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A man on a motorcycle tries to convince Lebanese army officers to let him cross as they cordon off the site of an Israeli strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, June 14, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/ZOHRA BENSEMRA) A pilot program under which Lebanese Armed Forces ( LAF ) troops will enter designated areas in southern Lebanon to verify they have been cleared of Hezbollah operatives and weapons is expected to begin in the near future, two sources familiar with the matter told  The Jerusalem Post  on Monday. The development follows last week's meeting in  Rome  between the Israeli and Lebanese delegations, led by Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh Mouawad, under the auspices of senior US administration officials. An Israeli official said after last week's talks that the sides had reached an agreement on the two designated pilot areas. 

Molavi Mohammad Anvar Rigi, a Sunni Friday prayer leader in the southeastern Iranian border town of Mirjaveh, was killed on Monday by unidentified gunmen, Iran's state media reported, citing local authorities. Sistan-Baluchistan province, one of the country's poorest provinces and with a large Sunni Baluch population, has long experienced Islamist or ethnic militants fighting security forces or other figures aligned with Tehran. Officials said investigations were ongoing and urged residents to remain calm, saying the attack was aimed at undermining security and stoking sectarian divisions in the province.

Gunmen stand guard at the funeral of Marwan Issa, a senior Hamas deputy military commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike during the conflict between Israel and Hamas, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in the central Gaza Strip, February 7, 2025. (photo credit: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed) The IDF has killed at least around 420  Gazan terrorists  since the October 2025 ceasefire,  The Jerusalem Post  has learned. Given that Hamas reportedly has  killed dozens  or more of its own population since the ceasefire in order to retake control of all areas of the  Gaza Strip  where the Palestinian population lives and given UN estimates of around 1,000 Gazans killed, this means that at least since the ceasefire, the percentage of Gazans killed by the IDF has likely been less than 50% civilians. This is not necessarily true for the entire war.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks to IDF commanders in the West Bank, July 19, 2026. (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT) Hours after shrapnel from an Iranian ballistic missile, which had been fired at Jordan, ultimately landed in Israel just north of Eilat, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen.  Eyal Zamir  threatened the Islamic Republic with a potential harsh counterstrike if the regime gets any closer to the Jewish state. Speaking to IDF commanders in the  West Bank , he said, "next to the continuous fighting against terror in Judea and Samaria, we are closely following the developments with Iran and maintaining a high level of readiness."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met in Washington to discuss the implementation of the trilateral framework agreement between the US, Lebanon, and Israel on July 19, 2026. (photo credit: Screenshot/X/@LBpresidency) US Secretary of State  Marco Rubio  and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun discussed the implementation of the trilateral framework agreement between the US, Lebanon, and Israel during Aoun’s visit to Washington on Sunday.   Rubio stated that during his meeting with Aoun, he commended the Lebanese government’s efforts to reclaim their country and  advance towards peace . Rubio also reaffirmed the US’s commitment to supporting Lebanon in implementing the terms of the trilateral framework and to the government's efforts to secure a better future for the Lebanese people.

US President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One upon arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, New York on July 17, 2026. (photo credit: Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images) US President Donald Trump is leaning toward further escalation with  Iran , according to statements by several Israeli and American officials on Sunday. "It appears President  Trump  is preparing to expand the campaign against Iran," one official told  The Jerusalem Post . "The remaining questions are 'how much' and 'when.' He understands that, barring an unexpected development, the chances of a diplomatic solution is now virtually nonexistent." However, another official cautioned that Trump has changed course "at the last minute" before, noting that his position could still shift. Israel's current assessment is that Iran will refrain from launching attacks against Israel as long as the United States does not significantly escalate its military ...

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it began its seventh consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Friday. In a statement released on X/Twitter, CENTCOM stated that the strikes are “designed to continue degrading Iranian military capabilities.” CENTCOM launched a round of strikes against Iran at 3 p.m. ET today for the seventh consecutive night. The strikes are designed to continue degrading Iranian military capabilities at the Commander in Chief's direction. — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM)  July 17, 2026 In a separate statement, CENTCOM also announced that since reimposing the US’s blockade on Iranian ports along the Strait of Hormuz, US forces have redirected four commercial vessels, disabled one vessel, and boarded an additional vessel to ensure compliance with the blockade.