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Middle East War Live: Israel, Iran, Gaza and Lebanon
Live updates on the war in the Middle East: Israel and Iran, Gaza and Hamas, Hezbollah and Lebanon, and the diplomacy around them. Every entry links to our full report.
Monday 9 November 2026
Middle East & North Africa
Leaked document: Iran controls terminals and storage tanks in Chinese ports to move sanctioned oil – sources
Iran International reports a confidential letter saying Tehran secured terminals, piers and long-term tank leases in Chinese ports to sell sanctioned crude directly to China.
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Yemen’s government asks Iran to stop arming the Houthis – says 14 Revolutionary Guards and 7 Hezbollah officers work alongside them – sources
Yemen’s internationally recognised government demands Iran stop arming the Houthis and withdraw its military experts, claiming 21 foreign officers, 14 from the Revolutionary Guards and 7 from Hezbollah, direct operations.
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Araghchi to Washington: “Our two-day proposal stands” – or choose war and face “hellfire” – sources
Iran’s foreign minister says the American voters made their choice and now the White House must make its own, while saying ceasefire efforts are stalled after the US midterms.
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Israel reportedly approves a first multinational force of about 250 in Gaza – and says no to Turkey – sources
Israeli security officials say a first force of about 250 foreign troops is cleared for Gaza, with Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Uganda and Albania named as willing, while Turkey is shut out.
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Strait of Hormuz: the Revolutionary Guards say they destroyed navigation systems in the south and that no unlicensed ship passed overnight – what was heard on Qeshm – sources
The Revolutionary Guards claim no ship without Iranian permission passed through the Strait of Hormuz overnight, citing destroyed navigation aids in the south. Explosions were reported on Qeshm.
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Trump receives Qatar’s prime minister on Iran – what Doha is asking and why Rubio speaks of “outrageous” demands – sources
Trump meets Qatar’s prime minister at the White House on November 9. Doha reportedly proposes a two-phase plan; Rubio says Iranian demands have been “outrageous, ridiculous and not at all realistic.”
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Sunday 8 November 2026
Middle East & North Africa
Trump: a new strike on Iran is “extremely unlikely” if Tehran signs a deal – three carriers ready, 38 bridges in the crosshairs
In a CNN interview, Donald Trump said new US attacks on Iran are “extremely unlikely” if Tehran signs a “very strong” deal, while stressing three carriers are armed and ready.
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Iran: three January protesters executed in Karaj – what the court charged them with
Iran executed three men arrested over the January protests in Karaj. Hengaw says it is the fifth execution of protesters in six days and counts at least 710 executions in 2026.
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Katz: “Against Iran, the mission has not yet been completed” – Israel will not leave the security zones
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran is again moving toward nuclear weapons, that Israel will not leave its security zones, and called for unity amid the political deadlock.
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Strait of Hormuz: another tanker in flames after hitting a mine – the Iranian Navy’s warning
Iran’s Navy says an oil tanker hit a naval mine in the eastern Strait of Hormuz on November 7, caught fire and was immobilised, and blames the ship for entering a zone Tehran has declared restricted.
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US expels Lebanese consul general in Detroit over posts praising the 1983 attack on US Marines – what his circle says
The State Department declared Lebanon’s consul general in Detroit, Ibrahim Sarara, persona non grata over social media posts praising the 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut. His circle says his account was hacked.
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Rewards for Justice: up to $20 million for information on Iran’s nuclear programme – whom Washington is looking for
The US State Department’s Rewards for Justice programme offers up to $20 million, and possible relocation, for information on the facilities, equipment and people of Iran’s nuclear programme.
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Erdoğan to Trump: Turkey will continue efforts for US–Iran peace – In Karabakh for Azerbaijan’s Victory Day
After a phone call with Trump, Erdoğan said the US–Iran tension must end through diplomacy. On Sunday he visits Karabakh at Aliyev’s invitation for Azerbaijan’s Victory Day.
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Israel: Herzog gives Eisenkot the first mandate to form a government – Netanyahu’s reaction
President Isaac Herzog announced that Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, will be the first to receive the mandate to form a government. Netanyahu called for a “national unity government.”
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Revolutionary Guards: the limit on Iran’s missile range “has been lifted” – what they said about a new underground “missile city”
An IRGC spokesman says Iran’s self-imposed missile range limit no longer applies, and that a new underground “missile city” will be unveiled. The claims about downed aircraft and failed air defences are unverified.
