August 09, 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 formatSubscribeAugust 09, 2026UpdatesSaudi Arabia says fire broke out at oil facility near Yemen borderA composite satellite image shows trail of smoke rising from an oil facility, in Jizan, Jazan province, Saudi Arabia, in July. Credit: European Union/Copernicus Sentinel-2/ReutersA composite satellite image shows trail of smoke rising from an oil facility, in Jizan, Jazan province, Saudi Arabia, in July. Credit: European Union/Copernicus Sentinel-2/ReutersSaudi Arabia said a fire broke out at an oil facility in the port city of Jizan, which the Iran-aligned Houthis targeted last month, without disclosing the cause of the incident."Industrial Security Firefighting Teams affiliated with Saudi Aramco extinguished a fire that broke out at dawn in one of the facilities belonging to the Saudi Aramco Refinery," the Saudi Energy Ministry said on X, adding that there were no injuries.Last month, the Yemen-based Houthis claimed military strikes on two Saudi oil tankers in Jizan, which lies on the Red Sea, as part of a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia. Following the strike, the international oil benchmark, broke above $100 a barrel for the first time since May 26.Turkish foreign minister says Egypt may join defense pact once technical matters sorted outTurkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Jordan earlier this month. Credit: Raad Adayleh/AP Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Jordan earlier this month. Credit: Raad Adayleh/AP Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Egypt may join the regional defense pact signed on Friday together with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia "once certain technical matters are sorted out.""Iran is not a target of the defense pact," Fidan added, "as long as they don't attack member countries." Fidan said the agreement is ‌technically the same as NATO's Article 5 mutual defense agreement, which stipulates that an armed attack against one member state is considered an attack against them all, and that efforts to finalize the pact had been underway for two years and eight months.Read the full articleRECAP: Iranian Hormuz Strait arrangement is irreversible, says Iranian military spokesmanHere are Saturday's latest updates:■ The security and maritime arrangement that Iran has established in the Strait of Hormuz is irreversible, and its armed forces are determined to fully maintain it, Iranian military spokesman Mohammad Akrami-Nia told the Fars news agency.■ As hundreds of protesters gather in Tel Aviv's Habima Square, former commander of the Tel Aviv police district and Border Police, David Tzur, called on the police commissioner and the head of the Shin Bet to safeguard the election.■ At least six Palestinians were wounded in settler attacks in the West Bank over the weekend, according to Palestinian media reports.■ A deal with Iran and Oman on control of the Strait of Hormuz is close but would not be enough to free up the waterway, Tehran said Saturday.■ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Israel's Finance Ministry to increase a proposed 13-year boost to the defense budget from 350 billion to 400 billion shekels ($117 to $133 billion), demanding the funds be allocated before the upcoming October election.In the NewsNeither Side in a Rush to Apply Israel-Lebanon AccordIsraeli Artillery Fire Targets Central Gaza, Palestinian Media ReportsTurkey Says Egypt May Join Defense Pact Once Technical Matters Sorted OutA 'Free Palestine' T-shirt at a Holocaust Memorial Offers No ContradictionWho Wears the Pants in This Government? Netanyahu's Wife and SonRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIHow Israel's Elbit Armed the United Arab EmiratesIsrael's Leading Philosopher on Manipulation, Morality and the Future of ZionismIsrael Captured 230 Square Miles of Lebanon, Razed Villages and Built New BasesHow a Teen, Not a Journalist, Debunked Israel's Gaza 'Voluntary Emigration' PlanFormer Mossad Chief Appointed to Lead U.S. Defense Technology Company'I Saw Pictures of Dead Kids. In the Army They Told Us We Only Kill Terrorists'