EconoTicker

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence is asking France for permission to attack Russian territory with French weapons, according to a statement by the head of the ministry, Rustem Umerov. 

"I had a productive conversation with Sebastien Lecornu, the Minister of the Armed Forces of France ... I insisted on the need to lift the ban on strikes on military targets on enemy territory," Umerov wrote on his page on social network X. 

Earlier, a representative of the AFU's Kharkiv group, Vitaliy Sarantsev, said that Western partners allowed Ukrainian troops to attack Belhorod with US missiles, but not further.

Ukraine is considering blocking Telegram because "it can't be controlled," according to Nikita Poturaev, head of the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Information Policy.

"Social networks and public platforms must either establish a dialogue with the Ukrainian state, or the state will simply 'shut them down,'" he said.

Earlier, Ukrainian authorities explored the possibility of regulating Telegram with the EU but found they lacked the resources, and the platform's management reportedly refused to engage with Kyiv.

When asked what action they would take regarding Telegram, Poturaev replied, "We'll disconnect it."

Former U.S. President Donald J. Trump has just made his First Post on X since August 24th of 2023, with it being a Campaign Ad.

French President Emmanuel Macron called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid a "cycle of retaliation" in the Middle East conflict during a phone conversation, the BFMTV broadcaster reported, citing the Elysee Palace.

Macron also reportedly made the same call to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The French president added that a possible war between Israel and Lebanon would have "devastating consequences" for the entire region, the report read.

Earlier, Israel carried out the assassination of Hezbollah's top military commander, Fuad Shukr, in Beirut last week. As far as the killing of Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran on July 31 is concerned, Israel has not claimed responsibility for it. However, the Hamas movement and Iran have blamed Haniyeh's death on Israel.

Fewer than 12 hours after U.S. airstrikes hit two facilities in Syria used by Iran and its proxies to launch attacks on American troops in the region, a one-way suicide drone targeted U.S. forces in western Iraq, according to U.S. officials.

The drone got within a few kilometers of U.S. forces at Al-Assad Air Base, Iraq, at approximately 7 a.m. ET on Friday morning. The troops fired upon the unmanned vehicle and "successfully shot it down without further incident," according to a U.S. official.

The attack was launched by Iran-backed militants, an official said.

Several U.S. personnel were injured following a suspected rocket attack Monday against U.S. and Coalition forces at Al-Assad Air Base in western Iraq, a Department of Defense spokesperson told ABC News.

"Initial indications are that several U.S. personnel were injured," the spokesperson said. "Base personnel are conducting a post-attack damage assessment. We will provide updates as more information becomes available."

Sergei Shoigu has arrived in Tehran for a meeting with his Iranian counterpart amid rising tensions in the Middle East.

The Secretary of the Russian Security Council will also meet with the Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Army and the country's president. The agenda includes both regional security and business matters.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has in a press release named Khaled Mashal as “the acting head of the Hamas politburo” following Ismail Haniyeh's assassination.   

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Mashal in Doha.

‘Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States that Edmundo González Urrutia won’— US Sec. State Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issues a letter of dissent against the outcome of Venezuela’s election. Blinken wrote: 

“The CNE’s rapid declaration of Nicolás Maduro as the winner of the presidential election came with no supporting evidence… Unfortunately the processing of the votes… ‘were deeply flawed... 

He also mentioned in the statement that: The democratic opposition has published more than 80 percent of the tally sheets received directly from polling stations throughout Venezuela. Those tally sheets indicate that Edmundo González Urrutia received the most votes in this election by an insurmountable margin.

Reports say in response to the removal of posts on the Hamas chief, their communications authority blocked access to the social media platform Instagram on Friday.

The Information and Communication Technologies Authority, which regulates the internet, announced the block early Friday but did not provide a reason. Sabah newspaper, which is close to the government, said access was blocked in response to Instagram removing posts by Turkish users that expressed condolences over the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Peace in the Middle East will only be achieved through a major conflict involving regional power brokers, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has suggested.

“The knot is tightening in the Middle East. Sorry for the innocent lives lost. They are but hostages of a disgusting state: the USA,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram, adding “It’s clear to everyone that a full-scale war is the only way to a shaky peace in the region.”

CNN reports that Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed not by an Israeli bomb or rocket strike that day, but by a bomb planted in advance at the Tehran guesthouse where he was staying.

The New York Times also writes about this. According to the publication, Haniya was killed by an explosive device that was secretly smuggled into the guest house.

The bomb was hidden about two months ago in a guest house run and protected by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and part of a large complex known as Nashat in an upscale area of ​​northern Tehran, the newspaper said.

The explosive device was activated remotely after it was confirmed that Haniyeh was in the guest house. The explosion also killed a bodyguard.

The explosion rocked the building, shattering several windows and partially collapsing an exterior wall.