| Drop Site Daily: July 20, 2026U.S. continues its strikes on Iran over the weekend and into Monday. Iranian retaliatory attacks. U.S. confirms deaths of three service members. Iran suspends MOU commitments. Iran, U.S. signal openness to diplomacy amid ongoing strikes. Iranian energy ministry announces repairs to Jask water facility complete. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran expected war and prepared retaliation before U.S.-Israeli attack. Iraq seeks alternative oil transport routes. Israeli forces burn and demolish homes in southern Lebanon, despite “ceasefire.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets Lebanese president in D.C. Israel bombards Gaza over the weekend. Palestinian composer found dead in Gaza City. Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank. Hamas names Khalil Al-Hayya as new chief. Two-year-old dies amid chickenpox outbreak in Gaza. Report: Israel holds 16 Palestinian doctors in its prisons. Palestinian Journalists Syndicate says eight journalists killed, 467 violations recorded in first half of 2026. NDAA House floor fight over Israeli military fusion. Crypto legislation moving through Senate. Troy Jackson effectively secures Democratic Senate nomination in Maine. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani says arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still under discussion ahead of UN visit. GEO Group employee shoots protester outside Aurora ICE facility. Chicago U.S. attorney’s office in crisis after immigration prosecution failures. Trump order halted federal probe into BAE shipyard harassment claims. Rep. Summer Lee, national DSA endorse Donovan McKinney in Detroit. Sen. Elizabeth Warren backs Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan Senate race. Andy Burnham becomes UK prime minister, succeeding Starmer. Ansarallah announces maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia. U.S. to allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium. Russian strike on cargo ship kills 10 off Odesa. China and the Philippines trade blame after South China Sea clash. Ecuador bans AMIGO party as electoral purge deepens. Dozens feared dead after passenger ferry sinks off Guyana. This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. We send it Monday through Friday. Today’s edition is being sent to more than 750,000 subscribers. Help us grow that number by forwarding and recommending this newsletter. 🛒 Get your “Drop [Site] News/Not Bombs” Hoodie here: Get Your Hoodie A heavily-damaged bridge which was hit by a U.S. strike is pictured along the road connecting Roudan and Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on July 18, 2026. Photo by Amir Hossein Khorgooei / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images. Iran and CeasefireU.S. continues its strikes on Iran over the weekend and into Monday: The U.S. launched several waves of strikes on Iran over the weekend; one attack hit a nuclear power plant. On Saturday, after its eighth consecutive night of strikes, CENTCOM said that it had successfully targeted “Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites.” The announcement also claimed successful hits on IRGC forces, though no casualty figures were given. The U.S. struck Iran’s Darkhovin nuclear power plant on Sunday, according to the country’s Atomic Energy Agency. The International Atomic Energy Agency said it would open an investigation into the strike and claimed that the facility was “in the very early stages of construction” and, when it was last visited by the IAEA, “contained no nuclear material.” Iran’s atomic agency called on the IAEA to directly condemn the strike, which it has yet to do, citing IAEA resolutions declaring that attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities violate international law. U.S. strikes overnight into Saturday knocked 116 telecommunications towers offline, authorities from Iran’s Hormozgan province reported, disrupting landline, internet, and mobile service in the region. U.S. attacks on Sunday hit several areas within Iran including, the city of Abadan, in the southwestern Khuzestan province, the city of Shadegan in the same province, Qeshm Island, and the southern cities of Sirik and Hajiabad in the Hormozgan province. On Monday morning, U.S. strikes were reported across Iran, from the northern city of Tabriz to the western city of Khorramabad to the southeastern city of Kerman. Additional strikes were reported in the frequently targeted cities of Bushehr and Jask. CENTCOM reported on Sunday that its blockade of Iran had redirected six commercial vessels and “disabled” one. U.S. strikes have killed at least 50 and wounded 517 since they restarted strikes on July 6, Iran’s Health Ministry reported on Sunday, with 12 of these deaths occurring from Friday to Saturday.
