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Warning over ‘explosion’ of fake weight loss injection sales online

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has urged people not to buy fake weight loss injections – as shortages of Ozempic are expected to continue into next year.

The association warned of a possible “explosion in the unlicensed sale of medication online” and said people were risking their health by purchasing Ozempic and Wegovy (semaglutide) without proper checks.

Ozempic is available on the NHS for people with type two diabetes, while Wegovy can be prescribed for weight loss via specialist weight management services, with strict criteria around who can get the drugs.

But the jabs have exploded in popularity, with social media showing before and after pictures of fat loss, and some celebrities have endorsed their use.

Ozempic, made by Novo Nordisk, helps people with type two diabetes regulate their blood sugar levels but its ability to suppress appetite has also led to people using it to lose weight.

Pharmacists are seeing a shortage of the drug, fuelled by high demand – plus the fact some medics are prescribing it off-label for obese people.

This has led to a shortage for those with diabetes, while also fuelling a rise in counterfeit jabs.

Risk rising due to ‘precarious state of supply’

The NPA, which represents more than 5,000 independently-run community pharmacies, is urging patients to speak to their pharmacist or GP instead of buying medicines online from sellers who are not registered and regulated in the UK.

Nick Kaye, chairman of the NPA, said that pharmacists remain “deeply concerned”.

“Stocks of Ozempic are very depleted in community pharmacies in the UK and it is important that these remain prioritised for those in the most clinical need,” he said.

“Given the precarious state of supply of this and other vital medication, there is a much greater risk of people looking to order in supplies from disreputable online vendors.

“Wegovy stocks aren’t too bad at the moment, it’s Ozempic that is problematic.”

“We’ve been told those stocks aren’t going to come back in in 0.25(mg), 0.5mg or 1mg doses until 27 December,” he added.

“That’s the current projected date from the manufacturers themselves.

“In all of our experience, it’s much less likely to be earlier than that date and much more likely to be later.”

‘We really worry about the fakes’

People often start Ozempic on the lowest dose of 0.25mg before moving up through the levels if needed.

In January, the Department of Health and Social Care told healthcare providers not to prescribe the drugs off-label for weight loss, and said existing stock must be reserved for patients with type 2 diabetes.

It said “supply issues have been caused by an increase in demand for these products for licensed and off-label indications” and supply is “not expected to return to normal until at least the end of 2024”.

Mr Kaye added: “We really worry about the fakes within the supply chain.

“People want to access these drugs and when they can’t because they’re out of stock, they can end up going elsewhere.

“In the UK, we do have regulated and safe online supply in places.

“We’re not saying all online [sales] should be banned but we want to make sure it’s the right type of organisation and accredited.”

Listen above then tap here to follow the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts

Unauthorised sales ‘could be dangerous’

Mr Kaye said people can do checks to see if an online provider is registered and regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council or Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland.

The NPA also wants to see a reintroduction of rules that make it mandatory for a list of regulated online UK medicine sellers to be publicly available.

In June, the World Health Organisation issued a medical product alert over fake semaglutide stocks detected in Brazil, the UK and the US.

It said there have been increasing reports of false semaglutide since 2022.

Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration has warned against people overdosing on the drugs, with reports of some people suffering severe nausea, vomiting, headache, dehydration, pancreatitis and gallstones.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We strongly advise the public not to buy regulated medicines from unauthorised online retailers or beauty salons as they could be dangerous.

“The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency continuously works to identify those unlawfully trading in medicines and will use its powers to take appropriate enforcement action, including, where necessary, prosecuting those who put people’s health at risk.

“Separately, we are taking action to tackle the obesity crisis head on – shifting our focus from treatment to prevention – which will ease the strain on the NHS and helping people to live well for longer.”

This post appeared first on sky.com

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Kamala Harris faces crucial week ahead in 2024 presidential showdown with Donald Trump

The – It’s been mostly smooth sailing for Vice President Kamala Harris in the two weeks since she replaced President Biden at the top of the Democrats’ national ticket.

A party eager to keep former President Trump from returning to the White House quickly unified behind Harris. The vice president experienced a surge in contributions and more than doubled Trump in July fundraising, and volunteers flocked to Biden-turned-Harris campaign offices.

And the small lead that Trump has built over Biden in the weeks following the president’s disastrous late June debate performance instantly vanished, as the latest national and key battleground state polls indicated a margin-of-error race between Harris and the former president.

