The Times of Israel is liveblogging Saturday’s events as they unfold.

Turkey’s FM says ‘no reason to have open conflict’ with Israel, in apparent bid to calm tensions

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says Turkey and Israel aren’t destined for conflict, in remarks apparently aimed at pulling Ankara back from an increasingly heated rhetorical war with Jerusalem.

“I think there is no reason to have an open conflict,” Fidan says in an interview with the National.

“I’ve been telling, whenever I hear this rhetoric (against Turkey coming from the Israeli politicians, especially as they get closer to the upcoming elections, from both coalition and opposition figures — not all the opposition figures. Thank God, there are still very sane and good people with wisdom and strategic mind in Israel.”

“Not all of them are like Netanyahu and some people, but Netanyahu and some people, as they get closer to the elections, they need an enemy. They were at war Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, and now they need another enemy,” Fidan adds, saying the enemy has become Turkey for many Israeli politicians.

Venezuela raises earthquake death toll to over 4,000 as thousands more still missing

The death toll in Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes has increased to more than 4,000, the government says.

At least 4,118 people were killed and 16,740 injured in the back-to-back June 24 quakes, which flattened entire districts in the coastal state of La Guaira, Venezuelan parliament chief Jorge Rodriguez writes on Telegram.

Thousands more are listed as missing.

US demanding Iran publicly vow to stop attacks in Hormuz, say it won’t impose tolls

The United States is demanding that Iran publicly state it will stop attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and that all lanes in the strait will be open to shipping with no tolls, senior US officials say.

Iran has........

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