The Sky TG24 special on the war in Iran
War Iran USA, Tehran: "30,000 dollars for every US soldier killed or captured". LIVE
Iranian Army Commander Amir Hatami announced that "whoever manages to capture or kill an American attacker will receive a reward of $30,000." Pope Leo XIV has launched an appeal to ask for a stop to the "repeated violence against the Palestinian population in the West Bank". After the attack in Lebanon, in which 11 people died, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened new raids against Hezbollah
Iran has placed a bounty on American soldiers. The announcement was made by the commander of the Iranian army Amir Hatami, specifying that "any Iranian force manages to capture or kill an American attacker will receive a reward of 30,000 dollars".
After Israel's raid in southern Lebanon, where at least 11 people died and 19 others were injured, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened new attacks against Hezbollah and anyone who targets Israeli soldiers or citizens. “We will strike with all force those who harm our soldiers and citizens,” he wrote on X.
Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV has launched an appeal to ask for a stop to the "repeated violence against the Palestinian population in the West Bank".
The latest Israeli attack in Lebanon recorded the worst death toll in the country since the reduction of hostilities agreement signed with Israel in June. The IDF spokesperson confirmed the raid, specifying however that the headquarters of Hezbollah's Radwan unit was hit and that the terrorist Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan, battalion commander of Hezbollah's Radwan unit, and several other terrorists were eliminated in the attack." Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses Hezbollah of using human shields: "They deliberately let civilians into that military complex."
An Israeli drone hit tents hosting displaced Palestinians in the Muwasi area, in the southern Gaza Strip, injuring seven people. The Palestinian media reported it.
Trump administration officials bypassed Iranian negotiators and sought a direct channel with the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Ahmad Vahidi, to reach an agreement on the end of the war, the news site Axios reports exclusively, according to which the move was dictated by the need, which arose in mid-May, to understand whether the people sitting in front of them actually spoke on behalf of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also known as Pasdaran. According to Axios, the person they turned to to open this informal channel was Nechirvan Barzani, president of the Kurdistan region in Iraq, who enjoys the trust of both the US and the Pasdaran. The episode, described in detail by three sources with direct knowledge of the facts and so far unpublished, demonstrates how difficult it is for the United States to negotiate with a country where Washington is not certain who actually holds power. The United States and Iran later reached a memorandum of understanding, which quickly dissolved. It was the then director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who probed Barzai in mid-May. According to Axios, Gabbard explained to Barzani that the White House wanted to know whether Vahidi and the Pasdaran leadership agreed with what chief negotiator Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Araghchi had negotiated, or whether they had different ideas or requests. Gabbard noted that the mediators failed to contact Vahidi to clarify the matter. On May 14, a Pasdaran official showed up at Barzani's office in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, bringing with him an encrypted phone to make a secure call. Barzani asked Vahidi if he was on the side of the Iranian negotiators. The Iranian general responded in the affirmative. "I fully support them and this is also the position of the Guardians of the Revolution. We prefer to resolve this crisis through negotiations," Vahidi said, according to a source with direct knowledge of the facts. Three sources, including a White House official, said Barzani called Gabbard immediately after her conversation with Vahidi and informed her of the Iranian response. Gabbard then informed the White House: After receiving the Iranian response, the Trump administration presented another proposal, according to a source familiar with the informal talks. The United States wanted Barzani to host secret talks between senior US and Iranian negotiators in Erbil. Barzani spoke to the Iranians again and conveyed the message to them. The Iranians did not rule out the possibility, but were concerned about their security, believing that Israeli intelligence has many sources in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Erbil meeting never materialised.
The Iranian parliament has approved a series of provisions that tighten control over the media and further muzzle freedom of speech. The law prohibits interviews or other contact with foreign media outlets considered "hostile", including American and Israeli media and organizations funded by the two countries, Iranian media reported, quoted by Iran International. The measure also prohibits any unauthorized contact with foreign embassies, organizations and institutions, both inside and outside Iran, unless the Foreign Ministry is informed and grants written authorization. The measure also targets films, documentaries, theater productions, music and books deemed to promote an "anti-Islamic culture" or that portray Iran in a negative way, requiring those responsible to be excluded from the world of culture.
The IDF reports having carried out a drone raid against a "terrorist in the southern Gaza Strip". Palestinian media reported that the attack hit a tent in the Khan Younis area, wounding at least seven people.
The commander in chief of the Iranian army, Amir Hatami, announced a reward of $30,000 to any Iranian who captures or kills a US soldier. Hatami explained that the funds for the bounty would be provided "by the Iranian people." In the past, Iranian officials have offered rewards for killing US President Donald Trump. On May 15, MP Ebrahim Azizi said that a parliamentary bill included a reward of 50 million euros for Trump's assassination.
'The meeting with our brothers in Egypt is part of our ongoing communication and diplomacy activities with the mediators, to inform them of the violations committed by the occupation (Israel, ed.) and ensure that it respects the roadmap agreed with the Board of Peace''. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said this in a note reported by the Arab media. Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya met with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad in Cairo.
A Hamas delegation met with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad today to discuss ways to advance the implementation of a post-war plan for Gaza, Egypt's state news agency reported. The Middle East News Agency said the delegation led by Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya "reaffirmed their commitment to carrying out US President Donald Trump's plan." Hamas said in late July that it was ready to hand over its weapons to a nascent technical committee tasked with governing Gaza, as part of a 15-point plan announced by Trump's Board of Peace. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the plan, promising that there would be no withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza until Hamas was completely disarmed. The delegation arrived in Egypt last night, ahead of Trump envoy Jared Kushner's visit to the region. A Hamas official said the talks in the Mediterranean city of El-Alamein would cover "the latest developments in the negotiations and efforts made to force Israel to respect the agreement, which includes the 15-point roadmap, and start its implementation."
"I renew my appeal for an end to the repeated violence against the Palestinian civilian population in the West Bank and I urgently ask the international community to ensure that the two-state solution for a just and lasting peace progresses." This is the appeal launched at the Angelus by Pope Leo XIV, welcomed with long applause by the faithful at Castel Gandolfo.
Jared Kushner, envoy and son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, will meet with representatives of Hamas in the presence of mediators at the end of his meetings in Israel. Sources told Al Arabiya.
Iran places a bounty on American soldiers. "Any Iranian force that manages to capture or kill an American attacker will receive a reward of 30,000 dollars, Iranian army commander Amir Hatami said, quoted by the Fars agency.
Faced with uncertainty as to whether the Iranian mediators were actually speaking on behalf of the Pasdaran, Trump administration officials circumvented the issue by trying to reach the leaders of the Revolutionary Guards directly. The head of the Iranian Armed Forces Committee for the Search for the Missing, Mohammad Bagherzadeh, said today that "due to the continuous sabotage and delays of the Qatari authorities, the conditions for the return of the three Iranian pilots to Iran have not yet been prepared."
