Oil tanker explodes after hitting naval mine in Hormuz, Iranian media reports An oil tanker exploded after colliding with a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media is reporting. Tasnim news agency said the vesell struck the mine after exiting a route in the waterway approved by Tehran.
Waves of settler attacks target mosques, homes and businesses across West Bank Submitted by Fayha Shalash on Sun, 07/26/2026 - 11:59 Attacks stretched from Nablus to Hebron, with Palestinian authorities calling for international action against large-scale settler violence Residents inspect the fire-damaged al-Rahma mosque in Qusra, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, after an alleged settler arson attack (Muhammed Ateeq/Middle East Eye) Off Israeli settlers on Sunday launched a series of widespread attacks across the West Bank , setting on fire two mosques in Nablus and Tulkarm and damaging heavy equipment at an industrial facility near Ramallah. Eyewitnesses told Middle East Eye that settlers also raided several towns and villages, attacked homes, destroyed vehicles and fired live ammunition to terrorise residents. The attacks targeted communities in the governorates of Nablus, Tulkarm, Ramallah, Hebron, Salfit, Qalqilya, Jericho and Jerusalem, according to Palestinian officials who said settlers were acting under the protection of Israeli forces.
Lebanon's army condemns Israeli attacks preventing deployment in south Lebanon's army on Sunday condemned ongoing Israeli attacks in the country's south that it said were preventing its full deployment under a framework deal reached with Israel last month. "Israeli occupation forces continue their attacks and violations of current understandings and of international laws through the systematic destruction and bulldozing of homes, bombardment and sweeps with automatic weapons in several southern areas," an army statement said, adding that "the continuation of these attacks obstructs the army's full deployment according to current agreements and prevents the return of residents to their villages and towns".
Netanyahu says Israel 'prepared to act more broadly' in occupied West Bank Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah told reporters on Sunday that Israel is "prepared to act more broadly" in the occupied West Bank following a surge in settler attacks and military raids against Palestinians over the weekend. “The instructions we gave were to enter villages, search them, seize weapons and make arrests,” Netanyahu said.
Lindsey Graham's legacy: Relentless warmongering dressed in folksy charm Submitted by Ammiel Alcalay on Thu, 07/16/2026 - 16:10 From the Iraq quagmire to Israel's genocide in Gaza, the late senator never encountered a military intervention he didn't like Senator Lindsey Graham arrives to speak with US President Donald Trump during a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, on 2 March 2020 (Brendan Smialowski/AFP) Off While the ideological and propagandistic projection of American exceptionalism as a force for good in the world has taken some lethal blows lately, this fantasy remains alive and well when US politicians are eulogised, no matter how thin the homespun platitudes get. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who died this month , was generally portrayed as an avuncular figure who “got along with everybody”, as President Donald Trump put it , despite their once-acrimonious relationship. John Thune, the Senate majority leader, said Graham “believed in the might of America to achieve good in the world”.
Settler attacks on Palestinians soar by 63 percent in first half of 2026 Israeli Army Radio has reported a sharp uptick in settler violence against Palestinians in the first six months of 2026. According to the report, 660 attacks were recorded in the first half of this year, compared to 405 in the same period in 2025. It added that this weekend saw "an unusual number of 30 nationalist crime incidents".
US says it will maintain Iran naval blocakade, redirects 12 vessels US Central Command (Centcom) confirmed on Sunday that it will main its naval blockade against Iran, saying it had “redirected 12 commercial vessels trying to run the blockade, disabled 2 that didn’t comply, and boarded 2″. US forces also stopped a ship crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Friday “after the crew attempted to violate the blockade multiple times and ignored repeated warnings”.
Tehran says will halt strikes after Washington pauses attacks Tehran has said it will stop retaliatory attacks on neighbouring Gulf countries following a two-night pause on US strikes targeting Iran. "Our strategy has essentially been retaliatory, we have also halted our retaliatory operations,” Iran’s army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said according to the AFP news agency. The US has not attacked Iran for two consecutive nights, following daily strikes since fighting between the two countries resumed two weeks ago.
Gaza interior ministry confirms two senior officials killed in Deir al-Balah attack We reported earlier that two Palestinians had been killed in an Israeli strike on a vehicle near central Gaza's Deir al-Balah. Gaza's interior ministry has since confirmed that Colonel Wael Musa al-Ladawi (44) and Major Ramez Tawfiq Abu Zureiq (49) were killed when an Israeli air strike targeted their vehicle.
Israeli air strike on vehicle in Deir al-Balah kills two Two Palestinians have been killed and seven others wounded in an Israeli attack on a vehicle south of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, Wafa news agency reports. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said its teams transferred the two fatalities and wounded people to Al-Aqsa Hospital for treatment.
