| Drop Site Daily: July 21, 2026U.S. strikes Iran for tenth straight night. Iranian issues waves of retaliatory attacks. Nearly 100 U.S. service members wounded this month, CBS reports. Iran’s IRGC says it will repel any U.S. incursion into Iran. Multiple attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. Shipowners offering bonuses to crews transiting Hormuz. Iran confirms Turkey helped block Kurdish insurgency plan. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says Israel has “no interest” in joining Iran war. Israeli attacks continue in Lebanon despite U.S.-backed “ceasefire.” “Pilot zone” operations begin in Lebanon; Lebanese Army reports being fired on by Israel. Israel continues escalated assault on Gaza. Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank. France urges European Union to ban imports from illegal Israeli settlements. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly planning election law change that could block Marwan Barghouti from Palestinian Liberation Organization leadership. Man killed fleeing ICE in Florida was on a valid tourist visa. Department of Homeland Security revives rule tying immigrant benefit use to green card eligibility. Judge temporarily blocks Paramount’s $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery deal. Department of Justice sought phone records of New York Times journalists, relatives. New Orleans police briefly published policy allowing weaponized drones. State Department releases report accusing Cuba of “infiltrating” American left-wing. Israel shoots two children in southern Syria. U.S. hits Canada with new 50% tariffs. Police clash with ‘Cockroach’ movement protesters in India. Flash floods kill at least 20 in eastern Afghanistan. Floods and landslides kill at least 25 across northern India. Saudi coalition responds to Ansarallah maritime blockade, Saudi-backed government announces resumption of oil exports. Militants kill at least 50 soldiers in Mali. UN: Nearly 400,000 face emergency food insecurity in North Kordofan. President Daniel Ortega says Nicaragua will no longer hold elections. UN official: Haitian children jailed for years without trial. Eduardo Bolsonaro secures U.S. green card. Ed Miliband appointed UK foreign secretary. 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 Funeral procession for six Palestinians killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza City, Gaza, Palestine on July 21, 2026. Photo by Saeed M. M. T. Jaras/Anadolu via Getty Images. IranU.S. strikes Iran for tenth straight night: The U.S. continued its bombing campaign in Iran on Monday and Tuesday, hitting several cities in the country’s south and claiming “disruptions” to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz as justification. U.S. airstrikes on Monday hit Chabahar and Konarak in the southeastern Sistan and Baluchistan province, according to Iranian state media. Explosions were heard on Monday evening in the southern cities of Sirik, Bandar Abbas, and Bandar-Lengh as well as on Qeshm Island. Two explosions were also heard in the central city of Isfahan.
Iranian retaliatory attacks: Iran launched attacks on U.S. military bases in the Gulf in response, claiming that it had successfully targeted U.S. missile-defense radar systems, air defense infrastructure and fighter planes, and units used to house U.S, military personnel. Iran’s military claimed that a Monday strike on a U.S. base in Jordan destroyed a F-15 fighter jet and a radar system, and that a separate attack struck a complex housing U.S. troops. This attack reportedly killed several American servicemembers, though the IRGC did not provide an estimate. Iran claimed three successful attacks on U.S. bases in Kuwait on Monday, including Camp Arifjan, the Al-Adhari military camp, and a barracks at the Ahmed Al-Jaber base. The attack on Camp Arifjan reportedly struck an HIMARS missile systems, according to the Iranian Army. This attack comes one day after U.S. Central Command posted a photo of HIMARS systems deployed in the Middle East. Iranian strikes hit and destroyed defense technology at bases near Manama, Bahrain, including a Patriot system, its military reported. Iranian missiles also struck what the Iranian military characterized as “the central data infrastructure” used by Amazon in Bahrain, according to a Monday statement. On Tuesday, Kuwait’s Energy Ministry said that Iranian strikes had damaged its power and desalination plants, causing fires at several sites.
Nearly 100 U.S. service members wounded this month, CBS reports: Iranian strikes have wounded nearly 100 U.S. service members on American bases across the Middle East since July 7, U.S. officials told CBS News. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell maintained that most suffered minor concussions and said that about 96% had already returned to duty. IRGC says it will repel any U.S. incursion into Iran: The deputy commander of the IRGC’s ground forces said on Monday that his troops would “immediately” repel any U.S. incursion into Iranian territory, describing them as at “the highest level of readiness.”
