IS THE HORMUZ OPEN?
ALERT 6/25/26
🇨🇴🗳❗️ — The leftist presidential candidate in the Colombian elections, Iván Cepeda, has recognized Abelardo de la Espirella’s victory and his presidency, following the results of the final vote count.
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🇺🇸🤝🇦🇪❗️ — Marco Rubio visited the United Arab Emirates and met with the Emirati President, Mohamed Bin Zayed, to discuss the progress of negotiations with Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and the strengthening of bilateral ties between both countries.
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🇮🇷❗️ — Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman of the Foreign Policy and National Security Committee of the Iranian Parliament:
We respect our regional friends and we also know that they are counting on America, but the Islamic Republic of Iran is an independent country and is not influenced by others. The Strait of Hormuz is Iranian forever. We did not conquer this strait through negotiations so we can now give it up through negotiations. Peace be upon you.
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🛢🔽❗️ — U.S. oil prices, measured with the West Texas Intermediate (WTI), fell below $70 dollars per barrel for the first time since the start of the war in Iran, before climbing slightly above $70 later in the day.
▶️ Brent oil remains above $73 dollars per barrel, but is also falling rapidly.
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🇷🇺❌🇺🇦❗️ — Ukraine launched a new wave of drones against Russia territory, this time joined by cruise missiles (green arrows) that appear to be targeting Krasnodar or its surrounding areas.
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🇻🇪❗️ — A 7.1 magnitude earthquake just hit Venezuela. A tsunami warning for most of the coastline was published, and structural damages have been reported across the country.
🇻🇪❗️ — Footage confirms buildings have collapsed in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela.
🇻🇪❗️ — Shocking images are coming out of Venezuela, with dozens of structures collapsed or seriously damaged and thousands feared dead in what could be one of the biggest catastrophes in recent memory for the country.
🇻🇪🏚⚠️ — The USGS has issued a Red Alert following a devastating double earthquake sequence off the coast of Venezuela, indicating that high casualties and widespread damage are likely.
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck first, followed by a much stronger magnitude 7.5 event only seconds later, significantly increasing the destructive impact. According to the latest USGS PAGER assessment, the disaster could result in economic losses equivalent to 2% to 20% of Venezuela’s GDP, potentially amounting to tens of billions of dollars in damage.
The agency’s preliminary fatality model estimates between 10,000 and 100,000 deaths, placing the event among the most severe earthquake scenarios in the region’s modern history.
Millions of people were exposed to moderate-to-severe shaking, with some urban areas experiencing Mercalli Intensities of VIII (Severe) to IX (Violent), capable of causing major structural failures. The strongest impacts are expected around cities such as Puerto Cabello, Valencia, San Diego, Guacara, and Maracay, according to the bulletin.
The USGS notes that many structures in the affected region are vulnerable to earthquake damage due to the prevalence of unreinforced masonry and adobe construction, increasing the risk of catastrophic collapses.
Authorities have activated emergency response operations as search-and-rescue efforts continue, while the full scale of casualties and destruction is still being assessed.
The issuance of a Red Alert by the USGS is reserved for earthquakes where very high casualties and extensive economic losses are expected, and past events receiving this classification have often required major national or international disaster response efforts.
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🇻🇪❗️ — The Venezuelan interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, declared a state of emergency, a cessation of non-essential activities, including classes, and the closure of an airport due to structural damage following the earthquakes.
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🇻🇪🤝🇺🇸❗️ — U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Cristopher Landau confirmed the U.S. is mobilizing assistance for Venezuela following the devastating 7.1 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes.
🏳💬 Full statement:
The US stands with the Venezuelan people in the aftermath of this evening’s devastating earthquakes. We’re in touch with the authorities and mobilizing assistance.
May God bless our Venezuelan friends at this difficult moment. ¡Estamos con Ustedes! 🇺🇸🙏🇻🇪
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📢 🇮🇱 🇱🇧 Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz:
Even if there is an American demand, we will not withdraw from Lebanon.
Two hundred thousand residents will not return.
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📢 🇺🇸 🗳 U.S. President Donald J. Trump has said that he will not sign the new housing bill, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, due to the current Congressional logjam on the Save America Act. Per President Trump, his signing of the housing is contingent on the Save America Act passing.
