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Basketball Star Kyrie Irving Arrives to NBA Finals Holding Palestinian Keffiyeh
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves in game five of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Target Center. Photo: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving arrived at Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night holding in his hand a keffiyeh, a traditional headscarf worn by Palestinians that has become known as a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian cause and opposition to Israel.
The NBA star, 32, was videotaped holding a backpack that had the keffieyh tied to it. The Boston Celtics eventually beat the Dallas Mavericks that night 105-98.
Kyrie Irving arrives with his family for the Mavs-Celtics Game 2 of the NBA Finals
(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/RtgK4qspiC
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 9, 2024
Irving has carried keffiyehs in the past and expressed support for Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. In November, the athlete wore a black and white keffiyeh draped on his head during an NBA press conference, and at a recent press conference he sported a necklace in the shape of Israel that was covered by the Palestinian flag.
During an away game in January between the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks, Irving demanded that security guards remove several signs held by fans in the audience that read “I’m a Jew and I’m proud” and the signs were removed.
A few days after the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre in Israel, Irving posted on X/Twitter a message in support of “oppressed” Palestinians that also accused Israel of committing crimes against humanity. He wrote: “Where are all you tough talking Media Heads that get on TV and social platforms to condemn people who stand by the oppressed?? Crimes are being committed against humanity and most of you are silent. Cat got your tongue? Or you’re afraid of actually standing for something real.”
When he was playing for the Brooklyn Nets in 2022, Irving was temporarily suspended for promoting on social media an antisemitic film. He posted an apology on social media, which he later deleted.
The Dallas Mavericks team is ironically owned by Israeli billionaire and philanthropist Miriam Adelson, who is the widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. The couple has donated millions to Israeli and Jewish causes. American billionaire, investor, and “Shark Tank” star Mark Cuban is a minority owner of the Mavericks.
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Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi lays a wreath as he visits the burial site of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, June 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A member of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tehran alongside a member of an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, a senior Lebanese security source told Reuters and the Iraqi group said on Saturday.
The source identified the Hezbollah member as Abu Ali Khalil, who had served as a bodyguard for Hezbollah’s slain chief Hassan Nasrallah. The source said Khalil had been on a religious pilgrimage to Iraq when he met up with a member of the Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada group.
They traveled together to Tehran and were both killed in an Israeli strike there, along with Khalil’s son, the senior security source said. Hezbollah has not joined in Iran’s air strikes against Israel from Lebanon.
Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada published a statement confirming that both the head of its security unit and Khalil had been killed in an Israeli strike.
Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli aerial attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs in September.
Israel and Iran have been trading strikes for nine consecutive days since Israel launched attacks on Iran, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it does not seek nuclear weapons.
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Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip
Israeli soldiers operate during a ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, July 3, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), in cooperation with the General Security Service (Shin Bet), announced on Friday the killing of Ibrahim Abu Shamala, a senior financial official in Hamas’ military wing.
The operation took place on June 17th in the central Gaza Strip.
Abu Shamala held several key positions, including financial officer for Hamas’ military wing and assistant to Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing until his elimination in March 2024.
He was responsible for managing all the financial resources of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza, overseeing the planning and execution of the group’s war budget. This involved handling and smuggling millions of dollars into the Gaza Strip to fund Hamas’ military operations.
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Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2025. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
i24 News – Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, the New York Times reported on Saturday citing unnamed Iranian officials. It is understood the Ayatollah fears he could be assassinated in the coming days.
Khamenei reportedly mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications.
Khamenei has designated three senior religious figures as candidates to replace him as well as choosing successors in the military chain of command in the likely event that additional senior officials be eliminated.
Earlier on Saturday Israel confirmed the elimination of Saeed Izadi and Bhanam Shahriari.
Shahriari, head of Iran’s Quds Force Weapons Transfer Unit, responsible for arming Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, was killed in an Israeli airstrike over 1,000 km from Israel in western Iran.
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