U.S. continues strikes on Iran as renewed assault enters second week. Iran conducts retaliatory strikes. Wounded U.S. soldiers transferred to Germany. President Donald Trump says U.S. will use seized Iranian funds to pay for “damages.” Tanker traffic through Hormuz slows to a trickle. Two tankers reportedly leaking oil into the Strait of Hormuz. Four Palestinians killed as Israel orders sweeping West Bank offensive. Israel’s campaign of destruction in Gaza continues unabated. Chickenpox continues to spread in Gaza. Gaza floods with wastewater. Israeli settlers destroy Palestinian vineyard. Health condition of detained Gaza surgeon rapidly deteriorating. Israel approves expanded settlements. Israeli banks cut off Palestinian lenders. Moroccan officers make first field tour of Gaza ahead of force deployment. Israeli drone wounds two paramedics in “double-tap” strike in south Lebanon. New Trump tariffs on 80+ countries take effect. Senate blocks Iran War Powers Act. Department of Justice withdraws subpoenas against NYT journalists. Alaska sends 3,000 citizenship-verification letters to voters. 24+ states sue over Trump election, immigration conditions on disaster funding. Top Haley Stevens communications consultant fired for moonlighting with Palantir. Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno comes out against Section 219 of the NDAA. Strikes in Russia, Ukraine kill 17. Greece approves $4 billion Israeli arms purchase. Sudanese army drone strike kills displaced civilians in Blue Nile. Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk ends 26-day hunger strike amid Cockroach protests. Suicide bombing kills 15 at Pakistani checkpoint near Afghan border.This is Drop Site Daily, our free news recap We send it Monday – FridayUpgrade to paidIranU.S. continues strikes on Iran as renewed assault enters second week:Four people were killed and five others were wounded in overnight U.S. strikes on areas around the southwestern city of Ahvaz in Khuzestan province, according to Al Jazeera.The death toll in Iran from U.S. airstrikes since July 6 has risen to 59 people killed, including three children, and 666 wounded, according to Iran’s Health Ministry.U.S. Central Command announced its 13th night of strikes on Iran continued on Iranian military sites, and that its ongoing naval blockade on Iran had redirected 12 commercial vessels and disabled one.U.S. strikes hit at least six provinces early Friday, local time, with missiles reported in the cities of Ahvaz and Omidiyeh in Khuzestan, on the southern coast of Qeshm island, in the port city of Bandar Abbas (where at least two were reported injured and power was temporarily cut off), and in Khorramabad in the Lorestan province. Multiple sites in the Yazd and Markazi provinces were reportedly struck as well.Iranian authorities reported Thursday that U.S. strikes hit an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval command headquarters in the northern province of Gilan. The facility in the Zibakenar area was struck in the morning, damaging some equipment inside the complex, according to Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency.Iran conducts retaliatory strikes:The Iranian Army reported attacks against U.S. military installations in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait, including Kuwait’s Camp Behring base, on Thursday evening.An Iranian missile reportedly struck Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, where U.S. forces are stationed, according to initial reports cited by Tasnim.Iran’s IRGC reported that it struck Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait on Thursday with a wave of heavy drone attacks, destroying a large ammunition depot and multiple troop housing structures.Missile defenses and air sirens in Kuwait were activated on Thursday evening and Friday morning as a result of Iranian missile strikes, according to the country’s army.Multiple explosions were also heard on Friday morning near Erbil airport, in Iraqi Kurdistan, a site of multiple Iranian attacks.Wounded U.S. soldiers transferred to Germany: About 10 U.S. service members seriously wounded in recent Iranian attacks have been transferred to a U.S. military hospital in Germany, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing a U.S. military official. The transfers indicate some injuries were more serious than earlier Pentagon descriptions, which said most involved minor traumatic brain injuries.Trump says U.S. will use seized Iranian funds to pay for “damages”: President Trump threatened on Thursday to use the Iranian money it has seized to pay for “any and all damages” to ships and cargo from this point forward. “These damages may be very substantial but, nevertheless, this is the fair and equitable thing to do,” Trump said Thursday, without providing a legal justification for the move or citing the precise source of the funds.