Yemen’s Houthis framed the strikes as a pre-emptive response to a large Saudi military build-up they say was in its final stages, aimed at escalating against them to force them to abandon their push to end the blockade.

Houthi statement warns Saudi Arabia against any "folly," urges recruited Yemenis to leave Saudi-aligned camps, and vows to continue its "siege for siege" equation until the blockade on Yemen ends.

The claimed results: hundreds of "Saudi mercenaries" killed and wounded, the destruction of camps, weapons depots, and military vehicles, including in the Al-Wadiah border area in the east.

CIA Launches Secret Cuba Task Force to Fracture Political Elite

Central Intelligence Agency quietly established a specialized task force targeting Cuba, aiming to leverage financial and cyber resources to foster divisions among Havana’s political elite.

READ MORE

Trump Privately Urges Donors to Back JD Vance for 2028 Presidential Succession

The US president has privately urged donors to support Vice President JD Vance for the 2028 election while withholding a public endorsement.

READ MORE

Senator Chris Van Hollen:

We are witnessing a humanitarian disaster in Sudan.

RSF has been a particularly murderous group.

In fact, it's the only party to this conflict that the United States government has determined is committing genocide in Sudan.

The primary supporter of the murderous RSF has been the United Arab Emirates, the UAE.

And we need to make it clear to the UAE that we will not tolerate them fueling these massacres, this genocide.

I, along with 20 of my colleagues, have been urging Secretary Rubio and the Trump administration to say that we're going to pause U.S. arms sales to the UAE, so long as they are arming this murderous, genocidal group, the RSF.

Syrian Army Appoints Turkish Citizen to Command 62nd Division

Damascus has appointed a Turkish citizen to command the Syrian Army’s 62nd Division as part of a sweeping military restructuring.

READ MORE

Ukraine’s Air Defense Pleas Fall Flat as Western Allies Hoard Interceptor Missiles

Ukrainian appeals for critical air defense systems are faltering as Western allies, prioritizing their own security, are increasingly reluctant to give away missiles.

READ MORE

NEW: A draft bill under review in Iran's parliament would introduce new rules for the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, including:

Banning vessels from the U.S., Israel, and other "hostile countries" from transiting the strait.

Prohibiting all Israel-linked cargo, military or civilian.

Blocking ships or cargo involved in actions against the Axis of Resistance.

Denying passage to countries or individuals that have harmed Iran until compensation is paid.

Imposing fines of up to 20% of cargo value for violations.

Assigning the government and armed forces responsibility for navigation control, traffic monitoring, security, and environmental protection.

The proposal is still under review.

Source: Fars

Iran and Oman are discussing a plan to gradually replace the current northern and southern shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz with a single central corridor.

Under the proposal:

Ships would initially enter via the northern lane (near Iran) and exit via the southern lane (near Oman).

After a transition period, all traffic would shift to the central corridor, with Iran managing inbound traffic and Iran and Oman jointly managing outbound traffic.

Transit charges would be based on services provided, such as insurance, bunkering, and environmental services, rather than a fixed percentage of cargo value.

Reports claiming a 3% or 7% tariff based on cargo value were denied.

Source: Fars

IED detonates in Jaramana, outskirts of Damascus.

Trump:

The Fake News, as usual, is spreading false and completely unfounded rumors. I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing.

Everything has been extraordinary, including our attack on Venezuela, where the result was accomplished in less than one day, allowing us to bring one of the worst criminals anywhere in the World, Nicolas Maduro, to Justice!

Likewise, Iran, where the country has been decimated for the purpose of NOT ALLOWING IT TO EVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, is going very well! Pete is highly respected within the Military, and has made tremendous improvements, including getting rid of DEI, and increasing recruitment to historic levels.

This rumor was started by The Washington ComPost, one of the worst Media Outlets in the business, despite our telling them their story is completely FALSE.

In actuality, I really believe their fake “reporting” is treasonous!

Shipping industry sources say the proposed Iran-Oman Strait of Hormuz transit plan is largely unworkable.

Iran wants to charge 5–7% of cargo value for passage, but paying those fees could breach U.S. sanctions and void war-risk insurance coverage, leaving shipowners exposed to major legal and financial risks.

Source: Reuters

The U.S. sanctioned Cuba's military attaché in Beijing, Waldo Pérez Cortés, along with other Cuban officials and defense-linked firms, accusing them of procuring military equipment from China and Russia for Cuba's armed forces.

Washington says the measures aim to disrupt Cuba's military cooperation with Beijing and Moscow, while China and Cuba reject the allegations.

Source: SCMP

Israeli Minister of Energy Eli Cohen:

Even if the United States and Iran reach an agreement, if Iran acts to renew its nuclear program or advance its ballistic missile program, we will strike.

We are not committed to any agreement that doesn't fully guarantee Israel's security.

Israeli Minister of Energy Eli Cohen:

We're working to ensure that within three or four years, the Iranian threat to the Strait of Hormuz and the Houthis' threat in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait will no longer be relevant.

If you look at the map, it's possible to build a land corridor from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait to the Mediterranean and on to Europe, and we're working to ensure that this route passes through Israel.

This week I also spoke with my counterpart, Greece's Energy Minister, to use all the tools at our disposal, together with the United States, to ensure the corridor runs through Israel.

Türkiye wants the route to pass through its territory, and perhaps Egypt does as well.

Israeli Minister of Energy Eli Cohen:

It's worth noting that Cyprus' main desalination plant is an Israeli facility.

President Trump is privately angry that reports about shrinking U.S. missile stockpiles have become public, believing they make the U.S. appear weak while he pressures Iran to negotiate.

He blames leaks—not Pete Hegseth—and has directed the Justice Department to identify those responsible.

Source: CNN

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli:

Today we need to understand that the Turks are building military bases deep inside Syria. We have Turkish warships in the Port of Tartus.

We have Turkish bases near Palmyra. In practice, educational programs in Syria are also being run by Turkish schools. This is extremely significant.

Beyond the moves that Erdogan and Fidan are leading in Syria, they also want to establish a Turkish military presence along the Israel–Lebanon border.

New Mossad chief Roman Gofman has reassigned two senior officials who helped develop an unsuccessful plan to topple Iran's regime.

The plan envisioned backing Kurdish forces to spark a nationwide uprising, but it was ultimately abandoned after U.S. officials deemed regime change unrealistic and other political obstacles emerged.

Source: N12

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli on France:

Macron stabbed us in the back and twisted the knife.

Meanwhile, RN speaks out against Hamas, opposes the decisions of the ICJ and the ICC, supports Israel's position, and supports the Jewish community.

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli on Spain:

Pedro Sánchez is one of the most anti-Israel heads of government. During the first hostage deal, he announced Spain's recognition of a Palestinian state.

So we asked: Who is Sánchez's strongest political opponent? Who speaks out against Hamas? Who understands the threat of radical Islam?

The answer was Santiago Abascal, the leader of Vox. We brought him to Israel—to the City of David—for a meeting with the Prime Minister.

U.S. Saudi crude imports fell to zero in July for the first full month since 1985 as Hormuz disruptions shifted buying to Venezuela.

Saudi imports are expected to rebound to around 300,000 bpd this month, according to Kpler.

Source: Bloomberg