West Bank homes left without water or electricity Three homes besieged in the town of Qusra in the occupied West Bank have been left with no electricity and water. Al Jazeera reported that the mayor of Qusra said technical teams and activists have been prevented by Israeli soldiers from reaching the besieged houses.
Houthi missile barrage hits Mocha port as fighting escalates in Yemen Submitted by MEE staff on Sun, 08/16/2026 - 10:32 Officials say Houthi strikes have damaged civilian property in Marib and caused an estimated $16m in losses at the strategic Red Sea port The navigation bridge of a sunken vessel protrudes from the water at the Port of Mocha in Yemen on 10 August 2026 (Khaled Ziad/AFP) Off Yemen's Houthi movement launched fresh missile and drone attacks on the government-held city of Marib and the Red Sea port city of Mocha, wounding civilians, damaging property and forcing the suspension of commercial operations at the port, according to government officials and media reports. The latest escalation comes as fighting resumes across several Yemeni provinces after a relative lull that had largely held since April 2022. Yemen's Marib Governorate said the Houthis fired six ballistic missiles and launched four drones at residential neighbourhoods in the densely populated city on Saturday and Sunday.
Iranian military promises 'complete defeat' of Israel and US The General Staff of Iran's Armed Forces has pledged the "complete defeat" of the US and Israel in the region, saying the legacy of "resistance" has been passed to a new generation of Iranians. Meanwhile, an official in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said more than 85 percent of its air defence production capacity was undamaged in the war. He added that the rate of production and delivery of missiles and air defence systems is no lower than before the war started.
Germany has chosen Israel over international law Submitted by Jurgen Mackert on Wed, 08/05/2026 - 20:39 The state's commitment to the murderous Netanyahu regime outstrips its dedication to preserving democracy at home Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are pictured in Jerusalem on 7 December 2025 (Ariel Schalit/AFP) Off Two events in Germany last month shed light on the country’s stance on international law and its own democracy. On 20 July, the anniversary of a failed assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler, new German recruits were sworn in at the Bendlerblock , which housed army headquarters during the Nazi period and was simultaneously the centre of a resistance group led by Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, whose members were executed at the site after their failed coup. In recent years, during speeches at the ceremonies for new recruits, top German government officials have praised democracy and emphasised the importance of the rule of law for world peace and freedom.
Israeli police ease restrictions on Jewish prayer in Al-Aqsa compound Israeli police have eased restrictions on Jewish prayer in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, according to Haaretz. A few months ago police allowed Jewish worshippers to bring prayer sheets into the compound, but police have reportedly now allowed worshippers to bring prayer books in. The compound is administered by the Jordanian Waqf, meaning these moves are in violation of the "status quo" agreement.
Israel threatens fresh attacks on Lebanon Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has threatened further attacks in southern Lebanon, saying: "No account in any arena will remain open. We will strike with full force at those who harm our soldiers and our citizens. " The Israeli military killed at least 11 people and wounded 19 in southern Lebanon on Saturday.
Emirati academic's barbed tweet on Pakistan exposes UAE unease over Mecca pact Submitted by MEE staff on Sun, 08/16/2026 - 06:02 Disparaging remarks by Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a former aide to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, on Pakistan's ‘poverty, illiteracy’ and nuclear arsenal spark online backlash. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks on after signing a joint defence agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on 7 August 2026 (Handout/Turkish presidency's press office/AFP) Off Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a prominent Emirati political analyst and former aide to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, has mocked Pakistan for its “poor” economic and social indicators and yet “opportunistically posturing itself to defend a country among the 20 largest economies in the world”. On 15 August, Abdulla wrote on X: “It is one of the paradoxes of time that a country where a quarter of its population is poor, a third of its population is illiterate, its national income is $400 billion, and it has suffered from corrupt military rule since its founding, chronic internal unrest, and wars with its closest neighbors—yet all its qualifications are 170 nuclear bombs—opportunistically postures itself to defend a country among the 20 largest economies in the world.
Morning recap Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has reiterated that talks with Oman and reopening of Hormuz were “two separate issues” and the two countries “may reach an outcome soon”. “The routes that existed previously are no longer functional, so a new route needs to be defined,” he said. Israel, meanwhile, launched more strikes in southern Lebanon.
Settler violence: 60-year-old man among two Palestinians shot, eight beaten Israeli settlers, backed by Israeli forces, shot at and injured two Palestinians and beat up eight others during an attack in the al-Ras area of Hebron city on Sunday, Wafa reported. One of the shooting victims, a 60-year-old man, was shot in the back and hand. A second man, aged 46, was also shot before being detained by Israeli forces.
