Tehran released Michael White, a U.S. Navy veteran who was held for two years, in exchange for Washington’s reduction of the sentence of an American-Iranian doctor accused of violating U.S. sanctions. Iran had sentenced White to ten years in prison for insulting its supreme leader and posting private information online (Associated Press).
Following a cease-fire in May, the Taliban has initiated an average of thirty attacks each day, Afghan government sources said (TOLO).
Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) took control of Tarhuna, a major western stronghold of rebel commander Khalifa Haftar, a day after retaking Tripoli, ending a fourteen-month assault on the capital (Agence France-Presse). The conflict is far from over despite the government’s latest victories, as Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) still controls the country’s east and large parts of the south (Al Jazeera).
The internationally recognized Government of National Accord has retaken control of the Tripoli airport from rebel commander Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army, a government spokesperson said (Al Jazeera).
South Korea is planning to ban sending balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang messages into North Korea after Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, threatened to scrap an agreement on reducing military tensions unless the leaflets are stopped (Yonhap).
Despite donors pledging $1.35 billion in humanitarian aid to Yemen, UN emergency relief coordinator Mark Lowcock warned that the funding was would not be enough to combat effectively the spread of COVID-19. The funding fell $1 billion short of the proposed budget to cover essential services in the country through December (BBC).
The Trump administration blacklisted four companies allegedly involved in Venezuela’s oil sector as it seeks to choke off funds to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Iran has recently begun shipping oil to the country (Wall Street Journal).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu privately told settlers that his plans to annex parts of the West Bank will be independent of the Trump administration’s peace plan. His office later released a statement saying Israel is committed to negotiations with Palestinians under the Trump plan (Haaretz).
The Taliban still maintains close ties with al-Qaeda, according to a UN report, despite pledging to combat extremists in a deal with the United States (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty).
Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo announced new cases of Ebola in the western city of Mbandaka. Six cases have been reported, resulting in four deaths (Reuters).