An Iraqi military commander was dismissed early on Saturday after investigations confirmed the latest drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia originated from Iraq, according to a statement by Iraq‘s prime minister‘s office.
The commander led operations in Maysan province in southern Iraq, according to the statement.
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Iraq faces sovereignty test as US-led military coalition exit nears
(September 7, 2026)
The United States-led international military coalition will conclude its mission in Iraq by the end of this month, the country’s armed forces have confirmed to state media.
Lieutenant General Abdul Amir al-Shammari, director of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, in a statement to the Iraqi News Agency on Monday, said September 30 is the date for the end of the mission of the international coalition forces in Iraq and the transition to a new chapter of relations and cooperation.
Leaked Files Reveal Uganda’s Secret Drone Deals with Israel
(September 1, 2026)
Internal documents reviewed by Drop Site News reveal for the first time the details of a years-long program by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems, the country’s largest weapons maker, to equip the Ugandan military with an expanding fleet of Hermes surveillance drones, as well as a suite of advanced surveillance systems intended for use by Uganda’s Military Intelligence and elite Special Forces Command (SFC)—a branch of the country’s security establishment tied to the family of President Yoweri Museveni, and his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Secretive U.S. Base in Somalia Signals New Phase of War
The U.S. has described the dry and rugged mountains of northern Somalia as the main hub from which ISIS controls its global operations. Amid an increasing number of U.S. drone strikes and raids supporting the Somali government in the war against ISIS, the United States is now expanding its presence in the port city of Bosaso and effectively building a new military base, which will be used for combat and surveillance operations targeting “terror groups” in the region as well enhancing maritime security, according to Somali security officials in Puntland. The CIA will also expand its operations there, the officials said.
Greece moves Patriot system to Crete over reported Iran threats to US bases
The battery was moved from the eastern island of Karpathos to Crete, where there is a major US base at Souda, the reports said.
The aim is to bolster air defence around Souda‘s strategically important naval and air facilities, which serve both the Greek Armed Forces and the United States and NATO.
The Souda base plays a pivotal role in supporting allied operations across the wider region, making its protection particularly critical under the current security conditions.
Call for the deployment of an International Protection Force in Sudan
We urgently call for the deployment of a protection force in Sudan to protect and deter attacks against civilians amid the escalating violence between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A robust force is vital to protect women, children, and at-risk communities, ensuring their safety and facilitating humanitarian aid. Sign the petition and demand deployment of a Protection Force in Sudan now.
UN: Keep International Force in Lebanon to Protect Civilians
(August 13, 2026)
In August 2025, the Security Council unanimously decided to extend the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which first deployed in 1978, one final time until the end of 2026, when it would begin a phased withdrawal. That decision came before the latest escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in March 2026—and before Israeli forces displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians and occupied large swathes of southern Lebanon. Deliberate acts of displacement may amount to the war crime of forced displacement.
“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, UN director at Human Rights Watch. “UN missions may not be a lasting solution, but the peacekeepers are a crucial deterrent against attacks on civilians and human rights abuses.”
President Aoun backs extending UNIFIL mandate, stresses need for international presence in south
President Joseph Aoun welcomed the parliamentary initiative and petition calling for an extension of the international forces’ mandate in southern Lebanon.
He said UNIFIL’s presence in the south is important for several reasons, including helping residents remain in their towns and villages and promoting stability in coordination with the Lebanese Army.
Lebanon‘s Aoun calls for extension of UNIFIL mandate
(August 17, 2026)
He said Israel had opposed UNIFIL‘s presence and „has been pressing in that direction for nearly a year,“ while Lebanon continued to call for the mission to remain.
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UNIFIL has been deployed since 1978 to monitor the ceasefire along the Lebanese-Israeli border and support the Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon.
Its current mandate is due to expire on December 31, 2026.
New aircraft carrier heads toward Mideast after reports of issues on long-deployed USS Lincoln
The Lincoln originally deployed Nov. 21 from San Diego, and it arrived in the Middle East in January, ahead of the launch of the Iran war on Feb. 28. The Navy conceded that the conflict created a „highly contested environment where traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions.“ That, in turn, led to shortages and loss of mail aboard the aircraft carrier, the Navy said in a statement.
„Leadership prioritized mission-critical supplies: first food, then hygiene items, then mail,“ the statement said, before assuring that sailors aboard the ship now have access to clean water and „healthy meal options.“
Iraqi factions to surrender weapons to PMF by Sept. 30
Iraqi political leaders agreed on a mechanism for armed factions to hand over their weapons to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which would register and store the arms under state supervision, a source in the leading Shiite Coordination Framework told Shafaq News on Sunday.
Under the agreement, the PMF —a state security organization comprising mostly Shiite armed factions— would take custody of the weapons, document their types and storage locations, and oversee any subsequent movement of arms or personnel under orders from the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
Iraqi Prime Minister Stresses End of US Coalition Mission on September 30
In a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaidi emphasized that regional issues should be resolved through dialogue, while recalling the end date of the US coalition mission in Iraq.
He also announced September 30 as the final deadline for the withdrawal of US coalition forces from Iraq.
Israel rejects Trump’s Gaza peace plan, saying no withdrawal until Hamas disarms
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country has rejected the latest US-backed peace plan for Gaza, demanding the full disarmament of Hamas before any Israeli forces withdraw.
