Israel has launched several air strikes in the heart of the Syrian capital, Damascus, as clashes continued in the southwestern city of Suwayda after a truce between government forces and Druze armed groups collapsed.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces struck near the entrance to the Syrian Ministry of Defence on Wednesday, hours after he had demanded Syrian government forces withdraw from Suwayda.
Another strike hit near the presidential palace, on the outskirts of the city.
At least one person was killed and 18 others were wounded in the attacks, Syrian state media reported, citing the Ministry of Health.
The attacks on Syria’s capital come amid continuing unrest in the city of Suwayda, where local Sunni Bedouin tribes have been engaged in fierce clashes in recent days with fighters from Syria’s Druze minority, whom Israel views as a potential ally in Syria and claims to be intervening to protect.
Damascus deployed its forces to the city on Tuesday and declared a ceasefire, but the fighting quickly resumed.
Here is how the world is reacting to Israel’s attacks on Damascus:
United States
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US was “very concerned” about the escalation in violence.
“We’re going to be working on that issue … I just got off the phone with the relevant parties. We’re very concerned about it, and hopefully, we’ll have some updates later today. But we’re very concerned about it,” Rubio said
Turkiye
Turkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attacks and said they were an attempt to sabotage Syria’s efforts to achieve peace, stability and security.
“The Syrian people have a historic opportunity to live in peace and integrate with the world,” the ministry said.
“All stakeholders who support this opportunity should contribute to the Syrian government’s efforts to restore peace.”
Omer Celik, spokesperson for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s governing AK Party, also condemned the attacks.
“Israel’s attacks pose a security threat to the entire region and the world,” Celik wrote on X.
GCC
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – condemned the attacks in the “strongest terms”.
In a statement, GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said the Israeli attacks were a “flagrant violation” of Syria’s sovereignty, “a breach of international laws and norms, and a serious threat to regional security and stability”.
Albudaiwi reiterated the GCC’s support for Syria’s territorial integrity, adding that the continuation of Israeli attacks constituted an “irresponsible escalation” and disregarded international efforts to achieve stability in Syria and the region.
Norway
The Norwegian foreign minister said that Israel’s recent strikes could undermine efforts towards a peaceful transition of power in Syria.
“Deeply concerned about recent Israeli airstrikes and rising domestic tensions. The escalation risks undermining efforts towards a peaceful, Syrian-owned transition,” Espen Barth Eide wrote on X.
Oleksandr Usyk has had a whirlwind year at the top of boxing’s heavyweight division and will face another formidable challenge when he takes on Daniel Dubois in a much-anticipated rematch.
In May 2024, Usyk became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world when he beat Tyson Fury in a fight for the ages, but had to vacate one of his belts a month later.
The man who took that belt was his other great rival in Dubois, a fighter he defeated in a controversial bout two years ago, and who is now challenging the undefeated Ukrainian for the rest of his world titles in a spectacular unification showdown.
Here’s what you need to know about Usyk vs Dubois 2:
What is the date and start time for the Usyk vs Dubois fight?
The fight is scheduled for Saturday, July 19.
Usyk and Dubois are expected to undertake their ring walks at 9:45pm local time (20:45 GMT), which is 4:45pm ET and 1:45pm PT. The fight will begin shortly thereafter.
Where is Dubois vs Usyk being held?
The famous Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom will host the blockbuster fight.
For boxing matches, Wembley Stadium can hold up to 96,000 spectators.
Usyk poses in front of Wembley Stadium on July 15, 2025, in London, England, UK [Richard Pelham/Getty Images]
Where can I follow and watch the Usyk vs Dubois title fight?
Al Jazeera’s live text commentary and photo coverage will begin at 17:00 GMT on Saturday, July 19. We will bring you all the pre-fight talking points, analysis and build-up before bringing you Usyk-Dubois 2 updates live.
This whole fight card will be available live worldwide exclusively on DAZN pay-per-view.
Which titles are Usyk and Dubois fighting for?
The clash will be an undisputed championship fight, and the titles on the line will be Usyk’s WBC, WBA and WBO belts, as well the IBF title held by Dubois.
It’s just the second undisputed heavyweight championship bout of the past two decades.
What is the fight purse?
The record-breaking prize money for the rematch is reported to be $203m.
Why did Usyk lose his IBF title?
