Slain Supreme Leader Khamenei's funeral continues, while tensions simmer in Hormuz

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned continued Israeli attacks on civilians and the killing of four people on Monday in the town of Nabatieh.

Aoun made the comments on his X account after meeting representatives of the Free Patriotic Movement, a Christian group led by former Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.

Bassil has conditionally backed Lebanon’s framework agreement with Israel, which Hezbollah has rebuked for not addressing the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon.

A tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said on Tuesday.

The tanker is believed to have suffered "structural damage", the UKMTO said, adding that there were no casualties or environmental impact.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari has condemned the targeting of the Al-Rekayat tanker as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

In a post on X, Al-Ansari said that it constituted an "aggression against the security and safety of international navigation, and the security of global energy supplies."

"A grave and explicit violation of the provisions of international law, especially the rules that guarantee freedom of maritime navigation and safe passage in international straits," he said.

"We demand that the Islamic Republic of Iran immediately cease all practices that harm regional security or threaten the safety of international navigation, and stop endangering global energy supplies and the capabilities of regional countries for the sake of narrow calculations, and we hold it fully legally responsible for this aggression and any damages and repercussions that may result from it," he added.

Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman Nour al-Din al-Baba said after two explosive devices detonated in Damascus that "an attempt was made to breach the security perimeter protecting French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit. The explosions failed to breach the perimeter."

He added that security forces have leads regarding the identity of those who planted the explosive devices, which he said were placed minutes before the explosions.

Israeli strikes killed at least two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the territory's health officials said.

Medics said an Israeli airstrike had killed a man and wounded two children in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. 

Later on, another Israeli airstrike hit near a tent encampment housing displaced families, killing one person and wounding five others, medics said.

Israel has carried out daily strikes on Gaza since a US-mediated so-called ceasefire with Hamas was reached last October.

Diplomatic sources told Araby TV that Lebanon refused to transfer negotiations with Israel to Rome.

The sources added that the Lebanese delegation informed the US side of its commitment to keeping the negotiations in Washington.

Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors are due to hold direct talks in Rome on July 15 and 16, Italy’s Foreign Ministry announced.

“We welcome with pleasure the announcement that the next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon mediated by the US will take place in Rome,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on X.

This will be the sixth round of talks in the last few months between the two neighbours, which do not have diplomatic relations and are at war.

US President Donald Trump landed in Ankara on Tuesday for a NATO summit in the Turkish capital, according to media reports.

The US leader is due to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at his sprawling presidential palace before joining an official leaders' dinner ahead of the main session of the summit on Wednesday.

Thousands of Iraqis and others from across the region attend the international funeral ceremony for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Najaf.

Currently, the convoy is in the holy city of Qom in Iran before crossing the border into Iraq.

Israel claims the next round of direct talks with Lebanon will be held in Rome

A Qatari LNG tanker that was hit as it travelled through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz overnight suffered significant damage, four sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, after reports that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fired missiles at ships transiting the waterway.

It is the first time an LNG ship from Qatar, which is a mediator in the talks between Washington and Tehran, has been struck since the start of the Iran war at the end of February.

The vessel, Al Rekayyat, was loaded with liquefied natural gas. It sent out distress signals seeking assistance after it was hit on its port side, one of the sources says, adding that the crew was safe.

The engine room is on fire and filled with smoke, and the crew was unable to assess further damage, they added.

French President Emmanuel Macron posted on social media platform X that "This morning I met Syria in all its shades. I saw dignity, courage and determination. The visit continues."

He posted these remarks following two explosions in Syria, reportedly near the hotel where he is staying.

These attacks wounded at least 18 people, 4 of whom were police officers. 

The survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that about one-third of US adults—including roughly half of Democrats—believe that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians during the war on Gaza.

About 2 in 10 Americans say Israel has not, and the rest, about half, don't know enough to say.

A similar share, 30 per cent, of Jewish American adults say Israel has committed genocide, although about half, 49%, say it has not.

About 58% of Democrats now say the US is "too supportive" of the Israelis, up from 45% in an AP-NORC poll from January 2024, when former US president Joe Biden was in office. That includes 51% of Jewish Democrats in the new poll.

Roughly 6 in 10 Democrats, 62%, say the US is "not supportive enough" of the Palestinians, up from 49% in 2024. Younger Democrats—those 45 and younger—are still more likely than older ones to say that the United States is "not supportive enough" of the Palestinians, but older Democrats are catching up to their younger counterparts. About 57% of older Democrats now say the US should do more for the Palestinians, up from 39% two years ago.