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🛢 Cushing stocks drop below 19 million barrels, at tank bottoms and lowest since 2014
🛢 Crude -6.088MM, Exp. -3.6MM
Gasoline +2.064MM
Distillates +3.064MM
Cushing -1.077MM
Production +13kb/d to 13.819MM
SPR drops 9.1MM barrels to 331.2MM, lowest since 1983
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🇺🇦⚔️🇷🇺 Russia’s Gasoline Crunch Spreads After Refinery Attacks
Russia’s gasoline crunch is worsening, with at least two-thirds of the country’s regions introducing fuel rationing or suffering supply disruptions following relentless Ukrainian drone attacks on refineries.
On an almost daily basis, regional governors from areas bordering Ukraine to the Amur region near China are being forced to limit sales at filling stations and to try to deter panic buying. The scale of disruptions vary across Russia, but are intensifying and risk getting even worse if drone strikes increase.
Kiev targeted the oil-processing sector in recent months to curb fuel supplies and bring “the war home to Russia.” That has halted operations at several key refineries, pushed up pump prices for drivers, and even led to Russia banning jet fuel exports. On Tuesday, the government said it’s considering a full ban on diesel sales overseas. The inflationary impact could also be a further worry for the central bank.
The growing gasoline crisis mainly impacts the domestic market, because Russia already halted most gasoline exports in April and typically didn’t ship a lot anyway. Higher fuel prices are a particular concern for authorities because they’ve sparked social unrest in the past. The issue is also becoming more sensitive as the Kremlin prepares for parliamentary elections in September.
The current fuel-supply situation in Russia is “difficult but manageable,” Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who oversees the energy industry, said Tuesday at a governmental meeting with President Vladimir Putin. Oil producers have shortened seasonal maintenance at refineries or postponed works to meet domestic demand, Novak said, adding that he holds meetings with companies and government representatives “on a nearly daily basis” to monitor supplies.
Russia already has some diesel restrictions, with exports blocked for traders and other sellers that don’t produce their own fuel. A full ban could impact global markets, as the country is a major shipper of the fuel.
Russia experienced fuel crises in recent summers, but this year it’s being driven by drone strikes. In the first half of June, Russia produced around 835,000 barrels a day of gasoline, according to a person familiar with the data who asked not to be identified as it isn’t public. That’s 15% below a similar period a year ago, and some 6% down month-on-month, the person said.
Many regions have banned people from filling jerry cans to prevent stocking up and any black-market sales. In the Omsk region in southwestern Siberia, fuel can only be put straight into vehicles and purchases are limited to 40 liters (10.5 gallons) of gasoline and 80 liters of diesel per transaction.
Authorities in the Tver region, northwest of Moscow, on Friday said there are temporary limits on retail sales at Surgutneftegas PJSC and Tatneft PJSC filling stations. In the Saratov region on the Volga river, there are restrictions on all gasoline sales through June 30, limiting driver purchases to 30 liters per vehicle.
Separately, regions annexed by Russia are facing the most severe fuel crunch. Kremlin-installed authorities in the Crimean peninsula have suspended all fuel sales at filing stations and limited supplies only to state services.
Since the start of the year, Ukrainian drones have attacked Russian refineries at least 47 times, compared with 82 for all of 2025, according to a Bloomberg tally of public statements from both countries. Strikes set a record in May, forcing Russia’s refinery runs at the beginning of June to drop to a 20-year low.
🔗 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-23/russia-s-gasoline-crunch-spans-country-after-refinery-attacks
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Maine is 91.3% “non-Hispanic” White.
“Last year’s passage of the massive federal tax-and-spending One Big Beautiful Bill Act has set in motion one of the biggest transformations of the welfare state that the United States has seen in decades. For more than a generation, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — which provides roughly 40 million Americans with money for groceries — has served as the country’s dominant vector for direct payments to people struggling to eat. But SNAP’s era as arguably the nation’s preeminent anti-poverty program may be ending. Already 3.5 million people nationwide have been booted from the program and, as the law’s new eligibility terms take effect this year, more are likely to follow, while others will be abruptly sent back into a workforce for which they are unprepared. Parents of teenage children and adults in their 60s will now be expected to find a job and prove they are working. Roughly 45,000 people in Maine, including veterans and homeless adults — briefly granted a reprieve from work requirements during the Biden administration — will be newly required to work or volunteer. Costs to states will balloon, as they are expected to kick in more funds to administer the program and for the first time pay part of the cost of benefits themselves.”
