Saudi Arabia joined US strikes on Iran-backed groups in Iraq on Wednesday, killing at least 20 soldiers as war spread throughout the Middle East
The strikes on targets inside Iraq come as Oman proposed a new regional deal aimed at resolving the conflict over the critical Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flowed before the war
It came after the US military has announced that it intercepted Iran’s latest “surprise attack” following US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu Tuesday
“At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East. All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted”, US Central Command wrote on X
CENTCOM later said the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces aided the US military in a separate military effort Tuesday after “Iran-aligned” terrorists launched more than 30 drone attacks in the last 72 hours
Recap: What officials said after Trump meetings with Netanyahu and Zelensky
US president Donald Trump welcomed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House for separate meetings on Tuesday. Here’s how the conversations went:
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called both meetings “positive and productive”.
- Netanyahu said his conversation with Trump included an “understanding of the common goal of ensuring that Iran does not have nuclear weapons”.
- Zelensky said he and Trump “discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help” in its war with Russia.
Alex Croft29 July 2026 10:05
China holds talks with Houthis to allow tankers to sail through Red Sea
China has held direct talks with Yemen’s Houthi movement to enable its tankers to sail through the southern Red Sea without being attacked after the Iran-aligned militia pledged to prevent access to Saudi ports, six
The Houthis declared their blockade on July 20, opening a new front against the U.S. and its allies in the Iran war and expanding attacks on tankers carrying energy and other supplies to markets beyond the Middle East
Beijing has asked the Houthis directly to promise safe passage for its tankers, according to the
China was among the first countries to contact the Houthis directly about transits through Bab el-Mandeb, the strait at the southern end of the Red Sea with Yemen on its eastern bank, said thethe matter
Daniel Keane29 July 2026 09:35
Ships transiting
Thirty-nine commodity ships passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Tuesday, the highest number since July 19, while five transited on Wednesday, preliminary shipping data showed, with only a few transiting through the Strait of Hormuz
Two of the five ships exiting the Bab el-Mandeb on July 29 were carrying crude oil, including very large crude carrier (VLCC) Sophia and the Aframax tanker Ocean Laureate
Separately, of the 39 ships passing through on July 28, 20 ships entered the strait while 17 exited, according to ship-tracking data from analytics firm Kpler. Among those exiting, three were Aframax tankers carrying crude
The Aisopos and Gustav exited to the Gulf of Aden, each carrying more than 750,000 barrels of oil, while the Karachi is carrying around 430,000 barrels of crude bound for Pakistan
Of the ships that entered, two were tankers carrying petrochemical products
Daniel Keane29 July 2026 09:07
Iraq calls for emergency meeting after airstrikes
Iraqi prime minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi has called an emergency meeting of the national security council today after US and Saudi Arabia launched air strikes this morning
Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces said at least eight members were killed in a joint Saudi-US strike on its sites across Iraq
Saudi Arabia and the US military said this morning that they launched a joint strike targeting Iran-backed militias in Iraq
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 July 2026 07:45
Kuwait condemns attacks on Saudi oil site
Kuwait has condemned an airstrike on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure as “blatant aggression” and a “flagrant violation” of Riyadh’s sovereignty
Kuwait’s foreign ministry said the attack reflected the “insistence on escalating tensions” by Iran-backed groups despite Riyadh’s “sincere efforts” to de-escalate tensions
Saudi Arabia on Monday said it had intercepted a “number of drones” that Iran-backed militias in Iraq had launched at oil facilities
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 July 2026 07:30
Israeli minister says Shia acted as ‘enemies’ in destroyed Lebanon villages
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz claims that in the 24 villages destroyed in Lebanon, “there were Shiites who acted as enemies on behalf of Hezbollah and threatened our borders, our residents, and constantly carried out provocations”
“Not house by house, not incrimination — all these villages, their destruction has been completed,” he said
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 July 2026 07:15
Israeli plan to create ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ for Palestinian prisoners condemned
Human rights groups have condemned Israel’s plans to build a crocodile-filled moat around a prison holding Palestinian detainees as “vicious” and “nonsensical”
Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is seeking to introduce reptiles at Ketziot Prison in southern Israel, a move directly inspired by Alligator Alcatraz, the US immigration detention facility that closed in June
More here
Human rights groups condemn Israeli plan to create own ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
Far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is pushing ahead with plans to build a huge crocodile-filled moat around Ketziot Prison
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 July 2026 07:00
Body of Iranian pilot to be returned after attack on Qatar base, army says
The Iranian army this morning said the body of Su-24 pilot Brigadier General Majid Kazemi would be returned to Tehran within hours
The army confirmed that Kazemi was killed during an attack on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on 2 March and that the aircraft caused “extensive damage” to the base
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 July 2026 06:45
Iran rules out Oman’s proposal for regional joint management of Hormuz
Tehran has ruled out Oman’s proposal for regional joint management of the Strait of Hormuz, saying it has no chance of success, a senior Iranian official told Reuters
The US and Saudi Arabia are trying to pressure Oman to advance their “unrealistic plans” regarding the strategic strait, the official added
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 July 2026 06:30
Iran to get Chinese shoulder-launched missile systems ‘in weeks’
Iran is reportedly expected to receive within weeks a first shipment of up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defence missile launchers
The purchase, valued at $60-70m, is one of Tehran’s largest-known efforts to strengthen its short-range air defences since the outbreak of its war with the US and Israel, which exposed gaps in Iran’s ability to protect military sites and strategic infrastructure
The contract covers the purchase of between 300 and 400 man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), including Chinese-made QW-12 and FN-16 missiles, Reuters reported, citing
The deal was signed with Zhongqing Baoshang International Investment.intermediary between the Iranian side and the Chinese supplier
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 July 2026 06:15
