Massive Khamenei’s funeral procession under way in Tehran, talks with US expected next week

Military cooperation between Egypt and Turkey has rapidly reached heights not seen in decades, if not altogether unprecedented.

The increased cooperation between these two heavyweight Middle Eastern powers has caused some consternation within Israel, writes Paul Iddon.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with the far-right American outlet Fox News that Turkey "doesn't deserve" F-35 aircraft or jet engines for fighter jets.

Netanyahu continued: "For a regime that is influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood, an extremist movement that hates America—I don't think they deserve F-35s or jet engines for their fighter jets because this will tip the balance of power in the Middle East."

The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that the death toll from the Israeli attacks since 2 March had risen to 4,319 killed and 12,203 wounded.

Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom plans to send staff back to Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant starting in mid-July, Rosatom's head said on Monday, Interfax reported.

Rosatom, which is building two new units at Bushehr, evacuated hundreds of staff after the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on 28 February.

Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri, stressed the need for the Lebanese state and the Arab and international communities to move to stop the process of systematic destruction and blowing up of villages, which is taking place in full swing in the city of Bint Jbeil and the villages of its district and in the districts of Marjayoun, Nabatieh and Tyre.

Berri said that the destruction operations indicate "the true intentions of the Israeli enemy to make large areas of southern Lebanon unlivable areas, which is no longer permissible to be faced in silence as is the case today."

Lebanon's president said Monday that Israel's occupation of the south was preventing the Lebanese army's deployment to the area, as the two sides prepare to implement a deal involving the deployment and gradual Israeli withdrawal.

According to a statement from his office, President Joseph Aoun emphasised the need to pressure Israel to withdraw its forces "because the persistence of the occupation undermines the legitimacy of the (Lebanese) state and prevents the army from deploying and the laying of the foundations for achieving a just and lasting peace".

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul considered it justified to charge Iran for the cost of removing mines from the Strait of Hormuz, but clarified that there is no intention at present to impose fees for this task.

Wadephul said in statements to a German newspaper: “Iran, in violation of the law, planted mines in an international shipping lane.

If, in cooperation with other European partners, we remove these mines, we do not currently intend to charge any fees for this… but in principle, it will be justified, and Iran must bear the cost, because we are removing damage caused by the regime.”

Wadephul linked the German army's participation in the mine clearance operation to the availability of clear conditions, saying, "It should become clear during the summer whether the German army can play a possible and feasible role in mine clearance."

“This requires a sufficiently safe environment. This means that both the Sultanate of Oman and Iran actually allow the mission to be carried out. The success of this depends on the course of negotiations between the United States and Iran," he added.

The Palestinian technocratic committee set up by the Board of Peace established by US President Donald Trump said Monday it was ready to govern the Gaza Strip after Hamas announced it had dissolved its ruling body.

"We affirm that the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is fully prepared to assume its national responsibilities as soon as the necessary resources and capabilities are available," Ali Shaath, head of the committee, wrote on X.

The dissolution of the 15-member Hamas body that governed Gaza for nearly two decades paves the way for the NCAG to assume administrative responsibilities in the territory.

The Iranian ISNA news agency reported that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will visit Iraq to attend the funeral of the late Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, scheduled for the day after tomorrow, Wednesday, in the cities of Najaf and Karbala.

In Tehran, mourners carried red flags and banners during the funeral ceremony, which in Shiite culture symbolise the call for revenge and vengeance.

As the funeral of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei continues, his body is set to be taken to Iraq on 8 July for processions through the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala before returning to Iran for burial in Mashhad the following day, in a highly symbolic journey that is as much about projecting Tehran's regional influence as it is about mourning its most powerful leader.

Iraqi authorities expect millions of mourners to take part in ceremonies that will last less than 24 hours, with extensive security measures and crowd-control plans put in place in Najaf and Karbala - two cities that lie at the spiritual heart of Shia Islam.

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In a statement, Gaza’s Health Ministry said five people were killed and seven wounded by Israeli attacks in the latest 24-hour reporting period.

Three people were recently killed, and two bodies were recovered, it added.

