Author: Admin

Britain took a firm diplomatic step on Tuesday, calling in Iran’s most senior representative in London to answer for what the UK government described as Iran’s role in orchestrating proxy groups to conduct attacks across Europe in recent months.

The diplomat summoned was Charge d’Affaires Ali Nasimfar, who was brought before the British Foreign Ministry over allegations that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force directed a group to carry out a series of attacks throughout Europe between March and May.

The British Foreign Ministry identified the proxy group as the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right. In a formal statement, the ministry described the conduct as “completely unacceptable,” adding: “Despite repeated warnings, Iran’s intelligence services have not ceased in their hostile activity. Instead, Iran has sought to intensify its malign behaviour.”

The Iranian embassy in London was not available to respond to requests for comment outside of regular business hours. Iran, which is in a state of conflict with the United States and Israel, has previously rejected claims that it uses proxy groups.

Just a day earlier, on Monday, Britain had formally designated the IRGC and an affiliated group as security threats under newly established powers designed to stop foreign governments from using proxy organizations for activities like surveillance and sabotage.

Iran’s government responded on Tuesday, condemning the British decision. Tehran argued that the IRGC is a legitimate part of Iran’s official armed forces and charged that Britain was breaking international law by targeting a state institution.

The Quds Force serves as the international operations arm of the IRGC. The United States has previously designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

HAVANA — Cuba’s national power grid collapsed again on Tuesday, plunging the entire country into darkness for the third time in just two weeks, according to government officials. The repeated failures come as a U.S. oil embargo continues to strain the island’s already fragile energy infrastructure.

The fuel shortage gripping Cuba has been worsening since January, when U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs against any nation that supplies oil to the island. That move deepened an already severe economic and financial crisis. Public transit has largely ground to a halt, and officials have been forced to cancel tens of thousands of scheduled surgeries.

Cuba currently produces only 40% of the fuel it requires to function, and no clear solution for restoring fuel imports appears to be on the horizon.

The state-run Electric Union said the blackout was triggered around midday by a malfunction in a generating unit located in the eastern province of Holguín, which caused what it described as “a sudden frequency change” that brought down the entire National Electric System, known as the SEN.

Both the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Electric Union said “protocols for its restoration have been activated,” with so-called “micro-islands” of power being established and gradually linked together to restore electricity to critical locations, including hospitals and food processing facilities.

By afternoon, some neighborhoods in the capital city of Havana had their power restored, which The Associated Press confirmed on the ground. Authorities noted that roughly 4% of the city had received electricity by that point. The provinces of Guantánamo and Cienfuegos reported beginning to restore power to their hospitals, while Matanzas confirmed electricity had returned to its historic city center.

The previous week saw two separate nationwide blackouts — one on Monday and another on Friday — that left more than 9 million Cubans without electricity. Those incidents followed two additional blackouts in March, along with several regional outages across the country.

The cascading power failures are taking a heavy toll on everyday life. Beyond the energy embargo itself, the outages have contributed to transportation breakdowns, shortened work hours, and flight cancellations, while also creating serious public health concerns. Basic needs such as cooking meals, accessing clean water, and using internet or phone service have all been disrupted.

For many Havana residents, the latest blackout came as no surprise. “These blackouts are normal in Cuba now. If something else happened, it would be strange,” said Roberto Liana, 69, a retail store clerk.

Others are finding ways to cope with the new reality. Sayli Aguilera, 25, a mother of two, described how her family is getting by: “We’re improvising and doing what we can.”

Across the country, many households have turned to solar backup solutions — including panels and portable battery systems — to keep the lights on. Electric motorcycles and tricycles powered by solar energy have also become the primary way many Cubans get around.

Starting Wednesday, the thousands of people who make daily trips between southern Spain and the British territory of Gibraltar no longer have to pass through a physical border checkpoint. The removal of the border fence became official at the stroke of midnight, marking a significant shift in how the two neighboring territories interact.

The change is the result of a landmark treaty between the European Union and the United Kingdom — one that took years of difficult negotiations to finalize following Britain’s exit from the EU in 2020. The EU, the U.K., and Gibraltar’s government all signed the agreement on Tuesday.

Gibraltar is a small British Overseas Territory of roughly 38,000 residents, sitting at the very southern edge of the Iberian Peninsula. Its location — just a few miles from Morocco, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea — gives it considerable strategic importance.

When the U.K. left the EU four years ago, Gibraltar’s relationship with the bloc was left in limbo. Negotiations over how to keep people and goods flowing freely across the border moved slowly for years before an agreement was finally reached in 2025.

U.K. Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty said Tuesday that the deal locks in Gibraltar’s long-term economic future and protects the territory’s interests.

EU trade representative Maroš Šefčovič also welcomed the outcome, saying the years of effort were worth it. “It has taken four years of patient, complex negotiation, but the outcome speaks for itself,” Šefčovič said. “It is a very special feeling to see a fence come down.”

Without this agreement, Gibraltar could have been forced into a hard land border with full passport checks — a serious economic threat for a territory that relies heavily on roughly 15,000 Spanish workers who cross into Gibraltar each day. Those workers make up nearly half of the territory’s entire workforce. Casual visitors crossing in both directions would also have been impacted.

Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo highlighted the everyday benefits of the deal in an interview. “People who are visiting family in Spain, or whose Spanish family is visiting them in Gibraltar. Children who are going to football matches and extracurricular activities, either in Spain or in Gibraltar. They will be able to do that without having to worry about frontier queues,” Picardo said.

Under the terms of the treaty, Gibraltar is effectively brought into the EU’s Schengen free travel zone. Border checks at Gibraltar’s airport and port will be handled jointly by both U.K. and Spanish officials — an arrangement similar to the dual-checkpoint system used at Eurostar stations in London and Paris.

It’s worth noting that in the 2016 Brexit referendum, an overwhelming 96% of Gibraltar’s voters chose to remain in the EU — a result that made the territory’s post-Brexit limbo especially frustrating for residents.

Visitors arriving from countries outside the Schengen area will still need to go through the EU’s Entry-Exit System, known as EES, which launched across Europe in April. The system replaced traditional passport stamps with biometric data, including photographs and digital fingerprints.

With the fence now gone, Gibraltar has installed live facial recognition cameras at entry points and across the territory. Chief Minister Picardo said more surveillance cameras have been added throughout Gibraltar, and that the territory has also boosted its police presence and increased resources for customs and Coast Guard agencies.

“The fortress has become a digital fortress now,” Picardo said.

Spain has claimed sovereignty over Gibraltar since Britain took control of it in 1713. Relations between the two countries over the territory have gone through many phases over the centuries. While the new treaty removes the border fence and eases movement, it does not settle the long-standing dispute over who should ultimately control Gibraltar.

BOSTON — When the plane touched down at Boston Logan International Airport, the welcome was fit for a head of state: a bagpiper dressed in full traditional Scottish attire playing inside the terminal. Diplomats, the governor, and the city’s mayor were all on hand to receive the special guest.

That guest? An orange traffic cone.

The arrival of what’s being called the “Boston Cone” on Tuesday marked a new chapter in the city’s unexpected bond with Scotland’s Tartan Army. During last month’s World Cup, Scottish fans made a habit of placing traffic cones on top of statues around Boston, turning the simple orange cone into one of the tournament’s most memorable symbols.

