Two more female Israeli soldiers die,
raising 2026 military suicide toll
to 16: Report
July 29th, 10:51am
(PressTV)
Two female Israeli soldiers have died by suicide this week,
bringing the number of active-duty soldiers who have
taken their own lives since the beginning of 2026
to 16, a report says.
A report published by Haaretz on Tuesday said one of the
soldiers served in the Bardelas Battalion along the Egypt
-Palestine border and died by suicide at a military base
in the southern Israeli occupied territories.
The newspaper said she was found injured at the base and
taken to hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
In another report, the daily said the second soldier, who
served in a classified position within the Israeli army,
died by suicide on Sunday at the Glilot military base
in the central Israeli occupied territories.
Data compiled by Haaretz showed that at least nine additional
regular and reserve personnel who participated in the Gaza
genocide also took their own lives after completing
active service, since the beginning of 2026.
The latest deaths ...continue an upward trend in military suicides
that began after the genocidal assault on Gaza in October 2023,
according to figures cited in the report.
Military data cited by the newspaper showed that seven active-duty
soldiers died by suicide between October 7 and the end of 2023,
while the annual figure increased to 21 in 2024 and climbed
further to 22 in 2025, the highest number recorded by
the Israeli army in the past 15 years.
Israel's Ministry of Military Affairs has also reported a sharp increase
in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cases among military
personnel since the Gaza genocide began.
The mental health of many soldiers who committed suicide had
deteriorated following prolonged mistreatment by the military
system --- raising further questions about the Israeli army's
handling of personnel struggling with the psychological
consequences of the Gaza genocide, the
report highlighted.
Neither the Israeli military nor any other Israeli regime institution
has released annual figures for discharged soldiers and former
reservists who died by suicide - after leaving active service.
Since Israel launched its genocidal war against Gaza, its forces
have killed at least 73,000 Palestinians and wounded another
173,000, most of them women and children.
_________________________________________
Mossad advises Israeli officials to
alter daily routines amid fears
of Iran’s retaliation
July 29th, 10:42am
(PressTV)
Israel’s Mossad spy agency has advised current and former regime
officials to change their daily routines and take additional security
precautions amid concerns over possible retaliatory attacks by
Iran, according to Hebrew-language media.
The Israeli news outlet Ynet reported that a general warning
had been issued regarding the potential targeting of senior
Israeli figures.
Following the warning, Israel’s so-called internal security agency
Shin Bet decided to reinforce security measures for the regime’s
authorities -- and recommended that they modify their regular
schedules and adopt heightened precautionary measures.
The report said the move reflects the maximum alert
level maintained by Israeli security institutions.
Meanwhile, in an unusual measure, the departure point of a plane
carrying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a trip to
Washington was reportedly changed from Ben Gurion Airport
to Nevatim Air Base.
The report added that strict and classified security measures were
implemented ....regarding the flight’s departure time and route.
The measures were aimed at creating uncertainty to prevent
any possible attempt to target the aircraft or the Israeli
prime minister, as threats against senior Israeli
figures have reportedly increased.
The latest round of aggression against Iran began on
February 28, when US and Israeli forces launched
large-scale strikes on Iranian territory.
Iran responded with daily waves of missiles and drones
targeting US and Israeli assets across the region,
while closing the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran and the United States later signed the Islamabad
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on June 17
in an effort to end the war across all fronts.
However, renewed US military aggression against Iran in
recent days has prompted Tehran to resume missile and
drone strikes against US assets in the region and close
the Strait of Hormuz ...once again.
________________________________________________
Iraq cancels PM’s Riyadh visit
after US-Saudi aggression
amid calls for response
July 29th, 10:44am
(PressTV)
Iraq has postponed Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s planned visit to Saudi
Arabia after the joint US-Saudi attack on Popular Mobilization Units
(PMU) positions across several Iraqi provinces, as officials and
lawmakers called for a military response.
The strikes came as millions of Muslims from Iraq, Iran,
Pakistan, Azerbaijan and other countries around the
world were converging on the Iraqi city of Karbala
to mark Arbaeen, one of the largest religious
gatherings in the world.
