Israeli army fired at civilians in Syria's Daraa province Israeli forces opened fire on civilians in Syria's Daraa province, Syrian state television Al-Ikhbariya reported. The gunfire reportedly forced some residents to leave their homes in the village of Maariya. There have yet to be any reports of deaths or injuries from the incident.
Report: Iraqi air defences intercept drones over Erbil Air defence systems intercepted drones over the northern Kurdish province of Erbil early on Thursday, Iraqi security sources told Al Jazeera. Footage circulating online showed the remnants of drones falling over a residential area near Erbil international airport. There have been no reported injuries or casualties so far.
Israeli forces will not withdraw from south Lebanon or Gaza, Katz says Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that Israeli forces would not withdraw from what Israel calls its "security zones" in southern Lebanon or Gaza, in a video statement filmed from the Israeli-occupied Beaufort Ridge in Lebanon. Katz's remarks came days after Israeli and Lebanese officials held talks in Rome on implementing a 26 June agreement linking Israel's phased withdrawal from southern Lebanon to the verified disarmament of Hezbollah. Hezbollah, which is not a party to the agreement, has rejected calls to disarm.
Israeli defence minister inaugurates new illegal settlement in Jenin Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said settler attacks and the scenes in Qusra in the occupied West Bank are “costing Israel” and “its friends," Al Jazeera reported. The Israeli attacks, as well as the building of new illegal settlements and outposts, across Palestinian territories, have continued, the report said. The minister of defence inaugurated a new settlement in the Jenin area on Thursday, shortly after Israeli soldiers demolished Palestinian shops and properties on the same day.
UAE condemns Iranian attack on two vessels in Hormuz strait The United Arab Emirates on Friday condemned an Iranian attack it said targeted two vessels linked to state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) as they passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has imposed an effective blockade of the strait and wants to charge users for passage, which the US fiercely opposes. Iran is in talks with Oman over arrangements for the strait's future management.
UAE's Adnoc says two vessels attacked in Strait of Hormuz, no injuries Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Adnoc said two of its vessels were attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday evening, the United Arab Emirates' state news agency WAM reported. Adnoc said there were no injuries and the situation had been brought under control.
US could not verify Israeli warnings of Iran plots against Trump, sources say The US has received several warnings from Israel over the past year that Iran intended to assassinate President Donald Trump, including before a secret Air Force One ruse in Turkey, that US intelligence officials could not independently verify, Reuters reported, citing a current US official and two former officials. The warnings, passed to US intelligence agencies and in some cases relayed directly by Israeli officials to senior White House officials, included possible plots to shoot Trump with a sniper or recruit someone to attack him with a knife at a large public event, the sources said. The tips began in June 2025 and intensified before the US decision to launch a war on Iran in February, the sources said.
Israeli army confirms killing Gaza’s police director The Israeli army confirmed killing the chief police officer, Jamal Abu Kamil, in Gaza, on Thursday. The army said that he was a Hamas commander who “infiltrated” Israeli territory during the 7 October 2-23 attack but did not provide proof.
Houthi missiles target Yemen’s Bab al-Mandab strait Yemen’s Houthi group has targeted the Bab al-Mandab strait area in the western part of the country with two missiles, the Houthi-affiliated Saba TV channel is reporting, citing a local source.
Hamas denounces Israel's killing of top Gaza police official Hamas condemned Israel’s killing of Colonel Jamal Abu Kamil, director of the civil police force in the Gaza governorate, calling it “a continuation of the brutal crimes committed by the occupation against our Palestinian people", according to Al Jazeera. The group said the killing was part of Israel’s “pathetic and failed attempts to spread chaos and lawlessness in the Gaza Strip". Israel has killed more than 1,250 Palestinians in near-daily strikes since the ceasefire took effect on 10 October 2025, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Israel killed head of police force, Gaza’s ministry of interior says An Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in western Gaza City killed Gaza City police chief Colonel Jamal Abu Kamil, 43, and critically wounded two others on Thursday, Al Jazeera reported, citing Gaza’s interior ministry. Abu Kamil was one of two Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Thursday, according to Reuters. An earlier Israeli strike on a motorbike in western Khan Younis killed one person and wounded another.
Balochistan’s dangerous fuel trade is a lifeline. The Iran war is choking it Submitted by Hazaran on Tue, 08/11/2026 - 18:13 The war is wreaking havoc on the illicit, yet vital, trade of importing fuel from Iran into Pakistan's Balochistan province A fuel fire engulfs boats at Kuntani Hor in Balochistan, Pakistan, sending thick black smoke into the sky as workers watch from nearby (Hazaran/Changeez Nazir/MEE) Off About 150 kilometres west of Gwadar, the port city often described as the heart of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), lies Kuntani Hor, a small creek near the Iranian border on Balochistan’s remote and picturesque Makran coast. The creek is one of the spots along the border where "informal" trade between Iran and Pakistan takes place, with boats bringing Iranian petrol, diesel and other goods into Pakistan.