Attacks in the Strait of Hormuz: At least two ships were struck in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, with the U.S. blockade of Iran still ongoing and with Iran insisting vessels pass through the Strait through its northern route. A tanker was struck by an unknown projectile about eight nautical miles northeast of Oman on Monday evening, forcing the vessel’s crew to abandon ship, according to the UKTMO. Another vessel was struck on Tuesday morning by a projectile about 17 miles east of the United Arab Emirates. The projectile, also of uncertain provenance, reportedly damaged the vessel’s steering gear, according to the UKTMO, but resulted in no crew casualties. These attacks followed a statement from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that “massive fires” have broken out on two oil tankers that attempted to “pass through the unsafe southern route in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Shipowners offering bonuses to crews transiting Hormuz: Sinokor, the world’s largest supertanker owner, has offered six months’ extra pay for a roughly month-long round trip which would involve a transit through the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reported on Monday. For the lowest paid crew members, this could total as much as $9,000, and for captains, it could equal $90,000. Shipowners often earn millions of dollars per Hormuz voyage, according to Bloomberg.
Iran confirms Turkey helped block Kurdish insurgency plan: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed in a Sunday interview that Turkey played an “effective” role in preventing an alleged U.S.- and Israeli-backed Kurdish insurgency from being launched against Iran from Iraqi Kurdistan earlier in the war.
Smotrich says Israel has “no interest” in joining Iran war: Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Tuesday that Israel has “no interest in joining the campaign” against Iran, speaking at a conference. “The current situation is good for us, and we have no interest in pushing ourselves into it,” he said, adding that Israel is “prepared for any scenario.”
LebanonIsraeli attacks continue in Lebanon despite U.S.-backed “ceasefire”: Israeli forces shelled the Ali Al-Taher hills near Nabatieh Al-Fawqa on Tuesday, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. The Israeli army carried out two rounds of demolitions in Majdal Zoun, while citizens reported large explosions near the towns of Beit Yahoun and Kounine in Bint Jbeil district, and the town of Kfar Tebnit in Nabatieh. Israeli forces also carried out a “massive demolition operation” in the town of Mays Al-Jabal, the NNA reported. On Monday, Israel struck the outskirts of Al-Mansouri, shelled Nabatieh Al-Fawqa and Kfartebnit, and demolished homes and infrastructure in Beit Yahoun, Deir Seryan, Tyri, Kfartebnit, Taybeh, and Zawtars, according to Press TV correspondent Hadi Hodeit. Israeli forces also opened fire toward Haddatha, Majdal Zoun, Zawtar Al-Gharbiyeh, and Buyout Al-Sayyad on Monday, Hoteit reported.
“Pilot zone” operations begin in Lebanon: The U.S. State Department said that operations in the southern Lebanese villages of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbiya were scheduled to begin on Monday, under the U.S.-brokered trilateral framework between Lebanon and Israel. The Lebanese Army announced on Tuesday a deployment to the town of Zawtar Al-Gharbiyeh in Nabatieh, after coordinating with the “Military Coordination Group for Lebanon,” established under the framework, advising citizens to avoid returning to the town. Israeli forces opened fire near Lebanese troops as they were deploying in the town on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Lebanese Army. The army warned the incident could
“hinder the implementation of deployment steps” in the pilot zones. The trilateral framework calls for the Lebanese Army to take control in designated “pilot zones,” and for the disarmament and dismantling of Hezbollah and other armed groups’ infrastructure. It also urges Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon, but holds Israel, which has indicated it has no intention to leave the “security zone,” to no concrete commitments.
PalestineKilled and wounded: Over the past 24 hours, 10 Palestinians were killed, one due to wounds sustained in earlier attacks, and 42 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 73,293 killed, with 173,906 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 1,168 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 3,798, while 802 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble.