Some observers have viewed the timing of the attacks as a
show of anger toward the gathering, which has been
marked by expressions of solidarity with the Axis
of Resistance and condemnation of US-Israeli
wars and expansionist policies.
According to Iraqi media, al-Zaidi’s trip to Saudi Arabia - was
postponed indefinitely after the attack. The prime minister
also ordered the country’s National Security Council to
convene an emergency meeting after the security
developments --- and the airstrikes on several
areas across Iraq.
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani said,
“We condemn the Saudi-American aggression against the
headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces
in the strongest terms.”
“This aggression is a blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty
and a clear violation of international law and the United
Nations Charter,” Sudani said.
“Iraq reserves all of its legitimate rights guaranteed
under international law --- including the right to
defend its sovereignty, territory and people.”
He added that “any violation of Iraq’s security and stability
is unacceptable --------- and cannot be met with silence.”
According to a statement carried by Iraq’s official news agency,
the PMU said the casualty toll from the attacks remains
preliminary and could rise, as special committees
continue field assessments - and gather more
accurate information.
The organization denounced the strikes as a “joint US-Saudi
terrorist attack” targeting its official headquarters in the
provinces of Baghdad, Wasit, Nineveh, Basra, Kirkuk,
Karbala and Diyala.
The assaults caused extensive material damage to
PMU headquarters, military vehicles, machinery
and equipment in the targeted locations, the
statement said.
The Iraqi resistance movement added that its investigative teams
remain deployed to assess the full extent of the casualties and
destruction, noting that the number of those killed and
wounded may increase as rescue and assessment
operations continue.
Earlier, the PMU announced that several of its bases in different
parts of Iraq had come under attack, describing the strikes as
“terrorist” and reporting casualties among its personnel.
The PMU said it viewed the attacks - as “a highly dangerous
escalation, a blatant violation of Iraq’s territorial integrity -
& an attack on the country’s official security institutions.”
The attacks prompted growing calls from
Iraqi lawmakers for a decisive response.
Two Iraqi lawmakers called on the government to respond
decisively, with one urging military retaliation and
another demanding the cancellation of
al-Zaidi’s visit to Saudi Arabia.
Saud al-Saadi, a member of the Iraqi Parliament and the Huqooq
Movement, called on the commander-in-chief of the armed
forces to assume his responsibility - and issue an order
for a military response to the Saudi-US aggression.
“Show [Saudi Crown Prince] Mohammed bin Salman and
the other slaves their true worth and size,” he said,
according to Iraqi media.
“The blood of Iraqis is not cheap, and the dark record of
Washington and Riyadh in our beloved country will not
be erased - without a response that preserves Iraq’s
dignity. It is not acceptable to settle for disgraceful
and humiliating statements,” he added.
Another Iraqi lawmaker, Faleh al-Khazali, described the strikes -- as
“terrorist attacks” carried out by “the Saudi and American enemy,”
saying they targeted Iraqi security positions in several provinces.
“The attacks on our security positions constitute blatant aggression
and a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty,” al-Khazali said, adding that
“the Iraqi government and its prime minister bear the
responsibility --- to courageously defend the Iraqi
people and the country’s national interests.”
Iraqi lawmaker Hussein Nima al-Battat also condemned the attacks
as a “blatant violation of Iraq's sovereignty and of international
laws and norms,” warning that they constituted a dangerous
escalation threatening the country’s security and stability.
Al-Battat urged the government to take all necessary military,
political, diplomatic and legal measures to defend Iraq’s
sovereignty and protect its people, while also calling
for the cancellation of the P.M.’s scheduled visit to
Riyadh, as a demonstration of Iraq’s rejection of
the attacks.
The Iraqi resistance had warned Saudi Arabia earlier against
waging such strikes against Iraqi territory following Riyadh’s
claims that its oil facilities were targeted from Iraq.
In a statement released on Monday, the resistance rejected the
Saudi allegations as “baseless” and urged Saudi authorities to
stop blaming Iraq & instead end Riyadh’s blockade on Yemen.
