LiveLive Updates July 23, 2026Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeJuly 23, 2026UpdatesWhite House says Saudi nuclear deal 'is off' without Israel recognitionWhite House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday. Credit: Alex Brandon/AP White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday. Credit: Alex Brandon/AP U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken with Gulf and Arab allies many times about pegging the U.S. Saudi civilian nuclear cooperation deal to the Abraham Accords, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday, adding that "the deal is off" if the kingdom does not join them. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia announced the agreement on Wednesday, allowing Riyadh to enrich uranium and build nuclear reactors using U.S. technology without the snap U.N. inspections Washington has demanded of Iran."We'll continue to talk with our Saudi counterparts to get the deal finalized and hopefully see them joining Abraham Accords very soon," Leavitt told reporters at the White House.Leavitt said she did not believe Trump ‌had spoken with ⁠Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman since his post, but it was something he had raised in previous conversations.The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed the Abraham Accords during Trump's first term in 2020, breaking a longstanding taboo to become the first Arab states to recognize Israel in a quarter century. Morocco and Sudan followed suit.Leavitt said she did not know if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had requested that the deal be contingent on the wider accords. "Not to my knowledge, no," she told reporters."Saudi Arabia's joining of the Abraham Accords would be an historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in ⁠a statement earlier Thursday. Read the full articleHouthis reportedly allow Chinese oil tanker through Red Sea 'blockade' The Houthi militia in Yemen appears to be allowing some ships to pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea despite its blockade of shipping to Saudi Arabia, experts said Thursday. Satellite imagery shows Bab el Mandeb Strait in this handout picture dated July 12, 2026. Credit: Nasa Worldview via Reuters Satellite imagery shows Bab el Mandeb Strait in this handout picture dated July 12, 2026. Credit: Nasa Worldview via Reuters A Chinese oil tanker has been granted permission to pass through the waterway, according to trade publication Lloyd's List. It said Chinese tankers returning from the Saudi port of Yanbu in the Red Sea may be able to negotiate passage with the Iranian-backed Houthis on a case-by-case basis.The U.S. think tank Institute for the Study of War has so far counted seven ships that altered their courses to avoid passing through the Bab al-Mandab following Houthi threats.The militia declared a "blockade" on maritime traffic to and from Saudi Arabia on Monday, about a week after a new confrontation with neighboring Saudi Arabia, which has been at war with the militia for more than a decade.Late Wednesday, the Saudi oil tanker Encelia was attacked, causing a fire on board.The Houthis have claimed responsibility for two attacks on Saudi oil tankers, though it was unclear whether the Encelia was among them.The sea route from Asia to Europe via the Suez Canal passes through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait – meaning "Gateway of Tears" or "Gateway of Grief" – off the coast of Yemen. The Houthis control northern and large parts of western Yemen, including the Red Sea coastline there.The militia had already severely disrupted global trade with attacks on ships in the Red Sea beginning in 2023.2 hours agoIranian media report Qeshm Island explosion, major blast reported in KuwaitIran's state broadcaster IRIB said Thursday that explosions were heard on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. The Kuwait islands of Warbah and Bubiyan, located at the head of the Persian Gulf, as seen in this reverse-color satellite image. Credit: Envisat satellite/Wikimedia The Kuwait islands of Warbah and Bubiyan, located at the head of the Persian Gulf, as seen in this reverse-color satellite image. Credit: Envisat satellite/Wikimedia Iran's ISNA news agency reported that several large explosions were heard on Kuwait's Bubiyan Island, along the Khor Abdullah waterway, which forms the maritime border between Kuwait and Iraq.On Wednesday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had targeted tactical radar systems on the island. Bubiyan Island is home to the Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, an under-construction port that is part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. IAEA says it is awaiting U.S.-Saudi request on nuclear deal verification The ‌UN nuclear ‌watchdog is aware of a ⁠U.S.-Saudi plan to ⁠ask it to carry out verification work in relation to the nuclear ‌cooperation deal they ‌are discussing, but has yet to receive a request from them, it said on Thursday."We look forward to receiving the ⁠request for such verification and to working ‌with the ⁠U.S. ‌and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in ensuring the implementation ⁠of those measures," the International Atomic Energy Agency said ‌in a statement.Japanese militant who killed 24 in 1972 Lod Airport attack, dies at 78Kozo Okamoto gives the victory sign as he arrives at a Palestinian cemetery to visit a memorial for four Japanese who died in support of Palestinians, in Beirut, Lebanon, 2022. Credit: Hassan Ammar/APKozo Okamoto gives the victory sign as he arrives at a Palestinian cemetery to visit a memorial for four Japanese who died in support of Palestinians, in Beirut, Lebanon, 2022. Credit: Hassan Ammar/APJapanese militant Kozo Okamoto, who killed 24 people in the 1972 attack at Lod Airport in Israel, died Thursday at the age of 78. Okamoto later became a celebrated figure among some supporters of the Palestinian cause in the Arab world. On May 30, 1972, Okamoto arrived in Israel with two other members of the far-left international militant group the Japanese Red Army as part of an operation carried out on behalf of the Palestinian