At least 11 people were killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday, among the deadliest since a June ceasefire. Meanwhile, Qatar denied holding Iranian pilots. It said it had found the remains of one pilot after an airspace violation and had contacted Iran to coordinate a handover.
A 60-day memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran aimed at ending their conflict is set to expire on Monday, 17 August, with no agreement yet on a longer-term settlement.
The June deal was intended to provide a window for negotiations on issues including sanctions, Iran’s nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. It quickly unravelled, however, with Washington and Tehran accusing each other of violating its terms.
Iran has denied reports that the two sides agreed to extend the 60-day deadline and says Washington must first return to the terms of the interim agreement. The two sides remain deadlocked over the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions and the U.S. blockade of Iranian shipping.
The deadline expires as hostilities continue and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely restricted.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he was “very happy” to see Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan sign the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, welcoming the new regional security pact.
The Israeli military is preparing for the possibility of several days of intensified fighting in Lebanon and is planning further strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Sunday, citing unnamed military sources.
The broadcaster also claimed that dozens of Hezbollah members were trapped underground in the Jabal Ali al-Taher area of southern Lebanon. The claim has not been independently verified.
Channel 12 reported that Israel’s political leadership had recently held back approval for some military operations proposed by the army to avoid disrupting ongoing U.S.-mediated negotiations with Lebanon.
Tensions have risen following deadly Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday and an explosive drone attack that Israel attributed to Hezbollah, which seriously wounded three Israeli soldiers.
Former U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene claimed on Sunday that high-level strategy meetings were underway to discuss the potential use of nuclear weapons against Iran.
“I’m not speculating, I know,” Greene wrote on X, but provided no evidence to support the allegation. She warned that any nuclear escalation could have catastrophic global consequences.
Greene also accused the Trump administration of lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons and disregarding intelligence assessments on Iran’s nuclear programme.
The White House has not commented on the allegation, which has not been independently verified.
Hamas said on Sunday that it had reaffirmed its acceptance of the roadmap for the second phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan during talks with mediators and ceasefire guarantors in Cairo.
The group accused Israel of failing to implement its obligations under the first phase of the ceasefire and of escalating military operations in Gaza.
Hamas called on mediators and the Board of Peace to pressure Israel to halt what it described as ceasefire violations, accept the second-phase roadmap and agree on a timetable for its implementation.
The statement comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts in Cairo, where Trump adviser Jared Kushner has held talks with Hamas officials and regional mediators over the plan.
The Yemeni army said on Sunday that it struck Houthi gatherings and reinforcements in the southwestern province of Taiz, killing and wounding several fighters.
The Taiz Military Axis said government forces shelled Houthi positions on the city’s northern front but did not provide a casualty figure. The Houthis have not commented on the claim.
The fighting comes hours after government-aligned National Resistance Forces accused the Houthis of launching fresh ballistic missile and drone attacks on Mokha, also in Taiz province.
Clashes have intensified across several parts of Yemen in recent weeks, including Marib, Al-Jawf, Al-Dhalea and Taiz.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has promised to push for former Gaza captive Rom Braslavski to personally take part in executions of Palestinian prisoners sentenced to death under Israel’s recently enacted legislation.
During an interview on Braslavski’s podcast, the former captive told Ben-Gvir he wanted to personally execute prisoners, saying: “With my own hands, I will execute every terrorist in the State of Israel.”
Ben-Gvir responded that he would “do everything” he could to make it happen, adding that he would “turn the world upside down until it happens”.
Israel’s parliament passed legislation in March mandating the death penalty in certain cases involving killings deemed by a military court to constitute terrorism.
One Palestinian was killed and several others injured in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to medical sources.
A drone strike on a tent sheltering displaced people near Al-Aqsa University in the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis killed one person and injured six others, the sources said.
Several Palestinians were also reportedly injured in a strike on a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp, while a child was wounded by gunfire from a quadcopter drone east of Bureij.
The attacks come as mediators continue talks aimed at advancing implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper described his recent visit to the USS Abraham Lincoln as “awe-inspiring”, praising the sailors and Marines aboard the aircraft carrier amid its extended Middle East deployment.
