Middle East live: US envoy Kushner to meet Netanyahu after talks with Hamas
France 24
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France 24
Original Source
US envoy Jared Kushner meets Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu following talks with Hamas leaders in Egypt aimed at reviving a Trump-backed Gaza peace plan Israel has so far rejected. The high-stakes diplomatic effort comes as both sides appear committed to finding a resolution amid regional tensions.
17/08/2026 - 15:03
Kushner meets Netanyahu in US bid to shift stalemate in Gaza
US envoy Jared Kushner is meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday after holding talks with Hamas leaders in Egypt aimed at reviving a US-backed Gaza peace plan that Israel has so far rejected.
Watch FRANCE 24's Middle East correspondent Noga Tarnopolsky to find out more on the high-stakes visit.
17/08/2026 - 14:31
Iran to shift its policy from defensive to 'fully offensive', senior official says
17/08/2026 - 14:37
Iran to escalate tensions in region if diplomacy with US fails, senior official says
Iran will escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and wider region if diplomacy with the U.S. fails, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday, pointing to an Iranian policy shift relying on offense rather than defence.
17/08/2026 - 14:33
Iran sets a deadline of a few weeks to fully implement interim peace deal
17/08/2026 - 14:23
Trump threatens to bomb Oman if they get in way of Hormuz deal
Iran sets a deadline of a few weeks to fully implement interim peace deal
Iran to shift its policy from defensive to 'fully offensive', senior official says
17/08/2026 - 14:00
Yemen's Houthis claim attack on Saudi military landing ship, four escort vessels off Mocha coast in Red Sea
17/08/2026 - 13:52
Trump threatens to bomb Oman if they get in way of Hormuz deal
17/08/2026 - 13:45
Tanker salvage and oil spill clean-up hampered by weather and technical challenges, Oman says
Weather conditions and operational challenges were hampering salvage efforts for a grounded tanker that was leaking Russian crude oil in a protected marine area off Oman's coast, the sultanate's state news agency reported on Monday.
Oman has been coordinating the salvage operation with risk-management company Ambrey as part of efforts to contain environmental damage from a spill that some estimates put at 2,000 sq km. The government's environment agency gave an official estimate of 400 sq km on August 10 but has yet to issue an update.
The spill from the Caroline Bezengi tanker — apparently the result of an unexplained attack on the vessel in June — has spread around a nature reserve and hit Oman's coastline on Wednesday.
17/08/2026 - 13:17
Yemen parties must halt actions risking return to 'full-scale conflict', UN says
The UN rights chief voiced alarm Monday at the rising civilian toll of escalating hostilities in Yemen, urging restraint and an immediate de-escalation to avoid plunging the country back into a full-scale war.
"I urge all parties to halt immediately any actions that risk returning Yemen to full-scale conflict," Volker Turk said in a statement, as renewed fighting between the Houthi rebels and the government undermined a 2022 truce.
17/08/2026 - 12:30
Trump says Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon 'in any way, shape, or form'
US President Donald Trump reiterated on Monday that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon amid a lack of progress in diplomatic efforts to resolve the Middle East conflict.
"The number one Goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
17/08/2026 - 12:24
Iran says it is near finalizing deal with Oman over plan for Strait of Hormuz shipping
Iran said Monday it is working to finalize a joint statement with Oman on a plan to manage the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Fully reopening the waterway to commercial shipping has been a key demand of the United States, but it remains unclear whether the deal will meet Washington's criteria.
The announcement came as the 60-day negotiating period to find a peace deal between the US and Iran was expiring, with no word of an extension and both sides seemingly as far apart as they were two months ago.
17/08/2026 - 10:28
Drones launched from Iran attack PM's office in Iraqi Kurdistan, officials say
Two Iranian drones targeted the Iraqi Kurdistan prime minister's office and the home of the autonomous region's intelligence chief overnight, authorities said Monday.
"Following an investigation by the Kurdistan Counter-Terrorism Unit, my personal office and the home of the head of the Security and Intelligence Agency were targeted by Iranian drone attacks earlier today," Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said, in a post on X.
"This is a dangerous escalation and a direct threat to the security and stability of the Kurdistan region."