“I have to admit, this is probably — yes, it is — my first official welcoming ceremony for a traffic cone,” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said inside Terminal E, pausing to sign her name on the cone. “But it’s a pretty special one, isn’t it? Because this cone tells the story of what happened this summer. What happened in Boston, what happened in Massachusetts.”

She also got a laugh from the crowd with a playful nod to the Scottish fans’ legendary thirst. “And special thanks to the Scots for drinking all the beer,” she said. “I do promise you, when you return … we will never again run out of beer in Massachusetts.”

That was a real issue during the World Cup visit. Boston bars were caught off guard by the Tartan Army’s enthusiasm, with some establishments running dry and scrambling to arrange emergency beer deliveries. The Scottish fans essentially turned parts of downtown Boston into a home away from home — filling the streets with bagpipe music, songs, and chants. Bright orange cones appeared on top of some of the city’s most iconic statues, including Samuel Adams outside Faneuil Hall, Red Auerbach outside TD Garden, former Mayor Kevin White near Quincy Market, and even the beloved Make Way for Ducklings sculptures in the Public Garden.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu recalled Tuesday how the city had “unofficially become New Scotland” during the visit. “There are still some traffic cones atop our most important statues,” she joked.

The special commemorative cone — decorated with artwork celebrating both Boston and Scotland and bearing the slogan “No Boston, No Party” — will spend the next week making stops at landmarks across Massachusetts. The tour is aimed at raising money for mental health charities, after which the cone will make its journey back to Scotland.

The tradition of placing orange cones on statues actually has deep roots in Glasgow, where it began as a late-night prank in the 1980s and eventually grew into an unofficial symbol of Scottish humor and irreverence. The most famous example is the Duke of Wellington statue in the city center, where the cone has become so beloved that public pushback has repeatedly stopped officials from removing it.

One of the cone’s Scottish escorts, Danny Campbell, stood beside it dressed in a kilt and offered a philosophical take on the whole phenomenon. “It’s an in-joke that’s gone too far, actually,” he said with a laugh. “But no, it isn’t a joke. This is a metaphor for life.”

Campbell explained that people can get so caught up in the routines of daily life — “going to our jobs and cooking sausages and all the sort of serious stuff that adults have to do” — that they lose sight of what truly matters.

“That’s what our countrymen represented when they came here,” he said of the Scottish fans’ time in Boston. “They left stomachs and cheeks sore from laughing, they cleaned up after themselves, they spread joy and these people came together with humor and they built relationships with each other.”

“This is not just a silly cone,” Campbell added. “It means love. It means love, and that is the whole point.”

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that 340 Ukrainian drones were directed toward the area around the Russian capital over the course of a single day, with the vast majority taken down by anti-aircraft defenses well before reaching Moscow.

Writing on the messaging platform Telegram, Sobyanin stated, “Most of them were neutralised by air defence forces on the outer approaches.” He added, “More than 50 enemy drones were destroyed on their way to Moscow.”

Ukrainian drone incursions toward the Russian capital have become a frequent occurrence, and Sobyanin has made a habit of publicly reporting the tallies of intercepted aircraft.

Ukraine has been ramping up strikes against Russian infrastructure, with a heavy focus on the country’s oil industry. On Tuesday, Ukraine’s military confirmed it had launched drone attacks against the Salavat petrochemical complex located in the Urals region and the Afipsky refinery in southern Russia. These repeated strikes on oil-related facilities have led to fuel shortages across Russia.

On the other side of the conflict, Russian forces have intensified their own aerial assaults against Kyiv in recent weeks. Early Tuesday morning, Russia unleashed a combined wave of drones and ballistic missiles on the Ukrainian capital — marking the fifth such assault on Kyiv within the current month alone.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the attack caused damage to 16 locations throughout the city, among them a school and a business. City officials also reported that multiple fires broke out across Kyiv as a result of the strikes.

LONDON — The British government has announced plans to impose a default nighttime ban on social media use for teenagers aged 16 and 17, adding another layer to its already-proposed outright ban on social media for anyone under 16.

Under the new rules, those users would automatically be locked out of social media apps from midnight until 6 a.m. Teens could choose to change that default setting if they wish. Additionally, features designed to keep users glued to their screens — such as videos that automatically queue up and play one after another — would also be turned off by default.

Officials say the goal is to avoid a sudden, unprotected leap into unrestricted social media access the moment a young person turns 16, while also shielding teenagers from the well-documented downsides of late-night screen time.

Technology minister Liz Kendall spoke to the importance of the move, saying, “These measures will be crucial in helping young people get the sleep they need, focus on school and college, and spend more quality time with family and friends.”

The announcement reflects a growing wave of concern among parents and government officials worldwide about the impact social media is having on the mental and physical health of children and teens.

Supporting the decision, a study released Tuesday found that placing restrictions on social media use led to better sleep, improved concentration, and greater overall wellbeing among young people. Researchers found that an overnight curfew was the easiest type of restriction for families to stick with and delivered the most reliable sleep improvements.

The government said the first round of regulations will be presented to parliament before the end of this year, with enforcement expected to begin in spring 2027. Officials pledged what they called “robust implementation and enforcement” of the new rules.

Still, questions remain about how effective such measures can be in practice. A team that advised Australia — which became the first country to ban social media for children — found that online platforms were struggling with even the basic first step of verifying users’ ages, making the ban largely ineffective.

Meanwhile, both Google and TikTok have each reached separate settlements in the past month over a U.S. lawsuit filed by a minor who alleged that social media platforms caused harm to his mental health.

Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners carried out overnight airstrikes on the northwestern Yemeni province of Saada after Houthi forces launched a series of ballistic missiles and drones at a Saudi international airport and two air bases.

Sources on the ground in Yemen confirmed the strikes hit Saada, which serves as the primary base of power for Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. The Qatari publication Al-Araby Al-Jadeed also reported on the airstrikes targeting the province, calling it “the stronghold of the Houthi leader.”

The fresh round of fighting was triggered after Yemen’s internationally recognized government — backed by Saudi Arabia — struck the runway at Sanaa International Airport in an effort to stop an Iranian aircraft carrying a Houthi delegation from landing.

In response, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree announced that the period of de-escalation had come to an end. Houthi forces then unleashed a volley of ballistic missiles and drones aimed at Abha International Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia, as well as King Khalid Air Base and Prince Sultan Air Base.

The Saudi-led military coalition reported that Saudi air defense systems successfully intercepted the missiles and drones over the kingdom’s southern region. No significant casualties were reported on the Saudi side.

The renewed hostilities represent a major turning point after years of dramatically reduced conflict between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi movement.

Back in April 2022, the United Nations brokered a two-month ceasefire between the coalition — which backs Yemen’s internationally recognized government — and the Houthi rebels. That agreement stopped cross-border attacks, allowed commercial flights to resume from Houthi-controlled Sanaa, and eased restrictions on fuel shipments through the Red Sea port of Hodeidah.

Although the formal truce expired in October 2022, both parties largely held to an unofficial period of reduced hostilities for four years — until the violence that erupted again on Tuesday.

