Iraq said attacks on a key Saudi oil pipeline were launched from its territory, as U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to blame Iran.
Meanwhile, the number of displaced people in Yemen is rising quickly after a swift advance by Iran-backed Houthi rebels has threatened a key alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb. And Lebanon and Israel will hold a new round of direct talks next month.
Here’s a look at the latest news in the Middle East.
Full coverage can be found here.
Asked if he thought Iran was behind the attack that closed the East-West pipeline, Trump told reporters: “Well, I think they are. Probably they are.”
Trump said his administration has “had discussions” with the Houthis, though he did not say when. “The Houthis called us, and they don’t want to fight with us,” he said. “They would much prefer not having us involved, and they’re letting most ships go through.” The Houthis have said they are only targeting neighboring Saudi Arabia's shipping.
Asked about a recent call with Saudi’s crown prince, Trump said: “He’s a good friend of mine, and I can just say everything’s going to work out fine and dandy. It’s going to be very good.”
The International Organization for Migration said at least 76,000 people have fled their homes in Yemen since July as fighting has escalated, up from 46,000 just days earlier. The “numbers have nearly doubled overnight,” the IOM said.
Yemen is nearing a return to a civil war that killed 150,000 before a 2022 ceasefire. Fighting is intensifying between the Houthis and the forces of the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government.
Analysts worry that the Houthis’ seizure of the port city of Mokha and an island on the Bab el-Mandeb may send global oil prices even higher after they soared again above $100 a barrel, giving Tehran more leverage in any talks with the U.S.
Lebanese and Israeli negotiators are scheduled to meet in Rome in October for U.S.-brokered talks. A planned round this month was postponed without explanation.
The U.S. State Department also said Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the U.S. will meet at its headquarters in Washington next week to discuss ongoing developments and the continued implementation of the framework agreement reached in June.
Lebanon and Israel have held seven rounds of talks in Washington and Rome over the past months in search of a way to calm the latest fighting between Israeli forces and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group.
Lebanon’s president made a rare visit to a southern city Saturday, close to where Israel captured a strategic hill.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and the United Arab Emirates' President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi, signaling efforts to maintain engagement despite growing instability across the region.
Iran has sharply criticized the security partnerships some Gulf states maintain with Western powers, while the UAE has backed efforts aimed at containing Iran’s military influence.
“From clashing at the BRICS foreign ministers meeting not so long ago to engaging on the sidelines at BRICS summit, Iran and UAE have shown diplomatic sagacity to make use of this rare opportunity for a direct meeting,” said Praveen Donthi, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group.
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the operations command in Maysan province, which borders Iran, and dismissed its commander after authorities determined that the attacks on the Saudi pipeline were launched from the province, the government said.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry blamed the attacks on several drones that came from Iraq and said the kingdom would not retaliate to give the Iraqi government “an opportunity to take the necessary measures.”
The East-West pipeline has been vital to Saudi Arabia’s oil exports in the months since the Iran war disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the International Energy Agency, Saudi oil exports through the Red Sea port at the pipeline’s end have more than doubled since the war erupted.
Regional officials have told The Associated Press that the Houthis and the Iraqi militias recently coordinated attacks on Saudi oil facilities.
A large-scale oil spill, believed to be from a tanker struck by the U.S. military, doubled in size between Wednesday and Thursday, endangering two protected areas off Oman and Iran, said Nina Noelle of Greenpeace Germany.
The tanker RIESCO was one of four attacked Tuesday in the Gulf of Oman. A fifth was destroyed in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s Kharg island.
The visible area of pollution measured about 400 square kilometers (154 square miles) on Thursday, Noelle said. Satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press showed the spill stretching almost 70 kilometers (43 miles) long.
The spill is located between the Musandam protected area on the Omani side, which includes one of the region’s most important seabird breeding islands.
On the Iranian side is the Hara-e Roud-e Gaz Protected Area in Hormozgan province that includes mangrove forests.
“The current situation in the Strait of Hormuz, together with our experience of oil spills since the beginning of the war, unfortunately suggests that an effective response is unlikely,” Noelle said.
Israeli troops opened fire at a group of Palestinians who did not appear to be posing a threat in the occupied West Bank, wounding one man, according to video obtained by The Associated Press.
The video, shot by a witness, showed the man falling to the ground near the Palestinian village of Faqqua. At least 14 shots were fired during the video. They continued as several men rushed to move the injured man to safety before setting him down and tying a tourniquet around his leg.
Mahmoud Shahin, a resident, said the Palestinians had rushed to the area after receiving reports that Israeli settlers had arrived with a flock of sheep. He said Israeli soldiers then came and began firing in the air and toward the Palestinians.
He said the wounded man was undergoing surgery in Jenin.
Israel’s military said the video was authentic and confirmed its forces had fired toward the Palestinians, wounding one man, and said commanders would review the incident.
Settler violence in the West Bank has surged under the ultranationalist government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The international community largely considers Israeli settlements to be illegal and obstacles to peace.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