The comments come more than a week after Trump announced a breakthrough in negotiations, with his Board of Peace (BoP) issuing a new 15-point plan aimed at securing lasting peace in the territory
Withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq (2025–2026): July 2026: Complete Withdrawal Reaffirmed
During Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi‘s visit to Washington, the United States and Iraq reaffirmed that all remaining U.S. military forces would withdraw from Iraq by 30 September 2026, marking the end of the U.S.-led military mission in the country.
Lebanon, Israel agree shortlist of countries that could send troops to verify Hezbollah disarmament
The list was produced during meetings between Lebanon and Israel at the US embassy in Rome this week, the latest round of talks on how to implement a previous deal on 26 June that linked Israel‘s progressive withdrawal of troops from Lebanon to the disarmament of Hezbollah, which would be „verified“ by a third party.
Hezbollah is not a party to the agreement and has refused to give up its arsenal.
„We have reached a short list of countries. We decided which parties were impossible for each and set the potential actors,“ the Lebanese official said.
„The Americans will now decide, and could pick more than one country.“
Board of Peace caves to Netanyahu and rewrites Israeli withdrawal terms from Gaza
Israel has since seized additional Palestinian territory and now controls more than 60 percent of the enclave, with Netanyahu even saying that the aim is to increase to around 70 percent.
US redeploys forces in Erbil ahead of Iraq withdrawal
The reported movements involve personnel and equipment being transferred between Harir Air Base, Erbil International Airport and the US consulate compound, in what sources described as preparations for the withdrawal of remaining US troops under a September 2024 agreement between Washington and Baghdad.
President al-Alimi Hails Creating Multinational Naval Alliance, Highlights Saudi Support for Yemeni State Institutions, Regional Security, Stability
(July 31, 2026)
The battle to restore the State institutions and eliminate the militias‘ coup isn‘t just the army‘s battle, but it is everybody‘s fight, al-Alimi stressed.
The President emphasized that the current stage requires political parties to reclaim their natural role as forces of enlightenment, mobilization and rallying against threats, to restore respect for the idea of the national state and to reinforce the isolation of militias and their destructive agenda.
The political parties need to make the battle to restore the State institutions a matter for the whole society, not only a government‘s task or issue, al-Alimi noted.
14 countries back Saudi-led multinational maritime defense alliance proposal
Fourteen countries have backed a Saudi proposal to establish a multinational “Maritime Defense Alliance,” aimed at protecting international shipping routes and global trade, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement Thursday.
The countries are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia.
The ministry said military chiefs and other representatives from 43 countries attended a meeting on the initiative, either in person or by video link. A European Union delegation also took part.
Hamas’ agreement to Trump’s disarmament plan ‘calls Israel’s bluff’
The announcement that Hamas has agreed to a roadmap for its disarmament can now shift that dynamic, yet it is unlikely things will change on the ground anytime soon.
“The last thing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants going into October’s elections is US pressure to withdraw from Gaza, and it’s likely he will foot-drag any further negotiations as much as possible,” Norman said.
Hamas ‘made concessions for the sake of our Palestinian people’, official says
Hamas official Ghazi Hamad has told Al Jazeera that the group “made concessions for the sake of our Palestinian people”.
“Our primary objective is to protect our people in the Gaza Strip from the ongoing hostile measures and criminal plans pursued by the Israeli occupation,” he said.
Hamas agrees to disarm depending on Israeli steps, senior Hamas official tells CNN
“The agreement is a package,” Hamad said. “We will not begin any weapons-related steps until Israel implements these commitments. Frankly, if Israel does not implement them, we will not proceed.”
Hamad said Israel must first cease fire, stop all targeted killings in Gaza, withdraw its troops to the Yellow Line and allow for a surge of humanitarian aid consistent with the October ceasefire agreement. The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a Palestinian technocratic committee appointed by the Board of Peace, must also enter Gaza and take over governance of the strip.
The NCAG will assume control of weapons belonging to Hamas’s police force in Gaza, Hamad said.
The Board of Peace and the mediating countries of Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, and the United States today are pleased to announce that Hamas has agreed to a detailed Roadmap for implementing the next phases of the Gaza ceasefire.
The agreement concludes months of intensive, good faith negotiations to advance President Donald J. Trump‘s vision for establishing new governance, security, humanitarian relief, reconstruction, and economic recovery in Gaza as set out in the Comprehensive Peace Plan and U.N. Security Council Resolution 2803.
The Roadmap represents a historic breakthrough. For the first time, Hamas officially has committed to an actionable plan for relinquishing all its weapons, which will be followed by Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Report: Saudi Arabia To Announce New Red Sea Coalition To Counter Yemen’s Ansar Allah
While the new blockade has disrupted shipping in the region, Ansar Allah hasn’t announced a blanket ban on shipping through the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Some Chinese ships loaded with Saudi crude have also been able to pass through the strait, and Reuters reported that Beijing had cleared each passage with Sanaa.
But as the US-Iran war and conflict across the region are escalating again, the chances of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait being completely closed are rising. The Al-Monitor report, which cited two diplomatic sources and an unnamed US official, said that Riyadh has invited around 50 nations to join the Red Sea coalition, but that US support was seen as vital for the initiative to take off, and it was unclear at this point if Washington would participate.