Iran will use the militias to do whatever is necessary to preserve its role in Iraq, while also aiming to weaken its Kurdish rivals in the country.

South Korea’s security strategy has rested for more than seven decades on a single pillar: its alliance with the United States. That pillar has absorbed one blow after another during Donald Trump’s second term as US president. This week brought a fresh signal that has strained the relationship. In a social media post, Trump criticised joint US-South Korea military exercises, calling them “costly” and saying they send an “inappropriate and hostile” message to a North Korea he described as...

Bahrain says Israeli attack on Syrian air base violates international law Bahrain has condemned Tuesday’s Israeli air strikes on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur airbase as “a flagrant violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity," saying that it is "a clear violation of the rules of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and a threat to the security and stability of the region”. A statement by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “Bahrain’s firm position in s
Former Israeli PM Ehud Barak called Netanyahu's escalation with Türkiye over the Syria airbase strike "reckless and stupid" with "a strong political smell of manufacturing security anxieties ahead of elections." "Türkiye is not Iran or Assad's Syria. There is no strategic problem with Türkiye that cannot be resolved through discreet contacts coordinated with the United States. Netanyahu has completely gone off the rails." Barak argued the issue should be postponed until after elections, sa

US elections: Progressive Democrat scores shock win in Florida 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

Foreign minister says Australia is ‘outraged’ after Israeli government decided not to pursue criminal proceedings over 2024 triple drone strike on humanitarian convoy Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australia’s foreign minister has expressed “outrage” and will call in the Israel ambassador over the IDF decision overnight not to open a criminal investigation into Gaza strikes that killed Australian aid worker Zo
NOW: Massive Russian missile attack on Kyiv overnight with multiple waves of ballistic and hypersonic missiles. Residents describe "endless" explosions among the loudest of the war. At least 15-16 missiles tracked toward Kyiv in the first 20 minutes, including Iskander-M, North Korean KN-23, and 5-8 Zircon hypersonic missiles launched from multiple Russian regions simultaneously. The attack exploits Ukraine's depleted Patriot interceptor stocks.

“You can't do anything. Just stand here and watch.” Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem watched Israeli attacks near his home town.

The Israeli military announced criminal investigations into the killings of six-year-old Hind Rajab.
Rhetoric is one thing. Action is another. The bombing of Syria is not entirely new. Israel carried out thousands of airstrikes before the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.
#Germany Rheinmetall Air Defence and HENSOLDT successfully integrated the Twinvis passive radar into Rheinmetall’s Skymaster command and weapon engagement system during the German Air Force’s Timber Express 2026 exercise, demonstrating NATO-compatible sensor fusion under realistic conditions. Subscribe to @OSINTdefender | 💬 Chat room

The USAF's new EA-37B Compass Call electronic warfare jet was part of a larger NATO package that flew along the doorstep of Russia's strategic military outpost. The post EA-37B Flew Along Kaliningrad Border As Part Of “Specialized” Recon, EW Flight Package appeared first on TWZ.

The Israeli prime minister said that the prior warnings on the issue were not heard "clearly enough"

Reports of dire conditions underscore supply challenges, questions of US plans going forward, experts say.

Foreign affairs minister says timing of decision was ‘especially insulting’. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Good morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you for the final sitting day of the week. The government has expressed outrage after the Israeli Defence Force decided not to open a criminal investigation against those responsible for killing Australian Zomi Frankcom and six others after airstrikes hit a convoy of World Central Kitchen vehicl

UK ‘deeply concerned’ about Israeli strikes on Syrian air base Britain’s special representative for Syria, Barrie Peach, said he was “deeply concerned” about Israeli strikes on the Abu al-Duhur air base, saying the attacks were “leading to the destabilisation of Syria”. “We continue to call on Israel to respect Syrian sovereignty and return to the negotiating table,” Peach said in a post on X, adding that dialogue and diplomacy could secure a more peaceful future for both countries and the regi
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump also claimed that the United States currently has "complete control" of the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil supertankers in Gulf are renting for $500,000 per day: Report MEE staff on Wed, 08/19/2026 - 21:10 A fund that allows investors to bet on crude oil freight rates has surged more than 2,000 percent since the start of year In this picture, obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency and taken on 2 May 2026, the Gambia-flagged tanker Bili is anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran (Amirhossein Khorgooei/ISNA/AFP) Off Supertanker owners are getting paid $510,000 per day

In photos: Aftermath of Israeli strikes on Gaza Displaced Palestinians carry victims away from the site of an Israeli strike in Gaza City on 19 August 2026 (AFP) Palestinian emergency personnel carry a victim away from the site of an Israeli strike in Gaza City on 19 August 2026 (AFP) Israeli air strikes have killed at least 10 Palestinians in Gaza City on 19 August 2026 (AFP)
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee: There will be a deconfliction cell that will be created, and Ambassador Barrack and I talked about this yesterday. We're working on it now so that all of the various parties—Syria, Türkiye, Israel—would be able to have a mechanism through which they can communicate and make sure that any intentions are clearly understood. Nobody wants to see an escalation of the tension, an escalation of violence. So, every effort is being made to try to temper down

Corruption investigators reach the President's Office again in a new wiretap probe.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Türkiye: Now, is Türkiye giving an imminent threat to Israel? Maybe not. Probably not. But this is a tense region. Everybody is quite nervous, and so if anyone sees actions that they feel like could be a threat to them, there are reactions.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Iran: The Iranians have been kicked in the butt twice. You would think that after that they might begin to learn that President Trump is serious when it comes to taking military action when he thinks it's the only option. He has expressed to them that if they're unwilling to give up their nuclear weapons ambitions and their enrichment ambitions and if they're unwilling to open up the Strait of Hormuz, then major combat is on the table. Is that what
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee: I think that Türkiye, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia believe it will be helpful to them to band together for security purposes. So, I don't see it having a destabilizing impact. They don't seem to have a desire to start any conflict.