Israel continues escalated assault on Gaza: Israeli attacks on Gaza on Monday killed at least eight Palestinians and wounded more than 20 others. An Israeli drone struck a civilian vehicle near Al-Ghafri Junction in Gaza City, wounding up to 14 people, including children, according to local reports. Drop Site correspondent Mohamed Ahmed spoke to eyewitnesses to an attack on a makeshift shelter inside a hospital building, with a man describing its initial stages by noting that “children [were] having fun and playing football, and suddenly they started screaming.” The attack killed four Palestinians and wounded at least 16 others, according to WAFA. Video of that reporting is available here. In Khan Younis, a separate Israeli drone strike hit a civilian vehicle near the British Hospital in al-Mawasi, killing three Palestinians and wounding others. Israeli forces killed an entire family of six, including three children, in an overnight strike on a home in Gaza City as families slept. The house, which was engulfed in flames, was reportedly struck at least three times, hampering efforts to rescue survivors. “From 13 to 20 July alone, our office has recorded that the Israeli military killed at least 57 Palestinians, including six children and eight women,” UN human rights office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said Tuesday, addressing Israel’s escalating attacks on Gaza.
Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank: Israeli settlers set fire to olive trees in the town of Beit Ilyan, northwest of occupied Jerusalem, as part of a series of attacks on Palestinians on Monday. Israeli settlers also continued to raid the village of Al-Mughir, northeast of Ramallah, storming homes in the area. Three Palestinians were injured after settlers attacked a home in the town of Raba, east of Jenin, assaulting a man and two of his sons.
Abbas reportedly planning election law change that could block Barghouti from PLO leadership: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is preparing to amend election law to restore the Palestinian Legislative Council to 132 seats while allocating 68 additional Palestinian National Council seats to be filled by “consensus,” widely understood to mean appointment, The New Arab reported, citing two Palestinian officials.
U.S. NewsBy Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com. Man killed fleeing ICE in Florida was on valid tourist visa: Juan Jairo Coronilla Duran, the 28-year-old Mexican man killed by a semi-truck while fleeing an ICE traffic stop in St. Augustine, Florida, on July 14, was in the U.S. on a valid tourist visa and had been in the country for just three weeks, his wife Yésica Alamilla López told Spectrum News. DHS revives rule tying immigrant benefit use to green card eligibility: The Department of Homeland Security published a new “public charge” policy Monday that restores the ability for immigration officers to weigh immigrants’ use of Medicaid, CHIP, and SNAP when deciding green card eligibility, Axios reported, reversing Biden-era limits that largely restricted such determinations to cash welfare benefits. A KFF-New York Times survey found that 11% of adult immigrants said they stopped participating in public benefit programs in 2025 due to immigration-related concerns. Public health groups, including the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, warned the rule could deter immigrant families from seeking health coverage even for citizen children.
Judge temporarily blocks Paramount’s $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery deal: A federal judge issued a 14-day temporary restraining order Monday halting Paramount’s $111 billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery while she weighs a lawsuit brought by 12 states arguing the merger violates antitrust law, The New York Times reported. DOJ sought phone records of NYT journalists, relatives in leak probe: The Trump administration issued subpoenas to third-party providers seeking phone and text records of several New York Times journalists and their relatives, including one reporter’s mother, as part of an effort to unmask sources for reporting on security concerns with Trump’s new Air Force One jet, according to a motion unsealed Monday by Judge Arun Subramanian of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan. The Times, seeking to quash the subpoenas, argued the Justice Department violated its own guidelines for media subpoenas and sought records dating back to January, well before the disputed articles, calling it a “bad-faith effort to intimidate the journalists.” A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
Judge dismisses DOJ challenge to Minnesota immigration laws A federal judge nominated by President Trump sided with Minnesota on Monday, dismissing the Justice Department’s lawsuit challenging state and local laws that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, according to the New York Times. New Orleans police briefly published policy allowing weaponized drones: A draft version of the New Orleans Police Department’s drone operations manual, live on its website in June, would have allowed the department to arm quadcopter drones with the police superintendent’s written approval, before being replaced July 1 with language again banning weaponized drones, 404 Media reported. Trump-linked ‘Freedom Fuel’ gas chain tied to operators with history of fraud: The “Freedom Fuel Network,” a chain of discounted gas stations launched in Philadelphia and promoted by the White House as delivering a 50-cent-per-gallon discount in Trump’s honor, is run by brothers Syed and Shamikh Kazmi, who have a history of unpaid debts, default judgments and failed business deals, Maureen Tkacik of the The American Prospect reports. The company’s incorporation documents name energy trader Yonatan Gontownik, whose family has deep ties to pro-Israel lobbying group NORPAC. Gontownik’s trading firm, Mercuria, has seen its profits skyrocket in the wake of the U.S.-Iran War. Read Tkacik’s full piece for TAP here.
Trump says Netanyahu will not be arrested: In response to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s comments that an arrest of Israeli Prime Minister in New York remains “in active consideration,” President Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday that Netanyahu, would “not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form” while in the United States. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on November 21, 2024; he is accused of war crimes, including using starvation as a method of warfare and intentionally directing attacks against civilians.
State Department releases report accusing Cuba of “infiltrating” American left-wing: The State Department released a 100-page report on Monday purporting to show connections between the government of the island nation and various figures on the American left, including the national Democratic Socialists of America, Reps. Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley (as well as Omar’s daughter), Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, the Black Lives Matter Movement, CODEPINK founder Medea Benjamin, and streamer Hasan Piker. The report alleges that Cuba has “infiltrated the highest reaches of the U.S. government” and “cultivated generations of American activists,” citing a visit to March 2026 junket to Cuba, then as now under a crippling fuel blockade, as its primary evidence. Benjamin told Drop Site that CODEPINK is now under Treasury Department investigation for bringing medical supplies to Cuban children’s hospitals. “The people delivering medicine are under investigation, not the officials enforcing policies that deprive Cubans of medicine, food, fuel, and electricity,” she said. “Why is the State Department naming American citizens in their Cuba report where they seemingly complain about our opinions on US sanctions policy?” Piker wrote. “This is absolutely protected by the 1st Amendment. They are trying to chill speech through intimidation.” On Tuesday, Rep. Pramila Jayapal gave an outline of the effects of Washington’s decades-long blockade, calling the policy one of “collective punishment” and noting how it chokes off access to food, medicine, fuel, and other basic necessities.
Other International NewsU.S. hits Canada with new 50% tariffs: President Trump announced on Monday that the U.S. would impose 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, alleging that these tariffs are a response “discriminatory treatment” of American cars, alcohol, and dairy exports by Canada. Trump invoked Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to justify his newest series of tariffs, a largely untested provision which some Democratic lawmakers attempted to appeal last year, anticipating Trump’s future use of it and its potential economic effects. The tariffs take effect August 19 and cover goods ranging from wine and hockey sticks to cement, as well as goods that had previously been protected from import taxes by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Energy products, potash, and critical minerals are among the exemptions.
Police clash with ‘Cockroach’ movement protesters in India: Police fired tear gas and used batons on more than 10,000 protesters from India’s youth-led “Cockroach” movement as they marched on the New Delhi parliament on Monday, the group’s largest demonstration yet.
The “Cockroach” movement, which is focused on corruption in the country’s education system, is demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, after his role in exam leaks that forced more than 2 million prospective medical students to retake their exam. Activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on hunger strike for three weeks in solidarity with the movement, was forcibly hospitalized on Saturday, adding to the anger of the protesters.
Flash floods kill at least 20 in eastern Afghanistan: Flash floods in eastern Afghanistan’s Nuristan province on Monday killed at least 20 people and left 80 more wounded, Afghan officials said, with more than 100 people still missing. The worst-hit area was Parun, the province’s capital, where floodwaters destroyed a municipal center, hotels, and dozens of shops, according to AFP. The missing include the Parun’s mayor and several government employees. The death toll is expected to rise.
Floods and landslides kill at least 25 across northern India: At least 25 people were killed over the weekend in floods and landslides across Indian-administered Kashmir and in the state of Nagaland following days of torrential monsoon rain, local officials said Monday. Kashmir’s Poonch, Rajouri, and Doda districts saw at least 15 deaths and reported several people missing, while nine died in landslides in the northeastern Nagaland. One person also died in Assam. The flooding prompted authorities to suspend the Amarnath and Vaishno Devi pilgrimages, the first of which drew over 400,000 people last year. India’s weather office warned active monsoon conditions are expected to persist for weeks.
