The Ahbap investigation deepened on July 18 with a key confession. Alper Çelik, Haluk Levent's right-hand man, admitted to placing bets under Levent's instructions, benefiting from effective repentance. This shifted the scandal from leaked messages to direct testimony. By afternoon, Ece Güner's prison letter accused Levent of a year of torment, while the probe expanded to CHP links. In the evening, a major international escalation dominated: Iran struck a US base, killing two soldiers, according to CENTCOM. Khamenei declared Trump's signature invalid, and Iran suspended a memorandum with the US. This pushed the Ahbap story aside in late bulletins. Earlier, the Ardahan governor dismissed over a tayt controversy broke his silence, and a 14-year-old cold case was solved with a body found in an orange grove.