Three men were executed this morning in Iran, accused of carrying out operations and armed attacks against public buildings in Karaj, during the January protests, on behalf of the United States, Israel and hostile groups. According to the IRNA agency, the three hanged men - Hassan Dioband, Hamid Kazemi and Reza Zanganeh - were accused of using firearms, grenades and Molotov cocktails, setting fire to public structures and damaging an electricity pylon, causing power outages in the city.
Two oil tankers caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting mines; Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced this on Sunday, as reported by the state news agency IRNA. Since the outbreak of the war in Iran at the end of February, Tehran has severely limited transit through this strategic waterway, forcing vessels to use routes authorized by the Islamic Republic. In response, the United States imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and provided assistance to oil tankers passing through the Strait, a passage through which about a fifth of global oil consumption normally passes.
Meanwhile, turning point in Israel after the elections. President Herzog has communicated to party leader Yashar Eisenkot his intention to entrust him with the task of forming the new government. Today at 5pm the meeting and the official announcement. Eisenkot's name was mentioned during the consultations by political forces representing a total of 67 members of the Knesset, while parties with a total of 46 parliamentarians indicated the outgoing prime minister and Likud leader Netanyahu, who for now is leaving the scene waiting to see if Eisenkot will be able to form the government.
The Houthis say 33 people have been killed in Saudi attacks in Yemen's Sana'a province. Houthi authorities said Saudi strikes killed 33 people, many of them women and children, in Yemen's Sana'a province, as deaths mount in the country's renewed civil war. The United Nations says more than 1,600 people have been killed and more than 300,000 displaced since fighting resumed in the impoverished country.
The death toll from the Saudi-led coalition's raids against the village of Al-Shariya, located east of the Yemeni capital Sana'a, has risen to 33 dead and 39 injured; Anees Alasbahi, spokesperson for the Houthi Ministry of Health, made this known in a post on
"According to almost definitive data, the dead include 12 men, 8 women and 13 children, while the injured include 16 men, 10 women and 13 children," Alasbahi said.
“Two oil tankers, which violated regulations (one in the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz and the other inside the Strait) caught fire and are currently engulfed in intense flames, after hitting naval mines while attempting to transit along unauthorized routes,” the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution, the ideological arm of the Iranian military, said in a statement.
"The two tankers would have been responsible for several violations, including turning off the navigation and positioning systems, in an attempt to cross the Strait along an unauthorized route", adds the note. The Revolutionary Guards did not specify the name or nationality of the tankers.
The Arab-Israeli Ra'am party will support a government led by Gadi Eisenkot, even without a coalition agreement. The newspaper Haaretz reported this, citing a senior member of the Arab group which won eight seats in the Knesset in the elections. Ra'am wants to prevent the bloc of change headed by Eisenkot (48 seats) from having to depend on the support of the ultra-Orthodox Ashkenazi party United Torah Judaism and aims to ensure that a new executive takes office as soon as possible to replace that of Benjamin Netanyahu, even in the absence of a solid and guaranteed majority. The Joint List, the other Arab party, will not vote in favor of such a government, but it will not work to bring it down either. Both parties intend to work with Eisenkot's bloc to replace the speaker of the Knesset, currently Likud MP Amir Ohana, as soon as possible and to establish a state commission of inquiry into October 7. President Isaac Herzog announced that today he will task Eisenkot with forming a new government.
Iranian authorities executed three men today after convicting them of conducting operations on behalf of Israel and the United States during anti-government protests in January; the judiciary made it known. The death sentences against Hassan Divband, Hamid Kazemi and Reza Zanganeh "were carried out this morning, after being confirmed by the Supreme Court", reported Mizan Online, the judiciary's web portal. The men were reportedly found guilty of "participating in operational activities on behalf of the Israeli Zionist regime, the United States and hostile groups" during the protests. Mizan said the defendants threw Molotov cocktails and grenades, used firearms and bladed weapons, and set fires to public structures in the city of Karaj, west of Tehran. Other defendants involved in the same case received prison sentences of between five and 10 years. The protest movement, which initially arose in December due to the high cost of living, quickly turned into widespread anti-government demonstrations, which reached a peak on January 8 and 9. Iranian authorities have reported more than 3,000 deaths, attributing the violence to "terrorist acts" orchestrated by the United States and Israel. Some foreign-based NGOs, however, gave higher figures, claiming that Iranian security forces opened fire on the protesters. The number of executions in Iran has increased since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, triggered in late February by attacks led by the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic.
About 200 people demonstrated in Tel Aviv's Habima Square against Shin Bet chief David Zini, accusing him of pandering to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by investigating allegations of foreign interference in last week's Knesset elections. Several protesters called for the formation of a new government that would oust Netanyahu and remove Zini from office. Eli Bechar, former prosecutor general of the Shin Bet, said that Zini's continued leadership of the intelligence agency responsible for internal security represents "a danger to Israeli democracy". During the demonstration, 'The Times of Israel' reports, the former head of the Shin Bet Ami Ayalon also spoke, with a speech similar to a civic education lesson. Ayalon also confirmed Haaretz newspaper reports on Thursday that he had met with Zini this week after being invited to advise on the investigation into alleged election interference. Ayalon, who has criticized Zini in the past, called the invitation a "courageous" gesture and "perhaps a small step towards overcoming" their differences. The former leader, however, implied that Zini is influenced by Netanyahu and that the electoral investigation is in conflict with the Shin Bet's task of protecting "the democratic rule of law" in Israel. "The head of the Shin Bet serves Israeli democracy. Not those who govern," Ayalon said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump discussed bilateral relations, the Russia-Ukraine war and tensions between Washington and Tehran by telephone. This was written on X, the official account of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye. "Expressing his belief that cooperation between Turkey and the United States will continue to strengthen, President Erdogan - we read on X - stated that they will continue their efforts to give new impetus to relations in the near future". The Turkish president then reiterated that "tensions between Iran and the United States must cease" and that issues must be resolved through diplomacy. Erdogan reiterated that Turkey will continue to strive for peace. Hoping that the growing diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war between Ukraine and Russia will produce positive results, Erdogan said that he will "continue to contribute to those efforts and that it is important to intensify dialogue with both Ukraine and Russia".