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/06/20/maine-snap-food-stamps-obbba-00966762
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🇨🇳🇮🇷🇺🇸 China Is Luring the World to the Yuan—and Hobbling Western Sanctions
Iran and Russia have used the currency to carry out oil sales and other trade, evading controls on dollar transactions
The White House has entered talks with Iran over a new nuclear deal, relying on a traditional strength: the promise of sanctions relief and access to some of roughly $100 billion in frozen assets.
Yet, that leverage is waning. Tehran has blunted the U.S. sanctions campaign in recent years by successfully using China’s financial architecture—built on the yuan—that operates beyond Washington’s reach.
Overall, the yuan’s share of global trade finance tripled over the past five years to 6% in April, according to data from Swift. It has been the second most-used currency in such financing for most of this year, ahead of the euro and behind the dollar.
https://archive.ph/20260624155125/https://www.wsj.com/world/china/yuan-sanctions-dollar-alternative-73b23c2f
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🌹 🇺🇸 🗳 Democratic socialists rack up wins in New York state Legislature races
🔴 Mamdani also struck gold in congressional races as Democratic socialist candidates Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, whom he both endorsed, won their campaigns over incumbents.
🔴 Democratic socialists achieved victory in two state Senate races and four state Assembly races, according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ), despite millions of dollars spent by super PACs aimed against them.
🔴 Other candidates tied to democratic socialism also won, including Christian Tate and Samantha Kattan, who were both victorious in their New York State Assembly races and face no GOP challenger in November. Eon Huntley outsted state Assemblywoman Stefani Zinerman by a 22-point margin, DDHQ forecasts.
🔴 None of their campaigns pierced the $200,000 threshold for campaign spending, although anti-DSA super PACs heavily lobbied against them in a $2.9 million dollar effort, according to New York Focus.
📝 Additional context: In 2025, over 250 DSA members held elected public office across 40 states, with 90% elected after 2019. During Mamdani’s campaign, DSA’s membership nearly doubled, from 50,000 to over 95,000, and membership reached 100,000 in February 2026. In June, The Wall Street Journal reported that the biggest political story of 2026, after the decline of Trump’s popularity, was the rise of the DSA.
📎 The Hill
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🚷 🇺🇸 🗳 Federal judge blocks President Trump from requiring proof of citizenship to vote.
The Constitution “does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,” wrote Casper.
In a statement, New York Attorney General Letitia James said she was grateful the court had blocked Trump’s “unconstitutional attempt to seize control of our elections” and would continue to defend voting rights in this year’s midterm elections.
“Generations of Americans fought tirelessly for the right to vote, and we honor their legacy by protecting that right against anyone who tries to undermine it,” said James, a Democrat.
https://apnews.com/article/trump-elections-judge-358912bcb6c7223b3d2d36465156fde9
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🔥 🇺🇸 👨🚒 Cottonwood Fire Hits 60,000 Acres. Nearly 30 Hotshot Crews Now Assigned To Fires In The Great Basin Region.
Idaho orders CIMT, Wyoming pops a wilderness fire, and extreme fire weather coming.
Twenty-nine Hotshot Crews are now on incidents in the Great Basin, with fires burning across Utah, Nevada, and Wyoming. The largest now being the Cottonwood Fire outside Beaver, Utah, updated this morning at nearly 60,000 acres.
The fire remains active this afternoon, but there is a very small chance of precipitation moving through; that system will also bring dry lightning and heavy winds, so a double-edged sword. Fire weather conditions are expected to return full force going into this weekend.
Fire managers have said the cause of the fire is human related, but no further details were provided while an investigation is ongoing.
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⚡️🇨🇳 Reuters: China says it has the right to target people outside its borders who violate a new ethnic unity law that takes effect on July 1.
Chinese officials said the law allows authorities to hold overseas individuals and groups accountable for acts deemed to undermine ethnic unity or promote separatism, calling the measure legal and consistent with international practice.
