The National (UAE)

The Lebanese Army returned to its main post in Deir Mimas after an Israeli force withdrew following a tense standoff, while Saudi Aramco halted October crude shipments to European refiners after an attack on its East-West pipeline. Iranians staged the largest pro-regime rally since the war began, and a UN agency estimated the Hormuz blockade has cost Arab nations $150 billion.

Iran's nuclear chief was barred from the IAEA General Conference in Vienna after Austria revoked his visa, drawing protests from Tehran and a US statement opposing his attendance. Israeli strikes continued across southern Lebanon, where Prime Minister Netanyahu pledged to keep destroying Hezbollah infrastructure, and the IDF chief ordered legal action over the NAZA film. Protests spread across Syria over fuel price hikes, while Houthi forces seized additional Red Sea islands.

An Iranian commercial vessel was struck near the Strait of Hormuz, killing one crew member, as Houthi forces claimed missile and drone attacks on a Saudi military base in Sharurah. Israel carried out airstrikes and artillery fire across southern Lebanon, while Iraq seized a drone-launching platform linked to the earlier Saudi pipeline attack.

BRICS leaders adopted a joint declaration urging maximum restraint in the Middle East and backing a Gaza ceasefire and two-state solution, while Iran-backed Iraqi militias denied responsibility for the attack that shut Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun visited Nabatieh and said no new negotiations with Israel are underway, as explosions continued in southern Lebanon.

Saudi Arabia shut its East-West oil pipeline after drones launched from Iraq struck the system, with Baghdad firing a military commander and ordering an investigation. The Houthis completed their seizure of Yemen's Red Sea coast, capturing Perim Island and halving ship traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Israel-Lebanon talks scheduled for Rome next week were postponed to October, with ambassadors to meet in Washington instead. US officials linked Chinese satellite imagery to Iran's July attack on a US base in Jordan that killed three American troops.

Saudi Arabia shut its East-West oil pipeline after drones launched from Iraq struck the system, with Baghdad ordering an investigation. The Houthis continued their advance along Yemen's Red Sea coast, seizing Perim Island and consolidating control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, while the UN reported 46,000 displaced. Israel pressed demolitions and airstrikes across southern Lebanon after destroying a major Hezbollah underground complex.

Houthi forces captured the Red Sea port city of Mocha, tightening their grip on the Bab al-Mandab Strait as oil prices surged to $105 per barrel. Iran's IRGC claimed destruction of a US unmanned vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, while the IAEA reported construction activity at Iran's fortified Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site. Israeli strikes killed a family of four in Beit Lahia, Gaza, and the IDF prepared to demolish a major Hezbollah tunnel system beneath the Ali Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the dismantling of unauthorized West Bank outposts amid US pressure, while Iran's parliament speaker warned of a 'faster, heavier, more painful' response to US attacks. Israeli strikes killed at least four in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah drones targeted troops, and the IDF launched a surprise General Staff exercise testing readiness for an Oct. 7-style assault.

An Israeli airstrike killed Gaza police chief Jamal Abu Kamil in Gaza City, the second strike in a day after a weeklong lull, while the settler siege of Qusra entered a fourth day with the UN human rights office calling it a new low. Iran's military rejected US claims of normal Hormuz transit, asserting no ship can pass without its authorization, as an oil spill from a tanker attacked near Qeshm Island reached Oman's coast.

Lebanon’s parliament voted to abolish the death penalty, becoming the first Arab state to do so. A Syrian court sentenced ousted President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for war crimes. Iran denied rumors about Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s health. Israeli artillery struck southern Lebanon, and the IDF reported targeting a Hamas sniper in Gaza. Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen said Israeli spies toured Iran’s Fordow nuclear site many times.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally rejected the US-backed Board of Peace 15-point Gaza plan, vowing no IDF withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed. Iran ruled out resuming direct talks with the US, citing breaches of the Islamabad MoU, while Houthi forces claimed a drone attack on Saudi Aramco’s Jizan refinery. In southern Lebanon, the IDF demolished a Hezbollah tunnel shaft and uncovered weapons caches, and Israeli forces advanced into Daraa and Quneitra countryside in Syria.

