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  A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke as it rises from the site of an Israeli controlled explosion in the village of Kfartibnit on August 24, 2026. (photo credit: AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES) Lebanese security officials believe that the extensive Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon in recent days are not merely localized operations but are intended to lay the groundwork for a broader military campaign, Asharq al-Awsat reported on Monday. According to the report, the IDF has focused its strikes on strategic ridgelines overlooking villages and towns in the area, as well as on a transportation route leading deeper into Lebanese territory. The reported aim is to isolate key areas and prevent the movement of personnel between them. Sources in Beirut said that strikes on homes, infrastructure, and roads in these areas were intended to create a buffer zone and separate Hezbollah strongholds from their surroundings, as part of preparations for the possibil...

  US President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally for U.S. Senator Darline Graham (R-SC) at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, US, August 21, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/Evan Vucci) Trump's post came as the US Treasury is expected to broaden the scope of secondary sanctions it can impose on entities and countries that maintain business ties with Iran. US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran is completely collapsing in a post on Truth Social on Monday. The post came as the US Treasury is expected to broaden the scope of secondary sanctions it can impose on entities and countries that maintain business ties with Iran, as the Trump administration seeks to increase economic pressure on Tehran, a source familiar with the plans told Reuters. pic.twitter.com/6BulFc2jcl — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2026 The action is aimed at giving a final warning to countries to sever their business ties with Iran in an effort to force...

  Drone view of oil tanker HELGA berthed at one of Iraq's southern offshore oil terminals near Basra as it prepares to load crude oil, becoming the second vessel to arrive since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, April 24, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Aty) Iran has issued a warning that vessels violating its arrangements for transiting the Strait of Hormuz could face restrictions, including fines, detention, or confiscation, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority wrote in a post on X/Twitter. The warning heightens risks for the charterers and shipowners whose vessels transit through the Strait of Hormuz , a key waterway for the world's energy shipments. The PGSA, a new body Iran has established with the aim of managing the strait, has said cargo owners should refer to an updated list of vessels deemed non-compliant for voyages relating to the Persian Gulf .

  US Special Envoy for Syria and Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack speaks during a session at Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey, April 17, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/UMIT BEKTAS/FILE PHOTO) Israel conquered the Golan Heights in the Six-Day War, annexing the area by law in 1981. UN Security Council resolution 497, passed only days later, rejected the annexation as "null and void." The US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria and Iraq, Tom Barrack appeared to reverse his previous comments on the status of the Golan Heights in recent days, backing the US recognition of the area as Israeli territory in a statement to the Associated Press on Sunday. “United States policy on the Golan was set by President Trump in 2019 and is unchanged,” he said, contradicting his claim in an interview with Mario Nawfal on Friday where he stated that Israel occupies the Golan Heights.

  Patriot battery in Greece (photo credit: MAARIV/ REUTERS) Sources close to the regime in Tehran warned that Iran may attack US military targets in Europe if US President Donald Trump escalated the conflict. Greece has moved a Patriot air defense battery to Crete following threats by senior Iranian officials against US bases in Europe, Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported on Sunday. The battery, personnel and equptment were moved overnight and are expected to be deployed near the Souda military base. Greece’s Defense Ministry and armed forces remain on heightened alert as officials assess the potential threat to critical infrastructure and military facilities as tensions rise with Iran, Kathimerini added.

  US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, DC, US, August 20, 2026. (photo credit: Kevin Lamarque/File Photo/Reuters) "At dawn begins an economic D-Day [against Iran],  the single greatest financial offensive ever marshalled against an adversary," US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote in an opinion piece in the Financial Times on Sunday, echoing US President Donald Trump's statements on Truth Social last week. "Our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains the tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone," he added. Any remaining tie to Tehran will hasten the economic ostracism of countries and entities, whether that tie be purposefully constructed or wilfully ignored."