By Catherine Cartier and Jonathan Saul July 17 (Reuters) - A vessel under sanctions for moving Russian fuel is likely leaking oil in a protected marine area off the coast of Oman, according to analysis of satellite imagery and experts. The Caroline Bezengi vessel took Russian oil on board in Novorossiysk before leaving for its most recent voyage, according to ship tracking data. It last transmitted a signal on public AIS tracking on June 11 off the coast of Yemen.
Israel's Gadi Eisenkot on Trump: I did not like Trump's request for a pardon for Netanyahu. I think it was inappropriate interference. I very much hope that he does not take sides in Israeli politics. He can express endless appreciation for Netanyahu—that's perfectly fine. He certainly should not become involved in the elections themselves.
Israel Lobby Spends $20 Million to Stop Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan Senate Primary Race Federal filings show over $19.4 million injected into Michigan Democratic primary to support Haley Stevens and thwart progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed. READ MORE

Military reportedly doesn't hand settlers over to police, declares closed military zone forcing activists to leave West Bank village The post Settlers raid West Bank village in PA-run area; IDF, arriving on scene, lets them flee appeared first on The Times of Israel.
A directive from Iran's Supreme National Security Council orders media outlets not to publish details on civilian infrastructure damage, the scale of destruction, or service disruptions, citing "wartime conditions." Reports must avoid causing public fear or highlighting the enemy's success. For damage and outages, outlets are told to use vague phrases like "under review and troubleshooting." Iran International.
🚨#Breaking Flames engulf Sulaymaniyah province in northern Iraq as Iran heavily strikes Kurdish opposition positions. Iran has recently ramped up attacks targeting Kurdish forces in response to increased opposition activity. https://t.co/znRGWNE1w1

Air strikes intensify raising fear of an all-out war.
WATCH: IRGC Navy drone hits a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump Family Media Firm Moves to Sell Early Access to President's Truth Social Posts Trump family’s media company is preparing to offer trading firms a millisecond advantage before the US president's market-moving posts are made public. READ MORE
An ammunition depot in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, was hit by Iran, sparking a large fire after strikes on Kurdish positions. https://t.co/pUPwmNnQEr

Palestinian women in Gaza who have lost limbs during Israel's genocidal war are using football as a way of recovering.
Energoatom, the operator of Ukrainian nuclear power plants, has called for stronger pressure on the aggressor state, Russia, to demilitarize and de-occupy Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and the city of Enerhodar, and urged not to fall for Russian information manipulations.
According to CENTCOM, the tower's destruction "directly degrades IRGC's ability to coordinate attacks on innocent civilian crew members."
One person was killed and eight others were injured after a Russian drone struck a bus in the city of Marhanets, Dnipropetrovsk region, on the evening of July 17.

A NATO diplomat said that he didn't see this coming
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked American lawmakers working to advance a bill in the United States Congress originally authored by the late Senator Lindsey Graham to increase sanction pressure on Russia.

PML-N leader and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Friday said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s controversial remarks about army martyrs were “inappropriate”, but were unintended. Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan’, Sanaullah said, “He (Fazl) always speaks in a balanced and measured manner, and his choice of words is usually very careful… In my opinion, he did not intend to say what he said.” “The words uttered about the martyrs were inappropriate — thi

Kosti Heiskanen said that Finnish politicians are ready for various provocations and terrorist acts

UN chief condemns attacks on civilian sites UN chief Antonio Guterres said Friday that attacks on civilian infrastructure are "unacceptable," after Iran accused the United States of targeting bridges and transport hubs. "The Secretary General remains deeply concerned by the continuing military escalation between Iran and the United States of America," spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters. "He's particularly concerned about attacks on civilian infrastructure in Iran and across the region. Su

PML-N leader and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Friday said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s controversial remarks about army martyrs were “inappropriate”, but were unintended. Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan’, Sanaullah said, “He (Fazl) always speaks in a balanced and measured manner, and his choice of words is usually very careful… In my opinion, he did not intend to say what he said.” “The words uttered about the martyrs were inappropriate — thi
Fox News Host Jesse Watters Jokes About Testosterone-Fueled US Troops 'Raping' Women Watters triggered intense backlash after laughing about US service members acting as "wild animals" toward women during a broadcast discussing testosterone treatments. READ MORE
‼️‼️🇺🇸🇯🇴 The arrival of twelve U.S. Air Force F-16CJ Fighting Falcons at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base (MSAB) represents a significant tactical reinforcement of American air capabilities in Jordan. 🔹The F-16CJ is not a standard multirole fighter; it is a specialized platform designed for the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD), a mission historically known by the call sign "Wild Weasel." 🔹Equipped with specialized sensors and anti-radiation missiles (such as the AGM-88 HARM), the F-16CJ t
Iran's Tasnim: A Thai-flagged ship was fired upon by Iran's IRGC Navy in the Strait of Hormuz after ignoring warnings and attempting to transit without authorization.
Insane new footage of the bomb assassination attempt of a Ukrainian billionaire in Monaco has been released. https://t.co/OFzwa4yxnl
Russian forces launched a strike on the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kharkiv on Friday evening, killing one person and injuring eight others.

Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary and analysis from across the political spectrum only for War on the Rocks members.Each Monday, we bring you a curated selection of articles from Ukrainian media offering insight into how Ukrainians themselves debate the issues shaping their country.Western coverage often narrows the view to the battlefield — these pieces widen it, revealing the texture of daily life, politics, and public argument in a nation at war. The pers

Kuwait seeking expanded defence agreement with Pakistan: Report MEE staff on Fri, 07/17/2026 - 17:32 Kuwait is home to around 14,000 US troops, but has emerged as particularly vulnerable to attacks from Iran and its Iraqi partners Kuwait's new emir, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, salutes as he is sworn in as the country's 17th ruler at the Kuwaiti parliament, on 20 December 2023 in Kuwait City (Yasser al-Zayyat/AFP) Off Kuwait is negotiating an expanded defence a

US President Donald Trump held a high-level meeting in the White House Situation Room on Tuesday night, where senior officials discussed several military options, such as attacking Iranian power plants and carrying out attacks against nuclear facilities to bury its uranium deeper underground.
The talks remain at an early stage, all the sources said, and could still be complicated by heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, said one source.

Russian forces struck the Shevchenkivskyi district in Kharkiv on the evening of 17 July. The attack has left one person dead and eight people injured, including two boys aged 7 and 2.
U.S. strike on a bridge in southern Iran killed a truck driver, Iranian report says. https://t.co/yJwrloPrxh
Two disabled brothers were killed in a US strike on the unfinished Khamir Bridge, Iran.
US airforce deploying a large additional amount of refuelling tankers to Israel potentially for an escalation with Iran.

Dozens more were injured
📸 A truck driver was killed when US strike hit a bridge in southern Iran.
Ukraine's Intelligence (SBU) recovered footage of the assassination attempt on Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev in Monaco. The hitmen had planted a camera near the scene to prove the job was done, then tried to destroy the recording.
Greece is facing pressure from NATO and EU allies to provide Patriot missiles to Ukraine, with Kyiv requesting up to 200 PAC-2 missiles from Greece's Patriot systems. The request follows unsuccessful talks over transferring entire Patriot batteries. Ukrainian officials believe some of the 23-year-old missiles may be nearing the end of their service lives but could still be usable. One proposal would see Greece sell the missiles to Norway, which would then transfer them to Ukraine. Athens has

Since Friday morning and throughout most of the day, Russia has been launching massive attacks on the production assets of the Naftogaz Group in Kharkiv, Poltava, and Sumy regions, acting chairman of the Naftogaz Ukrainy board Serhiy Fedorenko has said.
Why Ukraine's Top Brass Clashed Publicly Over War Strategy Zelensky’s dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov exposed a paralyzing rift within Ukraine’s military command. A clash between tech-driven reform and rigid Soviet-era doctrine. READ MORE

IRGC Navy says ‘zero hour’ approaching for operation against US naval units The IRGC Navy Command said on Friday that the movements and military equipment of US forces are “under the surveillance” of Iran’s naval units. “The Americans are drawing closer by the moment to the zero hour of an operation by Iran’s Armed Forces against CENTCOM naval units in the region’s waters,” the command said in a statement carried by Iranian state television.

Footage shows Haredi residents throwing objects at car apparently carrying officials; body's chief demands public apology from municipality before work resumes on damage The post Tax Authority freezes war compensation claims in Bnei Brak after attacks on staff appeared first on The Times of Israel.

A powerful earthquake struck the southern Mexican Pacific coast on Friday, prompting residents to evacuate buildings in neighbouring Guatemala and El Salvador – and triggering an alert from the US Tsunami Warning System. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Trump Media has told potential customers it could charge up to $100,000 per month for access to its new Truth API, which delivers Trump's Truth Social posts milliseconds before they appear to the public. Source: FT

US-Iran war highlights vulnerability of Mideast undersea cables

Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary from across the political spectrum.Every Monday, War on the Rocks members get a curated selection of op-eds and editorials from Ukrainian-language media to understand how Ukrainians themselves debate the biggest issues shaping their country. Western coverage of Ukraine often narrows to the battlefield; these pieces widen the view to daily life, politics, and public argument in a nation at war.A typical edition provides rough
US airforce bombed 7 bridges around Bandar Abbas Iran yesterday effectively partially isolating the city.

Like his predecessors, President Trump has struggled to turn battlefield successes into long-term victories.

Twenty people also injured in strike on funeral procession for Palestinian killed by Israel earlier in the day.