Cooper said he wished every American could see the crew in action, adding that they should take “immense, justified pride” in what they had accomplished. He said the deployment would be remembered as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era.
The comments come as the Lincoln prepares to return home after more than 250 days deployed, amid scrutiny over conditions and crew welfare aboard the carrier.
Five Arab countries, together with Türkiye, Pakistan and Indonesia, condemned Israel’s rejection of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan on Sunday.
The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, alongside Türkiye, Pakistan and Indonesia, said Israel’s position threatened efforts to end the conflict and implement the U.S.-backed roadmap.
A senior Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya met Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad in Cairo on Sunday for talks on implementing the Gaza ceasefire and U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for the enclave.
Hamas said it reaffirmed its commitment to the plan and discussed efforts to begin Gaza’s reconstruction, while accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire and rejecting elements of the roadmap.
Trump adviser Jared Kushner also met senior Hamas figures in Cairo as part of the diplomatic push, according to Egyptian media.
Kushner separately held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in New Alamein, where Sisi called on all parties to fulfil their obligations under the Gaza agreement and stressed the need to address wider regional crises.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met U.S. envoy Jared Kushner in El Alamein on Sunday for talks on implementing the Gaza ceasefire and advancing President Donald Trump’s peace plan. The meeting stressed the need for all parties to fulfil their obligations under the ceasefire agreement.
A Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya is also in Egypt for talks. A meeting involving Hamas negotiators, U.S. officials and Board of Peace representative Nickolay Mladenov is being arranged to discuss obstacles to the plan, including Israeli withdrawal, security arrangements and Gaza’s post-war governance.
The diplomatic push comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected key elements of the U.S. proposal, including withdrawing Israeli forces before Hamas is fully disarmed.
Iran’s Army Commander-in-Chief Amir Hatami said on Sunday that any Iranian who kills or captures and hands over what he described as an “aggressor” U.S. service member would receive a reward equivalent to $30,000.
Hatami said the scheme was backed by public contributions and added that Iranian women who carry out such an act would receive double the reward. He did not specify where or under what circumstances the offer would apply.
The announcement comes amid continued hostilities between Tehran and Washington and heightened tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. 5th Fleet has denied reports that female service members aboard the USS Boxer are facing shortages of essential hygiene products, calling the claims “false”.
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said the vessel remains well stocked with feminine hygiene products available through its ship store and medical facilities. It added that the Boxer had made four port visits since leaving San Diego in March and received two major mail deliveries in August.
The denial follows reports citing a sailor’s family member who claimed women aboard the ship were rationing supplies and that care packages had not reached the vessel.
The USS Boxer has been operating in the Middle East since late June in support of U.S. military operations in the region. The Navy said the vessel remains “fully equipped and prepared” for its missions.
Iran has called on Qatar to allow a military fact-finding team into the country to investigate the fate of three Iranian pilots who have been missing since their aircraft were shot down in March, according to state news agency IRNA.
Mohammad Bagherzadeh, who heads Iran’s Committee for the Search for Missing Persons, said the team had been waiting for months for permission to conduct investigations in Qatar. He also urged the International Committee of the Red Cross to follow up on the case.
Qatar said on Saturday that it was not holding the three pilots, rejecting Tehran’s claims. Doha said the aircraft had violated its airspace and failed to respond to attempts to contact them, adding that search teams later recovered the remains of one pilot.
Iran says the fate of the other three remains unknown.
Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense issued an alert on Sunday warning of a potential danger in Jazan province, according to a post on X before saying the danger has passed.
Authorities did not immediately provide further details on the nature of the potential threat.
The Yemeni army said it launched 181 military operations in the past 24 hours against Houthi positions and targets in several governorates, killing and injuring dozens of the group's members.
The attacks destroyed "dozens of military equipment, vehicles, and weapons depots” belonging to the Houthi group, military spokesman Colonel Majid Abdullah al-Nuzaili said on X.
Nuzaili said the attacks targeted military sites and sources of Houthi fire in Taiz, Marib, Abyan, Al-Dhalea, and Al-Hudaydah.
The group's Al-Masirah television said funerals were held for three officers in the northwestern Hajjah province and one in Ibb, south of Sanaa.