@wfwitness
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Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin: “President Trump called key defense contractors to the White House, pressing them again to build munitions faster. The Iran war exposed major weaknesses in the U.S. weapons supply chain and depleted nearly half the stockpile of THAD and Patriot missiles and Tomahawks, according to senior U.S. officials.”
🇺🇸Join👉 @SGTnewsNetwork
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🇻🇪❗️ — The United States, the Doninican Republic, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, El Salvador and Uruguay have offered Venezuela some form of assistance following the earthquakes that devastated parts of the country.
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🚨 Multiple countries hit with strong earthquakes today
- M5.6 California, USA 🇺🇸
- M7.1 Venezuela 🇻🇪
- M7.5 Venezuela 🇻🇪
- M6.9 Japan 🇯🇵
@insiderpaper
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🇫🇷⚡️- A group of five illegal immigrants ambushed a young French man in Narbonne earlier this week, with intent to kill him.
Louis, 17, died yesterday after three days in a coma.
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🇩🇰⚡️- Denmark’s left-wing government announces plans to ban the Islamic calls to prayers in all of Denmark because “parts of the country shouldn’t feel like a suburb of Islamabad”, per socialist Immigration Minister Morten Bodskov.
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Trump:
The oil prices have come down so much, but we are not seeing anything at the pump by comparison to what it should be.
We should be, in my opinion, at $2.25 right now at the pump, and we’re higher than that. We are doing a big investigation on it.
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🚨🇮🇱🇾🇪 Yemen’s Houthi terrorists have declared any Israeli military or intelligence presence in Somaliland a “legitimate target.”
In response, Israeli officials have threatened a complete destruction of the Houthis, warning that any further mistakes will result in the hunting down and assassination of the group’s entire leadership.
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It’s official:
Crypto has now erased more than HALF of its value in just 8 months.
On October 6th, 2025, the total market cap of crypto hit a record $4.3 trillion.
Today, 261 days later, crypto is worth just $2.0 trillion, marking a -54% decline in value.
This means crypto markets have erased an average of -$8.8 billion PER DAY for 261 days straight.
Crypto is in desperate need of a new narrative.
(@TheKobeissiLetter)
BREAKING: Bitcoin is now expected to fall below $50,000 this year.
The odds of Bitcoin falling below $50,000 in 2026 have surged to 64%.
There is also now a 46% chance of Bitcoin falling below $45,000. https://t.co/scHMURPwrw
(@TheKobeissiLetter)
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The US wealth divide has never been bigger:
The top 20% of earners now account for ~58% of all personal spending in the US, the highest proportion on record.
At the same time, the bottom 80% account for just ~42%, the lowest on record.
This comes as personal outlays growth for the top 20% has averaged +8.3% per year since the 2020 pandemic, almost double the +4.5% seen for the bottom 80%.
Over the last year, the gap has widened further, with the top 20% seeing a +6.5% increase in spending, compared to +2.6% for the bottom 80%.
To put this into perspective, in the 1990s, both groups accounted for roughly equal proportions of total personal spending, at ~50% each.
Asset owners are the only winners in this economy.
(@TheKobeissiLetter)
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🇮🇷❌🇴🇲🚢❗️ — BREAKING: Iran struck a cargo vessel off the Omani coast after repeated warnings by the IRGC, which advised vessels against transit in the Omani-administered, toll-free and U.S.-backed maritime corridor.
▶️ The IRGC has claimed only vessels transiting the Iranian route are safe, and the Omani corridor was established without approval of Iran.
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🇮🇱❌🇵🇸🇱🇧🇸🇾❗️ — Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz:
The IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza - indefinitely - to protect our residents and settlements there against jihadist elements.
We will not compromise on Israel’s supreme security interest - the protection of our soldiers and the safeguarding of our citizens - and we will not withdraw from the security zones.
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🇻🇪❗️ — More than 30,000 people are reported missing following the earthquake in Venezuela.
▶️According to the latest data, 188 people have lost their lives and over 1,500 have been injured.
▶️New information shows that two earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.5 and 7.2, respectively, occurred in the Bolivarian Republic within a span of 39 seconds, not one as was originally thought.
