World in Crisis: Iran-Israel Fighting Resumes as Venezuela’s Quake Toll Tops 3,800, China Floods Kill 39, and Ebola Spreads Unchecked in Congo

Leave a CommentWorld in Crisis: Iran-Israel Fighting Resumes as Venezuela’s Quake Toll Tops 3,800, China Floods Kill 39, and Ebola Spreads Unchecked in CongoGovernment, National Security

1. Iran-Israel-U.S. conflict escalates after ceasefire collapse
Israel has been a co-belligerent in this war from the start — the U.S. and Israel jointly launched strikes on February 28 that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, an outgrowth of decades of Israel-Iran hostility over Tehran’s nuclear program and its support for groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, and a direct continuation of 2025’s “Twelve-Day War.” That history is now colliding with a fresh breakdown: the ceasefire in place since mid-June collapsed this week after three commercial tankers were struck near the Strait of Hormuz on July 7, attacks Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and U.S. officials attribute to Iran, though Tehran hasn’t formally claimed them. The U.S. responded with two consecutive nights of strikes — roughly 80 targets, then 90 more — killing at least 14 people, per Iran’s Health Ministry. Iran fired back at U.S. assets in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar, and Strait of Hormuz shipping traffic has collapsed again. All this unfolded during Khamenei’s six-day funeral, which concluded with his burial Friday in Mashhad — his son and successor, Mojtaba, was never seen publicly throughout. Israel says it’s ready to resume its own campaign “with even greater force” if needed, Trump and Netanyahu have spoken to coordinate next steps, and Israel has reportedly shared intelligence on a new Iranian plot to assassinate Trump.

2. Venezuela’s earthquake death toll continues to climb
More than two weeks after twin magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck northern Venezuela — its worst quake disaster in over a century — the death toll has passed 3,800, which experts believe is still an undercount. The disaster has become a political flashpoint for acting President Delcy Rodríguez amid accusations of a slow government response.

3. Deadly flooding in southern China, another storm approaching
Flooding from Tropical Storm Maysak has killed 39 people in Guangxi province, most after a dam breach flooded the city of Nanning. About 130,000 people have been evacuated, and Typhoon Bavi is now bearing down on Taiwan and China’s east coast. Rescue teams used drones and nearly 5,700 boats to pull out more than 10,000 trapped students and teachers from a cluster of flooded schools in Guigang, while nine people remain missing across the wider Guangxi region — and the storm’s chaos even freed over 100 zoo animals, including zebras and porcupines, still unaccounted for.”

4. Congo’s Ebola outbreak worsens as health workers strike
The death toll is nearing 600 out of more than 1,700 cases — the worst start to any Ebola outbreak on record — and exhausted, unpaid frontline workers in the Ituri region have begun walking off the job just as the virus outpaces containment efforts.

5. World Cup 2026 heads into the semifinals
France became the first team into the semifinals, beating Morocco behind goals from Mbappé and Dembélé. Spain now face Belgium for the other spot, though the tournament was marred by post-match violence in London, where fans clashed with police.