US elections: Aisha Wahab becomes first Afghan-American in Congress Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 08/21/2026 - 18:19 Wahab will assume the seat of Eric Swalwell, who resigned in April, but she will still compete in the November midterms California State Senator Aisha Wahab speaks to reporters during an election night watch party at Firefighters Local 1909 in Hayward, California on 18 August 2026 (Heather Diehl/Getty Images via AFP) Off The first Afghan-American to take a seat in the US Congress will represent California, following an election which saw a well-financed campaign led by pro-Israel voices to defeat her

Iran president says time to end war while in position of strength Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday it was time to end the months-long war with the United States because Tehran appeared to be in a stronger position than Washington. Talks between the longtime foes remain on hold, and the war started by the US and Israel in February has been locked in a stalemate

Turkey to seek Interpol notice for Netanyahu in Gaza flotilla case Turkey said on Friday it would seek an Interpol red notice for the arrest ofIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of a domestic criminal case linked to an attack on activists seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza

Watch: Netanyahu warns Turkey over presence in Syria Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel would not tolerate a Turkish military presence expanding southwards in Syria, saying it would pose a threat to Israel

According to the report's severity classification, more than four in five households face "critical or catastrophic" living conditions in their current shelter, while nearly two-thirds of households lived in tents or makeshift shelters, structures that are not designed for long-term accommodation. "Ninety-eight per cent of households reported at least one environmental hazard within 10 metres of where they lived, including rodents, stray dogs, solid waste, rubble or sewage," the report said, calling on donors to pressure Israel to allow aid in Nearly everyone in Gaza currently has a desperate need for basic shelter assistance

Opinion: Amid genocide in Gaza, why must Palestinian journalists uphold the illusion of neutrality? On 20 June 2026, the Israeli army killed Al Jazeera Mubasher cameraman Ahmed Wishah in a drone strike, less than two and a half months after the killing of his brother, Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent Mohammed Wishah, who was targeted by the same army on 8 April

Washington's new measures against the ICC have been widely condemned but welcomed by Israel.

Jewish-American activist says Israel barred his re-entry over his work with Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Flights resume at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport after staff strike

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will not tolerate a Turkish military presence in Syria.

After Gaza, can Muslims defend Al-Aqsa Mosque? Submitted by Amina Shareef on Wed, 08/19/2026 - 15:14 Islam's third holiest site has reached a perilous crossroads, as Israel works tirelessly to change the status quo A Palestinian woman offers Friday prayers against the backdrop of the Old City of Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque on 3 April, 2026 (AFP) On Al-Aqsa Mosque is in peril

Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here are the latest developments: US President Donald Trump announced that the US is launching the "MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY".Trump also warned that any country supporting Tehran in any way will face "TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences", but did not make mentions of a specific country or what actions Washington is expected to take. Israel's defence minister said that president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is "dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria," indicating that Ankara risks consequences for its ties with Damascus."Israel will not allow any actor to threaten its security," Israel Katz said in a post on X

Mossad chief called Syria over Turkish army presence before airbase strike: Report Mossad had phone call with Syrias foreign minister on 14 August to discuss Turkeys military presence in Syria, according to Reuters citing several sources. The call, made just days before Israel struck a military airbase in Irbil, isone of the highest-level contacts to date between Tel Aviv and the administration led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa

US elections: Progressive Democrat scores shock win in Florida Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 08/19/2026 - 21:22 Voters delivered a mixed bag for US President Donald Trump's allies in Republican primaries Democratic US Senate candidate, Florida state Representative Angie Nixon, participates in a worship service during a visit to the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, on 17 August 2026, in Hallandale Beach, Florida (Joe Raedle/ Getty Images North America via AFP) Off Voters headed to the polls in three US states on Tuesday for a series of Democratic and Republican primaries. The verdict in Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming testified to a Democratic Party split along establishment lines and progressives critical of US support for Israel and the war on Iran

One vessel, a very large crude carrier (VLCC), the Mongolia Prosperity, operated by South Korean shipowner Sinokor, is set to load crude from an unnamed Persian Gulf port for delivery to East Asia, with the voyage costing $31m, Bloomberg reported. A ceasefire struck in April amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, and extended in June, is all but defunct in the Strait of Hormuz, with each side trying to impose its own blockade

Officials expect the money to fund the governments foreign currency requirements until late December. The figures cover the opening months of 2026, including the period after Israel and the United States launched their joint war on Iran on 28 February.

