US again attacks Iranian oil tanker near Kharg Island, official says US forces have attacked an Iranian oil tanker docked near Iran’s Kharg Island for the second time in two days, Fars news agency reported, citing an Iranian official. “The empty, Belma N. I.
UN chief condemns attacks on civilian sites UN chief Antonio Guterres said Friday that attacks on civilian infrastructure are "unacceptable," after Iran accused the United States of targeting bridges and transport hubs. "The Secretary General remains deeply concerned by the continuing military escalation between Iran and the United States of America," spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters. "He's particularly concerned about attacks on civilian infrastructure in Iran and across the region.
Kuwait seeking expanded defence agreement with Pakistan: Report Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 07/17/2026 - 17:32 Kuwait is home to around 14,000 US troops, but has emerged as particularly vulnerable to attacks from Iran and its Iraqi partners Kuwait's new emir, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, salutes as he is sworn in as the country's 17th ruler at the Kuwaiti parliament, on 20 December 2023 in Kuwait City (Yasser al-Zayyat/AFP) Off Kuwait is negotiating an expanded defence agreement with Pakistan in exchange for energy cooperation and investment with the South Asian country, according to a Reuters report. A Pakistani official told Reuters that Kuwait wanted Islamabad to deploy "thousands of Pakistani troops on the ground, fighter jets, drones, an air defence system, and other defence-related facilities”. The talks, while at an early stage, underscore how the regional security landscape is being upended by the US-Israeli war on Iran.
IRGC Navy says ‘zero hour’ approaching for operation against US naval units The IRGC Navy Command said on Friday that the movements and military equipment of US forces are “under the surveillance” of Iran’s naval units. “The Americans are drawing closer by the moment to the zero hour of an operation by Iran’s Armed Forces against CENTCOM naval units in the region’s waters,” the command said in a statement carried by Iranian state television.
US military says it destroyed Iranian port surveillance tower The US military said on Friday that it had destroyed the Chabahar Shahid Kalantari Port surveillance tower in Iran on Thursday. US Central Command said in a post on X that the tower was part of a maritime surveillance network along Iran's Gulf of Oman coastline used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to track and target commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Why the World Cup final has morphed into a debate on Palestine and Israel Submitted by Dalia Anis on Fri, 07/17/2026 - 11:00 For many fans, the upcoming Spain-Argentina match symbolises a lot more than football A Spain supporter and an Argentina supporter at World Cup 2026 (Franck Fife/Odd Andersen/AFP) Off As predictions for the 2026 World Cup final are heavily debated across global sports networks, one thing is for certain: for many fans, the upcoming face-off between Spain and Argentina represents something beyond the beautiful game and national pride. Through debates on social media, videos and memes, thousands of spectators around the world have expressed that for them, Sunday's final represents a referendum on political solidarity for Palestine amid Israel' s ongoing genocide in Gaza . “Pro-Palestine vs Pro-Israel,” said one X user about the match.
No US troops in the region recently killed or captured, Centcom says The US military has denied Iran’s claims of killing US soldiers in Syria after Tehran said it had killed US troops near the Syria-Jordan border. "Claim: Iranian forces claim they attacked al-Tanf Garrison in Syria and captured or killed American troops in the process," Centcom said in a post on X, saying that it is false. "Fact: No U.
Israeli general praises illegal outposts driving Palestinian ethnic cleansing Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Fri, 07/17/2026 - 15:44 Israel portrays violent settlers as a fringe group abroad while treating its illegal outposts as security assets at home Palestinians attempt to extinguish a fire set by Israeli settlers on wheat fields in the village of Salem, east of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, on 3 July 2026 (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP) Off The Israeli military commander responsible for the occupied West Bank has praised illegal settler outposts as security assets, laying bare the state support behind a network instrumental in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their land. Major-General Avi Bluth, head of Israel’s Central Command, told a conference organised by the Farm Union on Wednesday that the agricultural outposts “align well with the security concept. It does not contradict it”.
Starmer was a fabricator and a fraud. Good riddance Submitted by Peter Oborne on Fri, 07/17/2026 - 16:08 From attacking Corbyn for political gain, to abandoning the key pledges that got him elected, the UK leader leaves office in disgrace Starmer rose to power by twisting and distorting the truth - and he leaves office in exactly the same fashion (Henry Nicholls/AFP) Off The most serious parliamentary misdemeanour that a minister can commit is to deceive MPs. That is exactly what Keir Starmer did when he answered questions, for his last time as prime minister, on Wednesday.
Moroccan whistleblower reveals how Rabat used Israel's Pegasus spyware for surveillance Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 07/17/2026 - 13:58 Testimony from intelligence insider and leaked records show extensive use of spyware against dissidents and foreign officials Morocco's then interior minister, Abdelouafi Laftit (left), receives his Spanish counterpart, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, during his official visit to Rabat on 20 November 2020 (Fadel Senna/AFP) Off A Moroccan intelligence insider has revealed details about his government’s use of hacking software, including Israeli-manufactured Pegasus spyware , to track journalists, human right defenders and foreign officials. The whistleblower's revelations were reported in an investigation published on Thursday by Forbidden Stories, Amnesty and 13 media organisations. Investigative reporting in 2021 accused Morocco of having used the Israeli-manufactured hacking tool for spying on its critics as well as allies - claims that Rabat denied at the time.
US denies military casualties in Iranian attack on command centre in Syria The US Central Command rejected the Iranian claim that the IRGC "attacked al-Tanf Garrison in Syria and captured or killed American troops in the process," according to a post on X. "FALSE. No U.
