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Hamas chief heads to Cairo for talks ahead of Kushner visit
Hamas political chief Khalil al-Hayya is set to travel to Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials, a Hamas source told AFP, ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump's envoy Jared Kushner to the region.
Hayya, who will be visiting Egypt for the first time since assuming leadership of Hamas in late July, is due to meet with Egypt's intelligence chief Hassan Rashad on Sunday morning, the source said.
Kushner will visit Israel and Egypt next week in hopes of bridging gaps on a Gaza plan rejected by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and will be accompanied by Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza of Trump's so-called Board of Peace tasked with implementing the deal.
Qatar denies detaining downed Iranian pilots
Qatar categorically denied it was detaining any Iranian pilots, after an Iranian general demanded that Doha release three aviators shot down early in the Middle East war.
"We categorically deny the claims circulating regarding the detention of Iranian pilots & are surprised by these misleading statements at this particular time, amid the ongoing diplomatic efforts & initiatives aimed at de-escalating tensions in the region," foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said on X.
📸 In pictures: residents of southern Lebanon flee following new deadly strikes
Lines of cars in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Sidon as people flee their villages in the south on August 15, 2026. © Mahmoud Zayyat, AFP
Deadly Israeli strikes in Lebanon put peace talks at risk
At least 11 people were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday, Lebanon's health ministry said. Nineteen people were wounded in the attacks.
The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructureovernight in what it described as a security zone in south Lebanon in response to actions against its soldiers.
The strikes were among the deadliest in the weeks since Lebanon agreed to a US-mediated peace framework with Israel.
Israel wants 'more serious' talks with Lebanon, says PM's spokesman
Israel wants new and more ambitious US-brokered talks with Lebanon after carrying out strikes, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, adding the countries' common enemy was Hezbollah.
The Israeli strikes against Hezbollah "should jumpstart the talks and make them much more serious, not do the opposite", Netanyahu spokesman Doron Spielman told AFP.
Iran resumes flights at Bandar Abbas airport after wartime disruptions
Flights at the port city of Bandar Abbas resumed after repeated interruptions during hostilities with the United States, state media reported.
Kazem Tavassoli, director general of airports in Hormozgan province, said "scheduled flights at Bandar Abbas International Airport on high-traffic domestic routes resumed today," according to the IRNA state news agency.
The reopening comes "following limited flights in recent days", Tavassoli said, adding that passengers can now buy tickets for the Tehran-Bandar Abbas, Mashhad-Bandar Abbas and Bandar Abbas-Isfahan routes, in both directions.
The airport "handled 35 to 40 domestic and international flights per day" before the war, Tavassoli said. The airport has been repeatedly closed since the conflict with the United States began in February.
Israel says Lebanon strike targeted Hezbollah commander
The Israeli military said that its strike on the Lebanese village of Ansar, where authorities reported seven people killed including children, targeted a Hezbollah commander.
It said it "struck a central headquarters of the Radwan Force", referring to an elite Hezbollah unit, adding that "the strike eliminated terrorist Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan, a battalion commander in the Radwan Force".
The military further acknowledged what it called a "claim" that "Hassan's family was also present with him inside the military headquarters," adding that they "were not the target of the strike."
Yemen's Mocha port halts operations after Houthi attacks, port director says
Yemen's Mocha 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.
The attacks killed seven people and caused an estimated $16 million in losses, the director told a news conference.
📸 In pictures: oil spill off Oman's coast
This image grab from aerial footage released by Oman TV on August 14, 2026, shows an oil leak from the Russian tanker Caroline Bezengi, which ran aground near al-Qibliyah Island off the southern coast of Oman. © Oman TV via AFP
Aerial view of oil spilling from the oil tanker Caroline Bezengi into the water, off Al-Qibliyyah island on August 13, 2026. © Oman TV via Reuters
Iran calls for release of pilots captured in Qatar during Middle East war
Iranian authorities called for the release of three pilots they say were captured in Qatar during the Middle East war.
"Three Iranian pilots were captured alive by Qatari forces after their Su-24 fighter jets crashed during the war," said General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of the Iranian armed forces, Fars news agency reported.
"Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian, and Omran Behraveshian have been held by Qatari forces for six months," he said in a letter addressed to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
In the letter, Bagherzadeh called for their release, saying the pilots had not been allowed to meet or contact their families.
Death toll from Israeli strike in southern Lebanon rises to 11
Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 11 people, in the deadliest attacks since a precarious truce between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on June 20.
Lebanon's Health Ministry and state news agency said one of the airstrikes that targeted a home on the edge of the village of Ansar killed seven people, including three children, and wounded two. The second, on the village of Deir al-Zahrani, killed four and wounded 17.
Hezbollah says Israeli attacks will be met with 'appropriate' response, urges Lebanon halt 'humiliating' talks
Hezbollah said that Israeli attacks on Lebanon would be met with an "appropriate" response after deadly strikes on the country's south, urging authorities to halt "humiliating" negotiations with Israel.
Israel "must clearly understand that its attacks, violations and attempts to impose a fait accompli cannot continue, and will be met with an appropriate response", the Iran-backed group said in a statement, adding that Lebanese authorities "must not insist on continuing along the humiliating path of direct negotiations and providing the enemy with free concessions".
UAE says Iran attacked ADNOC vessel in Hormuz, urges waterway's reopening
The United Arab Emirates said Iran had attacked an Abu Dhabi National Oil Company vessel while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the Emirati state news agency WAM reported.
ADNOC said no injuries were reported and that the situation was under control, according to WAM.
The attack was the third such incident involving ADNOC vessels in less than a week, and the UAE had also accused Iran of being behind the earlier incidents.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said Abu Dhabi would defend its sovereignty and interests after repeated attacks on ADNOC vessels.
"We will safeguard our rights to freedom of navigation ... while continuing the path of dialogue and prioritising diplomatic options," Gargash said in a post on X.
Oil spill affects 12 km of Oman coast, Masirah unaffected, state news agency says
Oil pollution is affecting about 12 kilometres (7.46 miles) of coastline near Oman's Ras Madraka, while Masirah Island remains unaffected, state news agency ONA said after efforts to tackle a spill from a leaking tanker have made progress.
Oil began reaching Oman's coast on Wednesday after spreading at sea for weeks.
The Environment Authority said response operations were under way and the offshore slick was moving towards open waters.
US urges Netanyahu to condemn settlers besieging Palestinians in West Bank
The United States is urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn Israeli settlers who have besieged Palestinian homes in Qusra, while France is calling for their arrest and prosecution.
As residents remain cut off from food and other supplies, settler violence is putting further political pressure on Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s election.
Death toll from Israeli strike in southern Lebanon rises to 9
At least nine people were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, the state news agency said.
Seven people were killed when Israeli warplanes struck a house in the southern village of Ansar, while two others were killed in a strike on the village of Deir El Zahrani, the National News Agency said. Eleven people were injured in the attacks.
The strikes are among the deadliest in the weeks since Lebanon agreed to a US-mediated peace framework with Israel.
Israel military say Lebanon strikes a response to Hezbollah ceasefire violation
Israel's military said that its strikes in Lebanon, where authorities reported nine people killed including children, were in response to ceasefire violations by Hezbollah.
The strikes "came in response to a serious breach of the agreement by Hezbollah, after they attacked our forces inside the agreed-upon security zone," Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya, an Arabic-language spokeswoman for the Israeli military, wrote on X.
'We're seeing an important escalation in southern Lebanon despite the so-called truce'
Overnight Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed at least seven people in one village, in the deadliest escalation since the lull in fighting began two months ago.
FRANCE 24 correspondent Renée Davis, reporting from Beirut, says the strikes mark a significant escalation despite the so-called truce, and also gives us an update on ongoing negotiations with Israel.
Lebanon president says Israeli strikes send 'clear message' on negotiations
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Israeli strikes on the country's south on Saturday were a "clear message" on negotiations between the two countries, ahead of the next round of US-sponsored talks early next month in Rome.
Aoun condemned the "ongoing Israeli attacks" on the south and "repeated violations of the framework agreement ... and international law on protecting civilians, which led to the death of an entire family in the village of Ansar", according to a statement from his office, adding that "these violations are a clear message on the negotiation process".
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, Reuters and AP)