The figures bring the number of those killed in Israeli attacks since the start of its genocidal war to at least 73,098, with 173,571 wounded.

Israeli attacks on Gaza since the so-called 'ceasefire' in October last year have killed at least 1,072 and wounded 3,463.

At least four people were killed by an Israeli drone on a vehicle in Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon's state news agency. 

Danish shipping group Maersk said on Monday that one of the services in its Gemini network with Germany's Hapag-Lloyd will resume sailing through the Suez Canal rather than around Africa's Cape of Good Hope.

Shipping companies are weighing a return to the critical Asia-Europe trade corridor after vessels were rerouted around Africa in recent years after attacks in the Red Sea, which Yemen's Houthis said were to show solidarity with Palestinians.

"This joint decision with Hapag-Lloyd comes following thorough assessments of the security situation in the Red Sea area, and marks a step towards a gradual return to the trans-Suez corridor," the company said in a statement.

An Israeli drone has attacked the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese National News Agency. 

Several Israeli attacks were reported across southern Lebanon today despite an alleged ceasefire with Lebanon’s government last month.

Hamas announces the dissolution of the Government Emergency Committee in Gaza and the transfer of the administration of the Gaza Strip to the National Committee.

The Hind Rajab Foundation has filed a criminal complaint with Dutch law enforcement authorities against Israeli Knesset members Ram Ben-Barak and Moshe Solomon for "incitement to genocide."

The complaint was filed concurrently with their participation in a conference in The Hague.

According to the foundation's statement, Ben-Barak is being sought for his past statements regarding encouraging the emigration of Palestinians from Gaza to other countries. Solomon is being charged with supporting the renewal of illegal Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip and the continuation of Israeli control over the territory, which the foundation points out constitutes a call for forced demographic change.

According to a poll by the Jewish People Policy Institute, 60 percent of Israelis believe there is a “concrete and real” risk of civil war in Israel.

The survey also found 79 percent of Israelis rated the past year as socially “bad”, while 49 percent said they’re pessimistic about the future.

Moreover, 52 percent of Israelis believe there is a “high probability” of a political assassination targeting a prime minister or another senior political figure.

The Israeli army claimed it was imposing "operational control" over the town of Hadatha in the so-called "buffer zone" in southern Lebanon, claiming to have dismantled more than 90 Hezbollah infrastructure sites, killed more than 20 Hezbollah members, and seized more than 150 weapons, including RPGs, anti-tank missiles, machine guns, and Kalashnikov rifles.

According to the Israeli media, Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened any future Iranian leaders.

Khamenei, Katz says, “was assassinated by Israel because he set in motion and led the plan to destroy Israel.”

“The assassin was assassinated,” he added. “Any Iranian leader who tries to push plans to destroy Israel again will also be thwarted.”

Israeli drones are hovering over Beirut's southern suburbs.

This has become virtually a daily occurrence since the alleged ceasefire. 

10 Japan-related vessels are exiting the Strait of Hormuz, shipping data on LSEG shows.

These include six very large crude carriers loaded with 12 million barrels of Middle Eastern crude, two chemical tankers, a vehicle carrier and a container ship, the data shows.

The tankers are carrying crude from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, loaded in late February to early March.

Most of the vessels are managed by Japanese shipper Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, which had said it would prioritise the safety of its seafarers, cargo, and vessels when traversing the strait.

The funeral procession carrying the coffin of Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei began making its way through the streets of Tehran on Monday morning, according to footage from state television, in a final public tribute expected to last around 10 hours.

"We ask the public to go peacefully to Azadi Square," where the procession is expected to pass, said General Hassan Hassanzadeh, a senior commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

For weeks, Israeli forces have battled Hezbollah in an attempt to capture the strategic ridge. So what makes this area in South Lebanon so important?

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Lebanon’s National News Agency reports that Israeli forces have “triggered an explosion” overnight in the town of Hula, in the Marjayoun district of southern Lebanon.

Iran's Tasnim news agency and the broadcaster Press TV are reporting that millions of mourners are on the streets of Tehran for the late supreme leader’s funeral proceedings.

According to Press TV, officials have described the event as the “largest public gathering in the country’s modern history”.