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The Israel Defense Forces announced Saturday that Hezbollah launched more than 50 rockets at Israeli troops stationed in southern Lebanon during overnight hours, calling the attack a clear violation of the existing ceasefire agreement. The military also confirmed that two soldiers lost their lives in separate combat incidents and that 13 additional troops were wounded in the attacks.

The two soldiers killed were identified as Staff Sgt. Yoav Klein, 21, from Herzliya, and Staff Sgt. Nir Ben Ari, 21, from Kerem Maharal.

Klein served in Battalion 52 of the 401st “Iron Tracks” Brigade and died in the same incident that also claimed the life of Battalion 52 commander Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Shimhon and two other soldiers whose identities have not yet been cleared for release.

Ben Ari was a member of the Maglan Unit within the Commando Brigade. He was killed in a separate incident that left 13 fellow soldiers injured. According to reports, he was just nine days away from his 22nd birthday and had been expected to begin discharge leave later this month.

Channel 12 reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz directed the IDF to stand down from launching further strikes in Lebanon, a decision reached after consultations and coordination with the United States. The order does not include a withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, where troops are expected to remain deployed.

A senior IDF officer stated that Israeli forces continue to operate along what is known as the “yellow line” and remain active in the Nabatieh sector. The officer noted that dozens of Hezbollah fighters are surrounded in that area, which the military described as a significant hub of Hezbollah operations.

Overnight military operations targeted Hezbollah rocket launch sites, weapons depots, and command infrastructure, the IDF said.

Prime Minister Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to maintaining its military presence in southern Lebanon. A senior official speaking on behalf of the Prime Minister’s Office said Netanyahu made clear that Israel will stay in southern Lebanon “for as long as necessary to defend its northern border.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed on Saturday that Ukrainian drones had targeted an oil refinery deep inside Russia, striking a facility in the Tyumen Region of western Siberia — more than 2,000 kilometers, or roughly 1,200 miles, from Ukraine’s border.

In his nightly video address to the nation, Zelenskiy praised the Ukrainian military’s special operations forces, saying they “have reached Tyumen Region in Russia, including an oil refining facility. More than 2,000 km from our state border. This is effective work.”

The Tyumen Region’s governor, Alexander Moor, had earlier stated that Russian air defense systems pushed back the drone assault on the refinery. According to his preliminary assessment, the facility suffered no damage, and workers were safely evacuated.

The Tyumen refinery is considered one of Russia’s most advanced and capable facilities, with a nominal processing capacity of approximately 8 million metric tons of oil each year. Industry estimates indicate it processes around 6 million tons of crude annually, yielding roughly 0.5 million tons of gasoline and 2.5 million tons of diesel fuel.

Ukraine has been carrying out a sustained campaign of medium and long-range drone strikes against Russian targets for several months, with a particular focus on the country’s oil sector. The strategy is aimed at cutting off a key source of revenue that Moscow uses to finance its ongoing war effort.

Zelenskiy also announced that newly upgraded long-range drones had been successfully used in operations. “They can now reach targets at a distance of 3,000 km,” he said, adding, “These are entirely justified responses to Russian strikes against our state. Ukraine’s plan of long-range operations is being implemented.”

Scottish counter-terrorism officials have launched an investigation into a series of violent incidents that unfolded across Edinburgh on Friday evening, according to a statement released by police on Saturday.

Five men were injured during the attacks, and a 36-year-old white Scottish man was arrested in connection with a sequence of threats, robbery, and vandalism. Three of the victims needed to be taken to the hospital, though authorities confirmed their injuries were not life-threatening.

Officers on the ground confronted and apprehended the suspect at approximately 9:30 p.m. local time, which was 8:30 p.m. GMT.

Assistant Chief Constable Catriona Paton spoke out strongly against the violence, stating, “I want to send a clear message of support to all our communities that there is no place for racism or faith-based hate in a Scotland which is at its best when we stand together.”

The suspect remains behind bars as the investigation continues, police confirmed.

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Novi Sad, Serbia’s second-largest city, on Saturday to honor the memory of 16 people who died in 2024 when a railway station awning gave way — and to push for snap general elections.

The tragedy sparked student-led protests that at times turned violent and spread throughout the country, putting serious pressure on the 13-year hold that populist leader Aleksandar Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party have maintained on power.

Those taking part in the demonstrations, along with opposition figures and human rights organizations, argue that the station collapse was a symptom of widespread government corruption and poor oversight of construction projects.

Despite temperatures hovering around 30 degrees Celsius — roughly 86 degrees Fahrenheit — crowds filled the streets of Novi Sad, chanting “Victory” and directing their frustration at Vucic and his party. Many protesters wore t-shirts and carried banners with the message “Students are winning.”

Organizers from the student movement say their goal is to take on Vucic and the Serbian Progressive Party in upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections, both currently scheduled for 2027. Vucic himself has suggested he could call those elections sooner.

Sanja Belic, a university professor from Novi Sad who addressed the crowd, put it plainly: “Without free and fair elections, everything else is empty words.”

The protesters and rights groups have also leveled accusations at Vucic and government officials of manipulating elections, using violence against political opponents, suppressing press freedom, corruption, and connections to organized crime. Vucic and those aligned with him have denied all of these claims.

“We must stand up, express our will, and win; we have no other choice,” said Goran Sajin, a protester in his 50s who joined the Novi Sad rally.

While the demonstration was underway, Vucic appeared in a live television broadcast and announced that his own supporters would hold a counter-rally on June 27. “I invite them not to show anger towards anyone … but to gather under the Serbian flag,” he said.

Serbia is currently a candidate for European Union membership, but is required to make significant improvements in areas including judicial independence, conditions for free and fair elections, and fighting corruption and organized crime. The country also must bring its foreign policy in line with EU positions, which includes imposing sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

PARIS — French authorities announced Saturday that drinking alcohol in public will be prohibited during the country’s annual Fete de la Musique music festival celebrations on June 21 in any administrative districts placed under a red heatwave alert starting at noon Sunday.

The announcement came after Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu convened an emergency crisis meeting to address the dangerous heat conditions spreading across the country.

“Prefects will issue decrees banning alcohol consumption in public spaces in the departments under red alert,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s office said.

The statement also noted that government-organized events would be required to go alcohol-free: “For all events organised by the state and its agencies, instructions have been given not to offer alcohol.”

France’s national weather agency, Meteo France, painted a concerning picture of conditions ahead, stating in its Saturday update that “very high temperatures are settling in for the long term across the country.” The agency formally issued a red heatwave warning covering 35 departments for Sunday, a list that includes the capital city of Paris.

BARCELONA, Spain — A Spanish judge has ruled that Begoña Gómez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, must stand trial on charges of influence peddling and corruption, and must hand over her passport to authorities.

Investigative judge Juan Carlos Peinado issued the order on Saturday, citing concerns that Gómez posed a flight risk. Beyond surrendering her passport, she is also required to check in with a court every two weeks. No trial date has been scheduled yet.

The ruling immediately sparked a fierce political firestorm in Spain, with opposition leaders demanding that Sánchez’s Socialist government resign.

Prosecutors allege that Gómez used her status as the prime minister’s wife to steer government contracts toward a group of technology companies. Judge Peinado also accused her of misusing public funds in connection with hiring a consultant, and of improperly using software during her time as a professor at a public university.

Gómez has maintained her innocence throughout the proceedings. Sánchez has characterized the case as a politically motivated smear campaign orchestrated by conservative rivals intent on bringing down his left-wing government, which has held power since 2018.

Judge Peinado ruled that a businessman who allegedly benefited from the government contracts, as well as the consultant who worked with Gómez, will also face trial.

Sánchez, who has been a vocal critic of U.S. President Donald Trump, is navigating legal challenges on several fronts as Spain heads toward a general election expected by next year.

Earlier this week, former Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero appeared before a separate judge regarding his alleged involvement in a government airline bailout and to address the discovery of expensive jewelry found during a police search of his office. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Government officials were quick to denounce Saturday’s ruling as politically driven. The Socialist Party released a sharp statement calling the decision “an absolute scandal for democracy.”

“Begoña Gómez is innocent,” the party declared. “For two years now, she has been the target of a political and judicial witch hunt. Today’s development is just the latest escalation.”