In May 2024, Usyk won the world’s first undisputed heavyweight championship in 25 years, an unprecedented feat in boxing’s four-belt era, when he beat Fury by split decision.
However, having decided not to defend the IBF crown against then-interim champion and mandatory challenger Dubois, Usyk vacated the belt in June and was left with the WBC, WBA and WBO belts.
Who is the favourite?
Usyk is widely expected to defeat Dubois a second time, according to most leading bookmakers who are quoting the Ukrainian at 1/3 on, or in metric terms, paying out $1.33 for the win.
Odds on a Dubois victory currently range from 5/2 ($2.50) to 13/5 ($2.60).
Who is Daniel Dubois?
Dubois was born in Greenwich, London, where his father began training him as a boxer at an early age. A home-schooled child, Dubois loved boxing and later joined boxing clubs in southern London.
Also known as Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois, the boxer turned pro at the age of 19.
The 6ft-4inch (1.93-metre) boxer has gained the reputation of being a giant-killer, having defeated fellow Briton Anthony Joshua and Olympic bronze medallist Filip Hrgovic of Croatia.
Dubois will be the underdog in Saturday’s fight against Usyk [Matthew Childs/Action Images via Reuters]
Who is Oleksandr Usyk?
Usyk is a 2012 Olympic gold medallist from Ukraine who had previously won the AIBA World Boxing Championship in 2011.
The 6ft-3inch (1.9-metre) tall fighter has spent time on patrol at home during Russia’s war on Ukraine.
He turned professional in 2013, aged 26 and made a steady rise in the cruiserweight division, before switching to heavyweight in 2019.
Saturday’s fight gives Usyk the opportunity to become the undisputed champion of the world for the third time, having also held the title in the cruiserweight division in 2018. The southpaw is the third man ever to have held the title in two weight divisions.
Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk looks on during an unveiling of the recreated Kestrel Mosaic, in Trafalgar Square on July 14, 2025 [Carlos Jasso/AFP]
What’s Usyk’s fight record?
The Ukrainian remains unbeaten in his professional career.
Fights: 23
Wins: 23
Wins by KO: 14
What’s Dubois’ fight record?
The 27-year-old challenger, despite being 11 years younger than Usyk, has more career professional fights than his opponent.
Fights: 24
Wins: 22
Wins by KO: 21
Losses: 2
What happened in Dubois-Usyk 1?
The pair fought for the first time in Wroclaw, Poland in August 2023, when Usyk stopped Dubois in the ninth round, but only after controversially getting time to recover from what was adjudged a low blow by Dubois in the fifth round.
It sent Usyk to the canvas, where he sat against the ropes. Replays showed the punch hitting around Usyk’s belt, and Dubois still maintains he was robbed.
“I want to get my rematch,” Dubois said of Usyk, “and put the wrong right.”
Usyk sits on the canvas in the fifth round after he received a low blow from Dubois in their first fight for the WBA, IBF & WBO Heavyweight Titles at Tarczynski Arena, Wroclaw, Poland on August 26, 2023 [Kacper Pempel/Reuters]Usyk regained the upper hand in the deciding ninth round against Dubois, knocking out the Briton to win the contest [Kacper Pempel/Reuters]
What has Usyk said about the rematch?
The 38-year-old said that he is ready to “become undisputed again,” referring to the reunification of all heavyweight titles he held after beating Fury on May 18, 2024.
“[I am still boxing] because Jesus gives me the opportunity, and I take this,” Usyk said in an interview on host broadcaster streaming platform DAZN. “Now my goal is to become a three-time undisputed. Listen, I love boxing, training hard. I guess it’s my last two fights, with Dubois and next, I don’t know who.”
“I love my British opponents,” Usyk added. “I think Daniel is a good athlete, a good boxer, and has good skills. He has had great wins in his last three fights, is a great fighter. I think Daniel deserves [the rematch].”
What has Dubois said about the rematch?
Dubois has pledged to exact revenge on the Ukrainian fighter.
“I can’t wait to put him [Usyk] to sleep,” said Dubois.
“I’m on fire now. I’m just pent up. I’m ready to go. It’s going to be a bloodbath … in the ring on the night, he’ll be doing a funny dance when I hit him.
“We don’t care about no body shots. We’re going to knock him out on July 19.”
The Brit has repeatedly stated that he’s a “10 times better” fighter than he was in his first fight against Usyk and is ready to “unleash hell”.
