Live: Fresh US aircraft carrier strike group arrives in Middle East
· France 24
20/08/2026 - 21:18
French President Macron to host Saudi Crown Prince on August 23-24
French President Emmanuel Macron will host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on August 23 and August 24, with the two leaders expected to discuss current tensions in the Middle East, Macron's office said.
"The two leaders will discuss the main topics of regional importance, within a framework of close collaboration between France and her partners in the Gulf with a view to backing stability and peace in the Middle East," the French president's office said.
20/08/2026 - 19:16
US targets Lebanon's Hezbollah with fresh sanctions
The United States will on Thursday issue fresh sanctions targeting Lebanon's Hezbollah, including re-designating it under a terrorism authority, according to a statement seen by Reuters. A US official said the move was aimed at emphasising the Shiite group's links to the Iranian government.
While Hezbollah is not being designated under any new authority, the Treasury Department is re-designating it as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist "for service to the Iranian regime under the command of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force", the statement said.
A US official said that the re-designation was intended to show that Hezbollah is acting on behalf of the Iranian government, and update the public record to link the designation to Hezbollah's actions allegedly carried out on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force.
Hezbollah was first designated under the authority in 2001 and is also sanctioned by the US as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The United States also designated a group of 10 people on Thursday that it accused of smuggling cash for Hezbollah.
20/08/2026 - 18:48
France, Germany, UK and Italy condemn Israel's 'E1' settlers' project in occupied West Bank
France, Germany, Britain and Italy condemned plans by Israel to open up construction tenders for a residential property project called 'E1' in the occupied West Bank.
"The decision by the Israeli government to publish bid offers for construction projects within the framework of the E1 settlers' project is unacceptable," said a joint statement by the leaders of those four countries.
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have settled among millions of Palestinians in the Palestinian territory, occupied by Israel since the 1967 war.
These settlements are illegal under international law.
20/08/2026 - 17:31
US tells allies they're 'with us or against us' on efforts to economically isolate Iran
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the country's allies that they were either "with us or against us" on economically isolating Iran, after President Donald Trump announced a fresh slew of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
"This is going to be the greatest coordinated economic isolation in the history of the world. And we are going to them and saying you are either with us or against us," Bessent told US broadcaster CNBC of his message to allies.
On whether the United States would pressure China, he said "many conversations are best to have in private", but called on Beijing "to get with the programme".
Bessent also claimed the new round of sanctions would "collapse" the Iranian government.
20/08/2026 - 17:13
Iran calls new US sanctions 'economic terrorism'
Iran's foreign ministry condemned newly announced US economic and trade sanctions, saying they targeted ordinary Iranians and amounted to "economic terrorism" and crimes against humanity.
US President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday of sweeping economic consequences for any country that provided what he called "any type of lifeline to Iran", threatening economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale.
The Iranian foreign ministry said the measures would not weaken Tehran's resolve to defend its independence, national sovereignty and interests.
20/08/2026 - 16:27
New US carrier strike group arrives in Middle East
A new US aircraft carrier strike group has arrived in the Middle East, the US military announced, after apparently deteriorating living conditions aboard a long-deployed carrier provoked fresh criticism of US President Donald Trump's war against Iran.
"The George Washington Carrier Strike Group is operating in Middle East during a scheduled deployment after arriving in the CENTCOM theater yesterday," Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US forces in the Middle East, said in a post on X.
20/08/2026 - 16:10
Yemen's Houthis say they targeted Saudi airport and Aramco facility
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said that they targeted an airport and a facility belonging to state-owned oil giant Aramco in Saudi Arabia's southern Najran region, near the Yemeni border.
The group "successfully carried out two military operations using drones: the first targeted a sensitive Saudi enemy site at Najran Airport, while the second targeted the Aramco facility in Najran", military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement on Telegram.
20/08/2026 - 15:26
Turkey 'will not fall into trap' set by Netanyahu on Syria, Turkish presidency says
Turkey "will not fall into the trap" set by Israel, the Turkish presidency stated, after Israel struck an air base in northern Syria and alleged a Turkish military delegation had recently visited the site.
"We are experienced enough not to fall into the trap of figures like (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu, who aim to undermine peace and stability in our region," said Burhanettin Duran, the Turkish presidency's director of communications. Turkey has denied a military visit to the site.
20/08/2026 - 14:46
Israelis return to last West Bank settlement closed more than 20 years ago
Israelis have began moving into the occupied West Bank settlement of Kadim, the local settler council said, the last of four communities from which Israel withdrew more than two decades ago to be repopulated.
It came a week after Israel officially reopened neighbouring Ganim, in a move emblematic of the current government's policy of rapid settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the territory, which are illegal under international law, among some three million Palestinians.
The Samaria regional council said that 30 families were moving to live permanently in the settlement, accompanied on Thursday by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and head of the Samaria regional council, Yossi Dagan.
Kadim is one of four Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank that Israel evacuated under former prime minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan in 2005, which also included abandoning all Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip.
Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, settlement construction and expansion have surged, including with the re-establishment of all four evacuated communities -- Ganim, Sa-Nur, Homesh and now Kadim.
20/08/2026 - 14:31
Turkey, Egypt, Qatar condemn deadly Israeli attacks on Gaza
Turkey, Egypt and Qatar strongly condemned Israel's deadly recent air strikes in Gaza, saying in a joint statement that Israel must comply with its obligations under a ceasefire agreement and refrain from steps that could escalate tensions.