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🇷🇺❌🇺🇦Russia launched an unexpected ballistic missile attack on Kiev
Ukrainian monitoring services claim that the launches were from the Bryansk and Kursk regions
There are footage online showing a pair of missiles being shot down by air defense systems over Kyiv, and immediately afterwards, Kyiv-based channels show a major fire at one of the capital’s warehouses. The debris of the downed missiles or the impact site remain unknown
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—❗️🇴🇲/🇮🇷 NEW: Without consultation with Iran, the Sultanate of Oman issued a statement today announcing the establishment of a temporary maritime corridor in the southern Strait of Hormuz
Many vessels were already secretly passing through the Strait by using Omani territorial waters, but it was not coordinated and there was a risk of collisions and accidents, so Oman decided to make an official transit plan for this corridor.
The Omani route was already not accepted by Iran as valid, so the formalization of this corridor seems to have been the final straw.
The IRGC Navy released a statement criticising this move, which was done without any consultation. It could take even more ships away from the Iran-designated transit corridor.
@Middle_East_Spectator
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—❗️🇮🇷 🇮🇷 IRGC Navy on Channel 16 VHF Radio:
‘Attention all vessels, attention all vessels, attention all vessels in Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman:
This is an IRGC Navy warning.
Transiting in the Strait of Hormuz is only possible with IRGC Navy permission and on designated routes.
If any vessel attempts to transit the Strait without our permission, with AIS turned off, or outside the designated routes, it will be responsible for any consequences and any danger.’
@Middle_East_Spectator
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—❗️🇮🇷/🇴🇲 NEW: Following Iran’s warning, ships are turning back and avoiding the Omani maritime corridor
@Middle_East_Spectator
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— 🇺🇸/🇮🇷 NEW: Iran has informed the U.S. through the newly established Hormuz de-confliction communication channel that it has bombed a tanker
The American side reportedly exclaimed ‘What the f*ck man? What do you mean?’ upon hearing the news.
@Middle_East_Spectator
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—❗️🇮🇱/🇱🇧/🇮🇷 NEW: An Israeli force attempted to advance into the town of Beit Yahoun, southern Lebanon, but was confronted by a Hezbollah cell
There are casualties among the Israeli troops, according to Hebrew media.
@Middle_East_Spectator
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🚨🇮🇷 Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) has officially rejected the alternative transit routes recently broadcasted by standard Iranian government channels.
The IRGCN says it maintains “exclusive operational jurisdiction over the waterway” and has issued the following mandatory directives for all transiting vessels:
“All vessels must establish direct contact with the IRGCN via VHF Channel 16 prior to entering the Strait of Hormuz”.
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Netanyahu: We Won’t Withdraw Even if US Asks Us To
Speaking at a combat officers’ graduation ceremony, Prime Minister Netanyahu declared Israel will remain in southern Lebanon’s security zone for as long as necessary and vowed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, even in the face of American pressure.
https://www.c14news.com/article/1470706/
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🚨🇮🇷🇷🇺 IRGC Plan to Weaponize Global Shipping Lanes Exposed
Senior Channel 14 Analyst Dror Balazada reports that IRGC leaders Ahmad Vahidi and Esmail Qaani are preparing to disrupt global trade if negotiations collapse.
How the mechanism works:
- Russia heavily utilizes the Bab el-Mandeb shipping route.
- Russia’s maritime fees effectively fund the IRGC’s Quds Force.
- Kamaluddin Nabizada manages and funnels these funds to the Houthis.
- Iran turns global maritime dependence into a powerful economic weapon.
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BREAKING
US GDP growth came in at 2.1%.
Expectations: 1.6%
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BREAKING: South Korea’s stock market has been halted limit down after falling over -8%. https://t.co/81i1j2c2gS
(@TheKobeissiLetter)
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🇮🇱🇮🇱❌🇱🇧❗️ — BREAKING: Reports indicate that clashes erupted between the IDF and Hezbollah fighters in Beit Yahoun, southern Lebanon, after an Israeli force attempted to enter the town.
▶️Hezbollah is said to have engaged the advancing troops, after which Israeli forces responded with artillery shelling and multiple airstrikes targeting the area.
▶️Unconfirmed reports indicate that at least 1 Israeli soldier has been killed
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🇻🇪❗️ — The Venezuelan Ministry of Health raised the confirmed death toll of yesterday’s twin earthquakes to 235, while stating an additional 4,300 are wounded.