After more than two years of ordering on Israel's enemies across the Middle East, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing a tough re-election fight, is zeroing in on another perceived villain -- Turkey. On Tuesday, Warplanes bombed a base in northern Syria a short drive from the Turkish border. Netanyahu said Turkey was looking to establish a military presence there and that, after after it ignored Israel's warnings: "We made sure they understood it more clearly."
The call, which the sources said took place on August 14, came days before Israel launched airstrikes on a Syrian military airbase in the north of the country on Tuesday.

US envoy warns Israel's strike could have sparked direct confrontation with Turkish forces.

Officials say all seven people onboard killed, including Telemundo executive and Ecuador intelligence chief Seven people, including five Americans, were killed when a safari helicopter crashed on Wednesday morning in a remote part of northern Kenya, according to local police and the state department. Among the dead were an executive with Telemundo, the US-based Spanish-language network owned by NBC Universal, and the director of Ecuador’s national intelligence service. Continue reading...

The US president said "very draconian sanctions" were being considered
#USA The U.S. Army has awarded ThinKom Solutions up to $49 million to develop the Alecto mobile high-power microwave counter-drone system prototype. This system is designed to effectively engage and defeat drone swarms while on the move, enhancing military capabilities in counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) operations. Subscribe to @OSINTdefender | 💬 Chat room

The country’s small-scale gold mining sector has been booming in recent years, leading to a series of deadly accidents.

UAE-funded mercenary targeted British activist in London, report says MEE staff on Wed, 08/19/2026 - 20:05 UAE allegedly funded an operation to surveil British-Muslim activist Anas al-Tikriti, with a US mercenary reportedly discussing the possibility of killing him, ITV News reports Anas al-Tikriti told ITV News that he felt physically sick after being shown messages and photographs gathered by Abraham Golan (Screengrab/X) Off A mercenary allegedly hired and paid millions of dollars by the U
Sudan is pursuing a dual diplomatic push with a new strategic pact in Riyadh and military talks in Ankara for advanced drones, seeking regional backing and financial support as fighting intensifies in Kordofan and Darfur. https://t.co/78KbmLPisr #Sudan #SaudiArabia #Turkey #RedSea #SAF
Axios: U.S. conducting stealth operation to transport oil through the Strait of Hormuz

Ecuador's intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi and NBCUniversal journalist Jose Suarez are among the dead.

Remains of 11 Palestinians recovered from rubble in Gaza City, report says Gaza’s civil defence recovered the remains of 11 Palestinians killed in earlier Israeli air strikes on the al-Sawafiri house in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood, Al Jazeera reported. Gaza’s civil defence recovered the remains during a three-day operation, Al Jazeera reported. Muhammad Abu Dan, executive supervisor of the recovery unit, said specialised teams have begun searching for more remains at another site in Gaza
Trump on Iran: We have things that we could sanction on Iran. We have very draconian sanctions, and we’ll see what happens.
Trump on Switzerland: I have the absolute right to cut off all business with a country like Switzerland. There’s 60 countries like that. They live off the United States. Why are we paying higher interest rates than them?
Trump on Switzerland: If you take our business away from Switzerland, they have problems. Why are they paying half a point, and we’re paying much more than that?
Trump: I didn’t like the fact that we are doing these massive military exercises against North Korea. We were doing a massive war exercise. I thought it was very insulting to somebody that, frankly, has been very well behaved.
More than 40 people were injured in a Russian attack involving jet-powered drones on Zhytomyr, while two police officers were killed.
Trump on Iran: Right now, the strait is open. A lot of boats are coming through. People aren't reporting that.
Trump on Iran: A lot of pipelines are being built. I think the Hormuz Strait is not going to be quite as important as it was in the past.

Israel admits that it fired on vehicle carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab Israel’s military has for the first time admitted that it opened fire on a vehicle carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab and her family in Gaza City two-and-a-half years ago. The military said it would open a criminal investigation into the killing of nine people on 29 January 2024, including Hind. On that date, the Palestinian girl initially survived an Israeli attack on a vehicle which killed several members of her family.
Trump: If I were the mayor of a town or the governor of the state, and I had the chance to get a big AI plant or a data center in, I would absolutely want it. The jobs are enormous, and the taxes are enormous. If you don’t take it, you are gonna be left behind.

Russia-Ukraine War: Prisoner exchanges and repatriations of soldiers' remains have been among the few areas of cooperation between Russia and Ukraine since Moscow launched its offensive in February 2022.
Trump on AI: It’s gonna create a lot of jobs. It’s gonna create success, tremendous innovation medically. They came up with something having to do with a pretty unstoppable disease, and all of a sudden, they are coming up with answers they never thought were possible.
Ukraine is preparing the next stage of prisoner exchanges, as well as a new package of sanctions.