Spain’s conservative opposition took the opposite stance, pushing for the government to call an early election. Miguel Tellado, secretary-general of the main opposition People’s Party, offered a pointed rebuke.

“Lawmakers and the architects of our constitution could never have imagined that the threats to our democracy could originate from the Spanish government itself,” Tellado said. “Now we see how the government attacks judges, prosecutors and the media while attempting to silence opposition parties. This is unthinkable in any modern democracy.”

The investigation into Gómez, which has been ongoing for two years, was set in motion after accusations were brought by the pressure group Manos Limpias — meaning Clean Hands — an organization that has pursued numerous legal cases, many of them tied to conservative causes.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military pushed back Saturday against claims by Iran that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed, asserting that the strategically important waterway is still open and that American forces are keeping a close watch on it.

“Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz,” said Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, in a statement to Reuters. “Traffic continues to flow, and U.S. forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case.”

Earlier Saturday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that the Strait of Hormuz was closed and issued warnings for ships to stay away from the waterway. The declaration raised fresh concerns about the stability of a ceasefire deal between the United States and Iran — an agreement that had been intended to open the door to broader peace negotiations.

KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced Saturday that he has sent back a high-level state honor to Poland’s president, just one day after the award was officially revoked amid a dispute rooted in World War Two history.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki made the decision Friday to take back the medal he had presented to Zelenskiy in 2023. The move came after Zelenskiy renamed a Ukrainian military unit in honor of WWII-era Ukrainian insurgents who have been accused of carrying out massacres of Polish civilians.

Writing on the social media platform X, Zelenskiy explained his reasoning for returning the decoration. “We believed that the Order of the White Eagle, awarded in 2023, was meant for the Ukrainian People and our army. That is what was said at the time,” he wrote. “Today, I sent the Order back to the President of Poland.”

Zelenskiy also shared a photograph showing the medal being placed in a box and dispatched to the Polish president’s office.

Despite the tension, Zelenskiy expressed appreciation for Poland’s ongoing backing of Ukraine and said his country would “remain open to all meaningful formats of engagement with Poland in order to try to avoid conflicting interpretations of the difficult and painful chapters of our shared past.”

The fallout extended beyond Zelenskiy himself. His chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, announced he was giving back his own Polish honor — the Golden Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, which he had received last year. Budanov described Nawrocki’s original decision to revoke Zelenskiy’s award as “a gift” for Russia.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had already weighed in before Zelenskiy’s announcement, calling Nawrocki’s move “a strategic error” and asserting that no foreign head of state “is going to dictate our history to us.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who is a political opponent of Nawrocki, called on both leaders to keep their composure and avoid escalating the situation further.

When Nawrocki announced the revocation, he was careful to note the action was “not directed against the Ukrainian people” and that it did “not signify a change in the strategic direction of Polish security policy.”

Poland has been one of Ukraine’s strongest backers throughout the more than four-year conflict with Russia. However, public opinion in Poland toward Ukraine has grown increasingly complicated in recent years, shaped by frustration over the large influx of Ukrainian refugees, disagreements about grain imports, and lingering wounds from the wartime massacres.

The controversy involves the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, known by its Ukrainian acronym UPA. While many Ukrainians view the UPA as patriotic fighters who resisted both Soviet and Nazi forces — and as a symbol of Ukraine’s drive for independence from Moscow — the group is also linked to the Volhynia massacres. Those killings, which took place between 1943 and 1945, resulted in the deaths of approximately 100,000 Polish civilians at the hands of Ukrainian nationalists, according to Poland. Thousands of Ukrainians also lost their lives in retaliatory violence during that same period.

The dispute over how to interpret the UPA’s legacy now threatens to deepen a diplomatic rift between two nations that have otherwise been close strategic partners during Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

A sharp war of words between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and U.S. President Donald Trump continued Saturday, with Meloni firing back after Trump suggested she was trying to repair ties with Washington simply to boost her standing at home.

The feud began Friday when Meloni publicly called Trump a liar after he claimed she had “begged” him for a photo during this week’s Group of Seven summit held in France.

Trump kept the argument going Saturday, posting on his Truth Social platform — and misspelling her name as “Gigiorgia” — that “she wants to be friends again in order to get her ‘numbers up’.”

Meloni responded directly on Instagram, writing in English: “President Trump, these constant, unprovoked attacks are senseless.”

She went further, adding: “My popularity is none of your concern. I suggest you focus on yours.”

Meloni also pointed out that “being his friend has certainly not helped” her popularity. Her government, which took office in 2022, has actually seen public approval climb in recent polls to around 35% after a steady decline throughout 2025. Her Brothers of Italy party leads polling at roughly 28%, while the opposition Democratic Party sits at about 22%.

Trump, who was sworn in during January 2025, recently saw his own approval rating nudge up by one percentage point to 36%, still hovering near the lowest levels of his political career. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that growing public frustration over the cost of living had eased slightly.

Trump also renewed criticism of Italy for refusing to allow the use of American military bases on Italian soil during the war with Iran, which the U.S. and Israel launched at the end of February.

Meloni stood firm on the issue, stating: “Their use is governed by agreements that we have always respected and that cannot be violated. As long as I am prime minister, Italy remains a sovereign nation.”

Authorities in France announced Saturday that Claude Guillemot, one of the founders of the global video game company Ubisoft, was killed when a small plane went down in western France.

The aircraft, a twin-motor Cessna 421, was carrying Guillemot and a flight instructor when it crashed Friday evening near La Baule airport along the Atlantic coast. Both men were described as licensed and experienced pilots. The mayor of the area, Franck Louvrier, confirmed in a public statement that neither survived. An investigation into the cause of the crash has been launched.

The plane came down in a field just moments before it was set to land at La Baule-Escoublac Airport, according to an airport official who spoke with the Associated Press. That official requested anonymity, as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Ubisoft issued a brief statement acknowledging Guillemot’s death but declined to offer any additional comment.

Guillemot was one of five brothers who together established Ubisoft back in 1986. The company has since grown into one of the most recognized names in gaming, producing hit titles including the Assassin’s Creed series, Just Dance, and the Rayman and Tom Clancy game franchises.

Russian authorities have freed 24 Filipino citizens who spent months behind bars without facing any charges in a Siberian city, Philippine officials announced Saturday. The breakthrough came after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. personally brought up their situation during a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The 24 individuals were expected to land in Manila aboard two separate flights early Sunday morning. Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro, who had traveled with Marcos to his talks with Putin on Wednesday in the Russian city of Kazan, was set to welcome the first group of returnees, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila.

Marcos was in Kazan representing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as he currently holds the bloc’s rotating presidency. He and other leaders of the 11-nation group gathered to mark the 35th anniversary of ASEAN’s diplomatic ties with Russia. On the sidelines of that summit, Marcos held a one-on-one meeting with Putin.

The speed of the release drew attention, coming just days after Marcos raised the issue on Wednesday. The Philippines is a close treaty ally of the United States in Asia and was among the majority of ASEAN nations that backed a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Singapore was the sole ASEAN member to impose sanctions on Russia, and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also attended the Kazan summit.

Speaking to reporters following his meeting with Putin, Marcos said he had expressed concern about the Filipinos, who had been held for roughly nine months in the city of Irkutsk in southeastern Siberia with no charges filed against them. He noted that the Philippines had little information about their well-being.

Philippine officials said there were reports suggesting the detained individuals may have been lured by illegal job recruiters and then detained in Russia over possible immigration violations.

Putin told Marcos he had not been aware of the situation but pledged to look into it. Later that evening over dinner, the Russian leader informed Marcos that the Filipinos had not been found guilty of any wrongdoing. Marcos recalled Putin saying, “Don’t worry, we will find a way to fix this problem.” Shortly after, Russian officials notified the Philippine delegation that the Filipinos would be deported and sent back to Manila right away.

According to Philippine Ambassador to Moscow Igor Bailen, approximately 15,000 Filipinos currently live and work throughout Russia.

LA PAZ, Bolivia — Bolivia’s President Rodrigo Paz declared a state of emergency on Saturday, granting the country’s military sweeping authority to dismantle road blockades that have strangled fuel and food deliveries to the capital city of La Paz and other major urban centers.