A sharp divide has emerged within Israel’s defense establishment over whether former soldier Elor Azaria should be granted an early clearing of his criminal record. Defense Minister Israel Katz came out in favor of the request on Tuesday, while IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir took the opposing view, arguing that Azaria has never shown remorse for his actions.

Azaria was convicted by a military court for fatally shooting Abdel-Fattah al-Sharif, a Palestinian who had stabbed an Israeli soldier. The shooting took place approximately 11 minutes after al-Sharif had already been wounded and restrained. Azaria ultimately served nine months of an 18-month prison sentence. Under current terms, his criminal record would not be automatically cleared until 2032, and his request aims to speed up that process.

The President’s Residence issued a statement saying that President Herzog “will consider the request responsibly and with due seriousness.”

After the application was reviewed by the defense establishment and passed along to the president, Zamir submitted his formal opinion opposing it. The document stated that “the position of the Head of the Personnel Directorate and the chief of staff is that the request should not be granted,” adding that clemency is reserved for “exceptional and compelling circumstances.”

Zamir based his recommendation on a legal opinion from the deputy military advocate general, who is tasked with reviewing such applications. Among the key reasons cited was that Azaria “has refrained from expressing remorse and taking responsibility for his actions” nearly ten years after his military court conviction. The chief of staff further noted that no new circumstances had emerged to justify overturning prior presidential decisions, and that no significant personal factors supported granting the request.

Katz argued the opposite, saying it is “unreasonable” for a soldier with a strong combat record to “continue to pay such a heavy price” a decade after being convicted for something that happened while on active duty. He warned that rejecting the request “sends a negative message” to soldiers serving in high-risk combat roles, and called on President Herzog to allow Azaria “to rehabilitate himself and begin a new life.”

Israel’s airport officials issued a stark warning Tuesday that tens of thousands of departing passengers could have their flights canceled starting as early as August, due to 33 American military refueling aircraft occupying critical parking spaces at Ben-Gurion Airport during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

Plans to move the U.S. refueling planes out of Ben-Gurion Airport have stalled as tensions between the United States and Iran continue to escalate. Four more American refueling aircraft landed at the airport overnight Tuesday, compounding the problem. An additional 18 planes that had been scheduled to leave in mid-July are still on the ground.

The Israel Airports Authority Director General Sharon Kedmi sent a formal letter Tuesday morning to the transportation minister and other government officials, warning that the growing shortage of aircraft parking spaces threatens to severely disrupt the airport’s operations at the height of summer travel.

The timing could not be worse. Roughly 90,000 travelers are expected to move through Ben-Gurion Airport this coming Thursday alone, and daily passenger traffic is projected to exceed that same figure throughout August.

While an agreement between the United States and Israel did allow American aircraft to land and park at Ben-Gurion Airport, the sheer number of planes now on the ground has raised serious concerns about whether enough space remains for commercial airlines to operate normally.

Airport authorities made clear that if no solution is reached in the coming days, airlines may be forced to reduce flights or cancel bookings, potentially impacting tens of thousands of travelers during the peak summer season.

In a separate but related development, Israel’s internal security service, the Shin Bet, has extended a ban on Israeli airlines flying to the United Arab Emirates. That prohibition is now set to remain in place through the end of October 2026, citing the broader regional security situation.

The Trump administration has formally notified Congress that U.S. military operations against Iran are underway, as American forces launched a third consecutive night of strikes on Iranian targets. Separately, Iranian cruise missiles hit two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, killing one crew member and injuring eight others.

The congressional notification has reignited debate over the administration’s responsibilities under the War Powers Act. President Donald Trump had previously informed Congress of military action on March 2. Under that law, U.S. forces may remain engaged for 60 days following a presidential notification, with the possibility of a 30-day extension — but continued operations beyond that window require congressional approval. It is not yet clear whether the White House views the latest strikes as the start of an entirely new operation, which could potentially reset the 60-day clock.

Prior to the overnight operation, Trump declared, “We will hit Iran hard tonight. Sometimes I disagree with Netanyahu, and I make sure he knows.” He also stated, “The memorandum of understanding was a test; they did not honor it.” Explosions were reported in Bandar Abbas and on Kish Island, according to Reuters.

U.S. Central Command later confirmed that the five-hour operation used precision munitions to strike coastal defense systems, missile sites, unmanned aerial vehicles, and maritime capabilities at locations including Bushehr, Chabahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas. The military said the mission was designed to diminish Iran’s capacity to threaten commercial shipping. Officials also noted that more than 50,000 U.S. troops remain stationed throughout the Middle East.

The United Arab Emirates Defense Ministry reported that an Indian national was killed and eight crew members were wounded — four of them seriously — when Iranian cruise missiles struck two tankers in the southern Strait of Hormuz within Omani territorial waters. The ministry confirmed that fires on both ships had been put out and stated it “reserves its full right to respond to the escalation.” Reuters also cited the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations as reporting that a separate tanker northeast of Qalhat, Oman, was struck by an unidentified object, though no casualties were reported in that incident.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps claimed the tankers had disregarded warnings, disabled their navigation systems, and attempted to pass through what it described as a “mined route.” The IRGC cautioned that cooperation with what it called the “aggressive enemy” in the Strait of Hormuz could delay the reopening of the waterway and potentially trigger a worldwide energy crisis.

Iranian forces also claimed to have attacked targets in Bahrain and Jordan, while both countries reported successfully intercepting hostile aerial threats and missiles. Following the night’s events, President Trump said, “We are attacking their capabilities related to the Strait of Hormuz and eliminating their offensive capacity,” and added, “I think there’s a possibility for a deal.”

President Trump walked back his plan Tuesday to impose a 20% charge on cargo vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, saying he now prefers Gulf leaders directing billions of dollars in investment into the United States instead.

The president said he changed his position after hearing from “kings and emirs” and other regional leaders who reached out with an alternative to the proposed transit fee.

“They said we’d love to do it a different way. We’d love to invest in the United States with billions and billions of dollars,” President Trump told reporters during an Oval Office appearance Tuesday.

Trump went on to say that the investment approach was more appealing than charging ships to pass through the strait, explaining, “I don’t think anybody should be able to charge a fee for the Strait.”

The position aligns with what U.S. officials have maintained throughout the ongoing conflict — that vessels should have free passage through the Strait of Hormuz. That stance puts Washington at odds with Iran, which has proposed collecting charges from ships using the critical waterway.

Iran has framed its proposed payments as “service fees” rather than tolls, saying the money would go toward maritime security, environmental protection, and vessel management.

It remains uncertain whether the investments mentioned by the Gulf leaders who contacted Trump would be entirely new financial commitments or simply a repackaging of deals that were already announced following the president’s Middle East visit last year.

Trump’s statements on Tuesday came against the backdrop of a third night of military exchanges between the United States and Iran. The renewed hostilities followed a breakdown in talks over a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending a conflict that began in late February.

MEXICO CITY — The Mexican government announced Tuesday that it has formally asked U.S. state attorneys general to launch criminal investigations into the deaths of migrants who died while held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement or during agency operations.

The request comes in the wake of the death of Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent while driving his construction crew to a job site in Houston. Since the start of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, 17 Mexican migrants have died during immigration enforcement — 14 while in ICE custody and three during agency operations.