Saudi coalition responds to Ansarallah maritime blockade, Saudi-backed government announces resumption of oil exports: The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, a military alliance assembled by Riyadh in 2015 to fight Ansarallah, said on Monday it was taking steps to shield vessels in the Red Sea and would respond “decisively and forcefully” after Ansarallah’s recent declaration of a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia. A spokesperson for the coalition also dismissed claims that Yemeni ports and airports had been closed as “misinformation,” and denied accusations from Ansarallah that Saudi Arabia was “besieging” the Yemeni people. Rashid al-Alimi, the head of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government, also announced the resumption of oil exports from the country, suspended since late 2022, in a televised address on Monday. Al-Alimi said the government would seek to resume exports “by all available means” starting July 20, but did not detail how. Yemen’s exports of oil, which were minor but steady prior to a rapid decrease during the war, were halted after Ansarallah struck oil terminals in southern Yemen. On Tuesday, Yemeni Defense Minister Taher al-Uqaili announced that his armed forces were prepared with “the highest level of combat and morale to end the Houthi coup,” calling the conflict a “war for freedom.”
Militants kill at least 50 soldiers in Mali: Al-Qaeda-linked and Tuareg separatist fighters ambushed a Malian army convoy on Saturday in the northern Gao region, killing at least 50 soldiers and capturing more than 20 others, according to the AFP. The al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM and the Tuareg separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) claimed responsibility for the assault, which they characterized as a joint operation, saying they inflicted “great human losses” and destroyed army vehicles. The army said its partners, likely a reference to Russia’s Africa Corps mercenaries, were also hit.
UN: Nearly 400,000 face emergency food insecurity in North Kordofan: The United Nations warned on Monday that nearly 400,000 displaced people across North Kordofan’s Sheikan, Bara and Gharb Bara districts face emergency levels of acute food insecurity, citing estimates from the World Food Programme. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric noted the body’s particular concern about conditions in El Obeid, where thousands have been displaced as a result of fighting in the region, and where humanitarian conditions have sharply deteriorated.
Ortega says Nicaragua will no longer hold elections: Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega told supporters on Sunday that Nicaragua will stop holding elections, framing the move as necessary to block a U.S.-backed opposition from seizing power, Reuters reported. Ortega, who has held power since 2007, made the announcement at an event commemorating the 1979 Sandinista revolution. Ortega’s government has been accused by the UN Human Rights Council of “arbitrary detentions, torture, extrajudicial executions [and the] persecution of civil society and the media”. Nicaragua’s last elections were held in 2021, with Ortega being elected co-president alongside his wife, Rosario Murillo.
UN official: Haitian children jailed for years without trial: UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Vanessa Frazier told the Security Council on Monday that some children in Haiti have been jailed up to eight years without appearing before a judge. Frazier said these child detainees are often held in overcrowded cells designed for minors, but mostly housing adults. She called the situation “amongst the most alarming anywhere in the world,” and pleaded that these children, who are often arrested for their gang ties, be treated primarily as victims and be released.
Eduardo Bolsonaro secures U.S. green card: Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and an ally of Trump, told Reuters on Monday he had received permanent U.S. residency. Eduardo, who has lived in the U.S. since early 2025, was sentenced in June to four years and two months in prison in Brazil for soliciting U.S. interference in his father’s trial. He claimed that he was approved under the EB-1A category, which permits “individuals with extraordinary abilities” to move to the U.S. Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, brother of Eduardo Bolsonaro, is currently the leading right-wing candidate in Brazil’s presidential election scheduled for October.
Ed Miliband appointed UK foreign secretary: Ed Miliband, who led Britain’s Labour party until its defeat in the 2015 general election, was appointed foreign secretary Monday by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, whose recent ascent he reportedly helped to engineer. Miliband, who had served as “energy security secretary” under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, pledged in a letter to strengthen ties with the EU and Washington. He also vowed to work towards a “sustainable peace” between Israelis and Palestinians. He has been at times critical of Israel, especially during its 2014 assault on Gaza, but has tempered this with condemnations of Hamas, opposition to the BDS movement, and, following party guidance, abstaining on a ceasefire vote in 2023.
Japan protests China live-fire drills: Japan lodged a diplomatic protest against China on Tuesday over live-fire drills, also involving Russian vessels, held near Okinotori Island in what Tokyo says is its exclusive economic zone, Reuters reported. China’s foreign ministry called the concerns “completely unreasonable,” and disputed Japan’s territorial claim over Okinotori, which it claims is a reef, not an island.
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