Iranian retaliatory attacks: Iranian forces launched retaliatory attacks on U.S. partner nations in the Gulf over the weekend, hitting a number of critical targets. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reported several successful strikes on U.S. military infrastructure in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan early on Saturday, including strikes on a ground forces support center, a radar installation, a fuel support pier, sites used to support U.S. fighter jets and other aircraft, and signal communications infrastructure. Sirens also sounded at Yanbu, one of Saudi Arabia’s principal Red Sea ports and one that has grown more vital during disruptions to traffic through Hormuz. Iran hit a “vital” oil-sector facility, the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation reported on Saturday, adding that the site was evacuated and that the attack caused “significant material losses.” The Iranian army reported two more attacks on U.S. bases in Kuwait on Saturday evening, including on an ammunition depot at Camp Arifjan and the Ali Al Salem airbase. A separate Iranian attack on Sunday struck a Kuwaiti power generation and water desalination plant, the third consecutive attack confirmed by the country’s authorities, though they did not name the facility involved. The attack knocked a “large number” of generating units out of operation, according to Kuwait’s Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy Ministry, which condemned the attack as “heinous Iranian aggression.” Explosions were reported in the Iraqi city of Erbil, in the country’s Kurdistan region, with drones seen flying over the city, according to Al Mayadeen. The outlet reported that American air defenses were activated in response. Jordan reported that it shot down three Iranian missiles on Sunday, with a fourth landing in an open area and causing no damage. Some reports suggested damage at or near King Hussein International Airport, where thick black smoke could be seen. Iran reported on Sunday that it struck two ships that attempted to subvert its authority over the Strip, noting four total incidents in which ships attempted to use a U.S.-designated southern route to transit the Strait and ignored warnings from the Iranian navy, two of which involved the use of military force. Iranian state media also released high-resolution satellite images of its weekend attacks on U.S. bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, and Qatar on Sunday.
U.S. confirms deaths of three service members: CENTCOM confirmed on Saturday the deaths of two U.S. soldiers in Jordan, killed during an attack on July 17, and reported that one additional soldier remained missing in action, while four had been transported to hospitals to attend to their wounds. The New York Times reported that U.S. installations in Jordan have come under four waves of attacks in five days, and that these attacks have wounded dozens and inflicted serious damage on American helicopters, with the true casualty count and damage underreported by CENTCOM. The U.S. also confirmed on Sunday the death of another soldier in northern Iraq. The soldier was detonating unexploded ordnance from an Iranian drone, CENTCOM claimed, adding that another soldier was wounded in the incident. 17 total American service members have been killed since the war on Iran began in February, according to the Associated Press.
Iran suspends MOU commitments: Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told reporters on Saturday that the country would be suspending its obligations under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, citing Washington’s initial violations of the deal. In remarks carried by Iran’s Fars News Agency, Gharibabadi accused the United States of having “violated and suspended all its commitments” which the deal obliged it to follow, and said that Iran would move on from the deal and remain “focused on defending the country.” Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a subsequent statement excoriating the U.S. for its “repeated breaches of its commitments” as part of the MOU, and saying these proved “how worthless and unreliable the signature of the U.S. president is,” and how “bullying, domination, and savagery are inseparable components of the American way and doctrine.”
Iran, U.S. signal openness to diplomacy amid ongoing strikes: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that diplomatic efforts were continuing alongside the military response to U.S. attacks. Speaking at his weekly press conference, Baghaei confirmed that proposals had been conveyed to Iran through intermediaries but declined to disclose their details. Baghaei said Iran’s diplomatic apparatus was working in coordination with the armed forces and would “spare no effort to stop the American crimes.” Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, meanwhile, is expected to visit Islamabad on Monday evening to deliver a message from President Masoud Pezeshkian to Pakistan’s leadership, according to a Pakistani source cited by Al Jazeera. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that Washington remains open to diplomacy but that the MOU could not be considered “alive” while Iran was violating its terms by attacking ships and restricting passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Rubio claimed Iran had sent signals through direct and indirect channels that it wanted to negotiate, but that Washington would continue its military response unless Tehran’s conduct changed.
Iranian energy ministry announces repairs to Jask water facility complete: Repairs to the Bonji desalination plant were finished and water service in the area resumed, Iran’s energy ministry announced on Sunday, less than 48 hours after the facility was damaged in a U.S. missile strike. Araghchi says Iran expected war and prepared retaliation before U.S.-Israeli attack: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi gave a detailed account of the 40-day war, saying Tehran expected war before the conflict began, had prepared contingency plans, and entered last-minute nuclear talks to exhaust diplomacy before what it believed would be a U.S.-Israeli attack. Araghchi said the Supreme National Security Council drew up plans for multiple scenarios, including one codenamed “Code 110” if Iran’s leader was killed. The plan called for closing the Strait of Hormuz and launching a broader regional response. Araghchi said he was inside the leadership compound when multiple buildings were struck, escaping through rubble after three explosions. The coordinated strikes targeted senior military and political leaders and exposed a major “security breach.” Read more of Araghchi’s extensive comments here.
