Ceuta Death Toll, Iran's Hangings, and the Strait of Hormuz Gambit

Ceuta's leader counts roughly 100 dead in last week's border rush; Iran executes protesters and moves to legislate shipping restrictions.

Ceuta Death Toll, Iran's Hangings, and the Strait of Hormuz Gambit — Ceuta's leader, Juan Jesus Vivas, said on Thursday that approximately 100 people died during a massive border rush last week in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, with between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants still remaining there.[^1] The figure, if confirmed, would make the surge one of the deadliest migration events at Europe's southern frontier in years. The EU has since opened its wallet for Spain, but the gap between the enclave's stated toll and the continent's response remains stark.[^2] In Iran, the regime publicly hanged two protesters in Isfahan on July 28, and another in secret on August 1; at least 26 have been executed since January, with 60 more at risk.[^3] The executions come as Iranian media reported that Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, has been appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.[^4] Meanwhile, Iran's parliament is considering a bill to ban US, Israeli, and other vessels from the Strait of Hormuz, with violators facing fines of up to 20% of total cargo value.[^5] The move reads as legislative escalation at a moment when the US has reportedly withdrawn air defense systems from Erbil, a decision a senior Kurdish official called "a very bad time, given the situation in the region."[^6] IDF's Lebanon Probe: Booby-Trap Before Ceasefire, US Pressure, and Border Crossings — This evening, the IDF assessed that the building in Majdal Zun, where Maj. (res.) Harel Birenstock and Master Sgt. (res.) Tamir Vaknin fell, was booby-trapped even before the ceasefire in Lebanon[^1]. Initially, experts assumed a Hezbollah bomb, but investigators now check whether Israeli ammunition caused the explosion[^2]. The probe weighs two scenarios: a terrorist cell from Al-Mansouri or Tyre planting bombs, or a trap set before Brigade 511 captured the village[^3]. The blast complicates an already tense northern front. Last night, the IDF planned intense strikes in southern Lebanon, but canceled them under US pressure[^4]. Some cabinet ministers will demand a harsher response, while a former Mossad official urges forceful strikes but warns against all-out war[^5