Political analyst Jumaa al-Atwani told Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen
TV that the joint US-Saudi attack was aimed at weakening
the PMU and retaliating against Iraq over its solidarity
with Iran.
“The American pressure on Iraq has intensified because of Iraq’s
position in solidarity with Iran, especially ....after the massive
funeral procession for the martyred leader of the Ummah,”
he said.
Atwani said the millions who participated recently in the ceremonies
in Karbala and Najaf for the funeral of the martyred Leader of the
Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei ---------
reflected Iraq’s role within the Axis of Resistance.
Al-Atwani said Saudi Arabia maintains close coordination
with the United States and described the PMU as
“a major problem for Washington.”
He also suggested that regional plans involving Saudi Arabia
and Syria have been discussed... to justify attacks on Iraqi
military positions.
___________________________________________
Old playbook, new 'victim': Iranian woman
declared ‘killed’ appears alive, foiling
foreign-backed unrest plot
by Mina Mosallanejad
July 29th 7:58am
(PressTV)
False reports claiming that an Iranian woman was killed during
protests in the central Iranian city of Isfahan following the
execution of two convicted murderers have been
circulating at a dizzying pace on social
media networks.
In the early hours of Tuesday, following the execution of Abolfazl
Sepahi Badjani and Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi, who had
been convicted ---- of the brutal murder of four Iranian police
officers during the January riots in Isfahan, disturbances
broke out near the site as groups incited by foreign-
backed operatives sought to stir unrest.
Amid the ensuing chaos, several social media accounts and some
non-Iranian Persian media outlets began circulating claims that
a woman identified as Anita Azarshah had been shot dead.
The allegation, however, collapsed within hours - when Azarshah
appeared in a video confirming that she was alive and vowing to
pursue legal action against those who had spread the false and
defamatory news.
The claims --- were rapidly amplified by anti-Iran Persian-language
media outlets and pro-Israel social media accounts. The Iranian
authorities also dismissed the reports, saying no such incident
had occurred and describing the concocted claims as part of
a coordinated disinformation campaign --- aimed at creating
a public disturbance in Isfahan.
The incident is the latest in a series of online influence operations
that have become a recurring tactic employed by foreign-backed
media networks and hostile actors in recent years.
According to officials, such campaigns frequently rely on fabricated
casualty reports, recycled images, manipulated videos, and
coordinated social media amplification, to fuel unrest and
shape international narratives about events inside Iran.
Who were the two convicted killers?
Sepahi and Safari had been convicted of playing direct roles in one
of the deadliest attacks on Iranian law enforcement personnel
during the foreign-instigated January riots in Iran.
According to judicial documents, on January 8, a violent mob armed
with firearms, machetes, knives, axes, swords, and Molotov
cocktails attacked public property in Isfahan’s Malekshahr
district, setting fire to buildings, a police station, vehicles,
and roadblocks across the area.
The authorities said four unarmed police officers dispatched to
restore order were overwhelmed by the attackers, brutally
assaulted, burned alive, and subjected to.... a further
desecration of their bodies.
Court records identified Sepahi as one of the principal instigators of
the violence. Investigators said he arrived at the scene carrying an
axe and a knife, encouraged rioters to continue their attacks,
helped block roads, set fires, damaged public property, and
threw Molotov cocktails at a police station.
Witnesses testified that he urged others to bring gasoline to burn
police officers alive. According to prosecutors, Sepahi knocked
one officer from his motorcycle, stabbed him, dragged him
alongside other attackers, and helped set him on fire
while he was still alive.
Court documents further stated that Sepahi participated in
burning a second officer ...after the victim had been
dragged into a nearby green area.
Safari, according to the case file, concealed his identity.... with a
mask, carried a large blade, and joined the riots from the outset.
During court proceedings, he admitted accompanying the
rioters, vandalizing public property, and attacking
police officers with a sword-like weapon.
Prosecutors said Safari continued attacking one officer after he
had already been critically wounded, repeatedly striking him
with a machete before stabbing him in the abdomen. Court
documents also stated that he celebrated over the body
of one of the slain officers after the fatal attack.
