The head of CENTCOM arrived in Tel Aviv yesterday and met with the Israeli Chief of Staff. The main topic of the meeting was the Israeli air strikes in Iran and the coordination of other military operations in the CENTCOM area of responsibility.
The IDF issued a statement in this regard: “The Commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael “Erik” Kurilla, visited Israel as the official guest of the Chief of Staff, Lt.G. Eyal Zamir. During his visit, the General held a joint discussion with the Chief of Staff and senior IDF commanders, during which the results of Operation “Rising Lion” and the current situation in the near and far areas were presented. Afterwards, the CENTCOM Commander visited the IDF Underground Operations Center with IDF Commander, Major General Tomer Bar, and other senior commanders. The IDF attaches great importance to liaison and coordination with the U.S. Armed Forces and expresses its gratitude for the strategic coordination during the recent operation.
According to the Israeli TV station Channel 11, “Israel is seeking an agreement with the United States to implement the ‘model Lebanon” in Iran, guaranteeing freedom of air operations over Iran, similar to the current agreement in Lebanon.” Yedioth Ahronoth, citing informed sources, added: “Netanyahu told those close to him that he will not miss the opportunity to reach peace with the Sunni countries, especially Saudi Arabia, after the collapse of the “Shiite axis” in the region and in light of the upcoming elections.”
Iranian reactions were not lacking. The new Iranian Defense Minister, Amir Hatami, said that the Iranian air defense responded rather well to the Israeli air strikes and “came out of the fight with its head held high.” He also said that the Artesh, i.e. the Iranian army, will respond forcefully to any attack and protect Iran’s sovereignty. Although modernization is currently underway.”
Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, added: “What we know so far is that the nuclear facilities have been seriously and severely damaged. No one is saying at this time that the facilities have remained intact.”
“Iran remains committed to the NPT and its Safeguards Agreement,” Syed Abbas Araghchi wrote in X, rejecting the suspension of cooperation with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He stressed that following the illegal attacks on Iranian nuclear sites by Israel and the United States, all cooperation with the IAEA will now be handled through Iran’s Supreme National Security Council for obvious security reasons,” Araghchi said.
“Germany’s explicit support for the bombing of Iran has erased the idea that the German regime has anything but ill will toward the Iranians,” Araghchi added.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff plans to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Oslo next week to resume nuclear talks, Axios reports.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Oslo next week to resume nuclear talks, according to two sources familiar with the talks.
No firm date has been set and neither country has publicly confirmed the meeting, the sources said. However, if it happens, it would be a of the first direct talks since President Trump ordered an unprecedented military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities last month. A White House official told Axios, “We have no announcements about travel at this time.” Iran’s mission to the United Nations declined to comment.
According to Axios, Witkoff and Araqchi were in direct contact during and after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, which ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The Iranians were initially reluctant to negotiate with the U.S. after the war, but that stance has gradually softened.
A key issue in any future talks will be Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which includes 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent.
Israeli and U.S. officials say the material is currently “isolated from the outside world” inside the three nuclear sites targeted in the joint strikes: the Natanz and Fordow enrichment facilities and the tunnels underground at the Isfahan site.
Iran currently does not have access to these reserves due to the damage caused from the attacks, but may regain access once the debris is cleared.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions on Tuesday against a trading network led by Iraqi businessman Salim Ahmed Said for smuggling billions of dollars of Iranian oil disguised as Iraqi oil since at least 2020.
Additional sanctions were imposed on a financial institution controlled by Hezbollah, Reuters reports
A 13-article ceasefire agreement was published in both Israeli and Arab media, including Palestinian and Gulf media, without comment from Hamas. The ceasefire would extend for 60 days, with 28 Israelis — 10 alive, 18 dead — being released at regular intervals. Palestinian prisoners would also be released.
Military operations would be limited, aid would be allowed without restrictions, and further negotiations would be launched on this basis. Guarantors are Qatar, the U.S. and Egypt.
Hamas is preparing to announce its agreement for a two-month ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Asharq Al-Awsat reports
Let’s take a look at the active fronts.
At least 118 Palestinians were killed and 581 others were injured in 24 hours in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip on July 3, the Gaza Health Ministry reported via Telegram.
A video obtained by the AP has gone viral online showing American contractors cheering after shooting at Palestinians near an aid station in Gaza, with one shouting “I think you hit one,” followed by another saying “Hell yeah, boy!” One American contractor can also be heard saying he had positioned an IDF tank in the corner, to which he responded that they were making a “show of force.” The contractor who shared the footage said he saw his colleagues shooting at Palestinians who had just gathered food and were moving away from the area.
The Al-Qassam Brigades announced that they destroyed a [unspecified] troop carrier using a tandem “Yassin-105mm” (PG-7VR) double-warhead, setting it alight yesterday on “Islamic Compound” Street in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza. They also announced that they targeted an IDF “Merkava” tank using a “high explosive anti-personnel mine,” likely an “M15” anti-tank mine, along an IDF supply road in “Al-Zana,” eastern Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, on July 1.
The IAF carried out an attack on a vehicle in Khaldeh, Beirut region, Lebanon. The target was an individual allegedly associated with the Iranian Quds Force. CCTV footage captured the moment of the assassination. Two missile strikes can be seen in the footage. The first one misses, but activates the driver’s airbag, which reacts by stopping. The second missile hits the vehicle with precision.
According to an IDF statement: Earlier today, the IDF struck and eliminated a terrorist responsible for smuggling weapons and carrying out terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops, on behalf of the Iranian Quds Force, in the area of Sil in Lebanon.”
The death of Indonesian hospital director Marwan Sultan in Gaza City, along with his family, was announced, killed in a recent IDF attack.
Finally, the Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades released a video thanking all those who supported them and stood by the Palestinian people and their resistance. They also paid tribute to the spirit of the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Police Forces (IRGC) of Palestine, Saeed Izadi, saying that “he left his mark with every bullet, explosive device and missile with which we resist the cowardly occupier.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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