Mexico’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the request was made official on Tuesday, noting that a similar appeal will also be directed to the U.S. Department of Justice. However, the United States is under no legal obligation to act on either request.

In a separate move, the Mexican government has begun sending letters to U.S. detention facilities where Mexican migrants have died. The letters demand that those centers “immediately cease the actions or omissions that resulted in these deaths, such as preventing access to prompt and expedited medical care, as well as the application of policies incompatible with medical and penitentiary standards.”

The first facility to receive such a letter was the Adelanto detention center in California, where four Mexican migrants have died.

According to Mexico’s Foreign Ministry, the letters represent an initial step toward “the eventual filing of civil lawsuits” against the private companies operating those detention centers, aimed at halting what the government describes as human rights violations.

Last week, Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco had announced his country’s intention to go directly to U.S. authorities seeking criminal investigations in cases involving Mexicans killed in ICE custody or during enforcement operations.

Salgado Araujo had no criminal record and had lived in the United States for 35 years before he was shot last Tuesday. His death triggered protests in Houston and prompted calls from Democrats and his family for an independent investigation. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said the 52-year-old had struck an ICE vehicle with his own, and that an agent fired in self-defense.

Foreign Minister Velasco also wrote to Volker Türk, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, asking that U.S. authorities collect information about the migrant deaths in ICE custody and evaluate whether those events are consistent with international human rights obligations. Velasco further asked Türk to seek the opinion of the U.N. Human Rights Council — an intergovernmental body that promotes human rights globally — and request recommendations on the cases.

The escalating response reflects Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s growing pushback against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies. Earlier this year, Sheinbaum directed Mexico’s diplomatic missions throughout the U.S. to regularly check on ICE detainees, and her government had previously filed a complaint with Türk.

The Horn of Africa is rapidly becoming an extension of Middle Eastern geopolitical strategy, as governments on opposite shores of the Red Sea expand their footprint through military deals, port investments, energy projects, and diplomatic alliances.

Egypt recently signed a maritime cooperation agreement with Somalia, while Turkey has built a sweeping military, economic, and institutional presence there — all while maintaining close ties with Ethiopia. Saudi Arabia is growing its defense and maritime relationship with Mogadishu, and the United Arab Emirates has poured significant money into port development, most notably at Berbera in Somaliland.

Israel’s decision to formally recognize Somaliland has added a new diplomatic layer with potential security consequences, given Somaliland’s position along the Gulf of Aden. Sudan, meanwhile, stands as the starkest example of how foreign competition can deepen a country’s internal crisis.

Dr. Aly Tarek Metwally, a political affairs and regional security analyst, described the region’s growing importance to The Media Line: “The Horn of Africa has emerged as one of the most strategically significant regions in contemporary international politics. Positioned at the intersection of Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean, the region has become a focal point where maritime security, international trade, geopolitical competition and regional diplomacy increasingly converge.”

Shiri Fein-Grossman, CEO of the Israel-Africa Relations Institute and former head of regional affairs at Israel’s National Security Council, echoed that view. “The Horn of Africa has become one of the principal intersections between African, Middle Eastern and global geopolitics,” she told The Media Line. “Turkey, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Iran and Israel all have growing interests in the region, alongside China, the United States, the European Union and others.”

Those interests span maritime security, trade, energy, infrastructure, food security, and diplomacy.

A Shared Strategic Arena

Any vessel traveling between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean must pass through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait before continuing toward the Suez Canal. That route is critical to world commerce but has grown increasingly vulnerable to conflict, piracy, and attacks launched from Yemen.

Middle Eastern nations have long had ties to the Horn, but the scale of involvement and the degree to which events in the Middle East now influence alignments on the African side of the Red Sea have grown significantly.

“Developments in the Horn of Africa can no longer be viewed in isolation from the wider strategic environment of the Red Sea and the Middle East,” Metwally said. “They form part of an interconnected regional security landscape in which stability, economic prosperity and international navigation are mutually dependent.”

Israel Recognizes Somaliland

On December 26, 2025, Israel became the first — and so far only — United Nations member state to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent and sovereign nation. Somalia condemned the move as an assault on its sovereignty. Egypt, Turkey, Djibouti, and the African Union all reaffirmed their backing for Somalia’s territorial integrity.

Somaliland has operated as a self-governing territory since 1991, with its own institutions, security forces, and political system, though Somalia continues to claim it as part of its own territory.

For Israel, geography is a driving factor. Somaliland’s coastline faces Yemen across the Gulf of Aden and sits near the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait — placing the relationship at the center of Israeli concerns about Red Sea shipping and the Houthi threat.

“Israel’s recognition of Somaliland should be understood as the convergence of diplomatic, security and economic considerations,” Fein-Grossman said. She highlighted Somaliland’s relative stability, functioning governmental institutions, and interest in long-term international partnerships. “At the same time, its location on the Gulf of Aden, opposite Yemen and adjacent to the Bab-el-Mandeb, gives it exceptional strategic importance,” she added.

Somaliland’s defense minister confirmed in June that Israel was helping train some police and military personnel, while denying that the two sides were negotiating an Israeli military base. Somaliland has also promoted potential cooperation with Israel in agriculture, water, renewable energy, healthcare, and technology.

Egypt takes a firmly different stance, grounding its position in the defense of internationally recognized borders. “Central to Egypt’s regional policy is its unwavering commitment to the principles of territorial integrity and respect for the sovereignty of states,” Metwally said, calling those principles core pillars of both the UN Charter and the Constitutive Act of the African Union.

Fein-Grossman said Israel should manage its disagreements with regional actors through ongoing dialogue with Cairo, Riyadh, and Abu Dhabi rather than expecting a unified regional response.

The UAE’s Port Investment at Berbera

Alongside Israel’s diplomatic moves, the UAE has long maintained a commercial presence in Somaliland centered on Berbera. Dubai-based DP World, an Emirati multinational logistics firm, has pledged up to $442 million in a phased plan to develop Berbera Port, an adjacent economic zone, and a transport corridor linking Somaliland’s coast with Ethiopia and the broader Horn of Africa.

That investment secures the UAE a long-term commercial foothold near one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and bolsters Somaliland’s economic standing despite its limited international recognition.

For landlocked Ethiopia, Berbera offers a potential alternative to its heavy reliance on Djibouti for maritime trade. For Somaliland, the port brings revenue, employment, and a platform to attract further outside investment.

“Berbera has the potential to become one of the Horn of Africa’s most important logistics and commercial gateways, serving not only Somaliland but also landlocked Ethiopia and the wider region,” Fein-Grossman said.

While Emirati investment and Israeli recognition are not necessarily coordinated, the UAE’s commercial activity has strengthened Somaliland’s position and increased Berbera’s relevance to Israeli calculations about Red Sea security. Notably, the UAE has not formally recognized Somaliland as a state.

Egypt and Somalia Strengthen Ties

Somalia’s cabinet approved a maritime cooperation agreement with Egypt on July 9, covering transport, ports, and the development of Somali maritime infrastructure. The deal follows a broader expansion of bilateral relations that includes defense cooperation and Egypt’s proposed participation in African Union peace-support operations in Somalia.

