Iran Retains Ability to Strike Across Middle East After Retaliatory Attacks
Escalating conflicts across the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war have produced intensified strikes, mounting casualties and renewed threats to regional stability and global shipping.
Iran Maintains Regional Strike Capability
Days of retaliatory strikes across the Middle East by Iran show that American claims to have largely knocked out Tehran’s military capabilities in the initial phase of the war are false. [1] Iran still clearly possesses the means to create chaos in the region. [1] France 24’s Kethevane Gorjestani reported that Iran retains the military capability to create chaos in the region despite initial US strikes. [1]
Israeli Strikes Shrink Safe Areas in Gaza
Israeli air strikes across the Gaza Strip have intensified in recent days, with homes, displacement camps, markets and public roads coming under near-daily attack. [3] Gaza's Health Ministry said around 30 Palestinians, most of them civilians, had been killed over the previous four days in attacks targeting homes, displacement tents and residential neighbourhoods. [3] According to the ministry, the overall Palestinian death toll since Israel launched its genocidal war in October 2023 has reached at least 73,233, with 173,707 people wounded. [3] On Tuesday, the Israeli army killed seven Palestinians, including senior officers and members of Gaza's Hamas-run police force, when an Israeli drone struck a police post in the al-Falouja area west of Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. [3] Local medical sources said the strike also hit a nearby market and tents sheltering displaced families, causing additional civilian casualties. [3]
Dr Hussam Abu Safiya appears via video link at Israeli Supreme Court hearing in Jerusalem. — Source: middleeasteye
Calls Mount for Release of Detained Gaza Doctor
More than 800 doctors, nurses and medical professionals in the UK have signed an open letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, calling for her urgent intervention to secure the release of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, whose life is at risk after more than 550 days in Israeli captivity. [2] Abu Safiya is a Palestinian paediatrician and director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital who was abducted by Israel and has been held without charge or trial since 27 December 2024. [2] A lawyer for Physicians for Human Rights Israel visited the Israeli detention facility on 2 July and reported observing extensive bruising and marks of torture across Dr Abu Safiya’s head and body, leaving him weak and barely recognisable. [2] He has been subjected to daily beatings since he was transferred to the Rakevet facility and has been held in solitary confinement since last month. [2] He has routinely been denied access to medical treatment, despite suffering from various chronic health conditions. [2] The letter states that Dr Hussam Abu Safiya is being tortured to the brink of death by Israeli forces for the crime of refusing to abandon his patients. [2] The signatories warn that his detention and abuse is not a one off, noting that more than 400 other healthcare workers in Gaza have been arbitrarily detained by Israel since October 2023. [2] Israel has also killed over 1,700 medical workers since the start of their genocide in Gaza. [2]
Ukraine Drone Campaign Targets Sea of Azov Shipping
Ukraine has intensified its maritime drone campaign in the Sea of Azov. [4] Ukrainian drone forces commander Robert Brovdi said on Telegram that 11 Russian vessels were struck overnight, including five tankers, five dry cargo vessels and one tugboat. [4] He claimed that the total number of vessels hit over the previous nine days had reached 116. [4] Industry sources said that several grain-carrying vessels were hit on July 13 and July 14 and caught fire. [4] Russia has accused Ukraine of terrorism over its escalating strikes on shipping vessels in the Sea of Azov. [4] Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said the actions go beyond even piracy and constitute terrorism pure and simple. [4] The Sea of Azov serves as a vital route for Russia's grain exports, commercial shipping and military logistics. [4] Russia is the world's largest wheat exporter, supplying roughly one-fifth of global wheat exports. [4] Russia’s union of grain exporters and producers said Russia will fully meet its grain export commitments to foreign partners despite the situation in the Sea of Azov. [4]
Israeli strikes shrink safe zones and concentrate Palestinians into smaller areas of Gaza. — Source: thenewarab
Saudi-Houthi Truce Collapses into Renewed Attacks
The truce that had stood between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis since 2022 now appears effectively ended. [5] The Houthis announced on Monday that they targeted Abha airport in southern Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles and drones in the first such attack on the kingdom in years. [5] The Saudi-led coalition announced that air defences intercepted the threat. [5] A Gulf source told AFP that the Saudi army will respond with full force and without restraint to the attack on the civilian Abha airport. [5] Chatham House researcher Faria Al-Muslimi said the attacks have put an official end to the truce that had lasted in practice despite the expiry of its term. [5] He expects intensified Saudi strikes against the Houthis and would not be surprised if the Houthis respond in the Red Sea. [5] Analysts warn that any escalation in the Red Sea could have broad economic repercussions. [5]
Deadlocked Ceasefire Talks and Broader Implications
Indirect ceasefire negotiations in Cairo remain deadlocked, with one of the key points of contention being Israel's demand that Hamas relinquish its weapons. [3] Palestinian political analyst Akram Atallah said Israel is using military pressure to maximise its political and security gains and wants to impose new arrangements inside Gaza before any agreement is reached. [3] Another analyst, Aahed Ferwana, said Israel is reducing the areas where Palestinians can live through continuous bombing and evacuation orders, gradually concentrating civilians into zones under Israeli military control. [3] Ukraine's expanding maritime drone campaign is increasing pressure on one of Russia's most important logistics and export corridors. [4] Any escalation in the Red Sea may have wide economic repercussions, especially after the reimposition of the blockade on Iranian ports. [5]
What to watch next: Continued Ukrainian strikes on Sea of Azov vessels, potential Saudi retaliation against Houthi targets, and further Israeli operations in Gaza amid stalled talks could affect grain exports, Red Sea shipping and civilian safety in the region.