But Harris faces a consequential week ahead, starting with a decision in the coming hours on whom she’ll choose as her running mate on the Democratic Party ticket.

Harris stayed in the nation’s capital this weekend, meeting with some of the roughly half-dozen running mate contenders, Democratic sources confirmed to Fox News.

Among those on the list are Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Tim Walz of Minnesota, and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. Also in contention, according to sources, are Govs. Andy Beshear of Kentucky and JB Pritzker of Illinois, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The vetting, screening and interview of running mates normally takes months. But these are far from normal times for the Democrats, and Harris is facing an extremely compressed process.

While Harris and her team have remained mostly quiet about the naming of a vice presidential nominee, allies of the contenders have been advocating and interest groups within the party have been making their wishes known.

The announcement by Harris in the coming hours will likely disappoint some of those supporting candidates who weren’t named as the running mate, and could exacerbate policy divisions within the party that have been papered over the past two weeks.

Harris and her to-be-named running mate will team up on Tuesday at a rally in Philadelphia to kick off an ambitious and jam-packed swing state tour through Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, the seven battlegrounds that will likely determine the outcome of the presidential election.

The vice president drew over 10,000 at her first major rally since taking over for Biden at the top of the Democrats’ ticket, last week at the Georgia State Convocation Center in Atlanta. 

It was the first time this cycle that the Democratic ticket drew a crowd comparable to the large audiences Trump has been regularly drawing for much of his more than year-and-a-half long campaign to return to the White House. And the size and energy of Harris’ crowds during this week’s swing state tour will be closely monitored.

Trump and his running mate – Sen. JD Vance of Ohio – held a rally at the same venue in Atlanta on Saturday, where the former president continued his relentless attacks and insults of Harris.

In social media posts earlier on Saturday and at the rally, Trump charged Harris had a ‘low IQ’ and was ‘dumb,’ and accused her of lacking ‘mental capacity.’

The Harris campaign, firing back on Sunday morning, claimed that Trump was ‘weak… struggling… panicking… and Donald Trump is running scared.’

Harris has yet to sit for a major interview since taking over for Biden, and the Trump campaign is turing up the criticism.

‘It’s been 13 days since Kamala Harris became the presumptive nominee of the Democrat Party and she still hasn’t sat for a single interview with the media,’ Vance highlighted in a social media post on Saturday.

Harris will start the week by formally landing the party’s presidential nomination, as a virtual roll call run by the Democratic National Committee concludes at 6 p.m. ET. But there’s no drama, as the vice president was the only candidate to qualify for the roll call.

The roll call kicked off on Thursday and DNC Chair Jaimie Harrison announced on Friday that Harris had clinched the nomination by winning the votes of a majority of delegates to the party’s nominating convention, which gets underway in two weeks in Chicago.

While the past two weeks have been smoother than many expected, the Harris campaign is well aware there are still three months to go until the November election.

Battleground states director Dan Kanninen emphasized that ‘it is the task of the Harris campaign to turn the unprecedented energy behind the Vice President into action.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

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John Kirby dodges grilling over plea agreement for 9/11 terrorists: ‘Didn’t hear an answer’

White House National Security Council communications adviser John Kirby on Sunday dodged answering questions regarding the abrupt plea deal reversal provided to a trio of 9/11 terrorists last week. 

‘Is the president willing to let these terrorists escape the harshest penalty in the system of justice and let that be part of his legacy?’ Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich asked Kirby during an interview on ‘Fox News Sunday.’

‘Again, this was a decision made by a convening authority in the military chain of command, an independent convening authority,’ Kirby responded. 

‘He didn’t weigh in at all?’ Heinrich pressed. 

‘The secretary of defense has the authority to change the delegation of that – of that authority to the convening authority,’ Kirby continued. ‘I know that sounds kind of complicated, but he has the authority to do that. He did this on his own.’

‘But did the president weigh in?’ Heinrich asked again. 

‘This was a decision made by the secretary of defense,’ Kirby said, sparking Heinrich to say that she ‘didn’t hear an answer.’

The Department of Defense announced last week the Convening Authority for Military Commissions entered into pretrial agreements with Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi. The agreement included taking the death penalty off of the table for the three 9/11 plotters. 

As outrage mounted over the agreement, the White House said Biden did not play a role in the deal. 

