Latest war news. China ready to ‘safeguard’ Iran’s rights. In Gaza, 50 children are trapped under the rubble

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he will introduce two bills to punish those who defame IDF soldiers abroad. The announcement was made in a video, reported by The Times of Israel, in which the Prime Minister explicitly referred to the directors of the film ‘Naza’, the leader of the Democrats party, Yair Golan, and the former military attorney-general, Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi. Netanyahu explained that the first bill will introduce the possibility of revoking citizenship, whilst the second will increase the fine they could face if found guilty. “They do not belong here”, Netanyahu said, adding that he expects all Zionist parties to support the measures.

A heated clash took place between a senior Iranian official and Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal at the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, with both sides levelling accusations against each other regarding the war in the Middle East. The representative from Tehran also stated that Iran would not allow the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened. This was reported today by the South China Morning Post.

Turki al-Faisal, president of the Saudi think tank King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies, has accused Iran of failing to respect “the sovereignty of Arab states”, arguing that this behaviour has culminated in “aggressive and illegal attacks against their territories and property during the recent war”.

To curb settler violence in the West Bank, action must be taken at European level. ‘The expansion of settlements (in the West Bank, ed.) is unacceptable. No one can tolerate settler violence. No one can justify actions that undermine the prospect of a two-state solution. The question is which tools to use to have a real impact on this behaviour. We are convinced that, on matters of this kind, the only effective legal and political framework is that of the European Union.” These are the words of the Minister for Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, who spoke on Wednesday 16 September in the Chamber of Deputies during Question Time. The government is therefore continuing to consult with its European Union partners on restrictive measures targeting goods produced in the settlements. “Only a unified response at European level can, in fact, guarantee measures that are truly effective and consistent,” emphasised the leader of Forza Italia.

Sweden has announced that it has summoned the Iranian ambassador and ordered the expulsion of an embassy staff member on the grounds of “activities incompatible with the Vienna Convention” on diplomatic relations, according to a government statement. “We know that Iran has for some time been carrying out activities in and against Sweden, targeting both those who oppose the Iranian regime and various Jewish and Israeli interests in our country”, said Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer in a statement, deploring the fact that such actions have been carried out in particular by criminal networks.

“Iran has no interest in continuing the conflict with the United States and hopes for a return to a diplomatic solution” to the crisis. This was stated by the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, during his meeting in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. “For Iran, the memorandum of understanding with the US remains in force,” said Araghchi, referring to the document signed on 17 June, adding that “Iran wants a return to a peaceful solution”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meets with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in Beijing, China, September 16, 2026. Iranian Foreign Ministry/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi received his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, in Beijing. “We urge the parties to take effective measures to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible,” said Wang, calling on Iran and the United States to adopt a “rational” stance and to prioritise “restraint”, returning “to compliance with the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding as soon as possible”. “China does not want regional tensions to spread further to Yemen and the Red Sea,” Wang emphasised.

A storm of controversy is raging against Ed Sheeran and his US tour (‘Tour Loop’), which saw all the support acts pull out within a matter of hours in solidarity with Macklemore: the famous Seattle rapper has been excluded by the organisers from the next eight US dates – where he was originally scheduled to appear as a guest of honour – after coming under fire from pro-Israeli groups and figures for having commemorated, during the first two concerts of the tour in New Jersey, Israel’s victims in the Gaza Strip and chanted the slogan ‘Free Palestine’ (‘Palestina Libera’).

Macklemore’s withdrawal sparked protests, both in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as around the world and online, with accusations of censorship levelled at the promoters and of inconsistency directed at the British pop star. Consequently, within a matter of hours, a domino effect was triggered amongst the other musicians who had been booked to support Sheeran. The first was Aaron Rowe, an up-and-coming Irish singer-songwriter, who stated on social media that he could not accept Macklemore’s attack on freedom of expression and concluded his message by writing: ‘Free Palestine’.

With regard to the situation in Iran, “there is no sign of any move towards a political solution on the terms imposed by the United States and Israel in the region”. This was stated at a press conference by the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, as reported by the TASS news agency. According to the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, the two countries are exerting “pressure and direct military intervention in the region’s affairs”.

The spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, Behrouz Kamalvandi, has rejected the request by the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, to gain access to the Iranian nuclear sites damaged during the joint US-Israeli attack. “The enemy is seeking to obtain information from these sites to fuel its own aggression; in such circumstances, protecting information relating to nuclear facilities is of paramount importance,” he emphasised, adding: “We have no confidence in the head of the IAEA, unless he decides to radically change his approach. He is engaged in political manoeuvring rather than professional conduct, and his statements are political in nature.” “The Agency’s reports, as well as the statements by its head, provide the necessary pretext for political pressure from European states, the United States and, in particular, the Zionist regime. It is precisely for this reason that Iran has consistently contested its actions”, Kamalvandi told the IRNA news agency today.

The death toll from a building collapse in Gaza has risen to 20, including five children. Agence France-Presse reported this, citing rescue workers. A Civil Defence spokesperson told Al-Jazeera that the building was home to around 100 people – half of whom were children – and that there is currently no news of their whereabouts. The building housed 10 families, who were forced to live there despite the unsafe conditions caused by Israeli bombardments.

The Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity in their crackdown on the 2022 protests, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people, Amnesty International said, adding that Tehran’s crackdown on new demonstrations this year bore the “same hallmarks”, but on an even larger scale. The 2022 crackdown amounts to “crimes against humanity”, including murder, torture, rape and enforced disappearance, Amnesty stated in a report marking the fourth anniversary of those protests, warning that the authorities’ actions against demonstrations earlier this year were “on an even more deadly and shocking scale”.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has stated that he wishes to reach a security agreement with Israel once the latter has withdrawn from the south of the country, and that he is determined to disarm Hezbollah without resorting to conflict. In an exclusive interview with AFP, he also stated that Lebanon hopes to see the creation of a new force – whether European or from elsewhere – to prevent a security vacuum following the departure of UN peacekeepers from the south of the country, scheduled to take place when their mandate expires at the end of the year. Finally, he urged the United States, the European Union and Arab countries to support the Lebanese army in its deployment to the southern region. Aoun also expressed his willingness to conclude a security agreement with Israel “primarily to put an end to the state of hostility and allow the army to deploy along the border. This could pave the way for a subsequent peace agreement, but we cannot move directly to a peace agreement’. ‘We have no choice but to negotiate, because the alternative is war, which would come at an extremely high cost to us,’ Aoun added. Aoun reiterated Lebanon’s determination to disarm Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group, stating that this decision “is neither negotiable nor open to discussion”. However, he said: “The aim is not confrontation… We are determined to resolve the issue peacefully”.

China has urged Iran and the US to maintain a “rational” approach to the conflict in the Middle East and has declared itself ready to “safeguard” Iran’s rights. This was reported in updates released today regarding the talks in Beijing between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Aragchi. “China is willing to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with Iran and to safeguard Iran’s legitimate rights and interests,” Wang told Aragchi during the meeting in the Chinese capital. “We encourage Iran and the US to remain rational and exercise restraint,” he added.

The Houthis have no intention of closing the Red Sea and say they are ready to negotiate, in a move aimed at securing recognition of the movement as a legitimate political actor in the Yemeni crisis. This was stated by the Houthi government’s foreign minister, Abdulwahid Abu Ras, in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, describing navigation through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait as “normal” and accusing Riyadh of fuelling unfounded fears about its closure. Against the backdrop of the military escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, Saudi oil production fell in August to its lowest level since 1990. The Houthis have recently taken control of the entire Yemeni Red Sea coastline, including the port of Mokha. Abu Ras has said he is open to negotiations based on the 2022 UN road map, and has in recent hours called for an end to the Saudi siege of areas under the movement’s control.

The death toll from the collapse of the building housing displaced people in Gaza City has risen to 14, including five children. This was reported by the Gaza Strip’s Civil Defence. Meanwhile, the authorities in the enclave have blamed Israel for the incident. In a statement issued by its press office, the Gaza government said that the collapse of the building “exacerbates the humanitarian catastrophe” in the Strip. “We hold the occupation and the international community fully responsible,” the statement reads. The building had been hit during Israel’s war against Gaza and, according to the authorities, dozens of victims, including women and children, remain buried under the rubble. Across the Strip, the statement continues, around 8,500 people are still missing beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings, whilst thousands continue to live in unsafe structures. “We call on all countries of the world and on international and United Nations organisations to intervene immediately to put an end to the unjust siege of the Gaza Strip, open all border crossings and allow the immediate entry of equipment and supplies for rescue and civil protection, as well as to meet all the urgent and essential humanitarian and relief needs of the Gaza Strip”, the statement concludes.

“America has never defended Israel. We haven’t sent ground troops to Israel since 1948. We are the mainstay. When someone has been shouting ‘Death to America’ for nearly 50 years, perhaps you should listen to what they’re saying. We do not support Israel; we are its partners, and we do so in our own interests as well.” Mike Huckabee, the US Ambassador to Israel, made these remarks in an interview with the Israeli news site YNet. Regarding Tehran, “I do not foresee any further kinetic military action. The decision will be taken in Washington”, but Iran “is weaker than it has been at any time in the last 50 years, both militarily and economically, and is becoming increasingly weaker”. According to him, the American definition of “victory” in Iran is: no nuclear weapons, no uranium enrichment and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and perhaps also a limitation on missile capabilities, which have doubled over the past year from 2,000 km to 4,100 km. “From Tehran, without a submarine launch platform or any other base, they can strike London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Rome and Athens. Almost all of Europe. I was surprised that there was no stronger reaction from Europe when the situation became clear, after they struck Cyprus.” Huckabee admits he was surprised to see settlers invading a Palestinian property whilst his security team was present and in full view of the media. “I was surprised by their brazen behaviour,” he says. “People have the right to protect their own property. But they do not have the right to invade other people’s property and sometimes even terrorise or intimidate people by their mere presence. I have never attributed all these acts to the settlers. They are not settlers, but ‘uprooters’. Many of the people carrying out these actions do not live in Judea and Samaria, but outside these regions.” According to him, around 99.9 per cent of settlers are “incredibly responsible”. Every day, he claims, between 600 and 700 lorries loaded with humanitarian and medical aid arrive; Israel has delivered one million doses of polio vaccine; and Gaza’s population is growing by 4 per cent a year: “How can one speak of genocide when 700 lorries of supplies and food are sent every day?”

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has stated that it is only a matter of time before the Jewish state resumes a full-scale war in Gaza and begins to encourage the emigration of its two million Palestinians. This is reported by the Times of Israel. According to Katz, 70 per cent of Gaza’s population has already been driven out as a result of the war. The minister added that the October 2025 ceasefire, announced by US President Donald Trump, was of “supreme importance to all Israelis”, as it led to the return of the remaining hostages and secured “a commitment from the United States” to disarm Hamas. “We all understand that this will not happen — and the IDF is ready, once it receives the order to eliminate Hamas, to see the job through, so that we can also implement the emigration plan,” Katz said.

Il ministro della Difesa israeliano Israel Katz annuncia che un militante di alto rango di Hamas è stato arrestato nella città di Gaza, in un luogo indicato come Netiv HaAsara, Ashkelon, Israele, in questa immagine tratta da un video diffuso il 1° settembre 2026. Ministero della Difesa israeliano/Materiale fornito tramite REUTERS

Around 2,000 buildings in the populated areas of the Gaza Strip are in a precarious structural condition, and residents are unable to leave them due to a lack of alternative accommodation. This was highlighted by the enclave’s civil defence authorities following the collapse of a building in Gaza City – which had been damaged by Israel during the war – in which at least 11 people lost their lives, whilst a further 100, half of whom are children, are believed to still be trapped under the rubble.

Fourteen Russian spy satellites passed over a US military base in Saudi Arabia two days before a devastating attack by Iran. This is according to CNN. The timing and sequence of the satellites’ movements provided access to a wide range of data which, according to US officials and international intelligence sources, helped Tehran carry out some of its most precise attacks against American targets.

New photos obtained exclusively by CBS reveal for the first time the full extent of the damage and destruction suffered by buildings and vehicles at various US bases in the Middle East following missile and drone attacks by Iran. The photos were published on the US news outlet’s website, which obtained them from serving military personnel who requested anonymity. “This is extensive damage to our bases, about which the American public has not been informed,” a serviceman stationed in the area told CBS News. “It’s like standing there with your eyes closed whilst taking punches right in the face. “These aren’t just isolated incidents that manage to slip through,” he added, referring to the phrase used by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth following the 1 March attack on the port of Shuaiba in Kuwait, which claimed the lives of six US soldiers. “We’re not defending these bases. We’re just standing by and watching as they’re destroyed.” One of the photos, taken at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, shows the direct impact on the rear of a Boeing E-3 Sentry: the tail appears to have been torn off from the charred fuselage, which also housed the rotating radar, an essential tool for gathering intelligence whilst in flight. Other photos taken at the base show gutted buildings and barracks. Similar images are emerging from Camp Buehring in Kuwait, a major deployment base for ground troops, armoured vehicles and some US Army aircraft; the base is situated in a remote desert area, well to the north-west of Kuwait City. The Pentagon has not responded to a request for comment from CBS.

The Israeli Minister for Culture and Sport, Miki Zohar, has asked the head of the Shin Bet, the country’s intelligence service, to investigate the sources of the information, testimonies and other materials used to produce the documentary film “Naza” – winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival – as well as the manner in which these materials came into the possession of its filmmakers.

Zohar stated that the investigation is necessary as part of the assessment of whether to revoke the citizenship of the film’s makers, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. “Examining this matter requires establishing the facts regarding the origin of the material, how it was obtained and the identity of those involved,” Zohar wrote, according to the Times of Israel.

According to the Palestinian Civil Defence, contacted by Al-Jazeera, at least 100 Palestinians are still trapped beneath the building, including around 50 children. Everyone is trying to find whatever equipment they can to help rescue the victims. The building collapsed at around 1 am, whilst the people inside were asleep. “We can hear the voices of people under the rubble and our teams are trying to reach them,” the spokesperson told the Arab news outlet, “but the occupying forces (the Israelis, ed.) are refusing to allow heavy machinery into the Gaza Strip.” Rescue operations are being carried out in coordination with the Gaza Municipality, the Egyptian Committee, the Arab Authority and the International Committee of the Red Cross, Al-Jazeera explains. The United Nations Development Programme is supporting the search operations. “There are around 100 bodies under this building, or rather 100 people whose fate is unknown,” a civil defence spokesperson told the media. “We urgently request the equipment needed for the recovery operations,” he said.

An MQ-9 drone belonging to the US Army was reportedly intercepted and destroyed at 2.29 this morning on the island of Qeshm, according to the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB. According to IRIB, this is the 52nd MQ-9 to have been shot down by Iranian air defences.

The death toll from the collapse of a building housing displaced Palestinians west of Gaza City has risen to 11. The victims include five children, whilst dozens of people are still missing. Rescue operations are continuing, according to the Palestinian Civil Defence, as reported by Al-Jazeera. The building, which was housing around 70 displaced Palestinians, had already sustained damage from Israeli bombardments.

The Houthis have claimed to have shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over the Marib governorate in Yemen. “In the face of this brutal aggression against our country and our people, the Yemeni armed forces succeeded in shooting down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet whilst it was carrying out hostile operations in support of its military build-up in the airspace of the Marib governorate,” said military spokesman Yahya Saree in a statement quoted by Al Jazeera. “The fighter jet was shot down using a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile,” he added. The spokesperson went on to say that, over the course of this week, Saudi warplanes had carried out more than 450 attacks on Taiz, Lahj, al-Jawf, Hajjah, Marib, Saada and al-Bayda. According to Saree, civilian casualties were also reported. The Yemeni armed forces will continue “to protect our country’s airspace and sovereignty from any aggression or violation, using all means at their disposal”, he said.

Several explosions have been heard on the Iranian island of Qeshm. This was reported by the official Iranian news agency IRNA, which cites local sources and adds that the explosions appeared to have come from the sea.

US Vice-President JD Vance stated that Washington “cannot allow its foreign policy in the Middle East to be subordinated to Israel”. He added that “President Donald Trump is probably the only president in the last 40 years to have shown a willingness to ‘disengage’ from Netanyahu when it became clear that the interests of the American people did not coincide with those of the Israeli government”.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the United States is investigating an Iranian cyberattack that is said to have targeted at least two oil tankers bound for the United States via the Strait of Gibraltar. According to the newspaper, the attack took place in August and the tankers were carrying oil and gas. US officials familiar with the matter said the attack had raised concerns in Washington, where there are fears that Iran is seeking to escalate the conflict in the Middle East. The Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, is a major global energy route, traversed by around 300 ships every day.

Eight people have died and more than 60 are missing following the collapse of a six-storey building in Gaza City, according to the Palestinian enclave’s Civil Defence. “The bodies of eight martyrs, including children, and 15 injured people have been recovered from the rubble of a six-storey residential building that collapsed in the western part of Gaza,” said spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal. “More than 60 people are still missing under the rubble,” the same source added, emphasising that the building “had suffered structural damage as a result of multiple Israeli attacks during the war”. The vast majority of buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed by Israeli bombardments launched in response to the attack on 7 October 2023 carried out by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas from within the Strip itself. The war in Gaza has caused over 73,000 deaths and 174,000 injuries among Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health – which operates under Hamas’s authority – whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.

The Trump administration is planning to supply Israel with powerful 900 kg bombs as part of an upcoming arms deal. The package, worth $2.8 billion, includes 40,000 bombs, of which 20,000 are Mk84s and 20,000 are BLU-117s. This was revealed by two US officials and a person familiar with the plan, who spoke on Tuesday on condition of anonymity to discuss the package, which is not yet finalised. These weapons have raised such concerns about the potential for high civilian casualties in Gaza that the Biden administration suspended their supply two years ago. Congress has been informally briefed on the agreement currently under discussion.

The Republican-majority House of Representatives has passed a motion requiring Donald Trump to end the war in Iran or seek authorisation from Congress. This is the third time the House has called on the US president to halt the war through symbolic measures. Seven MPs voted with the Democrats on the resolution, which was passed by 220 votes to 204. The approval comes 49 days before the mid-term elections. It is unclear whether the Senate will consider the measure before November. A similar resolution was passed by the House in July but has not yet been considered by the Senate.

Saudi Arabia has stated that a drone launched by the Houthis towards Mecca was intercepted and destroyed. Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting pro-Iranian rebels in Yemen, quoted by Al Jazeera, said that the Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces had intercepted the hostile drone before it entered airspace on Tuesday evening. Al-Maliki condemned the incident, describing it as an attempt to intimidate worshippers and harm civilians, and warned that the security of the two holy mosques and the pilgrims is a “red line”. The spokesperson described the incident as the Houthis’ second attempt to target Mecca, following what the coalition described as the launch of a ballistic missile in July 2017. “Claims about the attack on Mecca are a hackneyed lie, already used in the past, and one that no longer fools anyone,” commented Hazm al-Assad, a senior Houthi figure, on X.