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned in a response that confiscating another country’s assets to pay for unrelated future claims would set an “incendiary precedent,” adding that “Those who celebrate or profit from such funds should remember: once governments normalize confiscation, no one’s assets are safe.”WSJ: Iran rebuilding faster than Israeli intelligence expected: Iran has quickly rebuilt infrastructure damaged during months of U.S. and Israeli bombing, from missile bases deep inside mountains to bridges, ports, and production facilities, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.Planet Labs and Airbus imagery showed repairs at missile bases near Kangavar, north of Kermanshah, and at Dezful, where crews reopened collapsed tunnel entrances and repaved access roads within weeks.One Israeli military official said Iran repaired a bridge hit by three Israeli bombs within days. Officials also said that some strikes only collapsed entrances to deeply buried facilities, leaving the missiles inside intact.Tanker traffic through Hormuz slows: Tanker traffic carrying oil and other products eastward through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed to a trickle, according to Kpler data, with just 10 recorded transits from July 17-23, including zero on July 22.Those tankers carried a combined 15.7 million barrels over seven days, averaging just 2.24 million barrels per day.Two tankers reportedly leaking oil in Strait: Two tankers are leaking oil near Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, with slicks drifting toward Larak and the Qeshm coastline, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward.Satellite and radar imagery from July 21-23 identified one vessel as the Kavomaleas, which was struck in an earlier attack.Windward assessed that spill as fuel rather than cargo because the tanker was traveling in ballast.The second vessel is an unidentified “dark tanker” operating without AIS tracking. Windward said imagery places it in the same location since May.PalestineFour Palestinians killed as Israel orders sweeping West Bank offensive: Armed Israeli settlers, backed by Israeli forces, killed at least four Palestinians and wounded eight others during an attack on the town of Tal, southwest of Nablus on Friday. During the assault, a Palestinian man seized a settler’s weapon and opened fire, killing two armed settlers and wounding two others.Tal Mayor Walid Zidan said around 20 settlers attacked the village between 7:30 and 8 a.m. before continuing their assault in the Qabala area. “Residents rushed to defend homeowners in the area,” he said. Zidan said the Israeli military claimed that a Palestinian opened fire after taking a settler’s weapon, “while other accounts indicate that Israeli forces opened fire at everyone present.”A graphic video of the subsequent killing shows settlers shooting Palestinians in a field.In retaliation for the settlers’ death, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said they have launched a series of military operations including home demolitions, weapons raids, the revocation of work permits in villages Israel labels “terror hotspots,” additional checkpoints and road segregation measures. “The security forces must be allowed to operate freely and with full force,” the two officials said.National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank should be made to resemble Beit Hanoun, the Gaza town Israeli forces have razed to the ground, in retaliation for the attack.This follows Thursday’s killings of four Palestinians by Israeli forces and settlers across the occupied West Bank: two were killed and four others wounded in Beit Furik, east of Nablus; a 25-year-old Palestinian from Tubas was shot dead by Israeli forces in Jenin; and another young Palestinian died after being shot and arrested by Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint in Shuafat refugee camp in occupied East Jerusalem.Settlers also escalated attacks on several neighboring Palestinian communities, subsequently attacking the village of Far’ata, east of Qalqilya, wounding seven Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.Israeli forces also raided Nablus Specialized Hospital and stormed the emergency department. Hospital officials said soldiers tied the hands of doctors and nurses and detained two brothers, including one who was being treated for a gunshot wound sustained during the attack on Tal.Yesh Din and more than a dozen other Israeli human rights groups urged immediate international intervention to prevent what they warned could become “mass pogroms” across the occupied West Bank.Israel’s campaign of destruction in Gaza continues unabated:Israeli forces struck near Al-Yemen Al-Saeed—a hospital turned shelter in Jabliya refugee camp—killing two, including a child, and injuring others.Israeli warplanes destroyed the Al-Noor Mosque and structures surrounding it on Thursday, southeast of Bureij refugee camp, after residents were ordered to evacuate.Israeli forces shelled a tent sheltering displaced families south of Khan Younis, wounding several, including multiple children.An Israeli strike on Thursday hit a family home in Gaza City, wounding two people.An Israeli airstrike later on Thursday hit a residential apartment in Gaza City, killing a woman and wounding a man.Unexploded Israeli ordnance detonated in Khan Younis, wounding two Palestinian brothers, Gaza police reported on Thursday, with one of the boys requiring his hand to be amputated.Chickenpox continues to spread in Gaza: More than 53,000 chickenpox cases have been recorded since the start of the year, Gaza’s Health Ministry said, warning that the surge is “record-breaking and alarming” and signals a dangerous loss of epidemic control.Severe overcrowding in displacement camps, shortages of clean water, collapsing sanitation, and the breakdown of primary health care due to Israeli attacks on hospitals and restrictions on the entry of medical supplies are accelerating transmission.Gaza floods with wastewater: A makeshift sewage pit collapsed inside a displacement camp in Gaza, flooding tents with wastewater, damaging families’ belongings, and creating serious health risks, according to Gaza journalist Tamer Nahed.Israeli settlers destroy Palestinian vineyard: Israeli settlers destroyed roughly 4,000 kilograms of grapes in a vineyard