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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced "key conversations" for 20 July following talks with military commanders.

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The center was used to deliver military cargoes in the interests of the Ukrainian army, the Russian defense ministry said

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According to the Jordanian military, no casualties or damage were reported

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Before storming the village, aerial reconnaissance identified enemy machine-gun and mortar firing positions, the Russian Defense Ministry reported

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met with Mykhailo Drapatyi, Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Staff's Deputy Chief Volodymyr Horbatiuk and Oleh Apostol, Commander of the Airborne Assault Forces.

Military · Geopolitical

Morocco has no gas. So how did it sell the world a $25bn gas pipeline? Submitted by Abed Charef on Sun, 06/28/2026 - 16:14 For all the fanfare, Morocco's Atlantic megaproject is longer, costlier and less viable than Algeria's rival pipeline, which is already under construction A man walks along a beach near storage facilities belonging to Morocco’s National Electrolysis and Petrochemical Company at the Mohammedia oil port on the Atlantic coast, near Casablanca, on 3 April 2026 (AFP) On Morocco has pulled off a remarkable media coup with its African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) project, formerly known as the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline, intended to supply Europe with gas after crossing a dozen West African and Sahelian countries. Two factors attest to the ingenuity of Morocco's achievement: the country has negligible gas resources of its own and no tradition of hydrocarbon exploitation or trade. Despite this, it was able to present a project worth tens of billions of dollars, with significant geopolitical implications, and position it as a rival, or even an alternative, to the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) linking Nigeria to Algeria via Niger. Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine had sent Europe scrambling for alternative supplies, and Moscow's share of the bloc's pipeline gas - around 40 percent before the war - was nosediving as the EU moved to ban Russian imports by 2027. Algeria was already filling much of that gap, supplying nearly a fifth of the EU's pipeline gas, second only to Norway. Morocco had no gas of its own, but it could offer a route, and its energy ministry sold the pipeline as a way to make the kingdom "a major corridor linking Europe, Africa and the Atlantic basin". Moroccan authorities invested heavily in the project, which they presented as "the new energy backbone of the continent". For years, the matter was taken seriously, with official and unofficial diplomacy, businesspeople and lobbyists working together to attract investors and clients. Morocco went so far as to announce "the finalisation of the gas pipeline route" and, in July 2025, to report a package of contracts and agreements related to the project. "Agreements signed, advanced technical studies, investors mobilised, and the first Moroccan section soon to be launched: the colossal gas pipeline project linking Nigeria to Morocco has reached a decisive milestone," a triumphant Moroccan media outlet predicted. According to Moroccan officials and news outlets, the deal was done. Yet economic logic, technical data, geography, geopolitics and common sense all showed that the Moroccan project could not compete with the Trans-Saharan pipeline, which would carry the same Nigerian gas to Algeria via Niger and on to Europe through pipelines Algeria already operates. More than a campaign A skilful communications campaign and networks of influence are not sufficient assets for a project of this scale, with such significant economic and geopolitical interests. Ali Aissaoui, an emeritus researcher at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, outlined the prerequisites for a gas pipeline of this magnitude to Middle East Eye. Its realisation, he explained, is "subject to four factors": first, the availability of resources, which he considers potentially abundant, provided they are developed in a timely and synchronised manner; second, relatively favourable market prospects; third, economic viability, which will depend on the volumes actually transported, infrastructure costs and anticipated prices; and finally, perhaps most importantly, the existence of a stable and cooperative political and diplomatic environment among all the countries involved. A signed agreement, however, is not a finished pipeline, and none of the project's underlying weaknesses has gone away Weighed against those conditions, the anticipated conflict between the AAGP and the TSGP is unlikely to materialise. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune signalled as much on 16 February, announcing - while receiving his Nigerien counterpart Abdourahamane Tchiani - that work on the Trans-Saharan pipeline would begin after Ramadan. With the project gaining pace, the energy ministers of Algeria, Nigeria and Niger met in Algiers on 3 June for the fifth meeting of the project's steering committee. The following day, construction of the Algerian section was formally launched in the southern province of Adrar, with the same three ministers and the heads of their national energy companies in attendance. For the Moroccan project, it effectively sounded the death knell. None of this has deterred Morocco, which has been seeking US financing for the project. It is still expected to sign an intergovernmental agreement with Nigeria on the pipeline in the final quarter of 2026, to be concluded by President Bola Tinubu and King Mohammed VI. A signed agreement, however, is not a finished pipeline, and none of the project's underlying weaknesses has gone away. The harder route The AAGP was designed to start in Nigeria, follow the Atlantic coast west to Liberia, then turn north and end in Morocco. In all, the project is now billed as spanning 13 countries along the West African coast - not to mention the disputed territory of Western Sahara - over a hybrid offshore-onshore route of some 6,900km. This entire part of Africa was expected to benefit from the pipeline's economic impact. By comparison, the TSGP, linking Nigeria directly to Algeria via Niger, would be just over 4,000km long, with approximately 1,000km in Nigeria, 800km in Niger and 2,300km in Algeria. It would cross only three countries, simplifying negotiations over the distribution of production and royalties and avoiding complex dealings with some of the world's poorest and most unstable states. As the UAE expands military footprint in Africa, Algeria draws line in the sand Read More » Another advantage of the Trans-Saharan pipeline over the AAGP is its cost. The former is expected to cost between $10bn and $13bn, drawing on existing gas infrastructure in Algeria and Nigeria. The cross-border sections, however, are still largely to be built: Algeria's section is only now under construction, while Niger's is due to start in early 2027. This compares with the roughly $25bn needed to finance the AAGP, making it about twice as expensive as the Trans-Saharan pipeline. Furthermore, the AAGP is unlikely to be operational for at least 10 years - not before 2040, given the project's complexity - according to an expert consulted by MEE. Another argument put forward by Morocco is that the AAGP could supply the populations of a dozen countries before reaching Morocco, demonstrating the kingdom's commitment to developing a vast area of West Africa and the Sahel that remains plagued by endemic poverty. Yet if each of these countries consumes some of the gas piped from Nigeria, how much would remain at the end of the line, given that Morocco itself would also draw on it? Nigeria's interest in such a vast investment would obviously be to send large quantities of gas, around 30 billion cubic metres a year, to the European market, which risks being permanently cut off from Russian gas by next year and forced to rely on much more expensive liquefied natural gas. It will therefore ultimately be up to Nigeria to decide, based solely on its own interests. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye. Energy Opinion Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:29 Update Date Override 0