Cairo views the Red Sea and the Bab-el-Mandeb as a strategic extension of the Suez Canal. Egypt’s policy is also shaped by its long-running dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and its opposition to any moves that could undermine Somalia’s territorial integrity.

“For Egypt, engagement in the Horn of Africa is not driven by aspirations for regional influence but by an enduring commitment to safeguarding regional stability,” Metwally said, noting that Cairo has long viewed the Horn and the Red Sea as a natural extension of its strategic environment.

The agreement, he said, goes beyond technical port cooperation — it forms part of a broader strategic partnership aimed at strengthening Somali institutions, maritime security, and economic development.

The Egyptian-Somali relationship is also viewed in the context of Ethiopia’s January 2024 memorandum with Somaliland, which sparked a sharp dispute with Mogadishu. Turkey later brokered a reconciliation through the Ankara Declaration, with both governments reaffirming respect for sovereignty and agreeing to explore arrangements that could give Ethiopia sea access under Somali sovereign authority.

Turkey Balances Somalia and Ethiopia

Turkey has developed one of the most extensive Middle Eastern presences in the Horn of Africa. Its engagement with Somalia started with humanitarian aid and grew to encompass defense, infrastructure, education, healthcare, aviation, trade, and energy. Turkey runs a major military training facility in Mogadishu and signed a defense and economic cooperation agreement with Somalia in 2024 that includes maritime security assistance.

At the same time, Ankara has maintained significant political and economic ties with Ethiopia — a balancing act that positioned it to mediate after the Somaliland agreement fractured relations between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa.

“Turkey is one of the most significant external actors in the Horn of Africa, but its engagement should be understood within the context of a much broader, decades-long Africa strategy,” Fein-Grossman said.

Through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, the Maarif Foundation, Turkish Airlines, the Presidency of Religious Affairs, business associations, and a growing diplomatic network, Ankara has built relationships that reach well beyond military or government-to-government contacts.

Saudi Arabia Deepens Its Somali Partnership

Saudi Arabia has also ramped up its engagement with Somalia. The two countries signed a military cooperation agreement in Riyadh on February 9, 2026, followed later that month by a separate agreement on maritime transport and port development.

Saudi interests are rooted in Somalia’s position directly across from the Arabian Peninsula, the need to protect Red Sea shipping lanes, and concerns about instability spreading from Yemen and the broader Horn. Riyadh has backed Somalia’s territorial integrity, putting it closer to Egypt and Turkey than to Israel on the Somaliland question.

Fein-Grossman cautioned against framing Saudi or Egyptian engagement as a reaction to Israel, noting that both nations have operated in the Red Sea and the Horn for decades based on their own geographic, trade, food security, and regional political interests.

Sudan: A Warning to the Region

Sudan offers the most damaging example of what happens when Middle Eastern rivalries become entangled in a domestic war. Egypt and Saudi Arabia are widely seen as aligned with the Sudanese Armed Forces. The UAE has repeatedly been accused by United Nations experts and American lawmakers of backing the rival Rapid Support Forces — accusations Abu Dhabi denies.

Those divisions have fed into a broader Saudi-Emirati rivalry that extends across Yemen, Somalia, and the Red Sea, even as both Gulf governments continue participating in diplomatic efforts to end Sudan’s conflict.

“The experience of Sudan offers an important lesson for the wider region,” Metwally said. “Local conflicts can become considerably more complex when regional rivalries overlap with domestic political crises.”

African Governments Are Active Players

Framing the Horn of Africa purely as a battleground for foreign powers risks portraying Somalia, Somaliland, Ethiopia, and Sudan as passive bystanders. In reality, each is actively pursuing its own interests. Somalia is broadening its economic and security partnerships while defending its territorial claims. Ethiopia is working to reduce its dependence on Djibouti. Somaliland is leveraging Berbera, its institutions, and its geographic position to attract recognition and investment.

“African governments are not passive participants in this process,” Fein-Grossman said. “They actively shape the strategic environment, diversify their partnerships and choose the relationships that best advance their national interests.”

She also cautioned that debates about ports, bases, and strategic rivalry often lose sight of the people most affected. “The people of Somaliland, like people across Africa, seek peace, opportunity, education, healthcare, investment and the ability to build a better future for the next generation,” she said.

Metwally similarly argued that international partnerships can genuinely support development and stronger institutions only when they respect local ownership and sovereign decision-making.

The moves by Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE across the Horn of Africa are not isolated events. Together they reflect a broad strategic realignment stretching from the Suez Canal and the Arabian Peninsula through the Bab-el-Mandeb, the Gulf of Aden, and into the Indian Ocean. Whether that realignment leads to cooperative security or deepening rivalry will depend as much on African governments’ ability to retain control over their own futures as on the ambitions of the outside powers involved.

The United States military announced Tuesday that it is conducting a new round of strikes against Iran.

According to a social media post from the U.S. Central Command, the strikes got underway Tuesday afternoon Eastern Time.

The military action follows Iran’s announcement that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, prompting the U.S. to prepare for a reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping.

U.S. Central Command stated that the blockade is set to go into effect at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, or 8:00 p.m. GMT.

Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, gave final approval Monday evening to the Basic Law: Torah Study, formally enshrining Torah study as a core state value. Supporters of the law hope it will strengthen the legal footing for future legislation seeking to exempt ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students from mandatory military service.

The bill cleared the Knesset by a vote of 63 to 52. It was introduced by Degel HaTorah Chairman MK Moshe Gafni and declares that “Torah study is a fundamental value in the heritage of the Jewish people and in the State of Israel.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not participate in the vote. Two members of his own Likud party — Yuli Edelstein and Dan Illouz — broke with the coalition and voted alongside the opposition against the measure.

Backers of the law, including coalition and ultra-Orthodox parties, believe that grounding Torah study in a Basic Law could help shield a future military exemption for yeshiva students from legal challenges at the High Court of Justice based on equal treatment concerns.

Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers had pushed to make the bill a priority. It became the first piece of legislation to receive final passage under a coalition agreement that had previously been reported by Ynet.

Before the vote reached the floor, the Knesset’s legal advisers required modifications to the bill’s language. An earlier version would have placed Torah study within a constitutional balancing framework alongside other values — a provision that was ultimately stripped out. The final version simply recognizes Torah study as a fundamental value.

In a related but separate controversy over military conscription, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir sent a letter Monday to Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth. His letter addressed proposed legislation that would suspend the arrest of individuals who evade the draft.

Zamir objected specifically to a provision that would place the burden on the IDF to determine which individuals qualify as yeshiva students eligible to have enforcement actions paused. He argued that halting arrests, investigations, and criminal proceedings would effectively eliminate any consequences for failing to report for military duty.

“It provides an incentive not to report for military service, since it would grant immunity from prosecution and criminal proceedings,” Zamir wrote. “The proposal is therefore clearly and unequivocally inconsistent with the IDF’s needs.”

Ahead of the vote on the Basic Law, opposition party leaders issued a joint appeal urging coalition members to vote against the legislation.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump has decided not to impose fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, announcing Tuesday that Gulf nations would instead direct investments into the United States. The decision came as a new round of American airstrikes on Iran and Iranian attacks on ships and regional allies tore apart a fragile interim peace agreement.

