GAZA: Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas about a ceasefire ended inconclusively, according to Palestinian sources. The BRICS group expressed concern about the war in the Middle East.
US and Lebanon based Hezbollah
Meanwhile, US Special Envoy Thomas Barrack said Monday that he was “unbelievably satisfied” with Lebanon’s response to a US plan for disarming the Iran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah.
The militant group recently vowed that it would not give up its weapons, yet Beirut gave a detailed seven-page report to the US in response to Washington’s June 19 proposal for disarming the group.
After meeting with Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, Barrack told reporters: “What the government gave us was something spectacular in a very short period of time. I’m unbelievably satisfied with the response.”
In a warning to the impoverished Middle Eastern country, Barrack had previously said Lebanon risks being “left behind” by developments in the region.
US Envoy Barrack also called for Hezbollah to become a purely political player in the region, saying the group “needs to see that there is a future” for it in the Middle East.
Hezbollah joined attacks on Israel shortly after Hamas launched its October 7, 2023, attack on Israeli civilians, with Israel regularly returning fire into Lebanon.
Israel and Egypt based Houthis
Israel on Monday launched attacks at Houthi targets in Yemen hours after a Greek-owned, Liberian-flagged cargo ship — the Magic Seas — was attacked near the Yemeni port of Hodeidah late Sunday.
Israeli air forces within the day struck targets in ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Salif, as well as a power plant at Ras Qantib.
“These ports are used by the Houthi regime to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are employed to carry out terrorist operations against the state of Israel and its allies,” read an Israeli military statement.
Israel also struck the Galaxy Leader, a vessel seized by the Houthis last November. The group had been using it to track international maritime traffic and plan further attacks.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are thought to be behind the attack on the Magic Seas, fired two missiles at Israel in response to the strikes. Israeli military efforts to intercept the missiles appear to have failed, though no injuries have been reported.
The attack on the Magic Seas was reportedly carried out with bomb-laden drone boats, signaling a potential escalation of Iranian involvement. The Islamic Republic is a backer of the rebel Houthis, who began attacking Israel in response to its military campaign against Hamas in retribution for Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.
Both the US and Israel have attacked Houthi strongholds in an effort to ensure freedom of movement for nearly $1 trillion (€930 billion) worth of goods through the Suez Canal annually. Houthis have now attacked more than 100 merchant vessels in the area and have killed four sailors.
As Gaza ceasefire talks loom and the world waits to see how Iran will react to the recent US bombing of its nuclear program, Israel issued a warning to both the Houthis and leaders in Tehran.
“What’s true for Iran is true for Yemen,” said Defense Minister Israel Katz: “Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have it cut off. The Houthis will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions.”
BRICS Summit and Iran
Separately, leaders of the growing BRICS group of developing nations were set to gather in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, calling for reform of traditional Western institutions while presenting the bloc as a defender of multilateralism in an increasingly fractured world.
During the BRICS Summit on Sunday, Iran won the support of fellow BRICS meeting in Rio de Janeiro, with the group condemning recent Israel and US air strikes that hit military, nuclear and other targets.
“We condemn the military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran since 13 June 2025,” leaders said in a summit statement, without naming the United States or Israel.
“We further express serious concern over deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities,” the bloc said.
The BRICS leaders meeting also called for negotiators to reach a quick and unconditional ceasefire to end the 22-month-old war in Gaza.
“We exhort the parties to engage in good faith in further negotiations to achieve an immediate, permanent and unconditional ceasefire,” the 11-nation bloc said in a final summit statement.
The BRICS also called for a “full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and all other parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”