Laura Loomer, a far-right Republican influencer, is calling for the Israel Defense Forces to bomb Khamenei’s mass public funeral in Iran. Over 20 million people, including women, children, and the elderly, are expected to attend. The funeral, which will last from July 4th to 9th and will be held in Shiite holy sites in Iran and Iraq, will be attended by over 100 dignitaries and diplomats from as many countries. Khamenei’s wife and daughter will be buried alongside him.
In Doha, indirect technical talks between the United States and Iran, with Qatar and Pakistan acting as mediators, continued through July 1st. No direct meetings took place. A US official told i24NEWS regarding the claim that $3 billion in Iranian funds could be released: “No frozen funds have been released and will not be released unless Iran meets the requirements outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding. Any funds released would be subject to US approval and used to purchase American agricultural products for the Iranian people.”
The United States paid Israel one dollar for a plot of land on which to build an embassy in Jerusalem, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said.
Hamas is calling for an urgent summit of Arab League leaders to counter Israel’s plan to resettle Gazans. Spokesman Hazem Qassem warns that the plan threatens Palestinian lives, Arab national security, and puts Arab nations, particularly Egypt, at risk. Netanyahu claims he gave orders to Egypt in Sinai. He has boasted that Cairo is already carrying out his orders. “I’m not worried about what’s happening in Sinai, and I’ve told them what I expect them to do. Some of this is already happening. I think we need to maintain border security, but we must understand that as one power declines, another emerges—that’s always the case. And do you know which power must remain strong to continue growing rapidly? The State of Israel.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently stated that Israel is ready to immediately establish three Jewish settlements in the northern Gaza Strip as soon as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approves the plan. Smotrich also stated that Israel should “completely conquer” Gaza, reiterating his support for expanding Israeli control over the territory.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor responds to UNRWA’s exclusion from the Gaza Peace Council: “Excluding the UNRWA Peace Council from Gaza represents an attempt to undermine a UN mandate and the rights of Palestinian refugees. The “Peace Council’s” announcement to end UNRWA’s role in Gaza constitutes an illegitimate violation of the UN General Assembly’s mandate.”
Netanyahu’s political rival Naftali Bennett was harsh in his remarks to influencer Mario Nawfal: “Few Israelis are talking about annexing parts of Lebanon to Israel or Syria. We don’t need a Greater Israel. Israel is already great as it is.” He further stated: “I would not tolerate in my government any idiot who makes truly stupid statements like those of Ben Gvir and Smotrich. First of all, I would not allow Ben Gvir into my government. But if someone said something like that, I would call them to order. Netanyahu can no longer do that because it depends on them.”
He further stated: “I don’t believe in long wars: the war in Gaza and the entire war: Lebanon, Gaza, Iran. It goes on forever. It’s not Israel’s doctrine. If we have to wage war, we must do it quickly, intensely, win, and then move on to stabilizing the region. But when it drags on for so long, it exhausts our economy, it exhausts our reservists.” “My vision for Gaza is for them to govern themselves. We must maintain absolute control over security so they don’t do that anymore. But let’s dismantle Hamas, and they will live a dignified, free, and prosperous life, and we will have our lives in security. That is my ultimate goal.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced his intention to end American financial aid to Israel “as early as this year.” Speaking at a press conference, he emphasized that the country’s economy is now strong enough to survive without US aid, according to News 18. Netanyahu compared American aid to “welfare,” adding that it is no longer necessary.
According to Israel Army Radio: “The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the Security Directorate of the Security Agency (Malmab) announced the arrest of a Tajik foreign national, holding a Russian passport, on charges of espionage on behalf of Iran on Israeli soil during “Operation Lion’s Roar.” According to the statement, the suspect documented the missile impact sites and sent the images to the Iranians. He also provided them with the coordinates of the Azrieli Towers, photographed the port of Haifa, and attempted to photograph a sensitive security facility in northern Israel. The statement adds that the indictment against him will be formalized shortly.
Regarding Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also stated that Israel “will maintain its presence in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary, repelling what he called Iran’s attempts to force an Israeli withdrawal.” “We have created a broad buffer zone along the entire northern border. We will remain and restore security in the north,” he stated.
President Joseph Aoun received an official invitation from Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa to visit Damascus. Aoun: The goals we have set ourselves are no different from those of all Lebanese, without exception. The majority of Lebanese, especially those in the south, support the option of negotiations. Negotiations are not treason; they are, rather, a bloodless diplomatic war. It is time for Lebanon to emerge from the era of wars and tutelage, and the majority of Lebanese support this path, especially our people in the south, who have the right to live in dignity and security.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani stated in a statement after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri: “No meeting with Hezbollah is planned today, according to the agenda, but if the interests of the two countries require it in the future, we are open to this possibility.”