Houthis claim drone strike on Saudi refinery Yemen's Houthis on Thursday claimed a drone attack on an Aramco refinery in southern Saudi Arabia, the group's affiliated news agency Saba reported. "A military source confirmed that the Yemeni Armed Forces targeted an Aramco refinery in the Jizan region using two drones, achieving a precise hit by the grace of God," Saba reported, referring to Houthi forces. The agency reported that the source said the strike was a response to a Saudi "violation of Yemeni airspace and the country's sovereignty in the Saada and Hajjah governorates".
Hegseth says US can keep naval blockade on Iranian ports ‘indefinitely’ US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says that the US military can maintain a blockade on Iranian ports for as long as needed. “Indefinitely, the United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we’ll rotate ships in and out, as we have, and we’ll continue to,” Hegseth told reporters.
Palestinians reject Hamas disarmament before full Israeli withdrawal, poll finds More than 70 percent of Palestinians oppose Hamas disarming before Israel completely withdraws from the Gaza Strip, according to a new survey. The poll found that 72 percent believe Israel would resume its genocide in Gaza and refuse to withdraw fully if Hamas surrendered its weapons. The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research published the findings on Wednesday, offering a detailed picture of Palestinian attitudes towards the future of Gaza, their political leadership and the prospect of Palestinian statehood.
Palestinians reject Hamas disarmament before full Israeli withdrawal, poll finds Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Thu, 08/13/2026 - 15:08 Most Palestinians fear Israel would resume its genocide if Hamas surrendered its weapons Israeli soldiers near the Palestinian village of Tell in the occupied West Bank on 25 July 2026 (Jaafar Ashhtiyeh/AFP) Off More than 70 percent of Palestinians oppose Hamas disarming before Israel completely withdraws from the Gaza Strip, according to a new survey. The poll found that 72 percent believe Israel would resume its genocide in Gaza and refuse to withdraw fully if Hamas surrendered its weapons. The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research published the findings on Wednesday, offering a detailed picture of Palestinian attitudes towards the future of Gaza, their political leadership and the prospect of Palestinian statehood.
Iranian military rejects US claims that vessels are transiting the Strait of Hormuz The Iranian military has rejected the US claims that vessels are transiting the Strait of Hormuz normally, saying that no ship can pass through without its permission. “The Strait of Hormuz remains under the full management and control of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said an Iranian spokesperson, according to state media. “No commercial vessel or oil tanker can or will have safe passage through the Strait without the permission and supervision of Iran’s powerful Armed Forces,” they added.
Iranian press review: Tehran says it will no longer wait to be attacked Submitted by MEE correspondent on Thu, 08/13/2026 - 11:17 Meanwhile, conservatives demand full control over Hormuz, researcher compares current situation to final days of Iran-Iraq war, and concerns grow over US naval blockade A sculpture overlooking the Strait of Hormuz on the seafront in the port city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, on 10 August 2026 (AFP) Off Shift to offensive military doctrine in rhetoric Iranian military commanders and politicians have recently underlined a shift in Iran 's military doctrine, moving from a defensive to an offensive strategy against US forces in the Middle East. The shift came with new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appointing six military commanders to replace those killed by Israel and the US during the recent war. While some figures had previously mentioned this change in military doctrine, the new appointments have made the topic prominent in local media.
Turkey backs Saudi-led maritime defence coalition in Red Sea Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Thu, 08/13/2026 - 10:37 The move would help deepen the trilateral defence pact between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan Turkish Navy helicopters and ships on military exercises in the Mediterranean Sea near Antalya on 9 April (AFP/Adem Altan) Off Turkey confirmed on Thursday for the first time that it had joined efforts to establish a multinational maritime defence coalition aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. The announcement signals increased cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Ankara after the signing of a trilateral pact between the states and Pakistan in Mecca last week. “At the invitation of Saudi Arabia, a technical meeting was held in Riyadh on 28 July to ensure freedom of navigation through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, followed by a meeting of the chiefs of general staff on 30 July 2026,” the Turkish Ministry of National Defence said in a statement.
Pentagon tells Congress US killed 153 civilians in Yemen air strikes The US killed and wounded hundreds of Yemeni civilians during its attacks on the country last year, according to an internal US Department of War assessment shared with Congress. The US killed 153 civilians and wounded 243, the Pentagon said in a 12-page report that was sent to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday and reported by several news sites in the US. US President Donald Trump ordered the American military to begin bombing the Houthis in March 2025.