Iranian authorities have maintained that while the demonstrations
initially began as peaceful protests over economic hardships
aggravated by years of Western sanctions, they were
subsequently hijacked by organized rioters backed
by hostile foreign regimes ---- seeking to turn
legitimate public grievances into a violent
campaign of sabotage and terrorism.
Officials have said that some of those involved were armed,
trained, and supported by intelligence agencies linked to
the US and Israeli regimes.
According to Iran’s Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs,
3,117 people lost their lives during the unrest, including 2,427
civilians and security personnel, many of whom, officials
said were killed by organized terrorist groups.
False death narrative .....spreads within hours
Following Tuesday’s events, authorities said attempts were made to
provoke unrest around the site where Sepahi and Safari were being
sentenced, by individuals encouraged by foreign-backed elements
and Persian-language media outlets hostile to Iran.
Shortly afterward, social media was flooded with claims
that a woman identified as Anahita Azarshab had been
shot and killed near Alikhani Square in Isfahan.
The false claim ...quickly spread across Persian-language media
platforms, with outlets including Iran International, a UK-based
network critical of the Iranian government, amplifying it
before any official confirmation was issued.
The story was then aggressively amplified by dozens of Persian-
and English-language X accounts, many of which openly
displayed pro-Israel affiliations - or advocated foreign
intervention in Iran.
The accounts claimed that Iranian security forces had shot
Azarshab after protesting the executions, portraying her
as the latest victim of what they described as a
government crackdown on demonstrators.
Several posts went a step further, calling for international action
against Iran and urging the United States and Israel to increase
pressure on Tehran.
Among the first to circulate the claim was X user Noa Magid, who
describes herself .......as a journalist. She wrote: “This is Anahita
Azarshab. Tonight, she took to the streets of Isfahan to protest
the execution of young January protesters. An Islamic regime
sniper shot her dead for it.”
A verified X account operating under the name “Kosher” similarly
claimed that Azarshab had been killed by “IRGC snipers” after
speaking out against the executions.
“Anahita Azarshab. She spoke up last night/early this morning
against the Public Hangings in Isfahan. IRGC Snipers shot
her dead,” the user wrote.
Nicolas Lissack, a UK-based activist whose X profile prominently
features Israeli and Pahlavi flags, also repeated the allegation,
describing Azarshab --- as a protester killed by an “IRGC
sniper” before calling on US President Donald Trump
to take action against Iran.
“Meet Anahita Azarshab. Hours ago she bravely protested the public
executions at Alikhani Square in Isfahan. An IRGC sniper shot her
dead. The Iranian regime is pure evil and will never change.
President Trump: stop talking and act! Free Iran!”
The posts were widely shared across social media before
any evidence supporting the allegations had emerged.
Woman appears alive ---- and rejects report
Only hours after the claims began circulating online, Azarshab
released a video categorically rejecting the reports and
vowing to sue those spreading the false claim.
“Unfortunately, news has been circulated claiming
that I was killed in Isfahan province,” she said.
“I completely deny this report, and I have filed a legal
complaint against the individual or individuals who
published this false news.”
Her appearance immediately undermined the central claim
that had been promoted across numerous anti-Iran social
media networks.
Iran’s Isfahan Provincial Police Information Centre also
issued a detailed statement, rejecting the allegations.
The statement said no report had been registered concerning
the killing of a woman in the vicinity of Alikhani Square and
described the claims as entirely fabricated.
“Since earlier today, certain hostile media outlets and social
media channels have circulated false reports claiming that
a woman with an identified identity was killed near
Alikhani Square in Isfahan,” the statement said.
“Comprehensive police investigations and inquiries with the
relevant authorities show that no report or case matching
these claims has been registered with the provincial
police command, and the allegations are
completely false and unsupported by
any evidence.”
Police said the reports were intended to create psychological
insecurity and influence public opinion amid the ongoing war
against the country.
The statement noted that Azarshab herself had publicly
confirmed that she was alive and announced legal
action against those responsible for spreading
the false story.
The provincial police warned ------- that individuals responsible for
publishing fabricated reports intended to disrupt public security
will be identified through continued monitoring of cyberspace
and prosecuted - in accordance with the law.