That temporary deal had been designed to reopen a critical global energy corridor and buy diplomats time to negotiate a lasting end to the conflict. Instead, the region has been pulled back into open warfare, global markets are feeling the strain, and commercial airlines have received fresh safety warnings.

The U.S. launched another round of airstrikes ahead of a planned restoration of its blockade on Iranian ports, according to a U.S. official who spoke with The Associated Press under the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the military operation.

Before the war began, one-fifth of all the world’s traded crude oil and natural gas moved through the Strait of Hormuz — a passage that had always been open to vessels without any tolls. When the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, they effectively shut down the waterway by striking and threatening ships, a move that became their most powerful strategic lever. The closure sent prices for oil, fertilizer, and other goods sharply higher.

Iran has since targeted vessels traveling through the strait along a route managed by the U.S. military that falls outside Tehran’s control, triggering a cycle of retaliatory strikes. The U.S. has warned it is prepared to reopen the passage by force if needed.

New strikes and counterstrikes rock the region

The U.S. military’s Central Command announced strikes on multiple locations inside Iran, hitting what it described as “coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites and maritime capabilities.” Iran confirmed the strikes occurred but offered no immediate information on casualties or damage.

“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the U.S. military stated.

Iran then launched retaliatory attacks against Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan, as well as three oil tankers that had been traveling through the strait.

Two of the tankers — both linked to the United Arab Emirates — caught fire during the attacks. The International Maritime Organization reported that the assault on the tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah resulted in two mariners killed and 14 others injured. The UAE issued a threat of retaliation.

Dutch shipping company Stolt Tankers confirmed that one of its vessels was also attacked. The Stolt Magnesium, targeted off the coast of Oman, suffered an engine room fire, though the company reported all crew members were unharmed.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah “ignored repeated warnings.” Iran has been targeting ships that use a route through the strait that passes near Oman outside its territorial waters.

Shortly after the U.S. announced it had concluded its latest round of strikes, the Iranian city of Bushehr on the Persian Gulf was hit in at least four locations, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. The attacks renewed speculation that Gulf Arab nations may be striking back against Iran without making their involvement public.

Interim peace deal on the brink of collapse

Recent exchanges of fire had already put the temporary peace agreement under serious strain. The deal is now nearly halfway through its 60-day window — the period during which negotiators were supposed to reach a permanent agreement that would also address Iran’s nuclear program and other outstanding disputes.

Washington had lifted a blockade it first imposed in mid-April as part of the interim arrangement. The U.S. military announced it would reinstate that blockade at midnight Wednesday, Dubai time.

Trump’s original plan to charge transit fees would have represented a significant break from long-held American policy and contradicted U.S. pledges — including a recent commitment made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a trip to the region — that the strait would remain freely accessible to all ships.

Under the terms of the interim deal, Iran had agreed that passage through the strait would be free of charge for 60 days, but the agreement left unresolved what would happen once that period ended. Iran maintains it holds the right to regulate traffic through the strait and potentially impose fees. The U.S. has rejected that position.

The price of Brent crude oil, the global benchmark, briefly climbed above $87 per barrel early Tuesday — still well short of the nearly $120 per barrel reached during the peak of the conflict. After Trump announced he was abandoning the toll plan, prices fell back to around $78 per barrel.

Diplomats working to prevent return to all-out war

Regional mediators are still pushing to bring the United States and Iran back to the negotiating table, two regional officials said. Both officials requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the ongoing diplomatic efforts, and said a Pakistan-led mediation effort was operating around the clock to revive the ceasefire.

Separately, delegations from Lebanon and Israel held talks in Rome on Tuesday, with U.S.-mediated negotiations set to continue Wednesday. Shortly after the U.S. and Israel launched the war on February 28, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah entered the conflict in support of its ally Iran and began striking Israel. Israel responded with a ground invasion into Lebanon.

Last month, Lebanon and Israel announced a framework agreement outlining a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah disarming. Progress on implementing that agreement has stalled.

Even before the latest escalation around the strait, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon had repeatedly threatened to unravel the interim peace deal. A truce is currently in place in Lebanon, but whether it can survive a return to full-scale fighting between the U.S. and Iran remains an open question.

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel’s parliament has passed a pair of laws that essentially put a stop to the drafting of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into the nation’s armed forces. The move is widely viewed as a last-minute attempt by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition to secure support from religious political parties before elections this fall.

During a lengthy legislative session spanning Monday and Tuesday, lawmakers voted to both suspend the arrests of ultra-Orthodox men who avoid the draft and to formally recognize Jewish religious study as a “foundational value” of the Israeli state.

Both measures represent major concessions by Netanyahu’s Likud party to ultra-Orthodox politicians who have long pushed to officially codify their community’s existing, informal exemption from military service — a service that is mandatory for most Jewish men and women in Israel.

The Israeli military is already dealing with a shortage of troops, and public frustration has been growing over the decades-old arrangement that has allowed ultra-Orthodox men to sidestep service. According to a parliamentary committee, roughly 13,000 ultra-Orthodox men turn 18 — the conscription age — each year, yet fewer than 10% actually join the military.

The legislation arrives after nearly three years of conflict spanning Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, and just before the Knesset heads into its summer recess. Parliament is set to reconvene only days before the next national elections on October 27, a vote that will also serve as a public judgment on Netanyahu’s leadership during wartime.

Netanyahu, who has held office longer than any other prime minister in Israel’s history, is actively working to court ultra-Orthodox voters — also known as Haredim — in the upcoming election cycle.

Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz, who leads the religious and state program at the Israel Democracy Institute think tank, offered this assessment: “Netanyahu is trying to ensure that Haredim are going to negotiate only with him after the next elections.”

Ravitsky Tur-Paz also noted that Netanyahu is facing significant pushback — not only from opposition figures but from within his own party and even from the military’s top commander.

Military chief Eyal Zamir sent a letter to Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz in which he condemned the bills, saying they were “clearly and unequivocally inconsistent” with the military’s needs, according to local media reports. “It is inconceivable that the military system under my command, which demands unprecedented sacrifice from its personnel, would be party to granting mass exemptions from prosecution,” Zamir wrote.

The roots of the ultra-Orthodox exemption stretch back to Israel’s founding in 1948, when a small group of students were allowed to pursue Jewish scholarship in an effort to rebuild a tradition nearly wiped out during the Holocaust.

Israel’s Supreme Court has since ruled those exemptions to be illegal. Legal experts say the new law formalizing Torah study — Judaism’s central religious text — gives the government a legal foundation to push back against the court’s rulings.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid was blunt in his condemnation, calling the law “an utter desecration of God’s name” that amounts to “spitting in the face” of Israeli soldiers.

Ultra-Orthodox lawmaker Moshe Gafni, who sponsored the legislation, took a very different view, calling its passage a historic moment. “For thousands of years, Torah study was the force that preserved the Jewish people throughout their diaspora and all generations,” he said, adding that the law “will be a compass for the values of the state.”

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Caribbean leaders sat down with high-ranking members of the Church of England on Tuesday as momentum builds behind the push for slavery reparations, with activists also demanding independence for British, French, Dutch, and U.S. territories across the region.