Military · Geopolitical

Russian troops also struck deployment points for Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries, the Russian Defense Ministry reported

Military · Geopolitical

Protests continued across Ukraine for a third consecutive day despite the ongoing war, with demonstrators demanding the reinstatement of the popular former defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, following his removal. The demonstrations coincided with two days of meetings between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the country's top military commanders.

Military · Geopolitical

The leaders of Germany and France announced on Friday that the German military would participate in a nuclear exercise under a French initiative to deepen European nuclear cooperation. The move by both countries to deepen nuclear cooperation underscores growing European defence self-reliance amid concerns about the future of US security commitments to the continent. “We will have German conventional forces participate in a nuclear exercise conducted by the French armed forces before the end of...

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All targets were destroyed with precision strikes, the Russian Defense Ministry reported

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US completes eighth night of strikes as Iran retaliates across Gulf Submitted by MEE staff on Sun, 07/19/2026 - 10:08 Latest round of strikes appears 'less intense' as US attempts to isolate southern Iran A bridge damaged in a US strike on the road linking Rudan and Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on 18 July 2026 (Amir Hossein Khorgooei/Isna/AFP) Off The United States completed an eighth consecutive night of attacks against Iran on Sunday, targeting military buildings and civilian infrastructure across the country's south. The latest round appeared "less intense" than those carried out over the previous three nights, according to reporting by Al Jazeera. US Central Command (Centcom) said US forces "successfully hit Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defence facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites". It added that its forces also targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) units that it said were responsible for attacks that killed two American service members in Jordan on 17 July. Iranian media reported explosions on Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas, Hajiabad, Sirik and Shadegan in Hormozgan and Khuzestan provinces. Tasnim News Agency said at least six explosions were heard on Qeshm Island before emergency civil defence teams were deployed to assess the damage. Major-General Ali Abdullahi, commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned that "any aggression or barbarism will be met with a decisive and devastating response". Abdullahi said Washington was trying to create division inside Iran and pledged to "impose heavier costs" on the US than in previous rounds of fighting. Iran strikes American military assets in Gulf and Jordan, after US hits Iranian cities Read More » Meanwhile, Iran launched retaliatory attacks against Gulf states hosting US forces. Iran said it carried out a large-scale drone attack against "two US military facilities" in Kuwait, targeting an ammunition depot at Camp Al Adiri and air defence systems at Ali Al Salem Air Base. Kuwait's military said its air defences were intercepting "hostile missile and drone attacks". Meanwhile, Bahrain sounded air raid sirens for the sixth time in several hours and urged residents to seek shelter. IRGC also said it intercepted and destroyed a US MQ-9 drone over Ahvaz, while Iraqi Kurdish leaders condemned Iranian missile strikes in the Kurdistan region as a violation of sovereignty. Infrastructure under pressure Iranian officials said the latest strikes continued to damage civilian infrastructure across the country's south. Bridges, roads, railways, tunnels and airports have been hit, limiting the movement of civilians, goods and humanitarian supplies, local media reported. Several hospitals have also been evacuated and school examinations postponed. Officials said the US was attempting to isolate the country's southern provinces and weaken the IRGC's control over the Strait of Hormuz, while insisting the force would not relinquish the strategic waterway. The conflict has also heightened concerns over water security across the Gulf. Kuwait accused Iran for the second time on Saturday of attacking a power generation and desalination plant. Residents told AFP they had begun stockpiling bottled water and canned food amid fears that supply chains could be disrupted. The Gulf Cooperation Council accounts for about 60 percent of the world’s desalination capacity, making such facilities critical to drinking water supplies in one of the world’s most water-scarce regions. Iranian officials also said earlier US strikes had destroyed a desalination facility in Hormozgan province, cutting off drinking water supplies to about 10,000 people across 20 villages. The US Department of State has urged Americans worldwide to exercise increased caution because of escalating tensions in the Middle East. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Military · Geopolitical