‘The White House learned yesterday that the Convening Authority for Military Commissions entered into pretrial agreements, negotiated by military prosecutors, with KSM and other 9/11 defendants,’ a White House National Security Council spokesperson told Fox News Digital. ‘The President and the White House played no role in this process. The President has directed his team to consult as appropriate with officials and lawyers at the Department of Defense on this matter.’ 

Biden has also rejected a proposal last year that would have spared the three suspects from the death penalty.

After the news broke, the Defense Department abruptly backtracked on the agreement on Friday. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has now taken the lead on the case. 

‘Effective immediately, in the exercise of my authority, I hereby withdraw from the three pretrial agreements that you signed on July 31, 2024,’ the letter from the secretary reads. 

No explanation was offered as to why the matter was not settled before the deals were concluded and publicly announced. 

Heinrich pressed Kirby whether Biden asked Austin to rescind the deals to the trio of terrorists, to which the White House spokesman responded that Austin made an ‘independent decision.’ 

‘This was a decision made by the secretary of defense. It was an independent decision by him, certainly within his authorities, as in the chain of command at the Defense Department,’ Kirby responded. 

On Sunday, Kirby also addressed ongoing efforts to broker a cease-fire in Israel as war continues raging since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched an attack that killed more than 1,200 and led to the kidnapping of hundreds more.

‘Number one, we still believe a cease-fire deal is the best way to bring this war to an end. It’s also, we believe, very possible. We still believe the gaps are narrow enough to close,’ Kirby said. 

‘The other thing that we’ve been doing since the 7th of October is making sure that not only Israel has what it needs to defend itself, but that this war doesn’t escalate to become something broader, a regional war, a regional conflict. And that’s what you’re seeing us do.’

Concern has grown, however, that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not want a cease-fire. On CNN’s ‘State of the Union,’ deputy national security adviser Jonathan Finer said he could not weigh in on Biden’s private discussions with Netanyahu about a cease-fire deal, while noting that the two world leaders have a candid and long-established relationship. 

‘I won’t speak to the private conversations that take place between the president and the prime minister. What I will say is these are two people who have a four-decade-plus relationship. One of the extraordinary assets in the US-Israel relationship is this personal relationship between these two leaders in which they can speak to each other directly and candidly. That’s been the case since President Biden came to office, it’s certainly been the case since Oct. 7,’ Finer said when asked about Netanyahu potentially avoiding a cease-fire deal. 

‘The United States has been extremely clear, both publicly and privately, about how urgent we think it is that the cease-fire and hostage deal be established. Nothing that’s taken place over the last week or two has changed that sense of urgency, and if anything, part of why we believe this needs to happen as quickly as possible is because in the Middle East, at a time in which there are hostilities taking place, outside factors can infect and disrupt these talks. And so we don’t want to allow that to happen.’ 

Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this article. 

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Gorsuch has stern message when asked about Biden Supreme Court proposals: ‘Be careful’

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch had little to say when asked about President Biden’s proposals to overhaul the Supreme Court, but he did deliver a brief message.

When asked by ‘Fox News Sunday’ host Shannon Bream about Biden’s suggestions for changes to the Supreme Court, Gorsuch said he did not want to get into ‘what is now a political issue during a presidential election year.’ He then continued, however, stressing the importance of an ‘independent judiciary,’ particularly for those who are unpopular.

‘It’s there for the moments when the spotlight’s on you, when the government’s coming after you. And don’t you want a ferociously independent judge and a jury of your peers to make those decisions? Isn’t that your right as an American?’ Gorsuch said. ‘And so I just say, be careful.’

Biden and Vice President Harris are calling on Congress to impose term limits and a code of conduct on the Supreme Court while also drafting limits on presidential immunity, a White House official said in late July.

During the interview, Gorsuch also discussed how he believes there are too many laws in the U.S., to the point where it can be difficult for people – and the government – to keep track of them all. 

The justice, who co-authored a book titled ‘Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law,’ said that while ‘we need laws to keep us free and safe,’ having too many has resulted in people committing violations without even meaning to do something wrong. 

‘As a judge now for 18 years, I just came to see case after case in which ordinary Americans just trying to live their lives, not hurt anybody, raise their families, were just getting whacked by laws unexpectedly,’ Gorsuch said.

Gorsuch further illustrated his point by citing problems Americans have had when seeking information from the IRS hotline.

‘It turns out for a period of time they were giving wrong answers about a third of the time,’ Gorsuch told host Shannon Bream. He said when asked how this happened, they said the tax code had gotten so complex. 

Gorsuch also addressed how he approached conflicts with other branches of government.