Arab League condemns Israeli strikes on Lebanon as 'dangerous escalation' The Arab League has condemned Israel’s deadly strikes on Lebanon that killed 11 people and destroyed dozens of homes as “a dangerous escalation that threatens to derail any efforts aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict”. In a statement, a spokesman of the League said: "Israel’s policies and practices blatantly expose the occupation’s intentions to prolong the confrontations, obstruct negotiations, and impose a new reality on the ground that is completely unacceptable and rejected. ” The spokesman also warned that the conflict could spread unless the international community stops Israel’s “war machine” and compels it to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for a full cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israeli defence minister Katz says 'no account will remain unsettled' Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said that "no account on any front will remain unsettled”, as his country carried out a series of deadly strikes in southern Lebanon, killing 11 people and destroying dozens of homes. “We will forcefully defend our soldiers and citizens,” Katz said in a post on X. Israel has also resumed strikes on Gaza, killing several Palestinians and wounding dozens.
Israeli forces incur into Syria’s Quneitra, fire flares A fire that erupted following incursions by Israeli forces in the town of Al-Rafid in Syria’s Quneitra region has been doused by local civil defence teams, according to the Quneitra Media Directorate. In a post on Telegram, the directorate said “the fire was caused by flares fired” by Israeli forces. Since 2024, when Israel moved troops into a UN-monitored buffer zone and seized Syrian territory there, Israeli military vehicles frequently push into villages like Western Samdaniyah in Quneitra and parts of western Daraa, conducting house raids and detaining local civilians.
Hamas delegation to hold talks on Gaza agreement in Cairo, report says Hamas political bureau chief Khalil al-Hayya is due to arrive in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, for talks on the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, Al Jazeera reported, citing Anadolu Agency. Al-Hayya will meet Egyptian General Intelligence Service chief Hassan Rashad to discuss issues tied to the Palestinian cause, chiefly efforts to solidify the ceasefire agreement, the report said. The delegation also includes Hamas Shura Council chief Mohammed Darwish, head of the movement abroad Khaled Meshaal, West Bank chief Zaher Jabarin, and Basem Naim, head of the Arab and Islamic Relations Office.
Several Palestinians injured as settlers continue attacks in West Bank Israeli settlers continued their assaults on Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank, injuring several people. Here are the details of some of these attacks, reported by Wafa. • Israeli settlers beat up three Palestinians and sprayed them with pepper spray in the al-Masoudiya area, on the outskirts of the village of Burqa, northwest of Nablus.
Iran and Oman defining a temporary route for now, Araghchi says Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi has reiterated that talks with Oman and reopening of Hormuz were “two separate issues”. In his comments carried by Shahrara News, he said: “Our negotiations with Oman are ongoing. That is a completely separate matter.
Houthis launch sixth ballistic missile at Marib city Houthis have fired a sixth ballistic missile on the Yemeni city of Marib, according to the Marib governorate. In a post on X, the governorate published photos of a crater in the ground as well as the mangled remains of a vehicle. The statement added that ongoing assault “threatens the lives of civilians, displaced persons’ camps, and residential neighbourhoods”.
Explosions heard in Lebanon's Nabatieh as Israel continues strikes Explosions were heard in the area between Ali al-Taher Heights and the Dabsha area in the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported. Al Manar TV said the blasts were a result of Israeli air attacks in the area, while the Nabatieh Channel said the raids took place in the vicinity of the town of Kfar Reman. The attacks follow the killing of 11 people in a series of Israeli air strikes, the deadliest since a US-brokered ceasefire.
Opinion: How a pragmatic axis could reshape the Middle East Nearly three years after the 7 October Hamas attack shattered the illusion of a manageable status quo - one serving US - Israeli interests, while harming Palestinian rights - and midway through President Donald Trump’s second term, the Middle East no longer maps neatly onto the two axes that have defined it for decades. The region’s fault line long ran between Iran ’s “Axis of Resistance” - comprising Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iraqi armed groups, and a battered but defiant Syria under the Assad regime - and the Israeli-inspired “Pax Americana”: an informal architecture of deterrence, normalisation, and military primacy that Washington and Tel Aviv sought to impose through the Abraham Accords, blatant double standards, international law violations and overwhelming force. Today, a third pole could be emerging: an increasingly institutionalised “Sunni axis” anchored in Riyadh, Ankara and Islamabad - with Doha, Cairo, and to a lesser extent Abu Dhabi at its edges.
Hamas chief heads to Cairo for talks ahead of Kushner visit Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya is set to travel to Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials, a Hamas source tells AFP, ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner to the region. Hayya, who will be visiting Egypt for the first time since assuming leadership of Hamas in late July, is due to meet with Egypt’s intelligence chief Hassan Rashad this morning, the source says. Kushner will visit Israel and Egypt next week in hopes of bridging gaps on a Gaza plan rejected by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and will be accompanied by Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza of Trump’s so-called 'Board of Peace' tasked with implementing the deal.
Report: Drone strikes kill three Houthi fighters and wound commanders in southwest Yemen Yemeni government forces said at least three Houthis have been killed during drone strikes west of Taiz governorate, in the southwest of the country, according to the Yemen News Agency. The air strikes wounded several others, including field commanders.