group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Kozo Okamoto is seen in court as he receives a life sentence in Lod, Israel, in 1972. Credit: Max Nash/APKozo Okamoto is seen in court as he receives a life sentence in Lod, Israel, in 1972. Credit: Max Nash/APThe three men arrived at Lod Airport, now known as Ben Gurion International Airport, on an Air France flight from Paris. After reaching the passenger baggage area, they removed submachine guns and grenades from their luggage and opened fire, throwing grenades into the crowded terminal.The attack killed 24 people and injured dozens more. Eight of those killed were Israelis, while the others were foreign tourists. Among the victims was scientist Aharon Katzir, the brother of Ephraim Katzir, who was elected president of Israel the following year.Read the full articleReport: Trump considers new major combat operation in IranU.S. President Donald Trump is considering resuming major combat operations in Iran, Axios reported Thursday. Speaking to the outlet by phone, Trump said he was "considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before." According to the report, the president is close to deciding on the matter. "We are all set for it," he said. Trump told Axios Israel would join the operation "in two minutes if I ask them to," but said the U.S. did not need partners to launch the operation, warning of "consequences" to Israel should it join. Regarding his relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said he would "meet with him if he was here," adding that "relations with Bibi are very good." Mossad says it thwarted Iranian effort to infiltrate agents into IsraelThe Mossad thwarted an Iranian plot to infiltrate operatives into Israel and target senior officials, the agency said in a statement Thursday. According to a statement, Iran's Intelligence Ministry recruited Israelis or individuals with the ability to enter Israel through intermediaries operating on its behalf to gather intelligence on potential attack targets and the methods for carrying out the attacks.The agency said it disrupted the activities of a French resident who went by the alias "Philippe," and who was recruited by proxy operatives linked to the Iranian regime. According to the Mossad, he was tasked with recruiting a cell whose mission was to enter Israel and attack senior officials.During his activities, "Philippe" traveled to Iran, met with his handlers, who were involved in criminal activity, and received payment for his work. After his actions were uncovered, he was expelled from France.4 hours agoIsraeli cities open public shelters amid Iran tensions, Home Front Command makes no changes to guidanceThe Israeli municipalities of Ramat Gan, Karmiel and Eilat announced they are opening their public bomb shelters, as authorities step up preparations for a possible escalation in the conflict between the United States and Iran over the weekend and the potential for missile attacks on Israel.The Israeli military's Home Front Command civil defense unit has not changed its public safety guidance. There are currently no restrictions on public activity nationwide. Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama-Hacohen said on Facebook that "the risk of missile fire from Iran over the weekend has increased and is no longer negligible." He added that there had been "no warning from the Home Front Command" and urged residents not to panic if fighting resumes.The Herzliya municipality said its public shelters have remained open and that maintenance crews have been inspecting, cleaning and preparing them in recent days. Mayor Yariv Fisher also emphasized that there has been no change to Home Front Command instructions.Hamas claims responsibility for two West Bank stabbing attacks that wounded two IsraelisHamas claimed responsibility Thursday for two stabbing attacks in the West Bank that wounded two Israelis, the Palestinian Quds News Network reported.In a statement, Hamas leader Abdul Rahman Shadid said the "stabbing operations in the West Bank represent the optimal response to the incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque and the plans to Judaize it."Shadid was referencing the more than 1,000 Jewish worshippers, including far-right Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Temple Mount compound earlier Thursday for Tisha B'Av, the Jewish day commemorating the destruction of the ancient Jewish temples. Ben-Gvir at the Al-Aqsa/Temple Mount compound, Thursday. Credit: Har Habait Organization Ben-Gvir at the Al-Aqsa/Temple Mount compound, Thursday. Credit: Har Habait Organization According to Quds, Shadid urged Palestinian youth to continue resisting "the crimes of the occupation and the settlers" and said Hamas salutes the attackers and "all the resistors in the West Bank."Earlier Thursday, a 51-year-old Israeli man was seriously wounded in a stabbing at the Derech Avraham farm outpost near the West Bank settlement of Elon Moreh, according to medics and the Israeli military.Later Thursday, the IDF said another Israeli was moderately wounded in a stabbing attack near the settlement of Ganim, near Jenin. The attacker was killed, the military said.Ganim is one of several Israeli settlements in the northern West Bank that were designated by the government for resettlement in January after they were evacuated during the 2005 disengagement plan.In the NewsEven if Israel Ends Settler Violence, the Violence of the Occupation Will RemainEilat Resident Arrested on Suspicion of Murdering a Migrant Worker in JerusalemIn Two-month First, Oil Tops $100 a Barrel After Houthis Strike TankersKozo Okamoto, Who Killed 24 in 1972 Airport Attack in Israel, Dies at 78U.K.'s Hackney Aims to End Twinship With Israel's Haifa Over 'Ongoing Conflict'Remembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIThe Most Optimistic Israeli in Jerusalem Is Leaving the CountryAs Ground Invasion Looms, U.S. and Iran Want Wild-card Israel Out of the FightThe Original Ozempic Society of Ancient RomeBetween Messi and Milei: How Argentina Became Israel's Team at the World Cup'Choose Hope': Natalie Portman Backs Arab-Jewish Party Ahead of Israeli ElectionHélène Cixous: 'I Accept Israel's Existence, but I Don't Identify With It'