Why did Dubois’ trainer accuse Usyk of ‘conning the boxing world’ in their first fight in Poland?
The British fighter’s trainer accused Usyk of “conning the boxing world” at the pre-fight news conference in April.
Referring to Usyk’s 2023 fight against Dubois, Don Charles accused the Ukrainian of being hurt by a legal body shot and said his fighter should have won the encounter.
“The actions you did that night, you’ve heard of the Oscars? You should’ve won an Oscar,” Charles said.
“You conned the referee, you conned us, and you conned the boxing world.
“You pride yourself as a God-fearing man – ‘Thou shalt not lie’ – so I question what kind of God do you worship? The God has summoned you for our son Daniel Dubois to get revenge on you.”
How did Usyk respond to the accusation?
Usyk shrugged off accusations of cheating and fakery and said he was ready to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world for a second time.
“I’m ready right now,” Usyk told a news conference at Wembley Stadium.
Usyk, smiling, said the Oscar would be coming. “You must teach your fighter to punch clean,” he added.
“It’s just talking. For me, it doesn’t matter.”
Usyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, said after that photographs of the blow were produced, with the Ukrainian’s camp accusing Dubois of up to 20 low blows, Usyk could not be accused of cheating.
“Don’t call my man a cheat,” he said. “He didn’t cheat. He had an opportunity to rest and he rested … tell it to the referee, not my man.”
Usyk, left, and Dubois go head-to-head to unify the world heavyweight championships on Saturday [Matthew Childs/Action Images via Reuters]
Who is on the undercard?
In the penultimate fight of the night, the UK’s Lawrence Okolie will defend his WBC silver heavyweight title against former world champ Kevin Lerena of South Africa.
In the light heavyweight classification, Poland’s Daniel Lapin will put his IBF intercontinental and WBA continental belts up for grabs against another local fighter, Lewis Edmondson.
The first bout is scheduled for 5:40pm local (16:40 GMT).
Lawrence Okolie vs. Kevin Lerena: (WBC silver heavyweight title)
Daniel Lapin vs. Lewis Edmondson: (IBF Intercontinental and WBA Continental light heavyweight titles)
Vladyslav Sirenko vs. Solomon Dacres: (Heavyweight division)
Aadam Hamed vs. Ezequiel Gregores: (Super lightweight division)
Lasha Guruli vs. James Francis: (Super lightweight division)
Moscow is closely monitoring the West’s supply of weapons to Ukraine, the Kremlin’s spokesperson says shortly after United States President Donald Trump announced the resumption of arms deliveries to Kyiv.
Dmitry Peskov also noted on Wednesday that a new phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was not currently planned but could quickly be arranged, according to Russian news reports.
The comments from the Kremlin came two days after the US president showed growing impatience with Russia over its war in Ukraine.
In his sharpest rebuke of Moscow so far, Trump announced on Monday that Putin had until early September, 50 days, to accept a peace deal or his country would face steep US sanctions.
Trump said they would be secondary tariffs targeting Russia’s trading partners in a bid to isolate it from the global economy.
Russia’s approach, in the meantime, is to “keep calm and carry on” in the face of Trump’s threats, experts said. There’s no certainty the pressure will push Putin towards ending the war.
On the campaign trail before November’s presidential election, Trump boasted that he would end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office.
However, after at least six phone conversations between Trump and Putin as well as several meetings between US officials and officials from Russia and Ukraine, no ceasefire has been reached.
“My conversations with him are very pleasant, and then the missiles go off at night,” Trump said of his frustration with Putin.
The US leader added that he would supply more weapons to Ukraine with European allies buying “billions and billions” of dollars of US military equipment to be transferred to Kyiv.
Patriot air defence systems are included in the plan, which Ukraine needs to defend itself against Russian missile and drone attacks.
Trump, however, has said Ukraine should not target Moscow after he reportedly asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy if Kyiv could strike the Russian capital if he provided long-range weaponry.
Trump made the comments after The Financial Times on Tuesday reported that Trump had encouraged Zelenskyy to step up strikes deep inside Russian territory during their phone call on July 4.
The report, which quoted two unnamed people familiar with the discussion, said Trump had also asked his Ukrainian counterpart whether he could hit Moscow and St Petersburg if supplied with weapons with enough range.
In response to a question on Tuesday about whether Zelenskyy should target Moscow, Trump told reporters at the White House that he should not.
