The United States has denied it was behind a series of explosions that rocked parts of southern Iran overnight. Late on Thursday, blasts were reported around the Bushehr nuclear power plant and in cities including Sirik, Konarak and Bandar Abbas. The explosions came during what was otherwise a lull in fighting between the U.S. and Iran, following two days of tit-for-tat drone and missile attacks. They followed warnings by Israeli leaders that Israel’s war against Iran “is not over,” though no one has claimed responsibility for the blasts. On Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said top diplomat Abbas Araghchi had made phone calls to Omani and Turkish officials aimed at restarting diplomacy to end the conflict.

Meanwhile, Israel is continuing attacks across southern Lebanon, with air raids, gunfire and home demolitions reported, despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal and despite the U.S. memorandum of understanding to end the war on Iran, which requires Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon.

In Texas, more details have emerged in the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, the 52-year-old Mexican father killed Tuesday by ICE in Houston during his early-morning commute to work in construction. Home surveillance video shared by Araujo’s oldest son, Ronaldo Salgado, captured the final moments of his father leaving their family home and getting into his white van.

A separate, newly released surveillance video appears to show Araujo’s white van being followed by two unmarked black SUVs. At one point during the pursuit, a black SUV is seen driving on the wrong side of the road in a construction zone, before cutting off Araujo’s van. ICE agents then approach the passenger side of the vehicle. The footage, however, does not show Araujo’s van ramming into any ICE vehicles or attempting to run over an agent, as the Department of Homeland Security alleged after Araujo was killed. Statements by three immigrants who were aboard Araujo’s van and witnessed the shooting have also refuted the claims. The three men, one of whom is Araujo’s younger brother, were rounded up after the shooting and are now in ICE detention facing deportation. In accounts obtained by The Washington Post, their lawyer reports the men said ICE agents fired at them almost immediately without warning from the side of Araujo’s vehicle and that Araujo never could have attempted to run over an agent because there were never any ICE officers in front of his van.

Meanwhile, a DHS spokesperson has admitted federal immigration agents targeted Araujo by mistake and were in fact searching for a different person. Several Democratic congressmembers are demanding the release of all video footage and to preserve evidence in the case, but DHS has said the ICE agents involved in the fatal shooting were not wearing body cameras. This comes as the Harris County Medical Examiner has reportedly ruled Araujo’s manner of death a homicide. Harris County prosecutors say they plan to investigate, but cautioned the federal government ultimately controls access to the evidence.

As Araujo’s family mourns, they say they’ve been unable to claim his body because immigration agents reportedly removed all of Araujo’s personal identifications after he was shot in the abdomen and transferred to the hospital, which led to Araujo being classified as “John Doe.” In the days after Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s death, hundreds of people have gathered for vigils at the site of Araujo’s killing, placing candles, balloons and flowers to honor his life and continue demanding justice.

Mexico’s government says it will file criminal complaints in the United States to protect the human rights of Mexican citizens caught up in the Trump administration’s mass deportation sweeps. President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the plans during her daily press conference on Thursday.

President Claudia Sheinbaum: “What we cannot ignore is the plight of the Mexicans who have died in ICE operations or who are being held in these detention centers operated by private companies contracted by ICE. That is why we are taking further action.”

Mexico’s Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said 17 Mexican nationals have died while in the custody of ICE or at the hands of its agents. He’s seeking criminal probes into the deaths and will also send cease and desist letters to the private prison companies that manage ICE jails.

Roberto Velasco Álvarez: “The idea is to move from diplomacy to the prosecutor’s offices to demand investigations, not only from the State Department or the Department of Homeland Security, but directly through the criminal justice system.”

In South Africa, human rights advocates are on alert after vigilantes in Johannesburg intensified attacks on immigrants, going door to door and snatching people from their homes to hand over to authorities. Thursday’s attacks followed similar violence in Soweto, Durban and other parts of South Africa. Anti-immigrant vigilantes had set an informal deadline of June 30 for all undocumented immigrants to leave South Africa, threatening to continue their harassment and intimidation campaign until their demands are met. Doctors Without Borders warns tens of thousands have been displaced by the violence, including asylum seekers, refugees and documented immigrants.

In Venezuela, the official death toll from last month’s devastating twin earthquakes has topped 3,800 — and is expected to soar, as tens of thousands of people remain unaccounted for. Public health officials warn survivors of the earthquakes now face outbreaks of disease, along with difficulty accessing clean water, sanitation and medical care. Some 16,000 people were left without shelter after the earthquakes flattened their homes; they’ve since been forced to live in overcrowded tent encampments. This is Pan American Health ​Organization Director Jarbas Barbosa.

Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr.: “In the coming weeks, the greatest health risks may stem not only from injuries caused by the earthquakes, but also from disruptions to health services, overcrowded conditions, deficiencies in water and sanitation, and reduced access to vaccination and routine care.”

Russia’s military says it shot down hundreds of Ukrainian drones overnight as Kyiv continued to target Russian energy sites. The latest attacks targeted ships and a port on the Sea of Azov and sparked a fire at a major oil refinery in southern Russia. This follows a Russian drone strike on a gas station in Zaporizhzhia that killed one person and injured three others — one of dozens of attacks across civilian areas of Ukraine on Thursday.

At the United Nations, the Security Council heard testimony Thursday that Russian attacks in June killed at least 265 Ukrainian civilians, while leaving more than 1,800 injured. That’s the highest combined casualty count since the first months of Russia’s full-scale invasion four years ago. Meanwhile, Russian authorities report Ukrainian attacks have killed 250 Russian civilians in the first six months of the year. This is U.N. political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo.

Rosemary DiCarlo: “Any attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur, are a clear violation of international humanitarian law and must stop immediately.”

The Palestinian Authority has announced plans to hold its first legislative elections in more than 20 years. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday votes will be held in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on November 28. Abbas is now 90 years old. He won a four-year mandate in a 2005 presidential election and remained in power following a violent split between Hamas and Fatah the following year.

Israel is continuing its relentless attacks on the Gaza Strip, where airstrikes on Thursday killed at least six people. The attacks came as Haaretz reported Israel continues to hold the bodies of more than 100 Palestinians who’ve died in Israeli custody. That’s despite the fact that no Israelis are currently being held hostage by Palestinian armed groups. Israel previously withheld the bodies of Palestinians as bargaining chips.

In Washington, D.C., a bipartisan bill aimed at lowering the cost of housing is set to become law today, barring a last-minute veto by President Trump. Last month, Congress voted overwhelmingly to approve the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which would cap the number of single-family homes major investors can purchase, while loosening federal regulations to allow for new home construction. Trump has refused to sign the legislation unless lawmakers first approve the SAVE America Act to rewrite U.S. election laws while imposing new voter ID requirements. If Trump takes no action, the housing bill will become law even without his signature. On Thursday, the National Association of Realtors reported the median home sales price of existing U.S. homes soared to over $440,000 — a record high.

President Trump has forced out the last remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission, a bipartisan independent agency tasked with certifying voting systems and helping local election officials. On Thursday, the White House fired Democratic commissioners Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland; a third commissioner, Republican Christy McCormick, resigned. The committee’s remaining member, Republican Donald Palmer, stepped down in April to join the Heritage Foundation. Trump’s dismantling of the Election Assistance Commission comes less than four months before midterm elections; it follows last month’s Supreme Court ruling granting the president more power to fire members of ⁠independent agencies.

The Trump administration has threatened election administrators across the United States with criminal prosecution if they knowingly leave noncitizens on their voter rolls or allow them to receive or cast ballots. In a letter sent to all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the Justice Department warns state and local election officials could face fines and imprisonment. The letter concludes, “We encourage you to contact us to discuss what steps your state should take to maintain clean voter lists as required by law.” The letter was sent on Tuesday by Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. That same day, she announced plans to send election monitors to 15 jurisdictions in six states during upcoming primary elections.

Harmeet Dhillon: “So, this is an important goal that increases voter confidence, and it’s also important to make sure that our voting is accurate, so that every citizen who votes has their vote counted equally, without being canceled out by somebody who shouldn’t be voting.”

Meanwhile, FEMA has announced it will withhold Homeland Security funding from states and cities until they provide proof of compliance with the Trump administration’s election requirements. In response, Washington Congressmember Pramila Jayapal wrote, “The Trump Administration is using fear and funding to control who gets to vote and who counts it. Elections belong to the people, not whoever is afraid of losing one.”

In China, at least 28 people are dead after a fire tore through a shoe factory in the southeastern city of Jinjiang. Authorities say the factory’s stairwells were packed with materials, hampering firefighters’ rescue efforts. More than 200 workers were evacuated. It’s the latest of several deadly industrial disasters in China this year and follows last November’s fire at a residential complex in Hong Kong that left more than 160 people dead.

In southern China, the death toll from severe flooding triggered by Typhoon Maysak has climbed to 39, following days of torrential rain. This comes as authorities in Taiwan and southwestern Japan have issued warnings as a second major storm, Typhoon Bavi, approaches. At roughly the size of France, it’s the largest typhoon to approach Taiwan in decades.