[95649] A political shift in Colombia, US-Iran talks, and a severe shooting attack on the Jewish community in Montreal

A political shift in Colombia: The pro-Israel "Tiger" is elected president

Political drama in South America: At the end of an extremely close election campaign in the second round in Colombia, the right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella (nicknamed "The Tiger") was declared the winner with 49.66% of the vote – a gap of only about 250,000 votes from his rival. De la Espriella, who ran a campaign focused on security and a tough anti-leftist policy, received the open support of US President Donald Trump, who congratulated him on the victory.

The election is expected to lead to a dramatic change in the country's foreign policy; de la Espriella has previously stated that he intends to move his country's embassy to Jerusalem and deepen security cooperation with Israel. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar congratulated the president-elect and invited him for an official visit to Jerusalem. Conversely, the outgoing anti-Israel president, Gustavo Petro, refuses to accept the results, claiming fraud and even directly accusing Israel of hacking into the national voting servers.

Diplomatic and security arena: Progress in US-Iran talks and an arrangement in Lebanon

• Bürgenstock summit and Swiss agreements: An 18-hour marathon round of talks in Switzerland between the United States and Iran, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, yielded a roadmap for a comprehensive agreement within 60 days. The agreements include significant economic relief for Iran (exemptions on oil exports and the release of frozen assets) alongside the establishment of a "friction prevention cell" in Lebanon and a security mechanism to maintain freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. However, there were exchanges of narrative accusations: The White House and Vice President J.D. Vance announced that Tehran had agreed to return IAEA inspectors to its nuclear facilities, while Iranian representatives, including Mohammad Marandi, denied this vehemently and called it "Western propaganda."


• Israeli-Lebanese negotiations in Washington: Parallel to the international contacts, a round of direct talks began in Washington between the governments of Israel and Lebanon to define security zones in southern Lebanon where only the Lebanese army would be permitted to operate. Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir expressed firm opposition to the agreements. Meanwhile, the IDF announced the release of standby squads in northern settlements starting this coming Sunday following the ceasefire, while many Lebanese residents continue to return to their homes in the south of the country.


• The pager attack and Nasrallah's condition: A senior Hezbollah official, Wafiq Safa, revealed dramatic details about the final days of Hassan Nasrallah, claiming that the organization's leader suffered such deep psychological shock from the results of the pager attack in September 2024 that he stopped eating and drinking, and that "had he not been killed, he would have died of grief."

A severe shooting incident in the Jewish community in Montreal

A major tragedy in Canada: A mass-casualty shooting occurred in the Wesbury neighborhood of Montreal, near a kosher supermarket and a local Chabad center. Killed in the event was Michael Moshe Mizrahi, a Jewish resident of the city, who was accidentally hit by crossfire during an engagement with police forces. The incident, which included initial reports of a suspected planned antisemitic attack and fears of a hostage situation, ended with the neutralization of one of the suspects, while two local police officers were wounded and security forces are conducting a widespread manhunt for additional suspects who fled the scene.

The combat arena, Eilat, and the forces in the field

• The Gaza sector: The IDF eliminated two senior Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, including the commander of the sniper array and the head of engineering of the West Jabalia battalion. In a targeted drone strike in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza, a jeep was destroyed, and two terrorists were eliminated. Senior IDF officials are pushing for continued rapid action in the Strip but express concern that the Trump administration will block the moves.


• Eilat in focus: A storm erupted following leaks from closed discussions in which it was warned that "the next October 7th will be in Eilat" through a maritime or Jordanian infiltration. The Shin Bet was quick to clarify that this was a routine threat assessment tour and that there is no concrete warning for the city.


• Appointment in the 52nd Battalion: Lt. Col. G. was appointed commander of the 52nd Battalion of the Armored Corps, replacing the late Lt. Col. Dor Ben Simhon, who fell in operational activity.


• Sayarim Base: About 15 female observers in a command post commanders' course suffered from severe heatstroke and dehydration after being forced to conduct prolonged firing range activity in heat loads exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in the Negev, which aroused great anger from their parents.