Palestine Action defendant ‘missed the last year’ of his mother’s life while behind bars Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Fri, 07/17/2026 - 14:21 William Plastow was held on remand for 18 months but was granted bail on compassionate grounds to spend the final days of his mother’s life at her bedside William Plastow is facing charges of criminal damage in connection with a Palestine Action raid on an Israeli-owned arms factory in August 2024 (Screengrab/X) Off A defendant accused of involvement in a Palestine Action raid on an Israeli -owned arms factory said his mother died of terminal cancer while he was held on remand. William Plastow, 35, is among eight defendants facing charges in connection with a raid on an Elbit Systems factory in Filton, near Bristol, in August 2024. He told the court that he had been held on remand for 18 months following his arrest on 9 August 2024, but was granted bail on compassionate grounds to spend the last four days of his mother’s life at her bedside.
Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government condemns Iranian attacks The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq condemned "the unjustified attacks launched by the Islamic Republic of Iran on the Kurdistan Region" in a statement on X, and called on Iran to cease the escalation. "The continuation of these attacks constitutes a grave threat to regional peace and security and risks further destabilizing the entire region," the KRG added in an earlier statement on X.
Israel advances crocodile plan to stop Palestinian prisoners escaping Submitted by Nadav Rapaport on Fri, 07/17/2026 - 14:43 Government removes legal protections for Nile crocodiles as Ben Gvir pushes for detention compound ringed by reptiles A crocodile inside an enclosure at Nama Zoo in Gaza City on 1 June 2023 (Mohammed Salem/Reuters) Off The Israeli government has stripped Nile crocodiles of their protected status, paving the way for a proposal to build a detention facility for Palestinians surrounded by the reptiles, Israeli media reported on Thursday. Environment Minister Idit Silman signed a decree on Wednesday reclassifying Nile crocodiles as a "specially managed wild animal" - a new legal category that allows the state to keep the animals for security purposes, according to Israeli news site Ynet . In the decree, Silman said Israel's security forces could now keep crocodiles under specific conditions.
How Bristol’s tallest tower will be tied to Israel’s atrocities Submitted by Joe Banks on Fri, 07/17/2026 - 13:30 Funded by Menora Mivtachim and Cain, St James House links Bristol to capital flows that run from the Gulf, through Israel to Europe St James House, a new construction project in Bristol, UK, that has investment tied to Israel (Joe Banks/MEE) Off In the centre of Bristol, two towers are rising slowly into the sky. St James House, a new development now under construction in southwest England’s largest city, will consist of one 28-storey building to house students and another 18-storey “co-living” block aimed at young professionals. The purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) tower will become the dominant feature of a city centre skyline that has historically remained relatively modest in scale.
Iran to continue attacks until "calm returns to Strait of Hormuz" The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force, Seyed Majid Mousavi, announced that Iran will continue attacks "until calm returns to the southern coastline and the Strait of Hormuz”, according to Al Jazeera's reports of Iranian state media. The statement comes as the IRGC has claimed responsibility for attacks on US military targets in Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, and Syria, Al Jazeera reports. Meanwhile, the US has continued its ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and has completed six consecutive nights of attacks in Iran, including on civilian infrastructure.
The Israeli Medical Association defended Israel over the Gaza genocide - it must be sanctioned Submitted by Ghada Majadli on Tue, 07/07/2026 - 11:48 Amid growing calls for its suspension from the World Medical Association, the professional body claimed political neutrality even as it worked to block accountability for Israel's crimes Medical staff treat a patient in the underground ward of Rambam hospital in Haifa, Israel, 22 September 2024 (Sipa USA/Reuters Connect) Off As calls grow to suspend the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) from the World Medical Association (WMA), much of the debate has focused on the association's failure to condemn the destruction of Gaza's healthcare system and attacks on health in Lebanon and Iran . But the problem runs deeper. In response to the recent petition published in The Lancet calling on the WMA to suspend the IMA, the IMA argued: "The signatories' calls to expel the IMA from the WMA seem to confuse a country's government with its medical association, an extremely dangerous precedent.
IRGC says it hit US special operations unit in Syria as bombs fall on Iran for sixth night Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 07/17/2026 - 11:40 Syrian military source says Tehran carried out attack near al-Tanf but not on base itself, as renewed US-Iran escalation enters second week A missile is launched from an undisclosed location towards US targets in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, according to video published by IRGC on 16 July 2026 (Sepahnews. com/AFP) Off Iran 's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched an attack on a US special operations command centre at al-Tanf in Syria on Friday, as the US bombed Iran for a sixth consecutive night. According to a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency, the IRGC said the attack was in retaliation for the killing of Iranian soldiers in Iranshahr.
UK investigating incident on ship near Oman The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) is investigating an incident on a merchant vessel east of Duqm in Oman, according to Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera reported that the tanker faced military interactions due to rising military activity in the region.
Fears grow for Sahrawi prisoner entering sixth week of hunger strike in Morocco Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Fri, 07/17/2026 - 09:27 Naama Asfari began his protest to force authorities to comply with UN rulings calling for his release Naama Asfari began his hunger strike on 8 June 2026 (X) Off Rights groups have called for the immediate release of a Sahrawi political prisoner in Morocco as he nears his sixth week of a hunger strike. Naama Asfari started his indefinite hunger strike on 8 June while detained in Kenitra prison, north of the city of Rabat, in an attempt to force Moroccan authorities to comply with UN rulings calling for his release. Asfari has been in prison since 2010 over his involvement in the Gdeim Izik protest camp in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara, which sought to highlight the ongoing human rights abuses, poverty and discrimination inflicted on the native Sahrawis by the Moroccan authorities.
