• By a vote of 421-6, Congress passed a new round of sanctions against Iran. [WSJ]
• In a Ramadan sermon, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for the specific destruction of Israel and the vague destruction of the ‘Axis of Unity of World Powers.’ [INN]
• Egypt announced its new cabinet, which includes Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi as the Defense Minister. [Haaretz]
• The Guardian reports that Bashar al-Assad has not been seen in public in over two weeks. Rumors that he might be in Latakia have yet to be substantiated. [Guardian]
• Israeli swimmer Yakov Toumarkin advanced to the finals of the 200-meter backstroke after finishing 7th in the qualifying round. He also broke the Israeli record in the event. [JPost]
Adam Chandler was previously a staff writer at Tablet. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Slate, Esquire, New York, and elsewhere. He tweets @allmychandler.