Saudi reconnaissance drone downed, claim Houthis The Houthis said on Sunday that they had downed a Saudi drone over the northwest of Yemen, a day after the group claimed it attacked oil facilities in the Gulf kingdom. The Houthis' military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group "successfully shot down a Turkish-made … armed reconnaissance drone belonging to the Saudi enemy while it was conducting hostile operations".
US says 'it is time to dismantle' ICC after Venezuela announces withdrawal Submitted by MEE staff on Sun, 07/26/2026 - 09:46 Statement comes after Marco Rubio pledged campaign against the court and member states voted to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan Exterior of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on 28 March 2026 (John Thys/AFP) Off The US has welcomed a decision by the new Venezuelan government to withdraw the country from the International Criminal Court (ICC). In a post on X , the US State Department hailed the move as marking a "partnership on American-led efforts to dismantle the corrupt and worthless ICC". It pointed to an investigation by the court into former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, who was abducted from the South American country during a US military assault in January 2026, saying it had produced "no result".
UN expert Albanese says Khan's removal 'lines up neatly with fight to neutralise Netanyahu's warrant’ Submitted by MEE staff on Sun, 07/26/2026 - 07:20 UN special rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese says the ICC’s vote on Karim Khan 'proves that justice does threaten apartheid Israel' Francesca Albanese speaks during a public event hosted by the Olof Palme International Centre in Belgrade on 17 March 2026 (AFP) Off The UN's special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories on Saturday said the removal of International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan cannot be read in isolation from the campaign to overturn the arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Khan's removal lines up neatly with the fight to neutralise Netanyahu's arrest warrant. Coincidence is a luxury intl law can no longer afford," Francesca Albanese wrote on X.
Israeli forces conduct 'major raid' in West Bank's Rafidia, settlers set light to mosques in Tulkarem and Nablus Israeli forces have launched a "major raid" in Rafidia near Nablus, Al Jazeera is reporting. According to the report, troops were also seen in Huwara assaulting a parademic and a civilian. Wafa news agency reports that Israeli forces detained 16 Palestinians, including a woman and several former prisoners, in raids across Tulkarem and Jenin governorates on Sunday.
Two Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza Two Palestinians have been killed and others wounded in Israeli attacks across Gaza this morning, Wafa news agency is reporting, citing medical sources. According to the sources, one of the people had succumbed to injuries sustained in a previous attack. In Gaza City, Israeli shelling targeted the east, while troops fired smoke grenades in the north, and demolished homes in the city's south.
Israeli army orders removal of olive groves in Jenin Israeli military has issued two military orders to uproot vegetation and olive trees and seize Palestinian land in Jenin governorate in the occupied West Bank, Wafa reported. Palestinian security sources told WAFA last night that the first military order calls for the removal of vegetation and olive trees from 32. 941 dunums (8.
Morning recap Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Tehran says talks held between Iranian and Omani deputy foreign ministers over the management of Hormuz have made progress. The statement comes as US Central Command said it disabled two ships and redirected 12 others as it continued to enforce the naval blockade of Iran. Israel, meanwhile, marked houses of Palestinians for demolition after a settler raid in Nablus resulted in the killing of four Palestinians and two soldiers on Friday.
CBS News: Iran-Oman talks on Hormuz make progress Talks between Iran and Oman regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and their respective territorial waterways in that area have seen progress, CBS News reported. Two regional sources, CBS reported, indicated that while things are headed in a positive direction, the diplomacy needs more time to reach a deal. Omani officials had travelled Friday to Tehran for talks, and that diplomatic outreach coincided with President Trump's decision to pause US bombing after 13 consecutive nights of strikes.
Kuwait condemns Houthi attacks in Red Sea Kuwait's foreign ministry has condemned the Houthis' attacks on ships in the Red Sea, describing Saturday's strike on the Saudi vessel NCC MASA as a “flagrant violation of international law” and a direct threat to maritime security and international trade. In a statement, the ministry reaffirmed its “full solidarity” with Saudi Arabia and backed “all measures” taken by the kingdom to protect its sovereignty and security. Houthis had declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia last week and followed the announcement with attacks.
Report: Israel to demolish Palestinian homes as settlers burn two mosques Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya, a spokesperson for the Israeli army, says Israeli forces are raiding the homes of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank “in preparation for their temporary sealing, as a preliminary step preceding their demolition”, according to Al Jazeera The move comes after four Palestinians, who were trying to fend off a settler and Israeli forces’ raid, and two Israeli soldiers were killed on Friday in the village of Tal, southwest of Nablus. The Israeli military, however, said it had dispatched troops to the area following “an attack on Israelis hiking in the area”. Palestinian media, meanwhile, reported that settlers burned a mosque in the village of Kafr Qaddum, south of the city of Tulkarm.