The crisis has been building for five weeks, with protesters demanding Paz resign over government-imposed austerity measures — chief among them the elimination of long-standing fuel subsidies. The unrest has sparked violent clashes between demonstrators armed with dynamite and riot police, resulting in at least 365 arrests and 37 injuries, according to official figures.

At least 17 people have lost their lives, with most deaths attributed to a breakdown in medical care caused by transportation disruptions, according to Bolivia’s ombudsman’s office and human rights organizations. The government says at least seven of those deaths were directly caused by patients being unable to reach hospitals due to the blockades.

Supermarket shelves were emptied, hospitals ran out of oxygen, and businesses shuttered as the protests dragged on — prompting growing calls from parts of Bolivian society for the president to use force to restore order.

Paz addressed the nation on television to defend the emergency declaration. “This is not a state of emergency to restrict people’s lives. It is a state of emergency to give people back their freedom,” he said.

On Friday evening, Paz reached an agreement with one labor union whose leaders called for the blockades to be removed. However, other protest groups have refused to come to the table and are continuing to demand his resignation.

The emergency decree bans “blocking streets, avenues, roads and highways in ways that affect transportation and supplies” and directs the armed forces to temporarily assist police “in restoring order, reopening roads and protecting the population.” According to the government, the decree does not suspend due process rights or constitutional protections, and residents are still permitted to go about their normal daily lives.

The state of emergency is set to remain in effect for 90 days, though the government indicated it could be lifted sooner if “violence and threats against the population come to an end.”

Paz took office in November, ending nearly two decades of continuous rule by Bolivia’s Movement Toward Socialism party, known as MAS, which had presided over the country’s most severe economic crisis in a generation. A centrist who defeated more conservative opponents, Paz had pledged to fix chronic fuel shortages and rebuild the central bank’s depleted reserves while preserving the social welfare programs that had been a cornerstone of MAS’s support.

However, his austerity policies — particularly the removal of fuel subsidies — have worsened inflation. While his administration did address fuel shortages, the replacement fuel was of poor quality and reportedly damaged thousands of vehicles. Economic reform legislation aimed at attracting foreign investment has stalled in Congress.

Indigenous highland communities and rural workers’ groups, who had previously backed MAS but helped bring Paz to power last year, have been at the forefront of the protests. They accuse his administration of ignoring their concerns since taking office.

Paz is now caught between pressure from Bolivia’s hard-right, which holds power in Congress, and the entrenched political left. Former President Evo Morales has thrown his support behind the protests and is calling for a new election from a hideout in the coca-growing tropical region, where he is hiding from an arrest warrant on charges related to statutory rape.

The Trump administration has expressed support for Paz, who restored diplomatic ties with the United States after years of anti-Western sentiment under Morales. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted Paz last week to say Washington was “ramping up emergency assistance and logistics operations support” to help address the shortages created by the blockades.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth condemned the protests as “attempts to overthrow the legitimate government” and issued a warning to those he described as “profiting on death and destruction in our hemisphere.” “The United States is watching,” Hegseth wrote on X.

MILAN — Fashion house Dolce & Gabbana brought the spirit of a Mediterranean getaway to Milan Fashion Week on Saturday, unveiling a menswear collection crafted for scorching summer temperatures and leisurely seaside escapes.

Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana set the scene with a video projection of a rocky coastline bathed in sunset light. Models moved through a runway space framed by columns evoking a sun-drenched Mediterranean terrace, dressed in everything from swimwear to flowing silk pajamas.

As the collection’s narrative shifted from dawn to day, the clothing followed suit — laser-cut suits, tunics, and relaxed trousers took center stage, all engineered to keep wearers cool while moving seamlessly from a city workweek to a weekend by the water. A standout piece among the accessories was a generously sized travel bag crafted from leather, suede, and raffia.

The looks celebrated the male form with short shorts highlighting muscular legs and open-knit tops that showed off the torso. Suit jackets arrived with distinctive upright lapels and creative details on the back, including panels that could be unbuttoned to let in a breeze.

The brand’s signature attention to craft was on full display in woven leather jackets, a texture that carried through to the footwear as well.

True to the label’s aesthetic, the collection leaned into bold embellishments — rhinestones adorned denim pieces, while more refined coral beading appeared on suits, shirts, and trousers. Religious imagery also wove through the lineup, with cross necklaces styled to resemble rosaries and icon-inspired prints featured on T-shirts.

The show concluded with a procession of models dressed entirely in white, delivering a clean, unmistakably summery finale.

Watching from the front row were Polish soccer star Robert Lewandowski, two-time NBA champion Kawhi Leonard, Italian actor Michele Morrone — known for Netflix’s “365 Days” — and K-pop artist Soobin.

Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, voted Wednesday to grant procedural immunity to Likud lawmaker Tally Gotliv, temporarily halting a criminal indictment that accused her of publicly revealing the identity of a Shin Bet intelligence officer. The vote came two days after the Knesset House Committee recommended approving her immunity request, and it has sparked a broader national debate over how far parliamentary protections can legally extend into matters of national security.

Following days of intense committee hearings, lawmakers approved immunity on two separate legal grounds: that Gotliv’s alleged actions occurred in the course of carrying out her parliamentary duties, and that the indictment was filed in bad faith or applied in a discriminatory manner against her.

The case traces back to social media posts attributed to Gotliv in January 2024. Prosecutors allege she identified the partner of protest leader Shikma Bressler as a Shin Bet employee and connected him to claims surrounding the October 7 attacks. Both the Shin Bet and other security officials have disputed those claims. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has maintained that the disclosure posed a serious threat to national security and is not protected under the immunity provisions available to members of Knesset.

Gotliv has consistently framed the case not as a narrow legal matter but as part of a larger political struggle over October 7, the behavior of the security establishment, and what she describes as the weaponization of legal power against right-wing lawmakers.

Israeli law provides two distinct types of parliamentary immunity. Substantive immunity permanently shields acts and statements made in the course of parliamentary work. Procedural immunity, by contrast, is temporary — it can block an indictment from being filed during a lawmaker’s term if the Knesset approves it, but it does not erase the underlying allegations or amount to an acquittal.

Speaking with The Media Line ahead of the full Knesset vote, Gotliv argued that immunity exists to protect lawmakers from pressure by state officials, not to serve as a personal privilege. “It allows a member of Knesset to do his work faithfully,” she said. “A member of Knesset is not above the law,” she added, saying the law grants immunity specifically to allow lawmakers to carry out their responsibilities.

She also accused Attorney General Baharav-Miara of selectively targeting right-wing lawmakers while failing to pursue journalists and public figures she said had violated confidentiality or privacy obligations. “Whether it is a violation of an order, for example, or the exposure of things that must be exposed, the purpose is to bring the public things the public must know,” Gotliv said. “That is exactly why immunity was created.”

The full Knesset vote broke almost entirely along coalition and opposition lines. Only Likud lawmaker Yuli Edelstein crossed party lines, publicly cautioning that the precedent set by the vote could be exploited in future cases involving the exposure of intelligence personnel.

Yesh Atid lawmaker Merav Ben Ari, who voted against immunity in committee, told The Media Line the outcome was never in doubt. “Formally, it is over for now from the Knesset’s side,” she said. “Once immunity is left in place for a member of Knesset, it means that person is protected from prosecution as long as he or she is a member of Knesset.”

Ben Ari acknowledged that parliamentary immunity serves a legitimate purpose in principle — particularly in cases involving speech, protest activity, or legitimate parliamentary confrontations — but said Gotliv’s situation falls well outside those boundaries. “In the end, she crossed a security line,” Ben Ari said. “She exposed the name of a Shin Bet person, and by doing so, she endangered him and his family.”

Ben Ari drew a comparison to a past immunity case involving former lawmaker Basel Ghattas, who was accused of smuggling phones to security prisoners, saying that case was clearer because the conduct was obviously outside protected parliamentary activity. She concluded that lawmakers should not be the ones deciding whether their colleagues receive immunity. “This whole issue of immunity should not be in the hands of members of Knesset,” she said, adding that she plans to pursue legislation that would shift such decisions to a more balanced and professional body.

