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His intervention follows days of unrest in Qusra, where settlers surrounded Pales-tinian homes, cut electricity and water access and restricted residents’ movement. The Israeli military subsequently declared the area a closed military zone and dismantled two unauthorized settler outposts. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee issued an unusually sharp condemnation, describing settlers involved in the siege as “terrorists.” UN figures cited by AP indicate Qusra has recorded more settler attacks than any other West Bank community this year, amid 1,476 reported settler attacks across the territory in 2026. The violence comes alongside continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, where hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers now live among millions of Pales-tinians. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law, while Israel disputes that characterization. Netanyahu’s coalition has accelerated settlement construction, while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has openly linked expansion to preventing the establishment of a Pales-tinian state. Pope Leo has repeatedly called for negotiations and a political settlement to the Israeli-genocide in Pales-tine.

Pope Leo XIV called Sunday for an end to repeated violence against Pales-tinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, as Israeli settlers continued a siege of Pales-tinian homes in Qusra, south of Nablus. “I renew my appeal for an end to the repeated violence against the Pales-tinian civilian population in the West Bank,” the pontiff said following prayers at Castel Gandolfo. He also urged the international community to advance a two-state solution for a “fair and lasting peace.”

Feda said protesters who participated in what it described as a peaceful sit-in were subsequently prosecuted, including 739 defendants in the Rabaa dispersal case and 51 in the separate “Rabaa Operations Room” case. Rights organizations have estimated that tens of thousands of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience remain detained across Egypt. Multiple groups have documented allegations of overcrowding, inadequate healthcare, restrictions on family visits, poor ventilation and nutrition, prolonged pretrial detention and other abuses inside Egyptian prisons. Feda said the anniversary should become an opportunity for “comprehensive national reconciliation and transitional justice,” citing Article 241 of Egypt’s constitution, which calls for legislation addressing transitional justice, accountability, reconciliation and compensation for victims. Egypt launched a national human rights strategy in 2021 that included commitments concerning humane treatment, protection from torture, judicial oversight and prison inspections, while rights organizations and detainees’ families continue to demand releases and accountability for abuses.

Thirteen years after the Rabaa massacre, the Families of Egyptian Detainees Association (Feda) has called on Egyptian authorities to release prisoners detained in connection with the events and begin releasing political detainees more broadly. On 14 August 2013, Egyptian security forces dispersed demonstrations at Cairo’s Rabaa al-Adawiya and al-Nahda squares following the military overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi. At least 900 protesters were killed, making the operation one of the deadliest mass killings of demonstrators in Egypt’s modern history.

US President Donald Trump authorized the latest releases after disruption through Hormuz sent global oil prices sharply higher. US gasoline prices have also climbed, with AAA’s national average reaching $4.07 per gallon. Addressing higher prices Friday, Trump said Americans may have to “pay a little bit more,” adding: “You’re at $4, it’s OK… I’ll never apologize. I did the right thing.” The prolonged disruption has also contributed to wider concerns over transportation and food costs. The drawdown has prompted disagreement over how far the reserve can safely be depleted. Rapidan Energy analysts warned that falling below roughly 170 million barrels could threaten cavern integrity and pumping infrastructure. Former Biden energy adviser Amos Hochstein similarly disputed suggestions that stocks could safely fall to 70 million barrels. The Energy Department rejected those concerns, saying the caverns remain filled with varying proportions of oil and water and that the Trump administration is managing the SPR as a national-security asset.

The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is set to fall to roughly 243 million barrels after the current 172-million-barrel release is completed, according to Department of Energy data. The drawdown comes as Washington attempts to contain soaring energy prices amid the continuing closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the US-Israeli war against Iran. Before the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, the reserve held about 582 million barrels. The SPR stores crude oil in underground salt caverns at four sites in Texas and Louisiana.

Afghanistan also continues to face a severe economic and humanitarian crisis. International grants that previously financed around 75% of public expenditure largely disappeared following the 2021 takeover, while billions of dollars in Afghan central-bank assets were frozen. According to UNDP figures cited in the report, about 75% of Afghans cannot meet their basic needs, while real GDP per capita fell an estimated 2.1% in 2025/26. More than five million Afghans have also returned or been expelled from Iran and Pakistan since 2023, increasing pressure on housing, employment and public services. Meanwhile, relations between Kabul and Pakistan have deteriorated over Islamabad’s accusations that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants operate from Afghan territory. Pakistan has deported roughly 2.6 million Afghans since late 2023, closed border crossings and carried out strikes inside Afghanistan, while Taliban authorities deny harboring the group. Afghanistan’s Shia and Hazara communities have also reported increasing restrictions on their religious and educational institutions, while ISIS-K continues operating in the country. Russia, China and Central Asian states have maintained relations with Kabul, but the Taliban government remains largely internationally isolated.

