International
Widespread regret and condolences for the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisí
The death in a helicopter accident of the president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisí and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hosein Amir Abdolahian, has generated great regret in Arab countries and widespread condolences in the West.
The helicopter in which Raisí and other authorities were traveling disappeared for unexplained reasons this Sunday when it was returning from the city of Tabriz and the aircraft was found today in a mountainous area of the Varzeqan region, in Eastern Azerbaijan.
Among the Arab countries, the Lebanese government decreed on Monday three days of official mourning for the death of President Raisí.
Lebanon maintains good relations with Iran, one of the foreign powers that are considered most influential in the nation, due in large part to the close collaboration between Tehran and the Lebanese Shiite group Hizbulá.
The president of Syria, Bashar al-Asad, expressed his condolences and thanked Ebrahim Raisí for his work to strengthen the ties between the two countries, important allies at various levels.
The president of Iran had made a historic visit to Damascus a year ago, the first of an Iranian leader of his level since 2010, a year before the outst of the war in Syria.
Iran is a key route for supplying oil derivatives and other goods to Syria, subject to a series of international sanctions that limit its trade activities, and also maintains a strong armed presence in Syrian territory, where Iranian advisers and pro-Iranian militias are present.
For his part, the president of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmud Abbas, on Monday offered his condolences to the Islamic Republic of Iran after the fatal accident and that of Tunisia, Kais Said, also expressed “great sadness and pain.”
Meanwhile, the president of Turkey, the Islamist Recep Tayyip Erdogan, expressed his condolences for his “esteemed counterpart and brother” Raisí and highlighted the efforts of the deceased “for the peace of the Iranian people and our region during his term.”
One of the most heartfelt reactions was that of the Lebanese Shiite group Hizbulá, a close ally of Tehran.
“For us he was an older brother, a strong supporter and a firm defender of our cause, and of the cause of the nation, especially Jerusalem and Palestine. And a protector of the Resistance movements and its mujahideen in all the positions of responsibility he held,” Hizbulah said in a statement.
The Lebanese group is part of an informal anti-Israeli alliance led by Tehran known as the “Axis of Resistance”, several of whose members hold fronts of support for the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the framework of the war that began seven months ago in Gaza.
Hizbulah, who leads one of those fronts against Israel from southern Lebanon, allegedly receives strong arms and logistical support from his Iranian allies.
And the de facto government of the Taliban in Afghanistan also expressed its condolences on the death of Ebrahim Raisí, who was part of a Cabinet determined to build good relations with the fundamentalists despite occasional incidents.
Under the command of Raisi, who came to power in 2021 and was one of the favorites to succeed the supreme Iranian leader, Ali Khamenei, Tehran became one of the few countries interested in improving bilateral relations with the Taliban when they took power in Afghanistan that same year.
The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, and the Shiite Houthi rebels of Yemen expressed their “sincere condolences” to Iran on Monday in two messages.
Qatar is one of the closest Arab countries to Iran and has mediated on several occasions between the Government of Tehran and other countries, in particular the United States, to bring views on issues such as the nuclear program or that of Iranian ballistic missiles.
The Houthis of Yemen are an Iran-backed Shiite political and religious movement that took up arms in 2014 against the internationally recognized Yemeni government, and since then they control large areas of the north and center of that country in the south of the Arabian Peninsula.
In recent months, Houthis have managed to attract international attention for their attacks with ballistic missiles and drones, allegedly Iranian, against Israeli merchant ships or ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea, in retaliation for that country’s war in Gaza.
Russian President Vladimir Putin today expressed his condolences for the “enormous tragedy” of Raisi’s death, whom he described as a “friend.”
“As a true friend of Russia, he made a valuable personal contribution to the development of good-neighbourly relations between our countries and made great efforts to bring them to the level of strategic partnership,” the Russian president added.
Russia and Iran have strengthened their relations in recent years, especially since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, since Tehran supplies Moscow with the Shahed drones with which it bombs the territory of the neighboring country.
For his part, Chinese President Xi Jinping assured that his people “have lost a good friend.”
Xi highlighted the “important contributions of the Iranian president to the security and stability” of his country, as well as to “its development and prosperity,” according to a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry. In this line, the Chinese leader recognized Raisí’s efforts to “strengthen and develop the integral strategic relationship” between China and Iran, ties that he believes will “continue to be strengthened.”
In 2021, China and Iran sealed a 25-year economic cooperation agreement that broadly provides for Chinese investments in the Iranian energy and infrastructure sectors.
The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, expressed condolences for the death of Raisí, Minister Abdolahian and his entourage. “Our thoughts are with the families,” he wrote in a message on his social network account X.
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, joined with a statement in which he also conveyed his condolences to the rest of the deceased authorities, their relatives and “the affected Iranian citizens.”
Meanwhile, the NATO spokeswoman, in a message on social network X wrote: “Our condolences to the people of Iran for the death of President Raisí, Foreign Minister Amir Abdolahian and other people who died in the helicopter accident.”
Japan also sent its condolences to Iran. “There is nothing sadder than the news of a sudden death like this. We convey our condolences to the Government of Iran and its people, as well as to the families of the victims,” said Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi.