Mossad chief Roman Gofman dismissed the heads of the Intelligence Directorate and Iran Division after a failed plan to topple Iran’s regime. Iran and Oman are finalizing a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though Iran is demanding sanctions relief in exchange for toll-free transit. Two IDF reservists were killed and four wounded by an IED in southern Lebanon, prompting Israeli strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure. In the West Bank, a settler was indicted for the killing of Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen, and settlers attacked a community in Masafer Yatta, burning homes.

The US completed a 10th consecutive night of strikes on Iran as the IRGC claimed attacks on US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. The Houthis threatened a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia, while Hamas elected Khalil al-Hayya as its new political chief. Israel and Lebanon began a pilot zone framework in southern Lebanon, and Qatar formally condemned Iranian strikes on its territory.

The US launched a ninth consecutive night of strikes on Iran, targeting military command centers and air defense sites, while the IRGC claimed ballistic missile strikes on US military aircraft in Jordan and renewed missile attacks on Bahrain. The IRGC also asserted that two oil tankers exploded in the Strait of Hormuz, which it described as an unsafe route. A third US service member was confirmed killed in Iraq during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone, and unidentified remains were found at the site of an earlier Iranian strike in Jordan. Secretary of State Rubio signaled that the US remains open to a diplomatic solution.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said a US-Iran memorandum of understanding will not be signed on Sunday, contradicting Pakistani and US signals that a deal was imminent. Hezbollah announced a “new phase” of operations to liberate all of south Lebanon, and the IDF struck over 70 Hezbollah sites in the past day. CENTCOM intercepted Iranian drones targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States launched a second consecutive night of airstrikes on Iranian air defense, surveillance, and communication targets, while Iran announced the full closure of the Strait of Hormuz and retaliated with missile and drone strikes on US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. President Trump threatened further attacks if Iran does not agree to a deal, as the IDF reported a suspicious aerial target near Misgav Am and strikes in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley.

A seven-month-old Palestinian baby was killed and his parents wounded when IDF troops fired on their vehicle in Hebron. Hezbollah rejected the US-brokered ceasefire, launching rockets and surface-to-air missiles at northern Israel, while the IDF killed two Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon. France opened a war crimes probe into Israel's treatment of flotilla activists, and Ireland banned Israeli ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir.

Iran launched ballistic missiles and drones at Kuwait and Bahrain, killing one and wounding 63 at Kuwait’s airport, while the US struck Iran’s Qeshm Island in self-defense. President Trump confirmed calling Netanyahu ‘f***ing crazy’ over Lebanon fighting. Hezbollah continued rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel, and the IDF struck targets in southern Lebanon, killing a Lebanese soldier. The fourth round of Israel-Lebanon talks continued in Washington.

Iran launched ballistic missiles and drones at Kuwait and Bahrain, striking Kuwait’s international airport and wounding several people, while the US conducted self-defense strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island. US and partner forces intercepted multiple projectiles, and the IRGC claimed retaliatory strikes on US bases in Kuwait. Hezbollah carried out 13 attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, wounding four soldiers, as Israel-Lebanon talks continued in Washington. The IAEA confirmed a drone attack on the UAE’s Barakah nuclear plant, calling it of “extreme gravity.”

Clashes continued in southern Lebanon despite a US-brokered partial ceasefire, with Hezbollah launching rocket and drone attacks and the IDF striking targets in the south. The fourth round of Israel-Lebanon talks began in Washington, while Israel’s defense minister threatened to treat Beirut’s Dahiya suburb like northern Israeli towns. The IDF acknowledged inadvertently damaging a hospital in Tyre. In Gaza, the IDF killed five operatives planning imminent attacks. Iran’s leadership deliberated a US peace deal, and Netanyahu vowed the Iranian regime would fall.

Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered IDF strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut's southern suburbs after a day of rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel, including a deadly drone strike that killed an IDF soldier near Beaufort Castle. Iran suspended indirect talks with the US, conditioning their resumption on a ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza, while the US and Iran exchanged military strikes in the Gulf. The IDF withdrew its 146th Division from southern Lebanon after three months of operations, leaving two divisions in place.