Iraq seeks alternative oil transport routes: Iraq plans to develop two new routes to export its oil, Oil Minister Basem Mohammed Khadir said on Saturday, following major constraints on its export industry due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. One will involve Turkey’s Ceyhan port, and the other will involve Syria’s Banyas port, according to state media. Iraq, the second-largest oil producer in OPEC, has received U.S. backing in its effort to rebuild a crude pipeline from Kirkuk through Syria to the Mediterranean, with U.S. companies expected to help construct the pipeline, according to CNBC. The announcement follows a larger trend, reported on by CNBC on Saturday, of Middle Eastern states, including Iraq and the UAE, seeking to build overland pipelines to bypass disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz. At least 7 of these pipelines are under construction or planned, according to the outlet. The U.S. energy firm HKN Energy announced on Sunday that it would halt all operations in Iraqi Kurdistan as a result of escalating hostilities in the area, according to the Kurdish outlet Rudaw. HKN recently signed a deal with Iraq to develop the Hamrin field in Salahaddin province, north-central Iraq, targeting output of 140,000 barrels of oil per day and 40 million cubic feet of gas.
LebanonIsraeli forces burn and demolish homes in southern Lebanon, despite “ceasefire”: Israeli forces set fire to homes in the southern Lebanese town of Kfartebnit on Monday, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. Rubio meets Lebanese president in D.C.: Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the State Department on Sunday, praising Lebanon’s “move toward peace” and pledging U.S. support for “the successful implementation of the Trilateral Framework,” the department said. Aoun’s office said he would press for talks on strengthening the ceasefire and on “the withdrawal of Israel from the Lebanese regions it occupies.” The framework agreement, signed June 26, ties Israeli withdrawal to Hezbollah’s disarmament, which Hezbollah has rejected, with no timeframe. Critics have noted that it extracts few guarantees from Israel, which has pledged to stay in the country indefinitely, and loads nearly all of its obligations onto the Lebanese government, which has shown limited ability to assert its authority, especially in the country’s south, where Israel continues to violate the ceasefire on an almost daily basis. It is the first visit to Washington by a Lebanese head of state since 2009. He meets Trump on Tuesday.
PalestineKilled and wounded: Over the past 24 hours, three Palestinians were killed and 22 were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 73,283 killed, with 173,864 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 1,158 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 3,756, while 802 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble.
Israel bombards Gaza over the weekend: On Friday, Israeli forces killed eight mourners in the Nuseirat refugee camp. Médecins Sans Frontières reported that its teams had treated 12 people injured in the Nuseirat funeral massacre, including 7 children, and that three were critically wounded, including a 14-year-old. “This is not a ceasefire,” the group said in a statement. Israel killed 10 Palestinians, including 3 children, in attacks on Gaza overnight into Saturday. An Israeli strike killed a family of five in Gaza City’s Al-Nasr neighborhood, while three others were killed in attacks in the Al-Zeitoun neighborhood. On Sunday, an Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis killed at least one and wounded 10 others, all of whom were displaced and sheltering in the city’s Al-Mawasi area, according to local journalist Osama Abu Rabee. Israeli forces later shot and killed a 6-year-old in the same area. Israeli artillery also struck and killed a woman and her daughter in the Al-Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City.
Palestinian composer found dead in Gaza City: 28-year-old Palestinian composer Qassem al-Khawaja was found dead in his apartment in Gaza City on Saturday. His family alleged that he was targeted by collaborators with the Israeli military and the killing was premeditated. Police said they had found a man—whom they did not name as Al-Khwaja—killed with a sharp object in the area, and announced they were opening an investigation into his murder. Al-Khawaja had built a following by rearranging songs using cooking pots and firewood from his family’s kitchen. “Music is also the sound of everyday life, even in the hardest circumstances,” he previously wrote.
Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank: Israeli forces killed two Palestinians on Sunday evening, in Deir Jarir, near Ramallah, including a 26-year-old watching the World Cup Final. At least three others were wounded in the attacks. Fadi Al-Naasan, a 17-year-old who was shot by Israeli forces about a week ago and who underwent a foot amputation as a result of the attack, died in Ramallah on Saturday. Al-Naasan was a decorated footballer, playing for the local Al-Mughayyir Club and Palestine’s youth national football team.
Hamas names Khalil Al-Hayya as new chief: Hamas announced on Monday that it has elected Khalil Al-Hayya as the movement’s new head of its political bureau, succeeding Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by the Israeli army in October 2024. Al-Hayya was elected through an internal vote, defeating former Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshaal in a run-off. A founding member of Hamas since its establishment in 1987, Al-Hayya has served on the movement’s five-member leadership council and has led negotiations with Israel on its behalf. Born in the Gaza Strip in 1960, Al-Hayya has lost three sons in Israeli attacks over the years, including one in an Israeli strike targeting Al-Hayya and other Hamas leaders in Doha in September 2025 and another killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City in May.
Two-year-old dies amid chickenpox outbreak in Gaza: Medical staff in Gaza have documented more than 9,300 cases of chickenpox in Gaza in the past two weeks, according to a correspondent from Al Araby, with a 2-year-old dying from the complications related to the disease on Sunday. Medical sources attributed the outbreak to a “combination of mass displacement, severe overcrowding, severely limited access to clean water, sewage, leakage, waste accumulation,” and total collapse of hygiene conditions in Gaza. Dr. Bassam Zaqout, the director of Palestinian Medical Relief, warned on Sunday that Gaza’s health system is nearing a “complete collapse,” while Israel continues to destroy medical facilities and restrict the entry of medicines, equipment, and supplies. He pointed to Israel’s refusal to allow sodium bicarbonate into the Strip as an example, which is necessary for kidney dialysis treatment, and noted that anemia rates in Gaza had risen from 20% before the war to 50-60% today.
Report: Israel holds 16 Palestinian doctors in its prisons: Israel is holding at least 16 Palestinian doctors in its prisons, the Palestinian Center for Prisoners Advocacy reported on Saturday, where they are subject to torture, starvation, isolation, and medical neglect. The group said the detention retaliation against medical staff who stayed at their post during the genocide in Gaza. It highlighted the cases of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, who has faced abuse, medical neglect, and threats of retaliation, and Dr. Marwan Al-Hams, who has also been denied medication and contact with his family during the period of his detention. It also noted that the whereabouts of some doctors are deliberately concealed from the public.
Palestinian Journalists Syndicate says eight journalists killed, 467 violations recorded in first half of 2026: The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said on Monday via WAFA that Israeli forces and settlers committed 467 violations against Palestinian journalists and media workers during the first half of 2026. The violations included restrictions on reporting, arrests, direct physical attacks, live fire, tear gas, and unfair judicial measures. The report documented the killing of eight journalists during the first six months of the year, bringing the total number killed since October 7, 2023, to 264. According to the report, Israeli forces also carried out 27 arrests of journalists, opened live fire on media crews in 29 incidents, and used tear gas and stun grenades against journalists in 78 cases during the reporting period.
U.S. NewsBy Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com. NDAA House floor fight over Israeli military fusion: The House of Representatives is expected to vote this week on an amendment from Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna to strip out a provision that would merge elements of the U.S. and Israeli militaries. Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, has come out against it after previously expressing openness. The measure was first proposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and is understood to be a response to pressure to block U.S. funding for Israel. By integrating the two institutions, it becomes harder for the public to identify specific assistance and pressure their representatives to vote against it. Crypto legislation moving through Senate: The CLARITY Act, backed by the crypto industry, is being pushed toward a Senate floor vote before the August recess, though it currently lacks the Democratic support it would need to overcome a filibuster. (Here’s Sen. Chris Murphy explaining his objection.) The push comes as Drop Site reports that a major crypto firm accidentally hired a North Korean hacker. Troy Jackson effectively secures Democratic Senate nomination in Maine: Troy Jackson won more than 90% of delegates in county elections held over the weekend to become Maine’s replacement Democratic Senate nominee, positioning him to secure the nomination at a July 25 convention in Bangor, Drop Site contributor Nathan Bernard reports. Jackson, a former state senator who leveraged the organizing network of previous nominee Graham Platner, will face Sen. Susan Collins in November after his top rivals, Shenna Bellows and Nirav Shah, dropped out and endorsed him Sunday.
