STORY: All four candidates in Iran's presidential election are loyal to the supreme leader. So the next president is unlikely to bring a major shift to the Islamic Republic. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the 85-year-old who has been supreme leader since 1989, holds the reins of power. And a hardline watchdog vetted the candidates, presenting voters with little real choice. Public discontent, especially among Iran's youth, has kept voters away in recent elections. And this one also coincides with rising regional tensions, with conflict raging between Israel and two armed groups backed by Iran - Hamas in Gaza and Lebanon's Hezbollah. :: Will anything change? A new president won't change Iran's backing for militant groups, its policy on Iran's nuclear program or relations with the West. Khamenei calls the shots on top state matters. POLITICAL UNIVERSITY STUDENT, AMIR ALI ZAMANI: "No, I don't think it matters. Foreign policy has always remained the same, and this year will be no different from previous years." But the president does run day-to-day government and can change the tone of Iran's foreign and domestic policy. All candidates have promised to fix an ailing economy that's beset by mismanagement, corruption and sanctions and a source of deep frustration for Iranians. More importantly, the outcome could influence the succession to Khamenei. :: Who are the candidates? So who is standing? The presidency was left empty by the death in May of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. Three of the candidates are hardliners and one is a low-profile comparative moderate. Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf is one of two hardline frontrunners. He's the current speaker of parliament and a former Revolutionary Guards commander. Civil rights activists know Qalibaf for crushing protests - first as national police chief, when he personally beat protesters... Then as Tehran mayor for 12 years, when hell helped suppress months of unrest that shook the establishment in 2009. The other frontrunner is Saeed Jalili. He's best known abroad as a former chief nuclear negotiator for five years from 2007. Jalili lost his leg fighting in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s and declares himself a pious believer in Iran's system of Islamic government. The third hardliner is Mostafa Pourmohammadi, the only cleric left in the race. He's a former interior minister and deputy intelligence minister. Human Rights Watch, in 2005, documented Pourmohammadi's alleged role in the execution of hundreds of political prisoners in Tehran in 1988. Allegations he has never publicly addressed. Massoud Pezeshkian is the only relative moderate among the four, backed by the pro-reform camp. "Just as we can talk to each other, we can also learn to talk to our neighbours and rest of the world. We cannot fight everyone, we should not fight, we should not show aggression to others.” Pezeshkian was vocal in criticizing the Islamic Republic for its lack of transparency over Mahsa Amini... :: Released December 2022 ... a young Iranian Kurdish woman whose death in custody sparked several months of unrest in 2022. Some activists at home and abroad called for a boycott of the election, saying voting served to legitimize the Islamic Republic.

STORY: :: Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei votes in the presidential election as the polls open :: Khamenei urged the public to vote, where they will choose from four candidates loyal to the supreme leader :: June 28, 2025 :: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei :: Supreme Leader of Iran :: "Election day is a time of great joy and excitement for us Iranians, especially during a presidential election when the people’s vote will determine our president for the coming years. :: "The longevity, stability, reputation, and honor of the Islamic Republic depends on the people’s participation." While the election is unlikely to bring a major shift in the Islamic Republic's policies, its outcome could influence the succession to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's 85-year-old supreme leader, in power since 1989. Khamenei called for a high turnout to offset a legitimacy crisis fueled by public discontent over economic hardship and curbs on political and social freedom. Voter turnout has plunged over the past four years, as a mostly youthful population chafes at political and social curbs. The election coincides with escalating regional tension due to war between Israel and Iranian allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as increased Western pressure on Iran over its fast-advancing nuclear program.

Scuffles between Israeli police and demonstrators broke out in Jerusalem on Thursday as thousands gathered to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and demand the return of hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. (27 June 2024)

President Biden and former President Trump are taking the debate stage amid two major global conflicts, Israel's war with Hamas and the war in Ukraine. ABC News' Matt Gutman and James Longman report.

