Desk

Middle East & North Africa

Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Iraq, the Gulf, Yemen, Egypt and Libya.

An F/A-18F Super Hornet moving across the flight deck of USS Abraham Lincoln in warm evening light, with the island marked 72 behind it

USS Abraham Lincoln: 450 Tomahawks and 3,693 sorties in the Iran war, homecoming after a record stretch at sea

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group launched 450 Tomahawk cruise missiles…

October 9, 2026 · 16:002 min readUpdated October 11, 2026 · 22:46

Greek Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou stands beside EU Commissioner Jessika Roswall in front of a ministry backdrop with EU and Greek flags

Cyprus

Egypt, Cyprus and Greece push to speed up East Mediterranean gas projects, with Cyprus’s Cronos and Aphrodite fields on the table

The energy ministers of Egypt, Greece and Cyprus met in Athens on the sidelines of the Eastern Mediterranean…

October 9, 2026 · 02:202 min readUpdated October 11, 2026 · 22:46

Kaja Kallas looking upwards inside a marble-floored hall of the Vatican

Europe

Lebanon: EU preparing a training mission for the Lebanese army; Kallas: “There cannot be a security vacuum when UNIFIL leaves”

EU High Representative Kaja Kallas announced in Beirut on October 8 that planning for a new EU mission…

October 9, 2026 · 02:002 min readUpdated October 12, 2026 · 10:06

A Pakistan Air Force JF-17 Thunder Block III fighter jet on display on the apron with bombs and pods in front of it

Asia-Pacific

Pakistan denies New York Times report on PAF fighter jets being used against the Houthis under the Mecca Agreement

Pakistan’s Information Ministry rejected as “fake and fabricated” a New York Times report, citing unnamed Pakistani officials, that…

October 9, 2026 · 01:202 min readUpdated October 11, 2026 · 22:47

An Iron Dome launcher firing a Tamir interceptor, with smoke and a rocket plume against a hazy sky

Defense Industry

Iron Dome: First Tamir interceptor built entirely in the United States delivered to Israel

The Rafael–Raytheon joint venture has delivered to Israel’s Missile Defense Organization the first Iron Dome Tamir interceptor built…

October 8, 2026 · 23:401 min readUpdated October 11, 2026 · 22:47

Air Force

War with Iran: 81 US aircraft destroyed or damaged, Congressional Research Service says

At least 81 US aircraft, crewed, helicopters and drones, have been lost or damaged in operations against Iran,…

October 8, 2026 · 22:402 min readUpdated October 11, 2026 · 22:47

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shaking hands with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi in an office in Muscat

Middle East & North Africa

Iran to reply to US on the “seven-day plan” within days; Trump: a deal “is not something I want”

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on October 8 that Iran is studying the US response to its “seven-day…

October 8, 2026 · 22:202 min readUpdated October 11, 2026 · 22:47

Donald Trump walking along a rope line on the South Lawn of the White House, surrounded by reporters and photographers

Middle East & North Africa

Trump: “We will not be attacking Iran” before the November 3 midterm elections, as the blockade stays

Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on October 8 that the United States will not attack Iran at…

October 8, 2026 · 22:002 min readUpdated October 11, 2026 · 22:47

A US Navy guided-missile destroyer at sea with a Navy helicopter flying alongside it

Middle East & North Africa

Iran: Pentagon told CENTCOM to complete preparations to resume major operations, Axios reports

The Pentagon directed US Central Command several days ago to finish preparations to resume major combat operations against…

October 8, 2026 · 21:402 min readUpdated October 11, 2026 · 22:47

A Saudi Arabian Airlines Airbus A320 at a jet bridge in front of the terminal buildings at Riyadh airport

Middle East & North Africa

Saudi Arabia: Three dead and 36 injured in Houthi attacks on the Riyadh and Abha airports

Three civilians were killed and 36 injured in two attacks on Saudi airports claimed by Yemen’s Houthis, according…

October 8, 2026 · 16:402 min readUpdated October 11, 2026 · 22:47

An oil products tanker with a black and red hull and white superstructure moored alongside a refinery jetty

Middle East & North Africa

Gulf: Tanker hit by multiple projectiles north of Qatar, casualties reported

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said a tanker was struck by multiple projectiles about 94 kilometres…

October 8, 2026 · 16:202 min readUpdated October 11, 2026 · 22:47

Aerial view from the International Space Station of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait between the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, with storm clouds over the coast

Middle East & North Africa

Yemen: Murky picture on the Bab el-Mandeb coast as Houthis show combat capability; the ring tightens around Taiz

Neither side has clear control of Dhubab, which overlooks the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to information from the…

October 8, 2026 · 10:203 min readUpdated October 11, 2026 · 22:47