Mamdani says Netanyahu arrest still under discussion ahead of UN visit: Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in an interview with The New York Times this weekend that his administration is weighing whether to arrest Netanyahu if he visits New York for the U.N. General Assembly in September, saying he is in “active conversation” with the city’s Law Department over his legal authority to do so. The Mayor noted Netanyahu’s ICC arrest warrant, calling him “a war criminal.” Mamdani condemned U.S. policy towards Gaza, saying “It is hard to find a more bankrupt policy approach” than America’s conduct towards Gaza and Palestine. Mamdani commented on immigration policy, saying he was “willing to work” with the Trump administration when immigrants were convicted of “serious crimes,” but said he refused to participate in civil immigration enforcement operations “with a federal government that has said openly it wants to deport a vast majority of people for crimes that we will never even know.” When asked about a possible presidential run from his New York colleague, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, he said she would “make a good anything.”
GEO Group employee shoots protester outside Aurora ICE facility: Brandon Booth, a 42-year-old GEO Group employee, was arrested and charged with assault and attempted second-degree murder on Saturday, after police said he shot and wounded a protester Thursday evening outside the Aurora ICE Processing Center in Colorado. Aurora police said Booth fired at two women who were involved in a “verbal confrontation” as part of a protest outside the facility. Booth, who was off-duty, reportedly grabbed his personal pistol and fired a shot in their direction.
FBI reportedly stepping back from investigating assaults on ICE agents: The FBI notified agents in recent days it would stop investigating claims of assaults against Department of Homeland Security agents, a change that would likely shift such cases to ICE’s own Homeland Security Investigations division, The New York Times reported on Saturday. In addition to the fact that the change would effectively leave ICE with the responsibility of investigating itself, the Times also notes that these investigations were often sources of valuable information to potential civil rights cases against or prosecutions of ICE agents, a more salient concern in the Trump administration’s ongoing violent immigration crackdown. The Justice Department and DHS issued a joint statement denying any policy change.
Chicago U.S. attorney’s office in crisis after immigration prosecution failures: The U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago has seen an exodus of veteran prosecutors and lost 59 of 62 federal assault cases brought against immigrants and protesters during last fall’s Operation Midway Blitz, The New York Times reported on Sunday, with only one guilty plea and no convictions. More than 100 former federal prosecutors from the office signed a letter criticizing the current U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros, and a judge admonished him this year over his handling of the “Broadview Six” case. “Your sole goal is to do justice,” the judge told Boutros in May. She added, “That trust has been broken.”
Trump order halted federal probe into BAE shipyard harassment claims: A two-year federal investigation into sexual harassment and pay discrimination against women at a BAE Systems shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia, was abruptly halted after Trump‘s January 2025 executive order shut down most work at the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, The New York Times reported on Sunday. Investigators, who had documented claims that managers demanded sex acts for overtime and promotions and were nearing a proposed settlement, said the workers never received compensation. The office, which has jurisdiction over approximately 20% of the U.S. workforce, has shrunk from about 480 employees to roughly 75. Trump’s budget proposal calls for eliminating it entirely.
Rep. Summer Lee, national DSA endorse Donovan McKinney in Detroit: The House Democrat with the most impressive record of choosing primary winners this cycle, Summer Lee, is throwing her weight behind state Rep. Donovan McKinney, who is challenging AIPAC-backed Rep. Shri Thanedar in Michigan. McKinney already had the support of the local Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) chapter, but has now added backing from national. Thanedar, meanwhile, announced the endorsement of the top three House Democrats. The primary is August 4; McKinney appeared last week on Breaking Points. Elizabeth Warren backs Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan Senate race: The Massachusetts senator had been backing Mallory McMorrow before she dropped out. That primary is also August 4. Arizona House primary tomorrow is next chance at incumbent upset: Leftist activist Kai Newkirk is challenging Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton, a leader of the pro-business New Democrat Coalition, in Arizona’s 4th congressional district. Polls show the early vote slanted toward Stanton, but with Newkirk surging and performing well among young voters.
Other International NewsAndy Burnham becomes UK prime minister, succeeding Starmer: Andy Burnham was appointed British prime minister on Monday, assuming the position without a challenge after Keir Starmer agreed to step down last month following election defeats and scandals. He has promised to alleviate England’s cost-of-living crisis and save its National Health Service, and in his introductory speech, he said his government would pass “power from the authorities to ordinary people.” Burnham, who served as mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 to 2026 before being elected to Parliament in June, becomes Britain’s seventh prime minister in just over a decade.