"The mediating countries underline that the intensification of Israeli attacks undermines regional and international efforts at a critical juncture, as intensive efforts are under way to implement the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, including the meeting between the Board of Peace and Israeli officials, and constructive steps are being taken in the negotiation process," they said.
20/08/2026 - 13:56
Vatican expresses 'serious concerns' over Israel-Lebanon deal implementation
The Vatican expressed Thursday "serious concerns" about problems implementing a US-brokered deal between Israel and Lebanon, following a meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
"The Holy See, whilst welcoming the signing of the document, has expressed serious concerns about the difficulties being encountered in implementing it, and has pledged its support for efforts to that end," the Vatican said in a statement.
20/08/2026 - 13:05
Iran dismisses US economic threats and other developments in the Middle East
Iran on Thursday dismissed Trump’ s threats of economic pain and isolation, while Syria’s foreign minister is visiting Pakistan, which is seeking to defuse tensions between the United States and Iran.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has rejected the economic threats made against his country, saying that such “failed policies” will stir more hostility among Iranians and “bring more failures.”
Araghchi's comments came a few hours after Trump threatened “crushing economic measures” against Iran. Trump promised “Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale,” but provided few details.
In a social media post, Araghchi maintained the threats aim to divert the attention of the US public from domestic financial problems, adding that the US “economic terrorism threatens the global economy and the national sovereignty of countries around the world.”
20/08/2026 - 13:04
Oman says lasting security in Strait of Hormuz requires regional peace
Oman said lasting security in the Strait of Hormuz required permanent peace in the region and rejected further escalation or conflict, its foreign minister told his Japanese counterpart on Thursday.
Iran has said a deal with Oman on new shipping lanes through the strait was in its final stages.
20/08/2026 - 12:00
Australia 'outraged' over Israel decision to close probe into aid worker killings
Australia's top diplomat Penny Wong on Thursday said relations with Israel were "difficult" after it dropped a probe into the killing of aid worker Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom and her colleagues in Gaza.
Australian national Frankcom was among a group of seven World Central Kitchen staff killed in April 2024 when their aid convoy was hit by an Israeli air strike.
Their deaths triggered global outrage and a renewed push to ensure the safety of aid workers in Gaza.
20/08/2026 - 11:34
Israel slams UK demand to halt West Bank settlement project
Israel's foreign minister on Thursday slammed a demand by the UK government to halt a major settlement project in the occupied West Bank, after Israeli authorities opened bidding for more than 1,200 homes in the area.
Britain said it had summoned Israel's charge d'affairs over the E1 plan, which was green-lit by Israel last year and has drawn international condemnation.
The UN secretary general said at the time that E1 posed an "existential threat" to a contiguous Palestinian state.
The project would further separate east Jerusalem, occupied and annexed by Israel and predominantly inhabited by Palestinians, from the West Bank.
British foreign minister Ed Miliband on Wednesday called the move "an unacceptable and destructive act" and said it would "endanger the viability of a two-state solution".
"The Israeli Government must halt E1 plans immediately, retract the tender and stop all settlement expansion," Miliband said in a statement.
20/08/2026 - 11:02
Turkey denies military presence at Syrian air base targeted by Israel, defence ministry says
Turkey denied on Thursday having any military presence at an air base in north Syria struck by Israel earlier this week, and vowed to continue "resolutely" supporting Syrian sovereignty.
"We state that there was no Turkish military delegation at the Abu al-Duhur airbase before or during the attack carried out by Israel against that base in Syria," a defence ministry official told journalists.
20/08/2026 - 08:13
Iran says Trump's 'Economic D-Day' is a diversion from US domestic problems
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday that the US "Economic D-Day" against Iran was a diversion from America's economic problems and warned that further pressure would fail.
Earlier, Trump announced what he called the "most crushing economic operation" ever taken against a country, targeting Iran with economic warfare and isolation.
20/08/2026 - 08:07
Investigation into killing of Hind Rajab and Gaza paramedics comes ‘extremely late’
The investigation into the killing of Hind Rajab and paramedics in Gaza launched by the Israeli army came as a “surprise” in the country, “because so much time has passed” since the events took place, FRANCE 24 correspondent Noga Tarnopolsky said. “The timing is extremely late.”
But Tarnopolsky said “the fact that these two very renown cases are being referred to criminal investigation is already an admission on the part of the Israeli army that something here went deeply wrong.”
20/08/2026 - 07:30
Israeli defence minister Katz says Erdogan is 'dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria'
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was "dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria" and that his country would not "allow any entity to threaten its security", in a post on X.
Turkey firmly rejected on Wednesday what it called "untenable allegations" by Israel regarding its military position in Syria, after Israel bombed a Syrian air base near the Turkish border and said Syria was on the verge of permitting Turkish troops to deploy there.
20/08/2026 - 04:59
Hormuz shipping unchanged amid US-Iran stalemate, data shows
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday was unchanged from the day before
as discussions to end the war between the United States and Iran remained deadlocked, according to the latest shipping data.
Commodity vessel transits at Hormuz totalled nine on Wednesday, unchanged from Tuesday, shiptracking data from Kpler showed.
Transits remained low amid conflicting claims between the U.S. and Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday no talks were taking place and that the strait was open. Iran said the waterway remained shut.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)