AL-MONITOR: The Pulse of The Middle East

US ambassador to Israel says there is no plan to force Palestinians out of Gaza

2026-09-05T07:46:34-0400

TURMUS AYYA, West Bank, Sept 4 (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Saturday said there was no plan to force Palestinians to leave Gaza after two Israeli ministers this week floated proposals for the mass removal of Palestinians from the coastal territory.

• "I can tell you categorically there is no plan of the Israelis to displace people out of Gaza against their will," Huckabee told reporters in Turmus Ayya, a Palestinian town in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

US ambassador visits Palestinian town amid rise in West Bank settler violence

2026-09-05T05:46:30-0400

By Ali Sawafta and Alexander Cornwell

TURMUS AYYA, West Bank, Sept 5 (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Saturday met with Palestinian Americans, including relatives of U.S. citizens killed by Israeli settlers, in a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank that has been the target ofsettler attacks.

The visit comes as settler violence, and what is widely perceived as the Israeli government's inaction, has increasingly drawn international condemnation, including from U.S. allies.

Iranian tanker hit by US attack near Iran's Kharg Island, Tasnim says

2026-09-05T04:46:31-0400

DUBAI, Sept 5 (Reuters) - An Iranian tanker was hit by U.S. forces on Saturday near Iran's key oil export hub, Kharg Island, in the Gulf, the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported.

According to a Tasnim correspondent from Kharg, the tanker was hit by four U.S. missiles in the area of Kharg Island's anchorage.

Tasnim quoted local sources as saying there were no casualties and the tanker's crew was being evacuated.

There was no immediate official announcement by Iranian authorities and U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump says Iran war is 'small potatoes' for US

2026-09-04T17:30:23-0400

President Donald Trump said Friday that the Iran war was "small potatoes" for the United States, in his administration's latest bid to play down the conflict ahead of crucial midterm elections.

Trump's comments came a day after Vice President JD Vance said that "I wouldn't call it a war" despite an upsurge in clashes between Iran and the United States over the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump says US may hit Iran's Pickaxe Mountain soon

2026-09-04T16:46:32-0400

WASHINGTON, Sept 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that the United States may hit Iran's Pickaxe Mountain very soon.

Pickaxe Mountain, located near Iran's heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, is a heavily fortified site that hosts two deeply buried tunnel complexes.

(Reporting by Gram Slattery and Steve Holland;Editing by David Ljunggren)

U.S. approves potential sale of Joint Direct Attack Munitions-Extend Range to Saudi Arabia for $5 billion

2026-09-04T15:46:34-0400

Sept 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Friday it had approved the potential sale of Joint Direct Attack Munitions-Extend Range to Saudi Arabia for an estimated $5 billion.

The principal contractor is Boeing, the state department said.

The State Department also said it had approved a possible sale of AGT-1500 engines to Saudi Arabia for an estimated $750 million. The principal contractor for sale of the engines is Honeywell, the department said.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Christian Martinez; Editing by Katharine Jackson)

Costa Rica president says US ground forces would help national security

2026-09-04T14:46:35-0400

By Alvaro Murillo

SAN JOSE, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Costa Rican President Laura Fernandez said on Friday that U.S. ground operations could strengthen national security in the Central American nation, while emphasizing that nothing concrete was in the works with Washington and any such move would require legislative approval.

How Iran's campaign against US bases is forging a new Gulf defense network

A correspondent in Tehran — 2026-09-04T14:34:26-0400

Iran's targeting of Gulf states is fueling a regional security architecture designed to counter the Islamic Republic.

How Iran's campaign against US bases is forging a new Gulf defense network

A correspondent in Tehran — 2026-09-04T14:34:26-0400

Iran's targeting of Gulf states is fueling a regional security architecture designed to counter the Islamic Republic.

How Iran's campaign against US bases is forging a new Gulf defense network

A correspondent in Tehran — 2026-09-04T14:34:26-0400

Iran's targeting of Gulf states is fueling a regional security architecture designed to counter the Islamic Republic.

How Iran's campaign against US bases is forging a new Gulf defense network

A correspondent in Tehran — 2026-09-04T14:34:26-0400

Iran's targeting of Gulf states is fueling a regional security architecture designed to counter the Islamic Republic.

More than 120 killed in Yemen's worst clashes in years: sources

2026-09-04T13:30:24-0400

A major offensive by Yemen's Houthis to seize control of the gateway to the Red Sea has left more than 120 people dead, sources told AFP Friday, the country's deadliest clashes in years.

Fighting erupted on Thursday, after the Iran-backed Houthis launched a ground assault along with rocket and drone attacks near coastal areas, vying for control of the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait at the Red Sea's southern entrance.

Who is Amir Yaryab, IRGC’s cyber commander in US crosshairs?

Samuel Wendel — 2026-09-04T12:30:47-0400

The US State Department has offered up to $10 million for information on Amir Yaryab, who oversees a key part of Iran’s cyber operations.

Who is Amir Yaryab, IRGC’s cyber commander in US crosshairs?

Samuel Wendel — 2026-09-04T12:30:47-0400

The US State Department has offered up to $10 million for information on Amir Yaryab, who oversees a key part of Iran’s cyber operations.

Who is Amir Yaryab, IRGC’s cyber commander in US crosshairs?

Samuel Wendel — 2026-09-04T12:30:47-0400

The US State Department has offered up to $10 million for information on Amir Yaryab, who oversees a key part of Iran’s cyber operations.

Who is Amir Yaryab, IRGC’s cyber commander in US crosshairs?

Samuel Wendel — 2026-09-04T12:30:47-0400

The US State Department has offered up to $10 million for information on Amir Yaryab, who oversees a key part of Iran’s cyber operations.

Israel emptying West Bank refugee camps could be crime against humanity: UN

2026-09-04T12:30:26-0400

The United Nations warned Friday that Israel's forced displacement of the entire Palestinian populations of three West Bank refugee camps last year could amount to crimes against humanity.

In a report slammed by Israel, the UN rights office described how a military operation launched in the north of the occupied territory in January 2025 had forcibly displaced over 33,000 people.

US sanctions Turkey-based bank over Iran ties

Elizabeth Hagedorn — 2026-09-04T10:52:30-0400

The Treasury Department said Golden Global Bank was facilitating transactions for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

US sanctions Turkey-based bank over Iran ties

Elizabeth Hagedorn — 2026-09-04T10:52:30-0400

The Treasury Department said Golden Global Bank was facilitating transactions for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

US sanctions Turkey-based bank over Iran ties

Elizabeth Hagedorn — 2026-09-04T10:52:30-0400

The Treasury Department said Golden Global Bank was facilitating transactions for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.