The regional Counter-Terrorism Directorate said there were no casualties in the attack.
17/08/2026 - 10:17
Iran considers missing pilots to be prisoners in Qatar
Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday it will consider three missing pilots to be prisoners in Qatar, despite Doha's denials, until it clarifies their fate.
Tehran has said the Iranians went missing while carrying out an operation against the United States' Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on March 2, shortly after the outbreak of the Middle East war.
On Saturday, Iranian authorities alleged for the first time that the pilots had been captured in Qatar, after previously saying one pilot had been killed and three others were missing following their sortie.
"It is imperative to obtain clarification on their situation," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a weekly press briefing.
"Until the pilots' situation is clarified, we consider them prisoners and will spare no effort to shed light on their fate."
17/08/2026 - 10:04
Drones attack the Kurdistan Regional Government prime minister's office in Iraq
Two drones attacked the office of the Kurdistan Regional Government's prime minister in Iraq on Monday, the KRG security agency said.
The attacks were launched from Iranian territory and no human casualties were reported, according to a KRG statement.
17/08/2026 - 06:51
Shipping via Hormuz strait slows after tanker attacks, data shows
Shippingthrough the Strait of Hormuz slowed over the weekend, data showed on Monday, following attacks on tankers, while US-Iran talks to resolve the Middle East conflict stalled.
Five commodity vessels transited the strait on Saturday, with none registered for Sunday, shiptracking data from Kpler showed, versus 31 in the prior weekend
17/08/2026 - 06:47
US envoy Kushner to meet with Netanyahu after talks with Hamas on Gaza
US envoy Jared Kushner is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday after holding talks with Hamas leaders in Egypt aimed at reviving a US-backed Gaza peace plan that Israel has so far rejected.
The meeting comes two weeks after Hamas endorsed the latest stage of Trump's Gaza plan, which Netanyahu has refused to support, insisting any settlement must ensure the group is "genuinely disarmed".
Kushner -- Trump's son-in-law -- met Hamas's new leader Khalil al-Hayya in the Egyptian Meditarranean city of El-Alamein on Sunday, sources with knowledge of the talks told AFP.
Kushner pushed for Hamas to take "concrete, verifiable steps" and relayed a message that "Gaza can never again be a source of terror for Israel", said one source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions.
Hamas again voiced its commitment to the plan, another source said.
Kushner meets Netanyahu in US bid to shift stalemate in Gaza
US envoy Jared Kushner is meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday after holding talks with Hamas leaders in Egypt aimed at reviving a US-backed Gaza peace plan that Israel has so far rejected.
Watch FRANCE 24's Middle East correspondent Noga Tarnopolsky to find out more on the high-stakes visit.
17/08/2026 - 14:31
Iran to shift its policy from defensive to 'fully offensive', senior official says
17/08/2026 - 14:37
Iran to escalate tensions in region if diplomacy with US fails, senior official says
Iran will escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and wider region if diplomacy with the U.S. fails, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday, pointing to an Iranian policy shift relying on offense rather than defence.
17/08/2026 - 14:33
Iran sets a deadline of a few weeks to fully implement interim peace deal
17/08/2026 - 14:23
Trump threatens to bomb Oman if they get in way of Hormuz deal
Iran sets a deadline of a few weeks to fully implement interim peace deal
Iran to shift its policy from defensive to 'fully offensive', senior official says
17/08/2026 - 14:00
Yemen's Houthis claim attack on Saudi military landing ship, four escort vessels off Mocha coast in Red Sea
17/08/2026 - 13:52
Trump threatens to bomb Oman if they get in way of Hormuz deal
17/08/2026 - 13:45
Tanker salvage and oil spill clean-up hampered by weather and technical challenges, Oman says
Weather conditions and operational challenges were hampering salvage efforts for a grounded tanker that was leaking Russian crude oil in a protected marine area off Oman's coast, the sultanate's state news agency reported on Monday.
Oman has been coordinating the salvage operation with risk-management company Ambrey as part of efforts to contain environmental damage from a spill that some estimates put at 2,000 sq km. The government's environment agency gave an official estimate of 400 sq km on August 10 but has yet to issue an update.
