Friday, 24 July 2026
Houthi attacks raise fears of wider Middle East conflict and more global economic damage
Yemen's Houthi fighters claim to have attacked shipping in the Red Sea - a move that threatens to further escalate the already volatile situation in the Middle East.
By forcing ships to turn back from the narrow Bab El Mandeb strait, they have threatened to choke off the main maritime route from Europe to Asia.
It comes as US-Iran strikes continue and while a deal to develop Saudi Arabia's nuclear industry prompts fears of an arms race. So is the Middle East becoming more dangerous? So far, 2026 is sadly proving to be one of the more violent years for parts of the Middle East.
For 12 consecutive nights, US Central Command (Centcom) has carried out air strikes on Iranian coastal radar, drone and missile bases.
The Gulf Arab states, in normal times a haven of low-crime tranquility and minimal taxation, are having to learn to live with constant attacks from their well-armed neighbour across the water: the Islamic Republic of Iran.
And now the Iran-backed Houthis of Yemen have entered the fray, after a 2022 ceasefire with neighbouring Saudi Arabia appeared to have broken down.
Two Saudi vessels were hit by missiles in the Red Sea this week, while the Houthis claim to have turned back 10 others after warning ships to avoid Saudi ports, disrupting shipping passing through the strategic Bab El Mandeb Strait that links the southern end of the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean.
This matters because, on top of the ongoing disruption to global energy and fertiliser supplies caused by Iran effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, it is a further obstacle to vital maritime trade that will soon impact the global economy.
FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgve0vxy1yo
Trump's nuclear deal with Saudis jettisons longstanding US demands
The Trump administration's nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia reversed a years-long stance toward a key Middle East ally.
Past US presidents insisted that Saudi Arabia normalise relations with Israel in exchange for receiving American nuclear technology for civilian energy programmes.
According to reports of the deal's contents, President Donald Trump gave Saudi Arabia what it wanted without extracting concessions for Israel in return - and over objections from critics who argued that it could spark a nuclear arms race in the region.
On Thursday he said in a social media post that the nuclear pact was conditioned on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, a series of deals reached in his first term that normalised relations between Israel and several other Gulf states.
But it was not immediately clear if that was stipulated in the text of the deal - which has not been released - or that Saudi Arabia had agreed to that condition, or would be forced to join the accords.
The deal appears to be the latest example of Trump jettisoning the traditional American approach to the Middle East, which centred on Israel and finding a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz05lx0xpero
‘Iran not Ready to Make a Deal,’ Trump Declares After Vowing to Expand Retaliatory Strikes
"The Fall of Christendom's Mightiest Fortress" by Raymond Ibrahim
Today in History — Jihadist Treachery at the Mighty Templar Fortress of Safed
Today in history, on July 23, 1266, one of the greatest fortresses of Christendom—and one of Islam’s most hated—fell after six weeks of heroic resistance.
The mighty Templar castle of Safed dominated Upper Galilee from its lofty summit. To Christians, it was a bastion of security, protecting pilgrims, villages, and the roads leading inland from Acre. To Muslims it was, as a contemporary Arab writer described it, “an obstruction in the throat of Syria and a blockage in the chest of Islam.” On this day, that obstruction was finally removed.
Its conqueror was the Mamluk sultan Baybars, the greatest practitioner of jihad since Saladin. Through relentless warfare, calculated deception, and uncompromising brutality, he would systematically dismantle the Crusader states, paving the way for their final destruction a generation later. Safed was not his first victim.
The previous year, Baybars invaded the Kingdom of Jerusalem and laid siege to the great Hospitaller fortress of Arsuf—even though he was bound to its defenders by treaty. For over a month the Knights of St. John held out against constant bombardment, mining operations, and repeated assaults. At last, with their walls shattered and nearly half their defenders dead, they agreed to surrender only after Baybars personally guaranteed safe passage to Acre. The promise proved worthless.
The moment the gates opened, every Christian—knights, soldiers, women, and children alike—was seized and enslaved. Many were enslaved and forced to demolish the very fortress they had so valiantly defended before being marched off in chains. Weeks later, Baybars celebrated his triumph in Cairo by parading the captive Hospitallers through the streets with broken crosses hanging around their necks as jeering crowds mocked and assaulted them.
Thursday, 23 July 2026
UNBELIEVABLE, UNPRECENDENTED, AND VERY WORRYING AS AN "AI" ROBOT GOES ROGUE, AND BREAKS CONTAINMENT, REACHED THE OPEN INTERNET, AND HACKED A RIVAL PLATFORM BEFORE LAUNCHING A CYBERATTACK
Prophecy News Watch July23rd, 2026
 OpenAI says advanced AI models broke containment, reached the open internet and hacked a rival platform. If today’s systems can escape their safeguards and launch real-world cyberattacks, what happens when tomorrow’s models are connected to power grids, banks, military networks or autonomous weapons?
