War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has shared a Homer Simpson meme as he reacts to a statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

He posted a statement by Rubio on Iranian spending, according to which the US official said: “Imagine an Iranian regime who, instead of spending billions of dollars supporting terrorist groups and building up all of these weapons, had invested that money into Iran, for the people of Iran.”

In the same post, he also shared a statement by Trump, who said: “It’s not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things … We have to take care of one thing: military protection.”

He posted these along with a GIF showing Homer Simpson disappearing into bushes, which implies a silent, awkward retreat from an embarrassing situation.

“The process of fully restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz … depends on the cessation of unlawful actions, interference, threats, and the naval blockade imposed by the United States, as well as compensation for the violations of commitments that have occurred over the past two months,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has said in an interview, according to state-owned Press TV.

He added that the current insecure situation in the Strait of Hormuz is a “direct” outcome of illegal and aggressive measures by the United States and the Israeli regime.

Yemen’s Mocha port has suspended commercial and maritime operations after being hit by more than 25 missiles in Houthi attacks over recent days, the port’s director says according to Reuters.

The attacks killed seven people and caused an estimated $16 million in losses, the director told a news conference.

The Israeli military claims that its strike on the Lebanese village of Ansar, where authorities reported seven people killed including children, targeted a Hezbollah commander, AFP reports.

It claimed it “struck a central headquarters of the Radwan Force”, referring to an elite Hezbollah unit, adding that “the strike eliminated terrorist Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan, a battalion commander in the Radwan Force”.

The military further acknowledged what it called a “claim” that “Hassan’s family was also present with him inside the military headquarters,” adding that they “were not the target of the strike”.

Qatar denies holding Iranian pilots in custody, saying they had violated the country’s airspace earlier this year and failed to respond to attempts to contact them, Reuters reports.

A Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson says on X that search and rescue teams found the remains of one of the pilots and that it had contacted Iran to coordinate a handover. He adds that Tehran has yet to respond to an invitation to review details of its operations.

The Israeli military says three soldiers, including one officer, were wounded by an explosive drone in southern Lebanon overnight, Al Jazeera reports.

In a post on X, the army says the soldiers have been evacuated from Lebanon to receive medical treatment and their families have been notified.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tells Al Jazeera that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is a priority and its prolonged closure is in no one’s interest.

Speaking in an exclusive interview that will air tomorrow, Erdogan said that he had discussed the need to end Israel’s war on Lebanon and Washington’s key role in achieving this goal with US President Donald Trump.

The Turkish president has also commented on the recently announced joint defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, saying the future accession of other countries, such as Egypt, is a possibility.

Israel wants new and more ambitious US-brokered talks with Lebanon after carrying out strikes, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, adding the countries’ common enemy is Hezbollah, AFP reports.

The Israeli strikes against Hezbollah “should jumpstart the talks and make them much more serious, not do the opposite”, Netanyahu spokesman Doron Spielman tells AFP.

Iran’s economic problems have worsened since the start of the war with the US and Israel, due to declining oil revenues and the destruction of factories, President Masoud Pezeshkian says, according to Anadolu.

In remarks carried by Iranian media, Pezeshkian attributes rising prices to higher costs and falling state revenues resulting from a decline in oil sales. He adds that imported goods previously reached Iran through more direct routes but now enter the country through alternative channels, driving up their final cost.

“Our revenues have declined. We used to sell oil, but now we cannot sell it,” he says, adding that damage to the country’s industrial facilities during the war with the US and Israel has further aggravated the economic situation.

“They targeted and destroyed a large number of factories,” he outlined. “The damage has also affected tax revenues. We can no longer collect taxes from factories.

Not only that, but we also have to provide them with funds so they can continue operating,” the president states.

“Our problems have multiplied many times over, while our revenues have also declined,” he adds.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has accused Hezbollah of “deliberately” placing civilians in harm’s way, after Israeli forces attacked Lebanon’s Nabatieh and Ansar areas, killing 11 people, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement posted on X, it claims Hezbollah had attacked Israeli troops, seriously injuring three soldiers. The military struck what it described as the group’s headquarters in response.

“Only later did the [Israeli military] learn that Hezbollah deliberately put civilians in that military compound,” the PM’s office says. “Hezbollah is willing to do anything, including using its own civilians as human shields, to falsely accuse Israel of deliberately targeting civilians, which the [military] clearly did not.”

