7 July 2026
Syria
Explosions were reported in Damascus as French President Emmanuel Macron visited the city. 18 people were reportedly wounded. The French President’s office stated that Macron did not hear the explosions and met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa the next day without issue.
A former Syrian intelligence chief has been found guilty of torture and sexual abuse of opponents in an Austrian court. Only known as Khaled al-H because of Austrian privacy rules, he was head of Syria’s General Intelligence Directorate in Raqqa from 2011, when the uprising against Assad began, until 2013, when the Free Syrian Army took over the city.
Türkiye
Ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu urged the US not to sell its F-35 fighter jets or components to Türkiye, as it would upset the regional balance of power. Netanyahu told the Fox & Friends show that: “I don’t think they should be given F-35s or the engines for their fighter jets, because that’ll upset the power balance in the Middle East, which is ultimately guaranteed by Israeli air superiority and also by, I think, by America’s posture in the Middle East.” Türkiye was expelled from the F-35 development program in 2019 after acquiring Russian S-400 air defence systems in 2017.
Libya
Pakistan has been quietly mediating between Libya’s rival eastern and western power centers. The Libya Reunification Plan includes a 36-month transitional power-sharing arrangement under a body called the Government of National Consensus and Presidential Council. Pakistani Field Marshall Munir has been travelling to Libya in recent months. Khalifa Haftar, the commander-in-chief of the Libyan National Army, met with Marco Rubio in Washington recently.
Iran
The IRGC fired at least two missiles at commercial ships which were transiting the Strait of Hormuz via the Omani side. The ships suffered significant damage but had no casualties.
Ukraine
The suspected Monaco bomber was found dead near Kyiv. The Prosecutor General’s office arrested an employee of Ukraine’s military intelligence service, who said he killed the woman together with another suspect. The other suspect is reported to be a former law enforcement official.
Over 430 drones targeted Moscow and the surrounding region overnight. No damages or injuries were reported.
Russia
Gazprom will create mobile firing groups to protect the company’s infrastructure. The deal was made with the Russian defence ministry. Regional volunteer units and reserve formations have been deployed to bolster Russian air defence around strategic sites, but Ukrainian drones are still being successful.
Afghanistan
Residents of Badakhshan claim that Taliban helicopters were seen flying over the stronghold of dissident Taliban commander Juma Khan Fateh. The Taliban have intensified efforts to disarm local fighters by collecting weapons from those who are not members of the group’s formal military units. Tensions between Fateh and the Taliban have increased as the Taliban are attempting to seize control over gold mining from local authorities.
Social Media Wires
Ukraine targeted 8 fuel tankers attempting to resupply Crimea
More footage from Mali
Featured Photo: “Technical, Libyan Civil War c. 2011” – Wikimedia Commons, 2026
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The Wires Brief is a daily breaking-news report that incorporates wire service news and social media updates. DefRep cannot verify the authenticity of social media reporters nor the accuracy of social media updates. Feature photos are altered with grayscale and cropping.