Ansarallah announces maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia: Yemen’s Ansarallah announced an immediate maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia, saying it was responding to the kingdom’s blockade with a “blockade for blockade.” In a statement, the Yemeni Armed Forces said Saudi Arabia had imposed a land, sea and air blockade on Yemen for nearly 12 years, accusing it of plundering the country’s resources and saying the latest escalation began with the strike on Sana’a International Airport. The group warned that any further Saudi escalation would be met with a “comprehensive and decisive” response. The announcement follows mass rallies across Yemen and comes after Ansarallah told Drop Site last week it would seek to block Saudi access to the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
U.S. to allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium: The Trump administration has reached a provisional deal that would allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium, CNN reported on Saturday, though Trump himself has not yet signed the deal. Sudan updates: Sudan’s Army launched a renewed push in the North Darfur region, particularly on Rapid Support Forces (RSF) positions near the border with Chad, according to Mada Masr, which reported that at least 300 vehicles had crossed the desert into the area in the preceding week. The buildup follows RSF operations in nearby Um Baru, which have affected upwards of 50 towns and villages and displaced over 4,000 people, according to the outlet. An RSF siege on the North Kordofan city of El Obeid damaged the city’s main water source, reducing the city’s water output by 70 percent, Madr Masr reported on Saturday. The city, which has been under siege from the RSF for more than 18 months, has seen its population rapidly expand to an estimated 3.4 million, about half of whom were displaced by fighting elsewhere. Because of the humanitarian implications of this siege, which the UN has warned could become “a repeat of El Fasher” (in which the RSF carried out well-documented atrocities, including door-to-door executions), Egypt is reportedly pressuring Sudan’s army to accept a ceasefire proposal. Sudanese Army officials believe that the successes of their ongoing operations are sufficient to mitigate this fear, Mada Masr reports.
Russian strike on cargo ship kills 10 off Odesa: A Russian missile struck a cargo ship shortly after it departed Odesa, killing a Ukrainian port pilot and nine Syrian and Indian crew members. Moscow claimed the vessel carried military cargo, while Ukraine accused Russia of targeting civilian shipping and global food exports. Ukrainian authorities say that Russia attacked 23 port facilities and 17 civilian vessels in the first half of July. Separately, in Russia, black smoke blanketed Moscow on Saturday after Ukrainian drones struck logistics warehouses and an oil depot in the area, the AP reported. The Noginsk oil depot, roughly 30 miles east of the capital, holds 24 storage tanks and is a key source of fuel for the region.
China and the Philippines trade blame after South China Sea clash: The Philippine government claimed that Chinese Coast Guard personnel beat a Philippine sailor and damaged a navy rubber boat in an encounter between their navies near disputed territory in the South China Sea. Beijing claimed the clash was triggered after Philippine vessels ignored warnings, rammed a Chinese patrol boat and attacked Chinese officers first with paddles and wooden poles. The clash took place near a disputed maritime shoal claimed by both countries that has become a flashpoint for tensions in recent years as Manila and Beijing compete to assert their authority over portions of the South China Sea.
Ecuador bans AMIGO party as electoral purge deepens: Ecuador’s Contentious Electoral Tribunal (TCE) issued as suspension against the AMIGO political movement, disqualifying it ahead of November’s local elections. The sanction leaves former president Rafael Correa’s Revolución Ciudadana alliance without a viable political vehicle after its main party was previously sidelined. The ruling marks the latest ban of an opposition movement executed without due process. Opposition leaders have condemned the tribunal’s decision as a heavy-handed measure designed to dismantle systemic competition and tilt the playing field directly in favor of President Daniel Noboa’s political movement. Dozens feared dead after passenger ferry sinks off Guyana: Dozens of passengers are missing after a ferry carrying 116 passengers and 17 crew members capsized off the coast of Guyana. Authorities rescued 67 people, including 15 children. Officials said unlisted passengers were among those rescued, raising questions about the accuracy of the passenger manifest on the ship and leaving authorities uncertain of how many people remain missing. Preliminary investigations say that the ferry capsized after being hit by a large wave while sailing towards the Essequibo region.
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