Iranian lawmaker criticises new "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement" Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei says the new defence pact with Pakistan and Turkey will not bring security to Saudi Arabia, and that Riyadh should instead focus on changing its policies. سعودیها باید بدانند که توافق کاغذی با ترکیه و پاکستان برای آنها امنیتآور نیست، همانطور که سالها شیردهی یکطرفه به آمریکاییها برایشان امنیت نیاورد. سیاستهایتان را اصلاح کنید تا نیاز نباشد از دیگران #گدایی_امنیت کنید.
Iranian official says deal with Oman on Hormuz finalised A spokesperson for the Iranian parliament said on Friday that a framework of understanding with Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz has been agreed upon. “The general framework of the understanding with Oman has been determined, and the final text and details will be announced soon,” he told the Iranian state media. He noted that "the final decision must be made at higher levels”.
Exclusive: ICC judges order Taliban case split from Afghanistan probe that covers US troops Submitted by Sondos Asem on Fri, 08/07/2026 - 10:20 Decision by pre-trial chamber comes after the Trump administration threatened to 'dismantle' the ICC over the Afghanistan and Palestine investigations Judge Rosario Salvatore Aitala, vice-president of the ICC and president of pre-trial chamber II (ICC/file photo) Off Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have ordered prosecutors to open a standalone investigation into allegations of gender persecution by the Taliban, separating it from the court's long-running Afghanistan war crimes probe that covered US nationals, Middle East Eye can reveal. According to court documents obtained by MEE through independent sources, a three-judge panel in pre-trial chamber II issued the request to the Office of the Prosecutor in mid-July. If prosecutors proceed, the Taliban investigation will effectively be split from a broader Afghanistan inquiry looking into alleged war crimes committed since 2003 by Afghan National Security Forces, the US military and CIA personnel, in addition to the Taliban and the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-K) group.
Houthi missile and drone attacks kill dozens of Yemeni government troops Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 08/07/2026 - 10:46 Military officials describe the attacks as the deadliest since 2022 as conflict intensifies Yemeni government forces deployed in the southern port city of Mukalla, Hadramawt province, 20 January 2026 (Fadel Senna/AFP) Off At least 38 members of Yemen 's government forces were killed and 29 others were wounded in missile and drone attacks carried out by Houthis on Thursday, according to AFP. The attack marked the deadliest assault on forces of Yemen's internationally recognised government since the 2022 United Nations-brokered truce, military officials have said. The Houthis said the attacks were in retaliation for the "Saudi-backed military buildup", as Yemen's long-running conflict shows signs of intensifying alongside the broader US - Iran confrontation.
War on Iran: Saudi Arabia warns of imminent attacks by Iraqi groups and Yemen's Houthis Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Fri, 08/07/2026 - 11:28 The warning follows deadly Saudi and US strikes on Popular Mobilisation Forces positions in Iraq last month A Yemeni soldier affiliated with the Houthi administration in Sanaa keeps watch during a gathering on 2 April in the country's capital (AFP/Mohammed Huwais) Off Saudi Arabia has warned that Iraqi armed groups and Yemen’s Houthis could soon launch coordinated attacks against the kingdom under the supervision of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. A senior Saudi official, speaking anonymously to Reuters late on Thursday, said intelligence gathered by Saudi Arabia, the United States and other countries in the region indicated that civilian and economic sites could be targeted. The potential targets include energy infrastructure, ports and airports.
Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia sign "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement" Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed a defence agreement on Friday, Pakistan's foreign ministry and Saudi broadcasters said. The pact, which was called the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement", ties together the three countries amid the backdrop of war on Iran and a revived conflict with Houthis in Saudi Arabia's southern neighbour Yemen. A Turkish spokesperson said the deal was purely defensive in nature, and not against any actor in particular.
Saudi army won't 'stand idly by' amid Houthi attacks in Yemen, source says A source close to the Saudi military said on Friday that the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's government since 2015 would not "stand idly by" as the Houthi rebels escalated their attacks on Yemeni troops. "The coalition does not seek escalation, but we will not allow the current balance of power on the ground to be changed," the source added.
Elon Musk is a race-war entrepreneur Submitted by Amina Shareef on Fri, 07/31/2026 - 20:28 The US trillionaire fans the flames of far-right hatred by amplifying racial antagonisms and myths of white dispossession US entrepreneur Elon Musk during an event marking President Donald Trump’s inauguration in Washington DC on 20 January 2025 (Angela Weiss/AFP) On Elon Musk is back in the public eye - this time, to reassure us he’s “not a racist”. Last month, in an interview with the Economist’s editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, Musk shared his thoughts on several of his pet projects: artificial super-intelligence, making billions, and anti-Muslim racism. When asked whether he was anti-Muslim, Musk did not deny it.
UK: Nearly one in five Prevent referrals had autism, new Home Office figures reveal Submitted by Areeb Ullah on Thu, 08/06/2026 - 17:09 Critics question Prevent's reliance on subjective assessment after Home Office data reveals sharp rise in referrals involving autistic people Figures showed that nearly 10,000 people were referred to Prevent in England and Wales, the highest annual number of referrals since 2015, with the vast majority referred for far-right extremism (AFP) Off Nearly one in five people referred to Britain's controversial Prevent counter-extremism programme had autism recorded as a condition, according to new Home Office figures, raising fresh concerns over the scheme's impact on neurodivergent people. Analysis of the figures show that 1,833 of the 9,957 people referred to Prevent between October 2024 and September 2025 had autism recorded, with 1,199 classified as confirmed cases and a further 634 recorded as suspected. The Home Office data also shows that almost 10,000 people were referred to Prevent in England and Wales during the period - the highest annual total number of referrals since records began in 2015, following a 39 percent increase on the previous year.