The answer is that Turkey has become increasingly independent in shaping its own foreign policy in recent years, coming to regard its regional surroundings as a direct sphere of its security interests - spanning Syria , Iraq , Lebanon , Libya , the Eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea, the Caucasus, Russia , Iran and Europe. At the same time, Turkeys role in Syria , alongside Ankaras criticism of Israeli policies, particularly with regards to the war on Gaza , have fuelled increased tensions with Tel Aviv

Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here is a recap of the latest developments: Turkey has denied "frivolous"Israeli allegations that it posed a threat by preparing to send troops to a base in Syria, and said thataccusations stem from Benjamin Netanyahu's intention to pursue his "expansionist and destabilizing policies" in the region ahead of elections

US sanctions International Criminal Court president, trial lawyer in bid to dismantle body Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 08/18/2026 - 20:29 Secretary of State Marco Rubio has previously made it clear he intends to take the court apart 'brick by brick' Japanese Judge Tomoko Akane, president of the International Criminal Court, delivers a speech during a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, on 14 June 2024 (Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP) Off The US announced on Tuesday that it is sanctioning the Japanese president of the International Criminal Court (ICC),Tomoko Akane, as well as the body's Senegalese senior trial lawyer, Abdoulaye Seye. The move is just the latest step in implementing US President Donald Trump's stated mission of dismantling the ICC for investigating Israeli and, potentially, US officials for war crimes

Iranian-American comedian Max Amini sparks backlash over 'species' remarks on Iranian people Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 08/18/2026 - 19:33 Amini told Bill Maher that those fighting the US and Israel are a 'species with no morals', prompting accusations of dehumanisation Max Amini attends the 'Cast Aside The Clouds' Los Angeles premiere at Lumiere Cinema in Beverly Hills, California, on 4 June 2026 (Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Cast Aside The Clouds/AFP) Off Iranian-American comedian Max Amini has drawn criticism online after describing those fighting the US and Israel as a different " species " with "no sense of morals", while arguing that Washington's war is against Iran's government rather than its people

US lawmaker calls for action against settler violence in the West Bank Amid escalating Israeli settler violence, US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called on the Trump administration to pressure Israel intoprotecting Palestinians in theoccupied West Bank

Erdogan urges Trump to continue talks with Iran, offers support Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan held a call with US President Donald Trump to urge the US to continue talks with Iran and de-escalate tensions, offering Ankara's support in peace efforts, according to the Turkish presidency. In a statement, the presidency said Erdogan and Trump also discussed the war in Gaza, a defence pact signed between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, and bilateral ties, adding that Erdogan told Trump that Israel's attacks on Palestinians in Gaza had increased during the second phase of Trump's peace plan

Israel can 'finish the job properly' in Gaza if Hamas does not disarm, Kushner says US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and Gaza envoy Jared Kushner said on Monday that he had a "very cordial" meeting with Hamas and that getting the group to disarm and move forward with Trump's peace plan could materialise in about a month

The investigation also documented the network of Emirati airstrips, naval bases, and military facilities instrumental to mercenary deployment and the illicit gold trade in Sudan, alongside evidence gathered by UN experts, flight-tracking specialists and human rights organisations concerning arms-trafficking networks sustaining the counterrevolutionary war. 'Agility vs depth': How the Mecca pact stacks up against the UAE-Israel alliance Read More On the commercial side, the UAE has expanded throughout Africa with groups like DP World and Abu Dhabi Ports, securing port concessions and logistics infrastructure across the continent

The threat comes as Iran and Oman say they have reached an understanding on a maritime transit route through the Strait of Hormuz and are working to finalise details for a joint statement. Iran and Oman continued talks on Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said, adding that there had been security complications caused by US and Israeli military actions

Jared Kushner to meet Netanyahu next, after Israel rejected Trump's 15-point Gaza roadmap.

Greene's relationship with Trump collapsed after she pressed for the release of files connected to Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted pedophile and financier whose social circle included Trump and other powerful figures. Greene accused Washington of launching the war on the back of warnings repeatedly promoted by Israel about Irans nuclear programme

He called the strikes a dangerous escalation and said they posed a direct threat to the security and stability of Iraq's Kurdish region. The semiautonomous region has faced missile and drone attacks since the US-Israel war on Iran began in February.

Khalil protested Israel as a student at Columbia

Kushner to meet Netanyahu after talks with Hamas leaders US envoy Jared Kushner is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after holding talks with Hamas leaders in Egypt, as Washington seeks to revive a Gaza peace plan endorsed by Hamas but rejected by Israel

Burnham apologised for Gaza. He has 100 days to prove he meant it Submitted by Ismail Patel on Fri, 08/14/2026 - 15:51 The new British prime minister must ban settlement trade, halt Israeli arms deals and end the Palestine Action crackdown British Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks during a television interview in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, on 11 August 2026 (Toby Shepheard/AFP) On An apology is not a policy

A total of five commodity vessels transited the strait on Saturday, with none recorded for Sunday, in comparison to 31 vessels transiting last weekend. A senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned Iran's enemies to "anticipate strategic surprises" as he said Tehran is set to shift from a defensive stance to an offensive one."Whatever is necessary to defend this land, ensure securityand neutralise enemy threats will be executed at the appropriate time," he added The Israeli army is planning for a possible escalation in Lebanon that would last for a number of days, according to Israel's Channel 12