Iran sets up new defence council in wake of war with Israel
"The new defence body will review defence plans and enhance the capabilities of Iran's armed forces in a centralised manner," the Supreme National Security Council's Secretariat was quoted as saying by state media.
The defence council will be chaired by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and consists of the heads of the three government branches, senior armed forces commanders, and relevant ministries.
On Sunday, the commander-in-chief of Iran's military, Amir Hatami, warned that threats from Israel persist and should not be underestimated.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
A father's grief and a nation's hope: Lebanon awaits justice 5 years after Beirut blast
George Bezdjian remembers searching for his daughter, Jessica, after a massive explosion at Beirut 's port five years ago. He found her at the St. Georges Hospital where she worked as a nurse. The hospital was in the path of the blast and was heavily damaged. He found his daughter lying on the floor as her colleagues tried to revive her. They weren't able to save her. She was one of four medical staff killed there. 'I started telling God that living for 60 years is more than enough. If you're going to take someone from the family, take me and leave her alive,' he told The Associated Press from his home in Bsalim, some 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) away from the port. He sat in a corner where he put up portraits of Jessica next to burning incense to honor her. 'I begged him, but he didn't reply to me.' The Aug. 4, 2020 blast in Beirut's port tore through the Lebanese capital after hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated in a warehouse. The gigantic explosion killed at least 218 people, according to an AP count, wounded more than 6,000 others and devastated large swathes of Beirut, causing billions of dollars in damages. It further angered the nation, already in economic free-fall after decades of corruption and financial crimes. Many family members of the victims pinned their hopes on Judge Tarek Bitar, who was tasked with investigating the explosion. The maverick judge shook the country's ruling elite, pursuing top officials, who for years obstructed his investigation. But five years after the blast, no official has been convicted as the probe stalled. And the widespread rage over the explosion and years of apparent negligence from a web of political, security and judicial officials has faded as Lebanon's economy further crumbled and conflict rocked the country. Judge Bitar had aimed to release the indictment last year but it was stalled by months of war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group that decimated large swaths of southern and eastern Lebanon, killing some 4,000 people. In early 2025, Lebanon elected President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and a Cabinet that came to power on reformist platforms. They vowed that completing the port probe and holding the perpetrators to account would be a priority. 'There will be no settlement in the port case before there is accountability,' Salam said Sunday. Bitar, apparently galvanized by these developments, summoned a handful of senior political and security officials in July, as well as three judges in a new push for the case, but was unable to release an indictment over the summer as had been widely expected. However, the judge has been working on an additional phase of his investigation — now some 1,200 pages in length — aiming for the indictment to be out by the end of the year, according to four judicial officials and two security officials. They all spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Before completing his own report, he is waiting to receive a fourth and final report from France, which has conducted its own probe into the blast given that several of those killed are citizens of the European country. Bitar since 2021 had received three technical reports, while the fourth will be the French investigation's conclusion, which also looks at the cause of the explosion, the officials added. Bitar is also looking to hear the testimonies of some 15 witnesses, and is reaching out to European and Arab countries for legal cooperation, the officials said. He hopes that some European suspects can be questioned about the shipment of ammonium nitrate and the vessel carrying them that ended up in the Beirut Port. Despite the malaise across much of the troubled country, Kayan Tlais, brother of port supervisor Mohammad Tlais who was killed in the blast, is hopeful that the indictment will see the light of day. He says he's encouraged by Bitar's tenacity and Lebanon's new leadership. 'We do have judges with integrity,' he said. 'The president, prime minister, and all those who came and were voted in do give us hope … they are all the right people in the right place.' The port and the surrounding Beirut neighborhoods that were leveled in the deadly blast appear functional again, but there are still scars. The most visible are what's left standing of the mammoth grain silos at the port, which withstood the force of the blast but later partly collapsed in 2022 after a series of fires. Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh Sunday classified them as historical monuments. There was no centralized effort by the cash-strapped Lebanese government to rebuild the surrounding neighborhoods. An initiative by the World Bank, Europe and United Nations to fund recovery projects was slow to kick off, while larger reconstruction projects were contingent on reforms that never came. Many family and business owners fixed their damaged property out of pocket or reached out to charities and grassroots initiatives. A 2022 survey by the Beirut Urban Lab, a research center at the American University of Beirut, found that 60% to 80% of apartments and businesses damaged in the blast had been repaired. 'This was a reconstruction primarily driven by nonprofits and funded by diaspora streams,' said Mona Harb, a professor of urban studies and politics at AUB and co-founder of the research center. But regardless of how much of the city is rebuilt and through what means, Aug. 4 will always be a 'dark day of sadness,' says Bezdjian. All that matters to him is the indictment and to find who the perpetrators are. He tries to stay calm, but struggles to control how he feels. 'We will do to them what every mother and father would do if someone killed their child, and if they knew who killed their son or daughter,' he said. "What do you think they would do?' —
Times
3 hours ago
- Times
Israeli far-right minister defies Jewish law to pray at al-Aqsa mosque
Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's anti-Arab national security minister, led more than a thousand activists to pray at Temple Mount, an act forbidden by rabbinical edict
Sky News
4 hours ago
- Sky News
Hamas 'ready' to deliver aid to Israeli hostages, as 'appalling' videos of Israeli captive criticised
Hamas has said it is ready to cooperate with a request to deliver food to Israeli hostages in Gaza, if Israel agrees to permanently open a humanitarian corridor into the enclave. The militant group's statement comes amid international outcry over two videos it released of Israeli hostage Evyatar David, who it has held captive since 7 October 2023. The now 24-year-old looks skeletal, with his shoulder blades protruding from his back. The footage sparked huge criticism, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas labelling the videos "appalling" - and saying they "expose the barbarity of Hamas". Journalists demand access in Gaza More than 100 journalists, photographers and war correspondents have signed a petition demanding "immediate and unsupervised foreign press access to the Gaza Strip". Signatories include Sky News' special correspondent Alex Crawford. They are renewing calls for both Israel and Hamas to allow foreign journalists into Gaza to report independently on the war, something they have been barred from doing since the start of the latest conflict in 2023. The petition goes further to say if "belligerent parties" ignore the appeal, media professionals will be supported to enter Gaza without consent "by any legitimate means, independently, collectively, or in coordination with humanitarian or civil society actors". Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had asked the Red Cross to give humanitarian assistance to the hostages. Hamas's military spokesperson Abu Obeidah said it is "ready to engage positively and respond to any request from the Red Cross to bring food and medicine to enemy captives". But he warned certain conditions must be met - including Israel permanently opening a humanitarian corridor, and halting airstrikes when aid is distributed. Gaza's health ministry has said that six more people have died of starvation or malnutrition in the enclave in the past 24 hours - increasing the total to 175 since the war began, including 93 children. Multiple international agencies have warned that famine is unfolding across the territory. 1:19 No aid entered Gaza between 2 March and 19 May due an Israeli blockade - and deliveries of supplies including food, medicine and fuel have been limited since then. Israeli authorities have previously said there is "no famine caused by Israel" - and that its military is "working to facilitate and ease the distribution of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip". Meanwhile, Palestinian health authorities also said at least 80 people in Gaza were killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes yesterday. These included people trying to access aid, medics on the ground said. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has repeatedly said it "categorically rejects the claims of intentional harm to civilians", and has previously blamed Hamas militants for fomenting chaos and endangering Gazans. Hamas killed about 1,200 people - mostly civilians - in its attack on 7 October 2023 and abducted 251 others. Of those, they still hold approximately 50 hostages - with 20 believed to be alive - after most of the others were released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between militants and civilians in its count.
