The sudden death of 71-year-old Republican Senator Lindsey Graham is seen as a significant blow to the pro-Israel lobby, as well as the trend in American decision-making circles that supports the need for further military aid to Ukraine against Russia. Graham, a powerful figure in Trump’s inner circle who did not hesitate to express his views publicly, even when he disagreed with the White House’s decisions, was expected by the Netanyahu government to play an extremely important role in the coming period, not only in taking a more forceful stance against the regime in Tehran on all levels, but also in efforts to prevent the sale of American F-35s to Turkey. 

For all these reasons, news of the death in Israel has been met with expressions of grief, with Netanyahu reportedly wishing to attend the deceased’s funeral, the date of which has not yet been set. 

In contrast, Graham’s death was announced by Iranian state television as a “triumph of the glorious Iranian people,” as this particular senator was considered one of the main enemies of the Tehran regime.

However, it is striking that, since the announcement of Graham’s death, rumors suggesting he was the victim of a criminal act have been multiplying in recent hours. The scenario being widely discussed is closely linked to his recent two-day visit to Ukraine, which concluded just yesterday, and according to media leaks, the purpose of his meetings was to gather information that would allow him to recommend to the White House further increases in economic and military aid and support for Kyiv and the government of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

Nevertheless, at least so far, no official statement has been issued by the Trump administration or any other U.S. official on the matter, nor has it been suggested that, prior to the burial of his remains, an autopsy and postmortem examination will be ordered to determine whether the rumors regarding the actual causes of his death are substantiated or not.

Strait of Hormuz: Closed or Open?

Statements from Iran and the United States regarding whether the Strait of Hormuz is ultimately closed or not remain contradictory. While since the early hours of this morning the Revolutionary Guards and the Speaker of the Iranian National Assembly have insisted that the Strait has been blocked by Iranian forces, the U.S. military command based in the Persian Gulf (CENTCOM), as well as President Trump himself in his statements tonight, insist in turn that ship traffic is proceeding smoothly.

However, the only certainty is that the conflict continues with unabated intensity in the region, as evidenced by tonight’s report from Reuters, according to which a U.S. airstrike is currently underway against the Iranian island of Qeshm in the area near the Strait of Hormuz, where there are significant port facilities.

Elections in Israel on October 27

The relevant Knesset parliamentary committee officially announced this afternoon that the upcoming Israeli parliamentary elections will be held on October 27, 2026. This is one of the rare occasions when parliamentary elections will be held at the end of the government’s four-year term—that is, four years after the previous elections. 

The same thing happened way back in 1988, when the government of national unity (formed by the country’s two largest parties at the time, the center-left Labor Party under Shimon Peres and the center-right Likud under Yitzhak Shamir, with the aim of helping the country overcome its severe inflationary economic crisis)—had completed its entire four-year term—a rarity in the local political landscape.

Watch Gabriel Charitou’s report live from Jerusalem on tonight’s main news broadcast on ALPHA Cyprus with Yiannis Xenofontos