Monday, 17 August 2026
IDF Kills Senior Hezbollah Commander After Attack on Israeli Troops
Trump envoy Kushner arrives in Israel after rare Hamas talks on Gaza peace plan
US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Jared Kushner has arrived in Israel, where he is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
It comes after Kushner held rare talks with Hamas to discuss the implementation of the US-backed Gaza peace plan.
Last month, Trump's Board of Peace said it had reached agreement for the "complete disarmament" of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. Last week, Israel rejected Trump's 15-point plan, which also calls for Israeli troops to withdraw and for Gaza to be rebuilt under a new civilian Palestinian administration.
Eight Muslim countries issued a statement on Sunday condemning Israel's rejection. Trump leads the Board of Peace, which was created as an international organisation originally intended to bring peace to Gaza, but later expanded to include conflicts worldwide.
A Palestinian official told the BBC Trump's son-in-law met a delegation led by Hamas's new leader Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on Sunday. In a statement, Hamas later called on mediators and the Board of Peace to "compel" Israel to approve the roadmap for the next steps.
But Netanyahu faces a tough October election to try to hold onto power, with a coalition that includes ministers in favour of taking a harsher line on Gaza.
Many Israelis are also sceptical that Hamas is ready to disarm. Kushner's meeting with Hayya is said to be the first at this level since last year's agreement of a ceasefire for the Gaza Strip.
FULL REPORT AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c77gg5vn44yo
Trump says US to reduce military drills with South Korea after it stayed out of Iran war
President Donald Trump has said the US will "substantially reduce" joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his "very good relationship" with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un.
He also noted on Truth Social that South Korea had recently declined to join the US in the "denuclearisation" of Iran.
"These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile," Trump posted.
Seoul said it was reviewing Trump's comments, adding it hoped a favourable relationship between Washington and Pyongyang could lead to meaningful talks. Pyongyang has not yet commented.
Earlier, South Korea said the drills with the US would proceed "as scheduled".
It comes after North Korea this month conducted ballistic missile tests banned by the United Nations.
Trump said in his social media post on Sunday that it was "too late to cancel", as the US and South Korea were due to start their annual military exercises on Monday.
He added: "While somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, 'No thanks!'"
FULL REPORT AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2lll7zvn0o
Ukrainian strikes kill six in Russia, acting governor says
Six people have been killed and four injured in Ukrainian missile strikes on Russia's Belgorod region overnight, its acting governor has said.
A 14-year-old child was among those injured, Alexander Shuvaev wrote on Telegram on Monday.
Ukraine officials said two people were killed in Russian drone strikes overnight on the Sumy region, close to the border with Russia, which has been under frequent attack.
The strikes come a night after what Russian officials called the "largest-scale" attack launched by Ukraine this year, in which at least seven people were killed. Russian attacks on Ukraine also killed at least seven people and injured more than 39 on Saturday night.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and currently controls approximately a fifth of Ukrainian territory.
The latest Ukrainian strikes burned a building and damaged a car in the village of Koloskovo in the Valuysky district, which is close to Russia's border with Ukraine, Shuvaev said.
The injured child was sent to hospital while two others received medical assistance, he added.
Kyiv has stepped up drone strikes deep inside Russia during the past few weeks.
FULL REPORT AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn7n4lm11vro
Sunday, 16 August 2026
Trump Calls Netanyahu ‘His Own Worst Enemy,’ Refuses to Endorse Him
| Mamdani Slammed After Synagogue Attack; El-Sayed Facing Tough Senate Fight; Resort Worker Complains of ‘Too Many Jews’; Iranian Lawmaker Threatens Trump | |||||
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Russia says at least seven killed in largest Ukrainian attack of 2026
At least seven people have been killed in Russia after what officials called the "largest-scale" attack launched by Ukraine this year.
Some 822 drones were used - 600 aiming for Moscow, according to its regional governor who said the Russian capital had suffered "one of the most massive drone attacks in recent memory". A warehouse belonging to Russian online retailer Wildberries was hit.
Russian attacks on Ukraine also killed at least seven people and injured more than 39.
Russia has intensified missile attacks across Ukraine in recent weeks, with Kyiv also stepping up drone strikes deep inside Russia.
Five people died in Russia's south-western region of Rostov following overnight strikes, its governor said.
Officials in Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, said a woman was killed after a civilian bus was struck, while an 83-year-old man died in a drone attack in the Moscow region, according to Governor Andrey Vorobyov.
A Wildberries warehouse in Koledino, 25km (15.5 miles) from the centre of Moscow, was hit in an attack, injuring three, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Videos shows a fire and a large plume of smoke over the warehouse.
Wildberries, known as Russia's version of Amazon, has been repeatedly targeted since July. Kyiv said at the time it was targeting logistics hubs used by Russians to buy military equipment and disrupting supplies to the Russian army.
Both warring sides accuse each other of targeting civilians.
FULL REPORT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1411pgje8xo
Trump Plans Stunning Strait of Hormuz Declaration
| Jews Attacked at NYC Synagogue; Ben-Gvir Tightens Prison Conditions; El-Sayed to Headline Event With Child-Marriage Cleric; UK Unsafe for Jews | |||
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Donald Trump Didn’t Finish The Job As Iran’s IRGC Boasts That Surviving America’s Attacks Has Opened The Door For Islam To Rise Up And Rule The World
President Trump started a war with Iran that remains wholly unfinished, and that is allowing Tehran to turn defeat into a resounding victory that is energizing them
The fact that Iran’s top military commander Ahmad Vahidi can stand before the Islamic world and boast that Tehran has brought the United States “to its knees” tells you everything you need to know about President Trump’s claim that America had “finished the job.” The job was not finished. Iran was hit, Iran was damaged and Iran was bloodied, but the Islamic regime was left standing—and now it is transforming survival into victory. President Trump has put America in a very dangerous position by not eliminating the Iranian regime, and it is already coming back to haunt him.
Eleven killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, authorities say
Eleven people have been killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, authorities say, in one of the deadliest days of attacks since an agreement aimed at reducing hostilities was announced in June.
Lebanon's prime minister said seven people were killed in a strike on a house on the outskirts of Ansar, 70km (43 miles) south of the capital, Beirut. State media reported three children and two women were among the dead.
Israel's Defense Forces (IDF) said it had killed a commander of Hezbollah - the Iran-backed Shia militia - following an attack against Israeli soldiers.
The commander's family "who he used as human shields" were present and "harmed", it added.
Later on Saturday, another round of strikes hit the town of Deir al-Zahrani, killing four and wounding five others, the Lebanese ministry of health said.
Lebanese authorities say the strike in Ansar at around 04:30 (01:30 GMT) occurred where displaced families were living. Footage on social media shows large plumes of smoke permeating through the streets of the village as sirens ring out.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the attacks, saying the seven civilians killed were not "military infrastructure".
"Israel must halt this escalation," he said. "For the security of our people and their right to life on their land are not subject to negotiation or bargaining."
The IDF said the incident that prompted its strike on Ansar had taken place in the Ali al-Taher Ridge, a strategic high ground overlooking much of south-eastern Lebanon and one of the war's most fiercely contested positions.
FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gjygx4gjeo