“In this case, she used her political power, her connections in the coalition, and her friends to get immunity,” Ben Ari said. She was sharper still when asked what the public should take from the coalition’s vote. “It means there is a coalition here that legitimizes and gives protection to offenders,” she said. “Tally Gotliv was supposed to go to a police investigation. She did not go. She used her immunity.”

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, which opposed Gotliv’s immunity request and has moved toward legal action, argues the problem is more fundamental. Attorney Yael Bloch, director of the organization’s litigation department, told The Media Line that none of the legal grounds for immunity apply in this case. “There is no legal basis to grant immunity,” Bloch said. “None of the grounds set out in the law exists here.”

Bloch explained that under Israeli case law, immunity can cover situations where a lawmaker carrying out legitimate parliamentary work inadvertently crosses into unlawful conduct — such as a defamatory remark during a heated debate. She said Gotliv’s case is categorically different. “This was not a slip,” Bloch said. “It was not spontaneous. It was not by mistake.” She said the posts were planned, repeated, and continued even after warnings that the disclosure could endanger security personnel. “A member of Knesset is not allowed to plan in advance to break the law and then say immunity protects him,” Bloch said.

Bloch also dismissed Gotliv’s selective enforcement argument, saying no evidence was presented that the indictment was filed in bad faith or due to discrimination. “The decision is unreasonable, illegal, and illogical,” Bloch said. “It is not based on the grounds that appear in the law.” She said the High Court of Justice has the authority to overturn it: “The court can cancel the decision and say it was illegal because it was not based on the legal grounds set out in the law.”

The legal fight is already underway. Following the Knesset’s vote, the Shin Bet officer whose identity was allegedly exposed filed a petition with the High Court of Justice challenging the decision. His lawyer, Idan Seger, had previously warned the House Committee that granting immunity would send a dangerous signal to those serving in Israel’s intelligence and security services. In a letter to the committee, Seger argued that Gotliv’s posts were not a spontaneous political statement but a deliberate and repeated disclosure of confidential information that stretched immunity doctrine beyond what the law and Supreme Court precedent allow.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid, who oversaw the Shin Bet during his time as prime minister, responded to the vote with a pointed statement. “This was not a vote for Tally Gotliv,” Lapid wrote. “It was a vote against the Shin Bet.” He said undercover intelligence personnel would now have to wonder what protection they can expect if their identities are exposed in a political dispute. “Tally Gotliv received immunity,” Lapid added. “The Shin Bet had its secrecy removed.”

The case has also drawn attention to broader questions about Israel’s system of checks and balances. Bloch noted that international observers sometimes misunderstand Israel’s governmental structure by comparing it to systems with a firm separation of powers. “Formally, Israel has three branches,” she said, “but the government controls the Knesset through the coalition majority.” In that context, she argued, the judiciary and legal gatekeepers take on an especially critical role. “There are not really three fully separate branches,” Bloch said. “There are, in many ways, two, and the judicial system is the one they are constantly trying to weaken.”

Gotliv’s supporters reject that framing, arguing instead that legal gatekeepers have accumulated too much power and that elected officials need tools to resist interference from unelected officials. For coalition members, Gotliv’s publications were part of a legitimate political and public campaign over unresolved questions from October 7 — not a private act disconnected from her role as a lawmaker.

The immunity Gotliv has won inside the Knesset is not permanent and is not beyond legal challenge. If the High Court overturns the decision, the attorney general could move forward with the indictment during the current parliamentary term. If the court leaves the decision intact, the criminal case will remain on hold until this Knesset concludes, unless circumstances change. Should a new Knesset be elected and Gotliv return as a lawmaker, the attorney general could seek to revive the case.

Israel’s immunity law was designed to shield lawmakers from intimidation and preserve parliament’s independence. The Gotliv case has now forced the country to confront a harder question: what happens when the Knesset itself decides that the protections meant to defend parliamentary work also apply to an alleged breach of security secrecy?

Israel and Hezbollah reached an agreement Friday to restore a ceasefire in Lebanon, even as US officials scrambled to keep escalating violence from undermining ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran.

A senior White House official told Sky News Arabia that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed “100%” to renewing the ceasefire. A separate senior Israeli official told Walla that the terms were simple: “If Hezbollah does not attack, Israel will not attack.”

The ceasefire came after a tense day of diplomacy. Iran had demanded guarantees about the situation in Lebanon before it would return to the negotiating table with the United States.

CNN, citing a source with knowledge of the discussions, reported that Washington sent word to Tehran that Israel had no plans to expand its military operations. That source told CNN: “Hezbollah violated the ceasefire. Israel agreed to absorb it, and that message was conveyed to the Iranians. Now it is up to Hezbollah to stop.”

The diplomatic push followed a deadly confrontation in southern Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces announced that Battalion 52 commander Lt. Col. Dor Ben Shimhon was killed in combat. Three other soldiers also died in the same incident, though their names had not yet been cleared for release.

IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said a Battalion 52 tank was struck overnight Friday. Early findings suggest the vehicle may have been hit by something from the air. Investigators have not ruled out an anti-tank missile, a drone, or a Hezbollah explosive device as the cause.

In response, Israel launched a sweeping military campaign against Hezbollah positions, conducting more than 150 strikes across Lebanon — hitting infrastructure in the south as well as targets further into the country.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated: “We will not allow harm to our soldiers or citizens, and every violation of the ceasefire by Hezbollah will be met with great force.”

The fighting also disrupted planned diplomatic activity in Switzerland. A scheduled meeting between US Vice President JD Vance and an Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was called off.

That meeting had been set to coincide with an in-person signing ceremony following the digital signing of a memorandum of understanding by President Donald Trump and President Masoud Pezeshkian.

PARIS — Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Paris on Saturday to protest political executions in Iran, defying an official order prohibiting the gathering. Authorities arrested 20 people during the event, according to rally organizers.

The crowd assembled at Place Vauban, near the Les Invalides monument in the heart of Paris, before police moved in to break up the demonstration. Shahin Gobadi, a spokesperson for the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, or NCRI, confirmed the dispersal and the arrests.

Attempts to reach Paris police for comment were not immediately successful.

French authorities had prohibited the NCRI, an Iranian opposition organization, from holding the rally, citing concerns about possible clashes between groups with opposing viewpoints. The NCRI pushed back on that reasoning, calling it “bogus.”

The group challenged the prohibition in court, but a Paris court upheld the ban on Saturday before the rally got underway.

The original ban was issued on Thursday evening, just hours after France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi. The two officials discussed the latest efforts to bring an end to the Iran war during that call.

France’s foreign ministry denied the NCRI’s claim that the rally ban was connected to that diplomatic conversation.

The NCRI, which serves as the political wing of the People’s Mujahideen Organisation of Iran, has a long history of organizing large-scale demonstrations in Paris. Those events have drawn thousands of attendees over the years, including prominent former officials from the United States, Europe, and Arab nations who have been critical of Iran’s Islamic Republic.

MADRID — Spain’s highest court has ordered the government to pay 2.5 million euros — roughly $2.87 million — to a man who spent 15 years behind bars for crimes he did not commit, according to a ruling by the country’s Supreme Court.

Ahmed Tommouhi, a 75-year-old bricklayer from Morocco, relocated to Spain in 1991 hoping to build a better life. That same year, he was convicted of two rapes and one count of robbery in the Catalonia region of northeastern Spain and sentenced to 24 years in prison.

After a lengthy fight to clear his name — during which one of the victims came forward and stated that Tommouhi was not her attacker — he was finally exonerated of the last remaining charge against him this past December.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Tommouhi expressed the lasting toll the ordeal has taken on him. “The justice system has ruined my life,” he said. He made clear that no amount of money could restore what he lost, adding, “they’ve stolen 36 years of my life.”

The Supreme Court stepped in after the National Court had previously refused to award Tommouhi any compensation, arguing that no errors had been made during his original trial. The Supreme Court disagreed, overturning that decision and declaring that Tommouhi had been the victim of an “unequivocal and qualified” judicial error during the original proceedings in Barcelona.

According to the Supreme Court, the original trial failed to take into account a biological expert analysis that demonstrated the person responsible for the rapes was not Tommouhi — a critical piece of evidence that was overlooked at the time.

