Al Jazeera

By Enes Abuomer and Kristina Harazim

•     Tehran has accused Washington of not being serious about negotiations, while security risks in the Gulf continue to escalate with UKMTO reporting a vessel caught fire 63 nautical miles (117km) southeast of al-Faw, Iraq.
•     Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, which make up the newly-formed Mecca Alliance, have met with Iran’s president and security chief in Tehran, where both sides have agreed to continue talks and seek peace.
•     Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi says Gulf security must include Iran, emphasising during a speech at the University of Cambridge that regional states must take charge of designing their own security framework.

Yemeni forces target Mocha city in Taiz province

    Houthi-affiliated media is reporting that Yemeni forces launched a series of air strikes targeting several areas of Mocha city and its port, west of Taiz in Yemen.

    We will bring you more when we have it.

UN rights chief warns of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Israel’s Hebron operation

    UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has called for an end to Israel’s military operation in Hebron, warning that the measures imposed on Palestinians raise serious concerns of ethnic cleansing.

    In a statement, Turk said the operation, which began on Friday, has forcibly displaced more than 2,000 Palestinians, demolished homes and commercial properties, and severely restricted residents’ freedom of movement.

    “The sweeping steps taken raise grave concerns of unnecessary and disproportionate use of force – which must end,” he said.

    Turk also warned that statements by senior Israeli officials indicated the measures were punitive and intended to instil fear among Palestinians.

    “Collective punishment is a grave violation of international law. Threats to empty and erase entire neighbourhoods also raise serious concerns of ethnic cleansing,” he said.

    He called for displaced Palestinians to be allowed to return home and for Israel to provide compensation and reparations for unlawful evictions and demolitions.

US rapper vows to continue fight for Palestinian freedom at Dublin concert

    Grammy award-winning US rap artist Macklemore has told fans at the opening of his “Free Palestine” concert tour in Ireland’s capital, Dublin, that he would continue to speak out against Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

    Macklemore made the pledge on Monday in defiance of industry backlash for his pro-Palestine position and remarks last month that led to his removal as the opening act for British singer Ed Sheeran.

    The controversy escalated last month after billionaire Robert Kraft confirmed that Macklemore was barred from Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, with tour promoter Messina Touring Group stating that several venues refused to host concerts featuring the rapper on the lineup.

    “Six weeks ago, two words is all that it took,” he said, referring to the rallying cry of “Free Palestine” and his criticism of the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

    “We will continue to fight for collective liberation until our last breath,” he said on stage where he waved a Palestinian flag for much of his set.

    Irish artists who have spoken out against Israel’s actions performed in support, including singer Hozier, rap group Kneecap, and Beoga, one of the acts who quit Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore.

What do we know about the four-way security talks in Tehran

By Enes Abuomer

    Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkiye, signatories of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, met in Tehran to discuss regional security issues amid threats of new US strikes on Iran. Here are the key details:

•     Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani military chief Asim Munir, and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and security chief Mohsen Rezaei. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also participated.
•     Proposed during Asim Munir’s visit to Tehran last week, this marks the first joint meeting between the Mecca pact states and Iran since regional tensions widened.
•     Talks address the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, which has crippled Iranian crude exports, alongside regional demands to restore unimpeded transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
•     Riyadh is pressing for an end to Houthi missile and drone attacks. Analysts note that while Turkiye and Pakistan will not commit ground troops to Yemen, they are attempting to leverage diplomacy to compel an Iranian compromise.
•     Washington seeks strict limits and international inspections on Tehran’s enriched uranium, while Iran refuses a deal unless the US blockade is lifted.
•     Security chief Mohsen Rezaei called the talks “very good” and reiterated Tehran’s preference for regional security managed without foreign intervention.
•     No formal ceasefire or schedule for future talks was announced.

Tlaib calls for arms embargo on Israel regardless of election outcome

    US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib says Palestinians will continue to face Israeli oppression regardless of who becomes Israel’s next prime minister, calling for a full arms embargo and sanctions.

    “Regardless of which war criminal becomes prime minister, Palestinians living under Israeli apartheid will continue to face genocide, land theft, and erasure,” Tlaib said in a post on X.

    “We cannot accept lies, excuses, or half-measures from our leaders. We must impose a full arms embargo and sanctions until Palestine is free,” she added.

    Her remarks come as Israel prepares to hold parliamentary elections on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking re-election against an opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot.

    The election is Israel’s first since October 7, 2023, and comes amid continuing Israeli military attacks in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

US senator demands accountability for nine Americans killed in Israeli-occupied territories

    Senator Chris Van Hollen has reiterated calls for accountability for nine US citizens, including Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who had been killed by Israeli settlers or security forces in the occupied West Bank since 2022.

    In a video posted to his X account, Van Hollen listed the dead as 70-year-old Omar Assad, 51-year-old Shireen Abu Akleh, 17-year-old Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, 17-year-old Mohammad Khdour, 26-year-old Aysenur Eygi, 14-year-old Amer Rabee, 20-year-old Saif Musallet, 40-year-old Khamis Ayyad and 19-year-old Nasrallah Abu Siyam.

    The senator led legislative efforts to bring to account those responsible for their deaths.

    Last month, the Senate blocked a resolution that would have given the State Department 30 days to report to Congress on those deaths and on wider human rights conditions in the territory.

UN inquiry finds Israel committed crimes against humanity and war crimes in West Bank

    A United Nations commission of inquiry says Israel has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including extermination, persecution, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, in the occupied Palestinian territory.

    In a new report to the UN General Assembly, the commission said Israeli military operations and settler violence have formed part of a “widespread and systematic attack” against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank since October 7, 2023.

    The commission concluded that Palestinians have been deliberately targeted on the basis of nationality, race, ethnicity, gender and age, including children.

    It said Israeli forces killed 1,080 Palestinians in the West Bank between October 2023 and September 2026, while more than 34,000 Palestinians remained displaced as of August.

    The report also found that Israel continues to commit genocidal acts in Gaza despite the October 2025 “ceasefire”, with its expanding territorial control resulting in further civilian deaths and injuries.

    The commission said sexual violence has been used to displace, subjugate and destabilise Palestinians, with perpetrators facing almost complete impunity.

Israeli authorities interrogate and deny entry to UK MPs at occupied West Bank border

    UK Labour Party MPs Clive Lewis and Lara Bird said Israeli authorities denied them and other delegates entry to the occupied West Bank from Jordan on Monday and that they were interrogated and detained for eight hours.

    In a post on X, Lewis said the group had planned to take part in the Progressive International’s Second Ramallah Congress, a gathering that opposes the Israeli occupation in Palestine.

    They were also due to accompany Palestinian farmers facing escalating Israeli settler pogroms during the olive harvest.

    Both MPs said they were held for more than eight hours and interrogated, even though “we had done nothing wrong”, Lewis said.

    “We went to show our support for the Palestinian people and highlight the terrible injustice and violence being perpetrated against them.”

    Bird wrote on X: “I will continue to do everything I can to apply pressure on the Netanyahu government and those responsible for the persecution and genocide of the Palestinian people.”

Saudi air defences destroy four Houthi drones targeting southern region

    The Saudi-led coalition’s spokesperson has said, in a post on X, that air defences have intercepted and destroyed four drones launched by the Houthis towards southern Saudi Arabia.