The spill from the Caroline Bezengi tanker — apparently the result of an unexplained attack on the vessel in June — has spread around a nature reserve and hit Oman's coastline on Wednesday.
17/08/2026 - 13:17
Yemen parties must halt actions risking return to 'full-scale conflict', UN says
The UN rights chief voiced alarm Monday at the rising civilian toll of escalating hostilities in Yemen, urging restraint and an immediate de-escalation to avoid plunging the country back into a full-scale war.
"I urge all parties to halt immediately any actions that risk returning Yemen to full-scale conflict," Volker Turk said in a statement, as renewed fighting between the Houthi rebels and the government undermined a 2022 truce.
17/08/2026 - 12:30
Trump says Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon 'in any way, shape, or form'
US President Donald Trump reiterated on Monday that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon amid a lack of progress in diplomatic efforts to resolve the Middle East conflict.
"The number one Goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
17/08/2026 - 12:24
Iran says it is near finalizing deal with Oman over plan for Strait of Hormuz shipping
Iran said Monday it is working to finalize a joint statement with Oman on a plan to manage the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Fully reopening the waterway to commercial shipping has been a key demand of the United States, but it remains unclear whether the deal will meet Washington's criteria.
The announcement came as the 60-day negotiating period to find a peace deal between the US and Iran was expiring, with no word of an extension and both sides seemingly as far apart as they were two months ago.
17/08/2026 - 10:28
Drones launched from Iran attack PM's office in Iraqi Kurdistan, officials say
Two Iranian drones targeted the Iraqi Kurdistan prime minister's office and the home of the autonomous region's intelligence chief overnight, authorities said Monday.
"Following an investigation by the Kurdistan Counter-Terrorism Unit, my personal office and the home of the head of the Security and Intelligence Agency were targeted by Iranian drone attacks earlier today," Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said, in a post on X.
"This is a dangerous escalation and a direct threat to the security and stability of the Kurdistan region."
The regional Counter-Terrorism Directorate said there were no casualties in the attack.
17/08/2026 - 10:17
Iran considers missing pilots to be prisoners in Qatar
Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday it will consider three missing pilots to be prisoners in Qatar, despite Doha's denials, until it clarifies their fate.
Tehran has said the Iranians went missing while carrying out an operation against the United States' Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on March 2, shortly after the outbreak of the Middle East war.
On Saturday, Iranian authorities alleged for the first time that the pilots had been captured in Qatar, after previously saying one pilot had been killed and three others were missing following their sortie.
"It is imperative to obtain clarification on their situation," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a weekly press briefing.
"Until the pilots' situation is clarified, we consider them prisoners and will spare no effort to shed light on their fate."
17/08/2026 - 10:04
Drones attack the Kurdistan Regional Government prime minister's office in Iraq
Two drones attacked the office of the Kurdistan Regional Government's prime minister in Iraq on Monday, the KRG security agency said.
The attacks were launched from Iranian territory and no human casualties were reported, according to a KRG statement.
17/08/2026 - 06:51
Shipping via Hormuz strait slows after tanker attacks, data shows
Shippingthrough the Strait of Hormuz slowed over the weekend, data showed on Monday, following attacks on tankers, while US-Iran talks to resolve the Middle East conflict stalled.
Five commodity vessels transited the strait on Saturday, with none registered for Sunday, shiptracking data from Kpler showed, versus 31 in the prior weekend
17/08/2026 - 06:47
US envoy Kushner to meet with Netanyahu after talks with Hamas on Gaza
US envoy Jared Kushner is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday after holding talks with Hamas leaders in Egypt aimed at reviving a US-backed Gaza peace plan that Israel has so far rejected.
The meeting comes two weeks after Hamas endorsed the latest stage of Trump's Gaza plan, which Netanyahu has refused to support, insisting any settlement must ensure the group is "genuinely disarmed".
Kushner -- Trump's son-in-law -- met Hamas's new leader Khalil al-Hayya in the Egyptian Meditarranean city of El-Alamein on Sunday, sources with knowledge of the talks told AFP.
Kushner pushed for Hamas to take "concrete, verifiable steps" and relayed a message that "Gaza can never again be a source of terror for Israel", said one source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions.
Hamas again voiced its commitment to the plan, another source said.
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Source: France 24
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