US military says it is carrying out a fresh wave of strikes across Iran

The Times of Israel is liveblogging Monday’s events as they unfold.

Oil prices jump more than 3.5% on renewed US-Iran fighting

Oil prices open sharply higher after the United States launched a wave of attacks on Iran and as Tehran announced it would close the Strait of Hormuz.

A barrel of international benchmark Brent crude for September delivery rose 3.75% to $78.86.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate rose 3.65 percent to $74.02 per barrel for August delivery.

Senator Lindsey Graham’s cause of death: Aortic dissection

Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham died of a heart ailment caused by hardening of the arteries, his office says.

A preliminary finding from the medical examiner of the District of Columbia says the cause of death was “aortic dissection,” Graham’s office says in an email.

Aortic dissection is a tear in the main artery that carries blood from the heart. The finding showed it was due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Iran says latest US strikes have ‘rendered futile’ recent diplomacy

Iran has condemned the latest wave of US attacks on its territory, saying they have “rendered futile” all the diplomatic efforts of the last few months.

“The US regime has also caused the return of insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz and disruption of international commercial shipping by openly interfering in the process of Iran implementing the necessary arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz,” a foreign ministry statement says.

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Breaking silence on Senate absence, Mitch McConnell says he fell and was hospitalized

Senator Mitch McConnell reveals for the first time that a fall led to his hospitalization, breaking the silence about his condition after weeks of mounting speculation about the Kentucky Republican’s health.

The statement comes following his hospitalization on June 14. McConnell’s office for weeks provided little information, insisting only that he was “receiving excellent care” and recovering.

As his hospital stay grew longer, speculation mounted about his condition. It grew so intense that Kentucky’s Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear took the extraordinary step of asking that McConnell update the public about his health in a “transparent manner.”

McConnell says he will not be returning to the Senate yet.

US military confirms beginning a new wave of strikes in Iran

The United States military confirms that it has begun carrying out a new wake of strikes against targets in Iran, after Tehran earlier struck sites in the Gulf amid an escalation in the region and a fight over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

The US Central Command writes on X that it has begun “launching more strikes against Iran to continue degrading their ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The Commander in Chief has directed the strikes to hold Iranian forces accountable.”

Iran’s state TV reported explosions heard in a number of locations in the country, including Qeshm, Jask, Sirik and Bandar Abbas.

Venezuela quake toll rises to 4,490, government says

Nearly 4,500 people have died as a result of the devastating twin earthquakes in Venezuela, an updated official toll shows, in an increase of about 200 from the day prior.

The Venezuelan government, in a post on its official Telegram channel, says at least 4,490 people died and 16,740 were injured in the June 24 quakes, while more than 19,500 people are now living in temporary camps.

Knesset committee approves bill gutting powers of attorney general for final readings

The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee approves a highly controversial bill for its final readings in Knesset, which will dramatically weaken the authority of the attorney general and their ability to act as a check on government power.

The key change the legislation makes will be to enable the government to determine that the attorney general’s legal opinion on a given issue does not reflect existing law, unlike the current situation, whereby the attorney general’s opinion is binding on the government.

This attorney general override mechanism will therefore enable the government to decide for itself if a specific action or decision is legal. It will not, however, be applicable to the attorney general’s decisions on criminal matters, as head of the prosecution service.

The bill will also empower the government to determine its own position for the attorney general to represent in legal proceedings in court against the government, whereas at present, the attorney general can decide for themselves what position to adopt.

“This is a good and important law, and many others have proposed arrangements in its spirit during different governments,” says Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee Chairman MK Simcha Rothman.

Opposition MK Gilad Kariv of the Democrats denounces the legislation, however, as part of what he says is the government’s campaign to remove checks on its authority.

“This law places the government above the law and exposes citizens to arbitrary government action. It is part of a broader effort to remove constraints and checks on the government,” says Kariv, and vows to petition the High Court of Justice against the bill.

Yesh Atid MK Karine Elharrar says the attorney general’s current power “protects citizens against the tyranny of the majority,” and says that the legislation will be cancelled by a future government led by the current opposition.

The bill, which the architects of the government’s judicial overhaul program have long sought to pass, can now be brought for its second and third readings in the Knesset later this week.