(August 19, 2026)
Prosecutors in Charlie Kirk‘s killing pointed Tuesday to an engraved bullet, arguing that the inscription „Hey Facist! CATCH!“ demonstrates that Kirk was targeted for how the defendant perceived his politics.
Whether defendant Tyler Robinson acted out of political animus could be key for prosecutors seeking the death penalty — or for his attorneys in taking that punishment off the table.
The European Union reiterates its unwavering support for the International Criminal Court (ICC). The EU deeply regrets the decision by the United States to impose sanctions against International Criminal Court President Judge Tomoko Akane and Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye.
The ICC is a cornerstone of the international criminal justice system and the global fight against impunity. It plays an essential role in ensuring accountability for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole. Its independence, impartiality and ability to carry out its mandate must be free from pressure, intimidation or interference.
Sanctions against the Court, its officials and personnel undermine its work. The EU stands firmly with the ICC and will continue to provide its full support to ensure the protection of the Court and its staff against external pressures or threats.
The EU remains unwavering in its commitment to the Rome Statute and to safeguarding the independence and integrity of the Court.
The European Union has reaffirmed its “unwavering support” for the International Criminal Court (ICC), strongly condemning the decision by the United States to impose sanctions on the Court’s President, Judge Tomoko Akane, and Senior Trial Lawyer, Abdoulaye Seye.
The EU said the ICC remains a cornerstone of the international criminal justice system and plays a critical role in the global fight against impunity, particularly by ensuring accountability for some of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.
(August 13, 2026)
Huckabee‘s post on X was an unusually sharp rebuke from a U.S. official, even as he defended the Israeli military‘s response. Huckabee is a longtime ally of Israel‘s settler movement and in the past has expressed support for Israeli control over the occupied West Bank while condemning settler violence.
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.“
Iraq’s Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, has discussed efforts to enhance regional security cooperation with Saudi Arabia’s general intelligence chief, Khalid bin Ali Al Humaidan, according to the Iraqi PM’s office.
Al-Zaidi reiterated Iraq’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with Saudi Arabia and stressed Baghdad’s position that Iraq would not be used as a “launching pad” for activities harming any foreign state, his office statement said.
A senior Saudi official, speaking anonymously to Reuters late on Thursday, said intelligence gathered by Saudi Arabia, the United States and other countries in the region indicated that civilian and economic sites could be targeted.
The potential targets include energy infrastructure, ports and airports.
Saudi Arabia had detected the movement of drones and missiles, according to the official, suggesting preparations for attacks from Iraq to the north and Yemen to the south.
“The agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression” and stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three countries “would be regarded as an attack on all”, according to a joint statement cited by Reuters.
The pact brings together NATO member Turkiye, which has the alliance’s second-largest military, nuclear-armed Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, one of the Gulf’s most powerful states and the world’s leading oil exporters.
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.
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 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.
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.
A senior official in Yemen‘s Houthi movement said on Wednesday that the group, and not Iraq‘s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), carried out earlier attacks on Saudi Arabia, accusing Riyadh of blaming Iraqi factions for operations they did not conduct.
Abdullah Al-Numi, a member of the political bureau of the Houthi movement (Ansarallah) told Shafaq News that the PMF had repeatedly denied attacking Saudi Arabia, while his movement had openly claimed responsibility for earlier operations against Saudi ports and facilities, including sites in Yanbu and Jizan.
Nach dem Anschlag am Rande des Christopher Street Days (CSD) in Berlin haben Ermittler auf dem Handy des mutmaßlichen Täters Abdul B. ein Bekennervideo gefunden. Eine Sprecherin der Bundesanwaltschaft bestätigte einen entsprechenden Bericht der „Bild“. Das Video zeige demnach unter anderem einen Treueschwur auf die Terrororganisation Islamischer Staat (IS).
Ob es sich bei der Person in dem Video sicher um Abdul B. handelt, blieb zunächst offen. Nach Informationen des „Spiegel“ ist der Mann auf dem Video verhüllt, es soll sich aber mutmaßlich um Abdul B. handeln.
(…)
Abdul B. wurde am Sonntag bei einem Polizeieinsatz erschossen.
(46 min ago)
Discussions between Iranian officials and their Omani counterparts over the last two days have been constructive, one Iranian official told CBS News on Sunday. Talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz are also moving in a positive direction, the official said.
(July 18, 2026)
Pakistan deployed the HQ-9 battery to Saudi Arabia in May 2026 under the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement, according to the Times of Islamabad and The Daily Star. The system is operated exclusively by Pakistani military personnel — not Saudi or American crews — and functions as a standalone package integrated with Pakistan’s own command-and-control architecture rather than with Saudi Arabia’s existing air defense network, according to Defence Security Asia reporting from May 2026. The Jerusalem Post noted that Pakistan “deploys the defenses as part of a package because of their interoperability with other Pakistani systems,” a formulation that carries an embedded concession: the HQ-9 is not interoperable with anything else at the base.
