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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
IRAN HELICOPTER CRASH
Iran’s military said the helicopter carrying late President Ebrahim Raisi caught fire soon after it crashed into a mountain, and there was no sign it was attacked. The statement from the general staff of the armed forces in charge of investigating the crash was broadcast on state television late yesterday. AP News reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
The International Court of Justice said it would deliver a ruling today on South Africa’s request that the court order Israel to cease military operations in Gaza, citing its offensive in Rafah. The Washington Post reports; Peter Beaumont and Robert Tait report for The Guardian.
The Israeli military said it recovered the bodies of three hostages overnight in northern Gaza, bringing the number of dead hostages recovered since last week to seven. The military said they were killed and abducted during the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. The Washington Post reports; Sam Mednick reports for AP News.
Israeli forces are conducting operations in Rafah “in a targeted and precise way” with “accurate intelligence,” IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said. He described the operation as a “critical mission” to bring back all hostages and to ensure “an enduring defeat of Hamas.” Mohammed Tawfeeq reports for CNN; Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Aaron Boxerman report for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
CIA Director Bill Burns will meet with Israeli intelligence chief David Barnea in Europe this weekend to try to revive stalled ceasefire and hostage release talks, according to a U.S. official and another person briefed on the negotiations. It is unclear if Egyptian and Qatari negotiators will join them. Julian E. Barnes and Edward Wong report for the New York Times; Alex Marquardt reports for CNN.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced yesterday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address a joint session of Congress. Johnson told reporters he was working with Netanyahu to finalize a date and would send the formal invitation this week. Megan Lebowitz and Syedah Asghar report for NBC News.
Over 1 million pounds of humanitarian assistance has entered Gaza through the new U.S.-built temporary pier, the Pentagon said yesterday. Two-thirds of the total aid transferred has been distributed by the U.N. further into Gaza, CENTCOM’s deputy commander said. Sareen Habeshian reports for Axios.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Israel yesterday slammed a statement from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s office that Berlin would arrest and deport Netanyahu if the International Criminal Court issues a warrant for his arrest. When asked on Wednesday whether Berlin would execute a potential ICC arrest order, government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said, “Of course. Yes, we abide by the law.” The Times of Israel reports.
Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz said he would prohibit the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem from providing services to Palestinians from the West Bank. It follows Spain’s announcement that it will recognize an independent Palestinian state. The Times of Israel reports.
All E.U. donors to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) “have now resumed their support to the Agency,” the E.U. ‘s top diplomat Josep Borrell said yesterday in a post on X.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS
A wave of Russian missile strikes hit several locations in Ukraine’s city of Kharkiv yesterday, killing seven civilians. Russian troops have advanced towards Kharkiv over the past two weeks, taking advantage of a weakened front line. Olga Voitovych, Sharon Braithwaite, and Sana Noor Haq report for CNN.
The United States is expected to announce an additional $275 million in military aid for Ukraine today as Kyiv struggles to hold off advances by Russian troops in the Kharkiv region, according to two U.S. officials. It would mark the fourth installment of military aid for Ukraine since Congress passed the foreign aid bill last month. Tara Copp and Matthew Lee report for AP News.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
President Biden has designated Kenya as a “major non-NATO ally,” making it the first sub-Saharan African country to receive that status. The move will allow Nairobi to engage in closer security cooperation with Washington and obtain more sophisticated U.S. weapons, and comes as Keyna prepares to lead a security mission in Haiti. Sam Cabral reports for BBC News; Michael D. Shear reports for the New York Times.
The European Parliament far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group expelled the Alternative for Germany (AfD) delegation yesterday. The group said in a statement it “no longer wants to be associated with the incidents involving Maximilian Krah, head of the AfD list for the European elections.” It follows Krah saying that Nazi SS officers were “not all criminals.” Reuters reports.
The U.N. voted to declare July 11 an annual day of remembrance for victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. The proposal was submitted by Germany and Rwanda, and passed despite Serbia lobbying against the resolution. The vote passed with 84 in favor, 19 votes against, and 68 abstentions. Guy Delauney reports for BBC News.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Belarus yesterday for a two-day visit as part of several tours to kick off his fifth term in office. He is expected to travel to Uzbekistan on Sunday. Yuras Karamanau and Dasha Litvinova report for AP News.
China’s military drills around Taiwan are continuing for a second day today. Nectar Gan, Eric Cheung, and Brad Lendon report for CNN.
The United States and several of its allies, including Britain, Canada, Australia, Germany, and Japan issued a joint statement today calling for Taiwan to be allowed to take part in a key W.H.O. meeting next week. Taiwan is excluded from most international organizations due to China’s objections. Ben Blanchard reports for Reuters.
The United States said it was reviewing its bilateral cooperation with Georgia over its controversial “foreign agent” law. In a statement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was introducing visa restrictions for individuals responsible for “undermining democracy in Georgia.” While no officials were named, they are believed to be members of the governing Georgian Dream Party. Jaroslav Lukiv reports for BBC News.
Azerbaijan’s border service has taken control of four villages in the Gazakh district on the border with Armenia under an agreement struck with Yerevan, the country’s deputy prime minister said today. Reuters reports.
Police shot dead a man in New Caledonia today, a day after French President Emmanuel Macron visited the semi-autonomous island in an effort to ease tensions. Reuters reports.
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The Supreme Court yesterday voted 6-3 to preserve a Republican-held South Carolina congressional district, reversing a lower-court ruling that said the district discriminated against Black voters. Mark Sherman reports for AP News.
An Australian magistrate today found that ex-U.S. Marines pilot Daniel Duggan meets the conditions for extradition to face charges related to the alleged training of Chinese military pilots. Duggan’s fate now rests with Australia’s attorney general. Hilary Whiteman reports for CNN.