The reparations commission representing Caricom, a Caribbean trade organization, was also scheduled to meet with British lawmakers during a four-day official visit to the United Kingdom — the second such trip since November. The group says it is now developing a formal framework to begin negotiations, arguing that the time for action on reparatory justice has long passed.

“We in the Caribbean remain the most colonized part of the world, and this has to stop,” said Hilary Beckles, who chairs Caricom’s reparations commission and serves as vice chancellor of the University of the West Indies.

The London meetings follow growing frustration among Caribbean leaders after a U.K. lawmaker recently suggested that Britain’s former colonies should repay it for past investments. The commission pointed out that the Caribbean includes at least 20 territories with ongoing ties to Britain, France, the Netherlands, and the United States.

Beckles also weighed in on the role of the British monarchy, saying, “I am quite sure the people of the Caribbean … will be looking to see whether their king … is going to advance this conversation about sovereignty, decolonization and reparatory justice for these crimes that have been committed.”

Barbados’ ambassador to Caricom, David Comissiong, reinforced that message, emphasizing that the first step in any reparations process must be the restoration of national sovereignty and self-determination.

Comissiong described the session with three senior Church of England clergy as a “productive meeting,” calling the church a “possible ally” in the effort. He also acknowledged King Charles III for expressing “personal sorrow at the suffering of so many” and recognizing “slavery’s enduring impact” in recent years.

At the same time, Comissiong and fellow commission members criticized the United Kingdom for abstaining from a United Nations resolution passed in March that called for reparations and labeled the trafficking of enslaved Africans “the gravest crime against humanity.” All 27 European Union member nations also abstained, while Argentina, Israel, and the United States voted against the measure.

Comissiong acknowledged that some European governments have offered apologies, built memorials and museums, and worked to preserve slavery-related sites along Africa’s west coast.

“These are some preliminary gestures that we appreciate,” he said. “But those gestures are not negotiations. … The damage that was done and that still exists today was so consequential, so deeply rooted, that it goes way beyond, way beyond gestures of memorialization.”

Historians estimate that approximately 12 million Africans were forcibly removed by European nations between the 16th and 19th centuries. Those who survived the brutal voyage across the Atlantic were enslaved on Caribbean plantations and elsewhere under horrific conditions.

Commission members addressed reporters in London ahead of their meeting with parliamentarians. One key question raised was whether the commission would establish clear guidelines on who would be eligible to receive reparations — a question that remains unresolved for the Caribbean region.

Ron Daniels, who leads the National African-American Reparations Commission, noted that discussions in the United States have focused on land, economic development, and rebuilding or expanding communications and healthcare infrastructure. “Reparations is proceeding quite effectively in the United States as a blueprint,” Daniels said.

Among the items Caricom leaders are seeking: a formal apology, improvements in education and public health, development initiatives for Indigenous communities, opportunities for repatriation and resettlement, debt cancellation, and monetary compensation, among other demands.

In early September, Jamaica’s government is expected to submit a formal petition asking King Charles III to refer legal questions surrounding slavery reparations to the Privy Council, which serves as the island’s highest court of appeal.

ABUJA — Nigeria is preparing to assume a larger role in managing humanitarian efforts within its own borders, moving away from a framework that has long been driven by international donors and United Nations agencies, officials announced Tuesday.

The announcement came during a joint transition workshop held in the capital city of Abuja, where representatives from the Nigerian government and the United Nations opened discussions on handing over greater authority for planning, coordination, and funding of humanitarian operations to Nigerian national institutions.

Nigeria’s humanitarian minister Bernard Doro described the change not as a retreat of international involvement, but rather a shift toward a government-led coordination model that would still receive technical support from the U.N. and other partner organizations.

U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mohamed Fall echoed that sentiment, saying the goal is not to reduce aid, but to build a new approach that draws more heavily on government and private-sector resources to power humanitarian response efforts.

The transition comes as donor funding faces mounting strain worldwide. Nigeria is seeking to strengthen its capacity to handle a range of crises, including armed conflict, displacement of people, food insecurity, flooding, climate-related disasters, and public health emergencies.

The United Nations has reported that close to 35 million Nigerians face the threat of hunger this year, a situation worsened by the collapse of global aid budgets.

Minister Doro said his ministry intends to work alongside federal and state governments, aid organizations, and affected communities to coordinate preparedness, response, and recovery efforts across the country.

He added that Nigeria aims to take the lead in developing its own humanitarian plan for 2027, with technical guidance from OCHA and the broader U.N. system.

CAIRO — A ceasefire that brought Yemen’s devastating civil war to a halt in 2022 is now under serious strain, with fresh fighting between Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia raising fears that one of the world’s poorest nations could be dragged back into full-scale conflict.

Yemen’s civil war, which began in 2014, eventually became a proxy struggle between Iran-backed Houthi forces and a Saudi-led coalition backing the country’s internationally recognized government. While a broader conflict involving Iran that erupted on February 28 has reignited regional rivalries across the Middle East, the Houthi-Saudi truce had largely held — until this past Monday.

On that day, the Houthis announced they had fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport. The rebel group said the attack was retaliation for Saudi airstrikes that hit Sanaa International Airport earlier the same day. No deaths or injuries were reported, but the exchange marked the most serious direct confrontation between the two sides in years.

The flashpoint was an Iranian aircraft carrying a Houthi delegation to Tehran for a meeting with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of attempting to block the plane from reaching Yemen when it tried to return. The aircraft was forced to divert and ultimately landed safely at a different airport.

Saudi Arabian officials did not respond when asked to comment on the airstrikes.

Rashad al-Alimi, who heads Yemen’s internationally recognized government, said his administration had rejected Iran’s request to allow the Houthi delegation to return. He accused the rebel group of trying to receive the Iranian flight outside of what he called “the legal and sovereign frameworks governing civil aviation.”

On Tuesday, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree announced via Telegram that the group had shot down a Saudi reconnaissance drone over Al Bayda province in central Yemen at dawn. He made clear the Houthis are ready to respond to any violation of Yemeni airspace.

Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, said Monday’s exchange of fire was about far more than a single flight. He explained that the Saudi-led coalition imposed an air and sea blockade on Yemen back in 2015 to pressure the Houthis. By attempting to allow a direct international flight to land without coalition approval, the Houthis were trying to establish their own authority over Yemen’s airspace and challenge what they call a blockade of Sanaa’s airport.

“The Houthis were testing a new red line. If they succeeded, they could become more emboldened, raise their demands, and seek to cross additional red lines,” Nagi said.

Farea al-Muslimi, a research fellow at the Chatham House think tank in London, noted that Saudi Arabia has largely stayed on the sidelines during the broader U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. However, he said the kingdom is far less likely to remain passive when it sees its influence in Yemen — which shares a southern border with Saudi Arabia — being challenged.

Whether Monday’s confrontation will spiral into further fighting or prove to be an isolated incident remains unclear.

Abdel-Bari Taher, a political analyst based in Yemen, warned that the country’s weak security situation and battered economy make it a prime setting for renewed conflict and outside interference.

“The region now is in a state of an all-out confrontation,” he said. “Yemen provides a conflict-prone environment because it’s divided with militias fighting each other and lacks full control over its maritime and airspace.”

The risks extend beyond Yemen’s borders. The Iran-backed Houthis have launched repeated missile strikes against Israel throughout the ongoing regional conflict and have a well-documented history of attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, creating major disruptions to international trade.

