International
Netanyahu and Trump vow to expand “Circle of Peace” amid Middle East ceasefire
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he will continue fighting alongside U.S. President Donald Trump against their “common enemies,” and that both leaders will swiftly expand the “circle of peace” in the Middle East following their collaboration in the recent war against Iran.
“Thank you, President Trump, for your moving support for me and your tremendous support for Israel and the Jewish people. We will continue working together to defeat our common enemies, free our hostages, and rapidly expand the circle of peace,” Netanyahu wrote on the social media platform X.
Netanyahu’s remarks came in response to a message from the former U.S. president on his social network, Truth Social, in which Trump called Netanyahu “perhaps the greatest warrior in Israel’s history,” praising his role in the war against Iran.
In that message, Trump also called for an end to the “witch hunt” against Netanyahu, referring to the ongoing corruption trials he has faced for months, and asked for their dismissal.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu himself requested a two-week postponement of his court testimonies due to national security concerns.
The statements about expanding the “circle of peace” come amid regional uncertainty following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran (proposed by Trump and coordinated with Qatar), the terms of which remain unknown.
Since the truce, Trump has advocated for regional peace, posting on Truth Social: “CONGRATULATIONS WORLD, IT’S TIME FOR PEACE!” Days earlier, the U.S. had joined the conflict by bombing Iran’s main nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan, and the heavily fortified Fordow site.
White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff told CNBC that “major announcements” regarding the Abraham Accords — initiated during Trump’s first administration to normalize relations between Israel and several Arab states (including the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco) — could be made soon.
Additionally, on June 24, Israel’s National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi said Israel was holding talks with Syria in an attempt to normalize relations with its neighbor.
Israel has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967 and, since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, has controlled the demilitarized zone between the two countries, which is Syrian territory.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
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