Overnight, the Russian military launched 400 drones and one ballistic missile, targeting cities across Ukraine, including Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Vinnytsia.
The strikes injured at least 15 people and damaged energy infrastructure, the Ukrainian authorities said on Wednesday.
Power was down for 80,000 families in Kryvyi Rih and other parts of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine’s private energy company DTEK said on Telegram.
The Ukrainian air force stated it had successfully shot down most of the drones but 12 targets were hit by 57 drones and the missile.
In recent weeks, Moscow has increased its aerial bombardments against Ukraine with daily record numbers of drones and missiles being fired.
“Russia does not change its strategy, and to effectively counter this terror, we need a systemic strengthening of defences: more air defences, more interceptor [missiles], more determination to make Russia feel our response,” Zelenskyy wrote on X on Wednesday.
After starting his second presidential term in January, Trump sought to portray Washington’s support for Ukraine as a drain on US resources.
Despite Trump’s more critical stance against Moscow this week, some American politicians continue to express concerns about his approach, warning that Putin could use the 50-day tariff deadline to capture more Ukrainian territory.
In a report that has yet to be independently verified, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday that its army seized the settlement of Novokhatske in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
The European Union is readying a package of tariffs to be levied on 72 billion euros’ ($84bn) worth of goods against the US, even as it steps up efforts to reach a trade deal and avert a transatlantic trade war with President Donald Trump.
The European Commission, which oversees EU trade policy, is understood to have drawn up a list of duties for various US imports, ranging from cars to bourbon, after Trump declared on Sunday that he would levy a 30 percent “reciprocal” tariff on European imports from August 1.
The EU and the US have been locked in trade negotiations for months, after Trump set a reciprocal tariff of 20 percent on EU goods in April. Those were dropped to 10 percent shortly afterwards, pending a three-month pause, before the president’s latest 30 percent salvo.
Following Trump’s announcement, French and German government bond prices fell to lows seldom seen since the eurozone debt crisis of 2009-11, as traders fretted about whether the $1.7 trillion transatlantic trade relationship could remain intact.
What tariffs has Trump announced for the EU?
President Trump said he would impose a 30 percent tariff on goods imports from the EU starting on August 1. He says he wants to rebalance the $235.6bn trade deficit – whereby imports exceed exports – that the US has with the EU.
EU officials had been hoping they could limit the damage by agreeing a baseline tariff of about 10 percent – the level of the one currently in place – with additional carve-outs for key sectors like cars. But Trump’s recent announcement, which came via a letter, dashed those hopes.
Trump has sent similar letters to 23 other trading partners over the past eight days, including Canada, Japan and Brazil, setting blanket tariff rates ranging from 20 percent to 50 percent, as well as a blanket 50 percent tariff on copper imports from all countries.
Earlier this year, Trump also slapped a 25 percent tariff on European steel and aluminium as well as cars, in an effort to reduce US dependence on imports and encourage more domestic production.
In response to that, the EU announced retaliatory tariffs on $23.8bn worth of US goods (totalling 6 percent of US imports), with EU officials describing the US tariffs as “unjustified and damaging”. The implementation of these EU tariffs was delayed, however, as a gesture of goodwill during ongoing trade talks.
On April 7, the head of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, offered Trump an alternative in the form of a zero-for-zero tariffs deal on industrial goods, including cars. But Trump said her proposal did not address US concerns about the trade deficit.
How has the EU responded to the new US tariff?
Von der Leyen has previously indicated that the 27-member bloc will continue negotiating until the August 1 deadline.
On Monday, however, the EU commissioner for trade, Maros Sefcovic, said there was still a “big gap” between the two sides and it would be “almost impossible to continue the trading as we are used to in a transatlantic relationship”, with the new 30 percent rate. “Practically, it prohibits the trade,” he said.
The EU, therefore, is now readying retaliatory tariffs in the event that talks break down before the deadline, Sefcovic said. “We have to protect the EU economy, and we need to go for these rebalancing measures.”
Before a meeting with EU ministers to discuss trade, he told reporters: “Therefore I think we have to do, and I will definitely do, everything I can to prevent this super-negative scenario.”
The EU’s latest tariff list, which covers 72 billion euros’ ($84bn) worth of goods, has been seen by Politico and Bloomberg.
Though tariff rates are as yet unknown, they will apply to 11 billion euros’ ($13bn) worth of US aircraft and parts. Other items include cars, machinery, electrical products and chemicals.