Coalition crises and political processes in Israel

• Coalition ultimatums: Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri issued an ultimatum that his party would not support legislation until the arrests of Torah students (draft evaders) are stopped. At the same time, Finance Committee Chairman Moshe Gafni threatened that he would not allow any law to pass – including the Communications Law – as long as the Daycare Law is not approved.


• Likud prepares for elections: The Likud Constitution Committee will convene to discuss a compromise outline ahead of the primaries in August and the possibility of moving the general elections up to October. According to an internal poll commissioned by MK Eliyahu Revivo, placing Tally Gotliv in a realistic spot harms the party and lowers it by 3-4 mandates.


• Yair Golan's statements: The Democrats chairman caused a political storm when he declared that he would form a coalition with Mansour Abbas and the Ra'am party, and that he intends to work to close the Eli Yeshiva if he is appointed Minister of Defense.


• Political accession to Bennett: Amir Strugo, former CEO of the "Acharai!" organization and an outstanding reserve officer from Maglan who fought for over 400 reserve days, announced his joining the "Together" party led by Naftali Bennett.


• Suspicions of irregularities in the Knesset: Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel revealed that the vote on the appointment of Ravillo as State Comptroller had serious flaws, including forcing Knesset members to photograph their ballots behind the curtain.

Law, crime, and enforcement

• Netanyahu's trial: On the 96th day of the trial, Netanyahu argued during his cross-examination by Adv. Amit Hadad that the prosecution is setting traps for him and presenting false representations.


• Crime and corruption: A local council head was detained for questioning on suspicion of using his authority to prevent the enforcement of building code violations on private properties he owns. Meanwhile, a prosecutor's statement was filed against Guy Levy for secretly filming women in changing rooms (including influencer Shir Weiss), with the rape charge dropped from the case due to weak evidence.

• The flag storm in the Galilee: Police officers who removed Israeli flags on the access road to the Beit Rimon settlement to "prevent incitement" of the nearby Kafr Kanna sparked great anger; the youth of the settlement rehung the flags in protest.


• Leaving the Histadrut: The giant company "Galam" announced it was leaving the General Histadrut against the backdrop of serious suspicions of bribery and favors attributed to Chairman Arnon Bar-David.


• Opening businesses on Shabbat: The District Court ordered the dismissal of the petition demanding the enforcement of the closure of the 'Big Glilot' shopping complex on Saturdays, thus paving the way for its continued regular operation on weekends.

International news and economy

• Keir Starmer's resignation in the UK: The British Prime Minister unexpectedly announced his resignation from the premiership and the Labour party following a loss of internal party support. The Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham, identified with Palestinian support, is emerging as the leading candidate to succeed him.


• Russia-Ukraine: Ukraine attacked with drones a strategic semiconductor factory in the city of Voronezh, Russia, which is used by the missile and armored vehicle industry of the Russian army.


• COVID investigations in the US: Tulsi Gabbard published documents accusing Dr. Anthony Fauci of federal funding for dangerous research at the old bat lab in Wuhan, while presenting false statements to Congress.


• Aviation and road disasters in the US: Three Israelis were killed in the crash of a light aircraft in the state of Maryland; two other Israelis in their 40s were killed in a severe traffic accident near Malibu, Los Angeles.


• Economy and technology: Anthropic announced that starting July 8th, it will require its AI (Claude) users to undergo identity verification using an ID card and a selfie. At the same time, major retail chains and banks in Israel are launching aggressive credit and current account benefit campaigns for customers.


• Sports - 2026 World Cup: The Cape Verde national team pulled off a dramatic 2-2 draw against Uruguay with a goal by Helio Varela (Maccabi Tel Aviv). The Egyptian national team recorded a first historic victory in the tournament since 1934 (3-1 over New Zealand, a goal and an assist for Mohamed Salah). Lionel Messi scored his 17th goal in World Cup tournaments and broke the all-time record for scoring goals in the World Cup.