Lebanon says Israeli strikes on the south have killed 11 people, including three children, in the deadliest raids since deals in June eased hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, AFP reports.

Israel’s military said the strikes in the early morning were in retaliation for an attack by the Iran-backed militant group on its troops in south Lebanon.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) says Israel “escalated its attacks on the south”, reporting an airstrike on a home in the village of Ansar and a “series of airstrikes targeting the Ali al-Taher ridge”, a strategic hill overlooking the Nabatieh area. It also reports another strike on the southern town of Deir Zahrani.

Lebanon’s health ministry says seven people were killed “including three children and two women,” in Ansar, whereas Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said “an entire family” had been killed.

The ministry adds that four other people were killed and 17 others wounded, including a child and 11 women, in Deir al-Zahrani.

Hezbollah has condemned Israel’s latest attacks across southern Lebanon, accusing it of an “act of aggressive escalation” and targeting civilians, Al Jazeera reports.

A Hezbollah statement claims Israel is expanding the areas it is targeting, having struck a house on the outskirts of Ansar village and a building in Deir al-Zahrani village.

Hezbollah alleges that the escalation reflects Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s desire “to escalate the war in order to bolster his domestic political standing, serve his electoral goals and appease the far-right”.

The group has also criticised Lebanese authorities, demanding they seek ways to halt Israeli attacks rather than pursue negotiations.

Oil pollution is affecting about 12 kilometres of coastline near Oman’s Ras Madraka, while Masirah Island remains unaffected after efforts to tackle a spill from a leaking tanker made progress, Reuters reports citing state news agency ONA.

The Environment Authority says response operations are under way and the offshore slick is moving towards open waters.

The death toll from an Israeli attack on the southern Lebanese town of Deir ez-Zahrani has risen to four, Al Jazeera reports citing Lebanese Civil Defence.

One more body was recovered from the rubble after the attack, and a separate search party discovered another casualty, Lebanese Civil Defence says.

Hezbollah said that Israeli attacks on Lebanon would be met with an “appropriate” response after deadly strikes on the country’s south on Saturday, urging authorities to halt “humiliating” negotiations with Israel, AFP reports.

Israel “must clearly understand that its attacks, violations and attempts to impose a fait accompli cannot continue, and will be met with an appropriate response”, the group said in a statement, adding that Lebanese authorities “must not insist on continuing along the humiliating path of direct negotiations and providing the enemy with free concessions”.

The Missing Persons Search Committee of the Iranian military has alleged that three Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force pilots are in Qatari custody after they were shot down during an operation in March, the Fars news agency reports.

Four crew members on board two Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force Su-24 bombers were involved in an attack on a US base on March 2, 2026. Iranian military officials said the aircraft were hit by air defence systems over the Gulf. One of the four pilots was killed in the operation and later buried on July 30.

In a statement, the Committee claims that the three remaining pilots were captured by Qatar, but have not been allowed visits or interviews, or communication with their families, despite diplomatic efforts.

“According to information obtained, the other pilots involved in the incident … were captured alive by Qatari forces. Unfortunately, since that date, despite the passage of two months, the Qatari government has, in violation of all international laws and regulations, including the four Geneva Conventions concerning the obligation to respect the rights of prisoners of war, disregarded and violated the fundamental rights of these prisoners,” the statement alleges.

“This matter falls within the provisions concerning war crimes and is subject to investigation and consideration.”

Citing Articles 70 and 78 of the Geneva Conventions, the Committee notes that prisoners of war “must be able to notify their families and the Central Agency of the International Committee of the Red Cross of their capture”.

It further says that prisoners have the right to submit complaints and requests to representatives of the protecting powers, including representatives of the Red Cross, and to communicate and confer with them directly or through representatives.

“Prisoners of war who, based on a physician’s assessment, are suffering from serious illness or injuries must be transferred directly to their country of origin,” the statement reads.

Iran’s Fars news agency reports that the oil spill near Qeshm Island has been largely contained and cleanup efforts are ongoing.

Citing the Hormozgan Ports Marine Deputy, Fars reports that monitoring, the collection of oil residue, and cleanup operations in the area will “continue until the pollution’s effects are fully eliminated”.

Iran’s Bandar Abbas International Airport has resumed flight operations, with flights to Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan scheduled in the coming days, Fars news agency reports.