Iran’s highest joint military authority, known as the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, announced Saturday that it is shutting down the Strait of Hormuz to all ship traffic. The decision was reported by Iran’s state-run Mehr news agency.

According to the announcement, the closure is being described as the “first step” taken in response to what Iran claims are violations of a ceasefire agreement by the United States and Israel. Officials warned that if what they characterized as “aggression” does not end, further measures will follow.

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is departing Sunday on his first foreign trip since assuming office, with visits to Malaysia and China on the itinerary. The six-day journey is centered on attracting overseas investment, expanding employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers, and establishing the new government’s foreign policy direction.

Rahman is set to fly to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday afternoon for a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. He will then travel to China on Monday for a three-day official visit, extended at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

During the China portion of the trip, Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam told reporters Saturday that officials anticipate signing between 15 and 17 bilateral agreements. Siam also confirmed that the long-stalled Teesta River project would be part of the discussions.

Rahman’s schedule in China includes a meeting with Premier Li on June 25, followed by a session with President Xi Jinping on June 26. He is also expected to attend the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions — commonly referred to as the Summer Davos Forum — held in the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian. The event brings together global business and political figures to discuss economic growth, innovation, and emerging technologies.

The China visit follows the Bangladeshi government’s recent approval of a 41.89 billion taka ($340 million) infrastructure project for the Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone in Chittagong. The initiative is backed by 24.67 billion taka in concessional Chinese loans and is projected to generate approximately 100,000 jobs while drawing more than $500 million in foreign direct investment in its first phase.

In Malaysia, talks are expected to center on labor migration, the hiring of Bangladeshi workers, and broader economic cooperation. Malaysia is one of the top destinations for Bangladeshi migrant workers, and the money those workers send home represents a vital source of foreign currency for Bangladesh.

The trip also carries significant diplomatic weight. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was removed from power during a mass uprising in 2024 and has since been residing in India, was widely regarded as having closer ties to New Delhi, though she also maintained a relationship with China and secured major Chinese-backed infrastructure deals during her tenure.

Relations between Bangladesh and India have shown some improvement since Rahman’s government took office in February, but friction remains — particularly over border tensions and alleged push-ins of migrants across the shared frontier.

Asif Shahan, a professor of development studies at the University of Dhaka, offered context on the diplomatic significance of the visits. “Although ties with India have improved somewhat, tensions persist, notably over border issues. Strengthening relations with China reflects Dhaka’s broader effort to balance its external partnerships,” he said.

Shahan added: “The visits are as much economic as diplomatic. China is crucial for investment, while Malaysia remains key for overseas employment — both align with the government’s economic priorities.”

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian guided bombs tore into an apartment building in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, early Saturday morning, leaving at least one person dead and nine others injured, including a 6-year-old child, according to local officials.

Rescue workers pulled a body from the wreckage several hours after the strike, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported via Telegram. He said the bombs hit the low-rise residential building in Kharkiv’s Kholodnohirskiy district in the early morning hours.

The head of the regional administration, Oleh Syniehubov, confirmed that nine people were hurt in the attack, with five of them requiring hospitalization.

Syniehubov also reported a separate incident in Kharkiv from Friday evening, when a Russian drone hit a civilian vehicle, fatally striking a man and wounding the woman who was driving.

Russian officials did not immediately respond to or acknowledge either attack.

Ukraine’s air force reported that it successfully intercepted 92 out of 99 Russian drones launched during the overnight period, with the remaining seven reaching targets across three locations.

On the Russian side, Gov. Alexander Moor said Saturday that Russian air defenses turned back a Ukrainian drone attack aimed at an oil refinery in Tyumen, located in Western Siberia. He said the facility suffered no damage and that workers were safely evacuated.

Ukraine has made a consistent effort to strike Russian oil infrastructure as a strategy to reduce Moscow’s war funding and bring the impact of the conflict home to the Russian population. Fuel shortages have been reported in some areas as a result.

In one of the largest drone offensives since Russia launched its full-scale invasion more than four years ago, Ukraine struck a major oil refinery near Moscow for the second time in a single week on Thursday, generating massive clouds of black smoke visible over the capital and causing disruptions to hundreds of flights.

Russia’s Defense Ministry stated Saturday that its forces shot down 177 Ukrainian drones overnight, though it did not specify how many managed to reach their intended targets. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said two drones were brought down as they approached the capital.

A Spanish judge has determined that Begoña Gomez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, must stand trial on corruption charges, according to a ruling issued Saturday.

Gomez faces allegations that she leveraged her position as the prime minister’s wife to steer work contracts in her favor. She has denied any wrongdoing. The legal action was originally brought forward by far-right groups.

Investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado issued orders requiring Gomez to hand over her passport, prohibited her from leaving Spain, and mandated that she appear before the court two times each month.

This case is among several corruption investigations that are either approaching or already at the trial stage, all of which are creating political pressure for Sanchez, who is considered one of the last remaining left-leaning leaders in Europe. Sanchez himself has not been named in any of the cases and has publicly stated that the investigations are part of a coordinated effort to push him out of office.

A number of Sanchez’s close political allies are also under scrutiny. These include the Socialist party’s third-ranking official and Sanchez’s former transport minister, both of whom face allegations tied to kickbacks connected to public works, oil and gas deals, and the purchase of masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. All deny any wrongdoing.

In a separate development, Spain’s High Court announced it is investigating former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on allegations that he led a network that profited by lobbying government authorities on behalf of outside clients, including the airline Plus Ultra. Zapatero has denied the allegations.

LONDON — Nine people are still fighting for their lives following a deadly train collision that occurred Friday near Bedford, a town approximately 60 miles north of London, where the driver of one of the trains was killed.

The crash happened at roughly 5:15 p.m. local time on Friday, when two passenger trains — both heading toward London — struck each other. The driver of one of the trains did not survive, dying at the scene of the collision.

On Saturday, British Transport Police Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi provided an update on the victims. She confirmed that more than 80 people had been taken to hospitals Friday night.

“As of this morning, 28 remain in hospital, and nine are in a critical condition,” D’Orsi said, adding that investigators are actively working to determine the cause of the accident.

Video footage shared on social media by a passenger aboard one of the trains showed what appeared to be the crumpled front end of one train locked into the rear of the other, though the rail cars themselves remained upright.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer took to social media platform X to call the event a “devastating incident.”

Buckingham Palace also released a statement on behalf of King Charles, saying: “His Majesty is greatly saddened by the rail crash in Bedford yesterday evening and is being kept regularly updated on developments. His thoughts and sympathies are with the family of the deceased and with all those injured or affected by such a tragic incident.”

LONDON (AP) — A collision between two passenger trains in central England turned deadly Friday afternoon, killing the driver of one locomotive and leaving nine people in critical condition, according to police.

British Transport Police Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi reported that more than 80 people required hospital treatment following the crash. By Saturday, 28 of those victims were still receiving hospital care.

The crash drew a response from the royal family, with Buckingham Palace releasing a statement saying King Charles III “is greatly saddened” by the incident. The palace added that “his thoughts and sympathies are with the family of the deceased and with all those injured or affected by such a tragic incident.”

Investigators are now working to determine why a commuter train heading toward London’s St. Pancras Station rear-ended another train traveling to the same destination on Friday afternoon.

Images and footage shared on social media captured dozens of passengers — some bandaged and others appearing unharmed — gathered near emergency vehicles lined up alongside the train tracks.

Passenger Peter Knapp described being violently thrown forward by the force of the impact, then witnessing fellow riders suffering broken bones and serious bleeding.

“People were crying, screaming. People were so scared and confused,” Knapp said. “I got up and I saw a lot of people who were unable to speak, had broken legs.”

A second passenger, Brett Byatt, spoke with the BBC about the severity of the scene inside his train car. “Only three to four of us were uninjured in a full carriage,” he said. “Everyone else had either a serious wound that was bleeding profusely, or a situation where they couldn’t stand, or couldn’t move their neck, or I saw a woman’s snapped leg.”

Britain’s rail network has long been considered among the safest in the world. The country’s last fatal multi-train crash prior to this one occurred in Wales in October 2024 — itself the first such deadly collision in more than 25 years.