STORY: :: Fires burn on Israeli highways as anti-government protesters block roads :: Tel Aviv, Israel :: June 27, 2024 :: Groups across the country called for an election to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government : Aner Ben Ami, Protester : "Obviously I came here to demonstrate, as you can see behind me, we came here to oppose this government, a government that is just putting us in an endless war with no exit strategy, with with no end in sight, drawing out the war. And we, you know, we need this to stop. We need elections. The government has no trust from the country, from the public and we need it to stop." : Near Rishon Lezion, Israel In Tel Aviv, protesters placed a metal cage-like object on the main road leading into the city and lit a fire, bringing traffic to a standstill for scores of vehicles. Others called for the immediate release of hostages. Similar protests blocking main highways and junctions took place also south of Tel Aviv, near Rishon Lezion, and north of Tel Aviv, near HaBonim. Israelis have been protesting for the release of hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, during the Islamist group's attack on Israeli border communities that killed at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians. After the attack, Israel launched a war against Hamas with the aim to destroy the group that rules the Gaza Strip, killing over 37,000 Palestinians according to the territory's health officials. Israeli protest groups that have been opposing Netanyahu's government since it announced a judicial reform over a year ago, joined forces to call for the government's resignation and new elections in light of what they perceive as failed handling of the hostage situation and the war in general.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a member of the progressive Democrat group known as "The Squad" in Congress, lost his primary in New York's 16th District to Westchester County Executive George Latimer. CBS News congressional correspondent Nikole Killion breaks down how the divide over U.S. support for Israel's war in Gaza may have factored into the upset.

STORY: Israel's Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday (June 25) that the state must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students into the military. It's a decree that has divided lawmakers, and could cause further tension in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition. Netanyahu's government relies on two ultra-Orthodox parties. Both see conscription exemptions as key to keeping their constituents in religious seminaries, and away from a melting-pot military that might test their conservative customs. Leaders of those parties said they were disappointed with the ruling - but neither issued an immediate threat to the government. Moshe Roth is from the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party. "This ruling actually doesn't have any implications, any practical implications. It is more of a declaration, more than anything else. It doesn't add anything to the defense issue at this time. So it's very hard to give any credit to this ruling, it doesn't mean very much. In fact, the High Court shouldn't have interfered at all in this issue." The prospect of the military starting to draft seminary students could widen cracks in Netanyahu's increasingly brittle coalition. Some voiced hopes that all parties will work together on the conscription issue. Ariel Kallner is from Netanyahu's own Likud party. "We are committed in the Knesset to to the IDF needs, but we are also committed that this paradigm that the ultra-Orthodox community will feel comfortable in the army and it will not feel a threat on their beliefs and they and they will be able to enter the army is it looks and go out of the army as ultra-Orthodox and this is our commitment and we are going to work on it." Opposition parties have welcomed the ruling. The ultra-Orthodox conscription waiver has come at a time when Israel's armed forces are overstretched due to the multi-front war with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israelis are bound by law to serve in the military from the age of 18 - three years for men and two years for women. Members of Israel's Arab minority are exempt, though some do serve. And ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students have also been largely exempt for decades. The law for their exemption expired last year, but the government continued to allow them not to serve. In the absence of a new legal basis for the exemption, the Supreme Court's ruling means the state must draft them. Ultra-Orthodox leaders see the exemptions as vital for preserving their traditions. The long-standing military waiver has sparked protests in recent months by Israelis angry that they are shouldering the risk of fighting the war in Gaza. Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators have taken to the streets, blocking roads and marching with signs and banners. The ultra-Orthodox community makes up 13% of Israel's 10 million population - a figure expected to climb due to their high birth rates.

STORY: :: Palestinians run from a fire after an Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter :: Gaza City :: June 25, 2024 The war started when Palestinian Hamas militants burst over the border and attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage, according to Israeli tallies. The Israeli offensive in retaliation has killed almost 37,600 people, according to Palestinian health authorities, and has left Gaza in ruins.