The list also covers agricultural products, including fruit and vegetables, as well as alcoholic drinks, such as bourbon and rum. Looking ahead, the Commission’s trade policy committee will have to formally approve the list before any retaliatory measures can be applied.
The bloc is understood to be rife with disagreement over US trade, however. While Germany has urged a quick deal to safeguard its industries, other EU members – particularly France – insist that EU negotiators must not cave in to an “asymmetric” deal in favour of the US.
On Monday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters in Brussels it was too early to impose countermeasures, “but we should prepare to be ready to use all the tools”. He added: “If you want peace, you have to prepare for war. And I think that’s where we are.”
What and how much does Europe sell to the US?
In 2024, the US-EU goods trade reached nearly $1 trillion, making the EU the biggest trading partner of the US.
Overall, the US bought $235.6bn more in goods than it sold to the 27 countries that make up the EU. Trump has made no secret of wanting to reduce that trade deficit. On the other hand, the US earns a surplus on services with the EU.
The US mainly buys pharmaceutical products from the EU, as well as mechanical appliances, cars and other non-railway vehicles – totalling roughly $606bn. The US alone accounts for 21 percent of EU goods exports.
For its part, the US mainly exports fuel, pharmaceutical products, machinery and aircraft to the EU – to the tune of some $370bn.
How would tariffs affect the US and Europe’s economies?
Economists at Barclays estimate that a US tariff on EU goods of 35 percent, covering both reciprocal and sectoral duties, along with a combined 10 percent theoretical retaliation from Brussels, would shave 0.7 percent from the eurozone output, lowering it to just 0.4 percent annual growth.
This could derail much of the eurozone’s already meagre growth. The EU struggled to regain its footing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the surge in energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has added to the strain.
The economic forecasting consultancy, Oxford Economics, estimated on Monday that a 30 percent tariff could push the EU “to the edge of recession”.
An April estimate, meanwhile, by German economic institute IW, found that reciprocal and sectoral tariffs ranging from 20 percent to 50 percent would cost Germany’s 4.3 trillion euro ($5 trillion) economy – the largest in the Eurozone – more than 200 billion ($232bn) euros between now and 2028.
“We would have to postpone large parts of our economic policy efforts because it would interfere with everything and hit the German export industry to the core,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said of the potential US 30 percent reciprocal rate.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has inaugurated the northern city of Mosul’s newly restored airport, more than a decade after it was destroyed in a series of battles to dislodge the now vanquished ISIL (ISIS) group.
“The airport will serve as an additional link between Mosul and other Iraqi cities and regional destinations,” the prime minister’s media office said in a statement on Wednesday.
Al-Sudani’s flight landed at the airport, which is expected to become fully operational for domestic and international flights in two months. Wednesday’s ceremony was held nearly three years after then-Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi laid the foundation stone for the airport’s reconstruction.
Airport director Amar al-Bayati told the AFP news agency that the “airport is now ready for domestic and international flights.” He added that the airport previously offered international flights, mostly to Turkiye and Jordan.
In June 2014, ISIL seized Mosul, declaring its “caliphate” from Iraq’s second biggest city after capturing large swaths of Iraq and neighbouring Syria, imposing hardline rule over millions of people, displacing hundreds of thousands and slaughtering thousands more.
Nouri al-Maliki, who was the Iraqi prime minister at the time, declared a state of emergency and said the government would arm civilians who volunteered “to defend the homeland and defeat terrorism”.
At its peak, the group ruled over an area half the size of the United Kingdom and was notorious for its brutality. It beheaded civilians, massacred 1,700 captured Iraqi soldiers in a short period, and enslaved and raped thousands of women from the Yazidi community, one of Iraq’s oldest religious minorities.
A coalition of more than 80 countries led by the United States was formed to fight the group in September 2014. The alliance continues to carry out raids against the group’s hideouts in Syria and Iraq.
The war against the group officially ended in March 2019 when US-backed, Kurdish-led fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured the eastern Syrian town of Baghouz, which was the last sliver of land ISIL controlled.
The group was also defeated in Iraq in July 2017 when Iraqi forces recaptured Mosul. ISIL then declared its defeat across the country at the end of that year. Three months later, the group suffered a major blow when the SDF took back the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, its de facto capital.
The airport, which was heavily damaged in the battle, has not been operational since the initial fall of Mosul.