‘The answer, is the Constitution,’ he said.

The Trump appointee also noted the need for Americans to be able to trust each other, and that not everything needs to be solved by a distant government. 

‘My good friend [retired Justice] Stephen Breyer says, ‘If I listen to almost anyone talk for long enough, I’m gonna find something they say that we can agree on,” Gorsuch said. ‘Maybe we should start there.’

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report. 

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Israel prepares for Iran attack amid warnings that regime is close to having nuclear weapon: ‘Unnerving’

JERUSALEM – As Iran ramps up its threats to launch a massive attack against U.S. ally Israel and possibly American assets in the region, the rogue regime in Tehran is on the cusp of producing a nuclear bomb.

Late last month, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said after having reviewed a Director of National Intelligence report on Iran’s atomic program, ‘I believe it is a certainty that if we do not change course, Iran will in the coming weeks or months possess a nuclear weapon.’ He added, ‘Iran will keep going until someone tells them to stop. It is time to put red lines on their nuclear program. The idea of ambiguity is not working.’

Graham termed the findings in the DNI report ‘unnerving’ and said Iran’s ‘ability to weaponize material has advanced’ with respect to a nuclear weapons device.

Just weeks before Graham’s dramatic announcement about Iran being on the brink of nuclear-armed weapons status, he sent a strongly worded letter to DNI head Avril Haines, stating,’You are in violation of the law’ over her vehement opposition to disclosing sensitive information to Congress on Iran’s nuclear progress. In 2022, Congress passed a law requiring the government to provide updates on Iran’s atomic program. Haines eventually complied after Graham went public in the media.

Graham told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on July 31 that there is no Hamas or Hezbollah without Iran’s regime. He urged Israel to launch attacks against Iran’s oil refineries, with the view toward stopping Iranian jingoism. In April, Iran launched over 300 missiles, drones and rockets into Israel.

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department told Fox News Digital, ‘As the President and the Secretary have made clear, the United States will ensure one way or another that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.

‘We will continue working with Congress to use a variety of tools in pursuit of that goal and all options remain on the table.’

The spokesperson added, ‘The intelligence community continues to assess that the Supreme Leader has not made any decision to restart the nuclear weapons program that Iran halted in 2003. That said, we remain deeply concerned with Iran’s continued expansion of nuclear activities in ways that have no credible civilian purpose and continue to vigilantly monitor them.’

However, Fox News Digital reported in July 2023 that intelligence reports from European states contradict the Biden administration’s assertion that Iran’s regime has not restarted its atomic weapons program. Netherlands General and Intelligence Security Service (AIVD) assessed Tehran’s development of weapons-grade uranium ‘brings the option of a possible [Iranian] first nuclear test closer.’

When asked about critics who claim Biden has not enforced oil and gas sanctions against Iran’s regime, the State Department spokesman said, ‘The Biden Administration has not lifted a single sanction on Iran.  Rather, we continue to increase pressure. Our extensive sanctions on Iran remain in place, and we continue to enforce them. Over the last three years, the United States has sanctioned over 700 individuals and entities connected to the full range of Iran’s reckless and destabilizing behaviors.’

Republican lawmakers and Iran experts have slammed the Biden administration for alleged appeasement toward the mullah regime with respect to unfreezing tens of billions of dollars in sanctions relief.

The State Department spokesperson said, ‘Since 2021, we have sanctioned dozens of individuals and entities across multiple jurisdictions, including the PRC, UAE, and Southeast Asia for roles in the production, sale, and shipment of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian petrochemicals and petroleum products. And we have identified as blocked property numerous vessels involved in this trade. ‘

David Albright, physicist and founder and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital, ‘Sen. Graham’s statement of being unnerved is good to hear. The IC assessment has been flawed ever since its 2007 National Intelligence Estimate.’

Albright is widely considered one of the world’s leading experts on Iran’s nuclear program. He said, ‘Sen. Graham mentioned that some advances had occurred in Iran’s ability to make nuclear weapons, i.e. weaponize the weapon-grade uranium into a nuclear weapon, but his comment was sparse and devoid of substance. It is in this area, however, where new intelligence community assessments may or may not lurk. But I cannot weigh in on this based on what the senator said.’ 

Albright worked closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Action Team from 1992 until 1997, focusing on Iraqi documents and past procurement activities. In 1996, he served as the first non-governmental inspector of the Iraqi nuclear program. 