International
President Noboa Declares New Security Strategy as Ecuador Faces Record Violence Levels
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa on Tuesday declared the National Comprehensive Security Plan 2025-2029 as a nationwide public policy, a strategy aimed at guiding state actions on security matters over the next four years.
The measure was formalized through an executive decree that activates the plan approved on March 9 by the Public and State Security Council (Cosepe) and replaces the National Comprehensive Security Plan 2019-2030, which had been designated as public policy in 2021.
Under the new decree, implementation of the strategy will be led by the ministries of Interior, Defense, and Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, along with the National Intelligence Center and the National Secretariat for Risk Management. These institutions will be responsible for coordinating actions according to their respective areas of responsibility.
According to the official document, the new plan adopts a multidimensional and comprehensive security approach, with a long-term vision focused on national interests and on strengthening the State’s ability to respond to current threats.
The Ecuadorian government said the strategy seeks to improve coordination among public institutions within the framework of the “internal armed conflict” declared by Noboa in 2024 as part of the fight against criminal organizations operating across the country.
The plan also includes measures to strengthen international cooperation against transnational organized crime, which authorities identify as one of Ecuador’s main security challenges due to its links to drug trafficking and illegal mining.
The government described the document as a roadmap for prevention, protection, response and recovery actions in the face of national security risks, promoting coordinated efforts among state institutions.
Ecuador has remained under an internal armed conflict declaration since 2024, when Noboa intensified operations against criminal gangs that his administration has labeled terrorist organizations. Despite the increased security measures, the country recorded around 9,300 homicides in 2025, the highest figure in its history, according to data from the Ministry of Interior.
The new security plan comes as Ecuador seeks to strengthen its institutional response to escalating violence and the growing influence of organized crime networks.
International
Foreign Medical Teams Race to Prevent Health Crisis in Venezuela Earthquake Camps
More than two weeks after the twin earthquakes that devastated parts of Venezuela and left thousands of people without homes, medical teams from several countries are working to prevent a potential health crisis in temporary shelters where survivors are living in precarious conditions.
The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that struck on June 24 have left more than 4,561 people dead and 16,740 injured, according to the latest government figures. The hardest-hit area has been La Guaira state, located near Caracas and considered the epicenter of the disaster.
Field hospitals from El Salvador, Mexico, the United States, Brazil and Spain are now facing the challenge of containing respiratory illnesses, gastrointestinal problems and psychological conditions linked to the tragedy.
Among those affected is 54-year-old Darwin López, one of nearly 18,000 Venezuelans who lost their homes and are now living in crowded emergency shelters set up in stadiums, parks, public squares and even sidewalks across La Guaira.
During the first three days after the earthquakes, López focused on rescuing his 44-year-old wife and their three-year-old child from the rubble of the building where they lived.
On Friday, he took another of his children, a 35-year-old man, to a U.S.-operated mobile hospital after he developed severe stomach pain.
“He had a strong stomach ache, and I took him to Pariata Hospital in La Guaira, but it was overwhelmed. So they gave us this alternative,” López told AFP while waiting outside a Samaritan’s Purse field hospital installed in large white tents.
Doctors are now treating him and his family hopes the condition is not serious, although López fears it may have been caused by contaminated food or unsafe water.
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes, international medical teams focused primarily on treating severe trauma cases, fractures and performing emergency surgeries. However, their priorities have now shifted toward addressing post-disaster illnesses and implementing epidemiological monitoring programs to reduce the risk of disease outbreaks.
Health authorities and humanitarian organizations warn that overcrowded shelters, limited access to clean water and difficult living conditions could increase the possibility of respiratory and gastrointestinal outbreaks among thousands of displaced survivors.
International
France Holds Largest Bastille Day Military Parade as Europe Highlights Strategic Defense
France held its largest-ever Bastille Day military parade on Tuesday, with nearly 6,700 troops, 98 aircraft, 31 helicopters and 315 military vehicles marching along the iconic route from the Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde.
The annual parade, held to commemorate the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789, which marked the beginning of the French Revolution, was centered this year on France’s defense capabilities and Europe’s growing security challenges.
According to the Élysée Palace, the event aimed to highlight “France’s rearmament, France’s strategic autonomy and the strategic awakening of Europe.”
Among the main guests in the presidential stand was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who received a warm welcome upon his arrival, including a greeting from French First Lady Brigitte Macron and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
Zelensky was joined by 24 European heads of state and government, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The parade also featured military contingents from 35 countries, with around 500 international participants, as well as 25 Ukrainian soldiers who took part in the ceremony.
The event came one day after a new summit in Paris of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing,” a group of countries committed to supporting Ukraine over the long term. Some members of the coalition have considered deploying troops to Ukraine once a ceasefire agreement with Russia is reached.
The large-scale celebration reflected France’s efforts to reinforce its role in European defense and underline unity among allies amid ongoing security concerns across the continent.
President Noboa Declares New Security Strategy as Ecuador Faces Record Violence Levels
Foreign Medical Teams Race to Prevent Health Crisis in Venezuela Earthquake Camps
France Holds Largest Bastille Day Military Parade as Europe Highlights Strategic Defense
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