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 The central question is not simply whether America trusts the Saudi government of 2026 with nuclear power. The question is whether America can trust every Saudi government that might control this technology over the next 30, 40 or 50 years.
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 The biggest threat isn't whether New York's mayor could arrest Benjamin Netanyahu - it's why so many people believe he should. Anti-Israel narratives, AI-driven propaganda, and social media are reshaping public opinion faster than facts can keep up, creating consequences that reach far beyond the Middle East.
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US signs landmark nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia
The US and Saudi Arabia have signed a landmark deal that will reportedly allow the Gulf kingdom to develop a civilian nuclear programme.
The deal is described as a "peaceful nuclear co-operation agreement" that will provide "great access for American companies in the Saudi nuclear energy program", according to the US energy department.
Text from the deal was not made public, but US media have reported that it could allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium in the future - which can be used as fuel for power plants, but also to make nuclear bombs.
Experts say that would mark a first for the US and could run the risk of future nuclear proliferation in an already unstable region.
The US Department of Energy noted that along with the co-operation deal, a "bilateral safeguards agreement" was also signed.
"Together, these two agreements lay the legal foundation for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership that advances several priority economic and strategic objectives, including nuclear nonproliferation," the statement reads.
The Saudi government also released a statement, saying the deal "represents an extension of existing co-operation between the two countries in the energy sector", and noted that it comes after the Saudi leader visited Washington last November.
FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj03r59z73po
There Is a Lot of Speculation That the Bombing of Pickaxe Mountain Will Occur Soon, And What Happens After That Could Change Everything
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There Is a Lot of Speculation That the Bombing of Pickaxe Mountain Will Occur Soon, And What Happens After That Could Change Everything
The radicals that run Iran have warned President Trump over and over again not to touch Pickaxe Mountain. Nobody outside of Iran has ever seen what is going on inside that mountain, and the Iranians have been determined to keep it a secret. Because the facility is so far underground, it would be very difficult for even the most advanced bunker-buster bombs to damage it. That is why neither the U.S. nor Israel tried to bomb it during Iran War 1 or Iran War 2. But now Trump is telling the world that we will be bombing Pickaxe Mountain “probably pretty soon”. Is this an indication that he has decided to take the war against Iran to the next level?
On Tuesday, Axios reported that Trump was considering two primary options…
Option 1: Pursue a new 10-day ceasefire aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Option 2: Launch a massive joint military campaign with Israel to force Tehran’s capitulation.
Choosing to bomb Pickaxe Mountain would mean that Trump has chosen door number two.
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The Only Glimmer of Hope for Lebanon Is for Hezbollah to Be Cast into the Ash Heap of History
By Erick Stakelbeck - https://harbingersdaily.com/the-only-glimmer-of-hope-for-lebanon-is-for-hezbollah-to-be-cast-into-the-ash-heap-of-history/
There’s one major roadblock to a new Middle East, to a region where Israel lives in peace and prosperity with its Arab neighbors. That roadblock is the Iranian axis. In Iraq, Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, and Syria, Iran’s regime has spent years creating chaos and surrounding Israel with a ring of fire, a proxy network sworn to the destruction of the Jewish state.
The crown jewel of this evil empire is Hezbollah. Over a period of decades, Iran’s most lethal proxy turned southern Lebanon into its own personal terror kingdom, armed to the teeth and perched on Israel’s border. But much like its masters in Tehran, Hezbollah is now a shell of what it once was, thanks to the full force of the Israeli military.
Houthis claim attack on oil tankers as US launches more strikes on Iran
Yemen's Houthis say they have attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea as the US launched its 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iran.
Iranian state media said two people had been killed in the US strikes on Wednesday, and a tanker caught fire in an explosion in a mined route in the Strait of Hormuz.
Ahead of the latest round of strikes, US President Donald Trump had threatened to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant if Iran attacked a ship in the strait and to "take care of" the Houthis if they blocked the Red Sea.
If confirmed, the Houthi attack would be the first since the Iran-backed group announced a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis named the tankers as the Encelia and the Layla, though neither their responsibility, nor the attack on the Layla has been confirmed.
The group's military spokesperson Yahya Saree said they had targeted the ships with drones and missiles for allegedly violating its naval blockade.
Saree added that the Houthis promised to continue their naval operations and would continue "enforcing the 'siege for a siege' equation".
FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpw9xzx9r4ko
Trump Warns Iran will ‘Pay Big Price’ as US Honours Fallen Troops
| Democrat was Asked Why He Feared Offending Khamenei Supporters; How Symbols Found in Gaza Homes Motivate IDF Soldiers to Fight Harder | |||
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