belonging to the Al-Janazra family in the Wadi Qaboun area of Halhul, north of Hebron, days before the crop was due to be harvested, according to the Palestinian Information Center.The family had cultivated the 2.5-dunum plot for a full year. About 50 family members depend on it for income.Part of the land had already been cut in two by a settlement road, and the family maintains a near-constant presence there because of the nearby Israeli outpost and repeated threats.Health condition of detained Gaza surgeon rapidly deteriorating: Dr. Murad Al-Qouqa, 47, head of orthopedic and spine surgery at Al-Shifa Medical Complex, has lost roughly 45 kilograms and suffered a serious eye injury affecting his vision since Israeli forces seized him from the hospital, the Palestinian Center for the Defense of Prisoners said Thursday.Israeli forces arrested Al-Qouqa on March 19, 2024, during their raid on Al-Shifa while he was treating the wounded. Several other medical staff were taken with him. Since then, the center said, he has been subjected to torture and physical and psychological abuse, was denied blood pressure medication, and has a herniated disc and stomach ulcers. He has been denied visits from his lawyers and the Red Cross.Israel approves expanded settlements: Israeli authorities have approved a settlement plan covering nearly 6,000 dunums (600 hectares) of Palestinian land east of Bethlehem, the Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem reported.ARIJ said the plan, approved by the Gush Etzion Regional Council, would expand the illegal Tekoa settlement southward between Tuqu’ and Al-Minya.Israeli banks cut off Palestinian lenders: Israel Discount Bank will end ties with Palestinian lenders on Sept. 1, and Bank Hapoalim will make a similar termination on Oct. 1, Reuters reported.Together, these banks process about $16.6 billion a year in Palestinian transactions. Palestinian banks now appear likely to be cut off from Israel’s financial system, threatening imports, salaries, and government operation.Moroccan officers make first field tour of Gaza ahead of force deployment: Around 30 Moroccan military officers entered Gaza on Wednesday for what Israeli broadcaster Kan reported was the army’s first field tour of areas where its troops are expected to operate, part of preparations for a multinational force proposed under Trump’s “Board of Peace,” The New Arab reported.LebanonIsraeli drone wounds two paramedics in “double-tap” strike in south Lebanon: Two paramedics were wounded and their ambulance damaged after an Israeli drone struck a Civil Defense vehicle at the site of an earlier attack in Nabatieh Al-Fawqa, southern Lebanon, on Thursday, according to the Islamic Health Authority.At least 130 paramedics have been killed and 260 emergency responders wounded in direct attacks since Israel’s latest war on Lebanon began on March 2.Israeli forces also carried out several demolitions on road crossings linking the southern Lebanese towns of Hadatha, Tayri, and Kounine, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency, despite the U.S.-brokered “ceasefire.” Israeli troops conducted a large-scale demolition in the town of Khiam, the agency reported.📥 Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email DC Correspondent Julian Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.comU.S. NewsNew Trump tariffs on 80+ countries take effect: The Trump administration imposed tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% on goods from more than 80 countries starting Friday, invoking Section 301 of the Trade Act, which targets countries that engage in “unfair or discriminatory” labor practices.The Supreme Court rejected Trump’s tariffs in February. Trump’s latest workaround cites the countries’ failure to pass or enforce laws banning products made by forced labor.Senate blocks Iran War Powers Act: The U.S. Senate voted 49-47 to block a war powers resolution that would have required Trump to end unauthorized U.S. military action against Iran.Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine joined Democrats in voting to advance the resolution, while Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania sided with Republicans to block it. Four Republican senators did not vote.The Republican-led House passed a similar measure 214-208, with four Republicans joining Democrats in directing Trump to halt hostilities unless authorized by Congress.DOJ withdraws subpoenas against NYT journalists: The Justice Department withdrew subpoenas seeking phone records and grand jury testimony from New York Times journalists after Judge Arun Subramanian pressed prosecutors for nearly an hour over procedural violations.The DOJ had attempted to subpoena journalists investigating the security capabilities of Trump’s new Air Force One, donated to him by Qatar, an act the Times claimed was an attempt to intimidate its reporters. The Justice Department says that the investigation “remains ongoing.”Alaska sends 3,000 citizenship-verification letters to voters: Alaska’s Division of Elections sent 3,048 letters asking voters to verify their citizenship ahead of the Aug. 18 primary, far more than the roughly 200 names typically flagged, according to the AP.Alaska’s elections director attributed the spike to outdated DMV data, saying recipients moved to an “inactive” list can still vote using a special ballot.24+ states sue over Trump election, immigration conditions on disaster funding: More than two dozen states sued the Trump administration in Rhode Island federal court, challenging FEMA and DHS policies that condition billions in disaster funding on states