Hezbollah launched coordinated quadcopter strikes on Israeli Iron Dome platforms in the western Galilee, while the IDF struck Hezbollah sites in Beqaa and Tyre overnight. The US and Iran are reportedly close to a 60-day ceasefire extension, with Pakistan’s army chief mediating in Tehran. France banned Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over his treatment of Gaza flotilla activists, and an IRGC-linked operative was extradited to the US for plotting to assassinate Ivanka Trump.

Hezbollah drone attacks wounded 10 Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, including a brigade commander and a combat photographer, as the Knesset overwhelmingly advanced a bill to dissolve parliament. Iran confirmed it is reviewing a US proposal delivered via Pakistan, while President Trump said talks are in 'final stages' and warned of renewed strikes if no deal is reached. The US lifted sanctions on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, and settler violence flared in the West Bank.

An IDF brigade commander was severely wounded and a reservist killed in a Hezbollah drone attack on artillery bunkers in southern Lebanon. The Knesset advanced a bill to dissolve parliament, moving Israel closer to early elections. The IRGC threatened to expand the war beyond the region if the US resumes strikes on Iran, while international outcry grew over a video showing Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir taunting detained Gaza flotilla activists.

President Trump postponed a planned military strike on Iran for the second time in 36 hours, citing Gulf mediation and 'serious negotiations,' while Brent crude held above $110. Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich announced the ICC prosecutor had secretly requested his arrest warrant and retaliated by ordering the demolition of a West Bank Bedouin village. Hezbollah explosive drones struck Israeli territory near the Lebanon border, lightly wounding two, as the IDF struck over 25 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Iran warned it would open 'new fronts' if attacked again, and air defenses activated over multiple Iranian cities.

Iran submitted a new 14-point proposal via Pakistan, which a senior US official dismissed as containing only 'cosmetic improvements.' The IDF killed a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander in Baalbek, Lebanon, and intercepted a Gaza-bound flotilla off Cyprus. Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, triggering sirens in northern Israel.

President Trump declared the US will “finish the job” against Iran “peacefully or otherwise,” as Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at IDF troops in southern Lebanon. Reports reveal Saudi Arabia conducted covert retaliatory strikes on Iran in late March, while Iran sets five preconditions for resuming nuclear talks with Washington.

US President Donald Trump is seriously considering resuming major combat operations against Iran, frustrated by stalled negotiations and Tehran’s continued uranium enrichment. In Lebanon, the IDF completed a weeklong raid north of the Litani River, while Hezbollah launched multiple drone and glider attacks on Israeli forces. Kuwait announced it had stopped an armed IRGC team from infiltrating Bubiyan Island. The Knesset passed a law establishing a special tribunal with death penalty powers for October 7 detainees. Israel confirmed it sent Iron Dome batteries to the UAE.

The US is awaiting Iran’s response to a ceasefire proposal while Hezbollah drone and rocket attacks wounded three Israeli soldiers in the north. IDF strikes in southern Lebanon killed at least four, and US naval aircraft disabled two Iranian tankers in the Gulf of Oman. President Trump announced a three-day Russia-Ukraine ceasefire, and ASEAN leaders adopted measures to mitigate the economic impact of the Iran war.

US and Iranian forces exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz late Thursday, with the US striking Qeshm port and Bandar Abbas after Iran attacked US Navy destroyers. President Trump called the US strikes a 'love tap' and insisted the ceasefire remains in effect, while Iran accused the US of violating the truce. Hezbollah launched rockets and explosive drones at northern Israel, wounding three soldiers, and the IDF struck a Hezbollah rocket launcher in southern Lebanon.

President Trump threatened Iran to 'get smart soon' and is reportedly preparing for an extended naval blockade, while Hezbollah launched rockets at the Galilee and claimed drone strikes on IDF tanks in Qantara. The IDF killed a senior Hamas intelligence operative in Gaza, and the UAE's OPEC exit continued to reshape energy markets.