Iran Reiterates Neutrality Over Ukraine, But No Denial About Drones

The leader of the Lebanese Shiite and Iran-back militant organization made the statements on Wednesday as part of his remarks to mark the anniversary of the start of the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

“Israel won’t dare to take one step in the territory against the tent because it knows what will happen,” Nasrallah said, adding that “If there’s any harm to the tent, we won’t stay quiet.”

“The youth of the resistance have orders to act if an Israeli attack takes place on the tent,” he underlined.

The Hezbollah leader also referred to the scuffles between Lebanese individuals and Israeli forces on Wednesday, stating that the incidents were "under investigation" and that "necessary measures" would be taken once the investigation was complete.

Lebanon's media reported Wednesday that three members of Hezbollah were injured after approaching the border fence, while the IDF stated it had taken action against suspects who attempted to damage the fence.

Since early June, Israel has attempted to remove two tents placed by Hezbollah in the disputed Mount Dov region. One of the tents was removed after Israel threatened Hezbollah with armed confrontation but Nasrallah said the other tent would remain in place.

In 1967, Israel captured Mount Dov, also known as Shebaa Farms, from Syria and effectively annexed it, as well as the Golan Heights and the village of Ghajar. Beirut however claims that the area belongs to Lebanon.

"Siamand Shaboi, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran and a resident of Shanu city, was assassinated by the terrorists of the Islamic Republic in Baherka district near the city of Erbil, the capital of [Iraq's] Kurdistan Regional Government,” read a statement released on Wednesday.

"The Democratic Party expresses its condolences to his family and condemns this terrorist act of the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

According to Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the body of Shaboi, was found in an unfinished building 10 kilometers from Erbil, around noon on Wednesday.

The political activist who had found refuge in Iraq was found dead with several bullets in his back, according to Hengaw's sources.

A close relative of Shaboi told Hengaw that "he had disappeared since yesterday [Tuesday] evening. He disappeared in a completely unprecedented manner. We hold the terror teams of the Islamic Republic of Iran responsible for this assassination."

The Iranian government had threatened Shaboi many times over the past few years, and recently his two brothers and his 14-year-old son were arrested.

A week ago, the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran said two of its forces were killed by the Islamic republic agents in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Last year, the party was the target of IRGC artillery attacks during the nationwide uprising against the Islamic Republic.

Iran International’s interviews with around 15 students showed an increase in harassment at public and private universities in various cities, raising concerns about the safety of students and freedom of expression within educational institutions in Iran.

The student movement played a significant role in the formation and continuation of last year's popular protests, sparked by the death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini in hijab police custody.

With the September anniversary of the protests looming, students and student activists are concerned about a surge in violence from security forces to suppress any fresh protests in the universities before they gain momentum.

“Security personnel patrol the campus on motorcycles, and their warnings regarding hijab are highly insulting, using very offensive language,” a student from Beheshti University in Tehran told Iran International.

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Iranian students have increasingly chosen not to wear the compulsory hijab, viewing it as a symbol of a patriarchal society that contradicts their pursuit of gender equality. Their refusal to comply with the government-imposed dress code also serves as a demonstration of their discontent with the prevailing Islamic state, and its policies. 

On June 15, several students at Tehran’s College of Arts protesting stricter hijab rules were seriously injured by the head of campus security. Similar assaults have occurred in other instances.

While there is no precise statistic available on the number of students suspended or banned from universities for not wearing the compulsory hijab, students said dozens have been denied the opportunity to pursue their education due to this reason. 

A student from Al-Zahra University mentioned on Twitter that security guards at the university contact the fathers of female students and by making baseless accusations, put pressure on both the students and their families.

“My family reluctantly agreed for me to come to Tehran. The security office [of the university] cancelled my accommodation due to the hijab issue last month,” said a student in Tehran.

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“The behavior of the security personnel was so annoying and ugly that I prefer not to talk about it. I practically have nowhere to stay, and it is not possible for me to afford rent and expenses for food in Tehran. I am forced to drop out and return to my hometown,” she said.

Students said activities of the Hijab and Dress Code Committee that oversees student compliance have expanded during the exam period in early summer. Security personnel were present in the exam halls and issued warnings to students. If they refused to comply, they were subsequently banned from entering the university without any prior notice.

University officials and teachers have tried to intervene and allow banned students to enter the university for exams, students said, but security forces have not allowed it.

The recent surge in suppression following last year's uprising signifies a systematic endeavor by the government, which perceives filing cases and expelling students from universities as the sole means of addressing the situation.

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Student protests also existed during the monarchy in 1960s and 70’s but for political reasons, not hijab, and many were punished, including arrests, but systematic or random violence on campuses did not exist. There were no vigilante or plainclothes agents to harass the students. Police showed up and used force to disperse campus protests.

At least a thousand protesting students have been suspended or academically banned from various universities in Iran since last September.

A student activist said university security, along with security forces, are attempting to suppress the spirit of freedom and student life after the Women, Life, Freedom uprising. 

“Their assumption was that by mass arrest and suspension, they could break the spirit of the movement,” a student said, “but they fail to realize that 'the university is a smoldering fire beneath the ashes.”

Nearly ten drones were identified and shot down, the municipal authorities wrote on Telegram.

Explosions were heard in different parts of the city, and debris from intercepted drones fell on five districts of the Ukrainian capital.

Some buildings were damaged, and two people hospitalized with shrapnel wounds.

Volodymyr Motus, a 22-year-old resident of an east Kyiv building hit by drone debris, carefully picked his way across the floor a destroyed apartment, his footsteps accompanied by the sound of shattered glass.

The mangled furniture was coated in a thick layer of dust.

“I was in my apartment and suddenly I heard a boom, that’s all. Then the alarm went off and I went down to the shelter.”

He said that some people were injured, but they were all alive.

Russia also launched 10 Iranian-made drones at other cities in the early morning, together with two Kalibr cruise missiles and one Iskander-M ballistic missiles.

Iran has supplied hundreds of Shahed drones to Russia since mid-2022, with NATO calling on Tehran to stop its military cooperation with Moscow.

Although Ukrainian forces have developed effective methods to shoot down most of the drones, Russia still uses them in swarms to overwhelm air defenses for its missiles to get through. The drones also force Ukraine to use precious anti-air missiles supplied by the West.

Esmail Dehqani, an employee of the emergency department of Beheshti Hospital in Kashan, was killed July 8 but the news reached the public on Wednesday.

It is not clear why the police wanted to stop his car and under what circumstances. It is also not clear why he did not comply.

Dehqani got married just two months ago and his funeral ceremony was held on Sunday in the presence of many plainclothes security agents.

According to information received by Iran International, immediately after his death, the security and law enforcement authorities of Kashan put pressure on his family to remain silent about the tragic event even four days after his burial.

This is not the only case of indiscriminate killing of citizens by the government agents setting up checkpoints in recent months.

Melika Borji was a 12-year-old child who was shot by police officers in March and died on July 4 after suffering for about four months.

In December, another child was shot dead in her family’s car in Hormozgan Province. Soha Etebari, 12, and her family were on the road to Ahvaz, the capital of Khuzestan Province, when plainclothes security forces started shooting at the car at a checkpoint. Soha died of her injuries on the way to the hospital.