Middle East news and current affairs. Coverage of regional politics, conflict, diplomacy, energy, and security from The Oceania Cables.
Summary: In the most serious escalation between Saudi Arabia and Iran-aligned Houthi forces in years, the two sides exchanged direct strikes on July 13, 2026. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government struck the runway at Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing, while the Houthis launched ballistic
Summary: In the week since President Trump declared the June ceasefire with Iran over, repeated Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz triggered four waves of U.S. precision strikes, including the first combat use of sea drones. U.S. Central Command conducted operations on July 7,
Summary: U.S. Central Command conducted a new round of strikes against Iran on July 7, 2026, hitting more than 80 targets in response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes targeted Iranian air defense systems, command and control facilities, coastal radar sites, anti-
Summary: On July 7, 2026, two improvised explosive devices detonated in central Damascus near the Ministry of Tourism and the Four Seasons Hotel, where French President Emmanuel Macron had spent the night. The blasts occurred minutes after his motorcade departed for meetings with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the
Summary: Between 25 and 28 June 2026, Iran and the United States engaged in a rapid series of military exchanges centered on the Strait of Hormuz, directly challenging a fragile ceasefire and memorandum of understanding established earlier in June. The confrontation began with an Iranian drone strike on the Singapore-
Summary: On June 26, 2026, Israel and Lebanon signed the Trilateral Framework Agreement at the US State Department in Washington, DC, following five rounds of US-mediated negotiations. The performance-based accord establishes a phased process to restore Lebanese sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah, and enable Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon
Summary: The June 2026 negotiations between Iran and the United States in Switzerland resulted in a 60-day roadmap designed to de-escalate regional tensions and advance nuclear oversight. The summit produced immediate measures, including a temporary US sanctions waiver for Iranian oil exports, the release of frozen Iranian assets,
Summary: In a landmark diplomatic breakthrough, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced today that the United States and Iran have agreed to an immediate and permanent ceasefire following weeks of intensive negotiations. Both nations declared the termination of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, with a formal signing
Summary A U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter was downed while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz near the coast of Oman in the early hours of June 9, 2026. Both crew members were rescued within two hours and are in stable condition. President Donald Trump publicly attributed the
Summary: Renewed hostilities erupted between Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran on June 7–8, 2026, following an Israeli airstrike on a Hezbollah command facility in Beirut’s southern suburbs. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targeted the Al-Marijeh area of the Dahiyeh neighborhood, deploying precision-guided munitions against two apartments within
Summary As of May 24, 2026, the United States and Iran remain in advanced negotiations over a comprehensive agreement addressing Iran’s nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. According to a Senior Trump Administration Official, the deal is “95% done” but unsigned, with both sides still
Summary Iraq has initiated a comprehensive plan to disarm Iran-backed militias operating under the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) umbrella, aiming to reassert state control over all weapons and armed actors. The plan, formalized in 2026, involves the systematic categorization and transfer of drones, light, and heavy weapons from PMF