West Asia conflict

July 31, 2026 5:07 PM

Israel must approve Trump agreement before Hamas will implement, says Hamas official

Implementation of the deal to bring peace to Gaza announced by U.S. President Donald Trump will depend on Israel first meeting its commitments under an agreement reached last year, a senior Hamas official told Reuters on Friday. In a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, Trump announced a "major milestone" towards ending the war in Gaza, saying his "Board of Peace" had reached an agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups. The announcement followed months o...

July 30, 2026 7:35 PM

PM Modi chairs fourth CCS meeting on West Asia conflict, reviews energy, fertiliser and citizen safety measures

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired the fourth special meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to review the evolving situation arising from the ongoing conflict in West Asia, directing ministries and departments to strengthen coordination and ensure timely implementation of measures to safeguard India's energy security, fertiliser supplies and the interests of Indian citizens and the diaspora. The Prime Minister called for a unified and coordinated mechanism for regular...

July 29, 2026 9:21 PM

Major Gulf fighting resumes as US and Saudi strike Iran’s allies in Iraq

The United States and Saudi Arabia jointly struck Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq on Wednesday, the first U.S. airstrikes in the Middle East since President Donald Trump suspended the U.S. bombing campaign against Iran last week. Iran, for its part, rejected an Omani proposal to jointly manage the Strait of Hormuz and said it had fired on ships in the strait and at U.S. bases in Jordan. The renewed combat and diplomatic setbacks pushed oil prices up for the first time since last week, signall...

A funeral ceremony is held in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 22, 2025, for Hac Abu Ali al-Khalil, the Iraqi bodyguard of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, along with his son Mehdi al-Khalil and Islamic Resistance leader Haydar al-Mousavi, who were killed in Israeli attacks targeting Iran.

July 29, 2026 5:51 PM

Explainer: Who are Iraq’s Iranian-backed armed groups?

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have struck Iran-backed Shi'ite armed groups in Iraq, which the allies said were responsible for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities. The attacks have put the spotlight on the militias that wield enormous political and military power in Iraq. HOW DID THE MILITIAS BECOME INFLUENTIAL IN IRAQ? The Shi'ite groups sprang up as Tehran steadily entrenched itself in Iraqi politics and security matters after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq toppled President Saddam Hussein in ...

July 26, 2026 12:16 PM

Iran war spreads to Red Sea and Caspian, Gulf quiet as US forgoes strikes

The Iran war broadened over the weekend despite a pause in U.S. strikes, as Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis attacked Saudi oil installations along the Red Sea coast and Iran accused Ukraine of targeting one of its vessels in the Caspian Sea. The U.S. military said on Saturday its naval blockade against Iran "remains in full effect" but did not explain why it halted a streak of 13 nights of escalating strikes. There were also no weekend reports of attacks by Iran on neighbors, similar to its daily...

July 26, 2026 12:43 PM

Israel kills senior Hamas-led police official in Gaza, medics say

An Israeli airstrike on Saturday killed the head of the Hamas-led police force in the northern Gaza Strip, Brigadier-General Abdel-Nasser Al-Maqadma, the Hamas-run interior ministry and medics said. Maqadma, one of at least five Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Saturday, was also known as the governor of the northern Gaza Strip. He was killed in the Sheikh Radwan area north of Gaza City, medics said. The Israeli military said he was also part of Hamas' military wing. Israel has kille...

July 25, 2026 10:17 AM

Trump says Israeli PM Netanyahu will visit US next week

President Donald Trump said on Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the U.S. next week. Trump's comments came in his speech at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on Friday, while he was falsely casting U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer as Palestinian. "I am going to send him (Schumer) a beautiful Palestinian outfit tomorrow, so he can greet Bibi Netanyahu when he comes to town next week," Trump said. "He turned Palestinian," Trump said of Schumer, who is J...

July 25, 2026 10:14 AM

US missiles hit Iran as path towards de-escalation uncertain

U.S. missiles struck targets across Iran on Friday and President Donald Trump vowed "major military punishment" for Tehran and its Houthi allies in Yemen, though he once again left open the door to a diplomatic deal with Iran. Two weeks after the collapse of an interim truce meant to end the war, Iranian armed forces responded by firing at U.S. bases in neighbouring Arab countries and warning that they could strike non-military buildings there used by U.S. personnel. Trump has threatened in re...

July 20, 2026 9:48 PM

US attacks deepen hardship, not dissent, in Iran’s restive south

Opposition to Iran's clerical rulers has long simmered in the country's impoverished south. But after bearing the brunt of U.S. strikes this month, many residents are directing their anger at President Donald Trump and an air campaign they say has upended their lives. Southern Iran, which borders the Strait of Hormuz, has been a major target of U.S. attacks on ports, energy facilities and transport infrastructure. Washington says the strikes are aimed at curbing Iran's ability to threaten shipp...

July 19, 2026 5:50 PM

US renews strikes on Iran after two military personnel killed by Iranian attack

The U.S. said it had completed an eighth straight night of attacks against Iran after earlier announcing that two U.S. military personnel were killed in Jordan and another was missing following an Iranian attack. The U.S. and Iran have intensified attacks since an interim ceasefire deal signed a month ago fell apart last week, raising the possibility of a return to all-out war. U.S. Central Command said in a statement that the latest airstrikes began at 6 p.m. ET (2200 GMT) on Saturday, at ...