Iraq has ordered pro-Iranian armed groups to disarm by September 30, coinciding with the end of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition mission. Two pro-Iranian factions, Kataeb Imam Ali and Asaib Ahl al-Haq, have announced the handover of the brigades’ administration to the Iraqi state, marking a first step toward integration.
CENTCOM announced it chaired a defense conference hosted by the Bahrain Defense Forces on July 1. In August 2025, the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) highlighted Israel’s transition from EUCOM to CENTCOM command in 2021, which integrated Israel into the US security framework with the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf and facilitated US/Israeli cooperation during the attacks (12-Day War) against Iran in June 2025.
On July 1, 2026, CENTCOM hosted a Regional Security Dialogue in Bahrain with defense leaders from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen (the territories controlled by Saudi Arabia) to discuss regional security, defense cooperation, and the free flow of trade through the Strait of Hormuz. The meeting also marked the first time military leaders from Syria and Lebanon participated in a US-led regional defense conference. Iraq was absent.
And now a look at the military scenarios updated as of 3:30 PM on July 2. U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers have left the United Kingdom, where they were stationed, for combat operations against Iran, according to The War Zone (TWZ). Six bombers took off from Fairford Air Base on July 1. These aircraft were used to carry out attacks on Islamic Republic territory.
“Suspicious Israeli movements in the Horn of Africa,” Al Mayadeen reports, according to which Israel sent a 1,000-kilogram shipment to Somalia. Sources indicate that the shipment contained an advanced communications system with military intelligence applications. Israel and the breakaway region of Somaliland announced the opening of an embassy in East Jerusalem two weeks ago. Al-Houthi, leader of Ansar Allah in Yemen, declared a week ago that Yemen will not passively allow the presence or deployment of Israeli forces in Somaliland, located near Yemeni territory. Israel has deployed 50 troops in the region.
The IDF surrounds and storms a building on Al-Wad Street in the West Bank city of Qalqilya. Israeli police arrested approximately 15 Palestinians in the village of Mikhmas, northeast of Jerusalem. Terror erupted in Kiryat after an armed man threatened residents.
Israeli attacks continue in southern Lebanon: Israeli drones targeted: Nabatieh El Fawqa, Haret Saida, and Mashaa Al-Mansouri. The IDF: “Forces from the 91st Division continue operations to identify weapons in the security zone in southern Lebanon. Fighters from the 401st Brigade discovered an underground shaft and a weapons cache containing rockets and mortars in the Al-Tiri area. In another operation in the Maroun al-Ras area, fighters from the Yiftah Reserve Brigade (679) discovered improvised explosive devices, weapons, and other military equipment. The weapons found were intended for use by Hezbollah.” Israeli vehicles on the move in the town of Houla, southern Lebanon.
The Iranian opposition party, the Freedom Party, based in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, announced that its headquarters in Erbil province was hit by a missile. Iranian sources reported: “Clashes between the Iranian Kurdish separatist coalition (CPFIK) and Iranian security forces occurred over the course of the week in Iranian Kurdistan Province, Kermanshah Province, and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Kurdish forces launched a series of attacks against Iranian positions in the towns of Baneh and Paveh, killing at least two Revolutionary Guards soldiers. Iranian forces responded by launching an operation in the town of Gagas, near Mahabad, and struck Kurdish positions in northern Iraq using artillery and drones, killing at least six Kurdish infiltrators.”
The UKMTO says a vessel was approached by several small boats carrying armed personnel approximately 76 nautical miles south of Balhaf, Yemen, in the Gulf of Aden. The crew is safe, while the captain of a third-party vessel reported hearing possible small arms fire on VHF channel 16, although the report has not yet been confirmed. A US crew member is missing after a Sea Hawk helicopter made an emergency ditching in the Persian/Arabian Sea.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained stable between June 29 and 30, with 34 verified vessel transits, evenly split with 17 transits in each direction, according to Kpler. Although the waterway remains open and active, shipping visibility continues to be patchy between Iran, Oman, the IMO, and uncharted or unknown routes. The IMO’s incident monitoring system has recorded 49 confirmed regional incidents.
Furthermore, it has been learned that up to 68 million barrels of Iranian oil are currently located off the coast. Furthermore, over 90% of the cargo has no specific destination, according to Bloomberg, citing its own calculations and data.
According to the analyst firm Vortexa, Tehran has been actively seeking buyers since the United States suspended sanctions on Iranian oil transactions for 60 days.
Khamtam al-Anbiya’s Central Headquarters: “The presence of US fighter jets over the Strait of Hormuz will endanger regional security.” “Iran will not hesitate to take any measures to repress any aggression or violation by the US military and its supporters, in defense of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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