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European emergency services are battling fierce wildfires triggered by a record-breaking heatwave, with French authorities arresting nearly 500 individuals on suspicion of starting blazes since July 1. France’s interior ministry reported that 474 people, including 183 minors, have been detained, with approximately 70% suspected of intentional arson. In south-west France, a rapid blaze in the Landes region consumed nearly 1,100 hectares of pine forest in under 24 hours, prompting the emergency evacuation of more than 525 residents from the village of Luglon. The severe weather conditions have caused destruction and displacement across multiple European countries. In Croatia, a gale-driven wildfire swept through the coastal tourist town of Lokva Rogoznica, leaving one person dead, 40 injured, and forcing 1,200 people to evacuate to emergency shelters. In western Germany, over 2,000 residents fled the village of Gey as a forest fire advanced, while emergency crews faced additional hazards from detonating Second World War ammunition buried in the terrain. Elsewhere on the continent, military personnel in north-east Spain evacuated the historical remains of three 11th-century kings from the San Juan de la Peña monastery as flames threatened the site. In northern Greece, a fleet of small boats rescued approximately 500 holidaymakers stranded on beaches along the Halkidiki peninsula after a two-mile fire front threatened local resorts. Firefighters in the UK also faced severe conditions, as wildfires across the West Midlands destroyed several residential properties.

Iran has appointed veteran Revolutionary Guards commander Mohsen Rezaei as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), placing a prominent security figure in a senior position at a sensitive time for the country. Rezaei, 71, replaces Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr as secretary of the council. Zolqadr has instead been appointed as a political adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. The SNSC plays a central role in coordinating Iran’s national security and foreign policy. It is formally chaired by President Masoud Pezeshkian and includes senior military, intelligence and government officials. Rezaei brings decades of military and political experience to the position. He joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and became its commander in 1981, when he was only 27. He remained at the helm of the IRGC for 16 years. Much of his tenure coincided with the Iran-Iraq war from 1980 to 1988. During that period, he oversaw the development of the organisation’s land, naval and air capabilities. After leaving the IRGC command, Rezaei remained an influential figure within Iran’s political and security establishment. He later served for more than two decades as secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council. He also entered electoral politics and repeatedly sought the presidency of Iran. From 2021 to 2023, he served as vice president for economic affairs under former President Ebrahim Raisi. Rezaei holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Tehran, although much of his career has been focused on military, security and political affairs. His relationship with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is another significant factor behind his new appointment. Rezaei was named a military adviser to Khamenei after the latter assumed the supreme leadership earlier this year. Khamenei also issued a decree appointing Rezaei as his representative on the SNSC. The decree highlighted Rezaei’s extensive military experience, particularly his role during the Iran-Iraq war. During the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel, Rezaei has frequently made public statements on security and foreign policy issues. He has expressed strong opposition to concessions in negotiations with Washington and has repeatedly taken a hard-line position on Iran’s security interests. His appointment therefore places an experienced IRGC commander at the centre of Iran’s national security decision-making structure. Rezaei’s political journey began even before the Islamic Revolution. As a teenager, he became involved in opposition activities against Iran’s Pahlavi monarchy. He was arrested by SAVAK, the Shah’s security service, in 1973.