Washington launched its eighth consecutive wave of strikes in Iran overnight Saturday with US Central Command saying the latest attacks had targeted Iran's Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for Tehran's killing of two US troops at an airbase in Jordan. France 24 correspondent Fraser Jackson reports from Washington.

Military · Geopolitical

Two American service members were killed and a third is missing following an Iranian attack on a US base in Jordan. The deaths are the first from hostile fire since a truce with Iran in early April and come after a week of the heaviest fighting since the conflict began in February. Saturday also marked the eighth consecutive night of US strikes on Iran, with Iranian media reporting explosions in several coastal cities. Days of escalating exchanges have targeted military installations and civilian infrastructure across the region. Morgan Aire reports.

Military · Geopolitical

The US and Iran engaged in another wave of tit-for-tat attacks, signaling no let-up after strikes by the Islamic Republic killed two American service members in Jordan on Friday.

Military · Geopolitical

Morning recap Good morning Middle East Eye readers, US struck Iran for the eighth consecutive time overnight, with the US Centcom claiming that IRGC forces who had launched a deadly attack on its service members in Jordan were targeted during the strikes. Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said the repeated breaches of agreements with Iran show that the US president’s signature is “worthless and invalid”. US president Donald Trump described the deaths of two US service members in Iranian attacks in Jordan “a very sad thing”, while US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said their "sacrifice only stiffens our resolve”. Here are the latest developments: • An American strike hit a location on Iran’s Qeshm Island on Sunday morning, the office of the governor of Hormozgan province said. • A top Iranian military commander, Major-General Ali Abdullahi, warned that “any aggression or barbarism will be met with a decisive and devastating response” from the country’s armed forces. • Kuwait’s Ali Al-Salem base and Camp Udairi came under attack of Iranian army’s kamikaze drones during the 16th phase of Operation Sa'eqeh (Thunderbolt). • A family of five -- three children and their parents -- was among the 11 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza on Saturday. • The US State Department has warned Americans worldwide to exercise increased caution, saying that due to “heightened tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation”.

Military · Geopolitical

Lebanese president hopes to generate pressure on Israel during US trip Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will make his first trip to the White House this week to present a plan to US president Donald Trump on how to disarm Hezbollah and secure Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon. Aoun is the first Lebanese head of state in nearly 20 years to visit the White House, where he will meet Trump face-to-face for the first time. Tuesday's meeting comes at a crucial moment for Lebanon: Israeli troops are occupying a swathe of the country's south, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese remain displaced following Israeli strikes and Hezbollah has firmly rejected the government's direct talks with Israel -- and efforts by the state to strip it of its arms. In comments published by his office last week, Aoun said he would ask Trump to "exert the necessary pressure on Israel" to implement a US-brokered June 26 agreement between Lebanon and Israel. (Reporting by Reuters)

Military · Geopolitical

The US military launched air strikes on Sunday targeting Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard to retaliate for the killing of American troops in Jordan, further widening the crossfire between the nations as they fight over the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes, now part of a weeklong campaign that has seen Iran strike US-allied countries across the Middle East, come as an interim deal seeking to find an end to the Iran war has collapsed. The US has targeted bridges, electrical facilities and...

Military · Geopolitical

Washington launched its eighth consecutive wave of strikes in Iran overnight Saturday with US Central Command saying the latest attacks had targeted Iran's Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for Tehran's killing of two US troops at an airbase in Jordan. A third US soldier is missing in action. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

Military · Geopolitical

US forces target Iranian sites for the eighth night in a row, while Iran says it fired drones at the US military in Kuwait.