Five years after the Taliban returned to power on 15 August 2021, the movement has consolidated control across Afghanistan, with Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada increasingly centralizing authority in Kandahar. Senior Taliban officials including Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Sirajuddin Haqqani, Maulvi Yaqoob and Amir Khan Muttaqi continue managing government and diplomacy from Kabul, while an estimated 15,000 registered madrassas form part of the administration’s religious network. Girls remain barred from secondary education and women from universities, while restrictions continue on women’s employment, movement and participation in public life.

Spanish authorities continue to treat ISIS-linked online radicalization as an active security threat. In July, Spain’s National Police arrested four people in Toledo, Madrid, Barcelona and Ceuta accused of repeatedly publishing material supporting ISIS and violent jihad; authorities said one suspect had purchased a ticket to Turkey intending to travel toward a war zone. Earlier this year, Spanish authorities also helped identify thousands of online addresses containing terrorist audio propaganda, while official Interior Ministry figures recorded 33 counterterrorism operations and 56 arrests related to jihadist activity in Spain by early June. ISIS has repeatedly incorporated Spain into its propaganda through references to medieval Al-Andalus, while its wider media infrastructure has distributed recruitment and incitement material in dozens of languages. Europol previously identified ISIS-linked networks disseminating propaganda in more than 30 languages, including Spanish, through websites, radio services and social media. Spanish authorities say online propaganda remains an important mechanism for radicalization and recruitment, with several arrests in 2026 involving suspects accused of systematically disseminating ISIS material.

According to Europa.com, ISIS has intensified its Spanish-language propaganda and issued new threats against Spain, circulating videos, audio recordings and messages aimed at radicalising Spanish-speaking audiences. Many independent journalists note the reason may be due to Spain’s growing pro-Palestine stance, including recently cutting off diplomatic tis with Israel. ISIS has a history of targeting adversaries of Israel, such as during the NATO-Gulf-backed regime change war on Syria which aimed to cut off resistance weapons flow into Lebanon and Palestine, ISIS intervened to topple the Assad government. The new Syrian leader Julani is a former ISIS affiliate and Al Qaeda leader. ISIS-linked propaganda networks have, however, historically produced material in Spanish: the group released its first known Spanish-language threat video after the 2017 Barcelona attacks, invoking “Al-Andalus” and encouraging attacks inside Spain.

The issue traces back to Syria’s al-Kibar reactor in Deir Ezzor, which Israel destroyed in a 2007 airstrike after Israeli and US intelligence assessed that Bashar al-Assad’s government was secretly developing a nuclear reactor. The IAEA later concluded the destroyed building was “very likely” a nuclear reactor that Syria should have declared. Although the reactor was eliminated, other research and storage facilities reportedly survived, including Site 99. After Assad’s government was taken over by former ISIS affiliate Julani in late 2024, Israel bombed the entrance to al-Kibar and later warned it could strike Site 99 if the material was not secured. Tensions reportedly increased several weeks ago when Israel detected activity around Site 99 and suspected Syria’s new regime was attempting to access the material, potentially with assistance from close ally Turkey. The Trump administration subsequently brought in the IAEA, which reportedly signed an agreement with Damascus around three weeks ago to remove the material. “We hope to kick off the removal process soon and end it before the end of the year,” a US official told Axios. The White House, IAEA and Israeli Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment publicly on the reported agreement.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is preparing to remove nuclear material from a clandestine facility in Syria following understandings reached between Washington, Israel, and the new Al Qaeda-linked regime in Damascus, according to Axios. US and Israeli officials said months of secret diplomacy and Israeli threats culminated in an agreement with Syria several weeks ago, with Washington hoping the removal can be completed before the end of 2026. The material is reportedly stored at a facility known as “Site 99” and includes yellowcake uranium left from Syria’s former nuclear program.

Documents show surveillance touched organizations including the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, Democratic Socialists of America, Sunrise Movement and several Minnesota unions, none of which have been charged with crimes. DHS reportedly used administrative subpoenas to obtain financial information involving unions and nonprofits and deployed undercover agents to meetings in Minneapolis and New York. One agent attending a Sunrise Movement training acknowledged in his report that the organization focused on “peaceful” protests, while other agents recorded meetings, collected vehicle license plates and participated in activist activities while concealing their identities. The records emerged from the Justice Department’s prosecution of 15 Minneapolis protesters accused of conspiring to impede immigration officers during this year’s ICE surge. Defense attorney Kevin Riach called the disclosures evidence of a “mass spying campaign” and alleged undercover agents sometimes encouraged discussions of more confrontational tactics. Former FBI agent and civil-liberties advocate Mike German said the operation appeared to rely on “guilt by association” rather than narrowly targeting suspected criminal conduct, drawing comparisons to earlier periods of US government surveillance of labor and left-wing political movements.