Authorities in Germany are investigating a deadly overnight collision between two freight trains on a railway bridge in the city of Munich, officials announced Saturday.

The impact sent two rail wagons tumbling off the bridge and crashing onto the road below, a fall of roughly 5 meters — about 16 feet — according to the German news agency dpa. One person died as a result of the crash, though the victim has not been publicly identified.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation, and no explanation has been provided yet by officials.

Munich police closed off the street running beneath the bridge and asked drivers to steer clear of the area as crews worked to recover and clear the wreckage. Authorities say the derailed wagons were empty at the time of the crash, meaning there was no danger to the surrounding public.

No other injuries were reported in connection with the incident.

NEW DELHI — Hundreds of students and young activists affiliated with India’s rapidly growing Cockroach Janta Party gathered near Parliament in New Delhi on Saturday, clanging steel plates with spoons in a demonstration calling for the ouster of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The protest added to mounting pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, with demonstrators citing a pattern of examination irregularities and repeated leaks of test papers. Authorities responded by deploying heavy security personnel, while police used cameras and drones to keep watch over the crowd.

Protesters held up signs and made their voices heard through the noise of banging cookware, all united behind a single demand: Pradhan’s resignation.

“This is just the beginning. If Dharmendra Pradhan doesn’t resign or if no action is taken regarding this issue, this protest will not end here,” said CJP supporter Deepak Kumar.

At the heart of the demonstrations is outrage over a leaked exam paper for a major nationwide medical program. The test paper was distributed last month through the social media messaging platform Telegram. In response, authorities postponed the exam and temporarily blocked access to Telegram across India. The exam is now set to take place on Sunday, and the government has stated the leak is currently under investigation.

For many students, the issue is deeply personal. “We study in poverty, live in poverty for 24 hours everyday, for years at length, and after that our (exam) papers get leaked. Will I not get angry at this?” said student Vicky Kumar.

The Cockroach Janta Party itself was born out of controversy in May, when a Supreme Court judge named Surya Kant sparked widespread anger by comparing unemployed young people to “cockroaches.” Rather than taking offense, supporters reclaimed the insult as a badge of toughness and resilience. That decision helped the group build an audience of more than 22 million followers on Instagram.

Since then, the movement’s focus has broadened beyond the original remarks, now encompassing concerns about joblessness, the rising cost of living, and holding the government accountable. The CJP blends sharp political criticism with self-deprecating humor, with members jokingly describing themselves as unemployed and perpetually online. Videos and memes poking fun at corruption, unemployment, and political dysfunction have racked up millions of views, and numerous parody accounts have also adopted the cockroach as a satirical symbol of political commentary.

At least 15 migrants, among them a young girl, have been found dead along Libya’s eastern Mediterranean coastline over the course of the past week, following what is believed to have been a boat capsizing. Security, navy, and medical sources shared the information with Reuters on Saturday.

According to a navy source, 10 survivors reported that the vessel had approximately 61 people aboard when it went down.

The bodies were discovered at multiple locations along the shoreline near Tobruk, a city situated close to the Egyptian border. Two security officials noted that the remains were in an advanced state of decomposition and cautioned that additional victims may still be found along the coast.

The Tobruk Red Crescent posted images on Facebook showing volunteers dressed in white hazmat suits carefully retrieving bodies from rocky stretches of shoreline and placing them into white plastic bags.

Libya has served as a major transit point for migrants attempting to reach Europe ever since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi during a NATO-backed uprising in 2011. Desperate individuals fleeing poverty and conflict have since risked their lives crossing vast desert terrain and the treacherous waters of the Mediterranean.

Libya’s oil-dependent economy also draws migrants from impoverished regions who are searching for employment opportunities.

In a separate incident, the Emergency Medicine and Support Centre in Khumas city — which operates under the health ministry based in the capital, Tripoli — reported that its medical staff treated 13 migrants following another boat capsizing off the coast.

Switzerland’s foreign ministry announced Saturday that negotiations between the United States and Iran are continuing at the Bürgenstock resort, with Swiss officials describing the venue as a “discreet and reliable setting” for the sensitive diplomatic talks.

The ministry confirmed it is playing a facilitating role in efforts to implement a memorandum of understanding between the two nations, but stopped short of providing any additional details about who is at the table or what specific issues are being addressed.

In a formal statement, Swiss officials cited confidentiality as the reason for withholding information about the participants and the substance of the ongoing discussions.

SAO PAULO — The Brazilian government believes a hacking attack was responsible for an unauthorized emergency alert that was pushed to cell phones across several parts of the country in the early hours of Saturday morning.

According to a statement from the National Protection and Civil Defense Secretariat, the nation’s citizen notification system was taken offline at approximately 1:30 a.m. local time — 4:30 a.m. GMT — after a message containing the word “misanthropy,” which means hatred of humanity, was delivered to users across multiple states.

Officials said the alert was triggered remotely without authorization. The case has been turned over to Brazil’s Federal Police for a full investigation, and authorities say the notification system will be brought back online as soon as it is safe to do so.

Russian air defense systems successfully intercepted a drone targeting an oil refinery in the Western Siberian region of Tyumen on Saturday, the area’s top official announced.

Governor Alexander Moor shared the update via Telegram, stating: “A drone attack on the Tyumen oil refinery has been repelled. Emergency services are working at the site where the debris fell. According to preliminary information, the refinery has not been damaged and staff have been evacuated.”

The Tyumen region lies more than 2,500 kilometers — roughly 1,550 miles — from the Ukrainian border, making it one of the most distant Russian energy hubs to face such an incident. The area ranks among Russia’s most vital oil and natural gas producing zones.

The targeted facility is considered one of the most advanced and complex refineries in the country, with a processing capacity of approximately 8 million metric tons per year. In practice, it handles around 6 million tons of crude oil annually, yielding roughly 0.5 million tons of gasoline and 2.5 million tons of diesel fuel, based on industry estimates.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza — Two children lost their lives in an Israeli strike on a Gaza City apartment early Saturday morning, Palestinian health officials reported.

Even with a ceasefire in place between Israel and the militant group Hamas, the Gaza Strip has experienced near-daily Israeli attacks that have collectively killed more than 1,007 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The strike hit a residential apartment in Gaza City at approximately 2 a.m. local time, the ministry said. Rescue crews were still working to recover additional bodies, and the death toll was expected to increase. No immediate figures were available for the number of injured.

An Associated Press reporter who visited the scene observed broken rubble and large pieces of concrete covered in blood.

The two victims were identified as sisters — 4-year-old Zina and 14-year-old Lana. Their bodies were taken to the morgue at Shifa Hospital, where they were wrapped in white hospital bags as family members gathered around them.

Their cousin, Mohammad Safadi, who suffered a wound to his forehead, described the moment of the attack. “I was sitting at home. The rocket fell on us without a warning,” he said, adding that both he and his wife were also injured.

Safadi questioned the validity of the ongoing ceasefire. “This ceasefire the occupation and the negotiation team speak of … is this really a ceasefire? We are civilians. I never held a weapon,” he said.

The Israeli military did not immediately release a statement but indicated it was looking into the matter. Israel has maintained that its operations target Hamas and other armed groups that pose a security threat.

Five Israeli soldiers have died since the truce went into effect.

The conflict began when Hamas-led militants launched an attack into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Israel’s military response in Gaza has since resulted in the deaths of 73,018 Palestinians, including those killed after the ceasefire began, the Gaza Health Ministry reported Saturday.

The Health Ministry operates under the Hamas-led government but is staffed by medical professionals who maintain detailed casualty records. United Nations agencies and independent analysts generally regard its data as reliable. The ministry does not separate civilian deaths from militant deaths, though it notes that women and children account for roughly half of all fatalities.

CAIRO — At least five people lost their lives in the Gaza Strip on Saturday as a result of Israeli strikes and gunfire, according to health officials.

An Israeli airstrike targeted an apartment building in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City, killing four Palestinians — among them two women and a child. Medics reported that the unit was completely destroyed and that several additional people suffered injuries in the attack.

In a separate incident further to the north, Israeli forces fatally shot a woman in the town of Beit Lahiya, according to medics.

The Israeli military had not issued any response to either incident at the time of reporting.