(…)
The HQ-9 family’s combat record is now the most extensively documented peacetime marketing success that has failed every wartime test it has faced. During Operation Sindoor in May 2025, Indian Air Force Su-30MKI fighters launched two BrahMos-A air-launched cruise missiles at Pakistan’s Nur Khan Airbase near Rawalpindi, and Pakistan fired approximately 18 HQ-9B interceptors in response, according to Indian Defence Research Wing. The result was zero confirmed intercepts — both BrahMos missiles struck their targets, an 0-for-18 record that prompted Brandon J. Weichert, national security writer at The National Interest, to call the system “a Frankenstein’s Monster” reverse-engineered from Russian S-300 technology.
(July 18, 2026)
A report shared by Axios, said Iran allegedly fired a ballistic missile at a U.S. base in the Kingdom. Unverified videos circulating on social media purport to show a direct impact at Prince Sultan Air Base, though neither Washington nor Riyadh has officially confirmed the authenticity of the footage or the reported strike.
(July 18, 2026)
Footage surfaced showing Iranian ballistic missiles flying over Amman, Jordan’s capital, reportedly targeting a U.S. military base in Saudi Arabia.
(52 min ago)
In a televised statement, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi addressed the Yemeni people, claiming readiness for full-scale escalation „if the Saudi enemy chooses full-scale escalation“.
Premier Salam said at the beginning of the Cabinet session held at the Grand Serail: „Since the start of the war imposed on Lebanon, the Lebanese government has continuously worked to bring it to an end and to spare Lebanon and the Lebanese people further harm.
Today, we hope that the ceasefire announced by the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will succeed in putting an end to this war and stopping the killing, destruction, displacement, and all the tragedies and suffering inflicted upon the Lebanese people. I can only extend my sincere thanks to all those who contributed to reaching this outcome.“
The source added that Qatari mediators had departed Tehran after “17 hours of intensive negotiations”, which began on Sunday and culminated in an agreement.
(9 hours ago)
Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others. The Naval Blockade will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalized — Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly.
„I don‘t know,“ Trump said when questioned about whether Netanyahu would lead Israel’s upcoming election. „He‘s had an incredible career. Does he want to continue? Because, you know, he‘s a wartime prime minister. We‘re going to win this war very soon, one way or another, and he‘s a wartime prime minister.“
Trump explicitly framed the long-serving Israeli leader‘s future as uncertain, signaling that Washington may already be preparing for a post-Netanyahu political landscape. „It‘s an open question whether Netanyahu will run again,“ Trump remarked to reporters. „I wonder if Bibi even wants to continue.
AMMAN — The Jordan Armed Forces–Arab Army (JAF) on Wednesday said that air defence systems had intercepted and shot down five missiles launched from Iran towards Jordanian airspace.
The army added that no injuries or material damage were reported.
JAF stressed that it remains at the highest level of operational readiness to protect Jordan’s airspace and safeguard the Kingdom’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It also reaffirmed that Jordan will not allow any violation of its airspace by any party.
US Representative Rashida Tlaib rejected Republican representative Brian Mast’s claim that Lebanese civilians killed by Israel are “terrorists”.
The exchange occurred on Wednesday night during a US House of Representatives session following Tlaib‘s resolution to withdraw US troops from Lebanon, which Mast called “reckless and unserious”.
“Eleven children killed, injured every 24 hours in Lebanon. Are those children Hezbollah? Are those children terrorists?” Tlaib shot at Mast who continued to dismiss Tlaib and her call to protect civilians in Lebanon.
Track AIPAC, an American online project that tracks US political donations by organisations that are part of the Israel lobby, including Aipac, reported that Mast received $881,227 from pro-Israel PACs as of April 2026.
(5 hours ago)
Kuwait International Airport says it has resumed Kuwait Airways flights from Terminal 4 after suspending them following Iran’s drone and missile strikes.
The move comes “following the completion of the technical teams and competent authorities’ assessment of the damages and taking the necessary measures to ensure the safety of operational processes”, the official Kuna news agency reported.
Iran said it had attacked US bases and helicopters in a „regional country“ using missiles and drones in retaliation. Centcom said Tehran fired two missiles at Kuwait and three at Bahrain, all of which broke apart or were intercepted.
Kuwait‘s army later said Iranian drones had hit its international airport, causing „significant“ building damage and injuries to a number of people.
Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop — That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel. President DONALD J. TRUMP
Am 28./29. Mai 2026 schlug eine Drohne in ein Wohngebäude in Galați ein, nahe der ukrainischen Grenze. Es gab Verletzte, aber keine Toten. Statt besonnener Aufklärung folgte der übliche Reflex: Sofortige Schuldzuweisung an Russland, Forderungen nach NATO-Artikel 4 oder gar 5 und diplomatische Maßnahmen wie die Schließung des russischen Konsulats in Constanța. Der rumänische Präsident Nicușor Dan hat nun jedoch unmissverständlich erklärt: Russland hatte keine Absicht, Rumänien anzugreifen. Die Drohne war offenbar auf dem Weg zu einem ukrainischen Ziel (Hafen Reni) und wurde durch ukrainische elektronische Kriegsführung abgelenkt.
Hier der Bericht dazu: