LiveLive Updates September 10, 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 formatSubscribeSeptember 10, 2026UpdatesJapan removes travel advisory to Israel The Japanese government removed its travel advisory to Israel, Israel's foreign ministry said Thursday. In a statement, the ministry said the decision followed talks between Israel and Japan, adding that the move would allow Japanese business delegations to visit Israel.The announcement comes as Israel's security establishment is preparing for an increase in defense activity ahead of the Jewish holiday season. As part of preperations, the Israeli military on Sunday launched a surprise readiness exercise simulating a sudden outbreak of multi-front hostilities as part of the preparations. Houthis say Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab navigation safe and operating normallyThe ‌spokesperson for Yemen's Iran-aligned ‌Houthis, Mohammed Abdulsalam, ⁠said on Thursday ⁠that navigation and international trade in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb remained ‌safe and ‌regular, as fighting with Saudi-backed government forces intensified.In a post on X, Abdulsalam said Yemen posed no threat ⁠to shipping and that ongoing Houthi operations ‌were ⁠defensive and limited ‌to previously announced targets. He said the ⁠operations would end once attacks on Yemen stopped ‌and a blockade was lifted.Herzog 'dreams' of trilateral meeting with Lebanese, Cypriot presidents Israel's President Isaac Herzog said Thursday he hoped to meet with the presidents of Cyprus and Lebanon, suggesting Cyprus could play a role in easing tensions between Israel and Lebanon. Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides ahead of their meeting in Nicosia, Thursday. Credit: Maayan Toaf/GPOIsraeli President Isaac Herzog and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides ahead of their meeting in Nicosia, Thursday. Credit: Maayan Toaf/GPO"My dream is, I wish we could meet with the president of Lebanon and the president of Cyprus and the president of Israel here," Herzog said during a meeting with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. Cyprus maintains close ties with both countries. Christodoulides' government has sought to position the island as a regional mediator.DPA contributed to this report. Algeria breaks diplomatic relations with UAE, orders ambassador to leave Algeria said Thursday it was severing diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates after months of escalating tensions between the two Arab countries.Algeria accused the UAE of carrying out "increasingly provocative or hostile acts" but did not specify what those actions were. The Algerian Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official APS news agency that the UAE had continued the actions despite repeated warnings from Algiers.The ministry said Algeria had exhausted all avenues for preserving bilateral relations.The UAE ambassador in Algiers was notified of the decision and given 48 hours to leave, APS reported. There was no immediate comment from the UAE.Relations between Algeria and the UAE have deteriorated in recent years. Algeria has criticized the UAE's decision to establish diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020 and has expressed concern about Emirati involvement in neighboring Niger, Mali and Libya.Algerian authorities have also accused the UAE of interfering in Algeria's internal affairs. In 2024, Algeria's Higher Security Council criticized what it called hostile actions by an unnamed "sisterly Arab state," a reference widely understood to be the UAE.Earlier this year, Algeria announced that it was terminating an air transport agreement with the UAE that had been signed in 2013.The diplomatic rupture marks a significant escalation in tensions between the two countries.IAEA chief says Iran inspections not to resume soon, as watchdog reports activity at Pickaxe Mountain The United Nations' atomic watchdog confirmed Thursday it has seen evidence of Iranian activity near the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site near Natanz, Bloomberg reported. Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi speaks at a press conference at the agency's headquarters in Vienna, Austria on Monday. Credit: Joe Klamar/AFPDirector General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi speaks at a press conference at the agency's headquarters in Vienna, Austria on Monday. Credit: Joe Klamar/AFPPickaxe Mountain, located near Iran's heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, is a fortified site with two deeply buried tunnel complexes.According to the report, the International Atomic Energy Agency warned it was losing "continuity of knowledge in Iran."The IAEA did not expect to resume inspections in Iran in the near term, Bloomberg quoted its Director General Rafael Grossi as saying.On Wednesday, the IAEA's board of governors ⁠passed a resolution ⁠reporting Iran to the UN Security Council, saying it was in breach of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the United States may hit Pickaxe Mountain, urging Tehran to be cautious."We notice there's a little activity at ‌Pickaxe. I would advise Iran not to get cute because we will have to hit them very hard," Trump said in a speech at the midterm Republican convention.An analysis by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies showed a surge in construction at Iran's underground nuclear complex, which continued through the U.S.-Iran war, CNN reported Wednesday. The analysis was based on six years of satellite imagery, the report said, with experts estimating the facility was not damaged during the war and is able to withstand bunker-busting munitions. Trump has been threatening strikes on Pickaxe Mountain since at least ⁠mid-July. The site lies 220 km (140 miles) south of Tehran and 2 km from the Natanz complex.The complex, where two of Iran's uranium enrichment plants were located, was struck in March as part of the U.S.-Israeli military attacks on Iran. Israel also hit Natanz during last year's ⁠12-day Israel-Iran war.Iranian government opposes bill that would impose ⁠tougher penalties on acts of foreign ​influence The Iranian government opposes a bill that would impose harsher criminal penalties on acts deemed foreign interference, Iranian state news agency reports.The bill, ‌backed by parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, would restrict contacts with foreign media and institutions, the sharing of information, ⁠scientific cooperation and other activities that authorities deem ‌to facilitate ⁠foreign influence.The government's opposition to the measure appears to signal ⁠pushback towards hardliners, who have supported enacting tougher security laws ‌during the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.'Blatant violation': Qatar condemns Netanyahu's entry into Syrian territory Qatar on Thursday condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's entry into Syrian territory, calling it a "blatant violation" of Syria's sovereignty and a "flagrant breach of international law."Statement | Qatar Strongly Condemns Israeli Prime Minister's Illegal Entry into Syrian Territory