STORY: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant arrived at the U.S. State Department for talks with top American diplomat Antony Blinken on Monday. The visit comes amid U.S. calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and for the development of a realistic post-war plan, according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. "We have been quite consistent that for there to be an enduring defeat of Hamas, there needs to be a plan for what replaces them and what replaces them needs to be Palestinian-led governance. It needs to be realistic security plans. It needs to be realistic reconstruction plans. And that's what we continue to work towards with our partners in the region. And as we continue to push the government of Israel to properly consider." Washington has warned Israel that the absence of such a plan could trigger lawlessness and chaos as well as a comeback by Hamas in the enclave. After the meeting, Gallant didn't address this point with reporters but did say the alliance with the United States is "extremely important" to the future of Israel. He also met with advisors to President Joe Biden and CIA Director Bill Burns Monday in discussions he called "critical" as Israel deals with Gaza and escalating hostilities on Israel's border with Lebanon, where exchanges of fire with Hezbollah have stoked fears of wider conflict.   He's set to meet with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the current phase of fighting against Hamas in Gaza is winding down, setting the stage for Israel to send more troops to its northern border to confront the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The Israeli leader said in a lengthy TV interview that while the army is close to completing its current ground offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, that would not mean the war against Hamas is over. But he said fewer troops would be needed in Gaza, freeing up forces to battle Hezbollah.

For people visiting Israel, no trip is complete without a somber visit to the devastated south that absorbed the brunt of the assault near the border with Gaza. This is a new kind of tourism that has emerged in the country in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. (AP Video: Ami Bentov)

STORY: Eight Palestinians were killed on Sunday (June 23) in an Israeli airstrike on a building near Gaza City being used to distribute aid, according to witnesses. They said the strike hit part of an industrial college run by the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA. Mohammed Tafesh, one of the witnesses, described how some were collecting waters and others were receiving coupons when the strike hit. He said they'd since been pulling people from the rubble, including one person who had been selling cold drinks and another who used to sell pastries. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Juliette Touma, UNRWA's director of c ommunications, said the agency was looking into the details of the reported attack before providing more information. She said that since the beginning of the war, nearly 190 of their buildings had been hit - the vast majority of their facilities in Gaza. More than eight months into the conflict and Israel's advance is focused on two areas it is yet to seize. One is the area surrounding Deir al-Balah in the enclave's center, the other is Rafah in the south. Residents said on Sunday that Israeli tanks had advanced to the edge of the Mawasi displaced persons' camp in the northwest of Rafah amid fierce clashes with Hamas-led fighters. The Israeli military said it was continuing "intelligence-based, targeted operations" in the Rafah area and had located weapons stores and tunnel shafts, and killed Palestinian gunmen. The armed wings of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad movement said their fighters had attacked Israeli forces in Rafah with anti-tank rockets, mortar bombs and pre-planted explosive devices.

STORY: :: June 22, 2024 :: Tel Aviv, Israel :: Tens of thousands gather in Tel Aviv, calling for the release of Hamas-held hostages :: "I'm here to demonstrate and ask my government and all the governments in the whole world, please, please do sign the deal. Sign, Netanyahu deal. Just do it bring them back home to the children, to the parents, to their families. We are all broken and tired and we want to make end to this tragedy." :: "We are here to mark 260 days that our loved ones are being held captive in Gaza under hell conditions. We are here to demand that the organization Hamas to bring back our hostages. It all started with the hostages and it will all end with the hostages back home." Such protests have become weekly events, underscoring the divisions in Israeli society, which have reopened following a period of unity at the start of the war. The mother of two released hostages, Hadas Kalderon, urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "sign a deal" for a ceasefire and put an end to the crisis. Another protester, Ilay David, said the protest marked 260 days since hostages were taken to Gaza to be held captive "under hell conditions". Israel's ground and air campaign in Gaza was triggered when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. The offensive has left Gaza in ruins, killed more than 37,400 people, of whom 101 were killed in the past 24 hours, according to Palestinian health authorities, and left nearly the entire population homeless and destitute