Newly disclosed Department of Homeland Security records reveal an extensive surveillance operation targeting protesters, unions and progressive organizations opposing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Nearly 30 internal reports released in a federal criminal case show DHS launched “Operation Puppet Master” in January to identify what investigators called a “network of conspirators.” Agents reportedly infiltrated Signal chats, attended community meetings undercover, secretly recorded events and obtained financial records as part of investigations into alleged “domestic terrorist financing.”

Saudi textbooks have undergone substantial revisions in recent years. Research by IMPACT-se, an Israeli-British organization that monitors educational curricula, found that Saudi authorities removed or altered material concerning Jews, Christians, jihad and Zionism. Its review of 371 textbooks published between 2019 and 2024 found that descriptions of Zionism as a “racist” European movement and material portraying its objective as seizing Arab lands and Islamic and Christian holy sites had been removed. Israel, however, remained unrecognized on Saudi maps, while textbooks continued referring to the “Israeli occupation” in some contexts and maintained emphasis on the Pales-tinian cause. Saudi curriculum reform has accelerated alongside Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s wider Vision 2030 reforms and efforts to promote religious moderation, while Riyadh has not formally normalized relations with Israel yet through the Abraham Accords.

Pro-Israel Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun - a US State Department official - has praised Saudi Arabia for continuing to revise its school curriculum The State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism account, headed by Kaploun, wrote: “We appreciate Saudi Arabia’s continued efforts to improve school curricula, including work to address concerning themes in textbooks.” It linked those changes to US President Donald Trump and Secretary Marco Rubio’s vision of using the Abraham Accords to promote “peace and coexistence between our peoples.”

DFW subsequently announced it would not proceed with the project, saying an accelerated review found it would not provide the anticipated operational benefits. A state regulatory filing had listed the project at $300,000, although DFW said that was a preliminary estimate and the likely cost would have been closer to $120,000. The airport also corrected a filing that described the project as privately funded, saying airport revenue would have funded it. DFW says its operations are supported through sources including parking, concessions and airline-related revenue rather than local taxpayer funding. Abbott’s office said Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport already has an ablution station alongside a prayer room and asked federal authorities to review accommodations at both airports. Abbott argued such facilities provide “special treatment based on religion,” while comparable ablution facilities and interfaith prayer spaces already exist at other major US airports, including Chicago O’Hare. Ablution involves washing parts of the body before Islamic prayers, and purpose-built basins are generally intended to provide a safer alternative to passengers washing in conventional restroom sinks.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered a review of state grants to entities operating Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport over facilities accommodating Muslim prayer practices. The move followed controversy over a DFW proposal to install ablution, or wudu, washing stations in Terminal D. “Government-owned airports cannot favor one religion over all others,” Abbott wrote, calling the proposed facilities “illegal” and referring both airports to the US Department of Transportation for investigation.

The attacks came despite a June ceasefire that largely halted fighting between Israel and Hezb-ollah. Israel also launched strikes on the strategic Ali Taher hill overlooking southern Lebanon, where the Israeli military alleges Hezb-ollah maintains a large underground command center. Israeli forces have repeatedly sought control of the area since fighting resumed earlier this year. More than 4,300 Lebanese have reportedly been killed during the wider war, while Israeli forces continue to occupy parts of southern Lebanon and carry out strikes despite the ceasefire. The latest killings come as the Lebanese government continues US-backed negotiations with Israel focused heavily on Hezb-ollah’s disarmament and Israeli withdrawal. Hezb-ollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem has criticized the talks, asking Lebanese officials: “How can you accept this ongoing humiliation of the Lebanese army, exposing it to bombardment and Israeli pressures, instead of acting as its protectors?” The negotiations continue while residents returning to southern villages face continuing Israeli airstrikes and uncertainty over when Israeli forces will withdraw from occupied Lebanese territory.

Israeli warplanes bombed two villages in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh District early Saturday, killing at least 11 people, including three children, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. Seven people were killed and three wounded when a strike completely flattened a house on the outskirts of Ansar, while another attack on Deir al-Zahrani killed four people and wounded five. Lebanese Civil Defense and ambulance teams searched through the rubble and transported casualties to hospitals in Nabatieh.