Taher also warned that Iran may attempt to use its Houthi allies as leverage in negotiations with the United States. With an interim ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran described as being on life support — and both sides competing for control of the Strait of Hormuz — the danger of a return to all-out war continues to grow.

WASHINGTON — The family of an American seismologist who has been held in China for close to two years without facing trial has decided to speak out, according to a Washington-based advocacy group that has been working with them.

Youlin Chen, who lives in Boston and was born in China, was taken into custody by Chinese state security agents in November 2023 while on a personal trip to visit his parents in Beijing. He has since been charged with espionage, according to Global Reach, a nonprofit organization focused on bringing wrongfully detained Americans back home.

The family came forward this week after seeing no indication that Chinese authorities planned to free Chen — even following a meeting in Beijing in May where President Donald Trump raised Chen’s case directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Global Reach said.

Chen’s wife, Yufang Rong, released a statement through the organization expressing deep concern for her husband. “I have not been able to speak with my husband for over 600 days and am concerned for his health and well-being,” she said.

Rong also expressed confidence that the current administration would secure her husband’s release. “President Trump has taken a personal interest in freeing Youlin. Since taking office, he has already freed 106 people and I know that he and his team will bring Youlin home to us,” she said.

Global Reach noted that Chen is the only American citizen that the State Department has officially designated as wrongfully detained in China. That classification places his case among the highest diplomatic priorities and can trigger significant efforts to secure a detainee’s freedom. The previous administration secured the release of three wrongfully detained Americans from China in 2024.

A White House spokesperson responded to questions about Chen’s situation, saying: “President Trump has been clear that he wants every American detained abroad to return home, and he has reunited over 100 individuals with their families since taking office this term.”

Eric Lebson, a Global Reach adviser working with Chen’s family, said the case could “figure prominently” in a potential meeting between Trump and Xi expected to take place in Washington in September. He said the family chose to speak publicly now because Chinese officials do not appear to be following through on any commitment Xi may have made to Trump when the president raised the matter in May.

Chen had worked as a contractor for the U.S. government, including for the State Department and the Air Force Research Lab. Much of his work involved partnering with Chinese colleagues to study seismological data. Global Reach suggested his arrest is “likely an effort by Chinese officials to learn about the techniques the U.S. uses to detect nuclear tests using seismic data.”

U.S. Embassy staff have been permitted to visit Chen on several occasions, but they are not allowed to discuss the details of his case with him, according to Global Reach. Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally designated Chen as a wrongful detainee in March. The State Department had not responded to a request for comment at the time of this report.

LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been presented with the Legion of Honour — France’s most prestigious national award — by French President Emmanuel Macron during a ceremony in Paris. The honor was given in recognition of Starmer’s efforts to strengthen European security in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Starmer, who is expected to step down from his role on July 20 following a loss of confidence within his own Labour Party, worked alongside Macron throughout the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Among their joint efforts was the creation of the Coalition of the Willing, a group of nations committed to supporting Ukraine.

The British prime minister received the award on Monday, following his attendance at what will be his final meeting of that coalition. The following day, Tuesday, he participated in Bastille Day festivities in France — an occasion that saw British military personnel march alongside French forces in the parade for the first time in over two decades.

Speaking at the ceremony, Macron expressed his appreciation for Starmer’s leadership. “Prime minister, dear Keir, I wanted to reiterate my gratitude and the gratitude of the French people, obviously for your years as a prime minister,” Macron said, according to a statement from Starmer’s office. “But I have to say, beyond that, for your personal leadership and your commitments for obviously your country, but the security of our Europe, Ukraine, the bilateral relationship, your decency.”

Singapore’s High Court has ordered Bloomberg News and one of its reporters to pay S$460,000 — roughly $355,734 U.S. dollars — in damages after finding that an article published by the outlet defamed two government ministers. The ruling was released Tuesday.

Both Bloomberg and reporter Low De Wei are each required to pay S$230,000 to the two ministers. That figure breaks down into S$170,000 in general damages and an additional S$60,000 in aggravated damages per minister, according to the court’s judgment.

Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait expressed disappointment with the decision, saying the company continues to support its reporter and newsroom. In an email to Reuters, he stated: “We argued at trial that our reporting was accurate and served an important public interest, and we continue to believe that the ministers have imposed an extremely strained meaning on what was a solid story.” Micklethwait did not indicate whether Bloomberg intends to appeal the ruling.

The legal team representing the ministers did not respond to requests for comment.

In her written judgment, Justice Audrey Lim concluded: “The dominant purpose behind the article was to publish a story about the claimants, in particular about their (good class bungalow) transactions. The broader narrative of how wealthy individuals in Singapore use non-caveated transactions and trust structures to keep their dealings secret or ‘off-radar’ was the cover devised to carry that story.”

The lawsuit was brought by Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, who sued Bloomberg and Low De Wei over a December 2024 story that examined secrecy surrounding high-end property deals. The article referenced transactions connected to both ministers.

Bloomberg had defended its coverage as a look at broader trends in luxury real estate transactions, arguing that the two ministers were simply newsworthy examples. The outlet maintained that the article never accused either minister of wrongdoing.

Attorneys for the ministers pushed for aggravated damages, arguing that Bloomberg had acted with malice. They pointed to the news organization’s decision to remove the paywall on the article after receiving a correction order issued under Singapore’s Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act.

A Bloomberg editor, in a sworn statement, said the paywall was lifted specifically so readers could view the correction notice, which was displayed at the top of the article on Bloomberg’s website. That notice appeared alongside a statement in which Bloomberg said it “respectfully disagrees” with the correction order while standing behind its reporting.

Justice Lim found that Low had been reckless and inaccurate in characterizing local government property records as opaque for non-caveated bungalow transactions. The judge noted that such records are in fact publicly accessible and searchable through the Singapore Land Authority’s Integrated Land Information Service — a resource Low himself had used while conducting research for the story.

“I find that Bloomberg’s conduct in removing the paywall pertaining to the article also demonstrates malice,” the judge wrote.

GENEVA — The top human rights official at the United Nations is sounding the alarm over the renewed conflict between the United States and Iran, calling it a major blow to civilian populations in the region and warning of serious consequences for the global flow of essential goods.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk issued a statement Tuesday saying the fighting “undermines peace efforts and deepens instability, with grave risks for human rights across the entire region.”

“The return to wider hostilities in the Middle East between the US and Iran is a huge setback for civilians in the region and beyond,” Turk added, calling on all parties to exercise restraint.

The latest round of overnight strikes saw the United States carrying out five hours of attacks on Iranian targets in a battle over control of the Strait of Hormuz — a critical shipping passage that Iran has claimed to have closed. This marked the third consecutive night of American military strikes against Iran.

On Tuesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that it had launched ballistic missiles at a U.S. air base in Jordan. The escalating violence has cast serious doubt on whether a memorandum of understanding signed between the two nations last month will result in a lasting ceasefire.

Turk expressed particular concern about what the potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz could mean for people around the world.

“It is a vital lifeline on which millions are reliant. Disruptions to the flow of food, medicines, and other necessary commodities have severe socio-economic and humanitarian consequences, both regionally and globally,” he said.