Hamas’ top political leader is killed in Iran in strike that risks triggering all-out regional war

BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel “will exact a heavy price from any aggression against us on any front.” It was his first public statement since the killing of Hamas’ top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in an airstrike in Tehran. His comments didn’t mention the killing. Both Hamas and Iran quickly blamed Israel for the shock assassination that risked escalating into an all-out regional war. The strike came hours after Israel targeted a top commander in Iran’s ally Hezbollah in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

UN report says Palestinians detained by Israeli authorities since Oct. 7 faced torture

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. human rights office has issued a report saying Palestinians detained by Israeli authorities since the Oct. 7 attacks have faced waterboarding, sleep deprivation, electric shocks and other forms of torture and mistreatment. The report released Wednesday says that Israel’s prison service held more than 9,400 “security detainees” as of the end of June, and some have been held in secret without access to lawyers or respect for their legal rights. Findings in the report, one of the most extensive of its kind, could be used by International Criminal Court prosecutors who are looking into crimes committed in connection to the Oct. 7 attacks.

From August, migrants seeking refuge in Italy could be taken to Albania

GJADER, Albania (AP) — Migrants rescued at sea while attempting to reach Italy are likely to see themselves transported to Albania beginning next month while their asylum claims are processed. That’s because of a controversial deal in which the small Balkan country will host thousands of asylum-seekers on Italy’s behalf. Women, children and the elderly are among those who will be exempt. The two centers designed to shelter the migrants are billed to be operational as of Thursday. But with that day at hand, intensive construction was still underway in one of them, casting doubt on whether it would be ready in time. Sending asylum-seekers to non-EU countries to process their claims has been a controversial issue in Europe.

Venezuela’s Maduro asks Supreme Court to audit the presidential election

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro says he has asked the country’s Supreme Court to conduct an audit of the presidential election, after opposition leaders disputed his claim of victory and amid international calls to release detailed vote counts. Maduro told reporters Wednesday that the ruling party is also ready to show the totality of the electoral tally sheets. Maduro insists that he won the election. His main challenger, Edmundo González, and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, say they have obtained more than two-thirds of the tally sheets from polling stations, and that the release of the data on those tallies would prove Maduro lost and González won.