Turkey rejects Israeli claims on Syria
Turkey rejected on Wednesday Israeli allegations that it posed a threat by preparing to send troops to a base in Syria, which was hit in a strike that the United States blamed on Israel.
"The frivolous allegations put forward by the Israeli Prime Minister's office aim to legitimize Israel's unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Turkey's Communications Directorate said in a statement quoted by the Anadolu state news agency.
Iraq approves three-month mechanism to export crude via local, international firms
Iraq's cabinet approved mechanisms for exporting Iraqi crude through specialised international and local companies and via multiple export outlets, the government said on Tuesday.
The contracts under the new mechanism will run for three months starting September 1, according to a statement issued after the cabinet meeting.
Iraq is seeking to diversify its oil export channels and maintain flexibility in marketing its crude amid the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted regional oil flows and created uncertainty around shipping routes.
Trump threatened to bomb Oman because he's unhappy with country's deal with Iran, officials say
US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman because he is unhappy the country is close to a deal with Iran to manage ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, two regional officials said on Tuesday, a day after Trump leveled the threat.
The officials said the Trump administration has told Oman it is opposed to parts of the yet-to-be-announced deal, including the joint Iranian and Omani management of the exit route out of the passage that’s critical to global supplies of oil and natural gas. The officials were briefed on the US position and how the administration views Oman's position.
Israel, after base strike, says Syria acceptance of Turkish troops posed 'threat'
Israel accused Syria of violating an agreement by accepting Turkish troops on a base in its northwest, which was bombed Tuesday in an attack the United States criticised and blamed on Israel.
"Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
"Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel's security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings," said the statement, which stopped short of acknowledging Israeli responsibility.
Iran denies firing missiles at UAE on Tuesday
Iran denied launching missiles towards the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday after Abu Dhabi accused Tehran of firing two ballistic missiles at shipping in the Gulf.
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei "categorically rejected the United Arab Emirates' claim that Iran had launched a missile toward that country", calling it harmful to regional trust and security efforts.
UAE says all trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran halted until further notice
The United Arab Emirates has suspended all trade activities, exchanges and financial transactions with
Iran until further notice, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, citing regional escalation that it said undermined regional and international peace and security.
France to expel two Iranian diplomats, foreign minister says
France will expel two Iranian diplomats in the coming days, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday in a post on X.
Barrot's comments came one day after the Iranian ministry said two French embassy employees, who were involved in July in a diplomatic dispute in Tehran, would not be allowed to return to Iran.
Last month, the French ministry had said the French embassy staff had been detained and physically intimidated by Iranian security services in Tehran.
UKMTO says vessel struck by unknown projectiles off Yemen's Mocha
A cargo vessel was struck by multiple unknown projectiles 40 nautical miles southeast of Yemen's Mocha on Monday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Tuesday.
The vessel, which was unmanned at the time of the incident, suffered "complete constructive loss," the UKMTO said.
UAE defence ministry says Iran fired 2 ballistic missiles at territory
The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday accused Iran of firing two ballistic missiles at its territory, marking the first time the defence ministry detected a barrage aimed at the country in months.
"UAE air defenses detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran toward the country, with the first falling outside the country's territorial waters, while the second fell within the territorial waters," said a statement posted by the defence ministry on X.
The statement came nearly two hours after a brief phone alert warned UAE residents of a "potential missile threat".
"Due to the current situation, potential missile threats, immediately seek a safe place in the closest secure building," the interior ministry said in the phone alert, which was lifted shortly after.
It was the first such alert since a false alarm in June and an alert in July for an attack that ultimately did not enter UAE territory. Before that, the last missile warning came in early May.
UAE says seek shelter, warns of 'potential missile threats'
The United Arab Emirates issued a brief phone alert for "potential missile threats" on Tuesday with the ministry of defence confirming it had detected missiles "directed towards the country" for the first time in months.
"Due to the current situation, potential missile threats, immediately seek a safe place in the closest secure building," the interior ministry said in the phone alert, which was lifted shortly after.
It was the first such alert since a false alarm in June and an alert in July for an attack that ultimately did not enter UAE territory. Before that, the last missile warning came in early May.
The Emirati defence ministry said it had "detected a missile threat directed towards the country".
