Friday, Jul 18th
Last update07:29:26 AM GMT
International Glance
Israeli forces and drones opened fire toward hundreds of Palestinians waiting for aid in separate incidents in southern and central Gaza early Tuesday, killing at least 44, witnesses and hospitals said, as health authorities announced the number of Palestinians killed in the war has risen above 56,000.
New food-distribution sites run by an American contractor, with U.S. and Israeli government support, have been plagued by scenes of violence and chaos since opening last month.
Donald Trump has indicated he will consider providing more of the Patriot missiles that Ukraine needs to defend against mounting Russian strikes, adding that Russian leader Vladimir Putin “really has to end that war”. The US president’s remarks came after a 50-minute meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday on the sidelines of a Nato summit in The Hague. Both leaders described it as a positive step in a conflict that Trump described as “more difficult than other wars”. Trump told a press conference the Patriots were “very hard to get” but that “we are going to see if we can make some of them available”.
The US president also left open the possibility of providing more military aid to Kyiv. Asked if Washington would contribute more funding to Ukraine’s defence this year, Trump said: “As far as money going, we’ll see what happens.” Zelenskyy said before Wednesday’s meeting that Ukraine was willing to buy more Patriots if the US was unwilling to donate them. He called the closed-door talks with Trump “long and substantive”, while the US president said the meeting “couldn’t have been nicer”.
President Trump on Wednesday called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be pardoned and his corruption trial canceled.
“I just learned that Bibi has been summoned to Court on Monday for the continuation of this long running, (He has been going through this “Horror Show” since May of 2020 – Unheard of! This is the first time a sitting Israeli Prime Minister has ever been on trial.), politically motivated case, ‘concerning cigars, a Bugs Bunny doll, and numerous other unfair charges’ in order to do him great harm,” Trump said in a Truth Social post late Wednesday.
“Such a WITCH HUNT, for a man who has given so much, is unthinkable to me. He deserves much better than this, and so does the State of Israel. Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero,” he added.
In the trial, according to The Associated Press, Netanyahu is accused of taking tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of cigars and champagne from a Hollywood billionaire for personal and business help. The Israeli prime minister, in an effort to secure positive coverage for himself and his family, allegedly pushed beneficial regulations for powerful individuals in the media, the outlet reported.
A massive cargo ship carrying an estimated 3,000 vehicles capsized in international waters this week, causing it to sink, according to the US Coast Guard.
The Morning Midas, operated by the London-based company Zodiac Maritime, sank on Monday, June 23, around 5:30 p.m., officials said. The incident occurred about 450 miles southwest of Adak, Alaska.
According to the Coast Guard, the ship carried 1,530 metric tons of very low-sulfur fuel oil, along with 350 tons of marine gas oil. Additionally, it was transporting 3,048 vehicles, including 70 electric and 681 hybrid.
The Liberian-flagged Morning Midas, which was headed to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, from China, experienced a fire on June 3. As USA TODAY previously reported, 22 crew members abandoned the ship after they failed to put out the fire.
"Why are our children's lives seen as so cheap?" demanded Umm Raed al-Nuaizi, a widow whose son was shot and wounded after he went overnight to collect food for his hungry family in central Gaza.
"My son went to get a grain of flour so that he could eat and feed his siblings, and now he is in the intensive care unit."
At least 46 people waiting for aid have been killed by Israeli fire in two incidents in central and southern Gaza, according to rescuers and hospitals.
UN agencies have condemned the US and Israel-backed food distribution system, with one official calling it "an abomination" and "a death trap".
Such deadly incidents have recently become a near daily occurrence but have attracted relatively little attention outside Gaza since Israel attacked Iran more than a week ago.
Without including the latest deaths, the UN has said that more than 410 Palestinians are reported to have been killed by Israeli gunfire or shelling since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began work in late May.
This week, the mining sector made headlines after officials confirmed Iran’s lithium and antimony discoveries across multiple provinces. The Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) announced it had discovered 7,000 metric tons of antimony after a decade of exploration.
The largest deposit lies in Sistan and Balochistan and could supply 10% of global antimony demand. Antimony is vital in producing flame retardants, solar panels, and military hardware, making these findings strategically important.
As global demand increases and Chinese exports tighten, antimony prices are climbing, with projections hiring $30,000 per metric ton. Meanwhile, reports of high lithium concentrations in Qom Salt Lake and Semnan Province circulated after Iran’s Ministry of Industries, Mines, and Commerce published new data.
A U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly has confirmed early intelligence assessments by the Defense Intelligence Agency saying that the massive U.S. air campaign against three Iran nuclear sites on Saturday night did not "obliterate" Iran's nuclear enrichment program as President Trump claimed but instead set it back "a few months."
CNN first published news of the DIA assessment.
The official told NPR that military officials provided an early assessment of the intel to select senators — including Virginia's Mark Warner, the leading Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
"I have a whole lot of questions for this administration," Warner told All Things Considered. "What are the next steps? How do we make sure that there's not Iran racing now to a dirty bomb? These are questions that we and frankly, the American people, deserve answers to."
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