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Car ramming and shooting on Tel Aviv boardwalk kills 1 and wounds 4
(JTA) — A driver rammed his car into pedestrians walking along Tel Aviv’s popular boardwalk and emerged shooting, killing a tourist and wounding at least four others on Friday night. A policeman shot and killed the attacker.
The attack, just hours after gunmen killed two Israeli sisters traveling through the West Bank, left Israel bracing for further violence after days of buildup.
Kan, Israel’s public broadcaster, reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a call up of all Border Police reserves and also asked the army to call up additional reserves. The attacker was reportedly an Israeli citizen and a resident of Kafr Qassem, an Arab town near Tel Aviv.
Israeli media said the attacker steered his car onto the boardwalk near Charles Clore Park and aimed at two sets of pedestrians, one after the other. The car overturned, and the attacker got out of the car armed with a gun and started shooting.
One man, an Italian tourist, was killed, and at least four others, tourists from Italy and Britain, were wounded from being hit by the car and from bullet wounds, Kan reported.
Hamas, the militant Gaza Strip group considered a terrorist organization by the United States, praised the attack but did not claim responsibility.
The boardwalk, a popular site for Israelis on a Friday night, was crowded. The motive and identity of the attacker was not yet known.
Israeli-Palestinian tensions, already simmering after months of clashes between Israeli police and West Bank residents, reached a boiling point this week after police clashed with Palestinian protesters on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, a site holy both to Muslims and Jews. On Thursday, rockets were fired into Israel from two fronts, the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, and Israel returned fire.
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The post Car ramming and shooting on Tel Aviv boardwalk kills 1 and wounds 4 appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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China, Saudi Arabia Agree to Strengthen Coordination on Regional, Global Matters
Flags of China and Saudi Arabia are seen in this picture, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 7, 2022. REUTERS/Mohammed Benmansour
China and Saudi Arabia agreed to have closer communication and coordination on regional and international issues, with Beijing lauding Riyadh’s role in Middle East diplomacy, statements following a meeting between the nations’ foreign ministers on Sunday showed.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is on a three-nation tour in the Middle East that began in the United Arab Emirates and is expected to end in Jordan. He met with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud in Riyadh on Sunday.
A joint statement published by China’s official news agency Xinhua did not elaborate on what issues the countries will strengthen coordination on, but mentioned China’s support for Saudi Arabia and Iran developing and enhancing their relations.
“(China) appreciates Saudi Arabia’s leading role and efforts to achieve regional and international security and stability,” the statement released on Monday said.
The statement also reiterated both countries’ support for a “comprehensive and just settlement” of the Palestinian issue and the formation of an independent state for Palestinians.
At a high-level meeting, Wang told his Saudi counterpart that China has always regarded Saudi Arabia as a “priority for Middle East diplomacy” and an important partner in global diplomacy, a Chinese foreign ministry statement on Monday said.
He also encouraged more cooperation in energy and investments, as well as in the fields of new energy and green transformation.
The countries have agreed to mutually exempt visas for diplomatic and special passport holders from both sides, according to the joint statement.
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Report: Iran Considers Removing Hezbollah Leader Naim Qassem
Lebanon’s Hezbollah Chief Naim Qassem gives a televised speech from an unknown location, July 30, 2025, in this screen grab from video. Photo: Al Manar TV/REUTERS TV/via REUTERS
i24 News – Iran is reportedly dissatisfied with the performance of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem and is preparing to reorganize the group’s leadership, potentially removing him from his position, according to a report by Emirati outlet Erem News citing senior Lebanese diplomatic sources.
The report claims Tehran views Qassem as “unsuitable to lead Hezbollah at this critical stage,” arguing that he has failed to meet the leadership standards set by his predecessor, longtime Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
Iranian officials are said to believe Qassem lacks sufficient political acumen and hold him responsible for the deterioration in relations between Hezbollah and the Lebanese state.
According to Erem News, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to oversee preparations for restructuring Hezbollah’s internal leadership during an upcoming visit to Beirut.
The visit is intended to assess the organization’s internal climate through direct meetings with senior Hezbollah figures and influential operatives.
“The Iranian minister seeks to monitor the general climate within Hezbollah and convey an accurate picture of the internal situation to decision-makers in Tehran,” the report said, adding that the findings would be used to inform “crucial decisions regarding anticipated changes at the head of the organization, most notably the fate of Naim Qassem.”
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Iran’s Foreign Minister to Visit Russia and Belarus, Foreign Ministry Says
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi speaks during a meeting with foreign ambassadors in Tehran, Iran, July 12, 2025. Photo: Hamid Forootan/Iranian Foreign Ministry/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
Iran‘s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, will visit Russia and Belarus in the next two to three days, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Sunday.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Turkmenistan on Friday.