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Hezbollah Commander Training Russians in Operation of Iranian Drones, Ukrainian Intelligence Says
Ukranian emergency workers outside a house in the city of Kharkiv destroyed by an Iranian-made drone fired by Russian forces, Photo: Reuters/Pavlo Pakhomenko
A senior Hezbollah commander is leading training sessions for Russian troops in the use of Iranian-made drones to prosecute Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian intelligence report.
Ukrainian media sources on Monday quoted the assessment of Ukraine’s Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) that Kamal Abu Sadiq — a commander of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization — is training the Russians with the assistance of officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian soldiers are being schooled in the operation of drones, including the Shahed-136/-131, the Ababil-3 and the Qods Raab 85, which have been used to deadly effect against civilian population centers in a war fast approaching its second anniversary.
The training is taking place at the Shayrat Airbase in the Syrian city of Homs. The Israeli Air Force has launched airstrikes against Shayrat on several occasions since the Oct. 7 Hamas pogrom in Israel, which triggered a new round of tensions between Israel and Iran’s regional allies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
The Ukrainian intelligence report highlighting Abu Sadiq’s role comes one week after the GUR revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime is recruiting mercenaries in Syria — where Russian arms helped to secure the dictatorship of President Bashar al-Assad during that country’s devastating civil war — to fight in Ukraine.
In a post on the Telegram social media channel, the GUR said “the aggressor state of Russia is recruiting mercenaries in Syria to participate in hostilities against Ukraine.” It noted that about 1,000 newly-recruited mercenaries were being trained in urban warfare techniques at the Kuweires Military Aviation Institute near the city of Aleppo. From Kuweires, the mercenaries were taken “to the Khmeimim air base, and from there to the territory of the Russian Federation,” the GUR said. “After arriving in Russia, they are issued Russian passports, and then mobilized into the occupation army.” An accompanying video showed some of the mercenaries brandishing Russian passports just five days after submitting their applications.
“Recruiting Syrians for the war indicates the deterioration of the moral and psychological state of the Russian occupying forces due to large-scale losses,” the GUR post observed.
Iran has emerged as one of Russia’s key allies since Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine, providing the Russian regime with military and diplomatic support. Recent efforts in the US to bolster Ukraine’s defensive capabilities have been blocked by Congressional Republicans aligned with former President Donald Trump, who last week threatened to allow the Russians “to do whatever they hell they want” to European allies who fail, on his terms, to contribute a significant portion of their national budget to defense.
On Monday night, the US Senate approved a $95 billion aid package that includes $60 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel in its war against Hamas. However, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has pledged to block the bill over a dispute concerning security arrangements on the US-Mexico border, saying that “any so-called national security supplemental legislation must recognize that national security begins at our own border.”
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Brooklyn Nets Select Israeli Basketball Players Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf in NBA Draft
The opening tip between the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, at Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, Dec. 13, 2020. Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
In a landmark night for Israeli basketball, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf were selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, marking the first time two Israeli players have been drafted in the same year.
Saraf, a 19-year-old guard known for his explosive athleticism and creative playmaking, was taken with the 26th pick. A standout with Maccabi Rishon LeZion and a rising star on Israel’s youth national teams, Saraf gained international attention with his electrifying scoring and commanding court presence.
With the 27th pick, the Nets selected 7-foot center Danny Wolf out of the University of Michigan. Wolf, who holds dual US-Israeli citizenship and represented Israel at the U-20 level, brings a versatile skill set, including sharp passing, perimeter shooting, and a strong feel for the game. After his name was called, Wolf grew emotional in an on-air interview, crediting his family for helping him reach the moment.
“I have the two greatest brothers in the world; I have an unbelievable sister who I love,” Wolf said. “They all helped me get to where I am today, and they’re going to help me get to where I am going to go in this league.”
The historic double-pick adds to the growing wave of Israeli presence on the NBA stage, led by Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who just completed a breakout 2024–25 season. After being traded to Portland last summer, Avdija thrived as a starter, averaging 16.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. In March alone, he posted 23.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, including two triple-doubles.
“I don’t think I’ve played like this before … I knew I had it in me. But I’m not really thinking about it. I’m just playing. I’m just free,” Avdija told reporters in March
With Saraf and Wolf joining Avdija, Israel’s basketball pipeline has reached unprecedented visibility. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the moment “a national celebration for sports and youth,” and Israeli sports commentators widely hailed the night as “historic.”
Both Saraf and Wolf are expected to suit up for the Nets’ Summer League team in July. As the two rookies begin their NBA journey, they join a growing generation of Israeli athletes proving that their game belongs on basketball’s biggest stage.
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Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS
Iran currently has no plan to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday in an interview on state TV, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s statement that Washington planned to have talks with Iran next week.
The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran was assessing whether talks with the US were in its interest, following five previous rounds of negotiations that were cut short by Israel and the US attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The US and Israel said the strikes were meant to curb Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons, while Iran says its nuclear program is solely geared toward civilian use.
Araqchi said the damages to nuclear sites “were not little” and that relevant authorities were figuring out the new realities of Iran’s nuclear program, which he said would inform Iran’s future diplomatic stance.
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Ireland Becomes First European Nation to Advance Ban on Trade With Israeli Settlements
A pro-Hamas demonstration in Ireland led by nationalist party Sinn Fein. Photo: Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne
Ireland has become the first European nation to push forward legislation banning trade with Israeli communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — an effort officials say is meant “to address the horrifying situation” in the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday, Irish Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Simon Harris announced that the legislation has already been approved by the government and will now move to the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for pre-legislative scrutiny.
“Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza,” Harris said during a press conference.
The Irish diplomat also told reporters he hopes the “real benefit” of the legislation will be to encourage other countries to follow suit, “because it is important that every country uses every lever at its disposal.”
Today Ireland becomes the first country in Europe to bring forward legislation to ban trade with the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza.
Every country must pull every lever at its disposal. pic.twitter.com/Z4RTjqntEY— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) June 24, 2025
Joining a growing number of EU member states aiming to curb Israel’s defensive campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Ireland’s decision comes after a 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal.
The ICJ ruled that third countries must avoid trade or investment that supports “the illegal situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
Once implemented, the law will criminalize the importation of goods from Israeli settlements into Ireland, empowering customs officials to inspect, seize, and confiscate any such shipments.
“The situation in Palestine remains a matter of deep public concern,” Harris said. “I have made it consistently clear that this government will use all levers at its disposal to address the horrifying situation on the ground and to contribute to long-term efforts to achieve a sustainable peace on the basis of the two-state solution.”
“Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal and threaten the viability of the two-state solution,” the Irish diplomat continued. “This is the longstanding position of the European Union and our international partners. Furthermore, this is the clear position under international law.”
Harris also urged the EU to comply with the ICJ’s ruling by taking a more decisive and “adequate response” regarding imports from Israeli settlements.
“This is an issue that I will continue to press at EU level, and I reiterated my call for concrete proposals from the European Commission at the Foreign Affairs Council this week,” he said.
Last week, Ireland and eight other EU member states — Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden — called on the European Commission to draft proposals for how EU countries can halt trade and imports with Israeli settlements, in line with obligations set out by the ICJ.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the latest move by European countries, calling it “shameful” and a misguided attempt to undermine Israel while it faces “existential” threats from Iran and its proxies, including Hamas.
“It is regrettable that even when Israel is fighting an existential threat which is in Europe’s vital interest — there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession,” the top Israeli diplomat said in a post on X.
It is regrettable that even when Israel fighting an existential threat which is in Europe vital interest – there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession.
Shameful! https://t.co/lxm9qm8sM1— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) June 19, 2025
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