13% of Republicans describe Israel’s actions as genocide, although there is an apparent age gap. About 2 in 10 Republicans under 45 say Israel has committed genocide, while about 1 in 10 Republicans ages 45 and older say the same.

Overall, 60% of Republicans describe the US support for Israel as "about right." Only about 2 in 10 Republicans say that the United States is "too supportive" of the Israelis, although Republicans under 45 are more likely to say this.

The share of Republicans overall who say the US is "too supportive" of Israel has not changed meaningfully since 2024, but the share who say the US is "not supportive enough" has shrunk from 39% to 15%.

NATO foreign ministers will meet Gulf Arab counterparts today to address the stalemate over reopening the Strait of Hormuz, including a Franco-British proposal for a multinational maritime mission that Iran has so far dismissed.

The meeting on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Ankara will bring together ministers from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates following weeks of tensions in the strategically important waterway despite an interim US-Iran deal.

Several people have been injured in an attack by Israeli settlers in the Hawara area east of Masafer Yatta and south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, the Wafa news agency reports.

Witnesses told Wafa that the Israeli settlers attacked homes and residents.

Lebanon's National News Agency reported that Israeli drones were flying over the southern suburbs of Beirut, in what has become a daily occurrence. 

Syrian authorities are reporting at least 18 people were wounded in a bomb blast in Damascus, including, apparently, four police officers.

A curfew was imposed, and roads in the area were closed.

Explosions were heard in Damascus near the hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron is staying during his current visit to Syria. A security source in the country told Reuters the explosions were caused by explosive devices.

French President Emmanuel Macron did not hear the explosions that occurred in the Syrian capital on Tuesday morning, his office said.

 The French president is the first main EU leader to visit the country since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. 

Explosions have been heard in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Television footage showed plumes of smoke rising in the sky over the city on Tuesday.

The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa also met with French President Macron in the Presidential Palace after the explosions, according to state TV. 

As a funeral ceremony for Iran’s slain Supreme Leader began over the weekend, the Islamic Republic appeared to use an unusual form of diplomatic signalling through Qur’anic recitation.

Delegations from across the region and beyond travelled to Tehran to pay respects to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli airstrikes on 28 February, the opening day of war that immediately drew in much of the Middle East.

As foreign envoys passed the podium where Khamenei and four members of his family lay in coffins, different Qur'anic verses were recited. The selections appeared to vary depending on Iran’s relationship with each country—ranging from close partners to rivals.

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Sources told Reuters that Saudi Arabia held preliminary talks with some neighbouring countries to help it transport oil out of the Strait of Hormuz.

Thousands of people took to the streets on Tuesday in the Iranian holy city of Qom during a fourth day of marathon funeral proceedings for the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The remains of Khamenei, who was killed in late February on the first day of the US-Israeli war against Iran, are lying in state at the Jamkaran Mosque in Qom, a holy city that houses Shia Islam's most influential seminaries and shrines.

Aerial footage broadcast by state television showed the streets of Qom—home to about 1.5 million people—packed with mourners.

A prayer service was held inside the mosque by Abdollah Javadi-Amoli, a 93-year-old ayatollah and influential conservative Shia figure in the Islamic Republic.

The massive crowd at the service chanted in unison, "death to America", a rallying cry frequently heard at official gatherings in Iran.

Other television footage showed mourners, including clerics wearing turbans, paying their respects at the coffins of Khamenei and four relatives killed alongside him, including a granddaughter reportedly only 14 months old.

A procession then followed with a truck carrying the bodies towards the mausoleum of Fatima Masumeh, the sister of Imam Reza, the eighth Shia imam, a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed.

US President Donald Trump is expected to inform Erdogan that he is ready to return Turkey to the F-35 program and approve the sale, according to the New York Times.

The US newspaper claims that four senior officials in the president's administration said it is unclear when this will happen and that it is possible Trump will reverse his decision.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media platform X that "millions of proud Iranians gathered to pay tribute to Khamenei and his legacy. Neither they nor our forces are intimidated by threats."

Speaking to the United States, he wrote: "Article 13 of the Memorandum of Understanding is clear: negotiations on the final agreement will not begin if threats continue. Honour your signature."

Yesterday, on Monday, Axios reported, citing a US official, that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard fired at least two missiles towards tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz, causing major damage to two ships without causing any casualties.

Iranian television also confirmed from sources that Tehran attacked at least one tanker carrying liquefied natural gas in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian TV said the tanker was attacked after it "ignored warnings."