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CENTCOM disables the M/V Huda in the Gulf of Oman: fifth merchant ship stopped under the U.S. blockade of Iran
U.S. Central Command says a U.S. military aircraft fired precision munitions at the stern of the St. Kitts-flagged cargo ship M/V Huda on Nov. 7 after its crew ignored repeated warnings.
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Saturday 7 November 2026
Middle East & North Africa
Southern Lebanon: more than 340 Hezbollah weapons and a shaft inside a house – Zamir’s warning to Northern Command
The IDF says its 188th Brigade found more than 340 Hezbollah weapons and a seven-metre shaft hidden in a house in southern Lebanon, a day after Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned the army will widen its gains if needed.
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CENTCOM launches Task Force Iron Gate to cut Iran’s land and Caspian smuggling routes
U.S. Central Command has created Task Force Iron Gate, a 20-person staff in Tampa, to stop Iran moving advanced weapons and sanctioned goods across its land borders and the Caspian Sea.
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Qeshm: the night of the US strikes and the Iranian claims – Revolutionary Guards say the 2,000 km missile-range limit “has been lifted”
After the night of US strikes on Qeshm, Iran says its armed forces are stronger than at the start of the war, the Strait of Hormuz stays closed, and the 2,000 km missile-range limit has been lifted.
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Qeshm: Trump confirms “small” strikes on Iranian air defences – Iran says it shot down an MQ-9 and an MQ-1
Donald Trump confirmed that US forces struck Qeshm again, calling it “small strikes” on Iranian air defence, while Tehran says it downed US drones over the island.
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Friday 6 November 2026
Middle East & North Africa
UNICEF: attacks on water and sanitation systems in war zones have more than tripled since 2021
UNICEF counted more than 135 attacks on water and sanitation systems in 15 countries in 2025, up from fewer than 45 in eight countries in 2021.
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Iran distributes iodine tablets around nuclear sites – survival guidelines for a nuclear blast
Iranian authorities are handing out iodine tablets to residents within two to three kilometres of sensitive nuclear facilities, The Times reports, as Tehran prepares for a possible US strike on Pickaxe Mountain.
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Saudi Arabia: Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi phones Faisal bin Farhan amid Houthi attacks on the kingdom
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi phoned Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan, one of several regional contacts he held on Thursday, as the Houthis keep striking Saudi airports and energy facilities.
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Iran says it sent the US a nuclear proposal via Qatar, with seven conditions – Trump on a new strike: “You’ll find out soon”
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran sent a nuclear proposal to Washington via Qatar but will only negotiate once seven conditions are met, while Donald Trump left a new strike open.
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Strait of Hormuz: two more tankers ablaze after hitting mines, Revolutionary Guards say
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy says two more oil tankers caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday after hitting mines, without naming the ships or reporting casualties.
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Lebanon: Prime Minister Salam warns against a new “reckless adventure” after Khamenei’s “unity of fronts” remarks
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned that Lebanon must not be dragged into a new “reckless adventure” for foreign interests, as fears grow in Beirut that Hezbollah could rejoin a war on Iran’s side.
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Turkey: soldier killed on the border by fire “assessed to have come from Iran” – investigations open in Ankara and Tehran
Turkey’s defence ministry says the fire that killed a soldier on the Iranian border on October 31 is assessed to have come from the Iranian side, with Ankara and Tehran running separate investigations.
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FT: Russian order for 90 missile launchers for Iran’s Mi-28 helicopters – US sanctions on Tehran’s MANPADS middlemen
The Financial Times, citing Russian defence-industry documents, reports an order for 90 APU-L launchers for Iran’s Mi-28 helicopters, a day after US sanctions on intermediaries in Tehran’s MANPADS procurement.
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Persian Gulf: tanker hit by two projectiles off Qatar, while Iran’s navy says three more struck mines
UKMTO reports a tanker hit by two unidentified projectiles about 50 nautical miles north of Madinat ash Shamal, Qatar, while Iran’s navy claims three more tankers hit mines near the Strait of Hormuz.
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Thursday 5 November 2026
Middle East & North Africa
Putin and Rezaei at the Kremlin: a message from Mojtaba Khamenei to the Russian president, with the head of the GRU in the room
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei delivered a message from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, in a meeting that included the head of Russian military intelligence.
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