Six killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza city port, health officials say
Gaza health officials said Tuesday that an Israeli airstrike killed six people in the port of Gaza City and wounded a dozen more, while the Israeli army said it had targeted several Hamas commanders.
Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesperson for Gaza's civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas authority, told AFP, that at least six were killed, "including a child, and a large number were wounded, as a result of an Israeli raid on tents of displaced people in Gaza port."
The Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City said it had received five bodies and 13 injured, one of whom died later in the evening.
Eyewitness Mohammed Alghoul told AFP: "Israeli warplanes fired two missiles at the 'Sweet and Bitter' cafe on the fishermen's port west of Gaza City."
The Israeli army said it carried out a "precise aerial strike" against "several Hamas commanders" who "planned to carry out terror attacks against IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip" and that "steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians."
According to Israeli media reports, the Israeli army has curbed its operations in the Gaza Strip in recent days under US pressure, and has only been carrying out strikes to remove imminent threats to its troops, or to eliminate those who participated in the October 7, 2023 attack against Israel that sparked the Gaza war.
The strike came one day after White House envoy Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who reiterated his position that a withdrawal of the Israeli army would only take place after Hamas is fully disarmed.
A boy walks carrying a table on his back past salvage workers scrapping the rubble of a building that was destroyed during Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, to use the recycled remains in the future, in Gaza City on August 16, 2026. Photo: Omar al-Qattaa, AFP
Turkey denounces Israeli attack on Syrian base, calls for international response
Turkey on Tuesday strongly condemned Israeli air strikes on the Abu al-Duhur air base in northwestern Syria, and called on the international community to ensure Israel is held accountable for actions which it said violated international laws.
"We call on the international community to take a more decisive stance to end Israel's escalating aggression against Syria," the ministry said in a statement.
UN must keep peacekeepers in Lebanon, HRW says
Human Rights Watch has called on the United Nations to keep an international force in Lebanon after its peacekeepers' mandate ends this year.
The peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, has roughly 7,500 personnel from nearly 50 countries, and has been in place since 1978.
Its presence has not prevented repeated outbreaks of conflict. Southern Lebanon has seen successive wars between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.
In August last year, however, the UN Security Council, under US pressure, decided to end UNIFIL's mandate on December 31, 2026.
"Pulling the plug on UNIFIL without a robust international force in place would effectively abandon millions of Lebanese civilians to an uncertain and potentially disastrous fate," said Louis Charbonneau, HRW's UN director.
"The peacekeepers are a crucial deterrent against attacks on civilians and human rights abuses," he added.
HRW urged the UN to extend the peacekeeping force's mandate "until the security situation has improved sufficiently to consider further reducing the force".
No talks taking place with Iran and none are scheduled, Trump says
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said there were no conversations taking place with Iran, and none were scheduled, adding that the Strait of Hormuz was open.
"There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
United Arab Emirates president and Trump in call to discuss Mideast situation, state media reports
Agreement on Strait of Hormuz would pave way for more US-Iran talks, Qatari spokesman says
US says Israel behind Syria strikes, slams 'unnecessary escalation'
US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said Israel was behind strikes on a disused air base in the country's northwest on Tuesday, slamming what he called an "unnecessary escalation".
"The confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability," he wrote in a post on X, adding "we encourage all parties to prioritise logical discourse over further military incidents".
US Syria envoy says Israeli strikes on Syrian base an 'unnecessary escalation'
The US special presidential envoy for Syria and Iraq said on Tuesday that Israeli air strikes
on the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in northwestern Syria constitute an "unnecessary escalation" that does not advance regional stability.
In a statement on X, Ambassador Tom Barrack said the United States was deeply concerned concerned by the attacks, and added that Washington was encouraging all parties to prioritise "logical discourse" over further military incidents.
Syria foreign ministry condemns 'unjustified' Israeli attack on airfield
Syria state media says 3 dead in blast at coastal power plant
Syrian state media said three people were killed on Tuesday in an explosion of unknown origin at a power plant on the country's Mediterranean coast.
News agency SANA reported "an explosion in the thermal power plant in Banias", with the cause under investigation. It cited a regional health official as saying the blast resulted in three deaths.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