Israeli drones sighted over Beirut, Lebanese media report Israeli drones have been sighted flying above Beirut and its suburbs, Lebanese national media report. The Israeli military has also bombed Wadi Houjeir and Meiss el-Jabal in south Lebanon on Friday, and there are reports that the Chacra water pumping station has been set on fire by Israel.
Three Yemeni soldiers killed in Houthi attack, says military source A Houthi drone attack on Yemen's Marib province killed three members of government forces on Friday and wounded another four, a Yemeni military source told AFP. "Three killed and four wounded in a preliminary toll from the Houthi drone attack on the Harib area, in the south of Marib," the source said.
The Briton who helped 6,000 UK Jews move to Israel Submitted by Melissa Muller on Tue, 08/04/2026 - 14:30 Dov Newmark built his career making immigration to Israel easy for British Jews. Now his ties to organisations promoting settler communities in the occupied West Bank are under scrutiny Yaakov Hagoel (R), chairman of the World Zionist Organisation, receives Jewish migrants making Aliyah (immigration to Israel) after their arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, 25 June 2025 (Jack Guez/AFP) Off A UK -born migration consultant has helped more than 6,000 Jews move to Israel over the past 15 years - much of it while working for an organisation that advertises migration to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights. As the number of illegal Israeli settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank rises, Israel-linked organisations help Jews from across the world to move there.
Turkey's Fidan says Israel 'has no intention or plan for peace' in Gaza Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told reporters on Wednesday that Hamas has "fulfilled many of the responsibilities" to implement the US-backed Gaza peace plan while Israel continues to undermine the process. Fidan warned that Israel is using negotiations to advance its own policies rather than achieve a settlement, adding that Israel’s expansionist policies could lead to a global crisis. "Israel has no intention or plan for peace," he said.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan to sign defense pact on Friday, sources say Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Fri, 08/07/2026 - 07:48 "A first in kind," the agreement may include a mutual defense clause, sources add A Handout picture taken and released on June 22, 2022 by Turkish Presidential press office, shows Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) welcoming Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman (L) during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara. (Turkish Presidency / AFP) Off Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will sign a joint defence agreement later on Friday, sources in Ankara told Middle East Eye. The deal, which has been under negotiation since last year, marks a significant new trilateral framework amid a deepening regional crisis following Israeli-US attacks on Iran.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to 'sign defence pact' on Friday Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Fri, 08/07/2026 - 07:48 The 'first in kind' agreement may include a mutual defence clause, sources said Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) welcomes Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Presidential Complex in Ankara in June 2022 (AFP/Turkish President) Off Turkey , Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will sign a joint defence agreement later on Friday, sources in Ankara told Middle East Eye. The deal, which has been under negotiation since last year, marks a significant new trilateral framework amid a deepening regional crisis following Israeli and US attacks on Iran . Saudi analysts have previously said that Riyadh could activate the defence pact it currently has with Pakistan should it enter the Iran war.
Why is Latin America becoming a breeding ground for 'fanatics of Israel'? Submitted by Joseph Bouchard on Fri, 07/31/2026 - 16:15 Propelled by disinformation, arms deals and surveillance tech, right-wing governments have helped to increase Netanyahu's reach, undermining the region's historical alliance with Palestine Colombian president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella speaks in Bogota on 30 July 2026 (Luis Acosta/AFP) On A split is happening across Latin America. Poll after poll shows the region’s publics turning against Israel , whose three-year assault on Gaza is widely considered a genocide .
Why Israel's opposition no longer wants Palestinian parties in government Submitted by Samah Watad on Thu, 08/06/2026 - 14:31 Anti-Netanyahu leaders who once defended cooperation with Palestinian parties now rule it out, reflecting a broader post-7 October shift in Israeli politics Arab Israeli lawmakers Mansour Abbas (L) and Ayman Odeh (R) at the Knesset in Jerusalem on 29 December 2022 (Amir Cohen/AFP) Off Gadi Eisenkot last week became the latest Israeli politician to pledge to form a "Zionist majority" government if he became Israel's next prime minister. The phrase is widely understood as ruling out a coalition with Palestinian Arab parties to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "I prefer to achieve a Zionist majority of 63-64 seats, and if that doesn't happen, to call on the ultra-Orthodox parties to understand the gravity of the moment," Eisenkot, a former general and leader of the Yashar party, said at a security conference organised by Yedioth Ahronoth and the Institute for National Security Studies.
Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here are the latest developments from across the region: At least 58 people have been killed in attacks from the Houthis on Yemen's Saudi-backed forces, a military source told AFP on Thursday. Yemen's Houthis earlier said that they conducted attacks on "Saudi military deployments" in Marib and Hadramout in response to Saudi Arabia's "large military buildup" in Yemen. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Saudi Arabia on Friday for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif, Erdogan's office announced on Thursday.
Lebanese army clearing roads in Tyre to facilitate residents' return Lebanese military units overnight entered the town of al-Mansouri, in the southern city of Tyre, to begin clearing roads previously blocked as a result of recent Israeli attacks, state media reported. According to the NNA, the army is working to facilitate the safe and secure return of residents displaced by the Israel's assault in the area.
Death toll from minibus blast in Syria rises to two, 14 others wounded At least two were killed and 14 others injured in the Jaramana bombing on the outskirts of Syria’s capital of Damascus. The blast was reportedly caused by an explosive device planted in a minibus. The director of the Health Ministry’s Referral, Ambulance and Emergency Directorate, Najeeb al-Nassan state-media that body parts found at the scene were being handled by forensic teams.