A familiar pattern of information warfare
The latest false death claim closely resembles previous online
disinformation campaigns that have accompanied externally
backed unrest inside Iran.
Following the failure of the violent January riots... to achieve their
objectives, foreign-backed networks .increasingly shifted toward
coordinated online influence operations aimed at manufacturing
public outrage through fabricated death reports,
manipulated images, AI-generated videos,
and misleading narratives.
Western-backed media organizations have already
dramatically inflated casualty figures during the
unrest, with some claiming - that tens of
thousands of people were killed.
Iranian authorities later released an official list of verified victims
that was substantially lower than those figures --- while several
individuals who had been falsely reported dead subsequently
appeared in public to confirm that they were alive.
According to Iranian officials, after peaceful demonstrations over
economic grievances in January were infiltrated by organized
violent groups, foreign intelligence agencies and affiliated
media outlets attempted to reshape the narrative by
portraying violent armed rioters --- as peaceful
protesters while downplaying or concealing
their attacks ---- against civilians and
security personnel.
As security forces restored order and arrested key
organizers of the violence, the campaign
increasingly shifted online.
Israeli-linked accounts began circulating photographs they
claimed depicted victims allegedly killed by the Iranian
security forces. Many of the images were later
identified by users on X as belonging to
actors, models, and public figures,
who had no connection to the
events in Iran.
In one widely circulated case, a post falsely claimed that a 28-year-
old protester named Negin Ghadimi had been killed “in her father’s
arms demanding freedom.” Social media users soon established
that the accompanying photograph actually depicted renowned
Turkish actress Tuba Buyukustun, prompting the original post
to be deleted.
In another case, Noa Magid published a photograph she falsely
identified as Nasrin Zaremanesh - alleging that she had been
fatally shot in Tehran and died while being transported to a
hospital. Online users subsequently established that the
image, instead, belonged to the Pakistani actress and
model, Asma Kamran.
Other accounts recycled photographs of American actress
Jenna Ortega and other well-known public figures, falsely
portraying them as Iranian victims.
The disinformation campaign also
extended.... beyond still images.
Israeli-linked accounts circulated AI-generated videos purporting
to show Iranian security forces violently dispersing protesters
with water cannons.
Other posts falsely claimed that Iraqi armed groups had entered
northern Iran to assist Iranian security forces, despite Arabic-
language signs visible in the footage identifying the location
as an Iraqi government facility. Iraqi officials subsequently
rejected the allegation as misleading - and harmful to
Iran-Iraq relations.
Researchers have also documented organized
online influence operations designed to
amplify such narratives.
Last year, the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab reported on a
coordinated network of Israeli-backed fake X accounts known
as “PRISONBREAK,” which it said used artificial intelligence
and coordinated messaging to spread disinformation and
encourage unrest inside Iran.
Around the same period, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported
on another covert campaign involving fake accounts and AI-
generated content promoting exiled opposition figure Reza
Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s deposed shah.
An extensive analysis later published by Al Jazeera concluded that
much of the online activity surrounding the engineered unrest did
not originate organically from inside Iran but was instead.. driven
primarily by networks linked to Israel or openly pro-Israel circles.
The report found that 94% of more than 4,300 posts examined
were reposts, while fewer than 170 accounts generated
original content ....that ultimately reached more than
18 million users.
Researchers characterized the pattern as indicative of coordinated
“astroturfing,” in which ----- a relatively small number of organized
actors create the appearance of widespread public consensus.
Iranian officials warn that these recurring campaigns form part of
a broader strategy pursued by Israel and allied Persian-language
media outlets ---- funded by regimes hostile to Iran.
They note that when military aggression and direct confrontation
fail to produce political change, external actors increasingly turn
to psychological operations, online propaganda, fabricated
casualty reports, coordinated social media amplification,
and misinformation campaigns ----- in an effort to fuel
domestic unrest and advance long-standing
“regime-change” objectives.
The rapid collapse of the latest claim involving Azarshab, officials
say, once again illustrates how quickly unverified claims can
spread across coordinated online networks, before being
contradicted --------- by firsthand evidence and
official investigations.