Although a ceasefire reached in October was intended to bring major hostilities between Hamas and Israel to a halt, deadly attacks have continued in the region. Gaza’s health ministry reported that more than 1,010 Palestinians have died from Israeli fire since that ceasefire took effect. During the same timeframe, four Israeli soldiers were killed by militants operating in Gaza.

Israeli officials maintain that their military operations are designed to prevent imminent threats posed by Hamas and other armed groups. Hamas, for its part, seldom releases information regarding casualties among its own fighters.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas remain at a standstill over the next phase of a Gaza plan put forward by Trump, which calls for Hamas to disarm and for Israel to carry out military withdrawals.

WARSAW, Poland — Ukrainian officials are pushing back hard after Polish President Karol Nawrocki declared he would take back the highest honor Poland can bestow upon a foreign leader — stripping Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle.

Nawrocki made the announcement Friday, citing Zelenskyy’s decision to name a Ukrainian military unit after a paramilitary organization that has been accused of massacring Polish civilians during World War II.

The honor had originally been awarded to Zelenskyy in 2023 by former Polish President Andrzej Duda, recognizing his contributions to security, resilience, and the defense of human rights.

The controversy stems from a decree Zelenskyy signed on May 26, which officially named a unit within Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army — known by its Ukrainian acronym UPA. The UPA was active during the 1940s and 1950s and has long been a source of tension between Poland and Ukraine due to accusations of large-scale killings of Polish civilians.

In a 13-minute video address posted to social media, Nawrocki explained his reasoning. “For the majority of Polish society, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army remains above all a formation responsible for cruel crimes against the citizens of the Polish Republic during World War II,” he said. He also stressed that revoking the award would not reduce Poland’s support for Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia.

Ukrainian officials responded sharply. Kyrylo Budanov, chief of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, wrote on Telegram that Nawrocki’s move was “an unfriendly act toward our people” and called it “a gift to the Moscow aggressor, which will certainly use it against both of our countries.”

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the decision as “a strategic mistake by the President of Poland, one that benefits only Moscow.”

Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, said the timing made the decision “especially painful,” given that Ukrainians are actively defending against Russian missile and drone attacks.

All three Ukrainian officials announced they would return any honors they had received from the Polish government.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who is a political rival of Nawrocki, called on both leaders to ease tensions rather than inflame them. “The front line runs elsewhere,” Tusk wrote on social media Friday night, warning that the dispute between Poland and Ukraine “delights Putin and shocks our allies.”

Zelenskyy’s May decree framed the naming decision as a way to honor military tradition and recognize the unit’s role in defending Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity.

Historically, the UPA fought against both Nazi German and Soviet forces in pursuit of Ukrainian independence. However, the group has also been accused of killing tens of thousands of Polish civilians, primarily in the Nazi-occupied regions of Volhynia and Eastern Galicia. Poland’s parliament formally recognized those killings as genocide in 2016.

Ukraine’s position is that armed groups on multiple sides — including the UPA and Polish underground forces — were responsible for violence that resulted in significant civilian casualties among both Poles and Ukrainians.

The dispute comes despite recent signs of progress between the two countries. A December meeting between the two presidents in Warsaw had been seen as a step forward on historical reconciliation, including movement on the issue of exhuming Polish victims.

Poland is set to host a major international event focused on Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction next week, and Zelenskyy is expected to attend.

One person is dead following a collision between two freight trains on a bridge in Munich, Germany, early Saturday morning, according to local police.

The crash caused two of the rail cars to derail and fall onto the street below the bridge. A police spokesperson in the southern German city confirmed to Reuters that investigators are still working to determine what caused the incident.

Emergency crews were called to the scene in Munich’s northern Milbertshofen district at 1:40 a.m. local time — 11:40 p.m. Friday GMT — with approximately 60 first responders sent to assist, according to a fire department spokesperson.

TYRE, Lebanon — Israeli airstrikes struck southern Lebanon on Saturday, killing at least seven people — among them two children — just hours after reports surfaced of a ceasefire agreement. The continued violence is now threatening an interim accord between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the broader Middle East conflict.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that the strikes hit the southern town of Nabatiyeh and surrounding villages, with at least seven more people still trapped beneath rubble in the aftermath.

Mediators have been working frantically to stop the fighting between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The situation escalated sharply on Friday, when clashes left at least 47 people dead in Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers killed.

An Israeli military official, speaking anonymously in accordance with regulations, said Hezbollah fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight, prompting Israel to begin targeting the group there.

Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, wrote on X Friday that Israel “remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire” — but only if Hezbollah honors the agreement and stops its attacks.

Hezbollah has publicly stated it will observe a ceasefire if Israel does the same, but has stopped short of confirming that any ceasefire is actually in effect. A Hezbollah official, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said Friday that Qatar, the U.S., and Iran were all working to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah — but declined to say a deal had been finalized.

The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel erupted just days after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28. Hezbollah responded by firing rockets and drones at civilian areas in northern Israel, while Israel moved to seize large portions of southern Lebanon.

An interim agreement between the U.S. and Iran, signed digitally earlier this week, has already produced one tangible result: the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had closed during the conflict — a move that had cut off major global supplies of oil and natural gas. The deal also calls for renewed talks on Iran’s nuclear program, which is at the heart of the wider conflict.

Neither Israel nor Hezbollah signed the deal. It calls for a halt to military operations in Lebanon and for Lebanon’s sovereignty to be respected. With fighting still ongoing, the agreement is now in jeopardy. U.S.-Iran talks scheduled to begin Friday in Switzerland have been postponed with no new date set.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to keep Israeli forces in southern Lebanon until all threats to Israel are eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to stand down unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Lebanon — a condition Iran says is also part of the deal.

Smoke could be seen rising over southern Lebanon on Saturday, and Israeli jets flew low over the coastal city of Tyre. A strike on the village of Barish killed four family members — two parents and their two children. In the village of Arab Salim, a body was recovered from a destroyed home. Drone strikes in the villages of Doueir and Kfar Rumman killed a person on a motorcycle and a Lebanese soldier.

Netanyahu’s office offered no immediate response to questions about the ceasefire efforts. On Friday, Netanyahu posted on X that, on his orders, the Israeli military had “struck powerfully” at 150 Hezbollah targets, killing dozens of militants. Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Israeli forces were operating in a “forward defense zone” and would continue to do so.

Iranian officials canceled their planned travel to Switzerland, saying the fighting in Lebanon must stop before negotiations can proceed. U.S. Vice President JD Vance also postponed his trip to Switzerland.

On Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told the semi-official ISNA news agency that Pakistan’s interior minister would travel to Iran as part of continuing diplomatic efforts. Baghaei said earlier that consultations through intermediaries were ongoing regarding the next phase of negotiations toward a final U.S.-Iran agreement. He noted that because the initial deal was signed digitally, the Switzerland meeting was not considered urgent, and plans were being made to hold talks in the coming days.

The Switzerland talks were expected to center on Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran insists the program is for peaceful purposes only, though it holds a large stockpile of uranium enriched to levels just below weapons-grade — enough to build multiple atomic bombs if it chose to, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog.

The negotiations are expected to be challenging. The 2015 nuclear deal — which U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned during his first term — took more than 18 months to complete. The current interim agreement gives negotiators 60 days to reach a nuclear deal, with the possibility of an extension. It also offers significant incentives for Iran, including the eventual removal of all international sanctions and a $300 billion fund for postwar rebuilding.

Iran has already gained some concessions. Following the signing of the interim deal, the U.S. lifted its blockade of Iranian ports and is now allowing Iran to sell its oil on the open market. The agreement also calls for Iran’s frozen assets to be released, though the timeline for that remains unclear.

Two Syrian soldiers were killed Saturday when unidentified attackers struck near the city of Manbij in the northeastern Aleppo region, according to Syria’s Defence Ministry.

The ministry confirmed the deaths in a statement but did not release any additional information regarding the circumstances of the attack or the identity of those responsible.

At least seven people lost their lives and three others were hurt after two roadside bombs exploded in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, according to the Associated Press, which cited local police.

The first bomb struck a vehicle in the Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. A second device then detonated shortly after, targeting the rescuers who had rushed to help victims of the initial blast, according to senior police officer Yasir Afridi.