Albright said, ‘It is clear that the DNI report included a short timeframe for Iran to produce a significant quantity of weapon-grade uranium, but this is old news and well-established by the IAEA in its quarterly reports and some standard calculations. The new twist is Iran’s recent expansion at the deeply buried Fordow site, which gives Iran a new ability to produce significant quantities of weapon-grade uranium in days at this site. But again, we have reported on this.’

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in July about Iran’s quest to obtain a nuclear weapon, ‘Instead of being at least a year away from having the breakout capacity of producing fissile material for a nuclear weapon, (Iran) is now probably one or two weeks away from doing that.’ 

When asked about the breakout concept, Albright said, ‘Breakout is usually defined as the time for Iran to produce enough weapon-grade for a single nuclear weapon. It has been measured in days rather than months for many months, based on IAEA reporting in its quarterly reports and standard calculational methods, which we have regularly published and the studies are on our website.’

He continued, ‘A common assessment, which we share, is that Iran has not made a formal decision to build nuclear weapons, so it has also not made a decision to breakout and produce weapon-grade uranium.’

‘Breakout is not typically used to discuss the entire time Iran would need to produce its first nuclear weapon,’ Albright noted. ‘This timeframe depends on the breakout above but also on what type of weapon would Iran build. Our assessment is that Iran could build a crude nuclear explosive, deliverable by truck, or able to be exploded underground in six months. It would need longer, perhaps six more months in a crash program to be able to mount a reliable nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile.’

Gabriel Noronha, a former U.S. Department State adviser on Iran, told Fox News Digital, ‘Iran has been decreasing its nuclear enrichment breakout time over the past five years, but that’s different than them actually making the decision to go and rush toward a bomb. However, they love the flexibility and leverage that being this close brings them – especially now that they are under two weeks away from having enough enriched uranium, and haven’t suffered any significant consequences as a result.’

He added, ‘However, it is much less clear how close Iran’s weaponization program has come to both building a weapon and being able to pair it on a missile that could reach Israel or other American allies. What’s clear from Sen. Graham’s press conference is that Iran keeps on getting closer and closer on this part of its nuclear program.’

Noronha, who is also a fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), urged ‘Biden to have a clear and credible red line that further progress toward a nuclear weapon would be met with a military response. But he should only make a threat like that if he is willing to back it up with action. If President Biden really wants to avoid military action, then he needs to roll out every possible diplomatic and economic consequence in the interim to punish and deter Iran from proceeding any further.’

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Which social media platforms have banned Trump and why? An overview

Former President Donald Trump has been blocked from five of the top social media platforms over the years, and all except one have returned his accounts as he runs for re-election in 2024. 

During his presidency, Trump saw his Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube accounts all suspended in 2021 following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

‘Since President Trump first ran for office, liberals in big tech have allowed terrorists and dictators to spout hate speech on their platforms while banning President Trump in a shameless attempt to help Democrats win elections,’ RNC Spokesperson Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital in a statement. ‘It won’t work – President Trump’s message is resonating with voters across the country, which is why he had the most successful TikTok launch in history, and he will continue to speak directly to the American people about his agenda to Make America Great Again.’

Trump’s Snapchat account was suspended in 2021 after the outlet claimed he was responsible for ‘multiple policy violations.’ It has not been restored since. 

Asked why the profile could not be restored several years later, a spokesperson for Snapchat told Trump’s team their terms of service prevented them from reinstating his account.

Trump War Room, an account working on behalf of the former president’s 2024 re-election campaign, blasted Snapchat in a post on X.

‘Snapchat REFUSES to reinstate President Trump’s account — but then shamelessly asks the Trump campaign to advertise with Snapchat Big Tech is all in for Kamala!’ Trump War Room wrote, alongside a screenshot of their communication with Snapchat.

Snapchat’s terms of service reportedly don’t allow for a terminated user to create a new account or be reinstated to their old one. 

In the same message, the spokesperson for Snapchat encouraged the Trump campaign to buy advertisements on the platform to reach a ‘key audience that can be persuaded to turn out for Trump.’

Meta suspended Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in 2021, but it reinstated them two years later.

‘Two years ago, we took action in what were extreme and highly unusual circumstances. We indefinitely suspended then-US President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts following his praise for people engaged in violence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021,’ Meta said in a statement. 

