay there. Conceding Hormuz to Iran will encourage others to try. (Wall Street Journal)
See also Trump Says Iran Will Be Held Responsible for Future Houthi Attacks - Gareth Vipers (Wall Street Journal)
- Houthi Attacks Show Iran Hardliners Are in Charge and Rebuilding - Mark Urban
From the perspective of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the conflict with America and its friends in the Gulf is going very well. Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz remains intact, while its reactivation of the Houthis in Yemen, who blocked a second key shipping lane this week and struck Saudi Arabia with missiles, is the latest reminder of Tehran's determination.
The Houthis' attacks are certainly a sign that the IRGC hardliners in Iran are rebuilding their regional Axis of Resistance. The arrival of the Houthis into the conflict comes as Hizbullah, the other key part of Iran's Axis of Resistance, is in desperate need of breathing space after two years of Israeli onslaughts.
As much as the Iranian regime prides itself on its capacity to endure adversity, its survival does ultimately depend on an easing of Iran's economic quarantine - as does its ability to fund its proxies.
(The Times-UK)
- U.S. Bases in the Gulf Are within Easy Range of Iranian Missiles - Elliott Abrams
U.S. bases in the Middle East are now the targets of Iranian attacks, accounting for the vast majority of the 17 U.S. service member deaths, injuries to 500 others, and billions of dollars in equipment losses.
This is a geography problem. Simply put, the U.S. has bases all over the Persian Gulf that are too close to Iran. The largest U.S. base in the Middle East is the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where 10,000 U.S. troops worked prior to the current war. It is also the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and the location of the Combined Air Operations Center that controls all U.S. air activity in the Middle East.
The headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command are in Bahrain. There are significant U.S. bases as well in Kuwait and the UAE, and a U.S. presence in Oman and Saudi Arabia.
This basing pattern was logical when the U.S. was fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq against terrorist foes who lacked the ability to attack those bases. But this basing pattern is very vulnerable today in the conflict with Iran. Camp Arifjan in Kuwait is 62 miles from Iran. The U.S. naval base in Bahrain is 128 miles from Iran. Al Udeid is 170 miles.
The U.S. basing pattern in the Gulf reflects old challenges, including the need to protect U.S. allies from the Soviet Union. Dozens of U.S. aircraft have relocated to Ben-Gurion Airport and Ramon Air Base in Israel. The U.S. is also using bases in Jordan. Gen. (ret.) Frank McKenzie, a former CENTCOM commander, told Middle East Eye in early July: "No one in their right mind would ever put the CENTCOM forward headquarters 100 miles away from Iran." He described the current U.S. basing pattern as an historical "artifact."
The writer, a senior fellow at CFR, served as White House deputy national security advisor, where he supervised U.S. policy in the Middle East. (Council on Foreign Relations)
Israeli Security
- Bedouin IDF Trackers Hunt Hizbullah - Yoav Keren
Lt.-Col. H., the tracker officer of the 810th Mountains Brigade, is a Bedouin who was seriously wounded on Oct. 7 in the battle for Kibbutz Holit. "I was hit by four bullets that shattered both of my legs....I have metal plates in my legs. I could have stayed home, but it was obvious to me that I would return to service," he said.
"I love this country. I am part of the people of Israel. That is how I was educated and how I grew up." His grandfather served in the Palmach's Bedouin unit and took part in defending northern communities during the War of Independence. All of H.'s brothers serve in the security establishment. "So how could I stay home?"
The trackers under his command are all Bedouin. "It was important to me to bring trackers who fought on Oct. 7, who had been in Gaza, who had been wounded and had people killed beside them, and who had operated alongside commanders on the front line. Not just trackers, but combat soldiers in every sense. You see the trackers here first thing in the morning, opening the routes before everyone else to make sure there are no explosive devices."
Sgt.-Maj. (res.) S., 40, a member of the tracker team, described how, a year and a half ago, three suspicious figures were spotted approaching the border. "It was 4 a.m., under extremely heavy fog. A Zik drone that was in the air took out all three of them." They "went to recover the bodies. When we examined them, it turned out they were Iranians who had been working with Hizbullah. They had Iranian passports, with entry stamps for Lebanon." The trackers' testimony marks the first disclosure that Iranian personnel had reached the immediate vicinity of the Israeli border and that some were killed in Israeli strikes.
H. says, "There is no replacement for the tracker walking in front. Not high-tech, not AI, nothing." He adds, "Since Oct. 7, the members of Kibbutz Holit invite me every year to light a Hanukkah candle with them." H. has also visited Bedouin schools and encouraged students to enlist. "And they enlist. They send me photographs from the army." (Ynet News)
Antisemitism
- Another Wake-Up Call for America's Jews - Ruth R. Wisse
Batya Ungar-Sargon, author of The Jews and the Left and a journalist originally from the same pool that staffs the liberal media, felt the shock of most American Jews following October 7. Although the massacre and kidnapping of Israelis was instantly identified in terms of its historical precedent as "the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust," and though an Arab-Islamist attack on a Jewish festival - 50 years after the Yom Kippur strike - could have been predicted, there was nothing familiar about the American response.
No one could have foreseen that Ivy League students would promote a jihadist assault on a fellow democracy, celebrating rape and mass murder. Never had the liberal media, their Hollywood entourage, and members of Congress cheered those boasting of the Jewish blood on their hands. She looks at American Jewish history to understand what feels like betrayal.
The writer is professor emerita at Harvard. (Washington Free Beacon)
Observations:
- In April 2025, Daniela Grudsky Ekstein, the acting head of mission at the Embassy of Israel in London, came within inches of a terrorist who was embarking on an attack. "I remember it very well," she says. "I was being urged by security to leave the embassy because I was the last one out at the end of the working day. And as I left, within two minutes he was climbing the fence."
- She was speaking on her phone at the time and didn't pay any attention when she brushed past Kuwaiti migrant Abdullah Albadri, whose head was wrapped in a red-and-white keffiyeh and sunglasses.
Albadri, 34, told his mother, "I chose the path of martyrdom," then traveled to Kensington and tried to enter the embassy armed with two knives. Thankfully, he was tackled by police. In May, he was found guilty of terror offenses.
- Grudsky Ekstein says Israel's leadership cannot comprehend the levels of antisemitism on Britain's shores. "Anti-Semitism is on the rise. We've seen the murders at Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester and the stabbings in Golders Green. What Jerusalem doesn't see is such a clear link between those attacks and that permissive environment" which allows antisemitic rhetoric and blatant misinformation - like the lie that Israel has been committing "genocide" - to spread unchallenged.
- The media, she points out, plays a major role in this incitement. "Broadcasting 'death to the IDF' chants on the BBC [during the 2025 Glastonbury Festival] was massive, because before that, I wasn't aware of the slogan. Since then, do you know how many protests I have seen with that 'death to the IDF' chant?"
- Grudsky Ekstein is relieved to be returning home. On a day-to-day basis, she says, she often feels safer in Israel than Britain, regardless of the threat of missiles and terror.
- Does she have a final message to Britain before she leaves? "Put yourself in the shoes of Israel," she replies. "I know that there is a great empathy for the Palestinians. I get that. But you should understand that our democracy is also one that needs a friendly hand."
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