Afridi reported that five people were killed in the first explosion and two more died in the second, with three individuals sustaining injuries.

No group or individual has stepped forward to claim responsibility for the attacks. Authorities have launched a search operation to track down those responsible. The district administration and the office of the Bannu divisional commissioner had not responded to requests for comment at the time of reporting.

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari publicly condemned the bombings on the social media platform X, issuing a stern warning to what he called “internal and external handlers of terrorism” against offering safe havens, logistical support, or financial backing to terrorist networks.

KYIV — A growing diplomatic dispute between Ukraine and Poland escalated Saturday when President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff announced he was giving back a Polish state honor in protest of actions taken by Polish President Karol Nawrocki.

Kyrylo Budanov said he was returning the Golden Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland — an award he received last year — calling Nawrocki’s recent decision a “gift” for Russia. The move threatens to strain relations between two nations that have been close strategic partners as Ukraine seeks international support in its ongoing war with Russia.

The dispute began Friday when Nawrocki announced he was revoking the Order of the White Eagle — Poland’s highest honor — from Zelenskiy. The Polish president cited Zelenskiy’s decision to rename a military unit after World War Two-era Ukrainian insurgents who have been blamed for the massacre of Polish civilians.

Budanov took to social media to express his objection, writing: “Our nations have long-standing relations and different pages of history — both heroic and tragic. However, this should be an occasion for deep reflection, not crude political speculation.”

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had already weighed in before Budanov’s announcement, calling Nawrocki’s decision a “strategic error.” Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk — a political opponent of Nawrocki — appealed to both leaders to keep a level head amid the escalating tensions.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico — The images look familiar at first glance: young men dressed in Mexico’s green national team jersey, a FIFA-style logo in the corner, the layout mimicking the collectible Panini stickers that soccer fans around the world trade during every World Cup tournament.

But posted across downtown Guadalajara — taped to concrete benches, utility poles, and walls — each face carries a single word above it:

“DESAPARECIDO.”

Missing.

One poster features Christian Emmanuel Rivera, who disappeared in August 2023. Another shows Jaime Adrián Ramírez, gone since September 2020.

While Guadalajara serves as a host city for the 2026 World Cup, families desperately searching for missing relatives have turned one of soccer’s most recognizable images into a powerful awareness campaign. Their goal: to make Mexico’s 135,000 missing people visible to the enormous number of international visitors now filling the city’s streets.

The effort was organized by Luz de Esperanza, a search collective operating in the western state of Jalisco — the state with the highest number of disappearances in all of Mexico, with more than 16,000 people listed as missing in its official registry. Members of the collective say other groups have already reached out, interested in using the same approach.

“This is our way of drawing attention to the fact that we miss our children, that they are absent from our lives,” said María de Jesús Solís, 57, whose son Jaime Adrián vanished nearly six years ago.

Solís wears a pendant with her son’s photograph around her neck every day.

“This is my boy,” she said. “The difference is that now he’s wearing the World Cup shirt.”

Throughout Mexico, relatives of the missing have banded together into search collectives that comb through fields, ravines, abandoned buildings, and hidden graves — conducting investigations that families say the government has repeatedly failed to carry out on its own.

Members of Luz de Esperanza have fanned out across Guadalajara nearly every Sunday since 2021, distributing stacks of missing-person flyers in the hope that someone will recognize a face or offer a useful tip. The group refers to this ongoing effort as a “search for the living.”

This month, the collective swapped many of those standard flyers for hundreds of the new World Cup-inspired posters.

For Solís, the campaign reflects deep frustration over what she sees as misplaced priorities.

“We’re not against the World Cup,” she said. “But we’re against the excessive spending.”

She noted that authorities poured millions of dollars into preparing the city for the tournament, while search collectives frequently pay out of their own pockets for water, food, and transportation during their searches.

“The government is showing a beautiful face to the world,” Solís said. “But if you look around, the city is full of posters of our children.”

On a recent morning, Solís and Guadalupe Rivera joined fellow members of Luz de Esperanza at an abandoned property on the edge of the city. The women moved through darkened rooms and into a cluttered backyard filled with garbage, some carrying metal probes used to test the ground for signs of hidden graves.

Rivera pushed a steel rod into the soil as others combed through the property. Her son, Christian Emmanuel, disappeared nearly three years ago. She joined the collective almost right away.

“I thought that if I joined a group, the search would move faster,” she said. “Time keeps passing, and I’m still searching.”

Rivera takes part in searches for human remains to support other grieving families — but she holds onto the hope that she will never find her own son that way.

“I want to find him alive,” she said. “I want him to show up at my front door.”

The idea for the World Cup campaign, Rivera explained, came from a straightforward observation: if soccer is dominating every conversation in the city, perhaps it could also create an opening for people to notice those who are no longer there.

The members of the collective are sports fans themselves, Rivera said.

“When it’s the World Cup, even if you’re not really a fan, you sit down at home and watch it with your family,” she said. “But our family isn’t whole anymore.”

Some residents have welcomed the posters, Rivera said, while others have pushed back, arguing that the World Cup should be a time for celebration rather than a reminder of violence and grief.

But the families say they have no choice but to keep finding new ways to make their missing loved ones visible to the world.

“The government never pays attention to us,” Rivera said. “So we want to see whether, this way, the world will.”

LA PAZ — Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz took dramatic action early Saturday, announcing a state of emergency as the nation struggles under the weight of a blockade crisis that has brought its economy to a standstill for the past 50 days.

Speaking directly to the nation in a formal address, Paz outlined the measure, which now allows for the deployment of military forces throughout Bolivia in an effort to reestablish order.

At least five people were killed in Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks across southern Lebanon on Saturday, according to Lebanese state media — just hours after a ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group officially took hold.

Lebanon’s state news agency NNA reported that Israeli warplanes and drones launched multiple strikes throughout the Nabatieh region, hitting residential buildings and homes during the overnight hours and into Saturday morning. Israeli artillery also bombarded Nabatieh and surrounding areas before dawn.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was reached on Friday following a sharp escalation in violence in Lebanon, a U.S. official confirmed. A senior Israeli official and two Hezbollah sources separately verified the agreement to Reuters. According to the U.S. official, the truce was set to take effect at 4 p.m. local time — 1300 GMT — on Friday.

LAGOS, Nigeria — When a plane carrying hundreds of Nigerian nationals escaping South Africa touched down in Lagos last week, passenger Iniebong James felt an immediate wave of relief. That feeling quickly gave way to anxiety.

Nearly two weeks after arriving back in his home country, James, 52, is working to rebuild a life he walked away from a decade ago. In 2016, he packed his belongings and traveled to South Africa on a six-month visitor’s visa — and never left. Without legal permission to remain, he established himself as a car mechanic in the country’s Eastern Cape Province.

Things were manageable until May, when anti-immigrant demonstrators attacked him, leaving him with a head injury, he told The Associated Press.

That attack unfolded against a backdrop of rapidly intensifying hostility toward migrants in South Africa. In recent months, the country has seen marches demanding that undocumented immigrants leave, along with reports of violence directed at foreign nationals.

Governments across Africa have responded by flying their citizens home. Hundreds of migrants from Nigeria and other African nations have been repatriated, with officials pointing to threats of violence and an increasingly dangerous atmosphere.

South Africa has long drawn people from across the continent, including large numbers of Nigerians, because of its comparatively strong economy and greater opportunities. However, that attraction has periodically been met with outbursts of xenophobic hostility. Some South Africans blame foreign nationals for high unemployment, strained public services, and crime.

Before heading to South Africa, James had worked as a truck driver for a haulage company in Lagos. That company shut down in 2016 when Nigeria’s economy slipped into its first recession in roughly twenty years. Unemployment was a concern, but it was the days-long blackouts that ultimately pushed him to go.

To get by on an expired visa, James said he paid community police officers 200 rands — about $12.14 — each week to allow him to keep his shop running. On two separate occasions, he said he paid immigration officers after being arrested. The AP was unable to independently confirm those claims.

James said he is glad to be home and to have his freedom back, but he acknowledges that the economy that once drove him away is now significantly worse, and he fears finding work will be even harder than before.