‘We then referred that decision to the Oversight Board — an expert body established to be an independent check and balance on our decision-making. The Board upheld the decision but criticized the open-ended nature of the suspension and the lack of clear criteria for when and whether suspended accounts will be restored, directing us to review the matter to determine a more proportionate response.’ 

Trump was also suspended from Twitter in 2021, but was given his account back after Elon Musk bought the company.

Youtube said its decision to reinstate Trump to the platform ‘carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence, while balancing the chance for voters to hear equally from major national candidates in the run up to an election.’

Musk recently suggested that Google’s autocomplete search feature was omitting results for the assassination attempt against Trump.

‘Wow, Google has a search ban on President Donald Trump,’ Musk wrote. ‘Election interference?’ A Google spokesperson told FOX Business that there was no ‘manual action taken on these predictions.’

After being blocked from several of the top social media companies in the U.S., Trump launched his own platform, Truth Social, which he frequently uses to make public statements regarding his 2024 presidential campaign.

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

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Biden to meet with national security team ahead of anticipated Iranian attack against Israel

President Biden will meet with his national security team in the Situation Room Monday ahead of an anticipated Iranian attack against Israel. 

The meeting came a day after Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with his counterpart in Israel Sunday to reiterate U.S. support for the Jewish state as tensions escalate with Iran and its proxies, threatening a wider regional war after 10 months of fighting Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.  

Austin and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant discussed U.S. force posture moves that the Defense Department is taking to bolster protection for U.S. forces in the region, support the defense of Israel, and deter and de-escalate broader tensions in the region, according to readout from the Pentagon. 

That meeting came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting Sunday that Israel is already in a ‘multi-front war’ with Iran and its proxies.

Tensions in the region are already at all-time highs after last week’s killing of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’ top political leader in Iran. Iran and its allies have blamed Israel and threatened retaliation. Hamas said it has begun discussions on choosing a new leader.

Netanyahu said Israel was ready for any scenario. Jordan’s foreign minister was making a rare trip to Iran as part of diplomatic efforts — ‘We want the escalation to end,’ Ayman Safadi said.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly told his counterparts on Sunday that Iran and Hezbollah could attack Israel as early as Monday, per Axios. 

Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, head of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is expected to arrive in Israel Monday to coordinate preparations for the anticipated attack, according to the Times of Israel. 

In Israel, some prepared bomb shelters and recalled Iran’s unprecedented direct military assault in April following a suspected Israeli strike that killed two Iranian generals. Israel said almost all the drones and ballistic and cruise missiles were intercepted.

‘For years, Iran has been arming and financing terrorist organizations across the Middle East, including smuggling explosives into Israeli territory for terror attacks against civilians,’ IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a statement. ‘The IDF and ISA have already thwarted numerous attacks in which Claymore type explosives were smuggled into the country’s territory. We are determined to continue acting against Iranian terrorism wherever it may be.’

The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took around 250 people hostage. Israel’s brutal retaliation has led to the deaths of nearly 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Heavy airstrikes and ground operations have caused widespread destruction and displaced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people.

The militant group Hezbollah and Israel have continued to trade fire along the Lebanon border since the war began, with the severity growing in recent months. Hezbollah said it’s aimed at relieving pressure on fellow Iran-backed ally Hamas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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DJT shares jump after Trump Media rolls out TV streaming plan

Trump Media said Friday it has started rolling out a TV streaming service that aims to air “neglected” content on its social media platform Truth Social.

The company’s stock price, which trades under the ticker DJT on the Nasdaq, jumped more than 6% Friday morning on the heels of the news.

DJT shares had been in a slump since the share price briefly surged after former President Donald Trump, who is the company’s majority shareholder, survived an assassination attempt on July 13. Before Friday, the share price had fallen more than 33% after that bump.

Trump, who is the Republican presidential nominee, owns nearly 59% of the company’s stock.

In a press release Friday, Trump Media said it is now stress testing the TV streaming service, dubbed Truth+, on its “new content delivery network.”

Once deployed, the company said, Truth Social users will be able to use the service simultaneously while they browse the platform’s existing microblogging content.

“We’re establishing a reliable home for great TV content that is neglected by the big corporations or is at risk of cancellation,” Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes said in the release.

That content will initially include news, commentary, weather and lifestyle and entertainment channels, with plans to expand with Christian- and family-focused programming, the company said.

The company, which has billed itself as a conservative alternative to social media giants such as Facebook and X, claimed in the release that its streaming service will be “uncancellable by Big Tech.”