adopting election changes and assisting immigration enforcement.Top Haley Stevens comms consultant fired for moonlighting with Palantir: Caitlin Legacki, the vocal Haley Stevens consultant, was secretly consulting for Palantir, Ryan Grim reported. In the wake of Grim’s request for comment, the campaign terminated Legacki. “Haley was unaware of Ms. Legacki’s work for Palantir. Her contract with the campaign has been terminated. She is no longer consulting for the campaign,” a Stevens spokesperson told Drop Site.The spokesperson went on: “Haley believes ICE is out of control, putting Michiganders in danger, and needs an immediate overhaul. That’s why she’s voted against giving them another cent without serious reforms, including prosecuting any ICE agents who commit crimes and abuse their power, forcing ICE agents to wear proper ID and prohibiting them from wearing masks to conceal their identities, and taking away their $75 billion slush fund.”Legacki complained that Drop Site is “more interested in my sources of income than Abdul El-Sayed’s, the actual candidate in this race who hasn’t filed his personal financial disclosure.”Migrant Insider reports on Stevens’ voting record on ICE, before her current opposition.Moreno comes out against Section 219 of the NDAA: Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) told Drop Site’s Julian Andreone that he opposes Section 219 of the National Defense Authorization Act, the controversial measure that would merge the intelligence-gathering capacities of the U.S. and Israeli militaries, and told Andreone he does not think that the measure will make it into the final bill.“There’s nobody here who’s more of an ardent supporter of Israel’s right to exist and ability to defend themselves, but I don’t think we should integrate our military with anybody, not even the Bahamas,” he said.Julian spoke with other senators on the Hill about the measure. Their responses are here.Other International NewsStrikes in Russia, Ukraine kill 17: A Russian missile attack killed six people and wounded “dozens” in the Kyiv region on Friday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, while a separate strike on the Donetsk city of Sloviansk killed five and injured nine, according to the region’s governor.Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s Kirov region killed six and injured 26 at a factory on Friday, the region’s governor said. Kyiv is continuing to target Wildberries warehouses, continuing a campaign against the Russian e-commerce giant that began last weekend, according to the company’s founderGreece approves $4 billion Israeli arms purchase: Greece’s national security body approved a procurement worth up to $4 billion for the Israeli-made air defense system Achilles Shield.Greece is set to acquire the SPYDER, David’s Sling, and Barak MX missile defense systems. The technology is manufactured by the Israeli state-owned firms Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries, and expected to be fully operational by 2029.Sudanese army drone strike kills displaced civilians in Blue Nile: A Sudanese army drone killed dozens at a gathering of displaced people in the Badia area of Blue Nile state early Thursday. Most of the victims were women and children, according to Sudan Tribune.Women in besieged Sudanese city face drones and sexual violence: Women and girls fetching water in Sudan’s besieged El-Obeid face drone attacks during the day and sexual violence after dark, UN Women said Friday.“These women and girls have been harassed. They’ve been raped, and they’ve been subjected to other forms of sexual violence, all while trying to access water, one of life’s most fundamental necessities in human rights,” a regional UN director said.The UN estimates 12.7 million women and girls across Sudan need support for the sexual violence this year.Milei to endorse Flavio Bolsonaro at Brazilian party convention: Argentine President Javier Milei travels to Brazil Friday to endorse Senator Flavio Bolsonaro’s presidential campaign, after months of scandal have left him trailing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in polls, Reuters reported.Bolsonaro has faced fresh scrutiny over his financial ties to a jailed banker, a public spat with his stepmother, and new U.S. tariffs on Brazilian goods.Indian activist Wangchuk ends 26-day hunger strike amid Cockroach protests: Activist Sonam Wangchuk announced on Thursday night he ended his hunger strike demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, citing “a long negotiation on various conditions and in view of possible violence in the country,” Al Jazeera reported.Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged tougher enforcement surrounding exam paper leaks in a video addressed, as well as fast-tracked court proceedings for those responsible.Protests in Delhi led by the Cockroach Janta Party continue at the city’s Jantar Mantar, where rights groups have condemned police for “excessive use of force” and suspending mobile internet.Suicide bombing kills 15 at Pakistani checkpoint near Afghan border: A vehicle packed with explosives rammed the outer wall of a security post in Pakistan’s northwestern Tank district overnight, killing 12 soldiers and three others, according to the Pakistani military.The post, jointly staffed by the army and police, came under attack after militants failed to breach its defenses; the military said 12 attackers were killed in the ensuing fighting. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility in a statement, saying four suicide bombers took part.
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