US troops could be forced to surrender cellphones as videos help Iran target bases

The US military’s top commander in the Middle East has warned personnel that cellphone videos being shared online by troops are helping to target US bases.

Some deployed troops could soon be ordered to surrender their phones, in a crackdown on mobile communications that would add a new dimension to the conflict for the thousands in the region, many of whom still rely on phones to periodically message loved ones and assure them they are well.

Admiral Brad Cooper, in a previously unreported letter, said Iran was benefiting from being able to see the success or failure of its strikes in near real-time by searching news reports or online posts by journalists referencing "reactions, photos, and footage from the cellphones of our troops”, according to the Reuters news agency.

"The direct, unavoidable cost of this open-source intelligence could be measured in the lives of American service members and civilian residents in targeted Gulf countries," Cooper, head of US Central Command, wrote in his July 28 letter.

He called on troops to "redouble our focus on operational security," without prescribing specific steps in the memo.

Alex Croft29 July 2026 11:30

US-brokered plan for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon suffers slow start

A US-brokered plan for Israel to withdraw gradually from occupied areas of southern Lebanon in exchange for the disarmament of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia has started slower than expected.

The "pilot zone program" is the centrepiece of the US’ June 26 framework deal intended to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah, and establish peaceful ties between Israel and Lebanon.

Hezbollah still refuses to give up its weapons, while on the ground, the rollout of the first zone in the south Lebanese village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh last week offered a glimpse of a strained and complex process that will be no easier to repeat elsewhere.

A senior Lebanese military official, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely, told the Reuters news agency it had taken weeks of US-brokered negotiations with Israel and days of military operations to establish the first zone in a single village.

The agreement links Israel's progressive withdrawal to the "verified disarmament" of Hezbollah — which is not a party to the deal, has refused to give up its arsenal, and has raised the prospect of internal strife if the state tries to disarm it by force.

Alex Croft29 July 2026 11:06

Watch: Netanyahu speaks out after 'excellent' meeting with Trump on Iran

Alex Croft29 July 2026 10:29

Recap: What officials said after Trump meetings with Netanyahu and Zelensky

US president Donald Trump welcomed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House for separate meetings on Tuesday. Here’s how the conversations went:

Alex Croft29 July 2026 10:05

China holds talks with Houthis to allow tankers to sail through Red Sea

China has held ​direct talks with Yemen's Houthi movement to enable its tankers to sail through the southern Red Sea without being attacked after the Iran-aligned militia pledged to prevent access to Saudi ports, six sources with knowledge of the matter have told Reuters.

The Houthis declared their blockade on July 20, opening a new front against the U.S. and its allies in the Iran war and expanding ⁠attacks on tankers carrying energy and other supplies to markets beyond the Middle East.

Beijing has asked the Houthis directly to promise safe passage for its tankers, according to the sources, who included a senior Iranian official.

China was among the first countries to contact the Houthis directly about transits through Bab el-Mandeb, the strait at the southern end of the Red Sea with Yemen on its eastern bank, said the sources, who declined to be identified due to ⁠the sensitivity of the matter.

Daniel Keane29 July 2026 09:35

Ships transiting via Bab el-Mandeb strait at highest in a week

Thirty-nine commodity ​ships passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Tuesday, the highest number since July 19, while five transited on Wednesday, preliminary shipping data showed, with only a few transiting through the Strait of ⁠Hormuz.

Two of the five ships exiting the Bab el-Mandeb on July 29 were carrying crude oil, including very large crude carrier (VLCC) Sophia and the Aframax tanker Ocean Laureate.

Separately, of the 39 ships passing through on July 28, 20 ships entered ⁠the strait while 17 exited, according ​to ship-tracking ⁠data from analytics firm Kpler. Among those exiting, three were Aframax tankers carrying crude.

The Aisopos and Gustav exited to the ⁠Gulf of Aden, each carrying more than 750,000 barrels of oil, while ​the ⁠Karachi is carrying around 430,000 barrels ‌of crude bound for Pakistan.

Of the ships that entered, two were tankers carrying petrochemical products.

Daniel Keane29 July 2026 09:07

Iraq calls for emergency meeting after airstrikes

Iraqi prime minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi has called an emergency meeting of the national security council today after US and Saudi Arabia launched air strikes this morning.

Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces said at least eight members were killed in a joint Saudi-US strike on its sites across Iraq.

Saudi Arabia and the US military said this morning that they launched a joint strike targeting Iran-backed militias in Iraq.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 July 2026 07:45

Kuwait condemns attacks on Saudi oil site

Kuwait has condemned an airstrike on Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure as “blatant aggression” and a “flagrant violation” of Riyadh's sovereignty.

Kuwait's foreign ministry said the attack reflected the “insistence on escalating tensions” by Iran-backed groups despite Riyadh’s “sincere efforts” to de-escalate tensions.

Saudi Arabia on Monday said it had intercepted a “number of drones” that Iran-backed militias in Iraq had launched at oil facilities.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 July 2026 07:30

Israeli minister says Shia acted as 'enemies' in destroyed Lebanon villages

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz claims that in the 24 villages destroyed in Lebanon, "there were Shiites who acted as enemies on behalf of Hezbollah and threatened our borders, our residents, and constantly carried out provocations".

"Not house by house, not incrimination — all these villages, their destruction has been completed," he said.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 July 2026 07:15

Israeli plan to create ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ for Palestinian prisoners condemned

Human rights groups have condemned Israel’s plans to build a crocodile-filled moat around a prison holding Palestinian detainees as “vicious” and “nonsensical”.

Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is seeking to introduce reptiles at Ketziot Prison in southern Israel, a move directly inspired by Alligator Alcatraz, the US immigration detention facility that closed in June.

More here.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar29 July 2026 07:00