Trump Media last month as part of the rollout of its content network announced an asset acquisition agreement with the LLCs WorldConnect IPTV Solutions and JedTec.

ProPublica on Tuesday reported that JedTec is an obscure entity led by James Davison, a major Republican donor and energy magnate whose business interests could be affected if Trump wins a second term as president.

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Anti-Netanyahu protests erupt in Israel over delayed hostage deal

Anti-government rallies erupted in several cities across Israel this weekend, as tens of thousands of Israelis demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strike a deal with terror group Hamas to free more than 100 hostages still held in Gaza.

The demonstrations – a regular occurrence – were notable for taking place despite urgent security warnings as Israel braces for a possible strike from Iran. Some form of military retaliation has been widely expected in the region following the unclaimed assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday.

Despite the tense security situation, large crowds gathered to Begin Gate in Tel Aviv on Saturday to support the families of the hostages and to call for their release from captivity, according to protest organizers. Videos showed protestors waving Israeli flags and holding up signs with images of the Israeli hostages.

At the Begin gate of the Kirya IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, people were heard chanting, “We’re not letting up; release the hostages.” Others shouted, “Stop the death, stop the bereavement, human lives above all!” Some protestors stood surrounded by barricades, symbolizing hostages who are reported to have been kept in cages.

There are currently 115 total hostages, living and dead, being held in Gaza, according to Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Of that number, 111 hostages were taken during the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed over 1,200 people.

Israeli’s ensuing military offensive in the isolated Palestinian enclave has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly 2 million, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health and the United Nations.

Family members of captives held in Gaza have harshly criticized the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the conflict. In a statement released Saturday, an association representing the families accused the Israeli leader of choosing “to escalate the situation instead of securing a deal that would save lives.”

Anger and impatience over the slow pace of hostage releases from Gaza flared this week following a new report that Israeli Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu clashed with top advisors on whether to accept a new hostage and ceasefire deal, which the Israeli Prime Minister Office has rejected as “incorrect.”

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that, at a tense meeting of Israel’s security council on Wednesday night, senior officials had urged Netanyahu to take a hostage and ceasefire deal with Gaza militant group Hamas.

The report claimed that Mossad director David Barnea had said “there is a deal ready and that Israel must take it,” while Ronen Bar, the head of Israeli security agency Shin Bet, said it appeared to him the prime minister did not want the outline of the deal on the table.

Netanyahu reportedly banged on the table and said the team “don’t know how to conduct negotiations.”

The Prime Minister’s office refuted the characterization of the alleged exchange in a statement, and said that Netanyahu is committed to the hostages’ release. “The head of the Mossad did not say that there was a deal ready and that it should be accepted. The description that Hamas supposedly agreed to the terms of the deal is false…” it said.

Netanyahu’s office on Saturday released another statement accusing “leaks and false briefings in the media” of misleading the public, and blaming Hamas for hindering negotiations. “While Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed to the deal outline, Hamas has been trying to introduce dozens of changes that, de facto, nullify the outline,” the statement said.

After the report was broadcast, families of hostages demanded to know “who is obstructing the negotiations,” in a statement, and called for a public report on efforts to secure a hostage release deal.

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Iran claims Hamas leader killed by ‘short-range projectile,’ contradicting reports it was hidden bomb

Iran has claimed that the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this week was carried out by a “short-range projectile” and a “severe explosion” outside a guest house where he was staying.

The death of the Hamas leader further heightened tensions at an already volatile time, raising fears that Israel’s conflict with Hamas and its allies could develop into a multi-front, fully-fledged war in the Middle East.

The Iranian government and Hamas say that Israel carried out the assassination. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

On Saturday, Iran warned that “blood vengeance” for the killing was “certain.”

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed in a statement that the short-range projectile that reportedly killed Haniyeh had a warhead of about seven kilograms, based on “investigations and research conducted.”

US officials were briefed on the operation by Israeli officials only after the assassination, the source said.

“This action was planned and executed by the Zionist regime with the support of the criminal American government,” the IRGC alleged. Iran calls Israel the Zionist regime.

Israel “will decisively receive the response to this crime,” which is a “severe punishment” that will come at “an appropriate time, place, and manner,” the IRGC said.

The chief spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said Thursday that Israel is on “high alert” for both defensive and offensive military action.

“IDF forces are deployed in the air, at sea and on the ground, and are prepared for all scenarios, especially for offensive plans within the immediate timeframe,” Hagari said.

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