An Iranian drone was intercepted early Monday over the United Arab Emirates' territorial waters, the Defense Ministry said. The attack followed an exchange of fire between Iran and the United States over the weekend, which was the first significant military action in the war for more than a month.
Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.
Iranian drone intercepted on way toward UAE
Iran fired a drone at the United Arab Emirates on Monday, which the UAE's Defense Ministry said was intercepted over its territorial waters.
After more than a month with no significant fighting, the U.S. attacked rocket launchers on an Iranian island on Sunday, saying they were preparing to launch mines into the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by launching missiles at U.S. sites in Jordan, all of which were intercepted.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that his country wasn't seeking war, but that “we will respond decisively to aggressors. The UAE called the attack a “dangerous escalation” from Iran.
During the lull in fighting, the U.S. has been ratcheting up economic pressure on Iran with the hope of forcing concessions from Tehran, including reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz to shipping.
Israeli airstrike kills at least 2 Palestinians in Gaza City
An Israeli airstrike on Monday killed at least two Palestinians in Gaza City, hospital officials said.
The strike hit the entrance of a residential building near the city’s municipal park, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties. Two other Palestinians were critically wounded, the hospital said.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
The deaths were the latest among Palestinians in Gaza since a ceasefire deal reached in October attempted to halt a more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas.
While the deaths since then have decreased, at least 1,320 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry.
Israel signs multibillion-dollar weapons deal with Greece
Israel signed a multibillion-dollar weapons deal with Greece on Monday, the largest between the two Mediterranean countries, as Israeli defense exports soar.
Israel’s Defense Ministry said the 3 billion-euro ($3.5 billion) defense export deal, dubbed Achilles Shield, is one of the country’s largest and includes a multilayered air defense system for Greece using Israeli technology.
The agreement comes as Israeli weapons exports have reached record highs with more than $19 billion last year, a 30% increase from 2024, according to official data. That is despite widespread criticism of Israel’s conduct in its wars in Gaza, with the Hezbollah militant group and with Iran.
Israel and Greece have deepened defense ties in the last decade. Monday’s signing, however, marks the most significant deal between the two as Greece focuses on modernizing its armed forces to keep pace with neighbor and fellow NATO member Turkey amid long-standing disputes over sea boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean.
Lebanon asks for Greek help to bring peace with Israel
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is asking for Greece's help in implementing an agreement to end the war with Israel.
During meetings on Monday in Athens, Aoun told Greek President Constantine Tassoulas and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis that Lebanon has been through long wars and “its people are tired.”
He suggested that Greece has good relations with both Lebanon and Israel, and could help facilitate an end to decades of war.
In comments aired by local television stations, Aoun referred to the U.S.-brokered framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel that was signed in late June, saying “we ask Greece to do all it can to help Lebanon in implementing the agreement.”
In an apparent reference to daily Israeli airstrikes and shelling despite a June 20, Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, Aoun said that “trying to solve the problem through military force will not succeed.”
He said that the agreement “should not be implemented by one side but both sides.”
Mitsotakis told Aoun that “the security of Lebanon and Israel are not conflicting goals.”
“Greece, as a traditional friend of both Lebanon and the Arab world, but also a strategic partner of Israel, stands ready to support every effort toward de-escalation and mutual understanding,” he said.
USS Lincoln nearing Thailand for expected port call
The American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is nearing Thailand, where it's expected to make a port visit after its lengthy deployment to the Middle East.
The carrier, with around 5,000 sailors and its accompanying battle group, was sailing Monday toward the Gulf of Thailand, where it was expected to make a port call near the city of Pattaya.
The Lincoln, one of the U.S. Navy’s largest warships, was supporting American efforts in the Iran war. Its deployment included a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 250 days.