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Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko noted that Russia is "closely following the efforts of the Japanese side to expand military activity"

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Pete Hegseth’s championing of testosterone for troops is the latest manifestation of the rightwing movement’s aesthetic

Military · Geopolitical

Iranian commander warns of 'devastating response' to aggression A top Iranian military commander, Major-General Ali Abdullahi, warned that “any aggression or barbarism will be met with a decisive and devastating response” from the country’s armed forces, Al Jazeera reported. Abdullahi, the commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, pledged to strengthen unity between the armed forces, the Iranian public and officials and pledged to “impose heavier costs” on the US than in the previous wars. “The enemy, following successive defeats in the military conflict, has taken comfort in creating division and discord between the people and their leaders,” Abdullahi said in a statement, according to Al Jazeera. “Our dear country’s defensive power is a solid foundation for the peace and security of the proud and courageous nation from south to north and from east to west of the glorious and vast Iranian land,” he added.

Military · Geopolitical

Iranian drones strike two US bases in Kuwait, report says Kuwait’s Ali Al-Salem base and Camp Udairi came under attack of Iranian army’s kamikaze drones during the 16th phase of Operation Sa'eqeh (Thunderbolt), Iranian media reported. IRNA said Camp Udairi is one of the major US bases in the region, located about 104 kilometres from Iran’s borders, serving as a key support and reorganization centre for American forces. Ali Al-Salem Air Base serves as the main air transportation hub and the gateway for military forces entering the West Asia region, IRNA said. US jets bomb Shadegan, Qeshm: US jets, meanwhile, struck a location near the city of Shadegan in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, according to the Iran’s Tasnim news agency. Two more explosions were heard in Qeshm Island after another round of US strikes, Tasnim reported.

Military · Geopolitical

Centcom says US completes eighth consecutive night of strikes against Iran The US military said it carried out an eighth consecutive night of strikes on Iran late on Saturday, targeting coastal surveillance and air defence facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites. In a statement, US Central Command (Centcom) said the strikes, ordered by the US commander-in-chief, were intended to further degrade Iran's military capabilities. American military assets also targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces that launched attacks against US service members in Jordan on 17 July, Centcom said. The military said more than 50,000 US troops remain deployed across the Middle East and are "highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready". https://t. S. co/K11184scG0 — U. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 19, 2026

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The US military says it "successfully hit" military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites

Military · Geopolitical

Iran launched renewed attacks on US Gulf allies on Saturday after a seventh straight night of US strikes targeting Iranian military sites including logistics infrastructure, ‌escalating the war one week after a fragile ceasefire agreement fell apart.

Military · Geopolitical

West Bank attacks: Settlers set mosque on fire, Israeli forces olive trees Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian village of Tuwani in the West Bank, setting a mosque and a vehicle on fire and spray-painting a Star of David on the mosque's wall, according to Palestinian Christian human rights advocate Ihab Hassan. pic. BREAKING: Israeli settler terrorists attacked the Palestinian village of Tuwani in the West Bank, setting a mosque and a vehicle on fire and spray-painting a Star of David on the mosque's wall. twitter. com/m1nCyx1aRk — Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) July 18, 2026 Palestinian news agency WAFA, meanwhile, reported that Israeli forces set fire to dozens of olive trees in the village of Deir Qaddis, west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, on Saturday. A Wafa correspondent reported that Israeli forces chased Palestinian farmers while they were working on their land south of the village, firing live ammunition and tear gas canisters at them, which sparked fires that spread across large areas planted with dozens of olive trees. The correspondent added that Israeli forces prevented civil defence crews from reaching the site to extinguish the fire, allowing the blaze to spread across wider areas of Palestinian-owned land south of the village. Deir Qaddis and nearby villages and towns west of Ramallah have been subjected to repeated Israeli military incursions, alongside ongoing attacks by Israeli settlers targeting Palestinian residents and their property, Wafa reported. pic. Dozens of olive trees caught fire after Israeli forces heavily fired stun grenades in the village of Deir Qiddis, west of Ramallah. twitter. com/7TnpPwMPuv — PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) July 18, 2026

Military · Geopolitical

Israeli settlers storm Palestinian homes in Hebron, steal sheep Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian homes in the Wadi al-Rakhim area south of Yatta, near Hebron, on Saturday evening, stealing three sheep, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Local anti-settlement activist Osama Makhamreh said the armed settlers were accompanied by Israeli forces, who fired live ammunition during the raid. No injuries were reported, but a child, Yaseen Mohammad Shnaran, was hospitalised after suffering severe shock and convulsions. In a separate incident, armed settlers, also reportedly under Israeli military protection, tried to steal sheep in the Wadi Ajheish area near As-Samu', but residents confronted them and forced them to leave.

Military · Geopolitical

The US military says one of the goals of the strikes is to "swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces" for attacks against American service members in Jordan

Military · Geopolitical

The president separately said the death of two US military personnel in Jordan was a "very sad thing"