Live: Israel calls Erdogan an ‘anti-Semitic dictator’ after Turkey issues Netanyahu arrest warrant
· France 2421/08/2026 - 18:28
Iran, Oman discuss resuming talks, Strait of Hormuz navigation
The Omani and Iranian foreign ministers discussed in a phone call ways to create suitable conditions for resuming dialogue and negotiations, and developments affecting navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, Oman's state news agency said.
21/08/2026 - 18:02
Middle Eastern powers condemn Israel's 'E1' settlement plan in occupied West Bank
The foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates condemned Israel's settlement policies in Palestinian territories and said they categorically rejected the residential property project called "E1" in the occupied West Bank.
"The Ministers call for immediate action to halt the 'E1' settlement plan, rescind all measures taken in connection with it, and cease all settlement activities and other measures aimed at altering the geographic and demographic character of the Occupied Palestinian Territory," they said in a joint statement, adding that the plan constituted a "dangerous escalation" that further advanced settlement expansion and annexation of Palestinian lands.
21/08/2026 - 16:39
Israel PM calls Erdogan an 'anti-Semitic dictator' after Turkey issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan an "anti-Semitic dictator", and vowed Israel would "continue to act forcefully against Turkey's attempts to destabilise the region".
"Erdogan is an anti-Semitic dictator who massacred Kurds, supports the massacre of the Hamas terrorist organisation, and oppresses his own people," Netanyahu's office said in a statement. "Israel will continue to act forcefully against Turkey's attempts to destabilise the region and against any threat to its security."
21/08/2026 - 16:08
Netanyahu focused on re-election as Israeli govt grows 'less concerned' about international isolation
With Israeli settler violence against Palestinians surging in the occupied West Bank and the Israeli government adopting a more confrontational posture against NATO member Turkey, Dr. Aaron Y. Zelin, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, spoke to FRANCE 24 about the impact of Israel's upcoming elections on its increasingly belligerent actions.
21/08/2026 - 15:05
Hezbollah says new US sanctions 'will not deter us'
Hezbollah said the United States "will not deter" its resistance against Israel after Washington announced new sanctions on the group, accusing it of serving Iran.
The US Treasury Department amended Hezbollah's legal designation on Thursday, alleging that it operated in "service to the Iranian regime under the command of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps".
It also announced new sanctions targeting 10 people who are allegedly part of a network that transfers cash to Hezbollah.
"All these unjust sanctions and classifications will not deter us from adhering to the path of resistance and the right of Lebanon and the Lebanese to defend their land, sovereignty and resources," Hezbollah said in a statement.
The group, which is armed and partly funded by Iran, stressed that it "does not need anyone to vouch for its Lebanese identity and patriotism".
"Our close and fraternal relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran is a relationship we cherish and are proud of," it added.
21/08/2026 - 14:59
'We've had a massive increase in the number of settlements constructed since Netanyahu was re-elected'
France, Italy, Britain and Germany on Thursday piled on mounting international condemnation of a major settlement project in the occupied West Bank, after Israeli authorities opened bidding for more than 1,200 homes in the area.
The E1 plan was green-lit by Israel last year and would further separate east Jerusalem, occupied and annexed by Israel and predominantly inhabited by Palestinians, from the West Bank.
FRANCE 24's international affairs editor Philip Turle tells us more.
21/08/2026 - 14:39
Israel army and settlers kill two Palestinians in separate incidents in occupied West Bank
Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian man in the city of Jenin, in the north of the occupied West Bank, with the military alleging he had attempted to stab a soldier.
In a separate incident in the southern West Bank, Israeli settlers shot dead a 17-year-old boy, the Palestinian health ministry said.
In Jenin, 58-year-old Fathi Zidan Hazem, "died from injuries sustained after being shot by Israeli forces early Friday," the Palestinian health ministry said in a statement, adding that Israel was withholding his body.
Meanwhile, in the Palestinian town of Sair, near the southern city of Hebron, "17-year-old Karim Sanad Raja Shalaldeh was killed by settler gunfire" during an attack, the Palestinian health ministry said.
The attack also left a 70-year-old man injured, Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported.
21/08/2026 - 14:11
Turkey issues arrest warrant for Israeli PM Netanyahu over Gaza flotilla
Turkey has issued an international arrest warrant for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of an investigation into Israel's interception of an aid flotilla for Gaza, Justice Minister Akin Gurlek announced on X.
Turkey has already issued warrants against Netanyahu and other top officials for "genocide" over Israel's devastating military campaign in Gaza.
21/08/2026 - 11:46
Watch more: Investigation into killing of Hind Rajab '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 reports. "The timing is extremely late".
21/08/2026 - 10:19
21/08/2026 - 09:36
Iran must plan to overcome 'unjust sanctions', says Iranian parliament speaker
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Iran must plan to overcome the "unjust sanctions", after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced what he described as the toughest sanctions ever imposed on Iran, according to Qalibaf's channel on Telegram.
21/08/2026 - 09:34
- Hormuz ship crossings halve amid heightened Middle East shipping risks
- 'Sanctions and pressure' on Iran not a solution, says China
- Iran must plan to overcome 'unjust sanctions', says Iranian parliament speaker
- Turkey issues arrest warrant for Israeli PM Netanyahu over Gaza flotilla
21/08/2026 - 09:34
'Sanctions and pressure' on Iran not a solution, says China
China said that US "sanctions and pressure" would not resolve the Middle East conflict, after Washington urged governments including Beijing to join efforts to isolate the Iranian economy.
"Sanctions and pressure will not help resolve the issue," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters at a news briefing, calling on "all relevant parties to take responsible measures and resolve the problem through political and diplomatic means".
21/08/2026 - 04:52
Oil prices set for second weekly rise as Iran war disrupts supply
Oil prices were little changed on Friday but were on track for a second weekly rise as the stalemated US-Iran war continues to disrupt supply from the key Middle East producing region.
Brent crude futures rose 4 cents to $93.82 a barrel by 0142 GMT, after climbing 2.4% in the previous session. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures slipped 6 cents to $86.78 a barrel, after climbing 2.3% in the prior session.
During the previous five days of gains, Brent gained more than 7% and WTI climbed more than 8%, reaching their highest since July 24.
21/08/2026 - 04:50
Hormuz ship crossings halve amid heightened Middle East shipping risks
Ship crossings at the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint were down on Thursday from the previous day, initial shipping data showed, amid growing concern over risks to shipping in the Middle East, with US-Iran peace talks remaining in limbo.
Thursday's tally of seven commodity ships was half that of Wednesday, Kpler data showed. Of these, four ships were entering and three exiting the waterway used by nearly a fifth of global shipments of crude oil and liquefied natural gas before the war.
No very large crude carriers or liquefied natural gas tankers were in the mix.
However, one very large gas carrier – carrying propane and butane – did transit out of Hormuz via the Iranian route, the data showed.
21/08/2026 - 04:48
Welcome to the FRANCE 24 liveblog covering events in the Middle East. You can catch up on yesterday's developments here.
Yesterday's key developments:
• The USS George Washington aircraft carrier strike group arrived in the Middle East to replace the long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln after apparently deteriorating living conditions on board sparked fresh criticism of President Donald Trump's war against 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 Trump announced a fresh slew of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
• 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.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)