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Hezbollah Rockets Kill 7 as US Officials Meet Israeli Counterparts in Jerusalem to Discuss Truce Deal
Senior US and Israeli officials meet in Jerusalem, Oct. 31, 2024. Photo: Ma’ayan Toaf (GPO)
Senior US officials Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk arrived in Israel on Thursday to discuss a proposed agreement to de-escalate hostilities with the Hezbollah terrorist group which, according to a leaked draft, would have Israel withdraw from southern Lebanon within a week of signing.
The eight-page draft, which was exposed by Israel’s Kan public broadcaster, stipulated that Israel would retain the right to conduct targeted strikes against imminent threats for a 60-day period. The agreement also outlined the deployment of the Lebanese Army, alongside UNIFIL, the UN’s peacekeeping force in Lebanon, in dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and blocking unauthorized weapons and ammunition from entering the country.
Throughout the day, US Special Envoy Hochstein and McGurk, who is President Joe Biden’s Middle East adviser, held meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Shin Bet Director Ronan Bar, Mossad Director David Barnea, and other senior Israeli officials.
The meetings came amid ongoing rocket barrages from Iran-backed Hezbollah into northern Israel which killed seven people and wounded several more. One incident in Metula, which is largely evacuated due to the conflict, killed farmer Omer Weinstein and four of his foreign workers. In a second incident, a 60-year-old and her 30-year-old son were killed in an olive grove near Shfaram from a Hezbollah rocket.
Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence officer and Middle East expert, said all indications pointed to Hezbollah, which wields significant influence in southern Lebanon, signing a ceasefire deal but that in the meantime, the Iran-backed terror group was employing its remaining capabilities in a “rearguard battle” to preserve some leverage.
Even Naim Qassem, who took over from his slain predecessor Hassan Nasrallah as Hezbollah chief, seemed inclined to a ceasefire, despite a fiery first speech in which he threatened Netanyahu’s life.
“He’s trying to save face, but it’s quite clear that Hezbollah ultimately wants to reach some kind of deal to end this matter,” Melamed told The Algemeiner.
“In the eyes of the Arab world, Hezbollah is the defeated party in this war,” he added.
The group had sustained heavy losses and large swaths of south Lebanon have been entirely decimated. According to Melamed, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was now shifting its focus to striking strategic Hezbollah strongholds such as Baalbek and Qusair — a key city on the Syria-Lebanon border that Hezbollah captured a decade ago during the Syrian civil war and is now using as a transit point for the smuggling of weapons and fighters. The strikes are intended to further degrade Hezbollah’s military assets and increase pressure on the organization to negotiate from a weakened position.
Meanwhile, the IDF confirmed on Thursday that an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon killed Mohammed Khalil Alian, a Hezbollah regional commander overseeing anti-tank missile operations. Alian was targeted in the village of Burj Qallawiyah, where he led Hezbollah’s “Nasser” unit in the Hajir area, a division responsible for many of the rocket, mortar, UAV, and anti-tank missile launches into northern Israel.
Some 70,000 residents of Israel’s north have been evacuated from their homes for over a year, after Hezbollah began launching rockets into the region. The Israeli government has vowed to take whatever measures are necessary, including military action, to ensure the displaced persons can return.
Raz Malka, representing Lobby 1701 — a group formed after the war’s outbreak to advocate for Israel’s northern evacuees — expressed skepticism about the proposed ceasefire agreement.
“We have seven casualties in the north, so it doesn’t feel like it’s safe right now to go back, especially with this agreement,” he told The Algemeiner.
“It’s worth almost nothing,” he said, adding his hope that the Israeli government will ensure the IDF upholds its responsibility to protect the security of northern residents.
The post Hezbollah Rockets Kill 7 as US Officials Meet Israeli Counterparts in Jerusalem to Discuss Truce Deal first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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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.
The post Brooklyn Nets Select Israeli Basketball Players Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf in NBA Draft first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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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.
The post Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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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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