The group did not provide further details about the circumstances of their deaths.
On Thursday, the government-run Saba news agency reported that the Houthi group had buried 57 members killed over the previous 10 days.
The Strait of Hormuz remains heavily disrupted, with live tracking showing vessels concentrated around the waterway but far fewer ships actually transiting it than before the war.
Iran says no vessel can pass without its permission, while the U.S. says it is enforcing a naval blockade of Iranian shipping and has pledged to maintain it.
Reuters says traffic has fallen from more than 130 vessels a day before the war to only a handful recently, severely affecting a route that previously carried around a fifth of global oil and LNG shipments.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed further attacks as Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 11 people and wounded 19, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
“No account in any arena will remain open. We will strike with full force at those who harm our soldiers and our citizens,” Katz said on X.
Iran’s parliament will hold a virtual session Sunday to review bills on foreign influence, international crimes and a “Smart Management Plan” for the Strait of Hormuz, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reports.
The session follows Iran-Oman talks on a new shipping route map for the strategic waterway.
In a post on X, Iranian MP Ebrahim Azizi mocked Donald Trump over his claims about the Strait of Hormuz, telling the U.S. president to worry about his own security “before he ends up hiding in a food truck”.
Trump recently said he would declare the strategic waterway U.S. territory after defeating Iran.
Iran’s military missing persons chief has called on Qatar to allow an Iranian Air Force fact-finding team into the country, Tasnim reported.
In a post on X, the Israeli military says it has killed Abu Hassan Alaa, a senior Hezbollah commander in its “Badder Unit”, in southern Lebanon, accusing him of advancing attacks on Israeli troops, including explosive drone strikes.
Hours earlier, Israel said it killed Ali Samir al-Haj Hassan in Ansar, where at least seven people were killed.
The military said both strikes were in response to Hezbollah actions in the “Security Zone”.
The Arab League has strongly condemned Israel’s attacks on southern Lebanon, calling them a “blatant violation” of Lebanon’s sovereignty and warning they could derail efforts to resolve the conflict.
Yemen’s Marib governorate has accused the Iran-aligned Houthis of launching a sixth ballistic missile at the Red Sea port of Mokha, killing at least four civilians on Friday.
Authorities on X said on Sunday the “ongoing assault threatens the lives of civilians, displaced persons’ camps, and residential neighbourhoods”.
The port has suspended commercial and maritime operations after being hit by more than 25 missiles in Houthi attacks over recent days, the port's director said on Saturday.
Officials released images showing a crater and damaged vehicle as fears grow of a return to large-scale war.
At least 11 people, including three children and two women, were killed in Israeli strikes on the southern Lebanese villages of Ansar and Deir El Zahrani on Saturday (15 August), Lebanon’s health ministry said.
Israel said it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure after attacks on its soldiers, while Hezbollah vowed the strikes would be met with retaliation.
The escalation comes as negotiations continue over a U.S.-mediated peace framework that would require Hezbollah to disarm and Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
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Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, according to the governor of the Krasnodar region. Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks.
A TV channel was struck during a live broadcast on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least three people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly launched two ballistic missile attacks against a U.S. Navy warship over the past two days.
Wildfires have broken out in Türkiye’s Antalya province, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate as strong winds fuelled the flames.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday they attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, calling the strikes a response to a U.S. attack on five Iranian tankers.
Saudi Arabia is now facing pressure from both ends of the Arabian Peninsula. While the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz is disrupting Gulf shipping and energy flows, fighting has intensified in western Yemen, bringing the Houthis back into direct confrontation with the kingdom.
Iran has warned it will retaliate against any future U.S. attacks, saying American energy interests and infrastructure across the Gulf could become targets in a further escalation of the conflict.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that the United States must recognise that the “rules of the game” in its war against Iran had changed “before it is too late”, a day after Washington struck several Iranian tankers in the Gulf.
An Iranian tanker was hit by U.S. forces on Saturday near Iran's key oil export hub, Kharg Island, in the Gulf, the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, according to three senior Iranian sources. Washington is escalating pressure in hopes of securing concessions in future negotiations.
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